Page 49 of When the Stars Rise

My view isn’t the best from the wings, but I don’t need an unobstructed view to see that Hayley shimmers on the stage in that gold dress.

Her hair is sleek, eye makeup winged, and she’s the undisputed star in all my fantasies.

“I called her this evening and asked if it was okay that I wrote this song about her boyfriend,” Hayley continues.

“She told me something that I want to share with you. She said that life is short, and you never know when your time is up. But when you love someone, it’s so important to make the most of the time you have with them.”

Hayley scans the audience from the floor to the seats way up top, making everyone feel included. “So tell the people you lovehow much they mean to you. Hug them. Listen to them. Let them know you’re there for them.”

Aiden starts tapping out the beat on the drums, setting the tempo, and then Jules, Liam, and Caleb join in when Hayley starts singing “Too Young to Die (Blue Skies in the Drop Zone),” her voice sultry and smoky yet so haunting and ethereal that it sends shivers up my spine.

It feels almost too intimate for this giant arena.

I know all her songs by heart. Every lyric. Every note and inflection.

I’ve listened to her albums on repeat more times than I can count. But when she’s performing in front of a live audience, every note and lyric hits different.

This song always kills me a little bit. It drops you low and, in the next instant, makes your heart soar.

It’s fitting that Hayley hits the highs and lows with Zeke’s song. That’s how he lived his life. He was either flying high or down deep in the abyss.

After he died, Everly asked me what his final words were. “What’s the last thing Zeke said?” she asked.

I guess she was hoping for something profound. Something meaningful. But his last words before jumping were, “I need to take a piss.”

We laughed about that one. But right before that, when we were sucking on oxygen before the jump from fourteen thousand feet, he said, “It’s gonna be blue skies from here on out, bro.” He bumped his fist against mine, then gave me the pinky and thumb salute–the shaka. “See you on the other side.”

And I think I knew it then, but I was in denial.

I didn’t want it to be true, and selfishly, I didn’t want it to happen on my watch.

On the way down, I was screaming for him to open the fucking parachute, but he’d drifted too far from me, and I couldn’t get to him in time to save him.

Now, I am the keeper of last words.

The protector of secrets and lies.

The last man standing after two tragedies rocked my world and fundamentally changed who I am and how I view the world.

If YOLO weren’t so lame, I’d have it tattooed across my chest in bold letters.

I’m jolted back to the present when Aiden pounds out a thunderous percussion on the drums, and the band starts rocking out to the next song.

Hayley is bounding across the stage, using every inch, and the audience is going wild, screaming the chorus while she belts out the lyrics.

It’s a departure from the last song but a welcome one.

Hales is a chameleon. Growing up, she was shy and sensitive, a bit introverted until she got to know someone, but when she’s up there on the stage, she’s such a dynamic performer and so at ease in front of tens of thousands of people that you’d never know she used to be a shy girl.

Hayley holds the audience in the palm of her hand. It’s easy to see why they love her. She gives off that vibe of being the relatable girl next door who rose to superstardom. On top of being an amazing performer, she’s a good person who donates millions to charity and advocates for people who don’t have a voice of their own. A role model for girls with big dreams and stars in their eyes.

“I love you,” Hayley says, crouching on the stage and taking the hands of people reaching for her. “I believe in you. You’ve got this,” she tells a girl holding a sign that says:I’m 265 Days Sober. You helped me believe that I could do it.

I scan some of the signs they’re holding up. Aside from the usual I Love You Hayley, others are far more personal.

A guy holding a sign that says: I Wanted To End It All But Your Music Saved Me

A middle-aged woman:I’m here for my daughter. She loved you so much. God bless you, Hayley.