I step away from Travis and Aiden and pull my phone out again. Mom still hasn’t gotten back to me, so I send her another text.
Me- Hey, what’s your ETA? We’re going onstage in about an hour so you’ll want to be here by then.
I barely get my phone back into my pocket before I get the ding that tells me I have a new text. Finally, they must be here already.
Mom- Hi baby, we’re not going to be able to make it after all. Thanks for all the clothes, though.
Wait, what?
Me- What do you mean you’re not coming? Why not? And when were you planning on telling me?
Mom- Well, Ted isn’t feeling that well, so I decided we should just skip the show this time. We’ll come to the next one, though.
Me- Leave Ted at home and come just you and the girls. I don’t even know the guy, so it’s not a big deal if he can’t make it. I want my mom and sisters to see me perform, not some random boyfriend I couldn’t care less about.
Mom- Connor, I won’t have you talking about Ted that way. We won’t go on a family outing if the entire family isn’t there.
What the fuck? What the hell am I then?
Me- What are you even talking about? You are my family. The girls are my family. Ted is not my family.
Mom- That’s enough Connor. I will not tolerate this anymore. Good night.
“I give up,” I announce to the room while I slip my phone back into my pocket. “She will never come to a show, no matter what I buy, or what I pay for. I’m done.” I throw myself onto the big couch at the back of the room. Johnny comes over with a glass of whiskey he’s poured for me. He must’ve sensed how angry I was getting as I texted with my mom.
“Let’s just get through the show, man,” he says to me, and slaps me on the back before getting up and going to pour himself a drink.
He’s right. We’ll do the show and I’ll worry about family drama tomorrow. Tonight I’m a rock star. Nothing more, nothing less. I down my whiskey in one gulp. My best behaviour might leave something to be desired tonight. Sorry Denise. I get up and pour myself another drink.
Chapter 6
Alex - Fuckboys and running away
We’re still up in the upper levels of the arena when ‘Lives that Cared’ takes the stage. Becca gets some great shots of the crowd and the band from that far away, but now she wants to get closer, so we make our way down to the floor. It’s tough to carry Becca’s camera bag without slamming it into anyone, but people are so into the music that no one seems to notice if I bump them a little. I’m happy that I wore my Docs tonight, and I can see why Becca told me to avoid heels. I’ve been stepped on no less than five times already, and we haven’t even made it to the main level yet.
Becca stops in the back section of the arena where the concessions are and gets a new SD card out of her camera bag. She switches out cards and puts the old one back into the bag before turning to me.
“So, how are you liking the show so far?”
“It’s great. The harder the rock, the calmer my soul, you know?” I shrug a little. I’m sure I’m yelling a little because my ears have that full, fuzzy feeling you get when you’re suddenly taken out of a loud environment. “What are we going to do now?”
“I want to go down to the front and get some closer shots of these guys before they’re done their set. We probably have less than half an hour now before Sleepings Dogs takes the stage, so we need to hurry and get down there.” She’s already walking towards the stairs, leaving me scrambling to catch up. “No need to run,” she tells me. “If we get separated, just go to the security guys at the side of the stage. Show them your press pass and tell them you’re with the photographer from the radio station. They’ll show you to the meet and greet area and we’ll catch up with each other there, ok?”
“Sounds good. I might want to go out into the crowd to soak in the concert atmosphere. It’s been too long since I’ve been to a good rock show and this one looks like it could be good.”
“Just make sure you make it backstage before Sleeping Dogs finishes their set. You don’t want to miss seeing them come back.” There she is, with that sneaky look again. Becca is up to something; I’d bet on it.
“Right, will do. Remember though, we cancelled operation ‘fuck a rock star’. I’m just here to help you and to enjoy some live music. That’s it.” I remind her again, just in case that’s what she’s planning. She’s a big proponent of the adage ‘the best way to get over an old flame is to get under a new one,’ so I don’t think she’ll let up without a fight. “I can look for a rebound in a more realistic setting. Rock stars are not likely to be interested in anything I have to offer.” I gesture to myself, and then to the crowd. “Have you seen the goodies on display here tonight? Those guys have their work cut out for them picking out fuck buddies for tonight.” From where I’m standing I can see at least a dozen women flashing the stage, and even more are giving sex eyes to the dudes on stage. Blatantly obvious sex eyes I can see from here. “You can smell the pussy buffet from here. I’m not interested in competing with that. Got it?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Yes, Alex, I got it. Party pooper.” She says something then, but the music is too loud to hear her. Hopefully, it’s just more agreements. “I’m going to the front now. Are you coming?”
“Not yet,” I tell her. “I’m going to hang back a bit longer. Probably grab another coffee before I go to the floor.” I’m already turning towards the concession.
“Ok, I’ll catch up with you soon then.” Becca grabs her camera bag from me. “Just remember to be backstage before the band comes back. You don’t want to miss it.” With that she walks away, leaving me as I go back to the concession and grab a coffee. This night is going to be so long. I’ll probably skip out on the after-party after all. Nothing says you’re getting old quite like falling asleep in the middle of a loud party in a bar. I’d like to avoid that if possible.
* * *
The opening act just left the stage and I’m still up on the 2nd level. I haven’t finished my coffee yet, but I should probably move down to the floor soon if I want to get a spot near the stage. People have cleared out a little now, going to get fresh drinks and hit the bathroom, so I should be able to get a decent spot before anyone gets back. I fight my way through the crowd, using my elbows to protect my coffee (I have priorities after all, coffee before personal safety). I’m the only one going toward the floor instead of the bathrooms, so there is a lot of crowd to fight through. The only trouble I have is going down the stairs. I make it through the people streaming up the stairs on both sides by holding onto a railing with one hand and holding my coffee over my head with the other.
