Lost Along the Way(45)

“Oh, come on. I’m not as bad as Meg and you know it. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Then stop worrying about everything and have some fun, for God’s sake.”

“I am having fun! I’m going to completely freak out when I see her. I’ve never been to a concert at Madison Square Garden,” Cara said.

“Me neither! We just have to make sure we stick together and don’t get lost once we get off the train.”

“How’d you get these tickets again?”

“A girl who worked with me gift wrapping at the Gap over the Christmas season had a few extra seats and I bought them from her. She’s eighteen and very cool. She’s going to meet us there. You’ll like her.”

“I still wish Meg would’ve come.”

“She was too much of a chicken to sneak out on a school night. It’s her loss. Come on, we have to hurry if we’re going to catch our train.” Sneaking into the city to see a concert unchaperoned when they were only fifteen was one thing, but sneaking into the city on a school night to see a concert unchaperoned when they were only fifteen was another. In Jane’s opinion, that’s what made it all the more fun. Jane was never one to take no for an answer, so after her parents told her she was forbidden from going, she’d decided she’d do the logical thing: lie. It was an easy answer to a stupid problem as far as she was concerned.

One hour later they were getting smashed in between thousands of people trying to get a better look at Janet and her dancers. The music was so loud Jane couldn’t hear herself think.

“Isn’t this amazing?” she shouted as she leaned over to Cara, who was dancing in a circle and singing along to “Miss You Much.” Her striped tube top and baggy jeans would look ridiculous on most people, but with Cara’s perfectly flat stomach and muscular physique they looked totally cool. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d had so much fun. Meg was crazy for opting out of this.

The dancers immediately broke into yet another routine. Jane was mesmerized by the way they could move their bodies in perfect sync, the choreography so detailed she marveled at how they possibly remembered it all.

“I will never forget this night as long as I live!” Cara said. “How do people dance like that? It’s crazy!”

“Ms. Janet is the best!” Jane said, feeling somehow proud that she was able to supply the tickets for such an epic night. The older girls kept knocking into her, drunk or high or both, but Jane didn’t need anything else to help her enjoy this show. The music and the dancing were enough to keep her going.

“Totally!” Cara echoed.

Jane checked her watch and nearly had a panic attack when she saw the time. She couldn’t believe the night had gone by so fast. “We’re going to have to go soon if we’re going to make the train. If we miss it we have to wait a long time for the next one and we’ll get home way too late.”

“Who cares?” Cara said as she continued to dance and sing and soak up the energy that was blazing through the Garden.

“We need to go!” Jane said, grabbing Cara by the wrist and leading her out of the arena. The LIRR was located directly downstairs. If they ran they’d be able to catch the train. If not, they were going to be stuck in Penn Station for another hour and blow their cover. She checked her watch again. The train was going to leave in five minutes. They would have to run fast. “Let’s go, Cara! Hurry!”

They took off in a full sprint toward the escalator, Jane’s heart pumping so loudly she could barely hear the voice over the loudspeaker announcing last call.

“Jane, slow down! I can’t run in these shoes!”

“I thought you were the athlete! Run, Cara, or our moms will kill us!”

“I should’ve worn a sports bra. Damn it!” Cara yelled as she ran faster and pulled ahead of Jane. “I’ll hold the train doors!”

They ran past the newsstands and down a flight of stairs. The voice over the loudspeaker said the track number one final time, and Jane watched as Cara sprinted down the stairs to track eighteen, leaving Jane heaving and panting behind her. Jane hit the staircase hard and had to brace herself against the railing to keep from falling down the entire flight and onto the train platform below. “Cara, don’t let the train leave!”

Jane looked up just as Cara jammed her leg in between the closing train doors and watched as they ricocheted open again. Cara braced her body in between them and held them open just wide enough for Jane to squeak through . . . and fall directly on the train floor.

“Oh my God!” Cara yelled as the two girls lay next to each other, gasping for breath. “I’ve never run that fast in my entire life!”

“I find that hard to believe,” Jane said, worried that her chest might actually explode. “I, on the other hand, might have a heart attack. Oh my God, we are so lucky we made this train!”

“I had so much fun, Jane. Thank you for convincing me to come.”

“It didn’t take much convincing!” Jane reminded her. “I’m glad you came, too. This is the stuff we’ll remember when we’re old and married and boring.”

“You’ll never be boring, Jane. I’d bet money on it.”

An hour later they returned home, and Jane was surprised when she noticed the kitchen lights blazing. Uh-oh.