5. Chapter Five #2
I spin around and flash her a goofy grin while she grabs my shoulders and shakes me playfully.
The crowd continues to sway and sing, lost in a series of nostalgic songs, until the music cuts off without warning.
The room plunges into complete darkness, and Nora’s arm instantly links tightly with mine. Her fingers squeezing so hard that they burrow deep into my bicep. The stillness around us isn’t like before, it’s heavier now. I can’t even imagine what’s running through her mind.
Around us, the only sounds are hushed conversations and a single cough from somewhere in the back. Goose bumps rise on my arms while we wait for any sign of movement on the stage.
Then the deafening whine of an electric guitar cuts through the air, rumbling the floor beneath us. The crowd shouts nearly over the chord, a mix between cheers and straight-up screaming .
Gareth and Casey hit the stage first, grinning widely with their fists pumping high above their heads while they move to their spots. James follows right after, stepping to the front and sweeping his arm through the air like a conductor, pulling another wave of screams from the crowd.
But the second Jax steps on stage?
Everyone loses it.
Ear-piercing cheers burst from every direction, so loud they make my skin hum.
He stands at the mic with a gorgeous smile spreading across his face while he waits for everyone to settle down. And for a split second, it feels like the whole place might actually explode.
He grips the microphone as a low chuckle spills from his lips, echoing through the venue, but this time, I can tell it’s on purpose.
“How the fuck are we, Boston?” he yells into the microphone.
His voice carries across the floor, drawing more screams from every person in the building—even up from the balcony.
The band quickly jumps into their first song, and everyone is jumping so hard they’re even making my feet leave the ground involuntarily. The energy picks up quickly, leaving absolutely zero time to catch our breath.
I glance to the side to search for Ana, instinctively extending my elbow for her to hook onto. When she spots it, she flashes me a grin and links arms like it’s second nature.
And just like that, I’m pulled into a rush of déjà vu.
There were so many times—too many to count—when we would get forcefully separated in crowds like this. We used to joke about supergluing ourselves together just so that we wouldn’t have to spend half the night trying to find each other again.
The band keeps playing, and I’m being tossed around like a rag doll. The sharp sting of whiplash is already creeping up the back of my neck, when a sudden shove crashes into us, snapping our linked arms apart.
My heart climbs into my throat as I lose sight of Ana.
I brace my feet against the floor, trying to stay upright while the crowd surges forward.
I twist around, attempting to shove my way through strangers, but they refuse to budge.
There are too many bodies pressed together in a small space.
It’s nearly suffocating. And I can’t see either of them.
Not Ana.
Not Nora.
Just a blur of unfamiliar faces.
“Open the fucking pit!” Gareth’s voice slices through the chaos just as Jax rips into a guitar solo.
Panic coils in my stomach as people begin shoving backward, forming a wide, open circle—and I quickly realize I’m right on the edge of it.
The floor vibrates under my feet while strobe lights flicker across the crowd, blinding me in flashes. I spin, searching for a glimpse of someone I know, but it’s no use. The sea of faces blends together under the constantly shifting lights.
And then everything stills.
Everyone around the pit goes quiet for half a second, long enough for the whining of the electric guitar to swallow any surrounding noise.
I dig my heels into the floor, locking my knees to keep my balance, and slowly turn back toward the stage.
And then I spot him.
Jax stands front and center, sweat glistening along his sculpted biceps while his eyes are pinched shut. His fingers glide effortlessly along the neck of his guitar, the solo pouring out of him like the music is taking over.
He looks completely free. Like nothing else in the world matters except the music he’s creating.
I’m so fixated on him that I forget I’m alone. It doesn’t even register anymore.
Then his eyes open, and they land directly on mine. My heart slams against my ribs as his lips curl into the faintest smile, giving me a small nod. It’s so subtle that anyone else would think it’s just part of the music. But somehow, I know it’s for me.
And then—
Hands slam into my back, shoving me hard.
I lurch forward with no time to catch myself when a fist collides with the side of my face. White-hot pain explodes across my head, and everything spins. The floor rushes up to meet me, and I hit it hard, the air knocking right out of my lungs.
A deafening, high-pitched ringing fills my ears. I can’t even hear the music anymore—just muffled noise and confusion. I cradle my head in my hands and lie there, frozen in pain.
“I am so sorry! I didn’t see you there,” a man says, kneeling beside me. “Are you okay?”
But I can’t respond.
I can’t even move.
My mouth won’t work, and the world around me feels like it’s underwater. I didn’t even realize that all the music has ceased, and the lights are back on.
“Hey! Someone pick her up!” Gareth’s voice booms through the mic, furious. “Don’t just fucking crowd around her like that. If you see someone fall, you pick them up! Don’t just stand there with your thumbs up your arse!”
My vision finally starts to clear. Shapes slowly come into focus, and then I see him.
Jax is at the edge of the stage, scanning the crowd with wide eyes. The second he spots me, his expression drops, and he rushes for the mic stand.
“Are you okay, Allie?” His voice echoes through the venue, the feedback stabbing into my skull like a pinball machine ricocheting off bone.
Suddenly, hands grab both my arms, and I look up to see Ana and Nora. They lift me gently to my feet, each of them holding me steady.
Ana brushes hair away from the side of my head, her eyes narrowing. “We should probably get her back to the house,” she says, her voice tight with concern.
My knees buckle the moment I try to move my legs. Ana and Nora keep me upright, practically dragging me toward the exit. I lift a shaky hand to shield my face, not just from the blinding lights, but from the humiliation crawling under my skin.
By the time we reach the doors, a security guard is already holding one open while he gives me a sympathetic nod as we pass, and it makes everything feel so much worse.
The embarrassment is already eating me alive.
Not only did I get punched—I got knocked down in front of an entire crowd.
And Jax saw it. He saw me lying there like some defenseless shrew.
I was so excited to see them, to be a part of something that used to feel like mine . But right now?
All I want to do is go home. To hold my girls and pretend this night didn’t happen.
Maybe I’m not cut out for this anymore, just like I was afraid of. Maybe I really did peak at sixteen, and somewhere between then and turning twenty-five I forgot how to have fun without making a complete fool of myself.
At least the rest of the vacation should be smooth sailing from here.
Knock on wood.