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New Post 5/2/2008 8:23 AM
User is offline this_is_my_username
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Destiny....................Or Fate? 
Modified By this_is_my_username on 6/6/2008 5:48:37 PM)

Hey! I'm back! Sorry about the last thread freaking out on you. I had a mod try to help, but it still didn't work. So, just to humor you, I'll post the 1st 3 chapters of it, without stopping. How's that sound? (I know, awesome.) Ok, here's the first chapter:

 

Chapter 1: Waiting
           
Kacey was at the concert. Only, oddly enough, she was on the concert stage. There were millions of people in the crowd watching, not her, but something that was in front of her. No one was screaming and smiling, but it seemed (if anyone was screaming) they were screaming in fear.
She looked onto the stage’s runway that stretched out in front of her. There was Joe on the stage and some other man she didn’t recognize standing on the ground. The other girls were backed away from the two, the farthest from the man on the ground.
Joe had his microphone stand in his hands, as if using it for a weapon, and swung it right into the side of the man’s head, just barely missing his temple. The man staggered for a moment, but soon regained balance. Before Joe could hit him again, the man took something out of his pocket as quick as a flash, so quick that Kacey couldn’t see what it was. The man held it up towards Joe, something made of metal, because it shined in the light, the concert lights were still too bright to see what was in the man’s hands. Where were the security guards? By now, Kacey had obviously realized what the man was trying to do.
Kacey knew that saying something wouldn’t help, but she said it anyway: “JOE!!! LOOK OUT!!”
But it was too late. Kacey’s stomach was flipping backwards and under. The man pulled the trigger and……
 
Kacey jerked awake, finding her lying on the floor, sweating uncontrollably. She wiped her forehead with her sheets and rubbed her bruised back. She went to the kitchen to get a cold glass of water. She gulped it down in a few seconds and walked back to her bed. She pulled her sheets up and closed her eyes.
“It was only a dream, Kacey.” She thought to herself. “It was only a dream….” 
 
Kacey looked at herself in her full-size mirror: She had on a short, light blue, grey, black, and white diagonal-striped shirt and skirt, with a belt-buckle-looking thing on the top of the shirt, a black sweater, black tie-up wedges, two black bangles, light blue earrings and a black beaded necklace. Her makeup was subtle, yet bold: light blue eyeshadow over and on her eyes, with sparkles that shone like little jewels in the light. She also had an average red blush high on her cheek, where it looked best. If she were to wear a lipstick, it would have to have been black, so, instead, she just put on a pink lip gloss. Her nails were a basic white to match the rest of her outfit.
She was considered very pretty at her school: she had a perfectly curved body, her knees weren’t too knobby, her nose was the perfect shape and size, she had naturally light brown hair with natural blond highlights, and two almond shaped brown eyes to match her hair. Most boys would drool in her presence. She just laughed, trying to avoid the puddles. She was also smart. She usually only got A’s and B’s on her report card, and almost always got an Honor Roll Certificate with them. She also took AP Math and AP Science.
            But all of that didn’t matter tonight. Tonight she was going to see her favorite band play live right in front of her eyes, a dream she had finally come true. Tonight she was going to a Jonas Brothers concert. Her first concert she had ever been to. And, even better, her best friend Diana was coming with her, another fellow JB lover. It had been extremely hard to get the tickets, even thought they were only the 12th row. Her mom was going to drop her off outside the arena, Diana and Kacey left to tough out the crowds on their own.
            She was feeling a little nervous so she decided to call Diana to find out what she was wearing. At least that would take up some time. It was a long time before someone picked up. Diana was probably really busy.
            Finally, Kacey heard a hurried “Hello?”
            “Hey, Di, what’s up?”
            “Not much, really. Just waiting for my nails to dry.”
            “What color?”
            “Green. I’m guessing you want to know what else I’m wearing?”
            “You got it.”
            “Ok. A long light green skirt with a flowing yellow shirt with flowers in the corner. Green hoop earrings with two green bangles and yellow flip-flops. Gold eyeshadow, with sparklies of course, and a very light pink blush. I haven’t decided on any lip color yet.”
           “Dang it. Toughie there. Don’t suppose they have green lipstick?”
            “Ha. Ha. very funny Kacey. I especially hope they don’t have yellow.”
            “Hmmmm…..I’m still thinking…….light purple?”
            “My skin color’s too light. What about a cotton candy pink?”
            “I dunno, it might clash with the yellow.”
            “Wow. This is harder than I thought. I’m gonna have to look up a whole color wheel on the internet.”
            “Do you think Claire’s is still open?”
            “I wouldn’t bet on it. You wanna try anyway?”
            “I don’t want to take a chance. What if we’re late for the concert?”
            “True, true. How bout I give you all of my lipstick AND lip gloss colors?”
            “Wwweeeellll………that could take a while……..but I’ll take the chance.”
            “Okay. Lipsticks: Light purple, light pink, light red-“
            “Wait a second. Isn’t light red just pink?”
            “No. It’s different. Just stop interrupting and we’ll get through this faster, ok?”
            “Ok. Ok. Keep going.”
            “I’m starting over now. Lipsticks: Light purple, light pink. light red, cotton candy pink, purple, pink, red, dark pink, dark purple, and dark red. Lip Glosses: Ummmm…oh! Haha. All of them are the same except I have a light sparkly pink, and a light sparkly red, and a clear one with spaklies. Suggestions?”
            “Well……I’d say the sparkly light pink. It’s soft enough for the yellow, but the sparklies make them bold and stand out.”
            “I see. You’re getting better at this!”
            “Thank you very much! Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to listen to my Jonas Brothers now.”
            “YOUR Jonas Brothers?! What, all of a sudden you get married and you don’t even tell me?! Even if it’s my most favoritest band in the world?!?!”
            “Oh, yeah. I’m marrying the boys of my dreams. Sorry, must’ve slipped my mind.”
            “Yeah, yeah. Ok. I’ll leave you to “your” Jonas Brothers now. See ya.”
            “See ya.”
            Kacey turned off the phone and turned her iPod on full blast. She checked the clock after every song so she wouldn’t have to turn her iPod off just to hear her say “Kacey, it’s time to go!” She went through half of their first album before she had to go. Kacey’s senses were fully-tuned in,  
taking in everything in clarity. The cold of the car door handle, the smell of pine carried in the cold breeze of night, the slam of the car door shutting. Her mom told her she should be careful tonight; there would probably be a ton of “bad people” (as she called them) hanging around the concert because of all the people. By the time she got to Diana’s house, she had finished their first album and halfway through their second. She could barely contain herself as she burst through the car door and practically punched the door bell.
            Diana’s mom answered the door. “Diana’s going to be out in a second. She just had to brush her teeth.”
            Kacey tapped her foot as the endless seconds went by while she waited for her friend. She heard the sound of gurgling far into the house. Then, the sickening sound of spit and sink water running. Kacey’s eyes brightened as she heard Diana’s heels clunking on the tile floor and finally, she saw her…....
            “Wow.” Kacey thought. “I was right! That lip gloss does look good with that outfit!”
            “Diana, you look awesome!”
            “I know, don’t I? Haha. You don’t look half bad yourself!”
            “Thanks? I guess..” They both laughed.
            “Wait a second! We almost forgot! We need to have our first ceremonial scream!”
            “Hold up on that thought!” Diana’s mom said. “You can do that at the concert. We don’t want to wake anyone up.”
            Diana sighed. “Mom, why do you always have to be so responsible?”
            “Yeah, yeah. Love you, see ya, goodbye.” her mom pushed Diana out of the door, although she didn’t really need it.
            “Bye!”
            “How about we scream *quietly*?” Diana said, giggling with excitement.
            “I think I can deal with that…..for now.”
            *Aaaaaaaahhhhh…..*    
 
 

Hey! All fixed now!! *YAY!!!* 

  
 
New Post 5/2/2008 8:25 AM
User is offline this_is_my_username
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Re: Destiny....................Or Fate? 
Modified By this_is_my_username on 5/2/2008 7:33:17 AM)

Hoped you like the first one! Here's the second chapter:

 

 
Chapter 2: Butterflies
         
          Joe was singing into his microphone, he was getting really into it. It was almost the end of “Hold On.” Out of nowhere, he heard a girl screaming. He looked out into the crowd, still singing, guessing he was just imagining it. Then, he heard it again. He could just barely make out the word “help.” Someone was in trouble.
This time, he stopped singing. He stood up straight and looked out into the crowd. By now, Kevin and Nick had stopped playing, confused looks on their faces. As Joe was looking out, he saw something odd going on near the tenth row. Every now and then, a part of the crowd would open up, forming some sort of path, and then close again, just as fast as it opened. Then, people farther up would do it again. Then, he saw a girl running through the “paths” they were making, and a man running after her.
Slowly, a path was created so that the girl could reach the stage, she was still running, and the man was still chasing her. About 1 minute later, the girl arrived at the stage, and Joe pulled her up. She beckoned him to lean close so she could whisper into his ear.
He turned off the mic, leaned close, and heard her say: “Hurry! Run to the back of the stage!”
“But I can’t just leave this dangerous man in front of all of these people!” he whispered back.
“Well, then what are you going to do?” the girl was getting restless, because the man was getting closer.
“I’ve got a mic stand. It’s pretty strong. I think I can take him.” Joe gave a half-hearted smirk. The girl took that as a signal and she ran back behind the drum set.
Joe looked back at the still-formed path; the man was meters from the stage. He didn’t tell them to close it, to make sure no one would get hurt. Finally, the man made it to the stage.
“Give me all of your money, and the girl’s!” the man shouted.
“Money? Why would I have money on stage?” Joe asked, obviously playing dumb.
“From the back, you idiot!” the man wasn’t fooled.
Joe couldn’t stand there and be insulted by some random guy, so he took his mic stand and swung as hard as he could at the side of the man’s head. It was a good shot,, he stumbled a little, but regained his balance. But, only seconds after Joe hit him, the man pulled something very shiny, made of metal, out of his pocket, too fast to tell what it was. The stage lights were so bright that Joe couldn’t tell what it was.
            “Give me the money now!” the man was getting impatient.
            Joe wasn’t going to give up, so he raised the mic stand again to take another blow.
            But then he heard the girl scream “JOE!! LOOK OUT!!!”………..
            Joe’s eyes flew open to see the ceiling of his room. He looked at his clock: 5:02 AM. He looked down at his bed and saw that his covers were all the way at the end.
            “Must’ve been pushed there while I was sleeping.” He thought, as he pulled them over himself.
            He tried to remember the details of the dream. “It was so realistic…” he thought.
            “No, no. What are you thinking? It was only a dream.” He laid down onto his pillow and closed his eyes. “It was only a dream….”
 
The girls hurriedly chatted and listened to their iPods for the rest of the way. Kacey’s mom drove unphased to the concert, occasionally laughing at the girls excited talking. Half the time she couldn’t understand what they were saying, not because they were using a “girl language,” but because they were talking too fast.
            In about 20 minutes, they were at the arena. Thankfully, Kacey’s mom was only dropping them off, instead of parking. The parking lot was about as big as a football field, and it was packed! Kacey’s mom stopped in the drop-off area and the girls got out of the car.
            “Remember, girls, pay attention to your surroundings!” Kacey’s mom was all about safety. Of course, she was a police officer.
            “We will, mom! And you remember to come here at 10:30 PM ok?”
            “Gotchya! See you later!”
            “See ya!”
            The girls fast-walked all the way to the ticket booth.
            “We better hurry up, Kace, we only have 20 minutes until the concert starts!”
            “Don’t worry, Di! Everything’s gonna be fine!” Her words of reassurance didn’t work very well on herself, though. Her stomach felt like there were butterflies flipping inside of it.
            “Tickets?” The vendor seemed really bored, like she’d rather not be there. Diana couldn’t imagine why, and she promised herself that she would never grow up to be like that.
            The girls handed their tickets to the woman, and she put it through a scanner. She gave them their stubs.
            “Go through ‘Entrance 3-2.’” She pointed to the left of herself, and focused back onto her computer screen.
            This time the girls ran to the entrance. They looked to the right and saw a security guard leaning against the wall.
            “Can you show us where Row 12 is?”
            “Sure. Follow me.” The guy stood straight up, towering high above both of the girls. It shouldn’t be easy losing him in the crowd.
            They followed the guard through thousands of screaming girls and grouchy parents, trying to go as fast as they could without stepping on anyone’s feet. After about 10 minutes of walking through the crowd, the man stopped at a row of seats that were almost impossible to see through the crowd of standing people. Diana thanked the man as Kacey started her way down the row. It was even harder here to avoid feet, saying “excuse me” and “sorry” to almost every person. Finally, after about 5 more minutes of struggling to their seats, they made it.
            Just as they were sitting down (they wanted to rest before the concert started) they heard a booming voice on the loudspeakers. “Hey people! Are you ready for the Jonas Brothers?!” There was a long pause for all the girls to start screaming. “Well, you’ll have to wait a second. Five more minutes!”
            Kacey and Diana laughed as they heard all lot of disappointed “Awwwws.”
            Diana kept glancing at her watch nonstop. The girls were really bored, since everyone was talking so loud, they couldn’t listen to their iPods. So Kacey read their ticket stubs (she likes to read stuff when she gets bored: milk cartons, cereal boxes, books, whatever).
After reading the extremely long barcode number, she almost jumped out of her seat when she heard a loud “boom!” She looked around and on the stage and confetti started falling onto her. Just as soon as the confetti stopped falling, JB ran out onto the stage, playing their guitars for the beginning of “That’s Just the Way We Roll.” Joe was out on the runway holding onto the mic stand, Nick was on drums, and Kevin, of course, was on his guitar. When that song was over, they started singing “Hold On.” This song always made Kacey relax, she loved Nick’s voice.
            “Who cares what mom said? I’ve gotta loosen up sometime!” she thought to herself.
            She looked at Diana. She looked like she was having a good time. She was singing to the words, screaming every now and then. She didn’t look very attentive. For the first time that night, she didn’t care about anything. She just stared at Nick, Joe, and Kevin and forgot about the world around her.
            Apparently, this was the wrong night to relax. All of a sudden, she felt a hand grab her shoulder from the back, and turn her around in a jerk. She was facing a man with cold blue eyes and about two days without shaving. He was wearing a black skull cap, a black sweater, and dark blue sweat pants. He looked more serious than he should be at a Jonas Brothers concert. He wasn’t here to tow along his daughter, and he definitely wasn’t here for entertainment. He was here for something else. Something she didn’t want to get involved with.
           
            “Hey, you ready?” Kevin noticed Joe was thinking hard.
            “Yeah, I guess so.” Joe was still thinking about his dream.
            “’Yeah I guess so.’ Who are you kidding?” He thought to himself.
            “Are you sure? You’re usually not this tense.” Kevin was starting to get curious.
            “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
            “Who said I was going to worry?”
            “Oh, crap. That was stupid. What do I say now?” Joe was thinking of any possible excuse he could use…that made sense.
            “I’m trying to think of a new song.” He blurted.
            “Really? How’s it go?”
            “Great. That was even better.”
            “Ummmm….That’s the problem. I haven’t thought of one yet. Hehe.”
            “Well, good luck anyways.”
            “Yeah. Thanks.” Joe went to makeup. It was 10 minutes until the concert. He was still confused about his dream.

            “Come on. You’re making a big deal out of nothing. It was a dream. And nothing more. Just forget it.” To Joe, those 10 minutes seemed like an hour.

Sorry! I can't post anymore now! I have to get to the bus!! But I promise, when I get back from school, I'll immediately post the 3rd chapter! Ok?!
 
New Post 5/2/2008 9:18 AM
User is offline <<All Indonesian Girl!>>
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Re: Destiny....................Or Fate? 

like....whoa! awesome! post more soon!

lav ya gais!

mileycyrus13

R=The all Indonesian girl has done it! She's now famous! M=I Know! but will her rival Nick Jonas beat her tis time?.....-Me
 
New Post 5/2/2008 4:21 PM
User is offline this_is_my_username
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Re: Destiny....................Or Fate? 

Ok. I think the title of this chapter seriously rocks. 'The Chase is On.' Isn't that awesome?!?! Here it is:

Chapter 3: The Chase is On
 
          “Give me all of your money!” He said in a gruff voice.
            Diana had already noticed the mystery man and was rummaging through her purse. Kacey was paralyzed with fear. She couldn’t force herself to move, she was amazed at the strange coincidence. Was it possible that her mom knew this was going to happen?
            “Wh-What?” she managed to say in a quiet whisper.
            “I said give me all your money!” he yelled giving her shoulder a shove, which he was still holding onto.
            Kacey had to make a decision…….. and fast. She looked to the left and right of her. The music was too loud for anyone to notice what was happening right now. If she yelled for help, he could just hit her or use a weapon probably concealed by his sweater. Kacey finally decided, and bolted over the row of chairs in front of her, leaving Diana behind staring at her, money in hand. Diana shoved the money into the man’s hands to stall Kacey some time, but the man just stuck the money in his pocket and ran after Kacey.
            “HELP!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!” she screamed as loud as she could. People who heard her desperate screams parted a path for her to run through, and, realizing what was happening, tried to close it before the man came through. But, somehow, he always found a way out of the bustling crowd.
            Kacey was regretting ever relaxing. She could tell that the man was getting closer….
           
            “Okay, onstage in five…..four……three……..two…..” the countdown before they jump onstage. Their opening number was “That’s Just the Way We Roll.” There was no intro, no nothing. They were just going to jump out and start playing. It was going to be the coolest start to the coolest concert ever. But Joe was still thinking about the dream he had last night. But it was too late to worry about that now.
            “One.”
            “Showtime.”
            Joe ran out, Nick pulling him over himself into a flip, and starting to play the guitar a split second later. The concert started. Joe looked out into the crowd as he started singing. There were more people there than he could have ever imagined.
            “Well, it is a sold out concert.” He thought.
            The girls were screaming at the top of their lungs, the ones in the front row trying to at least touch him.
            “Wow. They must really love me. Hehe. Not surprising.” Joe smiled wider.
            Tons of others were frantically taking pictures.
            “Man, they must’ve cleared out they’re whole memory if they’re taking that much. They’re probably going to post them on their blog. And after that, they’ll print it out on photo paper, and send it to us so we can sign it. I so know my fans.”
            Soon, it was the end of the song. The absence of music left the sound of a million girls’ high-pitched screams. Every now and then, he’d hear a group of girls say “We love you Joe!” or something like that. There were lots of those poster boards that people decorate and stuff. And it looked like a lot of the girls dressed really up tonight. The crowd was practically filled with mini-skirts and short-shorts.
            “That’s Just the Way We Roll” is over now. Next, is “Hold On.”
            “Wasn’t this the song that was ending in my dream?” Joe was getting worried.
            “Look at what you’re doing to yourself! You’re getting all worried just because of a stupid dream! This is the last time you’re going to worry about this!” Joe still hadn’t reassured himself, but he tried to stop thinking about it anyway.
            Before he knew it, the song was getting closer to the end. But out of nowhere, he heard a girl scream for help. He looked out at the crowd, trying to found out who it was. But he couldn’t possibly have found her.
            “Must’ve been saying something else.”
            But then he heard it again. This time, more clearer: “HELP!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!!” Joe stopped singing, and in reaction, Nick and Kevin did, too, with confused and frustrated looks on their faces. Instead of uncontrollable screaming, now the crowd was a chorus of “huh”s and “what’s going on”s. The voice was even clearer to Joe now: “HELP!! PLEASE!!! SOMEONE HELP ME!!”
            Nick and Kevin heard it, too; all of them were looking at the crowd now, to find who the voice was coming from. Then, as Joe was scanning the crowd, he saw it. The open-and-closing path of people. Joe’s hand’s clammed up, a choking sound came out of his mouth, he dropped the microphone (which made a loud ear-piercing screeching noise), and his eyes grew slightly watery. There was a puzzled yet scared and pale look on his face, as if he’d just seen a ghost. His heartbeat grew faster and faster, almost as if it was trying to burst through his chest.
            “How could this be happening?! It was only a dream! What was that girl trying to make me look out for? What should I do?!” Joe stood there like a wax figure. He couldn’t move. He was frozen in fear. He had no idea what to do…….except wait.
 
            “HELP!!! PLEASE!! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!!” Kacey was getting desperate.
            “Why did I run this way?! What am I supposed to do now? Jump onto the stage?! I’d have to say, this is the stupidest move I’ve ever made. And it might be my last… I just have to stop thinking and just keep running. It’ll all come to me soon.” Kacey looked around for any possible way out of the crowd. Out of nowhere, she heard an extremely loud screeching noise coming from the speakers. And that’s when she realized they stopped playing. She slowed her running and looked at the stage. Joe was staring right at her, looking directly into her eyes. He knew what was happening. “But how?”
Now that they had stopped playing, Kacey had a chance to jump onto the stage for safety, so she took it. She started running farther to the right. In a matter of 5 minutes, she made it to the stage, Joe pulling her up.
She pulled his jacket toward her so his ear would be right in front of her mouth. In a frantic whisper, she said “This man tried to steal my money, but I didn’t give it to him and ran and now he’s chasing me!”
He just blankly stared at her, not knowing what to say or do. The only thing he could make out is “What should I do?”
“Run!”
“But I can’t leave all of these people out here in danger!”
“This isn’t the time to play ‘Save the World,’ now come on! Besides, what would you use to protect yourself?” she didn’t want to mention the word ‘weapon.’
“I’m not playing. And I’ve got my microphone stand.”
“A microphone stand?! You’re crazy! Just come on! He’s getting closer! We can just call the police and everything will be fine!” Kacey was getting anxious now.
“And while the police are coming?”
Kacey’s mouth was ready to say something, but she couldn’t. He was right. This man could pose a real threat to anyone at the concert.
“Where are the security guards anyway?! This guy must’ve really planned this whole thing out. This is way too dangerous. But what am I supposed to say? ‘Just let someone get killed, it doesn’t matter’? But he could get killed himself! I guess I’m just going to have to let him fight.” A single tear rolled down her cheek as she thought. “I can’t tell him about the dream. It’s way too much for him to handle. Besides, the man’s getting closer, and I should be running soon.”
Joe wiped away the tear, still rolling down her cheek and hurriedly said “Go!!”
Kacey ran to the back of the stage behind the drum set, and watched in desperation as the man finally stepped to the edge of the stage.
 
 
New Post 5/2/2008 4:49 PM
User is offline xXi_cry_myself_to_sleep(jonasbrothersrock! is a little emo girl)Xx
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Re: Destiny....................Or Fate? 

this is amazing pms!!!!

~madi!~

Photobucket emo doesnt mean your bad...so dont treat me like i am
 
New Post 6/16/2008 12:42 PM
User is offline this_is_my_username
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Re: Destiny....................Or Fate? 
Modified By this_is_my_username on 8/13/2008 12:14:28 PM)

Hey!!! Thanx for the feedback from all of you peeps!!! Sorry I couldn't PMSer. I was too lazy, and I was kinda nervous that it wasn't perfect enough. So, to save me more sleepless nights of waiting to post this chapter.....I'm posting it. (Yes, I know, that was a tiny bit dramatic, but I can't help it.) Here it is (with all of its awesomeness!!!):

 

 

 

Chapter 4: “The Incident”
 
            “So here’s the mysterious man. Time to get serious.” Joe gripped his mic stand tighter.
            “Give me all of your money!” the man wasn’t giving up.
            “No way! Besides, why would I have money on stage?”
            “From the back, you idiot!”
            Joe took a chance and swung as hard as he could. It was a direct blow at the side of the head, just missing his temple. The man swayed a little, but steadied soon enough.
            “This is the last time kid! Give me all of your money!” the man was getting irritated.
            “Last time…..Maybe I should….” Joe sighed. “This is not the time to be cautious!”
            “No.” Joe taunted.
He smiled and brought the mic stand up for another hit, when the man swiftly brought something out of his jacket pocket. The stage lights were still on, reflecting off of whatever the man was holding, which was obviously made of metal. Joe put his arm in front of his face to block the blinding light from the reflection. Apparently, everyone was having trouble seeing what he was holding, all of the girls backed up with something in front of their faces to block the flash. The spotlights were aimed a little too perfectly.
“I have to do something now.” Kacey was still watching from behind the drum set. “But what can I do? It looks like my freaky dream is going to have to come true. The unhappy ending…”
“JOE!! LOOK OUT!!!” Kacey screamed.
Joe ducked as fast as he could. “It’s my freaky dream all over again. What should I look out for?!”
            The man pulled the trigger; a sound like a cracking whip echoing throughout the stadium.
Kacey screamed, just like every other girl did, even though she knew that it would happen. She sighed, closed her eyes and hung her head. “Too late.”
 Joe fell onto his back and all of the girls screamed in shock. The man ran away through the screaming crowd of girls, disappearing just as fast as he came.
            Nick ran backstage, and Kacey ran up to Joe, Kevin following right behind her. She looked all around him, and found a single blotch of red on his stomach, standing out on his white shirt.
            “Oh, thank God! It was only a misfire! But, either way, he needs help. Looks like Joe’s going to have a dramatic exit, like all concerts…….except this one is on a stretcher.”
Kacey pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open. She dialed 911 and anxiously counted the seconds that went by until someone picked up.
“Hello?” a woman picked up the phone.
“Yes! I need an ambulance! Someone’s been shot in the stomach!”
“Where are you?”
“Dang it! Where am I?? Second stupid move!”
“Could you hold on for a moment?”
She didn’t wait for the woman’s reply and ran over to Kevin. “It’s 911, I forgot where the stadium is.” She held the cell phone out for him to grab.
He took it and immediately started talking into it. “Hello?”
Kacey ran back over to Joe. It didn’t look like he was conscious. She felt his pulse……..It was fast and hard.
“Good. At least he’s alive.”
She gently shook his shoulder. “Joe?” she whispered. “Joe? How are you feeling?” The answer to this was pretty obvious, but she just wanted to know if he was okay.
“Wha-What?” His voice was faint and his eyes opened into slits.
“Are you okay?” Her whisper was even quieter, this time.
“No. Why does my stomach hurt so much?” Joe’s voice was getting weaker, and his breathing was shuddering.
“Don’t you remember what just happened?”
“Huh? Oh, the man! I’ve got to get him before he-“ He tried to get up, but he painfully grunted and shut his eyes closed when he leaned forward. He grabbed his stomach and hot tears started rolling down his cheeks.
“No, don’t move.” Kacey slowly lowered him and put his hand down.
“But what about that guy?”
Kacey looked to the floor. “He got away." She looked back up at Joe. "But don’t worry about him. You need to worry about yourself right now.”
A confused look sprouted on his face. “Huh?”
“He shot you in the stomach.” Kacey said in a guilty whisper.
“Oh.” He tried to look at his stomach. “Ow!”
“I said don’t move!” Kacey looked around for something soft and took off her jacket. She folded it up and put it under his head.
“An ambulance is coming for you. But, for now, you need to get some rest.”
“Got it……..” he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Girls were still screaming very loudly, all of them scared. Kacey figured she should tell them how Joe was doing with the microphone.
Kacey whispered into the microphone, so as to not wake up Joe. “Hey, guys?”
All of the girls looked at Kacey.
“Ummm….Joe’s okay….sort of. He’s still alive, don’t worry, his pulse is strong. But, he’s been badly hit in the stomach. All of you have to stay really quiet so he can get some rest, got it?”
            All of the girls suddenly quieted.
            “Oh, and Diana, come up here.” Kacey needed a friend right now. “Clear a path for her.”
            She saw a path forming in the crowd and Kacey shuddered. Finally, Diana reached the stage. Kacey grabbed Diana’s hand and pulled her up.
            “Hi.” Kacey stared at the floor, wondering what to say.
            “Hey, cheer up. Like you said, he’s okay.”
            “Yeah…..” Kacey looked toward the crowd, “but the man got away.”
            “Big deal. Someone’s bound to find him someday.” Diana put a reassuring hand on Kacey’s shoulder.
            “Yeah. I guess you’re right. Can you look over Joe? I have to go check on Nick.”
            “Sure. Good luck.”
            “Thanks. After all of this, I think I’ll need it.” Kacey looked back at Diana as she walked away. She was kneeling over Joe’s face, softly stroking his arm, and feeling his pulse every now and then.
            On her way backstage, Kevin came up to her.
            “Here’s your phone back.” He handed her the phone. “An ambulance should be here in about 5 minutes.” Kevin put his hand on her shoulder. “Thanks.”
            “Your welcome.” Kacey gave him a half-smile, but it quickly disappeared. Her eyes went from sparkling to watery, and she whispered “Sorry.” Just as she said it, she briskly walked past him; avoiding his eyes as best she could.
            Once she had passed Kevin, she ran backstage. She found Nick pacing, apparently thinking very hard.
            “Hey.” Kacey tried to seem calm.
            “Yeah.” He kept pacing, not acknowledging her very well.
            “So……….what’s up?”
            He stopped pacing to talk. “Oh, nothing much…………..except my brother just got shot!!” Nick sighed and kept pacing. 
            “He’s okay!”
            “Yeah, no thanks to me!”
            “It’s not your fault!” All calmness disappeared.
            “You don’t think I already know that?! Besides, that’s not what I meant.”
            “Then what did you mean?!”
            Nick sighed again and looked at her, “I just left. I knew what was happening and I left. I didn’t even help to make sure he was okay. I just ran….”
            “But that’s okay! You were overwhelmed! You couldn’t help it!” Kacey looked around as if she could find something else to say in the corners.
            “But Kevin probably was, too! And what about you?!”
            “Well…………… Some people's emotions can be put aside easier than others."
            “Yeah, I put my emotions in the way of saving my brother……..see how selfish I am?!”
            “Look at what you’re doing! You’re making him feel worse about himself! What a great job you did! First, you lead a potential murderer and money snatcher to your dream band, almost killing one of its members. And now, you’ve made one of his brothers feel like the pile of a crap that you are!”
Kacey stared at him and yelled “It wasn’t you it was ME!!!”
“What are you talking about?! YOU weren’t the one that ran away when your brother needed your help the most!”
“Yeah, but YOU weren’t the one who lead the man here in the first place!” she sniffed, feeling the tears coming on, but forcing them back. “The man came up to me and asked for all of my money. My friend started getting her money out, but I ran! I chose to run this way! I decided to potentially put you guys in danger! I’m the one who caused Joe to get shot! It’s all my fault!!!” She ran farther backstage and into the storage area and sat on a crate.
She sobbed into her hands and thought to herself. “I was right! It was me! If I hadn’t run this way, everything would’ve been fine! Joe wouldn’t have the chance of dying, Nick wouldn’t hate himself, and I wouldn’t be here right now bawling on a crate in a storage room. This is all my fault. I don’t see why I shouldn’t be shot in the stomach for all I’ve done! For all I and anyone else cares, I should be!” She heard some shuffling ahead of her and looked up, her vision distorted from her watery eyes.
It was Nick. Kacey looked away, obviously trying to ignore him. Her mascara was running, her skirt was ripped, and her shirt was wrinkled; she was a complete mess.
“Hey.” he sat down on the crate.
Kacey sighed. “What do you want?” her voice cracked.
“Well, I just wanted to say……….I’m sorry.”
“What for? It’s not like you did anything.” Kacey was still looking away.
“Yeah, but……………” Nick stopped. He couldn’t think of anything to say.
“But what?” he stared at his hands.
“But you wouldn't be sitting her if I hadn't said anything stpuid.”
She turned to look at him. His eyes were begging her to forgive him. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. This was the second time tonight she was speechless.
“I forgive you.” she managed to say. “And I’m sorry. I overreacted way too much. Forgive me?”
“Forgiven.” He looked deeper into her eyes.
“Wow. He’s such a nice guy. He’s understanding, he’s nice, he can sure charm a girl, and he’s….he’s……..he’s perfect.”
“Hey, you haven’t told me your name yet.”
“Kacey.”
“Nick.”
“Yeah, I kinda figured that.” They both smiled.
Kacey looked left and right. There was no one there, and no one was coming.
“Well, what now?” Kacey wondered.
“Isn’t this one of those moments when a woman would say “Kiss me you fool!” and they’d start kissing?! ……………………I hope so.” Kacey smiled wider in her mind.
“Isn’t this like one of those movies were the woman would say “Kiss me you fool!” and then they’d kiss?! Why isn’t she calling me a fool?!” Nick was starting to feel apprehensive.
“Wait a second…” Nick was thinking hard.
Kacey’s thoughts lightened. “Come on, what?!”
“Where are the people backstage?!”
“Let’s go look for them!” Kacey stood up to leave when she heard grunting and moving in the back. She jumped.
“What was that?” She said slowly
Nick looked relieved. “I think I have a pretty good idea.” He jumped over crates and sound equipment to where the sound came from.
Kacey slowly followed, afraid what she might see.
It was 10 men blindfolded, hands tied behind their back, and their mouths duct-taped. Their eyes both widened and Nick bent down to tear the duct tape off of one man’s mouth. The man kicked Nick’s shin hard, and Nick fell.
“Aah!” He yelled. “Rob, it’s me!” He rubbed his shin and winced.
“Nick?!” Rob smiled. “Nick! Get me out of all this!”
Nick took a pocketknife out of his jacket and flipped the blade out.
“You carry a pocketknife?” Kacey’s eyebrows rose.
“It's those plastic cases. You'd have to be superman to get them open. I didn't think it would have any other use than that, but, apparently, I was wrong.”  He started cutting through the ropes. Once Rob was free, he untied the blindfold.
He told the story of how 4 men came and tied all of them up. He asked what happened with them.
Nick told him their story, and occasionally tried to swallow the lump that built in his throat.
Rob looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked back up again, his eyes sad. “I’m sorry. I-“
“No, man! It’s okay! We’re not dropping you! You’re the best bodyguard we’ve ever had!”
“You mean it?” he smiled.
“Of course!!” Nick smiled, and Kacey smiled, too.
“Oh, no!” Nick got up again, his smile disappeared as fast as it came, a worried face came back to haunt him once again.
“What now?” Kacey got up and grabbed Nick’s arm.
“Where’s everyone else?! Hello?! My family?! What happened to them?!"
Rob got up. “I got them away fast enough for them to run to the tour bus. They’re hiding there right now. They’re probably scared out of their wits.”
“I’ll finish untying these guys, and you go tell them what’s happened.” Nick bent down to start cutting the ropes.
“No. I can’t leave you again.” Rob stood firm.
“Rob, the man’s gone. There’s no one here anymore. You can go!” Nick gestured toward the door.
Rob looked hesitant. “Ok, fine. But if there’s another problem, you come running straight to me, got it?”
“Yeah. And there won’t be one.” Nick reassured him.
At that, Rob left as Nick quickly untied all of the men. Kacey removed the duct tape and blindfolds.
They both got up and looked at each other.
“We should see what’s going on out there.” Nick said.