Hallway outside of dressing rooms, 11:02 p.m.

The rush and spectacle of a slightly sweaty, scantily clad pop star with a robe over her shoulders, a bottle of water in her hand and a crew of people around her engulfs me.  I become part of the crew.  I walk behind Teddy and her and a few other security members down the hallway and into her dressing room.  It's still hot in here, but not as bad.  I don't think they've got the heat working yet. 

Everyone fans out, finding a seat, finding some water, dotting themselves around the room.

And in the center is Meredith.  She immediately sits on the couch, gulps on her water and then looks up at us with a smile. "Yay, done!"

Shanda plops down beside her and they toast water bottles, "You guys were killing it tonight."

"Thanks!"  She leans and nudges her head against Shanda’s shoulder before Shanda gets up.  Abbie and Monique have already showered and changed from Mere’s earlier set and came to watch a little bit of Justin’s with us.  They’re now back here dancing and singing some song that is on the radio in Meredith’s dressing room.

I’m just here, waiting for my instructions.

"Hey Court..."  I’m starting to get used to this, to reading her well.  But I guess after almost three months I should be able to read her well.  And it probably shouldn’t have taken me this long.

"Hmm?"

She stretches her arms over her head and then shrugs off the robe.  I know why.  The A/C is not fixed yet, and there are several people in here.  It’s getting stuffy. "I'm probably riding with Justin tonight."

"Ok."  I nod and manage a smile. 

I guess I’m getting over it, all the drama and bull shit.  I guess part of me understands.

I mean, it was totally uncalled for, but I get it.  Justin needed someone to blame for all the drama he had going on in his life.  It was easier for him to blame someone else than to let it go.  And unfortunately, since I was new, since I wasn’t a part of the circle yet, I got targeted.

It’s like Trace has told me—Justin’s selective on who he lets near him, who he lets inside.  Trust is something that’s hard to gain from him.  In no way do I excuse him, but I guess now that he’s stopped being an asshole to me, now that I’ve had a week to calm down and be stress free for the most part, I’ve been able to look at the situation with a clearer head.

And it’s not that we’re best buds now, but…he’s civil, more than he has to be.  Like today, at the show, after Meredith had finished her set and he had started his. Mere was done with her duets with him, just had five songs to wait until she danced with him for Lovestoned.  And I was down there, behind the stage with Mere. Trace was there with Justin.  He came up as the band started to crescendo his music and he high fived Mere, high fived Marty, high fived Trace and then high fived me. 

Me…

I was suddenly included.  I was part of the group. 

And ever since I’ve been smiling.

Trace and I actually agreed to stay out there.  We stood to the side and back of the stage, but we listened to the music and yelled at each other in a conversation over the echoing speakers.  We’ve started doing this lately.  Tonight was actually the second time I’ve sat out here with him and watched the show, well as much as you can watch it from over the drummer’s and keyboarder’s heads.  He always brings a bottle of Jack Daniels out with him and he always convinces me to take a couple sips.  I make sure to not even get buzzed because I know a lot of times when Mere gets off stage she needs me to do things.

Sometimes she just wants me to kick everyone out.  Sometimes she wants me to order food.  Sometimes she wants to chill out and watch a movie…with as many people as I can conjure up. Sometimes she wants to just hang out with me.  And a few times, when she’s still really hyped up, she’ll change quickly and go finish watching Justin’s last few songs.

She’s never in the same mood after a show. It seems like every performance she does puts her in different spectrums, but no matter where she is, or how she did on stage, she always comes off with a smile and a happy attitude; just sometimes she’s wilder and sometimes she’s calmer.  Sometimes she’s more excited and sometimes she’s more tired.

So things are better, but they aren’t great. 

There is a rift.  I can see it and sense it, and it’s between Trace and Justin.  And any thought or reason I had before to think that it was my fault, I now realize was a lie and was my own self-doubt.  Maybe Justin used it, used me as the reason.  Maybe even Trace used me as a point to jump off at.

But this rift between them started a long time ago, before I even spoke to anyone in this circle of people.

I think both of them need a break from each other.  They’re burnt out with each other.

I think Trace is damn tired of playing second fiddle to all of Justin’s success.  I think he wants some of his own.

He deserves some of his own.

Meredith is in front of me by the counter in an instant.  Pulling up her large duffel bag onto the empty space where her food and drinks would have been if the A/C had been fixed.  She shuffles through it and pulls out a hair tie and tugs her hair back behind her in a messy ponytail.  “I'm gonna go sleep there soon."

"Alright.  You need anything?"

"No.”  She shakes her head and pulls out some capri stretch pants and a t-shirt.  “But thanks."

"Alright, well I'm gonna go..." I say, grabbing my purse, but she’s already turned around, ignoring me and is swaying her hips and singing with the rest of the crew in here as she walks towards the bathroom with her clothes. 

I used to get mad at her when she did this.  I thought she was being a bitch.  But I realize now that her attention span for a good hour or two after she’s been on stage is nothing.  It’s like she gets automatic ADD.  And she can’t help it.

I glance at Teddy who’s rolling his eyes at the girls’ spectacle and I brush past him and move out into the hallway.  I hear a buzz inside my purse and fish down into my bag to find my phone.

It’s lit up with “Trace.”  My smile widens, I press a button and lift the device to my ear.

"Why are you calling?” I laugh, assuming he’s still out in the venue.  “Can you even hear me?"

"I'm on my way back," he says and it’s surprisingly clear over the line.

"You're not watching the entire set?"

"It's not like I haven’t seen it a bazillion times.”  He chuckles over the line and then his voice quiets and lowers, “Plus, you are looking really, really sexy and I kind of want alone time with you."

"Alone time?" I bite my lip and press my back against the wall.  I know what he means, but I want to hear him say it.

His voice is a breath, a hurried whisper, "I wanna fuck you, Courtney."

I feel my body start to crave him and I turn and walk fast down the hallway, looking for the corridor that I know is there. "Shit, Trace..."

"I'm being honest.  Can't I be honest?"  he teases.

"Just hold on...." I’m out of breath and it’s not from my quick steps. I side step into the corridor and breathe, smile and say to him, "Ok, now continue..."

I just can’t have anyone seeing me getting all flustered out in that busy hallway.

"We'll have to be quick,” Trace says. “J's only got like 30 minutes left of the show.  You think you're up for it?"

I smirk a little and say into the phone, "Are you up for it?"

We’ve been flirty lately, and it’s been good.  Ever since we made up after the pregnancy thing, we’ve been well, bluntly, having a lot of sex.  We’ve been spending a lot of time together.  I can’t really say we’ve grown.  I mean we’re happier together.  We don’t fight and I’m fine with that.  I don’t want to push this and I don’t expect us to suddenly be in love or anything.

I’m looking at this realistically as possible.  I don’t know what will happen once the tour is over.  Trace has mentioned wanting to go back to Tennessee for a while and he hasn’t said a word about taking me with him.  For now, I’m having fun with him.  We’re together.

But I’m trying my best not to expect much from him.

Maybe that’s the wrong attitude.  Maybe you should expect everything from your boyfriend.  Maybe you should idolize him like Meredith does Justin.

I frown and lean a bit to look down the main hallway when he asks, “Damn girl...where are you at?" 

He’s not there.  Meredith’s door is open and her and Teddy and the rest of her crew are there laughing and talking.  They’re loud and I can almost hear every word they are saying even with the drowned noise of the concert above me.

"I'm in the hallways. Meredith is going back to Justin's bus to stay for the night.  Where do you want to meet?"

He sighs, "I have to get the dogs.  Just meet me at Justin's dressing room and we'll discuss place...and position then."

"Position, huh?"  He’s such a dirty bastard and I love it.  He’s dirty as hell during foreplay, but during sex he’s often quiet.  He’ll kiss and smile and smirk, but it’s like he wants to hear it….

I squeeze my legs together.

"We should do something we've never done before."

God, he’s gotta stop talking to me like this. "Like..."

"You've never let me do you from behind."

I gulp and blink.  God, I’m not…I mean it’s not that I’m not that type of girl or that I’m scared to do it.  But it’s just been a while since I’ve been adventurous in the bedroom.  Hell, I’m not sure I ever have been adventurous.  He makes me want to be, though.  "Trace..."

I guess I play the shy card like most girls.  I can’t let him know I’m as eager as him to do doggy style. 

"Are you against it or something?  You think it degrades women?"  He laughs.

"No…” I drag out and realize I’m even being shy in my body position, curling into myself.  God I’m pathetic sometimes.  “I just..."

He laughs. "Don't get shy on me now, girl. I know how much you want me. I can hear it in your voice.  I'll see ya in a few."

The call ends and I slip my phone back in my purse.  I look down the hallway again and it’s empty towards Meredith’s room. The door is shut and when I look the other way, her group of people are walking towards the exit end of the hallway.  I guess she and her dancers are going to the buses.

I guess I’m off for the night then.  I smile.  Freedom with Trace.

I turn and walk the few feet towards Justin’s room.  I hope his dogs don’t bark at me.  They don’t normally, but once or twice they have and it scared the shit out of me.  He probably trained them to do that.

"Excuse me ma'am...”  I hear and I look up to see another one of the maintenance guys in his uniform, staring at me. He has a tool belt and a little box with him.  Damn, how many hours have passed?  We should complain to the venue administration.  I’ll pass that by Angie tomorrow morning when I call.  “I'm here to fix a unit in a..."

"Oh yeah, took you a while, huh?"  I come across much more bitchy than I mean to.  I meant to be half joking and then I realize I’m narrowing my eyes at him.  Dammit Courtney, chill out.

"I'm sorry ma'am.” The poor guy looks half scared of me and shrugs apologetically.  “I did not get the work order until an hour ago."

"It's the third door on your left." I point down the hallway. 

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."  I say, trying to be more chipper with my tone.  Oh fuck it.  What’s it matter.  I’ll never see him again.  I’ll never see most of these people again.  Meredith cares a lot about what people think of her and she has a reason to.  If she has an attitude the person who sees it or gets the end of it might tell a tabloid, might make a story.  But I’m different, no one’s gonna write up a story about me.

And when your staff is slacking, like this staff, they deserve to be told on.

I shouldn’t let it bother me.  If it is in the morning, I’ll call Angie and tell her to complain.

I open the door to Justin’s room and both dogs look up at me.  Buckley starts barking, but as soon as I pet his head he starts smelling and licking my hand.  I sit on the couch and rub his head for him as he sniffs me.  I can’t believe anyone in their right mind would have two dogs as big as they are traveling around with him, cooped up in dressing rooms and tour buses and hotel rooms.  I know Trace tries to take them out and the dogs love Justin more than anything, but it just seems like a really bold thing to do.

But at the same time I guess Justin’s not the type of guy to let go of an idea once it gets in his head.  That’s for damn sure.

Brennan picks her head up and looks waitingly at the door.  I’m surprised how well she can hear with all the noise out there. I guess she’s just that used to Trace’s scent and sound of feet, ‘cause sure enough, a moment later the door quietly opens, shuts, and I’m met with a sly smile and bright brown eyes.

Buckley’s tail starts thumping against the couch, but Trace shoos him away, leans over me, kisses me, using his tongue and his lips.  Damn he really can kiss.  He pulls away and smiles, “Hello.”

“Why Hello.”

“I locked the door.”

I laugh when he touches my shoulder gently and moves me so my back is against the bottom of the couch.  He leans over me, slides over me and smiles down at me now that he’s lying almost on top of me. 

His hat is on his head still, covering his damned mohawk, but he’s letting it grow out now.  Thank god.  I never try to be superficial in dating someone, but I was shocked when he shaved it like that. It took me a couple days to get used to it, but I held that in.

He smiles and leans in to kiss me again, his body resting down, his weight settling into mine.  I grasp his shoulders and moan into his mouth. He tastes like smooth whiskey. God he really does feel good on me.

I can feel his hand pulling at my shirt, trying to untuck it from my pants and belt.  He does it expertly.  I’ve always been amazed by how good he is at this, how quick and easy he can be.  How he can distract me easily with his mouth so that I don’t notice his hand going up my shirt.

Shit, his hand is up my shirt.  I pluck his hat off and toss it to the floor so I can run my hand through his hair.  I pull his mouth from mine by gripping his short hair and his mouth immediately goes to my neck.

My eyes roll back in my head.

“Shit Trace...”  I say as he starts grinding into me. I look over and Buckley is staring at us.  It creeps me out for a moment but when Trace’s warm fingers go underneath my bra, I forget the damned dog.   I didn’t expect it this fast.  I figured he’d shit around with me first, but he’s not. He’s going straight for it.  He’s always shocking me like this.  He’s more spontaneous than I ever have been and I like it.

It keeps me on my toes.  It makes me live.

And of course, spontaneously I feel a buzz vibrating against my thigh and we both jump and look down.  He sighs, pulls away, his hand sliding away, his lips, too. He plops down on the couch when I pull up my knees and feet.

That’s one thing I can always depend on, though.  He always, always answers his phone no matter what he’s doing.  Or what we’re doing.

I sigh and listen to the first bit of conversation, but can’t really figure out who it is.  It must be family or something.  He gets up and walks over to the snacks that Justin has sprawled on a counter.  I watch him stare at them and pick at them, before I turn back and stare at Brennan who is nudging my feet with her wet nose.  Buckley is still sitting there, staring at me, panting.

I wonder if that dumb dog watches Mere and Justin.  Please, I bet Justin kicks him out.  He’s probably too afraid the dog will sell a story to a tabloid.  That’s mean.  I know it is.  I shouldn’t think those things.  He’s been nice to me lately.

But still, I bet it’s true.

He turns back around and smiles at me for a second and then walks towards me, so I start listening to his end of the conversation. "Yeah, uh huh.  Sure.  Well that's what happens when you're stupid.  I know, I know...” He sits down on the couch laughing lightly.  “Alright talk to you later."

He ends the call and lifts his hips to slide the phone back in his pocket.

"Who was that?"  I ask after a moment.

"My sister."

"Everything good?" I ask.

He’s staring at the floor and he starts to smile and before I know it, he’s on top of me again, laying in between my bent knees this time.  "Everything's very good..."

"Damn Trace, here?”  I say. He’s rotating his hips and the look in his face is one that says “now”.  I nod over towards the floor.  “With the dogs...in his room?"

"No…”  He smirks.  God, what a fucking tease.  “I'm just playing with you first..."

His lips go back to my neck and I sigh and hold onto him as he kisses me.  I can’t wait to start this with him back home.  I mean, we had all that tension in New York, and Miami and LA, and we’ve only been together since the tour and I wonder if it’ll be different when we’re back home, when I have my place and he has his, and we don’t have to sneak around or worry who might catch us in the act. 

“I can’t wait until after the tour’s over and we can play at home.”

Suddenly he stops kissing, stops pushing, and he freezes against me.  I swallow hard and turn my head to try and look at him.  “Trace?”

“Courtney…”  He pushes off of me again and sits up on the couch.

What just happened?

“What is it?” I ask, looking at him as he sits normally on the couch, leaning his elbows on his knees.

“Are you happy?” He asks after a moment and turns to stare at me.

“What are you talking about?”  I’m lost.

“Here.  On tour.”

What?  What is he talking about?  Who told him I wasn’t happy?  I am! I’m with him.  I’m happy.  “Of course I am.”

“With Meredith?”

I shake my head.  He’s making no sense. “Trace?”

“It’s just…” He pauses and leans back against the couch.  He raises his hand for a moment then lets it fall down against his jeans.  “I had this conversation with her this afternoon and she seems to think you don’t like it.”

“What…”  What the hell?  Why was she talking to him about me? 

“And I think she’s right.” I blink and open my mouth to stare at him.  This…this makes no sense.  I’m happy. I like my job.  It’s not always perfect but no job is supposed to be.  I get stressed and annoyed but that just happens.  It’s normal. 

He continues, “Look, I don’t think she’s going to fire you.”  

I sit up straight and lean forward.  Fire me!?  What…what the hell!

“Stop it.” He leans forward and grabs one of my hands.  “Don’t freak out.  That’s not what the conversation was about.  You know Meredith, I don’t think she could fire anyone.  I just think she’s concerned because she wants you to enjoy your tasks and your job.  She wants you to be happy, whether it’s promo in New York, a tour life, or just going shopping with her.  And I think it’s a genuine concern.”

I finally allow myself to breathe. I relax my shoulders and turn so that I’m sitting properly on the couch. I still have my shoes on.  We were making out with shoes on.  Normally I’d laugh.  But  now…now he’s talking about things and I don’t know how to act. How to feel.  I don’t even know what to say. 

“I’m happy Trace.  I like my job.”

“Then maybe you should show that to her.”

I scoff for a second.  I’m not going to go around and wear a god damn sign that says I love my job.  I’m not.  It’s fine.  I’m fine.  Where is this coming from!? “Trace, I’m not like that.  I’m not just going to go around giddy as hell.”

“Well you know Meredith.  She’s the type of girl that needs that type of gratification.  If you don’t look like you are having fun, she’s going to assume you aren’t.”

I shake my head at him and then turn to him. “I really don’t want to talk about this…”  I glare.  “…now.”  He should know better than to just stop us in the middle of doing that, of making out, and start talking about serious shit.

We don’t talk about serious shit.  We make out, we have sex, we laugh together, talk about random things.  But…this…this is too much.

“I didn’t mean to stop it, Courtney.  I just, I worry about you. I know me and you are having fun, and we’re taking the emotional part of our relationship at a slow pace, but I know this stresses you out.  I know, even though you act like you don’t care what people think about you, it gets to you when people don’t accept you or include you.” 

I roll my eyes.  This is pathetic.  I don’t want to have this conversation about my weaknesses or my insecurities. Or how I should be a bubbly little girl to make people like me.  “It’s not that she doesn’t think you are good at your job, Courtney.  I think she likes you a lot and she loves what you have done for her, but she’s concerned about you really being happy with her, with this lifestyle.  She wants you to be happy.”

“Why?  Why does she care Trace!  I’m her assistant, not her friend.  She shouldn’t care whether I’m happier here or there, or if I worry about what people think of me.  She should be concerned with herself and her career, that’s it.”

“But she’s not.  And she does care.” 

Why is he suddenly on her side of everything?  I don’t get this.  I don’t even know where this is coming from and he’s trying to get me to admit that I want to leave or something, or that I should suddenly be bff with Meredith.  This makes no sense. 

“She likes you.  She wants you to be her friend.  Whether it’s feasible or not, she’s the type of girl that wants to be friends with everyone, especially people she has to work so closely with.  But you put up that wall, you act like you and her could never be close.”

“Trace, really.  You don’t know what you are talking about.”  He doesn’t.  Yeah, we hang out.  Yeah, occasionally Meredith and I will have fun together.  But I’ve said it before, we just don’t have compatible personalities for the friendship route.  Maybe Trace has just been doing this with his best friend too long. He thinks you have to be best friends for this to work.  Well it has worked, and I’m not close to Meredith.

And that’s that.

He says softly, “You’re more alike than you want to think.  You just put up walls.  You hide that part of you that’s like Meredith.  And I’m not accusing you or blaming…”

“Yes you are!”  I shout.

“Dammit Courtney!”  He says when I cross my arms over my chest.  I stare at the dogs who have now gone to sleep on the floor, bored with our conversation about as much as I am.  “I just want you to be happy, too.”

“I am happy, with you…”  I look at him.  “…here.”

He turns towards me and looks at me seriously.  It makes me feel very uncomfortable.

“Well what happens when we get back to LA, and I stop being Justin’s assistant and Meredith goes on tour overseas.  Courtney, I’m not always going to be around to keep you sane.”

“’You drive me insane most days.”  I half smile.

“You know what I mean.”  He doesn’t smile.   “Just, be honest with me.  Is this, this lifestyle, being with a bubbly sometimes absentminded girl every day the way you want to live?  Do you like not having a home half of the year?”

He…dammit.  Why can he read me so well?  And I get it now.  He seems to know the fun I have with Meredith is when he’s around, too.  I’m happy because of him.  Dammit, I’m doing it again.  I’m dependant on a man for my happiness again.  And he’s worried and I should be, too, of what will happen when he stops being Justin’s PA, when Meredith and him do any promo together.  When I go off with Meredith somewhere overseas with her and he’s back in LA, will I be able to handle all this shit when he’s not around?

I hope I can.  But…but who knows.

And I hate to admit that my moods with this job have highly depended on my relationship with Trace. 

Dammit.

I like my job.  It is very different from what I thought it would be.  And night after night, venue after venue, it does get boring, and half the time I don’t even know what I’m doing or where I’m at.  I don’t mind helping Meredith, I know a lot of times she needs me.  But sometimes I feel so useless.  Most of the time I feel like a nuisance. 

“I thought I would.  But…Trace…”

“It’s not everyone’s type of life, Court.  Even if you think that’s the type of life you want, something non-stationary, something different, but touring is monotone half the time.  Yeah you travel, but you have no time to go anywhere or see anything.  It’s not the dream life everyone makes it out to be.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and then rub my forehead.  I’m getting a headache.  I know he’s trying to help.  I know he’s the type of guy that wants to work things out if he can.  But dammit I was having a great day, a great night.  And now…now I’m stressed out.  Now I’m going to have to talk to Meredith, which I know will turn into her asking me questions and begging me to hang out with her and all this other stuff.  And I’ll get a little annoyed and go vent to Trace and…

Shit.  I probably shouldn’t be annoyed.

I suck in a breath and say, “And you have helped, being here.  Sometimes I really wonder if you weren’t here, if it was just Meredith and her boyfriend who hated me, if I’d be able to handle it.  Sometimes I wonder even if Justin wasn’t around, if I’d be able to handle it.  I think I would be able to more so.  But I don’t know…”

Dammit and now he’s put this stuff in my brain and it won’t stop.  I keep thinking.  Maybe I should quit.  I’m sure Meredith would recommend me.  Or maybe I could get an office job in LA.  Trace could help, not that I want any handouts.  I could get a job easy out here. 

Easy.

I’d be more stable.  Be on my own.  I am on my own.

Maybe I should stop thinking.

I stare at him for a moment and he opens his mouth, pauses and then says, “I’m quitting as Justin’s PA.  I know you’ve heard me talk about it, but it’s official.  I haven’t really told him, but he knows.  I think he might have even already asked Rachel to take over for me.  And I don’t want to persuade you to do anything because of me.  I’m not…we’re not…I’m not that type of guy, and our relationship isn’t that deep yet.  It might be one day.  But there’s a lot of blur there and you know it.  And I know you do.  I know you think about it as much as I do, about what happens in two weeks when all this is over with.”

I sigh and he slides closer to me, leans in and kisses my cheek and says, “You need to do what’s going to be best for you.  What’s going to make you happy.  That’s what I gotta do.  I’ve had the best time of my life with Justin these past few years, but now I gotta move on.”

I don’t look at him.  I close my eyes and shake my head. “I’m not a quitter Trace.”

“I’m not saying you should quit.  I’m saying you need to decide if this is the job and the life you thought it was when you first started.  And if it’s not, you need to decide if this is what you want.”

I lean forward and run my hands through my hair.  “Why did you bring this up?”

“I’m sorry.”

I sigh.  I don’t want him to feel bad about this.  I know he’s trying to help.  He’s always trying to help.

“No, no…you’re right.  I should think about it.  And Meredith’s right too, I should be happy in my job.  I should like my job and people should know it, they should never doubt it.  And she doesn’t need to have any doubt in her PA.  And I don’t give her enough credit.”

“I don’t think most people do.”  His hand is on my thigh and I look up at him. “I didn’t mean to ruin this…”

I push these thoughs away for now.  I need to forget this for a moment, for a night.  I lean forward and kiss him and smile for him, even though my mind is working in overdrive.

“You didn’t.”

“Why don’t we go get on whichever bus we’re…”

I kiss him again and smile against his lips, “Mere’s.”

“Why don’t we go and lay down and we can keep talking about this?  Or we can kiss and forget it for now.”

“I want to kiss….and everything else.”

He smiles close to me where I’m leaning into him.  He kisses my nose for a second and then pulls back and says, “Ok, I’ll meet you there.”

I stand up with him and grab my purse as I start to walk to the door.

“I’m gonna go put the dogs on Justin’s bus and get them settled in.  He should be done any minute now.” He stands up, picks his hat up off the floor and walks towards me.  He touches my chin and asks, “Are you ok?”

I sigh. “Yeah, I’m--” 

I cut off my speech when I hear yelling out in the hallway and stomped feet.  I swing open the door and a rush of people, two men in yellow venue security shirts are rushing down the hallway.  I follow them with my eyes and step out.  Trace does, too and I see it.

Teddy is knocking his shoulder into Meredith’s dressing room door.  My eyes widen. Trace clutches my arm as Teddy busts open the door.  We somehow walk the 20 feet or so down the hallway and a second later I see Teddy storming out with a guy. 

Oh god…that guy, the electrician! Teddy’s hands are fisted in his shirt as he forces him backwards and slams him against the wall.

Shit…

I clutch onto Trace and whisper, “What’s goin-”

“Who the fuck are you?” Teddy spits out in the guys face.  The guy is crying. Terrified. “How did you get in there!”  Teddy shouts.

The guy swallows and his eyes search around.  Suddenly, I’m being pointed at.  Suddenly, his eyes behind his thick glasses are staring at me, focused on me.  And suddenly, everyone else is looking right at me.  “Sh-she let me in.”

I step back and shake my head, Trace’s grip is still on me, tighter this time and while everyone looks at me, I look at them.

Then, then, oh god, then my eyes land on a face, a face I never want to see again.  There he is, done with his show, surrounded by security, down the hallway from me, a few feet above where Teddy is.

And he’s staring right at me.