Page 24 of Ticket to the Stars: Part One

“All right,” Priest spoke, grinning. “No pressure to do amazing or anything.”

The look Angel shot him could kill, but he just shrugged it off. Putting Priest in his place, eh? I liked this girl. But, of course, I think I’d known that already. From the very first moment I’d met her, actually.

After the current woman singing on stage slipped the microphone back into its stand, Angel got up. She walked over to the worker, who helped her out with the machine and picking a song, and then she climbed up on stage.

God. She looked even more amazing up on that stage in that tiny black dress than she did when she was sitting right next to me. Her white hair tumbled over her shoulders, her chest rising and falling as she sought to catch her breath. She was practically a model on the stage, and even Priest had to stop flirting with his girls to watch.

The music began to play, she started to sing, and I kid you not, the entire world stopped.

At least, it did for me.

She’d chosen something by… Celine Dion? I think. Regardless, I didn’t know it too well. A slower melody, but one where she could belt out the notes and showcase the smooth timbre of her voice. So lush, so ethereal. The name Angel fit her so well, I was speechless. Even Deacon had stopped scowling as he watched and listened to her.

But that’s the thing: her name wasn’t Angel. It was Maggie.

She might not remember me, but I remembered her.

Chapter Twelve –Angel

I thought getting up on that stage and singing in a room in front of a bunch of strangers might be a little weird. I mean, just because I sang in my room all the time and I was in choir all throughout high school didn’t mean anything. This was different. I’d landed a spot in a popular band, thanks to my stalker of a sister.

But, surprisingly, it wasn’t that weird. At first, I was a little quieter than I should’ve been, but once I got going…

I’d never done the talent show or any solo in choir. It wasn’t that I was afraid of people watching me and thinking I sucked. It’s more that I’d just never gone for it. Like I was nervous, deep down, that I’d be denied before I even got up on that stage.

Singing had always been a favorite pastime of mine, even when I was a kid. I’d always known I had a good voice. A solid alto, I might not have the range of a soprano, but I made up for it with the sheer strength behind my voice.

Once I made it to the first chorus, everyone in the establishment was watching me. Even the gentleman working behind the bar. All eyes were on me. Bishop’s stare was glued to me, and Deacon no longer looked like he wanted to either kill someone or die. Priest wasn’t paying attention to his two flirting buddies, and they, in turn, had stopped ogling him to watch me.

I was so into the song that I completely forgot what I was wearing. This whole thing was so unlike me, but I guess that’s the point—this was an experience of a lifetime, so I had to make it count. I had to push myself, do things I wouldn’t normally do. Live a little.

Once I got into it, the song was over just like that. Time flew by, and before I knew it, I was walking off the stage, wearing a wide smile as most of the people in the bar clapped for me. I wondered if that’s how it was normally. If, when Black Sacrament performed, the set list was over in the blink of an eye.

I slipped into my seat next to Bishop and Deacon, still smiling as I asked, “So, how was I?” My face was a little warm, flushed from the attention. I could use some water, but I wanted to hear their answers first.

“You were…” Bishop was the first to talk, and a part of me foolishly hoped he’d suddenly remember who I was, that we used to sing together all the time as children. Again, that was a stupid hope, because we’d been kids. So much time had passed since then. My voice certainly wasn’t the same as it was when I was ten.

Priest leaned over the table, his expression intense as he said, “I think what he’s trying to say is that you were amazing. I mean, we figured you could sing, but… damn, girl.” He shot me one of his lopsided grins.

I glanced to my side, toward Deacon, finding he was nodding along with Priest. When he saw me looking at him, he coughed and turned his face away so I could no longer see how impressed he was with me.

“Don’t know how I’m going to follow that, but the show must go on,” Priest spoke, running a hand down his chest. He abruptly stood. “This one’s for you.” He wasn’t looking at anyone in particular when he said it, possibly so that both Hailee and Tara could assume it was meant for them. Maybe even so I could assume it was meant for me.

Priest might be hotter than hell, but I wasn’t into the big flirts. The way guys like that flirted with everything that moved, you could never be too sure he was into you. When flirting became first nature to them, could you really believe anything they said?

So, no, I didn’t think resisting the band’s charms was going to be hard.

As Priest chose his song, Bishop leaned closer to me and asked, “Do you want anything to drink?”

“I could go for some water, actually,” I told him, and he gave me a short nod before getting up and wandering over to the bar to fetch me some water.

My eyes were glued to Priest. In all the videos I’d seen, Pope was the main singer, the center of the stage. The focal point. Priest had always done backup vocals, but he’d never had the front stage solely to himself. His voice never really had a chance to shine. I couldn’t help but be curious.

Across from me, Hailee and Tara were caught in Priest’s web. They couldn’t take their eyes off him, and once everything was ready and he hopped up on the stage, I heard the girls swoon and sigh, like the mere sight of him up there was enough to get them worked up.

Some girls went crazy for a man who could sing. I wasn’t one of them.

The music started up. With the microphone in his left hand, he pointed at our table with his right. Again, he said, “This one’s for you.” And, just like before, he didn’t clarify who the song was for. That didn’t stop Hailee and Tara from giggling and glancing at each other, as if they both thought it was for them.

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