We’re playing our first gig in Boston at the Lighthouse. We all agreed this was where it had to happen. It’s where it all started. “Dance with You ’Til Midnight” was officially released seven weeks ago, and everything that’s happened since then feels like a fever dream. We made it into the Billboard Top Ten, something we never expected. Our album is out, the tour has been announced, and every single concert is sold out. We’re playing clubs like the Lighthouse, not huge arenas, but we don’t need that yet. We’re just getting started, after all.
“I think I’m going to throw up.” Jax is backstage, clutching his stomach. He’s gone pale.
“Then do it now and not when we’re on stage,” Colin says, but he sounds about as nervous as Jax. We’re all bundles of nerves.
“Have you seen how many people are out there?” Beck pushes back his hair nervously.
“Tons,” I say, even though I didn’t look. But I can hear a lot of voices coming from the main room of the club.
“Where are Emma and Rayne?” Colin asks, looking around.
I nod toward the stage. “They’re in the front row, with Jase, Zoe, and Mae, so they can have the best view.”
Colin is about to say something, but then Amy walks toward us. She’ll be accompanying us on the tour.
“Are you guys okay?” she asks. We nod, but Jax immediately turns a little paler. “Let’s go then, it’s showtime! Have fun.” She ushers us onto the stage, and then it begins. It’s the beginning of everything.
The Lighthouse is completely full. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many people here before. I step up to the microphone, my heart pounding wildly in my chest, beads of sweat running down my back already. It’s the excitement, not just the heat of the stage lights.
“Hello, Boston! We’re happy to be home! Are you ready?” I shout.
They’re ready. The screams that echo back at us are so loud they almost hurt my ears. At the same time, adrenaline rushes through my veins.
I find Rayne in the front row before I start the first song. I need to see her because I’m doing this for her, and because this song is where it all began. “Mockingbird.”
She’s standing between Zoe and Mae, holding their hands. Hersmile hits me right in the heart, but I also see her eyes glisten suspiciously as I sing the first line.
You were always chasing heights
Beautiful and brave
Dancing fearless through the nights
Knowing you were safe
Her lips move along with mine, along with everyone else’s. Everyone here knows the lyrics, and I think everyone knows why we’re starting the tour with this song. I gaze at her while I sing, only her. Her eyes burn into mine, and for a moment we’re completely alone.
No one else, only us. And we are real, you and me. We have been from the very start.
