rendezvous

5

I watch from the side of the stage as Jack does his set. The same one I had seen more than a month ago, but I was still mesmerized.  Everyone in the audience is looking at him like he was the center of the universe. The world suddenly revolved around Jack, and he knew it. He says good night to the thousands of people in the crowd and runs off the stage towards us. Sweat dripping off his forehead as he grabs a towel to wipe it off. 

"How was this show?" Jack asks me. "Was it still just alright?"

I shrug and try to look unimpressed. "It was better, could still use some work."

He rolls his eyes and laughs. "Stop the bullshit, you know you loved the show."

I offer him a smile, but before I can say anything to him his team rushes him, dragging him away to handle whatever it is that they need from him. I watch as he is dragged away until I lose sight of him. 

"Glad you guys could make it," Urban says walking up to us. "Hey Cassie." She shoots him a smile and the pair walk off together leaving me and Meg there by ourselves. We look at each other with a what are we going to do now look in our eyes. We begin to walk around in the backstage area until we come across an exit door. I push it open and the cool night air hits my face. A welcomed change from the hot and humid air inside the venue. I lean against the wall as Meg pulls out a joint she rolled before we got here. I watch her as she lights the blunt. The warm glow of lighter illuminates her face as she brings the joint to her face. 

"That's going to be you someday dude," she says as she passes me the joint. 

I take a long hit and hold it for as long as I can. Letting the smoke warm up my body. "I don't think I'd want it." 

"Bullshit. You were literally destined for this. I'm sure you'd be a better influence than people like Addison Rae and Bryce Hall. Those girls on the beach were proof that you could do this." She hits the blunt again as I pass it back to her. "It's not like you can change it now. Eyes are on you, you wouldn't have come here if you didn't want them." 

We finish the rest of the blunt in silence. The cold air nips at my nose. I let Meg's words settle in. I thought that I didn't want this. That I want to be normal, like everyone else. I suppose it doesn't help my cause when I showed up here, in the presence of a man that has everyone's eyes on him. All because I have some odd sense of hope that I could mean something to him. As the blunt winds down to be nothing but a filter we open the door that we came out of and head back inside. Cass and urban are standing against a wall with smiles on her face. Cass grabs Urban's hand and they let their hands rest at their sides. I've never seen my friend this enamored by a man. 

"They're really hitting it off huh?" a voice says from beside me. I jump in surprise and see Druski standing next to me. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you." He lets out a laugh and looks down at me. "I'm Drew."

"I'm Gen, this is Meg." He shakes both of our hands and I notice that his gaze lingers on Meg. He's in luck, she loves funny guys. She's constantly sending me his Tiktoks praising how good his skits are.