As Dexter and his friends made their way into the Triangle in front of Roach Manor, the atmosphere was unlike any Dexter had ever experienced. He had been sheltered in high school, spending most of his time on schoolwork and baseball, so his first real concert was bound to be a shock to the system. The aromas of alcohol and other substances were in the air. Frat bros and sorority sisters roamed wild, wearing little clothing and carrying red solo cups in their hands. But it was the scene kids who were most into it. A surprising number of students were decked out in all-black outfits, eyeliner, nail polish, and band gear, going all-out for the unexpected emo concert of their dreams.
Finally, Dexter, Bobby, Lewis, Dazzy, and Kat found a comfortable spot in the crowd with a good view of the stage. Rise In Girl had yet to be announced.
“Woo-hoo, we made it boys!” Bobby exclaimed.
“I’m about to be fangirling out so hard right now,” Lewis announced.
“I feel like such a freshman here, this is wild,” Dexter said. Suddenly, he felt a large body bump into him.
“Out of my way, punks!” an obnoxious voice yelled. Dexter felt a large body bump him from behind. He turned around and found himself staring at a chubby meathead frat bro with the most punchable face he had ever laid eyes upon.
“Who the hell are you?” Bobby inquired boldly.
“If you haven’t heard of me, you will soon,” the meathead retorted. “My name’s Jimmy Fender, and my 2010 travel ball team was #1 in the state, bro. And I hit FUCKING bombs, right, Dazzy?”
“Bruh, if you say so, but you ain’t gotta be like that about it,” Dazzy told him. “Sometimes you just gotta take a Xanax and chill, my guy.” He turned to his friends. “Let’s get outta here.”
While they pushed their way through the mass of humanity, Kat observed, “Man, that dude needs some therapy for real. He got some shit to work out.”
“Yeah for real, who pissed in his Cheerios?” Lewis wondered.
“I don’t know, someone needs to,” Dazzy said. “He thinks he’s hot shit ‘cause his dad is in good with the president. We don’t like him, but he do lowkey be hitting bombs, though. So we gotta keep him around.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, fuck that shit, I’m here to enjoy a show!” Bobby cut in.
“Hell yeah, good vibes only, baby!” Kat agreed. As Dexter and the others began getting hyped, the light suddenly went dark. The band members made their way onto the stage, and the crowd burst into an emo riot. There they were: Dexter’s musical idols, Trevor, Jake, Dustin, and Paulie, right there in the flesh. The men who had done so much to shape his growing music taste and inspire him as a person were now breathing the same air as him.
“IS THIS REAL LIFE?!” Dexter screamed, high on adrenaline. He could not be heard over the roar of the crowd. Trevor Green held the microphone, clad in a plaid shirt, vest, eyeliner, and black nail polish.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, we are Rise In Girl!” Trevor announced. “Are you beautiful people ready to rock?!” The Flying Hamsters responded with pure insanity. “I’ll take that as a yes!” The band burst into action.