Page 112 of Starstruck
So with a nod, I declare, “Let’s do this.”
The three of us make our way to the curtains. One of the volunteers for the day hands me a microphone, and then with a quick nod to both my siblings, we head out onstage.
“Hey, Toronto!” I greet the steadily growing crowd. “On behalf of MADD, Revolution Records, and Thorned Roses, we wanted to come out and say thank you all for coming. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Lennon Thorne, the brains behind this whole operation.”
I pause momentarily as the crowd’s cheers fill the open field, the beautiful view of Lake Ontario on the horizon. “Beside me are my siblings, Paige and Dylan.” They both wave to the crowd as I continue my speech. “We are so grateful you could be here with us today, because this whole event exists for our parents, Audrey and Brennan. I chose Mothers Against Drunk Driving as the recipient of the money, because they were killed by a drunk driver, and it means the world to us”—I gesture toward my siblings—“and to MADD that you’re helping support such an important cause.
“So, how about we get this concert started?”
The crowd cheers some more as I smile at my siblings, their expressions mirroring mine.
“Without further ado, please join me in welcoming our first performer of the day, Finn Evans!”
The crowd roars over the sound of the band starting up as Finn makes his way to his mark. I send him a smile before my siblings and I head offstage, rejoining the rest of our family to watch the show.
And just like that, the first (hopefully, annual) No Strings Attached benefit concert has begun.
“STREET MAP” BY ATHLETE
“How are you feeling?” Trevor asks me as he comes to stand behind his wife.
Paige and I have been watching from the side of the stage for the past few performances while the rest of my family headed down to the VIP section. It’s a better view from down there, but since I have to go on between each act to introduce who’s next, it’s easier for me to watch from here.
I smile at him. “Overwhelmed but happy. This has been unbelievable.”
“You did an incredible job putting this all together, Lens.” Paige places her hand on my arm. “Things are going so well.”
“Thanks, P,” I tell her, looking back out to where LINCOLN is starting his set.
She’s right—things have gone better than I could’ve imagined so far. It’s already almost two, we’re five performances in, and so far everyone seems to be having a blast. I’ve been getting notified of donations on the GoFundMe page I made for the show all day, and one of the merch tables has already sold out of the benefit concert T-shirts.
There have been no technical issues up to now—knock on wood it stays that way—and we haven’t had any other incidents, aside from a few minor cases of heatstroke. It’s the end of August in Toronto, so it’s to be expected—it’s close to thirty degrees celsius with the humidity after all, but thankfully, there’s a nice breeze coming in off the lake. I also have volunteers making the rounds with water for the attendees, and we set up a couple of extra tents on the perimeter for some shade.
But one of the many bonuses to not having any alcohol served is that everyone has been on their best behaviour, singing and dancing along to the songs and overall having a great time. It’s truly been more than I ever could’ve asked, and it makes meso damn happy to know people are enjoying themselves.
This just might become an annual event yet.
“Hey, Lennon!” I hear someone call from behind me, pulling my attention from LINCOLN’s performance. The three of us spin around to find Nathan and the girl I saw him with at Baxter’s show—Macy, I think—walking toward us. I grin as they approach, leaving my spot to greet them.
“Hey, Nate,” I say, wrapping my arms around him in a friendly hug.
He greets Paige and Trevor the same way as I turn to his girlfriend.
“Hi, Macy right?”
She nods, a smile on her face. “And you’re Lennon. I’ve heard so much about you.” She wraps her arms around me, which is a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t necessarily expecting jealousy, but I definitely wasn’t expecting a hug.
“All good things, I hope,” I tease as I pull away, and she chuckles.
“Oh, totally.” She smiles.
Nathan turns back to us after he finishes saying hi to my sister and her husband. “Thank you so much again for getting us the backstage passes, Lens.” He grins at me.
“It was no trouble, really. I’m glad you guys could make it.”
“Us, too,” Macy replies, smiling up at Nathan. They look like a picture-perfect Barbie and Ken—she’s exactly the kind of girl I imagine Nathan settling down with, and it makes me so happy for him that he’s found her.
“How are things withBaxter?” Nathan asks, his brows pulled together and a knowing lilt present in his tone. I’m sure after Baxter’s little performance at his show a few weeks ago, Nathan figured out something was up between us. But based on the look of concern filling his features, I’m also sure he’s seen the news recently.
