Colors Between Us

The Awaited Panic

Anxiety always starts off innocent. You notice something that is out of line in a situation and your first reaction is to brush it off. All is well until that small voice in the back of your head pushes itself through the crowd of other concerns in your brain. Suddenly the once small flame of a thought turns into a large inferno, burning everything, including your peace of mind, in its path.

My head peeks out of the side of the velvet red curtains on stage. The large wooden doors finally open and a rush of fans crowd in, trying to push their way to the metal barricade. "Fire of Love" by Jesse Jo Stark booms from the speakers all around the venue. I turn around, trying to avoid the anxiety that's filling my brain and begin to walk further backstage.

The first person I spot is Archer who is sitting in a tall chair, having powder brushed across his face. "Enjoying your makeover?" I ask as I walk up to the blonde.

"I feel like I did a line of Coke without the high." He admits, trying to blow the powder out of his nose onto a napkin.

"Beauty is pain, princess." I chuckle, walking further backstage.

After turning a few corners, I spot Skylar and Izalea sat opposite of eachother on a large storage box. Both of them sip on what looks like whiskey in a crystal glass.

"Lia! Did you have any trouble getting set up?" Izalea eyes beam when she spots me. Skylar sets his glass down to join in on the conversation.

"No, no, everything was already set up from my last shoot. I just had to make sure my mic was working alright." I shoot the blonde a smile before I look between them both. "Are you guys ready for the show?" I ask.

Skylar chuckles, giving me a questioning glare. "We have been doing this for years. The real question is are you ready?"

Izalea reaches over the glasses and slaps Skylar's arm. "Come on, don't scare her away on the first day, you dick." The blonde huffs and looks at me sympathetically. "It'll be a lot but you'll realize that they are focused a lot more on us than they are you, no offense."

"None taken." I respond. I know that she's right but the gut feeling in my stomach won't go away.

Skylar looks down at his watch and his eyes widen. "Shit, we have 10 minutes to be on stage."

"You act like we are known for being on time." Izalea cocks her eyebrow up at Skylar and he shamefully nods at her comment.

The taller boy jumps off of the box while the blonde downs the rest of her drink. "Good luck out there Lia. Remember that Sal is going to want to see your work after the show." Skylar concludes.

As I'm about to walk away my head whips around at that comment. I mean I knew that he would want to see my work, especially since I'm being paid, but it feels like a weight has been dropped on me. If I fuck up, I'm back home in a heartbeat.

My hands begin to shake as I walk towards the side doors of the main room. Come on Lia. I push past the large wooden doors that separate  peace and absolute chaos. I feel eyes following my every move as I walk across the floor, the only thing separating me from the crowd being a thick metal barricade. The room feels like it's getting hotter as I walk to the side of the stage, placing my camera in the spot where I can capture the entrance of the band.

Suddenly the curtains slowly open and ecstatic screams sound from every side of me. I press the red button on my camera despite the shakiness that has travelled from my hands to my legs. My breath suddenly shallows in my throat. I cant breathe.

GREY

From the backside of the velvet curtain I look out towards the crowd, preparing myself for tonight's show. Instead of the usual path my eyes take towards the fans, I look around for the one person who has been racking my brain. Lia.
After looking on either side of the floor, I spot the brunette. Her hair is in a messy ponytail on the back of her head and her outfit is the same as earlier. The same lacy bralette that made my mouth dry in the elevator sits across her chest. Her large flannel barely sits on her shoulders, most likely due to the heat in the room.