Madison
The crowds were huge and T-shirt vendors were all over the place, screaming out their wares for sale. The whole five-block area near the Agora Ballroom was a madhouse of excited fans, mostly comprised of the under-thirty-five set, with lots of young girls in heavy makeup and tight, black clothes. Madison and Darling swiped their tickets’ bar codes through the first turnstile kiosk, and the little green light came on, allowing them to venture farther into the facility.
After being patted down and walking through the metal detectors without incident, they headed toward the main doors. The usher took them and guided them toward another uniformed employee. The second usher rechecked the stubs, attached a blue plastic bracelet to each of their wrists, and proceeded to escort the girls down to the front section. Madison’s heart was hammering just from the energetic crowd already wound up with just the preshow music coming over a giant wall of speakers. She’d seen Becket play live before but always from either the confines of a skybox or standing backstage under her sister’s watchful eye.
This was much more exciting. She would be in the front row with the energy of the crowd all around her.
Darling and Madison had front-row center seats for the sold-out benefit show. Link had insisted on sending her tickets and backstage passes. He had even invited her to hang out with the band before the show, but she had to work. He’d tried to send a car to drive her and Darling, but she was fine with a cab and told him to back down on that one.
The girls settled into their seats. Madison watched the stern-looking security guards maintain their positions like soldiers on a wall, spread out every six feet. She smiled wistfully, thinking of sneaking by Jay at the Mission show.
The house lights went down, and the crowd stood, cheering and whistling. Madison and Darling stood with the rest of the crowd; their coveted seats a foot behind them. A few girls screeched as if they were being ax murdered. The first chords of a song were almost drowned out by the roar of the crowd but then were joined by a drumbeat that vibrated its way through her whole body. It was a smaller venue than what Becket normally played, but tonight was for the band’s special charity. Her brother-in-law strongly supported a children’s foundation that provided educational opportunities for kids with developmental delays. His own son had been born with some special challenges, and he wanted to make sure families with less money would also be able to receive quality services for their children. Madison had watched Christopher catch up to his peers over the last few years and knew how important supplemental programs were.
Link stood toward the right side of the stage, his spiky hair bobbing as he slid his hands at lightning speed across the strings and frets of a black guitar. Women all over the stadium screamed. Darling and Madison both smiled like goofy teenagers as the music and audience wove their magic around them. It dawned on her that she had heard this band many times before, but now that she’d been intimate with Link she felt more connected to his music.
Two hours flew by in a flash. Madison had been smiling and dancing with the throngs of the audience. An encore had been performed, and then the band came front and center to thank the audience for their kind donations to the children’s charity. Full house lights went back on, and she looked around for the best route backstage. Madison bubbled with excitement and would probably talk Link’s ear off backstage. She found a staff member who directed them backstage. Darling was trying to tell her something, but her ears were still adjusting to the music’s cessation.
They followed the staffer down a side corridor that was practically hidden under the stage. There were people everywhere; all were wearing the same laminated badges that she and Darling sported. Young girls squealing with excitement juxtaposed with men in business-casual wear and smiling couples. All were being herded into some secret part of the building. The usher explained that the band would be joining them in the room for photos and autographs. He went over a few rules, and finally they were allowed into a rather plain room with food and beverage tables set up.
Darling headed straight for the table laden with food. Madison turned around and scanned the room. Link was there, and he was watching her. Her pulse picked up a notch, and the back of her neck got prickly. She watched him grab a bottle of beer off the bar, fans trying to waylay him.
The other members of the band were working the room, some still sweaty from being on stage. Link smiled at her and started signing some of the papers and pictures people pushed toward him. When had these people all crowded in, and how had she not even noticed?
Madison was pushed a bit to the side by eager fans, but that was okay. She watched the way he smiled for photos and kindly signed all the weird stuff Becket fans handed him. She wondered what he thought of them all. Was it annoying to have to smile and answer questions after every performance?
Darling checked in with her and went off socializing. Zach was part of the backstage party, and she would want to be with him. Seeing Link in his natural environment was going okay. At least everything had been okay until the beautiful people showed up. Maddie wasn’t too jealous of scantily dressed teenagers, but the A-list celebrities that had begun to appear were a different story. She didn’t know how Isabel managed to stay sane. Except tonight Isabel was home resting, and Thomas would be cutting out as soon as he could to go be with her.
After about an hour she couldn’t stand it anymore. All these people slapping Link on the back and complimenting the show were making her want to gnash her teeth. Yes, it had been a great performance, but Madison knew that every request for a private encore by some pretty model or starlet was really code for “Come fuck me in a back room.” Link was politely rebuffing all requests and making witty double entendre’s to keep everything light, but Maddie had had enough. One quite tall and busty redhead literally stuck her tongue in Link’s ear and announced to the surrounding group that they were “dear, close friends.” She worried she was going to punch the slut out. Except she knew it was quite likely that Link and the redhead had an intimate history, and the knowledge left her seething with jealousy. Link busied himself signing Becket T-shirts, and Maddie used the opportunity to slip out. She refused to hang around and watch anymore, afraid she’d say something and make a fool of herself.
She stopped by the corner Darling and Zach were cuddling in just long enough to let her roommate know she was heading out. Darling was sweet about asking if she wanted company on the subway trip home, but Madison just wanted to be alone. She was scheduled Saturday at the tattoo shop, thanks to Link’s persuasive effect on Lori G, and then escorting Christopher to the Natural History Museum on Sunday.