Soon, the lights dimmed, and there was an announcement over the speakers of the opening act for a rising star. The performance went by quickly, though the Radiant thought they were good. Then the upbeat, eccentric band of the Hamster Wheel took the stage, prompting a cheer from the crowd. Amy beamed and unconsciously grasped Jake’s hand. He didn’t register the action, his attention absorbed by the musical group revving their performance. They were a group of twelve people, six boys and six girls, each with their own background and personality, creating a connection with fans.
The group played songs from the beginning to the intermission, captivating the audience with their voices and choreography. Jake swayed to the rhythm, occasionally raising his eyebrows every now and then when one of his favorites did something that impressed him. Nostalgia hit him, he remembered discovering them when he turned 11, and how his interest grew after telling his father, who then bought Jake a few of their CDs.
A tear rolled down his face as he recalled a long-suppressed memory after his father’s funeral. His mother acquired time off work to spend time with him and Tina, with depression weighing them down. Some time later, while listening to his music collection, Jake felt a song resonated with him. Tomorrow was about rising above a thick fog through dark times. He carried this message ever since, even helping him weather the pain of breakup. He never added it to his playlist, but maybe he should now, especially in the coming days. He briefly looked at Amr, her joy infectious, grateful to be here with her.
Amy perked up when another song played. ‘Besties are Freshies’. She valued her friends and family, always striving to stay positive, even though it can be difficult. She thought about Christina who was always by her side, and the constant support of Rei and Naomi. Now with the addition of the others, she vowed to make more treasured memories, especially with the boy beside her. She briefly glanced at him, glad at his enjoyment, adding this concert to another happy memory..
When it was time for intermission, Amy stood up and stretched her arms. “I need to use the restroom. I hope there isn’t a long line.”
“Less talking, more going.” He teased. “Go.”
“Yes boss.” giggling as she left.
Jake stood up, pulling out his phone. He glanced at his notification, receiving texts from friends asking about the concert. He quickly replied while walking around, not noticing where he was moving.
“I thought I recognized that face.”
He looked up to find another phone in front of him, a familiar video playing on screen. The warrior’s brows furrowed as he recognized Logan from before, holding the phone. Sighing, he pocketed his phone.
“Yep.” replied the fire warrior. “That’s definitely me.”
“Huh…” The guy placed his phone away. “And does she know?”
“Yes, she knows about that. Why does it concern you?”
“And she chose to come with you despite that?” Logan crossed his arms. “She decided to be with an embarrassment like you?
“It’s her choice. I don’t understand why it’s your business. You don’t know her and you don’t know me.”
“Maybe it’s because a guy like you, who is a complete embarrassment, is with a girl who is better looking than you.”
“That’s shallow, man.”
“Whatever. I’m just saying like it is. You two? Might not work out.”
“We’re friends.”
“But are you expecting more? Don’t answer if you say no. You’d be lying to yourself.” He stepped closer to Jake as he spoke. “Even if you aren’t expecting something, she might and if you don’t snatch her she will find someone else. When she starts spending less time with you, even forgetting about you, you won’t understand why she is doing this until it’s too late.”
Jake's eyes narrowed once the guy was too close to him. “Move.”
“I’m only helping, friend. She’s stringing you along, making you the gullible fool until someone else convinces her you’re not worth it. Just like the last girl who strung you along, recording you to show the internet how embarrassing you are. If you think she’s not like that, you are lying to yourself. She built an image you like and pull the cord when she’s don–”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Jake shoved him back, cutting off the taunt. Logan let out an exaggerated yelp, acting as though he’d been pushed too hard and collapsed to the floor, drawing attention from the crowd. Shocked, Jake stared at him, wondering if he’d really pushed that hard, especially as people were paying attention to him with disapproving looks. Then he saw Logan smirk for a split second before changing to a look of feigned pain.
“Are you kidding me? He’s faking it.” Jake muttered.
“There’s the guy.” Jake turned to his left and saw two people leading security toward them. “That’s the guy who hit my friend.”
Jake felt a pang of frustration. Did this guy plan all of this just to get him in trouble? The next thing he knew, he was quickly blamed for being the aggressor and escorted out of the arena. Multiple witnesses pointed to him as the instigator and he unfortunately succumbed to Logan’s trap. He let this guy get under his skin for accusing Amy of being just like his ex, Meredith. He knew Amy wasn’t the type of person, and the idea of the two being similar left him sour.
The security guard pushed him outside and told Jake he couldn’t return to the concert. He was upset about missing the concert, but he was more upset about ruining the concert for Amy. Would she blame him for blowing it for them? No, he blew it for himself, she could still see the rest of the concert. An ache was felt at the idea of her not caring he was there and seeing the concert alone. She was looking forward to this, so would she abandon the event just to join him? No, she wouldn’t do that to him. What he had to do was tell her he wouldn’t be in his seat.
----------------------------------------
Amy stepped out of the bathroom, relieved she made it before a long line formed. Joy still sustained her about the concert. She moved toward the stadium doors. As she stepped inside, her phone dinged. Curious, she took out her phone, surprised to see a message from Jake. She glanced toward their seats, frowning at not seeing him, and then gasped as she read the message.
“Kicked out?” She muttered.
“Hey.”
She looked up and scowled, noticing Logan approaching her.
“No.”
“No?” He feigned confusion. “I didn’t do anything.”
“You got my friend kicked out. I’m not talking to you!”
“Okay.” Logan held up his hands in mock surrender. “I messed around.”
“Why did you get him kicked out? If you were interested in me, you should've known I wouldn’t be with you!”
“Half the time it does. People can be easily swayed, depending on the circumstances.” The guy crossed his arms, studying her. “Now you’re angry. This could go two ways: you either storm off, or” he stepped forward and leaned in. “You find something about me intriguing.” He stood up. “But you look young, fifteen, sixteen maybe. And I’m only twenty.”
“If you guessed that, then why?”
“Someone’s appearance doesn’t usually reflect their age, I thought you were about eighteen. If you weren’t, I could still have a little fun ruining your little date.” He laughed. “So, what are you going to do? It’s better to continue to enjoy yourself. You paid money, what’s one little hiccup? He’s used to it, especially since he rolled away in a trash can.
Amy narrowed her eyes, anger rising with every word he spoke. She was tempted to send him through the wall, but she won’t resort to violence unless he physically assaulted her. She glanced at her phone and typed a response to Jake before turning around.
“You’re awful, no, an arrogant prick.” She harshly spoke. “Taking pleasure in people’s misery to fill your ego. I don’t want to see you again.” She turned to leave.
“Not even a slap before going?” He laughed. “Kay, bye.”
Shivering in disgust, she refused to dignify him with a slap. He didn’t touch her, so there was no point in retaliating even if he deserved it. She marched down the hall and exited the building, searching for Jake. She spotted him sitting on a bench with his head down. While frowning, she approached him, and sat next to him. She bumped her shoulder against his.
“Jake.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
He sighed. “I didn’t care that he insulted me, but I pushed him for insulting you.” He solemnly stared at her. “He said you were stringing me along and a bunch of other dumb things. I lost a little restraint and I screwed up.”
“You only got kicked out, it wasn’t worse than that.”
“Yeah, but now you’re out here with me when you could be enjoying the concert.”
“I can’t enjoy it without you.” She roughly poked him in the forehead. “I wanted to share this with you. There’s no point in staying without you, it’d just feel lonely.” She took his hand. “I hate being alone at an event meant to be shared, especially if it's with someone I care about.”
Jake nodded. “Yeah, I get it. I feel the same.”
Amy smiled softly, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear as she met his gaze. “Good, you don’t need to feel it’s all your fault. There will be a next time, even if it might take some time for them to come back. We can do other fun activities.”
“You’re right, we can.” He nodded, he then had a thoughtful look. “For a moment I thought about transforming and sneaking back in.”
“Don’t.” She playfully shushed him. “We’d be in trouble.”
They sat quietly on the bench as the cold air flowed around them, with the noise of the city echoing in the background. It stung to miss it, but there will be another chance. Either this group would return or they could travel overseas for the musical group. Whichever it was, that was another time.
“You want to grab a bite before we call your brother?” asked the spiky-haired boy
“Yes, I’m famished.” replied the chestnut-haired girl.
They left the bench and the arena to go to a place to eat. As they walked, they thought about if the next outing would be without trouble. Jake still felt bad, but not as much as before. She would disagree with him making it up to her, but he will try to plan something memorable they could enjoy together.