Facedown

"Mallory!" I heard my best friend and roommate call as the door to our dorm closed.

"Yea Renee?"I called from my room.

"Show tonight, k babe? Get your ass ready, it starts in an hour!" she said poking her head into my room.

I smiled and jumped off my bed walking towards my closet. "Who is it?" I asked as I pulled out my black "To Write Love on Her Arms" shirt and gray skinnies, but she was already gone off to her room so I shrugged it off knowing it would be good either way.

After we grabbed a shower and changed, fixed our hair and put on our converses, we left and drove to the venue listening to Jimmy Eat World.

Once we got inside, we rocked out to the opening bands, and then the headlining band came out. Renee had told me this is who we were mainly here to see so I was excited.

5 guys came out on stage and started into their first song

Hey girl, you know you drive me crazy
One look puts the rhythm in my hand
Still I'll never understand why you hang around
I see what's going down

Cover up with makeup in the mirror
Tell yourself it's never going to happen again
You cry alone and then he swears he loves you

Do you feel like a man
When you push her around?
Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?
Well, I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end
As your lies crumble down, a new life she has found

A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect
Every action in this world will bear a consequence
If you wade around forever you will surely drown
I see what's going down

I see the way you go and say you're right again
Say you're right again
Heed my lecture

Do you feel like a man
When you push her around?
Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?
Well, I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end
As your lies crumble down, a new life she has

One day she will tell you that she has had enough
It's coming around again

One day she will tell you that she has had enough
It's coming around again

Do you feel like a man
When you push her around?
Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?
Well, I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end
As your lies crumble down, a new life she has

Face down in the dirt
She says, "This doesn't hurt"
She says, "I finally had enough"

Face down in the dirt
She says, "This doesn't hurt"
She says, "I finally had enough"

I was in awe after the song finished. The song was so powerful; I couldn't believe a band was singing about something so real. I looked at the lead singer, he looked vaguely familiar.

"What's up Nashville?! We are The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus!" the crowd screamed as did I. The rest of the set was incredible.

"So what'd you think?" Renee asked half yelling because our hearing was still a little off.

"They're amazing!" I half yelled back as we followed the crowd out of the pit.

"Sweet! Cause we're going to meet them!" she yelled heading towards the merch table where there were a few people standing around talking to the band.

I smiled to myself, I honestly loved this band after the first song, just how to explain...

We reached the front of the line and walked up. Again, I felt a familiarity to their faces.

"Hi, I'm Renee, and this is Mallory," Renee introduced us to what looked like the lead singer and one of the guitarists.

"Ronnie Winters," the lead singer said.

"Duke Kitchens," the guitarist replied.

I gasped and realized where I had seen them before. I couldn't believe it. I stood there zoned out thinking until I heard Renee say, "Oh you guys are from Middleburg, Florida? So is Mallory!"

I looked up as Ronnie said, "Oh yea?"

I nodded my head slowly. "I grew up there, lef-I mean moved when I was fifteen," I explained.

"Oh cool, maybe we knew each other. Have any older siblings around twenty three?" Duke asked curiously.

"No," I replied. "Not anymore anyways..." I added almost inaudibly.

"Oh, well hmm, what's your last name?" Ronnie asked. "Not creeps, I promise," he added laughing.

I laughed. "Uh, Collins," I replied holding my breath.

Duke and him exchanged glances and looked back at me with open mouths.

"Mallie?" Ronnie asked quietly.

I nodded my head feeling my eyes burn. I felt four arms wrap around me as I started to shake from crying.

"C'mon, let's go talk," Ronnie gestured towards backstage.

I looked up realizing we were still in front of 50 people so I nodded my head, grabbed Renee's wrist and the four of us walked backstage.

"Wait here, we'll finish out there and then we can talk, okay?" Duke looked at me.

"Of course," I said smiling and nodding my head at the 2 guys.

They left and Renee cocked her head to the side and looked at me.

I shrugged, "I guess I have time to explain."