Bye Bye
"Look at this shirt, Leslie."
"Yeah, it's really pretty." I said, not even paying much attention to it.
"What's wrong? You've been in a bad mood all day. You love shopping."
Maria was right. She had been my best friend for years and we always loved shopping together. "It's Dave."
Maria frowned. "Why are you still with him?"
"We love each other."
"He doesn't know the first thing about love."
"What do you know?" I snapped.
"I know that I'm there for you more than him and you still treat him better." She said.
"I'm sorry."
"Doesn't that sound familiar."
"I really am." I said. "I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat?"
"Might as well. We're not getting any shopping done." Maria said. She threw the shirt back on the counter and left.
"How about Sbarro?" I asked. "My treat."
Maria smiled. "Sounds great."
We walked over to Sbarro and got some pizza and sat down to eat.
"Oh, I just remembered. I have something to ask you." Maria said.
"What?"
"There's this concert I'm going to in three weeks. I was supposed to go with another friend, but the plans fell through and I need someone to go with me. Would you like to go?"
"What concert?"
"Jo Dee Messina."
"The country singer?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know any of her music."
"You don't have to pay me. Plus, I have two backstage passes."
"Okay, I'll go."
"It'll be fun."
"Your driving, right?"
"Yeah."
"Good deal."
We finished eating and then decided to leave. I went to my boyfriend Dave's house and Maria went home.
Dave answered the door when I got there. "Where have you been?"
"At the mall with Maria."
"Your always with her."
"She is my best friend."
"Whatever." He said and walked into the family room.
I followed him. "So your mad now?"
"Maybe." He said, sitting on the couch and turning the TV on.
I sat next to him. "I love you."
"I know."
"Do you want me to leave?"
"You just got here and already want to leave?"
"I don't want to stay here if your going to walk away from me."
"What do you want me to do?" He yelled.
"Stop yelling at me for no reason."
"I've had a bad day. Your not making it better."
"What happened?"
"The Rock lost the title in wrestling."
"Oh, shut up." I said and shoved him.
Dan grinned. "Let's go see a movie."
"I don't have any money."
"Did you spend it all on your best friend?"
"Not this again."
"I'm just kidding. I'll pay for the movie. What do you want to see?"
"Scary Movie."
"Me too." Dan grabbed a newspaper and looked at the movies. "It starts in a half an hour. Let's leave now."
"Okay." I said. We watched the movie, which was pretty good and then went back to Dan's house.
"Maria's going to a concert in three weeks and she wants me to go."
"What'd you tell her?"
"That I would."
"The person she was supposed to go with couldn't, so she asked me. I don't have to pay her."
"It would have been nice if you had checked me with me first. I don't want you to go."
I laughed. "Your funny." Then, I seen his face. He didn't look like he was joking. "Your serious?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were my boyfriend, not my father."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that I shouldn't have to ask you for permission to go places with my friends."
"It's not that."
"What is it then?"
"I don't know how to explain it without sounding rude."
"Too late."
"Why do you have to be like that?"
"I better go now."
"Why?"
"It's late." I said and headed to the door.
"If you walk out that door, we're through."
I gave him a dirty look and walked out the door.
The day of the concert
Dave and I had gotten back together. I called him the day after and begged for him to forgive me. Pathetic, I know. He was out of town today, so I was still going to the concert with Maria.
The phone rang just then. "Hello?"
"I'm coming now, okay?"
"All right."
"Bye."
"Bye." I said. I hung up and went downstairs to wait for Maria.
She came a few minutes later. "Did Dave give you any problems about coming?"
I hadn't told her what happened when I told him about the concert. "He's out of town."
"He wouldn't have let you otherwise?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay."
"Are you excited?"
"Of course, aren't you?"
"I've never even heard her music."
"You'll love it."
We got to the venue about a fifteen minutes later. It took awhile to park and then we had to wait a few minutes to get in. Our seats were great though. Second row, right in the center. Not to long after we got there, the opening singer came out. His name was Shane McAnally. He had a great voice and was pretty cute. After he was done, there was a short break and then Jo Dee came out.
Maria was really into the concert. After a few songs, I started dancing around along with everybody else. Jo Dee had a great voice and her songs were pretty good.
Before I knew it, it was over. Jo Dee started her encore and the song really hit me. It was about a girl breaking up with her boyfriend. I looked over at Maria and she was looking at me.
"You were just waiting for this song, weren't you?"
She nodded. "Yeah. It's called, "Bye Bye". Has it given you any ideas?"
"Well, I'm not dumping him as soon as we get home, if that's what you mean. I still have to think about it."
Jo Dee finished the song, thanked everybody for coming again and then left. "Let's go." Maria said. "It's time to meet her now."
We went over where the line for the meet and greet was and there was already a big line. I started to get in line when Maria pulled me back. "What are you doing?"
"I want to be last."
"Why?"
"My friend went to a meet and greet and she was last in line and she got to talk to her for awhile."
"Okay."
We went back and sat on a ledge and waited while the line got shorter. After about ten minutes, I stood up. "I don't have anything for her to sign."
"I was going to bring a picture too, and I forgot."
"Let's go buy one really quick. There's someone selling stuff about five minutes away."
We hurried over to the guy and I bought a picture and then we got in line. There wasn't that many people in line when we got there.
After a few minutes, we got up to Jo Dee. "Hello, girls." She said.
"Hi." Maria said.
"Hi."
Maria handed her a picture she had of Jo Dee. "Can you sign this, please?"
"Sure, what's your name?"
"Maria."
Jo Dee signed the picture and gave it back to her. "There you go."
"Thanks."
"Your welcome."
"I'll take a picture of you guys." I said.
Maria gave me her camera and I took a picture. Then, it was my turn.
"Hi."
"Hi." Jo Dee said. I handed her the picture. "What's your name?"
"Leslie." I replied. "You know, to tell you the truth, before I came, I had never even heard any of your music. My friend asked me to come, so I did. But, you're a great singer and put on a good show."
Jo Dee smiled. "Thank you. That's very nice of you to say." She finished signing the picture and gave it back to me. "Here you go, sweetie."
"Thanks." I said.
"The main reason I brought her is so she could hear, "Bye Bye"." Maria added.
"You could have just had me listen to the CD."
Maria rolled her eyes. "It's not the same."
Jo Dee laughed. "Do you want a picture, Leslie?"
"Yeah." I said. Maria took a picture of the two of us.
"So, I take it you have a bad boyfriend, Leslie?"
"You could say that." I said. "Actually, a few weeks ago I told him Maria had asked me to go to this concert and he said I should have asked him first and he didn't want me going. He hates that we spend so much time together."
"But, you told him you were going anyway?"
"Not exactly. He had to go out of town."
Just then the guy who had been supervising the meet and greet told Jo Dee it was time to go.
"I hope everything works out with your boyfriend." She told me.
"Thanks."
"It was nice meeting you girls. I have to leave now, but I hope to meet you some other time."
"Me too. Your really sweet." I said. "Bye."
"Bye." She said. She gave us hugs and then Maria and I went back to her car.
"She was really sweet." I said as we drove home.
"Yeah, I heard she was nice, but I didn't know she was that nice."
Maria dropped me off home and then went back to her house.
Dave came back in town a week later and stopped by my house.
"We need to talk." I said.
"About what?"
I walked into the living room and he followed me. "I've been doing a lot of thinking while you've been gone."
He laughed. "About what?"
"You. Us."
"And?"
"And, I think we should break up."
"WHAT? Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Why? Are you crazy? You try and tell me what I can do, when I can do it and who I can do it with."
"If this is about the concert, you can go."
"I CAN GO?! It's already passed. I went, anyways."
"See? I might tell you what to do, but you don't listen to me."
"I have always listened to you. Do you know how many times I've broken plans with friends to do stuff with you? Do you know how many friends I've lost because of you? I'm lucky Maria's still friends with me."
"We can work it out. I'll change."
"We won't be able to work it out. And, you'll never change. I don't want to change you."
"Then, what are you talking about?"
"Don't you understand? We shouldn't see each other anymore."
"But-"
"But, nothing. Please leave."
"That's stupid." He yelled. He stood up and headed to the door. "And, don't you call me tomorrow and expect me to forgive you."
Dave ran outside and slammed the door. I sat in a chair. "Don't worry, I won't." I whispered to myself.
I sat there for a few minutes and then called Maria. "I did it." I said when she answered. "I broke up with Dave."
"Really? Congratulations, Leslie. That's great."
"I guess."
"Do you want me to come over?"
"Will you?"
"Yeah, I'll leave now."
"Thanks. Bye."
"Bye."
A Few Weeks Later
I still hadn't talked to Dave. I did miss him sometimes, but there lots of other guys out there. Maria and I went to the mall to buy Jo Dee's new CD. I had become a big fan of hers.
"Here it is." Maria came up to me with two copies of Jo Dee's CD. She handed one to me and we bought them and walked out into the mall.
"Leslie!" I turned around and seen Dave. "Hi."
"Hi." I said.
"Hi, Maria."
"Hi, Dave."
"What are you guys doing?" He asked.
"We came to buy a CD."
He nodded. "That's cool. So, how have you been?"
"I've been doing alright." I said.
"That's good to know."
"We have to get going now." I said.
"Okay, well it was nice to see you again."
"Yeah, you too, I guess."
"You guess?" He laughed. "I'll let you two get going. Bye."
"Bye." I said and me and Maria walked away.
She laughed. "Your doing alright?"
I laughed. "Well, it fit."
The End
Email: misdmeanr6@hotmail.com
