Best of Me

April 3, 2009
The Phoenix heat was searing, and I relished the feeling on my skin. I slipped my wayfarers on, and surveyed the venue. Mesa Amphitheatre was a large, outside stage, and one of the biggest places we’d played. I saw Fall Out Boy doing their meet and greet, and I made my way over to the stage. I saw Jersey from Hey Monday riding around side-stage on a scooter, and waved. He waved back, and by taking a hand off of the handlebar, he crashed into a speaker. An annoyed sound tech grabbed some of the cords that were collateral damage of the fall, and started putting them back in their correct positions. I ran over to Jersey and helped him up.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Jersey grabbed my hand, grinning. “Yeah. Mike gave me this scooter as a joke, and he kept telling me that I’d bust my ass.”
I smiled back at him. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
“Deal.” He agreed, and scootered back towards the busses.
I shook my head, and watched as someone moved the Arcadia signs behind Hey Monday’s. I grinned. Seeing the signs for my band made it that much more real. I gave Pete a small wave, and ducked back behind the curtains. As I turned around to go back to the busses, I ran headlong into Alex Gaskarth. My face went up to chest, so I smacked my nose on his sternum.
“Ow.” I said, rubbing my face where it hit him.
“Sorry. That’s the last time I sneak up on you.” He said, grinning. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I replied, dropping my hand back to my side. “How are you doing? I haven’t seen you since Warped.”
“I’ve been great. Ready to get this tour started right.” He replied. Alex and I had only met in passing at Warped Tour, so I didn’t have much to talk about.
“Me too. Tonight is going to be crazy.” I moved to go back to the busses. “It was good to see you.”
Alex smiled at me. “It was good to see you, too. I really hope we get to know each other better.” He pulled me in for a hug, and he smelled like cologne and fresh cut grass. I squeezed him back, and as I walked back to my bus, a rampage of butterflies hit me like a train. There was no way I could have a crush on Alex Gaskarth. I’d heard enough to know that he was a huge flirt, and slept with anyone that said yes. Besides, I’d only talked to him once. Sure, he was cute, and sure, he knew how to be charming. But that didn’t work on me. I knew better.

“You fuckers ready?” I asked, opening the door to my bus with a bang.
“Hell yeah!” Jack yelled from the kitchen. He and Rian were making Easy Mac, and Zack was messing around with his bass.
“I saw the venue. It’s definitely bigger than what we usually play. I can’t wait to see the crowd.” I collapsed on the couch in the front lounge, and contemplated asking Jack and Rian for Easy Mac. My stomach was feeling oddly fluttery since running into Savannah.
“This is going to be a kickass tour. Have you guys seen any of the other bands yet?” Zack asked, putting his bass down.
“I saw Gabe and Nate! They were filming for some web series that they’re going to do.” Jack said through a mouthful of mac and cheese.
“I saw Mike and Jersey from Hey Monday, but they didn’t know where Cassadee was.” Rian said.
“Were you looking for Cassadee specifically?” I asked, eyebrows raised.
“Oh! Um, no. I was just by their bus and asked where everyone was.” Rian said, breaking eye contact with me.
“Mhmm.” Zack said, sarcastically. “I’m sure that’s what happened.”
Rian rolled his eyes, and I blurted out, “I saw Savannah.”
“Really? She’s pretty hot.” Jack commented.
“Shut up, dude. It never ends well when you sleep with someone on tour.” Zack said, picking his bass back up again.
I remained silent, thinking about the encounter. She was beautiful, and she had a smile that made it impossible to be in a bad mood. I truly did want to get to know her better, but oddly enough, sex wasn’t the only reason why.

I watched from the side left stage as Acadia played their set. Savannah had an insane stage presence, interacting with the fans, putting emotion into her songs, and nailing every note. Her presence was accentuated by Logan’s energy, and Levi’s crazy head banging. Leo was giving it his all on the drums, and his double pedal kit was a bright, sleek red. I had never seen Acadia perform before, but their music was getting big, fast. Their new record was slated to release around the same time as ours, and I had heard that it was projected to go on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Are you guys ready for All Time Low?” Savannah asked the crowd, and I heard the enormous roar of the fans. She looked over at me from the stage, and gave me a cheeky smile. “Let me tell you, Phoenix, they’re ready for you! How about Cobra Starship?” She continued.
My stomach did flip flops, and I was surprised at myself. God, I had just met her.
‘Was she flirting with me?’ I wondered to myself, watching her as they started playing their last song. Her voice was strong and clear, and she seemed to have a remarkable range. I wanted to hear more, but they soon hit their last notes.
“Thank you, Phoenix! We’re Acadia!” Savannah put her microphone back on the stand, and Logan grabbed his before exiting stage right.
“We can’t wait you see you sexy fuckers again!”
Cheers went up at his exclamation, and Leo hit his cymbals one last time. As the venue lights went up and techs swarmed the stage to get it ready for us, I wandered backstage to get ready.