When You're Not Around

The second my feet hit the concrete pavement the midmorning summer sun hits my eyes, prompting me to immediately tug the sunglasses off of my head, and onto my eyes. I take a deep sigh and stare at the huge amphitheater across the parking lot from me. The tour is set to start in Raleigh, North Carolina, later tonight. Until then, there would be a lot of running around and practicing to do, which hopefully gave me less time to think about the fact that I was actually opening for his band.

I start to walk over to the venue, just as Jason had ordered me to in the note he left outside my bunk, when I hear my name being called. I turn around, just in time to be knocked over by a heavy set of arms. We nearly topple over, before whoever it is stands up and lifts me off the ground.

“I’ve missed you!” He says while spinning me around, and then plants me back on the cement.

I inhale a deep breath and look up to see who it is, “Holy shit.” I breathe. “Trevor!”

He laughs, “How’ve ya been?”

I go to reply and stop myself when I find myself looking at him. A million and one memories flood through my brain. I cringe and shut them out before they become too overwhelming. I can’t allow myself to think of them, it will only make this whole thing so much worse.

I shake my head, “Oh you know, just fine.”

He gives me a forced halfhearted smile, his eyes flick over to Brighter’s tour bus, and then back to me. “So, uh, yeah,” He pauses and closes his eyes for a moment before perking up again, “How awesome is this tour going to be? I mean come on, first show and its sold out!”

“I know,” A real smile forms on my face just for a second, “but how nerve racking is that, though?”

“Are you kidding? Its so great, like what more could you ask for to start a tour off?!”

“I could probably think of a few things.”

He rolls his eyes at me, “Anyway, I am on the hunt for some Starbucks, do you want to come with me?”

I quickly shake my head and wave my hand toward the venue, “No, I have to go find the rest of the band and get sound check out of the way.”

“Oh yeah, of course.” He smiles, “So, I’ll see you later?”

“Sounds good,” I smile and turn on my heals, heading for the venue’s back entrance, like I had originally planned.

I am nearly half way through the parking lot when I hear Trevor yell, “Mace!” I spin around, “Are you going to watch our set tonight?”

“Only if you watch ours!” I yell back.

A smile takes over his face, “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Two minutes later I am at the backdoor, showing the bouncer my pass, which was also waiting outside my bunk this morning, and asking him to point me in the direction of the dressing rooms. It takes me longer then I expected to actually find them, but once I get there and push the door open, I am greeted with a chorus of “Good morning Maci!” and “Macers! Finally!”.

I plop down next to Gabe on one of the couches, who throws his arm around my shoulder without thinking about it. Jason gives me a pointed look, “Now that our princess has decided to show up, I’ll give you the run down for the day.”

“Let me hear it!” Landon exclaims.

Jason rolls his eyes and takes out his phone, “Contagious Chemistry, the support band, if you don’t already know, is just getting off sound check. In about twenty minutes you’re all going to be going to practice, so finalize the set list before then. Gabe, you’re the only one scheduled for an interview, at around four. Whi-”

“I am being interviewed?” Gabe stammers and looks around the room, “Don’t they want Mace with me? Who’s this for?”

“Its just a little music website, and they said they want you. Maybe they did their homework and want to talk to the founder of the band, take Landon if you’re not comfortable with it. Anyway, like I was saying, while he’s off doing the interview, I want your voice resting Maci, Landon and Travis, try your best not to injure yourselves. Jared, you can set up merch at any point before six, the table’s there waiting for you. You go on stage at eight and get off at nine fifteen. Are we clear?” Jason instructs, and looks at the five of us seated around the room.

“We’re clear!” We all yell simultaneously.

“But I expect one very important thing out of all of you,” He takes a long pause before a smile spreads across his face, “Have fun and kick butt on that stage!”

There’s a compilation of “Whoops” and “Alright!” thrown around the room. Gabe squeezes my shoulder and gives me a wink out of the corner of my eye. In return, I shake my head and roll my eyes. Our guitarist may help me by singing back up every night, but he was never one to be too loud. After our five year friendship, we get along mostly by eye contact and facial expressions.

_______

I laugh as I watch Travis run around the stage in circles while kind of playing his bass, Landon is pounding the hell out of his drum kit, Gabe is standing at his microphone, his guitar resting against his hip, and his arms spread apart while he sings “Aye aye aye aye” and other incoherent words. I push the loose strands of hair out of my face, and take a step toward my microphone, just as Gabe starts to sing again, I do too, “The lion sleeps tonight! Aye aye aye aye!”

Jason’s voice comes out of nowhere, “Hey! I swear sometimes I am on tour with a bunch of five year olds,” He mutters before stepping onto the stage, and grabs Travis’s microphone, “If I have to tell you guys one more time to act like adults during sound check, I am quitting. You only have ten more minutes on stage, so you better get the quirks out of tonight’s set. So Travis,” He singles him over, “stand here, and don’t move your feet. Gabe, stop singing incoherent crap. Maci, stop singing every fucking song from the Disney soundtrack, and Landon, play correctly, or don’t play at all.” He takes a step off the stage, and we suppress ourselves from laughing.

“Jason hates us.” Travis says and the four of us turn to our manager, I stick my tongue out at him, “But that’s only because we decided a long time ago that its our job to make it that way.”

“Alright,” Gabe starts while stepping toward his mic, “So, I think we should cover Kings of Leon tonight.”

In the distance, there’s an eruption of screams. People are already starting to line up, and I am pretty positive that the line’s already starting to loop around the venue. Trevor wasn’t kidding when he said that the show was supposed to be sold out tonight. The screams erupt again seconds later, and I can’t help but wonder if its because he is over by the fans. His face pops into my mind, along with a million and one other things relating to him, and I am fast to push them away. I take a few deep breaths to steady myself.

“Maci.” Travis says, his voice wavering. “Are you okay?”

I nod. Its not until I am unwrapping my hands that I realize I was gripping my microphone. “I am fine.”

For someone who was looking forward to seeing me, he certainly wasn’t making any effort to.