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We arrived at the field just as the sun was losing its heat and showing the first signs of setting. The marquees were already lit up green and indigo on the sides and the dance floor full of people mingling to the pop music, all a warm-up for the band. The band was the real reason for coming to the prom. Even if I'd had no date, I would have had to come to see Electric Flea Circus.

They were a bunch of ex students from the school, who I kinda remembered being there. At every music festival they blew everyone else out of the water. These guys could play, and they'd all stayed in town working their way around dead-end jobs while they tried to get a record deal. Their singer left for the real world and decided to try college, so they recruited Devin Calsagi, the best voice in my grade, a hyena who could sing just about anything from opera to death metal. Maybe he had a chance of going pro with them. He also played ball, and had been one of my best friends since the sixth grade. He'd been texting me all night, saying how much he was bricking it about tonight's gig. So much so that he said he actually had a stomach ache and felt like he was going to puke. I should have been paying attention to Courtney and Caitlyn all through the ride, but instead I was playing supportive friend by text.

Seriously bud, I don't think I'm gonna make it. I'm fucked up right here. That was the last text I saw from him as we got out of the limo. I texted him back, asking if we should pick him up so I could talk to him for real. Why was an easy gig like this giving him this feeling? All the music they'd rehearsed for tonight was just nice easy songs that everyone knew and could dance to. No real test of his voice. He didn't text me back, and I decided it was time to forget him and walk Courtney and Caitlyn through the parade. Because everyone was looking, as though we'd turned up in the Shelby after all. They were looking at her. Then they were looking because I had two women, one on each side of me.

I hadn't prepared for this all day for nothing. I was going to feel confident, and look like it, and feel like I deserved this. Because right now, I knew how Devin felt.

'You're doing fine,' Courtney said as we passed the parade of photographers the school had hired like it was a Hollywood red carpet. People were looking at me just like Mum had, wondering if it could really be me. I'd surprised them all with this. It felt amazing.

'Straight to the bar, sis?' Caitlyn said. 'I'm _dying_for another pina colada. I can't believe that sack of shit ditched me.'

This had been pent up all through the ride here. I could feel it just like Courtney so obviously had. We were both on standby for the fallout.

'Forget about him,' Courtney said. 'You got the right idea. Just get on the train with Mr P.C. And our safety date will have another Margarita.' We stood for some photographs by the bar, most of them Courtney's gym friends, who had never acknowledged my existence before tonight, and now gave me smiles and nods and compared to before it felt like being accepted as royalty.

'You know,' I said, 'that's an old jazz song by Coltrane.'

'What is?' Courtney said.

'Mr P.C. I don't think it stands for Pina Colada, but I dunno. Alfie used to play this version of it on the guitar, it was nuts. I don't think I've ever heard the original, but I used to listen to him practice that thing all night. He loved metal, and then he switched it off and played jazz. I miss him being in our house. He really could play.'

Courtney looked at something on her phone and looked serious. 'Okay, I gotta do something for a second. You two wait right here. Do not let him out of your sight, sis.'

What was that last part about? I stood there, looking confused, and that was the last thing I wanted to look right now. I thought about Alfie and how he always looked, playing his guitars and looking cool.

'So, you play too? That's cool,' Caitlyn said.

'I don't play anything,' I said. 'I'd never get time to practice between sports. Alfie never let anyone touch his guitars anyway. I just sang. Sometimes he let me do the lyrics while he practiced a whole song. But never that Coltrane stuff though, I can't do jazz.'

'So what do you do?'

'I like screaming,' I said. 'Faith no More, Sepultura, Mudvayne, Slayer, I doubt you'd like those bands. Alfie and I always used to just do hard rock, he didn't quite get the screaming thing.'

'What's so great about screaming?' Caitlyn said, as if disappointed she wasn't dating a 'real' musician.

'It feels good,' I said. 'It feel fuck you good if you've had a bad day and God I love the world if you're having a good one. And there's a way of doing it. A scream's not just a scream. There's people who tear their vocal cords and there's the way I do it. I can show you if you like.'

'That's okay. Can you just buy me a drink already?'

I ordered for both of us, using the notes I suddenly remembered Rosie had put in my suit pocket. 'Listen, you shouldn't feel bad about getting ditched by Colton. I think it was my fault. I was supposed to be trying to make friends with him. I think I got it wrong.'

'Oh please, Todd. Colton doesn't even like girls and all I was was a way for him to cover it up in front of everyone right here tonight.'

'You think so? Courtney told me he's had lots.'

'I know it, Todd-boy.' Great, now she was calling me that. 'And the having loads thing don't mean shit. And my ears are better than he thinks. So I'm a spoilt little slut? Boys like me. My parents are rich. If he had the first clue about me, he'd know I have to work plenty hard to stay on top of both. Nothing in my life comes without a condition, raccoon. You get it? You've seen my grades, my gym medals, all my sports stuff, and the rest. If I were spoilt they'd give me everything and expect nothing. That's not the way it is, and I am so glad I get one night off from all of it.' She sank two thirds of her drink. 'Now might be a time to get me another one. And hurry up with yours. The sooner you're drunk the sooner me and my sis can really crack that shell.'

'I'm not a turtle.'

'You're a sober jock at the prom, and I don't want them apples either. So order up.'

I did, but decided to deny her the satisfaction of seeing me drink like an alcoholic.

'I don't care about Colton,' Caitlyn said, lighting a menthol cigarette and offering me one. 'One night only, I'm just not being me. I can't tempt you?'

'The team would rip me a new one even if I did want to try smoking.'

She rolled her eyes and sighed as she lit up. 'Colton doesn't like people like me because every time he's faced with them, they remind him of what a spoilt little life he's really had. And anyway, I'd rather be a slut than someone who won't admit who they really are.'

'You're really sure that's who he is underneath?' I sipped my drink, starting to think I was getting used to alcohol. I dared to lean in close to her. 'Why? What do you really know about him?'

Caitlyn looked around, then into the distance, and I was certain she was making sure Courtney wasn't nearby. 'Alright, you're doing so well tonight here's a little something for you. And God forbid you ever heard this from me. If I tell you this, you've gotta be careful. You understand? You open this box you might as well be calling me Pandora, and there's no going back. Still wanna ask me that question?'

I took a longer drink this time. 'Yeah,' I said. 'Hit me. What do you know? Why don't you start with why doesn't he like getting his pic-'

'You need to come with me.' The one place Caitlyn hadn't thought to look was right behind her. Courtney had walked through the bar, past all the staff, and out behind her. Her command was to me. 'There's a bit of a problem and we're gonna solve it and then tonight really belongs to us.' Before I could ask what it was all about, she was pulling me across the field to the band tent.

* * *

Courtney pulled me inside the 'Performers Only' tent, the one that had a sign saying that and then 'YOU' written on it with a red circle and line through it.

'Here he is,' she says, still holding onto my arm. 'This is the guy you need.'

'Forget it, gym princess.' Stitch Brodie, a two-tailed arctic-blue fox said. He was the band's guitarist, and true to what Devin had always told me had the attitude of a typical lead guitarist who thought he might be the next Hendrix. 'We're bailing. Devin was all the excuse we needed, because newsflash, we're a real band who never wanted to babysit this pubescent fucking playdate anyway. Besides, him? He's just one of the hyena's friends. He can't sing.'

'Hold up, bro.' Sam Cameron, the drummer, a wolf, spoke up. 'I know this raccoon. I've seen him down Argle's Bar. He can sing. Let's just hold up before we write this off.'

'Are you kidding?' Stitch said, lighting a cigarette. 'Anyone can sing at fucking Argle's, that's what it's there for.'

'What can you sing, raccoon?' The bass player Jack Hardacre, a lion.

'His name's Todd,' Courtney said. 'And he can save this gig for you.'

'Time out!' I yelled, the whole room reeling around me. My basketball coach would have been pleased though, it wasn't a bad imitation of his voice. 'Okay. Sorry. Just fill me in here, what's happened to Devin?'

Sam stepped forward. 'Puking, shitting, the works. He's scared to move two inches from the fuckin' toilet right now, and the trouble is we're all right here needing a singer.'

Not nerves then, he actually was sick.

And I was going to be too, if I even tried to do this. Argle's bar was one thing. Hardly anyone knew me there, most of them were people twice my age who were drunk and thought my version of Sepultura's _Ratamahata_was a Beethoven symphony when they'd had enough.

'We can do this,' Sam said, looking at the rest of the band. I'd heard all bands had a natural leader, and I was instantly convinced he was the one for Electric Flea Circus. Alfie told me it was sometimes drummers, contrary to popular belief that it was a singer or guitarist. Probably why Stitch was scoffing at the idea without even moving his mouth. 'This guy,' he put a hand on my shoulder. 'I heard him sing Smaller and Smaller by Faith no More last week. And When the Stars Begin to Fall by Tomahawk. There's two people who can sing those songs, Mike Patton himself and this guy. He doesn't just scream, he's got a voice. But maybe he doesn't know it.'

'Yeah but....' God, get me out of here. Give me any way out. 'Those bands aren't music for the prom. We can't do that out there.' Could we? Was I even entertaining this insanity for as much as a split second. 'Do you know those songs?'

'No,' Courtney said. 'They don't. They made their name as a Foo Fighters cover band when they started.' She looked at them all. 'Guys, that's Aldrington's favourite band. He never turns them off. Every time he goes running he's got them on the headphones and this guy runs seven days a week. Dig that setlist out. That's tonight.'

'Actually I only run on five.'

Courtney shrugged. 'Five, seven, one, it's important right now because...?'

What spell did Courtney have on these four guys? Even the rhythm guitar player, Antony, who'd been silent through all of this was looking like he was suddenly up for it, just because if Sam was the leader, then Courtney was the manager and it was like she'd just delivered them a record deal.

Wait a minute, how did she know this about me? Okay, Courtney Vincent was the social media oracle, but my running music? Only I knew that. And it was true, the Foos were my go-to band. They even had a song called 'Run.' It was my half-marathon finishing track.

'This is the set,' Antony said, sounding laconic and deadpan as he handed me the paper that looked like it had spent a year stuffed inside a gig-bag. 'We used to do this all the time. Can you sing any of that?'

I looked at it, the world so far away that it was like I'd sank a thousand margaritas. Then I uttered the words sure to seal my doom. 'I know them all. And the rest. I can sing any song they ever did.'

'Then you're up,' Sam said. 'Get your voice warmed up, do whatever you need to do, then get a couple of drinks down you.'

'Fuck this,' Stitch said. 'I'm outta here.'

'No you're not,' Jack said, standing up and blocking Stitch's exist. 'You know why? Because you aint stopping me getting paid.'

'This isn't about money,' Stitch said. 'Get out of my way.'

'Hey asshole,' Jack said. 'We're one paycheck away from starvation. That means it's all about the fucking money. So you can swallow your pride before I ram it down your throat along with your teeth.'

Stitch pursed his lips and raised his hands like he was ready for the fight then and there. Then he looked at me, and with a calm I didn't like said 'Would you excuse us all for a moment?'

I couldn't move, tranfixed by this whole scene.

'Yeah,' Stitch said, still unnervingly calm. 'That'd be you getting the fuck out on the count of three. That'd be one, two...'

'Let's get some air,' Courtney said, pulling me outside.

'Are you crazy?' I said. 'I can't do this.'

'Todd,' she said. 'Listen to me. This is the kind of golden night that lands in your lap once in a lifetime. You get to graduate from a bar where nobody knows your name to in front of the whole school. Who you think are waiting to hear about you getting a prom night shag off of little Miss Popular, but they're looking for something far better and they just don't know it. Until you show them. Get up there and be something more than the guy who only survived high school because of sports. Besides, my brother wants to ruin this night for me and Caitlyn? Show him how you un-ruined it. Make it sting like a motherfucker. Now's your chance.'

'Yeah,' I said, turning around to look at the empty stage with the instruments set up. It turned every bone in my body to jelly. 'If the band don't kill each other before they make it up there.' The shouting coming from inside the tent was no longer discernible words.

'Oh yeah,' she said. 'Maybe one of us had better mediate in there. Voice of reason kinda thing.' She tipped her head a little. 'Mind if it's me who tries that?'

I stepped aside and gestured to the tent-flap. She went in. A minute later the shouting subsided. Another minute after that, she stuck a hand out and beckoned me in. I went in. Stitch wasn't there.

'He's tuning up,' Antony said when they could tell I was looking for him. 'That means we're playing, by the way.'

Sam looked more than pleased. He already had a measure of clear liquid in a glass, and I knew it was for me before he pressed it into my hand. 'Neck that, Aldrington. The butterflies will just evaporate.' He twinkled his fingers through the air above my head. I looked at Courtney, who nodded her head. I threw the drink back, trying not to taste it. It was vodka, the same smell I'd smelt on Alfie almost every night of the week during his last three months living at home. I choked, coughed and somehow managed to keep it down while the rest of the band laughed.

'He's ready,' Courtney said. Then she kissed my lips.

It wasn't my first kiss, but it felt like it. I'd had many from girls when the team won. Cheerleaders mostly, all for show, and none of it had ever made anything happen downstairs, let alone deep inside of me. But this one did something. Something about whatever brilliance Courntey had used to get me to this point made my heart flutter. Then just as quickly, that feeling was gone as she pulled away from me.

She leaned in and whispered 'I told you you didn't have to be a coward. My brother was nothing to do with it.'

* * *

Just pretend they're the crowd at Argle's. It's as simple as that. That's what I kept telling myself.

'Ladies and Gentleman,' Sam went to the front as the guitars plugged in. I waited off-stage. 'We regret to announce our singer Devin is sick tonight and we weren't going to be able to play. But we'd like to introduce someone seriously cool who's taking up the microphone...'

Ohshitohshitohshit.

I didn't hear my name. I didn't hear how many people were cheering for me. I just felt something, and had the first complete loss of memory in my life, from walking on stage to picking up the microphone. I heard the first chord of 'T-Shirt.' Typical Foo's opening, T-shirt followed by 'Run,' just like on the album Concrete and Gold. It started quiet and then went into a bang. Everyone had their eyes glued to me, because I was me, and I was up here singing quietly, like I was as scared I felt.

The bang kicked in. Stitch was playing it to the full with his back to me, like he was going to refuse to acknowledge me all night. But damn, this sound was so huge._It thudded right through me as Antony's bass kicked in, then Jack's back-up guitar behind Stitch, and Sam kept the pulse. And I was into _'There's ooone thiiiiing I haven't learned...'

I really did have a voice. Or I had something. Because Stitch had turned around and looked at me, like he was busy re-judging me and effortlessly playing that catchy riff after me that was there for a minute and gone the next, and I was at 'You get....what you deserrrrve...'

And I was thinking about Colton. I was thinking about him all the way through 'Run' as well. 'In another perfect life....' I got him off my mind though 'Hey Johnny Park' and 'Everlong' and then got him back at 'Long Road to Ruin.' Had all the times I'd sung along to records or murdered songs at Argles or rocked out while running all really been to push thoughts of who I was and who I wanted to the back of my head, or had they really been there all along at the front of it, and whatever I was doing at the time was a distraction from it in plain sight?

All I knew was I was singing like it really mattered, and everyone was watching. Some of them knew the songs and sang along. I thought about the time my mother had finally said to me that I ought to go to a vocals coach before I damaged my voice beyond repair, and I'd gone, and I'd taken it seriously and then done nothing with it, and Devin hadn't even encouraged me to do otherwise. Was it because he was actually afraid I might steal what was his?

Shit, did he know about this yet? Was it all over the internet for him to look at on his phone in between both ends emptying his guts out of him? There was probably nothing worse than being sick and watching a friend steal your thunder, and all through 'Erase, Replace' I was certain that's what I'd done to him. 'Arlandria' almost made me forget about it. 'White Limo' after that had me screaming so hard I forgot everything else. We took it down a notch with 'What if I do?' and 'Cold Day in the Sun' with Stitch getting out the acoustic guitar and then went for 'Summer's End.'

Just when everyone thought we might be signalling the end of the set but hopefully not the prom itself with that one, we went for the song I realised had probably persuaded me to do this whole crazy thing in the first place: 'Enough Space.'

Oh man, how I loved this song. Alfie used to play this just so I could do it, always along with the recording, but this time I was the recording. _'Enough SPAAAAAACE! SPAAAAA-HAY-HAAAAAAYCE!' _Even sports didn't seem to release this much raw energy.

We closed the first half with 'All My Life.' 'Heeeeey don't let it go to waste....I love it but I hate the taste...' and back to Colton, realising I was glad I'd got rid of him and almost sorry at the same time.

When the song finished and I saw him looking at me from the back of the field, I almost couldn't believe he was there.

But he was.

* * *

'Wait guys, can we do one more song? Can we add one we didn't think of?' I didn't know where this idea was coming from, but the longer I looked at Colton standing there with his arms folded, a smug smile and a cigarette smoking in his mouth, the more I liked where this was going.

Make it personal. Rocco thought I might have followed his advice too much? I wasn't even started.

Stitch was rolling his eyes and flexing his wrist like it was hurting and looking at me like all mutual respect had vanished. 'Alright stripes, what stupid song do you want? This Foos stuff's boring me shitless already.'

I named my song. 'I want to dedicate it.' I said. 'To a special person.'

'Oooooh!' Sam said, probably looking for Courtney. 'Okay, come on guys, it is his prom as well as his gig. Cough up. Can you all remember that one?'

'I want a cut of your pay,' Stich said, turning his guitar back up.

I switched the microphone back on. 'Hey everybody, is everybody having a good night? Has everyone had a good time in high school? Aint this what living is really all about?'

'Get on with it, trash panda,' Stitch said.

'We'd like to do one more song before we take a brake, and this one's got a dedication. I'd like to dedicate this song to Colton Vincent.'

The band all looked at me as if I was drunk. Even behind the buzz of the speakers and the ringing in my ears, I could feel the whole field quieting right down.

Especially Colton. The smug look on his face was totally gone.

'Let me tell you a little something about this guy,' I said. 'He stole a car tonight that my brother borrowed from his boss to take me to the prom in. And before we get started on how that's a whole lot of trouble for someone else just to piss me off, he also ditched his date, who by the way was someone most of you would have given your balls to be here with. You wanna know why he did this? It was all because I offered him help, and he was too proud to accept it because it was me offering. I offered to help him pass his fitness test to get into the airforce. That's it. So I want you to know, Colton Vincent, that even if they accept you then it doesn't make you any less of a total fucking douchebag. This song's for you. It's called Cheer Up Boys Your Makeup is Running.'

The whole audience laughed.

Colton flung his cigarette away and started for the stage.

Even Stitch was laughing. He grabbed the backup microphone. 'Oh burn that fox, raccoon! You're one bad ass mother. Or at least you'd better hope you are because look what's coming at ya!'

'Relax,' Jack said. 'He's not getting up those stairs.' The whole band were blocking the staircase.

'You wanna do this?!' Colton shouted. 'You wanna fucking do this? Get down here you little faggot-panda, you can't hide behind your band forever. I'm gonna fuck you up so hard there's gonna be nothing left for your trailer trash family to bury!'

I'd never had to deal with a full on bullying problem, but right then I knew the feeling victims got when they finally stood up to their bully and tore them down for good. 'I've got a microphone, Colton.' I said it to the whole field. 'Everyone can hear me. Want me to make this all a whole lot worse? Because who can hear you? Everyone, Colton Vincent just told me there's going to be nothing left of me to bury. Why don't y'all give me a cheer if you think he's full of shit?'

The field cheered.

Colton was beyond the fists flying rage now. He looked as though he might start crying, but it wasn't roll into a ball in the corner crying. It was prison-for-life rage if it really did get unleashed on me. 'I'm going to kill you!' he screamed. 'I fucking mean it!'

I had no doubt he did, right then, and my courage was long gone. I remembered the gun I'd asked about.

Please let Rocco have been right. Please if he was wrong let Colton be in such a rage that he doesn't think of pulling it right now.

Even the band were looking at me as if to say I'd better back down because this was a saliva thin thread from someone getting seriously -

'Hey Colton!' Courtney was there behind him now, and she looked just as mad at him as I was, but she was in control. She wasn't scared of her brother at all.

Man, I loved her right then. She'd probably seen this a hundred times before, and unlike me, she knew there was really nothing behind it at all.

'What?' he shouted, turning around to her. 'You got something to-'

The punch she slammed into his stomach was worthy of any door-man. Worthy of any of the bears and pandas and tigers I watched doing martial arts at school, who'd smile and give me the jock nod off respect, but who also wanted me to know I was a matchstick compared to them. Courtney snapped her brother in half with one punch. She wasn't a martial artist, but those gymnast's muscles of Courtney's were something nobody in their right mind wanted to be on the end of if they got serious.

Colton was on his knees crawling, then vomiting. He'd pulled himself towards the stage in the hope nobody would see.

Everyone had. They were jeering at him.

Oh man. What had I just started? This suddenly didn't make anything right.

'That's for everything, Colton,' Courtney yelled, needing no microphone to make herself heard. 'This is what your pathetic little life adds up to after you got chance after chance after chance. Mum and Dad are as sick of you as I am. I hope the airforce takes you as soon as they can so you can just get out of everyone else's life for good. And if you touch Todd Aldrington or any of his family, I'll rip your lungs out.'

She turned away from him and started talking to all her friends like nothing had happened. They all had great big smiles on their face.

Colton wasn't done though. He got up and wiped the vomit from his face. He looked humiliated, beaten and dishevelled, but still the rage kept him running.

'Most popular girl in the school?' he sneered. 'You stupid cunt, you never even knew what to do with it.'

Now the whole place really plunged into silence.

'Yeah, always the winner of little miss popular,' Colton said as she waked up to him like she was going back for more. I had to give it to him, he probably couldn't have hit her back, but he wasn't backing off. If he was going down, at least he was doing it with style. 'So you take that_to the prom?' he jerked his head at me. 'All the guys want you, and you just want him? You're pathetic, Courtney. You think the the Little Miss Popular thing's gonna last when you leave high-school? It's a great big world out there and it's gonna crush you like scrap metal. Anyone with sense would have picked a date who'd lay her reaaaal nice tonight, because God knows you're going to spend the rest of your life getting fucked in all the ways you _don't want.'

Courtney, she'd heard it all before, but I knew it wasn't just that. The cold look on her face said she was armed with something good. The other thing that said that was the look on Caitlyn's face, and the way she was so obviously about to get between them.

'You're a scared little boy, Colton.' She said, sounding almost emotionless. 'And the airforce will never take you. I'm going to get fucked all my life? Just wait for your life. Half the time you don't even know-'

'Woah, sis! Not this. Not like this.' Caitlyn was between them now, facing Courtney.

'Oh fuck him!' Courtney shouted, the emotion all back. 'After tonight you think I care about him?'

'Yeah, but remember what you told me to do if I ever thought you were about to do this? Remember what you told me to say? Come on, sis. Don't make me say it. Just walk away. I'm the one he ditched on and he already puked his guts up. I think that's enough.'

Courtney stood there for a moment, and then a resigned calm seemed to come to her. From my place on the stage, I could easily see what had brought it on. There were two police officers walking up behind Colton.

'Nah,' Courtney said with a smile. 'There's one more little thing.' She flicked her eyes over his shoulder and he turned around to see them.

'Colton Vincent, you're under arrest for grand theft auto.'

Colton looked well and truly defeated, and I guessed before he opened his mouth that he'd probably met these two cops many times before. 'Awww jeez Flynn, are you fucking kidding me? I took the car back to Cassano's for chrissake! Call him up right now, there isn't even a scratch on it.'

'Yeah, I know. You took it back. After you stole it. That's why you're under arrest, Vincent. Hands behind your back and don't make this difficult. This night aint exactly working out for you, is it? Seeing as one of the Aldrington boys already handed you your ass, the judge might go easy if you make this easy.'

The 'Aldrington boys?' I didn't know why I was surprised. Alfie had probably created this reputation for us before Rocco fed it too, and it was going to last all the way to Felix's teenage as well.

I decided not to watch them take him away. I turned off the microphone and walked out the back of the stage.

Stitch followed me. 'Hey raccoon, where you think you're going? We've got an extra song to play thanks to you.'

'Play it yourself, Stitch. I'm going home.'

'Woah woah woah, you aint goin' nowhere.' He got in front of me.

'Oh fuck off, will you?' I said. 'I've had enough of guys like you tonight. You don't even like me and you never wanted to do that set with me. And I don't care who gets paid or who fights who over your stupid band. I've fucking had enough.'

Stich smiled. 'You know what that sounds like?'

I didn't bother answering.

'Someone who's in a rock and roll band. And what you just did was the most rock and roll thing I've ever been part of. And you can sing. You can really sing. And this is the closest thing to an apology I ever make to anyone. I'm an asshole and I don't care if you hate my guts, and I don't gotta like you either. But I kinda do. And there's an audience out there we owe another half a set to, and this is your prom. So get back out there you stripey-tailed buttstuffer. Scream whatever you're feeling out of you and let's just have fun. Cheer Up Boys is my best FF song. So you'd better do it good.'

I did. I went through the rest of the set barely thinking about anything but the words to every song. I finished on my favourite, just like I'd asked for: The Sky is a Neighbourhood. I felt like it was about me and Alfie and Mum. 'Bangin' on the ceiling, bangin' on the ceiling, KEEP...IT...DOWN...THE SKY IS A NEIGHBOURHOOOOOD!'

* * *

The real neighbourhood was silent and mostly asleep when I walked Courtney home under the street lights. I looked at my phone and found a shocked emoticon texted from Devin with 'I've heard already...we need to talk!' It didn't sound serious. But then, I couldn't have blamed him for feeling a little burnt that I took his place after all the times I'd told him I didn't want to be in a band. Hell, it was a good job I hadn't seen him all day today, so now he wouldn't think that I dropped something into his daily caramel machiato that made him....

I slowly stopped walking. 'Hey Courtney.'

'Yeah, wassup?'

'What was it you said to me, when you asked me out to the prom?' That I didn't have to be a coward.'

'And I'm way proud of you,' she said. 'Todd, everyone loved you tonight. Actually _you,_not what you were good at. And the way you destroyed Colton? Shit, I never thought I had it in you.'

'I'm not proud of that,' I said. 'I think I was drunk.'

'You weren't drunk,' Courtney said. 'You were flying.'

I ignored her. 'You told me it was never about me and him. The being a coward thing. Back in the tent, that's what you said. It was never about that. You wanted to get me on that stage.'

She looked like I'd caught her out, and I knew I had. 'Well, okay, it was about both in the end. What does it matter.'

'I got a text from Devin. I don't know if he's serious or not.' I showed it to her. 'Courtney, did you...' she knew what I was going to ask, but she'd gotten one step ahead of me and actually looked like she might be outraged. Convincingly.

When I didn't finish, she put her hands on my shoulders. 'Todd. You had a great time tonight and you feel on top of the world. I get the feeling you're about to ask a question you don't really want the answer to. You don't have to tell if I'm right, but this is your chance to not ask.'

I put my phone away, deciding it was better if I didn't truly know. But I couldn't resist: 'Just when you think you know someone.'

'Is that a compliment or a rebuke?'

'You choose,' I said, and kept on walking. 'So did you have the nice safe time you wanted?'

'Yeah I think you just about accomplished it,' she said.

We got to her door. 'So now you've got to tell Mum and Dad why Colton won't be home.'

'They probably won't even ask where he is,' she said.

I didn't know whether to believe her. 'Alright, you've been waiting for me to cave all through that walk. I'll cave. What did Caitlyn stop you from saying to him?'

For a moment, I actually thought she'd tell me. Then she just looked down the street, then back at me and her voice sounded tired. 'Todd, look, there's what you did to him, which he deserved. Then there's what I did to him. Which by the way I know I shouldn't have done even though he's had it coming for years. Then there's destroying someone in a way they'll never forgive you for. Caitlyn was right to stop me. So he called me the c-word in front of everyone from school, I don't care, I've been called worse. He's still my brother. I don't want to spend the rest of my life with him hating me because I used his most personal secrets against him. You've got brothers. Sisters. Loads of them. You understand, right?'

I understood. I took her hands when I told her.

'Besides,' she said. 'I can be a bit of a cunt sometimes. It has its uses. I think you've just figured out a bit of that side of me. The only part Colton got wrong was that I'm not a stupid one.'

'Oh for God's sake,' I said. 'Did you dose Devin's coffee or not?'

'No,' she said. 'Sam did it. The band don't think Devin's working out. It's not his voice. Something just doesn't click. But the others won't tell him because they don't think anyone could replace him. So Sam did something. But it was my idea. I even had a backup band on call in case you didn't do what you did. For the record, I gave you about fifty fifty. And you've no idea how much I enjoyed you proving I should have given you more. The sky's your neighbourhood, Todd Aldrington.'

'Jesus, Courtney, I don't want to do that all the time with a band. And if they chuck him and take me instead? Nice, I ripped a friend's heart out as well as Colton's.'

'Bands work like this, Todd. You get replaced or you fall out or you screw each other over with nobody thinking they're doing it. It aint nice and it aint fair. Welcome to the world. I think you'll be a survivor. Now if you'll excuse me I might have to get very busy on social media tonight. And your brother's here.'

I turned around to see Rocco's truck lights. I was glad to watch her shut the door behind her and get in.

'Before you ask how it went,' I said to Rocco, 'don't.'

'Come on, Todd-o.' He said. 'I already heard about how it went. So there was a bit of a scene with a guy who had it coming. Apart from that, was there nothing you enjoyed about it all?'

He had me. Tonight had actually felt great.

'There's the smile,' he said. 'Shall we head to a late bar for a nightcap? I never did get to buy you a drink on your eighteenth.'

All I wanted to do was sleep. 'Yeah,' I said instead. 'I'd like that.'

I fell asleep before we got there and Rocco took me home.

Somewhere between the car and my bed I got a message from Courtney. I'm sorry, I didn't handle that quite right. You deserve an explanation about Colton, even if it's not from me. We'll see how sorry he is for all this and then I'll tell him what he owes you. We'll see what he does.

I typed Tell him I never want to see him again.

My thumb hovered over send. I couldn't send it. I had no idea why not. It was nearly 2AM and I knew the best thing to do was simply switch my phone off and fall into a sleep so comatose I'd miss training in the morning.