Boredom Stories

Living the Dream -Rowan

I can feel the floor vibrating throughout the building. The high pitched hum of the air conditioning mixed with the screams of the girls in their seats.

My hand holds to the back of Lou's upper arm as she leads me down the hallway. I feel the stiff hairspray keeping my hair curled and pulled back on my head. I love the soft cling of my dress to my skin and the lace on my shoulders. It swishes against my knees and I've been told it's a royal blue.

"Are you ready for this?" Lou asks me.

"Another night doing what I love and hoping I don't fall of stage? Of course I'm ready." I laugh. I push my sunglasses up my noise, feeling the edges across my face. I rub my fingers over the small diamonds encrusted on the corners of my glasses.

We turn a corner and I can hear the shouts and cheering getting louder. I lick my lips and feel the lipstick covering them.

"Lou," I say with a little panic in my voice. "Where are my earplugs?"

"It's okay bud. Stop walking." She tells me. I stop in my tracks and I let go of her arm as she turns around to face me. "Hands out." I obey and put my hands out, cupped together. She puts something in my hands. "That's your earplug for your left ear."

I take a moment to pop it in my ear. "And?" I ask, putting my hands back out.

"And this is your earbud and microphone set little Miss Impatient." She puts it in my hands and starts moving behind me. "As usual, I'm just putting on your battery pack. We don't need to make a scene like that first night." She clips the pack on my back and I laugh.

"You learn fast to remember I can't tell what you're doing." I smile.

"True that sister!" She replies and I laugh some more. "Alright, let's keeping walking." She moves in front of me and I grab her arm again. We start moving again, the screaming getting ever louder.

"James will be on stage right?" I ask, running through my little check list.

"Stage left actually. He'll be on your left when you rise up on stage. And you'll be on stage wh--"

"When I hear the click. Thanks Lou." I smile.

"Not a problem bud." She replies as we turn again. "Step down. Six steps."

I put my foot down and slip it until I feel the edge of the step. One, two, three, four, five, six, normal floor.

Ah, stairs. The reason I can't wear heels on stage.

The screaming seems unbearably loud but I can manage with my earbuds.

"Alright bud. Stop walking." I do as I'm told. "You're on the platform. You're going up in three, two--"

"One." I whisper to myself as the platform starts rising.

I hear the screams become clearer and clearer until I hear the familiar click.

Two steps forward. Deep breath. Start waving. Let's go.

"How's everybody doing tonight?!"