With "In the City" blaring out of my stereo, I carefully assessed my reflection in the mirror. I had on a MOE tank top, a Hanson bucket cap, Hanson symbol necklace, and a Hanson key chain hanging from one of the belt loops on my jeans.

A girl with Auburn hair, hastily thrown into a ponytail and olive-colored skin burst into the room. She was long and slim, with a tiny bulge of stubborn muscle on each arm. Her hazel eyes were much calmer than my own bright and excited green ones.

"Hey, Marissa, what do you think?"I asked her. If there was one thing that you could count on Marissa for, it was honesty.

She studied my outfit."You look obsessed."

"Good. That's what I was going for."I then noticed the plain black tank top that she was wearing."What happened to the T-shirt that you were going to wear?"

"I can't wear that. It has him on it."She said "him" as if she was referring to some sort of cockroach.

"Marissa."

"Libby."

I gave her a look."Wear it."

"Fine, but if I get hot I'm taking it off."She pulled an olive green T-shirt out of her backpack and pulled it on over the tank top."Are you happy now?"

@ @ @ @ @

We had been standing outside the Orpheum Theatre for almost two hours now, and we were not only hungry but about everyone had to go to the bathroom desperately.

"That is sad."I pointed out a girl with a halo on and a T-shirt that said 'Tay's Little Angel' on it. I just didn't understand people like that. Did they think that they would attract Hanson by wearing something like that? Most likely it would just make them run for their lives.

"Isn't there a bathroom nearby?"the 'Tay's Little Angel' girl whined.

Marissa pointed toward the port-a-potty set up by the construction site across the street."You could use that."

The girl wrinkled her nose."I think I'll hold it."

As she started to walk off, Marissa called after her,"Whatever you do, don't think of running water!"

The girl squealed and ran towards the port-a-potty.

"That was so mean!"I exclaimed.

"What's mean is not letting us in even though the concert starts in like twenty minutes,"Marissa told her."I'll bet Taylor is behind this."

I rolled my eyes."Taylor Hanson is not the root of all evil."

"Yes he is."

Marissa hadn't always been like that. In fact, the year that "MMMBop" had come out she'd been head over heels in love with Taylor. I remember the day that Marissa introduced me to Hanson...

"Libby!"A then thirteen year old Marissa had all but screamed in my ear, clutching a copy of Tiger Beat."Have you heard that new song 'MMMBop'?"

"Yeah."

"Look at this."She opened the magazine to a page."These are the guys who sing it. Aren't they gorgeous?"

All I saw was a picture of what looked like nine-year-old girls."They're girls."

"No they aren't,"Marissa insisted.

"They look like girls."

Marissa rolled her eyes."Come on, who do you think is the cutest?"

I pointed to one."He kinda looks like a guy."

"Isaac,"Marissa informed me.

"Whatever."

Marissa directed her attention to the middle brother."I like this one. His name's Taylor and you'll never believe this! He was born on the same exact day as me!"

So that's how our Hanson obsession started. Of course, later on we would find out that the year of Taylor's birth had been a typo, it actually was a year before her, and she would start insisting that even though he's a year older, it was her birthday first. You have to know her to understand her. In fact, most people who know her don't understand her, I'm a rarity.

Marissa was in love with Jordan Taylor Hanson until about six months later. I had just gotten home from visiting my sister in South Carolina and had called her to report the latest news.

"Guess what?"I had told her excitedly."I read in a magazine that Taylor likes to play drums, too, just like you!"

"Taylor? That scum?"That was a direct quote. I was never sure what triggered it, but Marissa had decided that she hated Taylor, although she still loved the group and was just as obsessed as I was. Unsolved mystery, no one ever ended up finding out why she suddenly decided that Taylor was the scum of the earth.

Back to the day of the concert. We were waiting outside, tired, desperate for a bathroom, and wondering why we hadn't brought a snack.

"I'm hungry,"Marissa whined.

I was about to smack her when the front doors finally opened.

@ @ @ @ @

"That was so awesome!"I exclaimed, gazing off, a dreamy look on my face."Isaac looked so gorgeous."

Marissa rolled her eyes."Let's go."

We made a small detour to see how close we could get to the stage, finding ourselves standing in front of the backstage door. Of course, with nothing in our way but a bald bodyguard with muscles that made Arnold Swartzineger look scrawny.

"No chances, huh?"Marissa asked, looking at the guard who stood a good six inches taller than her five-foot-four-inch frame.

"Nope,"he said, arms crossed with a steely expression on his face.

We shrugged and started walking towards the closest exit when we heard a commotion. Some girl had jumped up onto the stage and was attempting to get backstage that way. The bald bodyguard had followed her up on the stage and was attempting to hang onto her until another guard could come up from the back.

I glanced at the now clear path to the door backstage, then to Marissa.

She shrugged."Why not?"

"What the heck?"I said as we casually opened the door and walked into the previously forbidden zone of backstage.