In the Clouds

Ch. 2

        We were in Jade's convertible white Lexus and our hair was flying in the wind. The suns rays beamed on us from above. Today was the day of the concert and she was on the verge of crying, again.

        "Okay, seriously, you need to stop and focus on the road," I advised. If she doesn't keep her eyes and her mind on the road then we are both doomed, and she knew this too. I usually needed to be a little strict with her, because I was the grounded and down-to-earth one of us. Her mind was always in a thousand places at once. She cranked up the volume on the CD she had playing in the car. It was, obviously, 5 Seconds of Summer. Heartbreak Girl was playing. I always thought of it as cute song. Whenever I told Jade that I thought it was cute song, she would mumble something about them being punk rock and then start laughing hysterically. I'll never understand.

        "I'm focused! Don't you worry, Captain," she winked, fixing her dangling bracelets. She sometimes called me "Captain" when I was being strict to her. As much as it annoyed me she won't stop doing it. Then again, if she stopped doing everything that annoyed me, we would hardly talk. Times like these were kind of funny to me, because she could be so bipolar. She was just tearing up about the fact that we were on the way to the 5sos concert and now she was as happy as someone who just won the lottery. It was almost as if she forgot what was happening.

        "My turn now!" I exclaimed as Heartbreak Girl came off. I was referring to the deal her and I made back when we each got our driver's licenses. She played what she liked for a while and then I turned on what I liked. It was at times like these, and only times like these that I was grateful that she was a fan of 5sos. If she was a fan of a band with terrible music, then that would've been a bigger problem than I could even imagine. I connected my iPod to the car speakers and let my favorite songs dance around us in the warm air. Eminem's Lose Yourself came on and I was proud to have the entire first verse memorized. It was something I learned way back when I was only a young teen. When nothing mattered and my head was in the clouds. It impressed Jade every time. I still knew every lyric now, years after.

        For the rest of the ride we sang along to the radio, lip syncing like superstars. I tried to pretend to be happy while knowing that I'd be spending the next few hours feeling like an outsider. All the people that would be at the concert would be fans that knew all the little inside jokes, all the lyrics to their songs, and every detail there was to know about Michael, Ashton, Calum, and Luke. The perks of being a fangirl's best friend, I thought sarcastically. I looked over at Jade, she was wearing a 5sos t-shirt that she fringed at the bottom. She had also but off the sleeves and made the V-neck a bit wider. Her black skinny jeans were ripped right at her knees, and they balanced well with her light-colored Vans. I was wearing a sophisticated white maxi-dress that Jade always called "stunning" on me. I always felt pretty in it, because it made me feel as graceful as somebody that's high in royalty. I looked back at Jade to see tears welled up in her eyes. I didn't even need to turn my head the slightest bit to know that we were at the venue. After I calmed her down and redid her makeup, she got up from the convertible, her head held high. I opened my door, and got out of the car to go in with Jade. I had no idea that in a couple hours I would have met someone that I would fall in love with. No idea at all.

        Ashton ran across the stage, triggering a feeling that united all the people in the crowd. Except me, probably. The other members followed as well. Suddenly everyone around me starting crying and screaming. Jade couldn't believe her eyes. Did they not know they were at a 5sos concert? Like, seriously, did they all suddenly remember what they were doing here? I was, again, flabbergasted by how much these people let 5sos control their emotions. It was crazy how they all started crying, as if we were at a funeral. I also couldn't believe how close Jade and I were to the stage. Jade was always lucky when it came to 5sos concerts, as she was able to score us good seats. We obviously weren't first row but we were still close enough so that Jade didn't need to zoom in her camera. I looked at Jade and she was singing along, screaming almost. I didn't know all of the words so I just enjoyed the feeling. Music always gave me a feeling that nothing else can replace. I took a closer took at the boys, even through the darkness they were beautiful. Of course I would never tell Jade that I thought this, because that would be a big mistake. So I just stood there the entire time looking at them, trying to forget that I was an outsider. I tried to forget that across the world millions of other girls would do anything to stand where I was standing.

        The concert came to an end, and all the audience cried in unison once again. I felt Jade's arms around me. She pulled me into a hug. 

        "Thank you," she whispered, "this was the best day of my life and nobody else would've shared it with me. You're the greatest best friend in the world," she finished.

        "Aww," I started "I had a lot of fun, I love hanging out with you no matter where we go!" I responded happily. She then held out the meet and greet passes again and I noted that we had only ten minutes to head backstage. Of course the tour planning people didn't put in time for ticket holders to become emotionally able to see their favorite celebrity right in front of them. They didn't know how fangirls like Jade would need some time to pull themselves together and let the fact that they were actually meeting them go through her mind.

        We stood outside the door to where the boys would be expecting us. I was debating whether to act like I was a fan or just lay low so I didn't bring attention to myself. The doors opened, the girls screamed, and I decided to lay low. I could never pull off a fake scream like that.

"Oh my god! Lexi! WearehereIcan'tevenbelievethis!" Jade's spoke too fast to me I couldn't understand. She walked up to Ashton and asked for a picture, he smiled as she took a selfie with him. She was shaking! She also got selfies with the other boys and then came back to Ashton. She dared to ask for another selfie with him kissing her cheek! He took the picture with her and they had a small conversation. I could see the way Jade's eyes sparkled with every letter he said. She has never been this happy. A few girls were talking to Mikey about how school always got in the way when they wanted to do 5sos related things. Another girl spoke to Calum about his shirt. Luke finished taking a selfie with a girl and then he bumped into me and apologized. I didn't care but a wave of excitement came from the girls around me. So much for laying low.

"Hey! I never took a picture with you," Luke smiled. Wow! He was gorgeous. Even beyond gorgeous. Words couldn't even describe how he looked. His hair stood upright and his eyes were an ocean of beauty. His smile was charming, unlike anyone else's in the world. I always thought he was the best-looking in the band, but nothing compared to what I was thinking now.

"Th-th-that's okay," I stuttered "it's almost time to go anyways," I brought myself together, gave him a kind smile and turned away. Shock fluttered in the girls around me. They were acting like I just cursed him out when all I did was politely reject his selfie offer. The 5sos boys were about to leave as all the girls, including Jade, started screaming from excitement in the corner of the room. They were all shaking as they whispered and smiled brightly. A couple girls were even crying. Luke motioned to me as if to say "come here." My heart started beating faster. It was probably just the girls' excitement rubbing off on me, but deep down inside I knew it was something else.