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.

CHAPTER SIX

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.

My fingers danced across the frets, and my pick pounded against the strings. I tried to lose myself in the music like in our rehearsal, but this time there was a crowd watching my every move. My chest tightened at the sight of the four mentors eyeing our performance, judging everything we did. Was I looking at my guitar too often? Or not enough? Should I move around the stage? Look out at the crowd? No, that would only make me more nervous. I should probably move though, instead of standing like a statue. But what if I moved too much and knocked something over? Or, worse, crashed into Jared? No, moving was out, too. Safer to stay in one place. Just focus on the music, I told myself. Also, don’t pass out.

At the chorus, Jared gave me an expectant look. Right, backup vocals. I leaned into the mic in front of me and joined in, but my voice was too quiet at first. Probably because I didn’t actually want anyone to hear me sing. I raised my voice and hoped Jared was hypnotizing the crowd enough that no one paid any attention to me.

Near the end of the song, the music quieted down and only Jared’s vocals filled the room, haunting and pained as he sang about how no one saw the real him. His words hit me right in the gut, like they always did. When he finished the verse, I jumped back in with the killer riff he normally played, kicking the song up a notch. The other guys joined us, a bonfire of Kyle’s synth and Hector’s drumming and Jared’s bass. The crowd went wild, and a red light lit up in front of us with a loud buzz.