FRIDAY'S GIRL ·ϿʘϾ·

Chapter 46

The stadium was buzzing. The lights cut through the air, filled with the sound of thousands of people, all pulsing like beans boiling in a pot. April and I got there early to snag the best spot. Waiting in line for The Weeknd's concert felt endless. She passed the time snapping pictures of the surroundings with her little film camera. Me? I just took one shot, in front of a bar. I liked the way our silhouettes reflected in the black glass door, so I leaned over and kissed her, capturing the moment with my phone. I lost myself in that wonderful instant for a few seconds, but the roar of the crowd pulled me back to the present.

"Sorry!" April shouted cheerfully when she accidentally stepped on a guy who was nearly seven feet tall. He just smiled, dancing along to the music without missing a beat.

This was the first day of our relationship—I wasn't going to hide it anymore. I'd promised her, and I planned to keep that promise. After seeing her yesterday, heartbroken, standing in the rain waiting for me, everything changed. It made me realize how much I loved her and that I couldn't imagine my life without her. Now, her face glowed with happiness, completely fearless and free of doubt, under the lights of the stage.

"It's packed!" I heard a young woman say as she and a friend tried to push through the sea of people.

It was Sunday, March 31, and we had spring break ahead of us, with no obstacles in sight. The next day, Maddison would leave Fairfield like she did every year, spending the week in some dreamy destination with her family. Anyway, it didn't matter—after everything that had happened, she was going to give me the silent treatment. No big surprise there; she did that pretty often, keeping quiet for days and leaving me wondering what I'd done wrong. But honestly, this time, she had every reason to be mad since I'd ditched her in front of all our friends.

Meanwhile, I'd gone ahead and blocked Chloe. I had zero interest in putting up with her nonstop calls and messages. "Stop! Today's not the day for overthinking all this," I told myself, trying to shake off those intrusive thoughts. I didn't want anything ruining the concert. Seeing April waiting for me by the roadside, looking half-disappointed, half-angry, had made me decide to let go of my grudge and start taking my feelings for her seriously.

"Tell me what you really like. Baby, I can take my time. We don't ever have to fight." April was singing excitedly beside me, completely unaware of my worries.

"I can see it in your eyes, 'cause they never tell me lies." I joined in, letting myself get swept up by the music and the vibe, leaving all my worries outside the stadium.

"Look at that," April said, pointing at a guy wearing a ridiculous hat and a neon, glow-in-the-dark T-shirt, totally out of place in the crowd.

I laughed, settling into our spot. We were surrounded by a colorful mix of people—some younger, some older, and quite a few who were seriously eccentric. There was a girl with rainbow-colored hair to my right and a couple of guys with their girlfriends sitting on their shoulders.

"This is awesome!" I shouted, feeling the music rumbling through the ground, climbing up my legs and straight to my chest. It was that sense of freedom only a concert can give you, where all that exists is the music, the noise, and the thrill of being alive.

April glanced at me, smiling. It was a small gesture but so genuine it made me feel like I could fly. Being with her was unbelievably simple, no complications whatsoever.

As the first notes of "Blinding Lights" began to fill the stadium, a surge of adrenaline hit me. The crowd screamed, and April, excited, grabbed my wrist, pulling me a bit further into the wild chaos around us—bodies dancing and jumping to the beat.

The stage glowed with hypnotic visuals, from flashing lights to massive screens. The atmosphere was overwhelming, but in the best way. Every corner was filled with an indescribable energy, something intangible that made us all sing in sync, like some kind of primal melody.