Teen Ink

In the Beginning...There was a Glove

He looked at me. Me!! The sweet little nobody. Sorry. I'm getting really ahead of myself. It's just that I'm SO excited. Why am I excited? Well, let's start at the beginning. My name is Joanna Simmons. I'm a straight-A student, I always raise my hand in class and in youth group, and I'm very unique when it comes to fashion. My dad heard on the radio that my favorite singer, Ryan Prest, was coming to the county fair. I was SO excited when my parents said that I could go!!!

it was a Friday night. I had already planned out the following perfect outfit: my diagonally-striped black-and-white tee, jeans that I had vertically cut in strips that went up to the top of my calf, neon shoes, and a pair of white gloves that I cut the fingers off of. I was so excited to go to my ver first concert.
Let me give you a little history on Ryan Prest before I move on. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Ryan started his career when he and some of his friends decided to start their own boy band called The Broken Hearted. They performed at their school's talent show about two years ago. A talent scout saw them perform, and he though that they were fantastic. They accepted an offer from Spotlight Records. After they released their first C.D., the band decided to break up because they got so many offers from so many other companies. Two of the band members starred in commercials and T.V. shows, the other one decided to take a break from the lime-light and focus more on his school work, and Ryan was offered a contract from Spotlight Records for a solo album. His self-titled album debuted last summer, and it came in at number four on the "Top Album Charts."
Even during his boy band days, I had a big crush on him. I literally have over 100 posters of him hanging on my ceiling! I couldn't wait to go to his concert that night, and Dad couldn't wait to try the sausage and peppers at the fair. As it turned out, they weren't to his liking, but at least he liked the piece of pizza he got, or at least I hope.

I stood behind the stage waiting to get into the mosh pit. Where I was standing I could see stairs going up to the stage, a keyboard, and a guitar. While my dad and I were waiting in line, a tour bus came up behind us and parked right behind the stage. I totally knew that it was Ryan Prest when I started to hear bunches of girls scream in the back of the line. A few minutes later, I saw Ryan grab his guitar. I totally started to freak out. "Dad, I just saw Ryan Prest!" i said to my dad who was standing behind me.
"Cool. I wonder how they get this pizza so crispy," he said as I turned back to look at the stage.
When we were waiting in line, my dad bought me Ryan's new C.D. "Heartbreak." With the C.D. came a backstage pass to meet him after the concert!!!! I hugged my dad and told him "thank you" at least ten times. A few minutes later, after the band had done their sound check, the crowd started to head into the mosh pit. I had to take off my glove on my right hand and shove it in my back pocket so I could get my hand stamped to have access to the concert, but I still wore the glove on my left hand. Then, after a few awesome opening acts, Ryan got on stage and started to rock the house. It started to rain after the second song. "It's raining, but it's not gonna stop us," Ryan said as he looked back at his band with a smile on his face. He started to do a soft ballad as it rained. The performance was SO romantic. During his sixth song, a wind storm blew through the concert. Ryan was fighting the wind as hard as he could to keep himself on stage. Since they didn't want anyone getting hurt, Ryan's manager made him announce that they had to end the concert for safety precautions, but he would still be signing autographs at a building nearby. After he left the stage, it started raining really hard.

Everyone that was in line to meet Ryan was soaking wet. I was so excited, yet so nervous. I didn't want to make myself look like a fool in front of my crush. What do I say? What do I do? Do I shake hands? Do I give him a hug? I had completely no idea!!!!! Finally, there I was, standing in front of Ryan Prest!!!!!!! "Hi," we both said.
"It's nice to meet you," he said as he took my C.D.
"Nice to meet you too," I said as he signed my C.D.
"Sorry about the concert getting rained out," he said as he finished signing my C.D.
"That's okay. The concert still rocked anyway." I was SO proud of myself. I said it so smoothly! As I said this statement, he stared at me for two minutes. I guess I must've done something right. Then, he smiled at me.
"Here you go," he said, handing me back my C.D.
"Thanks," I said as I walked away. What I didn't realize was that as I walked away that night, my glove fell out of my back pocket. I thought that I would never see it again.

I was so excited to show everyone my signed C.D. at school the next week. "So, you actaully met him?" Trish asked as she held my C.D. in her hands. There was a mob of girls at our lunch table that day.
"Yep. He's so nice. Trish, I wish you could've been there to meet him. You would've loved him," I said.
"Well, I already feel like I know him with all the things that you've told me since five this moring," she said with a big grin on her face. As all of the girls at our table started to pass around my C.D., so that everyone could gush over it, Muffy,- our head cheerleader and resident mean girl- walked over to our table. Just because her dad is the president of Spotlight Records doesn't mean that she rules the world.
"Muffy, what are you doing here? By the way, nice outfits. I guess you threw up pink before you cane to school," I said with a smirk.
"Wrong, loser. I heard that you got to meet Ryan Prest," she said in a snobby voice. Behind Muffy was her clique of prissy girls who were also dressed up in pink from top to bottom.
"Did you, Joanna? Did you really meet him?" asked Sasha, one of Muffy's groupies.
"Yeah, I did. Who wants to know? " I coldly asked.
"well, I got grounded from this party that Ryan's having this weekend in N.Y.C. So, my dad is making me give up the two V.I.P. passes to his party. I figured this might be your chance to make yourself look even more like an idiot than you already have," Muffy said as she pulled the passes out of her poofy pink purse.
"Well, I'm going to need someone to go with, " I said as I took the passes from Muffy.
"Ohhh! Take me, Joanna. Take me, please!!!!" Sasha pleaded with a longing look.
"Sorry, Sasha. Maybe next time. Trish, what do you say?" I said as I held out a pass to my best friend.
"When do I get to make myself look like an idiot?" she said gladly as she took the pass.
"By the way, Muffy, when we're partying up a storm in N.Y.C., we'll be thinking of you," I said as Muffy and her clique walked away.
"Whateve, losers," Muffy said as she turned around to glare at us. Then she went back to her table.