Page 79 of Fame & Rhythm

I throw my hands up, feeding off the energy… and the back of my wrist clips the microphone stand. The microphone slams sideways, and a piercing screech rips through the stadium. Every speaker screams, and I swear the sound tears straight through my skull.

The crowd recoils as one, thousands of faces wincing beneath the lights before a chorus of groans and playful boos rolls back across the stage.

My heart drops somewhere into my boots.

No! No, no, no…

Heat floods my face as I lunge for the stand, fumbling to steady it with hands that suddenly don’t seem to belong to me.

I’ve been on stage for all of five seconds, and I’ve already made the entire stadium hate me.

A laugh cuts through the panic.

I glance sideways.

Aston’s bent over his guitar, shoulders shaking, a grin splitting his face so wide it’s impossible not to see it.

Hell of a first impression, Annie.

“Shit,” I mutter as the noise dies down and the crowd stands there, unimpressed.

Perfect. Haven’t even played a note, and I’ve already screwed it up.

“Lennox,” Aston murmurs. I look at him, my heart racing. “Your dad’s down there. Make him proud.”

I glance toward the front, where Dad’s smiling, giving me a thumbs up.

Right, I’ve got this.

I hit the guitar hard, pouring everything into that first chord. Aston and Ella jump in, and the sound explodes through the venue—loud, electric, alive—and a shiver runs down my spine as adrenaline surges through me.

I look out at the crowd.

Still… watching.

Waiting.

Judging.

Only the front row, our parents, are fully into it.

I swallow and glance at Aston, and he shrugs. Then Caleb bursts onto the stage, launching straight into the first verse of “Don’t Mess With the Best.”

I turn my back to Aston, instinctively, and a second later, he’s there, solid against me.

Everything clicks into place.

I lose myself in the music, the moment…

My fingers move without thought as I play, letting the music take over. I risk a glance at the crowd, where a few people are moving.

Then more.

And by the time we hit the chorus, the shift is undeniable. People are dancing, cheering, feeding off us, and energy floods through me, brighter and stronger than anything I’ve ever felt.

This is it.

This is what I’ve dreamed about.