Front Row

by Rebekah N Bryan

  "I guess Gabe has been doing that at shows lately," said Alex.

  "Really?" All four sets of eyes snapped in her direction.

  "Yeah, some girls who were at earlier shows have been saying that they've seen Gabe come out from the building with a couple girls. Always blond. Always skinny."

  I cursed the choppy layers of my brunette hair and the curve of my round hips.

  "I wonder if Randy does that, too," said Haley.

  Alex took a drag from her cigarette and flicked the ash out of the cracked window. "If he does, he doesn't want fans to know about it. He's the one with a girlfriend."

  Shelly tossed her long, light-brown ponytail secured at the nape of her neck over her shoulder. "He doesn't seem like the type, though," said Shelly.

  "No, he doesn't, but you never know."

  Shelly handed me one of her Out of Towners CDs to put in, and we all sang along, stuck in our own daydreams about each of our favorite members. Shelly and Alex were the two Jacob fans. And I knew the fact that Randy had a girlfriend was in no way deterring Haley and Kim from wishing otherwise. As for me, the lone Gabe fan in the car—which is how I liked it—I was trying to imagine what it was going to be like to see him that close, and what I could say to be one of the girls he kept inside a little longer.

  A couple hours into our drive and a couple CDs later, we hit traffic going through Chicago, like we knew we would, and had to come up with other things to occupy our time. As Alex drove with one eye on the road, she tapped away on her phone and gave us updates from a couple fan friends of hers who were there already. "Ten girls are already at the venue."

  "What?" said Haley. "The show's not until tomorrow night!"

  "Maybe we should head there instead of going to the hotel," said Kim. I had a feeling she was kidding, but I was all for it.

  "It's only ten girls. I think we can sleep for a little bit," said Shelly.

  We continued on with our original plan of going to the hotel after Alex texted her friend back and asked her to keep us updated regarding the crowd size.

  Once Alex's driving shift was over, we stopped for some fast food and to stretch our legs. Then it was back in the car. Kim took over driving, and I took the back seat with Haley and Shelly. Only a few minutes into the drive, I missed the luxury of the front seat as my knees pressed into the driver's seat. I squirmed and tried to get comfortable in the small space I had without encroaching too much on Shelly in the middle seat. "Are we there yet?" No one laughed at my joke.

  Four hours later, and after another driver trade-off, we were somewhere in Ohio, and we were all tired, crabby, cramped, and ready to be asleep in our hotel beds. The only problem was that our hotel was nowhere to be found.

  I peeked over the seats at the papers Alex was now holding. "Check the directions again."

  "We followed the directions, but the last thing just says, 'turn on local roads.' Whatever that means."

  "What did that sign say that we just passed?

  Leganshwamp?" said Shelly, still stuck in the middle since she was the smallest one.

  Kim grabbed the directions from Alex while Haley wrung her hands on the steering wheel. She was a nervous driver to begin with, but being in unfamiliar territory made her even more on edge.

  "We need to stop and ask for directions," I said.

  "Stop where? This is all residential." Shelly made a sweeping motion with her hand toward the window.

  "I don't know. A gas station or something. These people need gas, too, right? Or maybe no one drives anywhere in Cleveland because they can't figure out how to get out of their freakin' neighborhood."

  Shelly twisted around in her seat, trying to look out the back window. "Let's just turn around. There was a gas station when we got off the highway."

  I threw my hands up. "That was like 10 miles ago!"

  "I think I see lights up there," said Haley.

  We pulled up to a dinky gas station, and Kim and I were nominated to go in and get directions to our hotel. A middle-aged couple stood at the counter ahead of us, buying some cigarettes and lottery tickets. They stepped aside and lingered when they finished their transaction.

  I set our printed-off directions on the counter with the lotto tickets under the glass and nudged the take-a-penny leave-a-penny tray with my ring finger to give myself room to write. "Hi, can you give us directions to the Holiday Inn Express?"

  The man behind the counter, who looked like he had a layer of gasoline on everything from his five o'clock shadow to underneath his fingernails, pulled out a map. Kim nodded at his directions as I wrote them down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the couple watching us.

  "We're going that way if you want to follow us," said the male customer.

  "Um..." I wondered if this was them being helpful or them being ax-murderish. "...Sure, why not." I regretted it as soon as the words came out of my mouth.

  "OK, we're in the gray car out there," said his lady companion. "We'll watch for you."

  Kim and I shuffled our feet back to the car and climbed in our respective sides. "Rachel's trying to get us killed."

  I rolled my eyes. "They seemed...fine. They offered to lead us in the right direction. The directions the gas station dude gave us were pretty complicated." I handed my scribbled piece of scrap paper to Alex. "Anyway, let's just let them lead us for a couple turns, then we'll wave and say we're fine."

  The girls went along with the plan although we all kept watch as the gray car pulled out in front of us from the gas station. After a few turns that corresponded with the directions we were given, Shelly said, "OK, do we know where we're going now? Let's lose them."

  Haley checked her blind spot and turned on her blinker.

  Kim rapped on her shoulder. "Don't use your blinker. Then they'll know where we're going."

  I rolled down the window, waved to the car next to us, and gave the thumbs up sign, hoping that they would get the picture that we were all set. We made our next turn and heaved a collective sigh of relief.

  "Uhh, guys," said Kim. "They're speeding up to us!"

  "Oh crap, we're gonna die," said Shelly.

  I patted the side of Haley's seat and held onto her headrest. "Go faster! I see the hotel! Pull in!"

  "No way, they're going to know that's where we're staying. Pull into the Econo Lodge next door and see if they follow us," said Shelly. I didn't mention that they already knew where we were staying, and Kim must've forgotten to bring that part up, too.

  Haley parked the car in the Econo Lodge parking lot, and we all twisted to look out the back window. The gray car slowed down but kept on driving. We watched in silence until it was too far for us to see the tail lights anymore, and then Haley moved the car into our actual hotel's lot. She loosened her death grip on the steering wheel. "I'm scared to get out."

  "It'll be fine," I said. "They're gone." Alex and Kim went inside to check us in while Haley, Shelly, and I unloaded the car.

  Inside our hotel room, we wound down from the excitement of the last 10 minutes by watching TV and modeling our outfits for the concert that night (since it was

  1 a.m.). We dropped an hour later.

  It felt like I had been sleeping for only minutes when the alarm went off at six o'clock. My body felt heavy, but my eyes popped open, and my heart raced when I remembered that today was the day. The day I got to meet some of the most important people in my life. With a sudden burst of energy, I flung the covers back and rummaged through my duffel bag for clothes and shower necessities. Haley cracked one eye to look at me from the next bed, but otherwise, no one else stirred.

  I lathered up, dressed, brushed my teeth, and then cleared out of the bathroom so that the next girl could use it. By then, Haley was out of bed and assembling her outfit and claimed the next bathroom time slot. Alex had gotten up from the floor and taken my spot in one of the queen beds, and she was asleep again with Shelly next to her, also still sleeping. Kim's eyes looked groggy, but she wore a wide grin. "We're gonna see the To
wners today!" She grabbed Haley's pillow and threw it at the other bed. Alex groaned when the pillow hit her across the back.

  I plopped on the ground in front of the full-length mirror to start on my makeup, knowing that I would be all ready to go before the next person got in the shower. By the time I finished curling my hair, Kim was on her way to the shower, and Alex and Shelly, who had showered the night before, were dressed. I looked behind me in the mirror as I unplugged my curling iron and saw Alex sitting in a daze, her makeup in her lap. It's gonna be a long day.

  By 7:10, we closed our hotel room door behind us, armed with tote bags stuffed with magazines to keep ourselves occupied all day, makeup for touch ups later, and bagels from the continental breakfast buffet. I offered to drive, and we noticed that Ohio was much easier to navigate in the daytime. We found the venue with no trouble. The 50 or so people lined up outside made it hard to miss. The building looked like what had once been an old church with the arched entryways and a steeple. It was ironic since we were all there to worship at the feet of our personal idols.

  "So much for front row," said Kim.

  We found a place to park on the street and joined the line forming on the sidewalk next to the venue. Then the waiting began. I shivered. We sat in a shadow, and the cement underneath us was cold without the sun beating on it. The forecast called for sunshine and temperatures in the mid 80s. I didn't plan for being cold. I hugged myself and rubbed my uppers arms. It would only be chilly for an hour or so. After that, I'd be glad I was wearing next to nothing.

  A girl in line ahead of us started singing an Out of Towners' song, and Kim joined in. The other three girls pulled out magazines while I people watched. Most of the other fans in line were girls our age or maybe a couple years younger. A lone guy sat amid them all, but he looked more like a bouncer than a fan with his burly build and stern expression. All the girls in front of him sat cross-legged on sleeping bags and wore hooded sweatshirts, which I assumed meant that they were the fans who camped out. I spotted Alex's fan friend near the front of the line. She was standing up, wearing pajama pants and holding a thermos between her hands. Next time, we'd have to be the smart fans and camp out.

  I tuned into Kim's conversation with the girls in front of us. They were talking about how they had been to the previous show on the tour and got the guys' autographs after the show. My stomach jolted at this information. I stretched my legs out in front of me and leaned back on my hands. It really was going to be a long day.

  Hours later, not much had changed. We had all finished all the magazines we brought and then introduced ourselves to the girls in front of us, and Alex had joined in exchanging Out of Towners experience stories. One of the girls told us she heard a rumor that Randy and his girlfriend were on the rocks, but then a girl behind us chimed in that she heard that his girlfriend was on tour with them. I didn't care either way except that I knew Haley was hoping the first rumor was the one that contained the truth.

  Some girls near the back of the line screamed. All five of us jumped up as a blue tour bus pulled around the corner and drove by right in front of us to the back of the building. I snapped my gaping jaw shut and smiled and waved at the blacked-out windows. The guys were probably still sleeping, but just in case they were up, I didn't want to look like a baby bird waiting for food. Part of the line disappeared as a horde of girls, including us, power-walked after the bus.

  Kim, in the front, spun around and pointed to the line. "Someone has to stay here and guard our spot!"

  The girls diverted their eyes and kept moving. I was the first one to break. "I'll just check it out for a few minutes then come back. Our spot will be fine."

  "OK, but I'm blaming you if it's gone."

  I seethed and bit the inside of my mouth. She was right, and I would be meeting the guys soon anyway. But the little sleep I had gotten had caught up with me hours ago, and I was in no mood. "I'll take that chance." I just wanted a glimpse.

  The bus was running in order to keep the stars inside cool in their air conditioning. Fewer than a dozen fans already stood by the door of the bus, but the majority of the other girls stayed in line, fearing their spots would be usurped. Half of the bus-watching fans wore jeans, T-shirts, and sneakers. There were a few other girls in skimpier outfits like ours, but I thought we had as good of a chance as any of them to be noticed.

  "Have they come off the bus yet?" I asked a nearby fan. She was short with wire-rimmed glasses and long frizzy hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Her T-shirt was an Out of Towners one from years ago, and she also wore baggy flared jeans and red converse sneakers. The girl clutched a large, rolled up piece of thick paper.

  "Jacob's on the bus, but Randy and Gabe are inside the venue. Randy and Gabe came off the bus right when it parked, but they didn't talk to anyone."

  She unrolled her scroll, and I peeked over her shoulder at the black and white ink drawing. "Hey, that's really good. You even got Randy's chest hair right."

  "I know, I just want to run my hands through it and lick it."

  I'd like to think not a whole lot can shock me, but that comment made my eyebrows jump up on my forehead. I grimaced at the girl and spun on my heel as the door of the tour bus opened, and we all stared at it to see who would emerge while we dug around our purses for our cameras. A grisly roadie clomped down the stairs.

  After a while without any action, I trudged away to hold our spot since I would be meeting the guys later, but I was still envious that they would get the first look. I peered over my shoulder every few steps in case I happened to see anything while walking back to the other side of the building. All the girls who had camped out were still in line, as was the one token guy, but most of the people between him and our spot were gone. I debated moving our stuff up, but I thought better of it. I would be pissed if someone did that to us. I took out my phone and stared at it, waiting for updates from the girls.

  Fifteen minutes later, still no updates. My back ached from sitting in one position on the hard cement for too long, so I tucked my feet underneath me and balanced on my right hip. Sweat pricked my underarms from the sun's heat and from anticipation of what was to come.

  Beep beep. My phone slipped out of my hands and dropped onto the sidewalk. I snatched it up, scraping my knuckles on the sidewalk in the process, and saw message from Kim. "OMG Randy. SO HOT."

  My chest tightened up as I typed back, "Yay! Keep details coming. It's boring up here."

  The next text was from Alex. "Gabe walked out, waved, went into venue. He's looking GOOD."

  I blushed in spite of myself and looked up to see if anyone was around to see me simpering at my phone. No one was paying attention. "<3 him," I texted back.

  I clutched my phone and hugged my knees to my chest, debating whether I should jump up and join them again or hold my ground. It didn't seem like any of the fans behind me were the line-jumping type, but I didn't want to take that chance. I checked my phone again. Nothing new.

  "Raaaaach!" From the front of the line, Kim bounded back to our spot. "I got Randy's autograph!" She held out the CD cover for me to see. "He's sooooooooo hot. He signed some autographs for a few people but then said they had to go inside for soundcheck. He was about to leave, but then I yelled his name, and he came back and signed mine!"

  The other three girls all looked pretty pleased.

  "Jacob only signed one autograph, but he touched my hand." Shelly's eyes glittered as she held out her blessed hand. We all squealed and grabbed at it to get the Jacob germs for ourselves.

  The rest of the fans in line returned to their spots, and the girls who had camped out stowed their sleeping bags. Then everyone squeezed together, forming a tighter line, ready for the doors open time, which was still a couple hours away. I checked the time on my phone and realized it was nearing when I was supposed to gather with the other fans for my meet-n-greet.

  "I gotta go, guys. Wish me luck."

  "Good luck!"

  A small group of fans were alread
y assembled by the will call window. "Meet-n-greet?" I asked them.

  A few of the girls grinned and nodded while bouncing on the balls of their feet. Some of the girls talked to each other while we waited, but I just shifted my weight from one foot to the other and willed my armpits to stop sweating. This is it.

  A middle-aged man with reddish-brown facial hair opened one of the glass double doors a few minutes later and stuck his head out. "You guys the meet-n-greeters?"

  "Yeah!" He held open the door, and I grabbed it and let myself in, propping the door until the girl behind me put her hand on it. Then, I rubbed my palms on the front of my jean skirt. Must not be sweaty when I shake the Towners' hands. We followed the man along the wall at the back of the large space where the concert was going to be and into an adjacent room. It didn't appear to be a backstage area since all there was in the room was a table and a couple folding chairs—not even enough chairs for the three members of the band to sit down, which meant that they'd be standing up at eye level.

  "Wait here," said the man.

  We squealed and grinned at one another. After less than a minute, three men came walking toward us. I couldn't believe I was standing this close to my idols. They were…life sized. My heart pounded, and I had to put my hand over it to make sure it wouldn't burst right out of my chest.

  Randy and Jacob both wore jeans, except Randy's were tight, and Jacob's were looser. With his jeans, Randy wore a plain white T-shirt and a scarf around his neck. Jacob had on a dark gray graphic tee of some sort. And then there was Gabe in tan corduroy pants and a white oxford shirt. His strawberry-blond hair was short and spiky, and he had the beginnings of a light blond five-o'clock shadow, which was barely noticeable unless you were staring right at him.

  Randy waved at us. "Hey guys."

  I melted, and my face burned.

  The guys didn't stand behind the table like I expected. They stood out in the open and let us swirl around them like vultures. Although my heart was still pounding, I didn't have the desire to shriek or cry or anything else teenyboppers are known for. I didn't even need to talk. I just wanted to be in the presence of these three men forever.