Love on the Brain

A small crowd had gathered around the small stage, drunken teenagers cheering, as the young band had stepped unto the stage, the guys plugging in their instruments and glancing at the crowd in front of them. A slick smirk decorated Jimmy’s lips as he settled himself behind his drum-kit, getting a nice view of the crowd in front him.

Both Zacky and Matt were unable to clean off their grins, meanwhile Brian on the other hand was busy fixing the sound of his guitar, ignoring the crowd, as he was still bugged by the fact that Maddie had ditched him for the night.

“Hello, fuckers!” Matt bellowed into his microphone, as he started playing with his silver lip-ring with his teeth, watching as the crowd yelled back at him.

“This is our first concert, and we couldn’t be more honoured to play it in front of you guys!” the singer went on, followed by Jimmy who smashed his cymbals in the background, unable to maintain quiet.

“Come on, we gotta stand in the front!” Valary demanded, as she grabbed both Michelle’s and Jade’s wrists, and started pushing through the crowd so that she could have the best view of the band.

The sound of rough guitars met Jade’s ears, and seconds later everybody started pushing, as Jade’s body was forced against the cold rail, her hands holding unto it. The brunette noticed how Valary banged her head along to the music, her black hair flying through the air, meanwhile her twin joined her, as they moved their bodies along with the rough music.

Jade felt more or less nervous, as she was swaying her body shyly from one side to the other, her dark eyes fixed upon the view of the guys, who were all completely lost in their own music.

Brian’s fingers swept over the neck of his black guitar, his half-long hair banging along the music, meanwhile he all but pushed his mates aside in order to enjoy the centre of attention all by himself.

“Johnny!” Michelle yelled, her eyes looking over her shoulder, as the blonde had noticed her friend.

A short guy with a rough mohawk and shaved sides. The guy soon managed to squeeze himself through the crowd, as he allowed his fingers to grab the rail. “Shit, they’re really good!” Johnny yelled.

As their first song ended, people were lifting cans of beers and yelling. The huge smirk on Matt’s lips never faded, as he took his time to gently move around on the little space he had, as he introduced the crowd to their next song.

Jimmy twirled his drumstick in his hand, as his pedals kept speeding up, meanwhile Zacky and Brian were leaning against one another and harmonizing their sound perfectly.

Jade felt how her hair started flying in the air, as red lights swept through the room, gliding over her face, meanwhile she moved her body along to the music, genuinely enjoying the music.

Michelle’s face brightened up as she saw how Jade finally seemed to let loose. Her body was moving along to the music, and she looked like she was really having a good time. The blonde girl freed her hair, her bangs slipping down her back, before Michelle drove her hand through her butter blonde hair.

“Shit, you guys are incredible!” a less nervous Matt growled from his microphone, as the band had reached their last song.

Once again Jimmy made noise from his drum-kit, making Jade smile as it appeared to be his lucky charm.

“This is our last song,” just as the words slipped through his mouth, the crowd made an unpleasant sound. “Hey, I know! But this won’t be our last concert, right Syn?” the singer turned to his guitarist, who smirked at the crowd in front of him.

“But anyway,” Matt went on. “We’re gonna play one last song for you guys, so get ready for The Art of Subconscious Illusion!" the vocalist all but growled into his microphone, just as he bent forward and reached out his hand for his girlfriend, who gladly accepted it.

Valary soon pushed her body so that her feet were balancing on the railing, as she accepted Matt’s hand and jumped unto the stage, her boyfriend’s hands holding unto her waist. The raven-haired girl soon snatched the microphone that had been standing in front of Brian, as she allowed her entire body to feel the intense rhythm of the song.

Jade watched in awe as Valary banged her head, her black hair sweeping through the air, meanwhile she poured her growling vocals into the microphone, her hands cupping the entire head of it. The crowd went wild at the sight of Valary and Matt, uniting on stage, as she challenged Brian’s alter ego by standing in the front of the stage with her partner.

“She’s amazing!” Michelle exclaimed, nudging the brunette girl, who was mesmerized by the sight of Valary, as the concert ended powerfully.

“Valary DiBenedetto, fuckers!” Matt held her hand, as the raven-haired girl bowed all but gracefully in front of the crowd, before she went to hug her boyfriend.

“That was,” Johnny Seward started, whipping some sweat from his forehead by using the back of his hand. “Sick,” he finished, his chest heavy.

“They’re so freaking good!” Michelle exclaimed, unable to hide the satisfied smile on her lips. “Come on, guys! I gotta introduce you to the guys, Johnny!” the blonde said, as she grabbed a hold of her friends.

Just as Michelle pushed her way through the crowd and towards her friends, an older man with long dark hair that slipped down his back had stopped the band. The man had silver earrings in both of his ears, and he was dressed in a torn Slayer tank top that revealed his heavily tattooed arms.

“Ey, kid,” the man said, glancing over at Matt, who was holding unto a bottle of water. “You kids are good. I mean, there’s a lot of potential here,” he stated.

“Thanks a lot!” Matt couldn’t resist the smile that made his dimples pop out, meanwhile Valary grabbed her stuff and stood next to her boyfriend.

“I’m Phillip. I used to play in a band when I was at your age. You guys could really come far,” the man said, nodding slowly to himself.

“Really? That’s awesome to hear,” Zacky exclaimed, his fingers hooked around the neck of his guitar.

“Oh, yes, I believe that! But ey, what happened with the bass?” the man’s shabby eyebrows climbed high on his forehead. “One can never accept a metal band without a bassist. You kids gotta step up that game!” he went on.

Zacky and Matt exchanged a look. “Yeah, totally. We just haven’t found one yet,” Matt admitted.

“Well, you’re still young, so you have a lot of time to do so. Good luck, kids!” the man nodded, smiling sincerely at them, before he turned around and walked over to the bar again.

“Shit, that’s so cool!” Zacky nudged Matt’s shoulder, not able to resist the squeal that rested in his throat.

“Can’t believe that older metalheads are acknowledging us!” Jimmy exclaimed, his fingers still twirling his drumsticks. “Are you guys ready for the fucking afterparty?” the drummer said, meanwhile he wrapped his arms around Matt and Zacky.

“Hell yes! Did you get the pot?” Zacky asked, glancing over at the drummer, who smirked back.

“Of course I did! I’m Jimmy fucking Sullivan!” Jimmy looked almost offended, before he dug into his pocket and threw a tiny bag at his guitarist. “Finest shit you’ll ever see, let me tell you!”

“You guys were incredible!” Michelle exclaimed, as she went to hug her sister, whose chest was still breathing heavily after her little perfomance.

“That’s awesome to hear! Did you have a good time, Jade? I mean, despite the fact that you had to see Brian,” Zacky sniggered, as the other guitarist all but smacked the back of his head.

“Fuck off!” Brian snapped.

“I actually did! You guys are really good,” the brunette smiled brightly, taking Brian by surprise, as he allowed his dark orbs to sweep over her face.

“Hey, guys! There’s someone I want you to meet,” Michelle started, twirling a stray of blonde hair around her index finger. “This is Johnny Seward! He’s a freshman,” she said, stepping aside and allowing the shaved guy to introduce himself.

“Woah, awesome! Hi, man, I’m Matt,” the singer was the first to introduce himself, as he shook Johnny’s hand.

“You guys were all incredible! I’m Johnny, I actually play a little as well,” the guy admitted.

“Fuck, you’re really short,” Jimmy expressed, glancing at the small freshman. “I’m gonna call you Short Shit!” the drummer announced, a wicked grin decorating his lips.

“Short Shit?” Johnny’s eyebrows climbed high on his forehead, meanwhile the others started laughing.

“Fucking brilliant, Jim,” Zacky chuckled. “But ey, what do you play?”

“Bass,” Johnny responded.

“What the fuck? God is real!” Jimmy’s baby blue eyes widened.

“Shit, seriously? You gotta jam with us one time, dude,” Zacky suggested.

“Yeah, that’d be awesome,” Matt agreed.

“Woah, sure thing,” Johnny chuckled.

“Well, guys,” Jimmy started. “Afterparty?”

Within the next half hour all of them had gone back to the backstage room, as beers emerged from the bar and into the room. Metallica blasted on the stereo, meanwhile everyone had gathered around a wooden table, occupying couches and chairs.

Jimmy, Zacky, Johnny and Michelle had all managed to squeeze themselves down into the couch, meanwhile Matt had settled in the chair with Valary on his lap. Next to them was Brian, who had been busy with his phone ever since the concert ended. Jade was sitting on the other end of the table, watching the conversation that filled the entire room.

“We gotta do shots!” Jimmy encouraged, as he picked up a bottle of vodka from his bag, waving the bottle in the air as though he had just discovered a bottle of holy water.

Jade watched as the drummer lined up at least ten shot glasses, as he waited for his friends to grab one.

“Are we all ready?” Zacky announced, his hand ready to empty the glass.

“Nah, dude! Jade, there’s one for you too,” Matt said to the brunette, who had been quiet with her hands resting in her lap.

“No, thank you,” the brunette said, a sincere smile on her lips.

“Of course she doesn’t drink,” Brian mumbled under his breath, before he got up from his seat and walked out of the room.

Valary rolled her eyes at his comment, as she brought her glass up in the air and waited for everybody to take their shot.

Jade leaned back in her chair, scolding at Brian’s empty spot for a while, her entire face frowning, before Michelle soon grabbed her wrist. “Come on, Jade! I gotta go to the bathroom,”

The brunette soon got up from her feet and followed Michelle out of the backstage room and all the way into the bathroom.

“I can’t believe how great they were,” she expressed, as she dug into her purse and found her lipgloss.

Jade watched as Michelle applied a generous layer of lipgloss unto her lips, before she smacked them together and glanced at herself in the mirror.

“If I ask Brian to dance, do you think he’d say yes?” Michelle suddenly asked, as she looked at her friend, who suddenly seemed taken by surprise.

“Come again?” Jade asked, looking as though she didn’t fully understand what Michelle had just said.

“I think you heard what I said,” Michelle giggled. “I know what you think, Jade. Brian’s not as bad as you think,” she insured her friend.

“Michelle,” Jade sighed. “You’re a great girl. You can do so much better, seriously,” the brunette promised her. “And doesn’t Brian have a girlfriend anyway?”

“Yeah, but they’re not that serious though,” she lowered her voice.

Jade smacked her lips together, as she tried to choke on her words. She had no idea what to say to her friend. The brunette swallowed, before she nodded slowly.

“If you say so,” Jade pressed out. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” she suggested.

The two of them stepped out of the bathroom, Michelle’s fingers sneaking around Jade’s wrist, as the girls made their way out again. Just as the two of them had rounded the corner, they bumped into Brian, who had been standing in the dark hallway for some time.

“Brian,” Michelle breathed, taken by surprise at the sight of him, as the brunette looked up at Jade and Michelle.

“Hi, Michelle,” Brian smirked, shoving his phone back into the pocket of his jeans.

“It was a great concert, by the way,” the blonde girl said, her glossy lips curving into a smile as she spoke.

“Thanks! It’s good to see you here,” he responded, meanwhile Jade’s eyes widened by the entire scenario.

Did you really skip classes in order to be with the girlfriend you're cheating on?

“Hey, I’m just gonna go inside,” Jade interrupted their conversation, as the two of them looked at her.

“I’ll catch up with you later,” Michelle said to her friend, before her eyes returned to Brian. “Do you wanna get some fresh air?” she suggested.

“I’d like that,” Brian smirked back, before he laced his fingers with hers and dragged her along with him.

Jade soon reached the backstage room again, as she witnessed Zacky who took a long drag of the fat joint Jimmy had gotten for the afterparty. The brunette was standing in the door entrance, looking like a deer caught in headlights, as the strong smell of weed clouded her nostrils.

“Jade! Sit down!” Val said, as she’d noticed how her new friend seemed too shy to take a seat herself.

Jade soon plumped down next to Valary, occupying Brian’s earlier spot. The raven-haired girl brought her can of beer up to her lips, leaving a faint stain of lipstick as she took a swig from her alcohol.

“You seem a little quiet. Are you okay? Brian didn’t creep you out, right?” Valary spoke as though this was a habit of his.

“No, I’m just a little confused,” Jade admitted. “He disappeared with Michelle,” she said in a low voice, unsure if this would get her friend in trouble or not.

Valary soon rolled her eyes, before she nudged her boyfriend who was sitting next to her.

“Babe, Brian’s screwing it again,” Val all but chuckled to Matt. “I guess this means that I win,” she smirked mischievously at him.

“Fuck! Not again,” Matt whined. “Why can’t he keep his dick in his pants for once?”

“You win?” Jade asked, more confused now than ever.

“Matt and I were trying to bet on whether or not he would hook up with somebody tonight,” Val explained, a satisfied smile on her lips.

“You knew his girlfriend wasn’t gonna show up?” Jade’s eyebrows climbed high on her forehead.

“Please tell her the short version of this, babe,” Matt warned, his palm landing on top of Val’s thigh, as he looked as though he knew this story by heart.

“Maddie’s a big snob, so of course she wouldn’t turn up at a bar and support his band,” Valary spoke as though she was stating the obvious. “Not that Brian engages in her stuff though,” she added at last.

The impression of his relationship all but crumbled to dust inside the brunette’s head. Jade sat back in her chair and nodded slowly, while trying to swallow the new information.

The afterparty continued, as Jade watched how the guys smoked up everything Jimmy had had in his little bag and how they were now drinking up all the beers they had brought along.

“Fuck! Brian’s been away for hours!” Jimmy hissed, as the guy got to his feet and looked around the room.

One could easily tell that Jimmy was beyond high and drunk, and he soon stumbled towards the door, nearly tripping over the wooden table he hadn’t seen on his way passed Johnny.

“Michelle too,” Valary announced rather thoughtfully. “Do you wanna look for her?” the raven-haired girl turned towards Jade, who nodded almost instantly.

“Sounds great,” the brunette agreed, as she shoved her hands into the tight pockets of her jeans and got to her feet.

The girls soon walked out into the small hallway. They approached the heavy music, and Jade could feel how the bass drummed against the walls, as they looked at the massive dancefloor in front of them.

“Do you think they’re dancing?” Jade said, trying to yell over the loud music, as Valary started laughing.

“I hope not! Brian’s a fucking terrible dancer! They’re probably outside!” Val guessed, before she grabbed a hold of Jade and dragged her towards the door.

The two girls emerged outside in the long dark corridor, their eyes hungry for their friend, as they soon reached the bar. Their eyes glanced over at the dancefloor, which was filled by dancing bodies that followed the eager sound of the music. Valary soon noticed the blonde locks that couldn’t belong to anyone but Michelle, as she once again hooked her fingers around the brunette and pointed towards the door, where Brian and Michelle were slipping through.

“Come on,” Valary said, as the raven-haired girl followed her twin and walked into the cool summer night.

“Michelle!” her sister called for the blonde girl, who was laughing hysterically, with her index finger lightly brushing passed her touched lips.

Jade soon noticed that Michelle’s glossy lips had been replaced by her natural colour, and stains of her lipgloss had instead been attached against Brian’s neck.

“There you guys are,” Valary announced when the two girls had caught up with their friend.

Brian sniggered to Michelle, meanwhile he placed a new cigarette between his thin lips and fished for his lighter in his pocket.

Jade glanced at her friend. Michelle’s eyes were glowing more than ever, and she was resting her gaze upon Brian’s face. It was obvious that she had had more to drink after she took off with Brian, and by the way she kept shifting her weight unto her other foot, Jade realized that she was in fact drunk.

“Hand it over, Haner,” Val ordered, as she stretched her hand out for his cigarette and waited for him to pass her the smoke.

Brian opened his mouth, exhaling the smoke that darted from his lips, before he gave it to the black-haired girl, who soon embraced the cigarette with her rich lips.

“Okay, Michy. We’re gonna go inside,” the twin announced, her hands already resting on Michelle’s shoulders.

“I’ll see you later!” Michelle said to Brian, who only chuckled, as he watched the two sisters go back inside, Valary with her arm draped around her twin’s shoulders.

“They’re so different,” Brian said, his dark eyes glancing over at Jade, who had turned awfully quiet.

The brunette glanced over at him, not quite sure how to express the dislike she had towards this guys. Brian took another drag from his smoke, before he flicked the butt of it by using his thumb.
“I assume you’re not gonna ask for a drag,” he stated blankly.

“You’re clearly right about something,” Jade responded dryly.

Brian only chuckled. “Why did you come? I can easily tell this isn’t quite your type of music,”

Jade shoved her palms into the pockets of her tight dark jeans, her teeth lightly brushing over her bottom lip.

“I came because Michelle wanted me to come,”

“And you liked the show?” this time Brian was looking straight at her.

Jade could still see the stain of lipgloss that Michelle had left unto his skin. The guy kept looking at her, before a chuckle left his lips.

“Come on, Jade! I know you liked it!” he sniggered, a shit-eating grin curving his thin lips.

Jade rolled her eyes, but she was still not able to resist the silly smile that completely overwhelmed her lips.

“Okay, I had fun,” she shook her head, before crossing her arms over her chest. “Happy?” she cocked her eyebrow at him.

“Actually I am,” Brian smiled satisfied back.

Just as Jade was about to open her mouth, her phone started buzzing in her pocket, stealing her attention, as she went to fish it up from her pocket.

“Hi, mom,” the brunette responded as she had unclasped her phone and held it close to her ear.

“Hello, sweetheart. Are you on your way home? It’s quite late now, mi vida,” her mother expressed.

“I’m still at the venue with Michelle and her friends. I’ll leave in a few minutes,” Jade promised, as she could hear the relief in her mother’s voice as she said her last words, before her daughter hung up.

“Are you gonna leave already?” Brian asked, as he had just started on his second cigarette.

“Yeah, it’s getting late, you know,” Jade shrugged back, before shoving her phone back into her pocket.

“Michelle has so much to learn you,” Brian shook his head, another chuckle leaving his lips.

“Sure thing,” Jade mumbled back, before she looked at her phone again and started typing a message to her dad.

“You’re not gonna walk home by yourself, right?” Brian asked, earning her attention as she glanced up at him.

“Why do you care?” Jade cocked her eyebrow at him.

“I don’t,” he insured her, bringing his cigarette up to his lips.

“Right,” this time she was the one who served him a shit-eating grin.

“What?” Brian looked almost half-alarmed as he looked at her. Jade seemed as though she was enjoying herself while she shook her head.

“Nothing,” she giggled.

“Don’t act like that,” he sighed back, not comfortable with the way the tables had turned.

“I’m gonna go and say goodbye to Michelle,” Jade stated.

“I’ll see you around,” Brian said, looking over at the brunette one last time, meanwhile she looked over her shoulder.

“Yeah,” she breathed.