by Ema Bancroft
We walked through the door and up on stage, just like Marcia Misty announced. "They're starting their world tour tonight at Madison Square Garden... Here they are... 5Point!"?
Daisy
I was amazing.
I didn't mean to sound cocky, but I really was amazing.
However, I could not have done it without Elijah.
My backstage panic attack would definitely have been called a collapse, and if I hadn't been there to convince myself....
Let's just say I was seriously thinking about taking the first bus to Forks. Or maybe Orlando. It's warmer there. And they have Disney World.
So, I was still pretty scared when I got on stage. I saw a girl waving a "Bring Ricardo back! " not three yards away from me, and I had to fight another wave of anxiety as visions of crazy rioters and cars turned around and looting went through my mind.
I swallowed hard.
I wasn't gonna throw up on the Today Show.
But once the music started, all the nerves were floating around, and it was just me and the kids singing and dancing and having a great time. Cecil had insisted that we sing Unexplored Territory to introduce myself to the world, as I sang the lead role, and as it was one of 5Point's most popular ballads. I could feel Elijah's eyes on me as I sang the lyrics, and by the time we finished, the crowd was screaming, the boys were smiling at me and the "Bring Ricardo! "The sign had been left on the floor and trampled."
The girl who brought him in screamed louder.
I almost feel sorry for Ricardo. The fans were really fickle.
We came back half an hour later to sing Joy Ride, and I tried not to look any of the kids in the eye, because we were about to laugh. We did it without a hitch. And when Andrew Marian came on stage to interview us, he was flying high.
Elijah was right. Andrew was easy with us and didn't ask controversial questions. I have my usual,"What's it like to be the new 5Point member? " and answered it with confidence. He didn't ask any personal questions - he didn't even ask Elijah who he was dating, which was really unusual.
Everyone wanted to know who E. C. Lynch was dating.
Anyway, the interview ended, Andrew jumped on the ad and we headed for the limo, stopping on the way to take some pictures and sign autographs. The boys seemed to know she was nervous and attached to me.
Cecil had also hired some freelance bodyguards - two large muscle walls in suits and sunglasses. Elijah had told me that they had never felt they needed full-time security, but for public appearances it was nice to have Craig and Brick around. I glanced sideways at the huge bald man and wondered if Brick was his real name. If he was, what were his parents thinking? I mean, with a name like Brick, your career choices were limited. He was almost a bodyguard or a hero in a romantic novel.
Or maybe even a caged fighter. Brick could definitely do some damage in a cage.
Well, I'm still not convinced by the idea of bodyguards. I didn't really understand why we needed them with Roland and Ethan around, but who was I to judge?
I was quickly learning that teenage girls could be pretty scary.
"Tim! " A blonde girl who was smaller than me waved her hands frantically, leaning over the metal barricade to stick me with a CD and a pen. I looked down, surprised that Ricardo's picture had been replaced by one of mine. "You're my favorite! " the girl shouted. I smiled and thanked her, signed the CD case and gave it back to her. She put her arms around my neck, holding firmly to me. Surprised, I took a step back, but the girl did not let go and came with me, her legs trapped in the barricade.
"Oh my God! " she cried over and over again while I was there, helpless, not knowing what to do. She hung there, between the metal railing and my shoulders. Roland was right next to me, and he came over to try to loosen the girl's grip.
I wouldn't be deterred. She grabbed hold of herself, and I couldn't believe someone so small could be so strong. Roland and I couldn't get her out of there together. Brick came to help, but she didn't seem sure where to grab her.
"Don't hurt her,"I scraped her breath a little bit for her deadly grip on my neck. "All right, I told the girl she's masturbating now. Okay... but do you have to let me go?"
"You don't understand,"drowned my neck with her tears,"I'm your biggest fan."
"I'm new at this.
I think you're probably my only admirer,"I pointed out, finally being able to let go of her arms. She clung to the shoulders of my shirt, still hanging between the barricade and me. Roland tried to grab her feet so that he could lay them down on the floor, but she threw him out. Seriously, she was like some kind of crazy Jackie-Chan-ninja fan - holding onto my shoulders and keeping Roland off with one foot, while the other was still on the metal railing. Craig and Brick talked about how to proceed.
"Just kiss me! " she asked suddenly. I was breathless, and from the corner of my eye I saw Elijah's head snapping to attract attention.
"Please, just one,"she begged. "I just want to be able to say I was kissed by Tim Caldwell."
"I tried to back down, but the damned girl hooked her toes to the barricade and anchored me there. Roland looked at me with a smile on his face, still holding one of her feet. Craig and Brick were on their cell phones, probably trying to find a better job. Raul and Ethan continued to sign autographs, but they both kept looking, laughing and not trying to help me at all.
Elijah probably thought he was acting casually, but his eyes were fixed on me... and I swear the idiot licked his lips...
What about the boys and their obsession with the girl with girl?
"Please,"she said again, wrinkling and pulling from my shoulders, I bowed my head backwards, those lips frowning in front of me. Like those lips on the Rocky Horror Picture Show... or the creepy Dairy Queen commercials?
"Come on, Tim,"Roland said with a smile. "Give the poor girl a kiss."
I noticed that one of Today Show's cameras was turning to point at me as the cameraman whispered in his headphones, no doubt alerting the booth to the latest news.
Okay, this wasn't what I needed on national television.
Breathing deeply, I bent down to peck at the girl's cheek. But no... Ninja Fan was too fast for me. She turned her head in the last second, planting those Rocky Horror lips on mine.
I could've sworn I heard Elijah complain.
I was speechless and the girl moaned a little. I felt her tongue slip away to brush my lips and freeze.
Well, this was something I definitely hadn't anticipated: being frantic about a girl on the streets of New York City in front of thousands of screaming fans.
Fortunately, she was distracted enough for her toes to fall off the barricade. Roland dropped her other foot, and I was able to push it gently before she could deepen the kiss. She swung before me, her eyes closed and a dream smile on her face. Craig and Brick chose that moment to approach the girl and bring her back to the crowd.
"Thanks for the help, guys,"I muttered. Brick said something about responsibility and lawsuits and the girl just wanted a little kiss. The girl, meanwhile, had regained her senses and was desperate to ask if anyone had taken a picture.
Another group of girls shouted:"Kiss me, Tim! " and I went to get the limo and ran.
E. C.
Maybe it made me an asshole, but watching Daisy kiss that girl was fucking sexy.
Sure, I felt a little guilty just waiting and looking, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn't get the blonde out and tell her to stop kissing my girlfriend.
I mean, it's not like Daisy was my girlfriend anyway. Of course I was attracted to her - a lot - but we worked together, not to mention that the world thought she was a man. It was incredibly complicated.
Still... there were times when it seemed pretty simple. Like when I was alone with her... or kissing her... or touching her. I couldn't explain what drove me crazy about her. She just did. I found myself staring at her without realizing it... and even when my eyes weren't on her, I was just... conscious... of her...
So when that gir
l said,"Just kiss me,"little Enrique noticed. I couldn't help but look back. And when she kissed her, she couldn't gouge my eyes out.
Like I said, it was very hot.
So Daisy ran into the limo, and that's all I could do not to run after her. But I was very good, signing some autographs before I said hello to the people and getting in the car.
I wanted to ask her if she was okay, but the other kids were there, so I kept my mouth shut.
Daisy looked at us one by one before she told us through her teeth,"Thanks for the help, assholes.
Raul, Roland, and Ethan laughed out loud.
"What did you want us to do? " Ethan asked with helpless shoulder shrugging. "She was pretty, anyway. I'd hit that. " He hit Raul.
"You'd hit anything with a pulse and a pussy," I pointed out,"and only one of those is an absolute requirement. " Raul elbowed him, laughing louder as Ethan smiled blatantly. I took a look at Daisy, who was still shamefully red and pretty angry. I turned around to find Roland staring at me with his eyes squinted.
"What?"
Roland shrugged. "Nothing."
Daisy lit up. "She wasn't my type,"she said, scratching her nose and adjusting her rubber penis. "I don't like blondes."
"Who doesn't like blondes? " Ethan asked in surprise.
"I don't know,"Daisy replied stubbornly. "I prefer brunettes."
This time it was me who seemed surprised. "Really? " Was she a brunette? I wasn't sure. He had all those weird red stripes.
Daisy shrugged her shoulders without compromise.
I frowned internally. Then I kicked my ass because I was acting like a fucking girl.
"Not me," Ethan said with a smug smile as he leaned back in the seat, stretching and crossing his ankles. "Lovely blonde... big boobs... hot lips... that's what it's all about, mate"?
Daisy hardened. "What about her brain?"
"What?"
Is that all you want? Big tits and hot lips? Don't you need a woman to think about... keeping her part of the conversation? "Daisy asked, obviously irritated. I shot a warning look at her, and she frowned and adjusted her penis again.
I thought we might need to talk about that idiot. It wasn't the answer to everything.
Ethan smiled grinningly. "We don't need to spend much time talking, if you know what I mean. " He punched him for Daisy to jump, but she ignored him.
"Does Terri know all this?"
Ethan's smile dropped slightly. "What?"
Daisy shrugged. "I was wondering if you told Terri to bring her tits and leave her thoughts."
Roland and Raul laughed.
"Great idea,"Raul said. "I'd love to see that conversation. Terri would kick your ass."
Ethan changed awkwardly. "Friend,"he said. "You wouldn't tell her anything, would you? I mean, brothers before you whore, right?"
Daisy was still upset. She opened her mouth and I knew she was gonna rip Ethan a new one. But after a minute, she crouched in her seat, sniffed and nodded.
"Brothers before whores,"she accepted.
0
The rest of the afternoon went quite well, without vomiting or crazy fanatics or confrontations about women's rights. By the time we arrived at the Garden for our sound check, Daisy seemed to have forgotten her irritation with Ethan. I was worried she'd freak out again, but she seemed fine. We broke up for an early dinner and went to a nearby seafood place, but none of us ate much. We were all a little nervous about the premiere. It didn't matter that we had performed live hundreds of times, the opening night was always quite intimidating.
We all had a beer and tried to relax, sharing stories of crazy fans and trying to forget that we would be performing in front of thousands of people in a few hours.
Finally, it was time to return to the Garden. We were abnormally calm in the car, lost in our own thoughts and before the concert.
For me, it was a mental rehearsal of the show - imagining the performance of every song in my mind.
"Are you okay, B? " Roland's silent voice cut the silence of the car. I looked up in time to see Daisy nodding slightly.
"Yes,"she replied. "I think so."
"You're not going to throw up, are you? " Ethan asked nervously.
Daisy laughed. "No. I'm fine."
Raul leaned forward seriously. "If you feel it coming, remember one thing."
"What's that? " she asked.
"Aim for Ethan."
We all laughed when the car stopped at the stage door. We went to the locker rooms, then it was the usual chaos: locker room... hair and makeup... microphones and headphones. Each of us ran through our own vocal exercises to warm up, and the wardrobe was full of Oooooos and Aaaaaaaahhhhhhs and Ma me mi mo muuuuuus...
Finally, we got together and sang a few choruses, reviewing our harmonies and balance as we stretched and choreographed.
We received the ten-minute warnings, after five minutes and then two minutes, and we made our way through the tunnel entrance under the stage as 4 squares finished their set. Our music began to sound, hitting the stage floor as we took our seats in the hydraulic lifts that took us to the stage. With the dim light, I could barely see Daisy's figure on the other side of Roland's. She almost looked like she was trying not to laugh.
"Ready? " I asked her.
She bounced slightly off her toes, stretching her arms over her head and I saw her teeth glow slightly as she smiled. "Ready."
"Let's do this,"Ethan said, breaking his neck.
"Let's kick some ass,"Roland growled, whispering the word "ass."
We all began to climb up and down on our platforms, screaming as the music grew louder and the adrenaline pumped, feeding off each other's energy. Finally, the music calmed down to a funky rhythm and we heard the announcer begin.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment you've been waiting for..."
The crowd erupted in shouts and applause. I could feel the vibrations under my feet and breathed deeply.
"Fourteen hits number one... three platinum records... five American Music Awards... six MTV Video Music Awards..."?
The screams got louder.
"Starts his world tour tonight..."
The hydraulics went into action, and I looked to see Raul's wave as the platforms rose and each of us emerged through holes in the stage floor between the swirling fog and the flashing lights.
"Rocket…E-Dog…Whispers…E. C…. and for the first time tonight... Tim! Give it up, New York... for 5Point!"?"?"?
Daisy
I thought it was going to be a rerun of today's show, but it was fine.
And he owed it all to Roland Weaver. Just imagine.
I was actually doing a good job of keeping my nerves under control. I managed to get through the sound check without any problems. I could even swallow a few bites of food at dinner. But on the journey back to the Garden, my stomach began to twist into knots and I took a deep breath trying to calm my rising nausea.
Roland seemed to realize that something was wrong and asked me if it was okay, so Raul made a joke about throwing up on Ethan and I felt better. Elijah smiled at me, nodded with his head cheering me on, and I turned my back and walked into the locker room.
We had four costume changes for the show, and it all started with black shirts and blue jeans. Mine was a T-shirt, covered in a black vest. Elias used a black button that looked incredible.
I had to force myself to look the other way.
We got warmed up and stretched out and before I knew it, it was time to go on stage. The butterflies returned with a vengeance, but the other children were involved in their own rituals prior to the exhibition and did not notice. Roland walked beside me, flexing his biceps as he sang The Star Spangled Banner quietly. With my strange look, he shrugged.
"Luckily,"he explained, and I nodded my head as if it made sense.
We took our places under the stage in these hydraulic elevators that were raised when the time came. I heard the screams of the crowd as the music began and thought about what Roland had to
ld me.
Twenty thousand people.
Twenty thousand people.
And each of them would be watching me, measuring me against Richard's rod. Can I give you your notes? May I dance your steps? Was it just a poor imitation of the original?
I felt my heart starting to beat strongly and I was worried that I was going to hyperventilate again.
Then Roland Weaver bent over to me, slapped my chest with the palm of his hand and said,"The pecs look good, B."
I drowned, trying not to laugh... or die of shame. "Yeah? "I managed."
Roland nodded, turning his arms in circles and stretching them across his body. "Yes. Definitely adding some definition there. Keep it up."
And just like that, my nerves were silenced. I was going to perform in front of 20,000 people, but I knew what I was doing. She had rehearsed my dance, and besides, I wasn't alone. The boys were with me.
And my pecs looked great.
"Ready? " Elijah asked.
I nodded my head. "Ready."
It was like a wardrobe under that stage when the elevators began to rise, with many "yes" and "let's do it" and whispered curses from Roland.
I was hoping someone would slap me in the ass or hit me with a towel.
The thought made me gaze sideways at Elijah.
Maybe later, maybe.
When we finally came out on stage, we were all silent, absorbing the screams of fans and the energy of the stadium. Heads down, legs wide, hands clutching behind our backs, we waited for our signal.
And then we sing.
That was incredible. The crowd fed us, increasing our adrenaline and fueling our performance. I could barely tell the audience through the lights and fog, and I actually thought it was probably a good thing. I could see the front rows, though... screaming girls jumping from top to bottom and singing with every letter.
We were huge.
Terri and her friends were in the front row, along the walkway between the main and secondary stages. She didn't take her eyes off Ethan during the whole show, so I could see. Her friend, the one with the short hair... Shit, what was her name and why couldn't she remember it? Did it start with an M... Sheila...? Midge…?
Anything at all. She seemed to be watching Elijah very closely. I felt a twinge of jealousy, but then she caught my eye and smiled and greeted me, dancing to the beat of the music.