"What is something you have done that not a lot of people know about and nobody believes when you tell them?"

Thirty-four year old Sarah Parker looked away from the road and looked down at the radio in her black, Kia Optima as the DJ's question came across the airwaves.  She'd just switched stations, (the one she had been listening to had gone to commercial break) her finger hesitating over the ‘seek' button and about to change stations again, when the first call was taken.  Deciding to listen to what people had to say she put her hand back on the steering wheel and listened. 

"Jane, you're on the air." The DJ said.

"Yes, hello?" A woman's voice came on the radio.  "Can you hear me?  Am I on?"

Sarah rolled her eyes again and shook her head.  "Yes, Jane, you're on the air." She muttered under her breath as she looked over her shoulder and changed lanes.

"Yes, you're on the air." The DJ said, echoing Sarah.  "What's something you've done that not a lot of people know about and nobody believes when you tell them?"

"Well..." Jane hesitated.  "I...in college I pretended to be a guy to win a contest."

Sarah laughed out loud.  The DJ laughed as well and asked Jane to elaborate. The girl explained that she had really wanted to win a pair of Super Bowl tickets for her boyfriend at the time and the local television station in her hometown had a contest for them but you had to be a guy to enter. 

"Did you win the tickets?" The DJ asked.

"Yep." Jane replied.

"Alright, John." The DJ said, switching callers.  "You're on."

"I've been in an adult movie." John confessed.

The DJ had a field day with that one, wanting to get all the details he could on the radio from John about his stint as an adult film start.  Sarah was about to change the station when the DJ finally switched to another caller.  She continued to laugh at the crazy things that people were calling in about: one guy called in and admitted he had dated a woman thirty years older than he was, another guy called in to say he had trained to be an Olympic figure skater when he was younger, and Amber called in to say she had written a novel that nobody knew about because she had used a pen name.  

Sarah pulled her bottom lip between her teeth in thought--debating whether or not she should call in.  She had a confession that would trump everyone else's, but did she have the time to call in?  She looked at the clock on the dashboard, then at her watch (just to check to make sure the dashboard clock was right) and tapped her fingers against the steering wheel.  "Oh, what the heck!" She finally exclaimed outloud.  She reached over to the passenger seat and into her purse.  She didn't know what the prize was--they hadn't said even if there was a prize, the DJ could have just been bored for all she knew-but she knew she was going to win.  Nobody ever believed her when she told them this story. 

Searching for her cell phone as she continued driving, Sarah pulled out her I-phone a few seconds later.  Making sure it was synced to her Bluetooth she dialed the number to the radio station and waited. 

It was busy.

She hung up and dialed again.

Again it was busy. 

Third time's the charm, right?  Sarah thought as she dialed the number one more time. 

"Hello?" An unfamiliar male voice came over the line. 

"Uhm, hi." Sarah said, a nervous sense of excitement filling her.  She had only called in to a radio station one other time in her life and that had been what had lead to the events that she was now about to confess to.  "I, uh...I have something that people never believe that I've done."

The producer asked her what her story was.  Sarah gave him the details-her earlier thought about winning the contest validated over the fact that even he didn't believe her.

"Are you for real?" The guy asked with a chuckle.

"Completely." Sarah assured him as she changed lanes again and exited the freeway. 

"Okay, hold on." The guy told her.  "We'll get you on as soon as this commercial break is over.  Can you hold for a few minutes?"

"Uhm..." Sarah pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she followed the flow of traffic into the front entrance of the university where she worked.  "Sure." She said, following the road through campus.  "As long as it doesn't take too long.  I have a class to teach in about..." she looked at the clock on the dashboard again.  "Thirty minutes."  She was going to have to give up her prep time but that was okay.  They were having the midterm exam today so she could prep for her later classes while this one took the test.  The producer assured her it wouldn't take that long and Sarah was put on hold.  She continued to wind her way through campus until she reached the faculty parking lot closest to the Education building.  Pulling into a spot, Sarah put her car into park, turned off the engine and sat-waiting to be put on the radio with the DJ. 

As the minutes ticked by, her mind wandered--memories coming back clear and crisp as if they had happened just last week instead of six years ago...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2004:

"What is something you've never done that people are shocked to find out about you?"

Sarah stopped in her radio station surfing to hear what people's answers would be to the question that had just been asked.  She reached over and turned the radio up slightly as she sat in her car, stuck in traffic on her way to class. Three more weeks. She thought.  Only three more weeks left of this stupid class.  She sighed, wishing she were still in bed instead of sitting in traffic.  It's summer vacation.  I should be sleeping...not sitting in traffic, on my way to school.  Sarah rolled her eyes, questioning her decision to start her Master's Degree a few weeks ago.  She had graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education three years ago and has been teaching second grade ever since but she had decided it was time to start working on her graduate degree so she could continue to move forward towards her ultimate goal of being a professor.  She wanted to be an education professor and the next step was getting her Master's.  Which necessitated taking classes during the summer. 

"Melissa," One of the morning show DJs interrupted Sarah's thoughts.  "You're up."

"Hi." Melissa giggled.  "I love you guys.  I listen to your show every morning."

"Thanks, Melissa." The DJ said.  "What's your answer to the question?"

"I've never gone skiing." Melissa admitted.

"How long have you lived here in Colorado?" The DJ asked.

"Ten years." Melissa answered.

"Okay, thanks, Melissa.  Jonie.  You're up.  What's something you've never done that people are shocked to find out about?"

"I've never let my daughter spend the night away from home." Jonie admitted. 

Sarah lifted her brows in surprise at that one.  "Never let her spend the night anywhere?" She asked Jonie, though the woman couldn't hear her.  "That poor kid." Sarah lamented.

The DJs echoed Sarah's thoughts then moved on to the next caller.  "Paul, you're on."

"Hi guys." Paul said.  "I've never seen the ocean."

Sarah rolled her eyes as she reached for her phone.  "Okay.  I've totally got this." She said aloud.  Dialing the number for the radio station as the traffic continued to crawl along towards her exit, she put the phone to her ear and waited.  After only a few rings the call was picked up and Sarah found herself talking to one of the producers.  They screened her call, then told her to turn her radio off to avoid feedback when she was put through to the DJs.  Sarah waited, nervous about actually confessing her secret on the radio.  Oh my gosh.  She thought with a nervous laugh.  I can't believe I'm doing this.  Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my-

"Sarah?"

"Yeah?" She asked, stupidly as the DJ's familiar voice called her name. 

"What's your confession?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, uhm..." she hesitated, laughing nervously again as she looked over her shoulder and changed lanes.  "Well, I'm...twenty-eight and I've never been kissed."  She said as she exited the freeway.

There was no response from the DJ and the line was so quiet for so long that Sarah wondered if the call had been dropped.  "Hello?" She asked with another nervous laugh as she drove into the main entrance of the college and wound her way through campus to the building where her class was held.  "Can you hear me? Am I still on?"

"Never been kissed?!" The DJ exclaimed, clearly not expecting her answer.

"Nope." Sarah answered.

"Wait, you're twenty-eight years old and you've never been kissed?  Ever?" This question came from a second person who was in the studio.  Was there a guest on today? She wondered.  She didn't remember hearing the DJ introduce anybody else as being there with him today.  Who the hell did I just confess to never being kissed to?  She questioned, suddenly feeling extremely nervous and questioning whether or not this had been such a great idea.  I don't even know what the hell this contest is for!  

"Are you serious?" The DJ asked with a laugh, pulling her from her thoughts.  "Is this a joke?" He questioned. "What about prom?"

"My date was extremely shy." Sarah answered with a laugh of her own and a roll of her eyes.  She'd rather not think about the disaster that was her Senior Prom.  That was a story all on its own and one left for another day and a different contest she was sure to win.

"What about New Year's Eve?" The DJ questioned with the unmistakable tone of disbelief in his voice that everyone got when she confessed to never being kissed.

"I've always spent New Year's Eve with my parents." Sarah told him as she turned into the parking lot closest to her building on campus and into a parking space.

"Mistletoe on Christmas?" The yet unidentified second person in the studio asked her.  This second voice sounded strangely familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on who it was.  She knew it was someone famous and she was kind of freaking out over the fact that she had just told a famous musician/celebrity her biggest secret.    

"Only been kissed on the cheek." She finally said in answer as she gathered her purse and book bag and got out of her car. 

"Are you saving yourself?" The second voice asked her as she locked her car and began walked towards the building.

Sarah was a little taken aback at that question.  "No." Sarah shook her head.  "It's more a, uh..." What's a good way to explain it?  She thought.  "A lack of opportunity." She finally replied with a laugh as she continued to walk across the parking lot.

"Wow." The DJ said.

"Yeah," whoever it was that was in the studio with the DJ this morning said.  Both men's voices giving away their shock and disbelief.  "I don't..." the second guy chuckled.  "I don't know what to say to that one."

"Alright, Sarah." The DJ said.  "Hang on the line for a moment and Dan will take down your information.  We'll give you a call later this morning if you won."

"Okay." Sarah said. She waited then spoke with Dan again-the guy she assumed had originally answered her call and put her through to the DJ.  She gave him her phone number and he told her what the DJ had said: they would call her if she won.  Before she could ask what the contest was for, Dan ended the call.  "Thanks, Dan." Sarah muttered under her breath as she walked up the stairs and into the building.  Putting her phone on vibrate as she walked down the hallway, Sarah walked and into her classroom and sat down.  Her professor walked in moments later and began his lecture on research on investigative math and it's affect on test scores but Sarah was completely distracted: watching the clock move slowly on the wall, constantly checking her cell phone to make sure she hadn't missed a call, and wondering how long it would take for it to be "later" so she would know whether or not she had won.

Morning shows usually end by nine, don't they?  She thought, checking the time again: 8:50.  So if I won they'll call me before nine.

Nine o'clock came and Sarah frowned as she looked down at her cell phone that stubbornly refused to ring.  By 9:15 she had given up hope that she had won.  You would think that having never kissed by anyone would be worth something!  She sighed as she sunk down in her chair and forced herself to pay attention to her professor.  Since she obviously hadn't won, she needed to start listening to the lecture. 

Ten minutes later--right in the middle of her professor explaining the bias involved in the studies to the class--Sarah jumped in her chair as her phone suddenly vibrated from its place on her desk.  She quickly grabbed it, stood up and ran out of the classroom completely ignoring the surprised looks that everyone--including the professor--was giving her.

"Hello?" She answered breathlessly once she was outside the classroom.  She hurried around the corner and leaned back against the wall.

"Is this Sarah?" The DJ's voice that she remembered from earlier asked her.

"Yes." She replied, her heart beginning to flutter nervously in her chest.  Did I win?  She wanted to ask.  You're calling me back.  Does that mean I won?!

"The Sarah that's never been kissed?" He asked.

"Yes!"  She exclaimed, a grin spreading across her face as she straightened and stood up. 

"How would you like to win?" The DJ asked her.

"Oh my gosh!" She replied with an excited giggle.  "I would love to win!  Did I win?!"

"You won!" The DJ laughed as he congratulated her.

"Oh my gosh, that's amazing!!" She laughed.  "Finally, it's all worth something!" The DJ laughed with her.  "What did I win?"

"Tickets and meet and greet passes to JC Chasez's Schizophrenic tour on Friday night." The DJ told her.

Sarah's jaw dropped and she had to lean back against the wall to keep herself from falling completely to the ground.  The reason that second voice on the phone had sounded so familiar finally dawning on her.  She blinked a few times and shook her head in disbelief.  "Are you serious?" She questioned.  She had confessed to never being kissed to the guy she had had a crush on since she was fifteen?!  She lifted her free hand and covered her eyes, biting back the embarrassed groan that wanted to escape. 

"We'll have the tickets waiting for you at will call that night." The DJ told her.  "Do you want us to help set you up on a date?" He joked.

"No." Sarah said, feeling a little sick to her stomach.  I can't believe my luck.   She thought.  If it had been any other reason she would have been ecstatic at having won the tickets.  JC had been her favorite member of N SYNC from the time she had purchased their first CD and had fallen in love with the five-part harmonies the group became world famous for.  His dark hair, blue eyes, incredible singing voice, sense of humor, and adorable smile had captured her teenage heart and she had idolized him.  If she had won the tickets via random drawing she would have been jumping up and down in excitement at the chance to actually meet the man she had dreamed of one day meeting but now she was just embarrassed and wanted to curl up in the corner and die.  She was going to meet him and he was going to know the reason why she was there.  He had heard her confess to never being kissed.  He was going to know now that there was something wrong with her and all chances she had of pretending to be like any other normal twenty-eight year old had gone right out the window.  So much for making a good first impression.  She thought wryly with a disgusted roll of her eyes. 

The DJ talked with her for a few more minutes and then Sarah ended the call.  With a sigh she closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the wall.  Finally realizing there was nothing she could do to change the past--and hoping that he would forget all about the crazy girl that had called in to the radio with her ridiculous confession by Friday night--Sarah straightened, squared her shoulders and walked back into the classroom she had run out of minutes before.  It is what it is.  She thought to herself as she sat back down at her desk and resumed listening to her professor.  It is what it is.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I can't believe you won tickets and passes to meet JC!"

Sarah chuckled as her best friend Lindsey bounced excitedly in the passenger seat of Sarah's car on Friday as they drove toward the concert venue.  When she had called Lindsey after school yesterday to tell her about the contest she had won, and did she want to come with Sarah to the concert, Lindsey had been ecstatic--excitedly anticipating meeting JC and generally acting the way Sarah should be acting, and wanted to be acting except she couldn't.  She still couldn't shake off the fact that JC Chasez now knew that she was socially stunted.  Sarah told herself over and over that there was no reason to be so hard on herself over the fact that she had never been kissed--it was just a kiss for crying out loud!  How exciting and special could it really be?!--truth was she hated that she hadn't kissed anyone, and felt like she was some kind of freak or social reject because of it.  What twenty-eight year old hadn't been kissed at some point in their life? 

Oh, that would be me.  Sarah thought with a roll of her eyes.  Most of her friends had been having sex at fourteen.  How had she turned twenty-eight without kissing someone?!

"Aren't you excited?" Lindsey asked, pulling Sarah from her thoughts.  "In just under an hour we're going to actually get to meet JC Chasez!  Ahhhh!" Lindsey exclaimed, screaming out in excitement.  "Get excited!" She demanded with a laugh as she reached over and shook Sarah slightly. 

"I am excited!" Sarah replied, forcing herself to smile and act excited. 

"Liar." Lindsey said, calling her bluff and Sarah turned to glare at her friend for a second before looking back at the road.  "Don't give me that look, Missy." Lindsey said, pointing a finger at her.  "We've known each other since high school.  I know when you're lying to me." 

Sarah sighed. "He's going to think I'm an idiot, Linds." She confessed.

"No he's not." Lindsey disagreed with a shake of her head, her chocolate brown ponytail swishing back and forth.

"He knows why I won the tickets!" Sarah reminded her friend as she combed her fingers through her blonde curls and then rested her elbow up on the window.  "He's going to look at me funny and think there's something wrong with me and--"

"And there go all your chances at marrying him and having his children?" Lindsey interrupted teasingingly.

"Shut up." Sarah replied with a laugh and a roll of her eyes, even though she felt her cheeks warm slightly.  She put her left hand on the steering wheel as she reached over and slapped Lindsey playfully with her right. So what if she still harbored those teenage crush fantasies about the guy?  So what if she still secretly believed that one day they were going to get married and she was going to be Mrs. JC Chasez?  So what if she feared that the reason she had never been kissed was because subconsciously she was holding out--secretly hoping that she would one day meet JC, and what Lindsey had said would become reality?  There was nothing wrong with having hopes and dreams. Sarah told herself. Right?

"Come on!" Lindsey continued.  "Get excited!  And stop thinking and worrying about it.  He probably doesn't even remember talking to you."

"Thanks." Sarah replied sarcastically--feeling more than a little let down at the thought of JC not remembering who she was or that they had talked yesterday on the radio.  "That makes me feel so much better, Linds."

Lindsey just chuckled and silence filled the car as they drove the last couple miles to the venue.  The concert was being held at one of the smaller arenas in town which Sarah felt was a shame.  She knew he wasn't big enough on his own to sell out one of the larger venues and it made her sad.  She had always felt that JC had been the one with the true talent in the group.  Justin had the star quality sure, but JC had so much more.  The tone, range, and quality of his voice; the ability he had of writing and putting his thoughts and emotions so perfectly into song; and the vision and brilliance had had when it came to producing and putting together the perfect track were all wrapped up into the gorgeous package that was JC Chasez.   Sarah melted every time she heard his voice and had to admit-as embarrassed as she was over him knowing her biggest secret--she was starting to get nervous about meeting him.  She hoped and prayed that she would be able to act cool, calm, and collected and as much like the mature twenty-eight year old she was instead of the bouncing, giggling, ready-to-scream-at-any-moment fifteen year old she wanted to be.  With any hope, Lindsey would be right: he wouldn't remember her and they would be able to meet each other with no pretenses or previous judgments getting in the way.

The girls finally parked and began walking towards the arena.  Sarah laughed as Lindsey all but bounced the entire way up to the door.  Sarah gave her name to the woman at the "Will Call" desk and, after showing her ID, was given a white envelope containing two tickets to the show and two Meet and Greet passes.  The woman gave the girls directions to the room where the Meet and Greet was going to be taking place and Sarah and Lindsey made their way down the hall. 

"What do you think this thing is going to be like?" Lindsey asked as they made their way to the designated room.

"I have no idea." Sarah replied with a shake of her head, trying desperately to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, and the nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach.  She always got this way when she was extremely nervous about something.

"Are you okay?" Lindsey asked with a chuckle.  "You look like you're about to throw up."

"I am." Sarah nodded. 

"Stop stressing out about this." Lindsey said as she grabbed a hold of Sarah's arm and pulled her close.  "Nothing to be nervous about." She stated confidently.  "A quick hello, a handshake, a ‘nice to meet you, thank you for coming,' an autograph, and a picture and it'll be over."

"That's all?" Sarah asked in disappointment, her bottom lip turning out in a pout.

Lindsey laughed.  "What more do you want?" She asked Sarah.  "I don't think you can handle more than that right now." She teased. 

"Yeah, you're right." Sarah laughed.  She took a deep breath as they approached the Meet and Greet room and got in line behind the rest of the fans who were lucky enough to get tickets to this little get together.  "Anymore and I'm afraid of what will come out of my mouth.  You know how I am when I get nervous-I say things I shouldn't."

Lindsey laughed.  "As long as you don't scream out the old, ‘I want to have your children,' line, I think we'll be okay.  You'll see." She said, reassuring Sarah once again.  "No big deal."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Sarah?" JC said, looking up from the CD jacket Sarah had slid across the table for him to autograph when it became her turn to talk to him and she had given him her name.  She nodded, unable to say anything as those incredible blue eyes of his met hers.  She swallowed nervously.  "Are you the Sarah from the radio contest yesterday?" He asked, looking at her in question.

Sarah felt her jaw drop slightly as she looked at him in surprise.  He did remember who she was.  She nodded.  "Y-yes." She squeaked out--mentally kicking herself.  Calm, cool, collected.  She reminded herself.  Calm, cool, collected...  She watched as JC sat back in his chair-the line behind her halting as he paused in the routine that Sarah was sure had become old hat to him after doing so many of these events over the years.  His eyes gave her the once over, then the twice over, and Sarah's heart began beating rapidly in her chest wondering what he was thinking. 

"Be honest." He finally said, leaning back over the table towards her.  Sarah looked at him, waiting for him to continue.  "You've been kissed before.  Right?  I mean, that was all just a joke to win the tickets, right?"  He asked.  Sarah shook her head, unable to find her voice as he looked at her intently.  "You've really and truly, honestly, never been kissed?" He asked incredulously.  Sarah shook her head again.   He looked at her for a moment longer then his eyes dropped, running over her again.  When his eyes once more met hers he shook his head.  "That just blows my mind." He muttered under his breath as he looked down at the CD jacket and quickly scrawled his signature across the front of it.

"Excuse me?" Sarah asked, leaning toward him slightly, not sure she had heard him correctly.

JC looked up as he handed the jacket back to her.  Their fingers brushed momentarily and Sarah felt a giddy sense of excitement go through her at the contact.  "I find it very hard to believe that someone as pretty as you has never been kissed." He told her.  "It's a shame."

Sarah felt her cheeks flame and cursed the fact that she had always been such an easy blusher.  He winked at her and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.  "Thank you." She said both for the compliment and for the autograph. 

He nodded.  "I hope you enjoy the show." He said with a smile and another intense look.  Sarah stood completely transfixed and rooted in place until she felt someone tugging on her arm--moving her out of the way of the line.  JC went back to flashing that million dollar smile of his to each of the fans in line and signing the memorabilia they handed him as Sarah allowed Lindsey to pull her over to the couple of chairs that had been set up against one wall. 

"Oh my heck!" Lindsey exclaimed quietly, so as not to attract too much attention to them.  "Oh my heck!  You two totally had a moment back there!  Oh my heck! What was that?  What happened?"

Sarah let out a stunned laugh as she looked down at the autographed CD jacket in her hand--her thumb tracing over the signature that was now scrawled across his picture-then up at Lindsey.  "He knew who I was." She said.  "He looked at me, and then told me he couldn't believe that someone as pretty as me has never been kissed, and that it was a shame."  Sarah finally let go an excited squeal/giggle that would have made her fifteen year old self proud.  "He thinks I'm pretty!" She exclaimed.

Lindsey joined her in her excited fangirl moment then they turned and watched JC as he greeted and talked with the rest of the people in the line.  Every so often when he looked up, Sarah felt as if their eyes met and the smile that had made a permanent home on her face since talking with the man widened slightly.  She still couldn't get over the fact that he had told her she was pretty.  JC Chasez--the man who had been around the world and back again and had dated beautiful actresses and models over the last couple years-thought she was pretty!  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she watched him for another couple minutes. 

"Wanna go get something quick to eat before the concert?" Lindsey asked, pulling Sarah from her thoughts.  Sarah looked over at her friend who was looking down at her watch.  Lindsey lifted her head to look at Sarah.   "We've got like two hours before the concert is supposed to start and I'm starving." Lindsey said.

"Sure." Sarah smiled and nodded.  "Let's go get something to eat." She said as she stood.

Lindsey stood as well and the girls linked arms as they walked out of the room.  "Plus it'll give us time to talk about what just happened between you two without everyone else listening in." Lindsey confided in a whisper as they walked back out towards the front door of the arena. Sarah laughed as they walked outside and began walking towards the cluster of fast food restaurants that were on the corner across from the arena.  "This is totally going down in the fangirl moments hall of fame record books and we need to thoroughly discuss and dissect everything that was said."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"How're you guys doing tonight?"

Sarah and Lindsey yelled out, along with the rest of the crowd, at JC's answer.  He laughed at the response he got as he picked up a bottle of water from where it was sitting on a stool set off to one side of the stage and took a sip. 

"I want to thank you all for coming out tonight." He said, screwing the top back on the bottle and wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.  "It means so much to me that you all are here right now."

"I love you JC!" Someone in the audience screamed out.

He chuckled.  "I love you, too!" He called back, earning himself a cheer from the direction the voice had come from.  He laughed.  "Alright, before I do another song I want to ask you guys a question." He said, walking around up on the stage.  "How many of you guys listen to 95.7, Kiss FM, here in Denver?" He asked.

A cheer went up from the crowd and Sarah's eyes went wide, her heart beginning to pound.  Lindsey turned to look at her, a grin spreading across her face a second before she turned her eyes back to the stage.  Sarah swallowed, praying that this line of questioning wasn't going to go in the direction she feared it was.

"How many of you all were listening yesterday when I was on?" JC asked.

Again, another cheer erupted, showing the support that the fans gave him. 

"Thank you." JC said, sincerely.  "Now, how many of you tried to call in to win tickets?"

Another cheer and Sarah felt her knees wobble slightly.  She had to sit down. 

"What are you doing?" Lindsey asked, looking at her in concern. 

"Just need to sit down." Sarah said, waving her off.  She leaned her elbows on her thighs and covered her face with her hands.  "Please don't, please don't, please don't." She pled, talking quietly to herself but her attempts at telepathy failed as JC continued.

"They had a contest yesterday and I got to help pick the winner." He said. 

Lindsey squealed excited beside her and reached over--gripping Sarah's shoulder and shaking her.  Sarah brushed of her friend's hand and tried to concentrate on her breathing.  She was going to throw up.  Why was he doing this?  Why was he calling her out?  Calling in to the radio to confess her secret was one thing-the radio was fairly anonymous, all she had given was her first name and it was a pretty common first name so there was little chance that people would figure out it had been her--but this was completely different.  Everyone was going to know who she was now and that she had never been kissed. 

"Sarah?" JC's voice came over the sound system and Sarah feared for a moment she was going to pass out. 

Lindsey reached down and pulled on her arm, bouncing in her excitement.  "Stand up!"  Lindsey demanded.

"Sarah, where are you?" JC asked, putting a hand up to shield his eyes from the lights as he made a show of searching the audience in front of him.  The house lights came on and the crowd around her broke into conversation as everyone began looking around in curiosity. "Who's Sarah?"

"I don't know a Sarah, do you know a Sarah?"

"I heard her on the radio--she's never been kissed."

"Wasn't that the girl who's never been kissed?"

Sarah wanted to die.  She wanted to curl up into a little tiny ball and die.  Or better yet, a black hole could open up right now and swallow her whole.  That would be better.  Then she could just disappear for good.  She waited for the black hole to appear but nothing happened.

"I know you're here." JC called out.  "Come up here."

"Oh my heck!" Lindsey exclaimed.  "Come on, Sarah, stand up!"  Sarah felt the eyes of the people closest to them turn and look at her--realization dawning on their faces that she was the girl JC was calling out.  "Didn't you hear him?" Lindsey asked, finally succeeding in pulling Sarah to her feet.  "He wants you to go up there!"

"I can't." Sarah shook her head.  "I-I-I can't."

"Yes you can!" Lindsey replied as she turned her and began pushing her towards the aisle.

"Lindsey, I can't!" Sarah exclaimed, trying to resist her friend's pushing but it was no use.  Lindsey was stronger than she was.  "I'm going to throw up!" She stated, hoping that would stop Lindsey.  It didn't.  "Lindsey, stop!" She said as she was finally pushed out into the aisle.

And then everything went quiet and the world seemed to stop. 

Every eye in the arena turned to look at her as a spotlight was turned on, illuminating her where she stood. 

"There you are!" JC said with a grin as he looked at her from the stage.  "Come up here." He said, waving his hand-gesturing her to move forward.  Somehow, Sarah's feet began moving towards the stage, though she wasn't sure how. 

This has got to be a dream. She thought as she made her way towards the stage.  She reached over with one hand and pinched her other arm.  She felt the sting and her heart dropped.  This was not a dream. 

"I don't normally do this." JC said with a chuckle as the two security guys guarding the stairs to the stage let her pass.  Sarah put a shaking hand out on the railing and climbed the couple of stairs in front of her unsteadily.  "But..." he shrugged as Sarah finally stood up on stage with him.  "Come here." He said with a grin and a crook of one finger. 

Sarah swallowed and had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other so she wouldn't trip and fall and make an even bigger fool of herself in front of everyone.  In a few short steps she was standing next to JC--her heart about ready to beat right out of her chest. 

JC slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her up against him.  "This is, Sarah." He said, speaking into the microphone he held in his hand.  "Say hi." He said, putting the mic in front of her.

"Hi." Sarah squeaked out. 

"Tell everyone what you said to win the tickets yesterday." JC said.

Sarah shook her head, turning wide eyes to him.  Please don't make me do this.  She begged him silently.  Please...

JC smiled softly at her, as if he had heard her thoughts and gave her a squeeze as if trying to reassure her that it was going to be okay.  "This beautiful woman standing next to me," JC said, turning his attention back to the audience.  "Has never been kissed." He explained and the crowd gasped in shock.  Sarah cringed and felt her cheeks flame in embarrassment.  "And I for one think that is a damn shame." He said.  "What do you guys think?" He asked. 

A cheer went up from the audience and Sarah found herself once again praying for a black hole to magically appear.  I never should have called in yesterday.  She thought.   I knew it was a stupid idea.  I never should have done this.  I never-

"Do you want that to change, Sarah?" JC asked pulling her from her thoughts as he dropped his arm from around her shoulder and turned to face her.

The audience erupted and Sarah looked at him in shock--her eyes going wide.  "What?" She asked him, sure she had misheard him.  There was no way that JC Chasez was offering to kiss her.  No way!

"Do you want that to change?" He asked again, a spark of mischief in his blue eyes and a playful smile on his handsome face. 

"I-I-I..." She stuttered then stopped, shutting her mouth so she would stop sounding like a complete idiot. 

The crowd began chanting: "Kiss her!  Kiss her!  Kiss her!"

She watched as JC reached behind him--tucking the microphone into one of his back pockets.  He shushed the crowdas he stepped towards her.  She wrung her hands, wondering what to do.  Was she supposed to just stand there and let him kiss her?  Wasn't she supposed to turn her head to the side or something?  Did she have to do something once he did kiss her? He wasn't really going to kiss her, was he?  How could this be happening? This had to be a dream.

JC took another small step and lifted his hands to her face.  Sarah heard the excited squeals coming from the audience and felt like running.

Then his lips touched hers.

JC held her in place with his hands on her face as he tilted his head slightly to the side and pressed his lips against hers. Sarah's entire body was engulfed in tingles.  He moved his mouth over hers, coaxing her into kissing him back.  She did so, though she had no idea how she knew what to do.  She was going purely off of instinct here and she lifted her hands--wrapping her fingers around his wrists as she leaned closer to him.  She knew she would always remember this moment and found herself praying it would never end. 

But it did.

Before she knew it he pulled back and looked at her.  Their eyes met and he leaned down, placing another quick kiss to her lips before pulling back completely-hoots and screams and cheers from the crowd filling her ears.  He dropped his hands from her face and pulled the microphone out of his back pocket as he stepped away from her.  He began talking to the audience again, but Sarah didn't hear a word he said.  She was too busy trying to etch into her memory everything that had just happened: the look in his eyes, that adorable grin on his face, the feel of his hands on her face, the way his lips had felt against hers, that toe-curling tingling sensation that had completely consumed her as he had kissed her...

She knew it hadn't been anything special to him, but to her it had been absolutely perfect and she wanted to remember this feeling for the rest of her life. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2010:

"...Sarah on line two, you're on the radio.  Sarah?  Are you there?"

A voice in her ear startled her back to the present and Sarah shook her head, sitting up in her seat.  "Yeah." She said.  "Yeah, I'm here.  Can you hear me?" She asked. 

"There you are!" The DJ chuckled.  "What is something you have done that not a lot of people know about and nobody believes when you tell them?" He asked, reiterating the question and the reason she had called in this morning. 

Sarah cleared her throat, a smile spreading across her face as she thought back to the memories she had just relived then answered the question.  "My first kiss was with JC Chasez on stage at one of his concerts."