Harper was four years older than she was, and absolutely stunning—always had been. Harper’s tall, elegant form never failed to attract attention wherever they went. Lately, Harper had started wearing faded band t-shirts, ripped jeans, and motorcycle boots, and the contrast with her fairytale beauty somehow made her seem even more feminine and lovely.
But Harper never gave it a second thought. Instead of dating around, she had gotten engaged to her high school sweetheart, the pretty little diamond glittering on her finger leaving Bella in awe the first time she showed it to her. And Harper had seemed so happy. Of course, that was before Buddy decided to completely vanish just a week before this concert, when Harper found out he’d been cheating on her. Even though her cousin swore that she was okay, and it was Buddy’s loss, Bella thought maybe Harper was throwing herself into the music even more than usual tonight, in an attempt to help herself forget.
For the concert, Harper had borrowed Bella’s old County All-Stars Orchestra t-shirt to wear. Bella knew she was mostly wearing it ironically, but she was honestly blown away that the shirt could look so good. Harper certainly filled it out better than Bella ever did. The All-Stars Orchestra logo stretched across her chest, and the color perfectly set off her cousin’s auburn hair and bright green eyes.
Bella still couldn’t believe she was spending the whole weekend with her older cousin. Harper had a job and her ownapartment now, right in the cool part of the city. It meant she could finally go to the concerts of all those bands she had followed online. Her apartment was close enough that they had walked to this one.
And tonight wasn’t just any old show.
Cash Law had broken out in a big way last year with his new twist on the rockabilly sound. He’d spent this year opening for a bigger band, but it was obvious that by this time next year, he’d be headlining his own tour.
But tonight, he’d come home for a single performance here in Burlington, and he’d chosen to perform here at a small, historic theater that was struggling to pay the bills, instead of a bigger venue. The sold-out event and merch sales were going to have a big impact on the theater’s bottom line. Especially since Cash had agreed to donate the ticket and merch sales on the condition that he be allowed to bring in five local indie bands to open for him, doing sets of just a few songs each.
There was even word going around that his manager was there to scout for talent. Bella guessed that one or more of the openers tonight would be invited along on that big tour that was certainly in Cash Law’s near future.
It was the kind of generous move that Bella would have expected from a fellow Vermonter. And Cash wasn’t just a Vermonter, he was literally from tiny Sugarville Grove, just like her. His parents and siblings still lived in town. She saw them at all the town events, and bought ice cream from their little shop.
Maybe that was the reason for the connection she felt to the man. He was a few years older, so their paths hadn’t really crossed as kids. By the time she got to high school,he had just graduated, leaving behind a reputation for being talented, kind, and according to the upperclassmen, dreamy.
And now it seemed like the rest of the world agreed with that.
The song ended with a drum flourish. Cash glanced up at his audience, his fingers teasing at the strings of his guitar in an upbeat flutter that melted into the opening riff of his most popular song.
The entire crowd seemed to sizzle and boil over with excitement.
“Yes,” Harper screamed loudly enough for Bella to hear her over the roar that filled the theater.
Bella laughed and danced with her cousin, and suddenly she felt beautiful too, swept away by the music into a better, more graceful version of herself. She wished they could do this every single night, forever.
Too soon, the song was over, and Cash and his band were waving goodbye. There was no encore, but as people began filing out, one of the guards on the sides of the stage approached, waving them toward him.
“What did we do?” Bella asked worriedly.
“He’s inviting us to go backstage,” Harper said, sounding awed. “I can’t believe it. Come on.”
She grabbed Bella’s hand and suddenly the Cinderella feeling was gone, and Bella felt like her regular self—awkward and shy, not the kind of girl who met rock stars backstage.
“I… I don’t feel well,” she said, stopping in place.
“What are you talking about?” Harper demanded, spinning back to her.
“I can’t,” Bella said. “I just… I want to get some sleep. You should go.”
“Really?” Harper asked. “Why don’t you just come say hi? You’ll be able to tell your grandkids you saw him.”
“I just can’t,” Bella said, feeling miserable about it. How was she supposed to tell beautiful, effortlessly cool Harper that she wasn’t the type of person who belonged hanging out with musicians? Sure, she loved the music, but she was just plain, boring Bella. “But you totally should. I can just meet you back at your place.”
Harper glanced over at the guard again and then back at Bella.
“Sure,” Harper said, nodding and giving her a sympathetic gaze. “I’ll try and get an autograph for you, Bella.”
The next thing she knew, Harper was tossing her the apartment keys, then jogging over to the guard.
Bella walked back to the apartment feeling even more geeky and awkward than ever.
It was one thing to be a nerd in high school, but she was eighteen now, a college student. Surely she should have come out of her shell at this point, especially when it came to something she loved as much as music.
Bella walked back to the apartment with even the hustle and bustle of the city around her feeling quiet after the intensity of the show. When she got back to the apartment, she showered and put on pajamas.
