14th June 2019 (continued)

"But I'll never forget my Cornish girl,

The one who completely changed my world."

My guitar bounced around by my knees, but I kept a firm grip on it. I was panting as I ran down the strip. It was crowded and people were not impressed when I barged passed them. But by the time they had recovered enough to swear at me, it was too late; I was already gone.

My lungs gasped for more air, but I couldn't stop. I'd made one pit stop before heading to the concert, and that was to pick up my guitar. My plan would have quickly fallen apart without it.

I rested my hands on my knees and breathed deeply. It was ironic that I was back at Charlie's. The place I had played with Hunter, the place I had met Alexa, and yet I knew the memory of tonight would eclipse them all.

I went to walk in, but a large bouncer placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. "Ticket," he said gruffly.

"My friends are inside-"

"No ticket, no entry, that's the rules." He pushed my shoulder, so I was out of the way of a group of people leaving.

"No, my friends, they have my ticket." I tried to explain again.

The guy looked me up and down and pursed his lips. "Hold on, kid, what's your name?"

I ran my free hand through my hair. "Samuel Mateo."

He unclipped his walkie talkie and brought it to his lips. "Someone get Tye, I got Sam at the front doors." He smirked at my stunned face and clipped his walkie talkie back in place.

"T-thanks," I stuttered.

He shrugged. "Takes guts to do what you're about to do, kid, least I can do is let you in."

His words didn't make my nerves any better. "Life is fleeting."

"Ain't that the truth," the bouncer agreed.

A bald, bearded man pushed open the door and stepped out. I recognised him as the same one that Jaxon had had a crush on at the beach.

"Sam? Come with me." He steered me away from the door.

"Hey man, I need to get in there." I struggled, but it was no good. He was built as big as Tori, only his muscles were much more defined.

Wasn't this guy a marine biologist? Where did he find the time to build muscle like that?

He chuckled. "You're not going in the front door," he explained, pointing down the alley. "Stage door."

I stopped fighting him, instantly feeling a fool for the second time in less than an hour. The day was proving to be a very humbling experience.

He rapped on the door in a complicated sequence before it was pushed open.

"Who is it?" Jaxon asked sweetly, sticking his head out and grinning like the crazy person he was.

"Special delivery," Tye joked, pushing me inside and securing the door after us.

"Doesn't look so special to me." Jaxon punched my shoulder, making me glare at him. "You ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"So you don't feel like you're about to hurl chunks, faint, or run from us with your tail tucked between your legs?" He looked back at me, already knowing the answer.

"All of the above," I said.

"He'll be fine." Tori chimed in when we reached the side of the stage.

"Where are they? Where do they think you all are?" I asked, peering out into the crowd from my hidden position.

"They think we're helping on the sound checks. So they shouldn't be surprised when we walk out and start playing," Tori explained.

"It was Tye's idea." Jaxon was quick to say.

Tye chuckled nervously. "I just wanted to help."

I shook his hand. "Thank you, it means a lot."

His glance slid to Jaxon and back to me. "No problem," he said.

"Now or never. We ready for this?" Tori checked.

"Hell yes!" Jaxon said.

"Let's do this," I agreed.

It was hard watching them step out onto the stage and adjust everything, but it didn't take them long.

A hush settled over the crowd as Tori began playing, his beats filling the room. Jaxon joined in, layering the music together, the tune coming alive for everyone listening.

It was my cue, and I stepped onto the stage and headed straight to the mic.

"This is a song I wrote about a girl. It's called Standing Still. I hope you enjoy." The crowd clapped politely, reserving judgement for what was about to come.

I looked out over the crowd and it wasn't hard to spot Evie and Hazel staring at us in amazement. Someone, maybe Tye, had arranged for a spotlight to illuminate their table.

I focused my attention on Evie's stunned face and strummed my guitar.

"She's my girl and I'm her guy,

She's my world and I don't ask why,

But she doesn't know the way I feel,

I dance with my feelings, not standing still.

In her eyes, I see a place,

A place where we go to escape,

Where the moonlight touched the sand,

And the sea hugged the land.

I look to the sky to give me strength,

But the stars just laugh at me instead,

Why don't you tell her, they shout to me,

Share the feelings that are running deep.

Cause she's my girl and I'm her guy,

She's my world and I don't ask why,

But she doesn't know the way I feel,

I dance with my feelings, not standing still.

I should have told her the way I feel,

But our time is drawing near,

Soon, she's gone and I'll be left,

With all these memories in my head.

Still, I won't ever complain,

Because she made everything okay.

Her freckled face remains unchanged,

Just a memory lost to space

She's my girl and I'm her guy,

Cause she's my world and I don't ask why,

But she doesn't know the way I feel,

I danced with my feelings, not standing still.

That's why I wrote this song for her.

Life is fleeting, all mixed and blurred,

But I'll never forget my Cornish girl,

The one who completely changed my world.

Because she's my girl and I'm her guy,

She's my world and I don't even need to wonder why,

Now she knows the way I feel,

No longer dancing, I'm standing still."

I drew out the last word, my last note hanging in the air before the crowd erupted into applause. But I only had eyes for Evie.

"Let's go, man." Jaxon tugged my arm.

I passed my guitar to a stagehand, for once it wasn't the most important thing on my mind, and followed Jaxon.

We barely got off stage before Hazel collided with us.

"You have to go after her," she shouted at us.

"After who?" Jaxon asked.

Hazel's gaze locked with mine. "Evie, she ran off."

I don't remember sitting, but the next second I was on the stage steps looking up at everyone.

"She doesn't like me," I muttered.

"No, Sam, that's not true." Hazel gripped my hands.

"Did you miss the part where she ran away from me?" I snapped.

"I think Hazel is right. You need to go after her and find out, because I know what I saw tonight. I saw someone desperate for just one particular person to walk through the door." Tori pulled me to my feet and prodded me all the way through the crowd.

"I already know what she's going to say. It must have been so embarrassing to have someone you don't like singing a song about you." I wanted to curl up in a hole and die.

Hazel cuffed the back of my head, making me look at her in surprise. The boys were always doing that to me. It was almost a form of affection between us, but Hazel never raised her hand to anyone. She was more of a hugger.

"Enough. Listen to me, Sam. You should have seen the way she lit up when you walked on stage. And I watched her throughout. She was so happy. I don't know why she's running but I know there's a reason."

I looked into her solid eyes, so similar to Jaxon's, and found myself nodding along with her suggestion.

"Where would she go?" Jaxon was the first to ask, Tye trailing behind him, now caught up in the nightmare.

The others looked puzzled, but I just started running. There was only one place she would go.

Being the smallest had its advantages; I was quicker at dodging people than the others. I reached the beach before them and spotted Evie. She was staring out at the setting sun, her feet in the surf.

Somehow, the sense of urgency left me, and I just walked up to her. The others lingered behind me, not wanting to interrupt but too invested to leave.

"Hey Evie." She jumped when she heard my voice and spun, her feet getting caught in the sand.

I reached out and steadied her, but she pulled away from me.

"You shouldn't be here, Sam." She turned away from me, but I held her hand, forcing her to look at me.

"Why did you run? You don't like me, is that it?"

"No, Sam." She squeezed my hand. "That's not it. I-I...like you. You're not like anyone else I know." Her fingers trailed circles on my hand, and my heartbeat took flight.

"Then why did you run?" I didn't understand.

"Because it isn't fair, Sam. I'm not real."

My eyes roamed her face, wondering if I'd heard her right.

I'm not real. What did that mean?

"Evie, I don't-" Her lips descending on mine silenced the rest of my words.

I raised my hands and cupped her face as she wrapped hers round me. The kiss was lingering and my lips tingled with little shocks, although I wasn't sure that was because of Evie this time. These felt different, not so much shocks, but fireworks.

"When I'm not with you Sam, I don't exist, no one can see me." She bit her lip.

"Everyone feels like that-"

"This is different. I don't remember how I got to Torrance, but I do know for two days I wandered around and nobody could see me. It was like I wasn't even there. You were the first one to see me, you let the others see me, Sam. Without you I'm just a ghost."

"What are you saying?" I demanded.

She just smiled at me softly. "Look at me Sam, really look at me." She pulled away from me, walking into the sea before I could think to stop her.

I followed her without pause, struggling when the water came up to my waist. But Evie had no such trouble. It was like the water passed right through her.

"Evie, wait, please," I begged.

When she turned, I almost lost my footing. Her skin was as pale as I'd ever seen it. An ugly white robe covered her from head to foot and her hair was lank and lifeless on her shoulders.

Whilst the waves broke against me, they moved through her like she wasn't even there.

I surged forward, attempting to put my hands on her face, but I couldn't touch her. Where she should have been was just glittering air.

"What's happening?" I cried.

"It's my time."

"What the eff does that mean, Evie?"

And she actually laughed, though I could see tears streaming down her face. "I don't know, Sam. Maybe I'll move on, maybe I'll die, maybe I'll wake up. I don't know."

"I don't want to let you go," I whispered, my own tears flowing.

Her hands reached up to my face, but all I could feel were the strange tingles that I would always associate with her.

"I don't know why I'm here, but I'm so glad I met you. I will always be grateful for the moments you gave me, no matter how fleeting they are."

"Why can't you stay?" I breathed, raising my hand up to where I could feel hers on my cheek. I would have given anything to touch her again, but fate had already given me too much.

"I don't want to go. I'm so scared, Sam." Her form was getting fainter and fainter, and I felt helpless.

"I think I love you," I blurted out, desperate to see her smile again, and she did.

"Find me, Sam. Promise me you won't forget me." The wind carried away her voice until it was just the faintest whisper on the breeze.

"I'll find you. I promise I will never forget you."

And with that, she was gone.

If it hadn't been for my friends, I think I would have let myself drown. But Tori and Jaxon waded through and supported me back to shore.

"I can't believe that just happened." Jaxon stared after the place where he'd last seen Evie disappear.

Hazel was crying into Tori's chest, and Tye was just standing around, looking as lost as I felt.

It was only afterwards that we started to believe what Evie had tried to explain. Only we could remember her. Everyone else forgot about her.

She disappeared from all our photos. There was just an ugly vacant hole where she should have been. It was like she'd never existed, but my feelings for her were just as strong.

The Cornish girl had changed everything for us. And I had made her a promise.

Even if I had to look for decades; I would find her and I would never forget her.