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Ep18
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(bxb)in love with him Ep19
I sip my coffee, looking out of the diner’s window at the cars crawling along the highway. Even considering the bad traffic we still have enough time, but Raven wanted to be there before they open the gates, so we better get going. I squint up at the blinding afternoon sun, then down at the brown liquid in my cup, and finish it in one gulp.“Anything else?”The red-haired waitress is standing next to me again, smiling.“No, thanks,” I say. “Can I get the check? We’ll leave when my friend comes back.”It’s then that I see behind her back the door to the restroom open. At first, I don’t even identify the person coming out as Raven, but then I recognize the black backpack with the red stripes he carries on one shoulder. I gape at him, and the waitress turns to looks, too, following my gaze.I expected for his ‘special outfit&rsquo
(bxb)in love with him Ep20
Strictly speaking, running after the gates are open shouldn’t be necessary. We are waiting right in front of the barriers surrounding the section before the stage, so we’re sure to get in first. Still, Raven starts bouncing impatiently the moment the security guards begin to remove the chains linking two barriers together. The crowd around us is getting restless, pushing us forward. We only pause for a moment to have our green paper wristbands checked, proving our eligibility to enter the Golden Circle, and then we are past the barriers, and the stage is just tens of feet of barren ground away.“Run!” yells Raven, sprinting ahead, along with the other fans that trickle in through two more entrances.I grab my backpack and take off after him.The excitement of the running, cheering people rubs on me, and by the time I reach the barriers in front of the stage, I’m grinning from ear to ear. Raven is there al
(bxb)in love with him Ep21
The moon stands high in the sky above the crowd exhausted by waiting when something starts changing on the stage. A good half an hour has passed since the warm up band has left, and their instruments have been replaced by new ones, including an impressive drums set with ‘Fake Drug’ printed on every surface. The air is filled with muffled music coming from the dynamics and the noise of thousands of people talking and shifting, stretching their tired muscles.First, I notice the lights. Instead of crawling lazily around the stage, they start moving in jagged patterns. The music from the dynamics gets replaced by a whining of a guitar, its volume gradually increasing. The crowd gets louder as people notice. Then, the screens over the stage light up, displaying what looks like still images from ‘Fake Drug’ videos and album covers. The crowd cheers, and, a few seconds later, four men walk casually onto the stage, waving at us.
(bxb)in love with him Ep22
Raven,” I say. “Listen, regarding the...regarding what happened...”“What happened?” He frowns at me; then understanding dawns in his eyes. “Ah, that? It’s no big deal.” He turns away and continues to peer at the closed doors to the backstage area. Apart from us, there’s only a couple dozen people waiting by the barriers along the path from the back exit to the parked minivan with tinted windows.“No, I...I don’t know what’s gotten into me,” I say close to his ear so that others wouldn’t hear. “It was...I don’t know...loud and hot and I got... I don’t know...I got...”“Horny,” he offers helpfully. “It’s called horny.”A couple of girls waiting next to us glance at each other and burst into giggles, covering their faces with the magazines they hold ready for autographs. I look away, my fac
(bxb)in love with him Ep23
Raven, talk to me,” I say. “This is getting weird. Just say something.”I glance at him, unwilling to take my eyes off the road for too long. He’s still sitting with his head rested against the window, gazing at the night highway illuminated by the street lights and topped by the black cloudless sky. He’s been quiet since his brief encounter with Jared. He’s allowed me to usher him back to the car without a single word, buckled in when told to, but ignored all my attempts at conversations.At first, I assumed he just needed some time to digest the events of the evening, but now his state is beginning to bother me. He’s never struck me as a particularly stable person. Could the emotions of tonight have unhinged him even more?On the other hand, how much of a shock could an encounter with a washed-out rock band be?“Come on,” I say. “If you don’t talk to me now
(bxb)in love with him Ep24
Despite my resolve to concentrate only on the game, the moment I enter the field, I find myself scanning the crowd filling the bleachers. That’s when Catherine usually jumps up and waves at me—one of our little traditions, equally reassuring and embarrassing. Today, she’s not here, but Raven is—at least, he’s supposed to be.I finally spot the familiar black hoodie and a mop of long black hair in the left corner of the top row, away from the other spectators. I can’t see his face from so far away, but I guess he’s noticed me, since he raises a hand and waves. I can see no pom poms, thank God. I look away and proceed to my place, trying to empty my head of all thoughts unrelated to the game, to allow my instincts to kick in.Once we start, I don’t check the bleachers anymore, ignoring the crowd, their noise fading into background. It does linger at the back of my mind, though, the knowledge that he&
(bxb)in love with him Ep25
It’s about 11 PM when Catherine retreats to her room after a surprisingly cozy evening the three of us have spent sitting in the kitchen, talking about today’s game. She wanted to hear everything about it. Even though I strongly suspected she understood the rules even less than Raven did, I enjoyed telling her nonetheless, adding some explanations for Raven here and there to clarify a few things.I was most likely lecturing two people who were nodding and asking questions simply to make me feel good, but it did make me feel good, so I guess everybody got what they wanted.I go upstairs to shower, leaving Raven to take care of the dishes. The hot water is a treat, calming my sore muscles. The nervous tension that has carried me throughout the day is dissipating, too. By the time I climb out of the shower, dry myself and put on my pajama pants, I feel half asleep.In my room, I remove the damp towel from my head and spread i
(bxb)in love with him Ep26
I park on the sidewalk in front of the two-story grey building, the large gleaming “Greenroad” sign its only exterior decoration. Its first floor is occupied by a nightclub or something, judging by the muffled booming music, and the few people smoking outside who are clearly dressed for a party.I slam the car door shut and head for the entrance, fully expecting an unpleasant interaction with a bouncer or a manager. Yet there’s nobody looking like security personnel, even though there is a stand outside clearly meant for one. In the meanwhile, the smokers begin to trickle back inside, and I enter with them without encountering as much as a single curious look.The corridor inside is almost completely dark save for the two rows of spotlights running along the floor. The music comes from behind the black drapes at the far end of it, louder now. I pause, looking around, and my eyes fall on the door with a stairs sign upon it.
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