Free Intensity by S. Briones Lim

them on the ground. “Hey!” Celine whined. “I was still using those! Haven’t you seen those news shows that say hotel room floors have more bacteria than a toilet bowl?”
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Ruthie laughed. “Let’s grab some brunch and let’s go! I want to make all those women at the House of Rocks jealous.”
    Celine pursed her lips and forced herself off the bed. She couldn’t explain it, but she had the distinct feeling that the previous night would act as some sort of catalyst to events she’d rather avoid.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 11
     
     
    “Wow!” Celine breathed. She exited Ruthie’s car and looked up at the old building. “I always wanted to come to a concert here, but I never had a chance. This place looks amazing.”
    “Yeah, I’ve only seen it from afar,” Ruthie agreed. “Definitely a lot better up close.”
    “What did Cash text you again?” Celine asked. Her fingers fumbled with her mint green top nervously. As much as she wanted to meet the other band members she couldn’t shrug off the negative feelings pooling in her stomach.
    What did Cash text you? Ruthie still needed to pinch herself as a reminder it was true. Cash Walker had her phone number! He not only had it, but he used it! Giddiness didn’t even begin to describe how she felt. Trying to remain composed, she answered, “He said to just go around to the back. We should have some passes waiting for us there.”
    “You sure? I don’t want to end up in jail again. Last night was way too traumatic for me.”
    Ruthie shook her head with exasperation. “We’re not going to end up in jail again. Geez, just relax, woman.”
    They edged their way towards the venue and spotted the line of fans that were camped in front of the building. The women in line varied in age and were decked out in Intensity gear. Celine winced, finally realizing how ridiculous she had looked. As they walked beside the line, each fan narrowed their eyes at the friends as if they were vultures honing in on their kill. Ruthie could never understand why Intensifiers were so competitive with one another.
    “Check everyone out. They look ready to pounce on us,” Celine whispered.
    “Well, at least we’re entering through the back. I have a feeling that if we had to go through them, we’d be mauled to death,” Ruthie replied.
    Celine nodded her head, imagining both their corpses torn apart as Intensity’s song, “I Will Never Leave You,” played in the background.
    “Feels a bit different knowing we actually have permission to be back here, doesn’t it?” Ruthie took a chance at joking with Celine. She knew her friend still wasn’t over getting arrested, but to Ruthie it was a blessing in disguise. If they hadn’t been booked downtown, they’d never have had a chance of meeting Cash on a personal level.
    “I could have told you that,” Celine shot back. “That’s why you should have listened to me in the first place and let me use my connections!”
    “Whatever,” Ruthie responded. “It happened the way it was supposed to.”
    “Right.” Celine huffed, unconvinced.
    They reached the back of the building and were faced by a chain-link fence. “Well, this is a bit anti-climactic,” Celine mused, running her fingers over the metal fence. “How do we get in?”
    “I don’t know.” Ruthie frowned and fumbled for her phone. She gripped at the silicone phone cover. “Do you think I should text Cash?”
    “Well, you’re buddy-buddy with him now. Why not?” Celine replied, gripping onto the fence.
    Ruthie glanced over at her friend and frowned. There was a hint of sarcasm in Celine’s voice, but she decided to ignore it. “Yeah, I guess I’ll text him.”
    “Hey!” A deep voice called out. The two girls jumped and noticed a giant man walking along the other side of the fence. Why did security always have to be so huge? “Are you Ruthie Cruz and Celine Fabre?” Both girls apparently lost the ability to