Chapter 5

By Nichole

 Lyssa couldn't have been more relieved that Julie was coming on tour with her while they were in the area.  Her mom wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea.  But after talking it over with Jocelyn and Julie's dad, she decided that a few days would be OK. Julie couldn't wait to see everyone and most of all Aaron Carter himself.  Lyssa just needed someone to talk to.

As much as Lyssa was having the time of her life, she was slightly depressed.  She was tired of being mad at everyone, but she was one of the most stubborn people in the world.  She felt that she didn't do anything wrong and that they all should apologize first.  Luckily, it wasn't affecting her performances.  Yet.  In fact, the anger was probably playing in her favor and making her have an adrenaline rush each time.          

Julie was going to meet Lyssa at the next arena they were playing at.  She mailed her a backstage passes and a tickets for the performances that she would be here for.   Lyssa wanted to get everything off her chest as soon as possible and was praying that Julie got there soon as she sat in her dressing room.  

 She kept running through her mind over and over the fact that Aaron felt something for her instantly.  It gave her a tingly feeling inside.  But at the same time, she got pissed at the fact that he was a jerk.  And on the other side, she was wondering what the real Aaron was like.  Was that him?  Or was there a side to him that he always dreamed of?

There was soft knock on Lyssa's door and she turned to see Julie poke her head through the door.  "Hey!  Aren't you that overnight sensation Lyssa?"   

Lyssa squealed as she jumped out of her chair to hug her best friend.  "I never thought you'd get here!"    

"Well, here I am!" Julie said with a big smile.  "So where's Aaron?"    

Lyssa hit her playfully.  "He's probably in his dressing room.  But you're supposed to be here to see me!"   

"I am.  Calm down.  So have things been between you and everyone else?"   

"Still not good.  I haven't talked to anyone in like three days.  The only person I have talked to was Nick for things relating to my career."   

"Hmm," Julie thought.  "Do you want my opinion on all this?"    

"No.  I invited you to come on tour with me just so you can meet Aaron and Nick.  Of course!  Why else?"   

Julie laughed at Lyssa's outburst.  "You're too funny when you get like that.  OK.  This is what I think.  I think you should start talking to Jocelyn and Nick again.  I mean, they were just keeping his secret right?  So now you know.  But I would stay mad at Aaron; this will prove what he really thinks of you.  If he likes you, he'll try his hardest to win your trust back.  If not, then he's just a big jerk.  A hot jerk though I must say."    

Lyssa could only smile as Julie's idea sunk in.  It made sense though.  This would prove everything; whether he really felt that way or not.  The first thing that she really wanted to do was get to know the real Aaron.  That was priority number one.  Then it was winning him over.

***

While Lyssa was hunting for Nick and Jocelyn, she let Julie sit in her dressing room waiting to catch a glimpse of Aaron.  She thought it was so funny the way that Julie was just dying to meet him.  But then she remembered that it wasn't so long ago that she was the same way.  "And now I don't want anything to do with him," she thought sadly.     

She looked everywhere in the arena that her and Aaron would be playing in tonight and couldn't find either of them.  The last place she could think of that either of them could be was her tour bus or Aaron's.  And so she made her way over hoping that they were in her's so she wouldn't have to go face Aaron in case he was on his.

 She pulled open the door and heard noises coming from the back of the bus.  "Well, at least Jocy is here," she said to herself.    

Lyssa made her way to the back of the bus to find her sister quickly shoving something under the pillow.  She didn't quite catch what it was but made a note to herself to find out after she apologized.  "Can you talk for a minute?"     

"Sure," Jocelyn replied.  "What's on your mind?"    

"Well, I just wanted to apologize for not talking to you for so long.  I just kinda got mad that everyone kept this from me."   

"It's OK.  If you hadn't been eavesdropping, we wouldn't have had this problem in the first place."     

"I know," Lyssa confessed.  "But I couldn't help it.  And now it kinda sucks cause not only I was mad at everyone, but everyone then got mad at me."   

"Only Aaron was really mad at you.  Nick and I both knew you would come around.  Besides I planned on telling you as soon as I saw you anyway," Jocelyn grinned.    

"Really?"   

"Yeah.  Like I was gonna keep the fact that Aaron liked you a secret.  This is like your life's dream!"    

"Jocy, you're the best."    

"Yeah, I know," she joked.  

"So, uh, what are you hiding under this pillow?" Lyssa asked curiously as she quickly snatched a recent Nick poster out from under it.  "Ooohhhh!  Someone's got a crush," she said in a singsong voice.   

"No, I don't!" Jocelyn protested, turning multiple shades of red.    

"Then what are you doing with this?"    

"OK.  Fine.  You got me.  Just a small one," she admitted.  "But this goes no where!"    

"You got it!"   

"Thanks," Jocelyn said as she hugged her sister.  "Now go find Nick and apologize to him."   

"Yes ma'am!" Lyssa saluted her and bounced off the bus.

***

Lyssa found Nick helping set up some stuff backstage and apologized to him.  It didn't take her long because he was busy, but he said he understood and that everything was OK.  She was hoping that it didn't take long because even though she looked to Nick like a big brother already, she didn't know how he was going to react to this.     

"I'm back!" Lyssa said as she walked back into her dressing room.  She found Julie going through her costumes.  "What have you been up to?"     

"Just checking everything out in here mostly.  Aaron came in here about 15 minutes ago."    

 Lyssa felt her heart skip a beat.  "What did he want?"

"Well, first off he demanded to know who I was and then claimed he was looking for Nick.  But I really think he was looking for you," Julie gushed.   

 Lyssa rolled her eyes.  "He probably was looking for Nick."    

"Nah.  I really do think that what you heard from your sister and Nick was true.  These are some costumes you got here.  You do a lot of costume changes?"    

"No.  I get to wear different ones every night so it's not the same thing over and over."  

"Oh well that's cool.”    

Just then, Nick popped his head in the doorway.  "Hey Lyssa, I need you out here for sound check.  Who's your friend?"  He flashed his ever-popular cheesy smile.     

"Nick, this is my best friend Julie.  Julie meet Nick Carter."    

"How you doing Julie?"    

"I'm not too bad.  Thanks," she replied, in awe of the Backstreet Boy.     

"Alright Nick.  I'll be there in a minute," Lyssa intervened.    

"OK," he said and left.   

"Wow! He is so much hotter in person," Julie breathed.     

"Keep your hands off him!" Lyssa laughed.  "He's way too old for you."     

"Not by that much...."     

Lyssa just hit her and walked out the door.

***

The tour brought them to New Jersey almost two weeks since Lyssa had been signed.  Tonight they were playing in the Continental Airlines Arena.  And from what Lyssa could hear, the fans were going nuts.  She had become a sensation among Aaron's fans, and others were starting to catch on.  Nick had promised it wouldn't be long before she got into the studio so she could record "Set Me Free" and give the fans something to listen to on the radio.  After that, it would be her debut album.     

"You hear that?" Lyssa asked excitedly.  "They're chanting my name!"    

"I know," Nick answered her.  "I told you were gonna start making it big."    

"And it's all thanks to you."     

"I knew you had it in you."    

"Have a ball Lys.  You're doing great," Jocelyn said as she hugged her.   

 Lyssa gave them a huge smile and ran out onto the stage.  The crowd erupted into screams and cheers for her.  "Hey Jersey!!" she yelled to them.  "You ready to have some fun tonight?"  They screamed even louder in return.  

So she started "Set Me Free" and performed it flawlessly.  She found herself singing it toward Aaron, but she knew it didn't mean anything.    

But little did she know, at that very moment, Aaron felt himself being drawn to the stage for some reason he couldn't explain. He just somehow knew she was talking to him.     

She finished up her ballad and got ready to go in her next number, "Give Our Love a Try."  "This one is for Aaron," she thought as the crowd settled down and she started to sing.

"Do you ever wonder
what being together would be like?
Do you ever wonder
in your bed late at night?

Well, I have baby
and here I am.
Come on, and don't fight
what we can have.

Can't you see that there's more than meets the eye?
My heart longs for you as the days go by.
Please tell me what you can't see.
You know, it's only you and me.
So let's go, and give our love a try.

Have you ever wondered
what it'd be like to kiss?
Have you ever wondered
if there's more than this?

I know I have baby
and I'm still here.
I can feel our love.
Oh, it's so near.

Can't you see that there's more than meets the eye?
My heart longs for you as the days go by.
Please tell me what you can't see.
You know, it's only you and me.
So let's go, and give our love a try.

This feeling is so hard to ignore.
I've never needed anyone like this before.
So why can't we just go ahead
and let all our feelings be said?

Can't you see that there's more than meets the eye?
My heart longs for you as the days go by.
Please tell me what you can't see.
You know, it's only you and me.
So let's go, and give our love a try.

Can't you see that there's more than meets the eye?
My heart longs for you as the days go by.
Please tell me what you can't see.
You know, it's only you and me.
So let's go, and give our love a try."

 Lyssa felt the tears sting the back of her eyes as she realized how much she wanted to say this to him.

Aaron realized what he had to do to get to her.