Our Sweet Blasphemy.

Concerts. I was usually all about them, but this time was different for some reason. Maybe because I didn't know anything about the bands playing, or maybe it was because my friend seemed to hardly notice I was beside her. I stood so zoned out in my own mind that I hadn't even noticed the first band of the evening had finished their set and were tearing down their gear.

"Wow, they were awesome?" my friend, Sara, gushed as the guitarist threw a handful of picks into the crowd. She noticed I hadn't been paying attention, so she put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Are you even listening to the bands?"

I blinked and shook my head, coming back to reality from LaLa Land. I chewed on my tongue piercing for a minute then smile innocently. I watched a couple roadies set up a black sheet to hide the stage as music played quietly in the venue. "So, when's the band you like coming on?"

She sighed and shook her head at me in disappointment, but quickly moved on after my question. "Their merch girl said they're next. Then they're doing a meet and greet." She looked at the band shirt she had bought me and raised her brow.

I nodded and looked at the shirt as well, wringing it in my hands. "Very cool." I sighed at the disapproving look she gave my hands as they wrung the shirt then I stuffed it in my hoodie pocket. "Better?"

Her frown quickly morphed into a grin and she began to laugh loudly. "Oh my god, Rian; you look pregnant!" She doubled over in laughter, crossing her arms over her stomach.

I snickered and looked at the bulge the shirt created, indeed making me look a pregnant. I bent my back like I had seen pregnant girls do and widened my stance a little. "I should just pretend I am for the rest of the concert."

She opened her mouth to say something, but it was drowned out as a male's deep voice did a mic check, causing the entire female portion of the crowd to scream and shriek. Sara's eyes grew wide and she dragged me as close to the stage as we could get before girls started to hold their ground a little too defensively.

"Hello Denver! We are BLACK VEIL BRIDES!" That deep voice caused every girl in the room to scream, some even began to sob hysterically and I couldn't resist laughing at them. "Come on, I can't hear you out there!" The crowed screamed and yelled again, louder. He deep voiced man laughed, causing a shiver to run up my spine, and the sheet suddenly dropped as lights flashed and the band began to play music.

I gasped at the sight of the singer, shocked as his bright blue eyes scanned the room. I was used to seeing the typical emo kid that this guy looked like, with long fringed hair and eyeliner and skinny jeans, but something about him just seemed... different. His eyes reached mine and he smirked, and I found myself wondering if he could even really seem me through the bring lights that shone in his face and the flashing of fangirls' cameras.

The song ended and everyone cheered and applauded. "I LOVE YOU, ANDY," Sara yelled waving her hand up like she was reaching for him. She screamed as the singer reached out and touched it for a moment.

"I love you too," he said with a flirtatious smile. The girls all screamed again, loud enough that I had to cover my ears before they broke my eardrums. As soon as they quieted down and the drummer stopped stomping on the kick drum, he said something again, "This is our first time in Colorado, and we're stoked to be here!"

"And we're stoked to have you, honey," I announced on behalf of all the girls in the room, though I was mostly teasing and trying to annoy Sara... which seemed to be working since she shot a glare at me.

Andy laughed and went on to introduce the next song, the name drowned out by the excited screams of the crowd. I was impressed by these guys, they were good and definitely along the lines of the music I listened to. I disliked the over-population of screaming, crying fangirls but I knew that was to be expected with any band of attractive young men. Their set was unfortunately short, but very good and definitely amusing. I applauded each song and made jokes as often as I could, despite the glares I got from many of the girls in the crowd and Sara.

It was nearing the end of the last song, and the wild crowd seemed to sense the inevitable leaving of the band. The singer reached his head out over the crowd, and that turned out to be a big mistake; one girl seized his hand, quickly joined by several others, and the ripped him from the stage into the crowd. I was laughing so that tears were streaming down my face, but I found myself being the only one other than security that was helping the shocked and wide-eyed boy back up to the stage. Next thing I knew, a piece of tattered cloth was being shoved into my hands and the poor boy was standing shirtless and looking very uncomfortable about that fact. Regardless of his seeming discomfort, he finished the song and, on the last note, dove right back into the sea of crazed fans. Security hurried to pull him back to the stage and he rushed off without another word.

"Well, I'm offended. He didn't even say goodbye," I said like a disappointed girl not getting a phone call from a boy she liked. I mocked a frown, watching the band tear down their set.

Sara grabbed wrist and we walked out to the venue lobby, where merch was being sold and Black Veil Brides was supposedly going to hang out to get pictures and do autographs. "So, what did you think?"

I shrugged, twirling the tattered cloth that was once Andy's shirt. "I liked it. They were better than I expected," I admitted with a smirk. And it was true, I even planned on buying their album when it was going to be released.

She eyed the ripped shirt cautiously. "You might want to hide that." She nodded toward a couple girls that looked ready to attack me and take the article of clothing from me, leaving me for dead if that's what it took. "If they kill you, I'll be all alone and that will be no fun."

I nodded and slipped it into my hoodie pocket, taking out the band shirt she had bought for me. I unfolded it and looked at the design. The switchblade made me think of Sweeney Todd and I resisted the urge to burst out singing Johanna.

We stood waiting patiently for the Brides to come out. We began chatting with a girl and her boyfriend, joking about kidnapping Andy and taking him home. Five minutes turned to ten and we were all still waiting, getting less and less patient by the minute. I eyed the room, spotting the guarded doorway the lead to the bar section of the venue where only 21+ and band member could get through, since the dressing rooms were through the door just beyond the bar. Don't ask how I knew that...

I debated for a minute before grabbing Sara's hand and holding it tightly, pushing my way through the thick crowd of people. I bumped and elbowed people to get out of my way, hoping this idea would work out the way I was hoping it would.

It was then Sara saw the direction we were headed, and she panicked as she noticed what was on the way. Yes, I had partially debated just leaving since this was starting to look like there would be no prospect of seeing these guys, but I knew Sara would kill me. And I kinda wanted to meet these guys too, honestly. "No, Rian! They'll be out any minute, I just know it!" She ripped her hand from mine and stood her ground stubbornly, glaring at me.

I rolled my eyes and struggled to grab her hand. "Oh my god, Sara, calm down! We're not leaving yet, just trust me. Jesus Christ, I swear..." I pushed toward the door, watching people move out of the way quicker when they noticed the direction we were heading, then turned more toward my destination. I glanced through the doorway, seeing the doors to the small rooms the bands hung out in before or after their set, then to the small food bar behind me. The smell of pizza called tenderly and my stomach growled.

I shoved the shirt into Sara's hands, "Have fun, I won't wait up for you." She didn't protest or ask any questions, she just stared tentatively through the doorway. I walked up to the bar and looked at the young man behind it. I smiled and started to tell him what I wanted, barely getting a word out before the whole room erupted in screaming. I turned my head to see exactly what I was expecting: the band had come out, just where I thought they had. They all looked fresh, not like they had just performed on a hot stage; Andy was even wearing a new shirt again. I laughed and looked back at the teenager behind the pizza bar, "They're like the emo Jonas Brothers or something." He laughed and asked me to repeat me what I wanted then getting it for me. I paid for the greasy triangle and walked back to where I had left Sara, but I wasn't surprised when she wasn't there.

Half an hour and another slice of pizza later, the lobby was mostly empty except for the band and a few people talking to them. It was a good time to pick to try and have an actual conversation since they were stuck in a loud sea of people begging for pictures and signatures, crying out for attention.

Sara walked over to me with a satisfied smile. "They're so cool."

I nodded vacantly, taking another bite from the second piece of pizza. I held it out, trying to break the stringy cheese, then looked at her, "Want some?"

She made a face of disgust, "Ew, no!" She laughed but took a couple steps back, bumping into one of the guys form the band. "Oops, sorry!"

I cackled at her and they all looked between her and I, looking like they were about to head back to where they had come from. "It's okay," the guy she had bumped into, his face paint looking a lot like Eric Draven from The Crow, said with a polite smile.

"Did we miss you?" Andy asked, eyes looking me over as his forehead creased in confusion. Having those bright eyes on me made me feel tingly and like butterflies were fluttering in my stomach.

I shrugged, chewing on my tongue piercing. "Well, not technically. Er, maybe, I guess." I shrugged again and sighed, seeing I was only being even more confusing. "I was gonna talk and get picture and stuff but I was too hungry." I held up the greasy half-triangle as my evidence.

A couple of them laughed, but my focus was mostly on Andy. He just nodded and half smiled, "Well, since you don't look hungry anymore, come with us back to the green room. Then we aren't back in the madhouse." He smirked.
The butterflies stirred, but I managed to keep a straight face when I distracted myself by quoting a song, "'It's a madhouse, or say they claim'." I got to my feet and threw the leftover pizza in the trash. "Alright. Can I bring my friend?" I pulled Sara to me in a half-hug, ignoring her embarrassed blush.

They all laughed and looked at each other, shrugging. "Yeah, sure," Andy said with a half smile before leading the way. They flashed their band lanyards to the woman guarding the door, then stopped when she grabbed Sara and I back.

"Whoa, hey there young ladies, nice try. Let me see some ID's." She looked between us for a moment then rolled her eyes, "Yeah, that's what I thought. 21 and up only. Try again in a couple years." She pushed us back roughly.

I opened my mouth to say something, giving the husky woman a nasty look, but was cut off by one of the guys, what looked like tiger stripes painted in black grease on his neck all the way down under his shirt: "They're with us. And they're not going to the bar, they're coming with us to the dressing rooms." They way he said it made it sound suspicious, but he flashed a sweet smile.

The woman looked even more reluctant. She tore her judgmental gaze from the band guy to Sara and me. "You girls at least over eighteen?" She shook her head before we even had a chance to react. "You know what, I don't want to know. I'm not your parents and that's not my job." She stepped back, "Alright, go. But if I see you two in the bar area, you're out, got it?"

Sara and I nodded vigorously and followed the guys through. We followed them through the bar area. "Wow, someone takes their job just a liiittle too seriously," I muttered, glancing back at the guard. Everyone stifled a laugh and we walked into the back area.

"Wow, nice place," I said with stale sarcasm, looking at the grungy graffiti and sharpied pictures and words on the walls. The dirty, tattered furniture looked older than my parents and had probably seen a lot more action than them.

Andy shrugged, looking around the room like he hadn't even noticed how disgusting it was. "You get used to it, I guess." He looked unfazed, like he had been in much worse places than this before. He sat on the dirty couch and looked at me. "So, what's your name?"

I blinked for a second, trying to compose the nerves of having those hypnotizing eyes on mine. It felt like being in a spotlight, especially when the others looked at me. "Rian. R-I-A-N."

His eyes seemed to go wide for a second and I half expected the usual "isn't that a boy's name" question, but was surprised when he said something else: "Wow, that's an interesting name. Very cool, unique." He grinned at me, making me wish he hadn't... I wondered how many bras had been thrown at him and how many girls ripped off their clothes because of that smile.

I averted my eyes, acting like I was inspecting the floor before sitting on it. "Yeah, thanks. I certainly like it." I cleared my throat and pulled my knees up, letting my hands drape over them lazily.

"Well, Rian," him saying my name made me smirk, "I'm Andy Six. This is Jake Pitts, Jinxx, Ashley Purdy, and Sandra." He pointed them out to me, clearly showing his leadership in the rag-tag gang as they all said a simple "nice to meet you" and smiled. "Jinxx and Sandra don't have last names," he stated with a careless shrug. He seemed to gain a strange energy as he sat up, putting his hands up in front of him, "And don't ask Sandra to take off her sunglasses, it's... Well, just trust me." He smirked, snickering like a little kid when Sandra smashed a pillow down on the top of his head.

I chuckled and half smiled, "I'll take your word for it." I looked at everyone, their black greasy faces helping me to remember who was who, and I smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Jake, the one whose war paint seemed less organized and just smeared on, grinned at me. "The pleasure is all ours." He shared a look with Andy for a minute before Andy just rolled his eyes, attempting to hide a smirk.

"I was just wondering..." I chewed on my lip for a minute, wondering how they'd react if I told them I was the one jesting them. It was just in good fun after all. "I was near the front of the crowd, and I wa-"

"You were near the front? Ugh, did you hear that chick yelling and taunting and shit? I was about ready to jump off the stage and teach her a lesson!" Sandra shook her head and took a sip from a bottle of what I figured was beer since her hands didn't have the black X's mine did.

I ducked my head a little and cleared my throat. I slowly raised my hand with an innocent smile, "Yeah, er, that was me. Sorry, I was just trying to have fun. I didn't mean to offend anyone or anything." Great, Rian, way to get yourself into the club then booted out.

Andy laughed sitting up and looking at me like I had just said the most interesting thing in the world. "You're joking! Damn, I thought that chick was awesome!" He grinned and laughed again when I shook my head.

I half smiled, feeling a lot less awkward about it. I looked down at my hands then back up at him. "Nah, that was me. Even ask her," I said, nudging Sara's leg with my shoulder. She seemed uncomfortable, standing there quietly with her nose in her phone as she pretended to be engrossed in texting. It was a nervous habit of hers.

"Hah, awesome! Someone that can pull off jesting a band without being annoying" - he ignored Sandra's scoff of a laugh - "is definitely cool in my book." He smirked and winked at me.

"Hey, Ri, we should probably get going... It's getting late and Motley will probably be worried." She looked at me and frowned, which was curious since she didn't seem to be having a good time. I knew that being backstage with a bunch of older guys probably put her on edge since rockstars had... reputations.

I waved my hand off and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, well, Motley can just wait; he's not my dad. Besides, I'm having a good time." I looked at the disapproving look on her face and locked a groan in my throat. "Do you want to leave?" She nodded slowly and I sighed, pushing myself up to my feet. "Well, on that note..."

"We can take you home," Jake offered quickly, smiling. "We can drop you off in the van when we head back to the hotel!" Something about his offer made it seem like he really wasn't ready for us to leave.

Sara bit her lip nervously and shook her head. "Thanks but I'm sure it's out of your way, so we really couldn't take that offer." I forced myself to nod, not wanting to be a burden on them despite wanting to stay and hang out more.

"Nah, it wouldn't be a problem! Come on, please?" He widened his eyes and pouted, trying to give the most pathetic and pleading face he could manage. I had to admit, it was pretty persuasive.

Sara held up her hand for a moment, then pulled me to the little area outside the door. She looked at the Brides, then back to me. "I don't feel comfortable with it. Rockstars don't usually just want to hang out with pretty girls like us..."
I resisted the urge to scoff a laugh at her "pretty girls like us" comment. I looked at them then back to her. I shrugged, "I really don't want to leave, to be honest. But we can leave if you really want to?"

She didn't say anything for a long time. She just looked between the band and me, obviously thinking the situation over. Eventually she sighed and shook her head. "Alright, give me your keys." She held her hand out.

I laughed and unhooked my keys from my belt loop. "Alright, but be careful with her!" I went to hand them to her, pulling them back quickly when she tried to take them. I snickered and handed her my keys for real. "Tell him I'll be home later tonight, okay?"

She nodded with a smile. She walked with me back into the room. "Okay, I'm gonna leave. Keep her as long as you want," she teased, bumping me with her hip. "It was really great to meet you all and I can't wait until you come back to Colorado." She gave me a half hug then walked out. "MOTLEY'LL KILL YOU IF YOU RUN AWAY WITH THEM, YOU KNOW," she hollered back as soon as she was out of the room.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, laughing. He probably would, but I wasn't planning on adopting the groupie lifestyle and following a band. At least, not a band that I had just heard of a met tonight. My favorite band, maybe, but not some newbs. Even newbs as cools as these guys.

Jinxx chuckled quickly and shook his head. He looked at me with a smile, "So, is she your sister?"

"Sara?" I laughed and shook my head. "No, we get that a lot though. I don't even live in Denver, to be honest." I shrugged.

Andy tilted his head curiously. "Oh, really? Where do you live then?" He had been quiet from the time Sara suggested leaving, like a switch had been flipped on his want to be social. And now that switch seemed to have been flipped again. It was like some weird social bi-polarism or something.

I hooked my thumbs in the pockets of my skinny jeans and leaned back against the wall, crossing my legs. "I live in Colorado Springs." I shrugged, as if they would even know where that was.

"Oh cool. How far is that from here? Like, drive time?"

I smirked and raised a brow. "Stalker much, Mr. Six?" I snickered and chewed on my tongue piercing. I thought for a second then shrugged again. "I guess it's about an hour, give or take."

"Oh wow, and you drove all the way out here to see us?" Jinxx looked shocked, like driving an hour to see a band was ridiculous. It was something I had done often, but not for little bands like this unless I really loved them and wanted to support them.

I shook my head. "Actually, no. I was staying with Sara for a little while, just to be in Denver. She wanted me to come here to see you guys so she wouldn't be alone." I sighed, blowing stray hair from my face. "Honestly, I'd never even heard of you guys before tonight. Sorry I'm not the big 'support underground bands' girl you think I am." I chuckled and half shrugged, smiling. I wanted to find a way to make that seem a bit less... I don't know, but it just didn't feel right to say that. "I'm really glad I came, though. You guys are awesome and I'm glad to have the chance to sit down and talk with you all."

"I'm glad you came too," Andy said, his voice deep in his throat. It made a shiver run down my spine the same way it had early that evening.

I saw Ashley smirk at the others, then he made a face at Andy, but he said nothing. Andy seemed to not notice the reaction of his bandmates, all his focus seemed to be on me. He bit his lip and I quickly averted my eyes, that same wonder of the effects his faces had on girls.

I slowly met his eyes again and smirked, raising a brow. "Oh really? And why is that?" I bit my lip to keep from grinning like an idiot, wondering just how he'd react to that.

His eyes went wide, like he had just realized what he had said. He looked down at the floor, not say anything, and I felt victorious. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked back at me, opening his mouth to say something but stopping and looking over toward the door as a guy poked his head in.

"Hey guys, it's closing time. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here." He looked at me for a minute, then turned and left.

"Let's go out to the parking lot. I need a cigarette anyway." Andy stood up and grabbed a backpack from the floor before walking out a backdoor. The others followed shortly, each grabbing their own bag.

I stepped out the door when Jake held it for me and was instantly greeted by a blast of ice cold wind. "Holy shit," I squeaked, shivering.

"You okay?" Jake stepped up behind me and put a hand on my back tenderly, his face had mild concern written on it.

I nodded with an embarrassed laugh. "Yeah, that was just really cold. I wasn't expecting it." I rubbed my arms as Jake and I walked over to join the rest of the band. "So, uh, what hotel are you guys saying at?"

Andy scoffed a bitter laugh and rolled his eyes. "Fucking Holiday Inn." He pulled a cigarette carton from his jeans pocket and slid out one of the sticks, "We can't afford anything like the Ritz-Carlton, unlike the Black Eyed Peas and Ludacris," he stated, his tone bitter and annoyed. He looked up at me, "Do you know how many stupid groupie wannabes came up to me today thinking those tour buses were ours? 'Why don't you take us back to your bus and we can have some fun?'" His imitation of the girls made me laugh. He pat down his pants and jacket before sighing and looking at Jake, "Can I get a hand here?"

Jake lit his cigarette and took a quick drag before clapping. He smirked, obviously amused with himself, before handing over his lighter.

"Smartass," Andy muttered, rolling his eyes and trying to hold back an amused smile. He lit the cigarette and took a drag before looking at me a little reluctantly. "Want one?"

I smirked and nodded, pulling out a cigarette when Andy offered the carton to me. He handed me Jake's lighter and I lit the cancer stick, taking a drag. I gave Jake his lighter back and pulled the cigarette from my lips, inspecting it. "I really shouldn't smoke these things... Lost my gran to lung cancer." I rolled my eyes and sighed. I had sworn off smoking that night when I got the call from the cops, but it had been such a stressful time that I hadn't been able to give it up.

Everyone was silent, seeming to be in their own thoughts. I looked up to see Andy staring at me, quickly averting his eyes when I caught him. I half smiled and took a drag from my cigarette as he stiffened and cleared his throat. "So, what now?"

Everybody shrugged. "Let's go back to the hotel. I need a drink and some sleep," Ashley mumbled, sounding tired. "And a girl if I can manage it." His eyes wandered to mine and he winked then laughed, shaking his head. "You can't be over eighteen." He sounded so sure of that statement.

I raised a brow, taking a slow drag. I eyed him for a minute. "I'm eighteen on the dot, actually. Thanks, though, that was flattering." He wasn't getting me, though. Nope, no sleeping with rockstars for miss Rian. Way too much drama.

"Come on, man," Andy muttered, his voice deep and some-what annoyed. He looked at me and shook his head, "He's just joking." His eyes stayed on mine for longer than necessary, and he caught himself. "What do you say, Rian? Wanna come hang out at the hotel for a little while?" he asked, looking at the ground as he tapped the ash from the end of his cigarette.

I nodded with a shrug, "Yeah, sure. Maybe I can help Ashley find a hot piece of ass." I hadn't meant to make that last part sound so judgmental or sarcastic, so I winked at him. I made a face and half smiled, "A hot piece of ass that isn't me, that is."

Everybody laughed, including Ashley, and we finished our smokes before making our way to the van. They looked at the gear that took up the back seat that apparently didn't fit in the trailer hitched behind the van. "Well, guess you get to sit in someone's lap," Ashley said in fake disappointment.

I stuck my tongue out at him and crossed my arms. "Whatever, it won't be you, pervert." I winked and nudged him with my elbow, laughing to show I was only joking.

Jinxx and Sandra put their hands up, climbing into the van, leaving Jake and Andy to duke it out. They looked at each other quickly before raising their hands, Andy having his up first. "Hah, take that, Pitts!" Andy cleared his throat and looked at me with a smirk, "M'lady?"

I rolled my eyes and took the hand he held out. "You need to get in first though, genius." He chuckled and climbed into the van, helping me in and onto his lap. "Yeah, this isn't awkward at all." He laughed and pulled the seat belt over us, making me have to lean back against him so it would click. I turned my head to look at him, our faces inches apart. "Hello there, friend. There are no personal space boundaries between us, are there?" I chucked nervously, facing forward again.