I'll Be

Chapter Seven: Stunning

The amount of adrenaline pumping through my veins though.

            We stood where Sawyer and the boys had been only moments earlier, greeting people who asked for demos, t-shirts, or something to remember our name. Bree grabbed a marker from the table, and asked Auden to bring out slips of paper.

            “We need a sign, a signature.” She explained, taking the paper from Auden’s hands.

            “A trademark.” Liv nodded. Bree began to write TAWM on the back of the hands of everyone who said hello to us. We stood, and I searched the lodge; the noise level was at a hum; everyone was waiting for empty.pillowtalk. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious to see them come on.

            Bree looked over at Jules, “Give me a fact.”

            I forgot to mention this earlier, but Julianna loved books. Any kind of book: Science fiction, autobiographies, romances; when she wasn’t drumming, I’m fairly certain she was reading off in a corner somewhere. But because she read so much, she knew a lot of…odd facts. These include, but were not limited to: the weight of the human head (10.5 pounds), exactly how long a voyager on the Titanic could stay in the water before they died of hypothermia (three hours, give or take), and the age of the youngest Emperor of China (Aisin-Gioro Puyi, crowned at two).

            “A bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly.” She says, not sure how this will help, “It’s wingspan to mass ratio dictates, through aerodynamics, that it’s body mass is too heavy for it’s wings to hold up. But it does.”

            I looked at her, “Do they know why?”

            She shrugged, “Mind over matter, scientists guess.”

            Bree smiled, “Perfect.”

            I looked over at the drawing Bree had made; a bumblebee, with little hearts on the antennae.

            Caia laughed, “It’s perfect.”

            I nodded, “Should work for now.”

            There was feedback from the stage, and we all snapped up at attention. I saw Dustin kick his bass drum and high hat, Reeve checking the tune of his guitar. Everyone was cheering, getting hyped on the anticipation.

            That’s when I saw Sawyer walk to center stage. He looked so much taller up there, holding the audience gaze like he was about to start a revolution.

            “Before I say anything,” He said, gesturing toward us, “can we get another round of applause for Try As We Might, please?”

            The crowd cheered, and he grinned, “That was really incredible to watch. Hard to believe it’s their first live show.”

            A girl looked over at me, shocked “This was your first show?”

            I nodded, and she smiled, reaching out her hand like the other people were doing. “Do me.” She said giddily.

            I laughed, “Well, usually I buy them dinner first, but if you insist.”

            She stood, and I called Bree over to mark up the girl’s hand as I turned my attention back to the boys.

            “This first song is one we wrote not that long ago, and I think I see a few faces in the crowd who might know it.”