Outta My Limit | Michael Clifford

Chapter Twenty - Michael

"So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose!" Michael took over the vocals, getting so into it that he felt like smashing his guitar on stage right there and then. But he was playing his favourite guitar so managed to refrain himself from damaging it.

"Teenagers scare the living shit out of me!" Calum screamed again as they entered the final chorus, they were so hyped up and ready to take the song home that the sound techs were afraid Ashton would break his drums.

"I hope you realise you're all still teenagers." Matt said as he walked on stage, the impromptu My Chem cover had eaten into Nice One, Newton's soundcheck time a little bit.

"Oh funny, can I use that one?" Felicity laughed, walking up beside him and shoving Matt lightly; she would have pushed him harder but he was a lot bigger than her.

Michael exited the stage as quick as possible, he was starting to feel weird around Felicity even though they spent the night cuddled together in his bunk. His three bandmates followed quickly after him, deciding it was time they treated themselves to American delicacies and went out for fast food.

"So what's up with you ignoring Felix back at soundcheck?" Calum asked as they quickly hopped into a blacked out car.

"It's just weird, Cal. It's like I don't know how to act around her now and then there's Jeremy. I don't wanna do anything that could hurt him, and really all I wanna do is kiss Felicity whenever I see her but it just can't be the douchebag that hurts Jeremy like that. I can't have him hate me and potentially mess up my chances with Felicity."

"You're a regular martyr, Clifford." The bassist rolled his eyes at Michael's melodrama.

***

The four boys returned just over half an hour later with a weeks worth of McDonald's in their hands. They would be the first to admit they went slightly overboard. Liz sighed at her son when he walked into the dressing room with three bags of food under his arms only to be swiftly followed by his bandmates who all had a similar amount with them.

Ashton decided he had enough of the awkward atmosphere between the bands and refused to let it continue, even though it had only began the night before, and he ran into the dressing room across the hallway to grab their support band, inviting them to join the feast. Liz sighed, walking out of the dressing room. She wasn't a fan of fast food at all, she couldn't even stand the smell. She opted to leave before it made her nauseous.

"To touring!" Luke toasted, raising his paper cup of Fanta into the air. His friend imitated his action, as they all laughed.

They all shared a knowing look with one another, grateful that they could have a moment like that to share. It made them feel like normal teenagers, instead of those kids in those bands that could barely leave a hotel without getting mobbed.

"Some music?" Michael asked the group, although it wasn't much of a question as he stood up and ran over to their iPod dock and slipped his phone in and turned on his pre-concert playlist.

"Something a bit more uplifting than The Fray?" Isaac requested, he wasn't going to let Michael's ever surprising taste in music bring down the high he was having at this moment.

Only a few seconds later, the sound of MKTO's Classic filled the room. His song choice earned a few confused looks from some members of the group, which he responded to with a shrug as if it to say, "deal with it." He walked over to Ashton and took his hand, pulling him up and forcing him to dance with him.

Felicity held her sides from laughing so much as she watched the two boys dancing together. The hilarity of the moment only increased as the rap bit of the song came on and Michael attempted to rap.

The next song that came on shuffle was Limp Bizkit's Break Stuff, a significantly more angry song that had just been playing. Michael grabbed Felicity and immediately the pair began jumping around together, screaming out the lyrics of the furious song. Well, they at least tried to get the lyrics out, it was difficult seeing as they were laughing so much.

When the song ended, Michael wrapped his arms around Felicity and pulled her in for a hug. His stomach fluttered as it always did when they touched.

***

Michael jumped around the small corridor that lead to the stage they were preparing to go on. It was something he always did before a show, he bounced around to rid himself of nerves. Even though he managed to hit the walls and people with the neck of his guitar as he hopped.

"You ready?" Luke asked, placing a hand on the guitarist's shoulder to calm him down. Michael nodded quickly, turning around to make sure Felicity was standing behind them, ready to watch them side stage and join in for Good Girls.

"What's up New Jersey?!" Calum asked the excited crowd as he leapt onto the stage, Michael looked back one more time to see Felicity smiling widely at him and giving a thumbs up. The four boys went straight into their set before saying another word to the crowd.

"This one is called She Looks So Perfect." Ashton told the crowd toward the end of their set, he received a terrifying roar of glee from the crowd. "And let me tell you something New Jersey, you all look so fucking perfect tonight!"

With that the boys began their most popular song and the crowd sang along with every beat. Michael smiled to himself, these were the moments he lived for. The moments when a group of people gathered together to watch him and his best friends messed around with instruments on stage. The moments when people who called themselves fans of his band would sing his own lyrics back to him as if the words meant everything to them. And they did, the words meant everything to the fans in the same way the fans meant everything to Michael.