Chapter One: Big City Dreams
If you stepped into Cassidy LePlant's bedroom, you might assume that a tornado, tsunami, hurricane, or some other natural disaster had flipped it upside down into the mess it was when she woke up. But, that tends to happen when you have a sleepover with four teenage girls.
Magazines, clothes, popcorn, CD's, and the occasional gummy worm blanketed the floor along with a few sleeping bags. Cassidy's eyes flickered open from the top of her bunk bed. She rolled over and heard a squishing noise. She looked down to see that she way laying on a bag of M&M's. She groaned as she looked at the clock, 8:15 am.
The scent of pancakes and eggs wafted through her open door. Cassie grabbed the pack of M&M's and chucked them at one of the sleeping bags on the floor. The sleeping bag moaned.
"Wake up Riley, it's like, 8:30. I can smell breakfast downstairs."
"Did someone say breakfast?" Leah exclaimed as she sat up in her sleeping bag, her blond hair sticking up in all sorts of strange angles, "I'm starving!"
"Ugh, guys shut up! I need my beauty sleep." the third sleeping bag complained, pulling the covers tightly over her head.
"Come on Nicole," Riley said, "You'll have plenty of time to catch up on your beauty sleep later. It's summer."
The four girls eventually got up, and trudged their way downstairs, where breakfast was hot and ready, waiting for them.
"Good morning ladies." Cassidy's mom cheerfully greeted them.
"Morning Mrs. LePlant." Riley smiled.
"Late night?" she asked them as they sat down and she started serving up hearty amounts of chocolate chip pancakes.
"You have no idea." Nicole sighed.
"Ah, well there's no better way to kick off summer than with a sleepover." She smiled as she turned on the kitchen radio. The girls dug into their breakfast as if it was their first meal in a hundred years.
"Your mom makes the best pancakes in the world." Leah said through a mouthful of food. Cassie laughed, "Now if only she was the best at washing dishes, then I wouldn't have to do it every night." They all laughed.
Riley looked out the window. It was the end of June, and all of Boston seemed to be in summer mode. She smiled as the sunshine bathed her face in a tingle of warmth. Summer was her favorite season. It was the time for laughing with your best friends all day, walking outside in the sun and fresh air, and relaxing on the beach with a good book. She was snapped out of her daze however, by a sudden over dramatic gasp coming from Nicole.
"I LOVE this song!" She shrieked at the radio.
"Who, and what is it?" Leah asked as she listened closer, "it just sounds like your everyday, average, lame boy band."
"They're not a lame boy band! They're an extremely gorgeous boy band!" Nicole exclaimed. Everyone rolled their eyes at this, "It's Big Time Rush. They're like, brand new and their songs are super-duper-uber catchy!"
"You know you just said 'super, duper, super' in German, right?" Riley stated, "I don't get your big deal. I can play guitar and sing better than this. I bet they're just some lame Hollywood rich boys that wouldn't even know a logarithm from an actual wooden log."
"Riley. NO ONE knows what a logarithm is." Leah laughed, "Wait, isn't 'Big Time Rush' a term used in hockey or something?"
"And Leah, no one else cares about sports here besides you." Riley replied.
"I bet their dancing is mediocre too," Cassie chimed in. She shoved some eggs into her mouth, "We've been dancing together for what, 10 years? We can do so much better than some run-of-the-mill boy band." She smiled. Nicole laughed a little, "Yeah, You're probably right. How many platinum awards have the four of us gotten at competition? And Riley and Leah here have YouTube in a frenzy over their acoustic song covers. We are SO much better!"
Cassie raised her eyebrows and smirked mischievously as she rose from the table. She grabbed Nicole by the wrist and dragged her into the middle of the kitchen with her.
"What are you-?" Riley proceeded to ask, but was cut off by Nicole and Cassie starting to sing along to Big Time Rush as loud as possible and choreograph their own dance to it. Leah got up, and Riley soon followed. The four of them were now in full dance routine mode, making all the stops, as if they were actually on stage. Riley and Leah added their own harmonies to the song for a bit more pizazz. They finished off the song in an extremely over exaggerated ending pose consisting of Leah and Cassie in the splits, Riley hanging over them in a backbend, and Nicole with her foot stretched over her head. The girls collapsed onto the ground in a fit of laughter.
"See? Who needs a Boy Band when we could be a Girl Band that's ten times better?" Cassie giggled.
"I know!", Nicole exclaimed, "I bet if we were actually a band we'd be way more popular and way better than Big Time Rush."
"Amen to that! Leah said as she pushed some of her bobbed hair out of her face.
It might have been just impeccable timing, it could have been planned by God, or it was just the magic of that summer, but it seemed as if the radio was watching everything that had just happened in the LePlant kitchen. An announcer with a booming voice came over the radio speakers, "Heeeeeey New Englanders! Do YOU think you have what it takes to be the next big singing sensation?" Riley gasped. "If you do, then keep on listening! Award-winning Hollywood record label, Smash Records, is looking for new talent! Their country-wide search is ending in Boston this Friday! If you think you're the next Beyoncé or Jonas Brothers, here's your chance! Call this number to register..."
The gears in Cassie's head started turning rapidly. Her eyes lit up. Riley recognized that face, "Oh no, Cassie has another crazy idea."
"Guys," Cassie started, "What if we are better than Big Time Rush?" She asked slyly.
Nicole looked at the radio then back at her and her eyes widened, "You can't be serious."
Leah looked confused, "What exactly are we talking about here?"
"We did say that we could be a great Girl Band, right?" Cassie asked. They all nodded. "Well, then lets go see if we're right. Just for the heck of it." Riley was about to protest. "Riley, Chill. A: it will just be for fun. And B: it's summer! We have nothing better to do anyways. Come on guys, it'll be fun! Who knows, maybe we are the next 'big singing sensation'." She laughed. The girls all looked around at each other. It was just for fun, right?
"I'm in." Nicole smiled, "maybe if we get famous, I could balance our singing career with the acing career I've always wanted."
"Let's do this." Leah nodded.
Riley sighed, "Fine. Let's knock Hollywood dead. This will be fun." She smiled.
Cassie held up her glass of orange juice in cheers, "Big Time Rush better watch out, because there's gonna be some new competition in town."
"Girls rule, boys drool!" Leah added.
"Cheers to fame and whatever the future holds for us!" Nicole exclaimed.
"that was so cheesy Nikki." Riley laughed.
"Eh, it was necessary." She grinned.