𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐲, 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐬

two

ISOBEL GREY stood on stage, poised perfectly as the lights rose to reveal her. The music to her first song had started before the lights rose, and she could already imagine the way it'd make the fans shout, especially when they heard her voice before they saw her.

"If you were to ask my mother, she'd tell you this," she started, all too happy to grin as she sang. If there was one thing Isobel loved, it was her music— especially performing it for other people. She moved around the stage the entire song, rolling her eyes and tossing her hair for emphasis. Occasionally, she'd even make stupid faces to mimic her lyrics.

Once she finished her song, she took a breath, pushing her hair out of her face. "Uh, hi! That was my song Wisdom Teeth, which I actually wrote after getting mine taken out. I just feel like we're a little bit stupider as we grow up because we forget how to live, so that's what that was about. I'm sure I'll have something more intelligent to say when there are actual people in front of me." She laughed, looking into the empty venue. Rehearsal always felt a bit silly, speaking and singing to nothing and no one, but she understood the need for it.

"This next one goes out to my piece of shit ex-boyfriend. Connor, if you see this, I hope you're doing awful and I do not wish you well. Let's do this thing."

Izzie laughed into the mic, turning her attention to it as the next song started. She continued through her set, occasionally stopping for tech issues to be resolved. By the time she was done, she was out of breath but incredibly happy. The girl practically bounced off stage, taking off her equipment as she went to go get a drink of water. In true Izzie fashion, she ran right into someone, who steadied her as she stumbled.

"Oh, shit, sorry," she muttered, looking up at the person. She was met with warm brown eyes and a soft laugh.

"Nah, you're good. Happens to the best of us." The boy in front of her released her as she stepped back, nodding. "Isobel, right?"

"Izzie," she corrected, pushing her hair back with her hand. "But yeah, that's me."

"Nice to meet you. I mean, I know we met briefly at the shoot for the tour but it's been a minute. Anyway, I'm Zach." He chuckled as she nodded.

"Zach, right, I remember." She bit her lip as she gave a small laugh. "You might have to remind me of your name a few times while I'm still learning."

"Okay, I can do that." He paused, and there was a silence for just a moment. He gestured behind him, saying, "Do you want to meet the rest of the guys before we do our trial run?"

"Uh, no, I'm fine. I'm gonna grab a water. I figure we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other on tour. Good luck, though. I'm sure it's a killer set."

"Thanks. We'll see you tomorrow for our first show?"

"You know it." She grinned, patting him on the shoulder as she left.

Well, as long as one of these boys were sweet, she could have a friend, and that's all she needed. Just one person to keep her company.