Chapter Text
March 15th, 2026. The Uris household.
Teddy sat on his bed reading through an older comic book he had laying around. He checked the time. 6:28 pm. The curly haired boy sighs before getting up with the help of his cane and placing the comic book on the bed. Due to a car crash that he and Lilly were both in, he got severely injured and now he has a scar buried underneath his hair and he needed a cane to get around anywhere. Surprisingly, Lilly didn’t even have a scar on her.
Lilly and the rest of his friend group were supposed to pick him up at 7:00 pm to go to a concert. He didn’t know anything about the band, but Lilly and Marge seemed excited so he agreed to come along. He strolled over to his dresser, pulling out a beige cardigan that had a teddy bear pattern on them, some wide-legged black jeans and a pair of white socks. After changing into the clothes, he grabbed a small tote off the back of his desk chair and grabbed a few items to put in it. Money, his phone, a charger, a small bottle of his favorite cologne and a book for the car ride.
He looked at his reflection in his body length mirror, fixing his curls so they don't look so messy and adjusting the slightly oversized cardigan. Once he was done, he checked the time again. 6:55 pm. “Damn, did it really take me that long to get ready..” He mumbled to himself. He looked at his desk before deciding to put a bottle of ibuprofen in his bag. Finally, he left his room, walking down the stairs and towards his front door. He passed the living room, where his father was seated. Thankfully, he had fallen asleep, which is rare but he’s not complaining. He slipped on his brown uggs, that were gifted to him by Lilly on Christmas because they had little teddy bears on the heel, and left the house. By the time he walked down the front porch stairs, Lilly had driven up to the sidewalk, music blasting so loud that you could hear it from outside the car.
Teddy walked up to the car and opened the door, getting into the seat behind the driver’s seat. He placed his cane on the floor before he closed the car door and put his seatbelt on. In the car was Lilly, Marge, and Matty. “Hi guys.” He said, taking his tote off his shoulder and putting it next to his leg, on the ground. “Hi-ya!” “Hi!” “Hey,” All three of them responded. Lilly started driving again, following the gps on her phone that was currently in the cup holder. Matty was looking down at his own phone, probably looking at marine animal videos and Marge was fiddling with her hair while looking in the mirror that was attached to the sun visor. Teddy pulled out the book he brought and flipped to the page he had saved with a small cat bookmark. Everyone didn’t really speak to each other, all of them sitting in comfortable silence as they did their own thing.
The arena where the concert was taking place was a couple hours away so they had a long drive ahead of them. About an hour and a half in, Teddy got fed up with the music Lilly had been blasting since he got picked up. “Hey Lilly, do you mind turning down the music? It’s getting annoying.” He asked, looking up from his book. “Aw man, alright,” She said, reaching for the knob, turning the music down. She looked over at Marge in the passenger seat, who was still fixing her hair and adjusting her appearance. “Come on Marge, you look fine, stop messing with your hair before it falls out,” Lilly smiled over at her before looking back at the road, switching lanes and turning right towards an exit of the highway. “You know there’s gonna be like three hundred people in the crowd, the chances of Rich noticing you is low.” Matty spoke up, not looking away from his phone.
“Yeah, but there’s still a chance he could see me in the crowd and I don’t wanna look bad.” Marge voiced, a little frown appearing on her face when a curl of her hair wasn’t sitting correctly next to her cheek. “Dude, you look good, I’m sure if he did notice you, he wouldn’t think you’re ugly. And if he does, next thing he’ll see is my cane to his shin” Teddy said, looking back down at his book, continuing to read. Marge let out a little giggle before closing the sun visor, “You guys are right, it’ll probably be fine,” She said, now smiling as she looked out the window, watching the houses pass by quickly.
It wasn’t long after they arrived at the arena. When Lilly turned into the parking lot, she realized it was gonna take a good minute before she could find a parking spot. “Since we all have our tickets on our phones, do you guys want me to drop you off at the front so we can get good seats and I can go park?” She asked, driving towards the front. “That’s fine,” Marge nodded. Lilly drove up next to the sidewalk and let the three of them out before driving off.
The group walked up to the front door, entering before walking over to the line that was created in front of a security guard. They didn’t need to wait in line long as the guard was very quick with his job. Once they got up to the front, they all showed their tickets to the man. He scanned them and let them pass, going to the next person. They all looked ahead and noticed the packed hallways so they created a line. Teddy walked in front of Marge who held the strap of his tote as she walked in front of Matty who held onto her sleeve so they wouldn't lose each other.
Once they got into the area with the stage, Teddy started walking toward the front of the general admission area. They ended up finding seats near the left front area so Teddy could have access to the walkway next to the seats. They all sat down and Marge texted Lilly, telling her where they were. Soon enough, Lilly found the group and sat in the middle of Marge and Matty. The crowd was slowly building as more people came in and took their seats. Soon enough, the area had been basically filled and it was almost time for the concert to start.
Marge looked over at Teddy, who was engrossed in the same book he was reading in the car. She giggled to herself, causing Teddy to look up and raise an eyebrow at her. “What? What’s so funny??” He said, confused. “Heh, nothing.. Just, you look like those Y/N’s who would read at concerts to be noticed by the band..” She let out another giggle, covering her mouth. Teddy’s nose scrunched up. “Ew, no, I am not one of those people. I think I’ll end it if I’m called out by the band.” He leaned over and put the book in his bag.
A few minutes later, a voice came through the speakers. “Can you guys hear me?” The crowd erupted into the cheers and a laugh could be heard. “I’ll take that as a yes, are you guys ready!?” A bunch of people scream yeses and yeahs. “I can’t hear youu, I said, are you guys ready?!!” Once the lady said ready, the stage lit up with blue and purple lights, revealing the band on stage. Two people stood in the middle with mics in their hands. To the left was a bassist with a mic stand in front of him, to the right was a guitarist who was waving out into the crowd and slightly behind them was a drum set with someone twirling drum sticks in his hands. The crowd started to stand while cheering now.
“Omg!! Lilly look, it’s Rich!!” Marge squealed, squeezing Lilly’s hand. “I know!!!” Lilly shouted back with the same amount of excitement. Teddy decided to stay sitting while his group stood so as to not harm his leg. He looked at the band in front of him and one of them caught his eye. The bassist. By the looks of it, he had a fake mustache on, one you could probably find at spirit halloween. He also had a scar, trailing up his cheek, just barely connecting to his mouth. Attached to his belt loop was a small alien keychain that glowed neon under the colored lights. He intrigued Teddy.
“Who’s that?” Teddy asked Marge, leaning towards her and pointing over at the bassist. “Oh! That's Phil, he plays the bass. I heard he was supposed to sing tonight though!” Marge spoke loudly to be heard over the yelling of the crowd. “Cool.” He responded before sitting up straight again. Teddy missed what one of the singer’s said, he just assumed it was about introing the song or something, he didn’t care. The song started with the drummer then everyone else started playing or singing. Lyrics came pouring out of the speakers as the male singer started, “Her love is in your head. You lost your earrings in her bed—”
Teddy had to admit, it was a nice song, it wasn’t overwhelming or too loud, more soothing than anything. He nodded his head to the beat, looking up at the stage. He was glad they got close seats as he didn’t need to stand to see over the people in front of him. He enjoyed when both the singers started, well started singing together, overlapping words that made the song have some emotion. In the song he heard “Extra Extra, read all about it, Will’s in his feelings and he can't get out of it,” so he assumed the male’s singer’s name was Will. Teddy looked over at his friends. Marge and Lilly singing along while dancing a bit and Matty recording a video. He was starting to be glad he came along.
By the sixth song, the main singers, Teddy had learned the girl’s name was Ronnie, had left the stage to rest their voices for a few songs. Looking over a bit, he noticed Phil was adjusting his mic so he assumed he was gonna start singing now. The bassist leaned forward a bit and started talking into the mic, “How are you guys feeling!” He let the crowd cheer or answer before continuing. “Great! Well tonight we prepared a few songs that me or Rich will be singing! Hope you guys are ready!!” Everyone exploded in excitement, even Teddy was cheering a bit. “I think you guys will like this one!” The song started almost immediately, “Fucking with me now, and it's all that I have, and you're all that I want—”
Teddy was a bit surprised, this song was definitely more.. vulgar than the previous songs sung by the pair. Nonetheless, it was still a good song. It looked like his friends were having a blast. Suddenly, a lyric caught him off guard. “-because seven minutes in heaven, is all that I need when I get with him” He didn’t expect Phil to sing about a boy. He looked at Phil who happened to look over at Teddy at the same time. They maintained eye contact for a second before the bassist looked away and continued singing. ‘What the hell just happened??’ Teddy thought. He blinked a few times and shook his head. ‘Whatever..’
Phil ended up only singing two songs before he let Rich go. Teddy heard Marge screaming. “YEAH RICH!!” As he looked back at the stage, he could swear he could see Rich smiling before he spoke into his microphone. “Now, the next song isn’t one of ours but we will be covering it! The original song is Techno Cumbia by Selena!” Teddy didn’t know the crowd could get louder. Rich started on the drums before singing, “Si vienen a bailar pues vamos a gozar —” Marge was practically jumping for joy as she asked Matty to send this recording to her later. Teddy chuckled a bit, he will definitely be teasing her about this in the car. Will had joined in mid song which startled Teddy as he wasn’t expecting it. Rich sang a few more songs with and without Will before Ronnie appeared on stage again.
“Hey guys! For the next few songs, we want everyone standing and dancing!” Everyone in the crowd stood and cheered. Teddy saw that Phil was looking at him before he walked up to the microphone. “Come on, everyone means everyone, even you, stand up!” Teddy deadpanned him. ‘You gotta be joking.’ He thought before he leaned over and grabbed his cane, holding it up for Phil to see. He could see the panic in his face. “Oh, uh—” “Anyways!” Ronnie cut him off before he could embarrass himself anymore, putting a hand on his shoulder. Teddy went from a great mood to annoyed real fast. He crossed his arms as he slouched in the chair a bit.
The rest of the concert went by fast, a few songs, a few crowd work bits, etc. By the time it was over and the band walked off stage, Teddy just wanted to go home. He was tired, pissed and will probably have a headache later. He stood, stretching his arms before turning towards the group to see what’s happening. “Alright, do we wanna wait till the crowd has left before leaving?” He asked, holding his bag in his free hand before putting it on his shoulder. “Well, me and Marge wanted to go to the meet and greet they’re holding in like 5 minutes..” Lilly said, tucking a piece of hair that fell from her bun behind her ear. “You’re joking.” “You and Matty can wait in the car..! It won’t take long, I promise!” Lilly said, trying to convince Teddy. “Fine, but if it takes you more than an hour, you both owe me sour candy.” He said, sighing as the girls celebrated.
The group dispersed and went on their separate ways, Teddy and Matty heading to the car with Lilly’s keys while Marge and herself headed to the line for meet and greets. When they both reached the lobby, there was a group of people standing next to a closed off area where they assumed the band was gonna be. They ran up and surprisingly found a spot in the front so they could fully see the whole band and maybe get something signed. “Oh!” Marge quickly dug through her bag and pulled out a small polaroid photo and sharpie. “What’s that?” Lilly asked, leaning over to see the photo. “It's a picture I got when I brought my polaroid camera to one of their gigs” Marge gave it to Lilly to view. It was a photo of Rich from the crowd. It looks like it was taken from the front row. “Oh damn, this is a nice photo!” Lilly exclaimed, giving it back to Marge. “I know right! I’ve kept it in my purse forever just in case I would get the chance to get it signed.” Marge smiled at the photo before looking at the door that was labeled ‘BackStage. Employees only.’
Only a few minutes later, the door opened and the band came out, waving at the small crowd of people that were waiting for them. They slowly went down the line, taking photos, signing stuff and occasionally having a very short conversation with a fan. Surprisingly, Phil actually stopped in front of Lilly and Marge. “Hey, you two were sitting with the guy I called out right..” He said, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah, you know, that was kinda rude. You shouldn't call people out without knowing the whole story.” Lilly said, crossing her arms. “Yeah, I know. I already got bashed backstage by Ronnie.. But I wanted to ask his name so maybe I could apologize to him the next time I see him or something.” Marge and Lilly both gave him a side eye before Marge spoke up. “His name is Theodore.” “Thanks..! Can you maybe tell him I'm so very sorry, I don’t actually know if I'll see him again.” Phil rocked back and forth on his heels. “Well, we’re coming to your next performance so..” Lilly said, shrugging her shoulders. “Really? Oh that’s great, Thank you for telling me!” He said before going down the line.
Rich was behind him so he walked up to the pair afterwards. Marge feels like she could lowkey faint any second. She tucked some of her hair behind her ear as he stood in front of them. “Hi! Um, I was wondering if you could maybe sign this?” She said, holding out the photo and sharpie. “Of course! Woah wait, is this a polaroid of me?” He said, amazed as he uncapped the marker and wrote his signature. “Yeah!” Marge smiled widely. “That’s so sick! I love polaroids!” Rich handed the photo and marker back to her before looking at her face. “Woah, you’re really pretty..” Marge blinked a few times before Rich freaked out. “I mean, um, have a nice night!” He ran to the next person. Marge stood there frozen for a second. “Holy shit. Lilly.” She turned her head to look at her best friend. “Rich just called me pretty!!” She squealed, shaking Lilly by her shoulders. “I know! Now stop shaking me, I’m getting dizzy..” Lilly smiled at her friend, letting Marge squeeze her hand.
They stayed for a bit longer, getting a photo with Ronnie and Will and waving at Wentworth. “Alright, we should head back before Teddy and Matty Kill us.” The pair giggled before heading towards the exit. They walked to the car and knocked on the window so Teddy could unlock the doors. Teddy put down his book and grabbed the keys, unlocked the car before handing them to Lilly when she got in. “Took you long enough. You guys took so long that Matty ended up falling asleep.” He said quietly as he gestured to his right where Matty could be seen leaning his head against the window, passed out. “Sorry, sorry. We ended up talking to someone.” Lilly started up the car and started to leave the parking lot.
The drive home was pretty quiet, everyone was tired and their voices spent. Well, minus Teddy. By the time they reached his house, Marge and Matty were sleeping. He opened the door and got out of the car. “Goodnight!” Lilly whispered to him. “Night.” He responded before closing the door and walking up to his front door. When he opened it, he didn’t hear anyone so he assumed everyone was sleeping. It was almost twelve in the morning so he expected that. He closed the door behind him and slipped his shoes off before going up to his room, his cane making small tapping noises.
When he reached his room, he threw his tote back on his chair before heading to his dresser. He pulled out a matching pair of dark blue pajamas and got changed. Afterward, he walked to the bathroom and brushed his teeth before going back to his room. He leaned his cane against the nightstand he had then plopped down on his bed. He pulled his blanket over himself, turning off his lamp and laid down. Teddy closed his eyes and saw images popping in his head. It was Phil. Playing his bass, singing, staring at him from the stage. Then he remembered when he called him out. Teddy folded his pillow over his head, groaning. It was gonna be a long day tomorrow.