Getting Along

11. Philadelphia

Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

“There it is!” I squeaked excitedly. Adelaide and Halle erupted in shrieks in the back seat as we pulled into the parking lot. I didn’t know how they had the energy to scream—they’d been talking and singing the whole car ride. They should be too tired to even go to the concert. But then again their thirteen year old girls…do they even know what it means to tire out?

I drove around for a while, looking for a good parking spot. We couldn’t be right at the door because there was already I significant amount of people here and I didn’t want them to bum rush the car, and parking too far would basically be a death sentence for when we’re trying to get out of here. Brody laughed at the heavy thought process I was putting into this and just pointed to the closest empty spot. Not even a second after I parked the girls hopped out of the back and went running towards the line.

“I think they’re excited.” Brody chuckled. I rolled my eyes before pulling my sun glasses on. The two of us walked like normal people to get in line with the girls. “Are you sure we’re in the right line?”

“What if this is the wrong line? We wouldn’t get to meet them!” Adelaide said grabbing her Dad’s arm. During the ride, I figured out even though they barely get to see each other, they still had a strong relationship. They were kind of like my Dad and I after that summer when we fixed things. He teased her about having so many freckles and she joked about his hairy gorilla arms. They were cute.

“I’ll go check.” I offered. The older teenage girls in front of us turned around at the sound of my voice, but I walked away before they could fully recognize me. I went into the building, seeing there was a whole other line in here. “Excuse me?” I went up to a security guy standing by the line.

“Yes?”

“Hi, is this the meet and greet line?”

“It is.” He said formally.

“Do you know if backstage passes have a different line too?”

“It does.”

“What if we have both?”

He thought for a second, “I’d suggest getting in this line first.”

“Okay, thank you.” I jogged out the door and whistled to get Brody’s attention and waved him over. He and the girls followed me back into the building—thankfully out of the cold—and to the end of the line. It was so much shorter than the other line, but I just knew there were others on their way.

The line moved about half an inch and Halle said, “Oh my god, the line is moving. We’re so close to meeting them. I have to get a really good picture with Harry—I’ll die.”

“I want like, seven good ones with Niall.” Adelaide sighed, “I’m—like Dad, I’m in love with him.”

“He’s literally twice your age.” Brody rolled his eyes before muttering, “Pretty sure he’s taken already.” The girls didn’t hear him though over the sound of their own talking added to the rest of the voices in the line. I wondered if it was safe for me to take my sunglasses off—I felt like a bit of a tool wearing them inside.

“Is it a good idea to take my sunglasses off?”

“Yeah, I think you’re fine. No one’s gonna risk their spot in line just to talk to you.” He teased. I punched his arm before taking my glasses off and shoving them in my coat pocket. The girls behind us gasped loudly and I gave her a small smile before facing forward. After a couple minutes, the line had moved a couple feet and I decided I should take me coat off.