The Weight of Dreams || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 62: On Our Way

Later That Night

"Thank you! Goodnight!" I yelled as the platform slowly lowered beneath the stage. The screaming continued long after it closed above my head, turning into a muffled roar, congratulating another night of a job well done.

It made it all worth it.
And would be what I would miss the most.

I lifted my arms up as Amy quickly unhooked my mic pack, unzipping my dress and helping me slide out of it. I peeked over at Jake who hung back, now unbothered by security with his pass proudly hanging around his neck. He playfully covered his eyes, looking away as Amy got me changed. I couldn't help but smile, feeling my cheeks burn. How ironic, the only person I actually wanted to look at me in times like this, respected me enough to never even consider it.

Soon enough, I had an oversized sweater pulled over my head, my hair pulled back into a tight bun secured down with a familiar old baseball cap. I smirked back at Jake again to see him already flashing me a excited grin. Despite how much I hated this old thing, I loved that it was his. I loved having a piece of him every step of the way.

"Alright that's enough." He said, stepping forward and reaching out for my hand. I loved when he took charge, that pass now giving him a new sense of confidence that he wore so well. The rest of my team instantly backed off, now understanding where he stood.

"Thank you." I mouthed to him, taking his hand and intertwining our fingers as he guided me down the hallway. Slowly bur surely, the commotion from the stadium faded into silence as we made our way further down.

"You were amazing tonight." He said, gently swinging our hands as we walked.
"You say that every night." I laughed. He shrugged, smirking back at me.
"I mean it every night. I don't know how you do it, but you just keep getting better."
"I guess I'm just excited." I said. His smile grew, his eyes instantly lighting up.
"So am I."

As we got closer to the dressing rooms, I could already hear the familiar voices muffled behind the door.
"Hopefully Ronnie doesn't freak out too much, I've already warned her about Jul-"
"Warned her about who?" I asked, making my way in. Josh stopped, smirking over at me as his face turned red.
"Just.. our sister. I told her you were coming and I just-"
"Sounds to me like you warned her I was coming." I joked, going over and sitting down next to him on the couch. He playfully rolled his eyes, wrapping his arm around me.

"Okay, I was warning her not to make a fool out of herself when you showed up on our front steps. She's still new to all of this so.. she's not used to you like we are."
"Oh, you're used to me now?" I asked. I felt him tense up, now getting nervous that he had dug himself into a hole that he couldn't get out of.
"I'm joking, it's okay." I laughed. "I know, it.. it can be a lot for some people. But.. you guys have been great, so.. thank you. I really do appreciate you guys and how cool you've been. I haven't been so lucky in the past so.. these last few weeks have been.. really nice."

Josh pulled me into a tight hug, still cautiously looking over at Jake.
"We appreciate you too, Juliette." He said, leaning his head on mine.
"Alright, that's close enough." Jake said, trying his best to force a playful tone, but his jealously always managed to peek through. Josh moved away, giggling to himself.
"So territorial.." He sighed, smirking back at Jake. Jake's face eventually relaxed into a soft grin, now wrapping his arm around me, pulling me in close.

"Okay.." Tony finally said, his eyes still glued to his phone. "So, we're all set with the plan? Sam, you and Danny will be the first one's out onto your bus. We're gonna have Juliette's bus move to the other side of the building to distract the photographers, and then have Josh exit to convince the rest that she's actually gone. Amy, we've laid out a similar outfit to Juliette's and we're gonna put you in that with her sunglasses, and warn security that "she'll" be going onto her bus, and then Jake, you'll help Juliette onto your's and you guys will be on your way. Got it?" Everyone nodded in agreement, having done things like this tons of times.

And after all, the paparazzi wasn't my main concern tonight. It was Don. As far as he knew, I was heading back home to California for the break, but as soon as he realized I wasn't going to show up, I'd be long gone. And for those few days, I would be as free as I had ever been.

I couldn't wait.

As we all made our way down the hall, I could feel the excitement building inside me. I couldn't remember the last time I did something like this, something I "wasn't supposed to." I had spent the entirety of my career doing everything by the book, doing what everybody told me to do, but now I was finally taking the reins on my own life, and there was no looking back.

"You okay?" Jake whispered down to me. I peeked back up at him, nodding, squeezing his hand tight.
"You know, this.. really means a lot to me." He said. "I know that.. it may not be all that exciting for you, it's no mansion, but-" I cut him off, pulling him into a quick kiss.
"Jake, I don't care what it is. I'm so excited to see where you come from." I assured him. And I was. I was just so tired of my life back home; the mansions and the cars and the parties and the people. And I knew how it sounded. I knew that people worked their entire lives and would never come close to getting to live the life that I lived, and I was always appreciative, but it just felt.. empty.

I was craving something new, something of substance for so long, and maybe I could finally find that within them.

He leaned back into another kiss, gently caressing my face. As he moved away, he stared back at me with eyes that felt heavy, his face tense and lips sealed into a nervous grin. He was holding something back.

"What is it?" I finally asked, now feeling my heart beat faster. He let out a deep sigh, licking his lips before leaning back in, holding that same stare on me until he finally moved away again.
"It's nothing. I'm.. I'm excited for you to see it too." I nodded, looking back ahead as I let the disappointment take over again.

I guess I couldn't be too upset.
I wasn't brave enough to tell him either.
But I guess I just hoped that.. it would be him who jumped first.

"Ready?" I heard, Tony motioning towards the doors as Sam and Danny made their way further down the hall. They nodded, pushing them open with a loud bang, and were instantly engulfed within the blinding lights of the camera flashes, drowned in the combative screams, trying their best to get their attention, to provoke a reaction in any way they knew how.

Sometimes I wondered how any of this was even legal. But then it all came back to the fact that it "came with the territory." We were all just expected to accept this as a part of this life, complete strangers photographing you wherever you went, screaming at you in hopes they'll finally capture the moment you snap, and then cash in on the downfall of all of your hard work. We were only human and yet we were expected to act like we weren't.

In what world was this fair?

"Okay, they're in." Tony said. He leaned out the doorway, motioning towards my bus driver who instantly pulled away, leaving a trail of paparazzi, frantically chasing after it, petrified at the idea of missing another few seconds of me walking out of a building. I couldn't even imagine who was buying these photos.

After waiting a few more minutes, Tony motioned over to Josh.
"Ready?" Josh nodded, approaching the door. It was much less overwhelming, being lit up by only a few flashes this time. When the door was finally shut on their bus, Tony stepped halfway out, waving the rest of the off.
"Alright, that's all. Everyone else is on the other side of the building!" He yelled, slamming the door shut behind him. I couldn't help but laugh, loving when he had to act serious. It was so out of character for him, but even still, everyone always listened.

They hesitated for a moment, having accepted that everyone had left, and made their way to the other side of the stadium where, hopefully by now, they had already driven away.
"Alright, you two." Tony said, smirking back at us. "Ready?" I nodded, squeezing Jake's hand tight as he lead us towards the doors, peeking out before quickly leading me to their bus, opening the door and guiding me inside and shutting it behind him with one swift maneuver.

It felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders as I made my way up the stairs, plopping down on their couch, Jake following close behind. He laid his head in my lap, staring up at me with tired eyes and a gentle smile.

It had worked.
And we were on our way.