This Moment was Held for Me

“Mia, look this way!” pleaded my best friend in an attempt to get me to look into the video camera she was holding.
“Stop shoving that thing in my face!” I giggled.
She pouted but continued to film me, “But its tradition! Every concert we go to needs to be captured in super fine detail.”
I put down my eyeliner with a smile and turned around, “I know, Amanda. But notice we aren’t actually at the concert yet?”
She laughed, “Shut it. Your job is to smile and look pretty.”
I scoffed and turned my attention back to my makeup. Amanda was my best friend since 7th grade. We both clung to each other as everyone else around us turned into airheads or jocks. Unlike girls our age, Amanda and I went to rock concerts or watched horror movies for fun. And whenever we went to these concerts, Amanda insisted we recorded every moment via film.
We continued getting ready which took longer than expected. Amanda had finally agreed to turn off the video camera seeing as she accidentally ran into the bathroom, camera in hand, while I was getting changed. I was laughing so much it was hard for me to yell at her to get out. But after laughing together, swapping outfits, changing our hairstyles and sneaking a few drinks, we realized it was time to go. Amanda’s mom dropped off us at the concert venue. This was a good thing because whenever my mother needed to drop us off she always wanted to check out the place beforehand. We walked down the stairs and into the crowd of people. We came to this underground bar weekly to see their weekend gigs. In fact, we went there so often we didn’t even need to bring our fake ID’s anymore.
Amanda flipped the video LCD screen out and filmed herself speaking into the camera, “It’s now 8pm and we’re at Rics Bar! Let the show begin,” she said with a grin and turned the camera back around to film the crowd and stage.
“C’mon Mandy let’s try and get a good spot,” I said pulling her along.
There weren’t ever too many people at Rics. It was a comfortable crowd. There were people sitting around on lounges on the back wall, people lingering at the bar, and then a decent size crowd pushing against the stage. There were definitely spots close up to the stage you could stand without getting squished.
“This is good,” I announced as I leant against a pole.
“Yeah, it’s a good view.”
Suddenly, there was a gentle tap on my shoulder. I spun around and saw my friend from work, Gerard. He was wearing a leather jacket, his hair was tousled and was smiling happily.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he said.
I gave him a friendly hug, “I’m more surprised to see you here. Don’t you have an early shift tomorrow?”
He shrugged, “I guess. But unloading comic books doesn’t really require extreme concentration.”
I nodded, “True.”
Amanda coughed and nudged me in the ribs. No doubt she desperately wanted to be introduced; Gerard was her type.
I giggled, “Oh sorry. Gerard this is my best friend, Amanda. Mandy, this is my friend from the comic store, Gerard.”
She stuck her hand out and smiled seductively, “Hi there.” I couldn’t believe she still was holding the camera in one hand. She got so obsessed with filming.
I shoved her in the shoulder, “Turn that thing off! You’re talking to someone now. Gerard might not want to be filmed.”
Gerard cut in, “Nah, that’s okay,” he grinned and flipped his hair, “Besides, I look great on film.”
I smiled and rolled my eyes, “I should have known. You are such a diva.”
He laughed, “But seriously, it’s okay.”
Amanda nodded, “Thanks.”
“What are you filming, anyway?” asked Gerard.
She grinned, “The concert and everything in between, of course!”
“It’s tradition,” I explained, “Every concert we go to, we like to film for fun.”
“That’s cool,” he nodded, “Actually, I know a place you could get that developed. My friend just got a job at that camera place across the street from the comic store. I could get you a discount.”
“Oh, sure. That’s really nice of you,” Amanda said.
“You can come over once it’s developed and watch your beautiful face on film too,” I said somewhat sarcastically.
He laughed, “Sounds like a plan. But for the meantime, I’ll leave you too alone.”
He gave us both a hug and walked away to the bar.
“Oh my god,” Amanda squealed, “He is so cute!”
I nodded, “I knew you’d like him. He is complex, though.”
She frowned and shut the camera off so she could listen to me seriously. “Complex?” she echoed.
“Yeah. I mean, he is a great guy and really nice but he’s a bit shy and thinks a lot about stuff. But at the same time, he’s really eccentric and crazy.”
“Sounds amazing,” she muttered whilst starring off to find him.
I laughed, “Remember, he is two years older than you!”
She shrugged, “So what? We are in our senior year.”
“I guess,” I said.
We would have continued chatting but the lights dimmed as the front man walked out on stage. Amanda was fully absorbed with filming the concert as well as our reactions to each song. I could just imagine what the tape would end up looking like. There would be flashing lights, loud music, Amanda’s voice yelling into the camera, my grinning face, and our hair flying everywhere. I really loved watching the playback. It made me feel happy and excited all over again. Amanda and I continued dancing and singing to the music. We ended up leaving after midnight and stumbled into her house after one. I flopped onto her bed with a happy sigh.
“That was fun,” she said as she pulled her earrings out.
“It always is.”
She threw herself onto the bed, “I’m totally visiting you at work more often.”
I giggled, “Are you kidding me? Just so you can stalk Gerard?”
She nodded in response and fluttered her eyelids.
I shoved her shoulder playfully, “You suck. You should be coming to visit me, not him.”
She scoffed, “Pfft, I already stalk you!”
“That’s true.”
Now it was her time to shove my shoulder, “Hey!”
We continued to play around with each other. Her Mum banged on the wall to tell us to shut up. We had to cover our mouths to keep our laughter in. Finally, after more giggling and fantasizing of Gerard, we both slumped into the pillow and fell asleep.