Ethan took a deep breath, gripping the mic as the room settled. "Alright, alright, everyone, listen up," he said, raising a hand to quiet the murmurs of concern. "We're having some, uh, slight technical difficulties."
The crowd collectively let out an "Awww," their disappointment loud and clear.
"Hey, hey, don't worry about it," Ethan continued, flashing a grin. "DJ Diesel is on it, alright? He's out there getting a backup, so why are you all looking so sad? I mean, come on—don't you still have me?"
A few chuckles rippled through the crowd, and Ethan smirked, feeding off their energy. "That's right! And you know what? Since we're here, and since you're all looking at me like you expected something crazy to happen…" He paused dramatically before lifting the mic. "Are you ready to hear me sing live?"
The entire club roared in response. "YEAH!"
Ethan laughed, shaking his head. "Man, I should've added this to my tour," he joked, making everyone burst into laughter.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and quickly connected it to the speaker system. "Alright, let's do something fun," he said, scrolling through his playlist. He picked a track at random, and the moment the beat dropped, the crowd instantly recognized the melody.
A wave of excitement rushed through the room. The instrumental of Young Dumb & Broke by Khalid filled the air, but instead of Khalid's voice, it was one of Ethan's own songs that started playing over the beat.
"Do you all know this song?" Ethan called out, grinning.
"YEAHHHH!" the crowd responded, their energy lifting the roof.
Ethan nodded, cupping his ear. "Okay then—sing it with me!"
The entire club erupted as Ethan led them into the first verse.
"So you're still thinking of me, just like I know you should. I cannot give you everything, you know I wish I could…"
The crowd sang along, swaying in rhythm, their hands waving side to side in the air. The energy was electric, and Ethan fed off it, moving across the stage, pointing the mic at the audience, letting them take over certain parts of the song. The unity in the room was insane.
As the chorus approached, Ethan leaned into the mic with a smirk. "Ooooh, I ain't broke no more though."
The room exploded into laughter, but that didn't stop them from continuing.
"We have so much in common… We argue all the time…"
Ethan stepped to the edge of the stage, crouching slightly as he let a group of fans near the front belt out the next line into the mic. Their voices mixed into a beautiful chaos of excitement and pure hype.
As the song progressed, the club turned into one massive wave of energy. People danced, some recorded videos, and others simply soaked in the unexpected live performance. Ethan had transformed what could've been an awkward technical difficulty into one of the best moments of the night.
Just as the song ended, a loud, familiar voice boomed from behind him.
"We back, kid."
Ethan turned to see Shaq, a wide grin on his face, standing beside a freshly installed DJ machine. The crowd erupted into cheers, feeling the energy shift once again.
Wasting no time, Ethan grabbed the mic again and shouted, "WE BACKKKKK!"
The entire club followed his lead, chanting back, "WE BACKKKKK!" as Shaq started up a high-energy, electrifying track that sent the dance floor into a frenzy.
Ethan laughed, stepping away from the DJ booth, feeling the high of the moment. He turned to Shaq and clapped him on the back. "Man, I'm really sorry about the equipment."
Shaq waved a massive hand dismissively. "Man, for an Ethan Jones live performance? That was nothing." He chuckled, shaking his head. "You just made my party the best one yet."
They both laughed, and then, in one of the most comical sights of the night, they went for a handshake—only for Shaq's massive hand to engulf Ethan's. Ethan tried to dab him up properly, but Shaq's towering height made it hilariously awkward. The two of them struggled for a second before just bursting into laughter.
Ethan finally stepped off the stage, feeling the rush of what had just happened still coursing through his veins. As he walked through the crowd, soaking in the residual energy, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
He turned around and before he could react, a voice—smooth, teasing—spoke up.
"You invite me to a party, then disappear? You're not a very good host, are you, Ethan Jones?"
His eyes landed on the person in front of him, and his expression shifted in surprise.
Standing there, dressed in her signature oversized style, her cool demeanor intact, was none other than Billie Eilish.
And just like that, the night got even more interesting.
Now sitting in the private room, Ethan and Billie were deep in conversation, gisting like they had been friends for years.
"Yeah, you're talking to the next possible Operation Fetan Level 123 something-something of the Scientologists, so you better speak with respect, you hear me?" Ethan said, looking smug.
Hearing that, Billie burst into laughter. "Dude, are you seriously flexing a cult in front of me right now? And I'm pretty sure you didn't even get the right post."
Ethan put on a straight face. "How could you tell?"
That just made Billie laugh harder, and Ethan, mid-laugh, added, "Nah, but it's true, I got offered though. Don't know why he thought I'd be interested, but since he was one of my childhood heroes, I just couldn't be rude."
Billie, still chuckling, shook her head. "Nah, I get it. But man, you gotta stand your ground next time. You know where we are, you know the industry we're in. If you aren't firm in your values, you'll get swallowed up."
Ethan sighed. "Yeah, I know, I know. Well, I guess that's over with." He popped a grape into his mouth and casually stared at Billie.
She noticed. "What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing, don't worry," Ethan said quickly.
Billie narrowed her eyes. "What? Don't tell me you've been captured by my beauty." She started fluttering her lashes dramatically, tilting her head like she was in a perfume commercial.
Ethan burst into full-blown laughter. "Stop, stop, my stomach hurts!" He was laughing so hard he had to clutch his side.
Billie smirked. "Okay, that's enough out of you."
"Sorry, sorry," Ethan said between chuckles, wiping an imaginary tear. "It's just—nah, don't worry."
"What? What is it? Is it that I'm not your type or something?" Billie teased, feigning offense.
"Yeah, that… and I kinda like someone already."
Billie's eyes widened dramatically. "Ooooh! I knew I wasn't your type already. Oya, tell me, who's the lucky guy? I love love stories."
Ethan blinked. "Yeah sh—wait, what? He?! What do you mean by 'he'?!"
"Ehn?" Billie tilted her head innocently.
Twenty seconds later, Ethan practically shouted, "WHAT?! Why would you think I'm—"
Billie quickly held up a hand. "If you love your career and don't want to get canceled, I'd advise you to not finish that sentence the way you were about to."
Ethan froze, looking around as if a PR trainer was about to jump out of the shadows and slap him with a crisis-management handbook. Faking a cough, he said, "But why would you even think that?"
Billie rolled her eyes. "Dude, when I first saw you, you were in the middle of four girls giggling and laughing. Are you serious?"
Ethan scoffed. "What?! I was just talking with them! And why didn't I get 'playboy' accusations instead?"
Billie shrugged. "Well, I thought that, but the way you argued with me and then your perfume choice… yeah, you weren't helping matters."
Ethan squinted at her. "Hey, you kinda remind me of my little sister. That's why I was getting into the argument—it's how she argues too. And the perfume…" He trailed off, suddenly realizing that admitting he hadn't showered yet probably wasn't the best move.
Billie stared, waiting. "The perfume what?"
"Never mind that! Just know that I love women. I love them," he said, shaking his head.
Billie raised her hands. "Hey man, you don't need to stress it. I'm not dragging with you."
Ethan sighed in relief. "Dude, I'm serious. I'm even kinda dating someone super hot and beautiful."
Billie's eyes lit up. "Ooooh, then I have to know. Who is it?"
Ethan smirked. "Well, it isn't official official, but it's Sydney Sweeney."
Billie blinked. Then, with the straightest face, she said, "So you have a crush on her, and you think you two are dating? This is golden."
Ethan groaned. "I'm serious!"
"Yeah, man, don't worry, I believe you." Billie snickered before suddenly tilting her head. "Wait, but you said I wasn't your type."
"Yeah?"
"Then that makes no sense. Aren't Sydney and I like the same? We're both short, we both—" Billie started listing off similarities.
Ethan, already seeing where this was going, cut in smugly. "Well, unlike some people, I look beyond physicality and into personality. And in that regard, you two are so far apart."
Billie gasped, clutching her chest like he had just stabbed her. "Wow. Nice one, dude."
Ethan grinned. "Yeah, I try."
Both of them burst out laughing again.
Ethan didn't know why, but talking to Billie felt good. It felt easy, natural—like talking to a real friend. For a long time, he hadn't really had that. Sure, there was Rebecca, his bandmates, and some industry friends, but they mostly talked about work. And Eminem? A whole generation separated them. But with Billie? She got his jokes. And considering Ethan had been told he had a mouth that could get him canceled in this day and age, it was refreshing to have someone who just got it.
Billie suddenly narrowed her eyes playfully. "So, why were you staring at me earlier? If you don't tell me, I'm going straight to my next interview and saying, 'The new sensation Ethan Jones was so mesmerized by my looks, he just kept staring into my eyes, waiting for his Cinderella moment.' Then we'll see how your little crush on Sydney ever goes."
Ethan's eyes widened. "First of all, it's not a crush—we like each other! And secondly, you wouldn't dare."
Billie smirked. "Ooooh, you know I would."
They locked eyes, both silent for a moment in a mock standoff. Finally, Ethan sighed in defeat. "Fine."
He leaned back and said, "I was just staring because you looked… wise. The way you were explaining things earlier, given your age. Especially since I'm older than you."
Billie raised an eyebrow. "Ooooh. Well, it's probably because I've been in the industry longer than you."
Ethan nodded in agreement. But then, he saw a mischievous grin creep onto her face, and he knew what was coming next.
"Well… and they do say girls mature faster than boys. And seeing you, I guess that theory is officially proven true."
She started laughing, hard.
Ethan gave her a deadpan look before doing the most sarcastic fake laugh ever. "Ha. Ha. Ha."
That only made her laugh harder—so much so that, despite himself, Ethan found himself actually laughing along.
And that's how Ethan ended his Super Bowl journey—not just as the guy who performed, but as the guy who made a new friend. As he sat there, music thumping in the background, people shouting, and the after-party in full swing, he realized something:
He was actually having fun.