As Told By Nerdy

Chapter 38 - Concert

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Chapter 38 – Concert

“LEON! LEON! LEON!!!”

The mass of fans—mostly composed of teen girls—chanted accompanied by overwhelming cheers and screams of excitement. I swept my eyes around me and was overwhelmed by how jam-packed Staples Center had become. There was not one empty seat that the venue looked inadequate no matter how spacious it was.

Through the dark domed hall, strobes of colorful lights flashed everywhere from the high ceiling, making the cries even louder. From the seats up the left and right bleachers, I could see differently colored luminous bracelets waving in the air while plaque cards were raised above the countless thrilled bobbing heads.

One read: I love you Leon! Another said Marry me Leon and a lot of Leon’s name with hearts and kiss marks all over them.

Becky held my arm and leaned over to yell something to my ear.

“What… Leon… say… go?” was all I could make out through the rumbling uproar of anticipation. I didn’t need to ask twice because I already knew what she meant.

I interlaced my hands on my lap and stared at them for a while as Leon’s words resounded in my head.

“Don’t go backstage no matter what happens. Louella will arrange everything you’re going to need.” He said before leaving earlier. There was something about his eyes that left an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. He was keeping something from me that Louella was aware of.

Speaking of Louella, she couldn’t be found anywhere after making sure that we were seated in the front row. Even she reiterated twice to do as Leon said.

When I told Becky, she just shook her head and threw me an apologetic look. I managed a small smile and closed my eyes sighing deeply, trying my best to ignore the deafening shouts and the commotion all around me.

From the front row where we were seated, the brightly lit stage dazzled my eyes. In the middle of the platform’s back panels, a colossal display screen flashed a presentation of Leon’s pictures, most of which were caught in action with a background music of his hit song Be Mine.

It struck me how different he appeared in those photos where his broad happy smiles didn’t quite touch his eyes.

At some point, I questioned whether I really knew him. I couldn’t help but think about his parsimonious smiles, how his crystal eyes widened and that habit of scratching his brow when he was caught in surprise.

Just then, the stage dimmed and the crowd started cheering and chanting his name. A soft piano melody filled the air, drowning the rumbling noise of the antsy spectators. The familiar melody picked up a mellow beat and after a few moments, Leon’s brilliant voice resounded against the four walls of the spacious dome.

Look at me before I forget how your eyes shimmer

You’re unreachable, incredible, despicable in my eyes

It was that song in the CD he gave me.

Invisible to You.

The display monitor in the very center of the stage was the only source of light in the auditorium and Leon was nowhere to be found.

 Leon Walden — Kismet

Those words—the concert title— flashed on the screen, rendering a dull expectant silence as his mellow voice sung through the second verse of the song.