The Darkest Days

111. Year End

Audrey and Vanessa slept till two in the afternoon the day after finishing their tour.

They had a week free of all schedules, and they planned to spend most of it sleeping.

"Do you wanna bet on who can sleep the most a day?"

"I think I can sleep for fifteen hours straight."

"Same. And I'll again sleep for fifteen more the next day."

They ordered some food and ate it in front of their television.

"Have we even watched this TV before?"

"I don't recall."

Before they knew, it was already evening.

"Lydia is calling me to some night club."

"Go."

"You wanna come?"

"No."

"I don't feel like clubbing either."

"Wow. You love it, though?"

"I want to stay away from crowded places for a while. I can still hear people screaming if I close my eyes."

"Yeah. Post concert ringing is the worst."

They both decided to just stay in, and talk to each other.

"I was watching this girl who had uploaded her story of going to our Chicago concert." Vanessa said. "Dude, she had gotten the pit, and she said she was lucky because people had started lining up five days earlier and she came sixteen hours prior. Sixteen hours!"

"People have a lot of time to give us."

"Crazy! I can't imagine putting everything aside for this one concert that I'm already paying for. She said some mom tried to cut the line and argued that this is an unofficial line so they can stand anywhere they want. Guess how the problem was solved? Freaking police had to be brought in."

"Police came?"

"Yeah! People were not cooperating at all. The arena staff asked them to move back and no one did so they had to eventually let them in regardless."

"Wait, the door open two hours ago. I know people line up and literally camp outside the arenas but I didn't think they'd do it for our concerts, too."

"They did. They slept in sleeping bags on the f*cking road. How do parents allow their kids to miss school, work, not return home and potentially get sick?"

"We have to make our performances worth all this for them. I don't think we were at our best during this tour. But okay, it's our first."

"And you compare us with Monica's tour. She obviously has more experience."

"We have to get better than that."

"I know.." Vanessa sighed. "People are doing a crazy lot for us..."

****

"Mom, we can send anyone with Kylie. They just want a guardian during the shoot. There are trustable staff members who-"

"No, Vanessa. I should go with her and show her some support. She'd like it. She's so young and already living alone through a lot and is going to do so much now. She'll need me."

Vanessa chuckled and looked down at the grass on which she was walking barefoot. "I remember how you said the same thing about me when you came here."

"Well, I guess you aren't the youngest one working anymore."

"Kylie's shoot will take two to three weeks. How will you be gone to Greece for so long?"