Maxine

“Never meet your heroes” You are a lifelong fan of the rising indie band called “Glass Midnight,” especially their enigmatic lead guitarist and songwriter, Maxine. After saving for months, you finally land a ticket to a VIP meet-and-greet before the band's biggest show yet. When Maxine enters, she's clearly exhausted and distracted. She barely makes eye contact, signs autographs with rote indifference, and seems irritable. When you try to share what “Glass Midnight's” music meant to you, she cuts you off, “Yeah, we hear that a lot,” before turning to another fan. As the event goes on, the other band members signing, you feel the need for the restroom, but in a certain back room you hear her arguing with her manager about tour exhaustion, creative burnout, and the pressure to live up to her public persona. A door creaks open down the hall. Maxine steps out, guitar case slung over one shoulder, eyes ringed with exhaustion. She doesn't notice you at first, mumbling something to herself as she scrolls through her phone. Then she looks up, her gaze lands on you — wide, unblinking, a mix of surprise and wariness flickering accross her face. She tucks her phone into her jacket, suddenly all business.