Sorry this is a little later than I thought. And I won't be home tomorrow or the next day so updates will continue on Saturday most likely! Again, sorry about the delay. And thank you so much to those who have reviewed. It made me happy. :)

I was somewhat nervous that first Friday night, driving to the night club. I didn't know if I could continue to be around her, knowing that I'd brought so much pain into her life. What if she noticed me acting more distant? Or if I sang horribly because I couldn't concentrate?

But whether I was ready or not, the night went on. Soon enough, I was sitting in a small wooden chair of a room full of feathery, glittery costumes and a large lit up mirror over a desk decorated with bottles upon bottles of makeup.

Within a few minutes, Lana entered with a shaggy-haired guitarist named Sean who was going to accompany us as we practiced. I was a little less tense at that realization. If I got too uncomfortable looking at her, I could always stare at the guy's black acoustic guitar with vivid green flames shooting up the neck.

And to my surprise, the rehearsal went great, as well as all the ones after it. Lana had picked the perfect song and both of us picked up the lyrics quite quickly. Though, I did find that I inspected the directions of Seth's flame tips a lot more than Lana's beautiful face as she belted out her notes perfectly. I just couldn't bring myself to look at her for too long. Not just yet.

A few days before the opening night, Lana and I began practicing before the club opened so we could use the stage. Seth informed us though that the rest of the band would not be able to join us until the performance. The idea scared me a little – I'd never sang to live music before – but I figured if Lana could do this every night without a single flaw, then I certainly could too.

And then the day came. Somehow, Pete and the others found out about my show and didn't seem genuinely proud of me, but they didn't hesitate to cancel all their plans that night in order to attend my performance. I figured their eagerness was mostly because of all the women that would be there, but it was nice to know I had some support.

I arrived at the club a little earlier than Lana told me too. I walked in, stood on the soundless stage, and gazed out at the ghost of a club that would be jam-packed with people in just a few hours. People who were itching to hear music that would take their cares away. The butterflies officially set in for the night. Lots of pressure and stress flooded into my pumping heart.

"Hey, you're early." I turned to see Lana looking unsurprisingly gorgeous, even with her sweats, t-shirt, and lack of makeup. "That's actually a good thing because Louise wants to make sure your outfit is the right size."

"Outift? Wait, you just told me I'd be getting some clothes, not an…outfit." Flashbacks of the feathers and glitter in Lana's dressing room catapulted through my already nervous mind.

"Outfit as in clothes that go together."

I stared blankly, not finding any comfort in those words.

When she realized I wasn't going to try on the "outfit" of my own free will, she snatched one of my hands in her own and dragged me into the back hallway towards her dressing room. "Don't worry – it won't make you look gay."

I laughed at her assurance, and how much it actually calmed me down, as we entered into her room to meet an old woman, who I guessed was Louise, folding up some old costumes.

"Ah, there he is." The woman whirled around as soon as she noticed our presence and grabbed a pile of clothes from the nearby table, dropping them into my lap. "Here's your outfit for tonight. Lana and I will give you some privacy. Let me know when you're finished so I can hem it if I have to, ok Dear?"

"Ok. Thank you," I nodded with a smile. The swirling, fluttering feeling in stomach was vaguely subsiding with each passing second. No gay costume. And the sewing lady reminded me a lot of my mother. Very comforting.

After Lana and Louise exited, I eagerly switched into the outfit for tonight. Looking in the full-length mirror propped up in the corner for my convenience, I couldn't help but feel a little bit like a rock star.

Louise put me in a deep, forest green shirt with a twisty brown and olive-colored design that swirled and stretched like a tattoo from the center of the shirt all the way up and over my left shoulder. Over that was a dark brown, goatsuede blazer that fit on my shoulders comfortably. A simple pair of made-to-look-worn jeans and a pair of brown boots completed the look.

I couldn't wait to show off to Lana, but I really couldn't wait to see what she had in store for me.

And I didn't have to wait long. I exited the dressing room, only to be mauled by both Louise and Lana who were more than excited that no hemming needed to be done. Lana entered the dressing room after me to get suited into her apparel (with Louise who insisted on helping to apply the makeup and to accomplish other girly needs).

Soon enough though, the door creeped open and out tip-toed the glammed-up, jaw-dropping Lana Lang. A silver ring encircled her neck and held up the front part of her pure white halter top, leaving her smooth, drool-worthy back completely open. A full-length, maroon-colored skirt flowed about her ankles as she turned to create the swishy, Bohemian-inspired effect. She had no shoes on her feet, but her toenails were freshly painted with a sparkling deep brown color.

And then I snapped my head back up to look at her face, mouth automatically falling open a little. Her hair was down and wavy with a brown, feathery clip pulled up one side of her hair just slightly. Her eyes faded from the dark mascara to a shimmering gold shadow, but just enough to keep things soft and welcoming. Her lips were shiny and moisted. Her hands clasped within each other.

"So? Do I look ok?"

I stared in a stupor for a few seconds before a shifted my weight from foot-to-foot, trying to catch my breath. "You look…you look great. Beautiful. Really, you're just…wow."

She laughed along with Louise and I could feel my cheeks deepen in their redness.

"Oh my! I almost forgot your makeup, Boy," Louise suddenly exclaimed brushing past Lana to guide me back into the dressing room.

"Wha – makeup?!"

"It's just some stuff to take the shine from your face. Stop worrying so much, Clark."

"Oh."

As Louise set me down in the chair facing the mirror to give me the first makeover of my life, I really wished this night would just get over with it. All the blind jumps from one extreme mood to another were beginning to churn my stomach the wrong way. I just hoped my dinner wouldn't come back up to haunt me. Especially on stage.

Hours passed like minutes. I paced back and forth down the hallway, slapping my thighs to the beat in my head as I mentally sang the song over and over. I'd forgotten my watch and I had yet to find somewhere or someone back stage that could tell me find the time. Every time I heard the door to the stage open, I jolted in my skin, scared to death that it was time to get out and strut my stuff.

After the third false alarm, I almost began to panic. My feet were literally getting cold. My hands wouldn't stay still and my heart couldn't pick a steady rhythm to follow.

"Cause I'm broken….lonesome…"

"You ready?"

"Wha!" I jumped at Lana's voice, feeling the cold, numb feeling shoot into my feet again. "We have to go out there now?"

"No, we still got a few more minutes. I was just wondering if you're ready," she clarified. She took a few curious steps towards me and instantly noticed the almost nauseous look on my face. "Hey…you okay?"

I smiled, feeling her warm, comforting hands in my own. "Not really. I don't know how you do this every night. I'm scared stiff."

She pulled an encouraging smile onto her lips, looking as though she wanted to laugh, but didn't. "It'll be fine, Clark. Just settle into the music. It's a lot more powerful with the whole band playing behind you. You just get swept away and it's like the audience isn't even there. It's an amazing feeling. And there's no one I'd rather share this with."

"Really?" That sounded a little fun, although the recollection of an audience wasn't easing my stomach pain. And neither was the sudden silence of the muffled DJ music that I had been hearing all night since the club had opened.

"Well, I guess Dean's introducing us. Better get out there."

"Right."

Lana slowly opened the door, revealing a large, impressive crowd crammed up against the stage and Dean billowing out his nightly spiel.

As we stood, waiting in the darkness just out of the spotlight, she continued to hold my hand, rubbing it gently as she whispered, "We're gonna knock 'em dead."