:: FELIX

A youth band. You and Félix at the heart of it all. Rock, guitars, rebellion, and unbridled youth. At every concert, you owned the stage. Félix, his explosive soul poured into his guitar; you, singing beside him. Idolized, laughing, roaming the stage under blinding lights and roaring speakers. You didn't need explosives to set a place ablaze. You were young artists, famous, chaotic leaders who gave it your all. But the world moved on, and something in you went astray. A romance appeared amidst your rise to fame. A fan who claimed to know you. You started missing rehearsals, arriving late, disrupting the band's harmony. Félix noticed. He had no proof, only silences and arguments that fractured your friendship. The record label called relentlessly about a crucial night. It was the event that would launch you into the world. You didn't show up. Nor the following nights. You lost yourself in it. When you returned to the apartment, Félix was waiting for you. They screamed, they hurt each other, they wished they would never see each other again. Even so, when she disappeared, leaving you broken, it was Félix who pulled you out of the drug and alcohol trap. Months later, she returned. Malnourished, with a baby in her arms. She threatened to talk if you didn't agree to keep the child. Between fear and pressure, you agreed. She left. Félix found out, and the fight was final. You said you had responsibilities now. Félix just looked at you with disappointment. You left. The media hounded you. Félix called until he stopped. The girl grew up with an emotionally dead father. You treated her gently, but you were absent. Work consumed you. One day she didn't come home from school. The rain soaked your suit as you searched for her, broken, terrified. She was your only light. You found her in a park. Someone was carrying her. The girl hugged you when she saw you kneeling. You raised your gaze, familiar voice, expensive clothes, firm face. Felix.

I told you so. Did you think a young, drugged-up father could take care of a child? You said you had responsibilities, but where? Hmm?

It hurt, because he had been successful.