"Good luck guys, I love you!" I said, attacking Vic in a hug. We all exchanged hugs with one another as the guys prepared to go on stage. It was such an adrenaline rush to watch them get ready for a performance. I nudged Kenzie and we walked down the steps to the front row to wait. The lights blacked out and the crowd cheered. I heard Vic call out to the others.
This is it.
"What's up San Diego!" He yelled over the mic. The crowd went wild, cheering and screaming as confetti flew everywhere. I looked at Kenzie and smiled. We both cheered back with the crowd.
"We may not be the ones who are performing, but I'm sure as hell glad that they are. Thank god we are related!" I said, looping my arm through hers. We screamed louder as we watched all FOUR of our brothers take the stage.
"Alright you guys! As you know, this is the beginning of our Collide With The Sky Tour and we are more than glad to be here, performing in our hometown! We hope you enjoy this show! To start things off, this is a new song from our newest album. It's called A Match Into Water. Hope you guys love it as much as we do! And if you know it, fucking sing a long!
Let's go!
I kissed the scars on her skin. I still think you're beautiful, and I don't ever wanna lose my best friend. I screamed out god you vulture! Bring her back or take me with her! Tear it down break the barricades! I wanna see what sound it makes! I hate this flavor with a passion and I fucking hate the after taste!"
The whole performance, me and Kenzie stood side by side, cheering on our brothers and singing along to every word.
I can honestly say I would not change this life for anything.
____________________________________________________
"San Diego thank you for being so fucking awesome tonight! We love you guys and we are glad we got to start off this tour with you all! You are the best fans ever!" Vic yelled as him, Jaime and Mike threw out their guitar picks to the crowd.
"Come on, let's get back there before the crowd gets too crazy!" Kenzie yelled over the crowd, pulling me back up the stairs.
"Hold on, I can only move so fast in these pants!" I said, struggling to keep up and get back stage.
Kenzie had insisted that I wear these hot pink, ripped skinny jeans. Apparently they showed off my "curves" but are unbelievably tight. I felt like I was dying. Who was I to show off for anyway?
hmmm.
As we got back stage, we were showered with hugs.
"You guys did such an awesome job!" Kenzie yelled as Tony picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.
"We are definitely celebrating when we get back to the hotel tonight!" I said as I jumped up on Vic's back.
"You know it! I made sure that Jason got us loaded tonight!" Vic said as he paraded around with me.
It was amazing to see how hyped up the guys were after a show. I loved them.
"Hey guys, aren't Sleeping with Sirens and Falling In Reverse going to play tonight?" Kenzie asked, getting back to her feet.
"Sleeping with Sirens play in a half hour. We're staying!" Vic said as he high-fived Mike with a free hand. "I'm so glad we sat up this tour with them! It's such a great line up!"
"I agree, couldn't get any better! I love you guys!" Jaime said as he engulfed us into a group hug.
My heart started beating fast and I could tell I was blushing. I laid my head down on Vic's shoulder to hide my face. Why am I overreacting?
Get a hold of yourself Zoey.
It's just Kellin.
The lead singer of Sleeping With Sirens.
With the beautiful, green eyes.
And gorgeous smile.
The one that talked to you.
Oh who the fuck am I kidding?
Vic let me down and me and Kenzie made our way out onto the bus. We had to sign a few autographs and take pictures on the way, but we managed to get in there before the guys came out and got attacked by the fans.
"If I were them, I'd be scared of getting kidnapped or raped right there. Those fan girls are crazy." Kenzie said as she plopped down on the couch.
"Yeah, but it's the life they live. I'm just glad we're not out there in it." I said, laughing as I reached into the fridge to get a drink. I handed Kenzie a soda and sat down next to her.
"So, should I wear the same thing for when Sleeping with Sirens perform?" I asked her, sipping on my drink.
She knows I talked to Kellin, but she doesn't know how obsessed I am with him, so to speak.
"I think it suits you. You'll be fine" Kenzie said as she looked me up and down.
"Are you trying to impress someone?" she said, winking at me and laughing. "Like Kellin, maybe?"
I know I blushed at that one.
"oooohh Zoey has a crush!" she said as she threw a pillow at me.
"Kenzie, shut up!" I managed to say while laughing and jumping on her.
"So it's true? I knew it!" She threw another pillow at me as I tried to keep her mouth closed with my hand.
Okay, so maybe I do. I got up and rolled my eyes at her, holding back a smile as I did it.
"Bitch."
"Skank." She threw another pillow at me.
Oh how I love my sister.
I walked back into the bathroom and studied myself in the mirror. Maybe I was just psyching myself up for no reason. I mean, why was I so worried about what I looked like right now?
I had on a black Pierce the Veil tank top with the pink skinny jeans that Kenzie told me to wear and my black toms. My hair was tossed and wavy and my make up was still decent. My arms were loaded with wristbands; 3 of them happening to be Sleeping with Sirens wrist bands. Would he notice if I saw him? Oh gosh.
GET A GRIP.
Just because Kellin Quinn is going to be performing doesn't mean anything.
But what about what he said last summer at Warped?
"It was nice to meet you, Ms. Zoey. I hope I may have the pleasure of meeting you again."
Calm down.
Ugh, I need a drink.
I brushed my hair back and walked out of the bathroom.
________________________________________________________
I proceeded to the kitchen to grab a wine-cooler out of the fridge. Kenzie was on her phone and Tony and Vic were back on the bus.
"Has the crowd died down any yet?" I asked, sitting back down beside Kenzie, elbowing her as I did it.
"Hey!" she said, still paying attention to her phone.
Tony let out a small laugh. "Yeah, a little bit. They're all excited because Sleeping with Sirens will be here soon so most of the crowd went to get good spots." Tony said as he took a sip from my drink.
I looked down at my phone. 9:01. They perform around 9:30.
I unlocked my phone and saw I had a message from my best friend, Tyler.
Hey, how did the 1st show go? hmu when you get a chance!
I hit reply.
It was GREAT! Fucking celebrating when we get back to the hotel. Miss you!(:
Send.
Tyler is one of my best friends that I met during the first tour. His band, Midnight VIP, played right after Pierce the Veil. We got to talking and had this weird connection. Our main interest of course was music. He gave me some guitar lessons and would come hang out with the guys all the time. Kenzie thinks that he would be the perfect guy for me. My opinion? He's a great guy and he's really cute. About 5'7, brown shaggy hair, blueish green eyes. But I don't know. Wouldn't that be weird to date your best friend?
Hmmm.
As far as relationships go, I'm just waiting. It's kind of hard when you're on tour constantly with your family, traveling all over. I learned how hard a relationship like that is from Vic. His last girlfriend, he was basically obsessed with. Not in the freaky, stalkerish kind of way. But just the fact that he's never been so in love. It ended up going to hell when we started traveling again. He still isn't over her. I wouldn't want to go through that. As for the other guys, they're just worried about their fans and music, which I guess is the way to go.
Kenzie on the other hand...It's kind of a long story. She was dating Austin Carlile from Of Mice and Men. Everything was perfect until that night. She got a phone call from him, basically saying it was over. He gave her no explanation. Just walked out of her life, like nothing. It tore her apart.
Ugh.
Who needs a relationship anyway? I've got all the people I need in my life right here. Besides, I get to flirt with the fans and other band members if I want.
Sigh.
________________________________________________________________
"No, put those speakers over there, that way we can get them up first." Vic told Jack.
We were helping the guys from Sleeping with Sirens set up the stage for their performance. They are part of OUR line-up, so it's common courtesy.
Me and Kenzie were cleaning up back stage while the guys were moving the instruments and getting everything else in place.
Kenzie tended to be more focused on Jesse, the guitarist and backing vocals of the band. Everytime she caught eye contact with me, I'd stick out my tongue and mouth "who has the crush, now?" I smirked at her whenever she flipped me off.
As for me? I was only focused on one person right now.
And he didn't seem to be here, yet. Sigh.
Again, why was I worried about it?
Whatever.
The guys started loading everything up onto the stage. Jesse and Kenzie were talking and she seemed to be rather interested in what he was saying. She managed to wink at me and I smiled. At least he's not Cody.
I decided I needed some air before the show.
I walked outside and sat on the brick wall right outside the backstage doors. The stars were bright and the skies were clear. It was such a beautiful night.
A perfect night, actually. I'd love to just lay out and look at the stars.
I left my jacket on the bus so I pulled my arms together and leaned back against the wall. It wasn't cold, but it was chilly.
Maybe I'll just stay here until everything gets started. It's not like I won't be able to get up front anyway. Or backstage for that matter.
I sat there for a couple of minutes, relaxing and day dreaming. This was perfect and just what I needed. No music, no band, no brothers, no sister, no fans, no nothing.
Just peace and quiet. Perfect.
"I figured we would meet again."
I jumped, startled and looked over.
"K-Kellin?" I managed to stutter out.
"It is, Zoey." He said, smiling. "What are you doing out here? I figured you would be inside, backstage or waiting if you're going to stay for our performance?" He placed his hand on the wall and leaned on it as he studied my facial expression.
Stay calm.
Major blushing.
Fuck.
"Well, I was helping the guys move stuff and clean up. I decided I needed some fresh air though." I looked up at him shyly. "A better question is, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in there?"
He looked up at me and smiled that gorgeous, perfect smile. "Well, I got caught up in finishing a song and as I went to get off, there were too many fan girls around. I decided to wait until they left." He laughed. I smiled.
Thank you, fan girls.
"Good explanation." I said. "Are you excited about the first show?" I turned my focus towards the stars and he seemed to do the same.
"I really am. I'm beyond excited about this tour. I mean, playing with 3 amazingly great bands and having the chance to be on tour with this beautiful woman?" he looked over at me just as I glanced at him. I blushed. "I think it's perfect." he chuckled and looked back up at the stars.
I hope he can't hear my heart right now.
Seriousy, this probably isn't healthy -- how fast it's beating that is.
Oh my gosh.
I smiled. "Well, I'm excited about the tour too. I agree that the line up is pretty great. I guess I can't complain about who we're touring with. " I caught myself smiling as I looked over at him. He returned it.
Way to go.
"Well, I'm glad that you can't complain. Tours should always be fun. Are your brothers still inside?" he asked, pointing to the backstage door.
"They should be. You should probably go in and get ready anyway. It's the first show of the tour for you, too!" I tried to play off my excitement. I gave him a small grin. "Besides, everyone else is in there."
"Well, I think you should come in with me though. I wouldn't want to leave you out here in the dark, alone. Plus, I would love for you to see the performance. We've started on an acoustic EP and we're playing a few songs off of it tonight." He held out his hand for me to take as I got down off the wall.
I tried to keep the fangirl part of me from coming out as I took his hand.
Oh my gosh. I'm touching his hand. Again.
Calm down. Breathe. In and out. In and out.
Okay. I'm good.
"I've actually downloaded your EP. I absolutely love the acoustic songs. Roger Rabbit and the acoustic version of With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear are my favorites. Please tell me you are playing those tonight?" I looked up at him.
"Well, we actually did have that on our list. But since a fan of ours asked, I guess that's a definite play isn't it?" He asked, chuckling.
He held open the door and I walked inside. I could hear the crowd cheering and getting hyped up again. Jaime came through the door and saw me.
He studied me for a second and then greeted Kellin. Jaime asked how the trip was and if he was psyched about the show. After, they talked about how Pierce the Veil's first show went. I loved being so involved in this kind of stuff.
I saw Kenzie wave to me from the door and I held up my finger. As soon as she saw who I was with she mouthed "oooohhh" and had a smirk on her face. God I hated her sometimes. I put my hand to the side and flipped her off. She laughed. I couldn't help but smile.
Jaime noticed her and walked over to her. "Good luck, guys! You'll do fucking great!" He said as he and Kenzie disappeared down the stairs. Gabe and Jesse called to Kellin from the side stage.
"Guess I better get ready. Could I possibly see you after the concert?" His hand swiped against mine.
I could feel myself blushing.
Holy shit. Kellin Quinn is asking me to hang out with him after the concert.
"That would be... awesome. I would love to hang out." Now my heart was really pounding. "Now go, you have a show to put on!" I gave him a little push on the shoulder and said "Good luck!"
I watched as he jogged up the stairs. He turned around and winked at me.
My heart melted.
Kenzie appeared again and called from the door. "Come on! They're about to start!"
I walked with her down the steps and joined the rest of the guys in the front row.
Being a band member's sister isn't so bad after all.
"Everybody give it up for Sleeping with Sirens!"
I smiled.