Merch Girl

by Rebecca Lewis

  It did sound like a cool job. Touring around with Lansdowne, getting to see them perform every night, hanging out with them at the shows, meeting the fans, seeing the country, and getting paid for it.

  “Sounds easy enough,” I said. “But I need to clear this plan with my parents. I can’t just walk out the door and tell them I’ll be traveling across the country with a rock band.”

  “Yeah, same here,” Trina added.

  “I hope they say it’s okay,” Griffin said, looking into Trina’s eyes. “It would be really cool if you could tour with us, I promise it will be a blast.”

  “Are you kidding? I would love to travel around the country with you guys! No arm twisting necessary,” she explained.

  My parents had to say yes, I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t tour with Lansdowne this summer.

  “Sounds good, I hope they let you go. Just tell them it’s like a rock version of sleep-away camp,” Logan said.

  My face started to burn up. I hoped I wasn’t turning too red. I couldn’t help it though; he had that effect on me.

  Carson picked up the bill after we finished eating and we all walked out to the parking lot. I was holding a pretty decent conversation with Logan as we made our way to our vehicles. We talked about different bands and music that we liked, and we actually had quite a few in common. I turned around to see where Trina was and caught her holding hands with Griffin. Logan looked in their direction too.

  “I don’t know how he could be focusing on a girl right now. I’m so focused on the band that I just wouldn’t be able to give enough of myself to have a good relationship.”

  “Trina would never let anything get in the way of your success, we both just want the best for the band,” I reassured him.

  “I hope you’re right, Ryan’s already gone off the deep end with Jenna, and I don’t want to have both of my bandmates consumed with relationships when we’re at the most important time in our career.”

  I nodded in agreement, but I didn’t like what he had to say. I guess this meant my chances at a relationship with him were zero to none.

  “Well, it was really great to see you again, and I promise to remember your name from now on.”

  “Same here, and you better, or I won’t ever talk to you again!” I joked back.

  I couldn’t believe I was kidding around with Logan Shire, it was unreal. I’m sure it was nothing to him, but for me, it was all I could ever wish for.

  “Come to our band practice tomorrow. Our studio is outside of Boston at Studio Rock in Somerville, we’ll be there at noon, but you can stop by whenever. It’ll be fun, and I’ll give you a sneak peek at the t-shirts you’ll hopefully be selling.”

  “Sounds great, I’ll definitely be there,” I replied.

  “Cool.”

  “Looks like your ‘people’ want to get going,” I said, pointing to Holly. She was looking at her watch and tapping her foot.

  “Yeah, gotta please the label. We just got signed; I don’t want to get dumped before the record comes out.”

  “Yeah.” I smiled and looked around, not sure what to do next.

  He caught my eyes with his and leaned in to give me a hug as he said goodbye. A hug! It was so warm and his arms felt so nice wrapped around me, even if it was only for a few seconds. That feeling would remain burned in my memory forever.

  I waved goodbye as he hopped into his van.

  “Come on Griffin, we have other places to go today,” Carson said sternly.

  Griffin cupped Trina’s face with his hands and it looked like he went to kiss her on the lips, but she turned her head so he could only get her cheek. It must have taken so much restraint for her to do that! They parted ways and he jumped in the van to leave.

  Trina unlocked the doors to her car and we got in. We waited for Lansdowne’s van to pull out of the parking lot and made sure the windows were rolled up so no one could hear us as we screamed in excitement.

  “I saw him try and kiss you! How the heck did you resist?” I asked.

  “I honestly don’t know. When I looked into Griffin’s eyes I felt my heart melt into a puddle of goo.”

  “Well, I definitely think he’ll be coming back for more.”

  “And what about you and Logan? I saw you guys laughing and talking. Tell me, tell me!” she squealed.

  “Well, do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

  “Good news.”

  “Good news is, he invited me to their band practice tomorrow!”

  “Oh, me too! I mean, Griffin invited me. That’s awesome! See, he so likes you if he wants you to come hang out tomorrow.”

  “Well, that’s sort of the bad news. He was talking about you and Griffin, and how it seemed like he really likes you, and then he let it slip that he doesn’t want a relationship right now because of where the band is in their career, you know, just starting out, and how they all need to focus on the music,” I explained.

  “Well, that could be a good thing.”

  “Um, how is him telling me he isn’t in the right state of mind for a relationship right now a good thing?”

  “Sometimes it’s even better to be friends first, and then you’ll know he really likes you if he decides to eventually be more than friends.”

  “Maybe, I just really like him, and it’s so hard to be around him and know that he doesn’t want anything more than a friendship. And at this rate I’ll never get my first real kiss with a guy before college starts.”

  I could only imagine what a kiss with Logan would feel like, his perfectly curved lips pressing into mine. I got the chills just thinking about it.

  “Trust me, Logan might say he‘s not looking for a relationship right now, but if he develops feelings for you, it‘s going to be hard to stop it from happening.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “Don’t make me say it!”

  “Yeah, yeah, you’re always right!”

  I hoped with all my might she was right. Seeing Griffin with Trina made it even worse. It was hard to watch my best friend and her dream guy fall for each other, while the guy of my dreams clearly didn’t want anything to do with romance.

  She parked her car in front of my house as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

  “I’ll pick you up around noon tomorrow. I want us to be fashionably late, keep them waiting for us.”

  “Sounds good, see you tomorrow,” I replied with a grin.

  As I walked up the steps to my front door, I contemplated how I was going to ask my mom to let me go on tour this summer. If she agreed, my dad would go for it too. She was pretty laid back, but I wasn’t sure if this was going to fly. I closed the door behind me and found her in the living room.

  “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?” I asked.

  “Sure honey, what’s the matter?” she responded, turning off the TV.

  “Oh, nothing’s wrong. Actually, it’s really good news, I just need to ask you something.”

  “Okay, shoot.”

  I started to sweat a little. If she said no, my life would be ruined. My chances at even being friends with Logan would be shot to pieces.

  “Well, Trina and I actually hung out with Lansdowne today.”

  “Really? How wonderful, that must have been great for you!”

  “Yeah, it was, it really, really was. And, we had so much fun with them that they asked us if we would go on tour with them this summer.”

  “I thought you were going to get a job this summer to save up money for college.”

  “See, that’s the thing, they would pay us to tour with them. All Trina and I would have to do is sell their merchandise at their shows. And, it would be a great opportunity for me to travel; I’ve never left the East Coast before.”

  She kept quiet and turned her head away from me. I let her think in silence for a few minutes before I decided to beg.

  “Mom, please…”

  “You’re so young, I don’t know if you’re ready for something like this,” she sa
id.

  “Mom, I’m almost eighteen. I’ll be in college, on my own, in just a few months. I think I need something like this to get me ready for the real world.”

  “Uh huh…”

  She didn’t seem to buy it.

  “Please, please, please.” I got down on my knees and gave her the best sad, pouting face I could pull off.

  She didn’t say a word for what seemed like forever.

  “Okay, you can go, but only if Trina’s there with you, and you have to check in with me as much as you can so I know you’re safe.”

  “Of course!” I hugged her as tight as I could. “Thank you so much, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  I couldn’t believe she said yes. I texted Trina to let her know I was going on tour, and she texted me back to say she was too. It was official, two best friends on the road with our favorite band for the summer! I couldn’t wait to start. Only a week left of the mundane life in the suburbs, and then I’d be on my way to travel through the nation with the band that was sure to be the biggest breakout this year.

  Chapter 3 – Practice Makes Perfect

  I waited eagerly by the front door for Trina‘s car to pull up to my house. It was almost quarter past noon, although I figured she’d be late. She probably went through at least twenty outfits this morning before deciding what to wear. I finally saw her in the driveway and sprinted out the door.

  “I know you wanted to be fashionably late, but I don’t want to miss the whole thing!”

  “Don’t worry, they’re probably running late too. Rockstars are never on time.”

  We arrived at the studio and told the receptionist we were there for Lansdowne’s practice session. Our names were actually on a list this time, and she led us towards the back into a large room. As we walked down the hall I noticed all the plaques on the wall of previous bands that had recorded and practiced there. It was an incredible feeling to know that I was walking where all of these famous people once walked.

  We entered the room and the guys were jamming away. I spotted Jenna on the other side of the room. Jeff was there too, and he immediately got up from his chair when he saw us come in.

  “Hey, nice to see you here!” Jeff said, giving Trina a hug.

  Trina hugged him back while Griffin looked over and glared at him.

  “You too! Thanks so much again for everything the other night. As you can see, it turned out pretty well,” she replied.

  “Is it okay if I take some pictures of you and Lacey for Lansdowne’s website? I’m the new, official band media guy. I’m going on tour with them, so I’ll be able to get all the photos and video up on the site as soon as it happens.”

  “Oh, we’re going on tour too,” she responded. “We’re going to be their merch girls.”

  “I’d buy a t-shirt from you girls any time,” he said with a smirk. “Hey, since we’re both crew, we’ll probably be on the same tour bus.”

  “Oh? That’s cool.”

  I was sure Griffin wouldn’t be too happy about that situation.

  The band finished the song they were practicing and Griffin came up behind Trina to give her a kiss on the cheek.

  “Hey! You scared me,” Trina said, turning around.

  “Good, that’s what I meant to do,” Griffin said with a devilish grin.

  Logan came over to join us. “Glad you guys made it. We’ll be here for a little while longer so make yourselves comfortable.”

  There was a couch and a mini fridge filled with beverages. Trina and I sat on one end of the couch, while Jenna occupied the other, she didn’t even bother to acknowledge our presence. Jeff moved around the room, trying to get the band from different angles on his camera. Their music still gave me chills even though this was the third day in a row I’d heard it. They sounded so good, and Logan’s voice always drew me in. When he sang it sounded like he was singing directly to me. I hoped he didn’t notice that I was staring at him the entire time.

  They practiced for the next half hour, and I wished I could hear more.

  “We still have the room booked for a little while longer if you want to stay and chill,” Ryan said. He pulled out an energy drink from the mini fridge.

  Trina and I nodded. Jenna immediately rushed over to sit on his lap. Seriously, she just kept getting clingier.

  “We have great news guys,” Trina said, placing her arm around my shoulders. “Say hello to your new merch girls!”

  “Yes!” Griffin exclaimed, picking Trina up off the couch and spinning her around in a circle.

  “That’s great news, we’re gonna have an amazing time,” Logan said, smiling at me.

  I felt my face getting warm and smiled back. Of course there were no congratulatory remarks from Jenna. She was probably plotting ways to kill us in our sleep on the bus.

  Logan grabbed some cardboard boxes from the back of the room and placed them on the floor in front of me.

  “Look inside; it’s some of the merch. What do you think?”

  I pulled out the various t-shirts and tank tops with their logo and photos on them. It was cute stuff. They also had some key chains, tote bags, stickers, and a few posters.

  “Really great stuff, I’d buy all of it!”

  “You get it for free, wear it on tour, more people will buy it! We’ll also have a t-shirt with all the tour dates and cities on it, and a hoodie, and maybe some more stuff as the tour goes on,” he said, proudly.

  “Awesome, I’m really excited. So what are the cities we’re going to exactly? I haven’t even seen a schedule.”

  “Oh, it’s great, it should be up on our website, but I’m so pumped about it that I’ve basically got it memorized,” he explained. “We’re starting on the East Coast -- Boston, of course, Providence, Hartford, New York City, Philly, DC, Atlanta, and Fort Lauderdale. Then we start heading west to New Orleans, Houston, Kansas City, Denver; and then over to the West Coast, ending in Los Angeles.”

  “Wow.” It just hit me; we were really going to travel all around the country. I’d only been to about four or five of those cities before, and I couldn’t wait to see the rest of the nation with my own eyes.

  “I know, isn’t it amazing? We’re playing in clubs and small theaters, so it will be more intimate with the fans. Carson says our single is going to hit national radio soon. He’s been in meetings with the top 40 stations all month in preparation of the tour, so I really hope we sell tickets.”

  Logan’s eyes beamed with excitement.

  “Are you kidding? Of course people will show up! Seriously, you guys are gonna be big!” I said.

  He smiled again; I think he liked my enthusiasm.

  “Hey guys, we have to start heading out,” Griffin said as he picked up his guitar and started packing up.

  “We have a lot to do to get ready for the tour, with promotions and radio interviews the rest of the week. Just come to the show in Boston an hour early with all of your stuff and we’ll go from there,” Logan said.

  “Sounds good,” I replied.

  He got up from the couch and helped his band mates pack up the rest of their belongings. Unfortunately there was no hug goodbye this time. I was a little disappointed about that, but I’d be spending the next few weeks with him, so there would be more opportunities for hugs. Trina said bye to Griffin with another kiss on the cheek. Jeff waited and walked out of the studio with us.

  “You know Trina, you really shouldn’t get too attached to Griffin. He’s going on tour, and there will be a million girls throwing themselves at him,” Jeff advised.

  “So?” she shot back.

  “So? What makes you think he’ll be faithful to you? He’s not even your boyfriend.”

  “Jeff, what’s between myself and Griffin is none of your business, got it? And if you want us to be friends, and stay friends on tour, then you’re going to have to live with that, okay?”

  “Yeah, I got it. But don’t come running to me when something goes wrong.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t.”r />
  Keeping her eyes on the ground, Trina speed walked to her car on the other side of the lot.

  “What a jerk! I can’t believe what he said to you. You don’t have anything to worry about with Griffin. He’s head over heels for you,” I said.

  “Yeah, but Jeff is sort of right, I mean, he’s not my boyfriend, so there’s nothing stopping him from being with another girl on tour,” she said with a shaky voice.

  “Don’t let him get to you! This is exactly what Jeff wants. Don’t you see? He wants to create drama between you guys where none exists so he can step up and be the hero. You have to ignore him.” I handed her a tissue from my purse as her eyes began to water.

  “Thanks,” she said, wiping away tears mixed with mascara. “I know it’s silly, and I’m being over-sensitive, but I just can’t bear the thought of Griffin being with someone else.”

  We slid into her car and didn’t say anything to each other for a while. When I heard her stop sniffling I tried to change the subject.

  “So, how much clothes are you packing?” I asked.

  “Umm…my whole closet!” she responded, laughing.

  “I know, I was thinking the same thing!”

  “I’m sure we’ll stop at a Laundromat at some point, but I’d pack enough clean underwear just in case,” she suggested.

  “Good idea. I’m actually a little nervous about touring.”

  It would be my first time away from home for an extended period of time, and I’d be with people I barely knew.

  “Me too, but I’m sure the guys are as well. Actually, I’m sure they’re a hundred times more nervous than we are. They’re the ones performing in front of tons of people, putting music out there for everyone to critique.”

  “True.”

  We arrived back home pretty quickly and I turned to look her in the eyes before leaving the car. “We’re really doing this.”

  “I know!” she shrieked. I hugged her goodbye and ran up the stairs to my house feeling anxious and excited.

  Chapter 4 – Boston

  My mom drove Trina and me to the train station in the early evening.