We chose the right side of the stage because I knew Penn would easily spot Olivia if we were on his side. I don’t see Pacey anywhere; she got swallowed up by the mosh. It’s hard to say where she ended up.
We don’t have to wonder for too long, though. As the guys slip into their next song, we find her.
Surfing through the crowd.
“Oh my God!” Olivia shrieks.
I watch with a mix of awe and dread as the crowd moves Pacey forward, right in front of her brother and Travis.
My eyes flash to the stage. Travis is belting out his lyrics,gazing in no particular direction. I look at Penn, his head is bent low, staring at his fingers as they fly across his strings. Pacey gets up to the barricade a few feet away, and the crowd dumps her out on the other side. Security guards rush to catch her, just barely grabbing her before her ass hits the floor. Penn’s head snaps up at the same time, and I watch the realization hit him. His eyes narrow, then flare as he searches the crowd frantically.
“Shit,” Olivia says.
Travis notices Penn’s wild eyes, and his land on Pacey a second later as she bounds in front of them and makes her way back into the crowd, practically skipping. Both their heads whip backstage where we’re not standing. Neither of them misses a beat as they continue to search for us, the fans oblivious to their stress.
They scan the crowd, but come up short. It’s like finding Waldo. That is, until I accidentally make eye contact with Tanner. He stares back at me, annoyed, and then slides to Travis and Penn, tilting his head in our direction.
That mother…
Travis grins as he sings, but Penn might as well have smoke coming from his ears. “Told you,” Olivia says.
“Show him you’re his biggest fan. He can’t stay mad at you.”
We go back to dancing, giving up on finding Pacey. She’s in this crowd somewhere, having the time of her life. Penn barely takes his eyes off Olivia as he continues to play, only occasionally to search for Pacey, I’m sure.
They flow into another song, and the crowd amps up even more, all the alcohol kicking in, probably. Olivia has her phone out, recording, when we’re suddenly hit from behind, the force like a boulder as it slams us into the barricade, sending her phone flying over the railing and onto the floor.
“Ah, fuck!” I shout, latching onto the metal fence in front of me to steady myself. My attention darts to Olivia, she’sleaning against the railing, clutching her chest, pain pinching her face. “Are you ok?”
Her eyes are squeezed shut, but she nods.
A large man barrels forward with his hands up, shouting lyrics, and hits both of us, pinning us tightly against the barricade. My eyes lift to the stage and find Penn. He’s staring at her, pure rage filtering his features. He moves over to Travis; he doesn’t even need to talk, they can communicate with just a look. Travis turns our way, then stops singing. Soon, the instruments follow and the crowd stalls. Although the meaty man behind us doesn’t back off an inch. Sweat seeps off his body onto my arm, and I cringe.
“Guys, back the fuck up!” Travis says into the mic. He’s playful, trying not to rile the crowd up any more than they already are. “You’re killing the people on the barrier.” His eyes meet mine with a look I can’t quite decipher. Annoyance maybe.
Security steps up and starts yelling at people to get back. But the crowd fights, shoving forward harder. “This is a punk rock show!” someone screams, and cheers follow.
Olivia lifts her head. I can tell she’s trying to assure Penn she’s fine, even though it’s clear she’s struggling. He slips his guitar over his head and hops off stage.
People go feral. Girls try to rush forward to get closer to him as he walks in front of the barricade right for us.
“Oh no.” Olivia’s face turns red as Penn steps up, pulls her right out of the crowd, and ushers her backstage.
“What a lucky whore,” some girl says from behind me, and I laugh. I’d be tempted to defend her, but I know they’re just jealous.
“You too.” The familiar voice echoing through the venue snaps my head up. Travis is staring at me impatiently. I feel my cheeks heat against my will. My body stiffens, and I arch a brow at him.Ex-fucking-cuse me?
He snaps his fingers in the mic. “Come on, move it.”
The girls behind me snicker, making rage build beneath my skin. I shoot him a glare. This asshole must have a death wish. He’s not even being cutesy or worried like Penn was. He’s being demanding, scolding me like I’m a teenager misbehaving. Why the hell aren’t they digging Pacey out? I’m just their employee! But they probably can’t even see Pacey at this point.
“Let’s go,” the security guard says, ushering me over the gate and helping me on stage.
My heart hammers angrily against my ribs and I keep my evil stare trained on Travis as I slink backstage, feeling every single pair of eyes in this place on my back. Instead of going back to the greenroom or watching the rest of the set, I opt to stand by the bar with my drink, stewing.
As soon as it’s over and starts to clear out, I search for Pacey, not ready to face Travis right now. When I find her, my hand flies to my mouth. “Oh God, what happened?”
“The pit!” She’s still yelling. We might need to get her earbuds next time. She’s smiling even though her lip is cut, bleeding, and doubled in size.
