Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 129207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
She watches me as though she’s never met me before, as though she didn’t just have her lips on mine less than a minute ago, and the wonder in her eyes is something I’ll hold on to for the rest of my life. I’m not performing for the crowd tonight; this is all for her.
As I near the final chorus of the first song, I hear a slight muffle in my inner ear speaker, and I glance across at Dylan who shrugs, clearly having heard it too. It’s not a big deal and has no effect on the show, and just as I go to shrug it off, I hear it again.
I look back to the side of the stage, trying to figure out what it was when I see the two dancers, Jessica and Stacey, lingering too close to Rae for my liking. They’ll be coming out during the second song, but judging by the look on Rae’s face as they speak to her, they won’t be coming out anywhere if I find out they’re being less than welcoming.
Rae and I might not have any idea where we stand with each other right now, but that doesn’t make me any less protective over her. Especially now that Axel is gone, she’s mine to protect, and if these girls are causing her trouble, they’ll be replaced within seconds.
When the first song comes to an end, I face my eager audience and hold my hands out wide, welcoming the onslaught of praise from the crowd. “How are you tonight?” I call into the microphone, listening as my voice fills the stadium. They scream, and I pull out my inner earpiece and take a moment to truly take it all in.
“Welcome to the Bleed for Me tour. We are Demon’s Curse, and it’s a pleasure to spend the night with you.” I walk back, and as Rock hits us with the intro of our second song, I scoop my electric guitar off the stand and hook the strap over my shoulder.
The dancers come out and do their thing, and as they move into me, one on each side, I turn away from the microphone and let them have it. “Let’s get one thing straight,” I tell them. “If you two even breathe near Raleigh again, you’ll be out. Got it?”
Jessica scoffs while maintaining her smile for the eager crowd. “Come on, Ezra. Keep it real. She’s just some girl. We have a whole tour to get through. Forget about her, and I promise, Stacey and I can make this the best tour you’ve ever been on. You don’t want to be shacked up with that bitch when you could be having fun with us. Besides, she’s nothing, a nobody.”
“Don’t push me,” I warn her. “I will choose her every fucking day. You hear me?”
The girls spin away before Jessica has a chance to respond, but I know she hears me loud and clear, and if she values her job, she’ll treat Raleigh with the respect she deserves.
Getting stuck into the second song, I relax deeper into the set, and as the familiar lyrics pour out of me, I turn back and meet Raleigh’s stare. This is the first time she’s truly going to hear all of these lyrics, and I realize that I’ve been presented with an opportunity.
She might have refused to hear me through my lyrics over the years, but now, standing at the side of my stage, night after night, I’m going to force her to hear me.
20
Raleigh
Ezra is hypnotic on the stage. I’ve never seen anything like it, even back in Michigan when the boys would have their gigs in all the old bars and clubs around town, it was never like this. He was always confident on the stage, always knew how to command a crowd, but this is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
The bass drum rattles my chest as the sound of Jett’s guitar makes the hair on my arms stand up. But it’s nothing compared to the way Ezra sings into that microphone, and judging by the fifty thousand people in the stadium who can’t seem to take their eyes off him, they’re feeling it too.
He has a stage presence that rivals incredible artists like Michael Jackson or Queen, so alluring and capable of commanding the whole stadium. I always knew he could, but witnessing him like this is different, and as he gets further through the set list, I’m reminded of just how much I love him. Put all the pain and hurt aside, and it’s still right there, beating stronger than ever before, and as my gaze shifts to Dylan and Rock, getting to see them on the big stage for the first time, I realize just how proud I am of all of them, Axel included.