Between a Rock and a Hard Place // c.h.

4 - Calum Hood (and others)

   My entire world stood on a stage in front of me. He ran out onto his side of the stage and jumped onto a small podium, grabbing his mike. Suddenly, every problem in the world ceased to exist. Calum Hood was actually there, and knowing that made my heart race. Luke smiled towards the crowd and turned to Calum, leaning into his mike.

   "Are you ready for this Calum?" He asked in his deep voice.

   "Hell yeah Luke! I don't think these guys are though.." Calum looked at the crowd with a knowing smirk and we all screamed. All my life had been leading up to this moment, and it was hard to believe it was actually happening.

   The boys talked for only a few more seconds, then the real fun started. The music that I fell in love with filled the air. All I could feel was the pure adrenaline and excitement pulsing through me. I danced, I sang, and I let go of everything. I hadn't felt that good in months and in that moment, I was purely happy.

   The music lasted for 2 hours. By the time the boys called the concert to an end, my throat stung from singing and my arms ached from dancing. But still I didn't want it to stop. I never wanted that moment to end. I wanted that happiness to last forever.

  Almost immediately after the concert had been called to an end, Abby, Mads and I gathered together. I had completely forgotten about the meet and greets. An entirely new feeling replaced the adrenaline. I was filled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

I was finally meeting my idols. I suddenly felt extremely self conscious. What if they didn't like me? These boys meant the world to me and it would've killed me to disappoint them. I looked at my friends worriedly, hoping one of them will understand.

Abby seemed to sense my anxiety. She touched my arm to get my attention, then tried to calm me down. "It'll be ok, they're good people. They love their fans. Just try to enjoy it, ok?" She looked into my eyes, and I smiled. She was right. That night was the only chance I might've ever gotten to meet the boys and I was going to make it as good as I possibly could.

We waited in line for what seemed like forever. During the time, I tried to distract myself in any way possible. I hummed to myself, using songs to try to make the time go faster. The line shortened slowly, and soon, we were close enough that I could see the boys at the head of the line. They would hug fans, take pictures, and sign autographs, then the line would move on. Soon it would reach the very end, where Abby, Mads, and I stood anxiously. I used my phone as a mirror, making sure I looked ok, and took a deep breath. This was actually happening. Soon the line had shrunk until it was just me, Abby, and Mads left. Abby walked forward, smiling shyly. She went to Michael and Mads walked to Ashton. Calum was finishing up with another fan so I stepped over to Luke.

"Hi," Luke said, he smiled and bit his lip ring, "What's your name?"

"I'm Cara." I managed to slip out, my voice shook. "You guys were amazing tonight. Actually you're amazing all the time. That sounds weird... Um.. Sorry.." I laughed nervously and looked at my feet.

   "Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!" Luke smiled widely, then looked at my phone in my hand. "Do you want a picture?" He smiled again, which caused my stomach to flip.

   "Yeah." I forced a small smile, even though my stomach was wrenching. I was so nervous, and I hadn't even talked to Calum yet. Luke held my phone up and took a few pictures with me, his arm wrapped around my tense shoulder the whole time. Then, just as I was about to leave to go to the next boy, he pulled me in for a soft hug.

   "Thanks for coming tonight." He grinned at me. I smiled back, then walked over to Ashton as Mads moved to Calum.

   "Hey, I'm Ashton, you must be Cara?" Ashton smiled and two huge dimples appeared on his face. He held out his hand to shake, and it engulfed mine when they met. His whole presence felt fun and energetic, even though he'd been playing the drums nonstop for the past two hours. I didn't know how he knew my name though, so I just nodded and smiled. "Mads told me." He seemed to read my mind.

   "Oh, that explains it!" I joked, then I grabbed my phone and looked at him for permission.

   "Go ahead." He smiled again. I held the camera up and took a few pictures. For some reason I was extremely comfortable with Ashton. Something about him was super inviting.

   "Thank you." I grinned shyly and switched places with Abby, who had just barely finished talking to Michael. Michael had a huge, child-like smile on his face. His red hair stuck up in random places and his piercings were shiny. Instead of feeling intimidated, I felt warm and comforted. He saw me staring and held his arms open. Before I knew it I was engulfed in his warm arms. I hugged him back, and I felt safe. Michael was really good at hugging. When the hug ended he pulled back and laughed.

   "Well, I'm guessing you know who I am, but I don't know who you are so.." He chuckled and grinned. His smile was oddly captivating.

   "I'm Cara. Can I?" I held my camera up and smiled, knowing he wouldn't mind. He nodded happily. I lifted the camera up but he took it gently and held it at a better angle. He took more pictures than the other boys, making sure to pull a different expression in each. He laughed and handed me my phone back. Mads came over to take my spot and I waved goodbye to Michael. He smiled his goofy smile and waved back. I walked to the next boy and my stomach turned violently when I realized who I was standing in front of.

   "Hey, I'm Calum, you can call me Cal." He smirked and I felt butterflies everywhere. "Your friend Mads said you're a Calum girl?" He asked. 'Leave it to Mads.' I thought. If I had been nervous before, it was ten times worse now.

   "Haha yeah... I guess so. I'm Cara." I extended my hand to shake his and he took it firmly.

   "Good choice." He laughed. He pulled me in for a hug, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Calum Thomas Hood was hugging me. I gently hugged him back, worried it would end too quickly. I could feel the muscles in his back and shoulders as he hugged me. He was completely relaxed. Calum leaned back slowly and smiled at me. "Picture?" He asked, pointing at my phone. I nodded and held it out to him, unlocked. He raised it up and took a few pictures, pulling me in close to him for half of them. Then he stopped and looked at me. "I took one I don't like, is it ok if I go in and delete it? I promise I'll leave all of the others alone."

   "Um yeah, sure." I smiled nervously. His eyes scanned my phone. He tapped the screen a few times. Then he grinned and handed it back to me. I smiled at him as the phone changed hands. "Thank you," I said. "Not just for the pictures, but for the awesome concert and the awesome music you guys make. It's amazing." My words seemed to light up his face.

   "No problem, that's why we do it, for you guys. The fans, I mean." He smiled boldly and I smiled back. 'I'm just another fan. Nothing special.' I pushed the thought aside, said my goodbyes to the boys, and left with Abby and Mads.

   On the drive home I searched for my sister Caitlyn's number. I needed to call her, about what, I don't remember. But then I saw it, and I gasped.

   There was a loud thump as I dropped my phone onto the floor of the car.