Crescendo

Chapter 24

DAY ELEVEN

FANGIRLS

"I swear I can see up her nose," Erin says enthusiastically as she stares at Trainwreck Aboard's lead singer, Dania.

"Ew!" Jessica Lynn and Amber exclaim in unison at their friend's observation.

"What? I'm just saying that's how freaking close we are!" Erin motions to the stage where T.A. is going into the final song of their set.

"Okay. She's right. These seats are unbelievable, Amber," Jessica Lynn says as she takes in the huge venue. Swarms of people fill the stadium but it's no doubt they've got the best view in the house. The lucky trio, the ultimate fangirls, has scored spots smack dab in the middle of the pit.

"What can I say? I've got skills," Amber says this lightly enough but looking at her, she doesn't seem as thrilled as she should be. They are about to see Dante! And if anything, she has a disheartened expression on her face. Before she can ask what's wrong, Erin speaks up.

"Yes, you most certainly do." Erin agrees whole-heartedly, with none of her usual snark.

Ironically, Erin has been Princess Pep ever since the three of them left Jessica Lynn's house to drive here. From home to the ticket counter, to right now, it's been nothing but gleeful cheers—and disturbingly, a non-stop Amber love fest. Jessica Lynn couldn't be happier about it though. This is a once in a lifetime experience, and she wants them to enjoy it together.

"Thank you, Austin! You've been amazing!" Dania calls out loudly, startling Jessica Lynn out of her reverie. As Trainwreck leaves, the wait begins for the main act, for their beloved Dante, to take the stage.

"Oh my god, I can't wait." Jessica Lynn hears Erin mutter from beside her. Equally pumped, she reaches out and squeezes her friends' hands, her mind in overdrive.

It's happening. She's going to hear her idols perform, right in front of her. And afterward, she'll go backstage and meet them! Even if it's only for a brief moment, to shake hands and talk about music with them for five seconds, the idea makes her exultant. This is the best day of her life. A dream come true in its purest form.

As the lights dim and the crowd shouts, Jessica Lynn whips out her cell phone and pulls up the camera feature. She frames the picture of the stage as perfectly as she can, and stands there with her friends, waiting for the lights to go back up. Waiting to see God. Rock gods, to be more specific.

But in the end, isn't that just as good?

DANTE

They'll be looking for him.

Sky already knows this while he's cowering in the bathroom like a sissy. The guys, Jer, everyone will be panicking in the next five minutes if he isn't where he's supposed to be. He can faintly hear T.A. going into their last song, and he has to get out there, get ready to perform. He can't let everyone down.

But he's going to because Sky's at his breaking point.

He woke up this morning after having another tortured dream about Gracie. His second waking thought was remembering he and Turner are not on speaking terms. Not only is he tormented by his inner demons, but he can't escape them by going to his friends for comfort.

Why did he have to make such a stupid joke? He meant to lighten the mood. Because what are you supposed to say when your best friend says they're in love with you? Especially when you don't return those feelings—the most obvious reason being an incompatibility of sexual preference. Sky wasn't sure what to do.

Sure, he'd adjusted to the idea of Turner being gay. After catching Turner with Ryan and fleeing the room, Sky had walked the streets for hours and thought long and hard about his relationship with Turner. How Turner being gay doesn't change the bond, the brotherhood, they have between them. But Turner's declaration, his apparently romantic feelings towards Sky, does. Seriously! How could Turner do something as stupid as falling in love with him? Yeah, Sky finds it hard to process that screwed up scenario.

He's got his wrecked friendship on one shoulder and his fucked up family past on the other. The camel's back is officially broken.

All day and during sound check, Sky's been thinking about all of this and slowly he's falling apart. There's simply too much going on, dragging him down, and it makes him not want to be here—trapped on this damn tour. He doesn't see how the hell he'll be able to put on a show for the fans, prance around on stage, and pretend he's even remotely okay.

So yes. Sky is hiding in the backstage bathroom staring at—you guessed it—his familiar friend made up of white flaky powder. The one friend, who doesn't leave him or love him, but is there when he needs it nevertheless.

He's promised himself he'd never use before a show. He's not that kind of musician, the one who can't get by on skills, who needs "a boost." But damn it, he could use something. He hates to say it but he needs a hit right now.

He leans over the bathroom counter, swiftly snorting the coke, downing line after line, until—

"Sky, you in there, man?" Alex's voice comes softly through the door.

"Um, yeah," Sky says, putting away what's left over—although there isn't much.

"Well, hurry the hell up. We've been looking for you. It's almost time."

"Coming," Sky says while simultaneously opening the door. Alex gives him a dubious look.

"You okay?"

"Fine. Let's go."

"But—"

He stifles Alex's protest by grabbing his shoulder. He drags them both over to the stage, where the rest of the guys are gathered.

Things speed up after that. A few more final instructions, T.A. gets off, and the D.I. boys rush into their places.

Once the lights come back up, the crowd roars with applause. The joyful noise is deafening, comforting Sky in its familiarity. Feeling a small bit of energy, of excitement, he holds up the mic and sings.

"It's rainin'! It's pourin'!" He chants, urging the audience on.

"Your old man is snoring!" They chorus back.

"And we've got all night...to do what I know you like." Sky makes his way across the stage, amping the fans up as he goes.

But looking out at them, the sea of faces and raised hands begin to blend together. Sky's vision sways along with the audience's waving arms. He stops in the middle of the stage, wondering why everything is moving when he's standing still.

And is it him or has it gotten really hot? He inhales, wanting to cool down, but the air isn't there. In fact, it's getting harder to sing as his breathing grows shallow.

Sky realizes something is wrong when he faintly hears the music stop. Everyone's staring at him. He holds it together on shaky feet as he looks around. The fans are gaping at him. Their adoration replaced by fear and confusion. And Turner. Sky gets one last glance at Turner's stricken face before he goes down.

He hits the stage hard. Every limb in his body feels the impact. Sky vaguely, then terrifyingly, realizes he's convulsing on the floor. Trying to get up is futile, regaining control is impossible.

All Sky can do is lie there as his eyesight continues to go in and out. The blurred golden stage lights turn black, then back. Gold...black....gold...

As he flickers in and out of consciousness, the discordant melody of screams lulls him into darkness.

***

Thanks for reading! An update on Sky's fate comes on Monday!