[Edward's P.O.V.]
To be honest, doing a country song was quite challenging, considering I hadn't been exposed to that genre much in my previous life. As I finished the song, I received a notification from Pepper saying, "There's a storm warning on the West Coast."
"I understand," I replied.
I glanced up at the sky and frowned inwardly, sensing that raindrops would soon fall.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to say goodbye. A storm is coming, and we should seek shelter indoors."
"NOOO!" Enid's voice echoed from the crowd. Many people were reluctant to see the concert end, not just Enid. However, the darkening sky was a clear indicator that we needed to return home swiftly. Thunder and lightning added to the growing sense of anxiety and concern among the audience.
I smiled and signaled the staff members to prepare for the final act. They nodded and began setting up a grand piano at the front and center of the stage. With a casual stride, I took a seat at the piano when a staff member placed a microphone in front of me.
"For the last song, which I find rather ironic, it's called 'It Will Rain.' It's been an enjoyable evening, everyone," I said softly. I closed my eyes, and my fingers started to glide across the piano keys.
[Bruno Mars - It Will Rain]
The music instantly captivated the audience, hushing any remaining murmurs.
I sang with emotion, "♫♪If you ever leave me, baby,
Leave some morphine at my door♫♪"
[General P.O.V.]
"M-m-morphine?" Claire stuttered nervously, her face displaying disbelief.
"♫♪'Cause it would take a whole lot of medication
To realize what we used to have, We don't have it anymore~♫♪"
"Oh," Jenna exclaimed in realization before muttering, "A pain that only drugs could alleviate. He's just like you, Mom. Except you snort it through your nose."
Alexandria's face froze at her daughter's words. It was the first time Jenna had spoken sarcastically to her, leaving her stunned and speechless.
"♫♪There's no religion that could save me,
No matter how long my knees are on the floor, oh♫♪"
"Ay, that infidel," Gloria murmured as she made an imaginary cross (again), silently praying for Edward's soul (again).
"♫♪So keep in mind all the sacrifices I'm making,
To keep you by my side, To keep you from walking out the door♫♪"
Edward gazed at the darkening sky as he poured his emotions into the song. His presence left a deep impression on the minds of those in the audience as he sang.
"♫♪'Cause there'll be no sunlight
If I lose you, baby♫♪"
"♫♪There'll be no clear skies
If I lose you, baby♫♪"
Enid's eyes lit up before she mumbled, "So, who's this for? It's not Abby, Taylor, or his mother, because that would just be weird. If it's for the deceased grandma, then it would be even weirder."
♫♪ Just like the clouds, my eyes will do the same
If you walk away, every day it'll rain, rain, rain ♫♪
Enid then realized, "Ahh, the Twilight movie. I forgot about it. Wait—did I really just forget about Twilight?! I need to reread the whole book twice this summer to make sure this doesn't happen again!"
"♫♪ I'll never be your mother's favorite
Your daddy can't even look me in the eye, oh ♫♪"
"So, not me," Taylor muttered.
"Not me," Abby muttered.
"Not me," Haley muttered.
"Not me," Phil muttered. Claire was baffled and scolded quickly, "Why would it ever be for you!?"
"♫♪If I were in their shoes, I'd be doing the same thing
Saying: 'There goes my little girl
Walking with that troublesome guy'♫♪"
In a street nearby the school, Desiree patiently waited for the traffic light to change so she could get to the concert. The strong wind made her hair flutter, and as she pressed the gas pedal after the light turned green, she failed to notice a truck approaching from her side.
"♫♪But they're just afraid of something they can't understand, oh~
But, little darling, watch me change their minds
Yeah, for you, I'll try, I'll try, I'll try, I'll try♫♪
♫♪And pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding
If that'll make you mine♫♪"
Seconds later, shattered glass littered the streets. Her car's engine was smoking, and people began to shout for help.
"♫♪ 'Cause there'll be no sunlight
If I lose you, baby
There'll be no clear skies
If I lose you, baby ♫♪"
"Abby, isn't your mom here yet?" Haley asked.
"Well, she's supposed to be here. But it's already too late," Abby replied. "It's better if she stays at home," she muttered in concern. "I don't know why I'm getting a bad feeling."
"♫♪Just like the clouds, my eyes will do the same
If you walk away, every day it'll rain, rain, rain♫♪"
Edward scanned the crowd, and at that moment, a light drizzle began to fall from the clouds.
"♫♪Oh, don't you say (Don't you say)
Goodbye (Goodbye)
Don't you say (Don't you say)
Goodbye (Goodbye)♫♪"
"Ahh, I don't want this to end," Selena whined. "I haven't had enough." Taylor nodded beside her, and her dad placed his cowboy hat on her head to shield her from the rain.
"♫♪ I'll pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding
If that'll make it right ♫♪"
The rain began to pour, but no one left the venue.
"♫♪'Cause there'll be no sunlight
If I lose you, baby
And there'll be no clear skies
If I lose you, baby ♫♪"
Edward's shirt became wet, and his muscular physique became more pronounced, causing a few girls to blush. His hair fell onto his face and the piano, adding to the legendary performance.
♫♪ And just like the clouds, my eyes will do the same
If you walk away, every day it'll rain, rain, rain ♫♪
Edward played the outro for a while and smiled as he finished the song.
"Everyone, it's been a wonderful evening! I'll wait for you guys at my next concert! Goodbye! And walk safely! Get to shelter, quickly!" He said while standing in the rain. The crowd cheered, but the rain poured heavily. Edward led the way for his friends to get backstage, while most of the crowd members left the field in a hurry.
Thankfully, no one was hurt inside the concert venue. Cam and Mitch had already gotten backstage earlier as Cam was carrying Lily while also bringing Amanda with him.
[Edward's P.O.V.]
"Those poor kids. Luckily, there's no school anymore," I muttered as I watched the crowd scurry away.
Alex rolled her eyes as she wiped her wet hair with a towel. "That's incorrect. You should say, 'School' is out for the summer.'"
I gazed into her eyes, taking her aback for a bit. "W-what?"
"You know, you're the spitting image of your mother. Without the promiscuity," I said in a casual manner, unaware that the mother bear was within earshot.
"Promiscuity? PHIL! What did you tell him?!" Claire reacted harshly.
"I really didn't tell him anything!" Phil defended himself.
"Oh, you guys are here. Get some dry towels. The staff is picking up more," I pointed at the bundle of clothes nearby. Then, I took off my shirt, causing Alex to yelp. Claire chased her away to be with her uncles quickly.
Most of the VVIPs had already been escorted outside by their bodyguards; otherwise, the backstage area would be crowded. Among my friends, only Jenna and her mother needed backstage shelter. The others had already gone with their families.
"The weather forecaster really ruined everything, huh," Claire muttered as she rubbed her hair with the towel vigorously.
"Hey, Rainer Shine is only a human being," Phil defended his favorite weather forecaster.
Suddenly, I heard a sneeze from behind. A smile unknowingly flashed on my face as I saw Taylor rubbing her nose as she walked towards me.
"Hey, great concert! Great performance! Great...body..." Taylor eyed me up and down like a piece of meat. "Ahem" Her dad suddenly cleared his throat to announce his presence there.
Taylor blushed and introduced us quickly. "Ed, this is my dad, Scott."
"Hi, Mr. Scott. I'm a great fan of your work," I offered my hand, and he shook it promptly.
"You mean this piece of work?" He said, glancing at his daughter.
"Dad!" Taylor protested.
"Yeah," I agreed with him.
"HEY! UGH!" Taylor groaned and went to dry herself up while I talked with her dad for a while.
"So, any intentions of going into the country music arena?" He asked jokingly.
"At this moment, no," I replied with a laugh.
"Okay, enough pleasantries. I know you want my daughter…" Scott suddenly turned serious. I wasn't intimidated and replied, "Yes."
He was taken aback for a second before he grinned and added, "...to join your company. Honestly, I'm against it. Even more so when I found out that the both of you were being intimate with each other."
Taylor caught the last sentence, and her face blushed red from embarrassment. "Dad, we—"
"No need to lie in front of me, Tay-tay. So Edward, if I say that I will let her go to your company right away… and even pay all of the penalty for breaching the contract, on one condition!… You need to stop being intimate with her…will you do it?"
"Dad, we—" Taylor tried to intervene, but Scott stopped her. "I want to hear the answer from you, Edward."
"Well, if we are being honest here, No," I replied, causing both Scott and Taylor to widen their eyes. "Because I can get her to sign on to my company on my own," I smirked.
A satisfied smile appeared on Scott's face, while Taylor held her burning cheeks and tried to hide her smile.
I added, "Although we are not dating right now, we won't know what's going to happen in the future. Also, I like Taylor. I don't want to cut off my opportunity to call her my girl before anything even happens between us."
Scott raised one of his eyebrows and growled with a grim face, "You guys had already slept together. What are you even talking about?"
"DAD!" Taylor yelled in protest, shocked by her dad's words. I laughed a bit and didn't continue speaking, as I could already see Scott trying to hold back his smile.
"Alright, I won't bother you kids anymore." He shook my hand again as he said, "It's been a pleasure seeing you on stage today."
"It's also been a pleasure getting to know Taylor's lovely dad."
"Hmph." Scott snorted before he walked away. "Wear a shirt!"
"Ahh, I forgot." I finally realized that I was shirtless the entire time. "YOU FORGOT?!" Taylor was baffled, but then she smiled as she walked towards me.
However, before she could reach me, Selena walked over and grabbed her arm before saying, "Wow Ed. Nice body."
I grabbed a white T-shirt from the chair nearby and wore it quickly. "Alright, enough free shows."
"Hehe~ If you want me to pay you back, I can—"
"STOP!" Taylor cupped Selena's mouth before she could finish her words. She smiled at me worriedly as she excused herself, "I need to talk to Selena in private. Do you mind?"
"Nah, not at all. Go for it."
"Also, Ed, how's your foot?" Taylor asked before she walked away.
"It's fine now. I'm on painkillers. Plus the adrenaline from performing, I haven't felt anything for a while." I confessed. "Also, I have to warn you, I'm not joining the after-party if you feel like sneaking in."
Selena pushed Taylor's hand away and asked hurriedly, "Huh? Why not?"
"I'm injured. (laugh) I need to rest." I replied in a casual manner. Taylor and Selena walked away in dissatisfaction. I walked towards where Pepper and my family were standing, but someone intercepted my path before I could reach there.
"ED! Nice show!" Kaya said as she hugged me with her sweaty body. "Hey, I just changed." I scolded the dancer insincerely.
"I just realized that I haven't shown you yet about our choreography in the movie," Kaya said as she took out her phone.
My eyes lit up, "Ah, Ironette dance. Let me see."
"Hehe. Here, this is me and the other dancers changing." She said as she showed a picture of the dancers in only their underpants. Luckily, their fronts weren't facing the camera as Kaya snapped the photo.
"This is the dance." She showed the oldie-style dance she and the other Ironette practiced and then showed several pictures of her and the other celebrities in the show.
"This is us (Kaya and Anna) and ScarJo before the show."
"This is us and Jon."
"This is us with Samuel L. Jackson."
"This is a video of us scissoring the night before. Sorry about that."
I was stunned as Kaya blushed and scrolled over to the next photo, trying to smoothly gloss over the topic. "Hold up. You and Anna?" I asked in bewilderment, and also a bit of excitement. The 5 seconds I saw on the video had burned deeply into my mind, and I needed answers.
"Ah no. We weren't dating if that's what you're thinking of. That was just stress relief," Kaya replied casually.
"Edward, I need to talk to you," Mrs. Henderson suddenly interjected. "Can you wait 5 minutes? I need to hear more about this," I said, trying to get the details from Kaya's mouth.
"Excuse us," Mrs. Henderson grabbed my arm and dragged me away. "KAYA! I NEED DETAILS! DETAAAAILLLLS!" I exclaimed, causing Kaya to snicker.
To my surprise, Haley and Abby were also standing near my family and were currently sharing their opinions about the concert with my proud aunt. Their shirts were wet and sticking to their bodies, which was a treat to the eyes.
Mrs. Henderson briefed me about the donations we received during the concert and wondered if I wanted to give out to the charity personally. I rejected that offer and left all the work to the school, as I was already busy enough in the summer.
"What are you going to do this summer?" I asked casually.
"Teach summer school," Mrs. Henderson replied.
"Damn, that must suck," I grimaced.
"Compared to your schedule, mine is relatively peaceful," she muttered with a smirk.
She was right. I had a full schedule this summer. With the concerts, album promotions, interviews, and also meeting the fans, I would not return to California until the last week of summer. And even then, I would have a lot of things to do.
"Also, Edward, your Album. We still need to finalize the list of songs going inside it. How about tomorrow?" Pepper asked after I finished talking with Mrs. Henderson.
Before I could answer, my dad interjected, "No. Tomorrow is Father's Day. We have a tradition on that day."
"Yeah. We're going to lose the lottery," I added.
"Maybe we can win something this year," my dad said wryly.
"As if. We have no luck whatsoever," I replied while laughing. "Also, we need to send Abby and her mom to the airport tomorrow."
"We will?" my dad asked incredulously.
"Yeah. I already promised them," I said as I waved at Abby. But then, I was shocked as I saw she was crying. I rushed towards her and asked hurriedly, "What happened?"
Her hand shivered. Her mascara was smudged, from the rain, and also from the tears from crying right now. She sobbed and hugged me tightly before she broke down in my arms.
"Haley, what happened?" I asked the pale Haley who was blanking out. She snapped out of her daze and said, "D… Desiree."
"What happened to Desiree?" I asked hurriedly.
"She… She got into an accident. The police… c-called Abby to tell her that," Haley choked up as she spoke.
"What?" I was shocked, and then my heart started beating quickly. "Did they tell you where she is right now?" I asked Abby.
"She's… She's in the hospital," Abby said, holding back her tears.
"Alright. PEPPER! I need to go, right now!" I shouted. Pepper was stunned and asked, "Go where?"
"Dad, can you drive us to the hospital?" I asked before I told Pepper about the situation.
"Again? Alright," my dad muttered and decided quickly.
…
20 minutes later, we reached the emergency ward. I kept holding Abby's hand as I dragged her to enter the hospital, as her legs were too weak for her to walk by herself.
"Hi, we got a call. It's for Mrs. Desiree Rutherford," I asked the front desk nurse. The African-American nurse whom I recognized from the TBBT series was surprised to see me again.
"What's wrong now? Did you break your other leg?" She asked playfully as she checked the list. "She's in room 420."
"Oh, that's not a good sign," Haley muttered. I turned towards her in disbelief, but I didn't say anything. With heavy steps, we walked towards the front of ward 420.
"Hey, take a deep breath. It's going to be okay," My dad advised Abby. She nodded with a face filled with fear and then inhaled deeply.
She opened the door slowly, and her face turned ashen as she saw the figure of a woman with cement bandages all over her body. Even her face was bandaged as it was badly burned.
"Mom," Abby cupped her mouth as tears fell. She hugged me as her body fell limp. My face turned crestfallen as I looked at Desiree's situation. But then, we heard someone calling for us from the other bed with the curtains still drawn.
"Abby?" Desiree slowly opened the curtain to reveal herself.
"Huh?" We turned to the next bed instead of looking at the badly injured woman and found Desiree smiling at us with only a cement bandage on her left leg.
"Hey, Abby. I'm fine!" She called with a smile on her face.
"Oh, just a drunk bastard. I almost died if it wasn't for the car behind me. He rammed my car from behind, pushing me out of the way."
I breathed a sigh of relief as Abby ran to her mom and hugged her tightly. As I noticed that Desiree had broken her left leg, I glanced down at my sprained left ankle and muttered, "This CANNOT be a coincidence."
"Who is he? Is he here?" My dad inquired about the man who saved her.
"No. He didn't have any injuries, so he left after giving the police his statement," Desiree explained. "I didn't even catch his name. He cursed a lot in Italian, and he wore a blue train conductor uniform."
"Huh… What did you say?" I couldn't believe my ears as I heard it. 'That…is him…right?' I thought secretly.