43: Tetris in the Crowd

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43: Tetris in the Crowd

Rhys

The familiar airport bustle welcomes me as the escalator descends to the ground floor.

I fix the scarf around my head that's partially obscuring my face when I notice a guy staring at me. The knowledge that I'm all alone makes me fidget on my feet. Granted, my name has been long forgotten by the media, once they had spotted Alec these past few days without me. But looking at my Twitter account today? Well, let's just say scrolling through my mentions hadn't been pleasant.

I wince as some of them flash through my mind.

Horrifying. Gut-wrenching. Nerve-wracking.

If everyone knew how bad the hate celebrities were receiving, no one would think that being famous was all rainbows and butterflies. I mean, I'm not Alec's level of famous, but those things really affected me big time even though I hadn't wanted to... and even when I knew they weren't true.

Some days within the seven days that I kept my distance, there were times that I would just spend a good five hours not doing anything but searching about myself. I know I said it was weird, and I've been disgusted with myself while doing so. But sometimes, the urge was just too strong.

I wouldn't eat, then. I would hole up in my room refusing to talk to anyone. I would delay working on my projects because my head was stuck in that place. That place where I'm hearing their mean words, their judgment about me and the way they made fun of me. I hated that place. Loathed it with my entire being. I had felt so unsafe in my own mind because of being there.

How could those people say those nasty things about someone they don't know personally?

I shake my head to will myself out of my trance. I will not survive anything if I continue letting them get to me. I had enough of questioning myself from Asia's lecture last week. That's what brought me here in the first place. Those strangers only brought me to misery, not Paris.

I managed to get into a cab when another wave of passengers exited the airport. A breath of relief escapes me. "Accorhotels Arena, please."

The driver is an elderly man who seems to be approaching his sixties. He gives me a genuine smile. "I heard there's a concert going on there."

I breathe out a chuckle when it registers that he's speaking to me in straight English. One of the things I worried about coming here is my lack of French speak. "Yeah. I was hoping I would at least catch the opening act. Sadly, my flight was delayed."

"A friend of mine is attending the concert. He said it started ten minutes ago," he says. "Traffic is going to be tough at this hour."

"Yeah, I'm kind of expecting that." I just hope that we'll get there before it ends.

x.x.x

"Alec! Alec! Alec!"

Loud, deafening cheers greet my ears as I step out of the cab. It took us forty-five minutes to get here and I had almost lost any hope. I turn my back on the crowd, and put a mask and shades on. My nerves are in overdrive, cold sweat misting my face and back. I inhale and exhale, trying to steady my shaking hands as I send a text to Asia.

'I'm outside. Where should I go?'

I stand there for fifteen minutes but Asia still hasn't responded. I bite my lip, my stomach now doing somersaults. Glancing at the crowd, I weigh in my choices. If I squeeze my way in, I can introduce myself to a security guard and hope that he'll let me in. If he doesn't, the crowd might recognize me and beat me up. Holy shit. I swallow hard at the thought.

Whoever is watching, dear gods, I hope you are the anti-violence gods and gods of good character.

I take it one step at a time, just like what Alec told me, and make up my mind. In no time, I reach the end of the crowd. I hold the edge of my scarf to keep it in place as I approach one of the guards. "Hey." Way to go.

The guard, a short man with bulgy muscles, pays me no mind. He looks like Gru, but judging by the way he's looking at me, I refrain from pointing it out. I type on my phone and show it to him, afraid that someone might hear me introducing myself. 'I'm Tetris Posziel, Alec's girlfriend. Can you let me in the backstage?'

He grunts in amusement. "You're the third one who used that girlfriend tactic. Try again."

I snort. "What would make you believe me? You want me to show some pictures from paparazzi?"

Feeling proud of myself, I scroll through some of them that I saved on my phone. But my finger halts when he speaks again, "Why don't you dance for me then we'll think about it?"

If my ears can let out steam, it will have by now. This is the first time someone made a remark about it on my face. It doesn't affect me like I thought it would, but a burst of anger still consumes me, enough to make me raise my fist. But before I can punch his soul out of him, my phone rings in my other hand. I throw him a mean glare. "Once this concert is over, I'll make sure to tell him that you're out of a job."

I spin around and walk away from him, leaving him dumbfounded, as I answer the call. "Where the hell are you?" I spit out, adrenaline still surging through me.

I can hear Asia's quick breathing through my phone. "Okay, calm down, granny—"

"What did you just call me?!"

"Ah... ahm..." He pauses. "Listen, I'm sorry, I forgot my phone in the dressing room. I'm on my way to have one of the guards fetch you. Where are you and what are you wearing?"

A long sigh leaves me, expelling some of the irritation I'm feeling. "I'm at the back entrance. I'm wearing a Gucci scarf over my head and an oversized white jacket over a bodycon navy blue dress."

I hear him snort. "Very informative." The same chant then gets through the speaker, causing ear-splitting feedback. The call drops just as Asia starts to speak. I start to get nervous when a text comes through, 'Robert. Bald man with an eagle tattoo on the biceps.'

It's another five minutes before said man approaches me. He mutters a low 'this way' and gestures to the huge crowd. I chance a glance at the guard who made a nasty comment about me, and find him watching Robert and me with a frown. I throw him an evil smirk when our eyes meet, then I walk ahead without another word.

Well, here we go.

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