This is it. The talent show is today and starts at five p.m. Delilah is performing second to last; Daniel performing after her. I hoped she'd be performing last to give me more time for the surprise I had in store for her.

I pull up on the highway and immediately hit traffic.

"Darn," I say.

"Looks like a police checkpoint of some kind," Jaclynne says, sitting in the passenger seat.

"I hope this doesn't hold us back."

"We're only a couple of cars behind. It shouldn't take long."

I put the car in park; we're gonna be here for a while.

"Have you ever heard Delilah sing before?" I ask.

"No. I haven't."

I think about showing her some videos of her singing but decide against it. It will be way better when she sees it in person.

"It must be pretty cool to see your gift passed down to another generation," I say.

"Oh—No. I can't sing for shit. She gets her voice from her dad."

My blood turns to ice; the implications of that.

"I actually almost refused when you came and asked me to come see her," Jaclynne admits, "That's one of the reasons I fell in love with her father. That fucking voice."

No kidding.

"But... I remembered that she's not him," she starts, "And while he used his voice for selfish gain, my baby girl is gonna carve her own path with it. It's her voice. Not his."

"Amen," I say, putting the car in drive and pulling a car length forward.

We sit there in silence, pulling forward a couple of times before Jaclynne says something to me: "I think you guys are gonna work out."

"You think so?" I ask.

"Yeah. I can tell she really cares about you. With the way she talked about you at the soup kitchen before you left. And I can tell you feel the same way about her with getting me and all."

"What did she say about me at the soup kitchen?"

Jaclynne snorts, "He's not like anybody I've ever been with before. And, When I'm with him, it's what I imagine being with God and having a relationship with him is like."

That last one hits me right in the heart. She really said that about me? That's probably the nicest thing anybody's ever said about me. And Delilah Lor was the one to say it.

I love Delilah Lor. She is the one for me. There's no one else.

We make it to the checkpoint and an officer comes up to the window and I roll it down.

"Where you heading?" he asks.

"Hawkins. It's a small town in the mountains," I tell him. He stares at me and then at Jaclynne.

"Can you step out of the car for me?" The officer asks.

Jaclynne begins to protest but I tell her it's fine. We both exit the vehicle and the officer tells me to pop the trunk. I do and we wait in front of the car as the officer inspects the vehicle.

"Sorry about this," Jaclynne tells me.

"It's okay. We'll just have to haul ass once we're through this random searching."

"I don't think it's random."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well if you look at me and you look at you..."

"Oh... yeah we're kinda out of place."

"Plus I'm sort of the punkish type so pigs tend to harass me often. I wouldn't doubt that's playing into it too."

The officer approaches us.

"We're all good," he tells us, "Sorry for the wait. Some prisoners escaped custody not to long ago and she matched the description. You can go right on through."

Jaclynne gives him the dirtiest look I've ever seen a woman give a man and we get into my car and drive through.

"Fucking pig," Jaclynne says.

"Kind of ironic something like that happens to me when you're in the car."

She laughs, "Yeah. Real ironic. How are we on time?"

I check the time on the radio in my car and check the map's estimated time of arrival.

"We should get there in time," I say. "We just have to go through Willow Creek for the fastest route."

"Is that a weird-looking cloud or smoke?"

"Where?"

"In the mountains. To the right."

I search the horizon and finally notice what she's talking about. Off in the distance behind the blue mountains of Colorado, there's a thin line of black smoke rising from the horizon. Pretty close to where Hawkin's would be.

"Hopefully it's just a campfire that got a little out of hand," I say, stepping on the gas.

It wasn't a campfire. It was Willow Creek Church and at least an anchor of forest behind it. When we arrived everything was chared. Black. The town itself was fine. But the church and everything behind it was black and burnt. We only had a few seconds to look as we passed, but it looked like there were police vehicles there as well as fire trucks.

"That doesn't look like a campfire," Jaclynne says.

"Yeah. That sucks. I went to that church. I wonder how that happened."

"I don't know. I hope no one was hurt."

We arrive two minutes before Delilah goes on stage. We slam the car doors shut and sprint for the front door. I pay for the tickets to get in and tell the teacher handling tickets our names. They then allowed us to go backstage.

We're out of breath standing at the side of the stage concealed by a curtain when Squid walks out on stage with a microphone. 

I didn't know they were hosting this show. They're wearing a complete purple glitter dress suit. It's quite ravishing.

I look out to the crowd and see it's packed. The entire school plus more has to be here. There are tons of people in the back recording with cameras on tripods or just holding their phones. Others are just standing there, watching.

"Next up, you may know her as the school goddess, give it up for Delilah Lor!" Squid says into a microphone, their voice echoing in the theater.

Delilah enters from the center of the stage as the curtains pull back, guitar in hand. The crowd roars for her like a thundering storm of adoration. She's wearing a red unbuttoned flannel with a navy blue tank top underneath. Her jeans are tight and her hair—God her hair. She must have bleached it and dyed it neon blue.

She looks over to the side of the stage and sees Jaclynne and I. Her eyes well up and a smile creeps up on her face. She then turns to the microphone and speaks: "Hi—I'm Delilah"

The crowd roars again, a couple of people screaming goddess and other compliments when it gets quieter.

"Or goddess as some of you have decided to call me," she says into the mic.

She grins, feeling the frets of her guitar with her fingers, "I—I don't really feel like a goddess," she admits. The room falls silent, "I've had a crazy four months. And during that time—I know some of you may have an opinion of him—Judas, my boyfriend. I uh—I have two dads and I'm an orphan. Me and Judas both are. It's something we kinda bonded over," the crowd awes; something I didn't expect, "And he helped me find my bio mom! Well, it turns out while talking to her I found out that my dad raped her and impregnated my mother with me and my twin brother. Yeah. I'm a rape baby."

The crowd is focused completely on Delilah. Dialed in on her every move. Her every word.

"Judas helped me write a song about how I felt about the whole thing. And I'm gonna sing it to you tonight. I sometimes think it's important not to say what the songs are about. So the listener can have their own interpretation of the song. But this time, I wanted to speak to those out there who are struggling with something like this. It's called She Picked Us."

She takes a deep breath and wipes the sweat from her hands onto her jeans. She's nervous. I would be shitting bricks if I was in her position. But so far, she's been killing it.

You got this Delilah. Just extend your wings and fly.

Delilah starts to pick at her guitar. It's two cords, one going for three seconds then shifting into the other cord. But the way she composed it—it sounds like a calling. Like a dinner bell. A calling to home. And when she starts singing, she starts doing the beat with her strumming hand.

"She was a hard-headed punk like me

With a fiery passion burning within

But the fire got too hot to handle

And she started yearning for the wrong man

Some things led to another

And he took advantage of her kindness

She didn't know it at the time

But two souls were conceived that night..."

When she transitions into the next line, the guitar changes completely, like the chords she's picking are rising to a grand finale.

"That's one crazy decision to make..."

Then, when it enters the chorus, first starting with Delilah's voice, it all comes together. A cacophony of a magnificent voice and the masterful strumming of a one-woman band.

"If she chose the other option nobody would've blamed her

Think of all the gossip it would've saved her

She could've picked one final choice

To get her out of all this noise

She could've tied a pretty little bow to the finale of this story

Could have kept it secret, kept it from getting out before it changed her life

She could've changed her mind and changed all of it...

But she picked us..."

She added a pause right before she sang, But she picked us. It makes the line that much more impactful.

"She didn't know how to tell her parents

How do you speak a truth like that?

She didn't know where to go to

But she knew of a way to take it all back

She had it written on her calendar

Just like another thing to do

But that box never got crossed off

And I'm standing here singing to you

If she chose the other option nobody would've blamed her

Think of all the gossip it would've saved her

She could've picked one final choice

To get her out of all this noise

She could've tied a pretty little bow to the finale of this story

Could have kept it secret, kept it from getting out before it changed her life

She could've changed her mind and changed all of it...

But she picked us..."

She starts to shred on her guitar, just going wild with it. Still fitting with the song but is amazing nonetheless.

"But she picked us, oh..."

Then with the bridge, she starts to slow it down with her finger picking again. But there's still a hint that it's building towards something.

"Me the sister, me the daughter

Me the believer with blue hair and piercings

Me the girl who loves her boyfriend

I'm just grateful because..."

That line: Me the girl who loves her boyfriend. Did she just say she loves me?

She starts to strum single chords singing the final chorus. It starts small. Quiet.

"If she chose the other option nobody would've blamed her

Think of all the gossip it would've saved her

She could've picked one quick choice

To get her out of all this noise..."

Then, like a beating heart escalating. She starts to strum faster. Harder. Louder. Picking up her voice with it as well.

"She could've tied a pretty little bow to the finale of this story

Could have kept it secret, kept it from getting out before it changed her life

She could've changed her mind and changed all of it..."

By the time she's about to sing the next line, my ears have reached heaven with what she has done with that guitar, but then she ends the song by singing the last lines of the song with such grace it breaks my heart. She plays the beginning again with her guitar, singing:

"But she picked us...

She picked us..."

She sets her right hand on her strings, stopping the music. The crowd erupts to the point I didn't even think it could get to.

"That was the best performance I'd ever seen from her," I say to Jaclynne, "What did you think?"

I turn to her and she's covering her mouth as tears stream down her face. She's choking when I ask her, "Are you okay?"

She nods, wiping her face with her forearm.

"I never thought something from me could be so beautiful," she cries, "Even from where she came from. I mean—I hated them. Her and her brother. I really thought they ruined my life. But now I'm realizing—"

Delilah walks off stage and embraces her mother. Her mother lets loose then, letting all the tears out. Delilah soon joins her, the both of them crying.

"I love you," Delilah tells Jaclynne, "Even if you hate me."

Jaclynne sobs, "I love you too," she breathes, burying her head into Delilah's shoulder.

I peer out into the crowd to gauge their reaction. They're all talking amongst themselves, no doubt about that performance. Squid is taking the stage when I notice someone standing behind the door window in the back of the theater. Normally I would just look past shadows I see like this, but this one caught my eye. Specifically because of it's crimson eyes and red hair. This figure is also wearing a red jumpsuit and they have a lit cigarette in their mouth.

No. It can't be.

I walk back behind Jacylnne and Delilah and enter the hallway behind them. Delilah calls for my name but I have no time to answer her. Most of the lights are off so I'm standing in complete darkness as the hall perpendicular to me is lit. I begin to walk towards the light when I see her walk left to right across the hallway. Her red hair shining in the light. I then break into a sprint, taking the right corner as I see her take the south exit towards gym class. I plunge through the door, looking for any red to catch my eye in the darkness of the neighborhood that surrounds Hawkins High. But I don't see any sign of her. It's like she vanished.

"Judas?" Delilah asks. Her voice makes me jump, "Sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"No. You're fine."

"What's wrong?"

"I thought I saw someone. I guess I didn't."

"You wanna talk about it? You kinda broke into a sprint over this person."

"I thought it was Lucy."

There's a moment of stillness between us.

"You know she's in prison right?" Delilah says.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I think my mind made it up or something."

I then start to say something that I can't stop myself from saying.

"You said you loved me in the song, right?" I ask.

"Yes. Yes, I did."

"Would you still love me if I'm just crazy?"

"Would you still love me if I couldn't sing?"

"It's not the same thing."

"Judas, I don't think you're crazy. You're honestly the most sane person I know. And you've experienced shit that you can't explain. So have I. Does that make us unlovable? Judas, I love you because you make me feel like what I imagine being in Heaven is like. Just being loved and not being alone. Isn't that what Heaven is at the end of the day? Being surrounded by love and not being alone? And all you try to do is give people that. You gave me that."

She takes my hand.

"I think it's time you let somebody give that to you too," she says, pulling me in.

"You really love me?"

"I've been trying to show you that since I kissed you, dummy."

I laugh, "Well, I love you too, idiot."

"Them's kissing words," she says standing on her tippy toes to kiss me. I oblique and she gives her all with this kiss. Since I'm such an insecure dummy, there are probably gonna be times in the future when I wonder how Delilah feels about me. But this? Right now? With the way Delilah is holding me? I can confidently say I know how she feels about me right now.

When she pulls away from me her ocean eyes slowly open to meet mine.

"Oh shit! They're about to announce the winners," Delilah says, grabbing my hand and running us back to the theater.

We barely make it back in time as Squid is announcing third place.

"And in third place we have... Damian Moore with his magic!"

The freshman who talked to me at the beginning of the year in Mrs. Durnumn's class. I had no idea he had a talent for magic.

He walks out on stage with a t-shirt that has a tuxedo printed on it and a ridiculously large top hat. Like, Doug Dimmadome levels of insanity. He accepts a trophy made of plastic bronze that's a bust of a hawk. He then stands aside.

"In second place we have... Daniel Martinez and his comedy!"

Daniel walks out on stage and the crowd roars for him. He strikes a couple of poses before going up to Squid, exchanging a few words, and accepting the silver hawk trophy. He holds it above his head and the crowd roars one more time before he stands beside Damian.

"And for first place at the newly revived Hawkin's Talent Show... is this really a surprise? Delilah Lor!"

Delilah squeals like a kid in a candy store and I tell her to go. She walks up onto the stage and the crowd goes nuts. I could've sworn I saw someone ripping their hair out.

Delilah shakes Squid's hand and they exchange a few words. They then both glance at me for some reason and then back at each other. Squid then pulls out the golden hawk trophy and hands it to Delilah. She holds it out to the crowd and everybody cheers.

A perfect day. It couldn't get better than this. My girlfriend just told me she loved me in song and I feel the same way.

The crowd begins to chant Speach! Delilah smiles and goes to the podium in the center of the stage. Everyone cheers for her and waits for her to say something.

"I—um—wow. I don't know what to say," She starts, a few people cheer in encouragement. Someone screams I love you but it's a girl so I don't feel threatened, "I—um—I guess I want to thank my parents. They're in the front row there," she points to the crowd and erupts applause. Mister and Mister Lor both smile and wave, "I wanna thank my mom. She's backstage. I wanna thank Squid, the host. They're a great friend. I wouldn't be here without their help. I want to thank Daniel and his sense of humor. Stacy too. Without her, we wouldn't even be here this Thursday afternoon. And..."

She trails off, her fingers gripping the podium tightly. Her head bobs low like she's about to cry.

Then she lifts her head, saying, "And I really want to thank my boyfriend Judas. The love of my life. Can I tell you about him? And I mean—my view of him. I know he has a history here. I mean he has so many nicknames. But—when I first met Judas, I was at the darkest point in my life. I was considering taking my life. I was working at Chick-fil-A to make money to leave my parents behind. And then I walked out from the back like it was any other day to help out a customer—and I saw him.

Now I didn't know Judas lost weight before I saw him. So I'm just used to seeing Judas as he is now. But oh my God—"

Some people in the crowd laugh.

"The thing that was getting me is that he wasn't even trying," Delilah continues, "He had a plain shirt and sweatpants on but those eyes—God those blue eyes. His face has that little slender cheek thing that I have to put makeup on to have. He just has it naturally. My point is, he was attractive, but he wasn't trying to flaunt it. In fact, it was like he was trying to hide it. Which made me more attracted to him. And what did he say to blow me away in that moment? To swoon me off my feet?"

Here it comes.

"'I gotta pee.' And he made a B line to the bathroom."

The crowd laughs. I feel a little squeamish.

"Now when most people see me," Delilah begins, "They react in a couple of different ways. Most of the time they just stare. Or get nervous. Or act weird. Or creepy. Sometimes all of those. But not Judas. He told me what he was going to do respectfully. So while he was in there I decided to tidy myself up a bit. Push the bra up, fix the hair a bit, and the one thing I didn't think he'd notice was the D and D pin I took out of my pocket and put next to my name tag. When he finally came out of the bathroom, he walked to the counter, looked down at my chest, and asked, 'Do you like Dungeons and Dragons?'. 

And that's the thing about Judas. He notices the details that tell the world about who you are. I've told this man things I've never told another living soul, and he didn't so much as blink when I told him. He went all the way to Denver to bring my mother here today. She's backstage now. My mom got to hear me sing a song I wrote about her all because of him. And Lucy—Lucy wanted what we have. But you can't force that. And what Judas and I have isn't forced. It's something I thought I'd never had. Something I completely gave up on. Judas, can you join me on stage?"

I freeze. Delilah turns to me and I look over to Jaclynne. Jaclynne just shrugs. I can't just refuse after the speech she's been giving.

I step out on stage, refusing to look at the crowd. I figure it's like heights; just don't look.

I'm shoulder to shoulder with Delilah when she leans into the microphone and says:

"I love this man. He's my Savior. And Redeemer. If any of you have a problem with that you can fuck off."

I then feel her grab my collar and pull me to her lips. Her tongue is in me when I hear someone beginning to clap. Then another. And another. And soon the entire theater is clapping for us. I cup Delilah's face, kissing her back tenfold. When I open my eyes, there's green and blue confetti descending from the ceiling.

Thank you, Delilah. Thank you.

https://youtu.be/9rOPWV_7Mdc