The next few days go by quickly. I don't see Luke at all and he doesn't show up at lunch. He's probably busy making out with some whore in the hallway. The day after he came to my house and we argued before he left, Linley asked if we were fighting and if that was why he wasn't sitting with us. I tell her I don't want to talk about it.
"Don't take anything personal Allis," Ashton pats my shoulder. "He's going through a lot right now." I am as confused as Linley, I have no idea what he could possibly be going through. The nosey side of me wants to know.
Part of me wants to be there for him, but I remember that I'm angry with him. I am more hurt than anything else, even though I refuse to admit it. I'm just disappointed in myself for falling for his stupid games that I knew he played.
On Thursday afternoon before my last class, my friends and I are standing at my locker.
"Sooo, we have some great news," Calum smiles and the other two boys join in. Linley and I look at them with questioning looks.
"Are you gonna make us wait all day or tell us?!" She says after a few seconds. Her lack of patience makes me giggle.
They all three look at each other with giant smiles. "We have a gig tomorrow night," they all recite in unison.
"Oh my gosh, your first gig! I'm so happy for you guys," I exclaim and Lin and I hug them. Her and Michael share a kiss and I have to look away.
The rest of the day I feel excited for the boys. Then I remember that Luke will also be there. Great. This will be the first time I've seen him in four days. This makes me sick to my stomach and I'm not sure how I'm going go about seeing him.
The boys tell us the details about the gig and we part our ways.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
The next day flies by and the talk that I usually hear of parties has turned into excitement about the boys' show tonight. I am sure that I ace both of my tests which puts me in a good mood. The boys are so happy and excited today and it rubs off. Even though I am not excited to see Luke, I am looking forward to tonight.
Linley and I spend hours getting ready together, as usual. My long hair is curled and I am wearing a pair of ripped skinny jeans with a pastel colored, tie-dye crop top. She puts a lot of makeup on me and I am pleased with how I look. The anticipation of seeing Luke is causing knots to form in my stomach, twisting tighter with every move.
Lin drives us and we pull up to a small hotel about 20 minutes from our house. As we walk in, the ballroom is crowded with people from our school and others who I've never seen before. It is actually very crowded and I'm surprised at the amount of people that showed up. We look around and see an empty spot right in front of the stage. It is blocked off and we see that the boys reserved it for us. We both smile and jump up and down as we wait for our favorite boys to play their first gig. This is a huge deal for them.
After about 15 minutes of waiting, the lights dim and the crowd goes wild. Ashton walks out first and bangs loudly on his drums before he sits down. Calum and Michael walk out shortly after him. Of course Luke has to be last, making my anticipation grow.
When he finally walks out, I am breathless. He is wearing all black (my favorite) and his hair is styled perfectly in his usual quiff. He has never looked hotter. We make eye contact and he immediately breaks it as he introduces the band. The crowd goes wild as the start the first song and I recognize it as 18. Everyone who knows the words sing along and eventually everybody in the crowd sings along with what they can.
They sing all of the same songs that they played the first time I ever heard them. I feel like we are here for hours and everytime Luke sings my heart flutters. His voice is so beautiful and I feel as if I am put under a spell as the words roll off of his tongue. He hasn't looked at me since he came out on stage. They are all sweaty and I am turned on along with every other girl in the room.
"Alright guys, this will be our last song for the night," Luke begins to speak in the microphone, clearly out of breath. "We just recently wrote this song and I wanna dedicate it to someone very special in the crowd tonight," he says and my heart stops. "Hope you've enjoyed us, this is Unpredictable!" He yells before the sound of Calum's bass and the drums interrupt him.
Luke is the first one to sing and his voice sounds even better than it did before. The tune is unfamiliar to me but I bob my head and throw my hands in the air just like everyone else.
She sits at home with the lights out, seeing life in different colors
I think it's time that we wake up, so let me take you away
Luke belts out and stares right at me as he says the last few words. I stop dancing and feel paralyzed by his voice, the spell taking its full effect. Calum starts to sing the next verse, but my eyes are only focused on Luke. He is still looking at me, biting his lip as he plays his guitar. He gets so into it and I can feel his passion for music just as I watch him.
The song is amazing but I am the only one standing still, just simply watching them. Luke's voice pulls me in each time he sings. As they sing the last verse together, everyone is singing along and clapping to the beat.
Break the plans we had before, let's be unpredictable
Pick you up if you fall to pieces
They all sing and everyone stops when they hear only Luke's voice.
Let me be the one to save you
He sings alone and makes the last note extra long, keeping his eyes on me the whole time.
The guitars join back in and everyone is singing again while I stand there in awe. The music stops and the crowd goes wild just like my mind. My heart is beating to the sound of the song that just played.
The wall that I put up to separate me from my feelings for Luke has been shattered in pieces.