3

Illiana

Getting Ready!

I hurried out of the shop and went to Suzy.

“Li, what took you so long?” Suzy said impatiently.
 

“Sorry, there was kind of a commotion in there.” I looked back at the shop.
 

“You’ve been back a week and already causing problems?, Li please don’t go back to the old days, ok? You’ve been out of it for two years. So stay out!”
 

“Yeah, I know, Suz, I know.” GOD, why did I feel like going back in there and causing some trouble or at least asking his name? There was something about him, his eyes were like looking through me.

It was just six o’clock when Suzy was busy getting ready for the concert that started in three hours. Maybe I was away for to long to remember how it felt in the early days, making yourself ready to go clubbing or to go on a date or a concert. I didn’t really put an effort in it.
Suzy was walking, jumping, running around like a chicken without a head. It was just to funny to see my friend like that after 2 years.
I was already stressed after a week being back, I had to phone a lot of people, companies, feeding and raising Lucas. And I still had to find a school for us two, not to far apart from each other. Well, I thought I could attend the same University as Suzy. My brother would be in the middle school then.

I was reading something on my friend’s twitter, cause she said I could use the her computer to look up some stuff. I was reading about the band not that I was very interested but this had my immediate attention.

SPOTTED BAND MEMBER IN SHOPPING STREET THIS AFTERNOON

haha I was laughing at it. Why didn’t they just let the celebrities have their privacy and have their own outings whenever they wanted to?
It must’ve been such an annoying thing to be constantly asked by fans for authographs and taking pictures with them. Well I couldn’t see who it was cause the photo was blurry and the bodyguards where protecting him, by blocking the view.

I switched to a new tab and searched ZERA University and middle school. Yes, I had a 14 year difference with my brother and I’ve been away for two years so I would be 2 years older than students, I didn’t really care. I just came here to study and be independent. I printed out an application for Lucas and me and put it in my bag.

Seven o’clock and Suzy was still freaking out what to wear.

“Suzy. Just put on that skirt and top and take that jacket with you, I’m getting nervous,  seeing you jumping around like that.”
 

“Li, I have to be perfect, maybe I will meet Ki --a band member, and ….”
 

“Suz, calm down, out of the thousands of fan;, What’s the chance you will meet them? Just go and enjoy the music. You look cute in that.” Little that I knew about anything yet.
 

“PABO” she shouted in Korean “You know we have front row tickets, don't ya?” back to our normal English, shouting from the bathroom (her own one).
 

“Front row, joy ” I with a slight tone of dislike. I mostly said it to myself.
 

“What ya say?”
 

“I said fun, be ready in a half hour.” Trying to sound excited.
 

“You can’t rush perfection Li, tss, you have to do your hair too! Where’s the thing I bought you today? You had it in your hair.”
 

“SHH, it’s gone, I had it in my hair this afternoon.” Damn, the first thing someone gave me since I got back and I lost already, I really was an idiot.
 

“Li, when was the last time you saw it?”
 

“The hat shop, I think.” I’m so stupid rushing at the cash register it must’ve been loose in my hair and fell out.

“No problem, we’ll go back tomorrow, I know the lady at the cashier.”
 

“I thought you were shy around people you didn’t know?”
 

“Friend of my mom.”
 

“Your mom still working at the agency?”
 

“Yes why?”
 

“I need a part time job, maybe I can work for her.”
 

“Sure, she will be glad to give you a job, running errands.”
 

“I’ll do it if she accepts, I need money to pay the bills and feeding Lucas.”
 

“You’ll regret it, I’m sure of it.”
 

“Yes, but it will be paid well.”
Suzy came into the room dressed in the skirt, top and jacket with her beautiful black hair pinned up.
 

“Li, wipe your nose, how come you are bleeding?”
 

“wow, yes, tissue, tissue!! Where are the damn tissues?.”
 

“Here you go.”
 

“thanks.”
 

“You never had nose bleeds before. What’s going on?”
 

“Climate change, stress, I guess”
 

Suzy looked at me suspiciously. “Riiighht”
 

Seven thirty and we were ready to go. Suzy stepped in her cute pink and black sport car. I guessed she can afford it with her mom as head of the agency.

The concert hall wasn’t that far from her house. Just a few blocks.

“Why did we need your car again?”
 

“To arrive in style, to make sure we can enter the VIP entrance, so we don’t have to wait to go inside and go in with the others.”
 

We arrived, she showed some card at the entrance and drove to the next private / secret parking.
 

“I love having a friend like you.”
 

“No, love my mom, she arranged it. She doesn’t want me among the others, she said I could get scolded or something. It is safer anyways, she worries to much.”

“WAA, front row is real close to the stage”
 

“What did I tell ya! I wanted to looked pretty for this. This is the only place where they see you”
 

“So your mother gives you front row tickets, but doesn’t give you backstage entrance?”
 

“O! that’s a thing I don’t need that, I have this other card you saw at the parking lot.”

Eight o’clock and the doors opened for the other fans. They were like little ants running to get the best standing place. The stage was secured with crush barriers approximately one meter away from the stage, for camera’s, security, escape routes.

Nine o’clock and the concert began. Suzy wasn’t paying attention to me anymore and I was pushed against the barriers, the security guard kept looking at me and asked me if I was alright. I was sandwiched between fans and barrier, a girl in my condition (stressed, not feeling 100%). I wouldn’t hold it for two hours. I kept trying to tap Suzy to say I wasn’t feeling 100%, but from where I stood there was only one way to get out of this crowd  and that was climbing over the barriers, but I couldn’t do that because of the security. So I pepping myself up, trying to forget I wasn't feeling to well, trying to get through to the end of the concert.

The last song started and I saw the members spreading around the stage. One came in front of me. He looked at me. I couldn’t pay much attention cause screaming fans were all around me. He pointed at me and said something to the security guy in front of me.
I heard something like “Get her out of there, she doesn’t look well.”
The security guard came up to me.
 

“Miss, you ok?”
 

“No, I’m not feeling well.”
 

“Take my hand, climb over.” He signalled a second security guard and both of them helped me out.
I was shaking all over. Than the band member who saw it all, came down, trying not to come close to the fans.
He said something in Korean to the security and they moved from before me.
 

“You ok?” he asked in English, he looked at me and his eyes widened.
 

“I’m not ok” I felt really dizzy and was still shaking, not that I felt cold, I couldn’t control it.
 

“Come with me.”
 

“I can’t.” I heard Suzy shouting my name. “My friend, I need to go to Suzy.”
 

“Suzy? I’ll check for her later, you have to go now before …”
He couldn’t finish his sentence or at least I couldn’t hear it anymore, everything went black. I just could see a blurry image of two people one holding me the other saying that I had to stay awake. Yet I heard a voice calling my name and an other one who was shouting in Korean that the person need to get back on the stage.

After that I spaced out. Everything went black.