FOR YOU

I hate crowds—not just any crowd, but crowds filled with a lot of young, sweaty, naughty, and horny teenagers. I told Julia, my best friend, that crowds and I are a very bad idea, but she kept insisting because her boyfriend, Luke, is performing tonight. There are a few young guys, but I must admit there are lots of teenagers, and some of them look underage. I wonder who makes these fake identity cards; he or she must be rich by now. "You're having a good time, girlfriend?" Julia asks. I swear I'm not quite having a good time, but I have to pretend I am because she will feel guilty for bringing me here if I tell her the truth. And I have a soul, so I won’t tell her. "Oh yes, I'm having a lot of fun," I lie. God, how I miss my very comfortable bed and my sleep. I cherish my sleep and hate it when people take that away from me. "Of course, this is a lot of fun! It's a concert, and Luke and his band will be performing next," she says with a shrill. I don't know why she has to scream when I can clearly hear her. Yes, the music is loud, but we are close to each other, so the screaming is unnecessary. "Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause for the next performers, THE RIFF ROCK BAND," a voice shouts from the stage. I have to quickly cover my ears because, as expected, Julia is screaming twice as loud as I thought she would. "Oh yes, that's my baby! I love you, darling," she screams. *** I thought this would be boring, but it's turning out to be exciting. I am dancing and singing to the song. I must admit, Luke's band can do magic when it comes to performing. "Hey, Pree, I see you're having a lot of fun?" I hear a male voice address me. Why is he even here? "Max, for the millionth time, my name is Priscilla. Can't you just call me by my name for once?" I was just starting to have fun, and he just had to show up and ruin this moment for me. "But I thought that's what your friends call you," he says, giving me that smile I hate. "That's right, my friends. And the last time I checked, you aren’t on that list, so better keep off." Max isn't that bad, I guess, but he can be quite a pain in the ass at times. I don't know how to describe his behavior, but for starters, he always tries to fit in where he doesn't belong and, not to forget, the kind of womanizer he is. "Won't you just give me a chance to be your boyfriend? I promise I will never hurt you. As far as I know, you've never had a boyfriend, and you're like... twenty?" Okay, that's it. I have had enough of this guy. Who does he think he is? And that is not even my age. Wait, did he just suggest that I look older than my age? "So I'm supposed to accept your proposal as your girlfriend when you are addressing me with such a rude attitude? And just to be clear, I'm eighteen years old. Eighteen. Got it?" I say angrily, feeling tears forming but managing to fight them back. He has that devilish grin on his face. "Oh, and one more thing, I'd rather not have a boyfriend than have a douchebag like you for a boyfriend. Excuse me." I tell him as I leave to look for Julia. I think she has moved closer to the stage. "Excuse me, excuse me, some space please." It is so difficult to pass through the crowd, I keep squeezing my way through. Some people can’t even hear me, not to mention the number of couples dancing closely together. It's a relief to finally see her. "My boyfriend is so amazing, Pree, just take a look at him eyeing me," Julia tells me once I get there. She never gets tired of praising her boyfriend, and yeah, I know he is famous and loves her, but she can be too much at times. I’m not jealous, but it kind of bores me. When the band is done performing, she excuses herself to go backstage. She really has to go and congratulate her boyfriend personally, and I am left all alone again in this crowd. I just hope Max doesn’t show his dirty face again, or I’ll have to punch him this time. I wonder why Julia had to drag me to this concert when she apparently didn’t even need my company. "Ladies and gentlemen, the time is here, and you all know how we play the game. The drummer will beat the drums on the count of three and throw the drumsticks in different directions of the audience. A pair is supposed to catch the sticks..." Luke is the one talking, but I have no idea what he’s talking about. The audience is applauding, and I’m clueless about the game. "The pair is supposed to be of different sexes. Just to make sure it’s not the same s*x that catches the sticks, the left side will be for the ladies and the right side for the guys. So, if you catch one of the drumsticks and you are a lady on the right side, kindly just give it to a guy next to you, and vice versa for the other side." This time the audience seems displeased, and I’m still clueless. "You guys know how we do this. The next concert will be vice versa. Now, the pair that catches the drumsticks will have to struggle to find each other in the crowd, and just to be clear, the music will be on. So, are you ready?" Luke asks in a louder voice, and the audience roars a 'yes.' "Oh, and before I forget, when you find each other, you'll have to either fight for the other drumstick or be a pair. So, let’s go! One... two... three..." The crowd is screaming as the drummer beats the drums three times and throws the sticks. This is so stupid and boring. Since I don’t want to be in this mess, I decide to walk out. Just as I’m squeezing my way out, a stick hits me. "What? Oh no, not me!" I quickly shout as I jump away from the stick. There is no way I am going to play this stupid game that I have no idea how to play, especially since it involves fighting. I will just pretend it didn’t hit me, so typical me just walks away from it. "Hey, miss, the stick hit you. Better grab it and start the search before the crowd resumes dancing." The guy next to me shouts, and I have to pretend he isn't addressing me, but he has already caught the attention of those around me. Almost all of them are looking at me. "But I don't want to play the game," I complain. "There is no way out, gal. If you don't play, you'll have to pay," he says. "I'm ready to do anything." I'm not going to kill myself with this stupid game. "Pree, you caught the stick, oh my God! Gal, you should do this." How did Julia even come back so quickly? It’s like she never left in the first place. "But Julia, I can't." "I know, girlfriend, but trust me, this is so much fun. Come on, just do it. For me, at least, because if you don't, Luke will have to choose a way to make you pay, and that will be so hard for him since he knows you. Please." She's bribing me. I can't seem to find any other excuse, so I'll just have to do this. "Okay, I will do it," I tell her. "Yay! Go girl." Everyone applauds as I let out a sigh, ready to fight my way through this crowd to find my pair. And before I forget, "Julia, trust me, I'll pay you back." I tell her, and she whispers, "Anything for you," as I pick up the drumstick. Just then, the lights are on me, and I can see a similar light on the far end of the audience. Here we go; I will find you, my drumstick partner. The music is back on, and people are cheering us up. *** I have managed to make my way through the crowd, though I guess I’m even nose-bleeding, but finally, I find him. How am I supposed to fight someone like him? He is tall—6'4", I guess—and although he isn’t that physically fit, his height kind of scares me. What am I? Like 5'3" or 5'4"? I could possibly not manage to get the other drumstick. By the look on his face, he is just as bored with this as I am. "Hey, pretty face, why don't we just end this by you giving me the stick, and we can both walk out of here happy?" I didn’t expect such a cute voice. Wait, did he just suggest I give up the fight and let him win? Well, as much as I’m not into this game, his attitude just gave me enough reason to fight for the stick, and since I can’t physically fight him, I could just trick him. "That sounds tempting, but no thank you. I will go with the fight." So, I am just going to trick him and snatch the stick because I’m not anywhere near ready to take the other option, which is being a pair with him. "Okay, just remember you asked for it," he says with a smirk as he clenches his fists. I can’t believe I got myself into this trouble. Julia is so going to pay for this. I know he can’t physically fight me—I’m a lady—and just as I’m thinking of that, I feel a hand on my waist as he grabs me and pulls me closer to him. I quickly raise my hand and put the stick above my head, but then I realize I am shorter, and that wouldn’t work. So, I look at the crowd and smile. As he turns, wondering why I am smiling, I quickly tuck the stick in the side of my pants and cover it with my top. "Where did you hide it, pretty face?" he asks when he realizes I hid it. "You obviously know I can't tell you that, so come on, just give up already." That felt good. I say as I hold out my hand for him to give me the other stick. For a second, I think he would give in that easily, but apparently, he isn’t that stupid. I am busy smiling sheepishly when he surprisingly lifts my top, exposing my bra, and takes the drumstick from where I had hidden it. I don’t know what made me scream—the fact that he exposed me or the fact that he took the stick. I bend and bow my head in shame. I can’t believe he would do that in front of all these people. I lower my top and cover my face as the guys boo at that. Yes, I am wearing a bra, but that doesn’t hide my embarrassment. "So, should I keep undressing you, or will you let me win?" he asks, smiling stupidly. I'm so not going to let him win, and since I don’t want more embarrassing moments, I choose the only option I have. "If you can't beat them, join them. Okay, fine, you win, but you're not winning alone. We win as a pair." He looks at me in astonishment, and when he finally understands what I mean, the next thing I hear is a "what?" as he opens his mouth in shock. ##########