I couldn’t believe that Casey and I were already standing at the gates of Warped Tour. The two weeks of recovery were slow while they happened, but now that the day has arrived, I couldn’t help but wonder where the time went. My nerves, for some reason, were tingling as they finally started to let people in. The guys had told us to get here early before their set, so that is what we did. Well, at least we tried to get here as early as possible—we got stuck in traffic, the line was long, and I might have accidentally taken a few extra minutes to get ready.

I was just so nervous; I’ve never been to Warped before so I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what to wear, what to bring, what to do… Luckily, I had Casey. She seemed to be able to snap me out of my worries in a heartbeat. I ended up not even having to pick out my own outfit—that girl. I somehow ended up in black high waist shorts and a simple white tank with a yin-yang design on it, coupled with my pink vans and aviators. I let my hair fall down naturally, but I kept a rubber band on my wrist just in case I wanted to put it up.

“So, where do we go?” Casey asked when we finally entered the grounds.

“They said to go straight to the stage they are performing at because they are up first,” I told her. “Do you have your backstage pass?” I asked. Casey held hers up with a smirk.

“You bet I do, sister friend,” she said.

“Alright, they said that they are on the Hurley Stage,” I said, checking a map to see where in the hell the Hurley Stage was. We maneuvered ourselves through the already thick crowd, and I knew once we got to the stage that the real trick was figuring out where backstage was.

We looked around aimlessly for a few moments—you’d think backstage would be easy to find, but with the amount of people it was hard to be sure.

“Savannah!” I could have sworn that I heard someone call my name, but I couldn’t tell what direction it was coming from. “Savvie!” I heard a louder voice, and I swear the voice sounded very energetically familiar. I shot my head to the right, looking to where I thought the voice was coming from.

"Savannah!” I heard my name being called one more time, and this time I saw the source. I waved at the guys—containing my urge to run and jump all over them—and casually walked over to them as if we were long time friends. “You made it!” Vic said, and it appeared like he was containing his excitement. I looked over at Jaime and he was bouncing up and down on his toes—they seemed to all be trying to contain excitement (except for Jaime, of course; his excitement could never be contained), all of them pumped up for the show.

“Hi,” I said—internally cursing at myself for sounding so shy.

“Come on,” Vic beckoned us up a few stairs, and I grabbed Casey’s hand to pull her up with me.

"Passes please," the security guard said sternly.

I don’t know what came over me, but I decided to play a little joke. I looked around nervously and patted my pockets. “Um…” I bit my lip.

“Just kidding,” I laughed and pulled it out of my back pocket, clipping it to my belt loop after showing it to the security guard. Vic laughed as well, grabbing my hand and pulling me over to the other guys.

"Hi," I said to all of them. "This is my friend, Casey," I introduced them. I glanced over at Casey, who had the biggest smile on her face.

Before I had any time to react, I heard someone say ‘Hey you!’ and I was squished into a giant hug. I gasped a little—my body still being a little sore—but I patted Jaime’s back in the hug anyway.

"So good to see you!" he said excitedly, finally putting me down. I coughed awkwardly, and I was sure Casey was about to roll on the ground in exasperation when he hugged her, as well.

"Jesus, Himes, she's still recovering you know?" Vic said sharply. I blushed—Jaime didn’t really hurt me, he just caught me by surprise. "Just slap him, he doesn't know the concept of personal space," Vic said, more to Casey who was just kind of standing there. I appreciated their efforts to make us both feel equally welcome.

"Shit, I f-forgot! Are you okay?" Jaime put his hand over his mouth, still apparently appalled at himself.

"It's okay, I'm almost as good as new," I giggled and blushed a little—why do I keep doing that?

"Where are you watching the set from?" Mike asked joining our circle, along with Tony.

"Um, I-I don't know," I said nervously, looking at Casey. We never really discussed this, and I actually didn’t know we had options.I thought we were just going to stand in the crowd—which scared me a little because people are notoriously rough in big crowds, and I didn’t want to get hurt.

"You can watch it from the stage or the crowd, its up to you guys," Tony spoke up.

"Hey, that's the first time you've spoken to me, Tony!" I said enthusiastically. I don’t know why I said that—I just did. Tony shrugged his shoulders, returning back to his silent state. Way to make things awkward, Savannah.

"We'll watch from the stage, if that's okay?" Casey spoke up—yet again, thank God for Casey. She knew that I was apprehensive about being in the crowd.

"Yeah, sure, that's fine,” Vic nodded.

It was time for the guys to go on the stage, so Casey and I stood back a little.

"Right let’s go!" Vic yelled, throwing his phone on the side table and swinging his guitar onto his shoulders, putting his pick in his mouth and starting to clap. Casey and I stared at the four Mexicans, thoroughly enjoying watching their pre-show ritual.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap

I didn’t exactly hear what Vic said, and I blushed a little, realizing the reason for this was because I was too infatuated with the way he sounded when he spoke with the pick in his mouth. I shook my head, and Casey and I both giggled at the guys as they started to chant about a devil, dancing around, clapping their hands, and shaking their heads.

"PEE — TEE — VEE"

"W-wow," Casey stuttered in awe at the boys, causing them all to laugh at us. Vic gave us both high fives before they raced onto stage as if they were late for a flight or something.

We smiled the whole entire time, dancing and jumping around side-stage in excitement as the guys played. It was truly the coolest experience ever, and they were also so appreciative of the support the fans gave them.

Not only was the set amazing, but the guys were amazing, also. They treated us like we were actual people—I was relieved to see that they weren’t cocky rock stars and treated fans like normal people (although, I never suspected that they would be cocky rock stars in the first place, but my mom did). I couldn’t wait to prove my mom wrong!

The guys had a little bit of time before they had to do a meet and greet, so they took us to a different stage, where a band called Between The Trees was playing.

"This is my favorite song!" I heard Vic gasp excitedly. I could tell how passionate he and the rest of the guys were about music—it was truly a unique thing to see.

"What is it?" I asked, taking a few steps back so I was next to him. Apparently Pierce the Veil wasn’t huge yet, so they didn’t have fans crawling all over them. Even if they were bigger, though, I got the sense that if fans did spot them in the crowd, they would be pretty chill and cool about it, and just hang out like they were now.

"The Way She Feels," he replied. "Listen to the lyrics, they're incredibly powerful,” he told me. I nodded, facing the stage as the front man began to sing.

I think I was shivering the entire song—something about the song just hit a nerve, as if someone was literally playing guitar with my heartstrings.

The deeper you cut,
The deeper I hurt,
The deeper you cut,
It only gets worse,
The deeper you cut,
The deeper I hurt,
The deeper you cut,
It only gets worse,

I couldn’t believe that I was actually crying, but I also couldn’t help it. I subconsciously wrapped my right arm around my left—it’s been so long…

She opened her life,
And found relief through His eyes,
And put down,
She put down her knife.

The song was euphoric. I couldn’t get the lyrics that were still dancing around in my head out. The memory of my best friend catching me threatened to show itself in my head, but I pushed it away. That was two years ago, and I’ve been better ever since.

I wiped my eyes, embarrassed, and turned back to Vic. “You were right, that was so powerful, how did they come up with that? It was perfect,” I said. It was like this song embodied everything that I have known.

He looked like he was about to say something, but then Jaime bounced over.

"To the meet and greets!" Jaime screamed. Vic sighed, looking almost frustrated with his overly energetic yet extremely loveable friend.

“Er, where should Casey and I go while you meet fans?” I asked as they led us to the tent they had set up. The guys surrounded me and Casey—Vic on my left, Jaime bouncing around in front of me, Casey on my right, and Mike and Tony on Casey’s right.

“Well, you girls can go and see other bands, or you can hang out at our tent. It’s up to you,” Vic replied. Yet again, I felt unprepared to make a decision.

“Maybe we will see who is playing during your meet and greet and let you know,” Casey said with a friendly smile. ­What would I do without this girl?


“Good plan,” Vic nodded. Casey and I peeled off away from the guys as they set up at their tent, looking at a list of show times. The Devil Wears Prada was playing on the same stage that Pierce the Veil had played on, and I wasn’t interested in them. I made a mental note to see if we could come back for We The Kings or Mayday Parade later, who were also going to play on this stage.

“I don’t really want to see other bands, to be honest,” Casey said.

“Then why did you suggest that?” I asked.

“Because,” she said with a little sigh. “I don’t want them to think that we are desperate to be around them the entire time,” she said, as if it was the most obvious reasoning in the world.

“But we kind of are, aren’t we?” I giggled.

“Well, yeah, I guess! But they can’t know that!” she whisper-yelled.

“You are a genius,” I said, shaking my head. I agreed with her, too—they had done so much for me, I figured it would be plain rude to ditch them.

“Besides, I’m afraid for you to go in to a real crowd, since you’re still a little hurt and all,” she said seriously. Casey was right again—I would not be able to handle a crowd.

“So, it’s decided, then,” she smiled as if we just finished a big time business deal.

“So, what did you ladies decide to do?” Mike asked us.

I giggled at Jaime, who was standing straight and tall, his hands clapped together and his eyes closed—like he was praying—as he chanted: “Please stay with us, please stay with us, please stay with us…” over and over and over again in a fast whisper.

“We decided to hang here. Nobody good is playing right now, and we don’t want miss Savannah here getting hurt in a crowd,” Casey said, grinning as she patted me on the head. I grimaced at her, but smiled at the clearly ecstatic boys.

“Yay!” Jaime said, giving us each another hug. I swear I think Casey was about to faint.

“Sweet,” Vic said. “Come ‘ere,” he gestured us to a little further inside of the tent, where two chairs, a fan, and a fold up table were set up. “You guys can hang in here while we are meeting fans,” he said with a smile.

The guys sat down at the table, preparing for fans to line up. They turned to face me and Casey—the place they had set up for us was only a few feet away from their table. Other fans were probably going to see us, and they probably were going to ask questions, too.

“After this, we can all go around and see other bands together, okay?” Vic asked.

We nodded approvingly.

“Don’t worry, Savi, we’ll protect you,” Tony said shyly, turning back around after he spoke. I smiled, my heart threatening to fly away at his kindness.

Out of nowhere, fans began to line up—most of them being girls—and the rest of the guys turned back around, smiling at us before turning their attention to other people.

It was an interesting thing to witness—all of the fans were relatively calm (there were a few criers, of course) when they went through the line of the guys. It was cool to hear so many fans profess their love for the guys’ music, and it made me wonder what it felt like to be on the receiving end of those compliments. I wondered how the guys felt, constantly being told how incredible and relatable their music was for other people. The guys signed stuff and hugged all of the fans that went through the line—having to continuously lean up awkwardly over the table to hug them. I don’t think they minded, though, because it probably felt so surreal to them. They were only a year old, yet they had so many faithful fans already, Casey and me included.

Most of the fans didn’t notice me and Casey, luckily being too infatuated with the members of Pierce the Veil, but a few did. When one girl hugged Jaime, she opened her eyes, spotting us behind them almost immediately.

“Who are they?” she asked, only curiosity laced in her tone—luckily not hate or jealousy (a few fans had glared at us).

“That’s Savannah and her friend Casey. They—” Before Jaime could finish explaining, realization lit up on the girls face.

“Omg!” I chuckled at her verbal use of text language. “I was at the San Diego show, the one they dedicated to you,” she said a little softer. “I’m happy to see that you’re okay!” she said, smiling genuinely at me.

“Aw, thanks!” I smiled back. The girl carried on, meeting Tony and Mike next. People can be so nice.

The meet and greet lasted for forty five more minutes, Casey and I talking and occasionally playing patty-cake, much to the amusement of the guys. It was a nice break from the scorching hot heat, and I had already thrown my hair into a messy pony tail, needing to get my thick hair off of the back of my neck. I don’t know how the guys do it with their long hair. I giggled, imagining specifically Vic, Mike, or Tony with a ponytail.

“What’s so funny?” someone poked my side and I jumped, seeing Jaime.

“I’m just imagining how you guys cope with long hair on the back of your neck,” I said. “A funny picture just popped in my head of you guys with your hair up in a pony tail,” I giggled again—sometimes the heat made me a tad delusional.

“Vic! Come here!” Jaime called for Vic who appeared within seconds.

“Hey guys,” he smiled at us, taking off his sunglasses for we were in the shade.

“Savi, give Vic your ponytail holder,” Jaime ordered.

“What? No!” I laughed.

“Come on! Just do it,” Jaime pouted. I shook my head, taking my hair out of my ponytail and ruffling it up a little.

“Jaime, what are you…” Vic asked as Jaime grabbed Vic’s shoulders, turning him around. His voice trailed off in astonishment as Jaime, his face pure determination, started to play with Vic’s hair, trying to put it into a ponytail. When he had gathered up all of Vic’s hair, he took the ponytail holder from his mouth and wrapped it around Vic’s hair a few times. I nearly fell to the ground in hysterics.

“Why, Jaime? Why?” Vic shook his head, looking like he was trying to contain laughter of his own.

“I can’t handle this,” Casey laughed, shaking her head as well.

“Doesn’t that feel better, babe? All of your hair off of the back of your neck?” Jaime asked Vic, giving him a kiss on his temple.

“Ugh, man!” Vic wiped off the slobber from the side of his face.

“What’s all of this commotion—” Mike approached us, but his sentence cut short when he saw Vic. He busted out into a fit of laughter, doubling over as he couldn’t stop laughing. “Dude!” Mike said, pointing at Vic. “You look even more like a girl than before!”

“Yeah, fuck you!” Vic retorted. It wasn’t long until Tony had wandered over to the group, and all six of us were laughing at Vic’s new hairstyle.

“It does feel cooler on my neck, though,” Vic allowed with a smirk. “I might just have to keep it like this for the rest of the day!” he grinned.

“No! No! Don’t do it! You’ll make all of our fans run away!” Mike pleaded, dropping down to his knees.

Vic chuckled, flicking Mike in the forehead and taking the ponytail out, shaking out his hair and handing the rubber band back to me.

After we all recovered from the laughing fit, Vic swung his arms around both me and Casey’s shoulders, leading us out of the tent.

“So,” he looked at me while he spoke. “Where to first?”

Notes

Hii, Claire here!
Thanks to everyone who has read and commented so far:)
This collab is a lot of fun and it's cool to see you guys liking it!

Off to you, Scar <3