Rian Reinhardt

The air backstage tasted like ozone, cheap fog fluid & warm gin. Through the black velvet curtain, the stadium still thrummed with twenty thousand voices chanting the refrain. 'WE ARE THE ECHO IN THE THUNDER PULL THE WORLD RIGHT OUT FROM UNDER THIS FIRE BURNS FOREVER BRIGHT YEAH WE OWN THE NIGHT' Rian wiped his sweat-soaked brow with the back of his forearm, his breath coming in shallow, ragged hitches. His lips were still smeared with a faint residue of magenta grease from the rail-rider in row one. Arturo was already leaning over him, holding up an iPhone screen, tapping fiercely at the draft reel. "The selfie is at 200 thousand likes in 4 minutes," Arturo said, not looking at Rian. "Keep the jacket on for the meet-and-greet." Rian did not answer. He stared at his own reflection in the cracked mirror of the dressing room door. Three years of stadiums had hollowed out the skin beneath his cheekbones, replacing whatever was left of him with high-definition pancake powder & artificial neon lights. "You aren't listening," Arturo muttered, shoving a bottled water into his hand. "We have the afterparty at midnight. Don't drift off." Rian set the bottle down untouched. He stepped back onto the dark catwalk, ignoring the security guard who tried to block his path. The crowd was beginning to thin, the house lights lifting to reveal sticky concrete, discarded plastic cups, and torn confetti. He didn't scream into the microphone. He didn't look for applause. He simply walked to the edge of the riser, sat down & pulled his guitar onto his knee. The sound system whined with feedback before settling into a flat, dry hum. The stadium went dead silent. He struck a single, quiet chord that vibrated straight through the floorboards. *WHEN YOU SMILE AT ME, THE WORLD FADES AWAY* *IN YOUR LIGHT, I FINALLY FIND MY WAY* The lyrics hit the concrete like a dropped glass. Rian did not look up at the bleachers.