Keep Your Heart Wide Open.

The bands were out for a night on the town. They walked down the semi-empty streets, the only light around them the streetlights that lined the road. Eventually they found themselves outside some hot spot club that promised to stay open until the wee hours of the morning. Just their style. Austin walked inside, followed by The Maine and Gianna, This Century tagging along behind her, along with techs, friends, and anyone else who needed a night out.

Once inside, they were faced with a sense of familiarity. The flashing strobe lights, the loud music, the strong scent of alcohol in the air. Yes indeed, this was your average nightclub. Most of the guys walked right over to the bar, thankful to be with friends and have a beer. Gianna bit her lip. At the young age of nineteen, she was still too young to indulge like the guys around her. Without a little help, that is.

John walked over to her, whispering in her ear. "Coke and mango Malibu, right?" She smirked and nodded her head. "You know me so well." He smiled back and walked over to the bar to buy the drink for Gianna while also picking something up for himself on the way. While Gianna stood their by herself she looked at her fingernails, picking away at the bubblegum pink nail-polish that was screaming for a touch-up. In the next second there was another voice in her ear.

"Standing all by yourself?" Gianna turned her head to be faced with none other than Joel himself. If she didn't know any better, she would think he was following her on purpose. She chuckled and scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah. I like being by myself sometimes. To think about things, you know?" Joel nodded and bit his lip. "Yeah. I know what you mean." A silence washed over the pair, although it wasn't awkward. Soon enough, John walked himself back over to Gianna, handing over the small glass with dark colored liquid. She brought the glass to her lips and took a small sip, savoring the slight hint of mango. The drink burned only the slightest bit as it slid down her throat.

After everyone had their drinks, they migrated over to some tables. They sat to talk for a few minutes before they decided to hit the dance floor. Gianna laughed as she watched at least three girls look John up and down, giving a nod to the one who had the guts to walk right up to him. She watched as John took her hand, pulling her into the center of the crowd to dance. Gradually all of the guys were finding dance partners and disappearing to different corners of the floor. All of a sudden, Gianna felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist and a head rest on her shoulder.

She laughed. "Hi, Garrett." The boy moved from behind her, his blue eyes piercing hers. "Want to dance?" Gianna nodded, taking one last sip of her drink as she placed the class on the table, taking Garrett's hand. The pair walked to the floor and began to sway to the beats of music. Garrett grabbed Gianna's hands, pulling her close to his chest. His hands found their way to her hips, and her arms wrapped themselves tightly around Garrett's neck.

She rested her head on his shoulder as they continued to move with the rhythm. She closed her eyes and sighed. There had been a time where Garrett and Gianna had almost had a thing. She found him attractive and he also felt the same way about her. But when they came close to taking that extra step, they decided it was better that they just stay friends. Of course, they were still close. As Gianna still held her head on Garrett's shoulder, she saw Joel across the room.

A girl had just walked over to him. She was dressed in a ridiculously short dress and heels that were at least six inches high. She tilted her head, talking to Joel as she slowly twirled a piece of her rich, chocolate hair around her finger. Joel looked less than excited. Gianna's eyes met Joel's and he looked back at the girl, who was now looking at him, biting her lip. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to dance, stopping when he was about a foot away from Gianna and Garrett. Gianna continued to look at him, their eyes never moving from each other.

The minutes passed and Gianna was still with Garrett, Joel still with the other girl. Gianna smirked, quietly moving her lips towards Joel. "Enjoying yourself?" He read her lips and chuckled. "Not at all," he mouthed, shaking his head and trying to stifle a laugh. Gianna moved her hand to cover the laugh that was about to escape.

Garrett pulled away from her. "I'm going to get another drink. Do you want anything?" Gianna shook her head. "Nah. I'm alright for now." As Garrett walked away, Gianna moved herself back over to the table, sliding into the red leather booth. She watched as the girl kept trying to get closer to Joel, and each time he would just lightly push her away. Gianna felt a little ping in her stomach as she watched the pair, shaking it off and deciding it was because she hadn't eaten all day.

After two hours had passed by, Gianna still sat at the table. Joel had finally broke away from the girl and had slid into the other side of the booth, opposite Gianna. He looked at her tired eyes and leaned in, whispering. "You want to get out of here?" She brushed her hair out of her face and nodded. "Yeah. Let's just tell the guys."

As Gianna and Joel walked over to the guys to say goodbye, she almost didn't notice as Joel placed his hand lightly on the small of her back. What she did notice, was how remarkably natural it felt.