Life Isn't All That Bad

The night of the concert came all too quickly. Two days was not enough time for me to mentally prepare myself. Since that band practice, I had been somewhat avoiding the guys. I think they finally got the hint when I stopped responding to their texts.

I stood in the kitchen, pulling anxiously on the hem of my Batman shirt. I’d have to leave soon, but I was too nervous. Sure, I went to shows all the time. But I simply couldn’t calm my nerves this time.

My phone buzzed. It was Danny. “So boo, have you left for the show yet?”

“No, Danny, I haven’t. I don’t get it; we went to shows all the time. Why am I so nervous to go to this one?” I asked, pacing around the room.

“Maybe because the lead singer asked you out? Or maybe because you have a crush on the guitarist?”

“Garrett’s the bassist, not guitarist,” I corrected him.

“But you admit that you like him,” Danny said, a smirk in his voice.

I let out a groan. “Danny, I have to go. I don’t have time for this,” I snapped, and quickly hung up the phone. I ran my hand through my hair quickly, before grabbing the car keys and heading outside.

When I finally got to the venue, I found Halvo waiting outside for me. He quickly led me backstage, showing the guards his pass.

“You know, they are freaking out back there. They thought you weren’t going to show up,” he said, giving me a look of disappointment.

“I um, was running late,” I lied with a shrug. Halvo sighed, but lead me to The Maine’s dressing room anyway.

“Look who I found!” Halvo exclaimed, throwing the door open. All the guys turned to look at me, and I could feel my cheeks growing warm.

John came running over, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. My body tensed up, and I didn’t know what to do. I’d completely rejected John the other day, and now he was hugging me. “I’m so glad you decided to come.”

I gently pushed him off of me. “I promised that I would. But that still doesn’t make this a date,” I reminded him.

He looked a little disappointed. “Right, sorry,” he said with a sad smile.

Halvo interrupted the awkward moment. “Well, in case you guys have forgotten, you have to be onstage in like, five minutes.”

The guys all headed out the door, and I followed after them, Halvo at my side. He nudged my ribcage lightly with his elbow. “Be a little nicer to John, would you? He’s not used to being rejected like this.”

“He needs to get used to it! Not every girl is going to like him,” I snapped. Halvo was going to say something, but Garrett had walked over to us.

“Hey Beau,” he smiled, seeming a little nervous. “You excited for the show?”

I grinned, nodding. “I’m stoked. You guys were great at practice; I can’t wait to see you at an actual show!”

His smile grew even more. “Well, we’re about to go on…” he seemed a little hesitant, but he pulled me into a tight hug. I smiled, hugging back. A blush crept up my face, but I didn’t mind. Garrett pulled away, quickly heading over to the stage.

“So that’s why you’re so mean to John!” Halvo exclaimed.

I raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“You like Garrett! That’s why you’re always so shy, and blush a lot around him!”

“I hate to burst your bubble, Einstein, but I’m like that around everyone, in case you hadn’t noticed,” I smirked. There was no way I was admitting to him that I liked Garrett. Halvo didn’t exactly seem like the type that could keep a secret.

He just rolled his eyes. “You can’t lie to me, Beau. I’m your best friend, remember?”

I flicked the side of his head. “Well, your best friend senses are off, because I don’t like him,” I lied, and headed closer to the side of the stage. Right now, I didn’t care what Halvo said. I didn’t care if he was still convinced I liked Garrett. I just didn’t care.

All I cared about was the band, my friends, who were currently putting on one hell of a show.

I found feel myself getting lost in the music. My foot tapped along to the beat, as my body swayed with the rhythm. For once, I didn’t care if I looked silly. I didn’t care if people could see me. Garrett glanced over at me from the middle of the stage. He offered me a goofy smile, and I couldn’t help but grin back.

They started playing their last song- Daisy. I turned to Halvo. “Please dance with me so I don’t feel silly,” I pleaded, pouting.

“You’re crazy,” he said, shaking his head. I gave him the best puppy-dog eyes I could manage, hoping he’d finally cave. Finally, my pouting paid off, for he let out a sigh. “Okay, okay, I’ll dance with you!”

Our dancing was completely ridiculous. We were jumping and spinning, Halvo twirling me around.

As the boys finished the song and headed offstage, I collapsed into Halvo’s arms in a fit of laughter. I tried to calm down and catch my breath, but the looks the guys gave me made me laugh even harder. But I didn’t feel too bad- Halvo was laughing just as hard as I was

Finally, I settled down, gasping to catch my breath. I wiped at the tears that were forming in my eyes, looking up at the guys.

“I’ve never seen you so… Lively,” Jared commented, looking a little surprised.

“Shows just make me happy,” I smiled, but I could feel my cheeks growing hot. The buzz from the show was wearing off, and my shyness was coming back.

“Well, we were wondering if you wanted to go get some food with us?” Garrett offered, looking hopeful.

I had to admit, I was hungry, and it did sound like fun. Despite the anxiety I could feel building inside of me, I decided to go. After they went out and did a small signing, it was time to go.

Both John and Garrett instantly volunteered to ride with me, in case I got lost or lonely. I knew it’d be awkward, but they both insisted on going with me. We headed to my car while the others headed for their van.

John quickly called shotgun, leaving Garrett to sit in the back by himself. Liz’s pop CD was playing, causing both of the guys to give me an odd look. Neither of them said anything about it though.

“So what’d you think of the show?” Garrett asked from the back.

“It was great. You guys are really talented,” I smiled, following after the graffiti-covered van.

“You looked pretty cute, dancing along to our music,” John smirked.

I started to blush like crazy. I took one hand off the steering wheel, reaching over to give his shoulder a playful shove. “You are such a creep,” I said, giggling a bit.

“She’s falling for the charm, they always do,” I heard Garrett mumble quietly from the back. My smile started to fade. I wasn’t falling for John...

…Was I?