“I don’t know...” Pacey trails off, stepping next to the window to our left. “That girl there might give you a run for your money, Liv.” She discreetly points out a girl in line, and Liv and I step closer to get a better look.
A tiny redhead is wearing a shirt with Penn’s face on it, surrounded by an airbrushed pink heart. If that’s not enough, she’s holding a sign that reads:I want to have your babies, Penn Hayze!
I roll my lips to keep from laughing as I watch Olivia read the sign, her eyes growing wide. She slowly turns to us, pure horror lighting her face. I can’t help it; a laugh bubbles out of me. Pacey joins me, and Olivia huffs. “It’s not funny! That is…weird.”
“Oh my God,” I gasp, pressing shamelessly against the glass. “There’s more.” The redhead turns back to her group of friends, each of them sporting different shades of red hair, and wearing shirts just like hers, except instead of Penn’s face, there’s one of all of them—Liam, Tanner, and Travis.
They’re holding signs, too, but from this angle, we can’t read them. I imagine they say something similar to hers, though. We all take in the sight and then glance at each other. Laughter bursts from each of us loudly, drawing attention from the crowd right outside.
We back away from the window, wiping tears from our eyes as we try to rein in our hysteria. “Well, I feel better that each of them has their own crazed fan,” Olivia says once we’ve finally stopped laughing. I’ve seen some things during this tour, but that might take the cake. Loose Threads’ ginger fangirl club.
“This is probably nothing compared to what they see after the show, though, right? Are there girls lined up by the bus waiting after every show?” Pacey asks me.
Olivia watches me carefully. I know Penn probably doesn’t fill her in on every detail. He doesn’t want her to worry, and we all know she doesn’t have anything to worry about. He’s obsessed with her. That’s why I usually spare her the details on certain things. I don’t want to make things any harder on her than they already are.
“Well,” I start, trying to stall. She sends me a look that says she knows exactly what I’m doing. “It can get hectic. They go feral for Travis because he’s the only one who actually entertains them,” I say honestly. Groupies will settle for whoever, but they always set their sights on the lead singer. “One girlslingshot her thong on stage and it landed right on Liam’s drumstick a few nights ago. That was pretty good.”
They giggle, and I notice some of the tension ease from Liv’s shoulders.
We take a ton more photos, for memories and content, then we grab a drink and head toward the stage to wait.
14
ELLIE
We managedto snatch a spot a few rows back, near the wall. We wanted to be close enough to see, but far enough that they won’t see us.
I hadn’t factored in all the moving we’d be doing once the crowd started thrashing, though, and as TripleKill rocks out, we’re getting shoved closer and closer to the center of the pit. It’s like a swirling vortex of bodies, sucking us in. Sweaty bodies bump against us, knocking us this way and that way.
Pacey is head-banging and having the time of her life, not fazed at all by the crowd. Olivia, on the other side of me, is another story. She’s got one hand on me, the other over her chest like a shield as we’re shoved around.
“I don’t love this!” Olivia yells in my ear.
I nod my agreement. The crowd is rowdy tonight, and this is just the opener. It’s only going to get worse when the guys come out.
After TripleKill exits the stage, the crew comes out and starts swapping equipment, giving us a second to breathe while everyone runs off to the bathroom or bar.
“This is awesome!” Pacey screams. Her hearing is obviously damaged from the loud noise because there is no need for her to scream at this moment. I rub my ear that’s currently ringing and smile at her. She’s made friends with the people beside her, and she talks to them while Olivia scans the entire area nervously, as if she’s afraid Penn is going to come out and bust her.
After several minutes, the lights kick low and the signature ding-dong of a bell echoes through the venue. The guys started using that at the beginning of this tour to signal their arrival. It was actually my idea, and I was surprised they agreed.
The crowd goes wild. Shrill screams surround us from girls losing their minds as the guys stroll on stage. I press up on my toes to see better. A few feet away, near the barricade, is the group of girls we saw in line. Their signs are up nice and high as they shake them wildly, trying to get their attention. Travis is the only one who looks their way. It appears he’s reading the sign, then he smiles and blows them a kiss.
I roll my eyes.Flirt.
As soon as Penn starts his guitar riff, the crowd starts moving again, bouncing back and forth in time with the quick beat. The beat begins to pulse through me, and my body sways on its own. God, I forgot how fun this was. Liam picks up on the drums, pounding hard. Pacey hops up and down, hands thrown in the air, screaming lyrics.
I love this song. Penn wrote it a few months ago, and it was an immediate hit. It’s got several heavy guitar riffs and a thirty-second solo for just him.
Travis rips the mic from the stand, his sexy, raspy voice floating through the mic, only adding to his damn appeal. His voice is so powerful and raw, fueled by Penn’s beautiful lyrics, giving me chills. He walks over to his best friend as he sings. Penn closes the distance and the two jump around the stage, heads bobbing in unison. Tanner stays in his corner, strumminghis bass as always. He moves around some, but he’s mostly stiff. I think he takes himself too seriously. Travis circles around to Liam and ruffles his curls before moving to smack Tanner on the ass. He doesn’t even flinch. He’s used to Travis’s antics by now.
When the song switches, I recognize the first chord immediately. I’m familiar with the set by now, but they switch it up a little every night so they don’t get bored. I face Olivia, who is beaming proudly. She knows this song, too. Penn wrote it for her, after all.
Together we belt out a scream. Pacey joins us, and we all go insane, singing along with Travis as loudly as we can. “Barbie Girl” has become a fan favorite with the ladies. It’s been all over TikTok and Instagram as a background for reels.
My throat is raw by the time the song is over, but they go straight into another. The crowd starts moshing, knocking us sideways again. Pacey is right in it, running in a circle, barely able to stay on her feet as people are pushed in every direction.
I’m jolted forward by a girl twice my size as she thrashes wildly. The impact is enough to knock the breath out of me. My hand blindly reaches out until I’m able to snag Liv’s hand. We squeeze our way closer to the front and out of the circle pit.
