Take a Bow
Page 28

“That’s fantastic.” A ballad starts playing and Tyler comes over, wrapping his arms around my waist. As if I wasn’t nervous enough before facing a packed crowd of five hundred people.
We all stand there and watch the band. I can’t really concentrate on the music — my entire focus is on Tyler’s hands and his breath hitting my neck. Jack nudges me a few times playfully, but I try to stare out at the stage and look like I’m not freaking out inside.
The City Kings finish their set and we head to our dressing room.
“I’ve never seen a show from the side before,” Chloe says. “That was cool.”
Jack puts his arm around her. “You can see our shows from anywhere you want. I know I don’t have a bad angle.”
The stage manager pops his head in the door and yells “Five minutes!”
“Yikes, we better get going.” Chloe gives Jack a quick kiss.
“Yeah, break a leg.” Tyler gives me a quick kiss as well.
Before the door even closes, Jack starts in on me. “Ooh, Red! You’ve finally snagged a groupie. My little girl’s all growns up!”
“Ah, guys,” Ben interrupts us. “Do you know where Ethan is?”
I didn’t even realize he wasn’t there. It’s not like the room is that big. “Where did he —”
Ben opens the door and looks down the hallway. “He left right when the band started — I thought he was going back here. Maybe he’s just getting some fresh air or running around.”
Ben and I head in opposite directions and I see Ethan talking to one of the members of the headlining band, Prophecy’s Cupid, an honest-to-goodness signed band.
“Hey, we’re on soon!” I call out.
Ethan turns his head toward me and I immediately smell alcohol on him. He hasn’t had a drink before a show since The Incident. He used to have a drink to loosen up his nerves, and I guess none of us ever said anything to him because we knew how nervous he was about being the front man. But then he started to have a couple more drinks that led to more Ethan drama, including his subsequent meltdown over Kelsey. I thought he was better, but he’s not. He’s wasted. He must’ve been doing shots or something to get this drunk this quickly.
“Awesome.” He barely looks at me. “Thanks, man.” He shakes hands with the lead singer.
“Are you okay?”
He stumbles slightly. “Yep, everything’s great, Emme. No need to worry about me. Thanks so much for your concern, though.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He doesn’t bother to answer me as he heads to the side of the stage.
“There you are!” Jack screams over the audience. But the second he sees Ethan, he knows we’re in trouble. “Dude, are you feeling all right?”
Ethan gives a big smile. “Never felt better!” He runs out to the stage before we’re even announced.
“Crap.” Jack follows behind him while Ben and I stare at each other.
“Please don’t tell me he’s been drinking,” Ben says.
I shake my head. “Then don’t ask a question you don’t want to know the answer to.”
Ben runs out and I have no choice but to follow him.
Ethan grabs the microphone. “All right, New York City! I’m feelin’ good; how are you all doing tonight?” The crowd screams back. Ethan stumbles slightly as he reaches for his guitar. “I’ll tell you what. You all look beautiful tonight, you do.”
Some girl in the audience shouts, “You’re hot!”
Ethan falls to his knees. “Who said that?” There are a bunch of screams. “It’s nice to know that somebody appreciates me.”
I look back to Jack, who motions for me. I run over.
“Can you do the main riff for ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’?” he asks.
“Of course!” I scream over Ethan’s incessant banter.
“You might as well do it because I don’t think he’s going to shut up.”
Jack counts off and I start playing.
Ethan starts jumping up and down. This probably isn’t the best way to calm him down, but we need to do something to get him focused.
Ethan runs to grab the microphone, but loses balance. Everything plays out in slow motion. He lunges forward, and although he tries to steady himself, he falls down into the small barrier between the crowd and stage.
Ben and I run up to the side of the stage.
When I look down, I see Ethan sprawled out like one of the chalk outlines you see on TV.
I jump down right as I hear voices screaming “Call 9-1-1!” around me.
“Ethan! ETHAN!” I’m afraid to touch him. He isn’t responding.
Ethan lies there unconscious with blood dripping from his mouth.
What the hell is going on?
My head is throbbing and my mouth is dry. No, dry is an understatement — it feels like I drank the Sahara. I try to move my mouth around and feel something sharp.
“Ethan?” I hear a familiar voice in the distance. Emme.
My eyes feel so heavy, but I try to open them. As I move slightly, I feel my right arm encased in something. And a gentle squeeze to my left hand.
“Ethan? It’s me, Emme. Please open your eyes.”
My eyes flicker open. The effort it takes for such a simple task is exhausting.
I finally open my eyes all the way and it takes a second to soak in my surroundings.
Am I in a hospital? Why is Emme crying? Why is my arm in a cast?