Page 14 of Don't Think

Spinning around, I force down any of the negative thoughts that try to drown everything out and throw a fist out in front of me.

“Alright, boys,” I say, my grin spreading from ear to ear. “You ready?”

Each of them brings their fists to mine and shouts back, “Hell yeah!”

I swipe my Ibanez Gio Series from the stand, throw the strap on, and pluck a couple of the stings. The familiar electrifying sound spills through the speakers, bouncing off the walls. And just like that, every nervous thought I had before completely melts away. Now it just feels like…home.

Although it’s short lived because the second I turn around, my heart jumps straight into my throat when I see people starting to pile in as if someone opened the floodgates. Their voices rise in waves while they spread out across the floor, filling every single inch.

Gareth and I exchange glances, his eyes glimmering with nothing short of pride. All because they’re here to seeus. Not another band. They weren’t paid to be here. They came willingly to see us play our music and to meetus.

We haven’t even fully released our record yet, but seeing every individual face at our feet is a feeling I can’t even name, and a moment I’ll never forget. If this isn’t what success feels like, I’m honestly terrified to know what itwillfeel like.

When everyone is inside, and the doors are closed again, a quiet falls around us. Fans look up at us with eager smiles, some waving while the rest stand there patiently, just waiting.

I slowly walk over to the mic and grip its stand before bringing it to my lips.

“How’s everyone doing?” I ask into the mic.

They clap wildly, and my eyes scan over the crowd, watching each and every one of at least a hundred people—not just a few like Don said. Ahundredpeople came tomeetus.

And one day it’ll be thousands.

“Okay,” I say, adjusting my guitar strap. “Let’s get started.”

When the lights dim, I lean in a little closer, and with a grin, I yell into the mic—

“Check!”

Casey hits the kick pedals, making the stage floor shake and my body buzz. James follows right on cue, leading us into the opening for our song "Pulse."

The first note hangs in the air before Gareth and I jump in. We don’t miss a single beat as we sync together perfectly. That’s one thing that’s been hard to master over the years, and one day we all just…got it.

When the song is finished, I walk back to the mic and yell “check” a few more times. My eyes sweep across the faces below, and seeing their excitement pulls a smile from my lips. Just knowing we’re doing something right that they already have this much energy is unreal.

But then I seeher.

And just like that, the entire world stops spinning and the crowd melts away. Now the only thing I can hear is my heart pounding in my ears.

She blends in so well that I almost missed her. But with the constantly shifting overhead lights, it caught the flash of her red hair just right, and suddenly, the air feels thin.

My eyes lock onto hers, and it feels like the breath is being ripped from my lungs. And the second she flashes me a smile? It takes everything in me not to call it quits and hop right off this stage.

The weird thing is that she didn’t seem to recognize me when we ran into each other at the supermarket yesterday. Did a friend drag her here? Maybe she still has no idea who I am.

Or worse… she doesn’t remember we met at all.

Yet here I am. Still thinking about the way her nose crinkled when I said merlot was a decent Friday night wine.

The memory sneaks up on me, and before I can stop it, a laugh slithers past my lips loud enough to echo through the venue. My eyes go wide.

Real smooth, Jax.

I nonchalantly back away from the mic like nothing happened, trying to play it cool even though heat is creeping its way up my neck.

Then my foot catches on a cable, and I stumble, not enough to fall, but just enough to hear a few snickers from the crowd.

It’s year nine talent show all over again.