A Shot in the Dark

"Holy shit, Becca, there's a stereo under here!" Kelly exclaimed.

It hadn't taken her long to get dressed at all, considering she had no one to impress. Her hair was straight and her makeup normal, her outfit consisting of ripped jeans and a black v-neck. Simple, which was what she kept telling Becca.

While she waited for her best friend to get dressed, Kelly had started to organize her bedroom. Under what she thought was just a stack of unnamed CD's, DVD's, and books, she found a rather large stereo system, which completely appalled her.

"Will you stop searching through my shit and please help me choose a shirt?" Becca asked, her patience wearing thin. It was almost time to leave and she was walking around in a white tank top.

"Alright, alright Mr. Grumpy Gills. Let me see, why don't you borrow my plain black tank top? You know, the oversized one? It'll look good with your skinny jeans," she suggested immediately, running out of the room.

Becca stared in the mirror and bit her lip. She was nervous to see Matty again if she was being honest, and to meet more members of one of her favorite bands. It would be so easy to mess this up and she didn't want to in the least bit.

"Here," Kelly said, shoving the shirt into her hands and leaving the room. "Hurry up!" she screamed from the hall, "We don't have all night!"

That much was true. Becca put on the shirt and shoved on some bracelets before grabbing her phone and tucking money and her ID in her back pocket. She took one last look in the mirror and winked at herself, before feeling dumb and leaving the room.

She crashed into her best friend in the doorway though and the two yelped in surprise. Annoyance flitted on both of their faces before they straightened themselves out and headed to the door.

"I'll drive!" Kelly announced though Becca shook her head.

"You haven't practiced enough to drive in the dark," she insisted. Honestly she hadn't practiced enough to drive in the daytime either, but Becca kept her mouth shut. The brunette crossed her arms and pouted but allowed her friend to take the driver's seat.

"Are you nervous?" Kelly asked, flipping through the mixed CD's they had in the car. She chose one and Augustana poured through the speakers.

"Yeah kind of. I just keep thinking, 'yeah, okay Becks, it's okay, you're just going to a show, no big deal' but then I remember who's going to be there and it becomes a huge deal," she explained, her nerves coming through as she drove carefully down the road.

"I'm meeting them for the first time too y'know. It's kinda a big deal for me too," she said, spazzing a bit in the passenger seat. Becca rolled her eyes and turned the volume dial up, singing along to the songs Kelly had introduced her to.

It didn't take long to get to the place or get a parking spot. As the two walked toward the brick building, they noticed a passing trend in the people smoking outside. The small groups standing around were all wearing black or other dark colors, and had dramatic hair color or eye makeup.

They were lucky enough to run into the guys right outside. There was a frenzy of introductions, hugs, and, at least for the girls, being star struck. They were hanging out with these guys tonight, not at some meet and greet. They all stood outside and chatted for a moment about the drive before going in.

Most people had a small price to pay to get in. Matt Nicholls and crew were definitely not most people. Matt slung a casual arm over Becca's shoulder and Lee did Kelly the favor of an arm around her waist, guaranteeing free entrance for all.

It was bigger than it looked outside but there was a melting pot of all kinds of people inside. It would be packed soon judging by all the people in the place. A bar stood on the far end of the room. It was small and looked rather shitty but seemed to be doing business.

Becca rolled her eyes as she watched Kelly practically salivate at the sight of it. Being American, she wasn't used to actually being allowed to drink. She'd promised not to get shitfaced tonight though, in an effort to be a good support system.

"Do yeh want somethin' to drink?" Matty leaned down to ask Becca in her ear. She glanced at her friend who'd heard the question.

"Oh, go ahead. I'll be the sober shithead tonight," she said, waving an impatient hand at the drummer. He smiled and went off to the bar with Jona quickly. The three left over people stood around awkwardly before Lee attempted humor.

"I'm unfortunately the designated asshole tonight too," he said sadly. The two laughed but there wasn't much humor in the situation; being designated driver sucked.

"Here yeh are," a voice said from behind Becca. A clear, plastic cup hovered in front of her. She rolled her eyes and sniffed the alcohol reluctantly. It always smelled repulsive.

"Paper cups? Classy," Kelly commented, laughing slightly. The group laughed and Becca took a sip of her drink.

Two tattooed arms slipped around her waist and she tilted her head up to smile at Matty. He grinned down at her, the signature little smile that always made people swoon. She leaned back against him gently and reveled in the moment.

It felt natural to be here. in a general sense as well as literally in Matt's arms. She could see herself standing in a dark, packed venue that smelled of smoke, sweat, and alcohol with her friends, casually resting in Matt's arms. Excitement rose in her stomach and her heart quickened at just the thought of this happening.

The energy of the conversation unfolding in front of them sucked the two out of the quiet moment they'd shared. Matt rested his head on her shoulder as Lee and Kelly bickered over her music taste.

"Alright Miss Pop Punk, what's the roughest show you've ever been to?" Lee asked. Becca smiled and watched as her friend came up with a comeback on the fly. Both of them were beyond professional with sarcasm.

"I was going to say Bring Me The Horizon when I saw them last December in New York but..." she trailed off.

There was this weird thing that Becca and Kelly could do. They often made jokes that they were twins or even the same person. It was truly bizarre though because they could come up with the same thoughts simultaneously.

"When I flew in to visit her for the first time, we went to Bamboozle and saw LMFAO live," Becca said, smiling at the memory, "That was horrible. I almost died."

"Oh yeah and then there was that time I got in a fist fight at an Enter Shikari show," Kelly added in, "But for the record, I was gonna say that BMTH show."

Lee looked dumbstruck and somewhat confused. Kelly looked a little too happy with herself. Matt tightened his arms around Becca's waist and nuzzled his face into her neck. She bit her lip to stop the excited squeal from coming out.

"Yeh're feelin' dumb," Jona announced, slapping Lee's back and laughing. The group burst into laughter. It was weird how easy everything fit together. It wasn't at all weird being with Matt and Becca as they did their thing and it wasn't weird to be sharing banter between them all.

The band came on and there was a mass movement to the stage. Becca finished her drink and with much reluctance pulled herself out of Matt's arms to roam with her best friend toward the front. This band was good, with heavy instruments and a talented screamer fronting. The guys stood in the back and watched seriously.

Through the next two bands, Matt and Lee came into the crowd. Becca and Kelly always stuck together and were professional at staying together in crowds as well as sarcasm. The bands were all heavy metal and while there weren't any mosh pits it was still rather rough.

They all emerged unscathed though and nearly surprised at how quickly the night had went. They stood outside for a while, grinning and talking to each other about the show. Eventually they all wandered away, Kelly saying goodbye to the guys and going to wait in the car.

"So, are you gonna try and get that band signed?" she asked Matt. He shrugged and tucked his hands in his pocket. He was adorable in the moonlight, glancing around the parking lot.

"I'm gonna try and help them yeah. They really deserve it I think. Did yeh enjoy them?" he asked. Becca smiled at his accent, acutely aware of his gaze.

"They were good, yeah. I like them."

She couldn't even remember the name of the band or if they were good or not. She wanted Matt to be happy and she could tell he was really into them. They stood silently in the parking lot for a moment. The air was warm and Becca took in every detail she could about this exact moment; the smells, his tattoos, the way she shifted from foot to foot.

"I had a lot of fun with yeh," he said suddenly. Becca felt her cheeks heat up and she smiled.

"I had a lot of fun too," she said honestly.

"I want to see yeh again soon but just us," he said bluntly. If she was pink before she was red now, and thankful for the darkness. The blunt side of her personality (the side that made her march up to someone and say, "I'm mad at you") came out at that moment.

"Like, as a date?" she asked for clarification.

"Like as a date," he clarified. She could have jumped for joy at that very moment. It was exciting because, for once, she was the one that the guy was going after. She'd always been invisible next to her friends, which was weird because she had a sparkling personality and a fab taste in music.

"Well, um, you can just call me and I'll pick up and we can talk about it," she said.

"I called and yeh didn't pick up last time," he pointed out. A small pout sat on his lips and his eyes melted Becca's heart down to her toes. He truly was a beautiful creature.

"Cross my heart, hope to die I'll pick up this time," she promised, making an 'X' over her heart.

"Stick a needle in your eye?" he asked eagerly.

"If I have to, yeah," she said, rolling her eyes and making a disgusted face. He laughed and pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back tightly wishing she could just never let go. She did, of course, let him go and walked over to the car.

"Did he kiss you?" Kelly asked, as soon as she got in the car.

"No but he asked me on a date kinda sorta," Becca said, too high on her joy to care that Kelly would kill them in a car accident. She was floating on clouds and a dumb smile was on her face. Both of them already knew the whole night would be spent talking about him.

Matt Nicholls would be the death of her.