“Thank you, Miss Octavia. Enjoy your trip away. I’ll keep you up-to-date with the details of when I’m coming home as soon as I know exactly what’s going on.”
“There’s no rush, honestly. If you need to stay there, do it. I can ask the security guy to be here if I need to.” I’d rather not, but considering the note, it might be a good idea. Smithy almost looks uncomfortable at the thought but nods anyway.
He thanks me once more, so I hug him and tell him goodbye before heading out to the car to go grab Indi. Excitement bubbles in my chest at the thought of how much fun this weekend is going to be.
I slide my aviators into place and start the car.
San Diego, here we come.
* * *
“Please don’t pass out,” Indi murmurs to herself as we walk toward the doors of the stadium, and I can’t help but laugh softly under my breath. I take her hand and squeeze it, just to find that she’s shaking like crazy.
I nudge her shoulder with mine to grab her attention from where she’s staring at her feet. She looks all kinds of amazing in her knee-high rainbow Converse, little shorts, and band tee coupled with her rainbow hair. “You okay?”
“I’m good,” she says quietly. “Trying not to freak out. You’d think I’d be more chill than this. But I’ve never been to a concert before, and you did all of this for me. I’m a little overwhelmed.”
I pull her to a stop before moving us out of the crowd of people heading toward the stadium. “If this is too much, we can wait out here before going in. Or we don’t have to go in at all.”
She takes a deep breath and looks up to the sky. “There’s no way in hell we’re not going in. I tend to avoid big crowds because they make me anxious as fuck. I thought I’d be okay, but apparently my brain is working against me. I just need a minute, and I’ll be fine. Sorry.”
“Dude, you havenothingto apologize for. You do whatever you need to. I’m chill.” We move to sit on a bench, and I give her the space she needs to get herself together. My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I slip it out and take a quick look.
Panda: Are you here yet?
I can’t help but grin. I’ve missed his face so goddamn much. I’ve been away from tour life for too long.
Me: Yup! Just outside, shouldn’t be too long. I’ll find you as soon as we’re in.
Panda: I’ll hang around near the back doors, so just head this way, don’t worry about going through the front.
Me: You rock, P! See you soon
I drop a message to the security guy too, so he has my number should anything happen, before tucking my phone away and focusing on Indi. Her eyes are closed and she’s breathing deeply, as if she’s meditating, but her smile grows. That’s all I really give a fuck about anyway. An anxiety attack definitely wasn’t part of the plan today, but I’ve been there, so I totally get it.
She opens her eyes and bounces to her feet, practically vibrating positivity. “Let’s do this!”
I grin at her, glad to see her back to her usual self, and get to my feet. “Hell yes! Panda messaged me, and he’s waiting for us round the back. We can head to the crew entrance, so we don’t need to deal with the crowds and lines out front.”
“You freaking rock. Sorry for freaking out just then. Also, who the fuck is Panda?”
“You have nothing to be sorry about, and you don’t need to explain. If I said I’d never had a panic attack, I’d be flat out lying. And Panda is… well, Panda. He’s one of my dad’s old roadies. He isn’t much older than us, and he’s a fucking legend.” I shrug and link my arm with hers. “Now let’s go enjoy the rest of your birthday, shall we?”
“Lead the way, oh wise one!” she jokes, and I laugh. It doesn’t take long to get to the back, and I drop Panda a message when we’re close.
“V baby!” I look up and see the metal door opening, and I squeal. I run toward him and leap into his giant fucking arms. The guy’s a fucking tree, catching me easily before spinning me around. “I missed you!”
“I missed you too, P!” I squeeze him before he puts me down. Indi reaches us, and I smile at her sheepishly as she checks my friend out. “Sorry, P, this is my girl Indi. Indi, this is Panda.”
“That’s one hell of a name.” She gives him a wicked grin, and he groans.
“You wear eyeliner one time and end up with a name like Panda. I swear to fuck, it’s going to follow me for a lifetime. My name is Evan, it’s nice to meet you! You must be the birthday girl. Welcome to the Psycho Girl tour.” He shakes her hand, and her excitement goes up a few notches as she bounces on the balls of her feet. If I wasn’t convinced she’s head over heels for Jackson, I’d swear she was crushing. P has that charm about him that puts you instantly at ease. He also looks like a golden fucking Adonis, so I get it. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t rocked a major crush on him before now.
“I mean, was it questionable eyeliner?” she asks, and he grins. I laugh, thinking about that night.
“He forgot he had it on, rubbed his eyes, and well… It was really hot in Atlanta. It smudged a lot, so he became Panda.” He grabs me by the waist and lifts me, tickling me while Indi laughs.
“What the fuck’s going on out here?” a shout comes from inside the stadium halls. Indi’s eyes go wide with fear, but I smile wider as P puts me down.