right person, wrong time. | alex turner & kat stratford

4

My hands flew to my mouth when I caught a full glimpse of his face. It was him. Alex Turner. As I was very close to the stage, we made eye contact. He appeared mortified and stumbled on the some of the notes on his guitar in response. As he sang, I caught him glancing at me frequently.

I recalled Alex singing some of his favourite tunes from Oasis or The Strokes back when we were in college. And he was very good. But this was on another level. I realized that I couldn't take it anymore. I swiftly tapped Bianca on the shoulder, who was swaying to the beat.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom if that's okay, I need a drink of water," I told her.

"Wait! But they're getting to the best-"

I had completely disappeared from the floor section before I was able to hear her finish.

I found myself trapped inside a washroom stall. The booming sounds of the music radiated the entire venue, even where I was trying to hide. I took out my compact mirror and gawked at my own reflection. Mascara had literally dripped from my eyes, all over my cheeks, causing a stained mess. I went to the bathroom mirrors and quickly tidied myself up.

He abandoned me. For fame. I kept on thinking.

I went to the concession area and bought two bottles of beer. It wasn't the strongest, but it had the most alcohol content of all the drinks that they were serving. I needed to numb my thoughts somehow. I sat on a bench, unscrewed both lids, and began chugging one after the other. I reminisced how back in my senior year of high school, I got wasted at a party in response to Bianca attempting to hook up with the guy who forcibly took my virginity back in the 9th grade. Between that memory and the emotions I was currently facing, I drank my thoughts away.

I didn't realize how much time had passed when I noticed Cam waiting in line at the concession. As he returned holding two margaritas, he saw me.

"Kat? Is that you?" he remarked. I could tell that he didn't recognize me for a second, possibly because I was staring down at my feet.

He sat next to me, and noticed the empty beer bottles situated nearby.

"Kat? Are you okay? You can tell me if something's bothering you."

I didn't respond. Since I was across the country when I was with Alex, my father and sister barely knew about it, let alone the full extent of my heartbreak. They didn't even know who the guy was. It wouldn't make sense if I told Cam about it.

"Kat? If you're not feeling well, we can always leave. I'm sure Bianca will understand."

I slightly snapped. "I'm fine, you guys can go enjoy! I'm just overwhelmed with my LSATs preparation, that's all."

Cam sighed and clicked the roof of his mouth with his tongue. "And that's the exact reason why we decided to take you here. So that you can enjoy yourself and not worry about that stuff. Look, there's still more than half of the show left. You should come back, it'll help ease your mind."

I hesitantly followed him back to our original spot. None of this changed the fact that Alex had betrayed me. I could barely fathom that idea, especially considering how good he was to me during our relationship.

When I arrived back at the pit, Alex saw me again and missed a couple of words from the song. I tried my best to avoid eye contact and pretended to enjoy the rest of the concert for the sake of Bianca and Cam.

Thoughts kept swirling around my head. The band that he had talked about years back was this. Alex had completely abandoned me for the sake of his band. I felt that it was as if our love didn't mean anything to him.

                                       •••

Dozens of concertgoers slowly began to exit the venue. The concert had ended, and I had barely been able to enjoy the music. My thoughts were just filled with Alex. I watched as the entire space continued to empty.

"Cam and I are going to get the car. Stay put, I'll send a text to tell you where to meet us when we get the car," said Bianca.

I smiled and nodded, and watched as they both disappeared into the crowd. I ogled at the people leaving the venue, until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see the bulky security guard staring at me.