Sell Your Soul

After the opening band finished, Maria and Cali left the merch booth in the hands of Big E and a worker for the venue. Charlie and Matt stood beside the door, waiting for them. Matt saw them first, and he immediately smiled. Maria blushed and kissed him on the cheek.

"There's the party," said Charlie, wrapping his arms around Cali's waist. "You ready for this?"

"Not sure," replied Cali. "I've never been treated like this at a concert, so we'll see how we like it, eh?"

"Hey, Scene," laughed Matt. "I see you're signing 'Charlie Scene' on your girlfriend's tits now."

"What's it to ya, Kurly?" said Charlie.

At first, Matt thought he was being serious, and his smiled faded. Then Charlie cracked a laughed, and the group burst into a fit of laughter. Dillon walked by, looked at them and shook his head.

"Five minutes, retards," he said.

"We should get our masks on," said Charlie. He kissed Cali and added, "Wanna help me?"

"Sure, go get it," said Cali.

"Or...I could just take the one you have," Charlie suggested. He tugged at the bandana around Cali's chest.

"Nope, go get your own," Cali giggled.

Dillon rolled his eyes and handed Matt his mask. They each strapped theirs on, Maria kissing Matt and brushing his curls out of his face. He chuckled, running his hands over her hips. Dillon handed Charlie his bandana and sunglasses. Cali tied the bandana around his face, and Charlie slipped his sunglasses on. The girls followed them up the stairs to the side of the stage. Charlie grabbed his guitar and hugged Cali one last time.

"Don't forget- hold on," he whispered as the lights went down.

The crowd erupted into an explosion of applause. They began chanting as Matt stepped out on stage, followed by Charlie, Dillon, Aron, Jay, and George. Maria looped her arm through Cali's, and she squeezed her arm. Cali was grinning from ear to ear, and her heart began to pound to the beat of the drums.

They opened with "Undead" as usual, followed by "Sell Your Soul" and "California". By now they'd taken their masks off, and Maria was holding Matt's mask. Charlie had gone off momentarily and handed Cali his sweatshirt. Cali began to laugh as Charlie started the intro to "Bottle and a Gun". He sounded so awkward singing it, but it came to him naturally- as if he was born to do this.

After the song was over, Charlie shouted, "Sing it with me! Everywhere I goooo-"

And the crowd sang back, "Bitches always know! That Charlie Scene has got a weenie that he loves to show!"

Cali and Maria looked at each other, smiling.

Then, Charlie said, "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on." Cali's ears perked up. "I can't do this song tonight."

The crowd shifted. Cali looked at Maria again, who shrugged. Charlie crossed to the side of the stage Cali was on and continued.

"I got my girlfriend here tonight," he said. "I promised her I'd be good so I can get some action later. If you guys wanna hear the rest of the song- you're gonna have to convince her."

Cali hid her face, blushing. "No," she groaned.

"Funny, you wanna bring her out here?"

Dillon smiled and said, "I'd love to my dear Scene."

Dillon came back to where Cali and Maria stood, and he took Cali's hand. He winked at her, but she stuck her tongue out. Charlie saw her resisting, and he motioned for her to come out. The crowd cheered under Aron's command, and Cali gave in. She stepped out on the stage behind Dillon. Charlie kissed her.

"Los Angeles! Meet Cali!" he shouted.

The crowd cheered, and Cali blushed. She waved a little, but she avoided looking at them.

"Think she wants to hear it?"

They cheered again, and Cali nodded. This wasn't so bad. She leaned Charlie's mic toward her.

"I wanna hear it," she said, causing the crowd to cheer louder.

"On one condition," added Charlie. "You gotta sing it too."

"What?!"

The crowd began to chant, "Cali! Cali! Cali!"

Cali looked over to Maria, who nodded. Cali looked back out to the crowd and said, "I'll do it."

And she did, singing along when Charlie handed the mic to her. After the song ended, Cali felt her heart racing. Charlie bent down and kissed her, much to the dismay of many of the girls in the front. Cali waved to the crowd again, and she quickly excused herself from the stage.

"Cali," said Charlie. "Ain't she something folks? One more time."

The crowd cheered again, and Cali flipped him off. He laughed, Matt coming up behind him and exchanging a few silent words. They looked over to Cali and Maria. The two of them looked back, wanting the show to end so they could get alone with their guys. Cali nodded to Charlie. He was definitely getting his surprise for this one later.