After what seemed like ages, the band before us finished. They were good and the crowd was roaring. They were a tough act to follow, but they also fired up the audience for us. Energy was high at that moment, and that was just what we needed. Our music was based on energy.
We were quick to set up. I hooked up all my guitar effects to the amps with the help of the sound crew and grabbed my guitar just as Joe finished putting his set together on the platform at the back of the stage. I then turned to face the crowd for the first time. An icy chill crept up my back as I realized how many people were there. I couldn’t see the end of the mass of people due to the blinding lights in my eyes. That was probably a good thing. This was my time to shine.
With four clicks of Joe’s drumsticks, we were off. Our first song was an energetic one at about 180 beats-per-minute. Everything was together. Both guitars, bass, drums, and vocals were right where they needed to be. The audience was really getting into it as well. Through the lights, I could see a fairly large mosh pit in progress. It was a great four minutes and the crowd cheered as we finished the song. It was an amazing feeling. I forgot all about every bad thing that happened in the last year as I stood there. I was having the time of my life.
The next song started with a light guitar riff by me. It was a much happier piece that focused much more on the rhythm and vocals. That song was really received well. Many people were jumping in sync with the beat and girls could be heard screaming for Alex as he sang. Being a much easier song for me, I took the chance to really move around the stage. I even went and jumped on an amp next to the drums and started to interact with Joe as he drummed. It was pure rock ‘n’ roll. But then, everything went wrong.
As I turned around to jump off the three-foot-tall amp, my foot got tangled in my guitar chord and I started to trip. I tried to prevent the disaster by leaning, but I only spun and started to fall backwards, head first. As I descended, my pants got caught on the corner of the amp, causing them to rip and slide down to my ankles. I arched my back a little bit right before I landed, protecting my head from the impact. The amplifiers issued a giant boom followed by major feedback as my guitar crashed into the ground. It wasn’t until I rolled over and got to my feet that I noticed that my pants had fallen, exposing my diaper to the entire audience. The crowd was louder than ever, but this time they weren’t cheering. They were laughing at me. Unplugging my guitar, I ran off stage. I had never been so embarrassed in my life. At one moment, I was living my dream, and then the next, I was living my nightmare. I revealed my secret to the entire town.
Without stopping, I ran to my car and started to leave. Unfortunately, there were a lot of traffic in the parking lot. It took forever to get out. People were walking past my car and staring at me as they recognized who I was. I felt so vulnerable as people just pointed and laughed at me. I wanted to leave that place as fast as I could. I only wish I could have left my problems there as well. Finally, I got out of the park and took off. I usually didn’t speed much, but that night I was peeling rubber at every corner. As I pulled into my driveway, I noticed there was another car parked there as well. It was a red Toyota. It was Tori’s.
My heart stopped. I completely forgot about Tori. The night was just getting worse by the minute. After all this time being able to hide my secret from the one I cared most about, I reveal it to the entire town, as well as her.
I slowly pulled into the driveway, dreading having to face Tori while I was engulfed in shame. I opened my car door and stepped out as Tori did the same. She started walking towards me, but I headed for the front door without even acknowledging her.