Two Degrees of Separation

Chapter 22: Down a Dark Alley

Author's Note: I told you I couldn't go too long without a bit of drama. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 22: Down a Dark Alley

Scott had never felt so out-of-place in his 28 years of life. He probably should have considered the fact that coming to see Harry on tour would mean that he would have to attend Harry's concert... alone.

He could have stayed in the hotel room, he supposed, but he wanted to show support... and the view here wasn't half bad, either.

He was backstage for the first half, watching Harry strut around like the perfect human he was. Scott was happy to see that Harry was walking just fine, thank you, Sierra. In fact, he was doing better than fine. He was moving in his sexy way that was downright unfair to watch without being allowed to touch.

If only Scott could see the whole show. His view from backstage was obstructed, at best. He wanted a better vantage point. From here, he could hardly see Harry and his on-stage personality from here. Harry was intriguing on stage. Besides the fact that he wanted to watch for his own personal reasons, he also wanted to take note so he could improve his own stage presence.

Maybe going into the audience, just for a bit, wasn't a terrible idea.

So, Scott turned his snapback around on his head so it concealed more of his face, and grabbed his zip-up hoodie from a chair close-by. He could be incognito. After all, he wasn't that famous.

Right?

Wrong. So very wrong.

He should have known it was a horrible idea when he ran it by Sierra on his way out.

"Scott, maybe you should just stay here. Harry's fans can be... a lot. And he would kill me if they said something mean to you."

But he went, anyway.

He was able to stand in the back of the pit of the audience, unnoticed, for three whole songs.

"Oh my God... it's Scott!" a young woman squealed, in her early twenties, Scott guessed. He gave her and her friend a small smile, before raising one finger to his lips.

"Look, it's the Christmas music guy!" a short, pig-faced man mocked, pointing at Scott. He grimaced. If he was going to be insulted, he had hoped they would come up with something better than that.

He looked at the man's group of friends' features as he posed for a picture with the first two girls, acting as though he wasn't phased by their looming presence. They looked like a bunch of frat boys. He could practically smell the stale beer radiating off of them. They were certainly not the demographic that Scott would have expected to be here.

"You guys don't have to be dicks, you know," the first girl spoke again. Scott placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not worth it. Don't worry," he said to her, as softly as he could over the music.

"Not worth it? We aren't worth it?" one of the taller members of the group stepped forward. "Are you worth it, Mr. Christmas music?" He poked Scott in the shoulder. More people were starting to turn towards them at this point. This was the last thing Scott wanted. Causing a scene at Harry's concert was certainly not what he had in mind.

He turned to the two girls, smiled softly, and said, "It was very nice to meet you," before turning to return into the hallway of the venue. He was determined to get backstage again before he messed up too badly.

This plan was backfiring awfully quickly, when a security guard placed a hand on his chest.

"No one's allowed this way. And before you tell me some dumb story, I don't care who you are." He stared coldly into Scott's eyes.