21 Questions | Matt Sturniolo

11.

Today was one of the most important days of Alex's life: she would be trying to get tickets to see her favourite YouTubers, the Sturniolo Triplets. The three brothers were planning a tour around the start of autumn and Alex was more than ready to go to a show. She had been mentioning it to everyone around her, meaning her friends and family, and would annoy them even more if she managed to get tickets – no one wants to know how she'll react if she does not get tickets. Her main goal was one of the last dates of the tour as the triplets would end it on the East Coast, near enough Spring Hill where Alex lived. T-time was approaching and Alex almost regretted the day off she took for this as being alone was stressing her even though she knew it was the best way for her to get tickets. Her motivation got a bit higher when she received a text from her best friend.

Lily loml🌻

Hi bestie, ik it's almost time so i just wanna wish you luck and keep me updated<3

I will if i succeed but don't expect anything if I don't get them😭

Although she wanted to stay positive, Alex was still mentally prepared to spend the rest of her day crying in bed while eating ice cream. Obviously, she really wanted to see the triplets but thinking about the worst that could happen would help her not be too disappointed. It would hurt less, right?

Well, it still hurt a lot when it was time to get tickets and the power went out, meaning that Alex's Wi-Fi connection was temporarily off. Quickly, the girl took her phone and switched her mobile hotspot on while trying to get Ticketmaster to work – always some issues with that website. As she kept refreshing the tabs on her laptop and phone, Alex's motivated smile started to turn upside down. She knew not to immediately quit when the website wasn't letting her select a ticket category because there was none left. It simply meant that people might just be thinking about buying the tickets and could let them go at any time, whether because they didn't want it anymore or because of the stressful timer that didn't last very long.

However, half an hour of waiting for available tickets turned into an hour and hope had completely left Alex. Not even any general admission tickets left? This is crazy, Alex thought. She had expected the VIP tickets to go first as people would mostly want to experience everything during the tour but even the most basic ones were sold out. Only the "front line extra" was left but they were worth nothing without at least a normal ticket. Alex kept switching tabs between the Orlando and Tampa shows but because nothing was becoming available to select, tears started to form in her eyes. It was becoming real: Alex wouldn't see the Sturniolo Triplets this year. The blonde was in such despair at the moment that she closed her laptop, threw her phone on the couch and left the living room to go cry in her room – not before grabbing her well-deserved ice cream that would have either celebrated the ticket purchase or in this case is actually to prevent Alex from throwing herself from her window.

~~~

At the café, Lily was currently frowning at her phone when she noticed that her best friend hadn't texted her in almost two hours. This is not good, Lily thought. This is not good at all. Indeed, this was a clear sign that Alex hadn't succeeded in buying tickets to see the triplets. Lily turned to her coworkers with whom she was closing and asked them for advice:

"Guys, I don't think Alex got tickets because it's radio silence"

"Oh shit," Jade sighed about the news. "And it's not like any of us got better luck."

Unbeknownst to Alex, her three friends had tried to get tickets during their shift as they had all had their phones opened on ticketmaster and even the store's computer – which led to some complaints from customers as they would take longer than usual to take and prepare orders. It was for the greater good though because when one of them is in need, the others do what they can to help. Each one of them had focused on one show in Floria to increase their chances: Lily had failed for Orlando, Jade had failed Tampa and Lucas had failed St. Lauderdale. It still was crazy to them that they probably lost the "Ticketmaster war" against thirteen year-old children.