Page 43 of Wildfire
My hips start to sway, and the music washes over me. I synch with the rhythm and give myself over to the song. Before I know it, we've finished our first set, and the crowd is pounding their feet for more.
"We'll be back in fifteen minutes with a big surprise for you, so don't go anywhere!" Georgia shouts out before we step back behind the curtain.
Callie brings us some drinks and gives me a huge smile. "You're doing great, kiddo. Can't wait to hear the second set."
My mind is floating on a cloud because I am so deliriously happy. There is nothing like it in the world. Nothing like looking out on a crowd and being connected to them through the sound. Through the music.
We step back out for our second set, and in the back of the room, I catch a flash of someone familiar, but they disappear before I can register who it is. Maybe it is just my imagination. Or I am starting to know more people in this town than I thought.
After our second song, Georgia takes a pause.
"You've probably noticed we have some new people on stage with us tonight. So I want to introduce everyone up here."
The crowd starts to howl and clap again.
"Jensen, our old drummer, had to move away, but now we've got the amazing man with the sticks, Jordy!"
He plays a quick solo, and they go wild.
"Trevor, who you know and love, plays bass guitar."
Whistles and whoops fill the room.
"And tonight only, we have Renée on rhythm and vocals!"
The thunder pounds in my head. They cheer louder than the crowd did when my high school made it to the regionalchampionships, and I feel my body expand. They are cheering for me and haven't even heard my solo yet.
"And I'm Georgia, on rhythm guitar and lead vocals."
They go wild again, and I look around at these players. This is what I'd dreamt of, and here I am.
"We'll let Renée take the lead vocals for the next song. I think you're going to love what you hear."
The crowd quiets down as my hands start to shake. I need to get back into the zone— quickly. I look at all the faces staring up at me, then see him. Cole stands to the side, leaning against the wall with a grin and a beer. We lock eyes, he nods at me, and the whole world disappears. It is just him and me. I sit on the stool in front of the mic, close my eyes, and strum. That is all I needed. Seeing him there and supporting me was all the balm I needed to calm me back down.
The band plays a little backup as I belt out my song—the one I'd written about my mom, the one about love and loss and feeling like half of a whole because that's how I felt when she died. When I finish, I see people wiping their faces before the cacophony of their cheers fills up every crack and crevice in that room.
They loved it. They loved my music.
I look over at Cole, and he is beaming at me. I have to admit, I wanted him to love it more than anyone else. More than Zoe, who has heard me sing before. More than Callie, who helped me get this opportunity. I want him to know why I am leaving. To see for himself that music is part of my soul. It is my connection to my mother and the thing that gives me hope that I can have something more than what is waiting for me back home in Downsville.
We finish the set to more applause, and I walk off the stage, exhausted but exhilarated. Just as I step down, I feel a hand on my arm. I swing around and come face-to-facewith a crazed-looking Michael, the boyfriend I'd left behind in Downsville.
That is who I'd caught a glimpse of before the second set started. He must have decided to come after Zoe let it slip that I was in Owl Creek. How he knew I'd be here tonight is a mystery, but nothing stays mysterious for long in a small town.
"Alright, Renée. You've had your fun. It's time to come home now."
I wrench my arm out of his grip as Zoe pushes through the crowd.
“Renée, I am so sorry. I tried to stop him."
"What are you doing here, Michael?" I didn't think he had it in him to call and ask me why I'd left, let alone come after me. But the way he looks right now, it's as if someone I'd never met is standing before me.
"I came to take you home."
"I'm not going home. Downsville isn't home for me anymore."
"Oh, and I suppose this place is?" He grabs for my hand just as Zoe steps in between us, standing inches away from him and poking him in the chest.
