I fell in love with a boy at the rock show (An ATL/Zack Merrick FanFic)

Pt. 1

“Your hair looks fine! Could you PLEASE stop hogging the bathroom?” My mom screamed from the living room, tapping her foot on the hardwood floor.

It was the morning of warped tour and I had been up all night excited to make this the most memorable day of the summer. I had picked out the cutest outfit and made the perfect warped tour playlist for the ride up. I had even spent weeks noting the set times for my favorite bands, looking for patterns in their lineups and getting the inside scoop on meet and greet sessions. Only one mattered though; the 3pm Kia Soul tent Meet and Greet with none other than All Time Low. My entire day was centered around the boys who stole my heart just four years ago.

Well four years and one day to be exact; the first time I’d ever seen Alex, Jack, Rian and Zack play live was in a small venue in Hartford. My friend had bought the tickets for our birthdays and going into the crowd of sweaty bodies I hadn’t really known what I was walking into. Seeing the crowd when we arrived, I knew I was far too young and inexperienced to make my way up through the chaotic and awfully cramped pit so I stood on the stairs and watched in awe as the bands took to the stage. The mob of teens was wild and the bands were amazing; I clapped and bobbed to the music though I wasn’t really sure of the words, just being there made me feel alive. The base line thumped deep, replacing the beat of my own racing heart. After seeing three other bands perform it was time for All Time Low to grace the stage. The roar of the room took my breath away and it shocked me that it seemed like it didn’t faze the boys. They basked in the camera flashes and let their hearts pour over their fret boards. The banter they had amongst each other and with the crowd made me feel I was just sitting around with my best friends. They made us feel like a part of their group and let us into their world in just the short time they played. More than anything I remembered from that night though, I remembered the bass player, Zack. His clothes wrapped taught against the flex of his muscular build, tank top exposing the outer edge of the tattoo over his heart. Blonde curls spilled into his eyes as he threw his head about to the music. His eyes sparkled in the stage lights and a grin never left his face. He was so in love with what he was doing but as soon as the crowd began to cheer he was so shy and humbled by it all. I just wanted to bottle up his energy. As the show went on I couldn’t take my eyes off him and even afterwards he was stuck on my mind…

“Ashley! Seriously!”

I heard my mom scream again. Flash forward four years and one day, three All Time Low concerts later and I was still hooked. Every show I got closer and closer to the stage and grew closer and closer to the band as a fan. More than that I never stopped feeling what I did for Zack Merrick. More than I wanted to be with him did I want to just get to know him better, be around that energy of his that makes me beam every time he looked at me from the stage, even pointing and smiling back sometimes. Today, if any, was that chance for me.

“Sorry, Sorry.” I mumbled as I left the bathroom and bypassed my angry mother into my room. With “Poppin’ Champagne” blasting, I glided my tube of eyeliner across my bottom lids and brushed on a bit of mascara before checking my braided ponytail one last time in the mirror and deciding my outfit was complete. With a neon skull tank, shorts and ratty old sneakers, I was ready to beat the heat and stand out in the crowd. A buzz from my cellphone pocket meant my ride was here and it was time to go. I grabbed my drawstring backpack and yelled goodbye to my mom as I skipped out the door.

            “Have a great day honey! Stay hydrated!” She yelled from the doorframe to my friends’ car. Little did either of us know it was going to be better than anyone could have expected…