Chapter 1: The Backstreet Boys, ‘N SYNC, and a Four Month Tour

"Come on, Tasha! Hurry up!" sixteen-year-old Melissa Gibson called.

"I’m coming, Missy!" her best friend, twenty-year-old, Tasha Nickelson replied. She pulled her bag out of the backseat of the car and walked over.

Tasha, Melissa, and their three friends, Jane Ebanks (17), Michelle Taylor (18), and Becky Jefferson (18) made up Lavish, the newest girl group to sign with Jive Records. The five friends had dreamed of such an opportunity all their lives and now, here they were, about to embark on a four month tour with the Backstreet Boys, ‘N SYNC, and Aaron Carter! When Nina Jameson had told the girls about the Generation X-cellent tour, they had almost died with excitement! Their very first tour! This was just too unreal!

"Melissa, where are you?" Tasha called, boarding the bus that was to be their home for the next four months. It looked more like a mini hotel than a bus. Tasha soon found her friend relaxing in front of the TV in the entertainment room.

Melissa waved the remote at her best buddy. "All the comforts of home!" she laughed.

Tasha grabbed the remote and flipped off the TV. "Come on, you!" she said and led the way back through the bunks. "I see you’ve claimed your bed." She pointed to Melissa’s stuff which was parked on a middle right bunk towards the back. Tasha chose the bunk directly across from her.

Soon, their friends arrived. The girls kissed their families good-bye and promised to call, e-mail, send postcards, and stuff. Then they boarded the tour bus and set off from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Orlando where the opening concert of the tour would be.

"What do you think the guys on this tour will be like?" Melissa asked her friends as they sat together in the entertainment room later.

Michelle shrugged. "I dunno." she replied.

"Well, I’m REALLY interested in meeting JC Chasez." Jane put in.

"And Justin Timberlake." Becky agreed and the two girls slapped palms.

Over in the corner, Tasha was looking at the tour schedule. "Hey! Did you guys know that we’re going to be playing the Radio City Music Hall in New York next month?" she asked.

"For real?" Melissa said, "That is awesome!"

"I still can’t believe that we’re going to tour with ‘N SYNC and the Backstreet Boys!" Michelle exclaimed.

Melissa nodded. This was a dream come true for all of them.

"I think it’s time we call it a night." Tasha said after a while. So the five girls said good-night to Jake, their driver, and retired to their bunks.

---

"Look! There’s Nina!" Jane said as she jumped off the bus the next day. The girls had awakened earlier that morning parked in the lot of the Orlando Arena. "Nina, over here!" Jane called.

Smiling, Nina Jameson walked over to the girls. "Ladies, you’re early! How was the drive? Do you like the bus?" he asked.

"Like it? Nina, it’s totally PHAT!" Michelle replied.

"Come on! I’ll show you to your dressing room." he said.

"Our dressing room! How cool is that?" Melissa exclaimed with a smile.

Soon, the girls were relaxing in their dressing room, preparing for that night’s concert.

Michelle and Jane were checking out the snack layout, Becky and Melissa were running through one of their songs, and Tasha was looking at a book.

Just then, the door opened and in stepped two young men. One was a tall, lanky, cute blonde and the other had dark hair with the tips dyed blonde, was wearing shades, and had several tattoos. Their conversation stopped short when they saw the girls, and a confused look crossed the blonde’s face.

"Uh, can we help you?" Tasha asked.

"Sorry! I think we have the wrong room." the guy wearing the shades apologized with a nice smile. He glanced at Michelle who eyed him right back. "I’m AJ," he introduced himself, "And the mute over here is Nick. Hello! Nick!" He snapped his fingers in front of the blonde’s face.

"Huh? Whadidja say, AJ?" Nick asked. He had been staring at Melissa. She was really cute!

"Say hello to the ladies." AJ told him.

Nick flashed a sweet smile. "Hi!"

"We’re sorry! We were looking for our dressing room and weren’t paying attention to where we were going." AJ explained.

"That’s OK! It’s not every day that we meet two of the Backstreet Boys." Tasha replied, "We’re gonna have lots of fun opening for you guys."

"You’re Lavish?" Nick asked in surprise. He’d thought maybe they were ‘N SYNC’s girlfriends or something.

Tasha nodded. "That’s us! I’m Tasha, this is Becky, Jane, Michelle, and Melissa."

"Hi!" the other girls said.

Melissa smiled at Nick who happily returned it.

"Well, we’d better go. It’s been great meeting you, ladies! Can’t wait to see you perform!" With that, AJ ushered Nick out of the room and down the hall.

When they were sure the guys were out of ear-shot, the girls all screamed with excitement.

"Can you believe it?" Becky cried.

"AJ was checking Michelle out something good!" Jane commented.

"And Nick was starin’ at Missy like I don’t know what!" Michelle teased.

"This is going to be a great four months." Tasha said with a smile.

---

Down the hall, Nick burst into the Backstreet Boys’ dressing room. "Guys, you ain’t gonna believe the fine girls we just saw!" he told the others.

"Really? Where are they?" Brian asked.

"Down the hall from us." Nick replied, plopping on the couch where Kevin was reading.

"They’re that girl group, Lavish, that’s gonna be the opening act." AJ explained, "And, man, if they can sing as good as they look, I’ll be in heaven!"

"Could you have been more obvious in checking out Michelle?" Nick said to his friend.

"Well, at least I wasn’t staring at Melissa so hard I nearly burnt a hole in her!" AJ retorted jokingly.

In retaliation, Nick threw a pillow off the couch at him.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Howie said.

The door opened and in stepped Tasha. "Hey, guys! I was wondering of you know where Nina is."

"Yeah! I think she’s in catering." AJ replied with a smile. He’d noticed that Kevin had sat straight up on the couch when Tash walked in.

"Thanks, AJ! See you guys later!" she said and left, but not before locking eyes with Kevin for a brief second and giving him a sweet smile.

"Who was that?" Kevin asked when she was gone.

"Ahhh! Ya interested now, huh, Kev?" AJ said teasingly, "That was Tasha."

Kevin said nothing more but resolved to get to know this Tasha as soon as possible.

Chapter 2: Basketball, a Video Game, and a New Friend

Later, Melissa was out behind the arena where there was a basketball court. She’d found a ball backstage and was just shooting baskets by herself.

Soon, she heard a young voice say, "Do I know you?"

She turned to find 11-year-old Aaron Carter standing behind her. She smiled. "No, I don’t think so." she replied, "I’m Melissa."

"I’m Aaron." he said and shook her hand.

Melissa looked from the ball in her hands to Aaron. "Hey, you wanna play ‘Around the World’?"

A huge smile spread across his face. "Sure!"

The two took their places on the foul shot area and began to play. Aaron won the game and Melissa playfully tussled his hair. "You’re good at this!" she said, smiling.

Aaron smiled, too. "I like this girl." he thought. "Hey, have you ever played Tekken 3?" he asked.

"Play it? It’s my favorite game!" Melissa replied, "I’ve never been able to beat it, though."

"Well, I have my Playstation in my dressing room. You want to go play?" Aaron suggested.

"Let’s go!" Melissa said and followed him inside. Soon, the two were duking it out on Aaron’s Sony Playstation.

"I win!" Aaron cried, jumping up.

"Yeah. And here’s your victory prize!" Melissa said and began to tickle the little boy, who roared with laughter.

Just then, Nick entered the room only to find his younger brother wrestling with a sixteen year old girl. At that moment, as the girl pushed back her long black hair, Nick saw that it was Melissa!

At the same time, she spotted him, too. "Hi, Nick!" she said.

Aaron popped up behind her. "Hi, big bro!" he welcomed his older brother.

"Hey, AC!" Nick replied, "I see you’ve met Melissa."

"Yeah! We’ve met. Aaron’s the gamemaster, yo! He beat me at ‘Around the World’ and Tekken 3! How embarrassing is that?" Melissa said with a smile.

"I’m the King of the World!" Aaron shouted, doing his best Leonardo DiCaprio impersonation.

"Yeah, well, come back down to earth. Mom wants you; she’s in catering." Nick said.

"OK! Maybe we can play again later, Melissa." Aaron suggested.

"Sure!" she replied and he ran off to see what his mother wanted.

After he was gone, Nick looked at Melissa. "Can I walk you back to your dressing room?" he asked.

She consented and the two started down the hall. As Melissa turned to go left, Nick took her arm. "No, let’s go this way. Through the arena. I’ll show you around." he said and led her in the other direction. He wanted to take the long way so that he could talk to her, get to know her better.

As they walked around the huge arena, he asked her how she got into singing.

She smiled. "I’ve been singing all my life; nothing makes me happier. I was always singing in church and in the choir and different music groups at my school. The long and short of it is, I love to sing." she told him.

Nick nodded. He also found out that she had been playing the piano and flute for a good portion of her life. She also loved to dance. "I help out a little with the choreography. It’s such awesome fun!" she said.

The more Nick found out about her, the more he liked her. She was smart, witty, funny, interesting, and not to mention very pretty. He also found out that she and the other girls were all originally from the Cayman Islands and, while Nina had been on vacation there, she had heard them sing at a local talent contest and was ready to sign them immediately. They all had relocated to Florida and the rest was history.

"Wow! I never realized this place was SO big!" Melissa commented as they paused on the balcony and looked down at the stage.

"Yep! Our hometown. Great place to kick off the tour." Nick agreed.

"I still can’t believe that we’re actually on tour!" Melissa said, "It’s just amazing!"

"Yeah." Nick replied quietly.

Soon, they made their way through the arena and back to the backstage area. Nick went to find the rest of the guys and Melissa headed back to her dressing room.

"Where have you been?" Jane asked, looking up as she came in.

"Around." Melissa replied but her smile betrayed her.

"You’re hiding something! Spill it!" Michelle demanded.

Melissa sat down on the couch and proceeded to tell her friends what had happened over the past two hours.

"You mean to tell me that Nick led you all around the arena when your dressing room was just a few doors away?" Becky asked.

"He must have really wanted to stretch the time with you." Tasha said, "I think he likes you."

"Really?" Melissa smiled.

"Missy, it’s practically written all over his face." Michelle sighed.

Melissa just shook her head; to tell the truth, she really liked Nick, too.

Chapter 3: The Big Night

"OK, ladies! Are you ready?" Tasha asked her friends that evening, a few moments before they were to go onstage. She looked at Melissa who had her hands hidden in the pockets of her navy blue Fubu track pants; Tasha knew that inside the pockets, Melissa’s hands were shaking.

The girls were all dressed in different color Fubu track pants and tank tops. Melissa had on navy blue with baby blue , Jane had lime green with red, Michelle had yellow with white, Tasha was in black with silver, and Becky was in baby blue with yellow. They were preparing to go out for their very first public performance as Lavish. Before they left the dressing room, the five girls joined hands, bowed their heads, and said a prayer, thanking God for His mercy and blessings and asking for His help as they performed.

Afterwards, they hugged each other, left the room, and hurried down the hall. Soon, the beat of their song "Paint the Town" started and the five girls burst onto the stage!

"On your feet, Orlando!" Michelle shouted, "Let’s rock this house!"

Lavish’s perfectly blended voices and crisp, hype dance moves soon had the crowd screaming.

Backstage, the Boys were watching. "Wow! Those girls are smokin’!" Brian commented.

"Totally!" Nick agreed as Melissa smoothly sang, "So, boy, you wanna paint the town with me?"

After the song was done, Tasha stepped forward. "Wuz up, Orlando! You don’t know us but I’m Tasha…"

"I’m Melissa…"

"I’m Janie…"

"This is Michelle…."

"And I’m Becky!"

"We’re Lavish. We know that you’re all here to see those FINE Backstreet Boys and ‘N SYNC, but pretty soon you’ll be cheering for us!" Tasha finished. "Ya’ll ready to blow the roof off this place tonight?"

The crowd roared in reply. "Cool! Then let’s party!" Jane said.

They then broke into "I Just Wanna Party With You".

After that, they slowed the tempo down a little with "Come Back To Me" a beautiful ballad that Melissa had written. It was also the song which was to be their first single.

Backstage, Nick was mesmerized as Melissa sang. So much so, in fact, that he didn’t hear AJ until he called a third time.

"Nick! Come on!"

"Huh? Oh. Comin’, Bone." Nick replied and, with one last look at Melissa, hurried off.

When the girls were done, they ran backstage where the guys were waiting for them.

"You girls were awesome!" Howie told them.

"Thanks!" Becky replied, still on a high from the adrenaline.

"Yeah! You ladies rock!" Kevin agreed with his friend.

"What a rush! I love this business!" Melissa blurted out and everyone laughed at her youthful exuberance.

The group talked for a while more and then Angie Lehman called the Boys away to get ready. The girls started back to their dressing room and who should they run into but the guys of ‘N SYNC!

"Hi!" Justin said with a friendly grin.

"We saw you girls perform just now! It was slammin’!" JC told them.

"Thanks!" they replied and introduced themselves.

Justin smiled extra sweetly at Becky and JC gave Jane a warmer than normal handshake.

"If you’ll excuse us, fellas, we have to go and get into some less sweaty clothes." Tasha said and they left ‘N SYNC.

Back in the dressing room, they quickly cleaned up and changed their clothes so that they could watch the rest of the concert.

"What do you think the show will be like?" Melissa asked as she pulled on her favorite pair of jean shorts, "We never got a chance to watch them rehearse."

"I dunno, but I bet it’s gonna rock!" Tasha replied, putting on a blue Old Navy button down shirt.

The girls soon finished dressing and hurried to watch the Backstreet Boys perform.

"All you people, can’t you see, can’t you see? How your love’s affecting my reality?!" They grooved as the Boys crooned the smooth sounds of "Larger Than Life." The all laughed as Melissa performed each step of the routine backstage; she knew almost all of the Boys’ dance routines.

‘N SYNC and Aaron’s performances were just as great. After the concert was over and donewith, the girls gathered to congratulate the two bands on a superb job. Soon, they said good-night to their co-workers and, exhausted from the excitement of their first performance, retired to their bus for the night.

As they pulled out of the arena lot to head for Miami, the girls talked over their first concert.

"It was so awesome!" Melissa declared, "It was such a rush! I loved it!"

The others agreed.

"I’m glad we have this opportunity." Becky commented gratefully, and her friends nodded.

Just then, the phone rang! Tasha hurried to answer it. "Hello? Oh, hi, Aaron! Melissa? Sure! Hang on." Then she handed her friend the phone.

"Hello?" Melissa said, but, instead of hearing a reply, she heard Nick and Aaron’s voiced arguing.

"Here, Nick!"

"No, you just ask her!"

"Uh-uh! This was your idea!"

"No, Aaron!"

Finally, Aaron came on the line. "Melissa, Nick wants to talk to you." he said, leaving his older brother no room to escape.

"Uh, hi, Melissa." she soon heard Nick’s voice. She could tell that he was embarrassed.

"Who is it?" Michelle mouthed and Melissa told her to wait.

"Hi, Nick!" she said, "Wassup?"

Big smiles broke out on her friends’ faces and they giggled silently.

Shaking her head at them, Melissa took the portable phone and went into the entertainment room for privacy.

"I just wanted to tell you that you girls did an awesome job tonight!" said Nick, "You really got the concert off to rockin’ start!"

"Thanks! You guys were great, too!" she answered.

"Melissa, I was wondering. Me and the guys are gonna hit the mall tomorrow. Would you and the others like to come?" he asked slowly.

Melissa smiled. "I’d love to and I’m sure the girls will, too!"

She hear him breath a sigh of relief. "Great! Well, I guess we’d both better hit the hay, huh?"

"Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow! Tell Aaron good-night for me."

"OK! Good-night!"

"Night, Nick!"

The next day, the group all hit the mall. In an effort to be a little less conspicuous, they split up. Tasha, Kevin, Michelle, and AJ went in one group; Brian, Howie, Jane, and Becky were in another; and that left Melissa and Nick all by themselves, with the exception of Aaron of course. It must have been a weird sight to see a small, sixteen year old girl between a tall, lanky blonde, and a smaller version of the former.

They wandered in and out of clothes stores, finding a new dress for Melissa, a blue Fubu jersey for Aaron, and a gray Tommy Hilfiger T-shirt and a pair of jeans for Nick, amongst other things.

Then, of course, they had to go into the toy store to check out the video games. While Nick and Aaron looked at the newest N-64 and Playstation games, Melissa browsed around the store that had been her heaven as a child. While the boys bought what they wanted, Melissa picked up a Mulanä doll for her younger cousin; she’d mail it home for her.

Soon, it was lunch time and the three headed for the food court where they were to meet the others as planned.

Melissa laughed when she saw AJ and Michelle’s hoard of shopping bags. "You two sure hit the mall hard!" she commented.

"You’d better believe it, girlfriend!" Michelle replied.

"My credit cards need a break!" AJ said with a grin.

Everyone chatted and laughed over lunch. After a while, though, they headed back to the Miami Arena to make preparations for the concert that night.

Chapter 4: Getting To Know Each Other

"Ouch!" Melissa rubbed her head where she had bumped it on the ceiling of her bunk.

"Hit your head again, Gibson?" Michelle’s voice came from the bunk above her.

"Uh-huh! I keep forgetting that you can’t sit up in these things." Melissa replied, sliding out of the bunk.

She found Tasha in the kitchen, getting herself a bowl of Frosted Flakes. Melissa reached into the fridge, pulled out a small bottle of Sunny Delight California Style, and sat down at the table with her best friend.

"You know, I would laugh if the guys came in here right now and saw you like that." Tasha commented.

Melissa looked down at the shorts and cropped, raggedy T-shirt that she had slept in the night before. Her hair was a mussed-up mess, too. "Hey! I’m comfortable!" she protested.

Tasha just shook her head and continued eating. Everyone was en route to Lexington, Kentucky, Brian and Kevin’s home-state.

Melissa knew how excited the two cousins were to be playing in their hometown of Lexington. She couldn’t even begin to imagine all of the family members that would be there to see the Kentucky-born boys perform.

"Hey! You’ll get to meet Kev’s mom!" Melissa had commented to Tasha the day before. Her friend had just nodded and turned back to the TV.

Indeed, Kevin and Tasha had been getting kind of close over the past two months. During the early part of the tour, Kevin had one day caught Tasha playing a classical piece on the keyboards. He’d hidden in the wings of the stage and listened as she played. When she done, he applauded loudly.

Tasha whirled around in surprise! When she saw who it was, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Kevin, you scared the life out of me!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, I’m sorry! That piece was simply beautiful!" he commented, climbing up next to her, "Do you know any more?"

Tasha nodded and obliged him with another lovely piece of music.

Finally, Kevin said, "I’ve been working on a new song and I’d like a first-listen opinion. Would you mind?"

"I’d love to hear it!" Tasha replied and let him sit at the keyboards.

Kevin then began a song that he called "If You Will Give Me Your Heart." The harmonies were close and warm, and the words struck Tasha to the heart.

When he was done, Kevin looked at her expectantly. "What do you think?"

"It was gorgeous!" she replied, "But maybe if you changed this chord…" She put her hand on the keys and struck a certain chord. "…To this," She struck another chord. "…It would make the harmony warmer." she suggested.

"Hmm." Kevin played a section of the song again, only this time he changed the chord as she proposed. "You’re right! That is better!" he agreed, "Thank you!"

"Anytime!" Tasha replied, smiling.

"Hey. Would you care to join me for an early dinner later?" Kevin asked sweetly, his green eyes twinkling.

"I’d be happy to!" Tasha replied, her smile growing bigger, "That would be great!"

And that brings us back to the present.

Being the two eldest of the Backstreet Boys and Lavish, Tasha and Kevin shared the responsibility of looking out for the others. Tasha had especially promised Melissa’s mom that she would look after her best friend.

Melissa and Nick had also gotten closer. The two had even gone on a couple of dates when they had time off. Aaron had also laid claim to Melissa; she was his "other best friend" and he adored her.

As for the others, Michelle and AJ were spending a lot of time together as were JC and Jane, and Becky and Justin were slowly getting to know one another.

But, still, everyone was great friends.

---

"Ah-ah-achoo!" Aaron sneezed loudly.

"Bless you!" Melissa laughed.

"Thanks!" he replied and un-paused the Street Fighter Alpha game that they were playing.

Just as they were getting into the game, Nick came in. "Hey, AC! Hi, Mel!"

"Hey, Nick!" the two replied, never taking their eyes off the TV screen.

"Well, I guess no one wants pizza." Nick said nonchalantly.

Click! Off went the video game and Melissa and Aaron hurried over, eager for the snack. Soon, the three were munching happily on the extra cheese pizza. Just as they finishing, Melissa realized that she was almost late for rehearsal.

"I gotta go, guys, or Fatima will kill me!" she said, "See you later!"

She hurried inside the main auditorium and onto the stage where Fatima and the other were waiting. The girls had requested that Fatima Robinson be their choreographer, if she was willing to take them on. She had been their first and only choice. Fatima had agreed, glad for the challenge. Under her teaching, the girls were becoming incredible dancers, but they were also learning discipline, work ethic, and patience.

"Sorry, guys!" Melissa apologized when she got to the stage.

"That’s OK, Missy!" Fatima replied.

For the next few hours, they rigorously rehearsed their songs and dance routines. Finally, all the girls, Fatima included, collapsed in a heap on the stage floor, talking and laughing.

That was how Justin and the rest of ‘N SYNC found them when they came to run through their performance.

"Hey, girls!" Lance said.

"Hi!" they replied and climbed to their feet.

The two groups talked for a few minutes and then the girls turned to leave them to their practice.

Just before they left, though, Justin spoke up. "Becky, would you like to get something to eat later?"

Becky smiled at him. "Sure, Justin! I’d like that." she replied.

---

"Tasha! Come here, please!" Kevin called later that afternoon.

"Mhmmm?" Tasha said, coming up to him.

"Tasha, this is my mother. Mom, this is Tasha Nickelson." Kevin made the introductions.

"Hello, Tasha! Kevin’s told me how talented you and your friends are." Ann Richardson said kindly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Richardson!" Tasha replied. She then noticed that Kev was holding a little girl in his arms. "Oh! And who’s this?" she asked.

Kevin smiled. "This is my goddaughter Madison. Madison, this is Tasha."

"Hi, Madison!" Tasha greeted the child.

"Hi, Tasha!" Madison said timidly and then hid her face in Kevin’s shirt.

"She’s a little shy." he explained with a sweet smile. Then he introduced Tasha to his two older brothers and his sister-in-law.

Meanwhile, Melissa and the other girls were signing autographs for some of their new fans.

"I love you! You girls are so awesome!" a young 12-year-old girl gushed.

Melissa smiled as she signed her name on a concert poster. "Thanks, girlfriend!" she said.

Over to her left, some other girls were asking Michelle who her favorite Backstreet Boy was. Michelle glanced over at Melissa and they both laughed.

"AJ, of course!" Michelle answered.

Soon, the Meet ‘N Greet was over and someone proposed a game of Twisterä to pass the time. So they pulled out the board and everyone, including Aaron and ‘N SYNC, began to play. To make sure everyone got a turn, they went two people at a time.

"OK! Jane, left foot green!" Brian said.

Jane stretched out her left leg and was just able to reach the green circle.

"JC, right hand red!"

JC reached out for the crimson circle but, in the process, bumped Jane’s hand and the whole house of cards, so to speak, came tumbling down with Jane ending up in JC’s lap!

"You clumsy boy!" she laughed. Not that she minded being in lap, though.

"OK! You two are out!" said Brian with a laugh, "Melissa and Lance, you’re up next."

The two stood on the board and, as Brian and Chris called out colors, they stretched and bent themselves, trying their best to stay up. Finally, gravity set in and both fell, Lance landing on top of Melissa.

He smiled, his face inches from hers. "Sorry!" he apologized sweetly and, taking her hands, helped her to her feet. His green eyes captured her chocolate ones for a brief moment that seemed to last forever. Suddenly, something clicked in Melissa’s brain and she looked over to the sidelines where Nick was standing; he did not look happy.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Melissa. No, that wasn’t it at all! It was Lance Bass he didn’t trust. I mean, Lance was a nice enough guy and all but it was a well-known fact that he had a crush on Melissa, and Nick didn’t like it.

All this passed through Melissa’s mind in a split second and she withdrew her hands from Lance’s. "Thanks." she mumbled and hurried off to the side, away from everyone else.

Tasha knew her best friend well enough to recognize when something was troubling Melissa so she excused herself from Kevin’s side. "Missy, you OK?" she asked, sitting next her young comrade.

"Yeah, sure!" Melissa replied quickly. Too quickly. Then she shook her head. "No, I guess not."

"Well, would this have anything to do with Lance Bass by any chance?" Tasha inquired.

"Yes, it would. How do you tell such a nice guy that you’re not interested in him as anything more than a friend?"

"Honestly." was Tasha’s reply. "You don’t like him that way. Just tell him so."

Melissa smiled. Tasha was always very frank but usually right. "Thanks, Tash!" she said.

Tasha laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder. "No prob, little sis." she replied. She and Melissa were so close that they often called each other "big sis" and "little sis". Melissa was an only child so, in truth, Tasha was the closest thing that she had to a sister.

Melissa gave her best friend another smile and then the two headed back out to the group.

---

Later, Lance caught up with Melissa. "Hi, Melissa!" he said.

"Hi, Lance! How are you?" she asked.

"Fine. You?"

"Good." she answered. "OK! Is this small talk leading up to anything?" she wondered silently.

"Um, Melissa. Would you like, maybe, care to go out with me sometime?" Lance asked kind of shyly.

"This is my chance. I have to tell him!" Melissa took a deep breath. "Lance, I would love to go out with you, I really would, but…"

"But what?"

"But I’m just not interested in you that way. You’re a wonderful guy and a great friend but I just don’t feel the same way about you that you do about me." Melissa told him honestly, "I’m sorry if I led you on in any way."

She could see both disappointment and hurt flicker in his green eyes but, immediately, they disappeared. "No, you didn’t lead me on, Melissa. Thank you for being honest with me, though. That shows that you have a really strong character. OK, then. Friends?" He held out his hand.

Melissa smiled. "Friends!" she said and shook his hand.

---

"Nick? Can I come in?"

Nick looked up from reading a letter from his sister to see Melissa standing just inside the door of the Backstreet Boys tour bus. "Sure, Mel!" he replied with a smile.

She slid into the seat across from him at the table. "Nick, I know that you weren’t happy about what happened between me and Lance when we were playing Twister earlier today." she said, "But I can assure you that we are nothing more than friends. I explained to Lance that I didn’t feel about him in that way."

Nick sighed, reached out, and took Melissa’s small hand in his own. "I know. Lance came and talked to me earlier. He said that I was really lucky to have captured the heart of such an awesome girl; and you know what? He was right! I am really lucky."

Melissa smiled, feeling as if a great burden had been lifted off her shoulders now that things were straightened out. "Thanks, Nick." she replied softly.

He didn’t say anything but just squeezed her hand gently; that spoke volumes louder than words.

Chapter 5: Feelings, Fireworks, and the Fourth of July

"Aaron, where are you?" Melissa wandered around the Radio City Music Hall. "Child, come out, wherever you’re hiding!" This game of hide-and-seek he was playing was getting tiresome. Suddenly, as she walked past one of the amp boxes, Aaron popped out!

"BOO!!!!!" he cried.

"Ahhhhhh! Aaron!" Melissa screamed, jumping a mile high.

"Ha-ha! I got you! I got you! Did I scare you really bad?" Aaron asked, prancing up and down.

"Scare me? Aaron, I have shooting pains up my arm!! Where have you been?" Melissa questioned, half-irritated, half-amused at the child’s antics.

"I was just looking around the arena." was his innocent reply.

"Yeah, well! Your Mom’s been looking practically all over the city for you! She almost thought we left you in Pennsylvania!" Melissa told him. "Come on!" With that, she and Aaron hurried backstage where Jane Carter was still looking for him.

"I found him, Jane." Melissa said, producing the little boy.

"Aaron, there you are!" Jane exclaimed.

Aaron leapt up in his mom’s lap and proceeded to tell her how badly he had scared Melissa. Seeing that he was OK, Melissa went back to Lavish’s dressing room and collapsed on the couch. When she looked at her watch, she saw that it was almost time for her call her Mom. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number. Cell phones were wonderful things! "I must have a huge bill!" she thought as she dialed.

"Hello?" the voice that answered was her Dad’s.

"Hi, Daddy!" she said.

"Hey! How’s my superstar daughter doing?" he asked.

"Just fine! We’re in New York City now." Melissa answered. Hearing her Dad’s voice made her realize how much she missed her family, even her bratty, annoying cousins.

She talked to her Dad for a while more and then he put her Mom on the line. Melissa relaxed as she talked with her mother. She couldn’t have noticed it but her Caymanian accent and dialect became considerably stronger as she talked with her Mom. It was good to hear a voice from home. Although Melissa was having a blast on the Generation X-cellent tour, she still missed home. When she and her parents had had to relocate to Florida, Melissa had felt really sad about leaving the islands where she had lived all her life but the fact that her friends were coming with her was a comfort.

She talked with her Mom for about 45 minutes and then said good-bye. Afterwards, she ventured out of the dressing room to look for the others. She found Tasha and Michelle in the cafeteria getting something to eat with Kevin, Brian, and AJ. Jane and Becky were hanging with Justin, JC, and the rest of ‘N SYNC downtown, Howie was taking a nap, and Nick was out to lunch with his mom and brother and sisters.

"Hey, guys!" Melissa said, taking a seat next to Tasha.

"Hey, Gibson! Where ya been?" Michelle asked.

"Nowhere. I was just talkin’ to my Mom." Melissa replied, "She said to tell everyone hello."

"Cool! How is everybody back home? Has she heard from them?" inquired Tasha.

"Yeah. She talked to your aunt just yesterday. She says that Cayman is still all buzzing about our coming on this tour. She says that they’re all really proud of us." Melissa smiled as she relayed her mother’s message.

"As they have every right to be. You girls are great! You’re putting your islands on the map!" Brian commented and Kevin agreed with him.

"Hey! What are we doing for the 4th of July?" Michelle asked.

"Well, we’re gonna be in upstate New York then and we don’t have a show that night so we might check out some of the festivities around the town. You never know with us." AJ replied.

"That’s true!" Melissa chimed in with a laugh.

---

The 4th of July wound its way around quickly and everyone found themselves in Albany, New York where they had played the Pepsi Arena the night before. They had all gotten together and talked over what to do for Independence Day. Justin, JC, Joey, Chris, and Lance wanted to check out the parade downtown while the Boys wanted to scope out an open party on the lakefront. Jane and Becky accepted ‘N SYNC’s invitation to accompany them to the parade while Tasha and Michelle headed for the party with Kevin, AJ, Howie, and Brian. Nick meanwhile had asked Melissa to spend Independence Day with him and his family.

They all went out to breakfast that morning and then made their way to a 4th of July carnival in east Albany. There were games, rides, food, music; it was great!

That night, most of the others went out to a club downtown that the Boys had found during the day. Meanwhile, Melissa, armed with a blanket, climbed on top of Lavish’s tour bus, lay down, and watched the fireworks go off in the sky, turning the night into day. She felt so close to them that she could almost sense the heat and the colorful nebulas seemed to rain down upon her.

After a while, she heard someone make their way up the ladder on the backside of the bus. She didn’t move; she knew who it was. Nick lay down beside her and for a long time, neither one said a word. They just lay there under the fireworks, absorbing each other’s presence. Finally, Melissa heard Nick roll onto his side.

"When I was young, there was this girl. Her name was Maria." he started.

Melissa said nothing. She knew that this was not a time when he needed her words, only her attention.

"Maria was an amazing girl. She was the kind of girl that, when she was around, my heart would just fall into my shoes and I couldn’t think straight. But she was also really easy to talk to; really friendly. When I finally got up the courage to ask her out, she gave me the sweetest smile and said, "I was hoping you would ask me." I felt like I was on top of the world."

Melissa pressed her lips together. Where was he going with this?

"I honestly believe that I cared about her as much as a boy of eleven going on twelve could." He sat up and pulled Melissa up with him. Bright blue eyes met deep brown ones as he looked her in the face. "The point is, Melissa, I liked her but I didn’t love her. I mean, up to now, I didn’t even know what love was until…." He paused. "…..Until I met you."

In the light of the bursting fireworks, he could see Melissa smile. But still she said nothing. "Melissa, you are the most…remarkable, wonderful, interesting, caring, beautiful girl I have ever met. You probably don’t believe me but you are!" he told her sincerely, "I just don’t know how exactly to tell you how much I care about you."

Melissa put out her hand and gently touched his cheek. "You just did." she said quietly.

Nick looked at her. Her dark eyes seemed to smile and dance in the glow of the fireworks that exploded overhead. Slowly, he leaned forward. Both pairs of eyes closed peacefully as their lips met in a gentle kiss; their first kiss. It was just a simple, innocent kiss but yet it was the most passionate one. Their lips hardly touched but just enough to connect.

When they pulled apart, neither one said a blessed word; words would spoil the moment, and a second kiss would devalue the first. So they just sat there, side by side, on top of the bus and watched the as the 4th of July fireworks lit up the heavens.

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