Instead of heading for the comfort of her room, Stella decided to go to the bar area. And no, not to get a drink.

She wanted to call Camila.

She didn't know why the girl decided not to tell her about sleeping with Eddie from the beginning when she told her they had gotten together. It just felt like a complete betrayal to their friendship, even though she had mostly blamed Eddie.

She went into the phone booth and dialed Camila's number, only to realize that she was probably assuming Billy would call her and she wouldn't want to pick up. "Fuck," Stella breathed out as tears continued to fall from her face before it gave her the option to leave a message.

"Camila," she began, using her full name instead of her nickname. "I-I don't even know how to start this, but...I just found out that you and Eddie..." She took a deep breath, wanting to get the words out clearly, "s-slept together the night before he asked me to be his girlfriend. I just...I have no words. I mean, how could you not tell me? You're one of my closest friends and-and I told you when Billy cheated, didn't I? You couldn't have told me this? I-I wouldn't have been mad at you. Just...just why? Please call me back somehow. Please. I just need to know what the reas—"

She had been cut off by the phone telling her the recording had been stopped so she sighed and placed the phone back on its holder, not bothering to call again and record a second message. Once Camila heard it, she'd know what she had to do even if she didn't want to do it.

She then opened up the booth, only to be met with a depressed looking Billy. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked, although his tone was far from aggressive like before. It was almost desperate.

She shook her head, wiping at her wet face that she hoped the Dunne man wouldn't point out. "Nothing, it's all yours," was all she said before she walked past him, finally escaping to her room to cry in peace. Billy watched her away, feeling...guilty? He shook his head and then walked into the phone booth, dialing Camila's number like she had just done unbeknownst to him.

4:34 PM.

It was time for sound check. Daisy, Billy, and, surprisingly, Stella were nowhere to be found when four o'clock had struck.

"Anyone have a guess where they might be?" Rod questioned stressfully, knowing that if both Billy and Stella hadn't shown up for sound check then that meant something was definitely wrong. He was already used to Daisy being late. "Anyone? For fuck's sake," he walked off, trying to get someone to find them.

"Not like Stella or Billy to be missing sound check," Warren spoke up, causing Eddie and Karen to look over at him. He then got up from where he sat at his drums, smoking a cigarette. "It's a nice shiner you got there," he gestured to the black eye forming on Eddie's face. But, Eddie just ignored him as he picked up his bass, not in the mood to be talking. "Eddie?"

Eddie looked up at him, giving him a slightly annoyed look. Warren sighed and sat down, taking his sunglasses off. "What'd you say to him, man?" He asked, not wanting to venture over to the topic of Stella just yet.

"Nothin'. Just, uh...some shit that needed to be said, that's all," Eddie replied, not wanting to get into it.

"Eddie, look, I'm gonna say some stuff, all right, and-and you're gonna promise that you're not gonna hate me for it," Warren began and Eddie pursed his lips into a thin line. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Warren got up, getting closer to his friend. "So what if Billy's an asshole? So what if you're not the guy? I mean, you are-you are in the biggest band in the fucking world right now. You get to fly around on jet planes and-and sleep on $100 bills, and we get to play songs that-that millions of people listen to, and they fucking love 'em. They love 'em, Eddie. What? That's not enough for you?"

"Warren—"

"No, no, man. I'm-I'm serious. Like, this shit does not happen. To anyone. We're the luckiest motherfuckers in the world, bro," Warren interrupted him.

"Warren, with all due respect, I think I may be looking for a little more out of life than you," Eddie told him monotonously, not in the mood for a scolding.

Warren nodded before he chuckled, feeling offended that Eddie thought that about him. "Yeah, man. Right. Well, you keep looking, Eddie," Warren responded as he began to walk away.

"Where you going?" Eddie called out.

"Me? I don't know. Maybe I'm gonna go smoke a joint, pop some $1,000 champagne. Or, you know what, maybe I'll call my girlfriend, the movie star. 'Cause I least I still have one," Warren insulted before he turned around, causing Eddie's face to contort to one of anger. "See you tonight, bro!"

Since Karen had been eavesdropping by her piano, she looked over at Eddie with wide eyes just as Stella decided to finally show up for sound check. She did the best she could with her makeup, but anyone smart enough could tell she'd been crying due to her red eyes and pink nose and cheeks.

Both Karen and Eddie looked over at her at the same time with different expressions forming on their faces. Instead of looking at Eddie first, which is what she had usually done, she turned to Karen and gave her a knowing look that only girls would know.

Karen glanced over at Eddie before she started towards the Stone girl, linking her arm through Stella's and pulling her away whilst sending Eddie a dirty look over her shoulder. "Stell, what happened?"

Stella sucked in a breath, not wanting to start crying again. "Eddie slept with another girl the night before he began his relationship with me," she was able to get out without a single voice crack or tear in sight, much to her surprise.

Karen's mouth dropped in shock. "The night before?" She repeated and Stella nodded, looking down. "Who was it with? Some groupie?"

Stella slowly looked up, swallowing hard. "Camila. It was with Camila."

Karen thought it couldn't get any worse, but it just did. And somehow, her problem with Graham seemed less significant compared to Stella's at the moment. "Oh, my God," Karen whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.

Before either of them could continue, however, Rod came walking. "There you are!" He shouted at Stella, causing her to look over at him. "What the fuck, Stella? You've never been late before and-and after that talk we had—" Rod stopped himself, noticing both of the girl's faces. He realized he had walked in some type of girl problem, so he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Okay, look, just...make sure you're instruments work and the microphones, please? I don't need tonight going like shit," he told them both calmly before he turned back around, trying to solve the missing Billy and Daisy problem now.

✯✯✯

"You know, you really lucked out, Chicago," Daisy said into the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage my sister and my best friend, Simone Jackson!" She announced as Billy walked off the stage, giving Simone a hug.

The crowd cheered for her as she walked onto the stage, the band playing some random riffs and grooves to excite them even more.

When Billy had been waiting on the side stage to grab an extra guitar, Rod came over to him and voiced, "Hey, man, serious question. Are you okay tonight?"

"I've never been okay, Rod," Billy answered as he gave him a look before stepping back onto the stage to play their next song.

Rod watched the band play, his eyes moving over to everyone and noticing how each of their energies had been off. The one he was most surprised to see so different was Stella.

Earlier that day, she had just gotten done telling him that she was fully committed to the band. But as he watched her play her guitar without any passion behind it, he began to realize how things may be taking a turn for the worse.

✯✯✯

8:43 PM.

The band, apart from Daisy, and Simone had all been standing in the back room together as they waited for the the show to start. However, everyone had been on edge and basically everyone was in some sort of fight.

Stella and Eddie weren't speaking, Eddie and Warren weren't speaking, Eddie and Karen weren't speaking, Eddie and Billy weren't speaking, Karen and Graham weren't speaking, Billy and Stella weren't speaking — it was basically one, huge mess.

But Rod was at least happy he was able to get mostly everyone back for the show even though he had still been waiting on an irresponsibly redhead.

Daisy finally came walking into the back room with some dark eye makeup on and a smirk on her face. "Oh. Wow," was all Simone said as she got up from her seat. Daisy then grabbed her head and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Um...Daisy..."

"Finally. Great!" Rod said as he walked into the room. "Gang's all here, huh?"

Rod then turned right into Daisy, making his eyes widen at the sight of her. "You look scared, Rod. And you should be," she told him, gripping his shoulder harshly. Stella and Karen gave each other a glance, knowing she must have been on something again.

"Okay...All right, this time's for real, everybody," Rod voiced, trying to ignore her as everyone headed out of the room to get ready for the show.

✯✯✯

"So we have to go soon, but we can't leave without some dues. I'm gonna need your help," Billy told the audience. "You with me?!" He shouted and the crowd erupted in applause and cheering. "On drums, a man who keeps time like a Rolex and who cuts grooves like a knife. It's Mr. Warren Rojas!" Billy introduced before Warren began playing the drums quickly, making the crowd yell louder.

Billy then took the mic off it's stand and turned around, facing Eddie. "Ladies and gentlemen..." He trailed off before completely swerving the Roundtree man. Eddie's smile fell while Stella just chuckled softly to herself. "The classiest, coolest cucumber ever to play keys. It's Ms. Karen Sirko!" Karen forced a smile onto her face as she started playing a riff on the keys, the audience shouting her name.

"Up next, as good a man as you'll...you'll ever meet. But sometimes, I forgot how lucky I am that he's my brother. It's Graham Dunne everyone!" Graham began playing an upbeat riff on his guitar, nodding his head back and forth. Billy ruffled his hair before moving over to Stella.

"Here, we have the best backup vocalist and rhythm guitarist anyone could ever ask for. I'm glad we were able to snag her before any other band could," Billy spoke, causing Stella to arch a subtle brow at him. "It's Ms. Stella Stone!" Stella began strumming on her rhythm guitar and singing softly in the mic, causing the audience to scream excitedly.

Billy then moved back over to the other side of the stage. "On bass...Well, that's Eddie Roundtree," was all Billy had said, making the audience laugh and cheer. Eddie had narrowed his eyes at him, but Billy was quick to add, "All right, wait, wait, wait. Let's try-Let's try that again, shall we? The master of the low-end hammer, the man, the face who keeps pace on the bass, the groove layer, the four-string slayer. It's Eddie Demetrius Roundtree!"

Eddie played a riff just like the others as Billy came over and gave him a hug, much to Stella's confusion. But once Billy walked away, she could see how Eddie's face had changed and she assumed that Billy whispered something to him. Well-deserved, she thought to herself, even though she was also mad at Billy.

"And finally, well, do I even need to say it?" Billy questioned.

"Well, I wanna hear you say it," Daisy replied after jumping around like a crazy person.

Billy got close to her mic and said, rather seductively, "It's Daisy Jones, everyone." He then backed away as he kept his eyes on her, placing the mic back on its stand.

"Billy Dunne, everybody!" Daisy added and the cheers just grew louder and louder. The band then went back to singing and playing, with Billy and Daisy sharing a mic as their lips almost touched multiple times. Stella subtly rolled her eyes at them she kept playing, trying to look anywhere that didn't have them or Eddie in her perception.

After finishing the set, they all gathered in the center of the stage and took a bow before exiting the stage. Eddie had tried finding Stella afterwards, but she seemed to have disappeared. He really needed to talk to her before leaving the stadium that night.

✯✯✯

"Encore! Encore! Encore!" The crowd repeated over and over again as Daisy Jones and The Six walked back out onto the stage. And once they did so, their chants changed to, "'Look at Us Now'!"

They all looked out into the humongous crowd, knowing that Billy had forbid them from playing that song that the crowd seemed to want so much.

"Let me hear it if you're in love tonight," Daisy finally said and the cheering got louder. "I've been in love." She looked directly at Billy when she said it, making his jaw clench. "And it hurts, doesn't it?"

The audience yelled while the band on stage thought about their love lives. Every single one seemed to have crashed down in burning flames apart from Warren's, causing them to wear frowns.

"But it doesn't have to," Daisy continued. "Love doesn't have to be bombs and tears and blood. Love can be peace. And it can be beautiful." She glanced back at Billy, who looked downward. "And if you're lucky enough to find somebody who lifts you up..." Eddie looked at Stella, who was looking everywhere but at him, and he sniffled to himself as he tried not to cry, "...even when you don't deserve it...that's where the light is. So, my wish for you tonight, ladies and gentlemen, is...find someone who helps you see the light." The crowd yelled as Daisy and Billy looked at one another, tears in the latter's eyes. "This is a love song."

The band knew what Daisy had meant by that, so they began playing 'Look at Us Now.' However, since Billy had been too upset to start singing, the audience had taken over for him. Daisy then began singing straight at him before she mouthed, "Go."

Billy nodded before he immediately started walking off the stage, breaking out into a sprint. Daisy then looked over at Stella and gestured her over to Billy's mic, wanting her to take over.

Stella immediately walked over to his mic stand and started singing into the microphone, finally letting herself get into the music for the first time that night since she resonated with the lyrics more than ever.

She then took the mic off it's stand, pausing her guitar playing to sing directly at Eddie, who had been looking at her with tears in his eyes. She then went over to Daisy and sang back-to-back with her, realizing that she shouldn't have been blaming her for what was happening. Daisy was broken and trying to find someone who fix her, but Billy definitely wasn't that person.

It was all Eddie's fault, she concluded. And also Billy's because when was it not his fault?

After the song ended, they all moved away from their instruments and stood in the center of the stage once more, bowing for the audience for one last time — even though they didn't know it.

They then each went into different directions, trying to escape one another. Except Eddie Roundtree. "Stella, wait!" He called out after her, but she just rolled her eyes and kept on walking. "Please, Stella!" He panted before he reached her and grabbed her hand, causing her to pull it away aggressively. "Stell—"

"I told you, Eddie. We're. Done. Do I need to fucking spell it out for you?" She interrupted through clenched teeth, not wanting to even hear his stupid apology.

"I know, Stella. I just — I need to say this, please," he begged and she sucked in a breath, debating on whether or not she should let him talk. She opted to stay quiet and nod, allowing him to speak.

"Look, I love you, Stella. I love you so fucking much and I don't care who hears it, even if you do. I fucked up. Hard. And I should have never slept with her. I was just going through a rough time with my feelings and I had been with in love with her way before meeting you and so when the opportunity came...I did it. And I did it to spite Billy, which I should have never fucking did but here we are. But it only made me realize how much I really was in love with you. I can't breathe when I'm without you, I can't even breathe when I'm with you. Like Daisy said, you're the light of my life and I can't lose you. I really can't," he confessed as Stella listened, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"And if you want to break up with me, that's fine. But I just can't not talk to you anymore. That would-that would break my heart because...because...I want to spend the rest of my life with you. When you met my family, I knew right then and there that I wanted you as my family, not just my girlfriend. I knew I wanted you in my life until we're both dead. So, please, take some time to think about it? I'll be waiting at every second of the day for you to come back to me because...I need you, Stella. I need you."

A few tears fell down Stella's face as she stared at him, trying to process what he had just said. He basically admitted to wanting to marry her and start a family with her, which was something she couldn't just ignore.

But her parents always warned her about men and how cheaters would always be cheaters. And even though Eddie wasn't exactly a cheater, he did sleep with another woman right before asking Stella to be his girlfriend. And she couldn't just ignore that, either.

"I'm sorry, Eddie, but I am not going to be your second choice just because you couldn't have Camila," Stella finally said after what seemed like hours to the Roundtree boy.

Eddie's heart dropped in his chest and he watched as Stella slowly turn around, reaching up to wipe the tears from her face so she could get ready to leave the place. "Margaret," he blurted, hoping that using her real name — which she had told him out of complete vulnerability — would get her to change her mind.

Stella paused when she used his real name, a fiery rage burning inside of her. She had told him her real name because she trusted him with it and loved him, and now he was just using it out in the open and to try to manipulate her into staying with him.

She had enough of his bullshit.

She turned back around to face him, storming up to him and pointing a finger in his face. "Don't you ever use that fucking name again or so help me, God, you don't know what I can do to ruin your life. You really think I'm the light of your life? You wanna put that to the fuckin' test, huh?" She threatened scarily, her other hand clenching into a fist.

But before she could even think about punching him, Warren came jogging over to her and lightly pushed her away from Eddie. "Warren, what—"

"Stell, please, he doesn't need another black eye even though he definitely deserves it," Warren cut her off, holding her two shoulders. "Just get dressed and go back to the hotel. I don't think we need any more problems tonight."

Stella sucked in a breath as she looked over at Eddie over Warren's shoulder, seeing the frightened expression on his face from what she had just said to him. "Please, Stell? For me?" Warren added, since he really didn't want all of his friends to hate one another, causing her to look back at him. She then blinked rapidly and nodded slowly, leaving to go to her dressing room without another look at her ex boyfriend.

authors note
y'all there's gonna be one chapter
left of this book 😭😭😭 im so upset
bc i loved writing stella's journey in
the band and with her relationship
with eddie. you guys r prob gonna hate
me for the ending of next chapter
(or not, we'll see) but i thought it was the
perfect way to conclude the book based
on what i have written. anyway,
i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!!!