****
Lounging comfortably on the plush white couch in the living room of her Orlando home, the bright sun shining across the wood paneled floor, Jordan sighed contentedly. It was February, over six months since Eternity’s first album release and four months since the end of their first tour with the boyband N Sync. Reaching for the stereo remote, the brunette flipped on a local radio station and leaned back, picking up her journal from within the folds of the sofa cushions. Paging through the ink filled notebook, she stopped and began reading an entry dated October 30, 1999.
Today was pretty stressful for all of us girls, as well as the guys. After learning of the boys’ decision to leave TransCon for Jive, we had a meeting with Johnny. He recommended that we should get a lawyer so that we can figure some things out as soon as possible concerning our future as a group. I don’t really know what to think, I mean, for our next album I would like us to have a little more control over our careers. However, I hope that a switch to Jive wouldn’t be perceived as us following in our “big brother group” N Sync’s footsteps. I hate thinking of leaving Lou. Maybe I’m just naive, cuz Leigh says that he DOES get quite the cut off any profit we make, but I don’t really think he’s all that bad. He DID make us who we are. Without his help, there’s no way we would be as successful as we have been. I guess I’ll have to just wait and see how things go…
Jordan continued browsing through the well-worn pages of her journal, recalling the events that occurred after the tour ended. So much had happened, not only with their final decision to leave TransCon shortly after N Sync did, but also with their New Year’s trip to Hawaii with the guys. The islands had been beautiful and shortly after their return, they had found out about their Grammy nomination for Best New Pop Duo/Group.
Today, I had the biggest shock of my life when I found out that we just got nominated for Best New Pop Duo/Group for the Grammy’s this year. It’s unbelievable! Johnny called and let us know early this afternoon, and tonight we had a huge party celebrating our nomination. You could say we’re a little excited. Haha, JUST a little. Our parents flew down for the occasion, and all the other girls’ parents were there. N Sync, celebrating their own two nominations, joined us at Johnny’s for the party along with all of their families. It’s like 3 am right now, but I can’t sleep cuz I am SO excited. I never in a million years dreamed that we would be nominated…I was just anxious about getting to go!! I can’t wait, it’s going to be incredible…
Smiling, Jordan glanced up as the DJ’s voice blared over the radio. “That was Cold Shoulder, from Grammy nominated girl group, Eternity. Next up…”
“Whatcha doin?” a giddy voice interrupted her thoughts, and Jordan turned to see her sister walking into the room, her now short blonde hair sticking out every which way. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Rachel stifled a yawn. “Wait, don’t answer that just yet,” she said, coming to life and scampering into the kitchen before reemerging with a banana and a soda.
“Healthy breakfast?” Jordan asked, raising an eyebrow.
“And yours is?” Rachel grinned, looking pointedly at the Diet Coke can sitting on the coffee table.
Jordan laughed. “Of course. It’s one of the major food groups. Everyone knows that. You’ve got your fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, and Diet Coke,” she said matter of factly, counting them off on her fingers.
“Sure, sure…you wish. So are you all packed and ready to go?” Rach said, leafing through a recent issue of Rolling Stone that she had picked up off the floor near the couch.
“Just about…I have a few more things to throw in my suitcase before we leave this afternoon. What time are we supposed to meet everyone again?”
“Uh..we’re supposed to be at the airport at 1 to check in for our flight. I think,” she said thoughtfully. “You might want to call Johnny or somebody. I’m just so scatterbrained today! I can’t believe the Grammy’s are tomorrow already!!” the blonde said with exuberance before stopping to drool at the Leonardo DiCaprio pictures within the magazine she was browsing through.
“I think I’ll do that. But first…I’m gonna get ready. You should too…” Jordan tugged on her sister’s tangled hair and giggled as she stood up slowly, stretching, before picking up her soda can. After setting it down on the white kitchen counter, she headed to her room to finish getting ready. It was already 11 am and she needed to be sure she had absolutely everything before they left for Los Angeles.
****
“Woo woo, look at you! Sexy, sexy, sexy.” Leigh laughed as she shimmied, and Jordan joined in, giggling as she remembered the joke from their recent Hawaii trip.
The two girls stood in the middle of the large suite in the upscale Beverly Hills hotel as they prepared for their departure to the Staples Center where the Grammy’s were to be held. Jordan blushed at her friend’s compliments, “Thank you,” she replied slyly, batting her eyes at her friend jokingly.
Leigh giggled, her laugh nervous as she anticipated the event that they had been preparing for all day. Smoothing her red Versace dress, she glanced at Rachel, who sat patiently on the edge of the bed. “You look good Miss Rachie. It’ll definitely impress Joey…that’s for sure!”
Rachel rolled her eyes slightly before making a gagging motion by sticking her finger in her mouth. “Please. You actually think I would put this much effort into impressing Joey? Uh uh. This is for Howie D. fool.”
“Oh I totally get what you are saying. He is SO gorgeous…and doesn’t at ALL resemble a child molester. No WAY.” Jordan said, struggling with a straight face.
“Honestly though, when are the other two supposed to get here? I thought they said their makeup and hair wouldn’t take much longer after we got finished.” Leigh questioned, slipping off her strappy heels, “By the way, my feet are already killing me.”
Shortly after Leigh’s comment, Ashlee and Tressa burst into the room. The two women were obviously perturbed about the length of time their hair and makeup took, but it was well worth it, and they looked as stunning as the rest of their group. Striking an exaggerated pose in the main room, the two petite blondes plastered on 1000-watt smiles. Ashlee, her skin bronzed to perfection, lit up the room in a white Versace dress with a plunging neckline and a gorgeous iridescent sequined pattern toward the bottom. “Whoa! Who do you think you are? Britney Spears??” Rachel laughed, gesturing toward the plummeting neckline of her group mate’s ensemble.
Ashlee frowned slightly, “You think it’s too low?” she asked, fidgeting with her dress.
“She’s just jealous that she can’t have cleavage like that,” Leigh laughed, “don’t mind her.” Smiling reassuringly at Ashlee, she gestured toward Rachel’s strappy dress.
“Not to mention she’s upset about looking like a really big banana.” Jordan offered, commenting on the bright yellow of her sister’s gown.
“I resent that comment! I prefer Twinkie okay?” Rachel said good-naturedly, “Although I seem to have lost the cream filling,” she laughed, patting the flat region of her stomach, getting glitter from her dress all over her hands.
Ashlee giggled, “Seriously though, about the cleavage…I had a little…help. I guess they do it for the Cosmo models all the time,” she whispered, adjusting her dress self-consciously.
“What’s that?” Jordan asked curiously.
“Tape…and LOTS of it.” Tressa explained matter of factly as she stood looking in the full-length mirror, struggling with her gorgeous strapless dress. Also a Versace original, it started out light colored at the top and blended into a brilliant shade of green at the base of the flowy material.
Suddenly the five girls heard a loud knock on their door and Leigh, the only one with her shoes off, hurried to open it. “Heyyy...come in! I think we’re about ready to go,” she said, inviting Johnny and the five guys of N Sync into the suite. “Whoa, don’t we all look handsome!” she gushed as they all filed in.
“Handsome? I was thinking more along the lines of debonair, fantabulous, or maybe just sexy bitches.” Chris said, adjusting his tie smugly before bursting into a loud laugh.
The five guys of N Sync had gone with Eternity when looking for the perfect Grammy apparel. Since the pop sensations would be presenting together, they decided to choose coordinating formal wear for the occasion. Sporting Versace suits, the five guys each had similar black pants, jackets, and ties, however their shirt color corresponded with that of an Eternity member’s evening gown.
“I hate to say it Joey, but you do look a lot better now that you cut that red shit out of your hair.” Rachel complimented him. “And that yellow shirt really does look good on you…” she said shyly, looking down as to avoid his eager gaze.
“Well ladies, shall we go?” Johnny asked pleasantly, happy that two of his groups were nominated for the prestigious award. Gesturing toward the door, he smiled genuinely at Jordan as she walked past him, Justin in tow.
‘I’m so glad that Johnny’s finally decided to at least tolerate the fact that Justin and I are dating…although I know he gets stressed knowing how the fans can get when it comes to any of us dating someone exclusively. He’s been a little more relaxed though since we’ve gotten out from under Lou’s thumb.’ Jordan mused as they made their way down the hotel hallway toward the elevators.
****
As the limousine pulled up to the red carpet outside of the Staples Center, Jordan’s nervousness turned to excitement. Not only were there millions of fans waiting to see their favorite musical artist, but the amount of press standing along the sides was insane. It seemed as though a reporter from every major television station or newspaper was there, and flashes from press cameras glittered every few seconds as the stars made their way down the red carpet.
The five girls of Eternity exited their limo to a crowd that was buzzing with excitement. Jordan glanced around as they started making their way down the carpet in front of the men of N Sync who exited a limousine right behind the girls.
After having short interviews with some local television reporters, the girls continued making their way toward the entrance of the Staples Center. Stopping for photos and answering questions about their dresses, the girls finally got to where John Norris from MTV stood, waiting to interview them.
“Eternity! Welcome…this is your first trip to the Grammy’s am I right?” John questioned the five girls.
Leigh spoke up, “That’s correct. It’s really an honor to be here tonight among all of our peers. We really never thought we would be at an award show this prestigious, and also be nominated!”
Rachel nodded in agreement, “We’re just really excited to be here…I don’t even care if we don’t walk away with a Grammy.”
John laughed, “No but really, everyone says that ladies…be original here! You really are hoping that you win right?” he pressed.
“I think that I speak for all of us when I say that we hope we win. I mean, honestly who doesn’t come to the Grammy’s hoping to walk away with an award? However, we realize that the competition is pretty stiff, and I think that it truly is an honor just to be nominated along with people like Blaque and 2gether.”
“Speaking of 2gether, I’ve heard that a few of you have some crushes on some of the members.” John replied.
Tressa laughed gently pointing at Rachel and Leigh, as Ashlee gestured toward Jordan with a smile. “So I take it that it’s you three?”
Rachel laughed, glancing back at the carpet as several more celebrities continued to arrive. “Well,” she said, lowering her voice as if it were a big secret, “I DID have it bad for Doug!” the blond said playfully, kidding as usual. “But I changed my mind after awhile and now, I would have to say Mickey is my favorite.”
Leigh pretended to pout before speaking up, “Rachel and I will actually be fighting over Mickey because well…we just love his thug appeal.”
At that moment, the boys of N Sync had made their way up behind the girls, just in time for JC to react to the statement made by Leigh. “Yep, they really like it when a man can keep it real.”
As everyone laughed, Jordan gazed up at the Staples Center that loomed above them, 'I can't believe we have made it this far...I never thought in my wildest dreams we would be here...', she reflected as she remembered the days when they were struggling performers and just happy to be signed to a label.
Jordan was jolted from her thought process as Justin nudged her arm and she realized that John had asked her a question. “I’m sorry…what was that?” she asked, slightly embarrassed.
John just nodded in understanding, “So who is your secret crush Jordan?”
“Well…” Jordan blushed as she looked back at Justin, who stood behind her. Turning back to John, she finished, “I probably shouldn’t say anything cuz…you know…” she giggled, gesturing behind her, “BUT…it’s Chad. He’s just so adorable! I would love to meet him,” the dark haired girl divulged.
John turned the microphone to Justin, “So Justin, now that you and Jordan are more officially an item than ever before, what do you think about all of this Chad business?”
Justin smiled crookedly, “Chad loves only me. That’s all I have to say.”
Smiling and holding back laughter, John had one more question for Justin and Jordan. "So you two are obviously a couple like I mentioned, but how are you dealing with negativity from the fans about your budding relationship?"
Looking at each other, the pair smiled warmly before answering, "Uh, actually, the amount of support we're getting from the fans is great. It's good to know that they're just happy that we're happy. We go out every night to bring them some joy and so I think that they understand that we're going to want some happiness for ourselves off stage." Justin replied professionally. As he finished, his thoughts wandered to the many letters he had received from fans expressing their disappointment with the relationship and the blatant hatred they felt for Jordan.
John nodded in approval before quickly changing the subject back to the award show. "So you guys are also presenting tonight?" he asked the girls.
Ashlee smiled brightly, “Yep, that’s right. We’re presenting for best new artist with N Sync.”
“Alright! Well, good luck tonight and of course, it was nice talking to you as usual. I hope we’ll see you on the stage holding your Grammy tonight.” John said, releasing the girls so that he could interview N Sync before they called the start of seating.