You're not nervous, Tate. You're not nervous, and you're not nervous at all about Ollie.And that's exactly how it was—I wasn't nervous; I was just freaking out a little since five o'clock. I showered and tried on three different outfits before settling on black jeans with thigh holes, a dark t-shirt, and a khaki bomber jacket (in case it got chilly in the evening).Around six thirty, I received a message from David: We are there; we are about to check in.  What do you do? I love you.I rubbed my temples and wondered if I should give him a truthful answer. But why not after all? After all, I wasn't doing anything wrong when I was preparing for my friends' band rehearsal. The fact that one of them is my ex shouldn't matter.Finally, I wrote, I'm going out with June.  We go to the fall rehearsal and then sit down somewhere.It wasn't until after I sent it that I realised I hadn't replied to his "I love you".A moment later, it arrived: I'm glad you have a programme.  My father and I are going to the theatre, so I won't be bored either. Good evening, my love.And like a snap of a finger, I stopped feeling guilty. It was clear that our ideas about entertainment were quite different.I wrote him back: You too.  I love you.Then I went to the bathroom to apply mascara and eyeliner. I just ran a brush through my hair and let it flow down my back in waves. I was hoping that I looked at least a little more presentable than I did at work today. For some reason (which I didn't really want to think twice about), I just wanted to impress.I put on my black Converse, grabbed my small purse, and left the apartment. When I ran out in front of the house, Juna's car was already on the sidewalk. I quickly slid into the passenger seat and grinned at her, trying to take it positively today. "Hello, June.""You're late, Tate," she blurted out instead of greeting.I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was six zeroes. "Will you blame me for one minute?"She shook her head until her blonde hair flew around and she laughed. "Of course not.  I'm really glad you're finally going." She slapped my thigh and nodded in satisfaction as I squealed. Only then did she finally leave.It turns out that the rehearsal is taking place on the premises of a local liquor store, where a friendly band called Dead Souls is renting a small, disused building. June explained to me that Ollie had known their singer for about a year, so they quite willingly rented their space for one evening. But thanks to this, more people learned about the exam, and it will be a little closer.When my friend drove into the compound through the open gate and parked, drums and guitars could already be heard from the building in front of us as the boys played. There were at least five guys I didn't know standing outside. Two of them were smoking, and all of them were drinking beer.June and I got out of the car and headed inside. It turned out that we had to go upstairs, where we entered a large room with a couch, chairs, and a small wooden stage with instruments. It turned out that there were at least twenty other people. All the unknown faces... however, I was subconsciously looking for just that one anyway.And then an all-too-familiar voice came from the speaker system.It wasn't until a few people moved aside that I saw Ollie sitting on the edge of the stage. He sang a song by the band Static-X. His deep, raspy voice sent goosebumps through my body, and I shivered. And like years ago, I was suddenly hypnotised and couldn't take my eyes off him. He got up and started pacing back and forth. The moment he growled, he stopped and leaned forward with the microphone.