She Brung Me The Horizon

Chapter 16: Shadow Moses

[sem-pi-tur-nl]

adjective

eternal and unchanging; everlasting.

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25 days.

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"Are you ready to go on, mate?" Jordan asks loudly to be heard over the speakers, him behind me as I stood at the side of the stage. I was watching All Time Low finish their same routine that they have performed over the this tour. I've heard their songs so much over the past months that I could probably recite them forward and back. They'd probably say the same thing about my songs.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I reply, watching the bright pink and blue lights rotate wildly above the hopping crowd.

I felt Jordan's hand subtly grasp my shoulder. After a moment of his touch of supposed comfort, his hand slipped from my shoulder and I could feel his presence was gone as he disappeared farther backstage where everyone else roamed.

I knew he was trying to be the friend in the middle, the one who made peace and compromises. But that can only work in so many situations. Little did he know that this wasn't something he could fix with a simple sit down talk or helping me with my problems. This, my hands clammy at the thought of it, this was not supposed to happen.

After Jack diving onto the crowd, their time on the stage was over. Security had to yank him free from the grabby fans and help him back onto stage; his hair was all a mess and his shirt was pulled at so much it now hung loose around his neck. The band ran off the stage after thanking their devoted fans for a great show and for being so loud, Rian tossing a couple water bottles into the crowd as he went.

"That was insane," Jack huffed as he moved past me onto the side of the stage, his guitar slung around his neck.

"That's why you don't stage dive at every show." Zack replied with a grin as sweat dribbled down his forehead from his hairline. He kept walking, headed to the refreshment table where most people backstage that weren't doing things like sound and lighting, socialized.

"Maybe triple V-neck is just your style," Alex laughed as he set his red and white guitar down into a guitar case and closed it. He then stood back up and flicked the neck of Jack's once tight shirt, the collar flapping up. Jack's face was not amused.

"Okay, you know what. Eff you." Jack sassed and passed off his guitar to one of the stage members that stood by. He then gave Alex the hand and paraded in the direction of where Zack and Rian headed.

I let out a laugh and shook my head. Jack never failed to amuse me.

Alex patted me twice on my shoulder and had his signature smirk on his face.

"Have a good show, it's a crazy crowd tonight."

"Thanks, man. You did good tonight." And with that, I was left to myself again as I watched the crowd.

My eyes followed some people that shimmied their way through the crowd, after the colorful lights had changed to a neutral cream color for intermission and radio music played. I knew that people sometimes only went to shows to see one band in particular and then would leave, but I never understood that. If it were me, I'd just stay for the concert vibe, to go mad with the people who scream along the lyrics to the other bands. But hey, you do you.

Then the chanting started.

"Oli, Oli, Oli!"

The crowd screamed as the stage crew members went on and off the stage to recheck on the speakers and on the microphone, quite overly eager. That always made me smile, how much it meant to these people to see me and my band perform. Or to just see us.