Here's to the fast times, the times we felt alive
To all the nights that we forgot to get back home.
Stay seventeen
The party scene has got the best of me and you
"The Party Scene" by All Time Low
"Nope."
Rey and Rose are standing in Maz's office. Their caretaker is leaning back in an old, cushy office chair, her reading glasses low on her noise. "Three seventeen-year old's alone at a music festival? Absolutely not."
Rey can tell by the way that Rose's shoulders are starting to slump that she's already accepting defeat. Rey, however, is determined. "Come on, Maz. We've never gotten to go to a concert, and a lot of bands we love will be on this tour—"
"You're not going to convince me." Maz's face is set in stone, and Rey presses her lips together in sheer irritation. She is not going to let this opportunity slip through her fingers.
"What if we can convince someone to chaperone us?"
Rose takes a small step forward. "I bet Paige will take us! She's been meaning to come down to visit for the summer anyway, and she's not a huge fan of crowds but—"
Maz holds up her hand and Rose falls silent. But there's a twinkle in her eye that makes Rey smile a little in triumph. "Alright, if you can find a chaperone that I approve of, then you can go—But you have to find a chaperone!"
Rey and Rose are already celebrating.
Except Paige can't take them.
"Sorry guys." Paige's voice sounds truly apologetic. Rey has put her phone on speaker, and she and Rose lean toward were it sits between them on Rose's bed. "I've got to work that day. I have to know about this kind of stuff a month or so in advance so that I can ask off."
"That's okay." Rose is quick to reassure her sister, but flashes Rey a look of disappointment all the same.
Rey doesn't feel hopeless just yet, however. They have several back up options.
Except Poe won't take them either.
Rey is sitting in he and Ben's apartment. She'd been sketching little cartoons of BB-8, trying to seem nonchalant before slipping the request into the conversation.
"Oh yeah, Warped Tour!" Poe claps Ben on the shoulder, who shoots him an annoyed look at the interruption of his personal space. "Remember when we went in 2000? Green Day and Weezer in the same day. That was a good time." He looks off into space wistfully, reliving memories. Then he sighs and shakes his head. "I have a date that night, Rey. Sorry." He shrugs apologetically at her.
Ben goes still before Rey can shift in her seat to face him. "No."
"Oh, come on!" Rey is growing exasperated and desperate, her day of pop-punk-emo music slipping fading further and further away. She perches on the edge of her seat and cups her hands together. "You've been, so you get it! I've never even gone to a concert before, Ben."
His face looks unchanged and she can tell she's not getting anywhere.
Rey lets her hands fall to her lap, swallowing and giving Ben an entreating look. "It would mean a lot to me," she says quietly.
Ben's expression still doesn't shift. But then he says, "Who's playing?"
It is all Rey can do to keep her face from splitting into an immediate, victorious grin.
Finn's Nana drops him off at the home on a Wednesday in the middle of July and the three of them wait in the main room for Ben to pick them up.
"So, like, is Ben going to be spending the whole day with us?" Finn is sitting on a couch, making sure his ID, cash, and ticket are secure in his wallet for the umpteenth time. Rose's eyes swivel to Rey, eyebrows raised in question.
Rey blinks at them, suddenly feeling a little defensive. "I mean, I guess?" She hadn't really thought about it, how her friends would feel being around Ben all day at a music festival. Ben is apathetic toward them for the most part; she's not sure what they're worried about.
Finn nods slowly, and he and Rose exchange a loaded look that makes Rey scowl. She's about to ask them what their problem is when there's a knocking on the door.
Forty minutes later they're all piled in Ben's Camaro, barreling down the highway to the amphitheater that would serve as the venue. The gates open at 11am, and Rey keeps glancing at the clock on the car dashboard with growing excitement.
Her excitement almost drowns out the nearly suffocating awkwardness in the air.
Ben has barely spoken three sentences since he picked them up from the home. He keeps working his jaw, clearly tense, and Rey is getting the distinct impression that he's not quite sure what to say.
Thankfully Rose and Finn chat in the backseat, accepting Ben's silent company with growing, if still tense, ease. Rey keeps herself occupied by chattering away to Ben about all the different bands that are going to be there, enthusiasm increasing as she ticks them off on her fingers. "I'm curious about seeing Chiodos, and of course Bad Religion, and Paramore without a doubt. Rose will never forgive me if we miss All Time Low—"
"You're right!" Rose interrupts, leaning forward from the backseat. "Or The Starting Line."
"Underoath and Norma Jean, too," Rey continues, bouncing in her seat a little. She reaches up and runs her hand over her ponytail in nervous excitement. "Hopefully they won't play at the same time."
"Do you think any of them will do signings?" Rose asks, straitening her white To Write Love On Her Arms t-shirt.
Ben answers. "Most of the bands do," he says, matter of fact. "Or at least, they did back when I went."
Rose's eyes have gone wide with awed excitement, and Rey can't help but let out a giggle.
Parking is not as nightmarish as it could have been, and soon they're standing in a massive line with a bunch of other teens and young adults, waiting for the gates to open.
Ben already looks grumpy, but as Rey glances around she feels laughter begin to bubble up in her chest. Eventually she's sniggering, trying to cover her mirth with her hand.
"Why are you laughing?" he asks, brown eyes narrowed. With a clean shave and a shorter haircut, he looks of average age with everyone else here. The pink scar that arcs across his face and neck before distorting his tattoo, however, automatically gives him a more aggressive look. He has his arms crossed over his chest, looking fairly intimidating. It makes what Rey is about to say all the more amusing.
"It's just, for once you're by far not the scariest looking guy around."
He stares down at her, eyebrows coming together. "You think I look scary?"
Rey snorts. "Of course I don't." She gives a pointed jerk of her head toward Finn and Rose, who are joking around together a couple of feet away.
But Ben doesn't look over toward them. He keeps his eyes on Rey, whole body relaxing at her words.
A few minutes later, as their line slowly shifts forward, Rey observes a guy walking around and handing demo CDs out to random girls. He's dressed in jean cut off shorts, an eye wateringly neon green v-neck t-shirt, and a sweatband around his forehead. He spies Rey and walks right up to her, smile bright. He introduces himself as someone from a band called Duct Tape Heroes.
"We play at noon on the Battle of the Bands stage! You gotta come check us out." He pulls out a sharpie and grabs Rey's forearm, and she watches in mild horror as he begins to write out his band's name and set time into her skin.
His hand is smacked away instantly, sharpie flying.
"You don't just fucking touch people without bothering to ask." Ben is a solid presence beside her, glowering down at the band guy furiously. The other guy scampers off quickly, not bothering to grab his fallen marker from the ground.
"Thanks," Rey says, smiling up at Ben and nudging him a little with her elbow.
He shakes his head, then tugs gently at her ponytail.
People are drunk and the smell of weed is thick. Rey has seen multiple people throw up in the four hours they've been here. It's five dollars for a bottle of water, and Rey has already made her way through three. They pass by tiny stages where no name bands play awful music. There are stickers and flyers and french fries littering the ground. And it's mid-July, which means Rey has sweat through her black bra and white tank top ages ago.
But yet, this is magic for seventeen-year-old Rey. She takes in the live music with wide, appreciative eyes, grateful that after all this time she finally gets to go to a concert. And not just a normal concert, but one of the biggest annual touring music festivals in the United States, if not the biggest. Every once in awhile she'll subtly pinch the top of her bare thigh, not believing her own luck.
And she's here with her three favorite people to boot.
They make their way over to the Hurley stage so that Rose (and okay, Rey too) can see All Time Low. They have some down time to kill before the set begins, so they sit in a row of empty amphitheater seats. Rose plays with Rey's hair as they wait, with Finn chowing down on a hot dog on one side of them and Ben brooding in silence on the other.
"How many buns are you giving me?" Rey asks, trying not to let out a hum of pleasure as Rose pauses to massage her scalp.
"Three." Rose begins forming the first one at the top of her head. "I feel like it would look kind of punk."
Rey laughs, eyes glancing over at Ben, who is watching the process curiously. "Go for it," she encourages, pulling her knees up so that she can wrap her arms around her legs. She not so accidentally brushes her knee against Ben's thigh in the process.
An hour later Rose is in near tears. "I met Alex Gaskarth." She is near delirious, one arm slung around Finn's neck and the other around Rey's. Ben walks in front of them, barking at the crowd to get the fuck out of the way as they move toward the first aid tent.
She, Rose, and Finn had gotten in the pit for All Time Low. The crowd had been thick, and the heat stifling, but watching Rose belt out every word to every song had been worth it.
Then they'd waited in the hot sun to meet the band and have them sign Rose's poster. As Rey had stood underneath the summer heat, sweating so much she felt genuinely ill, she watched the way Rose kept lighting up at the idea of meeting her favorite band.
Things had been fine until after the last band member had autographed Rose's poster for her. Then Rey watched as her best friend swayed on her feet, the excitement and heat catching up with her.
Now Rey is struggling a little under her best friend's weight. Rose is petite and far from truly heavy, but when she passes out and falls forward, entirely dead weight, Rey and Finn nearly drop her.
"Ben!" Rey calls out, voice high pitched with panic. He's in front of her in a second, softly gesturing for her to move out of the way. He bends down and hauls Rose off her feet with ease, hanging her over his broad shoulder.
"Move the fuck out of the way!" Ben shouts, barreling forward into the crowd, Rey and Finn having to nearly run behind him in order to keep up. They make it to the first aid tent shortly after, Ben gently depositing Rose onto a cot for a nurse to tut over. Finn kneels by Rose's side, holding her hand tightly in his own.
"Thank you," Rey mutters as Ben moves to stand next to her, her eyes fixed worriedly on Rose.
"Of course." Rey doesn't have to look at him in order to know that he is watching her. "She's your friend."
Rose perks back up after she's able to rest in the shade with some water for a little while. By the time she's cleared to leave the tent the sun is starting to set. The air is slightly cooler, and the humidity isn't nearly as stifling. Rey has downed another bottle of water while they were waiting for Rose, and she leads the group forward toward one of the main stages, newfound energy coursing through her.
They don't get to stand close to the front for Paramore, but that doesn't bother Rey. She keeps her eyes fixed on the lead singer as the band bounds through their set, taking in Hayley Williams' haircut and outfit and filing it away for further research. She sings and bobs her head along to the songs, feeling like she could float away in happiness.
She loves music, and there's always something special about going to a concert for the first time. Rey glances over at Ben, wondering what his first concert was. He looks tired, hair sticking to his sweat dampened face. The tip of his nose and cheeks are red with sunburn, and the sight makes Rey smile affectionately.
He catches her smile and returns it. "Having fun?"
She nods, too content in this moment to bother forming words. But he understands.
Ben knows her well.
A drunk guy shoves past Rey, elbow popping her in the shoulder. She hisses in pain, watching with narrowed eyes as the guy stumbles past her, completely unaware of what he's just done.
She can feel Ben tense and step in the direction the guy has stumbled off to, like a big cat ready to spring toward its prey. Rey circles her fingers around his wrist, and he pauses, glancing down at her. Rey shakes her head a little, and a muscle jumps in Ben's jaw. But he doesn't move, letting Rey hold his wrist, choosing to glower at the spot where the guy has disappeared into the crowd instead. Rey smiles a little to herself.
She knows Ben well too.
They're all exhausted and covered with sweat and dirt by the time they make it back to Ben's Camaro. Rey's feet burn happily when she finally sits down in the front passenger's seat, finally sitting down for the first time in hours.
The drive back is mostly silent, each person too lost in their own tired thoughts to discuss the day. There would be time for that later. At one point, Rey leans her head against the cool glass of the window and nods off.
She wakes up to Ben gently nudging her shoulder. "You're home, kid."
Rey is half asleep, and a part of her wants to laugh and say that she's been home all day because she's been with him. But that would be disgusting. Instead, she yawns and stretches her arms out in front of her. Rose and Finn clamor out of the backseat, slamming their doors shut behind them.
Rey looks over at Ben tiredly. "Thank you for taking us today." Her eyes are half lidded in exhaustion, so she smiles a little blearily when she says, "I know you only took us because you love me."
Ben rolls his eyes. But he's smiling too. "Please get out of my car so that I can go home and take a shower."
Rey smiles at that mental image, then opens the door and climbs out. She feels airy in a way she doesn't quite understand, so content she might as well raise her arms and drift up to her bedroom window with the evening breeze.
She waves goodbye to Ben as he drives away, feeling as if she's never been happier.
A/N:
Warped was the pinnacle music experience for emo kids in the 2000's. Poor Ben, he was miserable the whole time lmao. You really had to want to be there to enjoy it. Sadly, this year is actually the last year that Warped will run. It's been going since '95. I thought about going this summer for old times sake buuuuuuut bought tickets to Childish Gambino instead.
I don't know if it's because my allergies have hit me like a freight train, but I really angsted over this chapter. I apologize if it's garbage. I also apologize for being behind on answering comments, allergies are really keeping a girl down.
Still got a little bit more for 2007. It'll be interesting. If you liked let me know?