Secret Love (Hunter Hayes Fanfiction)

Except Hunter

Bethany's brain was utterly stuffed with information by the end of just 20 minutes with Ned Conner. Right now, he was showing her the ropes - literally. There were maybe fourty ropes in a line backstage, each one hooking up to a different section of curtain or a screen or a prop or a microphone. It was all so confusing! Ned rambled on and on about the function of each rope, and Bethany pulled out a pack of Post-its and a pen and began jotting down what he said as quickly as possible. 

She had been hired to run all of this? And with absolutely no ado whatsoever? She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she had a job working with a real famous person! She'd always loved working behind the scenes, but she had never imagined that she'd be able to do it with someone as famous as....whatever his name was.

She sighed. How could she forget his name? For that matter, why had no one mentioned him?

Ned had already showed her where to find all the necessities to keep the star going while he was on stage: a cooler with a bottles of water in it, rags that were no doubt meant to mop up sweat, extra guitar strings (and a manual on how to attach them, though Bethany played guitar and therefore already knew how to do that part), and microphones that were only to be used "in ABSOLUTE EMERGENCIES." There were amplifiers and drum cases and large, mysterious black boxes set up all over the place, and this was the most vast back-stage area Bethany had ever witnessed! She found herself wondering where they put all of this stuff when they had to pack up and move out for the next stop on the tour.

"When we go on tour, everything is packed into a trailer," Ned said, answering her unasked question. Bethany nodded, paying strict attention to everything he said. She had a feeling he wouldn't be repeating it. "You'll be in charge of making sure everything is put away properly and that it's done quickly and efficiently. We don't drag our tails around here."

So she was beginning to realize! If she weren't so excited about this job, she'd be really stressed out by the sheer vastness of it! She could only imagine that the last back-stage director had quit due to some kind of stress-related illness. 

"Other than that, you are free to have fun! You'll be sleeping on the tour bus with the rest of the band, so you'll be close at hand if they need anything. They're good guys; they shouldn't be too much of a hassle, but they do like to joke around, so be prepared for that."

Bethany gulped. She'd be sleeping on a bus full of guys she didn't know? That sounded really scary. She was shy enough as it was without that being thrown into the mix. 

"Wait, I'll be sleeping on the tour bus? Is that where your old director slept?" 

The worry in her eyes must have stopped Ned for a moment,  because he patted her warmly on the shoulder and reassured her, saying, "Yes, they did. Don't worry about it, Beth, you'll be fine. The guys are great; you'll have a ball! Besides, we don't have anywhere else to put you up, so unless you want to get a hotel room everywhere we go and be on call every minute...well, let's just say it's better if you're around in case something goes wrong. You've just become a very important part of this adventure, young lady." Ned laughed and dropped his hand. "How old are you, by the way?" he asked abruptly, catching Bethany off guard.

"Oh, I'm 22." She blushed, though she wasn't sure why.

Ned nodded. "Do you have any experience working backstage?" 

Oh, so now he was going to interview her? It was about time! She nodded fervently. "Yes, sir. I've been working backstage since I was in middle school. Mostly recently, I shadowed the backstage director for a Broadway production of West Side Story." 

Ned slapped her arm and laughed again. "Good, then you should feel right at home! It'll be good to have someone around who knows what they're doing!" Ned walked away, still laughing. Bethany followed him hesitantly.