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eyes like daggers on the two 'brick walls' in front of us.
    A few of the men who worked with the stage crew began making
    sound checks with the instruments. The audience grew impatient and we were shoved forward, our bodies pressing against the brick walls in front of us, feeling the people behind us in our backside. It wasn't a pleasant thing to be
    stuck between sweaty people my age and older who smelled like they hadn't bathed in weeks. Half of the sweat on my body wasn't even mine. To add to the smell and the sweat, the air that hovered over the crowd was humid, multiplying the saturation on my body. The musky air was suffocating, it clouded my lungs
    with every breath that I took, the strong cent of cigarette smoke wavering into my nostrils in each intake. It was disgusting, as my mom would probably put it, but to me it was part of the thrill. Once I got past the difficulties of a rock
    concert and made it to the final performance, it was like I had conquered the world. Each time we left a venue, it was a victory walk to our cars.
    The people around us squirmed, trying to catch a glimpse of
    the stage that was beginning to fill with smoke that lurked around the equipment finally set for The Masquerade. Shiloh and Hayley's hands found mine. I gripped both tightly in anticipation. An intricate melody began to play softly through the speakers. A grin spread on my face, feeling the excitement
    rush through my body.
    I looked over to Shiloh who was beaming as she stared at the stage, waiting for the best night of her life. I turned to Hayley whose eyes
    were still narrowed on the two large guys in front of us. They stood in the way of our mad dash to the front. We'd spent the entire time, while the last four bands performed, pushing and shoving our way to the front. The bands were okay, but our main focus was to be in the front row. Now, our only goal was to get
    past the two Tasmanian Devils. I laughed because I knew Hayley would find a way to get us past them. She noticed my gaze and winked, a dark smile on her face.
    The lullaby began to twist into a dark thundering beat that
    boomed throughout the large bar. The crowd went wild, chanting the names of the band members. We rocked from side to side as the crowd moved to the new beats. A guy next to Shiloh tried to wrap his arm around her waist in the moment. She
    rolled her eyes and shoved him off. She had a kind heart, but she never hesitated to be rough when she needed to be. She shot me a triumphant smile, which I returned.
    Suddenly, the crowd erupted into cheers. Everyone thrust his
    or her bodies forward. My face smacked into the backside of one of the brick walls. I grunted and pried myself off, without much help from the person behind me who was continuously pushing me back into him. The frantic shrieking was
    conquered by the thunderous beats that played throughout the bar.
    I leaned into Shiloh so I could have a better view of the stage. My mouth fell open when my eyes shot to the tall shirtless guy who walked on stage with two drumsticks in hand. Shiloh's hand moved up my arm and
    squeezed, her eyes glued to the stage. I smiled and shouted his name with the rest of the audience.
    He appeared as though he had walked out of the poster on my wall and came to the show just in time to perform. The heat from the atmosphere
    radiated off his bare skin. I imagined many girls to be going through 'joygasms,' as Hayley put it, in that moment. He sat down in front of the drums and began to pound his sticks against the set. The fast, riveting beats shook
    the floorboards with a kind of power that could cause a natural disaster to shock the Earth.
    The initial rush I felt from before never had the chance to leave my system. The crowd screamed louder and it built back up again. I looked
    to the side to see Max and Cam step forward. Cam moved to the center of the stage while Max stood on the far left, furthest away from us. It still, however, was close enough for Hayley to make