-make it alright-
-chapter twenty-one-

Melissa tiptoed down the hallway, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. But if there was one thing Melissa had never been, it was inconspicuous. Her entire life, the massive red hair and bizarre wardrobe had set Melissa apart from the crowd. Today was no exception. She wore her hair in an I Dream Of Jeannie-style ponytail on the very top of her head. Over her dance clothes, she�d layered an early 80�s-style Adidas tracksuit in orange. It belonged to Nick, and was more than several sizes too big. Although the pants were rolled up at the waist, the hem was still long enough to drag along the floor. Melissa stood out like a sore thumb at the Metropolitan Opera House.

It was the big day. The day of the Video Music Awards. Melissa had finished her final run-through on stage with Britney over an hour ago. The choreography was complicated, but Melissa wasn�t too worried- yet. The stage fright wouldn�t hit until right before she walked onstage.

The other Britney dancers were long gone at this point. But Melissa had stuck around at the Met, waiting for Nick to finish his sound check. She was supposed to be up front, watching the boys from the audience. But Melissa had told the bodyguards she needed to run to the bathroom, and quickly took off on her own. That was fifteen minutes ago, and Melissa hadn�t even entered a bathroom.

D�Angelo was somewhere in the house. He had to be. He�d be performing tonight at the show- his sound check was right after the Boys. Melissa had made sure of it. At that moment, he was somewhere backstage getting ready. He�s probably getting dressed. D�Angelo could be in feet of me, not wearing anything at all! Melissa thought giddily to herself. All I have to do is find his dressing room�

That�s Britney�s dressing room, Melissa noted to herself, as she walked by a familiar door. And that over there belongs to the Boys. That means D�Angelo should be right�here!

Hand on the doorknob, Melissa twisted it open. Of course, she should have knocked. Anyone with half a brain would�ve known that. But after spending too much time with Nick over the years, Melissa was often a little slow when it came to common sense.

The door to the dressing room flew open. And sure enough, right before Melissa�s eyes, was a man wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. But unfortunately, that man was not D�Angelo. Not even close. Melissa faintly recognized the man as Jason, the lead singer of Lifehouse.

�Who the FUCK are you, and what the FUCK are you doing in MY dressing room?!� Jason yelled angrily. His face was bright red- either out of embarrassment of sheer anger. He quickly scampered into a pair of pants.

�I�m so sorry,� Melissa apologized, shielding her eyes with a hand. She began to pull the door shut to the dressing room. �I must have gotten the wrong room��

But the door was torn open. Anger was rampant in Jason�s body language, as he stood in the threshold of the dressing room. Face-to-face with Melissa. �What in the hell are you doing backstage, wandering into stranger�s dressing rooms?!�

�I�m waiting for the Backstreet Boys. Nick Carter is my-� Melissa tried to spit out. Her body was physically cringing in Jason�s presence. She hated confrontations.

�Oh, you�re one of those slutty groupies,� Jason said with a roll of his eyes. �A fucking BOY BAND groupie, no less.�

�Listen, I�m sorry I walked in on you. I just got the wrong room.� Melissa tried to explain as politely as she could, under the circumstances. �And I�m NOT a groupie.�

�Of course you�re not,� Jason said sarcastically. �You�re a band-aid. You�re here for those amazing boy band lyrics, not the sex.�

�It�s not like that!� Melissa was now truly getting upset. �Nick and I-�

�Save it,� Jason interrupted. He fished around in his pockets for a moment. His hand later appeared clutching a cell phone. �I�m calling security.�

�Don�t do that,� said a voice out of nowhere. Both Melissa and Jason looked up, to see whom the mystery voice belonged to. None other then Willa Ford herself appeared from around the corner.

�Mandy,� Melissa breathed. She wasn�t sure whether to be relieved, or more agitated.

Mandy nudged her way past Melissa. She reached up and snatched the cell phone away from Jason�s hand. �I don�t think you want to do that.�

�And why not?� He reiterated.

�Because she�s telling the truth,� Mandy explained. �She�s not a groupie. She�s a back-up dancer for Britney Spears, performing onstage tonight. And furthermore, she�s involved with Nick Carter. Where in the world have you been? Their relationship was just a featured article in People magazine.�

�That was you?� Jason asked. Melissa simply nodded her head. She couldn�t believe what was happening. Out of all the people on the face of the Earth, Mandy Williford was standing up for her?

�Listen�� Jason attempted to begin an apology.

�Save it.� Mandy cut off Jason in the same rude manner he�d used on Melissa moments before. She turned to Melissa, �Come on, girl. Let�s get out of here.�

And what else could Melissa do? She turned on her heel and followed Mandy down the hall.

�Listen,� Melissa said quietly. �I really want to thank you. You saved my butt- big time.�

�Yeah, well Jason�s an asshole.� Said Mandy. �I look for any excuse to go head-to-head with him.�

Uncomfortable silence. What does the new girl say to the ex-girl who just saved her ass? When deep down inside, the new girl could never forgive the ex-girl for events that had transpired in the past? And vice-versa?

�You have a pass?� Mandy asked. She toyed with the backstage laminate hanging around her own neck.

Melissa shook her head sheepishly. �I�m supposed to be in the auditorium, watching the Boys sound check. But I got a little sidetracked on the way to the bathroom.�

�Looking for Carson Daly?� Mandy suggested. Damn, Melissa thought. As much as I want to hate this girl, I have to admit she knows me pretty well.

�No, D�Angelo.�

�Ooo, good choice.� Mandy agreed. �Well, he just got onstage. If I bring you back to the auditorium now, we might be able to catch the last part of his dress rehearsal.�

�You�d do that for me?� �Hell yes.� Mandy nodded her head. �I�m not that stupid. I want to see that man onstage as well.�

Melissa couldn�t help but smile. �Let�s get a move on it.�

The girls high-tailed in through the backstage mayhem. But by the time they�d reached the auditorium, D�Angelo was just stepping offstage. At least they�d see him later tonight.

�Hey baby, where were you? I was looking all over for you.� Melissa recognized Nick�s voice. He stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle. He buried his head in her neck, nibbling at her skin.

�I got into a little altercation with Lifehouse.� Melissa explained

�That asshole of a lead singer? He�s such a jerk. Did he do anything to you?� Nick turned Melissa�s body around to face his own. He placed his hands on her shoulders, staring into her eyes with nothing but concern.

�He was about to. But Mandy here saved me,� Melissa explained by gesturing to the girl at her right.

Nick tore his eyes away from Melissa to look in the direction she�d pointed. He hadn�t even noticed anyone else was around. He never did when he was Melissa. It was as if the world was on a freeze-frame, and he and Melissa were the only two people able to move.

�Hey, Nick.� Mandy said quietly. She seemed shy and unsure of herself. Very different from the blonde bombshell on MTV.

�You saved my girl, did ya Mandy?� Nick responded. He wrapped an arm around Melissa, pulling her closer to his body. He felt a need to make it clear to everyone that it was he and Melissa together now.

�I just let a few words loose on that Jason. I can�t stand the guy.� Mandy said with a shrug of her shoulders.

�You were always quick with the tongue.� Nick remembered.

More silence. If Melissa thought the situation moments before was unbearably comfortable, she was dead wrong. Her current state was much worse. She had to say something. Anything. �Its been a long time since all three of us have been together.�

Stupid, stupid, stupid. That was supposed to relieve the tension? Real smart, Melissa. Everyone was quiet while they remembered the incident years back. The only time the three had ever been together before.

�Well, I better be going.� Mandy, the brave one, broke the silence. �I�m supposed to make an appearance on TRL soon.�

�I guess I�ll see you around.� Nick spat out.

�Good luck with the show tonight. The both of you.�

�You to Mandy.� Said Nick.

Mandy�s tall, slim figure retreated towards the backstage area. Nick motioned for Melissa to walk towards the exit with him. He wouldn�t address the uncomfortable experience they�d just been through. It wasn�t his style. �Come on, baby girl. We gotta get ready for tonight.�

In response, Melissa wrapped her arms around his waist.

�You sure Jason didn�t hurt you? Because if he did��

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