𝑅𝐸𝐷 𝑀 𝐴 𝐷 𝑁 𝐸 𝑆 𝑆

𝑆𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛

The bar was filled with high school students. It was dark and light at the same time. Everything felt weird. I guessed it wasn't a bar for the night but they were serving alcohol. If someone ever alerted the police, Victoria and her little friends would be in big trouble. I didn't give a shit about them, I cared about her. Then again, why was I doing this to myself?

Will was excited and so were Kai and Michael. I was pretty nervous, anxious, and excited. I heard her at school and I watched the videos on youtube. But seeing it on a screen and in real life were two different things.

"She's gonna be amazing," Will said in awe. I asked him what his problem was, and why he cared so much. His answer was sweet and short: I was imagining things. He was lying to me, Will never lied to me.

"This place is pretty crowded," Michael remarked, his voice insecure. Hurrying up to be in the front row was his thing. Kai and Michael didn't like being too close to people. That was why Will and I were at their sides and they were in the middle. I wanted to admit that Michael wasn't our leader. He wasn't but, he was leading us. We did what we wanted and he directed us in the right direction. We loved him for it, even when he got too bossy or got on our nerves. I'd never ever tell anyone that, though.

"There they are!" Someone yelled, pointing in their way. I had no idea they were this popular. In Thunder Bay, we had everyone wrapped around our fingers. I never believed there'd be another group that got people excited like that apart from us. I wasn't mad about it, it only startled me.

"Oh god, you guys are on the ropes aren't you?" Loren Bell asked and the crowd cheered, Will chiming in. I laughed as I saw him with his hands in the air. God, he was adorable.

"You guys know the drill!" Loren said as he plugged his guitar and took hold of the mic again. He pointed toward the drummer and I knew what he was doing. He did it at every fucking show they were having. It was weird yet, very clever.

"There's the talented drummer, Alexei Carter!" People clapped and screamed before Loren pointed his finger at the guy who was behind the piano, the light following.

"Our little lover, Gabriel Brown!"

It went on and on. James Lane was the one playing the bass guitar while Loren was playing the acoustic guitar. These guys seemed like amateurs but standing there on the scene, I understood while Victoria loved them. They were a family, weren't they? Just like us.

When it came down to Victoria, it seemed like there was a ghost inside of her but it was hidden too deep, even I was lucky to have spotted the look in her eyes. She smiled shortly as her pretender said her name, her cheeks heating. She had trouble holding her guitar and she kept touching her necklace. The necklace I got her. I didn't know she kept it, what did it mean?

"She looks hot!" Will yelled. Victoria heard and I was pretty sure the whole goddamn room heard. He didn't look ashamed though. That was what I loved about Will, he was who he was and he didn't care.

"Goddamn right" Loren whispered the words in the microphone and I tilted my head to the side. There was something different between them. I couldn't quite figure out what though.

I didn't pay attention to whatever this guy was saying about her, my eyes were only on her tight little red crop top and her guitar I knew she had designed. It was red and the cords were white. The whole guitar was filled with little gray sparkles. It was her, this was Victoria.

No one said anything as she thanked us and started the song. An original, she said. One she wrote a long time ago and never thought she'd finish. It was quite sad, she told us, the whole song was dedicated to everyone who was suffering, to know they weren't alone. But I knew what it was all about. She was screaming for help, wasn't she? What was she trying to escape?

"They say what you've got, you should cherish it"

The moment her mouth opened and her fingers danced on the guitar, she had all my attention.

I devoured her words like candies.

"They say everything will be alright" she sang and Loren did the harmony which, gave me chills.

"Tell me why do I not believe them? Why do I feel so in pain?" My breath hitched as she stared at me. She gulped and then looked right ahead. I was disturbing her, we were. Everyone was vibing to the song and I exchanged weird looks with Will, Kai, and Michael. They were thinking the same thing as me. Something was wrong, very wrong.

"I've been trying to keep settled scores, but everything just fades away"

Was that about her mother?

"Tell me how can I be who I am if I always get stabbed in the back?"

Tears were pricking her eyes and she pulled it off by smiling and closing her eyes. What was going through that little red hair of hers?

"They tell me I'm so fucking authentic, so calm, so sweet, so perfect" she giggled as the word perfect left her lips.

"They're a bunch of fools, aren't they?" Loren asked and Victoria side-eyed him, her expression breaking into something I didn't recognize. What was going on between these two?

"And I wonder, can't this war be over? I am trying to move on, push my emotions away"

"But as I hear the word perfect, they keep coming back" she almost screamed, her lips curving into a genuine smile. The crowd went wild as she did a solo on her guitar. The lyrics were insanely getting into my brain and yet, the song was one of them they played. A pop song. How could it be so sad? I was convinced she was a witch, or maybe her angelic voice was just that, angelic. It made everything better.

"I'm aware everything isn't as it seems, but I am scared my false confidence will take me down"

"They tell me do this, do that, you're good at that"

"Yeah very good" Loren added. I asked myself if this was planned and I knew it wasn't. They were just that amazing. Everything about the song was incredible. She was incredible.

"And I'd rather stay in my seat, oh"

"Ohhh-Ooh-Ooh, I don't know how long I can keep this up" I pinched my eyebrows together. She repeated 'keep' three times before locking her gaze with me.

"At the end of every road, I am always alone. I don't want to be here anymore" She finished and again, people cheered and screamed, almost giving me a heart attack.

"Thank you, everyone!" She exclaimed, catching her breath. It looked really hard and I knew something was wrong. I knew things were bad the moment she stepped foot in that church. Her mother's funeral was the straw that broke the camel's back, it made everything worse. Why wasn't anyone doing anything?

They were performing only three songs and the next one was happier, she said.

"Floating but it felt like I was dying" She started. I raised a brow, how was that supposed to be happier?

"Drunk with tenderness"

And after every word she sang, it felt like a little boat was taking me away. She touched her necklace at every end of the songs they planned on playing. It was an amazing show and she outdid herself.

What she tried to hide, the pain in her chest, I noticed it when Loren took the guitar away from her. Her mouth opened wide and she yelped, searching for something to hold on to. They were going backstage and Gabriel helped her walk.

There was one thing going through my mind and when I stared at the guys, at Will. We ran up the scene, for the backstage door. I was coming for my little red hair.