21 - "She Will Be Loved"

"Flying crap, that bitch stole my parking spot!" Hanna shouted and honked loudly. After they had left the zoo area, Caleb allowed Hanna to drive his car, since he was quite tired of driving himself, but had immediately regretted his decision. Hanna's driving skills weren't the best, and she didn't even have her license yet, considering she was still 15, but Caleb was trying to be as charming as possible to his new girlfriend, even if it meant risking his and his friends' lives.

"Han, that's a guy," Emily remarked and laughed.

"Him, her, it, bitch!" Hanna honked loudly once again, and then backed away, looking for a different parking spot. She was lucky enough to find one, and before anyone else could, she parked it quickly and exited the car along with Alison, Caleb and Emily.

The group walked to the entrance, still amused by Hanna's anything-but-calm comments, and met up with their friends. Alison gave the guard eight tickets, and he observed them carefully. "Alright, VIP entrance is over there," he said aloofly while pointing to the door behind him.

Emily and Alison exchanged a confused look. "What do you mean? These aren't VIP tickets," Emily responded to him in befuddlement.

"Look, kid, there are people with actual problems in this world. These tickets are VIP access. Take it or leave it," he said impassively with a heavy accent that none of them could quite put their finger on.

'Why didn't Noel tell me those were VIP tickets?' Alison wondered.

She couldn't bring herself to complain, though. She knew just how much VIP tickets were better than regular ones. She could very vividly remember one time when she was younger, and her parents had forced her to go to a concert with her older brother, Jason, claiming they needed some "bonding time" together. Ken and Jessica, being the extravagant leaders of the DiLaurentis family, had to go all out, of course. They had bought their kids VIP tickets and had even ordered a limousine to pick them up. Alison and Jason had felt like celebrity kids. Now, Alison's heart filled with excitement as she ushered through the doors of the VIP entrance with the rest of her friends and her girlfriend.

They entered a notably large room that had a "VIP ROOM" sign at the entrance. They stood there awkwardly, taking it all in, not knowing exactly where they were, until a guard signaled them to sit down on big leather couches. They shuffled over and took a seat, all while looking around the room. On the walls, were various posters of Maroon 5, and around the room were people with band merchandise and signs. Alison scanned over the banners. "Marry Me Adam!", "Sugar, yes please!", and "Maroon 5 Forever!" were only a few of the writing on the signs, which almost made her laugh.

"Guys, I think these are some hardcore fans," Aria commented as she observed the signs as well. The group nodded and continued to glance around, trying to understand how to get to the actual concert from the room they were practically ushered into.

Suddenly, a large door in the corner swung open, and revealed a smiling Adam Levine. People started screaming and running towards Adam all at once, and all Alison could do is groan and cover her ears, trying to block the high-pitched noise.

"Ali? Are you okay?" Emily asked concernedly as she placed a hand on Alison's lower back.

The blonde uncovered her ears and looked at Emily. "Yeah, I just think they tore my eardrum in half," Alison muttered bitterly. Emily laughed at that and then looked around. She found Hanna already standing next to Adam and grinning from ear to ear while Caleb took their photo. Aria and Ezra were also standing in line to take a picture, and Toby and Spencer, who already took their photo, were laughing loudly by the snack table.

Alison got up and pulled Emily to her feet. "Come on, Mermaid, let's get our photo," Alison purred in Emily's ear. The brunette shivered at the suddenly sultry tone, her mind flashing to different occasions when her girlfriend had used that tone-

"Em? Are you coming?"

Emily broke her line of thought and rushed after her girlfriend, standing next to her in the formed line for the picture.

"I'm going to get us something to drink, okay?" Emily said sweetly after standing for a few minutes, the line progressing quite slowly.

"Thanks, babe," Alison smiled appreciatively at her, making Emily grin shyly as she trotted away. As soon as Emily disappeared into the crowd of people, Alison pulled out her phone, opening her messaging app.

Alison 👑: You jerk, why didn't you tell me those were VIP tickets? A lot of awkwardness could've been avoided.

Noel 🎸: Sure, like you're complaining.

Alison laughed at Noel's sarcastic comment, she could practically see him rolling his eyes. Her phone beeped again and she unlocked it.

Noel 🎸: Look who we found:

Alison 👑: Is that Lucas?? He looks so different.

Noel 🎸: Yeah, apparently everyone got a two-day makeover. Btw, Lucas is pretty cool. Mona is friends with him.

Alison 👑: Really? How's your date going?

Noel 🎸: The date is over, I drove her home, but we had a good time.

Alison 👑: Good! You owe me all the details. Plus, you need to tell me how the dinner with your parents went.

Noel 🎸: Will do, Ali, we'll talk tomorrow. Have fun at the concert.

Alison looked up and saw that Emily has yet to return. Just then, a hand tapped on her shoulder, and she turned around. She saw a man in a stage-worker uniform. He had darker skin and black hair, and Alison read his name badge. Lorenzo.

"You all alone, beautiful?" he asked the girl with a smug smile. She glanced around, searching for her friends or Emily, but finding none.

"No, I'm waiting," she retorted, quickly adding, "for my girlfriend."

"Kinky, huh? Don't tell me you made up a fake girlfriend just to get me to walk away." he said as put his hand on the small of Alison's back, pulling her closer to him. She felt uncomfortable at the situation, and quickly pushed him away.

Her face held utter contempt and disgust and he chuckled in return, "Oh, come on. I'm a hot guy, you're a hot girl - everything else is pretty much inevitable at this point."

"That's not the point, perv. Look, I have a girlfriend. I'm taken. So why don't you hit on someone who's not?" she said harshly to the guy.

"Oh, but what fun would that be?" he smirked and stepped closer to her. She was about to slap some sense into the guy, when a familiar face walked behind Lorenzo.

"Lorenzo, you heard what she said. Go away. Now!" Adam Levine, of all people, all but shouted at the poor guy. Lorenzo put his hands up in mock-defense and stepped away, sneering to himself. "I'm sorry about him, he can be a handful," Adam apologized about one of his stage-workers.

"It's okay, I- wait, I thought I was standing in a line to take a picture with you," Alison asked in confusion, seemingly unfazed by the fact that Adam Levine was standing right in front of her, something that a lot of people had never even dreamed of obtaining. She looked around and realized the line had dispersed since people had already taken their pictures, and she was standing with Adam in the middle of the room.

"Well, there's no more line, so we can just take a picture now," Adam offered. "What's your name?" he asked.

"I'm Alison." she smiled at him. Just then, Alison looked up and found Emily, making her way through the crowd of people with two red solo cups.

"Ali, do you think- oh, my God," Emily dropped the two cups when she saw who was standing next to her girlfriend. Alison smirked as she realized Lorenzo will be the one cleaning that spilled soda. "You're Adam Levine," Emily pointed at Adam in awe, feeling completely starstruck.

"Guilty as charged," he smiled in amusement at her.

"Adam, this is Emily, my girlfriend," Alison introduced when she realized the brunette was probably too shocked to get a proper sentence out of her mouth.

"Very nice to meet you, Emily. Here, give me your phone for the picture," he said to the brunette. She obeyed quickly and he opened the camera app. He handed the phone to one of his security guards, asking him politely to take a picture of the three of them. They stood on each side of him as the guy took the picture. They then thanked him for the photo and the security guard returned Emily's phone to her.

"Where are you guys from?" he asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"A small town called Rosewood, not too far from here," Alison supplied.

"Get out, my grandma lives there!" he exclaimed, clearly enthusiastic at the news, and the two girls let out a surprised laugh.

"Find us next time you're there, we'll give you a tour," Emily shyly replied, getting both Alison and Adam to smile at her adorableness.

He smiled at them. "Sure thing, Emily. You know, I sometimes still get a little nervous before concerts, and talking to you both just calmed me down immensely," he admitted with a kind expression and the pair beamed at his words. "Hey, I should go get ready, got a big crowd out there. Enjoy the concert! It was awesome to meet you two," he waved goodbye to the pair, walking away with his roadie.

They both stood speechless for several moments, watching as the popular pop star walked away and out the same door he came out of. "Did we just meet Adam Levine? And find out that his grandma lives in Rosewood?" Emily asked quietly, still in awe.

"Uh huh," Alison returned, almost as astounded as Emily.

They didn't have time to dwell on the amazing experience, since they heard a microphone being turned on. They saw a man in a shirt that said "Crew" holding up a microphone, clearly trying to get people's attention for his announcement.

"Ladies and Gents, if you could please make your way to your seats near the stage, that would be greatly appreciated," he stated and turned off the microphone.

Emily and Alison realized this was the time they would get to the actual concert, and walked over to their friends. The group assembled back together and walked out the door, following the signs that directed them to their seats.

"You know, I bet his gramda is that old woman with the huge house who lives at the end of Aria's street," Alison mused out loud as the group traveled amongst other concert-goers.

"No, that lady's last name is Levi, not Levine," Emily replied with a thoughtful expression, "but you were close."

They entered a large arena and checked the numbers on their tickets, only to find their seats literally at the foot of the stage. They took their seats in pleasant surprise, watching the arena slowly filling up as people found their own seats. The band got settled on the stage and everyone waited excitedly for the concert to begin.

Opening music began to play and everyone cheered as Adam Levine began singing the lyrics to "Maps." The group danced to the music and sang along, already prepared for the concert. Throughout the song, Adam Levine walked all around the stage, turning to give each side of the crowd attention, especially to the people who were the closest to the stage. At one point, while he was brushing his hand with the reached-out hands of a few lucky fans, he recognized the two girls at the foot of the stage and walked over to them, giving them high fives, making them smile happily.

It went on like that, the band played their songs and the eight-people group continued to dance along, enjoying every second of the concert. They definitely made a mental note to thank Noel for those tickets.

After Maroon 5 finished "Animals", Adam Levine took the time to thank people who came to the concert.

"And for our final song, I would like to dedicate it to the couples in the arena tonight, especially two very special guests I've met earlier," Adam said, looking right at the very-stunned couple that was Emily and Alison, making the crowd cheer loudly. Alison and Emily exchanged a bewildered look, laughing in shock as the band started playing their song, "She Will Be Loved".

"Is this real?" Emily whispered in the blonde's ear as the opening notes were sounded.

Alison could only nod softly, before grabbing the brunette by her hands and pulling the girl closer so that her back was pressed against Emily's front as they faced the stage. Emily smiled tenderly at her girlfriend and wrapped her arms snuggly around Alison's waist while they began swaying along with the song.

"I love you," Alison said to the brunette as she turned her head slightly, blue eyes boring into deep, brown ones.

Emily only leaned forward to kiss her lovingly on her temple, whispering in her ear, "I love you too." The brunette rested her chin on top of Alison's shoulder as they continued swaying along until the very end of the song.

When the song ceased, the band received a huge amount of claps and cheers for the song and the concert as a whole, thanking the fans one more time before promptly exiting the stage.

The group of teens stayed there for a little bit longer, taking it all in. They babbled excitedly about the concert all the long way to the cars while avoiding bumping into the tens of thousands of people that were there. They reached the cars after a lengthy walk and finally started driving back home.

Knowing the car ride would be a long one, Alison, who was in the back seat next to Emily, couldn't help but almost yawn. Their day was extremely plentiful with activities and not to mention, exhausting, but it was definitely worth every second. Emily smiled at the way Alison's nose scrunched when she was tired. She looked absolutely adorable.

"Go to sleep, Ali. I'll wake you up later," Emily said reassuringly.

"Mmm, thanks, Em," Alison said in a sleepy voice. She laid her head in her girlfriend's lap and Emily brushed her fingers through Alison's soft hair tenderly. "Em?" the blonde called out in a small voice.

"Yes, Ali?"

"You forgot something," Alison said, with her eyes still closed and her lips curled up in a slight smile. Alison could feel the confused look Emily was giving her even without opening her eyes, and instead of letting Emily guess, she simply pursed her lips, hoping Emily will get the hint.

Emily got it alright, but she was a little embarrassed to kiss Alison at the moment since she knew Hanna was watching their interaction carefully. "Ali... not now," the brunette tried to say. Alison's eyes fluttered open and she looked at Emily in disappointment, struggling to understand why she wouldn't kiss her goodnight.

"Em, I'm not going to sleep until you kiss me so it's your choice," Alison insisted stubbornly, making Hanna stifle a laugh.

Emily forgot all about Hanna as she registered the way Alison was acting like a little kid when she was tired, and how cute it looked. Emily smiled gently at her, before leaning down to kiss her chastely.

"Goodnight." Emily whispered against Alison's lips, making the girl smile at her softly, before drifting to sleep. Emily noticed how Alison's chest rose and fell slowly with every breath she took as she slept gracefully, and felt herself growing more and more tired. She placed her head against the window and sighed, closing her eyes and falling asleep.

XXXXX

"Hanna! What the hell?!" Alison shrieked in frustration. Hanna just laughed loudly, ignoring the daggers Emily threw at her with her eyes.

After they'd arrived home in the middle of the night, more so early morning, Hanna had jokingly decided to wake the girls up by spilling ice-cold water from Caleb's cooler on them. Alison and Emily were dripping water and very much awake, and it was only 4:30 AM. They were parked in Hanna's house, after Caleb agreed to drop everyone off there.

"Hanna, you're insane!" Emily shouted in frustration, but her voice broke at the end due to her shivering. It wasn't cold outside by any means considering it was summer, but since they were wet, every small breeze sent the two soaked girls shaking and shuddering.

"What? Caleb told me to wake you up," Hanna said as innocently as she could, before breaking into a fit of laughter. Even Caleb coughed on a laugh.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Alison said in a sarcastically sweet tone, before marching over to Hanna and hugging her, covering the entire girl with water. Hanna squeaked at the iciness of the water, before slapping Alison's arm playfully. Alison laughed as Emily went to Caleb who looked petrified and hugged him powerfully, squeezing all of her water on him. Soon enough, all four of them were wet, freezing, and laughing like they were having the time of their lives.

Ashley Marin, who had been woken up due to voices outside her house, had seen the group from the window, and came out of the front door, holding four towels. She handed one to each of the teens, and they thanked her, feeling bad that she woke up because of them. She trotted back sleepily inside the house and closed the door behind her, not bothering to say a word.

"So..." Hanna started. "Hot chocolate, anyone?"