Page 139 of On The Edge
It’s only been a few measures, but my eyes seek out Mel again.
My heart stops.
She’s gone.
Gone.
I keep playing, keep going, but I can feel the terror growing over my face as I wait. Maybe she had to go to the bathroom. Maybe she got hungry. Hell, maybe Paul pulled her aside to ask a social media question.
Don’t freak just yet. She’s her own person and doesn’t need to be in our line of sight at all times. Don’t freak out, don’t freak out, don’t freak out,I repeat over and over in my mind. But repeating some mantra to keep myself from spiraling, especially with things about Melody, has never worked. In fact, it just amps me up. My kicks to the bass get stronger, the hits on the snare gets sharper as anxiety fills me.
Never Againcomes to a close; the lights flash aggressively and I start hitting every beat perfectly. I can hear the guys playing their parts and Reis singing through my in-ear monitors but I still can hear the crowd screaming as I go faster. It’s the most amazing fucking feeling. I can get all my aggression out, especially when I don’t have access to the punching bag like at home. It’s cathartic.
My sticks come down on the cymbals hard, and the song ends. Breathing heavily, I let my arms drop slowly as I fight to get my heart to slow down.
Don’t freak out yet, don’t freak out yet,I repeat and grab a quick drink before Markus leads us into the next song,Only You.
I press the foot pedal slower to get that soft bass drum hit, asOnly You’s a slower song. Reis' vocals start soft and I hear the crowd go wild.
My eyes look over to that spot where Mel should be.
And she’s still not there.
Only You.
Whisper For Me.
Melodies On My Mind.
She’s been gone for three whole songs.
Okay, it’s time to panic. To get some fucking answers.
“Kai!” I yell, trying my best to scream over the music. He’s the closest. And thank fuck, his head turns just as I scream because he tips his head up and saunters over. When he gets close enough, I yell, “Mel’s been gone for three songs!”
I know my words hit, and he understands, when his eyes widen and his jaw clenches. He doesn’t say anything; he just walks off the scaffolding and, still playing, walks off the stage.
Fuck, we’re going to hear about this later.
But I really couldn’t care less.
This has Louis' oily goddamn fingerprints all over it.
I know he’s done something, I just don’t know what yet.
Kai comes back, still playing, and his eyes are tight. His jaw set. I know then that it’s not good.
Can we hurry the last six songs along? I’ve got a girl to find.
And I will find her. I’m not losing her again.
THIRTY-SEVEN
I needto get a charger really quickly, or my tablet’s going to die. If I can set the tablet on the charger for the rest of the concert, I can get those videos uploaded before midnight,andI’ll actually be able watch the guys in all their glory.
Louis walks over, giving me a nod, roughly plugging in his tablet and dropping it before walking off. Fucking rude. But at least he kept his mouth shut.
For once.
