The Save Game

Chapter 9

"I'm not sure how I feel about this shirt." Sal turned to Allison, waiting for her opinion.

"For the stage, or for meet and greets?" She asked, cocking her head to the side as she studied the shirt.

"Both?" He said unsure.

"It works." She nodded. "I don't think they'll be looking at your shirt anyway." She touched the stubble that he kept on his face. "They'll be too busy getting lost in your eyes. And probably telling you how you can do much better than me."

Sal pulled her into him and kissed her.

"There is no one better than you." He reassured her.

Sal only released her because he heard the familiar ring tone that signaled that Joe was calling.

"Hello?" He winked at her and walked to the window. "Yeah, I just need like five minutes." He said. "Okay. Yeah, we'll meet you in the lobby. Yeah." Sal hung up the phone. "Ready?" he asked her.

Allison nodded. She was nervous because she didn't know what to expect but excited to finally see Sal and the others perform live.

"Here," he picked up one of his suit jackets from the back of a chair and handed it to her. "Sometimes it's cold in the venue. This is the only jacket I brought. Sorry."

"It's fine. Thanks." She folded it across her arms and held it close to her.

Joe and Bessy stood talking to Murr and Q when Allison and Sal joined them.

"Where's Jackie?" Allison asked Bessy.

"She's on her way down now. Something with the babysitter back home." Bessy shrugged.

When Jackie had joined them, Joe led the way outside to a large tour bus.

"We thought it'd be better if we could all go and leave together. Especially with the way the airport was." Joe said.

"Agreed." Q, Murr and Sal all said simultaneously.

"We always try to get to the venue early, to beat the fans, but sometimes there are people waiting hours before the show starts." Sal told her as they settled onto a bench seat next to the window. "Just stick close to me."

Allison nodded.

When they pulled up to the back of the building, there was only one person standing there. Allison felt relieved and started to relax.

Joe and Bessy walked off first, followed by Q and Jackie, then Sal and Allison and finally Murr.

Allison clung to the jacket that Sal had given her with one hand and his arm with the other.

When the door to the venue opened, the screams from the fans gathered for the meet and greet caught her off guard. She let go of Sal's arm and instinctively covered her ear with her hand.

Because the hallway was narrow, the group ended up walking single file. Allison ended up at the end of their line because she'd let go of Sal's hand.

She looked at the faces of each fan as she passed them, trying to read their mood toward her. She didn't realize she had fallen so far behind everyone else until she turned back around. The group of fans had tightened in around the guys and were asking for autographs and pictures.

She could hear Sal and Q telling them that they'd get everything they paid for in the meet and greet, but it did nothing to deter them.

Allison stood on her tiptoes searching over the crowd for a familiar face to go with the voices she heard. Just as she locked eyes with Sal, she felt a tug on her hair. She was pulled behind a heavyset woman. She tried to make her way to the wall and back through the crowd but every step forward was met with an elbow or snide remark.