-K.&M.
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Later that night…
I pushed my back to the wall hoping not to be seen and held my breath. The group passed me and continued with their conversation, oblivious to the silent intruder.
I pushed my back to the wall hoping not to be seen and held my breath. The group passed me and continued with their conversation, oblivious to the silent intruder.
I strained my ears to listen as they disappeared down the hall. My head started to spin and I remembered I was holding my breath. I let the air out suddenly and I felt dizzy.
Stepping out from the wall I dashed around the corner. That was a mistake. The dizziness had not subsided and the sudden movement disoriented me more. Walls blended with the ceiling and the floor twisting my stomach along with them. My legs went weak and I started to fall.
Strong arms wrapped around me. “Whoa! Are you ok?”
I looked up into a pair of big brown eyes and gasped. My hand flew to my mouth and I tried to pull away.
“Hey, hey. Slow down, it’s ok.” Joe Jonas reassured me. “Let’s just sit down over here.”
He led me to a wall and helped me sit on the floor. Then he crouched in front of me, “Are you ok?”
“I…” The words were small and weak. “Ya. I’m ok.”
“How does your head feel?”
I stared at him with amazement and embarrassment. How did he know I hit my head? Did he see that? Clearly the shock shown on my face because he laughed.
“The blood is just starting to dry.” He said as he inspected near my hair line.
“Do you feel well enough to walk?”
“I think so.” Was my feeble reply.
Joe slid his arm around under mine and hoisted me to my feet.
“Where are we going?” I suddenly asked, realizing I should not be there.
“To clean you up.”
We walked down the deserted hall in the same direction as the group had gone. I sunk my feet into the ground. “Where are we going?” I repeated.
He paused, confused at my reluctance for his help.
“My dressing room. We can clean you up and the go from there.” He started down the hall again, effortlessly dragging me with him. Clearly my effort to stop him would have been futile and he must have only stopped out of confusion. He had to support almost all of my weight and I realized I had to limp on my right foot.
We stopped for a moment outside a door with his name on it and then he led me inside. The room was small and cozy. There was a vanity on one wall next to a sink and a small door that led to the toilet. In the middle of the room there was an arm chair, a sofa, and a small coffee table.
Once we were in side Joe led me to the vanity and lifted me onto it. I sat and watched him as he gathered first aid items. Setting a pile of things next to me he smiled. “My room is always fully stocked with this kind of stuff.”
I laughed but cringed from the pain it caused my head. I could tell it was split open.
Joe was standing in front of me with a peroxide soaked wash-cloth. “This is gonna sting a bit.” He said as he put his free hand against the back of my head. He placed the cloth to my head and I cringed away from the pain and let out a gasp but his hand held me steady.
Gently he whipped the blood from my face and cleaned the gash in my forehead. “Looks like you took a pretty hard hit.” He commented as he placed a piece of sealing tape across it to hold the skin closed.
“Well,” I clenched my teeth as he placed another piece of tape. “That is a real soft spot on me. A year ago a girl hit me in the head with a golf club and that’s where I split open.”
His eyes were wide. “A girl hit you in the head with a golf club? Like, on purpose?”
“No, no. It was a P.E. accident. Standing to close and all.” I said with a smirk. It wasn’t the first time I heard that one.
“Oh.” He laughed.
His laughter was infectious and even though I fought it I giggled.
After the brief laughing spell was over, Joe helped me off the counter. I tried to stand but the pain in my right foot shot up my leg like a fireball. My breath caught in my throat and I drew my leg up, almost falling over again. This time the vanity behind me steadied me, though Joe’s hands hovered around my shoulders.
“To the couch.” He said as he led me to the small sofa. He sat on the table facing me. “Let’s see that foot.”
I slid my tennis shoe off obediently but hesitated. Hoping my foot didn’t smell I placed it on his knee and bit the inside of my cheek. Joe pulled off my white sock and I was immediately glad I had cut and painted my toenails this morning. Still, I tended to hate my feet.
Lightly Joe ran his fingers along my foot from the ankle down. I shuddered at the pain.
“I think you broke you foot.” He said
I grimaced. That would be hard to explain to mom.
“You know what I just realized. I don’t know your name.”
“It’s Tristan.”
“Hum. That’s an interesting name. I like it.” He paused. “Well, Tristan, I would like to know how all this happened to you at one of my concerts.”
How was I to explain what happened? Should I lie? Finally truth won. I told Joe how I got separated from my friends and how I ended up beaten and in the hallway were he found me. When I was done I watched his face to see if he would believe me.
After what seemed like an eternity he shook his head. “What a strain of luck.”
“Luck?” I laughed. “Ya, real luck.”
“Well, lucky I came along when I did.” He smiled.
Gulping down a breath of air, I blushed as he looked at me. I was just realizing how good looking he really was. It felt strange staring at a pop star and felling comfortable around him.
“What were the names of the friends you lost?”
His question brought my thoughts back to reality. “Oh my God! My friends! I completely forgot!”
He was already at the phone and dialing. “Ya. Can I have you page some girls? Ya. I need them escorted to lounge please. Their names,” He looked to me.
“Katie Holladay, Melissa Holly, Mersades Perez, and Mary Jeffrey.”
He repeated each name as I said it then thanked the person on the phone and hung up. Returning to me, he helped me put my sock and shoe back on. Then he lifted me up and helped me to the door.
I needed him to support me as I walked and it made me feel like such a wimp.
As we headed down the hallway I tried to support myself more and forced myself to walk nearly on my own.
Now that I was with Joe I was less fearful about the fact that I wasn’t allowed to be backstage but the closer to the lounge we got the more nervous I grew. When we got there I was thankful Joe entered ahead of me. I heard a large group greeting him and one of his brothers yelled something about him being late again.
“Sorry guys, I got held up a bit.” I heard him explain.
He reached back and pulled me up next to him. The group of people seemed to notice me for the first time. I gulped as I stared around the now silent room. The room was larger than Joe’s dressing room but was similarly furnished. There was a couch, arm chair, coffee table, and many assorted folding chairs arranged in the center of the room. Along the back wall stretched a long cabinet with a large lighted mirror.
People leaned against the cabinet and sat in the folding chairs. Perched on the back of the couch was Kevin Jonas and sitting to one side of it was Nick. All eyes were on me.
“This is Tristan.” Joe explained.
Nick looked at Joe with questions and concerns showing on his face.
I felt the sudden urge to explain. I dropped my eyes and spoke. “I’m so sorry. I got separated from my friends…” I started my story with the felling that this wouldn’t be the last time I told it. When I got to the part where Joe found me he interrupted.
“Then I took her and got her cleaned up and now we came here.” Joe said as he stepped further into the room. He stopped and turned, waiting for me to follow.
Nick smiled and patted the couch next to him so I hobbled towards him. I had almost got there but stepped down to hard and started to fall again. This time I was caught from both sides. Joe had caught one of my arms and Nick the other.
Nick’s eyes were genuine, “Are you ok?”
I smiled, wondering how many times that would be repeated. “I’m fine.”
They sat me down on the couch next to where Nick was sitting. Nick sat next to me and Joe plopped down in the arm chair. As soon as he was seated everyone relaxed and normal conversations started. No one seemed bothered by my presence any more. I sat there awkwardly and was surprised when Kevin included me in their conversation.
“What do you think, Tristan?”
“What?” I wasn’t listening.
“What do you think about ‘The Kill’?”
“The what now?”
“’The Kill’? By 30 Seconds to Mars?” Kevin raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve never… heard of it…” I scrunched my face.
“You what?!” Joe leaned forward, his eyes wide.
“Well if you had asked me about Beowulf, Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, or even Twilight I would have been able to give you a sufficient opinion based on the text…”
Kevin cut me off, “So if I had asked your opinion on Romeo, you would have had an answer?”
Joe shook his head. “Wait. You’re telling me you read instead of listening to music?”
“No. I never said that,” I laughed, “I just don’t listen to that music. I eat, sleep, and breathe music. I am at one of your concerts…”
“Oh. Ok.” Joe relaxed.
“But anyway,” Kevin interceded. “If I had asked you your opinion on Romeo, what would you have said?”
I smiled smugly. We had entered my comfort zone and I was confident in my answers. “I would have dove into my theories about the truth behind Romeo’s character, and how I believe that the tragic end of the play was Shakespeare’s excellent endeavor for cruel parody on life.”
“Well then,” Kevin nodded thinking, “I would have had to ask you to explain further.”
I laughed. “Well…” I didn’t get to finish my thought, because just then the door opened. “Katie!” I jumped at her as she walked through the door.
I cleared the room with unusual ease and wrapped my arms around my anxious faced friend. Her arms wrapped around me and I heard her sigh in relief. More than one person was now hugging me and I laughed as the pulled away and started to examine me.
I was showered with a bunch of questions about how I was and as I simply
answered that I was fine.
A soft squeak erupted from my near side. I looked to my left and saw Melissa’s shocked face. She was staring into the room. The others turned to see what she did and all gasped as well.
Joe jumped up and walked over. “Hi. I’m Joe.” He extended his hand to Mersades.
It looked as though she might faint but she took his hand and managed a mumbled hello.
I laughed and again caught myself feeling at ease. “This is Melissa, Katie, Mary, and Mersades.” I pointed to each in turn and they all gave small hellos. “Guys, this is Joe, Kevin, and Nick Jonas. And a bunch of other people I don’t know the names of.”
The room erupted with laughter.
“Come in and join us.” Joe smiled at us.
I glanced at Katie then to my watch and bit my lip. “Can we make it home in four hours?”
“No.” Melissa said.
“Five, I think. If we don’t stop.” Mersades offered.
I looked up at Joe. “We can only stay for a few more minutes. We have to have Katie home by 4.”
“Well darn. If you hang out a little bit longer we can walk you to your car, but we have to let the crowd die down.” Nick smiled.
Joe’s smile grew as if he had been hit by a brilliant idea. “Or…” he paused. “I could bring their car around the back.”
A man that was apparently their father spoke up, “You can’t drive their car Joe. But we can have it brought back here. Where are you guys parked?”
“Section C, row eight, four cars in. It’s the green Buick Regal. And Melissa is parked two cars down from that. It’s a blue Jetta.” Melissa and I got our keys out and handed them to a man that dashed forward.
He left through the back and Kevin laughed at my troubled face. “He’s a good driver. Your car will be fine.”
“Oh.” I sighed, embarrassed the concern showed on my face.
They invited us to sit while we waited. I went to the couch and sat next to Nick again and was amused when all four of my friends squeezed in next to me. Kevin had pulled up and empty chair and sat next to the end.
Kevin started up conversation again and soon my friends were adding their thoughts, if only in small, shy voices. In no time we were all laughing.
Kevin started up conversation again and soon my friends were adding their thoughts, if only in small, shy voices. In no time we were all laughing.
The man returned after bring our cars around. We thanked him and stood to leave. Joe insisted that they walk us out and we timidly agreed.
We reached our cars laughing and Melissa and Mary agreed to meet us at a fast-food restaurant that was half way home. I tossed my keys to Katie and she hopped into the driver’s seat.
Joe was standing next to me and I noticed Nick and Kevin had fallen back.
“So.” Joe said. “I hope your foots ok.”
“It will be, I’m sure.” I said shyly.
Joe ran his hand through his hair. He looked kind of awkward and shy. Which was exactly how I felt. “Um… Can I have your number?”
“Oh…” I was shocked. “Ya. Of course.”
I pulled a pen from my bag but he stuck his hand out with his phone in it.
“Just put it in here.” He said. “Do you want mine?”
“Ya.” I answered quickly. I handed him my phone as we walked around to my side of the car. By the time we reached the passenger door I had already entered my name and number.
“Here.” I handed his phone back to him.
He handed mine back and smiled at me. “Well, I’ll talk to you later, then.”
“Bye.” I said weakly. I waved to Nick and Kevin, then got in the car with Katie and Mercedes.
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My eyesight wasn’t in the best condition, but it was my turn to drive. I wasn’t looking forward to it, driving most of the way home from Los Angeles. Tristan had dragged me here to see a Jonas Brothers concert. Mersades was with us too, but she came willingly.
Concerts…yeah, not exactly my place, just like dances and large parties don’t agree with my head and emotional stability. It’s these kinds of places that make me feel an endless pressure on my head and I just want, with all my heart, to leave. They cause me to feel the evil of the world…I don’t feel safe.
So, Tristan nominated me for the return trip, figuring that I would be the one most set on getting home. Not to mention that she couldn’t have driven anyway, being that she had a broken foot.
But I couldn’t see. My contacts were blurred and beginning to fold in on themselves having been in my eyes way too long. My plan, so we wouldn’t die, was to pull over in the next possible place and replace my contacts with my glasses. Currently, I was stuck behind a long line of cars waiting to go through a stoplight.
Finally the cars in front of me began to move and as I picked up speed the lights of the city began to swirl in an array of colors. I was coming up to the light as it turned yellow, but I was going to drive through it anyway. Then my contact in my right eye gave out. I was forced to close my eyes due to the pain and sudden obstruction of my vision. I had to force one open and what I saw was my car coming quickly toward a person crossing the street.
I slammed on the brakes just as they jumped back, staggering, with their hand landing on the nose of the car for support.
I glanced up to see that the light had already turned red.
When I looked down again the person I almost killed was gone.
Suddenly, there was a tapping on my window and I jumped. The car shook with laughter. I figured it was who had almost been crushed and so I began to roll down my window exclaiming, “I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” while I ripped out my contacts.
“My stupid contacts went psycho.” I finished dropping them out of the window.
“I’m fine.” came the reply, the voice dripping with a British accent.
I looked up at my potential victim and was face to face with Robert Pattinson.
His right arm was resting on the top of the car door with his forehead pressed against it. His left was laid in the inside. His stance was casual, his smile sly.
My hand flew to my mouth and I gasped, then spoke through it.
“Oh my goodness. I am so sorry.” I said again, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
He bit his lower lip as his eyes darted away as though he were deeply considering the question.
“Uh, yeah.” he said turning back to me.
Then he continued to stand there staring at me and I couldn’t help but stare back.
There was more laughter. I wanted to make it stop, but wasn’t bothered enough to turn around. His eyes appraised me, light blue with a green tint, swirling in depth and warmth.
Between us there was silence, then I blinked breaking the spell.
Robert turned away again, looking around himself for a second then looking at my confused expression with a confident smile.
“Can I have your number?” the sentence was quick and somewhat mumbled, so
I wasn’t sure if that’s what I had heard.
“What?” I asked. The laughing had stopped.
“Can I have your number?” he repeated.
I blinked a couple of times before it fully registered.
“Uh, yeah. Sure.” I replied reaching for my bag.
I pulled out a piece of paper and pen and began to write as a horn was honked behind me.
“Crap.” I said once I saw that the light was now green.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Robert calmly hold up his hand telling the person to wait.
“I don’t have a cell phone,” I explained as I finished, “So it would either be me or Tristan who’d answer.”
I handed the paper to him and began to cautiously drive away.
He looked it over and then called, “Hey, what’s your name?”
“Katie, Katelyn, Nicole. Whichever you prefer.” I called back and then we were gone.
It was silent as I rolled up the window. Then Tristan and Mersades exploded causing me to cringe for a second.
I laughed a little too, loosening the knot in my stomach slightly.
“Shut up you guys.” I said, feeling my face grow hot.
“Oh-my-God!” they both exclaimed.
“You almost killed Robert Pattinson!” Tristan said.
“Yeah, he was traumatized.” I retorted.
“You gave him your number?!” Mersades said in disbelief.
“Well, how could I have said no?” I answered. “And I can’t believe he asked for it.”
“I don’t know, just…wow.” she replied.
“Yeah…wow.” Tristan agreed. “It could have been just to sue her though.” she added.
That made me laugh, “Oh man I’m gonna lose everything.” I moaned sarcastically.
Even though I acted that way I was genuinely a bit worried that that had been the case.
They continued to tease me the entire way home.
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