“Come on, get out here!” my boyfriend screamed from the living room. I cautiously walked out of the room, looking for him. I saw him by the front door glaring at me. “What took you so long?”
“I’m so sorry Jeremy, I was just finishing my makeup.” I wiped away a tear from my cheek. I hope he wasn’t too angry.
“It’s all your fault that we’re gonna be late for the Green Day concert. You’re getting it later.” He opened the front door and slammed it behind him. The picture frame hanging next to it fell to the ground and the glass shattered. I glanced out the window to make sure he was in the car and I bent down to pick up the broken picture. It was of Jeremy and I at the beach kissing and smiling. What happened to the sweet guy I knew? I swept the glass to the side and ran out to the car so he wouldn’t get angrier.
“Get in bitch, I’m leaving whether you’re in here or not,” he screamed. I climbed in the passenger seat and clicked my seatbelt. I was trying not to make eye contact; that could turn out badly. “Why did I waste my money on this concert? I don’t even like Green Day.”
“Well I love them. They’re my favorite band. I really appreciate you getting me the tickets.” I smiled at him and tried to pat his leg, but he grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
“Whatever,” he mumbled. I closed my eyes and tried to hold in my tears. I really loved Jeremy, but sometimes he could be really mean. He wasn’t kind and sweet anymore; I think the alcohol changed him. We’ve been dating for almost 3 years, but he started to become abusive about a year ago. He hits me almost every day, but I have to stay with him. I have nowhere else to go and he provides for me. My parents died when I was a baby, so I had to live with my aunt. She died 5 years ago, so I have nobody to turn to except for Jeremy.
“We’re almost there, bitch,” he yelled, shaking me from my thoughts, “so I need to lay down some rules. You’re gonna stay next to me the whole time. I don’t care that we have front row tickets. If you get out of my sight, we’re leaving. Don’t talk to anybody; I don’t want you getting too excited. If you get asked to go up on stage, say no. You aren’t gonna get to play up there with those freaks.”
“They aren’t freaks, Jer! They’re my idols and I love them. I think you’re being a bit too controlling.” I looked over to see his veins pulsing and his face turning red.
“Controlling? CONTROLLING?” He leaned over and slapped me across the face. “How about you keep your mouth shut before I give you something to cry about?” Jeremy turned his attention back to the road and coughed. I felt like I was about to collapse. “Look, we’re almost here,” he mumbled. I looked up from my lap and gasped. The stadium’s lights flashed over the dark night sky and the crowd’s roars cut through the air. I could feel the excitement in the air; I started shaking and laughing.
“I can’t believe they’re in there!” I squealed. Jeremy rolled his eyes and parked in the closest spot to the entrance.
“Let’s just get this over with,” he said. I climbed out of the car and he rushed over and yanked my arm. “We’re going this way.” He dragged me to the entrance and held me close. I looked around at the other people wearing Green Day shirts. They looked as excited as me and it was amazing seeing so many fans in the same place. “Look at all these freaks,” he laughed. Everybody turned around and stared at him.
“Can you please keep your comments to yourself?” I asked politely. He glared at me and spit in my face. I quietly wiped away his spit and stepped forward in the fast-moving line. He finally got to the ticket booth and I could hardly stand it. I just wanted to get to the front row already.
