16. Colby
Chapter sixteen
Colby
“You’re not wearing that.”
Dex freezes mid-spin, one socked foot planted on the rubber mat in the team meeting room, fresh off practice, like he’s auditioning for a dance competition.
Takeout containers are spread across the long table in the center of the room. Italian food. Pasta. Garlic knots. The good kind that makes the whole room smell like carbs and poor decisions.
Annabelle sits at the edge of the table beside Bryce, twirling a fork in her fingers while Mia leans against Eli’s shoulder, balancing a container of fettuccine in one hand.
Annabelle chuckles at Dex. “Please tell me that’s not what you’re wearing in public.”
“It’s bold,” Dex says.
“It’s a cry for attention,” she replies sweetly.
Mia snorts. “I kind of love it. In a don’t-stand-near-me way.”
Eli nods seriously. “We’re here for the music. Not whatever that is.”
“You guys don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dex says confidently. “It’s fashion.”
“It’s neon,” Mason adds. “And mesh.”
“And cropped,” Bryce says, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. Indoors. At night.
Annabelle taps his sunglasses. “You know you can take those off, right?”
He leans down and murmurs, “Public image, babe. Still rebuilding.”
She smiles. “Fair. Now Dex, why is it cropped?”
Dex looks down at his shirt. “Because it’s daring.”
I rub a hand over my face.
I can’t help but chime in. “Dude, whatever you’re wearing right now is straight-up chick repellent.”
Dex scoffs. “Incorrect. This shirt attracts attention.”
Mia taps her chin like she’s contemplating. “I don’t know. It’s… bold. Like if confidence had a neon setting.”
Annabelle nods. “Chaotic, but memorable.”
“Okay,” I say, scooping meatballs onto my plate. “Rule one. Nobody embarrasses her.”
All heads turn.
Gregory squints. “Define embarrass.”
“No singing over the artist,” I say.
Dex gasps. “That feels targeted.”
“It is,” I tell him.
Mason throws a garlic knot at Dex. “What if we sing quietly?”
“No.”
“What if we mouth the words?”
“Still no.”
Dex raises his hand. “What if I enhance the vibe?”
“You’re not a vibe enhancer,” I say flatly.
“I disagree,” he says. “I once raised morale in a penalty box.”
I stare at him. “You were alone in there. Say no more.”
Mason bends forward, cracking up.
Bryce laughs so hard his sunglasses slip down his nose.
Eli high-fives me.
Dex shrugs. “Sometimes I enjoy my time in the penalty box. Helps me regrip.”
I blink at him. “That explains your record penalty minutes. You’re way too comfortable gripping yourself.”
That does it.
The table loses it.
Annabelle leans toward Mia and murmurs, “Boys will be boys. Always convinced their equipment is a security blanket.”
“Isn’t it?” Dex and Mason say in unison.
Mia bites back a laugh. “Explains so much.”
I clap my hands once. “Okay, boys. We’re here to support Sloane.”
“And accidentally embarrass her,” Mason adds.
I point at him. “Say that again and you’re sitting in the car.”
He holds up both hands. “Kidding. Fully kidding.”
Empty containers get tossed. Lids snap shut. Someone argues about who stole the last garlic knot. A few guys pitch in without being asked, stacking boxes, wiping the table with napkins, making it a quick team effort before we head out.
Mia bounces on her toes beside Eli. “I can’t believe she’s playing a full set tonight. We saw her when she was doing open mics for free drinks.”
“She was terrified,” Eli says fondly. “Hands shaking the whole time.”
“And still incredible,” Mia adds. “I’m going to cry.”
I glance at my phone as it buzzes. “Rides are here. Let’s go.”
Then we pile into the rideshare bus because that’s how we roll.
Dex insists on aux privileges and is immediately vetoed.
***
By the time we reach the venue, I’m grinning like an idiot, already amped for a night out, and getting to see Sloane in her element.
The place is alive.
Neon lights spill onto the sidewalk. Music pulses through the walls. A line wraps around the building, full of people dressed cooler than us.
We stick out instantly.
We’re huge.
We block half the sidewalk.
Someone asks if we’re security.
Dex nods. “Yes.”
I text Sloane that we’re outside in line. A minute later, someone from the venue appears and waves us forward like we actually belong here. I grab Dex by the back of his jacket and drag him inside before he can cause an incident.
The theater is small and intimate, the kind of place where every sound feels close and personal.
Mia grips Eli’s arm. “This is exactly like the first place we saw her.”
Eli smiles. “Except now she’s headlining.”
And then I see her.
Sloane stands near the sound booth, headset on, papers in hand, talking quickly to someone who immediately nods and rushes off.
Focused.
Confident.
In control.
This is her world.
She turns.
Our eyes meet.
Her face lights up before she can stop it.
That does something to me.
She weaves through the crowd and reaches me, eyes bright. “You made it.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I say.
She points lightly between us. “You’re all with me tonight, which means you’re on your best behavior.”
Dex presses a hand to his chest. “I don’t know what you’ve heard…”
She cuts him off with a grin. “After the show, I’ll bring you back to meet Raina. She’s a little in her head right now, so just hang by the stage until I come to get you.”
Mia’s eyes widen. “We get to meet her?”
“Yes,” Sloane says. “But only after. No distractions before curtain.”
Eli nods solemnly. “Understood. We're professionals. We get it.”
She nods then gestures toward the floor. “Your seats are right up front. Center section.”
I blink. “Front center?”
“Best sightlines,” she says simply. “Come on.”
She leads us down the aisle, and I feel every head turn as people start to recognize us. Phones pause mid-text. Whispers ripple. Luckily, no one says anything out loud.
When we sit, the stage is so close I can see the set list taped to the floor.
Mia presses a hand to her chest. “Oh my god. We’re basically in it.”
Dex leans forward. “If she smiles at me even once, I’m telling everyone we’re almost engaged.”
Gregory glances at Dex’s shirt. “With that outfit, she’ll definitely notice you. Laughing more likely than smiling.”
"I'll take that, too." Dex retorts.
Mia keeps craning toward the stage. “I feel like a proud aunt.”
“You’re not related,” Dex tells her.
“Emotionally, I am,” she fires back.
"I'm getting drinks. Dex and Bryce, let's go. What does everyone want?"
Of course, on the way, Dex buys merch within five minutes and puts it on over his shirt.
By the time we return, Mason starts chanting Raina’s name before the opening act finishes.
Someone goes live on Instagram.
I don’t know who.
When Raina finally takes the stage, the room explodes.
Mia actually squeals.
“I told you,” she shouts over the noise. “I told you she’d get here, solo on the big stage!”
Eli cheers beside her, clapping hard. “That’s our girl!”
She’s incredible.
The crowd is loud. The energy is perfect.
And when she hits her big note, the room lifts.
Not just cheering, but that sharp intake of breath people make when something lands.
Phones rise. Lights flash.
I glance sideways just as Annabelle’s screen lights up.
“Oh my god,” she murmurs. “This is going everywhere.”
Dex is already on his feet, hands over his head like he just witnessed a miracle.
Mason shouts the wrong lyric.
Bryce pumps a fist, sunglasses still on, because of course they are.
Mia is crying openly now. “I told you,” she keeps saying, like she manifested this moment herself.
Eli wraps an arm around her, grinning. “You absolutely did.”
I don’t realize what it looks like from the outside.
Six NHL players in the front row losing their minds for one artist.
For her artist.
For Sloane.
I only notice when she glances out from backstage and freezes.
Then she laughs.
Not the polite kind.
The real one.
The one that says she sees exactly what this is.
Our support.
Our noise.
***
The show ends in a rush of sound and applause that feels earned.
We hang out while the audience slowly files out. After a short wait, I see Sloane appear from the side curtain with Raina.
As they approach us, she pulls Raina into a hug, whispering something that makes her smile through the adrenaline.
She turns, already shifting back into manager mode. “Okay, come meet the chaos.”
Raina laughs nervously as Sloane guides her toward us. “Guys, this is Raina.”
Mia gasps softly. “Oh my god. You were amazing.”
Eli nods. “Seriously. We’ve been fans since open-mic nights.”
Raina’s eyes widen. “Wait, really?”
“Free drinks era,” Mia confirms proudly.
Dex steps forward. “I would like it noted that I cried, respectfully.”
Raina grins. “I saw. That was… memorable.”
Gregory offers a polite nod. “Your breath control on the bridge was excellent.”
Raina blinks. “Thank you?”
Sloane laughs. “High praise. Trust me.”
I catch Sloane’s eye. “After you’re done here, do you want to go celebrate?”
Her smile softens, surprised. “Yeah. I do.”
She turns back to the group. “Okay, I’m stealing him now.”
Mason salutes. “Go. Celebrate the win.”
One by one they start peeling off, hugs and congratulations and loud promises to text later, until the theater quiets.
Everyone leaves.
Except me.
“Thank you,” she says.
I shrug. “Easy choice.”
And I mean it.
I walked in expecting noise.
I didn’t expect pride.
Or the way choosing her feels like something I’ll keep doing.
***
We step out into the cool night air together. The city is quieter now, post-show calm settling over the block. A few fans linger outside the theater, still riding the adrenaline, phones glowing as they scroll through photos and clips.
She laughs softly, the sound still riding the high of the night. “I don’t think I’ve come down yet.”
Then her phone lights up almost immediately.
She glances down once.
Then again.
Then she stops walking.
“What?” I ask.
Her mouth drops open. “Oh my god.”
She turns the screen toward me.