Waterline

Back on Stage

Darrel spent about an hour finishing the picture frame. He wasn't any artist but it looked good for what he can do. Libby was close to being done, she didn't have all of her drawings painted yet. It did take her a longer time since she was making hundreds of different drawings. He looked at the clock to see that it was already 6. "We should clean up and get ready to go," Darrel told her. Libby turned around to check the clock. "Oh, yeah," Libby said.

Their procedure of cleaning the table took place. Darrel cleaned his part and stuffed the material under the table. Libby set the picture frames to dry and cleaned the table. Both worked together to get everything cleaned up. "Do you need extra clothes because Allen left some of his clothes in the closet?" Libby asked. Both of their clothes had paint on it so it would be informal to show up to a concert like that. "No, I brought my own," Darrel told her.
"Yeah, I don't think you would fit his clothes," Libby admitted.

Darrel got his clothes from his truck. They were neatly folded in the passenger seat. He brought them back to Libby's house so she can change into them. "Where would you want me to change in?" He asked. "You can change in the bathroom," Libby told him. Darrel walked into the bathroom and closed the door. He set the clothes on the counter of the sink. Then he looked in the mirror and fixed his hair because that's what people do.

Darrel walked out of the bathroom with his new clothes on. He wore a blackish-gray shirt with the words Albany written on the front, then blue jeans with it. He walked into the living room, Libby wasn't in there yet. She must be still gettin ready. Darrel decided to just sit on the couch and wait. He didn't get time to realize what Libby has in her house. There weren't too many pictures on the wall, he expected that she would have a lot of pictures. The only pictures were just from her family. Most looked a bit sophisticated so did the other stuff in her living room.

Libby had a round glass table that looked clean. On the table, were dragon statues. Libby didn't seem to be the type of person that likes dragons. Anyways, there were plotted plants in the corner of the room. She also had a TV that was mounted to the wall. Those were the only significant things that Darrel could point out. "Sorry that I made you wait too long!" Libby calls as she walked out of the room. Darrel turned his head then felt his face heat up.

"Wait a second," Libby stared at Darrel's attire then looked down at hers. She let out a gasp then giggled. "We are wearing the same shirt!" She said. It was true, they both wear the black Albany shirt. Libby wore shorts with hers and had it tucked in. Her hair was put in a loose ponytail. Darrel thought she looked amazing. "Yeah, you pull it off better than me," he admitted.
"Your joking! Those make your muscles pop!" Libby jumped up. Darrel couldn't help but chuckled at her.
"Alright, we should go now," he tried to keep Libby back on track.

Darrel parked his car in a parking garage. There was a discount for the paid parking since Darrel and Libby had special tickets for the band. Both of them walked down the sidewalk to reach the concert. Libby enjoyed talking to Darrel since she couldn't stop. "I was thinking after the concert, we can go and get something to eat," Libby suggested.
"Isn't the concert supposed to end past midnight?" Darrel asked her.
"Yeah, but I still want food," Libby pouts.
"Alright, there must be some fast food places that are still open," Darrel sighed, but Libby was happy that he agreed.

It took a lot of weaving through the crowds to reach to their seats. It was a semi-good spot. It wasn't at the front like last time but they both got a good view of the band. They were also with Mae, Nelson, and Penelope. Libby kept chatting with her other friends. Mae gave Darrel a look to make sure he was alright. Darrel's response was a shy smile. Mae knew that Darrel was having a hard time but she can't do anything. Mae has to let their relationship to form naturally.

Music began to blast on making the crowd mostly silent. The concert was featuring many artists besides Albany. It was still good to see other talented singers that had the confidence to show the world their talent. Mae was told by Conor almost a thousand times of how much he loved her voice. Mae believes that her voice wasn't good and Conor was only saying that because he wanted to make her feel good. She wasn't going to fall for his cute boy tricks even if she already failed a thousand times.

The crowd cheered as Albany took the stage. PJ introduced the song then played it immediately after that. It was a new song so no one knew it too well. But some people sang along to it. "Why is PJ such an excellent singer!" Libby exclaims.
"He did join a lot of music programs back at the mainland," Darrel explains.
"Okay, PJ-ologist," Libby giggles at him.
"Wait, what?" Darrel gave her a confused look.
"Y'know, a specialist of PJs," Libby explains. Darrel still didn't understand but laughed like he understood what she was talking about. He then glanced at Mae for confirmation. Mae just sighed in disappointment of him.

By the end of the concert, everyone was up dancing and singing. Albany ended the concert with everyone's favorite song. All of the fans were singing along to the song. It made Albany feel proud of themselves. To see their song being recognized by thousands of people. Then having them sing it back to them. It was a blissful time for them, Albany adored all of their fans.

Backstage, everyone was greeted by loved ones and friends. Toby and Ashley were both working on getting the drum set in the back of Toby's truck. Penelope was explaining what they were going to do to Conor and PJ. Everyone made plans to do stuff after the concert. Allen and Nelson didn't have any plans but decided to go with someone. Everyone was hanging out at the backstage. Mostly discussing what they are going to do after the concert. The only thing different is everyone made their own plans and aren't going as a big group.

"Hey Libby, do you have any plans for the rest of the night?" Allen asked, in a calm manner. Nelson was following behind him.
"Yeah, Darrel and I are going to The Grand Whale," Libby told them.
"Could we join?" Allen asks.
"What do they serve?" Nelson asked, he wasn't sure if he'd like it or not.
"Mostly seafood but they also serve breadsticks and other food that aren't seafood related," Libby explained.
"I'll go, I need to stop being afraid of eating sea animals," Nelson admitted. He wants to be a regular person again which means he shouldn't be afraid of eating seafood.

Allen looked at Nelson, he was a bit concerned for him. "Okay, I'll get Darrel," Libby said as she ran off to find Darrel. She found him talking to his cousin. Then decided to slowly approach them. "Hey, Darrel," she said in a light tone.
"Oh, hi," Darrel greeted her.
"Hey Libby, I was about to leave so don't worry," PJ told her before walking away. He gave them one last wave before meeting up with his group. Libby swoon as she watched him leave but soo turned her attention back to Darrel.

"Oh, right! Allen and Nelson would like to know if they could join us?" Libby questions him. She would like to have more people join but wanted to know if Darrel was all good with the plan. "Sure," Darrel nods. He did want to have some alone time with Libby but was relieved to have others with him. It made him less awkward around Libby and he did not want to embarrass himself. Darrel did a bad job on trying to act normal so now he wants to avoid embarrassment.

"I'll get the truck and bring it closer here," Darrel told her. He reached into his pockets and pulled out his keys. There were four keys and he had a glass pendant attached to it. Not many people know the story behind it, only PJ knows. Sadly, there is no way anyone could get the story out of him. Darrel had to be the one to tell it. "I'll be quick," Darrel said as he headed out of the theatre.

Libby ran back to Allen and Nelson, then told them that they could join. Both were glad to hear that then took their leave. The trio stood in the sidewalk as they waited for Darrel to pick them up. Nighttime was much cooler and the breeze was chilly. It was strange to think that earlier the sun was frying them. No one knows why the weather is having these sudden changes.