Groupie

Georgia~Leaving

Dad didn't understand rock music. He said it at least a hundred times while driving Cassie and I to the event. As if his complaining about the genre would make us change our minds and forfeit the tickets we'd bought using babysitting money. Unlikely. Besides, my father didn't need to understand rock music to understand Arizona and Sons.

Cassie turned down the window of my father's old pick up truck and leaned her head out. The smell of manure filled the car, but it was better than the rancid heat that had began to saturate the vehicle. To my mother's dismay and disapproval, my father rarely wore deodorant. That was becoming more and more noticeable as the time wore on. 

"I'm not sure why you couldn't take your brother with you," Dad said said, glancing over at me. I was cramped between he and Cassie because she talked about how weird it would be to sit next to my dad. Cassie's mom was weird about men and it showed though her actions. "I don't feel comfortable with dropping the two of you off at a rock concert like this." 

"Dad, it's fine," I said. The thick, heat and her father's constant complaining was beginning to irk her. "There are plenty of girls from our school who have been to rock concerts by themselves. Some even hitchhiked there." 

"They obviously don't have father's who care enough about them to protect them." Mr. Sutton argues. 

"Whoa!" I laughed despite not being amused. "Dad, you're making this out to be a big deal. It's fine. I have your number and I have change for a pay phone. If things get rough, either I or Kate will call you to pick us up."

Mr. Sutton remained silent. During the silence my mind wandered and I glanced towards the cow farm just to our left, the cows that were most likely producing the stench of manure. I hated living in a farming town. Seemingly everyone had a farm and time consuming farm related activities. 

She and Juney talked constantly about seeing the big city. The lights and smell of exhaust from cars in the road. Anything would be better than corn and cow s**t, surely. College was only a few years away and I couldn't wait to use that as my means of escape.

It almost seems as if my father resigned his rant about rock music for a few minutes before he's back at it again, asking the two of us why we aren't into the classics, like Mozart and some other long dead musician. Kate tunes him out and dreams out the window, her mind twisting the stalks of corn into tall city skyscrapers.

Juney was shaking by the time her father parked the old rusty truck in the parking lot of the venue. It was filled nearly to capacity with other vehicles parked. There was a long line of people winding around the building, waiting to be let it. 

"I told you we should have left sooner! We'll never be close enough to see the band!" Juney wailed, waking Kate Who was sleeping soundly behind her. Juney couldn't understand how she could sleep at a time like this, when they were so close to seeing their favorite band perform. She shook her friend quickly, jostling Kate awake. Kate's brown eyes were wild for a moment before things came into focus. 

"Before you guys go," Mr. Sutton said, "here."

He took my hand and turned it over. Inside he placed a single twenty dollar bill. "Just in case." 

I looked up at my father and smiled. The moment didn't last long since I remember the ever growing line. I didn't save money to come to the show and hundreds of feet away from Arizona and his band. I pushed against Cassie, hoping to move her along faster, but she was still groggy from sleep. She finally got the door open and we both tumbled out of my dads pick up truck. "I'll be back at nine!" He called. 

"Ten!" J shouted back. 

"Nine!"

"Ten!" I argued. That was the last thing I heard him say before we were running towards the venue to take our place in line. 

We gained a spot behind a couple of girls who were significantly taller than in in their high heeled shoes. I imagined them walking around at the shopping outlet in the city and I felt a twinge if jealousy. The shoes at the local shoe store in our town was very plain. There were Sunday shoes and shoes you wore outside in any other day. None of them were fun and sexy.

"I'm nervous," Cassie said, swaying a little bit. She bumped into my arm, making me brace myself against the wall. I hoped that none of the older girls saw. 

"Me too. I feel like my dad was driving slow on purpose," I mumbled. I stood on my tiptoes briefly to see how much longer the line was until we were next in the queue. The line had barely moved a couple paces forward.

"When you think about it, the size of the venue and the amount of people should mean we should still be relatively close," Cassie explained.

I wish she was right. Turned out we'd come just in time to miss the wave of fans who'd camped outside of the venue to secure their place in line, and there were plenty. Cassie and I had to settle with being quit was way back. It was difficult to even see the stage, especially in a sea of women in tall shoes. 

"Remind me buy a pair of seven inch heels when we get back home," I said angrily to Cassie as we waited for the band to set up. I hadn't wasted any time memorizing any of their names, since they weren't the main attraction anyways. Some girls liked to sleep with the drummers, which I thought was pathetic. If someone is going to be easy, at least go for the main attraction which was the lead singer. 

Which was Arizona. 

I didn't believe much in God, but I figured if there was one walking the Earth, it would be him. I could sit for hours next to my tape player, listening to his silky voice and the sensual lyrics he sang. Sometimes I did so while staring at a poster of him, imagining myself as the woman he was singing for. 

"Blonde hair like a crown of gold,

With a body to kiss and hold."

It's almost like it was for me. 

Cassie grabbed my arm suddenly as the lights dimmed a bit. "It's starting. Oh my god." She said in a hushed whispered I could barely hear above the crowd. I didn't care for anything else she had to say after that because soon after the lights dimmed, a figure casually walked onto stage.

And the crowd went wild.

Even from this far away I could see that Arizona was physically amazing. His long black hair blew in the wind, giving him a bit of a majestic air around him. He looked unworldly, as if there was no way he could come from a planet as flat and boring as Earth. He stepped up to the microphone, wearing a unbuttoned floral shirt and tight black pants, and that's when I noticed from afar the flower crown on his head made from sunflowers. It looked feminine, but also like the most masculine thing I'd ever seen. 

Arizona teases us all. He stood in front of the microphone for what felt like an eternity, his eyes scanning the crowd. I liked to imagine that he could see me, but in a sea of people it was unlikely. Everyone, including me, were on their toes, trying to gage what he was going to do next. We fed into his game, the crowd becoming hushed.

When it was damn near silent, Arizona finally spoke. "Hello," He said into the microphone. His voice echoed throughout the stadium. The crowd erupted in screams, including Cassie, who had her arms above her head trying to grab the band's attention. 

"Hello," I whisper back. I knew he wasn't talking directly to me, but with his voice coming out of the speaker lining the stadium made it seem like he was. 

"So here's what's going to happen," Arizona spoke in an easy tone, "the band is going to play some music, I'm going to sing some music, and everyone is going to go home happy."

He didn't need any further introduction. The band began to play, and I recognized a song called Runaway Girl, in which he sang about a girl who ran away from home to get famous. A lot of his song sounded like they were made just for me.

A couple songs in, with Cassie and I dancing in the crowd, a man tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and looked at him, finding a gorgeous blond standing over me. He had a an easy going grin and nice teeth. He had to be from the city. Maybe even California. 

"Want a drink?" He asked me. I noticed he was carrying two cups of frothy beer, both filled to the rim. I hated beer, it tasted an awful lot like spoiled oranges, but I was just happy he offered.

"Oh, thanks." I shouted over the music. I grabbed the cup but felt a kick at my foot. I looked towards Cassie, who was glaring at me disapprovingly in the dimmed lights. Her thick, dark eyebrows were knitted together and I wanted to tell her to take a pill. 

She was always trying to be my mother. It was helpful sometimes, but other times it seemed like she was trying to ruin the fun. What's a concert without a little beer anyways? I'd never been to a concert before, but I figured they were always better with a little liquid courage.

I take the cup from the blond and bat my eyelashes at him. I figure the second cup was for Cassie, but I was mistaken. The blond takes a deep drink from the second plastic cup and I take a small sip. Cassie turns away completely, her mood dampened. 

I drank about half the beef before someone roughly grabbed my arm. I looked over and expected to see James Blond, but he's vanished. In his place is a security guard holding a flashlight in my face. I squint against the harsh light and try to pull away, but his grip tightens. "Hey, what the f**k?" I hissed. 

"You've got x's. Where did you get that beer?" He demanded. I looked around for the blond, but he was no where in sight. 

"Someone bought it for me," I say honestly.

"Unsheathed drinking is not allowed in here." He said. He began to drag me through the crowd. I bumped shoulders with a. Few wet and sweaty dancers.

"Cass!" I shouted back. Cassie shoves through the crowd to follow me, a look of concern in her face.

"What the hell is happening?" She demanded. I didn't have time to answer her. The security guard walked us all the way out the front door and only released my arm when we were outside the door.

"What the f**k?" I screamed at the guard as he walked back inside. I could tell he did this often, judging by the other underaged people standing outside the venue, either crying or looking extremely pissed off. 

"Great," Cassie muttered, crossing her arms. "Why did you take the beer?"

"Because he offered it!" I respond to her as if her question was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard. In reality, it was a very legitimate question, and my answer was very pathetic. Because he offered it? Of my father was here, he's say, "if someone was going to jump off a cliff, would you jump with them?" 

"You know hard it was to save that money?" Cassie asked me. Her eyes were watery and I imagined all of the things she did to earn the money it cost to attend the concert. Her anger towards me made me feel angry at myself. My anger towards myself quickly manifested into guilt and anger towards her. It was a never ending loop of anger.

"Well you didn't have to come, ya know?" I shouted at her. "You didn't have to follow me! You don't have to follow me everywhere! You have your own brain, Cassie!"

"Yeah! And I used my brain not to take drinks from strangers!" She shouted back at me from where she sat.

Okay, touché.

I crossed my arms and looked around the packed parking lot. I was going to fix this, somehow. "Maybe we can sneak back in." I say. 

"Just drop it, Georgia." Cassie muttered. 

"Stop whining and come on!" I say to her. She lifted herself from the ground and followed after me. 

We walked silently around to the back of the large stadium. The crowd dispersed more towards the back, but we did come to a ten foot tall chain link fence that blocked off a back entrance from the people around. There was a large black bus parked there, and that's when it hit me: that was the tour bus!

Several other girls had gotten hip to this as well and hopped the fence. I was deathly afraid of heights, but I would do just about anything if it meant that I got a chance to meet the band. 

"Let's climb," I say, wedging my sneakered foot into a gap in the fence. 

"Are you f*****g crazy?" Cassie whispered. Ugh, I think. Why is she always holding me back? I should have taken Liz Gary, who  I knew would be down for anything. As much as I loved Cassie, she was a huge buzzkill. 

"Yeah, don't do that." A man said back. I didn't notice him, dressed in all black, leaning against the fence. He wore a shirt that said security across the chest.

"You let them in." I argued. 

"They're hot though." He shrugged. I frowned.

"Well I am too." I batted my eyelashes at him. I noticed Cassie besides me. "We are too."

The security guard looked at Cassie and she looked at her feet, avoiding his stare. I leaned closer to the fence, wrapping my finger around it. "It's all apart of her act. Haven't you seen our tapes? Ebony and Ivory, lesbian adventure?"

The security guard looked impressed. I had him. I always did. "Let me get an autograph, and then there's something for you." I offered. 

Just as I expected, the man unlocked the gate for us, expertly turning dialing in the combination with expert precision. He was no stranger to this. How else did those other girls get in? I squeezed in past him with Cassie hot on my heels, pressing close to me so that she might now touch the security guard. My heart was beating at sonic speed in my chest as a approached the tour bus.

"Did you just pimp is out for autographs?" She asked, still walking way too close to me.

"Oh relax." I shrugged. "If he touches us, I'll scream rape." 

Cassie still looked unsure. 

The other girls waiting looked us up and down and that's when I knew that this was for more than just autographs. I cursed my prudent mother for not allowing me to wear crop tops and short jeans because how else would Arizona notice me? I looked like a child in my stripped shirt and yellow knee shorts. It wasn't remotely sexy at all.

"A little young to be here aren't you?" A girl with dyed raven black hair asked. She had piercings, tattoos, and lots of cleavage. She probably looked at my yellow shorts and thought prude.

"Barely legal," I say even though I'm technically not. I could pass for a fresh faced 19 year old on my best day. I hoped this was it. 

"Have you ever f****d a band member?" The goth chick asked. She looked at Cassie who was purposefully avoiding eye contact and rolled her eyes. No threat there, she probably though.

"No," I say honestly, then realized I should have lied.

"Well you won't today either." She smirked at me. 

I didn't have to time to come up with a witty reply because the back door of the venue flew open suddenly and band members, under the influence of some sort of drugs, tumbled out of the door. All the girls around began screaming wildly for Arizona, who I didn't see but assumed was there. 

"Quick, give me a marker!" I say to Cassie. 

"Do I look like a fanny pack to you?" She hollered over the roar of women. 

"f**k!" I whined. 

And then he came out. God, I could have sworn he glittered. From afar, Arizona was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. Up close, he was god on this Earth. His gorgeous face was twisted up with annoyance as he took in the crowd surrounding his bus. 

"Who let them in?" He demanded, shielding himself behind his body guards. I looked to my left and right and was shocked to find the crowd of women had began to lift their shirts, flashing Arizona without hesitation. I had to draw a line somewhere, and I figured that was it. He didn't seem impressed anyways.

"Not tonight ladies," the body guard said, using his body to make a barrier between the crazed women and Arizona. He threw the door to the bus open and Arizona was going to climb on, but something compelled me to reach out. 

Our fingers barely touched. 

Arizona turned around and looked out into the crowd, his eyes landing right on me. "Did you touch me?" He asked. My first reaction was to shake my head no, then yes, then no again. How I could I function in the presence of a god?

"What's you name?" 

"Georgia," I say quietly. The girls around me were waiting, silently and breathlessly, for his next move.

"Georgia and Arizona. So both our parents were idiots." He chuckled. I did my best to smile, but I'm sure it looked like confused. I just couldn't believe I was talking to him. He was talking to me.

I didn't know what else to say, so it seemed like our short lived conversation was reaching the end of its lifespan. I was preparing myself to let go when Arizona leaned in and whispered something to his bodyguard before disappearing inside the tour bus.

The guard turned back towards me. "He wants you in the bus." He told me. He didn't even have to say it twice. I was already clawing my way through to reach the steps of the bus. 

"Wait!" Cassie shouted. 

Damn it, I think. I look back towards the guard. How could I sweet talk her in too?

Luckily I didn't have to. The guard grabbed Cassie's arm and pulled her up the stairs as well. 

Holy f**k, I think. What am I doing?