The Rock Show

“Five minutes,” the dirty-blonde boy mutters, tipping his head back against the plastic chair. “Five more goddamn minutes.”

His history teacher continues to drone on about not forgetting the Mongols when they take their final exams next week but Alex really doesn’t give two fucks. It’s the last day of May in his junior year and summer is so close that he can practically taste it, cold beers tipped back his throat as he laughs, the tingling flame of sunburn ever-present on his shoulders as he hangs out with his friends. Sure, he doesn’t usually care about much, but there’s something about the warmer weather that makes him think, ‘Screw it. I’ll get arrested for public indecency and wake up at a house party with a weird tattoo before I stop.’

Though that really sounds more like something Jack would do. Whatever.

Speaking of the devil, he’s half-tempted to text Jack, Rian, Zack, and a few other people to arrange something tonight to celebrate the end of school. Get drunk, act stupid, fuck around. You’re only seventeen once. Maybe he should call Lisa so they could-

The bell interrupts his train of thought and the classroom is empty before you can say ‘Fuck this school, I’m out.’

“Dude!” Jack catches up with Alex just as he steps into the hallway. “Guess what?”

“We’re finally free?” Alex hugs a few people and wishes them a good summer as they walk. Jack rolls his eyes.

“No, you moron. Well, yeah, but that’s not the point! Look, I know you were bummed ‘cause we couldn’t get tickets to Warped this year…”

Alex stops, turning to Jack and raising a thick eyebrow. Jack’s shitting him, right? Alex had just started to accept the fact that they wouldn’t be able to go last week and now he already knows what Jack is gonna say next.

He’s definitely not complaining though, don’t get him wrong.

“But I got a few extras from Mike, for the Baltimore show in three weeks and-ugh!” Jack can’t finish his sentence because suddenly Alex’s arms are around the lankier boy and he can’t breathe but it’s in a good way. His best friend owes him so much for this.

Alex pulls away, punching Jack’s arm with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. “I fuckin’ love you, bro. You can’t quote me on that, though.” Holy shit. Now they’re going to Warped Tour. Could this summer get any better? Alex seriously doesn’t think so.

“I know you do.” Jack says smugly.

-&-

16 days later: Vancouver, Canada

“Jess-y, it’s time to wake up!”

“Go away, Nick.” Jess Anderson mumbles into her scratchy hotel pillow.

Her older brother sighs. “It’s almost seven, get the fuck up before Laura calls us again. We gotta set up, our set is at like, eleven.”

Jess groans, propping herself up and brushing her layered chocolate brown hair out of her eyes. “Fuck you. That’s in…four hours. Plenty of time, now if you could please do me a favor and fuck off, that would be fantastic.”

Demetri, the band’s short, blonde, hyper drummer burst into the siblings’ hotel room, rolling his eyes upon seeing that their lead singer was still asleep. “You were never a morning person, Jess.”

Damn straight, she thinks, but is far too tired to bother acknowledging him. They all stayed up pretty late at last night’s tour kick-off party but avoided getting hungover because that would be plain stupid. Today is their bands, Aurora, first day on the Warped Tour. They were a relatively new band having just formed two years ago when Jess was only 15 and her brother was 18. The two of them loved to jam around campfires, Nick playing guitar as Jess sang, for years until they met Jason, Aurora’s bassist. He went to their high school in Virginia and was as crazy-in-love with music as the siblings were.

Long story short, Demetri joined through a mutual friend and the foursome began playing house parties, local shows, and events such as prom, covering bands such as Green Day, Yellowcard, and Blink-182. Eventually Aurora was signed to a small independent label, Colombia Records, and put out their first EP, Scratched Nails and Other Secrets. They toured a little during the Spring Break of Jess’s junior year and entered a locally-based contest that would select a handful of bands to join the first month of Warped Tour.

“This is stupid,” Jason complained as Jess scribbled away at the submission forms, pushing his tapered black glasses up his slim nose, “we’re never gonna get picked. Some bands that are entering have toured the whole US and have put out a full-length already. Oh, and we have a six-track EP and a really spotting touring history. We’re embarrassing ourselves, dammit, Jess, listen to me!”

The pale seventeen-year-old looked up, light green eyes narrowed in a challenge. “For fuck’s sake, Jason, do you want us to get big? The biggest band in the world, maybe?”

“Uh, that’d be cool, but. I dunno. Don’t you think the…progression of the band, is moving a little too fast?”

The petite girl shook her head, reaching across her dining room table and poking him in the ribs. He winced as she cackled, crossing her hi-top clad ankles and smirking.

“No such thing as too fast, you’re just a pussy.”

“Yeah, Jason, calm your tits!” Demetri shouted from upstairs in Nick’s room.

Jason chuckled a little. “You know, that’s the attitude that’s gonna get you kicked out of school. When was the last time you didn’t skip or have detention?” He pointed out.

Jess stopped writing and tapped the pen to her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “I dunno, when was the last time you shaved your Jesus-beard?”

The older boy actually looked deeply offended by that, Jess noted. Great.

“Besides,” she added, continuing to fill in the forms. Genre(s), management, phone numbers…

“Not all of us can be Advanced Placement students, Einstein. We’ve had this conversation.”

Jason shrugged and cracked his knuckles. “Mm, I guess I just worry a lot. About the band, and you. You’re so damn irresponsible, you’re lucky you have a good voice or I’d kick you out.” He teases Jess, running a hand through his shaggy mop of dark hair.

“Thanks, dad.” Not like she ever really could make the right decisions after what happened with her ex. But that’s not a topic she wanted to think about now.” Hey, do you have the label’s number?”

Demetri jumps on the bed, startling Jess and pouting like a little kid. “Jessie, the longer you stay in bed the later we are to catering and hanging with awesome bands…”

Demetri opens his mouth to speak but Nick cuts him off, “If you make a joke about my sister in bed you’re going to catering by yourself, bro.”

The blonde boy huffs indignantly and gets up, stretching his bony limbs and pulling out his phone just as Jess shoves herself up and grabs a change of clothes.

“She awakens!” Demetri says slyly. Nick rolls his eyes; his band is full of freaks.

Jess sticks her tongue out at him, “Hey, gotta get ready for the first show of the tour. Can’t put it off much longer.” as she closes the bathroom door. Ever since they flew out to Vancouver two days ago she’d been feeling jittery and couldn’t exactly pinpoint why. Maybe it was the energy of the tour, the rush of meeting people and the knowledge that they were going to perform in front of thousands of people in these next few weeks. Her first time leaving Virginia. Her past finally behind her and it honestly felt amazing.

“Hey Vancouver, you guys look fucking beautiful! We’re Aurora and this song’s called-“