The Last Tour {COMPLETED}

Chapter Nineteen: Off the Ledge

Chapter Nineteen

Off the Ledge

When Jade woke up, he felt refreshed. As he sat up and dropped his feet onto the floor, a gentle peace entered his heart. It was almost over. One more day, one more show, and he was done, he had made it.

Jade stood up and limped over to the window. He dropped his weight against the window frame, then drew aside the curtain. Daylight. It was pretty, peaceful. Jade picked up the little bag of white pills sitting in the corner of the window sill and removed two. He swallowed them dry, then walked into the bathroom to get ready for the day. The last day.

Rehearsal took place as usual. The only thing different about it was Jade. He was in a good mood, almost happy.

"What happened to you?" Amber asked when Rudurhans had called a close to rehearsal and left the practice room to talk to the road crew.

"Nothing, really," Jade replied lightly. He was gently strumming the acoustic guitar on his lap.

"Well whatever that nothing was, it must have been something good," Amber laughed. She dropped into a nearby chair, and slung her arm over the back of it. "Happy the tour's almost over or what?"

"Yeah," Jade said, smiling slightly—an expression that was almost effortless. He moved his fingers along the neck of his guitar, changing his notes gradually, playing a random tune that was hardly even a tune for as soon as the notes drifted out, Jade had forgotten what they were.

"You're crazy," Amber smirked. "Tour is the most fun part of being in a band."

Jude Durrace walked over, then stopped behind Amber's chair. "I'd say dropping into bed after tour is the most fun part of being in a band."

Amber grinned and shook her head. "As they say...simple things amuse simple people..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jude asked. He lifted Amber's long brown hair off her shoulders and began playing with it.

Jade struck a final note on his guitar, then put it down. Life was good when it was about to end.

Amber was not the only one who noticed Jade's mood change. Later that day, as she was getting him ready for the night's concert, Jessie put a cardboard tray of salad in front of him. "I know you're feeling better than usual, so maybe you'd eat something? It'll be good for you. Help you sleep tonight and maybe start a new pattern for when you get home. A healthier pattern..."

"It would just be wasted on me," Jade answered before he could think to stop himself. I'd be gone before I even finished digesting it... "You—you like that stuff better than I do." And he pushed away the tray.

"No, it wouldn't be wasted. I can get my own salad if I want some," Jessie insisted. "Jade, you're going to starve yourself to death like this."

"It's forty-five minutes before curtain call," Jade said softly. "I'd mess up my voice if I ate something now."

"Then promise at least that you'll start eating again when you get home," Jessie said. "You'll be off tour, away from the stress, so you won't have any excuses."

"Ok," Jade replied quietly, insensitive to the fact that the word was a promise.

* * * *

Every second of time that passed brought Jade closer to his goal, and made him feel a little better. But the concert that night was still draining. Putting on that familiar act, putting himself on display with the impression that this was what he wanted. Lyrics tasted like lies in his mouth, but he gave his everything in the performance—everything there was left to give, filling the venue with his voice, giving the world a last taste of that sound produced live. As if it mattered. As if that sound could not be duplicated. As if the moment he was gone, it would not be duplicated.