Chapter One

“I just had to enter you,” Callie Corman told her best friend, Alaina Hunter, as she helped Alaina pack up her belongings in their dorm room at D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York. Her single, wooden bed was stripped, except for a lumpy mattress and a baseboard, that looked like it had been banged more than a few times. Her desk was clear, except for some half-empty boxes of tape.

“Callie, I'm not mad you entered me,”Alaina assured her, as she caught a glimspe of her reflection in Callie's floor length mirror. She thought she was looking positively horrid that day, with her long, naturally strawberry blond hair pulled back, her light blue eyes tired and cross, and her rumpled, baggy clothes, that didn't accent her plus-size curves whatsoever.

“Alaina, you are going to be famous,” Callie told her, as Alaina looked at Callie, with her chin-length dark brown hair with blond highlights, her impeccable olive skin, and the low cut shirt, paired with low-rise jeans that accented her new belly ring piercing.

“You should be the one in the group,” Alaina answered, as she picked up some old magazines, and deposited them in an open box. “You're beautiful. I'm just plain.”

“You have the voice of an angel,” Callie reminded her.

“So what?” Alaina muttered, as she caught sight of the cover of one of her favourite CD's, from the pop group, Essence. Eversince the group leader of the group, Elise Boucher, had suddenly quit the group to pursue a modeling group, the multi-platinum band was left without a lead female singer. After hearing an advertisement on MTV about auditioning for the group, Callie had videotaped Alaina's performance at the annual Homecoming Alumni Dance, and mailed it in. Within two weeks, Alaina received a phone call that she had been chosen to rejoin the group. She had no idea why they would pick a woman like her to replace Elise.

Elise Boucher was beautiful, with long, naturally blond hair that strung halfway down her back. She had charcoal gray eyes, that she always accented with black eyeliner. She had perfect teeth, a perfect complexion, and a perfect body. She was barely a size two, and that was a deep contrat from Alaina's almost size twenty frame. Alaina figured when Elise left the group, the four remaining band members, Christian Morgan, Drew Santino, Gabe Ling, and Isaiah Walker would want another Elise, but surprisingly, they had chosen a quiet, shy virgin, studying to become a kindergarten teacher.

“I'm glad Elise is gone,” Callie said hotly, remembering the witch who had tortured the four members of Essence.

“Elise was beautiful,” Alaina reminded. “No way am I going to live up to her expectations.”

“Have some confidence Alaina,” Callie reminded her, and Alaina shrugged, knowing she would never feel good about herself. She had tried once, but her confidence had been shattered, from a childhood of bullying, fad diets, and lack of exercise. There was way in the world Alaina would ever feel good about herself, and she wasn't about to try.

********************

“Now, Elise is a goddess compared to this chick,” Gabe Ling announced, as he stretched out beside the pool at the famous Plaza Hotel in New York City. “What were you guys thinking?”

“We were thinking that we wanted someone nice and normal to be part of the group,” Isaiah Walker reminded him, as he read through the Hazard Review. He wanted to stay up to date at his beloved school's happenings, so when he entered his third year of law school, he would know what would have been going on since he left the group.

“How do you know she is nice and normal?” Gabe wanted to know, as he sipped his pina colada.

“Simple fact, when I called her,” Isaiah answered, literally annoyed, with the pompous, Armani-wiearing, short member of their group. “She actually said thank you and asked if we were sure we had chosen the right girl.”

“Elise never thanked us for anything,” Drew Santino commented, as he appeared beside Isaiah, in an Adidas tracksuit.

“She was a witch,” Isaiah commented, as he tossed aside his newspaper, and stretched out his tan, muscular arms. He put a pair of Gucci sunglasses on, as the soft sunlight of the Manhattan skyline tinkered through the skylights, and he wanted to cover his dark brown, luscious eyes. That morning, he had had his dark black tresses braided, and after, had cooled off with a workout.

“Nice hair,” Drew complimented him, thinking about his own messy hair. Drew was Italian, and he fit the tall, dark, and handsome persona perfectly. He had dark brown, curly hair that was on the longer side, and was freshly highlighted with dark blond highlights. His dark green eyes were natural, and he was very tall, almost six feet six, with an athletic, muscular build.

“Thanks,” Isaiah answered, as he took of his shirt. “I'm gonna take a swim.”

“Okay,” Drew nodded, as he laid down on lawnchair. He turned to see the last member of their group, Christian Morgan, making his way towards them.

“Hey,” Christian smiled pleasantly, as he handed Drew one of the four beers he was carrying.

“Hi,” Drew smiled at him. “Thanks. Where are you coming from?”

“A meeting with my father actually,” Christian frowned, and Drew nodded. Christian was a native of the Big Apple, and his father was almost as rich as Donald Trump. Christian had inherited his good looks from his deceased mother. He honey-blond hair that curled on the ends, baby blue eyes that were always intense and serious, and was a bit shorter than Drew, standing about six feet two. He was also muscular and athletic, but he was also a sensitive soul. He was the heartthrob of the group, alhtough the other three guys had been quite popular. One member who had not been popular was Elise. Almost all of their female fans hated her, and she had more then enough times, told off many of their loyal fans. Drew remembered all the loving fan mail that had poured in, after Elise had quit. He had to agree with his fans. He was glad she was gone.

“When's Alaina coming?” Drew wanted to know.

“Soon,” Christian answered, as he sat down beside Drew, and set the beer bottles on the table beside him.

“Only Isaiah has talked to her,” Drew commented, and Christian nodded. “He said she sounds nice.”

“Excuse me?” announced an older, lanky man. Drew and Christian turned to see one of the Plaza Hotel's faithful employees, standing beside a chubby, strawberry blond girl, who was wearing a pair of over-sized blue jeans, a soft pink sweater, and a pair of black Mary Janes. She was carrying a rather large purse, and Drew and Christian were surprised to see the head of a Jack Russell Terrier pop out. The girl was also holding a snowflake, white teddybear, avoiding any eye contact with Drew or Christian.

“Can I help you?” Drew spoke up.

“Miss.Alaina Hunter has arrived,” he answered, and he stepped away, leaving the shy girl standing there. Christian felt terrible for the girl, as she looked like she wanted to burst into tears at any given moment.

“Alaina?” Drew slowly approached her, and the little dog barked delightedly, sticking his tongue out at Drew.

“Washington, hush,” Alaina spoke gently, trying to hush her precious dog. Washington responded, by reaching up, and delighfully licking her face. “I'm sorry. He is a friendly dog. I wouldn't have brought him, but my mom insisted I bring him.”

“It's all good,” Drew assured her, as he stepped closer to her, but Alaina bit her lip in nervousness. “I'm Drew.” He didn't step any closer, because the last thing he wanted was for her to be more anxious than she already was.

“I'm Alaina,” she answered softly, still avoiding any eye contact. “I hope I'm not late. My plane was delayed because of the snowstorm.”
“You're right on time actually,” Drew assured her. “How was your flight?”

“A bit nerve-wrecking,” Alaina admitted, clutching her teddybear closely to her. Suddenly, Washington jumped out of her purse, and headed straight for Christian. The little dog jumped on the bench, and started licking his face. “Oh, Washington. Come here please. I'm so sorry. He just loves people.”
“It's okay,” Christian laughed, as Washington licked his face, and he reached over to pet the cute dog. Alaina had stopped right in front of Christian, and for the first time, she made eye contact with someone.

“Washington, come here Sweetie,” Alaina tried to coax the dog, but he curled up on Christian's lap. “I'm so sorry.”

“Ah, it's okay,” Christian assured her once more. “Don't worry Alaina. I like dogs. I'm Christian.”

“Thanks,” Alaina answered, as she dropped her purse, and stuck her hand out at Drew. “Sorry, I'm rude. It's very nice to meet you.” She nervously shook his hand, and then she reached out her hand to Christian, but Washington licked it.

“Nice to meet you,” Christian laughed, and Washington barked.

“Yes, it's really nice to meet you as well,” Drew smiled at her, as he looked at her bear.

“My going away present from my parents,” Alaina answered, and she blushed.

“It's cute,” Drew replied. “Have a seat, if you would like. We can all get to know each other.”
“Thanks,” Alaina answered, and she nervously sat down on the chair beside Christian, still clutching her teddybear.

“So, Isaiah mentioned you're in College?” Christian asked her.

“What would you like to drink?” Drew added on.

“I'll have a milk please,” Alaina commented, and Drew's eyes widened, but he headed to order one.

“Yes, I'm in the graduate program to become a kindergarten teacher,” Alaina answered, her pale blue eyes lighting up. “I love children so much. I want to make a positive impact on their lives.”

“That's awesome,” Christian admired her, as Alaina looked down again. “I'm in school too.”

“What are you taking?” Alaina asked him, her beautiful, light blue eyes piercing into his.

“I'm actually a sociology major with a minor in business administration,” Christian answered, and Alaina nodded. “My father believes I am going to take over his company when I am finished school.”

“You don't want to?” Alaina asked simply.

“Well, it's not I don't want to,” Christian answered thoughtfully, as Washington jumped onto Alaina's lap and fell asleep. “I would really like to study the world, see how I can make a difference. My mom was a big activist.”

“I think that's great,” Alaina smiled at him.

“Thanks,” Christian answered, feeling very content. He already liked Alaina. She seemed sweet, but shy, and was very polite and seemed like she really would care about her bandmates, unlike Elise, who only cared about herself.

“One white milk coming up,” Drew announced, as he handed Alaina a large glass of milk, complete with a paper umbrella sticking out the side.

“Thank you,” Alaina accepted it graciously. “The straw is cute.”

“The bartender insisted on putting it in,” Drew answered, laughing, as he looked across the pool hall, and saw the bartender, eyeing him.

“Yo,” Gabe announced, suddenly joining the group. He eyed Alaina up and down, disapprovingly. Washtington woke up, and began growling at Gabe. “Nasty little thing you've got there.”
“His name is Washtington,” Drew told Gabe. “I don't think he's nasty. I think he's just a good judge of character.”

“Ha ha,” Gabe muttered, and he looked at Alaina. “So, you think you are going to fullfil the shoes Elise left?”

“I'm not filling anyone's shoes,” Alaina answered, shyly. “I'm just here to sing.”

“Well girl, it doesn't matter how hard you try, you wouldn't fill Elise's shoes,” Gabe warned her, and Alaina frowned. “Anyways, I'll see you guys tonight.”

“I know Elise was amazing,” Alaina commented, standing up. “But, you all choose me for this group. If you want me to go home, just let me know.” And with that, she walked away from them, with Washington trailing behind her.

“Son, please come by for Thanksgiving dinner,” Prescott Arthur Morgan asked his son, as he sat beside his new wife, Playboy bunny of the year in 1997, Carlie Carson.

“Is Carlie going to be there?” Christian asked his father, as he stretched out on the couch of Isaiah's motel room.

“Yes, she's your mother,” Prescott reminded him.

“No, she isn't,” Christian snapped. “My mother died about ten years ago. Don't you remember Dad?”

“Yes, I remember your mother,” Prescott got choked up, and Christian felt guilty.

“Well, Carlie will never be my mother,” Christian answered. “I might be there for Thanksgiving and I might not be. Depends on what everyone is the group is doing.”

“When are you going to give up that silly little group?” Prescott asked, and Christian hung up on him. He was tired of hearing his father talk about the group and how meaningless it was. He stretched out farther, and saw Isaiah looking at him.

“What did old Prescott want now?” Isaiah asked his friend, and Christian frowned.

“To have dinner with Carlie for Thanksgiving,” Christian replied, and Isaiah laughed.

“At least your stepmother is hot,” Isaiah remined him.

“And her IQ was about the same as Elise's, which is about twenty,” Christian sat up, and he caught his reflection in the mirror. He was wearing a crisp, black tuxedo.

“Is Alaina ready?” Isaiah asked him.

“I can see,” Christian suggested, as he got up, and strode next door to knock on Alaina's door.

“Sorry, I'm coming,” her voice echoed through the door, as Alaina flung the door open. Christian barely recognized the woman standing in front of us, Gone was the teddybear, the pink sweater, and the unruly, messy curly hair, and replaced was a red satin dress, that bloomed out near the bottom, with a red sequined shawl, that Alaina was grasping tightly around her. She had on black strappy shoes, and a pair of diamond stud earrings. Her hair was dyed straight and hung halfway down her back.

“Hey,” Christian said softly, admiring the beautiful woman in front of him.

“Hi,” Alaina avoided his eyes, but then allowed her eyes to peek at his. “I'm sorry I rushed off before. That was rude and I am so very sorry.”

“Don't worry about it,” Christian assured her, as he felt someone jumping at his legs. He looked down to see Washington, wagging his little tail, and sticking his tongue out. “Hi Washington.”

“Woof,” Washington replied happily.

“Washington, come here baby,” Alaina told him, and he istantly joined her. “Now Sweetheart, Mommy has to go out tonight. I will be back later, okay?” Washington looked at her with sad eyes, and Christian smiled.

“You know, Paris Hilton and Britney bring their little dogs to events like this,” Christian commented.

“Do you think I could bring him?” Alaina asked, her eyes widening.

“Yes,” Christian nodded, and Alaina beamed.

“Come on Washington,” Alaina opened her red, sparkly purse, and Washington jumped in.

“Are you nervous?” Christian asked her, as Alaina followed him out the door.

“A little,” Alaina admitted, and Christian paused for a moment.

“By the way, you look beautiful tonight,” Christian said softly, and then turned to knock on Isaiah's door. She felt a warm glow evaporated in her heart, but brushed it away.

Alaina Hunter, you are crazy if you think anyone like Christian would ever want you! Alaina told herself. Remember, you are going to be alone for the rest of your life.

“Hey,” Isaiah appeared at the door, as Gabe and Drew joined them in the hall. Alaina looked down the hall, and saw five, burly men with dark skin, walking towards them.

“Butch, T-Raz, Carter, Martin, and Sorcesy,” Isaiah greeted them all with high fives. “This is Alaina. Alaina, these guys are our bodyguards.”
“I like'd to think of us as the security team,” T-Raz smiled at Alaina, and she smiled back. “Rules are Alaina. Stay close to us, and nobody will bother you.”

“Okay, thanks,” Alaina answered, but she she was a bit overwhelmed. She remained silent, as they stepped onto the elevator, and zoomed down to the bottom floor. As soon as they stepped off the elevator, Alaina heard screams. She turned to see about twenty girls, waving Essence signs, and some were even crying.

“Fans,” Gabe told Alaina, looking at her with a disgusted face. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “But don't worry. They'll never scream for you. They only scream for attractive people.”

Alaina felt a tear form in her eyes, and she thought about going home. Washington reached up and looked her face, and started growling at Gabe.

“Hush, Washington,” Alaina coaxed him.

“Why did she have to bring that stupid mutt?” Gabe complained, and Drew shot him a dirty Look.

“Drew! Hi!” a small fan waved, and Alaina turned to see a little girl in a wheelchair.

“Hello there,” Drew stopped to talked to the young girl. Her mother was standing behind her. “What's your name?”

“Sydney Grace,” she answered, and she reached out her arms. Drew gave her a hug, and smiled.

“Nice to meet you Sydney Grace,” Drew smiled. “Are you staying here?”

“Yes,” she answered, and Drew looked at her mom.

“Well, I was hoping that you and your beautiful mom would like to join me for lunch tomorrow in the terrace,” Drew promised her, and Sydney Grace squealed.

“Thank you so much,” Her mom beamed, as tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Hey, where's Elise?” Syndey Grace wanted to know.

“Elise is not part of the group anymore,” Drew answered.

“Why?” Sydney Grace asked, and she glanced at Alaina.

“Because she is pursuing other things in her career,” Drew answered, as he saw Isaiah waving at him. “But this is Alaina. She's replacing Elise.”

“Hi,” Alaina greeted her. “It's nice to meet you.”

“Hi,” Sydney Grace's eyes widened. “Nice to meet you as well.”
“Well, I'll see you tomorrow,” Drew promised.

“Can Alaina come?” Sydney Grace asked, and Drew nodded.

“I would love to come,” Alaina promised, and Sydney Grace beamed...