Beth knew when the alarm went off that Friday morning playing "All The Small Things", a song by her favorite band, Blink 182, that this would be a very special day. She was reminded of what she was to do that night by the radio announcer's voice. "And that was Blink 182 with their latest single, 'All the Small Things.' Now kids if you don't have tickets to the big game tonight at the arena, you are really missing out on a treat! The half time show of the Atlanta virses theTitans game has just been announced, and you will never guess who's performing! Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit!"
Beth jumped up on her bed and started screaming. The radio played "Nookie" next because that was Limp Bizkit's latest single. Beth jumped up and down and rocked to the song... "Had a hidden agenda, She put my tender, Heart in a blender, And still I surrender!" Beth had tickets to the football game, and she knew that her closest friends had tickets, too. They would all go to the game and be treated with a concert.
"Beth, are you up yet?" Beth heard her mom screaming, trying to be heard over the alarm. Beth had a tendency to sleep through the alarm, and her mom had to scream at her to wake up, but not today. Beth was excited to start this day.
"Yeah, I'm up," Beth screamed and began to sing with the song again, "like a chump, hey, like a chump, HEY!" She jumped around while dressing that morning. Amazingly, with all the excitement, Beth was ready in record time. Beth could not wait to arrive at school that morning.
As Beth entered the halls of the school, she felt a special excitement surround her. She made her way to the crowded classroom where her friends hang out before school. Everyone was joyfully running to each other in order to talk to everyone else about how great a night this night would be. Beth made a bee-line to Faith, her best friend, in order to share her excitement with her.
"Faith!" Beth yelled across the room as she practically ran to her. "Can you believe this? We all bought tickets to the game just to have something to do on a Friday night, but now we are part of an elite group of people who get to see Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit!"
"I know, Beth!" Faith replied as she grabbed Beth's hands and started jumping up and down. "I really can't believe it. Blink 182 is my favorite band and one of yours, too. Also, the bass guitarist, Mark, is, oh, so hot! Remember the time I saw him on MTV and licked him on the TV screen? I shocked myself, and you just said that was Mark giving me a love bite. Man, I've been crazy about them since their first CD, Cheshire Cat, came out, and now I actually get to see them perform in person!"
"This is going to be the slowest day at school ever," Beth remarked right before the warning bell rang. "Well, I've gotta go. I don't want to get a tardy. See ya in the parking lot after school, ok?"
"Sure thing," Faith replied. "See ya then."
As Beth walked to class, she could not keep her mind off of what was going to happen that night. Along with her closest friends, she would be at the arena jumping up and down to two of the hottest bands in America. She knew that the next classes would seem to be the longest that she had sat through, and they were. Thank goodness there were only four classes a day because Beth would not be able to handle anymore under the excitement. Beth constantly hummed a Blink 182 or Limp Bizkit song in her head, and she did not focus on any of her schoolwork. She made it through three periods, and all she had left was her favorite class, Psychology. She knew she would make it through the school day because Psychology always proved to be interesting in many ways.
In the classroom were chairs, a desk for the teacher, a couch with woven twill upholstery, and the usual shelves and file cabinets. As Beth sat in a chair, she noticed a certain boy sitting on the couch with some of his buddies. Jack was his name, and Beth thought that he was so cute. His brown hair was fluffy from being blow-dried each morning, and his muscles were obvious when flexed. His humor had made Beth laugh since they were freshmen, but he still did not notice her in the way she wanted to be noticed. It was their senior year now, and Beth still had a crush on him. She felt that he would never like her because of her body. She was overweight, but that did not keep her from flirting with him. She had three classes with him last year, and she became one of his buddies. Once in a while he would sit by her, and her excitement poured out.
That day in class, the teacher, Ms. Levi, passed out worksheets and said, "These worksheets have to be done in the dark, students." The class kind of giggled, as the paper Ms. Levi passed out was blank.
As the papers were being passed out, Beth walked over to the couch and sat next to Jack. "Strange worksheet, huh, Jack?" she asked.
"Yep," Jack replied with a smile on his face. "This class always has some twist," Jack continued. As the lights went out, they saw words glowing on their papers.
"This, class, is a puzzle to go along with what we are studying , right now. The papers spell out a sentence, and it is your job to figure it out." Jack's buddies kneeled on the floor in the center of the room and asked people for their papers. Jack and Beth were the first to give up their papers. They sat on the couch alone just watching. Jack was watching his buddies, and Beth was watching Jack. The glow of the letters barely allowed her to see Jack's face. He was moving back and forth to try and see the words through his buddies. When he leaned against Beth, he looked at her and noticed she was staring at him. Their faces were so close to each other.
Jack's humor came through during the awkward moment as he said, "We look like we are about to kiss." He then smiled as Beth just kept looking into his eyes, hoping that he would kiss her. "Do you want a kiss?" he asked, as his expression became more serious. He could see that her eyes said yes, but she said nothing. He moved within inches of her and paused. Beth slowly closed her eyes and felt his lips barely touch hers and pull away. She then opened her eyes and saw him staring at her. Jack glanced at his buddies still on the floor working. No one had seen them in the dark room. As he turned back to look at her, he noticed she was still in the same position as when they kissed. Her eyes begged him to kiss her once more. He read her eyes and slowly moved to kiss her. Their lips met more passionately. The kiss was longer this time and did not just barely happen.
After the kiss, Jack and Beth just stared at each other, contemplating what had just happened. Her dream had come true and happiness flowed out of her mind. She never imaginged that Jack would ever kiss her. She was so excited that she could not move.
Jack just smiled when he realized that she was completely zoned out. Their stare was broken by Ms. Levi when she said, "Great students! You have solved the puzzle. It is almost time to go, so gather up the papers and your stuff for the bell to ring." Ms. Levi then flipped on the light switch and everyone moaned at the bright light.
With her eyes still squinting, Beth slid off the couch and walked back to her backpack where she was originally sitting. As she hoisted her heavy backpack over her shoulders, she thought about how great a day this had already been because she had finally kissed her crush, Jack. She could not imagine a more perfect day, but she knew it would only become better because she was still going to the arena that night to see Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit.
When the bell rang at the end of school, Beth headed toward the student parking lot. Faith and all of Beth's other friends were already hanging out by their grouped cars. Faith came running to Beth and asked her, "Can I get a ride from you? Mom has to work, and no one at home can take me. Please say you can."
"Why wouldn't I take you, Faith? You are my best friend, and you have to be there with me to see the concert," Beth responded. "Let's go to your house and get ready, ok?"
Faith looked at her watch and said, "Sure, but let's leave now. We only have one hour to get ready because the guys want to go eat first at Logan's." Beth and Faith yelled good bye to the gang and hopped in Beth's car. As they were leaving, Beth saw Jack, and they exchanged smiles. Beth felt all warm inside and decided to tell Faith about what happened in Psychology class.
The trip to Faith's house seemed to be really short today because of the story Beth was telling. Faith could not believe it. She knew Beth had liked Jack for so long, but Faith had stopped encouraging her to follow her crush. Faith thought that Beth would just expose her heart to be stepped on, and maybe even miss a total great guy who was into her if she had her eyes stuck on Jack. Faith thought to herself that she might be wrong about Jack, but she was not sure yet.
After the girls were ready, they left for Logan's and met up with the rest of the gang. Beth and her friends were the source of laughter that could be heard through out the restaurant. Beth and her friends were excited, and they was enjoying the food so much. After eating, they ran to their cars and drove to the arena. Traffic was horrible, but they had left Logan's early enough that it was possible to arrive at the arena on time and take their places for the evening.
Once everyone settled in, Beth told Faith, "I've gotta go call Mom at the pay phones to tell her I got here alright, and I want to do it before half time. I'll be back soon."
"Ok," Faith replied with a smile. "I'll watch your jacket."
Beth had been to the arena several times before, but she could not remember ever seeing any pay phones. She decided to go wandering around to try and find some. She went down several concrete corridors under the giant arena looking for the phones. She spotted the restrooms once and memorized their location for future reference. As Beth continued to search the arena for a phone, she started down a short hallway painted white that did not have any people in it. She figured she was lost but did not give up hope.
Beth spotted a window that was high up that had many voices coming from it. She decided to check it out, so she stacked some boxes that were near by under the window, and she climbed in. She hopped out of the window into a bathroom, but one that was different from the first one she ran across. This one had showers and was full of steam. The voices, she noticed, were all male, and she then realized that she had entered the locker room of one of the teams. Beth decided to go ahead and walk through the locker room because it would probably lead her to a place with a phone. As the teammates noticed a girl amongst them, they grabbed towels to cover their bodies and shouted, "Hey, it's a girl!"
One player asked Beth how she gained access to the area. She just stated, "Oh, I have access. Otherwise, how would I be here?" The player just assumed that Beth was one of the coach's daughters and figured she was not to be challenged.
As Beth walker through the locker room. she found an orange door that lead to a long hallway. She figured she would explore the dimly lit, narrow, concrete tunnel to see where it led her. If she went to the left, she knew it would take her back to the security team that guarded the entrance to the tunnel. She was not sure what was to the right, but she was going to find out. She walked slowly in order to recognize all of her surroundings. Beth heard voices coming from somewhere. She followed the path until it ended at another hallway.
The voices grew louder now, and they seemed to be familiar to Beth. As she reached the end, she peaked her head around the corner. Beth instantly froze at the sight that she saw. Standing at the end of the hallway to the right was Blink 182! Beth could not believe that she was so close to the band that she loved.
A loud crash came from the left end of the hallway. Beth's trance on Blink 182 was broken as she ducked back around the corner from which she came. "What was that!" Beth thought to herself as she noticed her racing pulse and sporadic breathing. Although she was scared, she decided to check it out. She slowly peeked around the corner to observe what was to the left. Once again, Beth was stunned. At that end of the hall was Limp Bizkit! Her friends would never believe what she had found. She decided to go back to the seats and convince Faith to follow her back to this place, so that she might also feel the excitement.
Beth prayed that the jocks would have cleared out of the locker room by the time she came back there, and when she opened the orange door, she discovered luckily they had. Beth realized then that the game must have started, and her friends probably were wondering where she was. She still had not called her mom, and she knew she would recieve a severe repremand for that when she went home. She walked through the locker room and crawled back out the window from which she entered because the way she came in was the only way she knew out. She then hurried back to the stands so that she could find Faith.
Once back at her seat, everyone asked where she had been. All she told them was that she was trying to find a phone in order to call her mom. She knew if she told all of them about her discovery, they would all want to go back with her and that would be too obvious. She looked around for Faith, but could not find her. Elaine, one of their mutual friends, told Beth that Faith had left a little while ago to try and find her. Slightly sad that she could not find her friend, Beth sat in her seat wondering what she was going to do.
"Hey. You look deep in thought, Beth. What's up?" said a voice behind Beth. Beth turned around to realize Jack was behind her. She felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought of him still talking to her after fourth period. "You can tell me anything," said Jack, trying to convince Beth to reveal her feelings.
"If I tell you, you have to promise me that you will not tell anyone else. I don't want to start something in the middle of the stands here," replied Beth.
"Sure, what's up?" Jack asked thinking that Beth would say something about what happened during class.
"Well, follow me while I tell you so I can show you, too." Beth and Jack hopped to their feet, and she led him through the crowded stadium to the window that she had crawled into earlier. As Jack followed Beth, he listened to a wild story filled with naked jocks, long dim hallways, and very popular bands. He could not believe what Beth was telling him. She knew a way to Blink 182 and, his favorite band, Limp Bizkit! He would just about follow her anywhere in order to catch a glimpse of Limp Bizkit.
"This is the window. I'll go first, then you follow," Beth said as she pointed to the window with all the boxes stacked under it. Beth hoisted herself through the window and thought about what Jack was seeing right now, her fat butt squeezing through a window. She felt embarrassed and tried to squeeze through as quickly as possible. Once Beth made it through the window, Jack easily pulled himself through. Beth noticed his arm muscles as he glided through the window. All she could think about was how cute he was.
"So where is this orange door?" Jack questioned so that Beth might point the way.
"This way, follow me." Beth replied as she lead him through the still empty locker room. "That's where one of the jocks confronted me about having access to this area." Beth pointed to the place where he was standing and remembered how he was wearing nothing but a towel. "And here is the orange door."
Jack picked up his pace and walked in front of Beth. Beth thought that he was so greedy to want to go first. Beth was then surprised when he opened the door and held it open for her. "Here, ya go," he said as a smile came over his face. Beth could not believe how lucky she was to have Jack sharing this moment with her.
As the couple entered the hallway, they could hear the bands tuning their guitars. Beth led Jack down the dim hallway to the very end. "Ok. Now to the right is Blink 182, and to the left is Limp Bizkit," Beth explained. "Is it ok if we go see Blink 182 first?"
"Sure, you lead the way, and I will follow," Jack responded.
Beth turned the corner and started walking towards Blink 182's room. As they approached the room, a man who seemed to be Blink 182's manager said, "You two must be the representatives from the high school paper. Come on in. The band is very busy, but they will always make time for some fans." Beth and Jack just looked at each other and their faces implied a "let's go for it" attitude.
As Beth entered the room that was furnished like an extravagant hotel, the band greeted her with smiles. As Jack followed her, he stared in disbelief. Little did he know when he left for the arena that night, that Beth would find a way for him to meet Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit. The band members introduced themselves and gave Jack and Beth autographed CDs, posters, and t-shirts. Beth took extra ones for Faith, who was going to be disappointed that she did not have the opportunity to come along.
After saying their good-byes to Blink 182, Jack led the way to the room with Limp Bizkit. "Hey! Who are you?" asked a tall man with muscles who guarded the door.
Beth spoke up and said, "We are the representatives for the high school paper."
"Let me look at my list," the man barked. "Oh, yes. You must be Josh," he said while pointing to Jack, "and you must be Martha." He stared at Beth. Beth hoped he would not ask for ID, but she stayed calm and confident. Beth did not know Josh and Martha, but she did not feel bad for them, even though they were taking their place. She was just happy to be there with Jack in the presence of these two great bands. "This way," the man demanded as he opened the door to a room similar to Blink 182's.
Jack was once again stunned. His favorite band was before him, and he was floating in joy. "Hi, there," Fred Durst, the lead singer, said to Jack. Fred stuck out his hand for a handshake, and Jack slowly accepted. Jack and Beth introduced themselves to Fred. They hung out with Limp Bizkit for awhile until time for the half time show's preperation was upon them. Limp Bizkit gave them signed CDs, posters, and t-shirts, too, and Jack took extra items for his friend Ike.
Jack and Beth left the room so Limp Bizkit could prepare for the show, so they heard from a worker that the second quarter of the game had just started. They decided to walk back slowly. As they walked, they saw an empty room that also looked like a hotel room. It was dark inside because no one had turned on the lights. Jack flipped a switch just inside the door, and a lamp on a bed stand flipped on. The light was dim, but Jack spotted a refrigerator. He went to it and pulled some sodas out of it for Beth and himself. He handed her the drink and their hands touched. Beth just smiled and blushed.
They sat on the edge of the bed discussing what all had happened to them that night in the arena. Beth and Jack each wanted to talk about what had happened in Psychology class, but they obviously ignored the subject for fear that it might be awkward. "Wow. I can't think of the words that describe how I feel right now," Jack stated. "This has been the best day ever for me because I've met my favorite band and a wonderful girl. I want to thank you so much for allowing me to meet Limp Bizkit and Blink 182 with you. I can't believe you chose me to come with you over some of your other friends."
"It's cool," Beth stated while blushing. "I enjoy being with you. You're great company, and you're so sweet." Beth looked down at her hands and found that her heart was racing again. She looked up to find Jack leaning in to kiss her. They kissed for what seemed an eternity to Beth. Once their lips parted, they just looked at each other and smiled. "Thank you for making this a wonderful day, Jack," she whispered.
"No problem," Jack said casually, but in his own cute way. "Should we go back to our seats? We wouldn't want to miss the concert after all of this." Beth and Jack stood up and turned out the light as they left the room. Jack reached for Beth's hand as they walked through the dim hallway, and Beth let him hold it. He held open the orange door for her again as they entered the locker room. He even helped her climb through the window, making sure that she did not bump her head.
As they returned to their seats, Faith asked, "And where have you two been? I was worried that you two would miss the concert. Where did you get all that stuff, Beth? Where were you?"
"I'll have to tell you about it later, Faith," Beth started, "but don't worry, I got some for you, too. The concert's beginning, so let's just rock right now." Faith, Beth, Jack, and their friends started rocking to the greatest concert ever.
Once Fred stood up on stage, he announced, "This one is for Beth and Jack." Limp Bizkit then went into playing "Nookie." Everyone turned and looked at Jack and Beth, and they turned to each other and smiled. No one knew how special this day was for Jack and Beth, especially.
Once Beth finally made it home that night, she went to her bedroom, turned the Limp Bizkit CD on the song "Nookie," and went to bed. She had no worries of how much trouble she would be in for not calling her mom because the rest of the day made up for it by so much. She dreamed about how perfect this night had been, and how she longed for her relationship with Jack to grow.
