"Wow," was all Railyn could say as she gazed at a reflection she barely recognized. Her eyes were splattered with light blue sparkles, her hair was pin straight except for the curly ringlettes of her half-hair-up ponytail. Shiny pink lip gloss was smeared across her lips. She blinked a few time to assure this wasn't a dream or the bleary lights weren't confusing her judgement. Her hand gently grazed her blushed cheeks as the make-up artist nodded proudly, resting her twig of an arm on the back of Railyn's black swivel chair.

"I haven't lost my touch on girls, I guess," the make-up artist, Aniya joked, her onyx eyes squinting as she laughed.

After make-up and wardrobe, she sneaked to the stage and moved the black curtain a little to view the crowd. Hundreds of girls occupied the seats, laughing, talking and screaming. They looked like a massive colony of ants, filing in for role call in every extermity of the arena. Signs were anxiously held in their grips for Dream Street. The only one she saw for her was a yellow one held by her friends near the front that said 'Railyn's a Star.' They each had a camera attached permentaly to their hands, glancing around oblivious that they were being watched by an angel. Even thought Danielle, Natalie, Hannah and Jane couldn't see her, Railyn definatley noticed them and smiled sweetly. Her stomach began to sink deeper to her knees, a quesy sensation upsetting it realizing she was going to sing in front of these potentially vicious fans. Nervously, she let the curtain fall back into its proper place as she ran her fingers along her pink tank top with a sheer blue overlay of roses. The lighting was so obscure, you could barely see your hand waving in front of your face. Suddenly, she felt a hand graze her back like the tenticle of an octopus. She slowly turned to see Greg hovering over her and she caught her scream before it was released loudly from her scratchy throat.

"Jerk much?" she whined, punching him lightly in the stomach. Greg laughed as he laced his tan arms around her tiny waist. She glanced up at him nervously, then her eyes diverted to the sheilding curtain as if she had X-Ray vision. A sigh escaped her lips, her eyes drastically dulling.

"What's the matter?" Greg asked conserned, noticing the smile on her face was slipping away like the setting sun.

"Pre-Singing Debut jitters, I guess," Railyn summurized, wrapping her arms around Greg's neck. Her eyes raised back to Greg's and the smile returned. Greg nodded with understandment, both of them moving slightly to the beat of 'All or Nothing' swimming from a local stereo. She felt so safe in Greg's arms; she never wanted to let go or be afraid.

"You look awesome, I must say," Greg told her biting his lucious lip and scanning his eyes up and down her body. Her leather pants with black ties running down the sides were skin-tight and her white platform sneakers levetated her to almost Greg's height.

"You're flirting with me now?!" Railyn enquried amazed, rolling her eyes playfully, memories of Greg and Stephanie still stinging her brain like a wasp.

"Can't help what I like," Greg replied, shrugging his shoulders and seductively raising his eyebrows. "I guess I never could." A small laugh escaped Railyn's lips, her hands clasp firmly on the back of Greg's neck. Both of their subconciouses were screaming for them to make the first move.

"Maybe we should do something about that," Railyn suggested, looking over his shoulder teasingly to the stage door. Greg lowered his head closer to hers, their foreheads lightly kissing.

"Maybe," Greg repeated huslily, his dark eyes smothering Railyn's heart.

"You could start by giving me a good-luck kiss," Railyn suggested, peering at him devilishly. Greg took the hint, he leaned down to his beloved when something hard struck his back.

"Ow!" Greg cried like a baby, letting Railyn slip from his grasp and rubbing his back painfully. Railyn only laughed when the assailants came foward from the left. "Must you act like my sisters?" he asked Jesse and Chris annoyed as Jesse bent down to pick up his sneaker.

"That was a superb opprotunity!" Jesse shouted innocently, slipping his sneaker back on, stumbling a bit in the process.

Chris looked at the two "friends" in awe, jealously somewhat tweeking his empty heart. "What are we going to do with you two?" Chris asked Greg and Railyn, hands clasped on his hips and head shaking like a strict parent. He upheld his hand to his chin thoughtfully.

"Railyn!" Louie shouted from across the stage as he fumbled with a black case, the case fighting back with big sliver arms, "We need to get your mic ready."

Railyn nodded obediently, raising to sneak a quick kiss from Greg. It was rough and uneasy. Greg pressed his hands on her arms passionately until she wriggled loose. She waved Good-Bye to the boys over her shoulder. "Break a Leg, Rai!" Chris shouted to her, thrusting his fists in the air.

"Well, not litterally!" Jesse continued, cupping his hands around his mouth so to be heard. "That would be bad."

"Good Luck, Baby," Greg yelled, knowing she would do what she was born to do.

As Louie intoduced her, her heart began to hammer inside her chest like a jack-hammer, sending adrenaline screaming through her veins. Her palms were slimey with cold sweat as she vigerously whiped it off on her tank top. As Louie ran off and stabbed a thumbs-up in the sweat-stained air, Railyn took center stage, shining brighter than the North Star. Stage lights and spot lights dazzled her, brushing her clammy arm over her eyes. Then her eyes almost jumped out of their sockets; the crowd looked a lot scarier than before, the faces she could see hard as stone, their expectations high and noble. The fans cheered for her in respect, awaiting to see if this girl was worth their attention. The backround music of "Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know" permeated the air as Railyn began to bounce slightly on her heels. She raised the black mic to her mouth, her tounge sneaking out to try to wet her parched lips. She tapped the beat with figeting fingers on her leather pants and took one last breath before the moment of truth. Railyn's mouth opened like a garage door, sweet notes plummeting into the mic.

The fans were stunned; this girl was something else. She wasn't no Britney Spears or Christina Aguleria or Willa Ford, not another cute blonde girl with a promiscious look and sound; she was Railyn Coy; one in a million. Sweat added to her glimmering presence as she completed her the first song. Her body began to scrunch up inside faster than a wilting flower, blanketed fiercely by a sheet of winter, lingering for the fans' reaction, but her mind congradulated her.

Boisterious cheers were respectively thrown at her, even some camera flashes. Her smile almost overpowered the cheering as she studdered "Thank you," and bowed gratefully. As the screaming subsided, she approached the front of the stage and tossed a few escaped strands of maroon hair behind her ears, colors swimming on her pale face. "Hey guys," she yelled, waving to the crowd. Some waved back, some screamed. "Well, I'm Railyn Coy and I'm from here on Long Island..." Approving screams interrupted her. She giggled and continued, "Yeah, go L.I. Now, tell me, who here likes Dream Street?"

The crowd's wailing could have crumbled the Great Wall of China. She motioned for them to be quiet, smiles the whole way through. They obeyed like students, some eager to learn and some distracted from what was to come. "Yeah, they're super sweet and so down to earth. Well, I think my last song can relate to all of us and it's called 'Everywhere.'"

That last song pasted her by quicker than a comet streaking through the night's sky, and her eyes were glazed with stinging sweat and tears. The crowd thanked her with cheers and yells, clapping underlining it. "Thank you so much," she replied, but her words could barely be noticed over the exploding fans. "Now, the boys of the hour, Dream Street!"

The rabid fans leaped to their feet, jumping up and down like monkeys in a lab cage, gripping to each other in excitement. Railyn slipped backstage, the boys already in the 'Let's Get Funky' positions. She was congradulated by many of the backstage workers, and she took all the comments and locked them securely in her heart. "Railyn," Greg yelled to her and Railyn turned sharply to him, sweat still pouring over her. Even on the darkened stage, she noticed the tender kiss Greg blew for her and the eye wink that followed. She only smiled, her smile lighting up the stage to a new dawn.

Railyn couldn't apprehend what she just did, that accomplishment, that honor. As she sat on a grey folding chair, still guzzing water to her arid body, watching the boys dance and sing their way back into the hearts of hundreds, she thanked God silently. 'Thank you for all you've given me. Thank you for Greg. Thank you for this precious memory, a memory not many share.' She didn't see any reason for her to live anymore; she had all life could give.