Made In America

Three

Day one of the concert was nearly over and somehow, we made it up to the very front of the crowd. I didn't mind being pushed up against the fence because we had an amazing time being up front. As the headliner said her closing remarks, the crowd started to thin and I felt Brian let go of my shoulders. I turned around to follow him but he disappeared from my view.

It was too loud to yell to him and even though the crowd was thinning, the people around me weren't making me feel safe. I stayed along the fence and started making my way back out towards the exit. Once I was near a drink stand, I pulled out my phone. The service was spotty because everyone was trying to get online all at once, so I gave up on texting and calling him.

All of the sudden, I felt hands on my shoulders, but they squeezed too hard for it to be Brian. I shook my way away before turning around to see a man much bigger than me. He smelled of alcohol and weed and I tried to back away but it was too late. He grabbed my wrist but no one could tell anything was wrong through all of the commotion.

He was dragging me the opposite way of where the entrance was and there was nothing I could do. He was too strong for me to even try to fight my way away from him and the crowd was too focused on leaving to notice me. I gave up on fighting and followed him through the crowd.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on mine and Brian's fingers locked with mine. The guy's grip on me loosened when he saw Brian and he continued on his way while we went in the opposite direction. I let go of a breath I didn't realize I was holding and I hugged Brian tightly.

"Your parents would've killed me if I lost you," he said, patting down my hair. We stayed like that for a moment before going back to the exit. "You need something to eat," Brian said once we were out of the venue. It was almost midnight but the city never sleeps. We went into one of the open pizza shops and took a booth near the window.

"Thank you, Brian," I said once we ordered. "I couldn't have been here without you." He just smiled at me before watching strangers walk past the window. We ate our pizza quickly and headed back to the train to go to campus. Brian never stopped holding my hand and I saw a side of him I hadn't noticed before.

I always saw Brian as a social, fun, carefree kind of person. I never thought he would be a protective person. But I couldn't feel safer with anyone else.

A/N - This chapter was really hard to write. I hope it's pretty clear to see why it was so hard to write but if not, please just remember that all of the parts at the actual festival actually happened to me. I am fine and safe and Brian really is a super protective person and I'm thankful to have him as a friend.