When Jared leaned into the mic and sang, his smooth voice washed over me like a soft caress. It was like the last, decadent bite of a chocolate-covered strawberry. The smoky burn of whiskey as it slipped down your throat. The final night of passion before your lover left forever. I sang along to the words, feeling each line strike me deep inside. I understood exactly what he was saying, like he’d written every word just for me, like somehow he understood me in a way no one else did. Of course, every other girl in the club probably felt the same way I did. And a few guys, too.

I tore my gaze from Jared to watch the rest of the band. Hector was a blur as his muscular arms flew across the drums. Becca swayed while she played bass, her movements sluggish and her eyes half-closed like she could barely keep herself awake. Lately Kyle had been complaining about how she kept coming to rehearsals wasted, but I couldn’t believe she’d do that tonight, not for their biggest performance ever.

Kyle was bent over his keyboard, head bobbing along while he played, and I loved seeing him in his element. We’d met as freshmen, and since we were both music majors who played piano, we always ended up in a lot of the same classes. We didn’t hang out much outside of school or anything, but whenever we had a group project or a duet to perform we always paired up. Over the years, we’d bonded over a shared love of movie scores, superheroes, and other geeky stuff, even though he was covered in tattoos and never wore anything other than black and I thought staying up past eleven was living on the edge. Somehow we’d just clicked—but never in a romantic way.

The song ended, and the audience cheered. Jared flashed the crowd a smile full of dark promises. “Thank you,” he said. “We’re Villain Complex.”

Julie whistled loudly beside me, and Carla covered her ears from the piercing sound. I blinked at them, coming out of a fog. I’d been so lost in the music I’d completely forgotten my friends were with me.

“They’re so good!” Carla yelled.

“And the guys are so hot!” Julie added.

“I told you!” I shouted back at them. And then the next song started and I was swept away, falling under Jared’s spell again.

Villain Complex had won the UCLA vs USC Battle of the Bands a month ago, securing the win for UCLA and making Kyle an instant celebrity around campus. Before that they’d only done a handful of small gigs and parties, playing both covers and songs from their own self-produced album. They were so talented it was only a matter of time until they really took off, and I’d be able to say I knew them before they were famous.