On the car ride back to the hotel, everyone was talking loudly about what had just happened. "What an asshole." Mike said. "Why were you still with him?" I was staring at Vic the entire time, his eyes a warm brown. We weren't saying anything, and we weren't aware of anything going on around us. The only thing I was focused on was Vic, and that maybe, now we could be together... "Mona?" I tore myself away from Vic's eyes, and dumbly said, "Huh?" They all started laughing, and Mike said, "Never mind, it's obvious that someone else has your attention right now." I mumbled, "Oh, yeah, okay." And Vic smiled, his smile spreading slowly across his face. I felt my stomach do a million flips. Twelve years apart from him, and his smile still managed to do this to me. I gently laid a hand on his cheek, and I wanted to kiss him so bad. I leaned forward, and he leaned towards me too, but then I pulled back. I knew it wasn't the right time. Not now. I settled into his lap, and once we got back to the hotel, while everyone rushed into the building to escape the heat, Vic and I walked slowly hand in hand. We walked up to Karina's room, and we stood in front of the door. He held both of my hands, and said, "Are you gonna be at the show later? I would love it of you went... Please?" I grinned and said, "I wouldn't miss it, Vic." He leaned forward and gently and slowly kissed my cheek. "I'll see you later, my beautiful doll." I walked into the room, and collapsed onto the bed, laughing and smiling like an idiot. Karina walked out of the bathroom, and leaned against the doorway. "So Mona, are you guys still 'just friends?'" I covered my face, blushing and trying to cover my gigantic smile. "I don't know Karina, but I hope we aren't." She sat on the bed next to me, and muttered, "So fucking glad that Sam finally left before I was forced to kill him..." I laughed and said. "What?" She quickly said nothing, and then laughed. "So Karina, what about you and Jaime, huh?" It was her turn to blush, and she pulled her knees to her chin and squealed. "He's so cute and perfect, and I really like him, Mona." She looked at her watch, and exclaimed, "Whoa! We better get ready for the show, it's in an hour, and we want to get there before the huge crowd does." I went to take a shower, and then I fixed my makeup and my hair. I dressed in some jeans, and slipped on a tank top, and put on my Converse. Karina was dressed similar to me, and we were on our way to the venue. We drove past the front, and I gasped. There were so much people there, all waiting for the band. Some had signed, some saying "I love you!" And others a bit more crazy like "Mike! Let me have your babies!" We made our way inside, where they were setting up the stage. Karina pointed to the side of the stage and said, "That's were we're gonna be standing and watching the concert from. People would kill to be there, you know." I nodded, and told her, "I've never heard of Pierce the Veil before. I mean I love the guys, but how's their music? Are they good?" She slapped my shoulder and said, "Just wait. Once they start playing, you're gonna love them even more. And I guarantee you're gonna know what songs Vic wrote about you." We watched the band get ready, and finally they opened the doors, and within minutes the place was full. Soon, the other bands started playing, and they were amazing. But finally, it was time for Pierce the Veil to perform. The lights went out, and the crowd was buzzing. Even though I had never heard their music, I felt excited from the vibe the crowd was giving off. I felt a squeeze on my waist, and I saw Vic in the dim light. "Wish us luck." He whispered. I kissed his cheek and said good luck, while Karina and Jaime kissed behind us, and Tony hugged someone, who I assumed was Rosa. and kissed her. Mike stood in the back with his eyes closed, jumping up and down. They all ran out onto the stage, and the lights started flashing. They crowd exploded with shouts, and Vic went to the microphone. "L.A, what is up?! So tonight, I want you guys to be loud and crazy, because tonight, we have someone here who hasn't listened to us before, and we need to convince her that we're worth her time! Are you guys fucking ready?!" The crowd was deafening, and Vic laughed and said, "All right, our first song for tonight is gonna be... Well, let's see if you guys know it." The crowd went wild, and an almost eerie tune started playing. I listened, and I instantly loved it. "May These Noises Startle You In Your Sleep Tonight. Then after this, it's gonna be Hell Above." Karina whispered to me. The song took a wild turn, and I felt myself being wrapped up in Tony's guitar, Jaime's bass, Mike's drums, and Vic's voice. The song ended, and the next song was called Caraphernelia. "This song is about Cara. Has he told you about her?" Karina said into my ear. I nodded, and kept listening. They played the next song, which was called Bulletproof Love. "By the time you're hearing this I'll already be gone, and now there's nothing to do but tear my voice apart, nothing to do, and scream at the drunken moon!" I got chills when he sang that part, and when the song was over, Karina said, "That was about you. The night after you left, I found Vic drunk in a field, just screaming your name." I felt terrible, not knowing everything that had happened after we broke up. They played another song after that called Disasterology, and then after that, a song called The First Punch, and King For a Day. The song after that one was called I'm Low On Had And You Need A Jacket. "I will soon forget the color of your eyes and you'll forget mine..." He looked over at me when he sang this. After that he said it was time to slow it down. "For this song, I want to bring out someone really special to me, the one who inspired this song, this whole album. Mona?" He held his hand out, and Karina pushed me onto the stage. I grabbed his hand, and he whispered into my ear, "This song, I made it for you, my beautiful doll." Then into the microphone he said, "This next song is Hold On Till May." The crowd fell silent, and the song started. From the beginning, I had major chills, and it felt amazing. Vic started singing and the lyrics made me cry. "She sits up high, surrounded by the sun, one million branches and she loves every one, "Mom and dad, did you search for me? I've been up here so long, I'm going crazy." I knew that this was about me and my tree back in San Diego, and how it would be the place where I would go when my parents would fight. He held my hand throughout the entire song, and during one part of the song, he got on his knees and sang, "If I were you, I'd put that away. See, you're just wasted, and thinking 'bout the past again, darling you'll be okay..." I felt tears running down my face, and I smiled at him. He grabbed me hand and kissed it, and they finished the song. I ran to Vic and hugged him. He dropped the microphone, picked me up, and spun me around. When he put me down, I grabbed his face and kissed him. We stayed like that, until Vic yelled ow and turned around, almost slipping on a drum stick. He grabbed it and tossed it back at Mike and yelled, "Sorry! My amazing singer lungs allow me to kiss longer than the average person." The crowd rumbled with laughter, and he yelled, "How about we play a few more songs for you guys?!" The crowd roared with approval, and they played a few more songs, and they played a song called A Match Into Water. "I kissed the scars on her skin, I still think you're beautiful, and I don't ever wanna lose my best friend..." He sang while looking at me, with a serious look on his face. They played about three more songs, the wrapped up their set with a song called I Don't Care If You're Contagious. They threw picks and drum sticks into the crowd, and they all yelled, "Goodnight, L.A!!" They ran off the stage, beaming and they all ran over to us. Jaime picked up Karina and kissed her, Tony hugged Rosa around her waist and they stood there, looking like they were happy to just be near each other, and Mike... Mike was no where to be seen. I turned, and Vic was standing in front of me. "Hey, what did you think?" I hugged him and said, "It was absolutely breathtaking." *******************
Later, we all got back to the hotel. I was sitting and looking out of my window, and I couldn't sleep at all. It was 4 in the morning, and I was feeling restless. I stood up, and quietly left the room and walked over to Vic's. I knocked on his door, and he opened it slowly. "Mona... What are you doing up this late?" I looked at him and noticed that he didn't look like he had been sleeping. "I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to come bother you for a while." He opened the door wider, and said, "Be my guest." I sat down in front of the window, and looked out. He came and sat next to me, putting his arm around me. "What are you thinking about?" I put my head on his shoulder, and said in almost a whisper, "What would it have been like if I hadn't had left... If I would have stayed, and we could have lived together... How would we be right now?" I looked down, and noticed something on his arm. Were they... Scars? I ran my fingers over them, and looked up at him. He turned over his arm, kissed my forehead, held me close and murmured, "None of those things matter. The only thing that matters is that we're together now."
