I smiled at him, warmth spreading from my heart to the rest of my body. He really had changed since last week. But there was something I had to say to all the guys before this was over. “Whatever happens tonight, I’m really thankful you all took a chance on me. It was a huge risk letting me into the band, and I have loved every second of it.”

“We couldn’t have done this without you,” Kyle said.

“I love you guys,” Hector said to all of us, sniffing.

“Hey, don’t get all weepy on us now,” Jared said, shoving him a little. We all laughed, but we each choked up a little, too. Win or lose, our time on the show was over, and it was bittersweet.

We broke apart and took our places on the revolving stage, ready to face the audience one last time. Jared grasped the mic, his blue bass around his neck, looking dangerously sexy with his black leather jacket. I stood beside him, running a hand along my sea foam green guitar, the one the producers had tried to destroy. Behind us, Kyle hovered over his keyboard, and Hector twirled his drumsticks. My new family, all preparing to go to battle together.

When the stage turned, Jared spoke into the mic again, his voice soft. “This is for all of the fans who believed in us, who voted for us and downloaded our songs and came to see us tonight. Thank you.”

The crowd cheered and waved around their signs, and he started the opening to “Bad Romance.” We let his voice carry the song alone at first, hypnotizing every person who heard it. I joined him on the guitar when he started the first verse while Hector provided the steady beat that kept the rest of us in sync and Kyle added the perfect atmosphere. Our version was harder and darker than the original, promising a night of leather and lust, of pleasure and pain. Jared imbued the lyrics with all of his passion, giving them almost a desperate edge, filling each word with yearning and need. He sang to the audience, but in my bones I knew he was singing this for me, another reminder of what we’d shared and what was to come. And when the song ended, he grabbed me for another kiss, leaving the audience with that one final image of us.

Jared was right. Whatever happened with the show, we had already won.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

At the results show, when Fairy Lights was announced as the winner of The Sound, we weren’t surprised. Disappointed, yes. Angry. Sad. But not surprised.