5. The Void

CAROLINE

​An hour later, I was shoved into the passenger seat of Jessie’s car. I was trapped in a pair of tight black jeans and a ribbed top.

​"You look hot, stop pulling at your shirt," Jessie said, whipping the car around a corner toward the edge of campus. "And get excited! You’re about to see Void. They’re legendary. Every girl on campus would sell their soul for a five-minute conversation with him."

​I hummed, only half-listening. My mind was still stuck at the pool. I could still hear Mason’s laugh and see the pity in Maverick’s eyes. I pulled out my phone, my thumb hovering over the Stargram app.

​"Give me that," Jessie snapped, snatching the phone out of my hand.

​"Hey!"

​"No. No phones," she said, shoving it into the glove compartment and clicking it shut. "You’ve spent the last hour reading comments from people who don't know you. Tonight is about the music and hot guys!  Focus!"

​We pulled up to The Basement, a brick building that looked like it used to be a warehouse. The line to get in was insane, wrapping twice around the block. I felt a surge of anxiety, but Jessie didn't even slow down. She grabbed my hand and marched straight to the front, where a guy with a headset just nodded and let us in.

​Inside, the heat was immense.  It was dark, smelling of sweat and a mixture of  perfumes. Jessie dragged me through, apologizing to no one as she shoved her way to the very front.

​"We’re here!" she yelled over the noise of the opening band finishing their set.

​I looked around. Most of the crowd were girls, all of them dressed to the nines, whispering and staring at the empty stage with wide eyes. It felt like a cult.

What the fuck is this?

​Then, the lights went black.

​The room went loud with screams.  

“Oh my god!”

“His mineee!”

“The Void! The Void! THE VOID” They kept chanting.

Four silhouettes stepped out into the darkness. A heavy bass line started thumping in my chest, and then the stage lights kicked on in a flash of blinding white.

​My heart didn't just skip a beat…it nearly stopped.

​Standing center stage, slinging a beat-up electric guitar over his shoulder, was Harry.

​He looked so him but extra. Under the red and blue stage lights, he looked dangerous. He was wearing a black tank top that showed off the ink covering his arms, his dark hair messy and falling into his eyes. 

​The crowd went feral. Girls were screaming his name, reaching out like he was a god. 

“Harry, I love you!”

“Harry, please be mine!”

Harry didn't even look at them. He just tapped his foot, leaned into the mic, and counted off.

​The music made me feel like I was trapped in a trance. I couldn't move. I couldn't even blink. Watching him perform was magnetic. The way he moved with the guitar, the raw power in his voice as he growled into the mic.

 I finally understood why everyone was obsessed.

​"Is he okay?!" Jessie screamed in my ear, seeing my shocked face.

​I just nodded, unable to speak. I was watching Maverick's stepbrother transform into a rock star right in front of me.

​By the third song, the sweat was glistening on his skin. Harry scanned the crowd during an instrumental break, his eyes moving fast. Then, they stopped.

​He had found me.

​I saw the exact second he recognized me. His expression shifted, just a tiny bit, his lips twitching. He didn't stop playing, but his gaze didn't wander again. He kept coming back to me, his eyes locking onto mine through the haze of the stage smoke.

​The girls around me started to notice. They followed his line of sight, their heads turning toward me with confused, annoyed expressions.

​"Oh my god," Jessie hissed, grabbing my arm so hard it hurt. "Is he looking at you? Caroline, he is definitely looking at you!"

​I couldn't answer. I felt like I was pinned to the spot.

​The song ended, and the stage went dim, leaving just a single spotlight on Harry. He traded his electric guitar for an acoustic one. The crowd quieted down to a low hum.

​He stepped up to the mic, his breathing heavy.

​"This one’s for the Princess," he said, his voice low and gravelly, echoing through the speakers. "The one who should really escape the tower."

​The room went into a frenzy of whispers. Who is he talking about? Is it a song for a girlfriend?

​Harry’s eyes found mine again. He started to strum, a beautiful, haunting melody filling the room. He sang about breaking free, about expectations, and about taking a chance when everyone expects you to fail. Every word felt like a secret message delivered straight to my face.

​The girls nearby were staring at me now, some with open hostility. Jessie’s mouth was hanging open. I felt completely exposed, like he had stripped me bare in front of a thousand people. When the last note faded, Harry held my gaze for one more heartbeat before the rest of the band crashed back in for a high-energy finish.

​When they finally walked off stage after the encore, Jessie grabbed me, shaking my shoulders.

​"What was that?!" she demanded. "Do you know him? How do you know THE Harry?"

​"I don't—I mean, we’ve met once," I tried to explain, but the screams of the girls around us drowned me out.

​Suddenly, a massive security guard pushed through the crowd. He stopped right in front of us.

​"Are you Caroline Matthews?" he asked.

​I nodded, my heart jumping into my throat.

​"Harry wants you backstage. Follow me."

​The whispers turned into glares. If looks could kill, I would have been dead ten times over. The guard led us through a side door and down a narrow, quiet hallway.

“Who is she?”

“Why does she get to go backstage?”

​The backstage area was  full of band members, people with clipboards, and VIPs drinking beer. I saw Harry across the room. He had changed into a clean white t-shirt, a beer in his hand. When he spotted me, he said something to his bandmates and walked straight over.

​Up close, he still had that hypnotic energy from the stage. He looked at me, his mouth quirking into a half-smile. "Enjoy the show, Princess?"

​"It was... amazing," I managed to say. "Truly."

​Jessie cleared her throat loudly. I jumped. "Oh! Harry, this is my roommate, Jessie."

​Jessie was staring at him like he was made of gold. "I had no idea she knew you. Like, actually knew you."

​"We have mutual connections," Harry said, looking amused.

​"Right," Jessie said, suddenly checking her phone with a fake gasp. "Oh! I just remembered I have to meet... a person. Somewhere else. Caroline, I’ll text you later!"

​"Wait, Jessie—"

​But she was already gone, disappearing back toward the exit with a wink.

​Harry chuckled. "She's subtle. Come on, let's go somewhere we can actually hear ourselves."

​He led me into a small green room. It was just a worn leather couch and a few chairs, away from the noise. We sat down, and for a while, we just talked. He told me about the band, and I found myself telling him about my writing. It was easy. I didn't feel like I had to hide with him.

​Then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I had grabbed it from the car before we went in. I pulled it out to silence it, but a notification caught my eye.

​It was another post about the bet. I shouldn't have opened it, but I did.

​Place your bets: Will the Care Bear find a boyfriend or will she be stripping for us?

​Mason had commented: Can't wait to see that ass!

​I felt the blood drain from my face.

​"What's wrong?" Harry asked, his voice dropping.

​"Nothing," I said, trying to lock the phone.

​But he was faster. He gently took the phone from my hand and read the screen. I watched his face darken as he scrolled through the comments. His jaw tightened more the longer he looked.

​"What is this?" he asked, his eyes intense.

​The whole story came spilling out. I couldn't stop it. I told him about the pool party, Riley’s comments, Mason’s dare, and how I was too proud to just walk away.

​"I'm such an idiot," I finished, burying my face in my hands. "I don't know why I said yes. Now the whole campus is waiting for me to fail. I should just tell them I lost and get it over with."

​The room went silent. I expected him to laugh and to tell me it was drama and I should grow up.

​Instead, Harry leaned back against the couch, watching me with that same look he had on stage.

​"Congratulations, Princess," he said simply. "You just got yourself a boyfriend."