1st Chance Read Free Page B

sniffed and thought for a moment.
     
    “Okay, I guess I was over-reacting. Jason’s coming over tonight anyway, I was gonna ask if you could make yourself scarce, if you didn’t mind? I’m gonna cook, I’ll save you some in the fridge for tomorrow if you’d like?”
     
    I was horrified that Becky was now the one feeling bad for asking me to disappear. She had been seeing Jason for the last six months, and it had gotten pretty serious pretty quickly. He was an accountant at a large firm in town—polite and amicable enough, and quite cute, but as dull as a piece of cardboard if you asked me. Dependable, safe—all the things Becky had been craving. All the things I was running from. But she seemed happy. The last thing I wanted was to ruin that for her.
     
    “No, don’t worry. I was gonna get take-out tomorrow, anyway. You guys enjoy. I’ll be out of your way in half an hour.” I gave her a hug before sitting down to try and finish a meal I no longer had the appetite for.
     
    I was nervous as I walked past the long queue of noisy Chance fans on my own. This was a big step for me, finding the confidence to go out alone, and I was mindful of its significance. A few of the girls in the line shouted to me as I reached the closed front doors and approached the burly security guarding them. Most of the yells were annoyed cries of unfairness as I gave my name and showed I.D, then had the doors opened for me. The insults bounced right off, I felt smug and special at being allowed into a place where so many people wanted to be. I remembered how great it had been back in the days I used to come with Becky, being on my own had not taken the shine off that.
     
    I was early and the huge auditorium looked vast and cavernous—empty seats as far up as the eye could see. The odd twang of a guitar boomed out across the many speakers and there was a bustle near the stage as roadies and technicians made their final checks. I smiled at the guy on the sound desk as I made my way to the front. He seemed to recognize me and he smiled and waved cheerfully from his protected podium.
     
    “Anna!” I heard someone call from the stage. It was Rob, Chance’s stage manager. He sheltered his eyes from the lights and motioned for me to come over. I weaved through the barrier a couple of feet from the stage and grinned up at him.
     
    “Hey you.” He dangled his arm down and pulled me ungracefully onto the stage. “Good to see you again, it’s been a long time. How come you didn’t use the backstage door?”
     
    I was momentarily breathless as I looked out across the venue—how could the guys look so comfortable up here with all those seats occupied? I felt scared even though it was still empty.
     
    “Too many fans, I couldn’t even get close,” I explained, bringing my mind back to focus. “I swear they’re more ferocious than last year.”
     
    “Yep. Nate and the boys attract some passionate groupies, that’s for sure.” He laughed softly. “Come on, I’ll take you backstage and find them for you.” A few familiar faces said hello as we entered the damp smelling dusk of the wings. The backstage corridor was tatty and long. Rob led me to a large room right at the bottom, where a few people were hanging out, swigging coffee from cardboard cups and leaning on various bits of equipment. Two young children zoomed past my feet and I beamed as I saw Marissa, the bass player’s wife, calling out to them to calm down. Rob, satisfied that I was going to be looked after, left me to it.
     
    I was pleased to see Marissa, and as we caught up, Jon came over and gave me a warm hug hello.
     
    “I think Nate’s on his way down.” His expression was serious. “He’s not been doing so great, Anna. Please don’t bring up the past for him.”
     
    “I won’t. I’m just here to catch up and say goodbye really. The split tore them both apart by the sounds of it. I don’t think I’m gonna be able to stay friends with