The rest of the day was spent rehearsing in awkward tension. Dad is watching me like a hawk and if he wants me to perform at my best tonight he needs to loosen the reigns a little because right now I am feeling stressed. Being next to Aston all day, but him not even acknowledging me let alone anything else, is making my skin tingle and not in a good way.

The rest of the parents have made their way over and we’re all heading into London to play our first gig. Luckily our parents know how to go about all this and they help us load our instruments into Dingo’s van and then we all drive up to London toward our first ever live performance.

I’m nervous and extremely excited, but the excitement is dulled slightly by the nerves I have about Aston. I did see him looking at me a couple of times today, but when he saw I was watching he quickly looked away.

I don’t know what is up with him? And all I do know is that it’s unsettling. I take a deep breath as Dad drives on the highway toward London.

“That’s a big sigh. You okay?” Ella asks quietly as she sits next to me in the backseat.

I shrug and the threat of tears is imminent. She draws her eyebrows together and takes my hand in hers and squeezes tightly. She leans into her pocket and pulls out her phone. I glance at her and wonder what she’s doing when she types something into the screen and then I feel my pocket vibrate. I smirk at her knowing we’re about to chat via text so the parentals don’t hear.

I let go of her hand and pull out my phone swiping the screen and opening her message.

 

Ella: Why is Aston avoiding you? Is that what’s bothering you?

 

I nod at her and she frowns, so I type a reply.

 

Me: I don’t know what I’ve done wrong. He really seemed to want me last night and today he can’t even look at me, and when he does he looks away as soon as I see him… :(

 

I hit send. She opens the screen and I watch her face fall as she reads the message. Then she types back.

 

Ella: I saw him looking at you a lot today. I think he wants to be near you but is scared to. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dad has something to do with it. I’m sure there is a perfectly good reason for him avoiding you. Trust me when I say he was looking at you. The times I saw him doing it, he looked upset like he wanted to go to you, but he was restraining himself. There’s more to the story Annie, trust me!

 

I shrug and bite my bottom lip. “I hope you’re right,” I whisper and she leans over, taking me in an embrace and squeezing me tightly.

We arrive at the large venue. Apparently inside can hold up to ten thousand occupants and when people heard that Staked, the kids of the band Slayed were performing, well Rob said the ticket sales went through the roof. So we’re expecting close to capacity, and I think ten thousand is huge, but Dad has played stadiums that can cater to and hold over one hundred thousand fans so that’s something to work toward.

I’m getting more and more excited as we get out of Dad’s car and walk over to Dingo’s van ready to pull out our instruments. There're three bands playing tonight and we’re the last to go on, so we have a few hours to kill before the show. Maybe I can find an opportunity to talk to Aston, or maybe I should leave it till after the show. Because if he says he doesn’t want to be near me anymore that could ruin my performance. Ella wraps her arm around mine as she bounces along happily. I love her energy, she’s making my dull mood a little brighter.

“I can’t wait to get in there for sound check. Our first ever sound check Annie, can you believe it!” she says excitedly.

I laugh at her as she drags me along and we enter the giant venue. “Slow down, Ella, I can’t run in these boots.”

“Annie, I’m running in heels. I don’t think your combat boots compare in running difficulty,” she says and I roll my eyes as we follow our mum down the hallway and into a large green room.

“Holy shit, this is getting real,” I whisper and Ella lets out an excited squeal and tightens her grip on my arm.

“I know!”

We walk in to see plush lounge suites situated around the edge of the room. There’s a little kitchen area with a fridge, and on the counter in front of it is some platters of fruit and cheeses and other stuff that I really want to get stuck into.

“Oh my God, food!” I say and drag Ella toward the platters.

We both giggle slightly and I move in to pick up some creamy looking cheese when Dad slaps it out of my hand.

“Ouch Dad, what the hell was that for?” I ask looking up at him.

“Nothing dairy before a performance, Annie. Weren’t you listening to my talk this morning?” he asks as he picks up the cheese platter and puts it in the fridge.

“No, I tuned out. Why can’t I have dairy?”

“Because it will affect your vocal cords,” Ella says and Dad smiles at her and caresses her shoulder.

“It’s nice to know someone was listening,” he says and then looks over at Caleb who’s having a beer.

“Caleb, you shouldn’t drink before a show,” he calls out walking off. He really is in complete control freak mode right now.

Ella and I giggle and pick up a strawberry each and clink them together.

“Fruit is okay though, right?” I ask and she shrugs and takes a large bite of the strawberry.

I laugh and take a bite of mine. “You rebel you,” I say to Ella and she nods.

We finish eating as much fruit as we can before Mum walks over and stops us.

“Girls, don’t have a full belly on stage. If you get nervous it can make you feel sick,” she says taking the piece of kiwi fruit from me and placing it back on the tray. I guess she’s right, the last thing I need is for my nerves to get even worse and for me to puke all over the crowd. I giggle to myself at the imagery in my head.

I’ve purposely been trying to avoid looking at Aston, but he’s on the other side of the room with Chad and Caleb. I’m happy to not be concentrating on us right now.

“How are you feeling?” Mum asks taking us both over to the lounge suite to sit down.

“Great,” I say honestly and Ella shrugs.

“What’s wrong, Ella?” Mum asks and I look at her suddenly concerned for my sister.

“I don’t know. What if I forget what to play up there? I won’t have my music notes to guide me if I get lost,” she says.

“Oh sweetheart, you’ve been doing so well at home. Just pretend that you’re playing to me and if you get in trouble then don’t worry about it. It’s your first live performance so I don’t expect everything to be perfect. I just want you to have fun that’s all,” Mum says and I nod in agreement.

“Plus, if you get lost just look at me and I’ll help you. Come and stand next to me tonight if you want, that way you can hear my guitar better?” I say and she nods and takes a deep breath.

“Okay, but I’ll stand on my side of the stage first and if I feel like I’m getting lost I’ll come over to you.”

“So are we all ready for our first gig?” Rob calls out over making himself heard over all the talking.

“Yep,” I call out at the same time as Caleb.

“Okay, so Peripheral is going on in about half an hour. When they finish Red Velvet will go on and then the band everyone in this place has been waiting for…” he pauses for dramatic effect, “Staked!” he says and I cheer as does Caleb.

“So are you guys pumped or what?” Rob asks and we all cheer.

“Awesome. So you have about an hour and a half before you go on, but right now we have to get out there for a sound check. It’s only going to be a quick one maybe a ten-minute session is all we have time for, but it should be enough for you to get a feel for the room and its acoustics. So are you ready to rock it?” Rob asks and we all cheer again. “Right, let’s go to sound check,” he says and quickly exits the room. We all follow behind with our massive entourage. I guess because all of us, excluding Caleb and Aston, are minors, we have to have parents to take us everywhere. It’s good having Dad with us, he’s been in the same position we are now. He even performed at this very venue when Slayed were first starting out, so he knows how to work the stage and I’m sure he will show me. As I walk down the long dark hallway, the atmosphere is electric. The dust in the air is buzzing with the good vibrations emanating from us all. I’m so excited I could scream as my heart rate rises with every step toward the stage where I will play my very first concert.

Dad rushes up to me and wraps his arm around my shoulders pulling me to him. “I’m so proud of you, Annie, and I know you’re going to rock it tonight. Just don’t do anything other than what we planned for the set list, okay? No going off on your own solos or getting angry if a fan throws something at you, just play the music the way you know it and everything will be fine.”

“Don’t worry I won’t do anything stupid, tonight is far too important for us.”

“Good girl.”

We reach the side of the stage and it looks amazing, exactly how I imagined it would with speakers up the front and a massive light display at the top. My excitement is completely overruling any other feelings I have right now, and even though I wish I could be sharing this excitement with Aston, I don’t mind because I can concentrate on myself instead. Aston will have to come later; after the show. I can feel myself getting in the zone and I’m not going to let anything ruin this night for me.

We walk out onto the stage and the space for the crowd is huge. A sudden nervousness washes over me while Caleb is laughing and racing around the stage excited. Chad is too busy playing with his shirt to even look out at the expanse and Ella is looking like she wants to vomit. I smile at her and she furrows her eyebrows. I hope she can handle this.

I can’t help myself as I turn to look at Aston. He’s talking with his dad Johnny and he seems quite focused and has a determined look on his face. He catches me looking at him over his dad’s shoulder and his expression softens and he smiles. My heart stops and then starts again dramatically racing so fast I feel a little dizzy. It’s amazing how one smile from him sets me on fire. I feel like my entire body is flaming hot and I notice a small bead of sweat drip down my forehead. I wipe it away and smile back and then Johnny looks over his shoulder at me and grins, giving me two thumbs up.

I giggle and nod as he turns back to his son and pats him on the shoulder. Aston looks over at Dad, who’s watching him and then he frowns and turns his back to me and I instantly know Dad has said something to Aston. And all the happiness that filled me to the brim when Aston smiled at me is now overflowing and being replaced with anger. But I can’t explode now, I have to wait until after our show because if I let my temper loose now, who knows what I might say or do, and tonight is way too important for one of my outbursts. I turn away from Aston and walk over to my guitar and strap it on.

Caleb comes over and he seems the happiest I’ve seen him since my birthday. “Holy shit Annie, can you believe this?”

“Nope, it seems surreal hey?”

“You can say that again. I’ve been waiting for this day my whole life, Annie. I’m so glad you’re a part of this with me. I love you cuz,” he says and wraps me in his arms tightly. I open my eyes wide at his emotional vomit and wrap my arms around him too even though it’s majorly awkward with my guitar in between us.

“You’re in a great mood,” I say and he smiles brightly holding me at arm’s length.

“Today is a good day, Annie, and tonight is going to be awesome. I can’t wait!”

“Okay guys let’s get this sound check underway,” Rob says and the parents all walk off the stage and around to the front where the mosh pit will be.

We all take our places on the stage where we always stand. I look over at Ella and smile reassuringly at her. She smiles back seemingly okay which eases my nerves for her.

The hairs on my arms stand up and I know Aston is behind me. I decide not to turn and look back instead I look straight ahead at Dad who has the biggest grin on his face I’ve ever seen. I know he truly is proud of us all. And even if he kind of hates Aston right now, I know he’s proud of him too.

“Okay, Staked sound check commence,” Rob states really formally.

“Mic check, one, two,” Caleb says into his mic. I smile at the energy surging through me which is taking me to a place I’ve never been before, and I like it!

“Right, mic two. Sound check please?” Rob asks and I step forward to my mic and repeat the words Caleb has just spoken. My voice reverbs off the walls of the large concert venue and I shudder at how angelic I sound. I thought I was more rock and roll than that!

“Right, guitar check please,” Rob calls out and I look over at Ella and she smiles as we both play the solo from ‘Don’t Mess with the Best.’ The sound check continues and ends with us playing a song in full and by the end everyone is checked and sounding great. The atmosphere in here already has me on edge, a good edge that I would like to stay on for as long as possible.

We all get down from the stage and there’s a buzz in the air, everyone is so excited as we walk past the first band Peripheral. They’re all men I’d say in their twenties and they look very grungy with their long hair and tattoos. They seem like a harder rock group than us, but their dress sense is terrible. I’m glad I’m allowed to wear whatever I want, ‘cause those men all match and they look, well, stupid.

They all ignore us as we walk past them until one of them spots, Dad.

“Holy fuck, you’re Colter Slade!” the skinniest one says.

Dad stops and smiles. “Yep, that’s me. The whole band is here. Actually my kids are the last act playing tonight,” he says like he’s super proud.

“Far out! I knew Staked we’re playing tonight, but no one has heard any of their stuff. Are you in the band?” the skinny grunge guy asks.

I nod and smile and put out my hand. “Annie Slade, lead guitarist and backing vocals. Nice to meet you,” I say and he grins wildly.

He shakes my hand and looks back up to Dad. I giggle slightly knowing he’s awestruck by him.

“Guy. Nice to meet you too Annie Slade, and you too Colter Slade,” he says Dad’s name and almost drools. I laugh and shake my head.

“Guy?” Dad asks and he shakes his head.

“Sorry, that’s my name. I know it’s stupid, but it’s what my parents gave me so I guess I have to stick with it,” he replies making a joke at his own expense. I like him instantly even behind his bad makeup and oily hair, he seems like a decent guy after all.

“Well Guy, it’s nice to meet you. Make sure you stick around to see Annie play—”

“Oh, for sure Colter Slade. Will you be there to hear us perform?” Guy interrupts and I roll my eyes. He more than obviously wants Dad’s stamp of approval because any band Dad recommends instantly makes it huge.

“Sure Guy. I’ll listen in, for sure. Play your best.”

“Will do, and thanks again for chatting to me. It’s been the highlight of my life.”

“Well, thanks mate.”

“Guy!” one of the other band members calls out to him.

“Right sorry, I’m coming,” he yells back, then turns to me and Dad.

“Best… day… ever!” he stutters out then rushes off up the stairs.

“What took you so long?” one of his bandmates yells at him.

“That was Colter fucking Slade man, didn’t you see him?” Guy asks.

“Seems like famous people can still fangirl over other famous people,” I say and Dad laughs.

“Fangirl?” Dad asks.

“Yeah, like when those teenyboppers go berserk over the boy bands – it’s called fangirling. That’s what Guy was just doing to you. Did you see him practically drooling when he was talking to you?”

“No, but now I feel kinda dirty,” he says and I crack up laughing.

“Is that what it’ll be like for me, Dad? People drooling when they meet me?” I ask and he wraps his arms around my shoulders.

“If anyone is drooling over you, I will beat them up. But they can fangirl over you all they like. And I know they will Annie. You and Staked are going to be huge and it all starts right here, tonight!” he says.

“I only want one guy to drool over me and because of you, he won’t even look at me let alone talk to me,” I murmur under my breath.

“What?” Dad asks looking like he’s not sure if he just heard correctly.

“Nothing. I don’t want to get into it right now because I want to stay calm and not mess this up, but I’m gonna make you so proud of me, Dad.” I bounce on the spot and let out a little excited squeal.

He furrows his brows like he’s going to say something, but then the tension eases and he smiles. “You already have, Annie!”