Standing By

MIA: Two Pentatonix Members

(Tim)

"Oh. My. God," Adam was saying, shaking his head slowly. "I can't believe that just happened. I can't believe he was about to cut our set—but didn't."

"We got lucky. Super lucky," I remarked, running a hand over my face, halfway checking for blood, halfway trying to calm down. My heart was still racing in my chest. If one person had been out of place, or done something different... we'd seriously be out. After all this. After all this work.

Chance sat down hard in a chair in the dressing room we'd just run into. "Wowww.... thank God you took off like that as soon as we pulled in, Adam."

"I know Diaz was pissed that I jumped out when the car was still moving—," Adam began.

"But if you didn't, we'd be done for," I reminded him.

"Exactly," he finished, rubbing at his right ankle. "Didn't even consider injury. I just did it."

"Are you injured?" Kevin asked concernedly.

"Ankle is a touch sore, but it's OK. It moves and holds my weight. Probably just landed on it a bit awkwardly."

"I'm surprised Jon lied for us," Chance mused. "Don't get me wrong; I'm extremely grateful he did. I'm just surprised about it."

"Me too," I muttered. "Thought for sure he'd spill the truth."

"What was the truth?" Adam looked at Pentatonix, or rather, at Kevin, Avi, and Kirstie. Lord only knows where Scott and Mitch had run off to. "The one thing I know is that Tim was not here, Tim was not sound checking, and Tim was not hitting major bass."

I lifted my head. "But Tim would like you to hush up about it!" Damn, dude, Pentatonix had just saved our ass—do us all a favor and don't advertise it and throw us under the bus! Least of all, poor Pentatonix who was trying to help us!

Adam glanced at me, then at the open door, and finally lowered his voice. "Well, you weren't here to, well, soundcheck."

"Isn't it obvious?" I whispered to him pointedly. "It was Avi. And, had to be, Scott."

Avi confirmed what I already knew with a quick nod of the head. "Yep. Kevin told me to push it down as far as I could to cover for you all and to actually get the sound checked and set to the right calibrations. Scott threw in some good low notes for good measure."

"Good thing he did, too, because the sound system started freaking out with both of them in the lower second octave," Kevin added.

"It didn't have any problems with just me, but with both of us, it was having issues," Avi reported.

"Y'all get it worked out?" Chance asked worriedly. "Will it be able to handle both you and Tim on O Come All Ye Faithful?"

"Yes," Avi assured me confidently. "They've got it, thanks to Scott."

"Remind me to thank him profusely for that," Adam murmured to us.

"All of us. To all of them," I clarified, reaching out to Avi and grabbing his hand. "Thank you. For saving our asses out there."

He grinned at me. "You're welcome, Tim." He pulled me in a quick hug.

"Yes, thank you," Adam and Chance agreed at the same time.

"You owe us," Kirstie giggled as Avi hugged Adam and Chance as well.

"No." Kevin shook his head. "They owe Avi and Scott. Not you or me or even Mitch. We didn't do anything."