Starstruckism

So, Bethany and I are like twelve. Why, you ask? Because we got an extremely severe case of Starstruckism and we're still not over it. We'll never be over it, either.

It all began with a concert, the coveted U2 concert, in fact. This was a pretty big deal because U2 was supposed to come last year around this time but Bono had to get back surgery, which delayed the concert. Bethany won these tickets, so we were excited to be at the U2 concert for free.

Anyway, hardly relevant. I know, you would think U2 was the main event for Bethany and I, but no. We're pretty big fans of The Fray, actually. Bethany has been for forever and she turned me onto them years ago. So, naturally, we were stoked to see them opening for U2. We sang to all their songs and poured out our souls to my video camera as we sang along. After what felt like five minutes, which was actually about 45 minutes, it was over and the audience now had time to contemplate the massive stature of the stage U2 brought along, or seek refreshments before U2 came on.

We decided to go for a pretzel.

We ordered but then had to wait while our pretzel cooked. We stood there waiting, chatting about seeing people we know at big events like this.

Then a figure strolls on by, probably in what he thought was an inconspicuous manner. But Bethany and I both had a strange feeling we knew him. Bethany pointed and said confusedly, "Waaaaait," and I countered with an incredulous, "Nooooo." But she knew for sure. "Yeah!" she said with conviction, still pointing.

Yes, indeed, that was Isaac Slade, lead singer of The Fray who had just sauntered by us.

We couldn't just stand there, so we left all notions of pretzels behind and proceeded to stalk Isaac through an entrance to the stadium. Suddenly, gone were the boundaries between famous singers and loving fans.

It was like we were in a movie.

We followed him down the stairs as he politely asked a woman if a seat was taken. He sat and texted for a moment, fully aware that he had two hawk-eyed girls staring him down. We tried to take a picture discreetly, but it didn't really work. Our dilemma ended in us standing there huddled together whispering, unsure of what to do next. People were starting to wonder what in the name of U2 we were doing.

Finally, Isaac stood up and casually stepped up to where we stood and looked at us expectantly, hoping we wouldn't blow his cover. The only thing I could think to say was, "Can we get a picture?" (I said it quietly, mind you.)

He leaned in and said apologetically, "I'd better not."

However, no matter how adorable he looked turning us down, I wasn't to be deterred.

"Are you sure?" I asked, clearly put out.

"Well, if we go up there, we can," he said obligingly.

Oh, Isaac. I do love you and your obligingness.

So then Bethany and I sprinted up the stairs, suddenly spry enough for a marathon, while Isaac kept his cool and walked up the stairs at a normal pace. Clearly he wasn't as infatuated with us as we were with him.

When we reached the top, Isaac took charge and said he'd take the photo. He took my little pink camera and after a moment of figuring out where to pose, Bethany and I got on either side of him and we all grinned and he snapped the shot. We both thanked him and Bethany patted his arm affectionately and said it was good to meet him.

He headed back down the stairs and we ran back to the pretzel wait zone. We jumped and screamed and couldn't contain ourselves, and everyone around turned to see what was wrong with us. We didn't care. We just met Isaac Slade! As we jumped ecstatically up and down, here comes Isaac back out, probably because we drew unwarranted attention to him in that stadium section.

Yeah, he saw us screeching and hopping up and down, temporarily turning into really excited tweens. We tried to disguise it as normal-girls-standing-in-the-pretzel-line behavior, but we're pretty sure he saw through it.

We couldn't wipe the smiles off our faces all night long. Or all day long the next day.

We caught Isaac Slade in disguise and he let us take a picture with him. It really does feel like an experience worthy of being in a movie. Except real life is definitely way cooler than the movies.

Bethany and I met Isaac Slade!!