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the
    stairs, twirling his drumsticks between his fingers as he went. He was always first on stage.
    Cam ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling it, to perfect the wild persona he carried. He nudged me with his shoulder. I smirked
    and bumped fists with him. From above, the crowd went wild. A loud throbbing beat began to bounce throughout the bar. PJ was pounding on the drums, setting up the rest of the introduction. We all grinned as we listened to PJ's thunderous beats that brought the rest of us up the stairs and to the stage.
    Max and Cam moved slowly together on stage, deafening riffs shot throughout the bar, their hands repeatedly moving against the strings. They paused on different parts of the stage when Jesse stepped into the light.
    He strode to the right side of the stage, strumming powerful lower notes on with his bass to darken the tune. In response, the crowd went wild, roaring, and thrashing their hands forward, trampling the weaker fans that stood in
    their way.
    When my band mates found their positions, they played out the rest of the introduction. The music cut off. I watched as the three monsters with guitars slammed their hands against their strings and bowed their
    heads. Still hidden from the audience, I looked up and saw PJ stood before his drum set, head bowed. The lights cut off. Darkness consumed the stage. Only the outlines of their bodies could be seen. The audience silenced too, despite the random drunk who shouted something incoherent.
    All at once, the white strobe lights illuminated the darkness, catching each of their movements, one frame after another. At the same time, they began to play. The sound of the electric guitars struck first,
    followed by the drums. The fast metallic beat sent the crowd into a panic attack. People shouted, thrashing their arms forward, recognizing the beat from our latest album.
    With my cue, I ran onto stage, microphone in hand. Each
    stride my legs made was caught in a different frame the pulsating strobe lights created. Girls in the front few rows shrieked and thrust their bodies forward, desperate to close the distance between themselves and me. I stopped in the middle of the stage and turned to face the crowd. I paused once, before I threw
    my head back and drove it forward, belting out a dark scream that shot through the speakers like the rupture of a siren.
    The scream carried, ringing in my ears, and ripping through
    the crowd. Most of the male fans screamed along, while the girls screamed a different note, a mixture of lust and pure excitement. I looked out to see each person in the crowd with their hands in the air, thrusting them back and forth in the same rhythm the drums had. I shook my head, allowing my black hair to
    fall into my face. I smiled, feeling the exhilaration pump through my veins, as I waited for the first song.
     

Seven
    "This is ridiculous!" Shiloh shouted over the loud music throbbing in our ears.
    The people around us went crazy, their hands in the air, thrusting their heads back and forth to the beat of the drums. There were many teenagers around our age who were mesmerized in the moment, their bodies moving in ways that I would never display in public, completely lost with the sound.
    We were about three body lengths away from the stage. Two large guys stood in front of us that prevented any sudden movements to advance forward. Every time Hayley made an attempt to barrel through them they pushed
    her back with ease. It was a first for Hayley. We used to call her the bulldozer because she could knock anyone to the ground.
    "Fucking brick walls," Hayley grumbled when the
    fourth band left the stage. The frenzy died around us, momentarily, while the stage crew came on stage to set up for the final band, the one every single person in the room anticipated. The breath caught in my throat just watching them, knowing we were moments away from seeing our favorite band live for the
    first time.
    "I gotta' get through." Hayley said, her