Page 97 of Ravaged From Fate

“I wouldn’t think you’d drink before a show,” Elsa remarks flippantly.

Drake stares at her. “This isn’t very rockstar of you, Elsa. But you wouldn’t know, though.”

“Hey,” I say, facing my bandmate. “Don’t talk to my girl like that. She was simply wondering why you might be drinking before you’re about to do the biggest show of our careers. The show we’ve been dreaming about for our entire lives.”

Drake shrugs. “Man, this band really has changed. Where’s the rock mindset? We should be getting fucked and then getting on that stage tonight, not listening to what some girl’s telling us to do. We really have gone fucking soft.”

“Mind what you’re saying,” I say. “You’re bordering on an insult, Drake.”

“Does it look like I give a shit?” he asks.

“No, it doesn’t,” Bishops says, deciding to intervene. Both he and I are standing over Drake now.

“I’m glad it looks like I don’t, because I don’t,” Drake continues. “You lot have become pussies in the last few months. I’ve had to witness it.”

“What do you mean?” Now Axel has joined in. It feels like it’s the three of us against Drake. I don’t want it to be like this. I don’t like this tension. We should be at the very top of our musical careers right now, reveling in what we’re about to accomplish, but instead we’re fighting.

Over fucking nothing.

“I mean,” Drake says darkly. “I mean that we all swore when we were teenagers starting this fucking band that we weren’t going to have any distractions, remember? No long-term girls. I think that’s exactly what I said during that first rehearsal. And now look at you all… you’re all too distracted by other things. By fucking girls…”

“Drake, we aren’t distracted,” Bishop tries to say, but our lead singer interrupts him brutally.

“Ravaged is meant to be the most important thing in our lives, but I don’t think it is for you guys anymore. I can’t stand it. And I feel like I can’t rely on any of you anymore, especially since Caspian’s left. We’ve done no music in the last few months since he’s been gone. This is not how I envisaged this fucking band. Sitting around twiddling our fucking thumbs, doing fuck-all. It’s unacceptable to me, and it should be unacceptable to you all, but none of you seem like you give a shit.”

I growl. I don’t like being brought into this conversation like this. “Drake…”

But he’s quick. “There’s no point being in a band unless you’re making the best thing ever. Things would be easier on my own.”

“What do you mean?” Axel asks.

We’re all stunned.

We can’t believe what we’re hearing.

On his own?

Drake shakes his head. “I was hoping to hold off this announcement until after tonight, but I can’t bear it anymore.”

“Announcement?” Bishop asks. “About what?”

This must be what’s been building for weeks now. This must be what’s inspired his bad mood today. This goes deeper than some stupid argument in some inconspicuous green room.

“I’m starting a solo career,” Drake announces, not even looking us in the eyes.

“What does that mean?” Axel asks.

But we all know what that means. We don’t need Drake to spell it out for us, even though he does.

“I quit Ravaged.”

There’s a long pause. This is different from the time I walked out on the band. That was because I felt like I was in the wrong. Now Drake is leaving the band because he feels like the band isn’t up to his standards.

He’s doing what all big bands do.

He’s breaking us up.

“Now?” Bishop asks. There’s genuine emotion in his voice. He doesn’t want to believe what he’s hearing, and neither do I.

“Yes. Now.”

“But we have a show tonight,” Axel says.

“Yes,” Drake replies, taking another long drink of his beer. “And it ain’t going ahead. I’m finished with all of this. I can’t be with you guys anymore; you’ve all lost the magic we started the band with. I’m going on my own.”

I disagree with his assessment of Ravaged, but I hold my tongue. Mainly because Bishop comes in with the words I want to tell Drake.

“You’re going to ruin our one chance at playing the venue we’ve always wanted to play at? Why?”

The next words out of Drake’s mouth destroy everything we’ve built up for our entire lives. “Fuck it,” he says. “And fuck Ravaged. I’m going solo.”

And then he gets up from the couch and, before we know it, he leaves the room and the band.

To go solo…