Chapter 36 Creed
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Creed
The venue’s a fucking circus.
I can feel the pulse of it before I even step inside. People shouting, music thumping from every corner, lights flashing, the clatter of instruments being set up.
It’s louder than I want it to be. But here we are, standing in the havoc, and we’ve got no choice but to dive in.
The guys and I walk in through the back door, our footsteps echoing in the narrow hallway. Roman’s grinning, his shoulders relaxed. I don’t know how he does it, how he can act like nothing ever matters. But that’s Roman. Always in the moment, never overthinking shit.
Ezra’s a little quieter, his hands jammed in his pockets as he eyes the stage. I can tell he’s ready, but there’s a tension in him. I know him too well not to see it. Something’s eating at him. Maybe it’s the competition.
Maybe it’s Sloane.
And then there’s me. Standing at the back of the group, watching the crowd swirl around us. The pressure’s settling in as a thick fog, creeping up on me. I want just to shut it out, shut it all out, but I know I can’t. Not today. Not with what’s on the line.
We’ve been through a lot to get here, and this competition is not just a gig. It’s a chance to prove something. To ourselves, to the people watching, and yeah, to her.
Sloane is a distraction, that’s for sure. She’s wearing that damn dress that hugs every curve just right, and it makes my stomach do something wild. But I can’t focus on that. Not when there’s so much to lose.
I catch her looking at me, just for a moment, and I can feel the tension within me shift.
She smiles, but it’s not the same smile I’m used to. It’s softer, more guarded. She knows what this means. Knows what’s at stake. I can see it in the way she stands, the way she doesn’t come closer.
“I’ll let them know we’re here,” Roman says, breaking the silence. “You guys get ready.”
We don’t need to say much more. We all know what’s coming. The crowd is building, and the noise is getting louder, but I don’t feel ready. I haven’t been ready for a long time.
We walk toward the side of the stage, the sound of the band playing before us bleeding through the walls. My hands are tight around my drumsticks. I don’t want to look at Sloane again. Not now. Not before we take the stage.
I need to be on…
The moment I step behind the curtain, I’m underwater. The buzz of the crowd, the flashing lights, everything starts to blur into the background. All I can focus on are the drumsticks in my hands.
The band. The song. It’s all I’ve got.
But then, when I think I can breathe, there’s a shift. I look up to see someone walking toward us through the side entrance, her blonde hair bouncing with each step.
Lola. Ezra’s sister.
I didn’t expect her to show up tonight. She’s usually a whirlwind, always with a camera, always with an opinion, always making noise. But there she is, grinning. She knows she’s about to make an entrance.
And she knows how to make her brother smile.
Ezra’s eyes lock onto her, and for a split second, there’s a flicker of surprise in his expression, followed by a slow, satisfied grin. He doesn’t say anything right away, but I can tell he’s pleased. His shoulders loosen, his posture shifting into something more relaxed. The tension melts away.
Lola strides into the room, cutting through with the kind of energy that’s hard to ignore. “You really thought you could get away without me? I haven’t been to a Wild Reverie gig for way too long!”
Ezra chuckles. “Aren’t you meant to be at college?”
She offers him a one-shouldered shrug before she embraces him hard. “There was no way I was missing this. Plus, I missed you, idiot.”
Ezra rolls his eyes but doesn’t hide the genuine warmth in his expression. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”
She grins. “You love it.”
Roman’s already moving in, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Alright, alright. Enough with the sibling drama. Sloane hasn’t met Lola yet.”
Lola’s eyes flash with curiosity as she turns her attention to Sloane, who’s standing quietly off to the side. Sloane’s watching the whole scene with a soft, almost shy smile, but there’s a hint of amusement in her gaze as well.
“Well then,” Lola says, her voice turning mischievous again, “Let’s fix that. I’m Lola. Ezra’s little sister. Don’t hold it against me,” she teases, her eyes dancing.
Sloane glances at Ezra, a quiet smile tugging at her lips, before turning her full attention to Lola. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Lola’s grin widens as she shakes Sloane’s hand firmly. “I bet you have. I hope it was all good things. If not, I have a lot of embarrassing tales about Ezra to tell you.”
Ezra shoots her a mock glare. “You’re lucky I love you.”
Sloane chuckles softly, the sound lifting the tension in her shoulders. “I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.”
Roman leans in, his usual playful grin firmly in place. “Yeah, just don’t let Lola talk you into anything crazy. She’s a bad influence.”
Lola shrugs innocently. “What? I’m not the one who’s gonna get us kicked out of here.” She winks at Sloane. “Trust me, I’m just here for the fun. And maybe some of the crazy. Gotta keep these guys on their toes.”
Ezra shakes his head, like he’s used to Lola’s antics, but there’s a fondness in his eyes.
Roman’s grin grows. “You heard her, Sloane. Stick with us, and it’ll be chaos. Guaranteed.”
I can’t help but smirk at that. I know exactly how Roman works. His idea of “chaos” isn’t as far off from the wild ride we’re all on together. And as much as Ezra tries to act like he’s immune to it, I know he’s secretly not bothered by it either. Not really.
Lola steps back, folding her arms with that knowing smile of hers. “I don’t need to stick with anyone to cause chaos, thank you very much.”
I’m not entirely sure what she’s planning, but it’s clear from the way she’s looking around that she’s ready to stir up trouble.
Roman, ever the opportunist, puts his arm around Sloane’s shoulders. “Alright, let’s see what’s going down. We’ve still got a bit of time before we’re up.”
We make our way to the side of the venue, where we have a perfect view of the stage. The crowd is alive, buzzing with energy, and the next band is already warming up. The moment they start, the sound is overpowering.
A wall of guitar riffs and drumbeats so fast they could blow your ears off. The crowd’s into it, though, losing themselves in the frenzy. The lead guitarist shreds like he’s got something to prove, and I can feel the energy rising, the anticipation thick in the air.
Roman leans toward Sloane, his voice barely audible over the noise. “You think we can top that?”
I watch the crowd, watch how they react to the intensity of the performance, and I feel the weight of it settle on my chest. I don’t know if we can top that, but I do know one thing: when we take that stage, it won’t be about topping anyone. It’ll be about us.
Ezra’s scanning the band’s every move, but he’s quiet, like he’s working something out in his head. There’s a focus to him that’s hard to miss, like he’s taking stock of every little detail. It’s one of those moments where I can tell he’s feeling the strain of the competition more than he lets on.
Lola, though, she’s bouncing on her heels, totally caught up in the show. She’s loud, she’s free, and she’s loving every second of it. I can see her eyes flick to Ezra every now and then, but she doesn’t let it slow her down.
“I think you can do better,” she says without missing a beat. “You’ve got more than just noise. You’ve got heart.”
That hits me harder than I thought it would. She’s right. We’ve always been about more than just the music. It’s about what we bring to it. What we feel when we’re up there.
Sloane looks over at Lola, her eyes thoughtful. “That’s exactly it. You guys have something real.”
The band finishes their set, and the crowd goes wild. There’s a brief moment where the noise swells, and then it’s gone, fading back into the hum of anticipation. Roman looks at me, his eyes already gleaming.
We can all feel it, even as the other bands perform. The more music we see, the closer we’re brought to one another, the more connected we feel.
I love it.
Then the time comes, and we’re called onto the stage, and the whole world shifts. The energy in the venue pulses louder, sharper.
My feet move on their own, carrying me toward the platform, same as they’ve done a thousand times before. But tonight’s different. I can feel it pressing down on my chest, the thick buzz, the stares from the crowd, all of it.
The moment the lights hit us, everything else disappears.
The stage is home, the thick bass humming through my bones, the drums waiting for their moment to strike. My fingers twitch at the snare, ready for the first beat. I don’t look back at the others, but I can feel them. Roman, Ezra, the pulse of the crowd, all of it wrapping around us as a storm.
Roman cuts through it all, his grin blinding in the spotlight.
“You ready for us or are we gonna blow your minds?” he yells to the crowd, who respond with excitement.
And just like that, we’re off.
My sticks hit the snare and cymbals, cutting through the noise, every strike a message. The energy floods the room, pushing me harder, faster. The crowd’s a blur, just shapes and faces, but their roar is sharp and clear. They’re with us. We’re shaking the place to its core.
Roman’s up front, his voice howling into the mic, shredding the guitar because he’s born for this, pulling every soul in the room to the edge. His movements are fast, furious, effortless.
You can tell he loves every second of it, and I fucking love that about him. There’s a confidence in him that makes this easy. The crowd’s eating it up, but he’s not giving them a break. No, he’s giving them everything, one note after the next.
Ezra’s right there with him, his bass thundering through the speakers, the strings vibrating with the music.