Sarah: i know i love appearing on stage, but does it have to happen so soon?
Caity: yup. it is your first time on stage in America. you will do just fine. Joe will be there.
Sarah: (blushing) Joe will be there?
Shane: (hugging her) yes baby, i will be there.
Nate and Jason: aww!
Me: lovebirds. . . they do not own Camp Rock, neither do i. nor do i own the songs in this chapter or the previous one.
Shane: (still hugging Sarah) you know, that is starting to irritate me.
Matt: i second you. stop squeezing her. you are choking her
Shane: i'm not
Matt: you are
Sarah and I: guys!
Shane and Matt: (guitily) sorry
Me: well, you guys can take turns saying it. :-).
Matt and Shane: well, who goes first?
Me: toss a coin-away from here! shoo!
Chapter 11
I was not sure if I wanted to go out and face the crowd. I knew that the brothers would probably do the introductions in our presence, and that they'd be there for us through out. However, that didn't seem to be working, at all.
"Caity, what is the first line of my song?'' I asked, freaking out like a maniac.
"Sarah Kadesa, ten minutes."
"Thank you, ten minutes." Caity said, trying to multi-task. "Sarah, you have to relax."
"Have you seen the number of people out there? They are like 5000. I can't do it. Tell the guys I bailed."
"Do you ever feel, like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?"
At that moment, I stopped the rush towards the door. I felt like I knew exactly what I wanted. This song was my song. This was my moment. I was going to step into the spotlight and let it shine on me.
David knocked on our door. "Are you guys decent?"
"Yes we are. You can come in." I sang to him and he came in, smiling.
"Look at you; you are already all dressed up. This is your first concert. How does it feel?"
"Can I answer that after the concert?"
"Oh, sure. Your parents are already here, should I bring them in?"
"Yes, and my bro and sis. I don't wanna go up before talking to them."
At that moment, my family and Caity's walked into the room, bearing a few bouquets from admirers and notes of encouragement. I hugged my family members and Caity's. After a pep talk and a short prayer, the stage manager called.
"Sarah and Caitlyn two minutes."
"Thank you, two minutes," I replied, and David told us that he had to show our families to their seats. They had gotten front row seats. Matt and Mrs. Smith had already taken theirs. They had come way before I got my mild panic attack.
Shane and his brothers burst in just when we were alerted that we only had a minute. They took us to the wings of the stage where we got wired by the technical team. Then, they ran onto stage when they were announced. I heard the fans cheering excitedly.
"Hello, I am Jason."
"Hello I am Shane."
"Hello I am Nate. Together we are Connect 3."
The fans cheered some more, then I saw the guys take their positions on stage.
"How are you doing tonight L.A?" Nate called to the crowd. They were ecstatic and screamed their response to him.
"Are you guys excited?" Jason asked their fans. "Because I am P-U-M-P-E-D!"
"YEEEEEES! "The crowd yelled.
Jason started to strum his guitar, but Shane stopped him. "Jason, what are you doing? You are too excited to perform tonight. Is it because you had too much energy drink?"
"Yes Shane, I had a lot of Red Bull today evening. I even cleared the ones you had left for Caitlyn and Sarah."
"Wait Kevin. You did what?" Nate asked, looking at his eldest brother in shock. The crowd laughed.
"I drank Caitlyn's and Sarah's Red Bull."
"Why?" Shane asked.
"I was super excited to rock and roll."
"Can I punish him? Please?" Nate asked his elder brother.
"No, you always do the punishing. Let me do it." Shane stretched his hands in front of him and stretched his neck from side to side before he turned to him. "Jason, go over to the corner of the stage and quietly think over the mistake you made. That corner. No monkey business."
As Shane pointed in the direction of the stage's end, Nate smiled at the fans. "So, now we have to get Sarah and Caitlyn new Red Bull. I am sure when they leave the stage tonight, they will be very exhausted."
"Hey Nate, what do you think of the girls?" Shane asked his brother.
"I think they are awesome. Hey Jason, what do you think of them?"
"You told me to stay at the corner and think of what I had done, quietly."
"So, what? You just talked back."
"I won't talk to you guys till you bring Sarah and Caitlyn out."
"Pfft, drama queen!" Shane said, walking away from the middle of the stage.
"I heard that."
"Hey Jason, how many strings does a guitar have?"
"Sarah! Caitlyn!"
"Please answer the question."
Jason was silent. The crowd laughed at their show.
"Hey Jase, an owl!" Shane said into the mic.
"Where?" he jumped up and then realised it was a trick "Oh no you didn't! you shall pay for that!"
"Okay, Nate, lets humor Kevin and bring the girls out."
"Sarah Kadesa, Caitlyn Geller, come on out."
We had been laughing at their little banter, and the stage manager told us to play along to the guys' game. On hearing our names, Caitlyn and I exchanged looks, and then decided to wait for Nick to call out to us again.
"Where are they Nate? I told you to fetch them."
"I did, but they haven't come yet."
"Maybe they chickened out. Let me try. Sarah Kadesa and Caitlyn Geller, come on out. Jason has refused to talk to us."
We didn't show, so Nate told Shane, "how successful was your attempt?"
"99%"
"Where are they?"
"They are umm, MIA"
More laughter.
"Okay, I hate to say this, but Jason is our only hope."
"Man, I thought punishments were supposed to stick."
"Just do it."
"Hey Jason, could you come on over for a second?"
"No, I am perfectly fine over here."
"Man, we need your help."
"Okay. I will help, but only for their sakes. First, I get to wear your guitar Nate and Shane; I get to stick out my tongue at you when you are wrong."
"Done!" Nate said, handing over his guitar.
"Nate, you just sold my life to Jason"
"Just for tonight. Just for tonight. Hey Jason, please do us the Honors."
"Okay, can I tell a joke?''
"No. Yours are lame."
"Fine. Maybe the girls will let me. Anyways, everyone, give it up for two amazing girls who are here in Los Angeles, for the very first time, from Kenya with love. Please help me welcome Sarah Kadesa and Caitlyn Geller."
As the audience cheered, we smiled. I held a little tighter to my mic as Caitlyn and I laughed. These guys were hilarious.
"Finally, I was starting to wonder when Kevin would be doing us the honor of introducing us." Caitlyn said it to me.
"Me too. I swear, these last five minutes have been kind of long. Too long for my patience."
"You mean impatience?"
"Okay, no more stalling. I can't wait to open this act. Let's get this party started." I said as we started to emerge from the wings. Caitlyn and I were linking hands. When Jason saw us coming, he came and broke the link, before he became sandwiched between us.
"Hah! Here they are. Thank you Jason." Shane said as we made it to the middle of the stage.
"Hello Shane and Nate, that was the longest five minutes of my life. Weren't they your longest?" Caitlyn said as she smiled at the crowd.
"I know they were my longest five minutes. Considering the fact that I haven't had my Red Bull." I said.
"How many of you are excited to meet Sarah and Caitlyn for the first time tonight?" Shane asked, as I bounced on my toes.
"Meee," the people in the audience cheered.
"Aww, that's lovely. Well, Sarah it's your time to rock the stage."
"Hello L.A, it's a lovely night, isn't it?" I asked the crowd, who cheered back at me. "I have something for you guys. Would you love to hear it?"
"Yes!"
"Okay, Grey clan, please get off the stage."
"What?" Nate asked.
"You heard me."
"Let's go Nate. We love you Sarah."
With their exit, I prepared to sing. "This song is called Fireworks. It's basically about encouraging people to do what they fear. Here we go. . ."
Caitlyn got the song to start, and I started to count. Then,
"Do you ever feel, like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?"
Do you ever feel, already buried deep?
Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you?
You just got to ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
I couldn't believe that it was my first time on such a large stage. I couldn't afford to stand at the centre. So, as I got to the chorus, I walked to the left corner of the stage.
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
As you shoot across the sky
Baby you're a fire work
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down
I could see Matt dancing in his seat. I grinned at my huge family and blew a kiss at them. I was having the TIME OF MY LIFE. Thank you mum and dad, for leading me down this path.
You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew, what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe you're the reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when its time, you'll know
You just got to ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
As you shoot across the sky
Baby you're a fire work
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down
i walked down the runway after this, and smiled at the crowd that was going crazy.
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
As you shoot across the sky
Baby you're a fire work
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
As the last part of the song ended, the guys came on out. The crowd was cheering loudly for me. I was amazed at the response.
"Isn't she incredible?" Jason said as he pulled me in for a hug. I was smiling widely at my parents who had stood up to cheer me.
"Would you like her to join us again?" Shane said as he hugged me too. He stretched out the mic in the crowd's direction
The crowd cheered us excitedly. I laughed into the mic as I hugged Nate. "Thank you guys. You were amazing!"
I hugged Caity and the both of us exited the stage, giggling at the enthusiasm. We got dewired before we were handed our bottles of water. We watched the rest of the show for a while before we had to go change when the guys took a short break.
"You guys were amazing!" I said as they jogged past us. We were all wearing these big grins as we headed for our changing rooms. After twenty minutes, we got the stage manager's call to go back on stage. Caity and I had both changed into dresses and heels. I couldn't walk in heels, so I walked till the stage with my converse before I changed into them with Kevin's help. They were gold because my dress was a darker shade of red than Caity's. Mine was also longer, and it went till a little below the knee. Caity's was a little more fitting than mine.
The guys pulled the two of us onto the stage. Shane had on a black tux, so did Nate. They were also wearing shades.
When the cheering died down, Jason introduced the special performance, and then it started. we sang Burnin' Up (refer to previous chapter. i feel too tired to change it, again.)
(Shane) I'm hot
(Me) You're cold
(Shane) You go around, like you know
(Me) Who I am, but you don't
(Shane and I) You got me on my toes.
All of us
I'm slippin' into the lava
And I'm tryin' to keep from goin' under
Baby, who turned the temperature hotter?
Coz I'm burnin' up, burnin' up for you baby
(She) C'mon girl!
(Nick) I fell so fast
(Caity) Can't hold myself back
(Nick) High heels, red dress,
(Caity) dark shades, black tux
(Nick) All by yourself,
(Caity) gotta catch my breath
All of us
I'm slippin' into the lava
And I'm tryin' to keep from goin' under
Baby, who turned the temperature hotter?
'Cause I'm burnin' up, burnin' up for you baby
Walk in the room all I can see is you
Oh, you're starin' me down
I know you feel it too
I'm slippin' into the lava
And I'm tryin' to keep from goin' under
Baby, who turned the temperature hotter?
'Cause I'm burnin' up, burnin' up for you baby
Yo, we're burnin' up in this place tonight
Your brothers sing it loud and we're feelin' right
Get up and dance, don't try and fight it
Big Rob is for real and that's no lie
Stop, drop and roll and touch your toes
It keeps on burnin' up, more and more
I got JB with me playin' it down
Come on boys, let's bring the chorus around
I'm slippin' into the lava
And I'm tryin' to keep from goin' under
Baby, who turned the temperature hotter?
'Cause I'm burnin' up, burnin' up for you baby
Burnin' up, burnin' up for you baby
As the show ended, we were in very high spirits. Everyone else was tired, but I wasn't. Jason looked like he was going to drop dead anytime soon. We ran off the stage after my encore and headed to our changing rooms. I showered and changed into decent clothes before going over to the backstage to have the "Meet and Greet" with the fans who had backstage passes. Since our families had gotten VIP tickets, they were allowed backstage with us.
I was signing my third American autograph when I heard Joe laughing really loudly at a girl who was asking if she could have my shoes because they were divine. It was a little embarrassing but I got over it. Nate came over when I was done taking photos with some fans.
"Shane will never let you forget."
"Are you for real?"
"Yes. Like the posters that I get? He always teases me about them. He couldn't stop asking the audience if they wanted to hug me when I was shirtless or half necked."
"Hah! I had forgotten. There was a poster today that said. . . "
"Oh, no. don't say it, please." Nate and I started to laugh again. This attracted a look from Shane who grinned to see me getting along with his brother.
"Have you met my parents? And my little brother Frank?" Nate asked me as I watched a couple approach us. The man was smiling slightly at me. I had seen him look between Shane and I when we shared a cheesy moment on stage. Shane had decided to try kiss my hand on stage after staring at me giggle at him kneel during 'Burnin up.'
The lady was wearing a soft smile that reached into her eyes. I found myself feeling a little relaxed. I had been so worried about meeting the boys' parents.
"Mum, Dad, this is Sarah Kadesa from Kenya. She was the new act signed to the label."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. We have heard so much about you."
"I hope all well," I said to Mrs. Grey. "I admit I was a little nervous about meeting you. Your sons are awesome."
"Hello Sarah," I heard Frank say. He was the youngest Grey and had some of the most adorable cheeks ever. I looked down at him then crouched.
"Well, hello there Frank. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. How was the show? Did you enjoy it?"
"Very much. My brother Shane said he likes you."
"Frank!" I heard Shane call out to him, sounding like he was a little angry at the secret that his little brother had shared with me. I saw Nate shake his head.
"Oh, oh that must have been a secret, Frank."
"A secret? Well, he didn't tell me. I think you are really pretty. In a dark kind of way."
"Aww, thank you Frankie," I said as I opened my arms and let him embrace me. He was so sweet. I found myself wishing I would get to know this little boy more. He was the cutest white kid I had seen, with adorable eyes and cheeks. He was so cutesy.
"I think you put on a really great show. Have you ever performed before?"
"Yes, but not to a crowd of this many people. Around five hundred the first time. The second was just my school in the assembly hall."
"You are a natural. I loved the show."
"Thank you both very much."
"We have to go; we seem to be holding up the line. We will talk to you later."
They said goodbye and left so that I could meet and greet the fans, but not before Frank gave me a hug around my waist. I didn't find myself reacting weirdly like I had when Shane had done so a few days before.
"Hello rock star," Matt said to me later when the line had reduced in length and the girls were still fawning around Shane, who kept looking my way and winking.
"Hey jock," I said referring to the name I called him when he was trying to irritate me, which he was doing tonight.
"That was a nice show. The songs were great."
"I saw you bobbing your head to Firework."
"It's a catchy song."
"I know you have all the sheet music its written on. I know you read the words before any match or game you go for."
"How did you . . . oh, I forgot you are friends with my cousin."
'Honestly Matt, is there anything you want from me? I see you staring at me all the time, and I feel all selfish and nervous but you never talk to me. So why are you talking to me now?' I wanted so bad to ask him that but I decided against it. I instead looked up at him, smiled then excused myself to go talk to Caity who was sitting with my brother Eddie.
I couldn't wait to go back to my hotel room. This tension was too much.
As I walked into the corridor of my hotel floor, I heard Matt walk behind me. He was trying to catch up with me, but I wasn't hearing any of it. I just wanted to go into my room and cry. Why did he have to be such a jerk?
"Please listen to me Sarah. I don't know how it happened. I really don't."
"Leave me alone Matt. I want to sleep."
"Just hear me out. Okay?"
"I don't want to."
He spun me around and pushed me to the wall, and put his hands around my waist. I tried to maneuver and twist away from him but he wasn't budging.
"Matt, please let me go."
"I can hardly think straight anytime I am around you. I feel like I am falling for you."
"Very funny. You have an interesting way of showing it."
"I think I am falling in love with you Sarah."
I was stunned. Here he was, standing so close to me, pining me to a wall, staring down at me with those eyes. They were not sincere, I knew it. I saw the lust in his eyes, and I felt him start to stroke my sides.
"I have always wanted to kiss you. Always wanted to see my fingers tangled in that amazingly soft hair, and wanted to do things I probably would never want to think of in the daytime. I have wanted to see you staring up at me like that, waiting for me to kiss you. I have dreamt of you every night. . . "
"Stop," I whispered as he leant in to kiss my lips. I turned head and he ended up kissing my cheek instead. He took one arm off my waist and put it behind my head and tried to make me face him as he tried to kiss me again.
"Stop it," I said, pushing him away with all of my strength. He didn't budge even a little. This scared me. He held the back of my head as he forcefully placed his lips against mine. I tried to push him away but he wasn't moving. He even tried to pull me closer as I pushed against him as hard as I could.
"Stop playing hard to get. I know you want this. You have been looking at it. Just take it."
"Leave me alone, please Matt," I said, as he rubbed himself against me. His hand was on my back, trying to caress me, but it wasn't working at all. Instead, I was madly fighting him, trying to get away from him because I knew it wasn't right what I was doing. I started feeling some weird warmth settling on my lower abdomen, and I was starting to feel things I had never felt before.
"Please. . ." I begged as he tried to kiss me again.
"Leave her alone!" I heard someone say out loud. He stopped what he was doing and dropped his hands as if I had burnt his fingers. I was crying really hard and was a little relieved at the disruption. On realizing that I had been let free, I took off, opening my door and slamming it shut. I slid down against the wall, feeling angry, weak and disgusted at what Matt had just tried to do.
I was thankful for the interruption because if they hadn't come, I would probably been another statistic of the rape cases done by people the victims knew. The knowledge that I would have ended up deflowered by the star jock was upsetting. I couldn't believe what he had done. I was so scared as tears ran down my cheeks.
I heard a knock on the door, and Caitlyn's voice asking to come in. I immediately stretched out and opened the door. She took one look at me and dropped to her knees beside me. She took me in her arms and started to comfort me. I had never cried this much before over anything. She clearly understood me more than I did. After close to spending an hour sobbing on her shoulders, she took me to the bathroom, waited for me to finish showering then led me to my bed and tucked me in. Just as she turned to go, I called to her.
"Caity, could you stay?"
"Sure, anything for you Sweetie." She said as she climbed into bed and hugged me from behind. I felt myself relax.
"Goodnight Sarah."
"Night Caity," I mumbled sleepily.
What do you guys think of this chapter? i had some problems editing the story to change the names from Jonas Brothers to Connect 3. i don't want this story taken down too, but there is nothing much i can do except comply with the rules.
Please drop me a review and tell me which parts of this story have been your favourites. i have loved writing it, and it is great that i have you guys to encourage me, especially Going Places who has been very supportive of me. thanks so much. much love, *hugs and kisses*
