Her Escape
The Festival
Jade looked up at the sky, this was defining for her. Standing in a crowd of hundreds of people she felt safer then she did in her own home. She felt like she could fit in, like no one was staring at her and giggling to their friends. No one was snarling and sticking up there nose as she walked by. She felt accepted like she could be herself and no one would criticize her for it.
They made their way to the front left of the crowd, usually where Frankie and Mikey tended to play. The guitar tech came out signaling that the concert would start soon. The pair of best friends stood just a few feet away from the stage, where the five individuals they considered their heroes would be. Their hearts raced with thought of meeting the people that had showed them it was okay to be different. The stage lights vigorously flashed and someone behind stage hit a guitar chord. The crowd went quiet and for about two seconds you could almost hear the rhythm of a butterfly fluttering its delicate wings. Then the roar of fans screaming their hearts out broke the serenity.
Jade’s heart stopped and her vision narrowed to a vanishing point, but the unmistakable voice of Gerard Way brought her back. Then suddenly from behind the black curtain that hid the remarkable making of magic the five figures emerged. First was Mikey - bass in hand, followed by Ray - his hair swaying as a breeze passed. He looked down at Jade and Bri, catching their eyes and smiled at their enthusiasm. After Ray, was Frankie, guitar in hand making funny faces into the crowd. Bob and Gerard came out together. Bob slipped almost unnoticed up to his drum set, and Gerard let out a scream that echoed through the parking lot.
Suddenly, notes exploded from the instruments and took the crowd by storm. Tears of joy filled Jade's eyes as she reached out and Gerard grabbed her hand. She wasn't one of those screaming fans that have no self control or self dignity in the presence of her favorite band but she just couldn't believe she was there.
“It’s like a dream” she thought out loud.
Frankie saw her mouth the words and was touched. He looked back a second later and someone had pushed her down to get to the front. Frankie stopped the song and spoke into his microphone:
“Pick her up” everyone looked around confused. Frankie pointed to Jade gasping for air on the concrete ground.
“PICK HER UP!” he said again, shouting this time.
A security guard caught on and leaned over the fence to help her up. Jade rose, holding her ribs, barely able to breathe, her face covered in tears.
“Bring her up here,” Frank demanded.
The same security guard picked Jade up as if she were a baby and brought her on stage.
Frankie gave her a huge and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Jade,” she replied.
“You okay, Jade?” Frank asked, concerned.
“Yeah. I’ll be okay, thanks.”
“Who are you here with?”
“My friend Bri,” she pointed into the crowd. Frankie waved to Brianna in the crowd.
“Okay, feel better. Come find us later if you have any trouble.”
“Okay...” Jade said in shock.
She walked off the stage and a technician gave her an all access pass. She was too stunned to realize anything around her. There was a paramedic waiting for her at the side of the stage and Bri came running over.
“Jay! Oh my God! Are you okay? We got separated, and you were gone. Frankie hugged you -- lucky!”
“Ha ha. Yeah, I’m okay, my ribs are killing me though.”
The paramedic told her to take it easy, that she had a few bruised ribs.
“You should be completely healed in about a week. Until then, try to go easy on them. You don’t want them to break.”
Jade and Brianna went back to enjoy the end of the concert. As the band was leaving, Mikey looked at Jade, smiled and made a motion intending for her to come hang out with the band.
“Hey, Bri I’m going to go see if I can talk to them again. Here, take the keys. If I’m not back in an hour just go without me.”
“Okay. Have fun, and you better get me a picture!”
Jade walked off towards the tour buses. It was pretty dark and Jade was looking nervously for any member of the band or their tour bus. Jade got an uneasy feeling in her stomach, like someone was watching her, following her. She walked faster, her eyes raced the rows and rows of empty tour buses with tinted windows, as her heart pounded in her ear. Then she could feel a massive arm wrap swiftly around her neck.
They made their way to the front left of the crowd, usually where Frankie and Mikey tended to play. The guitar tech came out signaling that the concert would start soon. The pair of best friends stood just a few feet away from the stage, where the five individuals they considered their heroes would be. Their hearts raced with thought of meeting the people that had showed them it was okay to be different. The stage lights vigorously flashed and someone behind stage hit a guitar chord. The crowd went quiet and for about two seconds you could almost hear the rhythm of a butterfly fluttering its delicate wings. Then the roar of fans screaming their hearts out broke the serenity.
Jade’s heart stopped and her vision narrowed to a vanishing point, but the unmistakable voice of Gerard Way brought her back. Then suddenly from behind the black curtain that hid the remarkable making of magic the five figures emerged. First was Mikey - bass in hand, followed by Ray - his hair swaying as a breeze passed. He looked down at Jade and Bri, catching their eyes and smiled at their enthusiasm. After Ray, was Frankie, guitar in hand making funny faces into the crowd. Bob and Gerard came out together. Bob slipped almost unnoticed up to his drum set, and Gerard let out a scream that echoed through the parking lot.
Suddenly, notes exploded from the instruments and took the crowd by storm. Tears of joy filled Jade's eyes as she reached out and Gerard grabbed her hand. She wasn't one of those screaming fans that have no self control or self dignity in the presence of her favorite band but she just couldn't believe she was there.
“It’s like a dream” she thought out loud.
Frankie saw her mouth the words and was touched. He looked back a second later and someone had pushed her down to get to the front. Frankie stopped the song and spoke into his microphone:
“Pick her up” everyone looked around confused. Frankie pointed to Jade gasping for air on the concrete ground.
“PICK HER UP!” he said again, shouting this time.
A security guard caught on and leaned over the fence to help her up. Jade rose, holding her ribs, barely able to breathe, her face covered in tears.
“Bring her up here,” Frank demanded.
The same security guard picked Jade up as if she were a baby and brought her on stage.
Frankie gave her a huge and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Jade,” she replied.
“You okay, Jade?” Frank asked, concerned.
“Yeah. I’ll be okay, thanks.”
“Who are you here with?”
“My friend Bri,” she pointed into the crowd. Frankie waved to Brianna in the crowd.
“Okay, feel better. Come find us later if you have any trouble.”
“Okay...” Jade said in shock.
She walked off the stage and a technician gave her an all access pass. She was too stunned to realize anything around her. There was a paramedic waiting for her at the side of the stage and Bri came running over.
“Jay! Oh my God! Are you okay? We got separated, and you were gone. Frankie hugged you -- lucky!”
“Ha ha. Yeah, I’m okay, my ribs are killing me though.”
The paramedic told her to take it easy, that she had a few bruised ribs.
“You should be completely healed in about a week. Until then, try to go easy on them. You don’t want them to break.”
Jade and Brianna went back to enjoy the end of the concert. As the band was leaving, Mikey looked at Jade, smiled and made a motion intending for her to come hang out with the band.
“Hey, Bri I’m going to go see if I can talk to them again. Here, take the keys. If I’m not back in an hour just go without me.”
“Okay. Have fun, and you better get me a picture!”
Jade walked off towards the tour buses. It was pretty dark and Jade was looking nervously for any member of the band or their tour bus. Jade got an uneasy feeling in her stomach, like someone was watching her, following her. She walked faster, her eyes raced the rows and rows of empty tour buses with tinted windows, as her heart pounded in her ear. Then she could feel a massive arm wrap swiftly around her neck.