BEAU • [12:27 p.m.]
"Okay bro, I wanted to lie but uh, this is actually pretty good," said Lucas after I forced him to taste the lemon square cake that I just brought.
"Yeah, I know. I mean who knew I had it in me as well?" I replied, slapping my chest with pride. I should probably set up my own bakeshop as well—I just need some training on how to make a cake appear appetizing.
I've never really had any sheer interest nor faith in me when it came to baking, and actually it had pretty much been at the bottom of my to-do list. I mean, my sister was already a baking legend here in Alcovix, and I was pretty good at almost everything else, so why bother trying to learn it, right?
Yet I never knew I would make one—and unexpectedly for someone. As much as the cake that I gave Piper lacked this "strong, aesthetic appeal," she didn't hesitate to eat it. She even took another bite before she commended my cake.
Due to that successful attempt at satisfying the Griffin's taste buds from last night's mini-party, I decided to make another yet smaller batch of lemon square cake this morning to give to Lucas and Callista after we planned to hang out in Flinnway's food court this afternoon.
As Lucas was busy eating the cake (really, he ate almost anything,) I heard some clacking of heels that was nearing behind me. I turned around and see Callista coming towards us, striding like she was a runway model from some fashion show and grabbing all the people's attention at the food court.
She sure does know how to make an entrance, I thought.
"Sorry for being late guys, my driver was a slowpoke," she apologized, pulling her shades up to her head and sat down beside me.
"I could've picked you up, Callista."
"I would want you to, but I was busy drafting my dad's speeches," she said.
You see, both her siblings had no desire in entering the political world, but Callista did, and she was even attending to Brown as a Political Science major. Her older sister Savannah, is a TV actress back in Los Angeles, and her younger sister Natalia is—well, let's just say she was this rebellious, little rogue.
I knew that Callista was all up for it, dominating the world and all that, but I hope she could cut herself some slack.
In return though, I just simply nodded to her, as if I knew that writing political speeches was an everyday thing for her.
"Drive me home later, then?" she requested, as I nodded for the second time. She smiled at me and kissed my cheek. Callista gazed her eyes to Lucas, who was sitting across her. She pointed at the cake he was eating and asked, "What is that?"
Lucas slid the untouched plate of cake I have prepared to Callista. "It's a lemon square cake, you should try it!"
The creases of Callista's forehead wrinkled, poking the cake as if it was some specimen from another planet. She eventually recoiled in disgust. Not that I wasn't anticipating it, but it was overly-exaggerated. "Ew. Who made this?"
And it was as if last night's scene was reincarnated today, I raised my hand sheepishly. "I did, but it tastes good, trust me. It just doesn't look good—I'm working in that. Plus, I made it for you."
Callista raised a brow, like she couldn't believe what she heard. "So you bake now? That's quite...funny."
She pushed the plate away and stood up. "Thanks for the cake Beau, but I'm going to buy myself some real food. I'll come back in a bit," and off she disappeared in the food court.
I crossed my arms and swallowed a huge lump that was forming on my throat. I just wanted to snatch the cake that I just made from the table and throw it in the bin. I guess she was no fan of edible presents. I mean, today would've been the first time that I would be giving Callista something that wasn't made out of fabric or gemstones and she downright refused it.
I then felt Lucas's shoe lightly kicking my leg underneath the table, making my eyes dart towards him. "Yo, don't feel ashamed, dude. I fucking appreciated the cake," he assured me.
I bumped by fist into his, giving him a weak smile. "Thanks, man. She's just so frustrating sometimes." At least my best friend was grateful about it.
My phone then vibrated from the table, and I unlocked it to see who texted. My eyes widened—one, because of the texter, and two, because of the text itself.
I didn't know why my heart accelerated after I read the message. What was going on? Where was she inviting me again? I exhaled, typing my reply, planning to say no...but I just couldn't.
"Holy shit!" I accidentally shouted, earning some glares from the people around Lucas and I. Lucas gave me a weird look and asked me what was going on. I tugged his sleeve as we both crouched down to the table.
"Piper has an extra ticket for Escape Plan Cody, and she's inviting me to go with her," I whispered. Why do the Griffins have a lot of tickets?
"Piper? How the fuck did she snag some tickets?!"
I shrugged my shoulders as a reply. Lucas cursed again, but then asked me a question that I had no clue on what to answer. "Wait up. Are you going with her?"
"I don't know? Probably not?"
"Why not? It's Escape Plan Cody, man! I would kill to watch them live. And it's just Piper—you can easily ditch her when the concert starts," Lucas suggested, his eyes glinting devilishly.
"There, she said she'll text me where the venue is," I said, hitting send as Lucas and I both leaned back to our seats.
"See? Not only do you have a free ticket—which I'm jealous of, by the way, but you'll have this is a great chance to continue the Plan-Ditch-Piper-And-Take-Callista-To-Prom," he said.
Just then, Callista appeared early enough to hear the last word that Lucas said. "What prom?" She sat down beside me again and looked at the both of us eagerly, expecting us to continue our discussion. Of course she'll happily lend her ears to us right after she heard the magical word.
Lucas bit his lip shut as I casually gave her a reply. "It's nothing. Just sit down and eat your real food."
— — —
[3:46 p.m.]
"Thanks for the ride, Beau." Callista said, as I parked the car beside the Moriarty's residence.
"Sure."
She asked about my plans this Saturday night, as she adjusted my rear view mirror towards her to retouch her make-up.
"Uh, I'm going to a concert later." Well it was true, though I'll probably be dead if she asked me who I would be going with.
Callista nodded as she grabbed another beauty product from her pouch. "Oh, I've been hearing that concert around school. Escape Plan Corby, right?"
"It's uh, Escape Plan Cody." I knew Callista's not into bands, let alone rock music. I invited her to Warped Tour last year and she almost fainted. Lucas, Gigi and I had to stay in the car with her for two hours while my favorite band was playing. I made a mental note to never again invite her to a music festival.
"Oh, yeah, sure, that. Anyway, enjoy the concert with Lucas." She pecked my cheek and opened the passenger door, as a bodyguard was waiting for her near their gate.
"I'm not going with—" and before I even got to finish what I was going to say, the passenger door had already been closed shut. I was quite relieved though, since technically, I didn't lie to her. I dragged a sigh, re-adjusting the rear view mirror back again.
I glanced at my car's digital clock. 2:30 p.m. Piper texted to me that Escape Plan Cody will be performing at Redmarble, a large music venue that was an hour away from Alcovix. She also added that we should meet around 7 p.m.
Heck, I was already prepared to drive straight to the venue right now.
— — —
PIPER • [7:05 p.m.]
I didn't know what was more exciting—the fact that I would be seeing Escape Plan Cody live or the fact that I would be watching it with Beau. It took me guts and about three chugs of milk to actually ask him out to the concert. I wasn't even sure if Beau was into the band. I initially invited my next door neighbor Abby, and as much as she wanted to go, she was drowning with homework. By the time Beau accepted my invite, I was practically squealing into my pillow.
I sensed that Beau was so excited that he was already at the venue thirty minutes ahead of our appointed time. I texted him to wait near the venue's backstage entrance as we'll meet there, and he had no idea that we were also going to meet the band members.
As the cab driver stopped at the venue, I handed him forty bucks and headed down as I jogged towards our meeting place. The parking lot was already littered with concert-goers, majority of them wearing band shirts and holding posters that they were almost crumpling. I walked pass the sea of people, hearing them talk to each other rather loudly, excitement evident in their voices.
"Hi," I said, panting again like what happened to me when I met up with Beau at the carnival. Though this time, I was hoping he won't ditch me again.
"Hi. Um, thanks for inviting me." He said. I can see a white Escape Plan Cody band shirt peeking from his blue flannel. So he was definitely a fan. I mean, I didn't even own a band shirt!
"Although, I've been um, told by the big guys behind me to stay near the entrance of the venue. We can't hang here," he added. I took out the backstage passes IDs from the front pocket of my denim dungaree and showed it to him. I know that my outfit for the concert was quite off, but I didn't mind. I needed bigger pockets as I didn't want to be holding anything while I jump up and down from the concert later.
Did I mention that Beau's mouth was gaped open?
"It's okay. I didn't tell you that I have backstage passes as well. Pascal informed me that I just have to tell the big guys over there my name and they'll let us inside in advance."
"Your brother gave you the backstage passes and the tickets?"
"Yes, as a birthday present." I smiled to him as he nodded slowly, taking it all in. I know, even I couldn't believe we were receiving this kind of treatment—and we haven't even been inside yet!
— — —
BEAU • [7:11 p.m.]
As we slipped on our backstage IDs, some girl in a headset and a clipboard directed us to the waiting room of the band members. Piper and I momentarily stopped as the door was half-opened and we heard voices talking inside the room.
"It's okay you guys, they don't bite. They're just right there behind that door," said the girl with the headset and a clipboard. She smiled at us, giving us a thumbs-up, leaving Piper and I alone as she headed towards god-know-where.
The band members were just five feet away from us and just seeing them at this distance made me want to wet my pants. Was this what it felt like seeing band members in the flesh? This was the same reaction that I had when I met Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day when I was twelve. That was also the day when he made me question about my sexuality. What the hell was wrong with me back then?
I looked at Piper who was probably about to develop severe muscle spasms from grinning so widely. "Oh my gravy! should we go inside or something..." she trailed off.
One band member with the red hair—his name was Tate, I guessed—no, I know, whipped his head behind the door and narrowed his eyes, checking to see if he heard someone. I lightly pushed Piper to the front so that Tate the drummer could see her, and after he recognized Piper, Tate hollered to his friends.
"Yo, she's here!"
Tate gestured us to come inside, and we obliged. We awkwardly positioned ourselves near the door, as we had no idea where to actually go. The bass player, Luke, was giving us a welcoming smile, as to Oliver, the main vocalist of the band, was busy talking to someone on the phone in the corner.
"Guys, don't stand there—come inside!" Carter, the rhythm guitarist, the guy from the band who would usually wear a snapback, further acknowledged our presence as he pointed to a vacant sofa, telling us to sit over there and make ourselves feel at home.
"Hello," Piper said, and all but Oliver replied to her. "This is my friend Beau, by the way."
I was about to wave back but all three of them went in for a handshake instead. What came out of my mouth next was just some humiliating rambles. "Hi, it's nice to meet you guys. Your music's shit—I mean, the shit, you know, like awesome—I'm a fan."
Carter let out a chuckle. "It's cool, man. That was the same reaction I had when I met the band members of Green Day. Good times, good times."
"Dude...Green Day's a legend," I held out my fist, with Carter bumping it in return, making me feel more at ease.
"I couldn't agree with you more," he replied.
When we heard Oliver said his goodbye to whoever he was talking with, he immediately walked back to us. "Hey guys, let me join the conversation—what's up, Pipes! I was just talking to your brother on the phone."
Oh, great. No wonder the band recognized Piper in the first place. Apparently, Pascal was also friends with the band. And I thought I already had a great number of friends. What was next, he pumped iron with Tim Tebow as well? Drank tea with the Queen of England? Played golf with Barack Obama?
"What's up, bro? Are you Piper's boyfriend?" Oliver asked me, as if that was not a question that will throw me off guard. Couldn't a guy and girl together just have a civil kind of friendship?
"No, we're just friends," she immediately replied, her face as red as a tomato.
"You're cute," Tate said to Piper, surprisingly causing me to subtly react in a negative way.
Luke nudged Tate in the elbow, sending him a look that says to "Shut your mouth." Luke then apologized in behalf of Tate and changed the subject, distracting the now blushing Piper from Tate's blunt compliment and asked me if I was also a student from Hartsmith High.
"Oh, yeah. I'm currently the team captain of the swimming team."
"No way!" they all said in unison, almost making Piper and I jumped from our seats.
"We used to be a part of Hartsmith's swimming team," Oliver mentioned. "That was a long time ago, though. You guys were probably in elementary school back then."
"Sweet," Piper said, smiling at us. She gave me a wondering thumbs-up sign, and I gave her two-thumbs up in return.
— — —
[7:26 p.m.]
After hanging out with them for fifteen more minutes, I never would've thought that I would have so many things in common with these guys. They were so chill and pretty laid-back, and I could see Piper was equally having a great time as well, and the band was not even performing yet.
Just then, the girl with the headset and the clipboard knocked at the room, eventually opening the door. "Guys, be ready in ten," she reminded them, leaving the door ajar. Oliver heard a preview of their song playing at the venue, and he sang the lyrics to it, and he was just as great singing live as he was in their album.
Luke clapped his hands together, catching our attention. "Alright, let's give them a night they'll remember!"
"Thank you for your time, everyone. We'll see you again in a few," Piper smiled, as she received a hug from each member.
"Thanks, guys!" they all said collectively. I find it weirdly cool how they respond at the same time.
As they were about to leave, I felt a hand grabbed my shoulder. "Hey, don't mind Tate, he's like that all the time. You and Piper would look great together," Carter whispered to me before he followed the guys, leaving me at loss with words. Did he think that I was somehow affected with what Tate told Piper?
"What did Carter tell you?" Piper asked me as we started to walk towards the VIP section.
"Sorry Piper, I can't hear you right now!" I lied, pretending I was deafened by the escalating noise inside the venue. "Let's just enjoy the concert okay?!"
— — —
[11:16 p.m.]
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! There's something wrong in paradise! Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Piper and I were singing at the top of our lungs as we were walking towards the parking lot. Escape Plan Cody never failed. It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to, hands-down. Lots of screaming, jumping, headbanging, there was even one scene where a guy and a girl who crowd surfed inside the venue. I did spot a number of my friends from school, but they were too busy to even notice my presence—hell, no one gave a damn who was with who, all eyes and ears were at the band.
I paused for a moment and watched Piper as she continued to belt out the lyrics of the song we were singing, her auburn hair bouncing up and down. She threw her hands up into the air as she spins around in circles with not a care in the world.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" she sang once again, her awesome singing voice sending shivers down my spine.
This was my first time to see Piper like this. In school, she was this asocial, little oddball with a bicycle who was struggling to make friends, but tonight, she transformed into this confident rock star sensation who was apparently owning the parking lot like it was one big stage.
Why was I seeing this part of her just now? We could've been—
"Beau?"
"Yeah?" I quickly asked, praying that she didn't notice me staring at her and her amusing performance back there.
"I think we're already in front of your car," she chuckled, breaking my trance. I unlocked my car and went inside, slightly embarrassed at my half-conscious state. When I noticed that she was still outside the parking lot, I lowered down my window and gave her a questioning look.
"Aren't you going to hop in?"
She let out a stiff smile as she scratched the back of her head. "I uh, have some spare money. I'll take the cab instead."
Oh, right. Okay. It was almost midnight and she was expecting me to let her hail a cab this late.
Yeah, I don't think so.
"Come on, I'll take you home. We're practically living in the same neighborhood."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." I said, rolling my eyes as I opened the passenger door for her. She jogged around the car and immediately went inside the passenger's seat.
This'll be one long ride.
— — —
[12:34 a.m.]
Did we continue to sing at the top of our lungs, or had some in-depth discussion about the universe? Did we get to discover each other's likes and dislikes, shared a secret or two from the one-hour drive back to Alcovix?
No, none of that happened.
Five minutes after we left the venue, Piper asked my permission if she could recline her seat down, because she was already getting really sleepy. I just nodded my head, not anticipating that I will be forced to listen to her snoring as I drive for the next hour. Maybe she wasn't really used in staying up late.
It was almost one o'clock in the morning, and based from the quiet atmosphere outside our neighborhood, they were all probably tucked in their beds, and here I was, debating whether or not I should wake Piper to tell her that we were parked in front of her house. Knowing that no one was inside their household as Hal already left for his pilot duties, I texted Pascal (who was eventually back in his Harvard house) to inform him that we were already back in Alcovix.
"Tsk," I said. What was Pascal thinking—that I would seduce Piper? I looked down the passenger seat to see her already fallen into a slumber. Her breathing was deep and relaxed, and her cameo face that was nestled in her arms looked so peaceful.
It wasn't my fault that her aura evoked this serene mood inside my car, and unfortunately in return, my eyes soon began to feel heavy. I found myself stretching my arms and yawning a couple of times, feeling drowsy by the minute. I made up my mind to shut the engine off, slightly opening our windows to allow the cool, fresh air to come inside.
I reached for the extra sweatshirt that I brought at the back of my car and gingerly placed it around Piper's resting body. She didn't even twitch or move an inch. I reclined my seat back, letting my eyelids fell as I need some shut-eye myself.
Whatever, I thought. We're just going to sleep in my car until the next morning.