Chapter 3: Taking Chances

And a miracle it was! I checked my watch and saw that it had just turned 7:30. Whew. I made it to my Literature class! Thank goodness!

Our professor had not even arrived when I got there. Then suddenly, I noticed that my classmates were starting to leave. What's going on? Where were they going and why were they leaving?

"Maddie! Where were you? I left several messages on your phone. What happened? Hey, do you even realize that you're completely barefoot right now?" a familiar voice called out to me.

It was my high school friend and closest confidante, Leslie Soriano. Tall, slender, and had a face that could put several models to shame. She was a reformed party girl who now enjoyed the simpler things in life. Before, we became friends, she used to be head cheerleader at her former school and had a reputation as a partygoing socialite who only cared if the shoes she wore matched her outfit. But that was all behind Leslie now. She still liked to go out and wear nice clothes but she was starting to get her priorities straight and was slowly developing a sense of direction, aside from towards the mall.

"Yeah, I know Les. See," I said as I held up my dripping shoes. "Anyway, I'll tell you the whole story later. But first, can you please tell me why everyone's leaving?"

"If you had just bothered to check your messages you wouldn't be asking me that right now and it would have saved you the trouble of coming. Anyway, our professor called in sick so we have a free period," she explained. So I went through all of that for nothing? What the heck?!

It was only then that I finally decided to check my phone and saw three messages, all from Leslie, telling me that Lit class was cancelled. Great. Just great.

"Hey, Maddie. Stop pouting and let's get out of here. I think I have a pair of slippers in my locker. Let's go get it so you can stop walking around barefoot."

Leslie could be honest to a fault and tells things like it is, no sugar-coating anything. She sometimes even sounded a lot like my mother but I wouldn't know what I would do without her. She was the closest thing to having a sister that I could ever have.

It was a short walk to her locker and I was pretty relieved to finally have something to cover my feet with. I decided to leave my wet shoes inside my own locker since it was near Leslie's and I didn't want to be carrying them around the whole day. Other universities and colleges don't have school lockers but fortunately for us Lanians, we were provided with them along with several other amenities like vending machines and ATM machines all throughout the campus.

Checking my bag for other things to put in my locker, I saw Adrian's handkerchief inside. It had his initials sewn on. M.A.S.L. on the lower right corner and was now thoroughly soaked. I had to dry it up first so I guess I'll just have to return it to him later. I decided to place it inside my bag for the meantime.

Our next class was still at 10:30 so we both decided to head to a nearby cafe and spend our idle time there. By this time, the rain had finally stopped pouring so we had no trouble getting there. When we arrived at the cafe, it was nearly empty except for a few students and two teachers seated near the back.

We walked up to the counter and I immediately told the barista what I wanted. "I'll have a triple, venti, soy, no foam latte please." Yes, I spoke the gourmet coffee lingo. All thanks to spending most of my free time at this one particularly famous coffee shop, whose logo is that of a twin-tailed mermaid with a crown. I know that I sounded like a spoiled little rich brat right now but I had my reasons for going there.

We lived a pretty comfortable life but my parents were still usually working late. I didn't want to be alone at home with just our maids so I usually frequented one of their branches near our place to read a book or simply enjoy the aroma of coffee until my parents came to pick me up and we would all go home together. Home for us was a modest, three-floored, ancestral house that my father inherited from my grandfather who had lived with us until he passed away recently. The property had been in the Rivera family for years and was situated just along the main road. A wrought iron gate and its surrounding high walls had kept the house safe over the years, therefore preserving the house's original grandeur and rich history. The house itself was old but it was well-kept and had handcarved furnishings inside. It was a beautiful house but it only felt like home only when my parents were there so I preferred the busy coffee shop than the almost empty house that we owned.

That coffe shop was my place of solace during my first year in high school, when I didn't have many friends and was considered a weirdo because I pretty much kept to myself. It was really awkward during my first two years but during my third, I decided to join the soccer team and enroll in drum lessons. So then I had school, soccer, and gigs to keep me busy. My schedule became pretty hectic but I started gaining friends along the way. It was also around that time when I met Leslie. We went to different schools but shared the same passion for music and bands.

I met Les at a gig when I was freelancing for Colliding With Orpheus. She had a major crush on TJ Tria, the vocalist. Les was at all our gigs, standing in front and screaming the loudest. I think she only befriended me at first just to get the inside scoop on TJ who had the looks to die for but was, unfortunately for Leslie, gay. So I was there to comfort Les through her heartache with TJ and our friendship gradually grew from there. We would hang out after school or after our gigs and since her house was just a few houses away, Les would hitch a ride with us. She would usually just sneak out of their house to watch these gigs and didn't always tell her parents where she was. I always scolded her about it but to no avail. So instead of arguing with her more, I decided that it was safer if she just rode home with us. That became our routine even after we graduated from high school and decided to enroll at West Lane. I was determined to get a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts so Les thought that it was what she wanted as well. We're currently majoring in Creative Writing but Les was still unsure if she wanted to switch majors or not.

Speaking of Les, almost five minutes had gone by and she still hadn't decided on what to order. She had a bad habit of being undecisive about a lot of things.

"Maddie, what do you think I should get? The caramel macchiato looks good but the chai latte looks even better," she said while looking at the cafe's vast list of coffee and food items.

"She'll have a grande, chai tea latte with extra foam please," I told the barista. Taking the liberty of ordering for her because it would have taken the rest of the day before she could make up her mind.

"Will that be all ma'am?" asked the barista, looking relieved that we had finally finished ordering.

"Yes. Thank you," I replied.

After we had paid for our drinks, we decided to find seats near the shop's front windows. We sat at a table for two people, facing each other.

"Are you sure that the chai latte you ordered for me is really good?" asked a worried looking Leslie.

"Yes, Les. Just calm down and trust my coffee instincts."

"Okay, but if I don't like it, I'm switching with your order."

"Fine."

"So, now my dear Madison Rain, will you tell me about what happened to you earlier?"

As we waited for our orders, I began telling Leslie about forgetting my umbrella, getting my shoes soaked by the heavy rain, and meeting The Decadence of The Fallen's Adrian and his horde of screaming groupies.

Her immediate reaction really surprised me though because Leslie not only knew Adrian but she knew the rest of the other members as well.

"Oh my gosh, Maddie. You got up close and personal with the elusive Marcus Adrian Lee! Wow! You're so lucky! Did he look more handsome up close? Did he smell good?," Leslie excitedly started throwing questions at me.

Luckily, our orders arrived before I could answer so Les was temporarily distracted. She took a sip of her chai latte and her face instantly lit up.

"You were absolutely right. This chai latte's awesome. I'm never doubting your coffee instincts again. Now, going back to Adrian. Tell me all the details."

I knew I wasn't getting out of this one. So I hesitantly answered, "Um...yeah. He was really handsome and had a really cool vibe about him. He smelled really good, too. I wasn't sniffing him or anything, so don't go getting any ideas, he just came really close to me. But I have to say that his groupies were totally crazy."

"Really? I'm so jealous," she said before continuing with a sad look on her face, "The groupies are totally crazy, huh?"

"Hey, why do you look so hurt? Wait a minute! Les, you're a groupie too aren't you? That's why you know so much. Why didn't you ever tell me about them?"

"No, just a fan. I found out about them last summer and come to their gigs once in a while. You know after the whole TJ incident, I've been really cautious with falling for musicians but with The Decadence of The Fallen...I just couldn't help myself. Speaking of which, they're playing at the school's Orientation Day. Let's come and watch," Leslie explained, smiling from ear to ear.

"Okay. By the way, do you happen to know where the band usually hangs out after their classes?"

"Why? Are planning on stalking Adrian?"

"No! I'm just going to return his handkerchief," I answered defensively.

"Lighten up, Maddie. I'm just kidding. Anyway, I think they've been hanging out a lot at the concert hall lately, preparing for their performance on Orientation Day."

"Will you come with me later? I'm sure their groupies are going to be there and I don't want to face them alone."

"Of course I'm coming with you. I'm not gonna pass up on an opportunity to see Adrian, Josh, Warren, and Sebastian up close. Gosh! I'm so excited already."

Sebastian? Who was he? The groupies earlier never mentioned a Sebastian.

After several minutes of thinking about who Sebastian was, we eventually decided to just pay a visit to The Decadence of The Fallen after class and find out for ourselves. We immediately finished our drinks and headed for our next class as the rest of the day passed by without any more incidences.

And now, after fighting through the usual group of screaming fan girls, we were finally about to enter through their dressing room's door. The band had just finished rehearsing and retreated backstage to let the craziness calm down outside. Their fans were creating a scene again and their manager, who I think was named Spencer, had advised them to stay inside for a while.

We explained to their manager why we were there and was finally allowed access backstage. After risking life and limb just to get here, I suddenly felt the urge to turn back and leave. All of this just to return one handkerchief? It was official. I had completely lost my mind!

With my heart pounding, I knocked on the door and after hearing an okay to enter, I slowly turned the doorknob and went inside with Leslie.