Losing My Mind

Chapter 12

Another day for the live show, and she felt much better than before. This time it felt right. The rehearsal went without a hitch, and Ryleigh's hair and make-up team were lovely. Sat in the dressing room chair, she caught up with Kelsie.

'Josh is getting stressed about Rory's publicity. He can't keep it under control.' She explained to Ryleigh.

'I guess there's nothing he can do, now they've dug it all out.'

'No, but it's all the fake news that comes with it.' Kelsie stated that a few people have claimed to have slept with him for money, and she showed an article on her phone to prove it. Ryleigh got upset about it like he did.

'Have you found a way to cheer him up?' Ryleigh asks.

'I don't think there's anything that I can do. I'm hoping what you're doing would help.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, it seems Rory is opening up to you, and they have it all on camera. Hopefully, people will see these things are fake.' Kelsie said.

Ryleigh had no idea he'd been opening up because she was helping him as a friend should. The public's perception of Rory would improve if he could remain as honest as he is now. She intended to make it a side project for herself.

'I never thought of that.'

'Keep doing it because it's working.'

Then Ryleigh had an epiphany.

'Why don't you tell Josh this was your idea?' Kelsie looked confused. 'Tell him that. It'll make him feel better.' She gave her approval to go along with it.

When Ryleigh exited the dressing room to go to the green room, she noticed Josh and Rory having a heated discussion in the corridor. She didn't want to overhear, but it didn't seem to be going well based on his body language. Rory's shoulders were tense, and sometimes his arms were crossed, or he would throw them in the air with frustration. Josh then walked away to answer his phone in mid-conversation, and Rory threw something onto the floor in frustration.

She watches as he runs his hands through his hair, with his head facing the floor, composed to let the rage in him finally calm down. But, of course, none of it is his fault, and Ryleigh doesn't know if anything she'll say will help or make a difference. Either way, he'll need someone to talk to, and Ryleigh might as well show some empathy.

Then, he looked up.

He couldn't help but notice Ryleigh's beauty when he saw her all dressed up for her performance. Her hair was in a wavy ponytail, and she wore a black t-shirt with torn denim jeans and a khaki top. He didn't seem to want to talk, as the sorrow in his eyes showed, so she hugged him. Then, with compassion, he buried his head into her shoulder.

'I didn't do those things they're saying.' He expressed.

'I know.' He releases and looks at her. 'They're just people who think they can ruin other people's lives because they're bored of their own. Don't let it get to you.'

When he loosens and fixes her fringe out of her eye, she can't take her gaze away from him. Ryleigh became like a magnet and refused to let go, and she was always wary of what to say to people, but she didn't need to with him. They sensed a bond and a spark between them.

Rory couldn't stop his heart from pounding as he gazed into her emerald eyes and the desire to send him happiness whenever needed.

'10 minutes.' A crew member called out, diverting their attention away from each other.

'Come on. We should get ready.' She goes past, and he grabs her hand.

'Thank you.' He kisses her on the cheek, and she blushes slightly before walking alongside her to the green room.

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Even Ryleigh felt confident; as she stood side stage, the nerves came back but she thought them away. So instead, she took some deep breaths and walked onto the stage. Being on the stage the second time, all seemed new again. Then, ready to hear the first note in her ear-piercing, she closed her eyes again and went into her world.

She seemed to see more this time on stage, the crowd, the judges bopping their heads and the cameras following her movements going each end of the stage. The smile on her face was genuine and pure.

Ryleigh did well on the stage, and she received compliments from the judges and an appreciation for the production of her music video. Bruce gave her some constructive criticism on her melody changes, but she took it with a pinch of salt.

After Rory finished his performance and received his feedback, he went to the green room, where Ryleigh was waiting for him with a beer.

'Can you do this for every performance?' He teases.

'Don't let it go to your head.' She joked. 'Well done, by the way.'

'Thank you, but I could've done better.'

Bruce was a bit harsh on him.

'Ignore it. I think he's had a bad day - we've all had it.' He smiles at her, and Ryleigh heard a ping from her phone from Russell,

"Great show :) Hope that song is meant for me xxx".

She gives a small smile. Initially, she wrote it for him as a way of saying sorry, but it changed when she started recording, and she's not sure why.

Ready to go back on stage, they stood with their coaches behind the doors, waiting, and Ryleigh was close to Rory. She was anticipating taking his hand and gripping it tightly. As she does, he smiles, and his heart skips when she squeezes his hand.

She ached to hold on as the doors opened, but the thought of Russell came back to her, and she wondered what he would think if she held hands with another man. So, she let go.

Standing on stage once more, Ryleigh waited for her name to be called to proceed to the next round. Dylan was the next person to leave.