Face The Music

Sing Sing

We had arrived. Cry cry cry.

I stepped out of the car. I waited. Then I turned around. "Auntie, aren't you coming?"

She grinned. "I was waiting for you to ask me that. Nope. Have fun!" And she zoomed off before I could stop her.

"Wait! No, come back! Please! Please!" It was no use. She was long gone. "Ugh, I hate people," I muttered to myself.

I sat on a nearby bench for a while, avoiding the people, but eventually curiosity got the best of me. Who was this mysterious rock band that my aunt was so enthusiastic about showing me?

I checked the ticket that my aunt had handed me in the car. No, this couldn't be right. Front row? Very front row? In the middle? What was she playing at? She got me a front row seat to a rock concert for people I had never heard of before? I was afraid to think about how much this ticket had cost, considering the size of the venue.

But I shrugged it off -- it was my aunt's money, and she could do whatever she wanted with it. I made my way toward the seat. Wow. It was literally smack-dab in the middle of the front of the theatre. I finally had solid proof. My aunt was batshit insane.

Anyway, if I had to be here, I figured I might as well enjoy it. Sitting down, I glanced around, trying to gauge the types of people who liked this rock artist or band.

Yuck. Flannel, flannel, everywhere. Did no one have any originality? If I had known everyone here would so stereotypically"rock", I would have run off and hid in the woods.

Don't get me wrong, I loved darker clothes and that whole alternative style. But Jesus, was I sick and tired of seeing that same plaid pattern everywhere. Flannels and beanies. Flannels and combat boots. Flannels and ripped black jeans. Please, give me a break!

I cringed at the people, shaking my head in disapproval. Already, this wasn't looking like it was going to be fun. I didn't want to be judgmental, but damn! This band was going to be annoying, wasn't it?

It was a band, right? I suddenly remembered that (facepalm) the name of the artist or band playing would be on the ticket. What an idiot I was.

As soon as I lifted the ticket to check the name, the lights went off. Great.

On came the opening act, a newly formed rock band, consisting of three girls and one boy. Poor dude. They were quite good, I guessed, but I didn't pay much attention. I was still struggling to read the ticket.

Mar...Maria...Marianas Trench? Isn't that some part of the ocean?

Just as I was finally able to make out the name, the opening act was finished.

"Thanks for having us! And now, for the band you've all been waiting for! You know them -- you love them! Marianas Trench!"

A huge cheer went up from the crowd. The force of the sound nearly lifted me off my seat.

Amid the din, a young man strolled onto the stage with the strangest mixture of cockiness and humbleness I had ever seen. Really, it shouldn't have been possible. But it was. He had black hair with a blue emo-ey fringe. He seemed quite tall, and his big blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

Now, I wasn't the type of girl who enjoyed reading books where the characters' eyes "sparkled" or "danced" or some bullcrap like that. It never happened. How the hell did someone's eyes "light up"?

But this was serious. His eyes freaking sparkled with mischief. They radiated hilarity. Underneath the merriment, odds and ends of sadness were sprinkled about. He was an odd mix of contradictions. It was, somehow, beautiful.