(April 2002)

The steady beat of the drums sounded throughout the arena.  The screams of the crowd didn’t distract her.  She had learned to tune them out long ago.  Instead, she focused on the music coming through her earpiece.  The end of the song was coming up, but the two guitarists were battling it out.  She grinned to herself while she kept a rumbling going, as each tried to outdo the other.  Seeming satisfied, the two finished, and Dylan looked back at her.  He nodded as she hit the final beat.

“Thank you New York!” he said, stepping up to the microphone.  He turned to look at the rest of the group.  “Until next time, later!”  She, Jeremy, and Brad waved along with Dylan.  Jeremy took his guitar pick between his fingers and snapped it out into the audience.  The four of them walked off of the stage.

“I swear to God, every time I hear you two start that -,” she began.  Security escorted them to a van that would take them to their hotel.

“Chill, Sam.”  Jeremy’s gaze was out the window as they left the venue.  “Check her out!  Luke, can we stop the van here?”

“You know there will be better at the hotel.  There always is,” Brad said. 

“Pigs!  You all are pigs,” she said.  She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back in the seat.

“Aw, you know that there are plenty of men waiting for you, too,” Dylan said with a grin, reaching over to pat her shoulder.

“One of these days when you guys decide to do your little guitar battle thing, I will walk off stage, and I bet Brad will be behind me.  Let you guys have your little moment.  What do you say Brad?”  She turned towards him, a smirk slowly spreading across her face.

“No, that’s the time when I’ll start my solo.  Everyone forgets the about the bass.  They can always hear the guitars, and they always hear the drums.”  Brad stuck his tongue out at her.

When they reached the hotel, they were again escorted by security to the floor where their rooms were.  She was just about to go into her room when she heard her manager’s voice.

“Samantha!  There’s a quick meeting in Jeremy’s room.”  She turned to look at him.  The group had had the same manager, Paul Freeson, since they started out.  He had treated well.

She sighed, pushing a stray strand of her dark hair behind her ear.  “Can’t I at least shower first?  We just finished a show Paul, in case you forgot.”

“Fifteen minutes?  Can you do that, or do you need more primping time?” he asked sarcastically.

“I can do it in ten.  Time me and I’ll prove it,” she replied, her eyes narrowing at the challenge.

He glanced down at his watch.  “Ready?  Go.” 

She hurried into her room, and headed straight for her bags on the extra bed.  She carelessly grabbed an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of addidas shorts and ran for the bathroom.

Throwing her sweaty clothes into a pile on the floor, she hopped into the shower, turning the water on full force.  She poured a lot of the hotel’s free shampoo onto her hand and worked it into a lather.  A few minutes later, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed two towels.  The first she put over her head turban style and the second she used to dry herself off.  She quickly put the clothes she had brought with on and glanced at herself quickly in the mirror.  Dark circles were forming under her eyes.  We need a break, she thought.  She then ran to Jeremy’s room, remembering to take a door key with her.

Pounding on the door, she yelled, “How much time do I have?”

Jeremy opened the door, grinning.  “You have a minute thirty left.  Congratulations, Sam.”  She entered the room and sat on the end of the bed.  The rest of the group was sprawled out all over the room.

“Okay people, your new video debuted at number one today on TRL,” Paul began.  He noticed Brad watching the TV, so he went over and took the remote.  With a click, it was off.

“So what?  TRL, big deal.  Isn’t that where all those pop groups hang out?” Jeremy asked, showing little concern.  He then glanced at Samantha.  “Don’t you watch that show?”

She felt a blush rise to her cheeks.  “What’s the big deal about that?  I like to keep track of what’s going on in the industry.”  She didn’t know why she constantly felt the need to defend that. 

“Don’t worry about that.  But it’s unheard of for a rock group to have their video do that well on the show.  Jeremy is right.  It is usually full of pop groups.  You guys have a great following.  Your shows almost always sell out.  But now with this added TRL audience, you will gain new fans.  Which is why you’ll be performing on the show the day after tomorrow.”

“What?  Why?  I thought we had a break until our show in Miami,” Dylan whined. 

“Well, this will shorten that break a little,” Paul tried to explain.  But the band wouldn’t have it.

“Won’t that be selling out?  MTV is like the home to pop.  Won’t our true fans accuse us of going pop?” Brad asked.

“Will Christina or Britney be there?” Jeremy asked.  Sam picked up a pillow and threw it at him.  He caught it and laughed.  “Excuse me for trying to make the best of this situation.”  Dylan and Brad laughed with him.

“You know you could kick either girls’ ass if you needed to, Sam,” Brad said.

“And you’re way hotter than both of them,” Dylan added.

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” she said seriously, before bursting out laughing.  “It is nice to hear, though.”

Paul watched with amusement the interactions among the band.  He couldn’t believe it had been five years since he had signed them.  They were fresh out of high school and had a raw sound.  It was something he hadn’t heard before.  That sound, along with their talent, was what made them so popular.

“Okay, now that your little discussion is over, can we get back to TRL here?  They want you to perform your new song, duh, but are there any other questions?  You will still get your break, but then we’re going to Miami for your last show.”  Paul looked at the group.  They looked so tired, and he knew they needed any chance for a break they got, but TRL was good exposure for them. 

“When are we going to decide what we’re playing in Miami?” Jeremy asked.

“You’re thinking a normal show, or something else?” Paul wanted to know.

“We were thinking something special,” Sam began.  She looked at her band mates as they nodded for her to continue.  “Like to showcase how far we’ve come, you know?”

“I hear what you’re saying.  Please continue.”

Paul listened as the four of them described what they wanted to do in Miami.  He liked what he was hearing.  He knew the group put on a good show, but their ideas for this last show amazed him.  It would be great.

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *         

“Today on TRL, a live performance from the group who’s latest single is flying up the charts, Jade is here.  Plus the battle at number one.  Will Jade beat out *NSYNC for a third day?” Carson Daly said, giving his intro into TRL.

Sam nervously walked around the green room.  When they started out the band, she had never anticipated being on MTV, let alone TRL.  Ever since the show had debuted, it had become a mecca for up and coming artists and established acts.  In fact, all of Jade’s videos had been on the show, but they had never gotten the reaction they had with this song. 

‘Breakout’ was rapidly rising up the Billboard Hot 100.  The single had been out for two weeks now, but the video was only out for 3 days.  3 days, and it had already been number one twice.

When they planned this video, they wanted to make an over-the-top action short.  The group had a great sense of humor, and they wanted to show it.  The plot of the video was quite simple – Dylan, the lead singer on this song, was trying to break out of jail to visit a girl.  Brad, Jeremy, and Sam were all accomplices in this task.  Every single joke about getting out of jail, from the food with files in it, to digging a hole with a spoon, was used.  They had had a great time making the video, which they knew would be their last for a while.

She paused in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection.  She truly looked like a rock star with the leather outfit she wore.  She had an unusual sense of style, varying from t-shirts and jeans to an outfit like she was wearing today.  The group usually picked out it’s own clothes, not really having a stylist. 

Her dark hair hung straight, while her eyes had their normal smoky look to them.  Her top was a black leather halter, with matching black pants.  As a drummer, she didn’t like to wear heavy tops, which caused her to get hotter.  Instead, she often wore tank tops, which showed her muscular arms from years of drumming.  On her left arm was her tattoo, which was a thin band that ran around her bicep.  It was a simple pattern of three lines that were interwoven among each other.   

The rest of the group was outfitted in what they liked to call their ‘rocker’ look.  Since this was MTV, they decided to look the part a little more.  A dark blue muscle tee with dark jeans accentuated Dylan’s dark features.  Brad’s bleached-blonde hair was quite spiky, and was set off by an orange shirt with khaki shorts.  Jeremy had a green long-sleeved shirt on, with brown leather pants that seemed to be the same color as his hair.

Sam was still looking at herself in the mirror, glancing at her exposed stomach.  This outfit wasn’t that different from her usual style, but she was wondering how it would look on MTV, where all those pop princesses bared skin.  Would she be compared to them?

Dylan came up from behind her, reaching his arms around her waist, tugging at the hem of the top.  “It needs to be higher, Sam, if you’re going to compete with Britney.”

She whirled her head around, glaring at him.  The rest of the band stared at the two, waiting to see what would happen.  “And just why would I want to compete with her?  Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you say I was hotter than her the other day?  Wouldn’t she be competing with me?”  Her eyes narrowed as she continued to glare at Dylan.

The corners of his mouth turned up in a smile, which could almost be called the heartthrob smile.  “And you’re looking hot again, today.”

“Oh, sweet talking won’t work today, Dylan.”  She sighed and turned to face the mirror once again.  “Seriously, are we selling out?  Is this outfit selling out?”

“Nah, this outfit makes you look sexy, and being sexy isn’t selling out,” Dylan said, stepping forward to lean his head on her shoulder.  He had grown up with this girl.  He had seen her when she first started to play piano, and when she got her first drum set.  He had watched her practice for hours on end to become the great drummer she was today.  But now, he was seeing this confidence she had built up slip a little, and he was worried.  He had seen it coming in the last few dates of the tour.  She covered it well, though.

“Sexy, huh?”  She smiled slowly.  “I suppose that’s right.  I just don’t know if this whole thing is happening at a good time.”

He began to rub one hand on her shoulder reassuringly.  “Everything happens for a reason.”

“Yeah, but we’re at the end of a major tour.  We’re about to have a break, and now our latest single debuts at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles.  Freaking number one.  This will just add up to more work and less rest for us.” 

She paused for a moment and looked at the reflection in front of her.  There was a time in her youth when the image of her and Dylan standing like this would make her year, but she knew it wasn’t meant to be.  She and him were just meant to be friends, best friends.  She was close to all of the guys in the band, but she had known Dylan the longest.  She trusted him with a lot, and not many people knew her the way he did.  She didn’t let a lot of people break through her tough exterior.

“We’ll get our rest.  There’s no way we’re continuing this tour anymore.  We all need this time to ourselves.  We’ve been living out of a bus for so long, I don’t know if I remember where my house is.”

She giggled.  Then she reached down the bottom of the halter.  She pushed it up, revealing more of her stomach.  Stepping out of Dylan’s embrace, she turned to face Jeremy and Brad.  “How would this look?” 

She grinned devilishly as she noticed their reactions.  “W-wow.  I think that would make people take notice,” Jeremy said.

“Yeah, uh, what he said,” Brad said.  The look on Dylan’s face was that of Brad’s and Jeremy’s, amazement.

She giggled uncontrollably as she pulled it back down to where it was supposed to be.  Smoothing it out, she then put her hands on her hips.  “Seriously, I work with a bunch of pigs.”  Her confidence had returned.  She made a mental note not to let anyone see her weak side again.  It wasn’t one she was happy showing.

A stagehand came back into the room, letting the band know that they were on after the next break.  Carson was going to interview them before they performed.

“I guess it’s time,” Brad said as the group walked towards the door.

“Time to show those pop acts that rock is back!” Jeremy agreed.  They paused by the photo booth, taking the obligatory pictures before reaching the back of the studio.  They all froze, a collective nervousness falling upon them.  Another stagehand gave them all handheld microphones.

“Please welcome our guests today, Jade!” Carson announced.  The audience erupted into applause and screams as the group walked out.  Carson scooted over from his spot, allowing the group to have room.

“Wow, what a reaction!” Carson said.  The audience quieted down.  “Thanks for being here today.”

“If you lose that, you know Alex will hunt you down,” Joey said, leaning back in his chair.  The group was gathered at Justin’s house for a barbeque celebrating the end of recording for their latest album.  It still had a bit of work to be done, mixing and such, but that would come easily.  It was scheduled to be released the second week in May.

“And I should be scared why?” JC asked.  He casually flipped through the pages of the latest Entertainment Weekly.

“Would you like to hear in great detail what I’d do if you lost my magazine, JC?  Because I’d be more than willing to tell you.”  Alex stood facing him, her hands on her hips.

Justin came up behind her, and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.  “He won’t lose it, Alex.  Besides, you can always go and buy another if he does, which he won’t.”  He handed her an unopened bag of chips.  “Can you put these in the bowl?”

Silently she nodded, walking over to the table where the food was.  “I suppose he won’t.  But was I right?  You do know who they are, don’t you?”

“He said he didn’t know who they are?  JC, you’ve been spending too much time in the studio,” Chris said.  He grabbed a handful of chips and began eating them.

“Sorry if I wanted this album to be done on time so we wouldn’t have to push the date back again, like we’ve done for the past two albums,” JC said defensively.

“He didn’t mean it like that,” Lance said, stepping in before an argument broke out.

“They’ve been around for as long as we have.  I’m just surprised you didn’t recognize their name, that’s all,” Chris explained.  JC shrugged, and went back to reading the interview.

They’ve sold out concerts in thirty minutes.  They have a loyal following and with each album continue to draw more fans.  And no, they’re not a boyband.  They’re Jade.  Their latest single has been rising up the charts faster than any rock song has done lately.  Amidst their latest tour, the group took time to sit down and chat a bit about their plans for the summer and beyond.

RS: Thanks for taking time out today.  Now, most of your fans know the history of your group, but for the readers out there who don’t, could you explain?

Dylan Hart, lead guitar: Well, we’ve known each other since junior high, but I met Sam when we were in kindergarten.  We all grew up together.

Jeremy Kash, guitar: I think it was our sophomore year when we decided to form a band.  Sam played drums for the school’s jazz band, and Brad play bass with them.  So, they had both played together before.

Samantha Williams, drums: Dylan came up to me one day after jazz band and asked if I wanted to come over and play drums with him and Jeremy, to just jam.  I did this from time to time with him, but then he asked if I would ask Brad to come, too.  He wanted a fuller sound, so we needed a bass.

JC paused here and smiled.  When *NSYNC was first starting, they wanted a fuller, more complete sound.  So they had gotten Lance to be the bass.  It was weird how Jade had done that, too.

Brad Ragan, bass: I remember that first day.  We played in Dylan’s garage until it was dark.  Then his dad told us that we should stop, otherwise some neighbor would call the cops.

DH: We continued to play three or four times a week, mostly covers of songs we’d like.  We’d play everything from Metallica to Pearl Jam to the Beatles. 

SW: We did this for the rest of the school year.  At the end of the year, there was a battle of the bands at a local bowling alley.  We figured, why not try that.  So, we decided to try writing our own songs.  I think the first original song we played was one that Dylan and I wrote.

JK: We didn’t win the competition.  We took second.  But the next year, we won.  We started to play more local gigs, and after one during our senior year, a guy came up to us and offered to sign us.

BR: He was with Virgin Records.  At first, we weren’t sure what to think.  Paul [Freeson] seemed cool and all, but we were still in high school.  Most of us had planned to go to college, but now we had the chance to make music. 

DH: After a lot of talking with each other and our parents, we decided to sign.  It was a tough decision, but it was worth it.  We released our first album a month we graduated in 1997.  Our first official gig was in our hometown, Miami, two weeks after our album was released.

Their first gig was a success.  This started their massive first tour.  It consisted mostly of dates at local colleges across the country.  While they were touring, they continued to write and record.  Not just Dylan and Samantha wrote.  The whole group wrote.  They released a second album in 1998.  This one went on to double the sales of the previous release.  The band was slowly gaining a following.

The second album, Elated, received much critical acclaim.  It was this album that won them their first of four Grammys.  They won best new artist that year. 

JC continued to read the article.  The more he read, the most he became interested in the group.  He began to realize why Alex liked the group so much. 

“Give me that!” Alex said, reaching for the remote held in Joey’s hands.  “I don’t want to miss the show!”

Joey smirked.  “Is it time for Passions?”

Alex returned the smirk.  “For your information, that was already on today.  Mandy and I watched it.  And it was another quality show, thank you for asking.  Now would you please turn on the TV if you won’t give me the remote?  I’d like to watch TRL.”

Chris’ eyebrows rose at this.  “Jade’s on today, aren’t they?”

She nodded.  “Yup.”

JC looked up from the magazine.  “They’re performing?”

Again, she nodded.  “Yeah.  Joey, puh-leeze?  Turn on the TV!”  She batted her eyelashes at him.

Joey sighed and turned the TV on.  He flipped through the channels, trying to find MTV.  “Justin, what channel is MTV?  You have so many damn channels with this dish.”

Justin reached over and took the remote from Joey.  He turned to MTV, where the number five video just finished playing.

“Please welcome our guests today, Jade!” TV Carson announced.

JC’s eyes were fixed on the group as they waded through the audience.

“Ow ow!” called Joey.  “Their drummer looks so hot in that outfit.”

“No kidding,” agreed Chris.  “Leather looks so nice.”

Meanwhile, JC said nothing, waiting for them to start the interview.

“Wow, what a reaction.  Thanks for being here today,” TV Carson said.

“Does it feel weird for you guys to be here on TRL?” Carson asked the group.

They all nodded.  “Never in our wildest dreams did we expect this from ‘Breakout.’  It’s surreal,” Jeremy replied.  The group was seated on four stools opposite where Carson stood.

“We love the song, and we are really glad that the fans like it, too,” Sam said.  As she spoke, there were a few catcalls coming from the audience, which caused her to blush.  She hadn’t expected that reaction.

“Now you guys seem to be taking over this pop-dominated countdown.  Are you hoping for a comeback for rock music?” Carson asked.

“Rock music never really went away.  It was always out there, but it had faded into the background when all these pop groups came over.  There were still rock artists on your countdown.  And if I remember correctly, Korn was the first group to have a video retired.  So it’s been there,” Dylan stated.

“It’s kinda like when the New Kids disbanded.  What were the next types of artists to come up?  Nirvana and Pearl Jam.  Music seems to be following this trend again,” Brad added.

“That’s true,” Carson said, obviously impressed with their answers.  He looked at the cue card before continuing.  “So, your final tour date is coming up in Miami.  The concert’s sold out, but you’re turning it into a live double album.  What all do you have planned for it?”

Jeremy grinned before answering.  “We’re not really gonna give away that much.  It’s not gonna be like the rest of our shows, though.  It’s gonna have a lot of surprises.”

“All right.  Well, we’re going to have a live performance of ‘Breakout’ coming up later in the show.  We have to take a commercial right now, but first we’ll leave you with some TRL Trivia,” Carson said.  He read the question and then they went to commercial.  He walked over to where the group was sitting.

He shook all of their hands.  “I’m glad your song made the countdown.  It brings more variety here.  I’m looking forward to your performance and concert.”

“Thanks, man,” Brad said.  “You got tickets?”  Carson nodded.  They shook hands one more time before the group walked over to the performance area.

“I’m nervous,” Sam whispered to Jeremy.  She was adjusting the drum set as he quietly tuned his guitar.

“Relax.  It’s going well.  The crowd likes us, and the guys seem to like you.”  His eyebrows wiggled mischievously as he grinned.

She made a face.  “Funny.”

He shrugged.  “Well, whatever.”  He gave her a half smile as he walked out to where his mike stand was set up.

After getting everything set the way she wanted it, she put her earpieces in.  A director had told the band that their performance would come at the very end of the show, as their video was number one yet again.  Carson stood to the side of the band, where he would introduce them.

“All right, for the third day straight at number one, here is Jade with ‘Breakout.’”  The audience erupted into applause again as Dylan began to strum the guitar and sing.

Yeah!  Yeah!

(Breakout by Foo Fighters)

The crowd once again erupted into cheers when the final note was hit.  The group looked at each other and grinned.  They knew they had put on a great performance.

JC stared at the TV in amazement.  He was mesmerized by the performance.  The group looked like they still truly enjoyed performing.

“Wow,” he breathed. 

Alex turned to look at him and grinned.  “You know, Justin got three tickets to their concert in a couple of weeks.  Joey was supposed to go, but he can’t now.  You wanna go?”

He nodded.  He couldn’t wait to see them live, especially Samantha.  Her performance amazed him.  There weren’t too many female drummers out there.  And she looked like one of the best.

“I’d love to.”

“I cannot believe the crowd,” Alex said as they got out of the car.  She, Justin, and JC had flown down to Miami that morning.  She was really excited for this concert.  Justin was happy that she was excited, and he was looking forward to the show, too. 

JC had been pretty quiet.  He had asked to borrow Alex’s Jade CDs, and had listened to them almost constantly up to the time that they left.  He didn’t know why he was so fascinated with this group.  He was slowly learning about the group, which caused him to admire them more.  He had heard so much about Samantha, as she was a highly respected drummer. 

The three of them, along with two bodyguards, began to walk towards the venue.  The show was sold out, but many other fans, who weren’t able to get tickets, had shown up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the group.  After their appearance on TRL, Jade’s popularity had soared.  Before, they were rock stars, but now they were rock super stars.  The album had been out for almost a year, but was now back in the top 20 for sales.  Their single and video were still number one.  This sudden surge in popularity confused the group.

“Wow, this place is tiny,” Justin stated as they got inside the club.  It looked like it could only hold 200 people. 

Alex nodded.  “I know.  This place is going to be packed.”

JC looked up at the stage, where stagehands were busily putting final touches on the setup.  It was quite plain – just the microphones, various speakers and amps, and the drum set.

“When does the album come out?” JC asked.  They found seats, as all the tickets were general admission.  They chose to sit at a table back and to the left of the stage.  It was a little higher than the stage, so if people decided to dance, they could still see the band.

“I’m not sure, maybe the beginning of July,” Alex replied.  She was going to say something more, but the band walked onto the stage.  The crowd roared.

“Hello Miami!  It is so good to be home!” called Dylan.  His left hand was on the neck of his guitar as his right hand reached to adjust the microphone.

“We are all so glad you were able to come tonight to our final performance for this tour,” added Jeremy.  His eyes wandered over the crowd.  Spotting his longtime girlfriend, Jamie, his smile widened.

“We have a great evening planned for you, and we hope you like what we have in store,” Brad said.  He turned around to face Sam.

She grinned.  “Enough with the talk.  Here’s the song that was our first hit, In the Light.”  She gave a few beats of the rhythm, before Brad’s bass took over.

JC watched as the band played the song he had heard many times on the CD.  He vaguely remembered hearing this song when *NSYNC first became big in the states.  It was pretty popular.

The band launched into a few more of its songs of off the first two CDs before taking a break.  He could see the camaraderie among the group, as each member added their own twist to these older songs.  Jade prided themselves on never playing a song the same twice. 

When they finished their fifth song, they paused for a break.  Sam reached over and grabbed a water bottle as Dylan spoke.

“Now, a lot of you know that we do cover songs.  We don’t just do these because we can’t write our own songs.  Out of all of the songs on our four albums, only a handful are covers.”  He set the guitar he’d played for the last few songs with on a nearby stand, and picked up another.  He softly strummed a couple chords to see if it was in tune.

“We do covers as a way to pay tribute to the artists who have influenced us.  We hope by playing these songs that more people out there can discover these groups,” Jeremy said.  He looked over to see if Dylan was ready.  Dylan nodded at him.

“Throughout the evening, we’ll be playing some of the covers we’ve done, along with a few new ones.  Here’s ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ originally recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival,” Brad explained.  The familiar riff filled club as Jeremy began to sing.

JC noticed that the group took turns singing songs, but Sam rarely did more than background vocals.  He wondered if that’s how she wanted it.  A lot of things about this group made him curious, starting with the drummer.

They did a few more songs, including a great cover of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ before pausing again.  The group looked at each other and exchanged grins before Sam spoke.

“Now, we’re a rock band.  But we like to listen to all types of music.  Lately, Florida, especially Orlando, has become this birthplace to all things pop.  Which seems ironic considering that we’re from Miami, but it’s true.”  Her grin grew wider as she reached up to adjust a microphone that was positioned so she could sing into it.  “All you pop groups out there, well, this is for you.”

Brad’s grin matched Sam’s as he began to sing.  “You are my fire, my one desire.  Believe, when I say that I want it that way.”

The crowd’s roar grew even louder.  The group matched the Backstreet Boys style for the first verse before turning it into a rock rendition of the popular song.  The song slowed back down at the end.

“’Cause I want it that way,” Brad sang, dragging out the ending as AJ Maclean usually did.

Jeremy started to sing and cut him off.  “Hey hey, bye bye bye, bye bye!”

Justin and JC exchanged amused glances, while Alex began to laugh.  Again, Jade rocked up the intro before Dylan began to sing.

“I’m doin’ this tonight.  You’re prob’ly gonna start a fight.  I know this can’t be right, hey baby c’mon.  I loved you endlessly, when you weren’t there for me.  So, now it’s time to leave and make it alone.”

Sam joined him for the harmonies on the next part.  “I know that I can’t take no more, it ain’t no lie.  I wanna see you out that door, baby bye bye bye.”

The whole group sang the chorus, with a neat drum solo before the next verse, which Sam sang.

“You just hit me with the truth, now girl you’re more than welcome to.  So give me one good reason, baby c’mon.  I lived for you and me, and now I’ve really come to see that life would be much better once you’re gone.”

Dylan joined her again on the harmonies.  “I know that I can’t take no more, it ain’t no lie.  I wanna see you out that door baby bye bye bye.”

They all sang the chorus this time, but this time, Brad, Jeremy, and Dylan started doing their interpretation of the choreography while Sam kept the beat.  The crowd burst into laughter.

“This is great,” Alex said, while laughing.  He nodded, and they both turned to look at JC.  “Do you think JC is liking this?” 

JC was staring at the band and most importantly, Sam.  Justin noticed this.  “I think he is.”

The group finished this song, but after the final ‘bye bye’, two chords sounded.

“Yeah.”  Two more chords sounded before she started to pound on the drums.  “Hey yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah.”  Dylan and Jeremy both started wailing on their guitars, while she sang, in her low voice.

“I think I did it again.   I made you believe we’re more than just friends. Oh baby.  It might seem like a crush, but it doesn’t mean that I’m serious.  ‘Cause to lose all my senses that is just so typically me.”  Her voice gave the song a more sensual edge, and the guitars in the background gave the song a harder edge.  She continued to sing.  “Oh baby baby.  Oops, I did it again.  I played with your heart, got lost in the game.  Oh baby baby.  Oops, you think I’m love, that I’m sent from above.  I’m not that innocent.”

She launched into the second verse, slowly grinning as she enjoyed the crowd’s reaction.  She rarely sang, but when she did, she loved it.  When she and guys first decided to do this song, she wasn’t too sure, but after they tried it once, they thought they would have a lot of fun with it, especially the spoken part in the middle.

Brad called out, “All aboard” as the beat slowed down.

“Britney,” Dylan began, “Before you go, there is something I want you to have.”

“Oh it’s beautiful, but wait a minute isn’t this?” she asked, feigning innocence.

“Yeah, yes it is,” Dylan answered breathlessly.

“But I thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end?” she asked.

“Well baby,” he said, grinning slyly, “I went down and got it for you.”

“Aw, you shouldn’t have,” she cooed, before singing again. 

She sang the last part with a vengeance, showing the audience that she was in fact a rocker, and that she wasn’t going pop.  The rest of the band stopped playing, and she silenced the drums.  Her gaze panned at the crowd before finishing.  She slowly licked her lips before ending, “I’m not that innocent.” 

The part of the crowd that wasn’t on their feet already jumped to their feet when the group finished.  They applauded wildly. 

The show lasted two hours.  They ended with ‘Breakout.’  Afterwards, a DJ started playing some dancing music while the club turned back into a club.  Justin took Alex out on the dance floor while JC went to go buy a pop.  He wasn’t sure how long Alex and Justin wanted to stay.  They were staying in a hotel that night, flying back to Orlando the next day.

He meandered back to the table.  He looked over the crowd.  Alex and Justin were out in the middle, looking like they were having a great time.  A few songs later, his pop was almost empty.  Justin came back to the table.

“Man, the band is out in the crowd.  You wanna come meet them with us?” he asked.

“They’re just wandering around?” JC asked.  He looked out to see people still dancing, not making a big deal about the celebrities that were here.  Besides Justin and JC, he saw a couple of the Backstreet Boys there, plus some other rock artists, and even Carson Daly.  It was a pretty star-studded audience.

“Yup.  Wanna come?” Justin asked again.  JC nodded, and the two made their way over to where Alex was standing, talking to Sam.

“I loved your movie,” Sam was telling Alex.  JC saw Alex blush.

“Thanks.”  She turned to see JC and Justin walk up.  “Guys, this is Sam.  These guys are JC and Justin.”

Sam smiled, stepping forward to shake their hands.  “Ah, two of the five from the group who we paid tribute to.  What did you think?”  Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

“You guys rocked.  I don’t ever think I’ve heard our song done like that before,” Justin answered quickly.

Her smile widened, as she pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.  Her earrings sparkled and her white tank top seemed to glow in the black light of the club.  “I hope that means you liked it.”

Justin laughed.  “I did.  Your whole show was awesome.”

“I can’t wait until your live album comes out,” Alex added. 

“Neither can I.  I want to hear it myself,” Sam said.  She turned to face JC and studied him carefully.  He wasn’t showing much emotion, and she was worried that he was offended by their performance.  “Did you like it?”

He paused before answering, wanting to say more than it was good or great.  “It was really good.”  He smiled while mentally kicking himself for saying that. 

She nodded and smiled.  “Thanks.”  Dylan came up next to her, bringing one arm around her waist.  She looked at him and giggled. 

“Sam, you’re needed over here.  Someone from the paper or something,” he began.  He turned to see who she was talking to.

“Dylan, this is the girl who wrote that movie you and I saw the other day, Alex Miller.  And here’s two of the guys we paid tribute to tonight.”  She giggled at the last part.  Dylan smiled, shaking everyone’s hand.

“I hope you enjoyed our version.  What brings you to our show here, if you don’t mind my asking?” 

“Alex is a pretty big fan, and when I heard the tickets were going on sale, I bought some for her, a friend of ours, and me.  I hadn’t seen you in concert, and neither had our friend, Joey.  Joey wasn’t able to come at the last minute, so we asked JC,” Justin explained.  Dylan nodded.

“Aren’t you guys playing that MTV thing coming up in a couple weeks?” he asked.

“Yeah.  It sounds like it’ll be a good time,” Justin replied.  He turned to look at JC, to see if he wanted to add anything, but JC looked a little nervous.

“Well, Sam, come over when you get finished, kay?  The reporter person wants to talk to us.”  He turned to face the others.  “It was nice meeting you.  I’ll see you around.”

“I guess that’s my cue to go, too.  But I’m glad you were able to come, and that you enjoyed the show,” Sam began.  She glanced again at JC, wondering if he really enjoyed the show.  Turning her attention back to Alex and Justin, she smiled.  “Thanks again.  And we’ll probably meet up at the MTV thing.”  She waved as she walked through the crowd to where Dylan was standing.

JC watched her go.  He wanted to ask her so many questions, but he had to just stand there, looking like an idiot.  Ever since he had really discovered who the band was, he had all these things he wanted to know.  And now, he just had two of the members of the band standing in front of him, and he let them go away.  He was a celebrity, and was used to dealing with other celebrities.  So why did he just act this way?

A slap on the arm snapped him out of his daze.  “What is up with you?” Alex hissed.

“What do you mean?” he asked.  Alex just shrugged.  Justin shook his head.

“Let’s go,” Justin said.  Alex lagged behind a bit, so JC took this opportunity to talk to Justin.

“What’s her problem?” he asked.

“Why were you just so quiet there?  I thought you liked Jade.  You seemed kinda snobby back there, not saying much,” Justin answered.

“I don’t know.  I just couldn’t think of anything to say,” JC said, feebly searching for a reason why he suddenly clammed up when he was around Sam back there.  He wasn’t attracted to her – hell he didn’t even really know her.

Alex burst out laughing.  JC didn’t think she had heard him.  “You couldn’t think of anything to say, JC?  Are you for real?”

JC glared at her, before turning to look at Justin.  He was trying not to laugh.  “What?  Do I talk a lot or something?”

Justin’s eyebrows rose up, his face turning red while he tried to contain his laughter.  JC’s eyes narrowed.  Justin stopped walking to the car, trying to stop laughing.  With Alex laughing, this was a more difficult task.  The two leaned on each other for support while they contained themselves. 

“I’m glad you all find me so amusing,” JC said when the two joined him.

“Well, geez, JC, you’re not like the world’s least articulate person.  If you’re passionate about something, you sometimes have a tendency to ramble,” Alex said.

“I suppose.  I don’t know why, I just couldn’t form complete sentences there,” he said.  Alex’s eyebrow raised in curiosity.

“That’s strange.  And could it be because the one and only Samantha Williams was standing in front of us?”  She grinned slyly.

“No,” he replied defensively.  “I have respect for the band as artists.  I don’t have crushes on any of them.”

“Well, that’s good because three out of the four of them are guys,” Justin said jokingly.

“I’ll admit it, Sam is very pretty.  So if you think she’s hot or whatever, JC, don’t be ashamed,” Alex said.  Justin looked at her and laughed.

“See what happens when you work with a bunch of boys for long periods of time?  You start to check out chicks.  But Alex is right.”

JC shrugged again.  He seemed to be shrugging an awful lot that night.  Words just weren’t coming right then.

“I know it’s not that.  Maybe it’s just the whole thought that we’ll be performing in smaller venues soon, and this was kinda a weird déjà vu sorta thing,” JC reasoned.

Alex and Justin both gave him a look of disbelief.  “Okay,” Alex said.

The ride was in silence.  JC stared out the window, wondering what he was feeling.  Admiration?  Possibly.  This group had accomplished a lot.  But when he talked to other artists, he never had any problem making polite conversation, even with people he knew.  He hoped he could figure out what was going on before he saw Jade again. 

(Mid-May 2002)

“Why does it seem like we were just here?” Sam muttered as their van pulled up to a lavish hotel in New York City. 

“Because we were,” Brad answered.  The skyscrapers towered above them as they were hurried into the lobby.  Their single was still doing well on the charts, and their video was dominating TRL.  The little break they had gotten after their last show didn’t seem as restful with all of the newfound attention they were getting.

“I can’t wait to get these next few days over with.  Then I’m hopping a plane back to Miami, and going on that cruise I’ve been talking about,” Dylan said.  Security for the hotel had kept all of the fans mobbing the building.  Jade wasn’t the only group staying here.  MTV had arranged for all of the artists to stay at this hotel, which was near Radio City Music Hall, where the event was being held.

“Jamie and I are going to Europe,” Jeremy said.  Sam grinned.  The other day, he had taken Sam with ring shopping.  They had found one that he loved, and he was planning on proposing to Jamie while they were in Europe.

“You gonna?” Dylan asked, smiling slyly while nudging Jeremy.  Jeremy blushed.

“Dude, we won’t tell her, promise!” Brad said.

“You better not,” Jeremy said.  “This break is just what we all need.”

“Is she coming to see the show?” Sam asked.  The lobby was filled with the other artists holding their luggage while their managers checked them in.

Jeremy nodded.  His gaze turned to see a commotion at the door.  “Brad, it’s Britney Spears!”

Brad’s head whipped around to see her walk through the door, surrounded by security guards.  A smile slowly spread across his face.  “If you need me, I’ll be right over there,” he said, hurrying towards her.  Sam rolled her eyes.

“Dork,” she said.  Dylan laughed.

“You’re not jealous, are you?” he asked jokingly.

Her eyebrows shot up.  “Me?  Jealous of her?  I don’t think so.”

“Why should she be?  Remember the reaction she got to singing her song?  How TRL played that little clip