PEACE (A Catherine Peace Novel)

Chapter 7

Elena, oh Elena! She's like a persistent mosquito, always buzzing around and poking at me, quite literally this time. I mean, who stabs someone with a pencil during a lecture? Are we in primary school or what? Here I am, waiting in the car for Jade to wrap up her lesson. I promised to be her knight in shining armor, rescuing her from the clutches of boredom, and whipping up a delicious dinner since I inadvertently caused her to miss her dance rehearsals.

"Did you catch my messages?" Jade chirped as she hopped into the passenger seat.

"The ones about Elena being the bane of my existence?" I quipped.

"Nope, the ones about our golden tickets to Liam's concert tonight!" she exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Have you given him an answer to his proposal yet?" she questioned.

"In fact, I did earlier today. That's why we received invitations to the concert. It's the beginning of our epic tale," I announced.

Jade let out a high-pitched scream, causing a few heads to turn in our direction.

"Okay, spill the details! What's the plan for tonight?" Jade demanded, practically bouncing in her seat with excitement.

"Well, first off, we're going to strut into that concert venue like we own the place. Picture this: us, decked out in our finest attire, turning heads left and right as we make our grand entrance," I replied, gesturing dramatically with my hands.

Jade's eyes widened with anticipation. "Yes, I can totally see it! And then what?"

"Then, we'll grab some snacks and drinks, because let's be real, no concert experience is complete without a ridiculously overpriced beverage in hand," I said with a grin.

"Agreed! And what about Liam?"

"He's got this mystery surprise planned for me, and all I've got to do is rock up in my fanciest dress," I grinned, excitement brewing.

Elena had casually mentioned having tickets to Liam's concert, and the mere thought of running into her there made my heart sink. Dealing with her annoying presence was bad enough, but risking a heartbreak in the midst of a concert? No, thank you. I kept this worry to myself, though. Telling Jade about Elena's plans would only make her anxious, and she'd probably refuse to go, convinced that I'd be hurt by Elena's presence. So, instead of dwelling on the potential drama, Jade and I decided to treat ourselves to an afternoon of pampering. We got our nails and hair done, with Jade insisting that she'd be damned if she met the love of her life looking like a frog.

As evening fell, Jade took the wheel and drove us to the arena, and let me tell you, it was like a sardine can in there. I had no idea Liam and his bandmates had this kind of effect on girls. Seeing the swarm of beautiful ladies lined up, waiting to catch a glimpse of the boys perform, was like stepping into a dream world.

"THIS IS AMAZING!" Jade screamed over the crowd noise as we were escorted backstage by security. The arena was ablaze with bright lights, flickering all around us. The air was filled with the ear-piercing shrieks of excited fans. The energy was infectious, and before I knew it, I was jumping and giggling along with everyone else. I mean, who wouldn't want to witness the biggest boy band of the moment do their thing? This was definitely going down in history as the best day ever.

"Girls, you made it!" came a familiar voice from behind me. I swear, I felt like I had a hundred tiny winged creatures fluttering around in my stomach. I turned to see Jade practically launching herself at Liam, enveloping him in a bear hug and thanking him profusely for the tickets.

"Hey," he finally said after Jade darted off to chase another band member, Mason. For a moment, it seemed like she had totally forgotten about Alex and was now hypnotized by Mason's charm.