Page 99 of Hope & Harmony

The irony didn’t escape me, but I didn’t have time to contemplate any of that because Tommy was winding down for real this time.

It had been eighteen years and seven months since I’d last performed.

Now I was about to sing in front of 19,698 people.

I was either going to faint or puke.

CHAPTER 8

ROSS

There was a little scrambling as the crew adjusted the set list and found me a wireless microphone.

And I just stood there, trying to distinguish the past from the present.

Almost nineteen years since I’d been on stage and yet, there was no stage fright.

There were ghosts instead, ricocheting through me in the form of memories.

So many fucking memories.

Clara standing in the wings, leaning up to give me a good luck kiss before the show.

My old guitarist, Joey, flipping me off before grabbing his guitar and running on stage.

Rambo, my bassist, grinning as he pulled off his shirt and picked up his eight-string.

The roar of the crowd as they chanted.

Rockets – Rockets – Rockets

The strobe light moving back and forth across the audience, highlighting their excitement. The full house. The fact that we were on our way to the top.

“You ready?” Kingston gripped my arm, forcing me to look at him. “You got this, man. I’ll introduce you as?—”

“No.” I cut him off, shaking my head. “If I’m going to sing, I’m going to be who I am. And IamRoss Rocket.”

He smiled. “Yes. Yes, you are.”

Then he turned and ran back onto the stage, leaving me frozen in place.

A warm hand on my arm made me look down and Wynter smiled, her eyes dark with excitement and compassion and support. That was the best way to describe how she was looking at me.

“Go out there and own it,” she said softly. “For one night, take back everything you lost. And no matter what happens, you’ll always have one fan waiting right here.” She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss on my cheek.

Damn, she was pretty.

“Will you go out with me when this is over?” I asked spontaneously.

“I will.”

I pressed my lips to hers, firmly, letting her know I meant it.

Our eyes met for a fraction of a second and then it was time for me to go.

“…tonight we have a very special guest helping us out on vocals—anyone remember Ross Rocket from the one and only Ross & the Rockets?” The crowd went wild as Kingston introduced me, and whether it was because Kingston seemed excited or genuine interest in seeing me perform again, I would never know, but it was enough to propel me forward.

‘Judgment Call’ was a hard rocking tune with lots of energy that would get the crowd on their collective feet, so I motioned to the set list and Tommy started tapping the snare drum.

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