"Alright. This gentleman right here will lead you around backstage so you're not seen—his name is Sean. I already gave you the VIP backstage pass, but I also let security know that you'll be back here and you're supposed to be here."

I nodded. Jake was saying all that. Truth be told I could barely hear him over the crowd, the crowd that was waiting in dire anticipation for Saturn Mutants to take the stage. The crowd that had filled the entire venue last-minute thanks to Orion's raw and very real interview.

"We're going to enter on the other side, so just stay here tucked away for most of it. There's going to be a pause, and Sean will lead you to the other side of the stage because Gloria is going to pop back here and we're exiting the stage over here."

I nod.

"You'll be carted back around to this side after the intermission, because we'll be entering the stage from that side again."

My head was swimming.

"Look—if you ever get confused, just follow Sean, alright?"

The crowd was getting restless. The show was to start in five minutes.

"Hey."

I blinked, not realizing that I had zoned out a bit. Jake had patted me on the shoulder when he said "hey". He smiled at me.

"You okay?"

All I can do is nod. Then all at once, I see the flicker of sadness pass over Jake's eyes, the same one I had caught in the cabin in Wisconsin. But this was fleeting, and as soon as I noticed his smile was incredibly sad, it was gone.

"Everything is going to be alright Tristan," he told me. "I just know it."

I pull Jake into a hug. "Thank you. For everything."

Jake gives me a quick squeeze and then pulls away, smiling genuinely. "I gotta run—literally. If I don't get my ass over there right now someone is going to come looking for me."

So I watch Jake sprint across the back of the stage, people making way for him before he disappears out of my line of sight behind the thick black curtain. And then time seems to warp strangely, where suddenly the crowd had erupted into pandemonium and I couldn't believe the concert had started already, yet simultaneously I felt like it had been hours since Jake had ran off. And it's like I'm young again, seeing them in concert for the first time, the same surge of giddiness washing over me as the frenetic multi-colored lights dance across my body.

It felt like home.

And it's all so amazing, because I'm right there. Yeah, my view is a little skewed, and I really can't see Ben at all except for the occasional drumstick, but Jake and Orion? I was feet away from them.

And God, Orion. They had skipped any kind of introduction, plunging headlong into the first song. Orion is doing what Orion does best, winning over the crowd, racing from one end of the stage to the other. The sound of the crowd is near deafening, and I swell with a weird sort of pride deep within my chest because everyone knows all of the lyrics and they're all singing along as one voice.

Once the song is done, the crowd erupts again, cheering. Jake is strumming his electric bass, grinning, and Orion is smiling like the damn Cheshire Cat himself, walking around the stage with his hands in the air. His black guitar hangs off his neck, and he's taken the microphone from the stand. Orion says something to Jake, who laughs and gives Orion a shove. I can't help but wonder what was said. And if I had to guess it, Ben was grinning as well.

"Hi," Orion says directly into the microphone.

The crowd goes absolutely insane. Orion is still grinning ear to ear. Jake lifts both of his hands skyward several times, prompting the crowd to get louder; they, of course, oblige. Orion gives the crowd a good pause before speaking into the microphone again.

"Why hello."

The crowd screams, and Orion laughs his nervous giggle-laugh. He walks over to Jake, shoving the microphone in his face.

"Say hi, Jake."

Jake waves with one hand. "Hi, Jake."

The crowd laughs. So does Orion but then shoots Jake a look.

"What about me?" I hear Ben bellow off to the side.

Orion turns around, and for one horrific moment I think he's seen me. But instead he just disappears out of sight. I can picture Orion leaping up next to the drum kit.

"Say hello, Ben."

There's a pause, and then, "Hiiiiiiii."

Once again the crowd laughs. Ben had said it in this weird, nasally voice. I loved it, it was hysterical and unexpected.

"I love you!" a woman's voice screams out.

"Aw!" Orion speaks, coming back into my view. He's walking to the edge of the stage, a hand at his chest. "I love you too."

Ben speaks into his microphone. "I think she was talking to me."

Orion slips off his guitar as the crowd laughs and whistles, gently putting it on the ground. He then sits on the lip of the stage, cross legged, as the crowd cheers. Orion brings his hand to his forehead, trying to shield his eyes from the harsh lights.

"Are there any Greg's in the crowd?"

There's a smattering of cheering.

"Well, I obviously can't take the time to ask who's who, but I wanted to say, thanks for the letter, Greg. And we're here, back in New York!"

The crowd cheers. Orion waits a few moments before continuing. "I just wanted to take a second before we continue to rock your faces off to give a heart-felt thank you. Thanks for sticking by me and the band. It really means the world to me."

As the audience shrieks and applauds, Orion gets back to his feet, putting his microphone back in its stand. He looks over his shoulder.

"I also couldn't go on tonight without thanking the two most important people in my life, Jacob Larson and Benjamin Hill."

The crowd goes nuts, and Jake takes off his guitar to embrace Orion. There's a blur, and Ben goes running past, ploughing into the pair. The trio almost topples over, and they're laughing, and I see Orion quickly wipe his eye as he scoops up his guitar and Ben makes his way to his drums.

The remainder of the concert goes on without a hitch. I'm happy to see Orion looking like he's having the time of his life.