Looking Through the Lens
Chapter Three
Anna
Anna preps her photography gear, waiting for the show to begin. The crowd is chanting “OF MICE AND MEN!” over and over again. Less than a minute left. Anna feels her heart-rate picking up, vibing off the excitement from the fans. Suddenly, the band runs out onto the stage, and is met with an eruption of cheers from the crowd, the chanting now hitting an ultimate crescendo. Anna grins at the reaction, and notices the band doing the same. Austin snatches up the mic.
“WE ARE OF MICE AND MEN!” He screams, raising his arms up slowly, and then throwing his head down, head-banging to the beginning of “They Don’t Call It The South For Nothing.” The crowd loses it, breaking into mosh-pits in several places. Anna, still a bit afraid of the chaos that is a heavy-metal concert, is thankful that she is on the other side of the pit railing. Turning back to the band, she starts snapping photos.
Through her lens, she spots someone new on the stage. With her waist-long black hair hanging in her thin face, she stands in the back against the wall with her arms crossed. She stares right back at Anna. Anna lowers her camera from her eye, wondering what her deal is. She shrugs it off, and turns her camera back to the band.
Anna tries to get as many pictures of the entire band as she can, but she can’t help but focus on Austin. He throws his entire body into his music, screaming the lyrics at the top of his lungs. She’s amazed, really. She wonders how he doesn’t blow out his voice. Austin catches her staring, and walks over to her, bending down right over her. His sweat drips down onto her, which is both disgusting and, somehow, incredibly sexy to her. Taking the opportunity, Anna gets a few amazing close-up shots. And then Austin does something that makes her knees go weak.
He flips his hair, takes her hand in his, and looking into her eyes, he softly sings Shayley’s old part in the ending to “Second and Sebring”:
“This is not what it is only baby scars. I need your love like a boy needs his mother’s side, yeah.” The piano softly ends out the song, and the crowd goes crazy. He smiles tenderly down at her, and kisses the top of her hand. Anna breaks into an uncontrollable grin as he walks away. But something catches Anna’s eye.
The woman who was staring at her earlier is now glaring. The heat of her murderous gaze bores into Anna, making her blink in astonishment. After a moment, she collects herself and decides to irk her even more. Her lips break into an uncontrollable smirk as she raises her camera to her face and aims it at the woman, capturing the scowl in a photograph. This vexes the woman further, and she does exactly as Anna wants her to: she storms off the stage.
Austin
“Hey, Anna!” the band greets Anna after the show. Anna beams back and waves as she approaches. Austin’s breath catches as he sets his eyes on her. The sunset is catching her blonde hair perfectly, making a soft halo of sorbet colored light around her head. It emphasizes her natural beauty. Her sparkling green eyes rest on his for a moment before she turns to the rest of the band, congratulating them on a great show.
After a few minutes, Austin notices Anna standing off to the side by herself. He starts walking towards her when suddenly, Alan’s girlfriend Vanessa, is standing directly in front of him.
“Hey Austin! Great show tonight.” she said, in her high-pitched (and admittedly obnoxious) voice.
“Hey, thanks Vanessa. Glad you enjoyed it. Excuse me.” he replied, and side-stepped around her. Anna turns around and sees Austin walking towards her. She flashes the brightest smile he’s ever seen.
“Well hey there, Goldilocks. Did you enjoy the show?” he asked her.
She smiled. “Absolutely! Although, the crowds do scare me a little bit. They’re just so...violent.”
Austin couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Yeah, I guess they can be. But don’t get them wrong, if someone needs help, they fucking help.” Anna nods.
“I have to get going. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Absolutely.” Austin says with a smile.
And with that, she disappears.
Anna
Walking back to the truck, Anna reminisces about Austin. Did she imagine what he did earlier? She shouldn’t be this caught up on someone she hardly even knows. Driving from the venue, she starts to feel like something is wrong. About two miles down the road, her truck breaks down and starts smoking from the hood. Panicked, Anna grabs all of her clothes and equipment and sets them on the side of the road. Not knowing what to do now, she just sits in her truck bed, hoping for a miracle.
Not even a half hour later, she spots a familiar sight: the Of Mice & Men tour bus. Her hopes drop as it passes her by. However, less than a quarter of a mile away, it suddenly stops, and she sees Austin running towards her.
“Whoa! What happened? Are you okay?” he asked, sounding quite concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. My truck on the other hand, not so much. I’m pretty sure it’s lived as much as it could,” she continued, “I guess you might have to find another photographer, since I can’t make it to the next show.”
“Nonsense! You can stay with us on the bus. I mean, if that’s okay with you?” Austin asked, with a sly smile.
“Are you sure? I mean, would that be okay with the other guys? I wouldn’t want to invade anyone's privacy.”
“Well, Vanessa’s already staying with us on the bus,” Austin rolls his eyes, “so I doubt it would be any trouble having you with us.” Who’s Vanessa? Anna thinks. As she steps onto the bus, she realizes right away who it is. Her curtain of black hair and dark eyes greet Anna with a nice, friendly scowl.
“Anna’s truck has reached its end, so we’ll be having her here with us for the rest of the tour,” Austin says, grinning. Alan breaks into a smile as well, rushing forward to hug Anna.
“Anna, I’d like to introduce you to someone,” Alan says. Turning toward the other girl, Alan continues, “This is Nessie, my girlfriend!”
“My name is Vanessa,” she sneers at Anna through narrowed eyes, “Don’t call me Nessie. Ever.” She plasters the fakest smile in existence onto her overly made-up face.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nessie,” Anna replies, giving her a big grin as a cherry on top. Austin explodes into laughter, earning him a fat glare from Vanessa as well. Composing himself, he guides Anna to the back of the bus.
“All the beds are back here. I’ll sleep on the couch so you can have one,” he says. “And hey, don’t let Vanessa get under your skin. She’s... a handful, I know.” He smiles sympathetically and shrugs. Anna nods knowingly, thinking Vanessa is much more than a “handful,” but letting it rest.
As the band all heads to their beds for the night, Anna crawls into what used to be Austin’s bed. Smiling to herself, she realizes it still smells like him. And it smells heavenly. Wrapped up in the smell of him, she easily drifts off into sleep.
Anna preps her photography gear, waiting for the show to begin. The crowd is chanting “OF MICE AND MEN!” over and over again. Less than a minute left. Anna feels her heart-rate picking up, vibing off the excitement from the fans. Suddenly, the band runs out onto the stage, and is met with an eruption of cheers from the crowd, the chanting now hitting an ultimate crescendo. Anna grins at the reaction, and notices the band doing the same. Austin snatches up the mic.
“WE ARE OF MICE AND MEN!” He screams, raising his arms up slowly, and then throwing his head down, head-banging to the beginning of “They Don’t Call It The South For Nothing.” The crowd loses it, breaking into mosh-pits in several places. Anna, still a bit afraid of the chaos that is a heavy-metal concert, is thankful that she is on the other side of the pit railing. Turning back to the band, she starts snapping photos.
Through her lens, she spots someone new on the stage. With her waist-long black hair hanging in her thin face, she stands in the back against the wall with her arms crossed. She stares right back at Anna. Anna lowers her camera from her eye, wondering what her deal is. She shrugs it off, and turns her camera back to the band.
Anna tries to get as many pictures of the entire band as she can, but she can’t help but focus on Austin. He throws his entire body into his music, screaming the lyrics at the top of his lungs. She’s amazed, really. She wonders how he doesn’t blow out his voice. Austin catches her staring, and walks over to her, bending down right over her. His sweat drips down onto her, which is both disgusting and, somehow, incredibly sexy to her. Taking the opportunity, Anna gets a few amazing close-up shots. And then Austin does something that makes her knees go weak.
He flips his hair, takes her hand in his, and looking into her eyes, he softly sings Shayley’s old part in the ending to “Second and Sebring”:
“This is not what it is only baby scars. I need your love like a boy needs his mother’s side, yeah.” The piano softly ends out the song, and the crowd goes crazy. He smiles tenderly down at her, and kisses the top of her hand. Anna breaks into an uncontrollable grin as he walks away. But something catches Anna’s eye.
The woman who was staring at her earlier is now glaring. The heat of her murderous gaze bores into Anna, making her blink in astonishment. After a moment, she collects herself and decides to irk her even more. Her lips break into an uncontrollable smirk as she raises her camera to her face and aims it at the woman, capturing the scowl in a photograph. This vexes the woman further, and she does exactly as Anna wants her to: she storms off the stage.
Austin
“Hey, Anna!” the band greets Anna after the show. Anna beams back and waves as she approaches. Austin’s breath catches as he sets his eyes on her. The sunset is catching her blonde hair perfectly, making a soft halo of sorbet colored light around her head. It emphasizes her natural beauty. Her sparkling green eyes rest on his for a moment before she turns to the rest of the band, congratulating them on a great show.
After a few minutes, Austin notices Anna standing off to the side by herself. He starts walking towards her when suddenly, Alan’s girlfriend Vanessa, is standing directly in front of him.
“Hey Austin! Great show tonight.” she said, in her high-pitched (and admittedly obnoxious) voice.
“Hey, thanks Vanessa. Glad you enjoyed it. Excuse me.” he replied, and side-stepped around her. Anna turns around and sees Austin walking towards her. She flashes the brightest smile he’s ever seen.
“Well hey there, Goldilocks. Did you enjoy the show?” he asked her.
She smiled. “Absolutely! Although, the crowds do scare me a little bit. They’re just so...violent.”
Austin couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Yeah, I guess they can be. But don’t get them wrong, if someone needs help, they fucking help.” Anna nods.
“I have to get going. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Absolutely.” Austin says with a smile.
And with that, she disappears.
Anna
Walking back to the truck, Anna reminisces about Austin. Did she imagine what he did earlier? She shouldn’t be this caught up on someone she hardly even knows. Driving from the venue, she starts to feel like something is wrong. About two miles down the road, her truck breaks down and starts smoking from the hood. Panicked, Anna grabs all of her clothes and equipment and sets them on the side of the road. Not knowing what to do now, she just sits in her truck bed, hoping for a miracle.
Not even a half hour later, she spots a familiar sight: the Of Mice & Men tour bus. Her hopes drop as it passes her by. However, less than a quarter of a mile away, it suddenly stops, and she sees Austin running towards her.
“Whoa! What happened? Are you okay?” he asked, sounding quite concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. My truck on the other hand, not so much. I’m pretty sure it’s lived as much as it could,” she continued, “I guess you might have to find another photographer, since I can’t make it to the next show.”
“Nonsense! You can stay with us on the bus. I mean, if that’s okay with you?” Austin asked, with a sly smile.
“Are you sure? I mean, would that be okay with the other guys? I wouldn’t want to invade anyone's privacy.”
“Well, Vanessa’s already staying with us on the bus,” Austin rolls his eyes, “so I doubt it would be any trouble having you with us.” Who’s Vanessa? Anna thinks. As she steps onto the bus, she realizes right away who it is. Her curtain of black hair and dark eyes greet Anna with a nice, friendly scowl.
“Anna’s truck has reached its end, so we’ll be having her here with us for the rest of the tour,” Austin says, grinning. Alan breaks into a smile as well, rushing forward to hug Anna.
“Anna, I’d like to introduce you to someone,” Alan says. Turning toward the other girl, Alan continues, “This is Nessie, my girlfriend!”
“My name is Vanessa,” she sneers at Anna through narrowed eyes, “Don’t call me Nessie. Ever.” She plasters the fakest smile in existence onto her overly made-up face.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nessie,” Anna replies, giving her a big grin as a cherry on top. Austin explodes into laughter, earning him a fat glare from Vanessa as well. Composing himself, he guides Anna to the back of the bus.
“All the beds are back here. I’ll sleep on the couch so you can have one,” he says. “And hey, don’t let Vanessa get under your skin. She’s... a handful, I know.” He smiles sympathetically and shrugs. Anna nods knowingly, thinking Vanessa is much more than a “handful,” but letting it rest.
As the band all heads to their beds for the night, Anna crawls into what used to be Austin’s bed. Smiling to herself, she realizes it still smells like him. And it smells heavenly. Wrapped up in the smell of him, she easily drifts off into sleep.
11/21/13