Texas, September 2012

Donnie Royce was the biggest, most reckless idiot in the world, and Kathy was dating him.

"Don't do this," she pleaded, but her voice was drown out by the cheers and the excited muttering of the crowd gathered right outside the entrance to the high school building.

Donnie ignored her, raising his hands in salute, a big grin on his face, his hazel eyes twinkling with excitement. The white moped rumbled underneath him, an instrument of death.

"Donnie, you can't ride that."

"Give it a rest, Kathy." Jackson, one of Donnie's best friends grabbed her forearm and pulled her away from her boyfriend. "Stop being so boring."

She yanked herself out of his grip. "He can't ride a moped, let alone jump stairs with it!"

Pete, Donnie's other good friend huffed from right next to Jackson. "That's what makes it more interesting."

"It's not interesting! It's stupid!" Her throat was starting to ache from all the screaming, but no one was paying her any mind either way.

The crowd started a chant of 'Do it!' and Donnie only grinned wider and nodded, obviously enjoying the attention. Anger momentarily replaced the panic bubbling in the pit of her stomach, and she seriously considered just letting him do it. If he cracked his skull, it would serve him right. But she loved him, so she couldn't let him kill himself.

"Donnie--"

The rev of the moped engine drowned out the rest of her plea for reason. In a chorus of excited yells, Donnie shot forward, gathering speed as he approached the first set of stairs. Kathy held her fists to her chest, her knees shaking.

The moped flew over the edge and miraculously managed to land on the platform before the second set of stairs. It kept going, but this time painfully taking the steps one at a time. Kathy stepped forward, her gaze trained on Donnie's jerking body. Yet, somehow, he managed to stay on the runaway deathtrap and reach flat ground.

A relieved sigh half-escaped her before she choked on it. He was heading directly for the street into open traffic. There were cars there, buses... trucks.

Heart beating frantically, she rushed down the stairs, her flats hitting hard against the concrete steps. Everyone around her was still laughing, none of them aware that Donnie wasn't stopping, that maybe he didn't know how.

She couldn't reach him on time, she was aware of that, and yet she ran. The rev of an engine drowned out the sound of her heavy breathing. A motorcycle charged from the parking lot and towards Donnie. The rider reached him and adjusted his speed to keep pace and seemed to be talking to him. Maybe, hopefully teaching him how to stop.

The moped kept its trajectory towards the street. The motorcycle rider grabbed the handlebar of the moped and turned it left, leading Donnie away from the street, joining him in an agonizingly fast circle. As Kathy reached the bottom of the stairs, the other guy seemed to be yelling at Donnie. And yet the moped kept going round and round. The motorcycle stopped and the rider leaned over the handlebars. He wore a helmet so Kathy wasn't sure, but he seemed to be surveying Donnie.

Then, just like that, once the moped passed by his motorcycle, he grabbed the handlebars. The tiny vehicle stopped abruptly and Donnie flew over the handlebars, landing with a thwack on the pavement.

"Donnie!"

Kathy rushed to him as the crowd started laughing harder from behind. She knelt next to his still body and turned him over. There was a scrape on his forehead, but otherwise, he seemed fine. He even gave her a wide, hazy grin.

"Did you see me go?" he asked, his voice a little slurred.

"Are you okay?"

His grin widened. "I think I hit my head a little."

And it was the only reason she wasn't hitting him herself or screeching at him like a banshee. He was hurt, and it could have been avoided. As could all the laughter and the crowd and the embarrassment. Heat rose to her cheeks and she turned to the rider.

He sat on his motorcycle, a gorgeous black and red Ducati Monster, his forearms crossed over the handlebars. His helmet had a black visor, so she couldn't see his face, but she was sure he found the whole thing funny. The moped, now lifeless, lay on the ground next to him.

"What did you have to do that for?" she demanded.

The guy straightened a little. "What? Save his ass?"

"No, embarrass him like that."

"Trust me, he was doing a great job with that by himself. He didn't need my help."

Kathy got to her feet, her fists clenched. "You could have helped properly."

"Whoa there, Goldilocks. I don't owe you or Evil Knievel over there anything."

"He could've gotten seriously hurt!"

"Less so than if I'd let him ride into traffic. What kind of idiot gets on a vehicle he can't control?"

Kathy hated him for saying exactly what was on her mind. A big part of her still wanted to rage at Donnie, but she wasn't going to take a stranger's side against her boyfriend no matter how much she wished he'd had more sense.

"You don't have to be a jerk," she pointed out.

He didn't answer, but she guessed he was probably rolling his eyes or raising his eyebrows at her. If he had any shred of common sense, he would lift the visor and look her in the eye. He didn't. He just sat there on his motorcycle, wearing his dark brown leather jacket, indigo jeans and boots and stared at her.

"A jerk." It wasn't a question and he sounded a little amused. As if he was making fun of her.

The heat in her cheeks spread to her ears. "Yes. That's what I call people that are not polite. People who enjoy laughing at others."

"Yeah, okay, then I'm definitely a jerk." Now the amusement in his voice was clear.

Kathy wished she could walk over and thump him on the head, but he was a stranger, and even if he was sitting, she could tell he was much taller than her and broad. Which was rare to begin with, since she was really tall herself. Who was he? Why hadn't she seen him before?

"Is there a problem?"

The voice of a newcomer sent a chill down Kathy's spine. Cecily Howard, the high school's queen bee, stopped next to them, her almond-shaped brown eyes narrowed at Kathy. After giving her a once over, she placed her elbow on the rider's shoulder in a clear mark of property.

"A problem?" The guy asked. "Why would there be a problem?"

"I don't know." Cecily gave him an amused smile, the adoration on her face obvious. But when she turned back to look at Kathy, the cold in her gaze could kill. "I thought I heard her yelling at you."

Kathy knew she shouldn't be intimidated. After all, Cecily was one head shorter and she was wearing a dress and heels, so it wasn't like she could physically even catch Kathy, let alone do anything to her. And yet, the pressure of school status as well as Cecily's confidence had Kathy shaking her head and stepping back.

Cecily rewarded her submission with a smirk and a nod towards Donnie's fallen body. "Don't you have something else to take care of?"

"Ouch, you're mean. Even I didn't call him a thing."

Kathy couldn't focus anymore, so she just nodded and stepped away, turning her attention towards Donnie. He was still on the ground, moving his arms and legs as if making a concrete angel. She crouched next to him just as the motorcycle engine roared back to life. By the time she glanced over her shoulder, the guy had reached the street, taking Cecily with him. It now came to mind that she'd had the misfortune to have a run in with the king bee himself.

But now that they were both gone, Kathy could let out a breath of relief and focus on her own boyfriend.

"Donnie, how are you feeling?"

"My head still hurts. Was that Cecily?"

She cringed at how slurred his voice still was and how excited he seemed to be at the prospect of Cecily Howard.

"Yes, it was."

"Do you think she saw my trick?"

Kathy narrowed her eyes. "Why would it matter?"

Donnie grinned. "Are you jealous?"

Actually, not at all. Even if Cecily was gorgeous with her flowing brown hair and the surreal beauty her Filipina heritage gave her, she wouldn't give Donnie more than a fleeting, maybe pitying look.

But regardless, Kathy had managed to get through three years of high school with minimal drama and she wasn't about to ruin that streak in her senior year. Even if Cecily wasn't the stereotypical queen bee who was a bitch for no good reason, crossing her or getting noticed by her was not a good idea. She found means and reasons to ridicule at least a few people per day, after all, be it strangers or her own clique.

Her looks could kill and she had a sharp tongue that could ruin a reputation faster than one could blink.

"Let's get you to the school nurse," Kathy said, grabbing Donnie's arm and struggling to lift him.

Even if the crowd had moved away from the stairs and towards the parking lot, no one was coming over to help. Some people still called over to Donnie, laughing, but that's all he was to them. Short term entertainment. Why couldn't he see that?

And where were his stupid friends? It was a question Kathy kept asking herself as she dragged him up the steps. It seemed all they were good at was getting him into trouble after which they just disappeared. Like rats abandoning a sinking ship.

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Kathy sat on the steps leading from the entrance of the high school building into the parking lot, her face in her hands.

Donnie really did have a concussion and the nurse insisted that he lay down for a while. She also insisted that Kathy wait outside because she had somewhere else to be and leaving the two of them alone was unchristian.

Kathy scoffed at the argument. As if they would've started anything in her office. But it wasn't like she had any other choice but to wait.

"Kath, what are you still doing here?"

Kathy looked up at her best friend, Kelly, who stopped next to her, a look of confusion on her face.

"Hey, Kelly. What are you still doing here? Didn't you say you were going home?"

"I did." Kelly sat next to her, a look of concern in her baby-blue eyes.

"Oh, please don't tell me you saw what happened with Donnie and decided to stick around." Though the moment the words were out, Kathy realized it couldn't be true. Kelly would've rushed right over to help, not hide in the crowd.

She and Kelly had been inseparable for years, ever since Kathy's family moved over from Arizona. Kathy missed the times when she and Kelly would just hang out after school, living in a world of possibilities. Kelly still seemed to live there, in a world in which no one called her boring.

Kathy's life, however, had changed. As they grew up and Donnie started chasing popularity and doing anything for his fifteen minutes of fame, she had lost her spark as it made room for constant worry.

She missed hanging out with Kelly, being confused with her by people because of their golden hair, blue eyes, similar names, and bubbly attitudes.

They'd found it funny, played the twin angle, even if Kathy was much taller than Kelly. But they'd enjoyed themselves, sometimes even dressing the same. All that had fizzled and died, because now she was the grey one with the reckless boyfriend.

"What did he do this time?" Even Kelly sounded exhausted.

"Jumped the stairs with a moped he couldn't ride."

Kelly just stared for a second. "Oh, God. Did he break something?"

"No, but he has a concussion."

Kelly mumbled something under her breath, then heaved a sigh. "He could've gotten seriously injured."

"He maybe would have if this guy didn't stop him from riding out into the street. And better yet, as it turns out, I think he was Cecily Howard's boyfriend or something."

Kelly grinned for some reason. "Tall, broad and crazy good looking? Most likely."

Kathy had no idea about that since she hadn't actually seen his face, so she just shrugged. "I didn't even know she was seeing anyone."

The whole school would know, after all. And she would be putting him on display. And yet, Kathy was sure she'd never seen her with a guy. She was always surrounded by her bimbo squadron.

"Oh, he's been away for a while."

The blood froze in Kathy's veins at Kelly's nonchalant words. Away. Even she knew what that was the code word for. And of course, how typical of her to start yelling at an ex-con.

"Speaking of which," Kelly said, her tone suddenly light. "I know what will take your mind off all this." She pulled out two purple leaflets.

Kathy narrowed her eyes. "What are those?"

"VIP tickets and backstage passes for tonight's Uncaged concert."

Uncaged... The name sounded slightly familiar. As Kathy racked her brain for the information, she could recall that there was this really popular band in their high school about a year ago and then they suddenly disappeared. Which most certainly didn't explain the excitement on Kelly's face.

"What kind of doofus sells VIP tickets and backstage passes for a high school band?"

Kelly stared from Kathy to the tickets as if that little bit of common sense was too much to process.

"I mean," Kathy continued. "It's not like they're a proper band."

"You'd be surprised," Kelly said, with a shrug. "They have a lot of fans from other schools. Even other cities. I understand there's a large group coming from Dallas and the next town over."

"Who told you all this?"

"Um, Joey."

Kathy frowned. "Joey who?"

"Joey Wilkes. He's the bass player. He's the one who gave me the passes."

Kathy rolled her eyes. Kelly could be so naïve sometimes. "Backstage passes, huh? What a subtle way to score."

Kelly's face caught fire. Kathy stared at her.

"You want him to score."

Kelly bit her lip. Kathy waited for her to deny it, but instead, there was a dreamy look on her face that made Kathy squirm for some reason.

"What's going on?" Kathy asked.

"I really like him," Kelly whispered.

Kathy fought the impulse to roll her eyes. "Do you even know him?"

"We've talked a couple of times. He seems really nice and I know he's smart because he's in advanced calculus."

"Okay, but when during these two conversations did you fall on your ass for him?" Kathy narrowed her eyes at her friend's sheepish expression. "He's really hot, isn't he?"

"Oh, so hot," Kelly gushed. "Plus, he's very good with the guitar."

Kathy bit her lip hard, trying to smother her negativity. So Kelly had an obvious crush on a guy in a band. She should be happy for her friend, because Kelly hadn't been on a date in ages. And yet, Kathy only felt drained. What killed her was that she could tell it was Donnie's fault.

"So please come with me tonight?" Kelly joined her hands in mock prayer. "I need my wing woman."

"I don't know, Kelly. You know how strict my parents are about the curfew and it's a school night." The dejected look on Kelly's face made Kathy want to punch herself. "Besides, if he gave you the tickets, it must mean he likes you."

This made Kelly smile again. "I'd really want you to come either way. I think you deserve a break from..." She glanced behind her shoulder, towards the school building. "Well, all this."

It was thoughtful of Kelly to point it out, but Kathy still felt she was betraying Donnie by agreeing with her.

"Here's what. I'll ask my parents and I'll text you if they let me come. I'm not making promises since going out alone is usually not okay."

"Take Donnie if you want to, just... I really think I'll need some moral support."

This time Kathy smiled honestly. "Sure. I'll do my best."

Kelly grinned back and gave her a short hug. "I'm off to do my homework and get ready for tonight. Have a ticket. It's at Club A, at eight. Don't be late!"

Kathy waved to her and looked at the purple ticket. Joey Wilkes' name was on it. She just hoped he was worth this hassle.

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Aloha!

This is 90% new content and I'm really curious if you like the beginning to the story. There are a few fun things happening.

We meet out characters. We meet a potential trouble maker (which I'm sure will play no further role in the story). We have a tiny bit of drama. High school is tough.

But we have a concert to get to. I'm sure nothing will happen there.

Please leave me your thoughts and don't forget to vote!❤