I bounced up and down on my feet, Brianna’s arm slug over my shoulder as she did the same. I grinned at her; I was - even though I refused to admit it – immensely enjoying myself. The first band that had come on had done five great, uplifting songs before strolling off the stage, euphoric smiles upon their faces. Brianna had informed me they were called ‘The Downtown Fiction’, I had pretended I knew exactly who she was talking about. With the knowing glint in her eyes though, I knew she didn’t believe me.

Now another band I didn’t know was belting out lyrics I didn’t know but I didn’t care, I just threw my head back and danced as if I knew every word. The large, rectangular shaped room was so crowded that I didn’t know where one person ended and the other began. Every small movement made by someone around me jostled me and Brianna and created a chain reaction through the crowd.

Brianna stood flush against me, belting out the lyrics as if she were the singer on the stage and not just a single girl in the audience. I raised my arm, gazing at the watch that adorned my wrist, 9:50 pm.

I gave Brianna’s arm a firm tug, knowing I wouldn’t be heard over the booming music that reverberated in every bone of my body. “Bree,” I hissed in her ear when she didn’t turn. Holding my wrist up in front of her eyes; she leant closer to read the numbers when the lights suddenly went off. The room was encased in black shadows. People bumped against me and Brianna gripped my hand tighter, I squeezed hers. She was obviously scared we might get separated.

A low chanting started, “All Time Low! All Time Low!” It resonated within me, ricocheting through my brain along with the memories of four very familiar boys. The lights above the stage flashed green, lighting up four silhouettes. I felt myself freeze, my whole body locked up as if the oxygen wasn’t reaching the muscles.

Brianna squealed along with the rest of the crowd, just as the music blasted throughout the room. I heard his voice, the first time I’d heard it in years and I let it flow over me like it was the cooling waves of the sea. I relished in the feeling, my heart thumped inside my chest, so fast that I thought it very well might fly out of my ribcage and get trampled beneath the jumping feet.

His voice was so soft and gentle as he sang into the microphone, it reminded me so much of how he used to phone me up and sing a lullaby to help me get to sleep. I closed my burning eyes, the urge to let the tears drift out was getting harder and harder to resist by the second.

“Say goodbye to the halls and the classes, say hello to a job and the taxes.”

Jack’s familiar form sprang across the stage as if he had ants in his pants and he was trying to get the damn things out, his guitar was gripped in his hands and he strummed the notes with a deadly precision. Zack, always the quiet one, was holding his favourite pink bass, his slender fingers plucking away at the strings by his mic stand. Rian sat behind a drum set, his arms waving around in large arcs as he slammed the sticks rhythmically on the drums. But Alex commandeered my attention, standing center stage a huge grin upon his face as he looked out at the crowd that had showed up. Even as he was singing, the smile never left his twinkling eyes.

I couldn’t move, my whole body felt numb as I stared at the boys who had made my life bearable years ago. My throat closed up and tears sprang to my eyes. Beside me Brianna was too busy staring up at them in awe, her mouth silently singing the words. It had been seven years since I’d seen them and the onslaught of memories was hard to deal with.

“How are you doing tonight, Baltimore!?” Alex’s question was answered by a raucous round of screams. He chuckled and the sound warmed my heart, he strummed a few chords on his guitar before glancing back up at the screaming crowd. “It’s good to be home.”

“I have to go,” I gasped out. Alex’s gaze caught mine, his curious and light, mine full of unshed tears and blistering memories. I turned, forcing my stiff muscles to move but just as I was about to elbow some blonde teen out of my way Brianna dragged me back to her with the hand she had clasped around my wrist.

“You are staying,” she said sternly, reminding me so much of how I am with Gracie when I’m trying to get her to eat her vegetables. Of course she wouldn’t let me leave, why I ever deluded myself into thinking she might, I don’t know.

I glared at the side of her head before turning back to face the stage. Of course Alex hadn’t been too bothered by me and had carried on singing his next song, his gaze sweeping across the crowd as he belted out the lyrics. I remembered this passion; it lit up inside him and infected everyone around him.

My eyes followed the four boys who used to be my best friends for the rest of the time they stood on that stage. I felt my lips curve upwards, smiling despite myself. It amazed me how they could still make me feel like everything was going to be okay, even though it was only through their music.

“Have I told you lately how much I hate you?” I was, once again, out in the blistering cold freezing my ass off. Brianna had, of course, convinced me to stay till the end of their set. By convincing I mean; holding my wrist so tightly it might as well have been a tourniquet with how she was cutting off my blood circulation.

Letting my eyes flicker over to the troublesome blonde in question, she waved her hand nonchalantly. “Only a billion times in the past, oh I don’t know, hour?” I glared ferociously at her. Well, at least I think I did, it was hard to tell with how numb my face was from the cold wind gusting in my face.

Dark brown locks of hair were flying in front of my face but every time I tucked a strand behind my ear it just came loose and whipped about wildly once more. All I wanted at this moment was to get in my car, go pick my princess up and go home. But no, I was getting shoved by people desperately trying to get closer to the door so they could pounce on any band members they could get their hands on. Not to mention the fact that I might get hypothermia.

“Bree,” I complained, I really wanted to stomp my foot to emphasize how annoyed I was, but it reminded me a bit too much of what Gracie does when she’s in a mood. “I’m cold and it’s getting late, it doesn’t look like they’re going to come out for a while.”

“Just five more minutes,” she promised. She leaned up on her tippy toes to see over the tall brunette guy in front of her. I was about to scream at her, she had said that half an hour ago and I was getting sick of it. “I promise.”

I bit my lip and sent a quick text to my mother letting her know I wouldn’t be long and I certainly hoped that was true. After pulling my wayward hair up, I wrapped an elastic around it and watched as fans swarmed around the now open door, screaming to their favourite members.

I was so confused; it was like the girls worshiped them – I swear, I saw some girl on her knees in front of them. “Alex! Please sign this for me!” Whoever the desperate chick was she ended up knocking into me in her haste to get towards Alex. I stumbled forward, and I guess today was my unlucky day because I tripped over a set of feet and ended up flying towards one of the murkiest looking puddle of water I’d ever seen.

“Oh fuck.” With a painful groan I looked up to see everyone staring right back at me. “Oh hey, I’m Ruby and I’ll be here all week.” I joked, reaching up and wringing out the ends of my hair that had got wet. A tanned hand filled my vision; a cold sense of dread settled deep in my stomach, with a single glance up it confirmed my worst fears. Alex. With a shiver I plastered on the fakest smile I could manage – something my mother would have been proud of – and I pushed myself up off the ground without his help, I couldn’t let him touch me, never again.

“Hey Turtle, been a while.”