Adrenaline

32 | escape velocity (reprise) pt. ii

Jenny meets me outside the exhibit and tugs me backstage. We navigate through a series of hallways to get to the rest of the group and the secret entrance to the stage.

Everyone else is already waiting, including Marty who's given a pep talk.

"Took you long enough," Jun says. They're standing in a circle and I fill the last remaining space. Lauren stands on his other side, with Seira to my left and Rami next to her.

"It's happening," Lauren gasps.

Though this party has been planned for months, arriving at this moment is surreal. For years, we've been building up to it, and after tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, it won't be our little secret anymore. Escape Velocity will exist in the real world, far away from the chasms of our hearts where we've protected, nurtured, and raised it.

Looking at these faces around me, I know there's no one else I rather have by my side through all of it. Ups, downs, and rollercoasters of emotions.

Marty excuses himself to check with the sound team and stage manager that everything is set, so we take this time to prepare ourselves for our big moment. Jenny steps to the side to give us privacy before the unstoppable is unleashed.

"This is it, guys," Rami says, ignoring my you mean besties comment and Seira's I think he meant to say girlies. "You don't need me to tell you how monumental this is for us. After all the long nights and millions of tears shed, we're here. And I'm so proud of all of us."

Wordlessly, we all step closer and clasp our hands. I take another look around, these faces I've grown up with and will continue to learn from, be inspired by, and love until the end.

The lights begin to dim, signaling the final countdown. After one last squeeze of our hands, we march to the front of the line.

Escape Velocity, baby, here we go. Long fucking live.

We settle into our places waiting for the art piece to rise. I've always known a person can drown on land, but this sensation reminds me of it once more. Lights flash like fireworks in the night sky, and slowly, the crowd comes into view.

I spot them as soon as the art piece lifts above our heads with shocking clarity. No matter how many faces I see in the crowd, theirs will always catch my eye, especially when he flashes me an encouraging smile.

MARS starts with Thousand Miles, a song that gets the crowd going. After transitioning to False Deities and Overnight Rush, both lighter but energy-filled tunes, we breeze through the bass-heavy High Voltage.

For our penultimate performance, we play Last Night in New York, a song Rami and I worked on together. I wasn't counting on Brendon being here, otherwise, I might have vetoed this song. It's riddled with references to our time together, particularly to its namesake.

For most of the song, I avoid eye contact. I don't know if I can handle seeing him watch me unravel myself on stage for him, only ever him. I hide behind Jun's mellow guitar, closing my eyes and reliving that night in my head. Replaying those moments like they're etched into the fabric of who I am and all I'll ever be.

But when I open them, I'm a goner. Our eyes meet, the rest of the world fades away, and I'm right back on the roof in New York.

Our final song is Escape Velocity's title track and there's no better note for us to end on. An anthem for the ages, declaring our places on top of the world. A rush passes through me, high-wired electricity and a thrumming bass that won't stop. By the time the song ends, my heart is ready to burst out of my chest. We take a few minutes to enjoy the applause echoing back, until, slowly, the band walks to the front of the stage and takes one big bow with our hands tied together.