Chapter Nineteen: On Stage
The way the multicolored lights bounced off of the stadium walls brought such a rush of adrenaline and the smile set on her face had yet to leave. Fans gathered from far away places to see the four boys and it felt like a family she never had.
As for Hayes, he was also having a pleasant time listening to Green Day boom through the speakers to get the crowd a bit more excited (if that was actually possible the world has yet to know) before the band that Beatrice loves came on stage. He had to admit; he has never heard their songs (much less the band), but the way they give off a loving persona made him want to head over to the merchandise store and buy a shirt or two.
"Hayes!" Beatrice squealed, hugging his side tightly. She was so happy that she was nearly paralyzed.
"Beatrice!" Hayes mocked, hugging her tightly back.
So, a pair of twenty-something year olds hugged each other at a rock concert very adoringly. You'd think that the looks they received were harsh, but a few loving sighs and claps echoed around the pair.
And the looks stopped when the music did. The lights shut off and the crowd screamed.
The feeling that flooded inside Beatrice's veins was unlike no other. It was the feeling of witnessing the people that made you happy do what they do happily on stage. It's like a favorite song booming through your speakers and the stress that lingered on your shoulders was lifted. This pleasant combination was relieving; almost reassuring.
First, the drummer, Ashton Irwin, walked on the stage eagerly, hitting the drums a few times strongly. Every hit to the drums was a loud wave of screams. Next, Calum Hood, the bassist, strummed a few chords, nearly tripping over his feet as he ran across the stage to the front. In sync, Michael Clifford, the guitarist, waved his hands in the air in an attempt to arouse the crows (it was a successful one, at that). The fans would be lying if they said his middle fingers didn't raise.
Beatrice nearly cried when she saw Luke Hemmings, the lead guitarist and the reason why she has irregular heartbeats most of the time, swiftly made his way to the middle. Right in front of Beatrice and Hayes. For a split second, she swore she made eye contact with the tall boy.
Hayes slung his arm lazily around Beatrice, staring up to the boy and sending a subtle wink his way. He nodded, but Beatrice didn't recognize the transaction. "Having fun?"
The words had a painful ratio to the arena's sound, but the close proximity between the two made it audible. "Are you kidding," she began jumping wildly. Their Australian accents boomed through the speakers as the welcomed the people who voyaged to their concert. "This is the best night ever, Hayes. Thank you!"
"Is my plan working?" Hayes questioned, nodding his head to the first chords of the very first song. It wasn't a song he recognized, but the crowd seemed to exaggerate the idea of importance that this song holds.
Nodding her head to the beat, she furrowed her eyebrows, "you mean your plan of treating me surprisingly well to win me over? Yes, your plan is obviously working."
It was hard to cover his excitement, but he managed and he didn't make a fool of himself. Well, that's what he thought. Beatrice could still see the way his Adam's Apple bobbed every so often and although the lighting was terrible, she could faintly see the lines of sweat that streamed around his eyebrows, on his forehead.
Time passes and three or four songs were played until the set stopped and the boys began searching the crowd. Beatrice understood what was happening.
At every concert, the band and their security guards find one lucky fan, male or female (one of the many reasons why their fanbase is so big is because they don't care what sex the fan is), and they let them come on stage to play any instrument that belongs to the band. Unfortunately the timing is limited and the fans all groan when it isn't them, but the experience for the lucky one is the greatest amongst all.
Luke's eyes connected with Hayes', then to Bea's, and then to the security guard. He pointed to the girl and the security guard followed.
"Hey kid," the guard spoke in a deep, yet very friendly voice, "would you like to go on stage?"
