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CONCERT DAY

Luke: I'm gonna see you in an hour at sound check, right??

Ruby: I'm afraid not :( I lost the passes

Luke: I can get you in anyway ruby

Ruby: don't bother, I have to cover my friend's shift. I'll be at the concert though

Luke: :-/

Luke: Okay I'll see you then Princess xx

I set down my phone, nervously pulling my hair into a high ponytail and slipping my visor onto my head. I hadn't lost the sound check passes; I'd given them to my 5sos-obsessed coworker earlier this morning and now I had to cover for her. The thought of meeting Luke made my heart race and I was procrastinating it as much as possible.

Few customers ever arrive after lunch, causing the hours to pass even slower than usual. My anxiety worsened as each second ticked by and I constantly caught myself tapping fast-paced beats onto the counter. Worried thoughts swarmed me as I stared at the deserted space behind the register, lazily examining tables dusted with bagel crumbs as a feeble attempt to distract my buzzing mind.

The heavy glass door eventually opened and a familiar jingle rang throughout the room. I lifted my eyes and met the joyous pair belonging to my coworker, Addison. She rushed up to me and slammed her hands on the counter.

"They. Were. AMAZING," she gushed, dropping her body as if she nearly fainted. "They're so beautiful; have you ever noticed that? Ashton playing drums is the hottest thing ever, watching Calum and Michael fight honestly gave me life, and fucking hell, Luke looks sexy tonight."

I snorted in response, adjusting my hair as my friend struggled to compose herself. I'd never seen a person truly fangirl and watching it occur in real life felt like witnessing a stroke and doing nothing about it. 

"Wait," she said, finally regaining herself, "are you going to the concert tonight?"

"Yep."

"So why are you here?!"

I blinked, looking around the room. "Because, it's... my job?"

Addison stared at me, slowly dropping her jaw. "Get out. I'm covering your shift now. Go make yourself look fine as fuck and enjoy the concert. Live that groupie lifestyle."

She stole my visor from the top of my head and pulled it onto her own, ignoring the appalled looks I was shooting in her direction. Within five minutes, she replaced me at the register and locked me in the storage room with a change of clothes and my makeup bag. I couldn't help but laugh before reluctantly attempting to make myself presentable.

* * *

Seeing as I've only attended one concert in my life, which happened to be a Christian rock band playing in a local ice skating stadium, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. 

Girls. There were hundreds girls everywhere, each one dressed practically identical to the next. They were all - for the most part - intimidatingly gorgeous, even the ones younger than me. I hesitantly joined the crowd in line at baggage check, then moved with the group as we all filed in the stadium. 

It took me fifteen painfully embarrassing minutes and the assistance of three guards to locate my seat, which was directly in front of the center microphone. Men moved about the stage, double and triple checking the equipment to ensure that everything would work. I watched them for a few brief moments before the stadium erupted in high-pitched screams. Michael's hair quickly disappeared behind the thick curtain displaying their band name.

Luke: Michael says he sees you

My heart began to speed up as I faced the unusual reality that I was meeting Luke today. Worries started to flood my thoughts; what if he thought I was uglier in person? What if he's not what I think he's like? What if things get super awkward? What if he just wants a one night stand?

"Excuse me," the girl next to me said, lightly resting her hand on my forearm. "Are you here alone?"

I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding in, suddenly aware of my surroundings. Her wide, brown eyes bore deep into mine, patiently awaiting my response. "Oh, uh, yeah," I stuttered.

She beamed, flipping her red, curly hair over one shoulder and taking the seat next to me. "Same! These tickets are expensive. It's a good show, though. It's worth every penny."

I almost felt bad knowing that I didn't technically pay for my ticket, but I didn't dare mention that. The stranger talked incessantly, never pausing to breathe or even see if I was still listening. Slowly, the seats around us started to fill and I felt my senses sharpen. My claustrophobia was going to make this impossible.

"You're, like, really pretty," the girl said suddenly, tilting her head to one side as she examined my confused face. "You should try to talk to one of the guys after the show. Maybe they'll take you back to their hotel." She playfully nudged me, laughing at her own statement.

Somehow, everything became utterly overwhelming. There were so many people packed into the area that I could barely even catch my breath. The songs playing on the big screens were deafening, the abundance of lights shining down were making me sweat, and everyone was talking about these boys that they barely know, that I barely know. My heart began racing and my hands were shaking slightly. The concert hadn't even started yet and I was having some kind of sensory overload from sitting in my seat.

"I'm sorry, I need some fresh air," I said abruptly, rudely interrupting the girl beside me. She just nodded in understanding and turned to the person on the other side of her, resuming her conversation as though they were best friends.

I hurried to the nearest exit I could find, pausing only once when I felt my phone buzz in my back pocket. Luke's name popped up, along with his idiotic contact picture. A wave of guilt washed over me as my unsteady finger declined the call. I then spontaneously decided to call my sister, silently praying it would calm my nerves.

"Ri, I can't do this," I sighed, slipping through the crowd until I reached the outside. "I can't sit through the whole concert. I can't meet Luke today."

A guitar strum boomed throughout the stadium, causing the fans to burst into screams and cheers. I continued to walk down the sidewalk until I reached security. They gave me an odd stare but allowed me to leave.

"What are you talking about, Ruby?" my sister asked, concern evident in her voice.

"I'm coming home."

* * *

before yall kill me, she had like a mini anxiety attack from claustrophobia and thats kinda what its like. everything gets very overwhelming and all u can think is "i gotta blast RIGHT NOW" so thats why she left the stadium

so i guess its time to tell you guys this but this story is VERY loosely based off of a real thing i had with a real dude and hes really reading this story so pray for me. we're not in love or whatever hes just my best friend (friendzoned af sry punk) but yeah he wanted me to tell you guys so say hi to richie, he's cool and he's also reading a lot of the comments pray for him too

i dont know what this chapter is but rip ur emotions. next chapter might be the last one. whats gonna happen????? who knows??? (i know)

have a chill day/night im v sorry

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