XVI.
SOTC: snap out of it - arctic monkeys
- irl, brief imessage -
irl
by the time the sun finally begins to sink, ruby can feel the burn forming on her face. though she applied and reapplied, she knows herself well enough to recognize when she's been toasted.
to be fair, everyone is a bit sun-kissed considering there's very limited shade at the venue. even so, it's been an incredible day, and it's not even over yet. they've seen at least four acts together already, all of which were insane.
the arctic monkeys are supposed to go on in a few minutes, so now they're all hanging around the main stage toward the back. josie and ruby are sharing a slice of pizza, each taking turns biting a piece at a time.
nick is gulping down a bottle of water like his life depends on it, and chris grabs his arm to stop him.
"dude, slow down. you're gonna make yourself sick."
"i'll be fine."
but then he lets out a burp, and his hand flies to his mouth like he's about to vomit.
"told you so." chris rolls his eyes.
josie snorts as she passes the last of the pizza back to ruby. "you're acting like spongebob during that episode where he became all shriveled."
"that's literally what's happening to me right at this very moment." nick replies after he's sure that he's not going to puke.
"drama queen." matt says in a sing-song voice.
"dehydration is a real issue, asshole." he snaps back.
ruby nods in agreement as she chews the last of her food, because she's heard the horror stories of people passing out at events like this. luckily, they'd all been staying hydrated the whole day, sipping on bottles of water during each show.
"can we please get mcdonald's after this?" chris whines, and josie's eyes go wide.
"oh my god, post festival mcdonald's would bang." she affirms.
"i have an even better idea," matt begins, waiting for everyone to look at him, "mcdonald's and sleepover. that way we can wake up and get bagels together or something."
"oh YES!" nick claps his hands together.
ruby can feels josephine's eyes on her. they share a look, and though she knows what her friend is trying to say, she ignores it.
"i'm in, but jo's my ride so..." she trails off.
there's a pause, and if looks could kill, ruby would be dead. but then josie clears her throat and speaks.
"that works, i'll probably be too tired to drive home tonight anyways."
when the focus is off of her, jo whips her phone out, and ruby feels her pocket vibrate.
goddamn it, i'm in trouble.
she waits for a moment in an attempt to not look super suspicious, and then glances at her screen.
imessage
angel 🪽- josephine
sweetie pie 🫀 - ruby
JUNE 16, 7:58 p.m.
angel 🪽
dude????
sweetie pie 🫀
i will be sleeping with you, thank you
very much
angel 🪽
mhm!
READ 8:01 p.m.
all of the sudden the lights come up, and ruby's stomach flutters. it's starting. she's literally being saved by the arctic fucking monkeys.
they all turn, totally distracted from what they were previously doing.
ruby grabs for josie, because she can't stand that they're fighting during this moment, especially over something silly. her friend looks at her, and her frown softens to a small smile.
"this is too special." she says quietly right before the drums start up.
they're opening with flourescent adolescent.
josie shakes her. she's truly smiling now.
"DUDE!!"
something takes over ruby's body, and she starts jumping around like a crazy person, arms up in the air. she turns to the boys, who are also lit up with excitement, and waves them over.
she swears she's losing her breath by the four song, which is—a classic—why'd you only call me when you're high.
matt's been bopping his head, hype-maning ruby while she bounces around like a maniac. she didn't realize she would have this much fun during their set, but the lights are beautiful, the sky is melting into night, and it's all so fucking gorgeous.
nick and josie are singing to each other, and chris is shouting the parts he knows, which isn't a lot, but he's still enthusiastic. ruby's heart bursts with love for her friends, and she could almost cry.
then the song switches, and ruby feels like she's about to explode. snap out of it. she can't believe they're playing this, and she wasn't expecting it to be on the festival set list.
ruby turns to chris and matt, mouth wide open in awe. they both look at her in confusion, and she almost laughs at that fact that they really are making the exact same face.
"this is my favorite song!" she says.
she gets all of their attention so they can dance together. josie knows all of the words too, so they carry the beat. each of the boys are matching her energy though, chuckling along because she's laughing at herself.
she knows she looks uncoordinated, but suddenly theyre all moving around like idiots, and she reaches for matt's hand because she can't help it.
he looks surprised, but he relaxes almost instantly, pulling her into a grand spin. she goes with it, twirling into his body so her back is against his chest. he wraps his other arm around her and sways her side to side right as the bridge ends, entering the final chorus.
"i wanna grab both your shoulders and shake, baby."
matt shakes her gently, lifting her a few inches off the ground. she shrieks, which turns into uncontrollable giggling. nick, josie, and chris are also screeching, hands interlocked as they spin as fast as they can in a circle.
ruby tries to take a mental photo of this moment as matt rests his chin in the crook of her shoulder. she already knows she'll miss it, even though it's still happening.
"i love you!" she shouts over the noise, to no one and everyone all at once.
-
i tried so hard to write this chapter and i still don't think it came out like i wanted but that's alright
happy friday! enjoy!
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off limits ( m.s. )
Fanfiction"cmon matt, you know she's off limits" IN WHICH ruby webber, aspiring filmmaker and editor, finds herself in the throes of a situationship with one of the boys she technically works for. OR IN WHICH matt sturniolo, content creator on his way to sta...
