"Are you ready?" my mom asked me, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. I looked up from the floor and gave a weak smile. "Mom, I'm so nervous," I said. She smiled and hugged me. "You've been working practically your whole life for this. Through all the voice lessons and dance classes and competitions and community theater, you've finally made it," she said, tears forming in her eyes. Then I started bawling, but they were happy tears. "Mom, WE made it! I couldn't have done it wothout you," I said, hugging her again. "Cassie, places," Henry, the tour manager, said to me. I broke away from my mom and she wiped a tear from my face. I crossed my middle and index finger of my right hand and tapped my heart twice. It was our 'good luck/wish me luck' sign. She did it every time I was getting ready to do something big, from my third grade play to the time I performed at Disney World with LFO. She gave me our signal back and I walked into the booth. The stage was set up in the round (the middle of the arena) and beneath it was a box with no walls; just a frame. I was supposed to get in the box and while the crew in the arena did the lights, I rose out of the floor while the first song began--that was my enterance. So I got in the box, turned to face my mom, smiled, and I heard Henry yell, "Take her up!" The box slowly began to rise, and I instantle heard screams and cheers from the arena above me. I looked up and saw nothing but darkness, and every few seconds I could see the strobe lights cutting through the pitch black. I heard the opening bars of my song 'Don't Take It Back' and by that time I was almost all the way up. I looked around and saw my dancers. Then it hit me. This was it. I wa finally here! ______________________________________________________________________________ "Thank you, Jacksonville! Are you ready for the one, the ONLY, ultimate boy band on the planet!?!?" I yelled into my mic. The arena erupted in deafening screams and I laughed. "My name is Cassie Sands, thank you and have a great time with the Backstreet Boys!" I said again as I bounded down the side stairs on the stage to get backstage (more like 'under'stage). _______________________________________________________________________________ "Great show, guys!" I said, stepping into the BSB tour bus after the show. "Hey, Cassie!" I heard Nick yell from the kitchen. I really wasn't supposed to be on ther bus--I was supposed to be on mine getting ready to go to Atlanta, but I had to tell then great job. "Hey, come here!" he yelled. I made my way back to the kitchen and found Nick sitting at the table with a magazine and a glass of orange juice. "Hey, Nick. Good job tonight," I said. "Thanks. You did awesome for your first show. I've never seen someone do that well with those first-time jitters," he said, looking up at me. I smiled and we kinda sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only a few seconds. "Sit down," he said. I sat next to him and asked him what he was reading. "Nebraska Farm Girl Turned Show-Stopper," he said. "What?" I asked, confused. He pushed the magazine over to me. Sure enough, there was a small incerpt about me! "Twenty-year-old Cassie Sands, from Lincoln, Nebraska, is taking the music industry by storm with her first Top 10 single 'Only For You.' This brown hair, blue eyed babe is the new opening act for the world renouned Backstreet Boys, and it's sure that in no time at all, she will be lining up opening acts of her own. With her hot dance moves and phenominal vocals, Cassie Sands is 'Teen People's 'Preview Artist Of The Month.'" I read out of the magazine. "Oh my gosh!" I screamed. Nick covered his ears but laughed. "Preview artist of the month, huh?" I heard Brian say as he walked into the kitchen. I smiled sweetly at him. "This is so flattering!" I said. "Congratulations," Brian said, opening the refrigerator. He bent over to get something and I couldn't help but stare at his cute butt. "Cassie!" I heard Marianne yell. "Back here, Mare," I yelled back. She walked into the kitchen and realized Nick was in there. "Hi, Nick," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "What's up, Marianne?" he said, not looking up from the magazine. Marianna kinda rolled here eyes, knowing her flirting wasn't helping, and I laughed. Nick looked up and smiled at me. "Come on, Cass, we gotta go!" Marianne said, grabbing my arm. "Hey, can I take this?" I asked Nick as Marianne started dragging me away. He smiled and nodded. I grabbed it off the table. "Bye, Cassie!" Nick yelled. "Bye! Bye, Brian!" I yelled, trying to get him to look at me. "Bye, Cass," he said.
Chapter 5
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Time Of Your Life
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