Xandrilla

Pulsating...

My body was pulsating.

The music was running through my veins; in and out of my ears, shivering up my spine, pulsating throughout my body… I was really enjoying this concert. It’s as if I had no control over my actions because I was sporadically jumping up and down to the heavy bass, waving my hands up and down to the beat, and sloshing my Smirnoff around in my cup. My gaze traveled from the concert stage to my friends next to me who were sloshing their drinks and jumping up and down as well. My God. Everyone in this room was in-tune with this concert. The strobe lights flickered back and forth, up and down, all while changing different colors to the music. Everyone was going crazy, singing along to the live band as the lead singer held the microphone out to the audience to participate. The House of Blues was hopping tonight! I love this band, and obviously so does everyone else.

A big smile spread across my face as my friend Luke and I made eye contact. He grabbed my shoulder and I stopped my banshee jumping to lean into him, “Xandrilla is by far my favorite band. Thanks so much for talking me into coming tonight!” I yelled to him over the loud music, I could barely hear myself talk, let alone think right now… this is my third Smirnoff.

“No problem, Audra!” He cooed and turned me to face him, “Nolan, Mia, and I figured you’d get into it. Plus you needed a night to get away from reality, and that asshole ex-boyfriend of yours.”

I rolled my eyes at his comment as he put his hands around my waist. My boyfriend had just recently became my “ex” boyfriend yesterday after I walked in on him hooking up with one of our old friends from high school. Needless to say, she isn’t my friend anymore, and I left his apartment in tears after raging out and destroying all his shit on my way out the door. I definitely needed a night out, a few drinks, and my group of friends… but maybe Luke could back off a little…

I shook my head in disgust and stepped away, suddenly not feeling as drunk as I thought I was, or wanted to be, “I don’t even wanna talk about it, Luke.”

“Talk about what?” Mia jumped in. She had turned around just in time to catch my eye roll.

“It’s so loud in here, why don’t we save this discussion for later… or never,” I yelled out. I’m trying my best to ignore talking about this but Mia is my best friend and she sees right through me, considering we have been close for about eight years now.

“Audra, Audra, Audra. You know you’re going to have to get over Mr. Douchebag at some point in time. Why not start tonight? We’re trying to have fun here! And Luke is trying to cop a feel…”

“Whoa, Mia!” Luke blurted, “I’m just trying to be a good friend here. Although, you are looking mighty fine tonight, Aud.”

I gazed down at myself, forgetting what I had worn tonight to this concert. Oh, yeah… a dress. A skater style dress, black with little red and white roses placed throughout the material. My feet decked out in my comfy black Vans. My dark brown hair tousled around my face and down my back. My heavy eye makeup and mahogany lips. Okay, Luke is right… I clean up pretty well for just spending the whole night before crying my eyes out and puffing up like a red tomato.

“Yo, yo! I bought us another round of drinks!” Nolan screamed as he pushed his way through the audience carrying four cups, two in each hand.

I snapped back into reality, and Luke looked betrayed that I shunned his gestures.

Mia grabbed Nolan’s tattooed bicep and pulled him into our little circle, “Thanks babe! Audra’s in dire need of some more liquor! Don’t worry love, we’ll have a cab take us home tonight.”

I grabbed a cup from Nolan’s hand and stacked it inside of my now empty Smirnoff cup, “Thanks Nolan, cheers!”

Xandrilla finished their song and the crowd settled down a little as the strobe lights stopped flickering. The lead singer flashed the crowd with a bright white smile and held the microphone up to his lips and he set his guitar down in its stand, “Is everyone having a good time tonight?!”

The crowd went wild with cheers, hoots, and hollers, “Now, most of you know who we are, but for those of you who don’t, we are Xandrilla! My name is Xander, I started our band here with my brother Benji,” he pointed to his brother who plays the drums towards the back of the stage, “Benji and I found Cage and Sam over here, then the next thing we knew, we were touring and promoting our three debut albums. Now here we are, partying it up with all of you! Who’s ready to finish blowing the motherfucking roof off this place?!”

Once again, the crowd went wild. Mia, Nolan, and Luke stood next to me raising their drinks in the air. I smiled towards them and turned my attention back to the stage. With the spotlight shining on Xandrilla, I couldn’t help but start to admire Xander. The way his muscles twitched under his tattooed arms, how his gray v-neck clung to his chest, the way his black jeans hung around his hips, and how his messy spiked black hair made me wish I was running my fingers through it. Damn. This man was fine. That thought caught me off guard, and I caught myself biting my bottom lip as I watched Xander pace back and forth on the stage talking to the audience. He kept flashing everyone his white smile and I wished I was kissing those lips that curved around the microphone in his hand. Yes…

Mia nudged my side, knocking me out of my daze, “Isn’t he hot? It has to be all those tattoos.”

I nodded and laughed, “I was just thinking the same thing… those lips, that smile, his voice. Argh, I already feel myself getting over Mr. Douchebag!”

Mia laughed, “That-a-girl!”

Nolan turned and gave Mia a knowing look, “You know, I am your boyfriend and I am standing right next to you.”

“Honey, a girl can look, I just can’t touch!”

Nolan smiled at her and pulled her closer to his side, “Whatever babe.”

Xander announced that they were about to start their next song, but wanted to inform the audience of the after-party that was taking place after the concert was over, “When you purchased your tickets for the concert tonight, some of them had a black barcode on the back. Scratch the barcode off. If it’s red underneath, then you’re invited to join us tonight after the show. There will be about… 30 of you.” Keep in mind, this was a House of Blues concert, so there were at least a couple hundred people jammed into this concert room.

There was a lot of shuffling around the audience as we all fumbled to find our tickets. Some of us drunk, high, or sober. I had shoved my ticket down inside of my bra because, hey, if that’s not a safe place for a ticket then I don’t know what is. Nolan, Luke, Mia, and I held our tickets out in front of us and began scratching at the black barcode. A few “Yes!” and “Woohoo!” hollers burst randomly throughout the concert room as some random, lucky winners round a red line under their black barcode. Luke’s face shot up with excitement as he revealed a red line. I gazed down at my ticket and scratched a little harder. I haven’t had the best of luck lately, what would be the chances that I have a red… Holy shit.

I squealed and turned to my friends, waving my ticket, “I got it too!”

Luke seemed thrilled, “Shit! I’m so excited, we get to party with Xandrilla together!”

Mia and Nolan didn’t get so lucky with their tickets unfortunately, but they were happy beyond belief that Luke and I did, “That’s quite okay with me, just means that I get to spend a little alone time with you tonight,” Nolan smirked towards Mia, who in return smirked back, all knowing what they truly meant.

“Hey, as long as Luke and I don’t come back to the apartment and walk in on some nasty sex, you guys have at it! I just can’t believe I got so lucky with this! Out of all these people, I had a red line!” Maybe my luck is turning around…