Wrecked

Two

Alyssa spent half an hour curling my long blonde hair into loose curls she deemed "sex kitten curls." I wasn't too sure about that description, but I promised her free reign with no push-back for once. For my makeup she insisted on a dark smokey eye and bright red lips. When I asked to see the damage in the mirror she refused, saying that I couldn't see until her work was complete.

When she laid out my outfit on the bed I immediately shook my head.

"Not happening."

She smiled, "You promised!"

That was another thing about our friendship, there were no broken promises.

"You couldn't have picked something a bit more... me?" I ask.

"You are Juliet 2.0 today, baby!" She laughs and thrusts the clothing in my direction.

When I finally look in the mirror I barely recognize myself. Alyssa is a miracle worker. It's like she's Frenchie from Grease and I just got my bad Sandy makeover.

A black leather mini skirt clings to my hips, and a leopard print top shows the tiniest bit of my stomach. She decided on a pair of black boots, and to top it all off- loads of layered jewelry.

"Perfection!" She squeals.

Her outfit is just as daring. She slides on a dark maroon mini dress with fishnet tights underneath. When she walks out I whistle, "Damn, you look hot Lys."

"We both do." She remarks.

***

The arena is filled with people packed so tightly that I can barely move. Her tickets are in the front row, but even then we are shoulder to shoulder. The opening act is nothing spectacular, in fact I can barely make out anything they are saying. The lead singers mouth is so close to the microphone it comes out as a muffled mess.

Beams of light circle the band members as they play, and Alyssa is jumping up and down singing with them.

"Who is this?" I yell to her over the noise.

"Velvet Summer!" She yells back. "Aren't they great?"

I nod my head unconvincingly and she rolls her eyes.

When they finish their set the stage is cleared quickly. The crew transforms it in a matter of minutes. So far, this has been the most fascinating part of the night.

A voice comes over the speakers and begins to introduce the main event. The crowd goes wild as all the lights in the place shut off. It is pitch black dark, and I reach for Alyssa's hand. She gives it a squeeze.

A single spotlight focuses on center stage where a figure is slowly ascending from beneath. Screams erupt as everyone begins chanting the lead's name, "Ryan, Ryan, Ryan!"

When he is fully visible in all his glory you can almost taste the angst from every female in the arena. The air seems to vibrate with it.

Just like the photos I saw online he is shirtless, and looks like someone slathered him in oil before taking the stage. The contrast of the black ink against his tanned skin is sexy, there's no denying it. He has brown hair and deep set eyes the color of amber. Those eyes seem to scan the crowd before him, but he doesn't smile. My theory is that this is to maintain his mysterious aura.

Slowly the stage fills with smoke lit with spotlights, revealing the other band members.

The guitarist and bassist begin to strum and I recognize the song as the one from the video. The drummer enters and pounds away, slinging his long hair as he head bangs to the beat. When Ryan begins to sing I can't seem to tear my eyes away from him. Though all the band members are magnetic, he has something else that draws you in just a little more. It's the eyes.

This time when he scans the crowd his gaze seems to meet mine, and I am reminded of how I felt watching the video. Like he was singing to me, and only me.

I keep expecting for him to move on to the next girl in the audience, but he doesn't. I feel heat rising to my cheeks, and I know I must be blushing.

"Jules, he's looking at you!" Alyssa screams. She grabs my hand and raises it into the air, "Dance with me, let loose for once!"

I let the music fill me and let my body find it's rhythm. I sway with Alyssa, and laugh when she attempts to twirl me during the guitar solo. When my attention is back on the stage his eyes are still on me, a smirk playing on his lips.

They continue to crank out songs and the crowd gets louder and louder.

Ryan begins to speak into the microphone, "This next song was written after a long hard night on the road."

Screams erupt, and it's clear everyone in the audience except for me knows exactly which song he's introducing.

The band starts to play another fast-paced beat. The lyrics paint the picture of a long hard night alright, one equipped with endless sex and lots of booze. Once again his eyes find mine. I look away, trying to prevent myself from blushing any further.

When their set is finally over the crowd slowly begins to thin out.

"Lets ask someone to take our picture!" Alyssa suggests. I nod, and she grabs the attention of the man to her right.

We pose and he snaps the picture. After Alyssa approves it and thanks the man, we start to make our way towards the exit. Just as we reach the door, a large man places his hand on my shoulder.

"Ladies, would you like to come backstage?"

Before I can politely decline the offer, Alyssa squeals that we'd love to.

The large man leads us back into the arena and towards a door that is guarded by security.

"Alyssa..." I say, trying to keep my voice low.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Jules. Please, let me have this!" She pleads.

Well how the hell do I say no to that. I have instantly been transported into one of those cheesy plot lines where the band points out potentially fucks from the crowd and has them brought backstage, and my best friend is eating it up.

The large man clad in all black says something into his earpiece and flashes a badge to the man guarding the door. Once we cross the threshold we are greeted by roughly a dozen other squealing female fans, all undoubtedly hoping to get a shot with someone in the band. The thought is nauseating.

I feel so out of place here, but I try to tell myself that I can handle a little discomfort for my best friend.

There is a random assortment of seating scattered around the lounge area, and I can pick out the band members thanks to the clusters of women surrounding them. The guitarist is leaned

against the wall and someone hands him a lit joint.

"Do you think Gareth would hook up with me?" A blonde bombshell asks, leaning into me.

Her dress, if that's what you want to call it, barely covers anything. Her body is insane, and I can tell that underneath the pounds of make up she's a beautiful girl.

"Uh, I mean you look hot? If I had to guess that's the only criteria, so you have a good shot." Sarcasm drips from my response, but she doesn't seem to pick up on it.

"Thanks girl!" She reaches into her cleavage and lifts each breast so that they are basically spilling out. "How do the girls look?" She shakes them at me and for a moment I almost launch into a lecture on self-respect and standards, but it's pretty obvious she doesn't give a shit.

"Perfect," I say. "Now go get your one night stand on, girl." The blonde squeals and makes a beeline towards the unsuspecting rocker.

"You're awful." Alyssa laughs. She can see right through me, and I join in with her laughter as we watch the blonde throw herself at Gareth. He doesn't seem to mind.