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 screaming 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
Would have married her and gave her everything
She said we could never be
I’d give anything to take it all back
I would have told the truth from the very start
But never means never
Time doesn’t rewind
She let me go
Never means never”
The crowd is going crazy all around me and I feel like I am trapped, unable to move as they all are moving in fast forward.
He sings a few other songs and I can feel his eyes on me, but I still don’t even dare to glance at him. The music speaks to my soul. He’s good like really good. A part of me wants to climb up on stage and shove my tongue down his throat. Then the other part of me wants to run away from here as fast as I can and never look back.