“Hearts on fire tonight
Feel my bones ignite
Feels like war, war
Feels like war, war

Hearts on fire tonight
Feel my bones ignite
Feels like war, war
Feels like war

We go together or we don’t go down at all
We go together or we don’t go down at all!”

Acid and I sang our hearts out as we reached the venue for Warped Tour, bouncing up in down in our seats. We were beyond excited to be here in the sweltering heat and crowded area. The turnout for this concert was amazing, there were people crammed in every corner of the venue. Of course, there were the occasional girl’s in bikini tops and booty shorts, but other than that, Acid and I felt like we belonged in the sea of people that looked just like us.

As we walked, our arms linked to each other, we got wolf whistles from some, like, 14-year-old boys standing at a merch tent. We both flipped our hair and smiled, swaying our hips. Acid stopped us after about 10 minutes of walking and pulled out her map of the venue.

“God damn it,” Acid muttered, flipping the paper over again and again.

“What’s wrong?”

“Pierce The Veil and Sleeping With Sirens are playing at the same time, 1:15. But, it’s a straight shot to Of Mice and Men at 3:00 and then All Time Low at 4:45. And after that, Black Veil Brides plays at 6:30 and Chelsea Grin plays at 8:00. Then we’re outta here.” She pointed at the individual stages and names of the bands that were playing today. I checked my phone, and saw that it was 12:30.

“Acid, we can see both bands, we’ll spend half of a set at one band’s stage and another half at another’s stage. I kind of want to see Pierce The Veil more than Sleeping, what about you?”

“Yeah, sounds good, and if we want to see our sexicans, we better go now, there’s already a lot of people at their stage.” She pointed to the stage PTV was playing at and I saw that there were already about 100 people crowding around the stage. I grabbed Acid’s hand and ran, dragging her behind me, not wanting to miss this set. After a lot of flipped fingers and a few “Fuck you, get out of the way” ‘s, we made it to the front of the crowd. We stood and talked for a few minutes, trying to kill the time. Our excited bodies were shaking more and more as every minute went by. The crowd multiplied by at least 20x, and there were so many people surrounding Acid and I, I thought I was going to throw up.

Finally, after about 45 minutes of waiting and excitedly talking to each other, Pierce The Veil came on to the stage. First was Mike, and he took his place behind the drums. Next were Jaime and Tony, guitar and bass in hand as they took their spots on stage. Then Vic came out with his green and white guitar and the crowd went crazy. Acid and I screamed our lungs out, this band had gotten us through so much.

PTV played Caraphernelia, Stay Away From My Friends, One Hundred Sleepless Nights, Hold On Till May, the song that got me through freshman year, Hell Above, Bulls in the Bronx, and I’m Low On Gas and You Need A Jacket, and loads more from their earlier albums. They ended with Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides, and after a deafening applause, they exited the stage, waving and screaming “We love you guys! You’ve been amazing!”

It hit me as we were walking away from the stage. “Acid we missed Sleeping!”

She whipped her red head around with wide eyes and she gasped.

“How could we miss Sleeping with Sirens!? They were our shit in 7th grade!” Her blue eyes scanned the area and she grabbed my hand, practically pulling my arm off to get to OM&M. We raced through the sea of people, trying to get a decent spot in the pit. Acid loved mosh pits, even though, since she was tiny and a female, the guys would never let her stay for long. She complained, for sure, but everyone was a family, and if someone got hurt, especially a girl, we all felt responsible.

We got to Of Mice & Men’s stage, and everything went smoothly. They played The Flood, Would You Still Be There, You’re Not Alone, Bones Exposed, When You Can’t Sleep At Night, Another You, and The Depths. Disappointed with their short set, Acid and I raced to All Time Low’s set.

When we got there, we were early, so we, once again, got front row spots. When Rian and Zack came on stage, maybe 30 minutes after we got there, the huge crowd went wild. Then Jack Barakat came on stage and we almost got avalanched with bras from desperate fan girls. He bent down to pick up maybe twenty that landed on stage. On had landed on Acid’s head, and when she went to remove it, Jack’s hand got there first and he picked the bra up off of her head, ruffling her hair and smiling as he stood back up. Acid looked to me and screamed, making me burst into a laughing fit. Alex Gaskarth came onto the stage, and another avalanche of bras came parading down on our heads.

“Oh come on ladies, be polite, these poor girls up front have your sweaty bras all over them now,” Alex said into the microphone. He reached down and helped us get the mountain of bras off of us, and smiled at me when the last one was up on his mic stand. My face flushed worse than it already was, and Alex winked down at me, smiling his cute little side grin.

“Alright guys, who’s ready to rock out tonight!?” A roaring answer came from the audience behind us, and Acid was bouncing up and down like a little kid on Christmas. All Time Low kicked off their set with The Irony of Choking on a Lifesaver. They had such good stage energy, I never wanted this to end. They ended their hour long set with Therapy, a song that could make a grown man cry. And it did. Alex started to get teary-eyed as the song started. He started to talk about how people always put him down for singing in a no-good band. People don'serve to be treated differently, and everyone is special. The song ended and he shouted, “You are all beautiful! Thank you guys!”

“Blade, we’re going to be late to see Black Veil Brides, come on!” Acid pulled at my arm and I pulled out my phone to check the time. It was 6:15, and BVB was playing in 15 minutes. I showed her my phone and she pulled harder at my arm, digging her nails into my pale flesh. I understood her urgency, Black Veil Brides were our saviors. In middle school, when we‘d had a bad day, Acid would take me to her house and blast Carolyn in her room until we got yelled at by her foster parents.

Acid’s phone rang just then, and she hastily picked it up.

“Hello? ....What? What do you mean? No! You can’t do this! I have nowhere else to stay! I’ll come up with the money, I swear! But…screw you too then.” She angrily stabbed the end call button on her screen and looked at me with tears in her sea blue eyes.

“Blade, they’re evicting me. They’re throwing me out because I missed a payment. What am I going to do?” She threw her arms around my neck and sobbed, grabbing the attention of an employee. The employee gave me a questioning look and I waved my hand, telling her not to worry about Acid. The employee came over to us anyways, having a concerned look plastered on her face.

“Hey there. I noticed you were crying, is something wrong?” The employee wrapped an arm around Acid’s shoulders and smiled down at her. Acid looked up from my wet shoulder and fixed her running makeup.

“I just got evicted from the apartment I can barely afford. I have no place to go after this, because my friend here just got kicked out of her parent’s house. I‘m just really stressed.” Acid took a deep breath and tried to calm her staggered breathing, looking at me with a hopeful expression.

“What’s your names girls?”

“My name is Blade, and this is Acid,” I said, pointing to the red head.

“Well, I can’t help you with your situation there, but I think I can make your day a little better. You girls like Black Veil Brides?”

“We love them, that’s who we’re going to see right now,” I said, pointing to my obvious BVB shirt.

“Oh, sorry, Blade is it? I didn’t see your shirt. Well, here you go girls, two backstage passes to see Black Veil Brides. Flash these passes to anyone who pushes you out of the way, and make your way to the front of the crowd. If a security guard questions you, show the passes and tell 'em Felicity sent you.” She smiled and added, “I hope that made your day.”

“Thank you so much!” We squealed, jumping up and down. We ran towards the BVB stage, fighting against the ocean of fan-girl screaming Andy’s name. We got pushed and we flashed the passes hanging around our neck, flipping off the girls who decided to be assholes. We bulldozed our way through just as CC was walking out towards his drum set. The screams of 1,000 fan girls echoed through our ears and we couldn’t even hear ourselves scream. I looked at Acid and her tears had stopped completely but her mascara and eyeliner had ran down her cheeks. It was apparent she was crying and I hoped no-one would give her a hard time about it.

Ashley Purdy was next, his OUTLAW tattoo shining against his bare stomach with his bass clasped tightly in one hand. Then Jinxx and Jake came onto the stage, guitars slung over their shoulders and they played a few riffs for the deafening crowd. That left one band member, the one that had written the words that saved my life so many times. The girls behind us started chanting “Andy! Andy! Andy!”

It was natural for Acid and I to rebel, so we chanted “Black Veil Brides! Black Veil Brides!”, until the whole crowd, even the fan-girls, were chanting long with us. The remaining band member stepped onto the stage, sauntering his way to his microphone. Andy’s war paint shone in the bright sunlight, with his penis GPS standing out on his tight leather pants. His long hair was teased up to the clouds, and his light blue eyes scanned the audience. No matter where he looked, his eyes seemed to land on Acid, and I knew he could tell she had been crying. He smiled and waved at her and she screamed, waving her arm frantically. He winked and smirked, and grabbed the microphone.

“How are you motherfuckers doing tonight!?” The crowd responded with a roar of “Fuck yeah’s” and “I love you!”’s.

“Now, today is the 24th day of July and it is hotter than fuck out here. So to start things off, I’m going to sing a new song off of the up-coming album ‘Set The World On Fire’.” The crowd again responded with a chorus of “Fuck yeah!”

“This song is about having someone by your side. No matter what happens in life, Black Veil Brides will always be here to support you and lift you from the dark hole you might be in. This song is called Savior.” Andy looked down and smiled at Acid, giving her an “Everything is going to be okay” look.

The song started and beautiful guitar riffs playing through the speakers. And then, Andy started to sing.

“I never meant to be the one
Who kept you from the dark
But now I know my wounds are sewn
Because of who you are

I will take this burden on
And become the holy one
But remember I am human
And I’m bound to sing this song

So hear my voice
Remind you not to bleed
I am here

A Savior will be there
When you are feeling alone, oh
A Savior for all that you do
So you live freely without their harm.”

I looked around and everyone was waving an arm back and forth to the flow of the music. I nudged Acid to get her to do the same but she waved an arm lazily, staring at Andy with big eyes. I looked to Andy and found that he had made eye contact with Acid and their eyes were locked together. Andy continued singing, his deep voice booming through the speakers.

“So here I write my lullaby
For all the lonely ones
Remember as you learn to try
To be the one you love

So I can take this pen
And teach you how to live
What is left unsaid
The greatest gift I give

So hear my voice
Remind you not to bleed
I am here

A Savior will be there
When you are feeling alone, oh
A Savior for all that you do
So you live freely without their harm.”

Acid continued to stare at Andy with a dumbfounded look plastered on her face and I smiled. Andy had probably gotten Acid through more shit than myself. And I couldn’t thank him enough for saving my best friend.

“When I hear you cries
Praying for light
I will be there

When I hear your cries!
Praying for light!
I will be there.
I will always be there!
I will always be there!”

The song ended with heavy drums and guitars and it made the crowd burst into screams and applause. Andy just stood up on stage with a huge grin on his painted face and he raised a hand to silence the audience.

“Alright, that song was called Savior, and judging from your reaction you guys really liked that song. Who wants to hear another one from our new album?”

The crowd whooped and yelled and Andy smiled and nodded to his band mates. He put the mic on its stand and grabbed a bottle of water from the front of the stage. He took a couple swigs and sprayed the rest of it on the front rows, spraying Acid and I in the process. He winked at us and walked back his mic, staring out into the crowd.

“This next song is called Ritual. Now this song is about loving who you are. And I know some of you out there think you’re worthless. And you have no hope to keep living. How do I know that? I felt the same way when I was in high school. Everybody treated me differently. So this song is dedicated to every one of you who feel like there’s no hope of surviving tonight. Your everyday hell is coming to an end soon, I swear it.” He smiled when he got the biggest cheers we had heard all day and he started to smile at his band mates.

“Praying for what your heart brings
Thoughts of escape
And bloodshot eyes

You’re barely sleeping
No longer dreaming
Now what you do to feel alive.”

---

After the show ended, Acid and I made our way to the backstage area. We fought through the many fan girls and flashed our passes to the suspecting security guards. We finally got back to the dressing rooms and held up the passes to the big guard standing by the door. He knocked a bit meaty hand on the door and said “Guys, some girls with backstage passes are here to see you.”

“Let them in,” we heard someone say, unable to detect who said it because it was so muffled.

The guard opened the door and let us in, and we walked inside the room cluttered with sweaty clothing and black paint. The first thing I noticed was a Batman shirt slung over a chair and an open jar of war paint on the dresser. I looked around more and found a pair of leather pants, cowboy boots, and more war paint. I saw a straightener hanging on a hook in the wall, a pair of black fingerless leather gloves and so much more that you would expect to find on Black Veil Brides.

“Hey girls,” Andy said, his deep voice rocketing around the room. The rest of the guys turned around and smiled their award winning grins and Acid about fell over. Andy stood up and walked towards us, getting taller with every step he took. We literally had to stare up at the ceiling to look into his eyes.

“H-hi,” I stuttered, taking a step back so my neck wouldn’t hurt from staring at him from that angle. Acid lost it and grabbed onto Andy’s waist, screaming “Thank you for saving my life!” She went around to every guy and tackled them into a big bear hug.

“Excuse her, you guys mean the world to her. I can’t tell you how many times you’ve made her put down the knife or razor. Same with me, you guys are…our saviors. My name’s Blade, by the way,” I looked into Andy’s blue eyes and smiled, hoping my voice didn’t sound too shaky.

“Hey, it’s what we’re here for.” He looked to Acid and smiled, seeing that she was clinging to Ashley, who had pulled her into his lap and was stroking her red hair, telling her quietly to stop crying so much.

He cleared his throat, rather loud. “Ash.”

The bassist picked his head up from Acid’s neck and nodded. He gently put Acid down on the ground and she wobbly walked over to me and wiped her tears.

“I told him what happened to my apartment. He told me he couldn’t do anything, they don’t take strangers off the streets to travel with them.” She sniffled and put her head on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my torso.

“Hey, Andy?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Do you happen to know where any good hotels are around here? My friend Acid,” I pointed to the red head, “got evicted from her apartment today. I got kicked out of my parent’s house for wanting to come here, and we don’t have a place to sleep tonight. We’re both 18, so foster homes won’t help us at all,” I said, putting my blonde head on Acid’s.

“Damn,” Jinxx breathed.

“Why would they do that to you guys?” Jake asked.

“Acid missed a payment on her apartment, and I just wanted to see you guys play. My mother said no, I refused to be told no on my 18th birthday and-”

“Oh shit, happy birthday babe, I’m so sorry I forgot,” Acid said, picking her head up and kissing my cheek. She laid her head back down and sniffled some more.

“Are you guys…?” Ashley asked, his eyebrow raising in question.

I shook my head and started rubbing Acid’s back. “We’re so close to each other, we’re more like sisters. We’ve been friends since 4th grade. We bonded over the normal gross things, and were excluded. We called ourselves the Outcasts, and just went with the flow. We’re sticking together, no matter what. We’re all each other has anymore, including this band,” I said, sighing as Acid’s tears hit the floor.

“I’m sorry Blade, but I don’t know where any cheap hotels are. I wish we could help you two,” Andy said, his voice laced with concern.

“You couldn’t…take in some teenagers, could you? I mean, we’ll work the merch table, cook for you guys, wash your dirty socks, anything. I know I sound desperate, but you guys are all we have left.” My eyes filled with tears, I hated begging, it made me feel weak.

“I don’t know…I mean…can we trust you guys?” Andy asked, his eyebrows raised.

“We don’t think of you guys as sex slaves, even though you guys are pretty damn sexy. We think of you as nothing more than our idols, maybe even our long-lost brothers,” Acid said, picking her head up and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing her makeup to hell.

“Aw, hun, your makeup,” Ash said, handing her a wipe to clean her face. She smiled and giggled when Ashley started to wipe her face for her. I let go of Acid and stepped towards Andy, holding out my hand for him to shake.

“You have my word. We will be nothing but loyal.” My face was solemn and his blue eyes twinkled in the light of the dressing room.

“I’ll see if I can pull a few strings,” Andy said, taking my hand and shaking it. He smiled and looked to the remaining three band members sitting in their chairs. They smiled and nodded, giving me some hope of not having to live on the streets.

Notes

Here's a long one for you guys(: Stay strong Pinjas <3