Jocelyn Townsend explored the Magic Kingdom with her
sisters Amy and Carmen. Since last month, Jocelyn's cancer had become
much better. The doctors had started her on keymo again and she was
progressing nicely. She had just turned 14, and for her birthday, her
parents had flown the three girls to Disney World for five days. Amy
was now 19, and she had to take two days off work to bring down Jocelyn,
but they didn't seem to care. Carmen was 15, and in her opinion, the trip
was the most fun the Townsend family had had in a long time. Jocelyn's
frightening death experience had scared her to death. She just wanted
to get on with life, with Jocelyn in the family.
"This is so cool," Jocelyn commented as they walked into Tomorrowland.
"Wow, I am so happy to be here."
"We're happy to be here too kiddo," Carmen said as they checked out the
guys. Carmen had always been a tomboy, but since she had discovered
that her best friend looked kind of cute, guys were her passion now. Amywas
more quiet and shy, actually not having a steady boyfriend as of yet,
but everyone knew Amy didn't find herself very attractive.
"Carmen, why don't you two go on Space Mountain?" Amy suggested and
Jocelyn and Carmen nodded.
"Well, do you think Jo will be okay on there?" replied Carmen concerned.
She knew Space Mountain was a fast roller coaster, and didn't want
Jocelyn getting sick or anything on the ride.
"You're right," Amy agreed. "How about that slow roller coaster?"
"Much better," replied Jocelyn, and Carmen and her walked towards the
roller coaster. She noticed it was called the Tomorrowland Transit
Authority, and they were about to get onto the escalater to go up, when
Jocelyn thought she noticed Nick and Emilie.
"Jo, come on," Carmen urgued her.
"No, I think it's Emilie and Nick," Jocelyn replied, as she started
walking towards the Space Mountain line. "Can we please say hi?" Carmen
said sure, and she definitely knew it was Emilie and Nick. Emilie
noticed them first before Nick, and she ran towards them.
"Jocelyn, hi," Emilie cried, giving her a big hug. Nick followed her,
smiling at Carmen.
"Hi," Jocelyn shrieked back as Nick gave her a hug. "What're doing here?"
"I came down for the weekend," Emilie answered. "How about you?"
"Well, I turned 14 yesterday and my parents got us this trip for my
birthday," Jocelyn beamed and Emilie noticed how much more healty she
was looking.
"Wow, happy birthday," Nick smiled and Jocelyn smiled back. "How does
it feel to be 14?"
"So much better than 13," Jocelyn joked and they laughed. "So, anything new?"
"Not much here," Emilie replied as they sat down on a nearby bench.
"School's been hell, but Nick and the guys are all most finished their
new album. They also have a concert tonight." Jocelyn's eyes lit up.
"Really? Where? Can I go Carmen?" Jocelyn begged.
"Sure, where are tickets anyway?" Carmen asked smiling. Emilie noticed
she had been sort of quiet.
"Well, they're sold out, but I am sure can get some tickets for you,"
Nick promised and Jocelyn hugged him again.
"Thanks Nick," Jocelyn cried as she jumped up and down, and everyone
noticed Amy walking towards them.
"Hi Amy," Nick said and she smiled at him. "How are you?"
"Fine," Amy answered, not meeting his eyes. "I thought you two were
going on that roller coaster?"
"No, we ran into Nick and Em, so we decided to talk to them," Carmen
replied. Amy was acting like too much of an authoritarian and she just
wanted to slap her and tell me to stop being such a bitch.
"Wonderful," Amy commented and Emilie looked at her in surprise. "Well,
we'd better go."
"No Amy," Jocelyn said stubbornly. "You are acting rude. Get over it."
"Jo, shut up," Amy snapped at her and she stepped back. "I think maybe
we should leave Emilie and Nick alone."
"Just because you think you are the ugliest girl in the world, doesn't
mean that we shouldn't be able to talk to people who are better looking
than you," Carmen yelled at her and she didn't care how childish she
sounded. Amy was acting even more childish than her, and her attitude stunk.
"Carmen, stop it," Amy cried and she looked away, as tears formed in her
eyes. "I'm sorry. I had no idea that I was acting that way." Emilie
touched her arm gently.
"It's okay Amy," Emilie told her.
"Thanks," Amy smiled through the tour. "I just haven't been feeling
good lately."
"It's really okay," Nick told her and Amy smiled.
"We really should go," Carmen said standing up, as she noticed the time.
It was all most time for Jocelyn's nap so she didn't overtire herself
and she also needed something to eat. "Which motel are you staying at?"
"The Carribean Beach," answered Emilie. "You?"
"The Days Inn," replied Carmen as Jocelyn reluctantly stood up.
"About the tickets, we'll call you if we can get some," Nick suggested
as Carmen scribbled their motel number. They said goodbye to each other
and Emilie stared at them as they walked away.
"Wow, Amy, she has changed," Emilie said softly, as Nick sat down beside
her on the bench.
"Excuse me? Can I have the time?" a girl's voice asked.
"Yes, it's 2:50pm," replied Emilie with a smile.
"Thanks," she answered and walked away.
"2:50pm?" Nick asked standing up. "Geez, rehearsal is 3:00pm."
"Omigosh, we forgot," Emilie jumped in. "Come on, we'll make it." They
ran towards the castle, as they dodged children, grandparents, and
strollers. They ran down the Main Street and up towards the tunnels
that led to the front gates. They got on the monorail, and got off at the
Transportation and Ticket Center, while taking a bus towards Downtown
Disney. They arrived at 3:03pm and Nick totally forgot about the fans.
He hoped nobody recognized him, as he saw a long trail of fans outside
the House of Blues, hoping to get good seats for the concert.
They got off in front of Planet Hollywood, and ran towards the House of Blues.
"Okay, walk causally," Nick whispered to her and Emilie and him
pretended they were just a normal couple, having fun for a hot Saturday
afternoon. They walked past the AMC theaters, past the Virgin megastore,
and towards the front entrance of the House of Blues. Some girls yelled
at them because they said they were "butting in" line, but they ignored
them and walked towards one of the security guards at the front.
"Yes?" she asked snobbily. "If you are here for the concert, go to the
back of the line."
"Well, I am a Backstreet Boy and I need to get in," Nick said to her angrily.
"Yeah right boy," she laughed and Emilie glared at her.
"Look lady, do you want a big riot her?" Emilie snapped at her. "If you
don't let us in-."
"Honey, what are you going to do?" the guard yelled at her and people
began to stare.
"Look," Nick said and he took off his sunglasses. The lady looked at
him, and recognized him right away
"I'm so so sorry," the lady stammered. "Go on right in."
"It's Nick," yelled one of the girls and they all screamed him name.
Nick walked into the lobby, and then towards the theater, where you
could here AJ goofing around on the stage with Howie and Brian. Nick
and Emilie walked in, and AJ noticed them right away.
"You're so dead Carter," AJ yelled at him and everyone in there stared
to stare.
"I know we're late, but we lost tack of time," Nick yelled back,
praying that Donna wasn't going to yell at him.
"Don't worry," Brian yelled at them and Nick approached the stage.
Emilie noticed Ariale sitting on edge of the stage, looking over a
magazine. She also noticed production crew and the House of Blues
employees getting everything set up nicely.
"Hey," Ariale smiled when Emilie sat down beside you. "Why are you late?
"We ran into Jocelyn and her sisters," Emilie answered glancing at the
new Teen People Ariale was holding.
"Really? Well, I guess you were allowed to be late then," Ariale smiled
and Emilie smiled back. "How is she anyway?"
"Jocelyn's much better and her sisters are really nice, except Amy seems
really depressed," Emilie replied, as she front something hit her back.
She looked to see AJ squirting water on both of them. "McLean, you are
the one who's dead." AJ laughed as Emilie chased after him, and she
grabbed a water bottle near Howie, and cornered AJ in a corner. He
squirted water all over him, completely soaking him.
"Emilie, I was just joking, but you have a pretty good aim," AJ laughed
and Emilie tossed him a towel.
"Older brothers are good for one thing," Emilie told him. "I guess
Mike's football techniques and constant teasing would come in handy one day."
"Haha," AJ said and Emilie smiled at him. She noticed the guys setting
up, so she walked off the stage, and took a seat with Ariale on the
floor on the venue. They watched the guys go over their sound check for
about 30 minutes and Emilie smiled as she watched them. Finally, they
were done, and Donna informed them that they had one hour to go and>come
back because they had one meet and greet to do. Emilie hadn't met
Mrs.Wright, but was anxious to, so Nick introduced them.
"Donna, this is Emilie," Nick said as they were about to leave.
"Hello there," Donna smiled at her brightly. "Nice to meet you. Nick
has said so much about you, and I would have liked you earlier, but we've
been so hectic because of the album, among other things."
"Nice to meet you as well Mrs.Wright," Emilie smiled back. "I can
totally understand.
"Well, Nicky, you'd better go get ready and be back on time tonight,"
Donna teased him.
"I'll make sure he's here," Emilie promised and they all smiled. Donna
rushed off because one of the microphones weren't working right. Emilie
and Ariale left the House of Blues throw the back door, and were taken
back to the motel in a limo.
Emilie arrived back with Ariale on the bus that dropped
them off in front of Planet Hollywood. Ariale was wearing a nice skirt
that was black and a v-neck stripped black and green shirt, with boots
and her hair was done up in a claw clip. Emilie had chosen a sundress
which had small rosebads on it, with white sandals and her hair was
down in a mass of curls. Both she and Ariale were wearing sunglasses so
nobody would notice them. Once again, Emilie had to endure going
through the dront door, and she noticed Julie standing near the door.
"Hey Julie," Emilie said to her, and noticed she was by herself. "Why
are you here by yourself?"
"Hi," Julie replied smiling. "Well, my mom and grandma didn't want to
come, so here I am."
"Well, come on in with us," Emilie suggested, when she heard someone
call her name.
"Are you Nick's girlfriend?" a girl asked and Emilie turned to see a
chubby 13-year-old standing there with her mom and brothers.
"Yes I am," Emilie answered smiling at her. "What's your name?"
"I'm Becky and these are my brothers and my mom," Becky answered
excitedly. "Can I have your autograph and picture?"
"Sure," Emilie replied and she signed a paper for her, as her mom took
several pictures.
"Thanks," Becky said beaming and Emilie smiled back. She started to get
yelled at by many other fans waiting, but she turned and waved to them,
and then retreated into the venue with Julie and Ariale.
"Wow, this is so exciting," Julie commented excitedly, as Emilie and
Ariale walked right past Lonnie, but he stopped Julie.
"I'm sorry, but you can't go in there," Lonnie told her and Julie
looked crestfallen.
"Hey Lonnie, that's my cousin," Emilie told him and he nodded.
"Sorry, go ahead then," Lonnie said and Julie beamed again. They walked>
into the venue, to see about five girls waiting anxiously to meet the
guys. They must have been the winners of the meet and greet.
"Hi," they yelled at them and Emilie walked over to them.
"Hi, how are you?" Emilie asked them, taking off her sunglasses.
"Great," the one said with a big smile. "I'm Tori and that's Tara."
"I'm Emilie, and that's Julie and Ariale," Emilie replied, sitting in a
nearby stool. "Are you excited?"
"Beyond words," Tara said excitedly. "Are you meeting the guys as well
or do you know them?"
"We sort of know them," Ariale hesitated. "Actually, I'm Brian's
girlfriend and Emilie is Nick's girlfriend."
"Really? You are so lucky," Tori commented. "Can I take your picture?"
"Sure," Emilie answered as they both posed for a picture, and Julie took it.
"Who are you?" Tara asked Julie. "Are you AJ's girlfriend?"
"Of course not," Julie said shaking her head. "I'm Em's cousin." They
heard the guys laughing, and Tara and Tori became speechless as the guys
came out to meet them. Ariale and Emilie stood back, but Julie went
right up to the guys.
"Julie, come back," Emilie told her and Julie rolled her eyes, and went
and stood beside her. "We can't interfere with them because they won
this oppurtunity." Julie rolled her eyes again and Ariale looked ready
to yell at her.
"It's not fair," Julie commented. "I mean, I haven't even met the guys yet."
"Julie, you've met Nick," Emilie reminded her and Julie still wouldn't
budge. Nick looked over at Emilie and he smiled at her. She smiled
back, and she mouthed something to her, but she didn't quite understand what
he was trying to say.
"Hey Emilie," someone yelled at her and Emilie turned to see Donna
walking in with a bunch of papers. "Could you help me for a minute?"
"Sure," Emilie replied and she walked over to help her. "What's up?"
"Well, we need to get these papers sorted out," Donna replied
frantically. "They are the lists of lyrics to the songs, so that the
lighting crew knows which lighting concept goes with which song. Can
you help me sort them out?"
"Okay, sure," Emilie said and it took them about 15 minutes, but they
finally got everything sorted out.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it," Donna said greatfully and Emilie
smiled back. She walked back to Ariale and Julie, as she noticed the
guys starting to go their own ways before the concert. Tara and Tori
were led back outside again, and Julie was asked to leave as well
because she was way too hyper. Emilie was a little glad she was leaving
because she was really being difficult.
"Hey, beautiful," Nick said to her, as he gave her a hug. "You look great."
"Thanks," Emilie answered, as they gave each other a kiss. "Are you
still nervous?"
"Nah," Nick answered smiling, and they were told to get behind
backstage because they were going to let the fans in. Emilie and Ariale went
backstage, but the guys were whisked away to get ready, so they sat in
the recreation/waiting room before the curtain. They had no idea who
was opening, but she noticed a band called Solid Harmonie sitting in the
waiting room. Emilie had only heard one of their songs called "I'll Be
There For You", and they were awesome singers.
"Hello," the blond girl named Beki said and Emilie smiled at her. "I'm Beki."
"Hi," Emilie replied. "I'm Emilie. Nice to meet you all."
"Same here," Mariama said. "I'm Mariama, that's Melissa, and then
there's Elisa. Who are you all?"
"Well, I'm Ariale and we're dating Brian and Nick," answered Ariale and
the girls nodded with recognizition.
"That's where I've seen your pictures before," Elisa smiled. "Come and
sit. Want a Coke?"
"Sure thanks," Emilie said sitting down on one of the couchs. "So, are
you nervous about performing?"
"Not really," answered Melissa. "I mean, we just started performing in
America and I really like opening for the guys. They are so much fun."
Emilie nodded in agreement.
"We heard you got AJ good," Beki laughed and Emilie laughed.
"Yeah, I squirted him with a water bottle," Emilie laughed and they all
cracked up. The master of ceremonies told Solid Harmonie they were
going on stage in five minutes, and Emilie decided she would like to see them
perform. She walked out into the crowd with Ariale and took a seat in
the VIP section...
*Solid Harmonie is a group four woman group under the Backstreet Boys label of Jive Records. I have heard that their cd single was avaliable at a Toronto Backstreet Boys concert. I think Solid Harmonie are awesome singers and their dance song is incredible. We need to get them in Canada and America, so they can have success here as well as they have in Europe. Check them out at their website www.solidharmonie.com or at www.cybervenue.com and request their song on their local radio station. Any further information e-mail me at emmarosebsb@hotmail.com. Thanks,
Emilie.*