The Sophomore (College Years #2) - Monica Murphy Page 0,119
and me? We’re going to conquer the world together,” he says with all that Jackson Rivers’ confidence I love.
“We are,” I agree, settling in next to him.
Right where I belong.
Epilogue
Jackson
Summer
Adrenaline races through my veins as I stand on the sidelines of the stage, listening to the crowd. They’re chanting my name over and over again, wanting me to come back out and perform one last time for them. Some of them sound desperate, high-pitched female voices yelling, “Jackson, please!”
Ellie always tells me she can feel their pain. She knows what that’s like, wishing I would notice her. Really notice her. And I tell her what I say in the song that I wrote just for her. The one that’s currently racing up the Billboard charts, which is fucking unbelievable. “Pink” did well, but “I See You” is already doing better. Rick swears it’s going to outperform the first single.
He says it’s going to hit number one.
“They want you,” Ellie says, sliding her hand into mine. This is our ritual. One we started early on in the tour. Now it’s late August. She says this to me every time they’re out there chanting my name and we’re backstage, tucked in close together.
She supports me. Loves me. Encourages me. And I do the same for her. At the beginning of the summer, she started a YouTube channel about our travels and exploits, and she’s gained lots of followers fast. Rick wasn’t thrilled I was bringing my girlfriend on tour at first, but now he loves it. He loves all the attention Ellie’s social media brings to us, to me. She’s completely blown up. She even has sponsors now.
It’s fucking wild. Our lives have taken a total turn, and it’s amazing.
I couldn’t do any of this without her.
“Do you want me?” I ask. This is also part of our ritual. I know what her answer is going to be. It never wavers.
“More than you’ll ever know.” She tugs on my hand, pulling me down to kiss her lips. I linger there, drinking from her, not wanting to stop, but she gently pushes me, giving me no choice.
“Go out there. Show them what you’ve got,” she murmurs.
I lift my brows. That line is new. Usually she says, Go out there. Show them that you’re mine.
She smiles serenely, making me think of a queen. She’s transformed this summer. I love the woman she’s becoming. “You don’t belong to just me anymore, Jackson. You belong to all of them too.”
Ellie points at the screaming crowd.
“Not true—” I start, but she shakes her head.
“It’s okay. They can have a piece of you, but not all of you,” she says. “I’m the one who’s in your bed every night. That’s all that matters to me.”
Ah fuck. This girl. Her confidence in herself and me is astounding. She’s changed so much. All for the better. I’m in awe of her.
“Love you.” I kiss her again. “I’m gonna go make girls cry now.”
She giggles. “Have fun.”
I run back out on stage, my bandmates following after me. The crowd roars their approval as I sling my guitar strap around my neck and approach the mic, strumming the guitar a couple of times to tune it. I stand there, quiet, surveying the audience and how deep it goes. How many people came out tonight to support me. To listen to my songs. They grow with every venue, I swear. This venue is outside, so there are a ton of people here. I see more male faces than usual out there, which is surprising.
Not that I don’t appreciate my female fans, but I don’t want to be labeled as a teen heartthrob and that’s it. Though Rick tells me there’s worse things that could happen to my career.
I suppose he’s right.
Once the crowd is mostly silent, I start to play, my acoustic guitar so much softer than the electric guitar, of course. I don’t play acoustic nearly as much as I used to, and I miss it. Miss my fucking chair too. It was part of my schtick, but Rick told me I needed to try something new, so here I am.
Standing. Smiling out at the crowd before I speak.
“This song is for my girl,” I say, my voice husky. I glance to my right to see Ellie standing in the wings, a giant smile on her face as she watches me. “She’s the love of my life. And she better never forget it.”