Page 73 of Fame & Chaos

“Yeah, we will,” Chad says enthusiastically. “We’re gonna rock his socks off!”

I shake my head at him. The guy’s obsession with socks is genuinely concerning at this point.

“Okay, guys,” I laugh. “Hands in.”

We all throw our right hands into the middle, ready for the same stupid mantra we’ve been saying before every rehearsal and performance for years now.

The music flows for all to hear,

You cannot help but stop and cheer,

The walls will tremble, shudder, and break,

‘Cause no one can handle the sound of Staked.

One, two, three…

STAKED!

We shout the last word together before throwing our hands into the air. The parents laugh at us, but they know we need this. It settles and focuses us.

Tonight is the biggest opportunity we’ve ever had, and there’s no fucking way I’m screwing it up.

We move into our usual positions automatically. I am in the center, with Annie and Aston on my right and Ella on my left. Same setup we’ve always had because it works. This is how we connect as a band, how we become one unit instead of separate people.

We’re unstoppable together.

At least… I hope Annie and Aston remember that, too.

Rob walks back into the room, clapping his hands once. “Right then, Staked. Let’s hear you rock the house.”

I nod and count everyone in. I’m nervous as hell, but underneath the nerves is pure adrenaline. Music has always been my life, and Indi was the reason I fell in love with it in the first place. So it feels fitting that the first song we play tonight is the one I wrote about her.

“Saving Grace.”

She’s never heard it before, but tonight I sing it like she’s sitting right in front of me, hearing every word for the first time.

The melody floods through me while Annie’s soft but emotional guitar chords vibrate around the room. This song feels electric. It’s like the music physically lives inside my bloodstream, every beat and lyric becoming part of me.

I live for this shit.

I breathe it.

And right now, combining my love of music with the memory of performing for Indi makes this feel like the best performance of my life.

I know I’m killing it.

Closing my eyes, I lose myself in the lyrics and the emotion behind them. Indi really was my saving grace once upon a time, and when she left, she carved a hole through me that never healed properly afterward.

So I pour every ounce of that pain into the song.

By the time I sing the final line, emotion claws up my throat, but I force myself to stay composed and professional.

I glance back at the band and nod at Chad to kick off the next song.

This one’s faster, heavier, and more rock-and-roll than emotional, but I still picture Indi sitting directly in front of me while I sing like the entire room disappears except for her.

Then Annie launches into her guitar solo, and reality crashes back in, reminding me exactly why we’re here tonight.