“Oh, which one?” I ask, curious whom his favorite is that would be playing here today.
“Uh, Stewart I need a huge favor.” Penny interrupts him before he can answer me. “I need your help getting a box?”
“A box?” He questions, and I give her a what the hell look.
“Yeah, so Katie, go over and make sure you get us a good spot to see this band, and we will meet up with you in a few minutes,” Penny states, tugging on Stewart’s arm aggressively.
I fight my way through the crowd gathering at the main stage. This band must be huge. Everyone is abandoning the smaller stages to watch whomever is getting ready to play.
I use my pass to get around the massive sea of people. The security guard scans his eyes over his list and matches my name for safety purposes, I suppose. He pushes his way through the people dragging me with him. We come to a stop in front of the stage.
“Stand right here. You are tiny, and I would hate for you to get trampled. If the crowd pushes on you too much, just signal, and one of us will pull you over the barricade.”
Okay, so that is weird, but comforting at the same time. I look around for Penny and Stewart, but they are nowhere to be found. I feel anxious. The excitement of the crowd is adding to my nerves.
The crowd starts chanting but there are so many voices, I can’t make out what they are actually saying. My head is spinning.
A blonde-haired woman in a red shirt comes out on the stage. Oh my God. It’s Penny. What in the hell is she doing up there? She scans the crowd, spots me, and smiles at me. I give her a thumb up for encouragement, even though I am not sure what she is doing.
She takes a microphone and clears her throat. “This next band is actually from our state, and my hometown. So, it is with great pleasure I give you….”
Don’t say it—don’t you dare say the name, Penny.
“Cooper’s Religion!” She screams, and I die all over again. How could she do this to me? My chest constricts, and I feel all the air drain from me as the color washes from my face.
I try to turn to run away but I am trapped in the crowd. I might actually be dead right now.
I slam into the chest of a large man. He smiles and says, “Wrong way.” He spins me around so that I am facing the stage again.
The crowd roars, shouting, “Cooper’s Religion.” They are all here for him. She set me up. I could kill her. My hands are shaking, and my knees are trembling, threatening to buckle any second now.
Jake comes out, taking his seat behind the drums, and I would never had recognized him. His long hair is now cropped short, but it looks good on him. I take a deep breath watching Hunter and Vance smile out at the crowd.
Then I see him—Kai fucking Cooper—and I can’t do anything…a freight train of emotions slams into my chest. Pride, joy, anger, sadness, hope, and dare I say love—floor me—literally…I am about to hit the ground in an emotional coma, but Penny appears from out of nowhere and takes my hand in hers, squeezing my fingers hard. I look away before his eyes connect with mine. But I can feel him—his soul is calling to mine. I am a boat lost at sea and he is the lighthouse calling my heart home.
“Just breathe,” she says in my ear. My mind flashes to lying in his bed, those dimples that own my soul tug at my heart, as he says, “Just breathe, Kat.”
“I can’t do this, Penny.” I try to jerk from her hand, but she grips mine tighter, her ring cutting into my flesh.
“You need this and so does he,” she voices softly, her eyes pleading with mine.
I am staring at the ground when the music starts, I cannot look at him…not yet. I close my eyes and allow myself to listen. My heart is jackhammering all the way in my ears.
His harsh, throaty, tone wails into the mic, and I start to drown in my own tears.
"I had a girl…she gave me everything and I threw it away
I can still smell her on my sheets and feel her fingers in my hair
God, I remember the way she’d smile, and it makes me wanna die
One question…one lie…I knew she was done
She took the knife and cut away half of my soul
Watching her walk away made me wanna die
I had a girl…Being without her makes me wanna die