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“All right,” Cash says, and then he starts walking without hesitation. He parts the crowds with his presence and gets us all the way to the front. Anyone who has anything to say about it shuts up the minute they see the look on his face.
“I didn’t mean we had to cut to the front.”
Cash gives me a look that makes my insides gooey. “You want to be at the front, we’ll be at the front.”
Bridget, who’s a member of the town council, comes onto the stage to warm up the crowd. Everyone cheers through her speech, and I can tell there are a lot of tense parents waiting to see their kids. I’m right there with them.
“So, first to the stage, welcome your very own Daze and Lexi, the Kicks.”
I scream so loud my throat hurts and jump up and down as Daisy and Alex walk onto the stage. They’re wearing black and purple and glitter, and Daisy’s moms had taken her hair out of braids and done it in a kick-ass mohawk.
Alex spots us and grins broadly. She doesn’t seem to have a hint of nerves, and I’m so impressed by her. I could never do this.
I give her a double thumbs up, and Cash claps and shouts her name beside me.
I spot Leah, the girl who excluded Alex, standing near the side of the stage, her arms folded and lips pursed, but the friends surrounding her—all wearing eighties getups—are shouting and cheering for Alex and Daisy as well.
The music starts, and Alex grabs the mic. Daisy is on the drums and hammering away at them as the backtrack plays. And then Alex starts off the song with a rocker shriek that sends excitement tingling to my toes.
The girls have chosen “I Love Rock and Roll”, the version Joan Jett sang—a few of the lyrics changed here or there so they can be sung by the kids—and they are killing it. Alex is singing, and I’m so proud I could cry. She sounds amazing. She hits the notes perfectly, beating out the rhythm and marching up and down the stage like she was born to be on it.
I look up at Cash, and he’s staring at her, his eyes moist.
Alex lets out a triumphant rock star shriek at the end of their performance and the crowd goes berserk. I’m right there with them, cheering and hollering and losing my mind. The girls come off the stage, but it takes a good couple of minutes for the place to settle down.
I spot Daisy and Alex celebrating next to the stage. “We’ve got to get the ice cream,” I shout, turning toward Cash, but he’s gone.
What the—?
I can’t find him in the crowd either, which is weird, but maybe he’s rushed off to buy them something to eat?
I hurry over to join the girls but slow my approach at the sight of Leah chatting to them. She’s got her attitude out on full display. She can’t seriously be—
“—okay, I guess,” Leah says. “If you like that kind of thing.”
One of Leah’s friends laughs. “It was amazing! It was so cool, you guys. I wish I could sing like that.”
“Or play the drums,” another girl says, beating away in the air. “Like, how? How?”
Daisy and Alex link arms. “Thanks!” Alex says. “It was fun.”
“But it was an easy song,” Leah replies.
“Oh,” Alex says, meeting her gaze. “Well, then you should try it.” And she doesn’t say it with malice. She meets the other girl’s gaze with zero fear. “I’m sure you’ll be great, Leah.”
Leah’s cheeks turn pink, and she looks away.
The other girls keep tittering and chatting, and I’m so happy to see Alex getting on with them. Not so much Leah, but I don’t really want her getting involved in Alex’s life. It seems like Leah has some stuff she needs to work through.
The microphone distorts and a couple of people cry out.
We all turn toward the stage for the announcement of the next act, and I sidestep over to join the girls and quietly congratulate them and give them high fives.
“You were amazing,” I whisper. “You rocked it!”
“We have a special treat for you all tonight.” Bridget is at the microphone again, and she’s squirming like she wants to jump out of her skin. “It’s with great excitement that we welcome to the stage, for the first time in over a decade, a real celebrity, Cash Taylor.” Bridget cheers and claps.
My jaw drops. Alex and Daisy clutch each other, then they start laughing and clapping, joining in with the crowd.
