Me at 15's Arc

Chapter 6 of 6

The week after the cardboard sandwich, JP told me she had tickets to see Rush and Max Webster at Maple Leaf Gardens on New Year's Eve. She said her older brother got them but couldn't go and asked if I wanted to come instead. I said yes before I thought about asking my parents. Mom said no when I asked her. She said New Year's Eve was for family and I couldn't go into the city that late with someone she barely knew. I told her JP was my friend and I'd be safe at a concert. Mom sighed and said I wasn't thinking clearly. She said I'd regret missing midnight with the family. I stood there knowing I'd regret missing the concert more. I asked Dad after dinner. He looked at Mom, then back at me. He said if I could get myself there and back, he wouldn't stop me. Mom didn't say anything else but her silence felt like static. JP and I took the train downtown on New Year's Eve. The arena was massive and loud and packed with people who all seemed older than us. We found our seats high up in the stands. The stage lights came on and the opening band started and I felt the sound move through my chest like a physical thing. When Rush came on, the whole building shook. I didn't know music could feel that big. I looked around at thousands of people all watching the same stage, all feeling the same thing at the same time. Nobody knew me here. Nobody cared if I was shy or quiet or doing anything wrong. I was just part of the noise. After midnight, confetti fell from the ceiling and people were shouting and hugging strangers. JP grabbed my arm and yelled something I couldn't hear over the crowd. I still had my ticket stub in my pocket. I folded it carefully and put it back. On the train home I didn't write about the concert. I didn't need to make it into a story about someone else. I had been there. I had chosen it over my mother's approval and it had been worth it. That was enough.