Chapter 2 – Long Beach…What It Is Right Now

 

 

            I walked down the stairs to the third floor and knocked on Amber’s apartment door. My eyes were still a little swollen from crying all last night, but they weren’t that noticeable, or so I thought. I wasn’t one who wore makeup, so I couldn’t conceal the puffy eyelids.

            Amber opened the door, still skanking to the Pietasters; she was a ska-a-holic. She gestured for me to come in, while she danced over to her CD player. While lowering the volume she asked me, “What’s wrong?”

            I didn’t answer. Instead I stood there looking at the ground.

            “Fighting with Evan?” Amber grabbed her keys and her Good Charlotte hoodie.

            “Well…” I sighed, “Oh god, I don’t know how to put this. We’re not together anymore.”

            “Oh ok...well…wait wait…WHAT?” She stopped dead in her tracks.

            “Yeah. He was a dick about it too.” She laughed, and without saying a word I knew she wanted me to elaborate. “He didn’t even say goodbye.” Amber cocked her head to the left. “Well…he just left a letter—a short letter—on my pillow saying how sorry he was.” I could feel the pain and tears welling up, “What did I do wrong?”

            “Oh man.” Amber gave me a hug, “You’ll be ok. I promise. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

            “How can you be sure?”

            “Because you’re not the type that fucks up a relationship. Think of it this way, he’s missing out…not you.”

            After a few seconds I nodded my head and smiled, “You’re right. I don’t know why I’ve been thinking it was all my fault.”

            “You’ve been burned, it’s going to take time to heal. You’ll find someone new and forget about Evan. I promise.”

            “Yeah…” I grabbed a tissue so I could blow my nose.

            “Come on, we’ve got a Muffins Hurt concert to keep under control.”

            The car ride to the Vanderbilt was silent as always. Amber and I loved to just watch the scenery of the ocean on the parkways.

            When we got to the Vanderbilt the tour busses were already there, so we didn’t have to help unload equipment. I hated that, and my boss knew it so he always made me do it. My favorite part about this job was setting up the stage and ((I don’t know the word for it)) bouncing the gigs. Meeting the bands was just a perk. Just a perk ((if only you could hear the sarcasm in her voice)).

            “Hey guys, you’re late!” Emily said while jumping down off of the stage.

            “Yeah, we had a little trouble this morning.” I looked at my watch, “It’s only 10 minutes, Steve won’t be that mad.”

            “Oh yes, I won’t be mad—eh?” Steve was the type of boss that tried to be your friend before a boss. Sometimes I found him trying to be a little too friendly.

            “Hey Steve. What needs to be done?”

            “Nothing they can’t handle. Can I talk to you Fi?”

            “Sure.” I wanted to cringe because he wanted to talk to me.

            We walked over to the other side of one of the many columns in the club. “Well, as you know, next week is the Good Charlotte concert…on Thursday I think.” I nodded, “I know I told you that you could have off, but Amanda has mono and she wont be in all of next week. Can you fill in for her?”

            “I can’t. I have to get my friend from the airport.” I bit my lip.

            “After that? We need all the help we can get.”

            I sighed, Patty would understand. “She’s coming in around 2…when do you need me?”

            “Four?”

            I bit my lip, “Ehh, that’s cutting it close.” Steve gave me an extra half an hour, “Ok…4:30 should be fine.” I grinned and before he could say thanks, I walked over to join the rest of the party. Escaping any bad pickup lines of Steve’s if a lifetime goal of mine.

           

            The concert was amazing. It gave me a headache and someone had punched me in the ribs by accident, so I didn’t feel like staying after. Amber and I left around 1:30 and got food at a local IHOP.

            “Wow…I can’t believe he’s gone.” I couldn’t stop thinking about Evan all night. At one point of the show I could have sword I saw him somewhere in the crowd.

            “Don’t think about it!” Amber threw a mini-muffin at me.

            “It’s gonna be so weird sleeping alone tonight.”

            Amber smiled, “You can stay with me.”

            “Nah its ok.”

            “Are you sure?”

            I nodded, “Yeah.”

            “Are you really really really really sure?”

            I sat in the booth thinking about it, “You know…maybe I will.”

            “Yay! We have no work tomorrow, so we could hang out all day.”

            “Score!” The waitress came over to our table to tell us they were closing. We got up and headed back to our apartments. I packed a backpack and hammer and I stayed in Amber’s apartment.

 

            Skip one week to Patty and Fiona talking on the phone about their plans…

            “So you’re picking me up at 2 right?”

            “Yep.”

            “And then we’re going shopping?”

            “Eek. Well, I kinda told Steve that I would work the Good Charlotte concert tomorrow night.”

            “GOOD CHARLOTTE?! WHAT?!”

            “I’m sorry…”

            “Sorry?!” Patty started screaming, “I love GC!!”

            “Good. Then you can come and meet them backstage for a little while.”

            There was silence on the other end, which either meant a) she passed out from the excitement, or b) she was speechless. “Pauly!!! I get to see Pauly!!!” I could tell she was dancing from the breaks in her breath. “Yay!”

            “Calm down there,” I laughed, “I gotta get going, I promised Amber I’d go out to see 8 Crazy Nights with her.”

            “Byeeee…see you in a few hours!”      

            “Bye.”

            Click.

 

            Maddie and I drove to LaGuardia airport to pick up Patty. I was so excited to finally see her after all of this time. I wonder how she would react to my newly dyed hair. It’s now jet black with light blue, green and purple streaks. I also got my labret pierced and got a few tattoos since her last visit. Her plane was delayed by half an hour, so we decided to walk around for a little bit.

            “Come on! We’re late enough as it is! We’ll never make the show in time.” I heard these words from behind me, and the voice sounded familiar. Before I could turn around an elbow was pushed into my stomach.

            “Damn it!” I whispered.

            “Oh sorry.” The man whispered.

            I looked at him and instantly knew who he was. “Hey, aren’t you—” Maddie grabbed me before I could finish.

            “Come on! Patty’s plane is gonna be here any second.”

            “Wait, don’t you know who that was?”

            “Harry Potter? I don’t care, let’s go.”

            “It was…never mind.” I knew she wouldn’t have believed me if I told her.

            Maddie dragged me to gate 27, only to realize that Patty’s gate was 37. When we finally arrived at the right gate, Patty was already waiting. Her light brown hair was a lot longer now; reaching about mid-back, and now she’s wearing thick-rimmed glasses.

I walked up to Patty, but she didn’t recognize me. “Hey…” were the only words I said.

Her eyes brightened when she realized that it was me. “Maddie?”

“No you fool.” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“I know. I was just making sure you were paying attention.” She said.

I hugged Patty, “I’ve missed you so much!” We embraced each other for a second and then I turned towards Maddie. “This is Maddie.” I smirked.

“Hey!” They didn’t hug. They just waved.

“Well I gotta get going, there’s probably traffic and I told Steve I’d work the Good Charlotte concert.” Good Charlotte…m’m m’m good.

 

I got back to the Vanderbilt and fans were already lined up outside, the show didn’t start for another 3 hours. Patty, Maddie and I made good timing, so we had an extra half an hour to hang out backstage before I told Steve that I was back, so we hung out in one place that he would never find us—backstage. Steve was always wandering around looking for the ladies.

“So anyway, after the show what do you guys want to—” Someone hit into my before I could finish.

“Oh I’m so sorry…Hey, it’s you!”

I looked up, it was the man from the airport. “Hey.”

“OH MY GOD! It’s Joel!” Patty squealed.

Joel looked over at Patty, “Hey there.” He said smoothly. He looked back at me, “I’m Joel.”

I smiled, “I know.”

“And you would be…?”

“Fiona.” Maddie answered whilst pushing me into Joel.

“You work here?” Joel was obviously flirting.

“Yep.” How could I say something like…’yep’?!?

“Cool.” There was an awkward silence. “Well I gotta get going now, we’re on in a few…hours.” Joel shook his head and looked down at the ground, “I’ll see you around later…after the show?”

I nodded, “Sure.”

Joel walked off to his dressing room and Patty attacked me. “Do you KNOW who that was?!”
            “Yeah, he said his name was Joel.” I said smoothly.

“You know, you were just hit on by a rock star?” Maddie said.

I blushed and without saying anything, I walked off to the bathroom.