Chapter 2

I just sit there for a while.

Okay, either Tom's credit card got jacked, or bird-eman is Tom Falcone.

But whatever the reason... They're paid for. I hook up my thin little laptop printer and print them both off.

Then my eye catches something as they come out of the printer: right next to 'ROW 1' on the tickets, it also says 'BKSTG PASS.'

BACKSTAGE FUCKING PASSES.

FOR CUTE IS WHAT WE AIM FOR.

I think I'm gonna scream.

I click back on the private chat button in the taskbar, because it's been blinking orange for the past minute or so.

bird-eman: Stunned?

May-hemAnnie: YES

May-hemAnnie: I LOVE YOU

bird-eman: It's a little sudden, but I suppose I can roll with it...

May-hemAnnie: Platonically, buttwipe. Dang. I mean, what else do you say to a guy who just threw two front-row tickets and backstage passes for your favorite band at you?

bird-eman: So you caught that little surprise?

May-hemAnnie: Which one? There were two.

bird-eman: The backstage passes. But another surprise? What are you talking about?

May-hemAnnie: Ticketmaster always puts the cardholder's name on the tickets. Is that your first time using Ticketmaster or something?

bird-eman: Damn.

May-hemAnnie: If you weren't a fellow admin I'd report you for swearing. Also, you just gave me front row tickets, and backstage passes. But don't worry, I won't tell. About either part. Who you are, and the swearing.

In reality, I am going NUTSOID. Whacko. Loopy. Bonkers. I am talking to TOM FLIPPIN' FALCONE.

From CUTE IS WHAT WE AIM FOR.

And I must ask, how did I get so lucky?

But online? Oh, no, I'm cool as a cucumber.

bird-eman: If you tell me your real name I'll add you to my friendslist.

May-hemAnnie: Take out the [ hem ] and the [ ie ]. Leave the hyphen, and make the a lowercase.

bird-eman: Ummmm... This'll take a sec... May-ann?

May-hemAnnie: You're good. Nobody ever gets that.

bird-eman: Yeah, I'm just good like that. Got a webcam?

May-hemAnnie: Ahyup.

bird-eman [admin] has sent a webcam request.

I click 'Accept' and my webcam tells me it's up and running.

Then Tom (yeah, it is Tom for sure now, I kow that) gets this 'WHOA' look on his face.

bird-eman: If you'll pardon me for saying this...

I smirk and he gives me thins huge, full-blown pearly whites smile. Oh he's just so cute. He turns his head down to type. Hunt & peck much?

bird-eman: YOU'RE EFFING HOT.

May-hemAnnie: Pardon me, I need to turn off my webcam and spazz out now.

bird-eman: NOOOO!! Don't gooo... Feel free to spazz, I get it from thousands of fangirls at every show.

May-hemAnnie: Mmhm. And has anyone ever told you that they're not just screaming for you? Sorry to burst your bubble, darling dear, but they yell for your fellow band members as well. Especially Jeff! He's gorgeous :D

bird-eman: Aww maaaannn!! I thought I was the only one with any fans!

He's grinning his face off.

We talk till the wee hours of the morning, in this case meaning two a.m.

May-hemAnnie: I'm sorry, darling dear, but I have to log off. I have work today.

I stick out my bottom lip and draw an imaginary tear line with my finger down the side of my face.

bird-eman: Whoa, it is late. Or early, depending on how you look at it. But me too, I have a show later.

May-hemAnnie: Chicago! But it's only midnight there...

bird-eman: I meant for you, but you really have done your research! It's so flattering it seems stalkerish... Haha, joking.

May-hemAnnie: So, goodnight, same time tomorrow?

bird-eman: Sure. Goodnight, May-ann.

May-hemAnnie: And you too, darling dear Tom.

He blows me a kiss on the webcam, and I hit the 'Print Scrn' key REALLY quickly and return the kiss.

bird-eman [admin] has logged off.

I log off too, and open up a new canvas in Paint. Yeah, I'm totally old-school that way. I paste the screenshot into the blank canvas and crop out everything but Tom Falcone blowing me- ME!!- a kiss, save it, and set it as my background.

I have to say, he's pretty much totally wicked awesome.

I check my e-mail again, to see if someone's sent me anything in the last oh-three-hours-or-so. There's a brand-new, minute old message from Tom.

To: mayhem_annie @ ciwwaf . com

Sender: tfalc_ciwwaf @ hotmail . com

Subj: my cell number

Body: Call me later, I want to hear your voice. Noon, for you.

Then he has his number.

I scream, probably waking up everyone in my apartment complex. I grab my cell phone and fumble with it, and eventually get his number in there. I e-mail the picture of him blowing a kiss to my cell, and set it as the picture I.D.

And another fun-flled day is over with, so I finally go to sleep- three hours later than I had originally anticipated, but I had a minor- wait- an amazingly awesome setback.

Chapter 1

skullzxbonez: its almost 11pm wat do u think may-hemannie will say 2day?
ciwwaf_luvr: idk. but i hope theres a concert soon!!!!!
May-hemAnnie [admin] has logged in.
May-hemAnnie: Good evening, little fanchildren! It's eleven o'clock, do you know where your favorite band members are?
ciwwaf_luvr: hi mayhemannie!!!!! how r u 2day?

I despise chat-speak.

May-hemAnnie: Amazing! Thank you for asking. Would you like to know when and where CIWWAF's next show is?
skullzxbonez: omg ya!!!
ciwwaf_luvr: ya!!!!! tell us plz!!!
May-hemAnnie: Is it really just you two today? Goodness gracious, it's very not-busy in here. And as for show details- check the blog! Oh, you may talk like newbies, but you know the routine! I never give away show information in the chatroom. Otherwise it gets lost in like five seconds, and I'm forced to go to shows alone! That would be horrid, wouldn't it?

My laptop computer pings, and a pop-up window shows up on my screen.

bird-eman [admin] would like to private chat with you.

Another admin? CIWWCF requits new admins like wildfire now. I click 'Accept' anyway.

bird-eman: Hello, May-hemAnnie! (I do wish you'd allow nicknames...) I read your blog, and you're missing a show.

Okay, new admin knows nothing. I never miss a show.

May-hemAnnie: No nicknames. Sorry! But why do you say I'm missing a show? Is there one you know of that- b'gosh, b'golly- I haven't heard about! Gasp!
bird-eman: Most certainly do. It's in the merry month of May, on the sixteenth.

My, my, aren't we cocky?

May-hemAnnie: Really? Where?
bird-eman: Spokane, Washington.

OH MY GOD! I live like twenty miles from there.

May-hemAnnie: OH MY GOD! I live like twenty miles from there.
bird-eman: I can get you tickets.
May-hemAnnie: Really?

That can either be taken as skeptical or excited, in my case, let's go with skeptical. What do you want to bet, though, that he will say-

bird-eman: You sound really excited.

Good call. That's exactly what I was going to say.

bird-eman: Give me your e-mail and I'll send you the tickets.

Hey, I have an idea! Let's play, 'Call the New Admin's Bluff!'

May-hemAnnie: mayhem_annie @ ciwwaf . com
bird-eman: Creative. But I've never heard of ciwwaf.com. Are you giving me a fake e-mail?
May-hemAnnie: Darling dear, it's Mail.com. They let you create the suffix. Wanna test it? Send something.

I pull up a new window and type www.mail.com into the browser, and log in. Sure enough, there's a message waiting for me from tfalc_ciwwaf @ hotmail . com. "Okay" is all it says.

I reply with, "Darling dear bird-eman! I told you I wasn't lying," and press send. I click back on CIWWCF.net.

May-hemAnnie: Believe me now?
bird-eman: Yes. Well, now for sending tickets... Wait a moment.

I wait until he responds again.

bird-eman: Check your e-mail.

I do. In reply to my message, there's a link to Ticketmaster. I click the link, and there are two prepaid tickets to the May 16th show. I look over at whose credit card they've been billed to, and either gasp or laugh. Or possibly a combination of the two.

The name says Tom Falcone.

Characters

Shaant Hacikyan. Lead Singer of Cute Is What We Aim For. Age 22.

David Melillo. Bassist and backup vocals for CIWWAF. Age 22.Thomas Falcone. Drummer for CIWWAF. Age 21.

Jeffrey Czum. Bassist and pianist [[**i love that worddddd]] for CIWWAF. Aged 21.

Alec Cyganowski. Lead singer of Powerspace, who is touring with CIWWAF. Age 22.

May-ann Forbes. Faithful Ciwwaf fan, almost to the point of obsession. Don't ever forget the hyphen or the lowercase 'a' or she will bite your head off. Age 19.

Chloe Bridges. May-ann's best friend since fifth grade. Introduced May-ann to CIWWAF. Age 20.

Liz Kerran. Friend of Tom Schleiter from high school. Joins Powerspace on their tour. Age 21.

As soon as May-hemAnnie logs onto CuteIsWhatWeChatFor.net, the room goes DEAD SILENT as she delivers the daily news on their favorite band. She's everyone's go-to girl for show times & dates, and otherwise fun facts about Cute Is What We Aim For. On the net, she's nothing short of legend.

But in reality, May-hemAnnie is May-ann Forbes, a diehard fan of CIWWAF. May-ann is obsessed. Obsessed in the sense that if she were to be any more obsessed, she'd be stalking them.

But when a CIWWCF admin messages her and promises her two front-row tickets to an upcoming show in her area that even she doesn't know about, May-ann can't help but to be a little suspicious about the legitimacy of this particular admin.As it turns out, said admin is CIWWAF's own Tom Falcone. In addition to the front-row tickets, he also sends May-ann two backstage passes to meet the boys of CIWWAF.

[[**i do not own or claim to on CIWWAF or Powerspace.]]

[[**i do, however, own the name CuteIsWhatWeChatFor.net, CIWWCF, and all characters that aren't actually real. so that includes people in CIWWAF and Powerspace.]]