"I'll go in and ask for directions. Want a Pepsi or something?" Amanda handed over a dollar and asked for a Diet Coke. I went in and talked to the cashier for a few minutes. He was an old man, he had lived here for a long time, and knew the roads well. "Just take Southlake to Commerce, then get on the freeway. Off at exit 10, then hang a right on Jefferson. You can't miss the beach, there's signs everywhere for it. You could see those signs from the frickin' moon if you looked hard enough." I thanked him, then headed toward the back of the store for our drinks. As I grabbed for a Dr. Pepper, I felt a hand close over mine. I whipped my head around and came face to face with my idol: Lance Bass. "Ohmigod!" I screamed, and dropped the bottle. Dr. Pepper sprayed all over the floor. My feet soaking wet, I stood staring for what seemed like hours, then stammered, "uh... sorry... I... I mean, I didn't mean to... scream. I'm just glad... I mean amazed... no, honored... to meet... you..." "It's ok. We get that reaction all the time," said Lance, pointing behind him. There stood the rest of 'N Sync. I could have peed my pants. "So, can I buy you a drink? Hope you like Coke, cause that was the last Dr. Pepper!"
After we had introduced ourselves, I remembered Amanda. She was still waiting for me! As the guys and I walked up to the cash register, they said they had also taken a wrong turn, and ended up here. They were headed for the beach party also! 'N Sync was the surprise group! "You wanna ride with us?" JC said in a concerned voice, "it's gotta be hot in your car, and we have a TV and air conditioning on our bus." Breathless, I agreed. It was then that Amanda rushed in, swearing and muttering about how we were going to be late. When she saw who I was with, she stopped dead in her tracks. "These nice guys," I said, with one arm around Lance and the other around Chris, "are going to let us ride to the party with them." Amanda screamed.
Three amazing hours later, Amanda and I were in the front row at the concert. It was just beginning. Earlier we had gone swimming at a private beach with the guys, then had barbequed dinner. As we exchanged goodbyes with them, I saw Justin pull Amanda just a little bit closer to him. He looked sad. As I was watching this, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to face Lance. Without saying anything, he kissed me then slipped me his phone number, saying "Call me." And I did. You bet I did.
