"She's nice. And I'll be back by ten. Promise."
He stared at the TV. "You said ten last time and it was eleven."
My stomach twisted. "I know. I'm sorry about that. This time ten. For real."
Silence.
I knelt in front of him. "Hey. If you're good with Mara- no trouble, no meltdowns- I'll get you that new phone by the end of the month. The one with the big screen for your train videos."
His eyes flicked to me. "The blue one?"
"Yeah. The blue one."
He chewed his lip. "Okay. But ten o'clock."
"Ten o'clock."
I showered quick, pulled on black jeans, a cropped tank under an open button-up, sneakers. Nothing fancy. Just clean. Hair down, loose waves from sleeping on it wet. A little mascara. That was it.
Mara knocked at 6:15. She was twenty-two, loud laugh, always smelled like vanilla body spray. Eli tolerated her.
"Hey, troublemaker," she said, ruffling his hair.
He ducked. "Don't."
I hugged him quick. "Be good. Love you."
"Love you more."
I grabbed my keys, left before I could change my mind.
The venue was the big outdoor amphitheater off the Strip- lights already flashing, bass testing through the gates. Crowds everywhere. Girls in glitter tops, signs with hearts and bandnames. I spotted Zariah jumping by the east entrance, waving like a lunatic.
"Hadley!" She ran over, hugged me so hard I almost dropped my phone. "You came! You actually came!"
"I said I would."
"Look at you. Normal cute. I love it." She grabbed my hand, dragged me toward security. "Come on, VIP line's shorter."
"VIP? You said passes, not VIP."
"Holland hooked us up. Childhood friend perks. Don't ask questions, just enjoy."
We flashed the passes. Got wristbands. Got led past the regular line, down a side path, right to the front barricade. Floor level. Dead center.
I stared. "Zariah. This is... insane."
"Told you." She grinned. "Best view in the house."
The crowd was already buzzing- girls chanting names, jumping, phones up. Lights dimmed. Smoke machines hissed. Then the intro track hit- low guitar riff, drums building- and the screams were deafening.
Four guys walked out.
First the drummer- Holland, Zariah whispered. Tall, messy curls, easy smile. He waved once, sat behind the kit, cracked his sticks.
Then bass- Jake. Dark hair, tattoos crawling up his arms, serious face until he grinned and the crowd lost it.
Guitar- Kei. Quiet vibe, black hoodie, long hair tied back. He tested a chord, nodded to himself.
