Ross Gets Dumped (An R5 Fanfiction)

Chapter 10

I have to take a nap before the show or I’ll probably fall asleep halfway through our set, so I curl up in my bunk with three hours until sound check and close my eyes. Even with all of the excitement that I have built up inside of me for tonight, I still manage to catch some z’s.

When my alarm goes off to tell me it’s time to go inside to sound check, I want to throw it against the wall, but I get out of bed instead. As soon as my feet hit the cold floor I remember what today is, what today might mean, and I’m not tired anymore. I quickly brush my teeth and fix my hair and run inside. I’m almost to the stage where everyone is setting up when I see Sophia standing alone in the hall, crying.

“Soph? Sophia, what’s wrong?”

She looks up at me with a strained smile and wipes her eyes. “Ross, hi. Sorry… I’m fine.”

“Come on Sophia. No matter what has happened between us, I want to at least be your friend.” Of course after tonight I’m hoping we’ll be more than friends, but for now the least I can do is listen to whatever is ailing Sophia, as a friend.

Sophia laughs. “Okay. Well… I think I’m going to leave Line Drive, once the tour is over.”

It takes a second for her words to register. Sophia, leaving Line Drive? She loves that band with all of her heart. “Did you and Rory break up or something?” I ask bitterly, remembering the fight they had last night, but knowing that couples fight all the time.

A sad smile spreads across her lips. “We were never together, not really. I tried to pretend I care about him as more than just a friend but I’m no actress.”

I let out a relieved sigh. “So, what happened?”

“Last night I played the song we wrote for the guys, and they all loved it and said we should add it to our set instead of one of the old songs. So I said, since we’re changing the set anyway, can we add a song that I wrote too? And they said, well you wrote this one? And I said, I meant one that I wrote on my own. They all laughed and then Rory said a lot of mean things. I’m just done with this. I think… Well, I think I’m going to try my hand at a solo career.”

“That sounds great, Sophia. Hey, tonight, will you stand side stage during our set?”

She sighs. “Won’t Hannah be upset?”

“Hannah is well on her way back to Africa,” I assure her. “She should never have come back here.”

“But you said you love her…”

I take a step back, surprised. “No, I didn’t. I said I would always love her, because I will. She was my first ‘love.’ But I’m not in love with her anymore. I haven’t been for a long time.”

Sophia blushes and brushes some hair behind her ear. “Oh. Well… yeah, I’ll stand side stage for your set. But only if you stand side stage for mine.”

“Deal,” I say as someone calls my name from behind. I’m definitely late for sound check, but I definitely don’t care. “See you tonight.”

She nods and I run off to the stage to rehearse, and also to tell my siblings and Ellington what I want to do tonight. Of course, they agree. Everything is set. Now all that’s left is to wait.

***

Waiting takes forever. When Line Drive’s set finally comes, I stand exactly where I promised I would, and watch as they rock the stage with the song that Sophia and I wrote together. The crowd loves it. It’s just a shame that they’ll never be able to record it as their first single. There’s no way Sophia will give it up after she leaves the band. In fact, I hope she’ll record it for herself, as her own first single. And I can produce it. Maybe we can make it a duet…

I’m getting ahead of myself here. Nerves start to take over when we take the stage. I’ve done this so many times that I could perform in my sleep (and without that nap I probably would have had to), but tonight is different. Tonight is special.

Halfway through, when we usually have a quick interlude so we can regroup backstage, I come back to the stage alone.

“Hey guys,” I say, and everyone screams. I can’t stop the grin that forms. There’s absolutely no feeling in the world than being on a stage while people scream for you. They’re here for you. You’ve made a difference in all of these lives. It’s humbling. And amazing. “So, I hope you all enjoyed our amazing opening band, Line Drive?” More screams. Side stage, I can see Sophia grinning. “Well, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to invite a good friend of mine, who also happens to be Line Drive’s lead singer, out here to sing a song?”

The crowd goes wild. I walk to the steps on the side of the stage and hold my hand out for Sophia. “Ross, what are you doing?”

“I want you to sing that song you played for me that first day,” I tell her. “Think of it as like a trial run for when you go solo.”

“I don’t know, Ross, I’ve never been on stage alone before…”

“You won’t be alone,” I promise. “I remembered the chords and worked out the music with the rest of the band. We’ll start it, and they’ll join us. It’ll be like a jam session.”

She bites her lip. “Are you sure I can do this?”

“I’m positive.”

Sophia climbs on stage and comes to the center with me, where another mic has been set up. “All right, guys, please give a very warm welcome to my dear friend, Sophia Lynn Rachel Moret.” She laughs and flips her beautiful red hair.

“Thanks, Ross.” She looks out at the crowd. “So I guess I’m going to sing you all a song. I know I sang a bunch already, but this is one that I wrote all on my own. I hope you all like it.”

She looks at me and nods, so I start strumming the guitar. Her voice fills the room, the crowd sways with the beat, and I’ve never seen anyone as happy as Sophia is in that moment.

After the first verse, Rydel, Ellington, Rocky and Riker come on the stage and join in with the instrumentation we worked out during sound check. It sounds so good, I wish we were recording it right here and now.

When the song comes to an end, Sophia bows and is ready to leave the stage, but I call out to her. “Sophia, wait. There’s something I need to tell you.”

She pauses, looks at the crowd, then at me. “It’s okay, they’re allowed to hear it. I want everyone to hear it.” I gulp. This is taking all of my courage. Thousands of eyes are on me. “I wrote you a song.”

“You what?”

“Last night. I didn’t sleep. I wrote a song for you. Can I sing it?”

She only nods, and takes a seat on the stool that Ryland brought out. All of the lights dim except for one spot on just the two of us.

Then I sing her a song.

By the end, Sophia is staring at me with tear filled eyes, and I pray to god that means she’s happy and not sad.

“You wrote that for me?”

I nod.

“But you can’t write songs.”

I shrug. “I guess I just needed some inspiration.”

And then, in front of a sold out crowd, and my entire family, I kiss the girl I’ve fallen so hard for over the last few weeks.

So yeah, getting dumped by Hannah right before tour started sucked. But at the same time, being dumped was the best thing that ever could have happened to me.

The end.