a month later..
“Well, girls, you are doing great!! So far we have recorded 5 songs for the record!!”
“Yea, it’s so.. weird actually.. still new and all” Alyssa said.
“Yes.. well, I think me might have to start thinking about bringing you out in the open!”
“Really? You mean like.. doing promo-work?”
“Yea, I think you are ready, I’ll discuss it with the others and then we will get you a choreographer, stylist and photographer”
“Wow!”
“Well, that was all for today, don’t forget to be here the day after tomorrow for recording!”
~~~Jive Records Headquarters, Orlando, FL~~~
“OK guys... in about a month you’re gonna kick off the USA-part of the tour. And we’re gonna have to search for a new support-act as Tatyana Ali has her own work and Mandy Moore canceled..”
“She canceled?!” Howie asked unbelieving.
“Yes, she has some sort of injury”
“Like Britney Spears? Wow those Pop-Queens really do copy one another!”
“Well, yea Nick, don’t know if you noticed, but everybody copies everybody in showbizz!”
AJ said.
“Do you have anybody in mind?” Kevin asked.
“Well, our office in LA has contracted a new girl-group about 2 months ago, and I hear nothing but good about them.. apparently they’re really talented.. I’ll make some calls..”
“Are they hot?”
“Oh, please! Is that all you think of Bone?”
“Well... yea! I wanna know if we’re gonna share our bus with some sexy women for 4 months!”
Kevin shook his head. “Why am I being tortured so terribly God?!?”
“I’ll make some calls and see if they’re really as good as everyone says”
“And see if they’re hot!” AJ added to what Ralph said.
“And see if they’re hot..” Ralph chuckled.
~~~A day later~~~
“Hey Eddy! It’s Ralph!”
“Hey! Ralph! How are you doing?”
“Great, great! You?”
“Fine”
“Hey, listen.. reason I’m calling.. I need a favor”
“What?”
“Well, I have a problem.. the Backstreet Boys are about to end their touring in Europe and within a month they’ll be on the road here, in the States.. now the real problem is.. they don’t have a support-act, to open up the show. We we’re supposed to have Mandy Moore, but she has an injury.. I really don’t know what to do, but I heard you have some new talent over there? A new girl-group?”
“Yea, that’s true, Phantasia”
“Yea, they’re the ones.. are they really that good as I’ve been hearing?”
“No, they’re BETTER!! Ralph, you know I’m not the type to brag, but these girls make me! They are so awesome, they’re gonna be huge!!”
“Thank God..” Ralph sighed.
“You know, it’s perfect! We we’re just about to bring ‘em out in the open! We just had to figure out the right way to do it! this would be the best opportunity!”
“So, can you fly them over here? So we can take a look?”
“Yea, sure!”
“Great, that’s settled then!”
“I’ll call you later OK? But I think we’ll be there next week the latest”
“OK! Thanks!”
“No problemo!”
~~~An hour later~~~
“Girls, get down here right away!”
“What’s wrong Eddy?”
“You’ll hear when you’re here, hurry up!”
“OK” a surprised Michelle said to him on the phone.
“That was Eddy, he wants us to get down there right away”
~~~20 minutes later~~~
“OK, we’re all here, no what’s wrong?” Alyssa asked, looking confused from Ross to Angela, to Eddy to John.
“Girls, I think we have just found the perfect way to launch your careers!”
“Really?!”
“Yes! I got a call from Ralph Winters, he runs the headquarters in Orlando, they need a support-act for the Backstreet Boys tour here in the States!!”
“THEY DO?!!!” the girls said in unison.
“Yes!! And apparently he had been hearing about this new girl-group who kicks ass, and he wants you!!!”
“AHH!! That’s so great!!”
“Uh-huh!! I want you to pack up your stuff cuz Wednesday we’re flying to Orlando, they want to see you!!”
“WOW!!!! AAAHHH!!!” once again the 5some bounced around the room, screaming and hugging.
~~~That Tuesday, Orlando~~~
“Hey guys! Well, I have some good news!”
“Really?!” they said excitedly.
“Yes, I talked to Eddy Smith, he works for our LA-office, and apparently he’s more than willing to send his new girl-group on tour with you!”
“Cool!”
“They’re flying in tomorrow, so we can decide for ourselves if we want them”
“Are they hot?!”
Kevin, Howie, Brian and Nick rolled their eyes at AJ.
Eddy started laughing “Well, I have some pictures and facts about them right here!”
he sorted trough some files on his desk.
“Ah! Here it is!.. Phantasia!”
“Say what?”
“Phantasia,.. that’s what they’re called!”
“Hmm, sounds good..”
“OK, here,” He handed each guy a sheet and pic.
They took the things out of Ralph hands and started reading.
“Summer Madison Cooper.. 24 years old” Kevin said, looking at Summer’s picture.
He continued reading through her stats.
“Wow, wow, wow!!”
“What’s wrong AJ?!”
“Well, look for yourself!!”
Brian took the picture out of AJ’s hands and looked at Michelle’s picture “So?! what’s wrong?!”
“Nothing,.. she is only a BABE!!.. give it back” he grabbed the pic back.
“Hobbies: partying!!.. I think I’ve found my soulmate!!”
The others laughed at him “You say that with every chick that’s new!”
AJ gave them a who-cares?-look and went on staring at Michelle’s picture.
“Hmm.. well, I think we have to seriously consider taking these girls as our support-act..”
They looked at Nick, he had this huge grin on his face.
“Let me have a look” Howie watched over Nick’s shoulder.
“Morgan Candace Sinclair. Nicknames: Candy, Morge, Morgy, Candy-girl. Age: 19. Place of birth: San Diego. Current residence: LA. Family: mom Jessica (51), dad Eric (53), brother Luke (17), parents are divorced, dad re-married, stepmother Andrea (44), stepsisters Melissa (13) and Suzy (10).Hobbies: singing, dancing, goofing around, swimming.
Describes herself as: shy, sweet, funny, chaotic, weird.. well that’s what the others say, she likes to think that THEY are weird and she’s normal.”
“No wonder Nick likes her.. he always says that too!” Kevin rolled with his eyes.
“Just look at this picture! Isn’t she.. cute?!”
“Yea, sure, she is Nick..”
“Well, I think she is!”
“OK, so you guys like them so far?” Ralph interfered.
“Yea, they’re mighty fine!”
“Good!”
~~~Same time, LA~~~
“Summer.. what are you doing?!!”
“Oh, hey Michelle.. I’m packing”
“For what?!”
Summer looked at Michelle “You’re kidding me right?”
“What??”
“Michelle, you do know that we’re going to Orlando tomorrow?!!”
“Ohh, is that it!.. yea of course I do!.. please Summer, I may not have the world best memory, but I do remember things as important as that!”
“Thank God! You got me scared there!”
“Why are you packing already? We’re leaving tomorrow”
“Yea, well, I can’t do it the last minute.. I’ll forget half my stuff when I have to hurry”
“Oh, do you need a hand?”
“Actually, yea, can you do one last laundry? My fave tanktop is in the hamper and I want to take it along”
“OK” Michelle walked to the bathroom and took the hamper downstairs.
“Hey, do any of you want clothes to be washed for tomorrow? I’m doing the last laundry now”
“Nope” Alyssa said.
“No, thanks Mimi”
“Morgan?”
“Yea, wait a sec, I’ll go get it” she ran up and grabbed two babytee’s off her bed.
“Here you go!” she put them in the hamper and Michelle walked off with it all.
“Hey, do you have your stuff packed already Beck?”
“Half.. how long are we staying anyway?”
“I thought Eddy said a week, but it could be longer.. depends on whether they’ll take us as support-act”
“Will you help me get my stuff Lyss?”
“Sure Morge!”
~~~That evening~~~
“Hey girls.. you know.. IF we become the support-act for the BSB.. we might not be seeing home for a while.”
“Yea, I don’t think I’ll miss it all that much though”
“No??”
“No, it would be different if I’d be without you guys.. but we’re all together, so I won’t have to miss you... I think I might miss my own bed or sleeping out late.. but that’s pretty much it”
“You won’t miss your mom? Or Luke? Or.. Marc?”
“Yea, sure I’ll miss ‘em..I’ll miss Dawn and Katinka, Clarice, Diane, Layla, Norman, Alex
and Marc”
“He likes you”
“Becky says so too”
“It’s true.. he really does”
“Whatever.. I’m not interested in him that way”
“You’re cruel..”
“No, Michelle’s cruel.. I’m honest”
“OK”
They remained silent for a moment “I hope they’ll take us” “Yea”
~~~Wednesday morning~~~
Alyssa’s alarm clock went off for the 3rd time, she groaned and turned around again, even though she was always very sharp and hated to be late.. mornings were her worst enemy.
“Alyssa?!”
“Hah?”
“Alyssa.. time to get up now honey”
“Just 5 more minutes..” she mumbled and hid her head in the pillow.
“Come on Lyssie, we have to get ready!” Summer pulled her sheets off and opened the curtains.
“Hey! What are you doing?!”
“You have to get up, we’re leaving in less than an hour”
“But it’s just-“ she looked at her alarm clock “SHIT!!! IT’S 9 AM ALREADY!!”
“Yes, it is, now get up!”
“How can that be? I set it at 8 and again at 8.15 and again at 8.30!!”
“Alyssa, you always sleep through the alarm, remember high school? Your mom had to wake you up with cold water every morning..”
“Not EVERY morning!!”
“Well, almost!.. listen, you don’t have time for this, get up and get ready!!”
she got up immediately, almost knocking Summer over on her way to the bathroom, only seconds later Summer heard water running from the shower.
***
“Did she get up?” Becky asked, who was in her room, packing up the last things for their week
in Florida.
“Yea, she’s in the shower now” Becky nodded.
“Well, I’ll go check on Michelle, I guess she fell back asleep right after I woke her up”
“Yea, I haven’t heard her yet,.. where’s Morgan?”
“Oh, she’s downstairs, watering the plants and cleaning up a bit”
“Oh”
Summer left Becky with the packing and went to the room next door, Michelle’s room..
“Michelle?!?”
“Go away Summer..” she groaned.
“Nope, not before you get out of that bed and get dressed”
“Won’t happen until it’s at least 1 PM”
“When it’s 1 PM we should be sitting in the airplane, on our way to Florida”
“Go without me”
“No can do”
“Fuck you”
Summer didn’t focus her attention on Michelle’s grumpy mood, but took her by the legs and dragged her out of the bed.
“What the fuck are you doing?!!!!”
“Michelle, YOU HAVE TO GET UP NOW!!!” she shouted in Michelle’s ears.
“All right, all right, relax already!” Michelle muttered and sat up.
“I take it you will get ready now?!”
“Yea, if I want to live..”
“OK, see you downstairs”
“Yea” she sighed and looked around.. thank God that Morgan had convinced her to pack yesterday.. she didn’t have time to do that now anymore.
“All right, let’s get showered” she said to herself. She went to the spare-bathroom and took a quick shower.
***
“Are they all up now?” Morgan asked Summer while she put away the vacuum cleaner.
“Yes..” Summer rolled with her eyes and sat down on the couch. Morgan started laughing.
“I assume it took some trouble waking up Michelle?”
“Yea, you know.. with all do respect.. she can be a real bitch at times!”
“Yes, known her all my life!”
“Poor thing!”
***
“Alyssa?!?”
“YEA?!!”
“Are you done?”
“No, what do you need?!”
“My Beauty-case”
Seconds later Alyssa’s face appeared “Here” she said, handing Michelle her Beauty-case.
“Thanks”
“Are you almost ready?”
“Yea, just needed this to put all my make-up in” Michelle said, holding up the Beauty-case.
“OK”
***
20 minutes later everyone was ready to go..
“So, we’re meeting up with Ross, Angela, Eddy and John at the airport?”
“Yes”
“OK”
Becky threw her suitcase in the trunk of Summer’s car and got in.
“OK, do we have everything?”
“Yes”
“Are you sure?!”
“Yes, just drive already, we can’t be late!”
“Hey, I wasn’t the one who slept through my alarm 3 times!” Summer defended herself.
“OK, let’s go!!”
***
“GIRLS!! OVER HERE!!” they heard Angela shouting.
“Hi!”
“Are you all set to go?”
“Of course!”
“Great! Let’s board then!”
“Yea”
~~~Orlando airport, that day~~~
“Eddy!! John!!” Ralph shouted.
“Hey Ralph!” the men shook hands eagerly.
“This is Ross Blythe and Angela Beaudeen, they’re the girls’ managers”
“Hello!”
“And these fine young ladies, are Phantasia!”
“You’re making us sound like merchandise” Michelle chuckled.
“Hi, I’m Michelle Evans”
“Hello, I’m Ralph Winters”
“This is Summer, Alyssa, Becky and Morgan”
“Hello girls!”
“Hi!”
“OK, I’m gonna take you to your hotel, you can freshen up there a bit and tomorrow I’ll introduce you to the guys!”
“Wow, great!”
~~~5 hours later~~~
They were staying in a downtown-Orlando hotel. All of them had finished unpacking and now they were chillin’ in Summer and Alyssa’s room.
“I’m liking this so far”
“Me too”
“Me 3”
“Me 4”
“Me 5”
Becky started giggling and soon Alyssa joined her, after that it took only seconds until they were all laughing.
“This is stupid..”
“Yea.. but who cares?”
“I hope we will have fun with those guys too”
“Morgan.. we’re not even sure if we’re gonna be their support-act yet!”
“Yes.. I am.. I overheard John and Eddy talking.. apparently they’re desperate for someone..
Mandy Moore canceled and their tour’s starting in 3 weeks”
“Really?”
“Yea.. so I think they will HAVE to take us, if they don’t want to postpone concerts”
“Haha!! Great!” Michelle smiled her dangerous smile, the one she used to seduce guys..
“I’m really looking forward to this!”
the others just laughed at her.
~~~Next morning, at Kevin’s house~~~
“Hey Kev, what time were they gonna be here again?”
“They are supposed to be here in 10 minutes AJ” Kevin sighed, as this was about the 10th time he asked.
***
“OK, there’s a slight change of plan.. I’m taking you to one of the guys’ houses instead of the studio”
“OK”
Becky shut the door and they drove off in Ralph’s van.
***
“I hear a car..” Howie said.
“Me too”
“I hear it stopping”
“Me too”
Brian and Howie both ran into the living room “Guys! They’re here!”
The other 3 got up and they all ran to the front door.
***
“Wow, this is probably the biggest house I’ve ever seen!”
“Nah.. almost though!”
Michelle got out last and shut the van door.
“Come on girls, we’re going in!”
Ralph was about to knock the door when..
***
“Let me open it!”
“No me!”
“Hey, it’s my house and my door, I’M opening it!!”
the 5 of them all grabbed at the door knob and it swung open.
***
They looked into 5 sets of amazed and slightly embarrassed eyes..
“Well hello!” Michelle said and laughed at their faces.
Suddenly all the girls started laughing, probably just the nervousness..
The guys however, didn’t thought off the possibility that they were just nervous, but saw it as sort of an insult.
“Hi yourself!” AJ snapped and walked away.
The guys stared at him leave.
“Uhmm, can we get in? Are do we have to admire your ever-so-beautiful doorstep for the coming 3 hours?” Summer asked.
“No, you can come in” Kevin said back, grumpily.
The guys walked back in the house.
“Wow, they look real pleased to see us” Morgan murmured.
Nick heard her, and decided there and then that she wasn’t cute anymore..
“Well, girls, let’s get inside!” Ralph tried to look normal.. but he felt the tension already..
“Nice house” Alyssa complimented Kevin.
“Probably not as good as yours” Brian shot back.
“Whoa, I was just trying to be polite! Sorry for being friendly!”
“Uhh, guys, this is Phantasia-“
“Phantasia..” AJ taunted.
“Oh, no, Backstreet Boys!! That’s perfect!”
AJ shot Michelle an evil look and described her as.. bitchy.. in his head.
“Well, what I was trying to say is.. that is Summer, the girl next to her is Becky, this is Alyssa, the girls here are the cousins Michelle and Morgan”
“Yea, hi” Howie rolled with his eyes.
“Hmm.. guys, can I talk to you for a sec? girls, why don’t you sit down on the terrace?” Ralph showed them to the back garden.
***
“OK, I don’t know what the HELL got in to you, but these girls are going to be around you for the next 4 months, I suggest you at least try to be nice to them, as they practically saved you from postponing!!”
“We haven’t even heard them sing yet! What if they suck?! Which I’m sure they do! I refuse to take on a lousy support-act! I’d rather postpone!” AJ shouted.
“NO!! You are NOT going to postpone!! And you are NOT going to be unkind to these ladies! Believe me, they are great! I don’t know what just happened, but if I remember correctly, just a few days ago you were trilled about them!! I strongly advice you to treat them nicely!!” with that, he marched off into the back garden..
“OK... I dunno ‘bout you guys.. but I hate those bitches already!! But for Ralph.. I’ll try to be.. polite.. to them”
They all agreed that they’d try and avoid the girls as much as possible.
***
“Well, they surely ain’t as nice as I’d thought they’d be” Becky said.
“No.. they’re impolite..”
“But try to be nice OK? I don’t wanna ruin this, just because they’re unkind to us”
“No..” they agreed with Summer.
***
“SO, girls.. can you perform a little for the boys?”
“That just made me feel like I’m a stripper”
“Don’t flatter yourself” AJ said to Michelle, who just frowned her eyebrows at him.
“Michelle.. don’t!!” Morgan said, before Michelle got the change to say something back to him.
“Oh, look, the dog obeys it’s master!” Brian said, as Michelle nodded to Morgan.
“BRIAN!!” Ralph shouted. He gave him a warning look.
“Now, why don’t you do one of your songs?”
“They have songs of their own?!” Nick acted surprised.
“Shut up! At least we can actually sing, which is more than I can say of you!” Morgan shot back.
“OK, she’s insulting me now!!”
“OHHH!! Go tell mommy!! Quick!!”
“BSB, PHANTASIA!!! STOP NOW!!”
They stopped, amazed of Ralph’s anger.
“Now sing goddammit!!!!”
“OK”
“We’ll do History (That’s What You Are)” Alyssa said.
They lined-up and started singing. Michelle begun;
When I first saw ya’ I thought love was finally in my life
But now I know, you were a fraud
You stole my heart
and left it for everyone to step on.
Becky took over;
And now I know just what love is
and baby, sorry, you’re not it.
I just think you gotta know,
what you did was wrong.
and guess what?!
They all sang the chorus;
History, that’s what you are!
A constant reminder of how it shouldn’t have been.
History, that’s what you are!
A dying flame, of how it’ll never be again.
History, that’s what you are!!
Morgan got to her part;
You’re like a left over from a lousy dinner,
for the dog to eat.
You treat women with no respect and so you’ll always stay;
a scrub, someone else’s used goods.
Summer took over;
Uh-oh, yea, yea,
you’re a thief,
who will get sentenced to life one day,
with guilt and burden haunting you forever more!
chorus again;
History, that’s what you are!
A constant reminder of how it shouldn’t have been.
History, that’s what you are!
A dying flame, of how it’ll never be again.
History, that’s what you are!
Alyssa ended it up;
History, history!!
Oh yea-ah, that’s just what you are!
Dying flame!
History, that’s what you are!
History... that’s what you are,
bye-bye!
OK.. the guys had to admit they were kinda talented.. they could sing..
“Who came up with those lyrics? I mean.. a left over from a lousy dinner? Used goods? Haunting forever more?!? what’s that?!”
“The songwriter is Max Martin..” Becky said pedantically.
“Really? Max wrote that?! Man, he was probably feeling sick!”
“He was looking fine..”
“OK, well, that was great girls! Can you sing more?!” Ralph said, afraid they would insult each other even more.
“Sure, hey let’s do Walk On The Wildside!!” Michelle suggested.
They did 3 more songs: Walk On The Wildside, Do You Know?!, which were upbeat songs, and then the ballad I Won’t Forget You.
~~~2 hours later~~~
OK, being forced by Ralph, they had taken Phantasia as support-act..
The girls had left. Tomorrow they all had to be at the gym, Fatima was going to change and add a little to the boys’ choreography, and she was going to help the girls on making up choreography for their songs.
Then the girls had to do more photoshoots, which were especially for the tour and the pics of it were going to be in the special “Into The Millennium Tourbook”
a stylist was gonna take their measures and shop for their outfits, more people were gonna be hired for the girls.
Ralph, John, Eddy, Ross, Angela were going to discuss the business side of it all.
Then they had to do more recording and after 2 ½ weeks they would fly back to LA, they could rest for 3 days before the tour started, also in Los Angeles.
it was all very hectic and last-minute-work.. but they were happy, at least they were going to do something, even though it was with 5 impolite bastards.
“I’ve changed my mind..”
“What did ya say Beck?”
“I’ve changed my mind.. I used to always think good of everyone.. I’m sorry, but I don’t think good of the Backstreet Boys.. in a way I’m actually feeling sad that we have to be around them for 4 months!”
“Ah, c’mon Beck! We’re not gonna let some guys stand in the way! We’re gonna kick ass!
Besides.. maybe it’ll change.. maybe they’ll change”
“Yea, but in the meanwhile I have an unpleasant fact girls!... we have to share our tourbus with them!! For 4 whole months!!”
“Morgan, how come you know all these things?!”
“I asked Angela”
“AHHH! NO! I don’t wanna share a bus with those pathetic faggets!”
“Sorry, Michelle, but it seems we will have to”
“NO!!” she groaned “That AJ-guy is real arrogant!”
“And we we’re stupid enough to think they were cute..”
“Yea.. oh man.. why can’t we just be the support-act of N SYNC?!”
“Yea, anything’s better than the Backstreet Boys”
~~~In Kevin’s house~~~
“Man, I bet those ditzes think they’re all that! Like they can really make it to the top!”
“Yea, I could smell the cocky, star-like airs they were spreading.. especially that blonde bimbo.. what’s her face?..”
“Michelle?!”
“Yea, that one.. she had this conceited, arrogant look smeared across her face, and she was so sarcastic! What a bitch!”
“And the one who said she was ‘trying to be polite’” Brian mimicked Alyssa.
“Oh, and I just felt sorry for that Becky.. man, she’s just like a little, fragile child.. I was afraid that if I’d say boo, she’d cry!”
“and Summer.. she acts like she’s their mother or something.. too bossy for me!
No Becky, you’re singing off key! Concentrate! Don’t let them get you off key!” Kevin mimicked Summer.
“Morgan... No we know why they call her Candy!! In that ridiculous pink outfit!!”
“Yea, she looked like one of Howie’s tum-tum’s! pink babytee, pink skirt, pink platforms, pink sunglasses, pink make-up, pink ribbons in her hair!.. maybe her mommy Summer can’t do no laundry, maybe she accidentally made the whole laundry turn pink!!”
“Haha! We should’ve asked her that!”
“Hey Nick, still think Morgan’s cute?”
“No, she’s a bitch!.. like one of the nasty-ones, the type who smiles at your face, but talks behind your back!”
“And we were stupid enough to think they were cute!”
“Yea.. why did Mandy Moore had to break a leg?”
“I’d take anyone as a support-act, anyone except Phantasia!!”
But.. unfortunately for both parties.. they were stuck with each other.. Phantasia needed the BSB for the publicity, the BSB needed Phantasia as a support-act, since it was too late to get anyone else.
