BRANDON
Video Music Awards, Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, September 6, 2001

Here it is, four hours before the awards are set to begin, Staind just got off stage from rehearsals, and now there is a thirty-minute gap in between. I looked over at Jason and asked, "You wanna jam?" "Why not?" Jason said as we got on stage with our guitars, and Melissa Sheridan gets behind the drum set. Jason starts strumming a familiar tune as Nicole Gussin and her friends sit in the front row.

"Aaliyah, this one's for you." I said as I started singing "It's all the same….only the names will change….everyday it seems we're wasting away….another place where the face are so cold….I'd drive all night just to get back home…" Jason joined in on the chorus " …I'm a cowboy….on a steel horse I ride…I'm wanted….dead or alive….wanted dead or alive…"

I went back to a solo "…sometimes you sleep…sometimes its not for days….and the people you meet….always go their separate ways….sometimes you tell the day…by the bottle that you drink….and sometimes you're all alone and all you do is think…"

Duet again "I'm a cowboy…on a steel horse I ride…I'm wanted…dead or alive…wanted dead or alive…"

Solo again "I walk these streets…a loaded six string on my back…I play for keeps…'cause I might not make it back…I've been everywhere and still I'm standing tall…I've seen a million faces…and I've rocked them all… I'm a cowboy….on a steel horse I ride…I'm wanted dead or alive…I'm a cowboy…I've got the night on my side….I'm wanted….dead or alive….I still drive…dead or alive."

Melissa did a drum solo to end our performance, we then heard applause, I looked at Nicole and she was talking amongst her friends. Jason pointed to four females coming down the aisle; I recognized them immediately, Ashley Poole, Holly Blake, Diana Ortiz and Melissa Schumann, also known as Dream.

NICOLE
Dream?!? The girl group Dream? I can't believe it, neither can anyone else. 'Hey ladies, after the awards there is a party at WWF New York, you wanna drop by?" Brandon asked, trying to be smooth. Melissa Schumann smiled and said "Sorry, we can't, Beyonce Knowles' birthday party is tonight, you guys can come if you like."

At that point my cell phone rang. "Hello" I said

"Hello beautiful" I recognized the voice immediately as my man, Jeff Hardy.

"Hey beautiful, yourself" I replied back. Brandon then turned my way and asked "Nicole, is that Jeff?" "Yeah" I replied. 'Tel Jeff thanks for the job he and Amy did on my hair." He grabbed a strand of his newly dyed red hair and whipped it behind him. "Brandon says thanks for the hair." I said. Jeff just laughed. Jeff and I then said our goodbyes and hung up. Brooke then turned to me and asked, "So what's going for Monday?"

Eight Hours Later

The post awards party was rockin', I'm surprised Dream got us in to Beyonce's party, but here we are, and I think The Rock is somewhere around here too. Brandon and Jason were already out on the dance floor, Brandon seemed entranced by Melissa Schumann, he couldn't take his eyes off of her all night. I got to know Jason's girlfriend Melissa Sheridan though, she is a very nice person, but she doesn't take too kindly to being hit on though, as a rather large black man figured out, as Sheridan knocked him out cold.

Brooke then joined me at our table "Beyonce is so cool, she even signed my shirt." She then showed me her shirt, she did sign it. "You ok?" Brooke asked me. "I miss Jeff." I said. "He's home right now isn't he?" Brooke asked. "Yeah, Cameron, North Carolina." I replied. "And you haven't met his dad yet?" I shook my head no. Brooke then turned around and was shocked by what she saw, she tapped me and I saw it. It was Brandon and Melissa Schumann kissing each other, just 10 feet away from where we were.

Jason and Sheridan then came to the table, and stared at them shocked, and at that moment, Diana, Holly and Ashley from Dream came to the able, and they too stared at them shocked, just like Brooke and I were.


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