Hey, I'm Natalie. Here you'll find my attempt at writing Bruno Mars fan fiction. You'll also find my inescapable thirst for the man. Someone get me some water, I'm parched.
The girls were driven to the Blaisdell Arena but their destination was not the main entrance where an impressive line had already formed. The driver steered the car towards the back of the venue and when he approached a street blocked off by traffic cones and imposing guards, he rolled down his window, flashed a badge, and waited as one of the guards moved a cone aside so the driver could continue his way to an area where he could park. He pulled in next to a large van and jumped out to open doors for Jordan and Marie. “Here we are, ladies. If you would please follow me, I’d be happy to show you to the appropriate entrance.”
Marie and Jordan looked at each other and shrugged. “Lead the way, man,” said Jordan.
Their driver nodded and led them towards a large metal gate where he once again flashed a badge. The guard securing the gate squinted at his badge before finally stepping to the side to grab two more badges identical to the driver’s. He held them out to the girls along with a thick, black Sharpie. “These are yours. They give you access to the entire venue. Write your names on ‘em and wear ‘em at all times. Got it?”
Jordan wanted to say some smart ass comment but the stern look on the guard’s face kept her quiet. “Got it.”
The girls set about writing their names on their badges before handing back the marker. Jordan’s handwriting had always been better than Marie’s but Marie made up for it with the way she dotted the ‘i’ with the tail of the ‘e’. With their badges securely around their necks, the girls had the venue as their playground. They entered a heavy metal door and were plunged into the darkness as the door slammed shut behind them.
“Jesus, I can’t see shit,” complained Marie.
Jordan groped for Marie’s hand in the dark, elbowing her in the ribs in the process. “Just give your eyes some time to adjust.” Jordan found Marie’s hand and the two stood still, waiting for the dimly lit backstage area to slowly come into focus. When they had enough light they could see another large, unmarked door. Jordan began walking towards it, pulling Marie behind her. Jordan was about to grab the door’s handle when it swung open, throwing a bright rectangle of light into the dark hallway.
“There you are!” a man’s voice called from the light.
“Did we die?” asked Marie, her forearm covering her eyes. “Am I dead? Is that Jesus?”
Jordan yanked on Marie’s hand. “No, idiot. It’s Phil.”
“Yeah, it’s just Phil,” said Phil. “Although I’ve been told I have the voice of an angel.” He laughed and the sound bounced off the stark cinderblock walls. “I don’t have much time so we can’t hang out for too long.” He held a hand out to Jordan. “Let me show you around really quick.”
Jordan slipped her hand into Phil’s and the three of them began walking through the maze of a hallway. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the room designated for the band. Marie scanned the room hoping to spot Bruno but he was nowhere to be found. Phil noticed Marie’s searching gaze and patted her gently on the shoulder. “He’s either off talking with Brandon or doing laps backstage. The boy still gets full of nervous energy before we play.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s fine,” Marie stammered. “I wasn’t looking for him anyway. It’s cool.”
Jordan stared at her best friend. “You’re dumb.”
“Nuh uh, you’re dumb!” Marie quickly countered but Jordan’s point had already been made. She crossed her arms. “Where are we supposed to watch during the show?”
Phil grinned. “I’m glad you asked. Let’s go check out your seats.” Phil’s grin had turned into a chuckle by the end of his sentence. He turned and headed down one of the arena’s many hallways, leading the girls closer to the stage. The dull murmur of the crowd grew steadily until it was just this side of a roar. Only a black curtain separated them from the audience.
A look of soft awe washed over Jordan’s face as she reached her right hand towards the curtain. “Sounds like a few people out there,” she said quietly as her hand grasped the curtain to pull it back.
Phil grabbed her wrist and gently pulled it away from the curtain. “Just a few shy of 22,000.” Phil pulled the very edge of the curtain away from the wall, allowing Jordan and Marie a small peek of the audience. “This curtain will be gone by the time we hit the stage so you guys can either watch from here or out there in the seats.” Phil let the curtain fall back into place. “Up to you.”
Jordan looked back over her shoulder at Marie. “What are you feeling?”
“I kinda want to walk around for a bit.” Marie shrugged. “We could watch from the stage? That would be pretty cool.”
“Sounds good!” Phil said, clapping his hands. “I gotta go find B and then get ready for the show. You two gonna be good without me?”
“You know I’m only bad when you’re around,” Jordan said with a small smirk.
“Ugh, gag me,” Marie said. “I’m going out there.” Marie pulled the curtain wide enough to step through, not waiting for Jordan. A few girls in the front row screamed, expecting someone else.
Jordan raised up on tip toe to give Phil a quick kiss. “I’ll see you later.” Jordan ducked through the curtain after Marie, narrowly missing a playful smack on her ass from Phil.
“Big record label presidents told me ‘Your music sucks, you don’t know who you are, your music is all over the place, and we don’t know how to market this stuff. Pick a lane and come back to us.’ That was disgusting to me because I am not trying to be a circus act. I want to have the freedom and luxury to walk into a studio and say ‘Today, I want to do a hip-hop, R&B, or soul record.’”
jacobvanloon
annaxmalina
areudirty
tangentwithtanner
vaporwave
dededos
kaledo-art
snowghoul
