More than Music

14

I sank onto the couch, the room suddenly spinning. Now that the big moment was almost here, I didn’t know if I could go through with this. My stomach threatened to bring up everything I’d had today—which, granted, had been only a small coffee. Maybe I should have eaten something this morning. Great, I was going to blow this entire audition because I hadn’t thought to grab a muffin before I left.

“How are you doing?” Jared asked, sitting next to me. “Still not okay?”

“Very much not okay.” I took off my glasses and cleaned them on my dress, my movements quick and shaky.

Jared placed his hand on mine, and I nearly jumped off the couch. But then his hand was gone, so fast I almost questioned whether it had actually happened, except that his touch left a lingering warmth on my skin.

“Relax,” he said. “We’re all nervous, but we nailed it during last night’s practice. We’ve got this.”

I nodded, but I had no doubt the rest of the band would be great. They’d all performed on stage together before, many times. I’d played with them in their garage for a few hours. Not the same at all.

Kyle dropped onto the couch, squeezing me between the two brothers. “I don’t blame you for freaking out, Maddie. This whole thing is terrifying. But I’ve seen you perform a dozen times, you’ll be great.”

“That was different,” I said. Today I’d be playing guitar in a rock band in front of hundreds of people and the four amazing musicians we needed to impress to get on the show. Musicians from bands I’d grown up listening to and had fangirled over for years. And if we got on the show, our audition would be aired next week for the entire country to watch. Including my mother.

“Just don’t screw up and we’ll be fine,” Hector said.

“Gee, thanks for the pep talk,” I said, and the other guys laughed. Even Hector grinned, and that sense of belonging—that feeling that this was right—struck me again. I was a part of this band now. I could do this.

Our ten minutes were up too soon, and we were directed down a brightly lit hallway and into the backstage area. The Sound used a special kind of rotating stage that I’d also seen at music festivals, with a platform on each side so bands could set up and break down their equipment while another band was performing. Then the stage rotated, and it began again. This saved a lot of time with so many bands playing back-to-back.

I couldn’t see the band currently on stage, but their music pounded under my feet as the crowd cheered for them. We were about to be in the exact same spot, in front of that same crowd, with our music blasting through the speakers. No, I couldn’t think about that or I’d run straight back to that waiting room.

We rushed onto the back side of the stage, which had already been cleared by the previous band. Our gear was waiting for us, and some roadies helped us get it unpacked quickly. After hours of waiting, everything was happening so fast. I didn’t have time to think; I just shoved my earpiece in and grabbed my guitar to check the tuning while the other guys handled their own instruments. I got my distortion pedal and mic set up just as the band on stage finished their song. I heard the mentors commenting but couldn’t tell if the band had done a good job or not. Either way, it meant we had to hurry.

Kyle got behind his keyboard, Hector sat at the drums, and that left me and Jared up front. My sweaty fingers dropped my guitar pick, and when I went to grab it, my knees nearly gave out from under me. When I straightened up, Jared stood right in front of me, his bass hanging from his neck.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Um, as ready as I’ll ever be.” Which was to say, hell no. I smoothed my hair and yanked the bottom of my dress down, wishing I had a mirror to check how I looked one last time.

“Just have fun. It’ll be over before you know it.” He brushed a finger against my cheek, making me shiver. “Stray eyelash,” he explained. “You look amazing, by the way.”

Our eyes locked, and for a second, it was only the two of us on stage, about to make music together. He offered me one of his heart-stopping smiles, and it gave me the strength I needed to go through with this.

The stage began to turn, ending the moment. Jared and I moved back to our positions in front of our mics as the roar of the crowd grew louder and spotlights flashed in our eyes. My heart pounded as an entire sea of faces stretched before me. And in front, the four musicians who would decide our fate.

This was our one shot to change our futures forever. Our one moment to lose ourselves in the music and hope we brought the audience along with us. Our one chance to turn our dreams into reality.

I was ready.

I sent off a silent prayer to the universe that I wouldn’t screw up just as the stage finished rotating. Hector started us off with the snap of his drumsticks, and we all jumped in with the opening to “Behind the Mask,” exactly like we’d practiced. My guitar rang out across the giant theater, louder than I expected but blending with the rest of the band’s sound. Jared began to sing, his voice like heartbreak and salty tears, and the crowd pulsed with each word. In seconds, he’d captivated them, like I’d seen him do to the audience at the shows I’d been to.