ECLARE FAN FOREVER BABY!
Thanks for reviewing people! I would like to give a HUGE thanks to KitKat0219 for her assistance on this chapter, because it would've SUCKED without her input! I owe you big time, my friend! Sorry it took me so long to update (dang homework). Concert chapter! Read, review, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, Escape the Fate, Black Veil Brides, Green Day, Seether, VersaEmerge, (take a breath) the songs "Holiday", "Fallen Angels", "Know Your Enemy", "Fire (Aim Your Arrows High)", and . . . well, you guys get the picture (I then pass out due to lack of air in my lungs).
Chapter Forty-Four
Rebel Love Song
Eli and Clare informed Adam the following Monday that they had tickets to the Spring Jam and that were going together. In no time at all, they both felt slightly guilty since they felt like they were making him out to be a third-wheel. They hated doing that to him since he was their best friend and he was one of the people who always helped them when they had disagreements or misunderstandings.
Before Adam had time to react to the news about them going to the concert, the couple began saying how that they wished there could've been three tickets, Clare said she was willing to give him hers since he had been a fan of the bands for a longer period of time, and Eli promised him that the two of them could go to another concert sometime.
"Guys, it's fine," he reassured once he was finally able to get them quiet.
"You don't feel left out or anything?" Clare made sure.
"I'm jealous that you guys get to hear some of the greatest bands of all time play their music live, but I got to see Dead Hand, so I can't complain. And there's the fact that you guys are on a smooth road again and you two deserve a night out together. Besides, I can't go anyway."
"Why?" Eli asked.
"I got stuck with the responsibility of babysitting by neighbor's five-year-old. But I get extra cash, so everything works out in the end. You two have fun at the Jam," he said with a grin. "Just bring me back a t-shirt and details."
"Deal," Eli accepted with a relieved grin.
"You're the best, Adam," Clare told him with a smile of her own.
"You are aware that your boyfriend is standing here, right?" Adam jested.
"Yeah, I'm standing right here," Eli repeated jokingly.
Clare rolled her eyes.
"You're both the best, just in different ways."
"I guess I can live with that," Eli shrugged with a smirk as the bell rang overhead.
()()
January soon slipped away and the first week of February was upon them. Friday soon came and that meant the night of the Spring Jam had arrived. The doors to the expo didn't open until seven, but since they were going to have a long drive ahead of them plus traffic, Eli and Clare were going to leave at five.
Right now, Clare was at her house and changing out of her Degrassi uniform. She put on a pair of dark jeans, a black slim-fit shirt, and her sneakers before putting her phone and wallet in her pocket and going down the stairs. Eli wasn't going to be there for another ten minutes, so she decided to wait for him.
"Hi sweetie," her mother greeted her from the living room.
"Hi," she greeted. She saw her mother zipping up her bag on the couch. "Ready for your trip?"
"Yep," she replied. "And are you set for the concert?"
"Once Eli gets here," Clare replied.
"Okay," Helen began, looking up at her daughter. "All the numbers you need are next to the phone, your dad and I will call to check in every now and then, the first aid kit is in the closet, and –."
"Mom, I'll be fine," she reassured her mother.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Clare went towards the door and opened it.
"Hey," she greeted Eli as he let him in the house.
"Hi," he replied. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, just one second," Clare said before going back to the living room, Eli following not far behind her.
"Mom, we're going to get on the road," she informed her mother.
"Alright," Helen said. "Now remember, no –."
"No drinking, no smoking, no drugs," Clare listed for her mother.
"Exactly," she said. "And I want both of you to be careful."
"We will," Eli and Clare promised in unison.
"And, Clare, I want you be careful about who you talk to and make sure no one does anything to you."
"I was already going to," Clare eased.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Edwards," Eli reassured her. "I'll make sure nothing happens to her."
Clare grinned at him and her mother did the same.
"Alright," she said. "Now the two of you have fun."
"We will," Clare promised.
Helen then pulled Clare into a hug and kissed her cheek.
"I'll see you Sunday," she told her.
"Love you, Mom," Clare said as she released her.
"Love you too."
"Tell Grandma I said 'hi'."
"Okay," Helen said as they walked towards the door.
"Bye, Mrs. Edwards," Eli said.
"Bye, Eli," she bade before they left the house.
"Stratford, here we come," Eli announced as they walked towards Morty.
()()
With all the traffic, it took the couple an hour and forty-five minutes to get to Stratford. They talked and listened to music to pass the time until they reached their destination. They found Expo Six, the one story building where the concert was going to take place, and pulled Morty into the already crowded parking lot. They climbed out of the car and began to walk all the way towards the building. Eli took Clare's hand in the process, the excitement slowly getting to him.
"Are you sure you want to go in? These kinds of concerts can get a bit out of control," he forewarned her.
"Trying to get rid of me?" she teased as they walked towards the expo.
"Now why would I do that?" he smirked. "I'm just saying that people can get crazy and I don't want you to feel overwhelmed or freaked-out or anything."
"It will be an experience," she told him as they stood at the back of a line leading to the door. "Besides, I'm here with you, so I'll be fine."
"Alright," he said. "No turning back."
"Good," Clare grinned as they got closer to the entering the expo.
They showed their tickets to one of the people working the entrance, gave them their wristbands to signify that they were allowed to be inside, and they entered. It was already crowded with at least another hundred people; a percentage of the people were at a bar were getting alcohol while the rest were either standing in front of the stage waiting for the first band to come on, standing and socializing with their peers, or getting some souvenirs from the tables selling merchandise.
It was a darkened building with a wide stage at the front of the room; a few instruments were set up along with a few microphone stands. There was a small area connected out to the side for bathrooms and for people to purchase nonalcoholic beverages. As the couple observed the room, they heard loud music blasting through the speakers to keep the crowd entertained.
"Let's see," Eli said as he read the board behind the merch tables. "We'll be listening to the godly music of Green Day, VersaEmerge, Seether, Black Veil Brides, and Escape the Fate. Excited?"
"I've been waiting for this night for weeks. Of course I'm excited," she replied with honesty.
They decided that they would each get a souvenir t-shirt and the one they promised Adam later as they joined the crowd as they waited for the first band to come on. Eli was standing next to Clare with an enthused grin on his head as he nodded his head to the music from the speakers. She couldn't help but smile at how ebullient he was.
"Are you excited?" she asked after she coiled her arms around his right arm.
"How could you tell?" he grinned at her.
"Oh, just a feeling," she shrugged.
Suddenly, the music coming through the speakers stopped. The noise the crowd was making died down a bit. After a minute of anticipation to see who the first band was going to be, the faction of teenagers and young adults witnessed three guys come onto the stage. The audience went wild when Green Day began playing their song "Holiday."
"HOW YOU DOING STRATFORD?" Billie Joe Armstrong screamed into the microphone.
Every last person in the large group, including Eli and Clare, responded by hollering and screaming before the lyrics began.
"Hear the sound of the falling rain
Coming down like an Armageddon flame
The shame
The ones who died without a name"
Eli and Clare sang with the people surrounding them as they listened to the song. Every now and then they clapped their hands along with the rest of the crowd to the beat. They did this repeatedly to all the other songs the band performed. Green Day was on for at least another forty minutes. The crowd screamed for an encore and they agreed for one last song. They played "Know Your Enemy" before abandoning the stage. As they left, Eli, Clare, and the rest of the crowd hollered and applauded.
"Whoa!" Clare squealed, punching the air.
"Thank you for giving me the tickets to this," he told her as he curled his arms around her waist.
"Enjoying yourself?" she asked.
"Hell yeah," he said. "I had no idea you were so educated in the lyrics of Green Day."
"Well, I may have listened to some of their songs online a million times."
"I should let you borrow some of my CDs then."
"Maybe you should," she replied.
It wasn't too long until VersaEmerge took the stage. Once again, the couple joined the crowd as they listened, sang along, and moved to the music. They avoided the mosh pits since Eli didn't want to leave Clare's side and it was clear that she wasn't keen on going in. He didn't mind though; he was perfectly fine watching the bands with his girlfriend.
What he didn't expect, however, was how much she was enjoying herself. He never thought that Clare would scream, sing along, or go to the music as much as she was. When VersaEmerge started playing the chorus of their song "Fire (Aim Your Arrows High)", Clare continuously punched the air with the rest of the crowd.
"Clare, I've never seen you so energetic," he commented in amazement.
"This is my first concert," she explained, her voice still filled with excitement. "I have a lot of adrenaline going through me."
"I've noticed," he grinned as she moved with the music. "I'm just a bit . . ."
"A bit surprised that Saint Clare would actually have fun at a rock concert with her boyfriend while her parents are out of town?" she assumed with a grin, no longer hitting the air in front of her since the tempo of the song slowed down again.
"I wasn't going to use those words, but I am definitely surprised," he admitted. He was worried for a minute that he would offend her by saying that it was odd for her to be so carefree in this kind of location; he expected her to be on her guard, but she wasn't.
She took his hands, smiled at him, and put them on her hips. He was relieved to see that she didn't look insulted at all. As she moved to the rhythm of the music, he couldn't help but move with her.
"It's good to know I can still surprise you," she said, keeping her hands on top of his.
"You always do," Eli said before kissing behind her ear and listening to the rest of the song.
()()
Every time a band went off stage, a few people scattered away from the front to either use a bathroom or to buy drinks or merchandise. Eli and Clare, however, always remained in front of the stage, but they were able to get closer every time the crowds thinned. After VersaEmerge left the stage, they went through the small groups in front of them and were right in front of the stage while they waited for Seether to come on.
"You realize that we are going to be in reaching distance of some amazing musicians?" she exclaimed.
"I know!" Eli replied. "Let's just be sure we don't lose this spot."
They stayed rooted there for a few minutes listening to the music from the speakers until Eli broke the silence between them.
"I'll be right back," he told her. "I'm gonna go find a bathroom. Be careful until I get back, okay?"
"I'll be fine, don't worry," she reassured him before he began stepping away and vanishing in the crowd.
She stashed one of her birth control pills in one of her pockets before coming to the concert so she could take it at the appropriate time. It was around nine o'clock, which was the time she would usually deposit the pill into her mouth, so she dug the small tablet out of her pocket. Once she was certain Eli was out of sight, she swallowed it.
She never stopped taking them even though she and Eli weren't exactly together for that period of time; something inside told her to keep taking them so she did. Eli still had no idea she was taking them. In fact, the only other people who did know were Alli and Bianca, who supplied her with them since she was too young to get them from a pharmacy without her parents knowing.
She wasn't sure when she was going to take the leap of faith to try and sleep with Eli, but she was continuing to take the pills as a precaution. She was grateful she had a job now so she wouldn't have to keep dipping into her savings to buy them from Bianca.
Clare stayed rooted in the same spot he left her in a few minutes ago and stared at the stage while waiting patiently for Eli to come back. She stood there without a care in the world when . . .
"Well hello there."
A guy around the age of twenty with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and tall stature was standing to the left of her. Clare was taken aback and she didn't know how to react; thus she merely stood there like a deer in the headlights.
"It's usually polite to say 'hi' when someone greets you," he mentioned, his voice deep.
"Hi," she said, before looking back to the stage. She felt the guy take another step towards her so their bodies were centimeters apart.
"You are very beautiful," the guy said immediately.
"Um . . ." Clare said nervously. She glanced over her shoulder to check to see if Eli was coming back. Unfortunately, all she saw was a crowd of strangers.
"And a pretty little thing like you shouldn't be here by yourself," he informed.
"I-I'm not."
"Then why are you standing in the crowd all alone?" he asked, putting a hand on her waist.
"I'm actually here with my boyfriend," Clare spat out quickly, taking a step away from him so his hand wasn't touching her anymore. "And I'm just waiting for him to get back here."
"Well, how about we go someplace quiet and make it quick before he gets back?" he attempted to convince her as he began to inch his hand towards her again.
"No!" she refused, slapping his hand away.
"Come on, girl."
"I'm here with my boyfriend," she repeated. "And I don't plan on sneaking away to be with someone else."
"Let's just have some fun."
"I'm having fun with my boyfriend, who I love very much, and I would never do something with another guy while I'm with him, so please leave me alone," she demanded sharply.
Without another word, the guy backed into the crowd again. It was clear that he wasn't being thrilled with being rejected. He was soon hidden behind some people and he was soon out of Clare's sight.
She let out a frustrated sigh as she turned around to face the stage again. Seconds later, she saw someone out of the corner of her right eye. She turned her head and saw Eli coming through the crowd with two bottles of water in his hands.
"So you don't dehydrate," he said as he gave her a bottle.
"Thanks," she replied before taking a drink; to her relief, it took the pill she swallowed before all the way down.
He stood right next to her against the gate. Instead of looking at the stage in anticipation for Seether to come on, he looked at the floor on the other side of the gate.
"Are you okay?" she asked, noticing that he wasn't grinning, smirking, or presenting any features of happiness at all.
"Yeah," Eli nodded.
"Are you sure? You don't seem the same way you were when you left here."
Eli looked at the front of the stage and debated whether or not to tell Clare what was on his mind. He didn't want this night to take a wrong turn and go bad just because of a twinge of anger. However, he tried to get it out of his mind but it wouldn't go away.
He took a breath and began to speak, but he hoped that this wouldn't lead to an unpleasant dispute.
"I saw you and that guy."
"What?" she asked.
"I just saw you talking to some dude and . . . it looked like he was hitting on you."
"I know," she said. "That's why I told him that I had a boyfriend who was very much in love with and I told him to go away."
Clare stood there for a second observing Eli. She saw his expression on his face relax, but she still saw something in his eye.
"Are you mad?" she asked.
"No. I'm just . . . I feel like . . ." he trailed off, not sure how to describe it.
"Like someone is slowly tearing out your heart while hitting you in the stomach?" she elucidated.
"Basically," he answered. He turned to look at her and saw her looking down at the ground as though she was reflecting on a painful experience. "Is this how you felt when Kate flirted with me?"
"At times," she nodded. "When it was the small things it felt like that. Other times it was way worse."
These words gave him a guilt-ridden blow to the gut. He remembered all the hell he put Clare through not long ago with Kate and he wished desperately that none of it happened. He coiled his arms around her.
"I am so sorry," he whispered in her ear.
She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I forgave you a while ago," she reminded him, understanding why he was apologizing.
"Still, if I felt like that for a minute, I don't even want to begin know how you felt for months. If I knew this was how you felt, I would've listened to you a long time ago about her. I just wish that I realized that a while ago so you didn't have to go through everything."
Clare grinned at him and put her lips to his. Although he was jubilant as usual when they kissed, Eli also felt slightly surprised.
"What was that for?" he asked once the kiss was over.
"You care," she shrugged. "You always have."
"And I always will," he promised.
"I know," she said. "Don't worry about what happened, okay? It's done."
She met his lips again. They deepened the kiss and enjoyed the moment they were in while they celebrated being together for more than a year. She stuck her tongue into his mouth as they began a steamy make-out session. They were becoming absorbed in their moment when a voice ruined it.
"Get a room!" it shouted at them. They turned their heads and saw the guy who was hitting on her few minutes ago. They turned away and faced each other again.
"Ignore him," she instructed as she looked into his eyes. "He's just jealous of you . . . and he has every reason to be."
Eli smiled at her before giving her a final peck on her lips. They separated, turned back to face the stage, and began waiting excitedly for the members of Seether to come on and start performing their music.
The couple nodded their heads to the music of "Tonight" when the band finally appeared. Eli stood next to Clare and kept his arms around her.
"This might just be one of the best nights ever!"
()()
The closing act of the night, Escape the Fate, came on the stage a few minutes after Black Veil Brides (who came on after Seether). Once again overwhelmed at the fact that another band that Eli had introduced her to was so close to them, they sang along to the songs, screaming, and having a good time.
Escape the Fate left the stage and that signaled the end of the concert. Somewhat disappointed that it was over so soon yet astonished by the amazing performances they saw that night, the crowd began to break apart and began to exit the expo.
"That was freaking awesome!" Clare screeched as she and Eli walked away from the stage.
"Are your ears still ringing?" he asked.
"Yeah," she nodded.
"They'll probably be that way for a while."
"But it was so worth it," she said. They stopped by the merch table and bought three concert t-shirts before they took each other's hands and walked out of the stadium.
"I'm glad we came."
"Me too," she smiled.
They walked towards Morty and climbed in. The parking lot was full of cars, so everyone was moving out onto the road at a snail's pace, so they decided to wait for a while before making any attempts to pull out.
Clare looked at the shirt she had just purchased; it was black and the front read Spring Jam in red, bold letters while the back had a list of all the bands that came and they were written in a thinner font. She couldn't help but chuckle a bit.
"What?" Eli asked, noticing her.
She turned to him and grinned.
"A year ago, I probably would've never gone to a party or to a concert like this one, but I did. I'm just thinking about how much I've changed in the past year since we started going out."
"Is that a good thing or in a bad thing?" he asked.
She took his hand and grinned.
"I've fallen in love for the first time since we started dating as well . . . so it's definitely a good thing," she said to him.
With a relieved glint in his eye, he leaned in for a kiss and she reciprocated. Their lips met and they enjoyed the moment of endearment.
"Take your hand in mine
It's ours tonight"
~"Rebel Love Song" by Black Veil Brides
I tried my best on writing this chapter, but it was tough; I really couldn't put much in about the concert without it getting repetitive, so please forgive me if this chapter wasn't the best. Next chapter should be published soon and it will be 1,000,000,000,000 times better, I promise. It will be up soon! Until then, reviews please (pretty, pretty, pretty please; they don't have to be good or long. Just some kind of feedback would be appreciative!)!
