I heard Hunter call out from the hallway, asking me to get ready since we were leaving in five.

I stayed in bed though, refusing to move since after I played the tape, I think I somehow lost the will to do anything. Okay, maybe there is one thing that I want to do. And that was to find the guy behind the tape.

I had never heard someone create music with so much emotion that would transport you to a different dimension. All those times, I felt like I was watching the flashbacks of my past. Things that I wanted to forget, but could not.

Loud banging interrupted my thoughts, and I pushed myself off the bed. It worked. The instant the pain coursed through my back, I was up and about. I took a five-minute shower and put on my black pants and green jacket. I grabbed my purse and headed out of the room.

Hunter was casually talking on the phone when I entered the living room. He held up a finger, and I sat on the couch. I was busy watching cartoons when my phone vibrated. It was a text from Finn.

Finn: What time are you gonna play?

Me: It starts at 6 pm until 11.

Finn: Okay. I'll go there now. See you later x

Me: Yeah yeah, see ya later, fuckboy

Finn: Hey!

I put my phone back in my purse when Hunter started walking towards me. With a nod of his head, we went out of the house.

I called shotgun in his grey truck, and he automatically played MCR's album. The wind whipped my hair, and I laughed uncontrollably when Hunter's hair got messier than mine.

"Oh, come on. It took me an hour to fix this hair!" Hunter complained as his hand went to his bird's nest.

I pulled up my hood to avoid any further damage. "We both know you're not that obsessed with your hair."

"Heh. People like to think so." He shrugged as we stopped in front of James Carter's house, their bassist. "We'll pick him and Francis up then we head out. We'll meet Troy at the club later."

Nodding, I looked at James' abode, and a shiver went down my spine. His run-down house was close to falling down, and I felt a tug in my heart. He was a good kid. A smart boy, a loving brother to his two sisters and a caring son to his mom. They just so happened to live in a bad neighbourhood where you were not allowed to walk at night if you do not want to get stabbed.

The front door opened and Hunter and I watched as James' mother kissed him on the cheek. I could hear the giggles of his sister. We waved our hands to them when they noticed us. Hunter, who inspected the area, went out of the car when he deemed it safe. I opened my door, too, but remained inside. Both guys would be mad if I even took a single step out of it.

Hunter hugged the two girls who clung to his legs. I could hear boisterous laughter, and I smiled sadly. Good people experience the worst.

"Autumn!" I heard the girls yelled and when I refocused my attention, they were already running to me. They tackled me down, making me fall off my seat. We all laughed as I embraced them tightly.

"I haven't seen you for weeks! How are you both?"

"We're okay! Auto, sing that song again!" They said.

Ever since I watched Dear John, I fell in love with the song Little House by Amanda Seyfried. There was just something nostalgic and beautiful about it that made my heart drop.

I saw Hunter, James, and his mother walking towards us. I greeted the two before singing my heart out. "I love this place. But it's haunted without you. My tired heart is beating so slow..."

The kids cuddled up to me, and I swayed our bodies together. Hunter and James were gazing at us with smiles on their faces, while Momma Carter was grinning widely, yet there were tears falling down her face. I avoided her eyes at all cost and continued singing even though a thorn seemed like it was piercing my heart.

"To light the night. To help us grow. It is not said, I always know..."

We were on the road again, on our way when James spoke, "A, thank you." I smiled at him from the rear-view mirror and silence was enough to appreciate every good deed.

The serene atmosphere was interrupted when Francis crashed into the car.

We already saw him on the sidewalk, and we were going to stop when he started running. Hunter quickly stepped on the brakes but Francis, with a shit-eating grin on his baby face, collided with the front of the car.

"Oh my god!" I screamed as the boy fell back down. I was too frozen in my seat, and even though the two were shocked, they ran outside to check on him. I saw my brother pull him up and the other had the audacity to wave at me.

Conversations were exchanged and after a few minutes, they all went back in the car.

I was glaring at Francis the whole time, yet he just winked at me. "Sup, Auto."

"What is wrong with you? Why did you do that?" I yelled at him until my throat was hoarse and the shaking that I did not notice earlier stopped.

He took my hand and swiftly kissed the back of it. Everyone rolled their eyes. "If I knew that you were worried about me, mi amour, I would not have jumped in this car but on you."

Francis Louis, the drummer and the youngest member of the band, was only 15 years old yet he swayed more women than Troy, and that was saying something. Nobody could help but love the kid since he was a natural charmer with his dark hair, athletic build, and his 6'2 frame. Plus he could sweep you off your feet with his skills.

I pulled the boy and hugged him even though I was weirdly angled against my seat. I patted his head and repeatedly said, "There, there, honey. It's okay."

He grunted and pushed me away while the two boys laughed at his discomfort. Hunter kept telling me that the kid actually had a crush on me and I could not help but shrug and braid my super long hair.

We arrived twenty minutes later, and I stretched my limbs once we got out of the car. I could hear popping noises, and I immediately felt relieved as the tension left my body. Francis was jumping up and down and screaming about how excited he was while James was trying to look for their other bandmate, Troy.

A hand patted my shoulder, and I looked back to see Hunter staring at me.

"Sup?" I asked.

He smirked deviously as his gaze went past me. "Loverboy alert," he said, chuckling.

I turned around and saw Finn jogging towards us. I shook my head at my brother and bumped shoulders with him. "I told you, it's nothing like that anymore. We're just close friends."

His face turned stoic and with a neutral tone replied, "And I'm ugly."

Before I could reply, I heard Finn say, "Well, there you are! I've been looking for you!" He pulled me into a hug, and I returned it. He was holding me tight, and I could not help but giggle.

"We just saw each other this morning!"

"That's hours ago!"

Hunter was snickering when I let go of Finn. "And if that ain't love, then I don't know what is."

I felt my cheeks burning, and when I looked at Finn, his face was already tomato red. He was mumbling incoherently, and I strained my ears to hear. Before I could come closer, Hunter tugged my ear, away from the blushing boy.

"Come on, we've gotta make sure you know what you're doing," he said and we all piled up inside.

We went backstage. The manager saw us and conversed with my brother. Apparently, my brother and his band were pretty popular in our town. The Endless started when Hunter was in junior year and they kept the band together even after he graduated and went to college. They were offered gigs ever since their YouTube video became a hit, and it would only be a short time before they could get a deal from one of the biggest names in the music industry.

They have not released any originals yet, but their covers have caused most of the girls in town wet their panties for them.

And let me just say this, you would not want to have two reasons for the townsfolk to hate you because they were vicious motherfuckers. Take it from someone with experience.

I followed Hunter to a corner where a keyboard was placed. I immediately tapped the keys and cringed at the tune. It sounded morbid, and I asked my brother, "Are you gonna play some screamo or rock? Because this is-"

But I was interrupted by a voice. "I used it earlier. Do you have a problem with that?"

I gulped when I saw a familiar face. It's the guy with the luscious ass! His face was scrunched, and I assumed he recognized me. I could feel the nerves inside me going haywire, and whether it was because of how hot he was, or I was just scared shitless, I did not know.

"N-no!" I squeaked that made Hunter snort. I elbowed his side, and I sent him a glare. "Do you mind if I change some settings?"

He shrugged. "It's cool."

"Thank you," I replied. I turned to Hunter, and he listed off their playlist for tonight.

Their playlist consisted of seven songs, from James Arthur to One Direction to Maroon 5 and etcetera. I played all seven songs as warm up so that I was coordinated with the band. It took us half an hour to get everything in place, and it was when we were called out to the stage when I noticed the guy hanging around.

I walked towards him, and he nodded when he saw me. "I'm Autumn, by the way. Thank you for letting me use your keyboard."

He laid out his hand for a handshake, and I took it. He smiled a bit. "I'm Cal and it's good. Just take care of my babe."

"I'll protect it with my life," I said, and we both laughed, something that surprised me since he gave me the impression that he was a standoffish guy. Although if I thought he could not get any hotter, I was wrong.

He helped me carry the keyboard to the stage. His muscles were obvious underneath his shirt and I'm getting cliché again, aren't I?

However, my hands became clammy when I saw a lot of people below us. I almost dropped the cord that I was holding because of how tense I was, then scolded myself for being ridiculous.

I've played for a lot more than this!

With a deep breath, I set up everything and put on a smile on my face. Cal patted my back before disappearing behind the curtains.

And the first track started.

I was so nervous I almost messed up a key, but Hunter winked at me, reminding me that I was not alone and that he was there. Like how it had been. Like how it will always be. That made me focus my attention on what was happening now and not on all the things that could go wrong.

It was actually a trick that Hunter came up with when our Dad left us. I was close with the elder Pierce, and when he packed up, I lost the self-confidence that took me years to build. It was on the Sterling Regional that my brother decided to be his funny self to get rid of the demons that had been clinging on to me.

It worked. And he had been doing it for the rest of my life.

We breezed past the songs, however, on the 7th one, the manager of the bar asked for a duet.

And it got worse when Hunter received a call from the police who found my mom a town away from us. How did she get there? It was probably because of her dementia.

Before I submerge everyone in my sob-worthy life, I had to focus on the fact that we were now missing a vocalist. And none of the other boys could sing. Except I could.

"But H!" I called my brother when we were on break.

He stopped in his tracks and waited for me to catch up to him. The manager was on the side looking back and forth.

"Who's going to sing? I can get mom from the station and-"

He held me by my shoulders and stared into my eyes. Everyone was watching the two of us including Cal, and I wanted to cry then and there. "Listen to me, Auto. I need you to go out there to sing for me, alright? You have to do this or James and Troy would need to work extra hours. Do you understand?"

Tears welled up in my eyes and I know some of you think that I was being a crybaby, a drama queen. But people with serious anxiety were not someone you should make fun of. I felt someone standing behind me, and I turned back to see Finn with a worried look.

He enveloped me in an embrace, and with a shaky breath, I smiled.

"You can do this," Finn whispered in my ear. One look at Hunter and all my worries flew away because the damn devil was smirking so mischievously he could be Loki.

"I guess I can. But I need someone to sing with?" I asked, completely confused at the situation now. Hunter just rolled his eyes then waved and left us without another word. This caused me to look at his bandmates, hopelessly wishing for a miracle.

Which God so kindly gave to me when Cal pushed himself off the wall and said, "I'll sing with you."

♬ ♫ ♪♬ ♫ ♪

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