Chapter 1

(suggest listening to Pink: Raise Your Glass and Don't Let Me Get Me)

There is a new band the the Bronze tonight. At the mic stood a brunette girl with her eyes looking at the ground. The guitarist starts off acoustically in a kind of playful beat, and then the drummer comes in after wards setting the tempo of the song, while the brunette tapped her foot to the rhythm with the song.

Right right (the singer looks up into the crowd) turn off the lights
We gunna lose our minds tonight, What's the dealio?
I love when its all too much 5 AM turn the radio up where's the rock and roll?

Party crasher, panty snatcha'
Call me up if you a gangsta'
Don't be fancy
Just get dancey
Why so serious?

(she starts lightly head banging and shouts in the mic)
SO RAISE YOUR GLASS IF YOU ARE WRONG
IN ALL THE RIGHT WAYS
ALL MY UNDER DOGS! WE WILL NEVER BE, NEVER BE
ANYTHING BUT LOUD AND NITTY GRITTY DIRTY LITTLE FREAKS!

Thinking out loud, "Wow she is good."

"Yeah..." Willow watches in surprise.

"Like really good." Xander echoes.

In those first few words we notice everyone in the bronze go up to the stage like it's a concert instead of a dance floor. Even the people outside who heard the music start heading in to see who it was. The singer looks up and randomly find my eyes through the crowd. Not knowing what else to do I smile at her. After a few seconds of looking at each other I broke the connection, looking around to see if anybody else saw what happened. Nobody did thank goodness. "Hey guys I'll be back; I'm going to get a drink." Willow and Xander absentmindedly mutter their okay while still in awe of the person on stage.

The line at the bar took forever. It was so crowded people were all pressed against each other. It was getting annoying because of the body heat everyone gave off. Even sexy people couldn't get a drink right away because they were stuck in the crowd. When I finally returned back to the concert the band was taking a short 5 minute break.

"Wonder if they are a touring band or if they are new in town?" Xander questions.

"Don't know?" I look around and notice the fourth member of the group was missing. "Hey Will, where's Oz?"

She frowns, "Tonight's a fool moon so he is in his cage. Wish he could be here, he likes bands like this."

"Oh that sucks. He's totally missing the Bronze show of the century!"

Willow hits Xander's shoulder.

"Ow what was that for?" Xander looked confused.

"Boyfriend. Boyfriend's band." She pointed to herself. "Fan of boyfriend's band."

"Oh come on Will, you and I both know this band kicks BUTT!"

She rolls her eyes at him while I stand there laughing at them.

The band came back on stage, getting ready to play again.

"Hey Sunnydale!" The singer said into the mic, "Are we having a good time tonight!" The crowd cheers loudly causing the singer to laugh. "Okay good! I just want to take a moment to formally introduce you to our band… GOING NOWHERE!" The crowd cheers even louder, making her laugh even more. She has a great laugh. "I also want to introduce my band mates, the real music makers."

She walks over to the guitarist and he starts playing. "This here, our guitarist, is Tommy." He plays various licks on his guitar as the crowd cheers him on.

She walks towards the guy on the drum set, show casing him off. "Over hear the guy who keeps us all in rhythm with each other, the drummer: DANNY!" He did a solo of his own, impressing many of ladies in the audience.

"And last, BUT not least is our bass man, Tedooooo...", he starts doing a slow solo slowly on his bass guitar and then its like electric hit him and he starts going crazy on the bass showing off his mad skills.

"And me", the brunette surprisingly looks at me and smiled. "I'm Hope." The crowd starts cheering loudly, causing her to laugh again.

"Okay okay, shhhhhh, don't you guys want to hear me sing again?" They cheer even louder. "I thought so. I wrote this song in high school, and it's become one of my favorites." With that cue the guitarist starts playing.

Never win first place, I don't support the team
I can't take direction, and my socks are never clean
Teachers dated me, my parents hated me
I was always in a fight cuz I can't do nothin' right

Everyday I fight a war against the mirror
I can't take the person starin' back at me

I'm a hazard to myself
Don't let me get me
I'm my own worst enemy
Its bad when you annoy yourself
So irritating
Don't wanna be my friend no more
I wanna be somebody else

Hope looked like she was in her own little world up there on the stage. Her eyes closed getting lost in the song. She looked gorgeous. After the band finished up their set for the night, the DJ turned off the stage lights and blasted music over the speakers while the Bronze went back to business as usual.

"Hey I think we should go guys. We all have to get up pretty early tomorrow so we can move." Willow reminds them.

"Yeah I think I'll just skip out on that, you all don't need a man there to help you guys move." Xander snickers.

Willow flicks Xander on the arm.

"OWW!" Rubbing his arm.

"Yes we do, and no you are not going to stay here and meet that singer. I saw how you were looking at her." The red head shook her head.

I start laughing at them. "You guys act like an old married couple," shaking my head.

"Woah woah woah, I think that's pressing it a little too far." He jokes draping his arms around me and Willow as we exit the building.