↬one
❛ no one cares ❜

"I can't believe you dragged me to this," Mia muttered, dragging her feet behind her.

"This is way better than being stuck at home all night," McKenna pointed out. "Besides, Carson wanted you to come."

Mia made a sour face, like she'd been sucking on a lemon. "Why?"

"Not sure. He told me to make sure you were here."

The event in question was a Riff Wood gig - Mia hadn't even known Carson was in a band until a few minutes ago.

It was a Friday, so Mia had worn her cheerleading uniform to school - and she didn't have time to change out of it before McKenna had begged her to come. "I look absolutely stupid," she complained as the two girls walked up to the venue.

"No one cares," McKenna shrugged as she spotted Lucy, quickly going over to where she was standing with Mary.

They seemed deep in discussion, but looked up as the two girls approached. They fell silent, but Mary gave Lucy a this-isn't-over-yet look.

"Hi, guys," McKenna smiled, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she'd interrupted them.

"Hi," Lucy replied, and for a moment, she seemed relieved. But it soon disappeared.

"Hi," Mary echoed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

The four girls walked into the venue, and it wasn't long before the concert began. When Mia saw Carson come on stage, she felt her heart race, though she didn't know why. Frantically, she looked around, hoping no one could tell. Luckily, the other girls' eyes were glued to the stage.

She felt her breath hitch in her throat, and there was a ringing in her ears. Maybe I'm sick, she thought. She wasn't paying attention to what anyone was saying, not even Carson, who had begun speaking into his mic.

"Alright, we are Riff Wood," Carson said, scanning the crowd. Lucy had said Mia was coming - was she right? Had she lied? He told McKenna to bring her.

His nerves eased, oddly, when he noticed Mia staring directly at him. Normally, when she looked at him, she wore an expression of scrutiny, disgust, or annoyance, but any trace of those emotions were gone.

"This song is called Fall of the Compliant," Carson continued, glancing at Hyrum. Ready? his gaze seemed to ask, and Hyrum gave him a half-nod.

Carson began strumming his guitar, and Hyrum and Shredder got right into the song. Carson kept a close eye on Mia - she looked almost emtranced by him, and, even if it turned out he was imagining things, he sure did love that look.

Carson began singing, suddenly getting a pang of nerves as the first lyrics left his tongue. What if Mia thought he was a bad singer? What if she thought the song was stupid? What if? What if? What if?

Those thoughts, though temporarily overriden by the performance adrenaline, never left his mind, even well after the show. After he took pictures and signed so many shirts his hand hurt. After he went home, after he threw himself onto his bed. After he swore he would go to bed even, still, as he laid awake, staring at the ceiling, unblinking.

What if she thinks he's lame? What if she's unimpressed? What if she doesn't like guys who play guitar? What if she hates pop punk? What if she hates him?

That thought was one that was constantly in his head. She acted like she did. In fact, there was a ninety-nine percent chance she did. But Carson, though his mind liked to drag him down, still held on hope that maybe that sliver of a chance, that one percent, was real and true.

Even if the odds were 10-1.

Carson would beat up ten guys for Mia, he figured. He'd do anything, really, he liked her that much. Would she do the same for him?

No.

Probably not.

But it didn't hurt to hope.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. And who else starred in his dreams but a certain cheerleader?

Only, this time, it wasn't a nightmare.

Dreams that involved Mia usually ended up in Carson getting brutally rejected, publicly humiliated, and bullied out of Utah. But this one was pleasant.

He and Mia were having a picnic and eating doughnuts - why doughnuts? - by a river bank. Mia dragged Carson down to the water, and they both went in, wading to their knees.

In the dream, Mia was wearing a long skirt, a clothing item pretty out of character for her, but Carson thought it suited her well. Her skirt got soaking wet, the fabric floating around her knees as she smiled at Carson, the sunlight hitting her so beautifully.

But dreams don't last forever, and Carson awoke to his blaring alarm.

"No," he groaned, slamming the snooze button and quickly closing his eyes, hoping to return to doughnut-river-land, but the dream had gone.

"Dang it," he muttered, rolling out of bed and trudging bleary-eyed to his closet.

As he yanked on a pair of jeans, his alarm blared again, and he jumped, the jeans falling to his ankles as he hobbled towards the clock. "Frickin' snooze button," he mumbled, pressing the off button on his alarm with one hand as he picked up the pants that had pooled at his feet.

"Get a move on!" Lucy's cheery voice rang from the hallway as she (presumably) passed by Carson's door.

Carson rolled his eyes as he dug through his closet, searching for a shirt. He decided on a plain black hoodie as Lucy sounded from the hallway again, clearly more annoyed this time.

"Hyrum and Mary and McKenna and Mia," Lucy said, singsonging Mia's name, "are going to be here soon."

"I'm ready, jeez," Carson huffed, opening the door to his room as he chucked his math textbook into his backpack.

"That got you ready, huh?" Lucy grinned, bounding down the stairs.

"I dunno what you're talking about," he said, following her down the stairs.

"Morning, kids," Mrs. Groves said as she poured herself a glass of Coke.

"Morning, Mom," Carson and Lucy replied in unison, Lucy grabbing a granola bar from the pantry as Carson zipped up his backpack.

Lucy practically inhaled her granola bar as she put on her backpack, waving a hurried goodbye to Mrs. Groves. Carson followed her, saying goodbye to his mother on the way out.

"You're in a hurry today," Carson noted as they stepped onto the porch.

Lucy swallowed her granola bar. "Nah. You're just late."

"Am not. I woke up at my alarm," Carson argued as Hyrum, Mary, McKenna, and Mia walked up to their house.

"Hi," Lucy smiled at the girls, ignoring Carson's previous comment.

As Carson walked down the porch steps to get to Hyrum, McKenna waved at Carson, and he returned the wave. Mia seemed to be avoiding eye contact with Carson at all costs, which he found odd - usually she was boring into his soul, glaring daggers at him for no reason. Carson considered the lack of such behavior a step up.

He joined Hyrum on the sidewalk, and the group began walking.

"Today's gonna be a long day," Hyrum mumbled, kicking a pebble.

"You're telling me," Carson agreed.