Chapter 3

Alex walked back into her dressing room and passed out drinks.

"Hey. Where's Alice?" Alex inquired.

"She went to find a list of the performers." Melanie replied, opening her Gatorade and taking a sip. "So, Alex, what are you going to be tonight? You've kept it a secret from everyone all week."

"Fine. I've got a dress and it is an Old English dress. So I am going as an English Princess." Alex laughed.

"Wow. I'm gonna look stupid as a Spanish Dancer." Ebony replied sadness in her voice.

"No you won't, Eb. You're gonna look fabulous. I'm only going as a hippie." Linna laughed.

"I beat you all!" Melanie laughed.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Ebony asked, sarcastically.

"I'm going Goth." Melanie giggled.

There was silence for a second before everyone burst out laughing. Everyone knew that Melanie never wore anything besides bright or pastel colors.

Just then Alice ran waving a piece of paper madly.

"You will not believe this!" Alice exclaimed, out of breath.

"What? Who's on after us?" Linna asked, anxious to find out.

"The…The…BSB!!!!!" Alice yelled.

"Really!?" Ebony said, wide eyed.

"Some of them are hot!" Melanie added.

Alex dropped her water and Linna looked over at her friend.

"Hey, Alex. It's going to be like when you used to open for them." Linna said, then looked at Alex's face. Linna saw the tears and falling down Alex's face before she turned and ran out.

"Alex!" Linna yelled and ran after Alex.

After searching the venue for almost 20 minutes, Linna was about to give up the search after she searched the storage area. Then she heard sobs coming from behind a pile of cardboard boxes. The show wasn't going to start for another hour and a half, and everyone had already done their sound checks.

"Alex? What's wrong?" Linna asked, sitting down beside her best friend.

"I don't wanna be around the guys. They'll be at the party. I don't wanna see them." Alex cried.

"Why not? You said that you loved the time you went on tour with them."

"Fine." Alex sighed, then took a deep breath. "I opened for them for 3 1/2 years. Three of those years I dated Nick. One day, we were told that I was going to be flying back to Tennessee to record my first album, then I'd be headlining my own tour. So, basically, Nick and I had no choice but to break up, because Darren didn't want it hurting my career that I had a boyfriend. We were so in love and everything, that when my plane came, Kevin and Brian had to hold Nick back from boarding with me. That is where that dream comes from. He told me that he'd love me always and then promised that we'd be together again. I still love him with all my heart. I never stopped. But I'm sure that he's moved on. Being one of the biggest teen sex symbols, he's probably got a new girlfriend, which he's told the same things he told me. That's why I always reject offers to do shows with them, or go to post award show parties. I'm afraid to see him, incase he doesn't feel the same way. I've loved him since we first started going out. I have dreamed of going back out with him since the day we broke up. I don't wanna be caught in love with him, then find out he's moved on, which I'm sure he has. There is no way possible that he'd still have feelings for me." Alex spilt her heart out to her best friend.

Linna just sat there shocked. Never had she thought Alex had been through all that.

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" Linna questioned.

"It hurts so much to talk about it." Alex whispered, wiping her tears away.

"Are you going to let a few bad memories ruin your evening? What happened to the girls night out at the costume party?" Linna added trying to cheer Alex up.

"I guess not." Alex replied with a heavy sigh, then the two of them walked back to the dressing room.