Since I was 12 years old, it was my dream to meet one of my two favorite bands of the entire world. When the chance came, how could I say no? All worries and consequences left my head when I got in the car my best friend and sent out to meet the one and only…..5 Seconds of Summer.
I remember it clearly. It was a Tuesday night around 9:15 pm, we were eating at a BurgerFi. A few days earlier, I mentioned to my friend that 5SOS was coming and that we should meet them. At first, it was a joke, but that night she asked me, "Do you just want to go meet them?" I just grinned and that was enough of a yes. We dropped off the people we ate with and started the 30-minute drive to the House of Blues. Everything was going great until I got a call from my mom.
A bit of backstory to fill you in: My parents aren't exactly strict, but since I, being there only child, moved three hours away they became a bit paranoid and extra worried. They would Facetime me three times a day: morning, afternoon, and night. Also, they had me tracked so they knew where I was every second of the day. It was annoying, but I couldn't really do much about it. One of the terms they came up with was that I couldn't go out to late on school nights and had to be back at 10 p.m. So going out on a Tuesday at 9 p.m. knowing I had class the next day at 8:30 am was a stupid idea to them. But like I stated before, how could I say no? Meeting 5SOS has been a dream and plus it's such an experience to meet a celebrity.
So back to the story, I got a call from my mom. At that moment it was 10:30 p.m., and I was going to play it off like I was sleeping. I got five missed calls and two Facetime calls. My anxiety was high so I decided to call them back. When we got to the parking, I called her and she asked what I was doing, so I told her I was sleeping. She asked why I turned my sharing location off and I said I did it by accident, but she didn't buy it because I then got a Facetime call. My friend and I quickly turned the lights off and I answered. My mom ordered me to turn the lights on despite my protests, and she saw I was in a car. She was angry and I told her the only thing I could think of, another lie. Tip for all the readers: Do not lie to your frantic parents. I told her I was coming back from salsa class. She hung up and told me to call her when I got home.
After the call, my friend and I ran to the House of Blues. Luke Hemmings melodious voice flooded my ears as he sang "Youngblood" (my absolute favorite song). The butterflies in my stomach were multiplying. I couldn't believe that after seven years I could possibly meet these four boys. My friend and I didn't get tickets for this concert so we were at the side of the building. As we waited, waited, and waited, my mom kept on texting me and calling me, but I ignored it. The clock hit 11:00, 11:30, 11:45, 11:50 and finally at 12:00 a.m., the fangirling started screaming as Calum Hood, Luke Hemmings, and Ashton Irwin (Michael wasn't with them) walked out. The adrenaline rush hit me and I just yelled "I love you!" to them, earning a smirk from Luke. The experience was one I would repeat again, it was breathtaking.
After processing that whole experience, we drove back. I called my mom at 1 a.m. and she picked up by the second ring. "Where were you?" she asked, "I just met 5SOS." She hung up and the next day all my calls were sent to voicemail, both for her and my dad. To say the least, my parents were angry. I got a call that night and it was my parents yelling and yelling and yelling. I'll spare you the details and just tell you I was "grounded," and I couldn't go to Tampa nor Tallahassee.
In the end, in a way "risked my life" to meet these boys. I don't regret it though - it was one of the best experiences of my life.
