Janna stood amongst the raving fans of Star Killers waiting for the rock band to take the stage. The hulking bodyguards stood ready to hold back the throng of women who wanted to touch the lead singer. Even on the distant Venus Outpost, the crowds had assembled en masse to listen to him play. She hoped she could get his attention.
She hadn’t seen Zeke since her family moved from Earth when they were children. He promised to be her friend forever but communications eventually stopped as the years past. It was bound to happen; they were on different planets and only ten years old. When she found out Star Killers was headlining an interplanetary tour, she had to try to see him. Would he even remember her?
The crowd surged forward as the musicians took the stage. All around her, people threw up their hands and shouted, drowning out her own voice. The electric guitars screamed over the loudspeakers.
Janna stared up at Zeke as he sang, his lips brushing the microphone. He was no longer the pudgy little boy next door. His black t-shirt stretched over lean muscle and broad shoulders. His eyes were the same Neptune blue and his hair a tousle of black.
She called his name but it was lost in all the noise and chaos around her. He would never notice her this way.
Janna listened as they played greatest hits from their albums, all the while inching toward the stairs. The bodyguards stayed vigilant and blocked her path along with others trying to get close. Her heart sunk as the last song concluded and the band retreated. Try as she might, she couldn’t push past the muscle bound guard.
The next band took the stage, the crowd shifting again trying to push her in all directions. She fought her way to the outer wall of the auditorium, fighting back her disappointment. She looked for the exit and edged her way away from the stage. At every step, she had to push through clumps of people.
Close to the back, a security guard opened a side door and glared at her. Behind him an entourage pushed forward. In his rush to get past, he shoved her to the side. She tripped over her own feet and fell on her bottom with an umph. The people around her finally gave her room.
“Janna?”
She looked up and Zeke stood over her, his brows raised in surprise. He offered her a hand up and pulled her into his arms.
“I never thought I’d see you again.” He leaned down and kissed her, stunning her for only a moment. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
Friends forever.
He remembered.
