Free No Holding Back by Amanda Dresden

the crowd.
    Chris was sure that anymore effort from Wade to work the crowd into a frenzy, and security would have their hands full keeping a sea o f fans from stealing on stage. They already had their work cut out for them as several people hopped across the barriers and shook hands with Wade before they were promptly ‘escorted’ away.
    By now, Chris wa s aching to get going. Her hands tingled with excitement and when she looked at them, she found them shaking slightly as they stirred just above the cymbals. She had been chomping at the bit for a shot at a real drum set - not the sorry mess of metal and wood held together by duct tape that she was forced to audition with. She waited for her signal from Wade, but to her surprise, he followed with an announcement.
    “I knew one of you crazy bastards out there had real talent,” Wade said, pointing out to the crow. “And guess what?”
    Chris anticipated Wade ’s overly dramatic acting but it played well to the crowd. She couldn’t help it as a small smile crept into the side of her mouth even though Joe told her not to. She looked down at her feet and sure enough, exactly seven songs were scrawled boldly on a piece of paper. So, she knew she’d be up there thirty minutes - tops.
    She waited with baited breath for Wade to finish working Heretic ’s fans into a salivating frenzy. In the meantime, she twirled her drumsticks in her fingers until she was given her queue.
    “We found it,” Wade finished. “ Ladies and Gentlemen! May I present CHRIS! REBMAAAAN!”
    Wade screamed into his mic rophone and motioned to Chris with a wide sweep of his hand. Chris connected with his deafening stare and nodded once at her. The crowd resumed its relentless cries but Chris didn’t need to hear Wade to know that by looks alone, she knew it was now or never.
    Finally , Chris spat to herself.
    She stopped twirling her drumsticks and held them high before bringing them together in four loud clicks. Right before she threw them back down onto the toms, the last thing she saw was Wade banging his head with her beat before she lost herself in her zone.
    As soon as Wade saw Chris dive into her routine without so much as batting an eye, the last of his worries disappeared. When Wade broke into his first song, growling and screaming his way through the lyrics, he couldn’t have been more relieved that Heretic was back doing what they did best. So much tension seemed to lift the moment their music blared into the fan-filled amphitheater.
    Wade did his ‘normal’ routine and walked back and forth across the stage taking turns standing next to Os and Joe. He battled his brother on his guitar and despite their quarrels more often than not, no one would have guessed that they argued more than they got along. But for now, they dueled each other on their guitars to which the fans screamed and approved.
    Wade may have had the star vocals of the group, but he considered his brother ’s voice to be on par with his own. But as much as Wade asked Os to do more vocals on stage with him, he refused and insisted his passion was with his guitar.
    As Wade ’s stage routine brought him next to Joe, they did the same thing to their guitars, but he couldn’t help but smile when Joe, along with his head full of dreadlocks, bounced and bobbed all over the stage. As with all their other concerts, he poured enthusiasm and energy into his instrument and it showed. Joe even performed his signature move and during a small lull in the song, he jerked his guitar away from his body so hard, it swung around his back and shoulders by the strap, but he caught it expertly and went into his next note without missing a beat.
    Wade couldn ’t help but remember their days growing up. He had always thought Joe to be a little odd at times, but at the moment, he was a serious musician tearing it up on his guitar along with Wade. Joe was one of those few talented people that Wade felt fortunate having since the beginning, and