SOME DREAMS
By Carrie Alexander
PART ONE
Carrie Alexander sat down on a bench, exhausted. Thankfully, a light breeze was blowing off the lake. She undid the straps of her rollerblades, her feet killing her.
Wow, what a beautiful day it is! she thought. It was a balmy, June summer morning here in Duluth, Minnesota. Since it was still early in the morning, the boardwalk here on Lake Superior was not crowded. The sun shone on the clear blue water, making it sparkle. Carrie loved this place more than anything, it was always so calm and relaxing.
Carrie was 18 years old. She was very short, 5’1, had green eyes that looked like emeralds and got even brighter when she got excited, and very long, very thick, brown hair streaked blond. She had lived here her whole life, and had just graduated high school last week. Now she was going to go to college, start a whole new life.
But not until I lose this weight! she ordered herself. Carrie was a little hard on herself, very self-disciplined. She was constantly trying to lose weight, even though people like her best friend, Melissa, told her she was crazy to torture herself. One could say she was obsessed with slimming down. She danced, was a cheerleader, and always ran or roller bladed.
Carrie restraped her roller blades, and stood up. She tightened her messy ponytail, and shoved off, down the boardwalk. She put on her headphones, turning up the radio. She still had 3 miles to go, and she had to meet Melissa at 11:00.
Lost in the music as she glided down the hilly walk, she daydreamed about her future. Carrie wanted to be a radio DJ. She was going to major in communications in college, her ultimate dream was to be a VJ on MTV someday.
Television is so much harder to get into though, she mused. So much of it is based on your looks, and that’s why I HAVE to get in shape!
Suddenly, as she whipped around a corner at full speed, she crashed into a hard chest, and fell on her butt.
“Ow!” she gasped as she fell on the hard ground. Luckily I have lots of padding down there, she thought.
“Oh my God, are you ok?!” a male voice asked, concerned.
She looked up, startled, and trying to catch her breath. The guy who had talked was really tall, and he had dark hair, and blue eyes. He was with 4 other guys, they were all wearing baseball caps.
She sat there, stunned, staring at them. They looked kinda familiar.
Another guy with curly blond hair offered her his hand to help her up. But she ignored it and got up on her own.
“Yes, fine,” she said curtly, starting to push off to continue on her way.
As she glided away, one of them called after her sarcastically, “Ok, sorry! Geez.”
She spun around. “Excuse me?”
The dark haired one stepped forward. “Where I come from, it’s customary to introduce oneself.”
Carrie skated up to his face, looking him up and down. “And just where is that?”
“Florida. I guess people are just more polite there.”
“Maybe cuz they’re all 900 years old!” she shot back. “Now, if you’ll excuse me--”
“I’m Josh. And you are?” he persisted.
Annoyed, she once again spun around.
The other guys all walked up to her, introducing themselves as well.
“I’m Justin.”
“I’m Lance.”
“I’m Joey.”
] “I’m Chris.”
She stared at them, and they all waited for her to say her name.
Suddenly, Carrie remembered that murder case she had heard on the news just last month. A woman roller blading had been kidnapped and killed, then thrown into the lake.
These guys looked a lot stronger than her. She glanced around. The park was vitually deserted. Her eyes widened at the thought, and she immediately turned on her heel.
“Hey, wait!” the one named Josh called. But she kept racing away, down a hill, frightened.
~*~*~*~
“So from now on, I’m bringing a cell phone with me on the boardwalk. You remember that girl who got killed last month?” Carrie said to Melissa later that morning at lunch.
“Yeah. But I’m sure those guys were harmless.” Melissa sipped her water. “Were they cute?”
Carrie laughed. “Melissa!”
“What?” she asked innocently. Melissa was so boy-crazy.
“I didn’t notice! Besides, they seemed kind of like jerks.”
Melissa opened her menu. “You need to take a chance once in a while, Care.” Melissa was very wild and free-spirited. She was one of the most outgoing people Carrie knew, and they were great friends. Melissa was originally from California, the same age as Carrie. She had very curly brown hair that had slight hints of auburn in it, and she was very tall, around 5’8, towering over Carrie. She was a dancer, had been on the danceline in high school while Carrie was a cheerleader. Carrie was going to cheer in college, and Melissa planned to dance as well.
PART TWO
“Um... I’ll have the Caesar salad to start off with..."
As Melissa told the waiter what she wanted to eat, Carrie stared off in space, not paying attention. She was trying to decide what to do with the rest of her day, whether to go to the gym or not.
“... Carrie?”
She was snapped back to the present. Melissa and the waiter were staring at her expectantly.
“Hmm?”
“What would you like?” asked the waiter.
“Oh, sorry... Um...” Carrie faltered. “I think I’ll just have... a fruit bowl, please.”
The waiter jotted it down.
“That’s all?” asked Melissa. “Aren’t you getting anything else?”
Carrie shook her head nonchalantly. Melissa worried about her sometimes. She thought Carrie was crazy to constantly worry about her weight, she looked fine. In fact, she could stand to gain a few pounds.
“So, anyways, tell me what happened with Jeff!” Carrie inquired.
“Ugh!” Melissa groaned. “He’s so infuriating! I don’t know why I don’t just rid myself of his sorry ass.”
Jeff was Melissa’s boyfriend. They had an up-and-down relationship.
“Well, why don’t you?”
Melissa paused. “I don’t know. Cuz I love the idiot, I guess. He just drives me crazy! We’re so different.”
“Well, now that school is over, where does that leave you two?”
Jeff was going away to college, to Alabama on an athletic scholarship. Carrie was going to Wisconsin on an academic scholarship, while Melissa was still undecided. She was either going to go to the Main U of Minnesota because of their great dance team, or to Wisconsin with Carrie.
“I don’t know what’ll happen when he leaves.” Melissa buried her face in her palms.
“Well, don’t beat yourself up over it. If you can’t make it work long-distance, then it wasn’t meant to be,” Carrie said sympathetically.
Their food was brought to them, and Carrie picked at the fruit, pushing it around her plate, not really hungry. She tried to talk, to keep up the conversation, but Melissa didn’t miss a thing. She noticed how Carrie wasn’t eating, but knew that she would only get her angry if she brought it up.
~*~*~*~
1 YEAR LATER...
Carrie left Gates Hall on that Friday afternoon after cheerleading practice, to head over to the radio station. She was now an intern at KUWS, the university station.
Melissa had decided to go to the Main U after all, in the Cities. She was on the dance team down there, and loved it. They visited each other whenever they could. Unfortunately, Melissa and Jeff had broken up. The long-distance thing just hadn’t worked out. It had been very hard for Melissa, but she knew it was for the better.
As Carrie got into her car to drive across campus, she noticed a black bruise on her arm. Hmm, must’ve been from stunting at practice, she thought. She had been bruising up a lot lately, and she got so tired these days! She had no idea why, maybe it was all the studying, cheering, working, etc. Plus, she had to keep up her daily workouts...
~*~*~*~
MEANWHILE, IN MINNEAPOLIS...
Melissa was asked to stay after dance practice by the coach, which immediately threw her into a panic.
“Look, I know I haven’t been giving 100% lately, but--”
Her coach held up her hand. “No, Melissa. That’s not it at all. I need to ask you something.”
“Is it bad?”
“No! You’ve been chosen!”
Melissa’s eyes widened. “You mean for--?”
“Yes!” she nodded. “For the All-Star team!”
“Shut up! Really? No way! No way!” She jumped around excitedly. The All-Star team was a very prestigious dance team that was chosen from 15 girls in the state, to go to Orlando, Florida, to compete nation wide. Melissa had auditioned last month, sure she had bombed. But she had made it!
“You go to Florida next month, all expenses paid.”
“Oh wow. This is unbelievable!”
“Yeah. Plus, you get to meet some famous group that will be performing the opening ceremonies of the competition.”
“Really? Who?”
“Oh, what’s that name? Oh yeah, ‘N Sync. They’re supposed to be a famous pop group.”
They sounded vaguely familiar. Melissa was so excited, she grabbed her coach and hugged her.
~*~*~*~
MEANWHILE, AT UWS...
Carrie practiced her standing back tucks, very nervous for this audition. The All-Star Cheer Squad of Wisconsin was trying out girls today. Carrie had dreamed of being on this team forever, and wanted it so bad. If you made it, you got to go to Florida and compete. There were all kinds of different divisions, like partner stunts, cheer only, dance only, tumble only, cheer and dance, etc. Carrie was trying out for the cheer/dance category, which was everything rolled into one-- cheering, stunting, dancing, tumbling, everything. She had heard that Melissa made the Minnesota Dance Only team, and she inspired her to try out for the Wisconsin one. If they could go to Florida together, they would have so much fun!
As Carrie waited for her turn to run on, she nervously fidgeted in her uniform. God, do they have to make these things so tight? I look horrible in this, she thought as she glanced at her midriff and thighs in the halter top and skirt.
“Carrie Alexander!” She ran across the stage, doing back flips as she ran out, hitting the crowd.
There was an audible gasp from the crowd when they saw the little 5’1 girl come out, but Carrie didn’t notice. She never noticed when people commented on her appearance. Everyone said she was so skinny, so tiny, but she thought the exact opposite.
One week later, Carrie got the phone call. She had been accepted to the Wisconsin All-Star Squad.
PART THREE
“Oh my God! I can’t believe we’re going to Florida!” Melissa said over the phone to Carrie. “And we even get to stay in the same hotel and everything! Isn’t this great?”
“Yeah! I’m so excited to go to Disney World!” Carrie exclaimed. She had a bit of a Disney fetish.
“So when does your flight get down there?”
“Um... tomorrow morning, 8 am. You?”
“9 am. Hey, let’s meet at the airport! We can go to the hotel together.”
“Ok! I’ll meet you at your gate.”
“Ok. See ya then! Bye!”
“Bye!”
Carrie hung up the phone, and went back to packing. Just then, Amanda, her roommate, came in with a bunch of other girls.
“Hey, Care. Still packing?”
Carrie sighed. “Yeah. I have way too much shit!”
“Well, we’re all gonna go over to Bellisio’s for dinner. Come with us!”
Everyone was looking at Carrie expectantly. Some of them had placed a bet, before coming in, that if she came, she wouldn’t eat anything.
“Oh, I wish I could, guys, but I have tons of stuff to do.”
“Can’t you take out 1 hour?” Amanda persisted.
Carrie shook her head. “No, as soon as I finish all this, I’m going straight to bed.”
“Ok. Well, see ya later then!”
~*~*~*~
The next morning, Carrie landed in Orlando, and went to Melissa’s gate to meet her. She felt so tired, she had skipped breakfast, and she still had to get to the hotel and check in.
When Melissa’s flight landed, she immediately saw Carrie and ran to her.
“Hi!” she said as she hugged her.
Oh my God, Melissa thought after hugging her. She could feel Carrie’s bones though her skin, she was so skinny.
They got all their luggage, and went to the hotel. They were staying in the Disney complex, at the Disney Polynesian Resort. The hotel was so awesome.
“Wow, would you LOOK at this place?!” Carrie exclaimed as they walked in.
“I know! Check out that pool!” The resort was designed to look like Hawaii, palm trees everywhere, waterfalls, etc.
They got checked into their respective rooms. They were on the same floor. They then looked at the itinerary. While their teams would practice the next day, after everyone got in, today they were scheduled to go to a welcome party in the ballroom. This was where they would meet that one pop group, ‘N Sync.
Carrie and Melissa changed into swimsuits to relax by the pool before the party. It was a hot, summery day.
Carrie laid down in a chair next to Melissa, but Melissa started to tap Carrie’s shoulder every time a hot guy walked by.
“God, I LOVE this place! Oh, look at him!” Melissa kept saying.
Carrie started to ignore her, and closed her eyes, letting the sun sink into her skin.
“Carrie!” whispered Melissa suddenly. “Look at those guys over there!”
“Meliss! You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all,” Carrie mumbled, not looking up.
“I don’t care, I’m gonna talk to them. They’re hot!” Melissa gestured for 2 guys to come over, while Carrie kept her eyes closed, starting to doze off.
“Hi! I’m Melissa, and this is my friend, Carrie. What’s your names?” Melissa asked when the 2 guys came over.
“Hi. I’m Justin, and this is JC.”
Carrie opened her eyes, and sat up, ready to shake their hands.
Oh my God! she thought when she saw them. I remember them! Those guys that were in the park that one day! She could feel her face starting to flush with embarrassment. Maybe they won’t recognize me...
The one named JC knelt at her side. He smiled cockily. “Where are your roller blades, you’re not going to run away from us this time are you?”
PART FOUR
Carrie’s jaw dropped when he said that. Oh God, I am so embarrassed!
He only smiled, watching her face get red.
Justin pulled up a chair next to Melissa. “So... you guys here for that competition?”
Melissa nodded, smiling up into his blue eyes. “Carrie’s a cheerleader for Wisconsin, and I dance for Minnesota.”
JC sat next to Carrie. While Justin kept asking Melissa questions about herself, he suddenly leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“So... you still live in Duluth?”
She could only nod.
“We were there on a stop from Canada to Chicago. It’s a beautiful city.”
“Look,” Carrie said. “I’m sorry I ran away from you in the park that one day. I was alone, and I was just being safe. It was very rude, sorry.”
JC waved his hand. “Forget about it. It’s not every day that girls are running AWAY from us.”
“Yeah, usually the opposite,” Justin chimed in.
“Huh?” both Carrie and Melissa asked, confused.
That was when JC and Justin realized these girls didn’t know who they were.
“Oh, nothing!” Justin said quickly. “JC is just extremely self-centered,” he joked.
Carrie’s brow furrowed in thought. Either these two guys were hiding something, or this JC was quite a jerk.
“And what are you guys doing here?” she asked.
“We live in Orlando. We’re uh... just here visiting a friend,” said Justin.
Carrie crossed her arms over her bare stomach, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. I wish I had worn my one-piece, I don’t have the body for this, she thought.
JC glanced down at his lap. He always did this around beautiful girls, got all shy and quiet. Unlike Justin over there, who was talking up a storm with Melissa. He thought this little thing sitting next to him was so pretty. When she smiled at him, her green eyes pierced right through him.
“Well, we better go get ready, Meliss,” said Carrie. It was almost time for the party.
Melissa tore herself away from Justin’s eyes. They had really hit it off. “Ok,” she sighed reluctantly, standing up.
The guys stood up with them. “Well, it was nice meeting you. Maybe we’ll see each other again sometime soon,” said JC.
“Oh, I don’t know. We’re going to be competing all week at this thing--”
“Well, we just so happen--”
Justin elbowed JC suddenly. “We’ll let you guys go now. Melissa.” He handed her a scrap of paper. “That’s JC’s and my home phone. Give us a call sometime?”
“Sure!” said Melissa, pleased with herself. She thought Justin was so sweet and funny. She gave him one of her most charming smiles.
~*~*~*~
When they got back in the elevator going to their rooms, Carrie wrapped her towel around her body. “So you think you’ll call him?”
“Oh yeah! He was hot! I’ll definitely call him.”
“Was it just me, or did you notice anything strange about those two?”
“Yeah. It seemed that they were hiding something.” Melissa shrugged.
“Yeah. Oh well. What are you gonna wear tonight?” Carrie asked, changing the subject.
“Oh, I have no idea! We better hurry and get ready!”
~*~*~*~
Carrie and Melissa walked into the ballroom 2 hours later. The huge place was decorated with tons of icicle lights, and streamers. All the dancers and cheerleaders, both male and female, were having a blast, it looked like. People from all over the country were here.
Melissa was wearing a short, sleeveless baby blue dress with spaghetti straps, and her long curly hair was piled on her head. Carrie was wearing a little black dress that was very simple. She had left her long hair down, simply curling the ends under.
“Oh, let’s go dance!” Melissa said, excited. The song “Get Ready” by Mase was playing, and the dance floor was already jumping.
“You go ahead, I’m just gonna sit down for a sec.” Carrie felt very weak and tired. It had been such a long day, her muscles ached.
“Carrie, what have you eaten today?” Melissa asked casually, knowing it was a touchy subject.
Carrie shrugged. “I’m just tired and a little jet-lagged, Melissa! Go dance.”
Melissa hated to see her like this. Carrie probably only ate a grape or something today! She went to the bar to get her something to drink.
Melissa came back with a glass of orange juice, thinking it was the most fortifying thing to drink. Carrie sipped it, knowing Melissa was watching her intently.
“Ok, I’m fine. Let’s go dance now!” Carrie jumped up, pretending to be energized.
They danced for hours. Carrie really did feel good, she always did when she danced. It revitalized her.
There was supposed to be a performance at 10:00 by that one group they didn’t know. They were supposed to be very popular, but Carrie worked at a radio station, and she had no idea who ‘N Sync was.
“Melissa, I think I’m just gonna go to bed. I’m so tired, and we have a long day tomorrow,” said Carrie right before 10:00.
“No! Don’t you wanna see this band?”
“I’ve never heard of them, why should I?”
“Just stay for a little longer, give them a shot. If they suck, we’ll leave.”
“Ok,” she gave in.
One of the UCA/UDA people got up on the stage to announce them. Carrie and Melissa stood at the edge of the crowd, waiting.
“And now, the moment all you girls have been waiting for... please welcome ‘N Sync!”
5 guys ran onto the stage, all dressed the same. The lights were dim. The crowd went wild. When they all got to their microphones, the spotlights came on them.
Both Melissa’s and Carrie’s mouths dropped open in absolute shock.
“Oh... my... GOD!” they both said in unison.
PART FIVE
The guys up on the stage, ‘N Sync, were the same guys Carrie ran into on the boardwalk last year, and JC and Justin, the guys they had talked to at the pool just that day, were up there on stage!
Carrie and Melissa looked at each other. Both were speechless.
“Hey there cheerleaders and dancers!” said Justin into the mike. “How y’all feelin’?” The crowd cheered.
Then, they started to sing “Tearin’ Up My Heart.” Carrie vaguely remembered hearing that song somewhere.
“Carrie! Did you know who they were?!” asked Melissa, never taking her eyes off the stage.
She shook her head. “I had no idea! Why didn’t they tell us?”
“I don’t know, but from this crowd response, they must be popular!”
Carrie and Melissa sat at a table and watched the performance. Many bodyguards were surrounding the stage and holding back the fans. They watched in awe. Carrie could tell they were very experienced and professional. They really got the crowd into it, and they knew how to dance. Carrie found herself watching JC (he had called himself Josh when she first met him). He had lots of energy, and he exploded every move.
Melissa also found herself staring at Justin. The girls obviously liked him, and it wasn’t hard to see why. He just had to smile and the girls shrieked. He definitely has lots of sex appeal, she thought to herself.
“Are you still tired to go to your room?” Melissa asked Carrie.
Carrie was enthralled in the music. “Huh? Oh no, I think I’ll stay for a while longer.”
Melissa nodded knowingly.
“Ok, everyone,” said JC after their next song. “Now...” He stroked his chin as if in deep thought. “Justin, what song should we do now?”
“I think we need a couple volunteers for this next one. Right, Joey?”
Joey, with his bright orange hair, said. “Yeah! You know what I’m thinking? I think that God must have spent just a little more time on all these people in the audience here, don’t you agree?”
The crowd cheered when he said that like crazy. Melissa and Carrie just sat there, kind of confused as to what the big deal was.
Suddenly, the spolight focused on both Melissa and Carrie, and another girl behind them. JC made eye contact with Carrie, and grinned, winking at her.
Her eyes widened, and Melissa was equally shocked. The girl behind them was screaming excitedly.
A bodyguard took them by the arms and started to lead them upstage.
“What’s going on?” Carrie asked.
“Who knows, just go with it!” Melissa said back.
When they got onstage, Joey took the girl behind them by the arm. “What’s your name?” he asked her.
“Tiffany,” she said nervously.
2 other girls had also been picked from the audience, and there were 5 chairs set up for them. All the girls were sat in them.
JC stood in front of her. She was confused and scared. Her eyes were pleading with him to tell her what was happening.
“Ok, guys, now we’d like to do a very special song. But first, what are your names?” Chris went down the line, asking them their names.
“Melissa.”
“Carrie.”
Justin knelt down in front of Melissa, and JC knelt in front of Carrie. Joey knelt at Tiffany’s feet.
JC looked up into Carrie’s stormy green eyes. Suddenly, the chords of their hit song, “(God Must’ve Spent) A Little More Time On You” started.
Justin gazed into Melissa’s eyes. He took her hand in his, and started to sing:
“Can this be true?
Tell me can this be real?
How can I put into words what I feel?
My life was complete,
I thought I was whole.
Why do I feel like I’m losing control?
Never thought that love could feel like this...”
Melissa was in heaven. This really gorgeous guy was singing to her at her feet. And she was in Florida! She never wanted this moment to end.
Carrie, on the other hand, sat indignantly in her chair. JC saw her stubborn look on her face, and smiled to himself. She’s a firecracker, he thought. Now it was time for his solo:
“And all of creation,
All things great and small
You are the one that surpasses them all...”
Carrie was unimpressed. First this guy lies to her about who he really is, then he thinks he can impress her with a song? I don’t think so!
Well, he CAN sing really good, she admitted. You can tell he puts his heart into it.
When the song ended, all the guys picked up their girls’ hands, and gently kissed the backs of them.
Melissa giggled, her heart pounding, when Justin kissed her hand.
Carrie, on the other hand, rolled her eyes, still unmoved.
TO BE CONTINUED