To Write Love On Her Arms

Chapter 3

                “What are these?” She asked, shaking a bottle of pain relievers.

                “I get migraines, they run in the family,” I explained. “That’s like special medication or something, I think it’s a blood thinner? I wouldn’t know, I’m no doctor.” We both laughed and she put the bottle down.

                “Okay last question, what’s that?” She said, pointing to the middle of my shirt. I looked down just to have Jasey spring her finger up to my nose as a joke. Jasey squealed and darted out of my room so that I would chase her. We made it down stairs and my mom was shaking the car keys.

                “I’ve been waiting for you two!” She said stubbornly.  My mom guided us to the car and we all hopped in. I took a seat next to Jasey in the back and held her anxious hand. She would squeeze it whenever she remembered where it was we were exactly going. My mom pulled into the venue drop off lot and put the car into park and let us out.

                “Girls, you are to both be safe and leave if either of you come across serious trouble.” My mom said sternly as she rolled down the window. “I don’t want any funny business, and I trust the both of you. Do you understand?”

                “Yes, Mrs. Liner we promise. Thank you so much.” Jasey said giving her a hug through the window. My mom smiled and waved goodbye as she drove off. I turned to Jasey and we both took a big breath. When we exhaled, we turned to face the line that was already waiting outside. It wasn’t a very big line, which was good for us. It was only three o’clock, and the concert doors weren’t going to open for another four hours.

                Jasey and I sat down and sang songs to each other to entertain ourselves. Some of the other fans who lined up behind us and who were lined up in front of us liked the way our voices sounded together, and would listen in and clap their hands to the song. After a little while of that, some other smaller bands who wanted to get as big as Reasons Being came around and showed us their music and EP albums. Jasey and I took turns using the restroom and getting some water and keeping our spot in line. Waiting for the doors to open at a concert is sometimes nerve wrecking, but the experience is fun if you share it with a friend.

                The sky was colored in navy blue with little white sparkles by the time the clock hit seven. The general admission area was being let in. Jasey and I rushed past everyone who was trying to buy merchandise and ran right into the arena to stand before the stage. We were already so close, only five or six lines behind the people way in the front. Jasey grabbed my hand and interlocked our fingers so that we couldn’t be separated. Hundreds of other people piled in behind us and, already before the first opening act came on, started to push.

                One thing that’s cool about standing in general admission at a concert is how you get to the front. When everyone is jammed packed into a little area, short people start to lose air to breathe, and so they leave. Some people just decide they don’t like the feeling of being touched by strangers and evacuate. Other people actually only come for the opening acts, and once the acts are over they leave. The rest of the time, most people smash the entire crowd to one side of the area and it shifts people around. With what I have seen, if you try to get to the front you will not. If you just let the crowd drift you around like a wave in the ocean, then you will get closer.

                Jasey and I didn’t care for any of the first three opening acts.  What we did care about is how close we got during the acts. At first, about ten people in front of us left and Jasey tugged my arm so we could fill in the gaps. Then we suffered through at least two hours of pushing and shoving by the other fans, and shifted our way to the second row. We stood a little to the right of where the lead singer would stand, and if we reached over the fans in front of us we would be touching the bar that shows that’s as close as you can get.