Chapter Thirteen...."Lucky, Lucky!" "Oh Happy Day!"
I opened the door, almost falling over my feet. So much had happened today, and I hadn't gotten much sleep, so I was basicly a wreck. I smoothed down my hair and clothes, and opened the door. Behind the door was a guy holding a rectangular white box. He handed it to me and made me sign for it. I flashed him a smile and shut the door. "Who was it?" AJ called from the living room.
"Some delivery dude. Gave me this box." I said showing it to her when as I made my way into the living room.
"OoOoOoOo! Open it!" She said, sliding onto the couch next to me. I slid the cord off the box and pulled it open. Inside were 12 roses! "Oh my gosh! The boy sent you a dozen roses! Wait a seccie! You never told me about any boy! Spill dork!" ((lol Sis... this is like WAAAAY ironic!!!)) I told her all about the whole Nick and me thing, every detail. "Ooooh. My lil sister's in loooooove! Mandy and Nicky sittin' in a tree, K I S S I N G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Nicky pushin' a baby carriage!" ((LOL More irony Sis)) I poked her and giggled.
"Wait a sec.. there's 13 roses!" Reeny said.
"What? They musta messed up at the florist's shop... Is there a card?" Sony asked. I dug around a bit and finally came up with a white envelope. As I pulled it from the stems I pricked my finger on a thorn.
"Yeowch!" I said, pulling my finger away quickly and sticking it in my mouth. "Dumb thorn." ((more irony.. heheh I'm the QUEEN of Irony.. Isn't it ironic? Don'cha think? LOL)) I opened the envelope. It had a little card inside that read,
Mandy,
13 roses- 12 stand for the usual hug, but the 13th is a kiss... for good luck.
It was unsigned, but I knew who it was from. I smiled and read it outloud.
"The thirteenth's for good luck? I could of sworn that 13 was unlucky." Sony said.
I shook my head. "Not to me. Thirteen is my lucky number. Every Friday the 13th has been a really good day for me, for various reasons. You remeber Sis, the last Friday the 13th was the day I got the lead in Cinderella at the Dinner Theatre." I glanced up at AJ, who nodded.
"I remeber. You've got wierd luck Mandy."
"Yeah I know.. it's usualy double-edged..." I trailed off, suddenly becoming really superstitious. I shook it off. "Anywho... I gotta go get dressed, run some errands. Can I drop you guys off somewhere?" I looked at Sony and Reeny, who nodded. I turned to my sister. "Wanna come? We can come back for your car laters, Mo you can tag along if ya wanna too." Mo and Sissy nodded. I stood, grabbed my keys, and proceeded to go on with my life.
It was about three days later when the phone rang. By then I had already been to Donna's office, where my mother and her lawyer was waiting, signed my name to a bunch of contracts and whos-it's and whats-it's, which my mother's lawyer very carefully looked over before my pen-holding hand even came near it. After everything was settled, my mom was on the next flight to Europe, to finish up the rest of her shoot. I missed my mother like crazy, but I was coping. JC had come over yesterday, and we had basicly hung out. Turns out things between he and Reeny were heating up quite a bit. I was really happy for them, and Reeny was the kind of girl who would hang around for him, despite his crazy schedual. I still hadn't gone back to school, and I didn't care to. Donna was making me run places; to vocal teachers and dance instructors to liven my act up a bit. It was truly chaotic, but once again, I was coping. Donna was also considering finding some other girls, or maybe guys, and make up a group. She was still considering possibilities. I still sung with K.I.R. though. My friends and I hung out at night, they all knew how much I was missing Nick and my mom, so they made sure I was always busy, so I didn't have time to mope over them. ((hehe mope.. more irony ::giggles::)) I grabbed the phone on the second ring. I was going over some new songs Donna was having me consider singing. "Hello?" I said.
"Mandy?" A familiar voice asked.
"Nick!?" I said, suddenly perking up.
"Hi. How ya doin?" He asked.
"Much better now that ya called. I've been so busy though." I said, climbing onto the couch and tucking my legs underneath me.
"I know! I heard, that's wild." Nick said happily.
"Where ya at?" I asked. I hadn't had time to really keep track of their schedule.
"Umm.. somewhere in Indianna. We're on our way to Chicago." He said. I heard voices in the background, though I couldn't make out what was being said.
"Wha'd he say?" I asked.
"That was A.J., he said hi." I heard another yell. "Brian says hi too." More yells. "OKAY OKAY! They ALL say hi!"
I laughed. "Tell 'em I said hiya."
"Okay." he told them and though he wasn't talking to me I heard him say, "What A.J.? Why do you wanna talk to Mandy for? Oh come on! Tell me why! Oh fine.. just be quick!" I heard him hand over the phone.
"Mandy?" A.J.'s voice.
"A.J.! What's so important?" I asked.
A.J. whispered his plan to me, and I agreed. I would work it out. A.J then returned the phone to Nick and we finished our conversation. Nick tried to get info from me, but I witheld it all. I told him I loved him and hung up.
The next day, precisely at noon, the doorbell rang. I ran to open it, expecting the delivery guy who was behind it. I took the envelope and tore it open. It held exactly what A.J. had told me it would. I ran to call Sony, Carrie, Jaimey, and Mo. They all came over and I handed them their tickets and all-acess backstage passes, complete with our names on them. They were for the Chicago show Nick had told me about yesterday. I picked up the airline tickets I had bought yesterday after A.J had told me about his little plan. For a guy who couldn't keep secrets, he was keepin' this one under wraps pretty good, Sony didn't have a clue until I told her. "We're going to the Chicago show, and then we're doing something else. A.J. wouldn't tell me though! So go home and pack darn it! I got one of those busses to come pick us up at our houses. It's coming here first, then to your houses. Be ready in an hour. I know its not a lot of time.. but it's the best I could do... Now GO!" The girls raced out of my house and each piled into thier cars- Jaimey into her silver Corvette, Mo into her purple Jeep, Sony into her black Convertable, and Carrie into her hunter green Jeep-Cherokee. I ran inside to finish packing.
The bus arrived at my house promptly at 3:00. That gave us time to make the half-hour ride to the airport, twenty minutes to board, ten minutes to taxi out, and then take the two hour flight to Chicago. Our seats were fairly close together, and since my mother had felt festive, she let us go first class. I had never ridden first-class before, so this was a special treat. It was WAY roomier than coach, and the flight attendants were a lot nicer than in coach, probally cause they suspected you had money. I whispered this to Carrie, who was sitting next to me, and she burst into giggles. Mo and Sony turned around, demanding to know what was up. We told them and they laughed too. Jaimey, who across the isle from us in a middle section, leaned in wanting to know what was so funny. Sony whispered it to her and she giggled. I pulled out my CD player and headphones, slipping my *N SYNC cd into it. I always listened to this cd to mellow out, which was wierd, cause this cd had a really bouncy dance kinda feeling to it. I opened my window and stared out at the clouds. We got into O' Hare National Airport at 6:00 PM Friday night. The concert was at 7. That gave us a half an hour to get to the hotel and check in, about 20 minutes to get ready, then go downstairs, catch our limo (another luxury provided by my money-happy mom) and go to the concert, which was only a five minute drive, but with extra traffic it was sure to take longer. We took a shuttle to the hotel, and got our rooms. My mom was so cool! She got us two suites! God, she was gonna spend all this money on me and my friends, and then come my birthday, I wasn't gonna get diddly! I chuckled softly to myself. Well this would be worth it, that was for sure.
It came to be that Carrie, Me, and Mo would share a room, and that Jaimey and Sony would get the other room to themselves. They all wanted to room with me, so we decided we'd rotate, since we were staying for two nights, as A.J. had told me, though I didn't know why. I dropped my backpack and my huge NIKE duffel bag on the bed next to the patio, which overlooked the outdoor pool and the park beyond. Mo dropped her stuff on the same bed. "Gonna share with me?" I asked her, and she nodded.
"Yelp."
I smiled, "Like a slumber party and a dream, all mish-moshed together, isn't it?" I asked.
"Yeah. It all seems unreal, I think I should be waking up fairly soon. Then I'll be pissed." She said, pulling her bag open and stuffing its contents into a drawer. I did the same with my clothes, hanging up the clothes I was going to put on in a few minutes. The weather in Chicago was warm, but Florida was much hotter, even at night. Chicago cooled somewhat, and today was rainy, making it even cooler. I pulled on my khaki pants with the huge bottoms and wide legs. They were huge and sagged like nobody's buisness, but they were comfy and I could move in them, which was good if one was going to have to dance, which was what I was planning to do. I grabbed my white D.K.N.Y. shirt with this Anime chick with big green eyes and bright red hair, who was wearing saggy jeans and a huge tee, and who was standing on the silver D.K.N.Y. logo, and put it on, tucking it in. I pulled on my black Sketcher boots and looked at myself in the mirror. Today was my gangster look day. I dressed according to my mood, and today it was this one. Besides, this was how people dressed in Chicago, at least this is how my cousin dressed, and she lived in Chicago, and she was WAY trendy. So trendy sometimes it made me sick. I bought clothes that I liked cause they were cool to me, not to the trend setters. I was my own trend maker. Mo was going a bit saggy, though not as saggy as I was. She was wearing wide-legged and wide-bottomed jeans in the regular blue shade, with a black tee-shirt with an alien face on the front. The alien's hand was in a peace sign. She was wearing a pair of green airwalks with huge, thick, wide, white soles. I pulled my hair back in a bear claw clip, letting the ends shoot out of the top of the clip in little red spikes. A few shorter hairs hung by my ears and my bangs hung just above my gold eyes. I was smart enough to have put all my make-up on while we were on the plane, so I didn't have to deal with that now. I grabbed Mo by the arm and drug her out, grabbing our passes and tix as we left. I then barged in on Jaim and Sony, grabbing them as well. Carrie was in their room, sitting on the bed. Carrie was one of those girls who could be ready in two minutes and still look glamorous, lucky duck. I made them leave and made sure we all had our tix and passes before we got into the sleek, black stretch limo. I put my backstage pass around my neck. It hung around next to my silver dogtags, that I had gotten at the Air and Space museum in Washington D.C.. They had my name and some other meaningful things on them. We giggled happily to eachother and we all wondered who'd be the most surprised.
"Gotta be Brian!" Jaimey giggled, "He's the most sensitive."
"So you sayin' Howie's not?" Carrie asked, mock fighting.
"Oh no! Please don't start!" Sony laughed. "A.J. won't be surprised, so I can't fight with you! Not fair!"
Mo laughed. "Mandy, you think Nick will freak? I know Kev will."
I nodded. "I think so. I dunno really. I know he'll be happy to see me."
Mo nodded and we continued to giggle. We pulled up infront of the venue not long after that and got out. We were five minutes early, and since we showed up in a limo, some security dudes came and opened our door for us. There were tons of girls hanging around outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boys. They grew curious as we pulled up, crowding up around us. I flashed my gold all acess pass at a security "dude" and he motioned to another burly guy, who took my arm and showed us to the backstage door. We handed the guy our tickets and we went in. We were goin' backstage!!
Donna was standing by a security guard, chatting with him about upping the security, since the venue was so big. She said she was worried about the girls in the front being shoved too much, and possibly being hurt. The guard nodded and left. It was then I called to her. "Donna!" I waved to her, as I walked in her direction.
"Aha! There you are! You are almost late!" She said, hugging me. She glanced at the other girls. "Okay now. Let's get you guys into hiding... the boys are gonna be this way soon. With that she led us down a hallway. She put us in the dressing room that ajoined the boys, by way of a set of doors in one wall. I sat down in one of the swivel chairs and felt this odd sense of Deja Vu. I tried to remember where this had happened before. The it hit me- this was my dream! I mean, the cast was slightly different, because my friends were here now, and the dressing room wasn't as boring as my dream, (though it was close) and I wasn't wearing the clothes I'd worn in my dream- but this was STILL really freaky. I was living my dream! Literally! I giggled. I heard a sound, and turned to see A.J. walking through the ajoining room door.
"Girls!" He said as we all ran up to hug him, Sony hugged last, getting a soft kiss.
"A.J. this is like THE best idea you've ever had!" Sony said as she hugged him again.
"Thanks." He said, hugging her back. He glanced back as he heard the door to HIS dressing room begin to open. He dashed out of the room, pulling our door shut. I chuckled and put an ear to the door, but everything was so garbled I couldn't hear. I sat back in my swivel chair. A few minutes later a knock came on the dressing room door and Donna poked her head in.
"Come on guys, the show's about to start. I'm gonna get you on stage." She gave us a mischievous smile. We all cheered. She took us to five seats in the front row. They were dead center! I giggled excitedly. After the opening bang was done the guys came out. We waved and yelled like idiots till we got thier attention. THEY FREAKED! But they still had a show to do so they shakily gave their greetings and began to sing "As Long As You Love Me" Then they did "Everybody". Nick winked at me and shot me glances every chance he could, trying to evenly place his attention between me, the fans, and the songs and dances. Then about 15 minuutes in they did "Toast To Our Love" and we got pulled on stage. I got to sit at a table with Nick and whisper to him.
"Whaddya doin' here!?" He sharply whispered.
"A.J.'s idea! Not mine!" I defended, thinking he was maybe mad.
He smiled. "Good idea." Then the song was over and we were ushered back to our seats, much to our dismay.
After the inital concert was over, we went backstage for the after-show party. Nick hugged me till I thought I would run outta air. He was definitely surprised. As were the other guys of course. As the party encroached on 1:30 AM, Jaimey grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the group of random people I had struck up a conversation with. "The guys need us, dunno why though." she led me back to the ajoining dressing rooms, where the guys were now gathered, pulling all thier things together and putting them back away. I had forgotten that they would have to leave tomorrow. I went and climbed into a swivel chair in the guy's dressing room and waited. The other girls came in, via Jaimey dragging them. After they were all in, Nick closed the ajoining door, and Brian closed the dressing room door, cutting off most of the sound. I yawned tiredly. I still hadn't had a chance to get any real sleep.
"Okay... now we've talked about this quite a bit," Brian began, an arm slung over a tired-looking Jaimey's shoulder. "and we think it would be really great if you guys came on part of the tour with us- Not the whole thing, but part of it, cause we know you guys have lives and all- But we really want you guys with us."
I looked up at Nick, meeting his eyes. He nodded, a smile crossing his lips.
"You want us to- Oh my gosh! Yes! I'm there!" Jaimey sputtered, grabbung Brian and pulling him into a hug and kiss.
"Oh wow. I dunno, I mean... oh man..." Mo said disbelievingly.
"Say yes Mo," Kev said, coming up beside her. "Say yes."
"Okay. Yes!" she giggled. Kev hugged her, kissing her deeply.
"I'm going too!" Carrie said, giggling in Howie's arms.
"Ditto! I'm there! Wouldn't miss it for a million bucks!" Sony affirmed as A.J. planted a kiss on her cheek.
It hit me right then. I couldn't go. I already missed my mom like mad, I had to work on cutting an album and trying to get a record deal. I had a meeting with someone from JIVE Wednesday (the day after tomorrow) about maybe getting a record deal, and I couldn't blow them off. I was going to miss out on the chance of a lifetime. Once again I had to make a rough decision. Choose to be the kid, and go and have fun with my friends and boyfriend, OR I could be the adult, and go home and cut a record deal. The tug to be a kid was strong, but the chance of a reacord deal pulled me to doing what I knew I had to do. "I can't go guys." I said quietly.
"What? Mandy speak up dear, I thought I heard you say you can't go." Howie said.
I shook my head. "You heard me right. I can't go."
"What!? Why hun?!" Nick asked, appearing beside me.
"Oh believe me, I wanna go, I really do. But I've got this huge meeting at JIVE on Wednesday, and I've gotta make a demo tape, and think about songs, and I've gotta meet with song writers and-" I sighed. "Just a lot of stuff I wanna do. I mean, this is a chance of a lifetime, but making music my life is my dream. Do you understand what I'm sayin' sweetie?" I looked at Nick, who nodded.
"Perfectly. Well maybe after your life calms down a bit you can join up with us, okay?" Nick comprimised.
"Maybe you can even open for us!" Howie suggested with a smile.
I cracked a smile. "Maybe. I don't have a name yet though, and my name is too obscure to stand alone."
"Well then we'll think you up a name, just in case Donna decides to send you solo." Mo said.
"Yeah we will!" Carrie said, screwing her face up in thought.
"Ummm... how about just Amanda? A one name thing. Madonna and Jewel can do it, so can you." Sony suggested.
"Naah.. Amanda's too plain." I said, shaking my head.
"How about just Mandy? That might work." Mo suggested.
"Maybe she just needs a different last name." Brian suggested.
"Maybe." I said.
"Oh how about K.I.R.A.? You could take the group's name- Keepin' It Real- and add Always to the end.. plus the A is the first letter of your name! You can go by K.I.R.A. for short- or Kira... Okay.. nevermind.. that was dumb." Jaimey said, returning to thinking.
"No it wasn't Jaim. I kinda like it." I said.
"Kira's a cute name." Nick offered. I flashed him a smile.
Eventually we went back to the hotel. Nick and the guys were staying in the same hotel, a floor above us. After Mo and Kev slipped inside to say their goodnights, and so Mo could grab something she had gotten at the mall for Kev- this really cool KY Wildcat's baseball cap in this cool shade of blue with the logo in the usual spot- Nick and I were left outside the door. Carrie hadn't come back from her walk with Howie yet.
"I'm so sorry Nick, I mean, I want to stay, but I can't. You know? And I know you really want me here, but I just can't manage it- you know being a singer is like, one of my hugest dreams-" But Nick held up a hand.
"I understand totally. I had to put off a few things I really wanted to do to get here. I also know how much work you're up against right now, I've been there, remember?" He smiled at me a bit.
"Ooooooooh yea. I forgot I guess." I said with a playful smile. I couldn't help it, I yawned.
"I had better'd let you go to bed now huh?" He said. "I wore you out!" I giggled and Nick leaned in and kissed me gently. "Night... Kira." He smiled at me and walked to the elevator at the end of the hall. I smiled and slipped into my room as Kev slipped out. Kev stopped short and hugged me. "Good luck, kay kiddo? We're behind ya on this one." I nodded and he left.
The next day we all basicly hung out at the hotel, which was basicly empty, since it was a Tuesday. We swam in the pool, went to the mall- Kev wore his new hat and dark shades, as did the other guys. I bought this cool silver chain with a silver dolphin on it, and this silver band with little hearts cut into it. On Wednesday Nick and I took a cab to the airport. I told him I'd have the girls mom's send them clothes and stuff tonight in overnight mail. Nick kissed me briefly and I boarded. I got into my seat and a few tears slipped down my cheeks. I was sad, but I knew I had to go.
Wednesday I went to see some important bigwigs at JIVE records. They listened to my demo tape and has me sing a little a capella. They told Donna and I they'd be in touch. I went home a little sad, cause they hadn't taken me on right then, but Donna told me that it sometimes took time. Thursday I was sitting at the piano, jotting down a new idea for a song, when the phone rang. It was Donna! She told me JIVE wanted to cut a record deal, and that they loved my new name- K.I.R.A.. She told me to come in at 3:00 to sign the contract. I squealed and called my mom, who screamed happily. I then called Sissy and Aaron, who had become my new best friend since all my friends were now in Washington, or wherever they were headed now. They were all really happy for me too.
It wasn't more than a week before they had me in the studio, singing some songs. A few I had written, like "I Could Fall For You" and "Revenge" but most had been written by some really great song writers. I learned them all as quickly as I could. About two months later Nick and I were still going strong. My friends called often to give me updates, and I was spending every waking hour in the studio- recording for my self-titled debut album: K.I.R.A. It took 6 months to record and the first single, "Stuck" was released three weeks before the album was. It flew up the charts! But by then I was already in New York City, joining up with Nick and the guys for the last few weeks of the tour. I was glad for the break. The single hit #1 two days before we all were going home, when Nick would get a week's vacation, and where I would get the chance to promote my new album.
My album blew up! It was literally flying off the shelves- I couldn't go anywhere without being noticed anymore! I loved the feeling of having fans- people who looked up at you and adored you because of who you were, becuase they felt your music changed their lives. That's a big burden, but a nice one to have to carry. I signed autographs till my fingers fell off, and talked to and saw Nick when I could. Things were going a bit shaky a little while ago, but I think we've gotten through it. The best part is that I'm opening up for them during their European Tour this coming winter! Donna thinks it will get spread my music into Europe a little more. Finally it all seems to be falling into place for me- A great guy, one who is my best friend, and can give me advice on my career- cause hey, he's been through it! Great friends- Jaimey, Carrie, Sony, and Mo still all sing together- though not professionally. I can't seem to talk them into it! And then the best part- My great career- My music. Even if I never get up to number one again, or if my album doesn't go gold, at least I'll of had a chance. And hey, there's always next time! I still have to make two more albums according to contract!