“We’re not going to have a choice if the venue canceled us, dude,” Liam shouted back.
Skye was already typing away at her laptop.“The promoter told me there were some nasty messages about tonight’s show on social media, but he didn’t say anything about a protest.”She grabbed her phone and started walking toward the back bedroom.“I’ll fix this.I’ll—”
“Look at that!”Ollie said, pointing out the window.The bus driver had been inching forward through the protesters, and they’d finally rounded the bend to see the front of the venue.
Fans were already lined up at the door.Huge groups of them twisted all the way around the building.They’d brought their own signs and were chanting and cheering with the same passion—no, with more passion—than the protesters.Tilted Haze’s anti-capitalist, anti-racist, anti-homophobic lyrics were written on big posters that people held out and proud over their heads, condemning the protesters with protests of their own.
Something hot stung the back of his eyes.Remi almost couldn’t breathe.He’d been fighting and rebelling and digging his heels in for so fucking long, he didn’t even know how to handle this level of support.He and West were the two freaks in high school that the rest of the guys beat up.He’d always been yelled at, belittled, and made to feel ashamed of the way he looked and dressed and the stuff he cared about.Like music.Like expressing himself.
It slammed into him, the realization of what he’d done.He’d sold his soul to make his band famous, to make his words known.He had traded whatever afterlife there might be because he owed it to his bandmates, but also, he owed it to the world.
Maybe he wasn’t supposed to be living in this timeline.Maybe his music wasn’t supposed to be known, but it was now.
He’d forced his perspective down the throats of all the powerful people in society, the same way they’d force-fed their own corrupt and exploitative narratives.
“They love you guys, Remi,” Skye said to him, a hand on his shoulder.
He kissed her, grabbed her hips, and dipped her.She scrambled to grab the back of his neck and hold on as she kissed him back, both of them laughing as he righted her to standing.“Thank you, Skye.I couldn’t have done this without you.”
She smiled.“Your music did this, Remi.The magic just made sure it got the recognition it deserved.”
A warm balloon of joy expanded in his chest, and he looked to each of his bandmates, seeing the same awe and gratitude in their expressions as they looked out the windows and took in the love of their fans.
They might have only been a rock band, but for a moment, it was all so much bigger than any one of them.
“Well, guys,” Remi said.“I think our fans would want us to give these fuckers something to be pissed about.”
Curious eyes swung to Remi.
“We should probably just ignore them,” West said.
“Probably,” Remi said as a devious smile spread across his face.“But our fans are standing up for us.Let’s put on a show for them.”
If West vetoed, Remi would stand down.West was always the one telling Remi not to fight in high school, but that never stopped either of them from acting out and courting the hatred of the bigots anyway.
As if by divine fate, a fan screamed at the top of their lungs.“We love you!”The fan shook their sign left and right.It read “There’s nothing more rock ’n’ roll than being queer.”
West laughed and turned back to Remi.“Fuck it,” he said.“Let’s give them a show.”
Remi’s grin widened, and Liam and Ollie bounced on their toes in excitement, already knowing where Remi’s train of thought was headed.Only Skye furrowed her brows as Remi pulled her close and said, “Hey, band manager, I need you to go shopping for us.”
The promoter had apparently been prepared for the craziness and had already hired extra security guards.Unlike the other canceled shows, this guy thought the protests were extra publicity for the venue, which was why he’d downplayed it all to Skye.
With extra security measures taken, the band was escorted into the venue after the tour bus got safely behind the gates.
Skye had already snuck out of the tour bus and went to the store to pick up all the items on Remi’s list while the boys went extra hard on their makeup.
There was the usual caked-on black eyeliner, but today, it was also accompanied by pops of colored eyeshadow, sparkles, and long fake eyelashes.
Skye bedazzled four crop tops with Tilted Haze on the front and had bought them all matching plaid skirts.They’d kept their regular shoes—combat boots, or high tops in Ollie’s case.
Remi was getting dressed in the back room when his phone lit up with an incoming call.The name that flashed made his stomach drop, but he took a deep breath and answered it anyway.He was in too good a mood.Nothing was going to get him down.Not even his mother.
“Hi, Mom,” Remi answered.
“Remington,” his mom responded in a cool tone.
There was a beat of silence.Remi fixed the laces on his combat boots.
