Love on the Brain

“I still can’t recall anything from Friday,” Olivia admitted, her chin resting in her hand, as laughter filled the table.

“You were so fucking drunk!” Tracey smacked her hand against the table, her body shaking with laughter as the blurry memories entered her head again.

Jade listened as the girls chatted about the night she’d want to forget, meanwhile she stabbed her fork into her chicken, not hungry enough to slip her knife through the meat and push it between her lips.

“It was fun, though! Sierra, you gotta host these nights more often,” Olivia ordered, as she brushed a stray of straight black hair over her back, before her fingertips started playing with her golden earring.

“Yeah! We never drink,” Lauren agreed, glancing over at Sierra, who was dipping her fry into some ketchup.

“I know! I’ll arrange another one when my mom’s gone again,” the other girl promised, a smile curving her glossy lips, before she stuffed the fry into her mouth.

“And then I promise that J’s gonna bring alcohol as well,” her cousin nudged the brunette that was sitting next to her.

Jade rolled her eyes, as she had decided to ignore the look on Olivia’s face. Just as she was about to open her mouth, someone called out for her, as Jade turned around and noticed Valary, who had stopped by their table.

“Hey, Jade! You’re still coming to the concert, right?” the black-haired girl asked, a friendly look remaining on her face, as the brunette looked up at her.

“Yeah, of course. A promise is a promise,” Jade responded, returning the soft smile that painted Val’s lips.

“Cool! Michy is so stoked, seriously,” Val insured her.

“Yeah, I can tell,” the other girl giggled.

“It’s gonna be so much fun! I’ll see you later,” Valary’s black fingernails hooked around the leather strap of her bag, as the girl went to join her boyfriend and his friends at the other end of the cafeteria.

Jade soon returned to the conversation she had jumped out of, only to be greeted by Olivia’s judging expression.

“What the hell was that about?” her dark eyebrows climbed high on her forehead as she looked at her cousin.

“Nothing,” Jade shrugged.

“Didn’t look like it. What concert? Are you befriending Brian now? I thought you hated him,”

“Oli, I would never befriend Brian, get a grip! I’m just going to a concert with Michelle and Val,” Jade insured her cousin.

“Are you seriously calling her Val, now? J, come on,” Olivia rolled her eyes. “The next thing that happens is that you’re turning up at school with black lipstick and the same slutty mini skirts as Valary,” she half-snapped.

Jade’s eyes widened at the way Olivia referred to other girls, before she pursed her lips, realizing that it was no point in arguing with her cousin about this. She was going to the concert regardless of what Olivia said.

***

“Your parents are just too sweet!” Michelle exclaimed, her legs crossed as she was sitting at the edge of Jade’s bed, meanwhile her new friend was digging through her own closet.

Michelle had tied her blonde hair into a high ponytail and had borrowed one of Valary’s purple mini skirts. Underneath the skirt was a pair of hot pink tights, and she was also wearing a torn Metallica tank-top and a pair of worn out black converse. Michelle’s eyes had been framed by a light smokey eye and her lips were glossy.

“I have no idea what I’m gonna wear. I’ve never been to these kinds of things before,” Jade admitted, her brown eyes scanning through every shelf in her closet.

It was no secret that she hadn’t been exposed to this kind of music before, and her style usually consisted of articles with flowers prints and flats. Needless to say her style was nothing like what Val would wear.

“Do you have like torn tights or something?” Michelle asked, before she stuffed the rest of the cookie Jade’s mother had made into her mouth.

“Not at all. My mom hates that kind of things. If she sees a little hole in a tights, she freaks out and throws it away,” Jade told her friend, whose eyes widened.

“Wow, okay,” Michelle chuckled, as she pushed herself off the bed and strode towards her friend. The blonde girl tugged some of her hair behind her earlobe and allowed her eyes to examine Jade’s closet.

Michelle soon pulled out a pair of faded dark jeans and all but shoved them into Jade’s hands. “These are cool,” Michelle pointed out.

“I don’t wanna wear all black,” Jade warned.

“What about this one?” Michelle had found a vanilla coloured top.

“Great,” the brunette agreed.

“Oh, and these are cool!” the other girl had noticed her Comme des Garcons converse that had the same colour as the t-shirt. “This is very casual, but not boring,” Michelle expressed.

“Exactly what I need,” Jade smirked. “Thanks,”

After getting dressed, the brunette pulled her hair into her signature ponytail, and then bronzed up her cheekbones and finished it with some light mascara.

“No dark lipstick? No crazy eyeliner?” Michelle gasped, as it was obvious that she tried to sound like her cousin.

Jade turned around and looked at her, sticking her tongue out at Michelle, who just giggled back.

“Look, Michelle, you can’t leave me tonight,” the brunette warned her. “Like seriously,”

“Oh, sweetie! I would never!” Michelle promised her friend.

“I mean it! I’ve never been to a concert before, and I have no idea what to expect,” Jade blurted out.

“Jade, this is gonna be so much fun! I’ll be by your side the entire time, and I’m gonna introduce you to Johnny!” the blonde girl wrapped her arm around Jade’s shoulders and pulled her in for a hug.

“Thanks, Michelle,” the brunette smiled brightly at her friend.

“No, honey! Thank you for coming!”

***

Jade looked at the red hallway in front of them, as the sound of bashing cymbals reached her ears. Michelle slipped her fingers around her wrist and dragged her friend along with her across the hallway and passed a heavy door.

“Michelle! Jade!” Val got up from the couch, her fingers hooked around an ice-cold can of Heineken, meanwhile her fingers were also clutching a cigarette.

The black-haired girl walked over to her sister, her arms already stretched out as she pulled her blonde twin into her chest, looking as though she hadn’t seen her in a while.

Valary was dressed in an oversized Iron Maiden t-shirt, a pair of tight black shorts that were almost entirely covered by the merch and some already torn fishnets. As Jade’s eyes trailed down the girl’s outfit, she noticed a pair of bright red shiny Dr. Martens that had been poorly laced.

“You’re rocking that look tonight, Michy,” Val’s arm remained around her sister’s shoulders, meanwhile Jade looked at the resemblance in the two of them.

Her dark eyes soon rolled over the rest of the room, noticing the heavy smell of smoke that disturbed her nostrils, as well as the different instruments that had been abandoned by the guys. The only one remaining in the room with Val was Jimmy, who had disconnected from everything around him with his earplugs and drumsticks.

“It’s so cool that you came!” Val announced, turning her attention towards Jade, as she let go of her sister in order to greet the brunette.

“Of course!” Jade retorted, feeling the shivers that went down her back by the sensation of Val’s cold beer against her back.

“Where’s the guys?” Michelle asked, her eyes clearly searching for someone.

“The guys just went out to get their beer, they’ll be back soon,” the raven-haired girl said. “Ey, Rev! Get your ass away from your drums!” Valary all but yelled at the drummer, who soon glanced up at the three girls.

“Shit!” Jimmy’s lips turned into a massive grin, as he stuffed his drumsticks into pocket of his jeans and walked over to the girls.

“Hi, Jimmy,” Michelle greeted him, a sincere smile on her lips.

“You guys look amazing!” the raven-haired drummer smiled, soon bringing his slender arms around both Jade and Michelle, as he squeezed the two of them in one big hug.

Jade was taken by surprise as Jimmy pressed her into his chest and held her close to him for a brief moment, before his ridiculously long arms left her body.

Just as the brunette managed to look over her shoulder, she noticed the rest of the band, as the guys made their way into the room.

“Fuck, I’m getting nervous,” the one Olivia had introduced as Matt, said, while he wrapped his muscular arm around Val’s hips and pulled the dark-haired girl closer to him.

“It’s gonna be awesome, babe,” Val insured her boyfriend, as she allowed her hands to rest on top of his palms, before she tilted her head and pressed her lips lightly against his.

“Quit the crap, you guys!” another raven-haired guy made an unpleasant sound, as he looked as though he was about to vomit.

Matt responded by smacking the back of his head, before he returned to Valary.

“Michelle, can you please make your sister stop seducing our singer?” Jimmy said to the blonde girl, who only giggled in response.

“I’ve tried so many times, Jim,” she promised, as her twin stuck her tongue out to her sister.

“Are you seriously not coming?” an annoyed Brian voiced over his phone, his hand holding unto a beer, meanwhile he placed a new cigarette behind his earlobe as the person on the other end responded to him.

“Babe, this is like the biggest gig,” the guy muffled. “Why can’t you just ditch her for once?” a sigh left Brian’s thin lips as he seemed as though he was losing the battle. “Fine. See ya,” the guy rolled his eyes, before he shoved his phone into the pocket of his torn jeans.

“Trouble in paradise?” Matt asked, looking almost amused, as he earned himself a view of Brian’s middle finger.

“Fuck off, let’s just get to it,” Brian spat back harshly, just as he looked up and looked straight into a pair of dark brown eyes he didn’t expect to see.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, looking over at Jade, who looked anything but amused.

“Hello to you too,” sarcasm was dripping from her voice, as she all but forced her lips into an ironic smile.

“Do you guys know each other?” Zacky asked, his hands already holding unto his guitar, meanwhile he glanced between the two of them.

The tension had already settled between Brian and Jade, and everybody in the room noticed that it was no good.

“She’s my chemistry partner,” Brian mumbled.

"Was," Jade corrected him, as she’d recently freed herself from the pain of being his chemistry partner.

“Whatever,” Brian just rolled his eyes.

“And you’re friends with Michelle?” Zacky asked, looking as though he needed to get this confirm, which Jade did by nodding.

“Shit, you must have had the worst impression of your chemistry class,” Matt chuckled, his arms still draped around his girlfriend.

Jade’s lips curled into a smile, as it amused her how his friends mocked him. “Basically,” she agreed, ignoring the way Brian rolled his eyes again.

“Okay, but can you leave now? We’re gonna practice,” the cocky guitarist said, glaring at the brunette.

“Wow, don’t be rude! You’re not that famous yet,” Jimmy fired out from behind his drumkit.

“Also, she’s not here to see you, Bri. She’s here to see everyone else,” Valary stated, her arms crossed over her chest.

“What’s there to see then?” Brian cocked his eyebrows, a shit-eating grin on his lips, meanwhile literally everyone else rolled their eyes.

“Okay, that’s enough Syn for today. Let’s go through set-list one last time,” Zacky said.

“Come on, girls. Let’s get out of here,” Valary announced, as both Michelle and Jade tagged along after the raven-haired girl.