Without A Doubt

Chapter 13.

Emma and I are sitting in the parking lot waiting so that we can be 'fashionably late'. And by that, I mean we're sitting in the car while Emma pregame's with the bottle she brought. She insisted on pregaming because apparently that's the rule when you go to concerts. I didn't mind waiting though. It's not even 8 yet. As we sat there I prepared myself for the crowd and the noise and all of that. I'm not really anxious, just, uncomfortable.

"What kind of music does he play?"

"Chill punk rock." Emma gave me a look.

"That's what they told me."

"Are they here yet?" Emma was still taking drinks out of her bottle.

"I don't know."

"Text them."

"I don't have their numbers."

"You've been hanging out with them twice a week for almost a month now and you don't have any of their numbers?"

"Yes." Em rolled her eyes and took another swig out of her bottle.

"Alright, I'm ready." She gave me a smile as she opened the door and jumped out. I let out a breath and debated on whether or not I should pull her back into the car and go home. No turning back now, so I opened the door and followed Emma. I have my meds in the inside pocket of my blue jean jacket. I have the pills in a little case so that I don't have to carry the bottle around.

The Lot is exactly as it sounds. It's a rectangular outdoor pavilion with a stage at one end of it, and at the opposite end is a bar. Obviously, we aren't old enough to drink, hence the reason Emma pregame'd and has a flask in her purse. Emma and I paid our fee at the front door and then got M's stamped onto our wrists. As soon as they stamped me I wanted to go to the bathroom and wash it off. I hate having markings on me, I just don't like it. Once we were inside I could feel a hint of nervousness in my chest. There's a lot of people here, some of whom I actually recognize. I've never talked to any of them before but I did recognize them. Emma and I were wading around through the crowd when I heard someone scream

"Mayson!" I turned around and saw Jane standing behind me. She was standing with Liv, David, and Peter. Peter looks as uncomfortable as I felt. I tapped Emma's arm and we walked to their group.

"Hey guys." I screamed

"Hey Track Star." David yelled. Jane gave me a hug and Peter shook my hand. I liked the way he always did that. Liv on the other hand just looked at me an gave me a sideways smile. Emma saw the look she gave me but ignored it and went to say hi to everyone. We had only been standing there for about 20 seconds when I felt someone run into me, knocking me forward into Liv. I could feel my muscles tensing up. There're too many people here. I quickly took a step back from Liv, and hooked my finger through Emma's beltloop and just tried to keep my heart beat under control. Emma turned around when she felt me grab the beltloop, but she immediately went back to talking to David. Liv on the other hand was giving me a look that I couldn't quite read. I pretended like I didn't notice her looking. No one else noticed. Everyone was standing around talking, or should I say screaming. Carter and his band were on the stage already getting everything set up.

As we all stood there I was trying to keep my nerves under control. I was doing a decent job too. Liv and Emma and the rest were all talking and having a good time. Emma was even sharing her flask with David and Jane. When I heard Carters voice through the speakers I looked up and saw him standing at the front of the stage, with a guitar in his hands. Everyone was already screaming by the time he even said their name.

Half way through their set I realized that Carter and his band were amazing. Carter is the lead singer and his voice was absolutely awesome. They played a few songs from All American Rejects, some from Green Day, and then a bunch that I assumed were originals. When I started to feel more comfortable in the crowd I finally let go of Emma's belt loop. I could tell Liv was really into the music because of the way her body swayed a little bit with the tempo. Peter on the other hand limited his movement to tapping his foot. Jane, David and Emma were all dancing around just having fun. I was still staring at Liv when Carter started to sing a love song. I could tell it was an original because I'd never heard it before. I was listening to the words more than the music. They were talking about how when you love someone it's a feeling in your chest. It's a feeling that consumes your thoughts and makes you feel like you're on top of the world. As I kept listening I wondered what it really felt like for someone to love you back. I put the thoughts out of my head and focused on the music. Since, Carter and his band were only opening up for some other local band they only played for about an hour. When they played their last song, it was only 9:30ish.