I'm sure he thinks I'm a total psycho. How could I have fainted in front of my idol, after screaming in his face at the top of my lungs? My embarrassment was immeasurable at that moment.

I had fainted in front of Taylor Hanson while he was signing my CD. They had to take me to the first aid site backstage, while everyone stared on. I knew what they were saying. They were laughing and feeling sorry for me, because I had embarrassed myself in front of the world's cutest guy.

I lay on a cot in the first aid station. A nurse waved something smelly under my nose, and I came to. Things were kind of blurry for a second. There was someone with blond hair standing next to the nurse, but I couldn't tell who it was. I reached for my inhaler in my pocket, but it wasn't there. I could barely breathe. My vision cleared as I calmed down and was able to breathe again. There standing next to the nurse was Taylor Hanson. He had a concerned look on his face.

"Is she going to be okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. She's fine. She just got a little overexcited. I'm guessing she has asthma, since she had that inhaler in her pocket. She just needs to rest a little bit," the nurse responded. "I'll leave you two alone." The nurse got up and left the tent, leaving me alone with Taylor.

I looked over at him. He was even cuter in person than he was in his pictures. His blond hair hung limply around his face. His face was thin, which made his perfectly chiseled features more prominent. His blue eyes were like the sky. He sat down on the bed next to me and took my hand in his.

"You gave us quite a scare, collapsing in front of us like that," he said. "I'm Taylor. And you're?"

"Rayne...Rayne Collins," I replied. "And I'm sure I'm not the first girl who has ever fainted in front of you."

"Girls have fainted during our concerts, yeah. But I have never had a girl faint in front of me, because of me. This was a definite first for me," Taylor responded. I could feel the blood rushing up to my cheeks as I blushed.

"I am so mortified. I can't believe I acted like that!" I said, turning to face the tent wall. It was green and plastic. I reached to it, tracing invisible shapes on it with my finger. "I don't normally act like that."

"Well, I hope not. Otherwise, no one would ever want to be around you," he said. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay." I turned around to face him. I studied his face to see if he was sincere. He seemed to be.

"Wow...," I said chuckling. "This was certainly not how I imagined meeting you would be like. Me screaming bloody murder in your face, then passing out from an asthma attack."

"Well, this wasn't how I imagined meeting you either," he said, smiling. "Did you come here with anyone?"

"Yeah, my best friend Ana," I replied. "I'm sure she's worried sick about me. We kind of got separated in line, waiting to get your autographs." I sat there, just looking at him. The fact that he was talking to me, a lowly fan, fascinated me. "No offense or anything, but some of your fans can be really rude."

"Oh, trust me, I know that. Once, just once, I'd love to tell them off. Tell them to stop being so pushy, to give me my privacy. But then I'd be acting rude," he said. He pulled a CD out of his pocket, handing it to me. "This is yours. You dropped it when you collapsed." He stood up to leave. "Maybe we'll meet again someday."

"Yeah," I said softly. He walked to the doorway of the tent. "It was nice to meet you...and thanks."

"For what?" he asked.

"For taking the time to make sure I was okay. For being so nice...thank you," I replied.

"You're welcome," he said. "Bye, Rayne." He walked out of the tent and disappeared.

"Bye," I said softly, after he had gone. Ana came running into the tent with her mother.

"Are you okay?!" Ana exclaimed.

"Yeah," I said, still staring out the tent after him. I turned the CD over in my hands. To Rayne: We hope you get better soon. Thanks for all your support. Without fans like you, we wouldn't be where we are today. You are a special kind of person. Hope to see you again someday. Love, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac. I smiled to myself, as Ana and her mom checked me over to see if I was okay.

I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling. I had hung my favorite picture of Taylor above my bed, so I could stare at it while I was trying to go to sleep. That way I'd have dreams about him every night. For the most part, I never did. I had dreamed about him once or twice, but that was all. Suddenly, my dream had become a reality in one moment of asthmatic breathing.

I heard a horn honk downstairs in the driveway. I got up and grabbed my purse. Ana and I were going to the mall to shop for prom dresses. Ana was going with her boyfriend Kirk, while I still didn't have a date. I never really got asked to dances, mostly because everyone knew I hated going to them. But somehow, Ana had convinced me to go to prom. She had commanded me to, was more like it. I figured I might as well, since it was prom, and not just some ordinary dance.. I ran down the stairs two at a time and opened the door. I walked out to Ana's tiny red Miata.

"Hey, ready to go?" Ana asked opening her door and getting out.

"Yeah, I guess," I said. I got in the passenger's side, as Ana got back in the car and shut her door. We sped off.

Two hours later, we were still in Nieman Marcus. Ana had found a dress quickly, while I had still not found even one I liked. I zipped up the back of a purple satin dress with spaghetti straps. I looked in the mirror at myself. I looked like a huge grape.

"Rayne, come on out and let me see it," Ana said. I opened the door and walked out, standing in front of her. "I love it!"

"You have to be kidding me! I look like a giant grape!" I exclaimed.

"You look great!" she said, frustratedly. "We've been here for almost two hours, and you've hated every dress you've tried on! Look, I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Try on the next dress. I'll be back in a second." She stomped off in the direction of the escalator. I stood in front of the big three way mirror, holding my hair up on top of my head. I picked up the skirt with the other hand, twirling in front of the mirror.

"I hate this dress," I said out loud.

"I think you look beautiful," a male voice said. I turned around to face him. "Hi, Rayne."

"Taylor!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" He was wearing a blue cotton shirt today, with his hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Well, we were supposed to be on the eight o' clock news this morning, but it got canceled at the last minute," he said. "So, Ike and I came up here. We needed to get away from the family, and Ike needed to get some sunglasses." He walked up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. "I like the dress. And you don't look like a giant grape. You look beautiful."

"You heard that?" I asked, turning red. "Well, I have yet again embarrassed myself in front of you."

"No, you haven't," he said. "So, do you have a date yet?"

"No," I said. "I don't even want to go in the first place. Ana's making me."

"Well, would you want to go if I were your date?" he asked. I looked down at my feet.

"Yeah, maybe. But you don't even know me!" I said. "Why would you want to go with me?"

"What's there to know?" Taylor said. "You're a fan...you're nice...and you're very pretty. I say that's all I need to know."

"How about my last name? My age? What I like? Those kind of things?" I asked.

"Okay...if you're that worried about it. Tell me all about yourself," he said. He sat down in the chair that Anna had been sitting in. "I have all the time in the world."

"Okay," I said hesitantly. "My name is Rayne Collins. I'm 17...I hate dances...I love pink roses...I hate my little brother because he's spoiled. I love your band...I have a picture of you hanging on the ceiling above my bed. I love to read poetry...my best friend's name is Ana Marcus...I hate heavy metal music. My parents are divorced and don't give a crap about me, because they're too busy. I've had five boyfriends, all of which broke up with me because they felt that I was too pessimistic and sarcastic. I'm still a virgin...and I've never actually been kissed. At least not by a guy who wasn't related to me, like my grandpa."

"Whoa, whoa..I think that's enough. I'll find out the rest as I get to know you," he said, stopping me.

"Tell me about yourself," I said.

"Nah...you probably know most of it already," he said.

"Tell me anyway," I said.

"Alright...I'm 16...almost 17...I'm in a band with my brothers," he said, smiling. "I play piano...I love to read John Grisham novels...I hate dances, too...my best friends are Isaac and Zac...my parents aren't divorced...I have 6 siblings...I don't hate any of them...I'm still a virgin...I love Aerosmith...and I like a girl who I think likes me, but who is scared because of who I am. Is that enough?"

"You like me?" I squeaked.

"Yes, I do. And I like to get to know you better," he said. This couldn't be happening. Taylor Hanson liking me? I pinched my leg hard. Ouch! Yeah, this was real.

"Rayne, would you like to introduce me to your-," Ana said, then stopped as he turned around. She gasped. "You're Taylor Hanson!"

"Uh...yeah...nice to meet you," he said. He put his hand out. She shook it vigorously. "You must be Ana."

"Rayne, he knows my name!" she squealed. "How do you and Rayne know each other?"

"Oh...we're old friends...we've known each other since yesterday," he replied. "And now we're going to prom together." Ana looked around him to me, with a surprised look on her face.

"That's awesome...maybe you can double with Kirk and me," Ana said.

"That would be fun," he replied. "I don't really get a chance to do that much normal teenage stuff, because we're so busy and all." Isaac walked up behind Ana.

"Tay, we need to get back to the hotel," Isaac said. "Who's this?"

"Um...this is Rayne, and this is her best friend Ana," Taylor said. Ana spun around to look at Isaac. Her mouth dropped open.

"Oh my gosh...," Ana murmured.

"Hi...aren't you the girl who passed out in front of Taylor?" Isaac asked, looking over at me.

"Yeah, I am," I replied. I walked over to stand beside Taylor. "Rayne Collins." He shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you," he said. "And you." He turned to Ana, and shook her hand. Her mouth was still wide open. Isaac put one finger under her chin and closed her mouth. "It's okay, really. We're just normal guys."

"Uh-huh....," Ana responded still in a daze.

"Well, we'd better be going," Taylor said. "What's your phone number, Rayne?"

"Uh...555-3018," I said. Taylor leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

"I'll call...bye," Taylor said. "It was nice meeting you, Ana." She was finally not in shock anymore.

"You, too. Both of you," she replied. "Bye."

"Bye," the two boys called, walking away. Ana turned to me.

"Oh my gosh, Rayne!" she exclaimed. She started jumping up and down. "You're going to prom with THE Taylor Hanson!"

"I know, I know!" I said. I walked back into the dressing room and took the dress off. I got dressed again, and we went to the cashier to pay for our dresses. Taylor likes me? It just can't be possible...

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