Chapter 22

“Hi!” Richie’s voice cracked as Gabrielle Xu stepped before him. Of course she was pretty. Obviously she was pretty. Holy shit was she pretty! He forced a smile through his red-faced embarrassment.

“Hey, glad you came out to the show,” Gabrielle said, in a way she hadn’t spoken wading through the nittering wading pool of teenage girls.

“Yeah, um, this is Caitlin,” he said, struggling for a thought.

“Oh my god!” Caitlin grinned, “That dress is amazing!”

“Wait till you see how the skirt flies during Rainstorm,” Gabrielle gave a half twirl.

“That’s just my favorite song!” Caitlin said, brightly. Lying clearly to Richie’s ears.

“It’s pretty great,” Richie added. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“But not your favorite?” she asked.

“I like Where Are You?,” he said. That was the song he had lost his virginity to. Harper had been nervous and it had taken a couple hours of foreplay, which in itself had been awesome. The spotify playlist had been on repeat. It was the fifth time the song had played.

It had also been the song Harper had started the playlist on.

Gabrielle tilted her head and hid behind a smile as she looked over Richie.

“You said my biggest fan wasn’t here,” she said.

“Caitlin’s best friend, who is also my girlfriend, couldn’t make it,” Richie said. “I’d gotten these tickets for her, but she’d have not wanted me to miss out.”

“Oh, is she alright?”

Richie’s face went a bit ashen.

“She’s not dead? Oh I’m so–”

“She’s not dead!” Richie barked quickly. The whole room was silently watching them now.

“Oh, well,” Gabrielle asserted her smile. “I know. How about I record a quick message for her? I’m sure she’d appreciate it, right?”

“She’d be head over heels for it,” Richie said. Caitlin had her phone out. Everyone else had gotten selfies. Richie stayed still, holding the last bagged bean, a crushed powdered mess, in his left fist.

“What’s her name?”

“Harper,” Caitlin answered when Richie’s throat caught.

“Great!” Gabrielle put down her water bottle behind Richie. Absently, she laid the cap inverted on the mouth. Caitlin clicked record on the selfie camera and handed it to Gabrielle. Gabrielle stepped against Richie’s side and held the phone so it recorded down on the pair of them.

“He~ey Harper! I’m so sorry you couldn’t make it tonight. I am so~oo thrilled to meet your boyfriend, Richie and your best friend Caitlin! I’m gonna show them a great time tonight and hope you get better soon! Lots of love!”

Gabrielle blew a kiss, panned the camera across Caitlin and Richie’s faces before posing with a peace sign salute.

“That was incredibly sweet of you,” Richie said. His eyes flicked to the water and back to Gabrielle’s face. “I can’t monopolize your time, lots of fans to click pictures with.”

“You’re gonna enjoy the show, or are you gonna look more and more miserable?” Gabrielle flicked Richie in the chin. He smiled.

“I’m gonna enjoy the show,” Richie said.

“And if he gets all mopey, I’ll kick him up into gear,” Caitlin promised with a side hug against Richie.

“Excellent!” Gabrielle said. “Hi~ii!” She had moved onto the next girl. Caitlin watched her ass. Richie’s eyes went to the water bottle once more. His eyes then immediately went up the gorilla bodyguard who snatched it up and stepped away from the crowd.

“She’s really nice,” Caitlin said, leaning in and whispering into Richie’s ear. “When do you make the play?”

Gabrielle was walking back to the dressing room. Pete flanked beside her.

“That poor girl!”

“The Indian with cancer? Miserable, poor thing.”

“What?” Gabrielle asked. “Oh, that was a wig wasn’t it? Um, no, well, yes that is sad. I meant the, uh, girlfriend of Richie.

“Ricky? Mikey’s wife beater?” Pete said.

“No, he isn’t,” Gabrielle said. “And his name is Richie. Chuh.”

“Right, Richie and his girlfriend. I guess a car crash is pretty shitty,” he said, frowning and not saying aloud, but it’s not cancer.

“Her name is Caitlin,” Gabrielle corrected. “And she’s not the girlfriend. She’s sort of the friend of the girlfriend.”

“I don’t follow,” Pete said, as they reached the change room doors.

“He’s got this girlfriend, Harper. She was the Gabrielle Xu fan,” Gabrielle said, picking up a fresh water bottle and sipping a little before putting it down at her makeup table. The stylist ran up and double checked her work. Gabrielle kept talking. “You saw Caitlin. Well the other girl in the car couldn’t even make it here tonight. Caitlin’s best friend. Richie’s girlfriend.”

“Hey, Gabby! Go! Go! Go!” Jacob drummed his hands across Gabrielle’s shoulders and started herding backup dancers.

“Keep an eye on those two Pete?” she said. “He’s feeling kinda guilty without Harper.”

Pete nodded. That kid had one hell of a sob story if he had Gabrielle tied around his finger already. He sighed and nodded. He was on backstage pass duty anyways. They could look, but sooner or later, he might have to wave in one of the female staff to drag a young teen back from the curtain.

“Excellent!” she hopped out of her chair, put the cap upside down on her water bottle, and aimed for the stage. She punched her hands in the air, amping herself up, and cheered. “Let’s break everyone’s legs!”

Oksana’s steering wheel was slick with sweat. She didn’t feel she could control the vehicle well. Another loud honking car passed her for going fifteen under the limit. Frankie sat in the passenger seat, wearing a seatbelt and all but strangling his rat. He was slunk down, his ass off the seat and his knees up on his chest, doing his best to be unseen as he looked out the window.

“You’re going the wrong way,” he said. “Go that way!”

“That’s the fucking pond! The bridge around it is this way,” Oksana said.

“Just get there!” he grumbled, and brandished his rat at her.

Oksana fully stopped at every red light. She didn’t have the conviction to drive her dad’s car into a tree the way Caitlin had. She hoped that she was making enough a nuisance that the police would pull her over.

Would he just get out and run?

Please! Please! Please!

“Are you making him happy?”

“Who?” Oksana said.

“Richie,” Frankie scoffed. “You said you were a lesbo when I asked you out. Did you learn to suck dick good? You’re not wasting his time are you?”

“I–Fuck off!” she growled. “Seriously, you think I’m gonna help get you off?”

“No,” Frankie said. “I’m not gonna let you cheat on Richie.”

Oksana looked in the rearview mirror. She couldn’t will flashing police lights to appear.

“So were you lying about being a lesbo to me–”

“A lesbian! I’m a lesbian. Not a lesbo! A lesbian.”

“Shit, whatever,” Frankie said. “I didn’t call you a dyke.”

“Oh thank you! So much!”

“You’re welcome,” Frankie mumbled. “Whatever, but your Richie’s lesbian, right? I’m sure he doesn’t just use you to lick that cute little black chick of his.”

“Uh,” Oksana shook his head. “He kinda likes that too.”

“Yeah, but you got big titties! You’re keeping him from those are you?”

“I fuck Richie! Yes, I do, OK? And he likes it. And ... And ... He likes my boobs, yes. I’m getting better. I’m not a whore like Caitlin or something.”

“Caitlin’s the black girl?”

“The redhead,” Oksana said. The one who drove you into a fucking tree. But Oksana couldn’t will herself to do the same.

“Shit? That girl better not be driving Richie around tonight. She’s fucking terrible at it,” Frankie said. “Now go that way! He’s that way!”

“It’s a one way street! I gotta go to Townsend and make that turn!” Oksana snapped.

A speeding horn blared by them. He shushed his rat and stroked its head. Oksana kept her eyes off of the pair of them.

Security escorted the meet ‘n greeters to their seats in the front rows. The stadium was a QMJHL hockey rink. The ice had been cleared and rubber mats had been rolled out over the concrete. Rows of chairs face the stage backed by seating sections one and two.

The stadium was already at a low rumble. The opening act was lined up behind the black curtains to come out and play. Richie couldn’t remember their name. He was certain he had never heard one song of theirs.

“I thought they had gone on before Gabrielle came out to see us?” Caitlin asked, yelling lips to ear to be heard over the background noise. It was like a nightclub, but the music hadn’t started yet.

Six thousand people, talking at once, had driven in for hours to see one of the few big shows that would come this far out into the sticks. Lights clunked on, spotlighting the stage. Five young, teens and twenty-somethings, came out carrying guitars and bases. There were two raised platforms, left and right, that held big drum sets. They weren’t lit up. A third rolling set came out and a tall skinny carrot top kid, probably the youngest of the five sat down and started a low rumble.

“Hello Canada!” A screeching bassist, hot as fuck with a swish of neon green hair shouted into her microphone.

The crowd started to rumble up as the first riff hit.

“You’re the only one sitting down!” Caitlin yelled again.

Richie looked up. He had Caitlin’s phone in hand. The sealed baggie was pressed against its back. The video of Gabrielle played.

He couldn’t hear it. The sound was low and the show was starting.

“No I’m not,” he shouted back into Caitlin’s ear.

“She’s in a wheelchair! C’mon they sound good! And I wanna show you off!”

She dragged him up. He did so. Caitlin bounced and danced as the group rocked. Richie would have to remember their name. Had they said it? It was probably on his ticket stub.

He was looking down at the phone again.

He pressed play again.

He would never get to show this to Harper.

The twenty minute opening set came and went in an eyeblink. Caitlin was sweaty and hugged him hard.

“They got me so~oo ready to go!” she said.

“Oh? Why?”

“Did you see the girl on bass? I just had to imagine what you could do with her!” She giggled madly.

Richie looked around. The whole stadium was buzzing with energy. The openers had done their job.

“You want a quickie in the bathroom?” Caitlin said, pleading. “If I don’t calm down, one look at Gabrielle and I’ll squirt all over the floor.”

She grabbed his neck and pleaded leaning off of him.

Richie grinned.

Yeah, that’s what he needed! Caitlin was incredible. Caitlin was his. Caitlin was ready to go. He put her phone into his pocket, squishing the already pulverized bean between it and his own. Caitlin squealed brightly as he dragged her by the hand.

They had ten minutes before Gabrielle hit the stage.

Ten minutes was enough time to purge his demons.

Why did he have to keep thinking about it?

They stepped around the girl in a wheelchair. Passed by the dad and his daughter. Didn’t hear the “I know what you guys’re gonna do!” singsong from Denise, the excited bully who had knocked down Marley the twin.

He wouldn’t have denied it. Caitlin would’ve bragged.

They cut out through the back end. Now what? Go to the absolutely packed public washrooms for a quickie? He wouldn’t risk getting caught in the ladies room. He’d have to bring Caitlin into the men’s room. There wasn’t a line.

“Hey,” the security goon said.

“What?” Richie came to a stop. It wasn’t the gorilla with the badges. It was the polar bear who had been on top of Gabrielle’s water.

“Oh god! The line!” Caitlin moaned.

“Don’t wanna miss the show, huh?” He said. “Special treatment,” he said, pointing at Caitlin’s badge. He aimed them down a short hall.

It wasn’t the dressing room, there was another goon there and backstage access, wasn’t personal space access. They passed the meet and greet room as Caitlin gleefully dragged them into a small public washroom, across from a third goon. He flicked his eyes at the badges.

“Six minutes,” he told them. “You don’t want to miss her show.”

“Yeah, the show!” Caitlin laughed. “That’s half the reason we came here!”

He frowned, confused at her. She dragged Richie into the washroom.

“Hey Darren, switch spots?” Pete asked, coming down a second after Richie and Caitlin.

“Your babysitting charges just went in for a quickie before the show,” Darren pointed. “I thought you were covering for Mikey.”

“Yeah, someone has to. Why not Darren?” Pete said.

“Sure,” Darren said. “Don’t get trampled. Jacob herds them out as a stampede.”

“I’ve been doing this as long as you,” Pete said.

“Right,” Darren said. He jogged around the corner and down to the end of the hallway. “Hey! Hey! Passes? OK, sorry, can’t let you back here. Besides, you wanna get to your seats, show’s about to start!”