A/N: Two in a row! Yay! Anyway, I do not own The Fray or the song in this chapter, although I absolutely love it and recommend it, along with any of their other songs, to those of you who haven't heard it. The next few chapters are pretty important, so it might take me a little longer to get the next one posted, just because I want to make sure it's perfect...but stay tuned for serious drama ahead. ENJOY!
This chapter begins on the Saturday night of the concert...
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Jude stood eagerly outside the theater, thinking about the concert ahead. Not only was she going to see her favorite band, but she was going with Tommy, her favorite musical accomplice. She couldn't help but smile thinking of the effort he had gone for her.
Through the crowd, she saw him making his way to the front entrance, mimicking the smile on her face. Pushing through groups of people anxiously waiting on line to enter the theater, he approached her.
"Hey," he said cheerfully.
"Hi," she replied. "So, did you get them?"
"Jude, I told you not to get your hopes up…" he said, giving her a discouraging look.
"Oh come on, I know you well enough by now, Quincy. You wouldn't have mentioned those VIP passes unless you actually had them," she said with an eye roll.
"And why is that?" he questioned.
"Because…you know I'd beat you up," she replied with a grin.
He laughed lightly and reached into his pocket, producing two large passes on strings. "Intimidation works wonders."
Her eyes lit up and her smile widened as she saw the passes. "Yes! You're the best!" she exclaimed, jumping on him with a hug.
"You know," he started, as she pulled back holding the VIP pass, "you never thought I was this great when we worked together."
She raised her eyebrows at him. "Well you never invited me to any concerts."
He nodded, thinking, "True."
They began weaving through the crowd to get towards the front entrance. She reached back and grabbed his hand to keep him close, surprising him but sending quick sparks throughout both of their bodies. They kept walking, ignoring the feelings that incited by their contact, finally stepping up to the entrance. Jude flashed her VIP pass to the bouncer, who let them both enter.
They walked down a hallway into the theater and emerged in a large open space already starting to fill with people. Surveying the room, Jude showed her ticket to an attendant, who ushered them down a path all the way to the front of the theater.
"Wow…you said front row but I didn't really think you meant front row," she said dreamily, taking her seat and staring up at the stage, a mere five feet in front of them.
Smiling at her excitement, Tommy stood up. "I'm going to get a drink before the show starts—do you want anything?"
"Sure, what are you getting?"
"The only stand I saw back there was for beer…so it's either that or water."
She shrugged. "You know, I'll take a beer. Why not?"
He nodded in agreement and walked back out towards the refreshment stand.
About 20 minutes later, as the auditorium was packed with people impatiently waiting for the show to begin, Tommy returned with a few filled cups stacked in a cardboard holder.
"Umm, I thought you were only getting one for each of us…" Jude said, helping him put the drinks down on the ground while he took a seat.
"I figured once the concert started, we wouldn't want to wait in that line to get more," he replied, picking up one of the cups and handing it to her.
"Good point," she agreed, taking the cup and watching him pick one up too.
Before drinking it, he looked at her and tapped the edge of his cup against hers. "Cheers."
She nodded and added, "To a fun night. And a great concert."
They both sipped the beers. She held it in her hand and asked, "So what do these VIP passes get you anyway? Besides getting to cut the line."
"Well…let's just say that you'll be able to get up and close with your favorite band."
She looked at him excitedly. "How close?"
He glanced back at her with a knowing grin. "Well…if you're nice to me," he said, leaning back in his chair, "I'll take you backstage after the show."
Her eyes widened. "Seriously?"
He nodded silently, watching her jaw drop open.
"Wow, that would be amazing," she replied, slumping back in her seat pensively. He smiled at her reaction, her infectious energy making him more eager for the show.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the crowd went wild. Putting their drinks aside, Jude and Tommy jumped to their feet, Jude screaming loudly. The lights shone brightly on figures on the stage as the band entered and started playing.
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An hour later, while the band was taking a break in between sets, Jude looked over at Tommy.
"Having fun?" she yelled to him, the crowd still going wild waiting for them to come back on stage.
"Definitely," he said with a smile. Her eyes focused on his, both grinning silently through the roar of the crowd.
She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and stood up on her toes to reach his ear.
"Thank you," she said quietly, her crisp blue eyes meeting his. She leaned in closer, pulling him into an embrace. He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her close, and leaned down to her ear, "You're welcome."
She looked up at him with a warm smile, not wanting to step out of his hold. Their eyes locked, neither budging from their stance, as she felt the sudden rush of butterflies in her stomach. He stared back at her, unable to look away, until they heard movement on the stage above and saw the lights turn back on.
They slowly detached from each other, resuming their separate places to refocus on the music that was being played. Bringing them back to reality, Jude started screaming as the opening chords to one of her favorite songs began, while Tommy stood quietly beside her.
As the song started, Tommy stood back and watched Jude, who was singing along loudly and clapping her hands to the beat.
There are certain people you just keep coming back to
She is right in front of you
Unknowingly, Tommy began listening closely to the lyrics of the song, watching Jude bounce around in front of the stage.
You begin to wonder could you find a better one
Compared to her now she's in question
And all at once the crowd begins to sing
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same
Maybe you want her, maybe you need her
Maybe you started to compare to someone not there
Looking for the right one you line up the world to find
Where no questions cross your mind
But she won't keep on waiting for you without a doubt
Much longer for you to sort it out
He listened to the song, heard the words that were being sung, as though they were sung to him.
And all at once the crowd begins to sing
Sometimes
We'd never know what's wrong without the pain
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same
Maybe you want her, maybe you need her
Maybe you've started to compare to someone not there
Maybe you want it, maybe you need it
Maybe it's all you're running from
Perfection will not come
Maybe you want her, maybe you need her
Maybe you had her, maybe you lost her to another
To another
As the song wound down, Jude screamed loudly while Tommy applauded, still absorbed in his own thoughts. She turned back to him and saw his distant expression.
"You okay?" she asked in concern.
He nodded and gave her a small grin. "Yeah, I'm good."
She gently smiled and turned back towards the stage.
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Four hours and six beers later, an exhilarated Jude stumbled out of the theater, immediately cringing at the cold rain falling on her. Stepping back under the awning of the theater, she turned around to see Tommy stagger through the double doors to stand under the awning beside her.
"It's raining," he said, looking at the wet street.
She turned towards him and muttered, "You're so smart."
He scowled at her then turned back towards the rain, watching a group of people run out of the theater into the rain.
"Oh!" Jude exclaimed, her eyes wide. "I think I left my purse inside…I remember having it when I was talking to that drummer guy…"
"Jude," he said, grabbing her arm to stop her from going back inside, "it's on your shoulder."
She looked over at her right shoulder and smirked. "So it is…whoops."
He couldn't help but laugh at her, clearly woozy from the quantities of alcohol they had been consuming all night.
"So," she started as he quieted down, "what now?"
"We could make a run for it," he suggested, looking out at the rain.
"Okay, but where to?" she asked.
He shrugged, not wanting the night to end but knowing it was after 1am.
"Well, my apartment is only four blocks away. Yours is six. So come over to my place," she offered.
"Are you sure? It's late, I can just go home," he replied skeptically.
"No, it's fine. You can keep me company until the rain stops," she said, pulling his arm to walk with her into the rain. "I'll race you!" she cried before taking off through the falling rain.
"No fair! You got a head start!" he said, jogging through the rain after her, hearing thunder roar above him.