CHAPTER eleven #3
“What’s up?” I ask, nerves prickling at the sharpness in his posture.
“Your friend couldn’t get her own beer?” he says, not hiding his annoyed tone.
I glance at my feet, fiddling with the corner of a merch flyer. “She didn’t want to lose her spot. It wasn’t a big deal. I had a break for a second.”
He doesn’t respond right away, his jaw tight, a muscle feathering along it.
I shift under his gaze.
“I just want her to have a good time,” I add, almost defensively.
He leans in, his voice quieter but no less firm.
“And what about you?”
I blink up at him. “What about me?”
“What do you want, Ramona?”
Heidi stays planted in the pit through Hellwake’s entire set, her platinum hair catching the stage lights like a beacon.
I spot Traeger at the edge of the stage during a break between songs—his smug grin unmistakable as he leans down and presses a kiss to her hand.
My stomach twists. Any lingering illusion that she was here for me dissolves right then.
I drag my gaze back to the merch table, fingers tightening around a stack of folded shirts.
I focus on the fans in front of me, pushing down the heat that’s building in my chest with each breath.
When the band finishes their set, I spot Traeger again and this time beckoning Heidi with a lazy flick of his fingers, then casually pulling her behind the curtain, hand in hand.
I keep my composure as I finish helping the last few customers, letting routine carry me through the motions. When the line finally thins, I pull out my phone and shoot Heidi a quick text to let her know we’re about to head out. No response.
We start breaking down the setup. Jasper and Grady hauling bins while I box up the last of the stickers and shirts. The silence from my phone grows heavier with each passing minute.
That’s when I see them, Heidi and Traeger sauntering out of the venue together. He’s got his arm draped lazily around her shoulders, and they’re laughing at something, their bodies pressed a little too close.
She finally makes her way toward me, her face lit with post-show excitement. “That was incredible! You need to be on tour with all my favorite bands.”
I flash a tight-lipped smile and turn back to loading a box, trying to keep my anger under control. My pulse is thudding in my ears, and I can feel the strain pulling tight across my shoulders.
She watches me for a beat, then lets out a breathy laugh laced with condescension. “What’s wrong, Ramona? Jealous I got to have a little fun while you were stuck folding t-shirts?”
I close my eyes for a second, grounding myself, then glance up at her with barely restrained calm.
“I’m glad I could be of service to you, Heidi,” I reply coldly.
“Oh, lighten up,” she snaps, rolling her eyes. “You wanted this, remember? Don’t take it out on me if it’s not all you thought it’d be.”
I turn toward her fully now, something inside me finally snapping free.
“Yeah. I did want this. And I was loving every second of it... until you showed up. You didn’t come to support me. You came for the perks. For you. Same as always.”
Her expression hardens. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means you’re selfish, Heidi,” I say, my voice trembling now, not with fear, but with release.
“You always have been. And I’ve spent so much time trying to please you, make you happy, make you proud. But it’s never enough. And I’m finally asking myself why I ever thought it would be.”
She blinks, caught off guard. Her arms cross tightly, defensively. “Wow,” she scoffs. “So this is what I get? After I drove all the way up here for you?”
“No… You drove up here for you. And I’m done pretending otherwise.”
My throat tightens, tears threatening to slip, but I push through it.
“You can crash on the bus tonight if you need to,” I add. “But in the morning, I want you gone.”
Heidi huffs, her face flushed with indignation.
“Don’t worry about it. Traeger offered me a bed.” She yanks the VIP lanyard from around her neck and tosses it at my feet like it’s garbage, then turns on her heel. As she storms past, she knocks into Elias’s shoulder, earning a hard glare from him as she disappears into the night.
The moment she’s gone, my chest caves with relief and shame all at once.
I’m not crying from heartbreak—I feel lighter, unshackled—but the anger still simmers, directed not at her, but at myself. For letting it go on this long.
He steps in close, his hands gently settling on my upper arms.
“Are you okay?” he asks, eyes filled with concern.
The question breaks something loose in me.
“I’m fine,” I whisper, but my voice cracks. He pulls me into him, and I let myself fold into his warmth. He doesn’t ask anything else, just wraps his arms around me and holds me.
After a minute, I pull back, wiping at my face. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” His voice is calm, resolute, but tinged with anger. “What happened?”
“I told her to leave.” I swallow hard. “This isn’t the first time she’s taken advantage of me.”
I dip my head in shame, but Elias tips my chin upward to look at him. No judgment in his expression.
“I just—I feel stupid. For letting her treat me like that. For giving her so many chances. I’m embarrassed.”
“Don’t be embarrassed,” he says, his amber eyes holding mine. “You have a big heart, Ramona. That’s not a flaw. She should be embarrassed for taking advantage of it.”
A breath escapes me, unsteady but honest.
“Thank you. I knew you were secretly a teddy bear.”
The corner of his mouth lifts, just slightly, a smirk that warms something deep in my chest.
“Don’t tell anyone. I have an image to uphold.”