the only exception

chapter 23

 Phoebe loved little moments with her friends. It truly was simple things like letting Emily do her hair while they listened to music that made her feel simple again. That maybe life didn't always have to be one bad thing after another, there could be simpler times too.

Even if Emily wouldn't stop pestering her about everything going on with both Hayden and Jay, it was still fun to gossip a little about it. Giggling like little kids to lift a little more of the weight off of her shoulders.

They took their time getting ready, but time seemed to fly by and before they knew it, they were getting dropped off at the venue by Emily's sister. Phoebe wasn't exactly a fan of crowds, but refused to let the anxiety get to her as they weaved through, looking to meet up with the boys.

"Woah, aren't you two a sight for sore eyes," James eventually grinned, walking up beside them with Hayden in tow.

Emily smiled brightly, grabbing onto his arm as she began dragging him towards the door. "I'm so excited!"

Phoebe smiled smally at them, following behind as Hayden fell in step next to her.

"You look really pretty," He smiled, a little nervously and there it was again, the little butterflies in her stomach, flapping away.

"Thank you," she hummed, trying to suppress her smile as they joined the line. She wasn't a vain person by any means, but even she was happy with the way she looked. Her hair was curled and styled, she was wearing more makeup than she'd ever been allowed to, and Emily had let her borrow a cute outfit. She felt nice.

"You been listening to more of their music?" Hayden asked, knowing Phoebe hadn't really heard anything besides their popular stuff.

Emily jumped in before she could answer, turning away from James and instead wrapping her arm around Phoebe's shoulder, "Of course she has, I played it while we were getting ready. Wasn't gonna let our girl go into this blindly."

Phoebe grinned over at her bubbly friend. Emily was always a little hyper, always showing her affectionate boldly, but Phoebe couldn't help but to find it endearing. She wasn't really a fan of being touched at all, in any sense, but she'd decided very early on that if she wanted to hang out with the blonde, she'd have to make an exception.

The four chatted for a little longer before being let in, and managed to quickly find their seats. The venue wasn't too big, so considering they'd gotten lower bowl, front row seats, Phoebe was sure she'd be able to see everything clearly. It was her first concert and she couldn't wait to see music live, and not just in a small cafe in town.

The lights were low as the band walked on stage and Phoebe was in awe at the way everyone lit up and screamed for them. She watched with squinted eyes as the band began to play and the lead singer danced around the stage before turning towards the front and grabbing the mic.

The lights went up and Phoebe's jaw dropped at the realization. It was Hayley. When she'd seen the hair, her first thought was of Hayley, but not that it actually might be her. While Emily jumped in excitement, singing along with the boys, all Phoebe could do was break out into a smile. She was absolutely awestruck seeing Hayley perform, and it all felt a little unreal that Hayley would be the singer of one of her favorite songs.

It didn't take long for her to notice Zac on the drums, and then Taylor on the guitar and her smile only grew. She'd recognized some of the other band members too from the get together Hayley had had at her house, and wondered how she'd never figured it out.

She wasn't sure what Hayley and Taylor did for work, only that they'd traveled. She'd mainly just assumed they were travel bloggers or something along the sort, seeing all the pictures of them around the world.