Chapter 28
28
Valerie
I don’t have a plan yet, but all eyes are on me.
Usually, it’s Caleb who vamps, and I feel a little unmoored as I scramble to arrange my thoughts. But Caleb stares at me as much as everyone else, confusion darkening his heavily lined eyes. I nod at him in what I hope is a reassuring way before unclipping my mic from the stand. I feel the weight of his gaze, but I tear my eyes away as I step closer to the pit, knowing this moment rests on me.
We have the audience for these last precious minutes, and I have to make them count.
Even under the lights, I can sense the weight of ten thousand stares on my shoulders, feel the gasp of ten thousand breaths held in anticipation. Sudden fear crashes through my veins, sharp and static. If I don’t do something right now while I have their interest, this might be my last bow. I scan the audience for something—a sign, a beacon, an omen—and then my eyes fall on one poster catching the light.
Covered in glitter and ghosts, it reads:
PLEASE HAUNT ME
WITH GLITTER BATS 3!
And…oh. Maybe it’s that simple. Maybe today’s loss of Epic Theme Song is a gift.
There’s nothing like playing songs with people you love, vamping and innovating and making it all the best it’s ever been, doing this for fans who have supported you from the jump. Despite the fighting and tears, I’ve been happier making music with the Glitter Bats this summer than I have been with anything else I’ve done in my ten years in this industry.
The whole band is in sync tonight, tighter than ever before, and I don’t want to lose this electric feeling. We’ve been dancing around this decision all summer. Someone just needs to close their eyes and leap—and I have nothing to lose, so it might as well be me.
“This concert was supposed to be a one-night thing, but the response to our comeback has been overwhelming. This summer has shown me just how much I love making memories with everyone on this stage—and all of you. The thing is: we’re not ready to leave you again, so…” I trail off, building tension.
Casually, strategically, I smirk in the direction of the camera, projecting my expression on the big screens. “Glitterbugs, we’re not going anywhere. We have so many more songs inside of us just waiting to be written. I can promise you all—tonight isn’t the last you’ll hear from the Glitter Bats!”
The stadium erupts like it’s the literal Super Bowl, and I grin and wave, soaking it in. This is all I want—to continue the Glitter Bats legacy for years to come. I don’t know why I ever thought I needed to make it in Hollywood, why I was holding on so hard to the renewal news for Epic Theme Song —all I need is my band. My family.
So I smile and take in the thundering cheers drowning out my monitors. This is the moment I’ll remember for years to come, the moment that brought the band back together—the moment that saved my career.
But then Caleb nearly tears me away from the microphone. I stumble in my surprise, swinging my guitar instinctively around my back. His grip on my wrist, gentle but urgent, tugs me far enough back that we can’t be overheard.
My heart thunders in my chest as I stare at him, disoriented, trying to figure out what’s wrong. The crowd is still so intense that they drown out any sound they might hear, so at least we have an illusion of privacy away from the mics.
“What the hell was that?” he demands, his voice tight with panic.
I blink. Sure, my declaration was a little sudden, a little impulsive, but that’s my thing. He knows that. Once I explain the plan, everything will be fine.
“You aren’t ready to say goodbye, right?” I ask, sure he’ll understand as soon as the surprise wears off. “We all want this. Let’s do it.”
He blanches. “What?”
Something like worry tightens my throat, but I surge ahead, because I know I did the right thing. “You needed a push. That’s what you said last night.”
His jaw drops. “You’re taking that so far out of context…Jesus, Valerie, you had to know I wasn’t agreeing to this ! We haven’t even talked as a band! I can’t just uproot my life because you’re high on the applause tonight.”
My stomach plummets at his anger. This wasn’t just about the applause. The concert was perfect. Everything felt so right. Caleb was having such a good time playing the best he’s ever played—we all were—and I thought he’d be happy to continue. He basically said that last night.
He’s just processing. Once he realizes I’m all in, he’ll be fine. He can rely on me now. The band has joined us, and I look around, sure they’ll back me up.
They…don’t.
Keeley is sullen, arms crossed, glaring at me. Jane looks stricken. Riker is just weary, running a hand over his face.
Maybe it will take a few minutes for everyone to understand, but I know they’ll be on board. We’re so much older and wiser and we can pick up right where we left off and make things even better this time. Everyone wants this. So my announcement was a little spontaneous—but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea.
We were running out of time.
“Everyone wants to make another album, right? The timing was just too perfect to pass up,” I say, squaring my shoulders despite the tremble in my voice.
They can’t possibly be mad. We need this. But Caleb sighs and shakes his head, stepping back to his spot on the stage.
I wait for the others to say something, but no one does, so I stride back to my microphone, brazening past thousands of confused stares. “Now, on with the scheduled programming!”
But before I can begin the lead line for “Midnight Road Trip,” Caleb leans into his own microphone.
“I’m sorry, everyone. You’re all so amazing for coming here tonight, but I can’t do this. Another album…it isn’t what I signed up for when I agreed to perform tonight.”
Oh god. My heart thuds in my chest as he unplugs his bass and turns to leave.
I can’t let him leave. I run to him, grab his elbow, trying to root him to the spot long enough to let me explain. “Caleb, please.”
He wrenches his arm away, whirling to face me with wide eyes. “No! I thought we were in this together, but after what you just pulled, I don’t know how I’m ever supposed to trust you again, let alone make music.”
My vision swims, and I shake my head, trying to anchor myself. This can’t be happening. This isn’t what I wanted.
I thought he’d be happy.
I swallow, grasping at the words I need to make him listen. “Please, let’s just finish the set. We can talk after, figure everything out as a team,” I say, but I’m practically begging and my voice is weak.
Those green eyes I adore stare back at me under the lights, cold and piercing. “No, Val. It’s too late for that.” He laughs bitterly, shrugging the strap of his bass off of his shoulders. “You made sure of it. I’m out.”
Tears choke the back of my throat. “Don’t go.”
But then he does just that.