Chapter Five

Life is a snowstorm. In the way that no two snowflakes are the same, nothing is the same for two different people. One event can impact two people in incredibly different ways. No two people look at something the exact same way, and that's what makes life so amazing. Everyone is different, but their lives all twist together into a beautiful, terrifying force of nature. Just like a snowstorm, life can be beautiful, perfect, and pure, but it can also be terrifying and dangerous.

As Jeff sat in the audience, staring up at the stage and waiting for the show to start, all he could think of was how amazing life had to be for Nick to really have this chance. He couldn't help but be happy for him, and for now, all thoughts of what would happen concerning their friendship after this show meant nothing to him. He just wanted to see Nick on that stage, singing his heart out in front of all these people… Jeff's heart was pounding, and he had the goofiest of grins on his lips. Nick was going to be a star…

Backstage, Nick tried to focus on the good things about this night, but his mind had wandered back to his past. He'd allowed himself to get nervous, to think about how scary it was going to be to be on that stage in front of all those people… And then he thought of even scarier things, like the way he'd been beaten unconscious before he'd even been in New York for a year. He bit his lip roughly, toying with the heavy silver rings that were on Saint Jimmy's fingers. What sort of horrible things had he done in a past life to deserve that? He was here to make his dreams come true, to be happy…

When it was time for the show to start, Nick forced all of the dark thoughts into the corners of his mind where they belonged, and he forced himself to smile. Tonight, he was going to make his mark, and he was going to become a star. He couldn't let the past get in the way of this chance. This show was going to change his life…

"My heart is beating from me, I am standing all alone. Please call me only if you are coming home," Nick sang out, gripping the rails on the rolling staircase that he was on top off. He was starting off the song "Homecoming", in which Saint Jimmy commits suicide by 'blowing his brains out into the bay'. "Waste another year flies by, waste a night or two… You taught me how to live." As soon as the line left his lips, Nick's eyes locked onto a light patch of color in the audience. The performer's heart pounded roughly in his chest, and it took everything he had not to smile and break character. Jeff really was here. His best friend… Oh, god, he hadn't lost him. He had been so worried that Jeff wouldn't want to speak to him again. Not after how long he'd gone without saying anything to him…

Filled with excitement, Nick continued to sing, hitting every note without a single flaw. He had to do well; Jeff had come to see his show. He knew that Wes was in the audience, along with so many other people, but… Nick knew that Jeff had come all the way here to see him from LA. He just knew that Jeff had to be going after his dreams just like he was. "In the crowd of pain, Saint Jimmy comes without any shame. He says we're fucked up, but we're not the same, and mom and dad are the ones you can blame.

"Jimmy died today; he blew his brains out into the bay. In a state of mind, in my own private suicide…" Nick very slowly lifted the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, falling into the arms of the people at the bottom of the staircase. In the audience, Jeff chewed on his lip in an attempt to keep himself from smiling like a total dork. Nick was absolutely brilliant. He was the most talented person Jeff had ever met, and he was finally getting to share his passion for performing with other people…

After the show, Jeff started to walk outside when his arm grabbed by what looked like a stagehand. He was dressed in casual clothes and had a headset on, and he seemed nervous. "Hey… Someone wants to see you backstage," he said, looking a little uncomfortable about having to confront Jeff this way. He'd never been sent to fetch someone from the audience before. Hell, he wasn't even sure that he was supposed to unless the person was already allowed backstage. But Mr. Duval had insisted on seeing this guy. Jeff's heart skipped a beat and he slowly nodded, swallowing hard. "A-alright."

Jeff was led backstage by the stagehand, and he toyed with the buttons on his vest the whole way to Nick's dressing room. He felt like his heart was going to explode… When they finally stopped at the door and the stagehand walked away, Jeff shut his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. "Wish I may, wish I might… Please let things be okay after tonight," he mumbled to himself before knocking on the door. Within the room, he could hear the sounds of Nick scrambling to his feet followed by, "Ow, shit! When did that chair get there?" Almost instantly afterward, the door flew open and Nick latched onto Jeff by hugging his neck, laughing excitedly. "Oh my god! Jeff, you made it!"

Jeff's eyes shot wide and he chuckled, hugging Nick as close as he could. He felt so relieved… "Nick, you're insane if you thought I was going to miss your first show!" He started to pull away so that he could look at Nick's face, and when he did his eyes locked onto Wes. Wes was standing toward the back of the dressing room, looking as if he'd just been attacked. His shirt was halfway unbuttoned, his hair was far messier than it usually was, and there was a dark purple mark on the side of his neck that he wasn't hiding very well with his fingers. "Wes..?"

"H-hey, Jeff."