Chapter 62: Conflict

Today wasn't just about dealing with Maddie. It was also about Jace facing his own fears. He paused outside the studio door, taking a moment to steady himself. He could hear the faint sound of the band chatting inside, the hum of excitement and nerves filling the air. With one last deep breath, Jace pushed the door open and stepped inside. Everyone turned to look at him, their faces a mix of relief and concern. "What took you so long?" Dorah asked. "You good, man?" Jason asked, stepping forward. Jace forced a smile, nodding. "Yeah, I'm good. Let's do this." The van ride to the competition venue was filled with nervous chatter. Jace tried to focus on the conversation, but his mind kept drifting back to his earlier encounter with Maddie. He hoped she would do the right thing, but there was no guarantee. As they pulled up to the venue, Jace's heart started to race. The building loomed large, the crowd outside buzzing with excitement. This was it. This was what they'd been working toward for weeks. "You ready?" Mr. Alfred asked, giving Jace a reassuring smile. Jace swallowed hard, nodding. "Yeah. I'm ready." They filed out of the van, instruments in hand, and made their way inside. The backstage area was chaotic, with bands and crew members rushing around, but all Jace could think about was the stage. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. This was it. No turning back now. As they set up, Jace felt the familiar wave of anxiety creeping in. He glanced at the others, their encouraging smiles giving him a small boost of confidence. He could do this. He had to do this. When it was finally their turn, the band took their positions, the lights dimming as the audience quieted down. Jace took his place behind the curtain, his hands shaking slightly as he adjusted the mic. This was it. The moment they'd been working toward. He took a deep breath, the opening notes of their song filling the air. And then, with a surge of courage he didn't know he had, he began to sing. "What's with you guys?" Mr. Alfred asked as they got back inside the van. The competition had come to an end. They'd taken third place, with one of the judges saying, "It would've been cool if the person behind that stage had shown up. You guys would've been the stars of the night," and the other judge agreeing with him. "As how? What do you mean we're cool?" Ronald said, and Mr. Alfred shook his head sideways. "Don't you feel the tension?" he asked the driver, who nodded. "See, Bruce feels it too. It's like you all are keeping something in and refuse to let it out," Mr. Alfred said. When they gave no reply, he fell silent. Jason was playing a game on his phone, Ronald had his headset on, resting wholly on his seat, Maxwell was staring outside the window, Jace was looking so lost, while Dorah stared at them all, reasoning what Mr. Alfred had said. "I'm sorry about tonight," Jace voiced out, and they all turned their gaze toward him. Even the driver took a glance at the back to see what was going on. "If it wasn't because of me, you guys would've won the award of the night. I'm so sorry. I should've just stayed behind," he said, feeling dejected. "It wasn't your fa...." "Shut it, okay? Don't start with all this 'it's not your fault' stuff when it's actually his fault we failed. He should be sorry for that," Max half-yelled, cutting Dorah off. "What?" They were all surprised by Maxwell's lash out. Jace expected this, but not from him, because he felt they were closer to each other than the others. But still, he felt like he deserved every form of insult. "You don't get to talk to him like that, young man. You know very well it wasn't his fault. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, fine, he was the reason you guys didn't get the award, but it wasn't his fault. He didn't want this to happen. You know what he's been through," Mr. Alfred said, frowning. "So? What has he been through that's so special?" Maxwell said, pointing a finger at Jace. "Max, stop. That's enough," Jason warned. "Don't shut me up, Jason. You all are just caring for him as if he's a kid. He's acting like a coward, and I'm sure he's one. If he continues like this, I don't see why he should still be in this band. You should just drop out, that's the only advice I have for you now....." "Max, stop... stop it, Maxwell. That's enough. You don't just talk about me like that. You don't fucking know me!" Jace yelled, shocking everyone. "I know what I did ruined today's show for you guys, and I'm sorry about that. As long as I quit, all this won't be happening to you guys again." "Jace, what do you mean?" Ronald asked, looking confused as if he hadn't heard him right. "I quit. You guys can have any show peacefully without worrying about me," Jace said, trying so hard not to let the tears drop. "That'll be better," Max said, and everyone except Jace shot him a dagger look. "I swear, Maxwell, if you say one more word, you won't like what I'm going to do to you," Mr. Alfred said, trying hard not to lose his temper. He was the eldest; he should be the one calming everyone down. "Bruce, please stop the car. I'll find my way home from here," Jace said, looking out the window, making it seem like he had made a final decision. "But..." Bruce held Mr. Alfred's hand and shook his head sideways. "Let him be," Bruce muttered to his hearing. He stopped the van by the roadside and opened the door for him to alight. They all got down after him, except for Maxwell, who looked upset. Jace hailed a cab, and when Dorah tried following him, he stopped her. "Why did you stop the car for him?" Dorah asked Bruce, not knowing what else to say. "He looks like he needs some time to himself," Bruce shrugged and turned toward Ronald, then Mr. Alfred. "What... what if he hurts himself on his way home? What if he doesn't go home straight?" she asked, trying so hard to hold back her tears. "He'll be fine," Ronald said reassuringly. She nodded but didn't believe him. She entered the van and dragged Max by his sleeve. "Come out here," she said, pulling him with all her might until she was able to pull him out. "Ronald, you should warn your little birdie before I show her what being older than her means," Maxwell said. "Come on, Max, what's gotten into you?" Ronald asked. "Wha... me? Little birdie? Seriously? Jason, you heard that, right?" Dorah said angrily. Jason stepped in front of her and said, "Dorah, calm down. We can't solve this if you guys keep on like this." Max tried to get back into the van, which got Dorah furious. She pushed Jason out of her way and rushed to pull Maxwell back. "Serio........" Dorah's palm collided with his cheek, shutting him up. Everyone was shocked by the action. Before Max could react, Jason was already in front of him, using his hand to stop him from launching at Dorah. "How dare you slap me? Jason, let me treat the fuck out of her!" Max said, pointing a finger at her. "Leave him, let him come to me. What can you do, you bastard?" Dorah yelled, definitely out of control now. "Dorah, mind your speech," Mr. Alfred said, making her shut up, but that didn't clear her mind. "You guys don't even respect the fact that I'm here, especially you, Max. What exactly is wrong with you guys?" Mr. Alfred said, getting them under control. "I don't know what's gotten into him. I should've slapped the daylight out of him. Don't you guys know what he's doing? We all know he's like this because of his mom. If you were the one in his shoes, what would you have done? I'm sure yours would be worse than his," Dorah said, turning to leave. "Where are you going?" Mr. Alfred asked, getting vexed by the situation at hand. "I'm going home," she said, getting to the roadside, trying to hail a taxi. "I'll go with her," Ronald said and went to Dorah's side before anyone could reply. Max snatched his hand from Jason after Ronald left. Dorah successfully hailed a taxi, and as she got in, Ronald followed suit. Dorah told the taxi driver the address and faced Ronald. "Why did you follow me?" she asked, looking at him as if she had lost all strength. "I can't leave you all by yourself in this condition. I need to make sure you get home safely and check on Jace too," he replied. She stared at him, her eyes swelling up in tears again. This time, the tears rolled down her cheeks as she let out a loud cry, shocking the driver. "Hope she's good?" the driver asked as he glanced at the rearview mirror. "Yes sir," Ronald answered, giving the man an apologetic look, and he snuggled close to Dorah and patted her shoulder soothingly. "Stop crying. Big girls don't cry," he said and she chuckled, almost choking on her tears. "Will he be fine?" she asked, staring up at him with widened eyes. "It's kinda sad seeing you all worked up because of a guy. It's making me feel jealous," he said jokingly, hoping she'd smile, which actually worked. "It's weird hearing you say the word jealousy," she said and he chuckled. "Come here," he said as he spread out his arms. She smiled and snuggled into his arms. He hugged her and rubbed her hair softly. "You don't need to worry about him. He'll be fine. Jace is not that weak." As Jace got home, he was surprised by who he met sitting in their living room. "You're back?" "Where's my granny?" he asked, taking a steady step towards the person. "She went out to get groceries." "Okay," he muttered, trying to walk by. "Are you okay? You know you can talk to me. You don't look well to me."