One

1

“Please list your top five skills in the box below. Alson include academic achievements and activities.” I read to myself in a whisper, filling out what felt like the tenth job application I’d written that day.

What are you supposed to put if you have no skills? And academic achievements? Don’t make me laugh.  My brain felt absolutely fried and I was about ready to give up on the day’s efforts of finding a job.

"Lucy! They're coming to town, it's their last stop on the tour! We have to go, we just have to!" Mia pleaded, excitedly showing me her computer screen.

"Tickets are seventy five bucks, Mia. Can we afford that?" I asked, squinting at the tiny text.

"Sure, we'll find a way to make it work. Why have a food budget for next week when we could go see them in concert instead?" She asked.

"Because everyone knows concerts are more important than food, right?" I asked sarcastically.

"Right!" She replied, taking my comment as the go-ahead to order them, giggling with glee as she did so. "The tickets should be coming in the mail soon! I've never been more excited for mail in my whole life." She said. I rolled my eyes and smiled. Sure, she was a dorky roommate. But she was my dorky roommate. I'd probably have literally been on the streets if it wasn't for her.

We weren't exactly the richest people in the world at the time. Mia was an aspiring writer, but me? Well, I didn't  know what I wanted to do with my life. That's why I moved out to California with her, I needed a change of scenery so I could figure it out. Until I did so I'd be living off of the checks my grandparents sent me each month and my small savings account.

"You think we'll get close enough for Shane to sweat on me?" She asked.

"A girl can dream, can't she?" I asked with a smile. She nodded and smiled back, going back to typing away on her laptop.

*   *   *   *

"Release the beast from it's cage!!" The crowd sang as Leo pointed the microphone towards the

audience. The crowd's enthusiasm was absolutely intoxicating. This was my first real concert, and I was totally happy to be losing my concert virginity to them.

Mia was nowhere to be found, and I assumed she'd either found a better spot to watch or found a hot guy to make out with. As I was daydreaming and head banging to the music, a guy bumped into me. I figured it was an accident and ignored it. Mia had gotten us pit seats, and despite my small stature I'd managed to reach the edge of the stage.    

During Shane's guitar solo, Victor walked to the edge to greet his adoring fans. We locked eyes and he leaned down and I could swear he was about to lift me on stage as he reached out his hand for fans to touch. The band wasn't too monumental yet, but there were still hundreds, maybe even a thousand or so people at that concert. The ink was fresh on their high school diplomas and they had the hot-boy-next-door look with a heavy rock edge to it.

I'd begun to wonder, did they remember me? The quiet girl from math class who absolutely loved their music from the very beginning? I doubted it. They'd surely acquired fans with bigger tits to fawn over them by now, right?

I'd felt someone rub against me again.

"Hey, gorgeous, what's your name?" A guy standing behind me, and a little too close for comfort said. It was clear that he was trying to sound attractive, and I could practically taste the alcohol coating his thick breath. They really should not be selling drinks besides water at that concert.

"Hey, none of your business." I said, turning to face away from him and then trying to scoot away. It was hard to get around the hundreds of fans surrounding me, but I'd found a free spot and went back to watching. He'd followed me and started poking my back, and I tried to ignore him, but his touching started to escalate. He started out with just little pokes on my back, trying to annoy me like a little sixth grade boy who had a crush. Then he began to rub my shoulders and slid his hands down to my hips. He forcefully turned my body toward his and plucked open the first two buttons on my shirt.  I smacked his hand away and nearly punched him out, but he grabbed my hand mid-swing.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked with a drunken smirk. For someone who was intoxicated, his reflexes were still pretty sharp. Or was I just a bad fighter?

"Get off of me!" I shouted, trying to free myself from his tight grasp. His hand was big enough to hold both of mine tightly. "Let go!" I shouted, kicking him with all of my might as I  desperately tried to free myself.

"Come on, girl. Don't be like that. You know you want me, I know I want you, so let's take this party somewhere a little more private." He said, his breath hot against my ear. He started to drag me back further and deeper into the crowd. I went against him as hard as I could. I'd started out front row, but now thanks to him I was around row five or six, but I was still pretty close to the stage. I started to scream as loud as I could, and being a girl, it sounded like something out of a horror movie. But since I was at a concert, I feared no one could hear me over all the other screams.

After a desperate thirty seconds that felt like thirty minutes of trying to break his death tight grasp, the music stops and I heard a voice that stood out among the rest.

"Get the hell off of her." A man said. Finally! Some help around here. I turned around to see who my savior was, ready to thank him, and I was shocked. It was Leo. Behind him stood Owen and Victor. They looked like they were really ready to pack a punch if necessary. The guy just stood there frozen, in as much shock as I was. I couldn't believe they'd stopped the entire concert, just for me. I couldn't help but feel a little special.

"Excuse me," Owen said, "You must not have heard him the first time, so let me make this clear as possible. Let. Her. Go."  Owen said threateningly. He towered over the guy, being at least six inches taller.

"You-You're Owen Bishop! I'm a huge fan!" The guy stammered.

"No, you're obviously not. No real fan would try to do this to an innocent girl, let alone at our freaking concert!" Victor shouted. All eyes were on us and I could feel my pulse pump in my ears. Was this a dream? Wake up, Lucy. Wake up.

"Now what I want you to do is get the hell out of here. And never come back." Leo said, eyeing the guy up and down. I could practically see the fear being struck into my attacker's heart like a lightning bolt.

"You want her?" He asked, smirking again. "Take her!" He shouted, shoving me to the ground. He tried to run away, but he was falling all over himself because his brain was too busy swimming in alcohol to focus on standing up straight. The surrounding fans wouldn't let him by, and I couldn't help but smile. Two security guards grabbed his arms, much like he had done to me. It didn't look like they'd be letting go any time soon either.

"This isn't over!" He shouted as he was dragged away.

As I was examining the new scrapes on my arm, a hand was offered to me. it was Victor's. This simple touch sent a shiver down my spine. He asked,

    "Are you okay? Why don't you wait backstage until the concert is over? Leo will take you back there, won't ya Leo?" Leo nodded, smiled, took my hand and brought me backstage. Once we were back there, he gestured to one of the two couches that were the green room.  He went back out to the stage and said,

"Boy, Owen. That guy was a real nightmare, wasn't he?" I could hear the smile in his voice. Owen replied with,

"Indeed he was!" And with that, they finished the concert. I sat backstage and laid on the couch, just listening. They played "Nightmare, "Pictures On The Wall," "Blame Me," and ended the show with a beautiful acoustic rendition of "It Was Always You"

After the concert, the guys' roadies packed up their instruments and cleared the stage and I was beginning to think they'd forgotten about me. But as if all in the blink of an eye, I was surrounded by my five favorite guys on the planet. Owen sat on my right on the couch, Leo on my left. Shane and Victor shared the couch adjacent to us and Jay just stood.

"How you feeling?" Victor asked, sounding concerned. He placed his hand on top of mine supportingly and I felt the spark again.

"I'm fine I guess." I said, trying my hardest to hide my red face. "In all seriousness though, thanks for saving me, guys."

"No problem." Shane said with a smile.

"Hyde, you weren't even there!" Owen pointed out, laughing. Leo rolled his eyes at his friends and turned to me,

"You're welcome, it's really no trouble sweetheart." He said. I couldn't help but giggle. "Is this your first concert?" He asked. I nodded shyly.

"Well don't let a creep like that discourage you from coming to more. Take it as a compliment, you're freaking adorable and he just wanted to get with you!" Jay said. All the guys laughed, but I was still a little shaken up about the situation. I managed an awkward smile.

"I'm sorry if this sounds weird, but have I met you before? You look awfully familiar." Shane said. I smiled wide, I couldn't help it, he remembered me!

"Yes, actually. We went to high school together." I replied. Shane snapped his fingers and exclaimed,

"Yeah! You're the girl who came to our very first show at the Pizza Palace! Oh man, I can't believe that was only a year ago." I nodded happily.

"Yup, that was me. I've literally been a fan since the beginning." I said. They all smiled.

"We really appreciate that. We do what we do for the fans." Leo said wholeheartedly.

"And for tits." Jay added, earning a slap on the arm from Victor. I laughed and Victor turned towards me. His smile seemed to put the whole world on pause. He asked,

"So which one of us is your favorite?"

"Oh come on, don't make me pick." I replied shyly, shuffling my feet on the floor.

"Oh, we're making you pick. And we're not leaving until you do." Owen said, smiling at me.

"Oh God, Owen, you're just as charming as you were in high school." I said, rolling my eyes and laughing.

"So he's your favorite?" Leo asked.

"Well, I do love him. And you, and Victor, and Shane, and even Jay!" I replied.

"Wait, the fans like Jay? Why...?" Shane asked sarcastically.

"Seriously, come on! Which one of us is your favorite?" Victor asked. "It’s not like we take it personally. Everyone’s got a favorite. Shane’s mine." Victor said, throwing a flirtatious smile Shane’s way.

I thought for a minute and then asked, "Okay, you know I love you all, right?" They all nodded, seeming anxious for my answer. "But I did like Shane and Victor first. I have like, a guitargasm whenever they play." I said quickly, smiling wide. Victor and Shane gave each other a high five.

"Woo! I'm the favorite, once again. All the cute ones go for Vic, but the extra hot ones eventually find their way to me. Take all the time you need, baby, you look like you’re worth the wait." Shane said, winking at me. I flushed red again and he laughed.

"Hey, do you guys want to go to Jimmy's Bar for a drink to celebrate the fact that this girl didn't like, die at our concert?" Leo asked. My smile faded and I tried not to let it show, but Victor noticed.

"Why do you look sad?" He asked. "Aren't you coming? You are old enough to drink, right?" He teased.

"Obviously not," I said with a laugh. "I turned eighteen three months ago and immediately moved out here." I replied. His eyes widened.

"Well, as I'm sure you're aware, we're not old enough just yet either. But being a rock star has it's perks. People seem more likely to ask for my autograph rather than my ID. Just stick with us and you'll be fine, okay?" I nodded shyly.

"Taking an underage girl to a bar. Smart move, Vic. I'm sure this'll end real well." Owen said, shoving Victor's shoulder. I laughed and Leo said,

"What're we waiting for? To Jimmy's!"