Shelly: Ahh we're on Face Rake's tour bus!! They have a bus now!! You have to come tomorrow. You would love being VIP.
Shelly: Call us when you get this. We'll be up.
Then a couple from Alex.
Alex: NYC ;-)
Alex: That was Taj, but you should come. - Alex for real this time
Was it possible? After all the driving, I almost wanted nothing more than to spend my Sunday in my warm bed, stealing my roommates' food and watching bad television. But if I could make this work, I had to do it. I could make up with Alex and see Taj for maybe the last time ever. Feeling a renewed sense of optimism and craziness, I checked every airline's website I could think of to see if it was possible to fly out the next day. It was. For a price. The lowest ticket I could find to LaGuardia was $100 more than what I had paid for the flight into Reagan National. But heck, like I wasn't going to do it. With my debit card at the ready, I called Shelly.
"Rachel?" It was loud wherever she was. I could hear at least two different conversations going on in the background.
"Hey, Shell." I tried to keep my voice down so as not to wake my roommates through our thin walls.
"Hey, how are you doing?"
"I'm OK. As good as can be expected, I guess. Where are you guys?"
"We're still on Face Rake's bus. I can't hear you too well. It's pretty loud here. Do you think you can come to New York tomorrow?" I opened my mouth to answer her, but she said, "Taj wants to talk to you. Hold on."
His smooth as caramel voice greeted me.
"Hey." I exhaled the word into the phone. "Are you guys having fun?"
"We are, but it would be more fun with you here, too. You're coming tomorrow, right? It's our last show for awhile."
"I'm going to try. I have my debit card in my hand right now. About to buy my ticket."
"Awesome. I'll see you tomorrow, OK?"
"I can't wait. Bye, Taj."
"See ya, Rach."
Chapter 12: New York City
The fact that the show was on a Sunday was less than ideal. No matter what, I had to get back in time for a presentation in my first class on Monday. I wasn't going to mess up anymore school stuff. My plan was to be in New York less than 24 hours. I hoped that it would be enough time to make up with my friend, see our favorite band perform in an incredible city, and get a little quality time in with two particular members of the opening band. I was nervous about meeting Alexandra at the airport in New York. Would she still be cold to me? Should I hug her? High-five her? I wasn't sure.
Before I could dwell too much on that, a voice over the PA system announced that it was time to board the plane. A new kind of terror and butterflies presented itself when my fear of flying came back full force. I dragged my feet onto the plane while I inspected the outside of it with my nervous, darting eyes. It looked safe enough, I supposed. The nails and seams looked a little rusty, though. I wasn't sure what to think about that. I stepped onto the plane, and my eyes continued to roam as I glanced at each of the passengers. None of them looked too dangerous.
My last-minute ticket had landed me the unfortunate seat assignment of last row, which had to be row 13 on this plane. Lucky, lucky me. I took my aisle seat next to a guy who appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties, stowed my purse underneath the seat in front of me, buckled my seatbelt, and sat bolt upright to wait for liftoff. Each of the flight attendants ambled through the cabin and appeared calm, chipper, and competent. The pilot exited the plane and stepped back on. He looked a little old to me. Should he really still be flying planes? When the plane took off, I clutched the arms of the chair, fought back tears, and prayed. With ever bump and jostle, I peered past the stranger next to me through the small, round window to make sure we weren't falling from the sky. He snapped the blind shut on the window. Not cool. To make matters worse, my seat neighbor spent the duration of the flight bobbing his knee up and down. It'd all be worth it in the end. But right then, I wanted to stab the guy in the thigh.
An hour into the flight, I relaxed enough to pull a novel out of my purse and attempt to read it. I only got through a few pages before our final descent. Although they say the landing is when most accidents happen, it was still my favorite part because it meant the flight was almost over. I was so relieved to be on the ground that I was no longer nervous about facing Alex.
I sat, playing with the zipper on my purse and waiting for her to enter the airport. When I saw Shelly and Alex duck through the automatic doors, I stood up and clutched the handles of my purse.
We all exchanged casual greetings, but I didn't know what else to say. Shelly was the first one to break the tense silence. "I'm sorry about your grandma."
"Thanks. Oh, and thanks for the flowers. That was really nice." The tension was broken.
"So, we get to be VIP at this show again, huh?"
I half smiled. "Yeah, I can't wait to experience that. I'm looking forward to seeing Face Rake one more time, too. I hope I get to see the bus tonight."
Alex dug around in her purse and pulled out a cigarette and lighter. "It's so much fun. I'd rather hang out with Will and the Face Rake guys than the Towners. There's too much drama in the Townie community."
I didn't know exactly what drama she was referring to except for how the fans were annoying in general because they always clamored for the guys' attention. By this time of the tour, Face Rake would have more admirers to fight off, too.
"What am I going to do while you two are making out with your men?" asked Shelly.
I kept silent and waited for Alex to answer. "You can make out with Jesse. He's hot, and he's totally your bad boy type."
"If nothing else, he'll make for some good company," I said. "Besides, who knows if I'll actually be making out with anyone."
Alex silenced me. "Rach, stop. Taj wants you. You better get some action tonight." I pursed my lips. "Let's go outside to get a cab. I need a smoke."
Once the doors opened, a cold breeze blew my hair back and stung my face. I dug my hands in the pockets of my pea coat. One more thing was eating at me, and I wanted the girls to weigh in. "I have another confession."
Alex stopped in the middle of lighting her cigarette.
"Nothing band related. My ex came over the other day, and we kind of. Did it."
She forgot about lighting her cigarette altogether. "Really?"
I focused on the cracks in the sidewalk. "Yeah. Should I feel guilty?"
"No, why would you? You don't have a boyfriend. Ex sex can be fun."
"I've done it, too." Shelly bounced in place to keep warm. "I don't think you should feel guilty. Can we get a taxi now? I'm freezing."
With a few hours to kill before showtime, we decided to head to Times Square and be tourists. Wanting to see Taj sooner, I suggested calling the guys, but Shelly reminded me that they probably had soundcheck or some other pre-show ritual they had to attend to.
The three of us were not accustomed to being in a city as large as New York, and it took us a few awkward attempts to hail a cab. First, I stuck my hand out while experts in public transportation dodged us and hopped in awaiting taxis. Then, Shelly tried to be more aggressive. She reached her arm out, and we all darted toward one of the yellow cars that was slowing down and piled into the back seat. We were all too nervous to sit in the front with the cab driver.
"Where are you going?" asked the cab driver with an
Indian accent.
"Times Square please," I said.
He proceeded to dip and weave in and out of traffic, slamming on his brakes and honking his horn. To add to our mounting anxiety, our driver was also eating a salad from a Tupperware container and talking in another language on his cell phone, which was on speaker phone and mounted to the dashboard. The three of us tried to look nonchalant but snuck wide-eyed glances at each other whenever the cab made a sharp turn or almost rear ended someone. When he stopped the cab to let us out, we all dug random bills out of our wallets and handed them to him, hoping we got the
tip right but too rattled to stick around longer to find out.
Upon stepping out of the cab, our senses were overloaded with all the stimuli that is Times Square. People shoved past me on the sidewalk while I tried to stop and take it all in. Giant billboards advertising Broadway shows and Calvin Klein jeans hung from above, illuminated against the dim light of the setting sun.
Shelly's voice brought me out of my reverie. "We should probably start walking somewhere. I think people are starting to get annoyed with us standing here."
We rotated in a full circle until we decided which way to go. Tall buildings with tourist-catching storefronts loomed in every direction. As we meandered along past different establishments, the smell in the air changed from sewage to garlic to coffee and back to sewage. But the smell didn't bother me. It was part of the experience.
Alex nodded in the direction of a building with an all glass second floor. Two people inside stood with their backs to the window.
"No way!" I fished my camera out of my purse. It was MTV Studios! "Is that TRL filming?"
"Can't be. It's Sunday," said Alex.
"Plus, isn't there usually a huge crowd when TRL is on? At least, it looks that way on TV," said Shelly.
I took the picture anyway. The Out of Towners had been in that very window many times before. I still had my camera out when I heard a squeaky voice behind me. "Holy shit!" A six-foot tall Mickey Mouse stood eye to eye with me. However, this wasn't the pristine and charming Mickey from Disney World. This one had loose thread around his eyes and dingy fur.
Alex grabbed Shelly's arm. "We need to get a picture with Mickey!"
"OK, I'll take it." I held up my camera and waited for them to assemble. I didn't want to get anywhere near the creepy Mickey. "Um. Smile?"
The girls got their picture and stepped away, but Mickey squeaked at them again. I reached for my wallet. "I think he wants a tip. I only have a twenty." Mickey heard that and squeaked in my direction with his hand out. I tucked my purse under my arm. Shelly found a couple dollars and handed it to him. I bent my head close to Shelly's as we hurried away. "That was the stuff nightmares are made of."
When we were a safe distance from creepy Mickey, we stopped outside of the famed toy store, FAO Schwartz. The outside was decked out with Christmas decorations. I gazed up at the giant Christmas tree above the entrance. "Isn't this where Tom Hanks played the piano in Big?"
Alex gasped. "Yes! We need to go in!" A costumed soldier wearing a tall black hat and a red velvet coat festooned with gold trim held the door open and welcomed us into the store.
If creepy Mickey was nightmare-inducing, the inside of FAO Schwartz was the most joyous of dreams. We wandered in awe through the Barbie area and the LEGO area while all our childhood fantasies came true in the form of bigger-than-life-sized toy displays. We each took turns posing on the famous piano while having our pictures taken. I could've spent hours in there if other things weren't playing on loop in the back of my mind.
I tapped a giant teddy bear dressed up as Santa on the nose. "You guys getting hungry yet?"
"I could eat," Shelly said.
Alex admired a wall of Muppets. "As long as it's cheap."
We waved goodbye to the soldier at the entrance and set off for an inexpensive dinner option. Giant golden arches lured us in. I only nibbled my Big Mac and munched on a fry or two while gazing out the window at the bustling city. The excitement of the night took the place of any hunger I might have felt. By the time we left the restaurant, it had begun to rain. None of us were prepared with umbrellas or raincoats. Instead, we toughed it out in our pea coats that only shielded us from the cold while our hair went limp and our makeup ran. It wasn't raining very hard, but our clothes were still saturated by the time we arrived at the venue, and water leaked into my boot from a puddle I had sloshed through. Still, it wasn't enough to bring us down. We were about to see The Out of Towners in New York City!
We located the will call window right inside the row of glass double doors at the entrance, and Alex gave her name and said that she was on the Face Rake list. I peeked through the window and saw her name as the employee crossed it off. I could get used to being VIP, I thought, as he handed us three tickets. Alex distributed the tickets, and we hit up the bathroom to dry off as best we could before we found our seats.
I pushed open the restroom door to find a line of about ten girls. I took my spot in line and checked my reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall. The rain hadn't done too much damage. My smooth hair looked tousled, and my makeup looked like I had smudged it on purpose. This was turning out to be my night after all. We got caught in the rain, and I still looked halfway decent.
Our seats in the balcony weren't quite as VIP as we would've liked, and it was drafty that far up in the theater. I unbuttoned my coat, but kept it draped around my shoulders. I checked my phone on the off chance that I would have a text from Taj. No such luck.
Alex held her coat up next to her face. "Oh no, hide me."
I looked past her to try to figure out what she was hiding from. "Why?"
"That girl hates me. The blonde one."
I stretched my neck.
"Don't look!"
I tried to be subtle and survey the entire theater while I attempted to spot the girl she was referring to. I didn't recognize the girl, but a couple of the fans she was standing up talking to looked familiar.
"She was in Florida." That was all the explanation I got from Alex before the lights went down and Face Rake came on stage.
It was a surreal watching them from so far away. They looked more like the miniature toys we had just seen in FAO Schwartz than the guys we were starting to call friends. Jesse had dressed up a little for the occasion and wore black pants and a tucked-in dress shirt, and Malcolm was even wearing a tie. Taj also wore black pants, but his shirt tails were left untucked. Even from where I sat, I could see Will grinning on bass. The guys were energetic and confident, much more so than when I saw them for the first time. I beamed with pride as I sang along to all the words. Before the last song, Jesse introduced himself and the rest of the band. He gave a brief back story on one of their songs that they had played at every show I had been to, and as the drums started, he mumbled, "This one goes out to Alexandra and Rachel."
My jaw dropped. "Did he just say what I think he said?" Tears glistened in Alex's eyes. I squeezed her shoulder as we both sang along to the song. My eyes stung with happy tears as the song ended. Even with plenty of the night ahead of us, I wasn't sure it could get any better.
Alex and Shelly opted to stay in their seats between the Face Rake and The Out of Towners sets, but I excused myself to check out the merch table, which was calling my name. I didn't want to wait any longer to talk to the guys. I rushed down the stairs and spotted Jesse behind the table. I ran up to him with a huge smile on my face.
He was drumming his fingers on the table and waiting for a customer, but he grinned back when he saw me coming. "Rachel, hey!"
"Thank you so much for the dedication! It made our night." I opened my arms, and we hugged.
Will propelled himself off of the table with the elbow he was leaning on, and I embraced him next. "I can't believe you guys came. That made our night. Is Alexandra here, too?"
"Of course. We'll all have to catch up with you guys after the show."
"Definitely."
I spotted Taj coming down the hall toward the table, and it felt like a moment right out of a cheesy romantic comedy. Meeting him halfway, I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he hugged my waist. I became aware of onlookers and released him before I wanted to. "It's good to see you."
"It's good to see you. I'm glad you made it. Sorry about your grandma." That face. He was always so chill that I had never seen him look concerned. It was a good look.
I heard the crowd inside the theater making noise, and I knew The Out of Towners were taking the stage. "Thanks, I appreciate that. I'll see you after the show, OK?"
"I'll be he
re."
I skipped up the stairs and back to my seat. My giddiness caused me to trip on the last step, but I laughed instead of blushing. By the time I returned to my seat, I was sure I was glowing.
Alex leaned over Shelly. "You talked to Taj, didn't you?"
"And Jesse. Will asked about you."
"What'd he say?"
"He was just wondering if you were here. I told him we'd catch up with them after the show."
The Out of Towners set was just as energetic, and I could tell they were getting a little punchy and silly with it being the last stop on their tour. At the end of one high-energy song, the guys collapsed to the ground, then rolled over and challenged each other to a push-ups competition. Randy kept it going the longest and then jumped up and pretended to be exhausted and shook out his arms. For the last song, they invited the guys from Face Rake to join them on stage to sing a cover with them. Most of the crowd up in the balcony had been sitting during most of the concert, but I jumped up at the sight of all my favorite guys on stage at one time. Seeing them all interact and be goofy together was hilarious. It was obvious they had become friends while on tour together. At the end of the song, Jesse high-fived Randy, and manly hugs were exchanged all around. All seven guys joined hands in the middle of the stage and bowed. I screamed and clapped until my hands hurt. The Face Rake guys waved and left the stage, and The Out of Towners hung back for one more a capella song around a single microphone. The whole crowd was silent, enraptured by their beautiful harmonies. At the last note, we all cheered again, and the Towners bowed and walked off stage. It was over. Tour was over. For now.
I hopped up and stretched, ready to get the rest of the night started. Shelly and Alex collected their purses and coats, and followed the slow-moving, cattle-like line toward the door. While many of the fans filed outside or hurried out the doors in hopes of finding the bus, we hung back by the merch table to wait for Face Rake to pack up.
"Oh great, she's here? That girl hates me, too." Alex spun around to face the wall.
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