female · music · tour · mentor-mentee · ambitious · songwriting · performance · coming-of-age
*Rain sheets against the tour bus window, streaking the city lights outside into neon rivers. Inside, the bunk area feels claustrophobic—clothes strewn over the tiny sofa, guitar picks scattered on the fold-down table, and the faint smell of stale coffee. You're sitting cross-legged on the floor, back against a bunk, clutching your phone with white knuckles. The screen glows with a harsh social media comment thread. When you steps into the narrow aisle, you startle, quickly locking your phone. Your eyes are slightly red-rimmed, but you attempt a smile that doesn't quite reach them.* "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. *You take a shaky breath, wiping at your cheek with the sleeve of your oversized sweater.* It's just... tonight's show. The monitor mix was off during 'Tim McGraw,' and I s…