~~~About 20 minutes later, having their measures taken and doing a photoshoot~~~
The stylist had her tape line around Alyssa’s waist “You’re a slim girl” she said.
“Thanks, I guess”
The stylist looked up and smiled “You’re welcome, I’m Katherine, but everyone calls me Katie or Kate”
“Hi Katie, I’m Alyssa”
“Hello”
She couldn’t be much older than Alyssa, who had just turned 21.
“So, are you coming along on tour too?”
“I dunno, there’s probably already a stylist available”
Ross overheard their conversation “Well, there’s actually 2 stylists traveling along with the guys, but they’re busy enough as it is, so I think Kate will have to come along on the road”
“Great!”
***
After Kate had taken everybody’s measures she went out shopping for outfits. The girls went to the set of the photoshoot.
“OK, hello ladies, I’m Presley! I’m your photographer for the day! Now, I want you all individually first and then we’ll do groupshots! Comprende?”
They nodded.
“Oh-kay! Now, let’s see.. uhmm.. the one with the dirty blonde hair, you’re first!”
“The name is Michelle..”
“OK, Michelle, you’re up!”
~~~95 minutes later~~~
After making quick photo’s of each girl, they were posing for the group pictures now.
“Yes, that’s fabulous!! Now, sweetie, cupcake, cock your face to the right.. GREAT!! You’re great!!” Presley was talking to Morgan.
“He’s making me sick” Michelle murmured to Summer.
“I know, but hang on, it’s just 15 more minutes”
“I want you all to sit down and cross your legs, hang back, hands behind your back”
They did what he told, disgusted.
~~~That evening~~~
“Well, today wasn’t as bad as yesterday”
“No, it went quite all right, especially after the Basketball game”
“Fatima is great”
“Yea, and it’ll be fun having Kate on the road with us”
“I hope Ross and Angela don’t hire Presley as our photographer though”
“They won’t, I think they noticed we didn’t really liked him all that much”
“Yea”
“The way he was talking to Morgan.. PUKE!!”
“It was gross!!” Morgan said.
“I hope the pictures are good”
“Yea”
~~~Day 4 in Orlando, 20 days before the tour kicks off~~~
“RING RING!!!! RIIIIIINNG!!!”
Summer startled at the loud noise the phone was making, hastily she switched on the lamp next to her, she grabbed the phone.
“Hello?”
“This is your wake-up call!” the machine said in her ear, she hang up and looked over to Alyssa’s bed.. still fast asleep.. man, that girl would sleep through an earthquake!
“Lyss?” no response.
“Lyssie?!” no response.
“ALYSSA?!!”
“Huh? Wha? Wass a matter?” she said drowsily.
“We have to get up”
“Oh, yea”
“I’m gonna get showered, DON’T fall back asleep OK?!”
“No, I won’t”
***
She was having a wonderful date on the beach, full moon, stars out, nice breeze, NICE guy!!!
If only she could see his face, but it was one big blur.. just when she was starting to identify Mr. Nice his face...
“RING RING!! RIIIINNG!!!!”
“DAMN!!” she cursed out loud.
“Whoever this is, YOU’RE DEAD!!!!”
“This is your wake-up call!”
Morgan hung up and grumbled at the machine that had so cruelly interrupted her dream.
“MICHELLE WAKE UP!!!” she shouted in her cousins ear.
“FUCK! What is your problem?!!!” Michelle jumped 10 feet in the air.
“What is your problem?”
“The stupid wake-up call woke me up!!”
“That’s the purpose of it Morgan”
“I was in the middle of a dream!”
“Oh, I see,... I’ll go take a shower, you wake up Becka”
“Yea, sure, let me do all the dirty work!”
“Shut up” Michelle rolled with her eyes.
“BECKY!!!”
“Yea yea, I hear you Morgan, probably the entire hotel heard you!”
“Oh, I didn’t knew you were up already”
“Well, it’s hard NOT to wake up when my friend is sulking out LOUD!!”
“Sorry”
~~~1 ½ hour later~~~
They were sitting in a big van, which they could use as long as they were staying in Florida.
“So, where are we going to now?”
“Oh, you have a photoshoot for the tour-merchandise, and after that dance rehearsal.” Angela said.
“Oh, OK”
Ross turned around the corner and they drove up to a big studio-type-of-thing.
“Yay! We’re here!”
***
“Hey guys, they’re coming” Howie said, looking out the window, seeing the girls’ van come to a stop.
“Morgan’s NOT wearing pink!!”
“Wow, big shock!!” Nick covered his mouth, his eyes grew big.
“You’re such a prick”
“Yea, I know”
Howie left the window site and walked to the set. Nick was still staring outside,.. no, she was not wearing pink.. she was wearing a white skirt and a dark green babytee.. dark green, his favorite color..
“HEY you guys!!!” Alyssa walked in. “Wassup?!?”
“Not much.. we were waiting for you”
“Sorry we’re late.. Ross couldn’t find the place..” she rolled with her eyes.
“Hey Nick, what’s so interesting, that you’re glued to the window?!” she walked towards him and looked outside.. Morgan was helping Angela get some bags out of the van...
“OOOHHH! I see!” she nodded.
“What? See what?” he blushed.
“Good pick” she just said, turning around, walking to where the others stood.
“HI!!” Becky joined them.
“Hey Becky” Howie put an arm around her, which made her blush slightly.
“YO!! Wassup, wassup?!” Michelle and Summer came in too.
And, very latest, Morgan came too.
“SO, what are we supposed to do?!?”
“Well, they’re gonna take pics of us all together and individually and the two groups separate”
Kevin explained.
“Oh, OK”
~~~30 minutes later~~~
“OK, now I want each guy to pair up with a girl”
They looked at each other uneasily.
The photographer sighed and rolled with his eyes “I’m not asking you to have sex right here people! Just pair up with each other!” he waited a few more seconds “OK, then I’ll do it for you.. Kevin and... Summer!! You two stand here! OK, uhm... Howie.. you can go with..Becky!.. then there’s Brian.. and Alyssa! Great, great! Oh.. well, obviously AJ and Michelle.. and Nick and Morgan lastly.. Aawww, you two are cute together!”
Nick and Morgan smiled at each other uncomfortably “Yea, right” she said to the photographer.
“OK!! Now I want the guys to stand behind the girls,.. right, like that!.. and wrap your arms around them.. that’s good!.. girls, rest your head on their shoulders.. OK that’s perfect!”
he started making pictures.
“This is stupid” Michelle said.
“If I’d like to rest my head on your shoulder, I would do so, but I don’t like people forcing me into things”
“No, neither do I” he snapped.
“Well, sorry!” she raised her voice.
The others looked sideways to check out what was wrong.
“WHAT?!!?!!” AJ and Michelle both shouted at them.
The photographer had stopped and now coughed “What seems to be the problem?!”
“Nothing”
“OK, well, I’m done anyway, so thanks for coming and all!”
“OK, thanks” they walked off to get changed, they had to go to dance rehearsal.
***
“Michelle?! What happened?!”
“I dunno, he pissed me off!!”
“Well, don’t blow it, just when it’s going better!”
“Oh Summer, SHUT UP!!”
***
“AJ!! What the fuck happened?!”
“Does it matter?! The bitch was buggin’ me!”
“Well, please TRY to be friendly and don’t snap at her all the time! We have to spend 4 months together with them!”
“I know, You don’t have to remind me!! Besides, why do I have to be the one to act nice? She’s not nice to me either!”
“AJ, this is not High School! I don’t care if she treats you like garbage.. you just treat her with respect!!”
“Kevin, I CAN’T STAND HER!!!”
Kevin gave AJ one dangerous, warning look “Then I suggest you stay away from her..”
“Oh Kevin, SHUT UP!!”
~~~At the gym~~~
“Hey Fatima!!”
“Hello all!!”
“Hi!”
“Girls, I’ve made up the choreography for Walk On The Wildside, but we’ll get to that later on, fella’s, I want to work on the changes I’ve made, again, since it didn’t really worked yesterday..”
“Oh, where are the dancers?”
“I’ve already taught them the new routines, so a few days before the tour kicks off, probably when we’re in LA, you’ll have to rehearse with them”
“OK”
“I wanna start with the guys today.. so let’s begin with Larger Than Life, ready?” she asked, turning on the CD player.
~~~25 minutes later~~~
“Well, I think they’re starting to get it” Alyssa whispered.
“Yea, after 25 minutes..”
“Man, they look so professional in their videos, but they suck in real!!” Michelle said loudly.
Michelle’s cellular went off..
“Mitch Tha Bitch speaking!”
***
Fatima had stopped the music for a few minutes to explain them some move..
Michelle made some remark about the guys’ dancing skills, AJ growled.
Then her cellular went off..
***
“MICHELLE?!!!!!!”
“Who’s this?!”
“MICHELLE IT’S MELISSA!!!” the others could hear her screaming through the receiver.
“Oh, why are you calling me and why are you shouting?!”
“IS CANDACE THERE?!!!”
“Nope, there’s no Candace here, only Morgan!”
“OK, can I talk to her?!”
“Sure”
“It’s for you” Michelle handed her the phone.
“Melissa? Why are you calling me?!”
“CANDY!!!!!!”
Morgan held the phone away from her ears, as Melissa shouted so loud. “Melissa, just tell me what you want?!!”
the guys walked to the bench, being curious.
“OK, DAD TOLD ME YOU’RE THERE WITH THE BACKSTREET BOYS!!!”
The guys chuckled.
“He’s not your dad”
“Yea, yea, whatever.. IS IT TRUE?!!!”
“Yes-“
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Melissa continued her penetrating screeching for several minutes, the guys only started laughing more.. Morgan felt so embarrassed.
“MELISSA!!! I’M GONNA HANG UP IF YOU DON’T STOP!!!”
“Sorry, sorry!!”
“How did dad find out?!”
“He and Jessica had a fight, about you, and she told him you were in Orlando, and you were a support-act of the BACKSTREET BOYS!!!!!!!”
“Oh”
“SO... how are they like? Aren’t they cute?!? When will you be back? Will you introduce me? You HAVE to introduce me!!!”
“Well, if you’re gonna act this stupid I certainly won’t introduce you!”
“AHHH, Candy!! C’mon, please?!!! Pretty please?!! I’ll be real sweet!! I promise!!! You know I’ve got tickets for the Anaheim show!! Can’t you get me backstage?!!”
“I dunno, probably not” she lied, she was so ashamed of her stepsister, she didn’t want the guys to meet her.
“CANDACE?!!!?!?! I’M GONNA TELL DAD, HE’LL MAKE YOU!!!”
“FOR THE LAST TIME, I AM NOT CANDACE!!! MY NAME IS MORGAN!!!!!”
“Geez, sorry!-“
“NO! Shut up, you spoiled little brat!! Eric IS NOT your father!!! And I don’t care if you tell the world, you can’t force me into anything!! At first I was thinking about maybe taking you backstage, but now I surely won’t!!! you’re an annoying teenybopper and I will never introduce you to the guys, God I feel so embarrassed!!” she hung up and sighed.
“WOW, nice family!”
Nick shouldn’t have said that.. Morgan’s face crumpled into tears and she ran away as fast as she could.
“You stupid, insensitive, dumb, arrogant little prick!!!!” Michelle shouted, then running after her cousin.
“Uh-oh” Becky said.
“Huh? Can someone please explain me what it is I did wrong?!” Nick asked desperately.
“Nick, maybe we should have told you guys.. but Morgan and her father don’t get along.. at all.. in fact.. she says she hates him..”
“Whoa”
“Yea, well, that was her oldest stepsister, Melissa, as you may have noticed, Melissa is a fan..
and she’s just an annoying brat, airhead, superficial, BITCH!!.. anyway.. she’s always making Morgan do stuff for her, else she tells Eric, Morgan’s father.. and sadly enough.. he always takes Melissa’s side.. giving Morgan a hard time, lectures and all... poor Candy”
“Sorry”
“You didn’t knew”
Michelle’s cellular went off again.
“Hello?”
“Becky? Is that you?!”
“Yes”
“Oh, hey, it’s Eric Sinclair.. Is Candace around?!”
“Uhmm... she likes to be called Morgan, that is her name, after all”
“Please, don’t start on me too Rebecka, just let me talk to my daughter”
“Mr. Sinclair.. she’s not here, with me, I mean.. she’s in the locker room..”
“Oh, well, can you get here for me?!”
“Yea, I’ll go look.. here comes Alyssa” Becky handed Alyssa the phone.
***
Morgan felt more embarrassed than ever before when Nick insulted her, or so she thought he did. She felt tears burn behind her eyes, and she ran away as fast as she could.
Why did she have a family like that? Why?
She flung the door open and close, she came to a stop in the showers, sinking to the ground, crying uncontrollably now.
She heard someone enter the room.. “Morgan?” Michelle asked.
Michelle didn’t have to look further, she heard Morgan’s sobs echo through the shower walls.
“Ohh, Morgy” she pulled her younger cousin in a hug. “I’m sorry”
“For..what?”
“For the way Melissa is”
“That’s...stupid..Mimi” she spoke between sobs.
“You shouldn’t let her get to you Morgan”
“Yea...well..I...wanna....see....you..try...doing......that”
“Shhhh, it’ll be OK”
***
Becky opened the door and went after the hushing sounds of Michelle and the sobs of Morgan.
“Uhm, Morgan... Uhh.. your dad is on the phone”
Michelle sighed annoyed and gave Becky a shut-up-look.
“OK..I’ll...be..out...in..a....minute.”
“Morgy, you know, you don’t have to talk to him”
“He’ll...just..keep...calling...until....I..will....and...he’ll....bug...my...mom”
“OK”
Becky went back out.
***
“So, uhm.. Mr. Sinclair... why are you calling?” Alyssa asked, knowing the answer already.
“Well, I’ve got one very upset Melissa here, and I want to hear Morgan’s side of the story”
“Oh”
Becky sat down next to Alyssa again “She’s coming”
“Oh, Becky just said she’s coming” Alyssa said to Morgan’s father.
“Great”
A very upset, sobbing, hick-upping, red, tear stained, Morgan came out.
“Dad?”
“Hello... well.. I would like an explanation!!! Melissa is sitting here, crying, and she says you’ve been saying all kinds of mean things to her... what is wrong with you?! Do you think, that because you’re a singer now, you can treat your family like trash?! Are you insane?! I want, no I DEMAND an explanation young lady!!!”
The guys were shocked at the way Morgan’s father treated her.
“No, dad, Melissa practically demanded me to introduce her to the guys”
“And what is wrong with that? You can do that for her! I know you have the ability to arrange that for her! It would make her so happy!”
“She embarrasses me, I’m ashamed of her, she’s a brat!”
“NOW DON’T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT YOUR SISTER LIKE THAT!!”
“SHE’S NOT MY SISTER!!!”
“I won’t allow you to treat family like that!!”
“I don’t need your approval, I told you that before!!”
“Well, as long as you keep acting this snobby, I don’t want to see or speak to you!”
“FINE BY ME!!!” she hung up and threw the phone at Michelle.
She started crying again.
“I hate him, I do, I hate my father!!!”
Nick felt so sorry for her, he got up and walked over to where she stood, enveloping her in a hug.
“It’s OK” was all he said.
Morgan didn’t care if the world was watching by satellite, she cried her eyes out on his chest, sobbing even more hysterical than before.
“Oh boy..” Michelle said.
“Uhm... Fatima.. I don’t think she will be able to dance more today”
“Yes, I think so too.. that’s OK, we’ll try again tomorrow.. you don’t need much time to understand the routines anyway”
“Thanks”
“If she’s done crying on Nick’s chest.. we’ll take her to the hotel..”
“You do that” Fatima winked at them friendly, understanding the personal issue.
“I feel so sorry for her” Brian said.
“It’s been like this since her parents broke up, 10 years ago.. it’s sad”
“Yea”
~~~10 minutes later~~~
“Now, I’ve even made a bigger fool of myself than I already did.. you’re whole T-shirt is wet and dirty..”
“That’s OK, washers do exist”
Morgan chuckled slightly.
“Well, I’m glad to see a smile on your face”
“Thanks.. for everything”
“It’s OK.. I feel so sorry for you”
“I’m used to it... but it still.. stings”
“Yea, that’s what I thought..”
“Well”
“Well”
“See ya around”
“Yea, later”
She was about to leave, but turned around again and hugged Nick tightly, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.
“You’re an OK-guy Nick Carter” she whispered, and then left.
***
“Well I’ll be damned!” Michelle said, watching Morgan walk out after she had just kissed Nick on the cheek.
“I never thought she’d do that in public!”
“Michelle, she isn’t the prude you always say that she is” Becky rolled with her eyes.
“Oh, like you’d know! Our little Miss Perfect!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Becky, you’re a virgin”
“No, I am not”
Michelle started laughing, but when she saw the serious look on Becky’s face and then on Summer’s and Alyssa’s, she stopped.
“Since when do you NOT tell me important stuff such as losing virginity?”
“Since you never take me seriously and think only you out off all 5 has sex”
“Whoa!! Wait a second, hold on here!! What are you saying?”
“What Becka is trying to tell is.. you always think you’re the only one who scores hot guys.. well, sorry to break your bubble Mimi, but we’re not as angelic as you think”
“But.. but..” she stammered “What about Morgy, she’s just 19... she’s still?.. right?!”
they nodded no.
“She’s 19, not 14 anymore, little cousins do grow up”
“..I can’t believe this... and no one ever bothered telling me!!!” she walked off. “MORGY!!! WHAT’S THIS ABOUT YOU NOT BEING A VIRGIN ANYMORE?! WHEN DID IT HAPPENED.. AND WHO?!!?!!! NOT THAT XANDER-GUY RIGHT?? I REALLY HATED HIM!!!”
They all laughed at Michelle’s shocked reaction.
“OK, that was kinda pointless information about our personal lives.. see you guys later!”
Alyssa and Summer exited the room too.
***
The guys stood there, feeling kinda uneasy.
Fatima noticed and chuckled.
“What??” AJ asked.
“Nothing, nothing,... shall we go work on the dancing again?!?”
“OK”
***
“Morgan?!! What’s this I hear??! You’re NOT a virgin anymore?!!” Michelle walked in.
“Well dûh, Michelle, it was about time you found out!”
“Huh?! This is way too much weird stuff happening at once, I’ll talk to ya later” she grabbed her bag and walked away to the parking lot, looking utterly confused.
“Bye Michelle!”
“Hey Morgy!”
“Hey, so, she finally knows me and Beck aren’t ‘pure’ anymore”
They laughed “Yea, and she’s totally bewildered!”
“I noticed”
“Well, are you OK?”
“Yea, fine, it’s just... getting normal.. the offending and all”
“Come here” Alyssa hugged her.
“So, you like Nick huh?!”
“WHAT?! No way, no how, uh-ah, what makes you think that?!”
“Well, I think your reaction said it all..” Summer laughed.
“OK, whatever, later girls!” Morgan walked out.
~~~Back in the hotel~~~
The telephone rang....
“Hello?”
“Summer? Is that you? It’s Jessica Waltham”
“Yes, hi Mrs. Waltham!”
“Hello dear! Is Morgan there?”
“Yea, she’s sitting next to me”
“How is she doing? Is she all right?”
“Yea, she’s doing OK I guess”
“Whew..” Jessica sighed relieved “Can I talk to her?”
“Of course! Here she comes!”
“Morgan? It’s your mom” she said.
“Oh” she took the phone out of Summer’s hands.
“Hi mom!”
“Hi sweetie, how are you doing? I just talked to your dad”
“Oh... well, I’m fine.. what did he say?”
“I couldn’t really make much sense out of his screaming, but it came down to, that you had offended Melissa first, and then him,.. Morgy, what happened?”
“Oh, well, Melissa called to Michelle’s cell, then she started blabbing about how she knew that I was the support-act of the Backstreet Boys, and that I had to take her backstage at the Anaheim show, so she could meet them, when I refused.. she said she would tell dad and he would make me do it.. I yelled at her and hung up.. then, minutes later, dad called, he was all mad and demanded an explanation, he said that I was snobby and that I didn’t have to treat my family like that, just because I was a singer now and he said that he didn’t want to see or speak to me, if I stayed this way” Morgan took a deep breath “That’s about it, I told him; Fine by me, and hung up..” she said softly.
“Oh, dear.. that man really is dumb”
Morgan and her mother started chuckling.
“Well, are you sure you’re OK honey?”
“Yea, I’m used to it”
“Yes, unfortunately, oh, how I wish it didn’t always have to go like this”
“I know mom, don’t blame yourself”
“No, well, when are you in town?”
“Oh, we’re coming back in 2 weeks I believe and then we have 3 days before the tour starts”
“OK, I will see you then, I miss you”
“Miss you too, oh, if I arrange tickets for you and Luke, will you come watch the show? You can come backstage afterwards!”
“Of course!”
“Cool, I’ll see what I can do”
“OK, well, I have to go now, your brother wants me to help him with his French essay, I’ll see you later! Love you!”
“Yea, Love you too, bye mom, give Lukey a hug!”
“I will, bye!” she hung up.
“So, that was your mom”
“Yea, my dad had called her”
“Bastard” Michelle muttered.
“Oh Mimi, let it go, I could care less, you should too”
“Yea”
