March 14th, 1998
Orlando, FL

He smiled that smile that I hated. His eyes were hidden behind his transition glasses but I got the same skin crawling feeling that I get whenever he looked at me.  “Well well, the superstar has graced me with her presence,” he commented. “I heard about your success, congrats.” I bit my lip to keep from saying anything. He chuckled. “You know, it’s polite to respond.”

“It’s also polite not to touch someone,” I shot back.

He smirked. “Come now, I thought your mother raised you to respect your elders.”

“Not when they’re a sick, sadistic, bastard…Mr. Pearlman.”

“I thought I told you to call me ‘Big Poppa’.”

“You’re not my father.”

He walked closer to me. I tried to move but my feet were stuck to the ground. My fingers twitched at my sides once he stopped in front of me. I could tell he was looking me over. I mentally cursed myself for wearing the light hoodie vest and short-shorts. “You’ve really…grown up,” he commented in a low whisper and touched my cheek. I swung my hand up and slapped him across the face. The loud sound made a smile come to my lips but it was instantly wiped off when his palm hit my face in return. The force of the blow was enough to knock me to the ground, clear of the glass thankfully. “How dare you touch me?” He hissed.

I rolled my jaw and gave a sarcastic laugh. “But it’s perfectly acceptable that you can touch me though, right?”

Lou’s eyes shifted to something behind me. I turned my head right as Jane hurried into the kitchen, a pan in her hands. “Uh, Mrs. Carter, I’m sorry, I dropped a glass,” I stammered, getting to my feet.

She put the pan down and looked at the ground. “Oh, it’s all right.” She gave a little laugh. “Broken glass is so common around here, it happens at least once a day,” she joked. “Step carefully and don’t come in here with bare feet. I’ll get this cleaned up.”

“Mrs. Carter, I can get it. It was my fault after all.”

“No no, you’re a guest. I’ll handle it.”

She wiped her hands on a dish towel. “Oh, that’s all right. I’ll get it cleaned up.”

“OK. I’m really sorry.”  I backed out of the kitchen and then turned and ran. Once I got outside I made a beeline for Nick who was standing with his Dad by the grill. I grabbed Nick’s arm and yanked him away.

“Ow, what?” He asked, taking his arm out of my grasp.

“Lou is here,” I hissed.

The color drained from his face. “You’re kidding.”

“Does it look like I’m kidding?” I replied, glaring at him.

“No, sorry.” He ran a hand through his hair. “What happened to your face?”

I brought my hand up to my slightly stinging cheek. I looked around and dropped my voice just in case we were being overheard. “I slapped him for touching me and he slapped me back. He got me good too.” I rubbed my cheek and dropped my hand with a sigh. “What do we do?”

“Do you really think he’s going to try something with the others around?”

I shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past him. He’s done it before.”

His eyebrows crinkled together but he shook his head. “Ok, um…lunch is almost ready. Sit by me, I’m pretty sure he won’t try anything as long as we’re near each other and he’s closer to my parents.” He licked his lips. “Yeah, you can sit in between me and Brian. Everything should be fine.”

“What’re you two whispering about?” AJ asked so suddenly I almost jumped out of my skin. I placed my hand over my heart and turned to look at him while he looked back in curiosity. I hadn’t even noticed that he walked over. “What, is it some sort of secret?”

“We weren’t whispering about anything,” Nick replied.

AJ rolled his eyes. “Yeah you were, I was standing right there. What were you whispering about?”

“Nothing, Bone, nothing,” Nick replied and walked off quickly.

“Well, look at that, I embarrassed him,” AJ said with a laugh and then he turned to me. “What were you and Kaos talking about?” He asked.

I laughed. “A little persistent, are we?”

“I mean, you two were looking pretty cozy.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

I sighed. “We were just talking, AJ. No need to make a big deal about it. We were talking about the tour.”

“You could’ve had the conversation out loud with the rest of us you know,” he pointed out.

I grumbled. “Get off it!”

“OK, OK. I’ll drop the topic for now. But we’re not finished with this conversation, young lady.” I rolled my eyes and knocked his finger out of my face. “May I escort you to your seat?” He asked while holding out his arm. I grinned and hooked my arm with his and let him walk me to the large table that was set up. I got my food and settled in my seat between Brian and Nick. I glanced down the table and sighed in relief when I saw Lou talking to Mr. Carter all the way at the end. Nick’s sisters were sitting a different table, talking to each other and laughing. I relaxed and dug into my food.

“I can’t wait for this tour,” Brian suddenly spoke up, bouncing in his seat. “It’s going to rock.”

“Not to mention we get to see some cool sights,” Howie agreed.

“And eat really good food,” Kevin added.

“Are we going to Italy? I’ve always wanted to eat authentic Italian food,” I commented.

AJ scoffed. “Pizza not good enough for you?”

“Some people don’t need to live off of McDonald’s all their lives to make them happy,” I replied, kicking my feet under the table. “Are we going to Italy, though?”

“No, but we are going to Belgium,” Kevin replied.

“Ooh, chocolate! Even better.”

“Have you figured out your setlist yet?” Howie asked.

I shook my head. “No. We can’t decide on anything. There are too many songs we want to do but Liam says we need to do an all pop show ‘cause that’s what Europe is basically feeding off of right now but we’re trying to get him to change his mind. I mean, I don’t want to dance the entire time.” I paused and took a sip of Kool-Aid. “How long is my part anyway?”

“Thirty minutes.” I almost choked on my drink as it went down my throat. Did he just say I have a thirty-minute set? That can’t be possible. He smiled at me as if he could read my mind and nodded. “We agreed on it. You and Aaron are getting a thirty minute set. You both need the exposure.”

“Now we’re going to be up all night trying to figure something out,” I groaned. “Thanks for making my life a lot harder.” I smiled to make sure he knew that I was joking and he relaxed in his seat. “Geeze, Dorough, you really don’t get my jokes.”

“I don’t ever know when you’re being serious or not!” he cried out, throwing his hands into the air while the rest of us laughed.

“That means I’m doing my job of being a girl right,” I cracked and leaned forward to high-five Leighanne. Howie rolled his eyes but grinned. “Speaking of, where is this benefit being held?” I asked.

“Disney,” Kevin replied.

“The benefit will be held at Pleasure Island in Downtown Disney,” Lou jumped in on the conversation, looking our way. I looked down and quickly zipped up my vest to cover the bikini I was wearing. Then I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned forward against the table so it pressed into my collar bone. “But it’s in the late afternoon so you all can spend the day at Magic Kingdom if you wanted. On me of course.”

AJ pushed his plate out of the way. “Screw eating, we have to start planning which rides we’re going to hit.”

 I grabbed a napkin. Leighanne dug in her purse and pulled out a pen and handed it to me. “Splash Mountain, obviously. Oh, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean….” I listed.

“I like the Jungle Cruise,” Howie offered. “And Tom Sawyer Island.”

“Oh, we have to go on the teacups,” I said as I added the attraction to the list.

“You guys are wimps, put some roller coasters on that list,” AJ ordered.

“Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is cute,” Leighanne spoke up. “And we can go on the Small World ride too.”

“Uggggh,” I groaned, sticking out my tongue. “My mom always drags me on that ride. It’s so borrrring.”

“Not when Brian and I go,” Leighanne said with a wink in Brian’s direction. He pretended to fan himself while the guys made whooping sounds.

“Oh-kay, we know where the dorks are going,” I commented. Brian tweaked my nose in retaliation. I then pulled a face.

“That couldn’t have hurt,” he commented.

“No, no, it’s not that. It’s just…my guys would want me to hang out with them,” I replied, rapidly pressing my thumb against the top of the pen so it made the annoying clicking sound. “That’s ok, we can all go as one big group,” I said brightly. They all made faces and looked at each other, which was what I expected. “C’mon, guys, it won’t be that bad. They’re just like you, only they’re a little more…rowdy. But they’re good guys. Give ‘em a chance. Please? For me?”

Kevin was the first one to crack. “Ok, for you.”

“Yay! Thank you, Kevvie, you were always my favorite.”

That got the other guys started on why they should be my favorite. They were so predictable. Leighanne tilted her head and signaled for me to get up from the table. I managed to do so without the guys noticing. “That’s the best way to get them distracted,” I told her.

“I should keep that in mind,” she joked. Then she turned to me with a serious look on her face. “Is something wrong?” I blinked up at her. “I mean, you were acting kinda funny when Lou started talking to us.”

I managed to keep my breath steady while I quickly tried to come up with an excuse. “I just got cold, that’s all.”

“It’s 84°,” she pointed out.

“I was in the shade.” I feigned scratching my neck to take a look over my shoulder and saw that Lou was looking right at us. I turned back around and gave her the most convincing smile ever. “It’s all good, really. But I have to go, My dad’s going to start worrying that AJ actually kidnapped me.”

“OK,” Leighanne said slowly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

I nodded. “Tomorrow.” I gave her a hug and then turned around. “Hey Bone, come on. I want to get home before dark.”

“You’re leaving already?” Angel asked from where she was kicking her feet in the pool water.

“Sorry kiddo, my dad’s weird with rules,” I said with a shrug.

“Come back again, OK? And bring pictures of Bluebelle.”

I smiled and nodded. “Sure.”

“Nick says you play guitar? You have to show me some stuff sometime,” Leslie said as she walked over to me and brushed her hair out of her face.

“It’s a deal,” I said and shook her hand.

“C’mon Frenchie, let’s boogie.” AJ called while spinning his keys around his finger.

“Wait, don’t go yet,” Nick said. He and Brian were swinging BJ in their arms all the while she screamed and squirmed. At the peak of their swing they let her go and she was sent flying into the pool. She screamed curses as them once she surfaced while Brian laughed. “I’ll be right back.”

“Are you going to tell me what you two were talking about yet?” AJ asked, walking over to me.

“Drop it, Alex, drop it,” I sighed. “Really, it was nothing important. We were discussing what video games to bring on tour, OK?”

He groaned. “Not another one. Nick goes nuts if anyone tries to touch his Nintendo.”

“Does he have a 64? Because that’s understandable,” I replied. “I’m not that bad with mine. Besides, I’m more of a board game person. I love Monopoly. I hate how long it takes but it’s my favorite.”

“Huh. Try and get Nick to sit through one game, I dare you. He’s practically allergic to board games. You can’t get him to sit long enough.”

I grinned and cracked my knuckles. “We’ll see what I can do. I have many ways of making people do things.” Finally Nick came back outside carrying a small stack of CDs in his hands.  “What the heck is that?” I asked.

“They’re all the CDs I burned for you. Considering we weren’t talking before I didn’t give them to you but you can have them now.”

“Thanks.” I took them from him and looked down at the ground. I could feel my cheeks burning when AJ started to whistle the wedding march under his breath. “Aw, shuddup,” I hissed. He smirked in reply. “So, I’ll see you guys tomorrow? I have rehearsal at eight I think.”

“Why?” AJ asked.

I shrugged. “I’ll be awake anyway.” I laughed when AJ muttered something along the lines of ‘psycho’. “Bye guys,” I called and followed AJ out of the backyard. As soon as he was out of the vicinity of the backyard he put a cigarette up to his mouth. “I hope you don’t plan on smoking that,” I commented as he brought a lighter up to his mouth.

“Are you going to feed me some crock about cancer or something?” He asked.

“No, I was going to ask if you could wait until I wasn’t sitting near you to smoke it,” I replied. “It affects my asthma pretty badly.” He looked at me and then pulled the cigarette from between his lips. He dropped it on the ground and crushed it with his heel. “Thanks.” I put my stuff in the backseat and then climbed in and buckled my seatbelt.

He backed out of the driveway so fast I thought I was going to bash my forehead on the dashboard. AJ easily glided down the streets and into traffic, keeping his lead weight of a foot on the gas pedal as we took the highway entrance. A few feet onto the highway we were stuck in traffic.

“Oh come on,” AJ grumbled under his breath, looking at all of the cars in front of us. “We’re probably going to be here for hours.” I smiled at the idea. Usually the idea would’ve made me go stir-crazy in five seconds flat but I was kind of glad that I didn’t have to go home just yet. “What’re you grinning about?” AJ asked, looking at me.

“Remember back in L.A.? It was…our sixth day there, I think. Nick had begged us to go to the beach until we finally gave in. We were halfway there when we struck traffic. Remember?” I nudged him as a half smile formed on his face.

“Yeah, I remember,” he replied. “It was bumper to bumper and Nicky was whining about not getting to the beach fast enough. Finally, to pass time we turned up the radio and had a dance party on the road.” He chuckled while shaking his head. “It’s amazing the things you can convince us to do.”

“Hey, a little eyelash bat here and there can get a girl anywhere,” I replied with a laugh. “Those were some good times.”

“Yeah,” he sighed.

Good, he took the bait. “So why’d you have to go and screw it up?” I asked pointedly. His fingers clenched the steering wheel a bit tighter. He and I both knew it was useless. We weren’t going anywhere.

“Why can’t you just forget it?” He asked in a tight voice.

“Because I don’t forget,” I replied. “I may forgive, but I don’t forget and you never told me why you said it.”

“Do you care about what others think of you that badly?”

I bit my tongue. “No.”

“Liar.”

I rolled my eyes. “Everyone does, so sue me, and don’t change the subject. Why’d you do it?”

“Because my girlfriend hated that you were around, OK?” AJ snapped. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I never even met her. Why do I matter?” I demanded. This was ridiculous. AJ had actually been controlled by a girl? I didn’t think I’d ever see the day.

“Fiona’s…kinda jealous,” AJ replied slowly.. “She didn’t like the idea that you were coming in and helping us out.”

“So…you shot nonsense in my face because of a girl?” I asked slowly.

“Yeah…well…you believed me!” He shot back.

“I had a reason to,” I said and threw my arms into the air. “You were nothing but mean to me when we first met! How could I not believe what you were saying?”

“That’s ‘cause I hated your merry band of clones!” AJ explained.

“So you took it out on me?”

“You took your anger at me out on my group. Do you know how annoying it was to have to deal with a sulking Brian and Nick and have Kevin on my back while Howie kept giving me his puppy eyes?” His fingers drummed against the steering wheel. “Look we were both stupid—“

“One more than the other,” I muttered.

“—but I’m willing to let the whole thing go and move forward with this tour. OK? ‘Cause we’re going to be stuck with each other for months.”

“Don’t remind me,” I groaned in a teasing voice. “Ok, fine, we won’t mention it again.”

“Good.”

I turned to look out the window right as the traffic started to ease up and we were finally able to move. He seemed a bit too eager to get off the subject, though. Like he’s hiding something.

~*~*~*~*~

March 15th, 1998
Orlando, FL

“Sorry about the new songs on such short notice,” I said as I tossed my microphone back and forth in my hands.

“Don’t worry. I love practicing new songs at odd hours in the morning,” Gabe said as he played random chords on his guitar. I smacked him on the back of the head while walking across the stage that every act for the benefit would perform on.

 It was a simple square stage with all of the instruments pushed to the back. Every side except for the back of the stage would be surrounded by the victims’ families, fans, friends, and anyone at the park who wanted to hear live music for the night. I was so jazzed I could hardly sleep (part of it was ‘cause I talked to Justin all night).

“I gotta say, though, that these are your best songs to date,” Sevvie commented as she stood from her stool and walked out from behind the drums. I noticed that she towered over me more than usual. I looked down and saw that she was wearing four-inch red and white polkadot heels. How she manages to be a beast on the drums while wearing those is beyond me. “So tell me, what’s the inspiration?”

“Or should she say ‘who’?” Codie added, lifting her guitar over her shoulder and set it down on the ground.

“You mean you don’t know?” Lyric asked, looking up from her bass which was lying across her alp. She clipped the end of a string and looked up at me. I squinted at her while the others turned their direction to her. “She’s not doing a great job of hiding it,” she continued, kicking her legs in the air and clipping away happily.

“Lyric, shut up!” I hissed.

She looked at me with wide eyes. “What? I didn’t say anything about you having a massive crush on JC.”

“Lyric!”

She pulled a face. “Oooh…now I said it.”

“Ya think?”

“Wait, you like JC?” Gabe asked. “Since when?”

“Since always,” Lyric replied. “You haven’t noticed the hearts that practically form I her eyes whenever she looks at him?” She made a scoffing sound. “Where have you guys been?”

I grumbled under my breath and brought my palm up to my face, praying that they weren’t looking at me. I slowly lowered my hand and saw that they were still staring as if I’ve grown a second head. “Lyric, thanks for embarrassing me.”

She flashed a smile. “Anytime girl.”

“I worry about her,” I muttered.

“You aren’t the only one,” Sevvie replied. “Now what’s this about you crushing on JC and why didn’t we know?”

“Because it’s not important,” I replied. “And I don’t like him anymore.”

“How long have you liked him then?”

“Oh not that long…” I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. “Anyway, what matters right now is—“

“The fact that you’re changing the subject?” Codie questioned.

“—squeezing in enough time to hit all the good rides before the little kids get in the way,” I finished, ignoring her.

“Glad to know where your priorities are.” Codie rolled her eyes. “He has a girlfriend for crying out loud.”

“Codes, I’m aware of that and it’s not like I’ve done anything to screw them up.”

“Except blatantly hate her,” Gabe commented.

“When I want the peanut gallery’s commentary I’ll ask for it,” I said and stuck my tongue out at them.

They returned the gesture.

~*~*~*~*~

My fingers bounced against the tabletop. I looked at my watch again and let out a loud sigh. “Come on! They know how much I want to get going!” I grumbled to myself, and looked at my watch once more.  My band had opted for a day at the beach instead so here I was waiting alone for the guys to show up. Todd and Eric stood by, secretly looking at the mouse ear hats that were on sale at a nearby vendor. My bet was that they didn’t want to stick around incase a fight broke out. They had a good idea. My stomach was still in knots over this dumb idea that I had. I stood and turned to toss my Sprite bottle into the trashcan when I saw a familiar bleach-blonde head bobbing through the crowd.

“Ramen Head!” I squeezed my way through the crowd and jumped into Justin’s arms. I felt my feet leaving the ground. I laughed in delight as I was spun around.

“Smurfette!” Justin said, equally happy while giving me a squeeze. He finally set me down and I had to grab onto his arm to keep from falling over. Only when everything stopped tilting did I smile up at him.

“It’s about time you got here,” I said slapping his arm and then hugged Lance. “How was your flight? Everything go well? How were the shows?”

“Great. The fans are unbelievable,” Lance replied. “You should see them. They start freaking out whenever they catch a glimpse of us like we’re some sort of stars or something.” He chuckles and shakes his head at the notion.

“Did Superman throw up on you?” Justin laughed, pointing at my attire. I had taken the Florida weather into consideration and opted for my off-the-shoulder Superman t-shirt, red shorts, and my favorite black converses with rainbow laces.

“I think she looks hot,” Joey said with a wink and he put a kiss on my cheek.

“Thanks Joe,” I smiled at him.

Justin rolled his eyes. “He would say that.”

“I’m sorry, are you denying my natural beauty?” I asked. I tried to keep a straight face as long as I could but the look on Justin’s made me laugh. He looked as if he had just gotten in trouble with Lynn. “Where’s Josh?” I asked, putting my hands in my back pockets. Good, that came out as a normal sounding question, I thought when Chris shrugged.

“He and Bobbie stopped somewhere for something,” Lance said with a shrug of his own. Then he clapped his hands. “Who’s ready to hit some roller coasters?”

“Baby, I don’t want to go on any roller coasters.” I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm. I turned and lifted my eyebrows at Bobbie’s attire which consisted of a knotted white button down shirt, daisy dukes, and brown wedge heel boots. I bit back the comment that sat on the tip of my tongue and gave JC a little smile and a nod in greeting. I didn’t trust myself near him anymore, especially with the way Bobbie looks at me now.

“They’re not that bad,” JC told her, giving her hand a squeeze. She leaned into his arm as if she were afraid of the very thought of riding one.

“I’m not good with heights.”

“Neither is Chris. You can wait with him,” Justin said as he pointed in Chris’s direction. “He has a huge fear of heights.”

“It’s not a fear, it’s a phobia. Get it right,” Chris huffed.

“Well, we can’t go just yet anyway,” I said slowly and started biting my thumbnail as soon as they turned to look at me.

“Oh yeah?” Joey asked with a grin and then nudged me with his elbow. “Who’s the lucky boy?”

“Boys, actually,” I corrected him. His eyebrows went up. “I kinda…invited the Backstreet Boys…to spend the day with us.” I flinched when Chris and Justin let out cries of protest. “Come on, guys. I want to put this rivalry to bed, it’s ridiculous. I mean, Lance, Joey, and JC don’t have problems with them, just you. And they’re my friends.”

“Since when?” Chris asked.

“Since yesterday, I guess,” I replied. “Does it matter? I just want us all to get along. I mean, you’re a lot alike. J, you and Chris like to play basketball as much as Brian and Nick do. It won’t be that bad, just please try and get along with them. For me? Please?” I did my best to give them the puppy-dog pout.

“Ugh, someone say yes and stop her whining. It’s giving me a headache,” Bobbie grumbled, rubbing at her temples and then lowering her sunglasses over her eyes. Chris glared in her direction but it wasn’t noticed as she was too busy fluffing up her hair.

“Don’t listen to her,” Lance said with a smile. I rolled my eyes. “Come on, cheer up. We’re at the Happiest Place on Earth.”

Suddenly a heavily tattooed arm swung around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. “Yo, what up, Frenchie?” AJ said into my ear as soon as he let go. He actually looked somewhat normal today wearing a simple sleeveless shirt with a hooded vest, shorts, and a backwards hat. Of course his dark sunglasses sat on his face. “Guys,” he added, nodding towards *NSYNC.

They didn’t say anything. I stared at them hard until Joey smiled and greeted them warmly. I could always count on him. “So, what ride do you want to hit first?” I asked.

“Better question, who wants to go on roller coasters and who don’t?” Justin asked. “I mean. It’d be easier to split into groups, right?” He looked at me and I subtly shook my head. I knew what he was doing. He couldn’t pull one over on me, even if he did have a point.

So the groups ended up dwindling down to the roller coaster riders and the non-roller coaster riders. Justin, Lance, Chris, Nick. Kevin, and Howie made up the roller coaster group and JC, Chris, Bobbie, Brian, Leighanne, AJ, and I made up the other group.

“I’m going to have fun today, right?” I grumbled to Chris once I found out that Bobbie would be in our group.

“Of course, even if I have to force you to smile,” he replied. Then he stuck his fingers in my cheeks by my mouth and pulled up, making my lips form a smile.

~*~*~*~*~

“Ooh! Ooh! Funnel cake!” I shouted, pointing at the shop and jumping up and down. “Can we get some, please?”

“I wouldn’t mind taking a break,” Leighanne said while pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

“Oh, but we haven’t seen the Small World ride yet,” Bobbie commented in a bored tone. I was beginning to see red. It was one thing making fun of me, she could do that all she wanted. But making fun of Leigh? That was crossing the line. JC even laughed as if it were a joke.

“Why don’t you guys find some tables and we’ll get the funnel cake,” Brian offered, kissing Leighanne on the cheek. “Do you want powdered sugar?”

“I do!” I said, shoving my hand into the air and waving it around.

“You sure she didn’t eat some already?” AJ joked. He lightly slapped Chris’s arm and the four guys went to buy some funnel cake while Leighanne and I found a place to sit. Bobbie walked off with her cell phone glued to her ear.

“What is with her?” Leighanne asked.

I sighed. “She has a permanent stick up her ass. I’m sorry for her. She and JC are practically attached at the hip.”

Leighanne wrinkled her nose. “She kind of reminds me of Mandy.”

“Who’s Mandy?”

“Nic’s ex-girlfriend.” She lowered her voice as if she were afraid of being overheard, which was practically impossible with all the kids running around the place screaming. “She was very mean, not only to him but to the fans as well. She always cut down on the boys too.”

I couldn’t believe it. Why would someone as sweet as Nick date someone like that? “There had to be a reason he stayed with her for so long,” I said slowly, trying to keep the one possibility out of my head. I didn’t want bad images.

Leighanne shrugged. “She was as sweet as a rose at first. One day she just…changed. I think it was the idea of how much money Nick could get once the guys started to really make it. They broke up about eight months ago but it still hurts him. She was the first girl he was really serious about but she didn’t feel that way about him.”

“Poor Nicky.”

“He was crushed but he had it when she hit him,” Leighanne continued. My eyes widened and she nodded. “Sad but true. Bobbie doesn’t hit JC, does she?”

“No, they’re too busy sucking each other’s faces off,” I replied. “But there is something weird about her; I just can’t put my finger on it. It seems to me that she’s…I don’t know how to put it but it seems to me that she likes the…opportunities that comes with dating him, ya know?”

“Unfortunately, I do. But who are we to say why she’s with him, right?” Leighanne shrugged. “Keep tabs on him, though. Just in case.” She quickly jerked her head up as Bobbie walked back over to the table and sat down on Leighanne’s side.  She crossed one leg over the other and let out an impatient sigh. “What’s the matter? You don’t like Disney World?” Leighanne asked.

She shrugged. “It’s just not for me. I’m not an amusement park type of person. I don’t like the rides or the greasy food.” She snapped shut her compact mirror and then looked at me. I shrank under her gaze. “So, Superstar,” she basically spat the word at me even though it was hidden behind a sweet smile, “tell me, how long will you be on tour again?”

“Um…about three months I think,” I replied. “At least, that’s the original plan. I could stay longer.”

“Well, I hope you have the time of your life. After all, you deserve it.”

“Um…thank you?” I looked at Leighanne who shrugged as the others came back. “What is this?” I asked, poking at the funnel cake that AJ had set in front of me. Some weird looking red goo sat on top of it.

“Strawberry funnel cake,” he replied and cut his fork into it. “Strawberry’s your favorite fruit, right?”

“Yeah, but not on top of my funnel cake. It’s going to make it all soggy.”

“Yeah, AJ, heaven forbid her food touches,” Chris snickered, shoving a large bite of funnel cake into his mouth.

“Shut up.” I cut a piece of the funnel cake, making sure to get some strawberry on it. I hesitated and then put the warm cake into my mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “That is really good.”

“Careful, AJ, you might lose an eye if you get too close,” Chris joked as I shoved another piece into my mouth.

“Ha ha.” I rolled my eyes. While the rest of us dug into our food Bobbie sat by letting out little sighs of impatience. JC tried to get her eat some of the funnel cake but she declined, saying something about carbs and fat. Her negativity finally got to me that I had to escape to the bathroom for a bit or else I would’ve throttled her. I mean, we (well JC) invited her out for the day to have fun with friends and this is how she repays us?

I took a few deep breaths and left the bathroom, careful not to trip over a couple of kids that ran into my path. I found the guys by a hat stand, signing some autographs for a few fans that bounced on their toes in front of them. I chuckled and grabbed a jester hat off of the stand and modeled it for Leighanne. “What do you think?”

“It’s very you,” she laughed while placing a tiara on her head. “How about me?”

“Very beautiful, My Queen.” I gave a little curtsey and cracked up with her. “Hey look at these!” I took off my jester hat and pulled down two Mickey Mouse hats, one was a black top hat and the other was a white top hat with a veil. “These are so cool,” I said as I held out the white one to Leighanne and put the black one on. “Leighanne Wallace, will you do me the honor of being my wife?” I asked while she laughed.

“Hey, that’s my line,” Brian said as he took the hat off my head and put it on his own.

“I’m going to have to say yes to Brian. He’s more my type, I hope you understand,” Leighanne giggled.

“And here I thought we were happy together,” I joked while reaching into my drawstring bag. I quickly snapped their picture.

“Hey guys, we’re going to go take a look around the um…the um…” JC muttered as Bobbie yanked on his arm.

“You promised you’d go on Splash Mountain with me,” I pointed out.

“We can do it later,” JC called as Bobbie dragged him away.

“Yeah, whatever,” I mumbled.

“Uhh…why don’t we go on the Haunted Mansion ride?” Chris jumped in.

“Chris, that ride’s not scary,” Brian pointed out.

“Who said we’d go on it because it’s scary? I am to scare the other riders,” Chris said with an evil grin.

“Now that sounds like fun,” AJ said as they high fived.

“You guys do that and we’ll go search for hidden Mickeys,” Brian said, hugging me to his side. “It’ll be fun, I promise. Leigh and I have found twenty-five so far.”

“Yeah, and we have a whole roll of film to put to good use,” AJ agreed, taking my camera out of my hands. Brian and Leighanne squeezed in on my two sides as AJ took a picture. A good day of fun with my friends was long overdue and ready to be accepted.

JC being a jerk couldn’t put a damper on my spirits.

~*~*~*~*~

“Abbey that’s enough hair spray!” I said as I waved the cloud of sweet smelling chemicals away from my face. I adjusted my in-ears as she hovered around my head, pulling a brush through my hair. I could hear the cheers of the waiting fans and storm victims over by the stage.

The day went by faster than I had hoped. After a while we ran into the other group and decided to spend the rest of the time searching for hidden Mickeys. Every now and then we had to stop to take pictures with fans and sign autographs but I didn’t mind. Everyone was having a good time, that’s all that mattered. All of my friends were finally getting along. Even Justin and Nick seemed to put their rivalry behind each other for the day, well up until they bet that the other would get sick first after going on the teacup ride.

Night fell quickly and the next thing we knew we were being ushered into the backlot to get ready for the show. A handful of acts had already gone on, including *NSYNC (who rocked as usual), and now it was my turn. My mom and Dad came in a few minutes ago with my aunt Abbey and little cousins to wish me luck. Abbey stuck around to help me with my hair and makeup.

“Hey, are you about ready?” Liam asked as he walked into the area. He waved his hands in front of his face to clear the air of the hairspray cloud.

“Told you,” I said with a smirk in Abbey’s direction. “Liam, this is my aunt Abbey. She’s going to be my guardian while on tour.”

“Nice to meet you,” Liam said with a nod. Then he turned to my band. “Are your instruments ready?”

“Liam, relax, we made sure everything was set up,” Gabe told him, lifting his in-ear monitors to his ears. “There’s no way this show can tank.”

“Do you plan on dancing at all?” Liam questioned.

“No, I wasn’t planning on it,” I replied while Abbey adjusted my battery pack and then shoved it in my back pocket. “Should I, though?”

“If there’s enough time after your set I say you should,” Liam replied. “Give them all an idea that you’re not just a singer but you can dance as well. A good portion of them already know some things about you and they know that you’re connected to the Backstreet Boys but they aren’t sure how just yet. There might be a little interview session after your set as well. They did it with a few other acts.”

“Duly noted.” I hiked up my pants again. “You mind finding me a belt?” I asked, shoving my fists into my pockets to keep them up.

“I’ll get it,” Abbey said and moved around to the clothes corner.

“You ready to pray?” Lyric asked, holding out her hand. I nodded and grasped her hand as well as Gabe as he muttered a prayer, thanking the Lord for our opportunities and to watch over us tonight. As soon as we let go of each other’s hands the energy in the room seemed to heighten and we started bouncing around the room. It helped that LL Cool J’s “Momma Said Knock You Out” started playing and made us even more pumped up.

“We’re gonna knock this out! Momma said knock this out!” Lyric started chanting as she jumped around the room. “We’re gonna knock this out! Momma said knock this out, huh!”

Liam looked at his watch and then clapped his hands. “Alright, guys, it’s showtime.”

“Hands in everyone,” I ordered, holding on my left hand while Abbey slipped a yellow fingerless arm warmer over my right hand.

Gabe, Lyric, Sevvie, and Codie scrambled over and put their hands in and then we started our ‘Tick Tick Boom’ chant in unison. “Tick…tick…tick…tick…ticktickticktick BOOM!” We threw our hands into the air and followed Liam out the door, across a section of the backlot, and to the back of the stage. I took my microphone from a stage hand and started bouncing on my toes as Liam went to introduce me. Finally, to cheers and applause, we ran onto the stage. I laughed when I saw that my friends had practically taken up the entire front row.

“What’s up Orlandooooooo?” I called as Sevvie hit the cymbals to start the first song and the others came in with high energy. “Another day, is going by…I'm thinkin' about you all the time…ut you're out there and I'm here waiting…” I sang while moving around the stage. In the beginning part of the verse Gabe was the only one playing his guitar so Codie and Lyric grabbed theirs and started spinning around in circles. The lights only illuminated the first few rows but I could see figures behind them bouncing around and clapping in time to the song.

Gabe joined in on backing vocals, “And I wrote this letter in my head, ‘cause so many things were left unsaid. But now you’re gone and I can’t think straight.”

I moved over to the side of the stage where the guys were and waved at them, grinning at their enthusiasm. I could see the red light on my dad’s, Kevin’s, and Joey’s video cameras so I crouched down and sang right into them. “This could be the one last chance to make you understand, yeah. I’d do anything, just to hold you in my arms. Try to make you laugh, ‘cause somehow I can’t put you in the past. I’d do anything, just to fall asleep with you. Would you remember me? ‘Cause I know I won’t forget you….”

Somehow I managed to find a good rhythm in the song and danced around the stage while the others rocked out. I could tell from the smiles on their faces that they were having the time of their lives. How many people can say that they played a show in Disney World or all places? It was the best audience too. People of all ages could hear my music and know that I was the real deal.

“Thank you,” I said into the microphone and gave a little bow at the closing of a song. This night was going by way too fast.  A stagehand rushed out and placed a stand in front of me. “Thank you,” I added, turning to him. He gave me a salute and got off the stage. “How’re you doing tonight, Orlando?” I asked while the others adjusted their guitars and got ready for the next song. My ears were met with loud applause. I chuckled when I heard Justin and Chris scream out that they loved me like a bunch of their fans do. “Thanks, I love you guys too,” I said while adjusting my in-ear. “I just wanted to take the time…to say…that I appreciate you all coming out here in support of the tornado victims,” I said while panting slightly. “If it weren’t for all of you coming out and giving up your time we wouldn’t be able to raise nearly as much money as they do to rebuild their homes and their lives and I want to thank you all for it. Give yourselves a round of applause.” As they cheered and clapped I looked over at Gabe who gave me a thumbs up signal. I looked at the girls and they gave me a thumbs up as well. “Ok, I have…two more songs for you all. But first, I want to see hands in the air. To my girls out there, who of you have fallen for someone you’re not supposed to before?” I shielded my eyes from the light as hands went into the air. “Ok, good, so I won’t sound like a dork when I sing this next song because you all know what this feels like. This song is called “Stop This Song” or “Lovesick Melody” whichever you prefer.”

I backed away from my microphone as they started the song. I bounced around the stage and jumped on top of the monitors which were positioned at the crowd before the song finally came in. I grinned at the sour look on Bobbie’s face before I closed my eyes and let all my emotions out in the song. “You say the sweetest things and I can't keep my heart from singing…along to the sound of your song my stupid feet keep moving…to this 4/4 beat, I'm in time with you…whoa, to this 4/4 beat I would die for you,” I sang.

“Die for you,” Lyric came in on time, always having my back. “Someone stop this…”

I opened my eyes a bit and looked in the guys’ direction. I had to be sure he heard me. “I've gone too far to come back from here, but you don't have a clue…You don't know what you do to me. Won’t someone stop this song so I won’t sing along? Someone stop this song. So I won’t sing…” I backed away from the microphone again. At the little pause I noticed the audience was eerily silent but I kept going. “I never let love in so I could keep my heart from hurting…The longer that I live with this idea, the more I sink into this 4/4 beat I'm in time with you…Whoa, to this 4/4 beat I would die for you.”

“Stop this song,” Lyric came in with her somber yet powerful croon.

I opened my eyes fully and zeroed in on him. No one else was in the crowd but he and I sang right to him. “I've gone too far to come back from here, but you don't have a clue…You don't know what you do to me…I've come too far to get over you, and you don't have a clue…You don't know what you do to me.”

Lyric joined me in the backing vocals for the chorus this time. “Can't someone stop this song, so I won't sing along…Someone stop this song, so I won't sing…Your lovesick melody is gonna get the best of me tonight…but you won't get to me if I don't sing…”

“C’mon Orlando, hands up!” I called and clapped along to Sevvie hitting the snare drum. Seeing the pissed off look on Bobbie’s face made a smirk come to mine and I gave the rest of the song everything I had. “It creeps in like a spider that can't be killed…although I try and try to…Well, don't you see I'm falling?...Don't wanna love you, but I do…” I backed away from the mic feeling my heart beating against my chest. It was the first time I had admitted the words outloud and it felt great. Lyric smiled over at me from where she was playing the bass and it seemed, in that look, that she was telling me that everything would be OK in the end.

I stepped forward to the mic, gripped the stand, and sang the last part of the song with Lyric, “(Lovesick melody) Can someone stop this song, so I won't sing along? (Lovesick melody) Can someone stop this song, so I won't sing? Your lovesick melody is gonna get the best of me tonight…nut you won't get to me…no you won't get to me 'cause I won't sing.”

The song ended abruptly as darkness faded over the stage and I hung my head. A sound like rain hitting the ground filled my ears which then turned into roaring applause. I smiled and lifted my head as the lights came up once more and I blew kisses to the crowd.

“Thank you so much, once again. Thank you Orlando. This is my last night here at home, tomorrow I’m heading out to Ireland to tour with the Backstreet Boys—“ shrieks from the girls in the crowd interrupted me. I laughed and waited patiently for it all to die down “—and I wanted to thank you all for making my last night here memorable. I had a blast and I hope you guys did too.” Gabe started playing the intro to ‘Pressure’ and I was surprised when a ripple of screams went through the crowd. “Oh, do you know this song?” I asked and smiled when screams went through the crowd again. “I want you all to promise, when this single comes out in stores, that each and every one of you will buy a copy for two…or three.”

We went through the two verses and the chorus of the song as planned but stopped right before the bridge. Lyric kept playing her bass riff while Sevvie tapped out the beat. I walked to the front of the stage and bowed before bringing my microphone up to my mouth again. “Now…how many of you have been to a Mini D show before?” I asked. Then I doubled over laughing when Justin lead the others in loud screams. “You guys don’t count,” I scolded, waving my finger in their direction. “Ok, how many of you…have never been to a Mini D show before?” I held up my microphone and soaked in the screams. “By the way, that’s one of my nicknames, in case you didn’t figure that one out. So I guess…that means I have to introduce my lovely band back here. Without them…I would really suck.” Lyric reached out to tweak my nose and I batted her hand away.

“How about we start over here…with my lovely flame haired friend?” I said and waved my hand in Lyric’s direction. At the applause she placed two fingers to her forehead and gave a salute. “The funkiest of them all. My friends, this happens to be my very good friend, being a beast on the bass guitar…LYRIC WILLIAMS!”

She played the riff a bit loud while I walked over to the drumkit. “And over here…behind the drums…wearing a killer four inch stiletto…” Sevvie stood and lifted a leg over her drumkit and dragged her hand up her leg from her foot to her knee to show off her heels. “Give it up for…SEVILEN PETERS.”

She sat down and spun a drumstick around her fingers before playing the beat of the song. I nodded my head to the beat and sauntered across the stage a bit more. I looked between Codie and Gabe and then walked over to Codie. “Ooh goodness.” Codie laughed and threw a pick at me. “Everyone, this lady with the guitar…this happens to be…” I put my arm around her shoulders and rested my head on her shoulder closest to me. “CODIE SIMPSON!”

She curtsied and did a pick slide while joining in on the song with the others and I walked over to Gabe. “Over here, on the lead guitar,” I said while pointing at him. As if he needs an introduction…Ladies and gentlemen, the sexy GABE NICHOLS!”

He joined in with the lead guitar part while I walked to the center of the stage. All at once it stopped and Gabe leaned against his microphone stand. “Hey guys,” he addressed the crowd. “We’re going to finish this show soon so I’ll keep it short. To my…” he paused and held his hands in front of him to form an ‘L’ with both fingers. “To my left,” he said and jerked his thumb in my direction while I laughed. “Is this wonderful young lady…vocal powerhouse…pint sized…dark headed…Mackenzie Charlotte, everybody.”

I exaggerated my bows and waves and blew kisses to the crowds as if I had just won some award. “Thank you Gabe. Now Orland, we have to finish this song right. I want to hear everybody singing.” Lyric then did her twist through the air and we finished up the song, feeding off energy from the crowd. “Feel the pressure, it’s getting closer now…we’re better off without…” I sat down on top of a monitor. I placed my free hand on top of my eyes and moved my head so it was looking at something and pointed at the flip that Lyric executed over Gabe’s back as I hit the word ‘you’. “Feel the pressure, well it’s getting closer now…you’re better off without me.”

Screams and applause roared around us as Sevvie got up from behind the drumkit and joined us at the front of the stage. I stood on top of the monitor to get extra height over them while we grasped hands. We lifted them up and then bowed in unison.

“Thank you so much, Orlando! Enjoy your night at the park and see you next time!”

~*~*~*~*~

Bobbie looked at her watch again and then looked around the small Disney-themed restaurant. She was about to stand when the bell above the door rang. She settled back in her seat. “Finally,” Bobbie said as her friend sat down.

“It’s been too long,” “Fiona” commented.

“Really.” Bobbie nodded. “How’re things going on your end?”

“Fiona” rolled her eyes. “Alex isn’t even talking to me now but from what I heard they’re friends again so that plan isn’t working too well but I have another one forming. What about you?”

“I’m doing well. I’m helping the little brat get the picture that she can’t step on my territory,” Bobbie replied with a grin. “Fi, I have her running like a scared little puppy.”

“Fiona” smiled. “You don’t have to call me Fiona here, Bobbie. No one will overhear us.”

Bobbie sighed. “Sorry, Mandy. So what’s your new plan?”

Mandy grinned. “Get my man back of course.”

Bobbie blinked. “But…from what I’ve heard Nick is interested in…her. Or, at least, he’s starting to from what Josh says. How are you going to get her back and not let AJ find out?”

“I have it all planned out, Bobbie, don’t worry.” She lifted the water glass that was sitting on her table. “In all due time, my friend, we will have our men and have that girl running for the hills before the year is over.”

“Hear hear.”

They clinked their glasses together.