Driving Backwards

"Dude, quit looking around and let's move to the front!" Siska ordered, tugging on Will's purple sleeve impatiently.

Will looked at him, catching a wiff ofthe sex god's Gabe's jacket in the process. It was a musky and sort of dirty scent that he couldn't quite place. Somewhere between cigarette smoke and beer. Despite this, it was sort of pleasant, and he liked it. It made it smell real and gritty. Sighing, he slowly began to accept the fact that he wouldn't get to see Gabe in this huge crowd. "Fine, fine," he mumbled, following after him.

Midtown was a band that the two young boys knew well. They had known about them for at least a year and a half, but they'd only gone to one show. Their parents tried to keep them in as possible, but that didn't happen.

Girls were squished against the stage, waiting for the "hott" lead singer to come out so they could attempt to get him to sweat on them. Will crinkled his delicate nose at the thought. That was just nasty. Why would you honestly want a man's sweat on your body? Well, he guessed he could think of a few reasons, but that was besides the point.

Bill continued to search, his eyes scanning the crowd intently with high hopes that the tall exotic man was lurking somewhere. He was becoming more and more disappointed by each second that passed.

"Dude," Sisky stated, tugging on his sleeve once more. "Quit dicking around and let's get up there!"

Bill narrowed his eyes. "Quit saying 'dude'. You're not a surfer, and you never will be, so get over it. We all know you gave it your best."

"That was once fuckin' time!" Siska stated over the already roaring crowd. There was a band warming up for Midtown already called My Chemical Romance, and people seemed to be drinking it in. Will wasn't really into the evil "I'm gonna kill you in your sleep" music. But whatever.

Bill rolled his eyes and followed anyway. "I seriously hate you," he mumbled.

"What?!" Adam asked, not being able to hear him any longer.

"I hate you!" Bill repeated.

"What?!"

"I HATE YOUR FUCKING GUTS!"

"Oh," Siska concluded, still pull Bill up to the front. When he finally decided he had gotten close enough, he began jumping around to the music.

Bill shook his head, not knowing how this guy was seriously his best friend.

"Thank you," the lead singer spoke into the microphone. He had greasy hair and small teeth. Kind of creepy for Bill's taste. "Now, I want you to put your hands together for a little band I'd like to call... Midtown."

The fangirls up front screamed as My Chemical Romance left the stage and Midtown took their place. Bill heard someone say into the microphone, "Chicago, how're we feelin' tonight?" The voice sounded familiar, but then again, he did have the CD, so it wasn't like he hadn't heard this singer a million times. The light shown guiltlessly in his eyes, and he really couldn't see the band at all. They started one of their most popular songs, "Like A Movie", and he began bouncing up and down.

"She tries to erase
She tries to replace
How it feels, but I...
Know she can never go home
She tries to erase
She tries to replace
How it feels, but I...
Know she can never go home," the vocalist began with power to his voice. Will liked the way he sang. He tried to get a closer look at the man's face by pushing through the crowd.

"Tried to forget about
Living a good life
Free of positions
Make her feel vulnerable-"

Finally, Bill managed to see who was singing, and when he did, he did a double take. Gabe. Gabe was the singer. All he could really think was: What the hell?

Gabe continued to sing, strumming his bass guitar in time with the band behind him. His lips moved in such a fluid motion, and Will suddenly felt shameful. He hoped- no, prayed to whatever was out there that Gabe would not see him.

But of course, as always, his prayers went unanswered. Right at that moment, Gabe looking down, seeing the boy in his purple jacket. He smiled widely, amused by the fact he was still wearing it around him. It was cute, really. Gabe remembered when he had been his age. Not a care in the world. Those were good times.

Bill blushed immediately and broke the eye contact. He was seriously cursed. He saw some overly-obsessed fangirls turn around and glare at him. Geez, if looks could kill... He slunk back a bit, somewhere where he could keep an eye on Siska to make sure he wasn't going to kill himself with moshing.

What a disaster.

* * * *

Gabe had tried to look for that Will kid after the show, but he couldn't find him. He had his favorite purple jacket; now he was going to feel empty without it. He didn't mind too much, though, he did tell the kid to put it on. He was kind of cute, actually. He had that innocent glow to him. As long as he took care of it, it was cool. He'd get his beloved jacket back sometime.

"Gabe!" Heath called, waving his arms. "Let's go! There's gonna be alcohol!"

That got Gabe's attention immediately. "Coming!" he shouted, his eyes gazing the small venue one last time for any glimpses of a purple jacket. Seeing none, he pushed it to the back of his mind.

It was party time.