She opened her eyes when she felt Lizzy’s hands on hers. They did their breathing exercises, and when it was time to go, Bristol felt calm and collected. She stood in the wings, waiting until the lights went out and the crowd screamed with delight. It was hard not to smile. The rush of endorphins exploded throughout her and pushed her onstage to her mark. Tonight, she was starting the concert a cappella just to mix things up. Her eyes were closed when the spotlight hit her. She waited a solid twenty seconds for the crowd to settle. When it was obvious they weren’t going to, she started singing, knowing they would quiet down. She sang the words clearly, loudly, and by the end, her voice was just a whisper. They ate it up and begged for more. The band ran onstage, and a roadie quickly delivered her favorite guitar. She slipped the strap around her neck and started strumming the second song. When the stage lit up, Bristol could see rows of smiling faces. Some were singing with her word for word, and some were just nodding to the beat. What she wasn’t expecting to see was Sterling and Annie. She quickly focused on other fans in the first few rows and kept her glances to them minimal. Sterling was having the time of her life, beer in hand, while Annie only smiled when Bristol caught her eye. Annie swayed her hips to the rhythm and drank what looked like ice water. Her blond curls bobbed with the beat, and even though Bristol tried to look everywhere but at Annie, those piercing blue eyes kept drawing her back. It was the longest concert. Sterling was ruining everything, but Bristol couldn’t do anything about it. They were smack dab in the middle of the front row. They were hard to miss.

“LA is my home,” Bristol yelled to fifty thousand fans, who screamed back how they loved her, how they missed her, and how happy they were she was home. “I always forget how good it feels to be back.” This was the part of the show where Bristol took a quick break before dancing with eight professionals in the background. She chatted with the crowd as though she was very interested in their lives but was really taking a breather. She hated choreography, but dancing enhanced the show, and the fans loved it. With the price tag of a ticket so steep, she had to keep up with the trendy concerts other artists offered. She drew the line at swinging on circles high above the stage. She didn’t mind rising from below the stage but refused to be elevated for any reason. Bristol wasn’t a fan of heights.