Page 85 of Pack Me Up

The last song ends in a crash of applause so loud it makes my ears ring. I stand there, stunned, blinking into the lights. Tommy bows, then throws his arm around my shoulders and drags me forward, forcing me to bow with him. The audience keeps clapping, keeps shouting, and I want to stay onstage forever.

I look into the wings, and the Phoenix Pack is still there. Fox raises his hand in a fist, Hunter cheers, Colton and Cody are grinning, and even Saint’s expression is less ice, more pride.

I can feel that something has shifted.

I killed it. I really did.

The fear is still there, but so is knowing that I belong here.

I want more.

And my family is not getting in the way of that.

The second we’re offstage, it’s like the air changes color. The roar of the crowd snaps off with the door, and the backstage is chaos: cables, set lists, people shouting into radios. I’m shaking so hard I almost drop my guitar, but it’s not fear anymore. It’s adrenaline, pure and clear.

Tommy is vibrating with joy, the sweat plastering his hair to his forehead. He whoops, spinning me in a circle until I nearly fall.

“Did you hear them?” he shouts, his voice ragged. “They loved us. I told you, Britt! I told you!” He hugs me and I let him, even as my heart tries to thump out of my chest.

My mates are waiting in the wings. Fox is first as he sets his hands on my shoulders and pulls me in, quick and fierce. There’s no warning, no hesitation, just warmth and pride.

“You crushed it,” Fox whispers in my ear. “I knew you would.”

Saint is behind him, and I expect a lecture about security, but all he does is nod, slow and serious. “Good job,” he says, and that’s it, but from him it’s like a coronation.

Colton and Cody are next, both grinning like lunatics. “You killed it!” Colton says, and Cody adds, “The crowd loved you.” They each grab one of my hands, high-fiving so hard my palms sting.

Hunter surprises me the most when he leans in and kisses me. I can feel his pride through every movement of his lips. He pulls my body tight against his before stepping back with a sparkle in his eyes. “You made all of us so proud.”

I can feel the truth in his words through our bond.

Tommy’s already swamped by a dozen other bodies. He used to be on the crew, so he knows a lot of them. Everyone wants to talk to him, to congratulate, and to slap him on the back. He basks in it, turning every compliment into a joke or a story, but I can see the shine in his eyes. He’s never been this happy.

I’m still wired. My skin is buzzing with sweat cooling on my forehead and along my spine. The panic from before feels distant. I remember the way I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, and now I can’t stop grinning.

Fox drapes an arm around my shoulders, steering me through the chaos to my quiet dressing room.

“You did it,” he says again, softer now.

“I didn’t think I could.”

He looks at me, blue eyes serious. “That’s what we’re here for. To remind you.”

Something tight in my chest lets go, and I want to cry, but I don’t. I just lean into the side of him, feeling how solid and alive he is.

I look up, find Fox’s eyes, and mouth the words, “Thank you.”

He squeezes my shoulder in reply.

I’m still scared. My family is still coming for me, but with my pack behind me, I know I can handle anything.

I want to enjoy this every step of the way, and I’m not going to let nerves stop me.

Brittney

OMEGA BUZZ GOSSIP COLUMN

OPENING NIGHT OF MENDED HART TOUR GOES VIRAL