Chapter Two
Dawn
"Wake up, Chloe, wake up!"
"Ouch! Get off me, you little runt!" Chloe groaned loudly and rolled over in her queen sized bed, her blonde hair tumbling over her face. Burrowing underneath the bed sheets, she could feel a distinct pain in her side, where her younger sister, Amber, had just jumped on her. "Go away!" she moaned from her hiding place. "I’m trying to sleep here!"
"You have to go to school, get up, get up!" Amber chanted, flicking on the light switch and flooding light into the spacious bedroom. Just before exiting the room, she did final damage by turning on Chloe’s radio, cranked up to full volume.
"Aaaarrrrgghhhhh!" Chloe screamed, throwing the comforter off her head. Her hair in disarray, she twisted in the sheets, searching frantically for the CD player’s remote control, so she could get back to sleep. She had her finger poised above the OFF button, ready to flick off the radio, when the announcer’s voice cut in.
"And here’s the newest song from those heartthrobs, the Backstreet Boys! Enjoy girls…here’s Nick, Brian, AJ, Howie, and Kevin with As Long As You Love Me!"
Chloe’s finger froze, and her jaw dropped. It took a moment for this tidbit of information to register in her brain, but as soon as it did, Chloe screamed. As the first few bars of this unfamiliar song tidal-waved their way into her bedroom, she moved her finger from the OFF button on her remote, to that of the VOLUME and turned up the radio as loud as it would go. Suddenly forgetting her desire to sleep through that day of school, she writhed her way out of her sheets and jumped out of her warm sanctuary. The harsh coolness of a February morning hit her hard, and she shivered, but the negative thoughts soon left her mind, as
the lyrics of As Long As You Love Me began.
"Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine……"
Chloe’s face lit up, as she deciphered Nick’s voice singing this first verse. It was with sudden force that the memories of last night’s conversation, and nearly knocked her off her still tired feet. I talked to him last night, she thought excitedly, listening carefully to the song, and trying on the first listen to memorize the words. I talked to Nick Carter! As the verse merged into the chorus, Chloe felt a part of herself awaken, and she fell backwards onto her bed, lost in this new, subliminal feeling of happiness. She lay there for the duration of the song, content and free willed. She may have fallen back asleep to the angels that carried Nick’s voice into her mind, had she not checked the clock on her wall then, and found that she had less than 15 minutes to get ready and catch the bus for school!With a groan of disappointment from Chloe, As Long As You Love Me came to an ending, with an overly emphasized "Awwwwwww isn’t that sweet!" from the disc jockey.
Then, without another moment’s hesitation, Chloe’s favorite song, My Heart Will Go On, began to play. Chloe grinned again, remembering the corresponding movie, Titanic, and hurried to rummage through her closet, searching for something decent to wear. Her eyes settled on a green
sweater, and her face lit up, as she remembered that green was Nick’s favorite color. With a nod, she pulled the sweater off its hanger, meanwhile humming along to My Heart Will Go On. She stood in front of her mirror then, and pulled her nightdress over the top of her head. She stood there for a moment, acutely aware that she had only 10 minutes left to get ready now. The girl in the mirror stared back at her, and for just a moment, Chloe saw a frightening sight. The girl in the mirror was an anorexic, painfully thin, and still unsatisfied. She was a mere 15 years old, striving for acceptance and yearning for approval from skeptical friends and intimidating family. She saw an unhappy adolescent, struggling to survive in a reality that she detested. She saw a girl that wanted to be someone else, live somewhere completely different. A girl that just wanted to be someone else for a little while, even for a day.Chloe gasped in horror, and slammed her eyes shut against this past reflection of herself. I am not anorexic, she encouraged herself, struggling to remain calm. I am Chloe, I am healthy now, I am OK. With a violent shake of her head, Chloe’s eyes opened again, and the image had disappeared. The girl that looked at her now was the new Chloe, the healthy and vibrant Chloe. She was a little disheveled right now, but that was only because of her hair, which was scattered every which way about her head. She grinned forcibly at herself, attempting to convince her mind that she was OK, that she was not afraid. The smile seemed to work, because the girl in the mirror smiled back, assuring her that everything would be alright. Hastily, she pulled the green sweater over her head, and dragged her thin legs through a pair of khakis. With a sigh of desperation, she ran a brush through her layers of hair, and swept some gloss over her cheeks. A final glance in the mirror confirmed that she looked decent, and Chloe flicked off her radio and the light in her room, and rushed downstairs.
"Chloe missed her bus, Chloe missed her bus!"
Chloe was met by this chanting when at the bottom of the stairs, and felt a sudden urge to punch her two younger brothers in the face. "Shut up, I did not!" she retorted.
"Yeah, you did!" Jacob countered. "It just came by, and left again…HAHAHAH!"
"Hahahah!" Ben chimed in, dancing in circles at the foot of the stairs.
Chloe pushed past her brothers and into her father’s office, where he sat at the computer, checking his stock reports. As an accomplished stock broker, Robert Woodward spent nearly all his time in this office, doing one thing or another. "Daddy?" Chloe began, putting on her sweetest I-Need-Something voice that her sentimental father always
seemed to fall for.Robert looked up and straightened his back, having been hunched over his desk for the past hour or so. He smiled faintly, tiredly, at the sight of his daughter standing in front of him. She was using that voice
again…that voice that always meant she wanted something, and no matter what, always seemed to get. He admitted to himself often that he was too lenient with her, but she was his first borne. She had a special place in his heart. He had such great expectations for her, he had a
responsibility to cater to her needs. "Morning sweetheart," he replied. "What can I do for you? Aren’t you supposed to be catching the bus?"
Chloe grimaced. "Umm, that’s why I’m here, daddy," she said. "I missed the bus, and I was wondering if you could drive me."
Robert breathed in deep, and let it out slowly. His logical mind told him that he had too much to do, he couldn’t afford to leave the ever-changing stock values to drive her to school. As he frantically argued with himself on whether or not to leave the computer screen, Chloe’s voice broke through again.
"I know, daddy! Can I just stay home today? I don’t have any tests, and no homework is due! Pretty please, I won’t bother you!?"
Robert smiled gently, pondering this new idea. He knew he shouldn’t let Chloe stay home without a valid reason…but he DID have a lot of work to do. With a sigh, he nodded. "Alright Chloe, you can stay home today. But ONLY today, don’t let this become a habit. You have to go to school if
you want to become a doctor."
Chloe bit her lip, but held back a retort to this last comment, as she thanked her father and shut the door behind her. I don’t WANT to be a doctor, she thought fiercely. I wanted to be a doctor when I was six years old!! I want to be an actress, why can’t he see that? She sighed, and was about to go back up to her room to go to sleep when she
remembered something very important. Summoning up the courage inside of her, Chloe opened the door to her father’s office again. "Um, daddy?" she said quietly, feeling strangely guilty for interrupting him again.Robert glanced up at his daughter quizzically. "Yes?" He really had to get back to his work, he’d thought she’d have left him alone for the day.
"Can you show me how to check my email?" Chloe’s expression was timid and her voice almost a whisper.
Robert laughed, and motioned his daughter into the office. "Come here sweetheart, it’s not hard at all! I’m so glad you’re taking an interest in the Internet now…after all, it is the wave of the future. And since your future is in medical technology, to some extent, this will be useful to you!"
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Chloe,
Hey chickie! I just wanted to let you know that I really liked talking to you last night…you were a lot nicer than the other people in there, who didn’t seem to believe that it’s actually me, Nick Carter, talking to them. But I’m glad you do…you’re a cool person. Email me back, please? And meet me in the chat again tonight if you can, at around 5pm. I need to talk to you about something. Hope to see you there.
Love Always,
Nick Carter
The message on the screen seemed simple enough. A straightforward hello, an invitation to talk again. But there was something hidden in between the lines of this email that Chloe was beginning to piece together. She’d only known about the Backstreet Boys for just over a month, and already she knew Nick Carter! She knew his ‘formal’
biography, but she also knew something else. It seemed trivial, but she knew that he was a person now. She’d put a physical manifestation to the figure on TV and in the videos, and she’d discovered that he existed not only as a star, but as a human being. She smiled, feeling a bit silly. She’d been sitting in front of the computer screen for nearly half an hour, reading his email to her over and over again. After her father had shown her how to get into her hotmail account, he’d run over to the TSE building to check up physically on a few stocks, and had not yet returned. And since he’d left, Chloe had been sitting here, smiling into a blinding bright light, feeling as though a new dawn were breaking on the horizon of her life. She wanted to run forward to this light, wanted to discover this intriguing happiness without hesitation. And she would
have…had it not been for her father’s remarks earlier that morning. Chloe groaned in memory of her father’s steep expectations of her. All through his explanation of hotmail, Robert had somehow related every point of her email to a method of use in the world of medicinal
technology. He wanted so badly for Chloe to become a doctor, and she hadn’t the heart to tell him differently. She felt trapped in her father’s over-protective guidance of his eldest daughter. She was only in tenth grade, and he was already planning for her to attend the science faculty after high school! For God’s sake, she didn’t want
anything to do with medicine! With a brief shudder, Chloe forced her mind to dismiss her resentment towards her father, and turned her concentration back to the email from
Nick. The very thought of it brought a smile to her pretty face, and she felt the sun shining on her horizon again. With a giggle, she replied to his message :
Hey Nick!
Wow, you actually wrote me! I actually just figured out how to use my email, so that’s good news for you! Anyway…aww, you are so sweet! I really liked talking to you last night
too, you are an awesome person (and a great singer too!).As
for tonight…I have an acting class right at 5pm, but if you can stilltalk at 8pm, that will work! I’m sorry about that, I hope you can still make it! If not, just email me again, and we’ll arrange another time, OK? I’ll show up in the chat at 8 to see if you’re there! See Ya!
Love,
Chloe
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The day passed quickly, and when 5pm rolled around, Chloe didn’t need to remind her mother to drive her to acting class. She’d been a leading actress with the Discovery of the Arts Dance and Theater Company for over a year now, and these Monday night rehearsals had become routine. Her group was working on a ‘funked-up version’ of The Wizard Of Oz, and she was playing the Scarecrow. She’d specifically requested this role, because she knew that she could pull off acting as though she had no direction in her life, just ‘going with the flow.’ She arrived at the studio early, and met up with her acting partner and friend, Shanna Robinson, backstage.
"Oh, LOVE the outfit, Shanna!" she teased, coming up behind her friend and commenting on Shanna’s black leather cat suit, which she’d suggested she wear for the role of Dorothy. The idea had been a hit with the group, and ever since, Shanna had sported this unique outfit to every
rehearsal. Shanna whirled around from her position in front of the studio’s CD player, where she was fiddling with a CD. "Hey!" she replied enthusiastically. "Thanks, I was thinking I’d play it up a bit more with a nose ring, whaddaya think?" She laughed.
Chloe burst out laughing. "Rock on!" she cried, slapping Shanna a high five. "Hey, what CD are you putting in?"
Shanna grinned. "You ever heard of the Backstreet Boys?" she questioned.
Chloe’s jaw dropped. "You’re kidding!" she exclaimed, a rush of emotion flooding through her. With sudden, unplanned impulsiveness, she blurted out "I know Nick!"
The minute the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She was going to have some explaining to do now, and she could tell from her friend’s expression that it was going to have to be a detailed one.
"WHAT?" Shanna exploded. "You know the hottest guy on the face of this earth? How? Why? When? Where?" She was fumbling over her words with excitement, causing Chloe to laugh despite herself.
"Umm…well, come and sit down. We still have awhile before rehearsal starts."
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Chloe arrived home from rehearsal just before 8pm that night, exhausted. The play was really draining her energy, because as a scarecrow, she had to be all over the place! She’d phoned her mom earlier to let her know that she would take the bus home, so when she entered the house, it was dark and silent. Chloe smiled, happy to be by herself. She unlaced her shoes and went straight to the computer, logging onto the Internet like a pro. After only a few days, she’d learned how to navigate her way through cyber-space as though she’d been doing it all her life. Within a few minutes, she had found her way to the chat room where she’d talked to Nick the night before, and was logging in under her nickname from the night before, Frackette. The anticipation of connection seemed to drag on longer than the actual connection itself, and Chloe was ecstatic to
see that Nick was already in the chat room. Ironically, he was the only one there! Chloe felt her heart skip a beat, and a warmth spread through her as Nick greeted her with an enthusiastic "Hey! I was waiting for you!"
Chloe smiled widely, enjoying these new feelings she’d never felt before. She wondered silently if Nick was feeling the same way. "Hi!" she responded, typing with amazing precision. "Wow, we’re the only ones here."
"Yup, we’re alone," Nick agreed.
For a moment, there was silence in the room, and Chloe could feel an awkwardness creep in between them. She didn’t like it, and pushed it out with a "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
She could almost see Nick’s expression through the computer screen. An embarrassed grin, a redness spreading to his cheeks, a shy shrug. This image of him in her mind caused Chloe to blush herself, and there was another moment of awkward silence.
"First," said Nick finally. "First, I want to take you somewhere."Chloe was confused, and chewed on her bottom lip. "What do you mean, she asked."
"Chloe, I want you to close your eyes for a minute. Close them, and then tell me what you see."
Chloe smiled, bewildered, and typed a quick "OK" to Nick. Then she closed her eyes. What she saw surprised even her.
Nick was standing there in front of her, maybe 2 feet away.
Behind him, the roll of the Pacific Ocean waves provided a romantic mood, and underneath him lay a bed of white Florida sand. Above the two of them was a beautiful blanket of stars, and a full moon, that provided the only light in their secluded place. For miles and miles there was only the two of them, and the perfect nighttime environment.
"Can you see me?" Nick asked her, holding out his hand.
Chloe felt her feet leave the ground, and she placed her hand in Nick’s. It was warm, it felt safe and perfect. She was suddenly conscious of her appearance and looked down at her bare feet, embarrassed.
"No shhh, you look beautiful," Nick told her, as if he had read her thoughts.
She raised her eyes to meet his, and noticed how gorgeous he looked this close up. His blue eyes held a sparkle that she’d never seen before, his smile an affection she’d never known. His blonde hair fell past his eyebrows and mingled in with his long eyelashes, and every other second he would have to reach up and brush it out. His jaw was well defined, curved in just the right places, and his nose was
scrunched up a little bit, as though he was smelling something. He grinned bashfully at her, unaccustomed to this intent inspection of his face, and she felt her heart melt. "Yes, I can see you, Nick," she responded softly. "And thank you…you look perfect too."
Nick’s grin softened into a warm smile, and he brushed his hair out of his eyes again. Leaning close into her, so that his hair tickled her cheek, he whispered "I think I’m falling in love with you Chloe."
Chloe left her previous foundation of life at that moment, and became a new person. With a genuine smile on her face, she allowed Nick to lead her into her new dawn. And right then, she knew what this new, unexplainable feeling was. With one more long glance into the eyes of the guy who’d made her a new person by just being himself, Chloe knew
she’d fallen in love too.
Chloe opened her eyes then, and found the computer screen still in front of her. She was in a daze…in just a few short moments, she’d begun to experience the overwhelming feeling that some people never got to experience. She turned to glance sidelong out the window beside her, and
was filled with emotion to see that a full moon shone brightly outside. She hugged herself tightly, and smiled warmly at the computer screen, knowing that her soul mate was on the other side, smiling just as wide as she. And while she’d had her eyes closed, he’d written her a message. Chloe leaned in a bit closer.
"Chloe, if you’re half the amazing person I think you are, I think I know what you’re imagining right this moment, as your eyes are closed. You are imagining me and you, together on a beach, under a full moon. Nothing but the two of us, and a world of stars and sand for miles. As the ocean waves roll in, I lean in closer to you, telling you how beautiful you are. And Chloe, where your fantasy ends is where reality begins. Will you officially be my girlfriend?"
The tears poured over her eyelids then, and Chloe felt herself being freed from something she hadn’t known she’d been chained to. It was as though life had opened its door to her, and had invited her in with a whispered assurance of happiness. He knew her…he knew her mind, he’d predicted her fantasy. She didn’t know why she was crying, but through the tears, she was smiling, a smile she didn’t know she possessed. As she wiped her tears dry, Chloe’s hands rested on the keyboard, and she typed with swift, confident strokes. "Yes, Nick, I would love to be your girlfriend."
