Ashley looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Alex, do I look ok?" she asked.
Alex lifted her head from her book and glanced at Ashley. "You look fine."
"Alex, you didn't even see what I was wearing!" Ashley complained. "You're just as bad as a guy, you know."
"No, I'm not. A guy wouldn't even have raised his head." Alex sighed and closed her book. She looked at Ashley. She was in a long, black skirt, and purple tank top, with black sandals. "You look fine. Stop worrying."
"I can't. They're announcing the winner today. And I have to go through the press conference." She stopped pacing and glared at Alex. "Are you gonna get dressed?"
"Ashley, we still have an hour before we leave," Alex replied. "I'll get ready in a few." She turned on her disc man, and pulled on the earphones, blocking out Ashley's complaining. She returned back to her book.
"You're no fun," Ashley said.
Alex ignored her.***
"Good luck, don't let what anything get to you, and have fun," Alex said, as they stood outside of the room where the press conference was going to be held. Alex had a seat in the back, and Ashley had to go around to the wing of the room, where the contestants would wait to go on stage.
"Thanks, I won't, and I will," Ashley replied.
They hugged, and Alex walked into the room.
The guys, and the other two contestants were already there when she arrived. They had a ten minute wait, and the next thing Ashley knew, she was walking to a long table, facing a crowd of reporters. Camera's were flashing, and everyone seemed to be yelling questions. She sat down at the end of the table, and, following something Alex had told her once, fixed her gaze just above the crowd. It looked like she was looking at them, but she wasn't.
They had to give their names, ages, where they were from, and why they wanted to be the new member of Backstreet.
There were a few more questions, none of which Ashley remembered, and then were asked by Carson Daly, who was hosting, to be quiet.
"We're all pleased that so many people entered the contest," Brian began. "It was very hard for us to make a decision. But we had to make one, so...."
"The newest member of Backstreet is...." Kevin let his voice trail off, waiting until the room grew totally silent before continuing. It was also raising everyone's curiosity. "Ashley Morgan."
A thunderous clapping began. The other two contestants smiled, while struggling to hold back tears. Ashley sat in her seat, staring straight ahead, in shock.
"Miss Morgan, how does this make you feel?" one of the reporters asked.
That shook Ashley out of her shock. "Oh, I'm beyond happy. But I'm not only happy because I'm the newest member of Backstreet. Today restored my belief in dreams. Because they really do come true."***
Alex walked up to Ashley after the reporters had left, and the guys were thanking the other contestants. "I knew you'd win."
"You have the most amazing confidence in everyone else, but none in yourself," Ashley told her, as she hugged her. "You have to be the strangest person I know."
Alex grinned. "No. I'm perfectly normal. It's everyone else who's strange."
AJ laughed behind her. "So the world is strange?"
Alex looked at him. "Yep."
"You're one strange chick."
"Didn't I just reply to that?" Alex asked the air. "But oh well." She grinned at AJ. "Yes, I am strange, and I happen to like that. Who wants to be normal?"
AJ laughed. "I like you."
"Gee, thanks," Alex replied. "I'm liked by a member of a boy band. My goal for life had been fulfilled."
"You don't like boy bands?"
"Not really."
"What a pity." AJ sighed. "We'll have to change that, though."
"No, thanks. I don't want that changed." Alex walked away from him.
"Better watch out," AJ called. "You just might end up with the member of one."
Alex laughed. "Highly unlikely."***
"Congratulations," Nate said to Ashley. It was the Saturday after the press conference. Ashley and Alex were back home.
"Thanks." Ashley laughed. She was still in shock. It was unbelievable. "Hey, Nate, would you like to go out on a date? I want to celebrate."
"You mean you haven't been celebrating?"
"Oh, no. I have been, trust me. But I want someone else to celebrate with. Besides, all of my friends are getting boring."
"Gee, thanks, make me feel really good about myself," Nate could hear Alex say in the background.
Ashley laughed. "Well, you are. You're writing right now. You don't pay attention to a damn word I say."
"I do too."
"Do not. I cussed you out yesterday, and you said, and I quote, 'That's nice, and I need some caffeine, too.'"
"I know what you said. Why do you think I said that? You were really bitchy."
"Why did you cuss Alex out?" Nate asked.
"She wasn't listening to me."
"She was telling me about how she won the contest," Alex said. "First of all, I was there, and second of all, I'd heard it about ten thousand times."
"I only told you about a dozen times."
"Whatever. But it was getting annoying, so I tuned you out."
"Nate, Alex's being a meanie," Ashley complained.
Nate laughed. "You'll get over it. How do you want to celebrate?"
"I'll come visit you, and we can go out to dinner or something. I'll go out there tomorrow."
"I'll make reservations at a restaurant for eight tomorrow night."
"Cool." Oh, I can't believe he agreed, she thought.
"What time I can expect you tomorrow?"
"Around five. We can spend sometime together before."
"I'll be looking for you."
"Ok. See you tomorrow. Love you."
"Love you, too."
After hanging up with Nate, Ashley went to the gym to workout. Alex was there, lifting weights.
"I'm going on a date with Nate," Ashley told her, as Alex walked over to her to get a bottle of water from her things.
"Finally," Alex commented, going back to lifting weights.
"How rude!" Ashley exclaimed.
Alex just laughed.***
"When do you go to Florida?" Nate asked over dinner.
"Not until late August," Ashley replied.
"So we have two months to date before you leave me?"
Ashley laughed. "Yep. And then I'm gonna go to Florida and find a cute guy there," she teased.
"You can replace me that easily?"
"Yep."
Nate got a puppy dog look on his face. "You don't love me."
"Nope."
"Shows how much you really care."
Ashley laughed. "I'm only teasing you, Nate. I couldn't replace you. I wouldn't want to. You're my best friend."
"I want to be more than your best friend," Nate said seriously. "Start dating me, Ashley."
Ashley smiled. "I'd love that. I'll be back here in between tours and recording and things like that, so we'll still be able to be close to each other."
"I'm glad you agreed." He leaned over the table and kissed her.***
"Alex, you'll never believe what Nate asked last night," Ashley said, walking into the apartment.
"He asked you to start dating him?" Alex guessed.
Ashley glared at her. "You were supposed to take sometime at guessing."
"It was easy to guess, Ashley," Alex told her. "You're glowing. Of course, you've been glowing for the past week, but still, it was easy enough to tell."
"Why do I put up with her?" Ashley asked the air.
"Because I'm your best friend. Although, if you wanted to, I could move out and find a new apartment, which I wouldn't mind at all."
"No. I'm leaving in two months, and I'll need a place to stay when I come back to New York between tours, recording, and everything else."
"You could always stay with Nate."
"No, I-" Ashley broke off in mid-sentance. "You know what, I could do that."
"Think about it. I hate having a roommate."
Ashley looked at her. "I feel really loved."
"No offense meant, but I like my privacy. I'd feel the same way about anyone."
"Unless it was a guy."
"Unless I was married to the guy, or he was just a friend and there was no hint of anything between us, I wouldn't live with a guy. And I doubt I'm ever gonna get married, so it will be unlikely that I'll ever live with a guy."
"You never know, you just might get married."
"Can you see me married?" Alex asked. "There's no way I ever will. I'm not the marrying type."
"You're gonna regret those words one day."
Alex laughed. "AJ told me the same thing, except it was regarding boy bands. He said I just might end up with a member of one, so I better watch what I say."
"You're gonna end up married to a member of one," Ashley warned.
"And my mother used to warn me that if I made strange faces, my face would stick like that. And it hasn't happened yet."
Ashley gritted her teeth together. "But you don't make strange faces."
"It's still the same thing. I don't make strange faces, and I don't date members of boy bands. Plain and simple. My face will never stick in a strange position, and I'll never end up with a boy band." Alex walked out of the room.
"But Alex, you don't know who's in a boy band. You just might end up with one on accident," Ashley murmured quietly to the room.