Ride Dirty Read Free Page B

Although the band wasn’t in sight yet, the crowd was packed in tight all around the field. Bodies upon bodies were standing in the heat. And, from the looks of it, the fans were anything but mellow. I slowed down off to the side of the throng of people to take my place and wait for the show. Jessie however, had other ideas.
    She reached back for my hand and turned to me. “No way, we’re going up to the front!” She practically had to shout it for me to hear as the large crowd began cheering. I looked up at the stage and saw the band had just arrived and were walking to their instruments. Before I could protest, Jessie was dragging me through the pulsating crowd. She was a tiny girl, but Jessie managed to pave a path through the bodies.
    As we finally reached the front, there was a metal barrier gate that created about a six foot gap between the fans and the stage. Jessie squeezed herself into a tiny spot along the fence and then somehow squished me in next to her. The lead singer picked up the mic and the entire band went straight into a hardcore song. To say the fans went completely nuts would definitely be an understatement. Within a matter of seconds we were being violently pushed forward and backward by the wave of people. Each time we went forward my stomach was painfully slammed against the fence. I looked at Jessie and she seemed to be moving with the flow of the crowd, not at all bothered by the constant press of bodies. I however, began to panic.
    Through the first three songs I tried my best to push back against the crowd, but all of my strength proved practically irrelevant against the large bodies behind me. Although I really liked the song the band was playing, I couldn’t do anything but focus on my impending doom. I was sure that at any second I was going to be flattened into a pulp against that barrier. Claustrophobia set in and I had to get out.
    Suddenly, a large man with a shaved head and tattoo covered arms stumbled forward and elbowed another big guy in the face. I doubted it was intentional, but the second guy definitely took it personally. He swung around and threw a fist into the side of the other guy’s skull. All of the people directly surrounding the men joined in, and an all out brawl began. I looked over to find Jessie and I only saw the back of her head as she was swept away in the crowd. “Jess!” I screamed at her. As soon as my voice came out I realized I could barely hear it myself over the blaringly loud music and wild fans. I began pushing my way toward the back of the crowd and by that point had lost any visual of my friend. Breaking my way out of the mob proved much more difficult than the way in had been.
    A huge man’s body came toward me over the mass of people. This guy seriously thinks he can crowd surf? I thought to myself. Everyone who passed his body along was obviously struggling under his weight, and before I knew it he was being passed directly over my head. His arm swung down and nailed me in the face. I’d had it. I reached back and then swung my fist up as hard as I could. I felt pretty proud as I heard him grunt out when my fist slammed into his back. I was relieved as he was passed to the side and away from me. I turned to continue my mission just as a huge shoe kicked me in the back of the head. Apparently, it was like a crowd surfing train, and I was stuck right in the middle of the track. I reached up and ripped the giant shoe right off the foot before throwing it across the crowd as far as I could.
    “Hey! What the fuck!” I heard the guy yelling behind me as I muscled my way through the rest of the people. My strength fueled entirely by anger. After what felt like a lifetime, but was probably only a minute or two, I stumbled out of the crowd, nearly falling on my face as I was pushed free.
    A loud, deep voice came from in front of me. “Damn, I definitely wouldn’t want to get in your way.” As I straightened I saw a pair of black motocross boots