Textbook Romance

I took off to the other side of the stage after that, racing through the hallways behind the stage without a second glance over my shoulder. When I made it to the left side of the stage (if you were in the crowd), I stood leaning against the column that ran all the way to the ceiling.

I trained my eyes on the Escape The Fate boys as they pranced around the stage, although I wasn't seeing much of anything. My eyes moved to Max, who was closest to me, and I watched as he got into the music, jumping off of the risers and everything. He was so involved that he didn't see me, either, and for that I was thankful.

I wished right then that I had somewhere I could go that wasn't around Neil or Max, not that the latter had done anything to me. Max had been a gentleman. He had let me have my way with him and most of all, he didn't get pissed off when I couldn't make up my mind about anything.

Max screamed into his microphone and revved the crowd up, grinning when they went crazy and screamed his name. They finished their first song, or maybe it was their second, and Craig walked up close to his mic and then stopped, staring over the heads of the kids out in the crowd. He stood silently with the rest of his band as the crowd screamed.

The boys all cracked smiles as Craig head his hands out in the air to calm them down. "Okay," he said simply, laughing loudly when the fans screamed again.

Max moved up to his mic and said, "You guys are fucking crazy tonight!"

Craig nodded his head and then spoke, "Yeah, ya'll better shut up so I can tell you how much I fucking love you."

And there went the crowd again as the guys moved into their next song, grins on their faces and their hangs banging along to the drum beat that Robert was kicking.

"I've got another confession to make,
so complicated so let me try to explain.
Don't want this feeling to go away,
So it stays, it stays, it stays, it stays...

I whispered the lyrics and nodded along as they moved through my favorite song off their self-titled album.

"First impressions are hard to erase,
it's in my mind and it just won't go away.
Maybe I'm playing my cards way to safe.
I've gotta change, change, change, change."

When the song ended I decided I've head out to Merch and help out Tey, since I knew I was fine, no matter what the boys of ETF thought. I trampled my way through the hallways and back out to the merchandise booth where Tey was standing, handing a few things out to some kids and collecting the money from them.

"Hey, I'm sorry. The boys wouldn't let me come down," I told him as I slid over the table and stood next to him.

Tey nodded and thanked a kid as he took the boy's money and handed him the same shirt I was wearing the night before. "I heard," Tey said, "Are you alright?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just fell on my arm," I said as I reached out and tried to stretch it, groaning as it ached. "Just a little sore."

Tey nodded and then sat back down on a wooden stool that belonged to the venue. "I heard you got knocked around in the pit," Tey murmured, looking at me.

I perched myself on the edge of the table and shrugged. "Yeah," I said, "It happens sometimes."

Tey laughed. "Just because you're so... petite," he laughed as I kicked his foot.

"I'm not little," I said, glaring at him with my brown eyes.

"I said 'petite'," he corrected, offering me a smile. "It's cute. Guys go for little."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, controlling pigs."

Tey laughed and nodded behind me. I turned around and saw a group of kids running out of the main room and over to us. "What can I get you guys?" I asked, plastering a smile on my lips.

A girl stepped up and asked, "Is your name Nev?"

"Uh, why?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest, suspiciously.

She shook her head. "It is?"

I nodded once, slowly, and watched as the kids turned and ran back into the actual stage part of the venue. I turned back around to Tey slowly and asked, "What was that all about?"

Tey just shrugged and we let the conversation drop between us comfortably. I sat on the table and he sat on the stood as we thought about our own things and let our minds wander away from the things around us. That was until Tey looked over my shoulder and smirked, causing me to turn around.

"Oh fuck," I said as I started laughing, tangling my fingers in my hair and pushing it out of my face. Max was hopping towards me, surrounded by security as fans screamed and followed him out of the room with the stage. He was smirking as he ignored the guards and reached out to touch his fans and interact with him as he made his way over to the merchandise table where I sat, staring dumbfounded at the cluster of people making their way across this room.

After a couple minutes Max stood in front of his, three security guards around him as he pushed his palms into the grungy table top.

"Max, what are you doing?" I asked loudly, looking over the faces of kids surrounding the bassist.

He put a crooked grin on his face and shrugged. "Just checking up on you," he said as he tilted his head to the left slightly, causing his hair to flop in his face.

I was in disbelief. "Get back to your show, Max," I said, folding my arms over my chest, "These people are here to listen to your music, not watch you 'check up on me'."

He chuckled and shrugged.

"How did you even get through that way?" I asked, knowing the only way from the stage to here was to go through the back halls and come out the door on the other side of the merch. area.

Max's grin grew wider. "Just jumped into the crowd, nothing big."

"Go play your fucking show!" I shouted, although I wasn't really angry. I just wanted him to give these kids what they wanted. "I'm working," I added with a smile, watching as he shrugged again, used to getting what he wanted.

"Talk to me after the show?" he questioned loudly, and I watched as the kids around him clapped their hands together in the universal motion for pleading.

I busted out laughing, letting my faux angry facade slip as I nodded. "Yes, you goof, now go finish your set!"

Max nodded and his hazy green orbs met my own eyes. There wasn't anything questioning about his eyes, nothing frightening, or even searching. He simply looked at me before turning to wave goodbye to the fans that had followed him through there. He turned and raced through the door to my left that would lead back to the stage, and laughed as the people pushed their way back into the arena.

"Do you have any idea what that was?" I asked Tey as I turned to look at him, shock reverberating through me.

Tey shrugged. "Just checking up on you."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, okay," I said sarcastically, "It's not like I was pissed at him or something. He acts like he had to get the entire crowd to beg me to talk to him. I am talking to him," I sighed, feeling more confused by his act than I did through the whole Neil and Max situation that Neil had brought to my attention before ETF's show.

Tey, who rarely seemed to have bouts of wisdom, turned to me and shrugged. "Maybe you guys aren't talking about what he wants to talk about."

And even though it was a simple answer and Tey didn't even know the topic Max wanted to speak to me about, it made me realize that there was something Max did want to talk about tonight, something that I was completely confused and unsure about. It was the same something that Neil and I had just fought over, again.

"Everything is moving too fast," I whined as I leaned over and put my head between my knees.

"You don't always get to pick the speed of which things happen in your life. Just be glad something is actually happening for you, now."

"Hell yeah," I agreed, thinking back to the time when I was sitting in my room at my parent's house, dying to get out and experience life. "You're right," I told him.

Tey just laughed and nodded his head. "I'm always right, Nev," he told me, "You'll learn."