“I’m okay,” I say.
Sia smiles but doesn’t say anything more, then hurries out the door.
“You think you can get up?” Anna asks.
“I’m sorry about all that. I knew this was coming, but I never expected it to slap me in the face quite that hard.”
Anna stands, then places her hands out to help pull me up.
I feel horrible.
I’m exhausted.
Miserable.
“If that were Johnny walking in like that with her, I would’ve reacted the same.” The way she looks at me tells me so much. “You wanna catch the end of the show? I know Colt will be happy to see you there,” she says, looking at me with her brows furrowed.
“I’ll come backstage, but I’ll stand out of the way. He doesn’t need the distraction,” I reply.
She takes my hand, and we weave our way toward the back of the stage, moving quickly.
The music is solid, but something’soff.
Colt’s voice.
It’s not bad—his voice could never be bad—but something is missing. The usual fire, the raw energy that pulls the crowd in.Instead, his voice carries a weight, a quiet melancholy that sinks into every note.
And it’smy fault.
His fans are here forhim, but tonight, they’re getting a shadow of the man they came to see. And it is because ofme.
The realization twists in my gut, leaving me hollow.
I stand at the back as Anna walks over to the side of the stage, smiles, and then waves to Johnny. I lean against a railing, looking down at the floor, scuffing my Converse, and generally moping. This life—this rock star life—is more complex than I thought it would be, and right now, I have no idea whatIwant.
An arm wraps around my shoulders. Jared’s next to me with that salacious, stupid-arse grin spread across his stupid, damn face. I roll my eyes and shrug out of his grip.
“Hey! I’m just trying to help you out,” he states, and I scowl.
“Since when do youeverwant to helpanyonebut yourself?” I snap, my somber mood somehow replaced with irrefutable anger.
“Dee, look… I like you. You’re a cool chick. But you should know that Colt is starting to let you go. Think about it. He’s spending more time with the band and their agent than with you. You’ve gotta wake up and smell the roses because you’re losing him. You should cut your losses and run. I mean, you never really thought it was thereal dealwith him, did you?”
Jared’s words hit like a sledgehammer, knocking the air from my lungs. My heart clenches, then shatters, imploding on itself.
He’s right.
I know he is.
But knowing doesn’t make it hurt any less.
I look up at Jared, my vision blurred, and nod once.
It’s small, sharp, final.
Then, without a word, I turn and walk out. The back doors swing shut behind me, sealing me off from everything inside.
I am broken.
