Page 63 of The Masks We Wear

We spend the next ten minutes going over every note, every detail. We talk to the stage crew about a few logistics, all of which we work out perfectly. It almost feels like this song was meant to be played. I was so worried everyone would hate it, that I didn’t create something good, but now I don’t care what anyone thinks. The world will hear my song and the world will see Brody Drake with her mask off. They’ll see me for who I am and if they don’t love me, fuck em’ all.

Chapter 25

Harvey

Selene texted me thirtyminutes ago that the show was starting. I got off the plane and into an Uber in record timing, having the Uber take me straight to the concert venue. I’m cutting it close on time but as long as I can make it there, as long as I can see her and tell her everything I need to tell her, the rest will work out on its own.

The Uber parks outside the back of the venue, security having gotten the “okay” from Selene to let me through. I enter through the back, rushing down the long hallways connecting to the stage. I hear music blaring, Brody’s voice singing and I have goosebumps on my skin from being in the same building as her. Hearing her voice but not yet seeing her is setting my chest alight and I need to set my eyes on her before my whole body bursts aflame.

I push past the stage crew, rushing to the VIP section. A hand grabs my arm and stops me and I turn to find Selene Stone with a suspicious look on her face. She drops her hand and raises her chin, “So you made it after all. With thirty minutes left in the show.”

That’s all that’s left? I take a step closer to the stage, “I have to see her.”

She nods and I turn completely, sprinting towards the VIP section. She yells to my back, “You should be proud of her. She just saved all of our careers.” I don’t respond, I only continue to run but a smile curves my lips upward. I knew Brody was capable of so much. I never doubted her.

I make it to the VIP section and look up at the stage. My eyes hone in on Brody at her drumset, singing with her eyes closed as she plays a song. I freeze when I take her in. She looks ethereal, like a goddess sent from the heavens of the night. Her hair is styled to perfection, her usual messy curls brushed out with chains and stars woven into the gold and black strands. Her makeup is done beautifully, her eyes lined in a sultry black shadow with stars of all different sizes on her eyelids and cheekbones. Her clothing, if you can even call it that, makes her look naked almost, covered only by stars of various sizes. She looks perfect and my heart tugs in my chest, desperate to be close to her.

A small figure appears before me, a daring expression on her face. She brushes strands of platinum hair behind her ear and radiates confidence. So much so that this girl who can’t be taller than five feet almost seems taller than me. “You must be Harvey Taylor.”

I give her a confused look, “Yes. Who are you?”

“A friend of Brody’s. I hear you broke her heart,” she leans in close to me, shouting over the sound of the music. “I’m very protective of the people I love. You hurt my friend which means you hurt me, but you showed up after leaving her behind so I’ll give you one shot to fix it or I’ll show you why they call me Viper on the streets.”

A man about my height, but more lean appears at her back and gives me a threatening glare. “Everything okay, over here?” He asks the woman but stares only at me.

She pats his chest and softens at the sound of his voice, “Everything’s fine.”

Another man who looks strikingly like the one who stands at her back appears at her side. He looks older than the first, more mature in a way. “What’s going on?” He asks.

“Nothing. This is just the guy that broke Brody’s heart. I wasgiving him a warning,” the blond explains.

A brunette appears next and I sigh to myself. I’m here for Brody and I can’t even watch her because these people are acting like a pack of wild dogs. The only thing stopping me from going berserk on them is the fact that they care about her and are obviously protecting her. “Threatening people again, Ivy?” The brunette shakes her head, a smile on her face.

The blond, Ivy, shrugs, “You know it’s what I’m good at.”

“Look, I’m here to fix things. I made a mistake and it took hurting us both to realize I’m willing to give everything up to be with her,” I look at Ivy but she doesn’t look sold yet. “I love her,” I admit, my face cracking with the raw emotions in my chest.

Ivy’s eyes narrow and she pauses before nodding. “Good,” she steps aside, allowing me to enter completely into the VIP section. I walk closer to the stage, to Brody, and Ivy yells behind me, “Remember what I said. You have one chance to fix it.”

I ignore her, too focused on Brody. The girls play their hit songs, the ones they’re known for and the whole time, Brody doesn’t notice me. She focuses on her fans, on her music, on her friends. I’m glad she doesn’t see me just yet. I don’t want to ruin her show or upset her by catching her off guard. I’m keen on watching her lose herself in her music the way she always does.

They finish another song and the stage goes black. The audience cheers and that’s it. The show is over. I start walking toward the exit to get back to her dressing room but her voice stops me. Brody speaks into the microphone, “Thank you all for being here tonight. It means so much to us that you’ve loved and supported us through our many faults and many run-ins with the law.”

Laughs ensue from all over the venue and I can’t help but smile at her playful tone. She continues, “The truth is, we got ourselves into a boatload of shit.” The stage lights flip on, revealing her as she stands close to the edge of the stage, lookingout at the audience. The lights encase her in a blanket of blue and pink lights. There’s a red light over her drum set. Aria and Ivory are behind her, drinking straight from a bottle of whiskey, though they don’t appear to be drunk. “And most of it was my fault,” Brody laughs to herself. “A couple of months ago I started working on something and I had no intention of sharing it with anyone else. It was only for my ears and the ears of one other person.” I know without her having to say anything that the person she’s talking about is me.

“I realized while I was working on it, my song, that I was keeping so much from all my fans, from my friends.” She looks over her shoulder at Ivory and Aria. She turns back to the audience, a stiff smile on her face, “I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t for so long, I forgot who I really was.” She turns around, the mic still wrapped in her hand as she saunters over to her drum set. She props the mic back into place and sits, “It took a very special person for me to realize it and then the song slowly started to get easier and easier to write. So, we’re gonna play the song for you and you’ll be the first ears to hear it.” The fans cheer so loud, Brody and the girls grin from ear to ear.

“This is a song I call, ‘The Masks We Wear,’” Brody shouts before Aria starts playing a chord on her guitar. It goes on for about ten seconds, repeating itself until Brody changes it by hitting the drums.

The two play their melodies in sync with each other and I know just from Brody’s part that this is the song I heard. That the person she was talking about, the special person, is me. Ivory hits a bass note that adds to Brody and Aria’s rhythms. And the three play the ominous, yet playful beat. The audience goes crazy for it and they haven’t even hit the first verse yet. Ivory changes up her chord, changing the beat and Brody makes a darker, more dramatic sound. Then she raises her chin andsings her first verse;

The red and blue lights shine right in my eyes

Aria plays the darkest, guitar riff of all time. The audience screams and my jaw drops.

She stops and demands I say my goodbyes

Aria repeats the riff.

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