Madferit: The Novel

Chapter 26

                  

We arrived in the States and that's when it hit me: I was really starting to miss my family. I hadn't been home in almost a year but I guess following the band made me forget all that. Forget I'd spent Christmas with someone else's family. Forget I missed both my parents' and sister's birthdays. I called them of course to check-in as often as I could but I had no plans to visit and with my duties as "the band's baby-sitter", I couldn't make any even if I wanted to.

            But there was one thing I could do.

            "Hello?"

            "Hi Em, it's Addie." I said into the payphone in the backstage area of the gig.

            "Oh my gosh! Addie! Where the heck are you?" She replied.

            "Baltimore. We're leaving for New York tomorrow."

            "We? Oh yeah that's right. Kelly told me. Are you really dating that guy from Oasis? What's his name again? Lyle?"

            "Liam." I corrected her. "And no. We broke up. I'm actually dating his brother now."

            "Oh!" She said with shock in her voice.

            "Yeah. But don't tell Kelly."

            "Why can't I tell Kelly?"

            "'Cuz her boyfriend and my boyfriend don't get along." I replied.

            "Why don't they get along?" She asked.

            "'Cuz my boyfriend's a dick."

            "Oh. Well then why are you with him?"

            I sighed as I looked down the hallway at nothing in particular. "I don't know."

            "Is he a dick to you?"

            "No actually he's pretty good to me."

            "Oh." She said. "Well that's good. I'd hate to have to kill him."

            I snorted in agreement. She threatened that with all the dickheads I dated and if Noel ended up being one, she'd do the same to him too.

            "So what are you up to?" I asked.

            "Oh just looking for a job." She replied with a sigh. "Still haven't found one yet and I'm getting kinda nervous. Those school loans, man."

            "Tell me about it. Hey! I just got a wonderful idea."

            "Oh yay! What's that?"

            "You should come to New York tomorrow." I told her. "Meet the guys and come to the show."

            "Well I'd love to but I can't afford that." She said sadly.

            "Yes you can. I'll arrange your flight and we'll pick you up at LaGuardia. I need you here, Em. You can be my wingwoman."

            "Are you the only girl there?"

            "No. They've got a chick as part of their management but that's it aside from me."

            "Oh." She said. "They didn't bring any of their girlfriends?"

            "Nope. I'm the only one." I informed her. "The rest are all back in England."

            "Weird."