Chasing the Night

Arianna Rush was running late, as usual. She was always approximately ten minutes late to everything. She frantically zipped up her suitcase and wheeled it along behind her, stopping in the doorway to have one last glance over her shoulder at her room. Her eyes immediately found the large poster stuck above the bed.

Warped Tour! Have the time of your life! It read in brilliant, bright colours. Arianna smiled and turned, heading downstairs, her suitcase bumping against the steps as she pulled it along behind her.

“Arianna! I won’t wait forever!” Jase Matthews hollered. He just didn’t understand girls. They were so confusing and complicated. What had Arianna been doing, anyway? Jase knew that she wasn’t the type to bother with makeup or expensive designer clothes, so she couldn’t have been spending so much time simply getting ready.

Jase decided that she’d probably left her packing to the last minute, and was still trying to jam clothes into her suitcase. This was exactly what she’d been doing. Jase Really did know her too well. And why shouldn’t he? He’d known her since they were six years old, after all.

“I’m coming!” Arianna yelled down the stairs, to the waiting drummer in the foyer.

“Three, two, one...” Jase started counting down, glancing at his watch and tapping the face of it.

“Zero,” he said, just as Arianna reached the bottom step. “It’s about time,” he said sarcastically, taking her suitcase for her and leading the way outside. He loaded it into the back of their – can you believe it –brand new 12 passenger van. It sure beat the old pickup truck they’d crammed into way too many times, en route to small local gigs.

Embry and Lukas were already waiting in the van – impatiently, mind you. The two guitarists had already tampered with the stereo, and had it set to maximum volume, shamelessly blasting the sound of their own band – Times Infinity!

Arianna, Jase, Embry and Lukas had started Times Infinity! in high school. At the time, it was just something fun they did together on weekends, but it quickly grew into something more. Gig after gig after gig, with great crowds pushed them straight into the spotlight. It wasn’t long before they attracted the attention of a local Independent Label. They’d recorded their first EP, and set off on tours supporting more well-known bands, but Warped Tour was most definitely their big break. They’d be touring all over the country with some of their favourite bands. It was a dream come true.

“Hey! Look who decided to show up!” Lukas yelled out the window of the van, a wide smile spreading across his face. Embry laughed and clapped Lukas on the shoulder, telling him to lay off. Arianna laughed and climbed into the van, Jase following after her. Lukas had the first driving shift, and that was sure to be an adventure within itself. Lukas was a reckless driver, to say the least, and driving with him was kinda like riding a rollercoaster, with parts of the track missing.

“We’re on tour!” Lukas screamed loudly over the music. The others laughed as they settled into their seats, fastening their seatbelts. Jase handed Arianna a can of Red Bull before getting one for himself. Arianna’s voice was almost deafening, coming out of the van’s speakers, but Lukas and Embry either didn’t notice, or didn’t care.

Lukas put the keys in the ignition and the engine roared to life. A slow smile spread across his face as he revved the engine, causing Arianna and Jase to roll their eyes. Embry couldn’t help but laugh. Lukas loved this. He was touring with his best friends. Life couldn’t get any better.

The band members of Times Infinity! and their crew settled in for the long drive, sharing drinks, swapping stories and telling bad jokes. The road trip was fun and exhilarating, the air inside the van almost electrified with excitement. When they reached the venue for the very first festival, seven hours later, the doubt set in.

Arianna was nervous. She hated how she was constantly being compared to artists like Hayley Williams, Taylor Jardine and Sierra Kusterbeck. She liked to think she had her own sound, that she was unique. The comparisons with Paramore never stopped. It wasn’t like every pop-punk band that was fronted by a female had to sound like Paramore. They’d just been the first to do it, which was why new bands were always compared to them. Arianna hated it. Sure, it was a huge compliment, but it just heaped the pressure on her. She felt like she had to keep changing and create something new to forge her own path. Something that hadn’t been done before. She just didn’t know what yet.

Jase was nervous, also. But he always was. He was, in general, really freaking awkward. He was shy around new people and hardly spoke up. At shows he preferred to hide behind his drum kit. He drummed his fingers against his knee nervously, and Arianna grabbed his hand to stop his fidgeting.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna rock this tour!” She assured him with a small smile. Jase wasn’t so sure. He wished he had Arianna’s confidence, but more often than not, he just wanted to disappear. “I’m not too sure,” Jase replied honestly, staring down at their interlaced fingers. “Neither am I,” Arianna admitted. “But we’ll get through this together.”

“You two! Stop acting so damn soppy!” Lukas jeered from the front seat. Arianna rolled her eyes whilst Jase flipped him the bird with his free hand. They all got out of the van and headed over to sign-in and collect their schedules. Jase gave Arianna’s hand a tight squeeze and she looked up at his face, smiling. He found himself smiling back, despite his nervousness. Arianna always had a way of making everything seem just that little bit brighter.

“Shit!” Arianna exclaimed suddenly, bringing her hand to her forehead.

“What is it?” Jase asked, his brow creasing with worry.

“I forgot my ID,” Arianna explained, rushing back to the van to retrieve her wallet. She was in such a rush that she wasn’t looking where she was going. There weren’t many people around, surprisingly, the place was nearly deserted, musicians preferring to hand out in their decked out tour buses than in the sweltering summer’s heat. But still, Arianna managed to bump into the one person that was walking around aimlessly.

Travis Clark still felt depressed. His band mate, Hunter, had told him that he just needed some fresh air to lighten his mood, and had practically pushed Travis out the door. He walked slowly, kicking at the dirt with his worn shoes, looking down at them as though they were the centre of his universe. Perhaps they were now. God knows she wasn’t anymore.

Neither of them had seen it coming, and suddenly, they’d crashed together, Arianna falling on her back. She got up immediately, brushing herself off as she straightened, before directing her look at the ginger boy that stood before her. He was pale, yes, and skinny. He also looked like he hadn’t bathed or slept in weeks. He looked like a complete wreck.

“Sorry about that!” Arianna said brightly, an easy smile stretching across her face. “I wasn’t looking where I was going and I was in a total hurry - ”

“It’s fine,” he cut her off, his tone harsh.

“Hey, aren’t you - ”

“No.” Arianna was by this point beginning to get more than a little agitated. She dropped the smile and raised her eyebrows at the boy, placing her hand on one hip, completely intending to give him a piece of her mind. But before she could say anything, he was shuffling off, his hands stuffed into his short’s pockets, his shoulders slumped.

Arianna stared after him in disbelief. How could he have been so rude? She swore she recognized him from somewhere, but she just couldn’t place him. She sighed and turned around again, back in the direction of the van.

He’ll keep, she thought.