A Night on Fire (An Olli Herman Fanfiction) #Wattys2016

Chapter One

My eyes lit up, and my heart pounded as I peered inside the yellow envelope with my name, Sasha Frey, written in a bold, black marker on the front. What I anticipated to be a drawing or a lovely card was something else I thought I would never in my life get my hands on, let alone see. Could this really be...?

"Happy twenty-first birthday, Sasha!" Beverly Nickel chimed in excitement. She had her hands clasped in front of her grinning mouth the whole time she witnessed me delicately lifting up the flap. I could tell she had a hard time waiting for me to open my present as soon as she bought it.

I pulled out the two rectangular pieces, reading the horizontal print on the front of one. I could not believe my eyes!

"Beverly!" I gasped. "You—"

"I know; I'm the bestest friend in the whole wide world! But don't thank me yet. There's more!" She gestured to the envelope on the white living room carpet I had unknowingly dropped out of shock.

My shaking hand lowered to retrieve it and fished around at the bottom of the envelope. Two more rectangles were brought into the light, only these ones were plastic and each had a red band to be worn around the neck. Unlike the papers, their print was vertical. My eyes darted to Beverly, and the largest smile I've ever made came upon my face.

"You fucking did not!" I screamed.

"I did!" she laughed, copying my enthusiasm. "I knew you'd love 'em!"

All of a sudden, I felt downhearted, and my smile slowly faded. Though the present was something beyond my dreams, remorse clouded my heart at the thought of how much she paid.

"This must've costed a fortune," I stated softly.

"Oh, girl, did it!" she sighed, still in complete excitement. "I had to pick them up, though! When I heard they were coming to America—well, to Burgettstown for that matter and on your birthday—I worked over-time for months to pay for the expenses."

"...But it's so much."

"Sasha, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Who knows if they'll be back in the U.S. any time after?"

"I know, but you went through all that work just for me?"

She smirked. "Bitch, no! I'm coming with you! What did you think the other ticket and pass was for? I wasn't passing up on it myself!"

Relief was brought upon me, and I chuckled at my girl-friend's ass of a remark. She did have quite the big mouth, but I loved everything about my best friend.

"Good! I wouldn't want to go alone anyway...or with someone who isn't a fan. Do you know how much I love you right now?"

I closed the small space between us to hug Beverly tight with hot tears forming in my eyes. She squeezed back, her long acrylic fingernails lightly poking into the back of my shoulders, and said, "Well, I love you, too." She released me after a final, quick squeeze. "And you get to see your man," she teased, giving a wink and rolling her shoulders. Her straight, blonde hair swayed from side to side.

That man she mentioned was Olli Herman, the frontman of the merry metal band Reckless Love. With the vocals that can break a woman's heart and a body that could have her on her knees, he not only became my favorite musician but also an instant crush. My attraction to his sex appeal grew more intense each time I would lay my eyes upon a post of a self-picture on his social media accounts or within a music video. My hormones would rage, and I would beg God to let me have Olli at least once before I die. His voice, his smile, his toned body...everything about this man became my weakness and the center of my universe.

"We need to get ready," Beverly said. "The show starts in nine hours, and we need to be there by five if we don't want to stand in line forever."

Reality hit me when I began to panic remembering I had night shift at the local animal shelter. My boss would have to find someone to cover for me. I refused to miss out on this opportunity, especially given the fact the treat was a birthday present. I leaped to grab my cell phone with an adorable panda cover off the loveseat to my left.

"What are you doing?" Beverly asked, narrowing her perfect eyebrows.

"Calling Taylor," I said as I scrolled through my list of contacts. "I need to tell him I can't come into work tonight."

She walked up to me and snatched the phone out of my hand.

I gasped. "Wha—ˮ

"I already told him about three months ago. He only told you that you had the shift, so you wouldn't grow any suspicions. Garret's the one who has tonight's shift."

I half-smiled and sighed, looking down at my empty hands. "You know me all too well." My eyes met with hers. "Good move. I truly would've had my suspicions if Taylor just told me to take the day off. He knows I enjoy the job." I eyed my phone still in her hands. "Um...May I have that back?"

"Ah, yeah." She gently handed it over. "I didn't want you to embarrass yourself."

"Beverly, you can be so dramatic," I chuckled, running upstairs to my bedroom to get myself ready for the Reckless Love concert with her following behind.

"Well, duh! That's just who I am!"