I moved from Colin without any objection and looked for Kat.  I came up behind her and squeezed her hand.  "Can you believe we're actually going to do this?!"  I squealed.

She smiled at me and we went to peek out behind the curtain to see how packed the place was.

"I just can't wait to get out there," I told her, "It's gonna feel so good to hear people's responses."

She stopped me, "We have a problem."

"What?"  I couldn't figure out what could be wrong.  We were finally going to play for everyone to hear us.

She sighed, "Look out there."

I peeked out just as she had done before.  There stood Aaron in the first row looking right back at me.  He winked at me and I had to contain myself both from crying and from strangling him.

I turned away from him and sat down on a box that held a speaker.  "I can't go on with him right there."  I whispered to her, burying my face in my hands.

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and I flew up.  Jeff's blue eyes showed nothing but concern as I sat back down, holding in my tears.  I hadn't had to face Aaron for almost two weeks.  I thought I was getting over it, but it was obvious to me then that I wasn't.  The wound had been reopened.

"What's going on?"  Jeff asked Kat.

"Take a look for yourself," she gestured towards the curtain.  Jeff did as he was told and came back to us looking angrier than ever.

"What is he doing here?"

I laughed bitterly, "He can go wherever he wants."  The tears started to fall and I saw no point in holding them back anymore.  "Why didn't I listen to you, Kat?"  I cried.  "I should've gone to the police and none of this would happen."

Colin appeared and I buried my face even further in my hands.  I cried silent tears as he approached.  I could feel his eyes on me and I didn't respond when his arms wrapped tightly around me.

"We'll get him out of here," he told me.

"How'd you know?"  I questioned.

"Only one thing could make you this upset," he sighed, "I'll get him out of here.  I'd like to do it personally."

I nodded and he squeezed my hands before going onstage.  I stood and peeked through the curtain.  He talked to the owner for a moment before he grabbed Aaron by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of sight.

He appeared moments later, rubbing his knuckles.

"You didn't hit him," Kat said, but it wasn't a question.

He shrugged and glanced at me, "Just returning a favor."

I smiled and followed him away from Kat and Jeff.  "Thank you," I whispered.  "There is no way I would have been able to go on knowing that he was out there."

"It's no problem," he insisted and took my hand in his.

I sighed softly.  I could feel myself melting as he gently rubbed my knuckles.  I wanted to say something to him—I wanted to say anything—but I didn't know what.  I didn't know how to begin or if it was even worth it.  Lately it seemed like as soon as I opened my mouth, everything came out wrong.

"You ready?"  Kat approached us not long after.

He and I nodded and reluctantly let go of each other's hands.  We approached the stage nervously.  The excited anxiety between the four of us was at the highest point it had ever been.  I had been in plays for years, but nothing had felt like this before.  I was finally achieving something for myself.

I heard the crowd of people quiet down as the owner, a thirty-year-old bald man with a dream to become successful in St. Cloud named Bill Newman, announced that we would be on shortly.  I heard Melissa and Mike catcall and smiled to myself.  I had some great friends and it was pretty bad that it took me so long to realize that.

Bill came back and talked to us for a few minutes about the size of the crowd.  He seemed just as excited as we were.  He said it was excellent publicity for the coffeehouse and we could most definitely return if we kept this type of crowd.

"And now," he said over the noise of the crowd, "No Stereotype!"

The coffeehouse erupted with whistles and applause.  I smiled at Kat and we started playing.  Our first song was one that I had written when I was beyond angry with the three of them after the cabin incident titled "You Don't Know."

Our set went by unbelievably fast with incredible praise from the audience.  It was obvious that they were really into the music.  I was happy that they liked it because I knew that a majority of them just went to support us, but I could see in their eyes that they loved it.

We ended up playing a few extra songs that weren't on the set.  Even Bill was into the music.

It was nearing midnight and I glanced at Kat and Jeff and they signified that they were ready.

"Thanks, guys," I said into my microphone, "Have a great night!"

Everyone applauded and catcalled and one guy shouted out, "can I kiss you at midnight?"  I smiled to myself as the curtain closed.

Kat and Jeff pulled Colin offstage as quickly as they could, making up some excuse that I didn't really care about as long as it worked.

"You ready?"  Bill asked me quietly after making sure Colin was out of hearing range.

I grinned and nodded, "Definitely."

"You must really be into this guy to do this for him," he commented.

I nodded again, "Yeah, you could say that."

The curtain reopened and the crowd looked at me expectantly.  I put a finger to my lips, hoping they would get the message and keep quiet until I was ready to begin.  They were a pretty responsive crowd, and for the most part, acted like I wasn't even there.

I tapped lightly on the microphone.  "Normally," I began, "I'm not big on bands that do covers…but I figured that this would be kinda cool."  I smiled as Colin peeked his head out of the curtain beside me, a confused look on his face.  I could also tell from the way he was looking at me that Jeff and Kat had a pretty strong grip on him, making sure he wouldn't do anything to screw this up.

I picked my guitar up and continued, "So girls…what do you think of these guys?"  The catcalls made me beam.  "I think so, too…so…this is for Colin…I told you I'd prove it."

The music began behind me.  While I fully intended on playing, I wasn't a band.  One singer can't play more than one instrument.

"Another day is going by

I'm thinking about you all the time

But you're out there

And I'm here waiting…"

The coffeehouse exploded in applause as I sang Simple Plan's "I'd Do Anything" for Colin.  The song described exactly how I felt for him.  It also didn't hurt that it was one of Colin's favorite songs.

"And I wrote this letter in my head

'Cause so many thing were left unsaid

But now you're gone

And I can't think straight

This could be the one last chance

To make you understand

I'd do anything

Just to hold you in my arms

To try to make you laugh

Somehow I can't put you in the past

I'd do anything

Just to fall asleep with you

Will you remember me?

'Cause I know I won't forget you…"

I finished the song without putting much effort into it.  Everything seemed to be happening perfectly.  As I finished, the crowd let out the biggest roar I'd ever heard.  I knew right then that nothing would ever compare to this moment.

I glanced around for Colin, praying that he would come onstage and do something—anything.  I needed a reaction from him.  I couldn't imagine him being angry with me, but he was Colin.  He never really needed a reason to act completely different than I imagined him to.

He stepped out after what felt like years of agonizing silence.  He seemed uncertain, but as he stepped closer, a grin spread across his face and he pulled me to him.  If I thought the crowd was loud before, it was nothing compared to this.  The catcalls and whistles were amazingly loud.

I glanced towards Kat and Jeff who were grinning just as wide as I was.  Even Bill seemed touched by the whole scene.

"Kiss her," the guy called from the crowd again, "One of us should be able to."

I smiled shyly as he did just that.  He pressed his lips to mine tenderly, a kiss we hadn't yet experienced.  We pulled apart soon after, aware of the crowd before us. 

"I love you," I whispered to him, pushing my forehead to his.

"I love you, too," he sighed happily and pushed his lips to mine again for another sweet kiss.

I didn't feel anything but his arms around me, his lips against mine, and I knew then that it would be all I felt for quite some time.

© KES.  It's mine, not yours.  Steal it and I will beat the shit out of you.

"I'd Do Anything" isn't mine.  I'm giving ALL credit to Simple Plan.  J

I hope you forgive me for this, but I can't respond to the reviews individually.  I'd never get this chapter up otherwise. 

Thanks to MeccaD121, Opinionated, CheerPrincess343, SaZzIe, Julie Marie, tramps-like-us, Georgia, oneshoppingdiva, Leilani, Leandra, sapofbks2002, Freakage, Jen Drake and to all of my other reviewers.  I appreciate it much, much more than you could ever know.  Your praise is mostly what made me finish this story and I am so glad that you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it!