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CHAPTER ONE
The only time I feel alive is under the glaring lights of the stage, music loud in my ears and bass heavy at the pit of my stomach. Even with my protective earplugs in, the thrill of the chaotic noise on all sides of me sends my pulse into a heated vibration that rolls through my body in tiny shocks.
There was a time when I was terrified to walk onto the stage. The screams from the crowd made me sweat. Back then, I was more thankful for the blinding lights that surrounded me because it made it harder to see the audience. It was always Drew; he grounded me before we stepped out from the hidden hallway and onto the stage in front of hundreds of fans. “You’re doing it again,” he would huff. “You’re in your mind too much. Just let loose. Just beyou.”
The song picks up in tempo, heading straight for the crescendo.
“Take me in the dark, baby, take me to the moon,”I sing at the top of my lungs before ending the lyrics at a high-pitched scream. Up, up, and away.“Lift me up, baby, take me to your room…take me…take me…”
The crowd loses their shit. They jump and mosh and go ballistic in the pit. It’s almost impossible to tell with the lights in my eyes, but from what little I can see, it almost looks like a few brave souls are surfing the crowd.
I’m tempted to join them, but that would cut my very favorite part of the evening short.
“Thank you, Dallas!” I scream into the mic, voice raspy and as high as it can go.
Soon, the rest of the band joins me for a breathless, sweaty bow. Drew, my best friend and the drummer, lazily wraps a long, sticky arm around my shoulders. Brian, the lead guitarist, does the same on my other side. Sean, the bassist and my oldest friend, leaps up and joins us to stand by Brian, the same goofy smile he always has on after a show plastered on his face. Lastly, our guest musician, Trish, who has been helping us with the cello and piano this tour, comes to stand next to Drew.
Everyone knows we will be back for the encore, but still—this is my favorite part.
We rush from the stage into the backstage area. We are known for making our fans wait for their encore. First, the lights will fade until the room is pitch-black. Then, a small light show comes to life, using an instrumental mash-up of some of our more popular songs for the beat, and then gradually, one by one, we take the stage one last time and go completely ballistic.
It’s what they want, after all. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it just as much. I just have to tend to a few things before we come back on stage.
The energy from the crowd and the exhilaration from singing hypes me up and turns me on each and every show. I come the hardest in between the “last song” and the encore. It’s rushed, it’s sneaky, and the act is absolute perfection, even though it makes it hard to go back onto the stage sometimes afterwards.
