Do What Feels Right
Chapter 1
The Beginning
*~*~*The year before*~*~*
"Megan! C'mon! We're gonna be late for the airport!" I yelled at the front door of our apartment.
"I'm coming!" she yelled back from her room, "We're arriving 45 minutes early anyway!"
"Just c'mon!"
I was so excited to be in New York City for 1 1/2 months. Graduation was a week ago, and I didn't start my job till the beginning of August. Megan and I were going to stay at her aunt's house right outside of the city. We were going to go see plays, musicals, try to check out downtown and see if we can get on MTV and whatever. I had never been to New York before, so it should be exciting.
~*~*~*~*~
We arrived at La Guardia Airport in New York in the early evening. Megan's Aunt Renee was waiting at the gate with a smile. We all hugged, got our luggage and went to her apartment. When we got there, Megan�s Uncle Mark and dinner greeted us.
"So what you two ladies planning to do tomorrow?" Renee asked us as we chowed down on our food.
"Uh," Megan said in between food intake, "We might try to go downtown and find where they tape TRL."
"TRL?" Renee asked us.
"Total Request Live," I replied, "It's a program on MTV where you get to pick the top 10 music videos of the day."
"Oh," she said, "One of those hip young programs..."
Megan rolled her eyes, "You don't happen to know where it is, do you?"
"No."
"Times Square, I thought," Mark replied.
Megan and I were astonished. "I...think he's right," I said to Megan.
"I think so too - how did you know?" Megan asked her uncle.
"I work near there. I recall the screaming fans," he replied, "I believe if you take the subway to Times Square, you should be able to find what you're looking for."
"Thanks!" both Megan and I said.
"Honey, do you really think it's safe..." Renee started to say to her husband.
"Aunt Renee, we're 22 years old, we can handle it," Megan said.
"Okay, but be careful," Renee said.
"We will."
We finished our dinner and headed to unpack our stuff in our room.
"Hey Lynne, you know what we should do?" Megan said to me as she took out some of her clothes.
"What's that?"
"Make signs for TRL to see if Carson will let us up into the studio."
"That'll be cool - but we'll have to make them interesting or shocking," I said.
"True. Since we wanna make *N Sync look like what they use to look like during No Strings Attached, how about we say something like 'Can you help us give *N Sync a makeover?'" Megan said, laughing.
I laughed, "How about 'Help us make *N Sync normal again?'"
"Good one. Or 'Can you help us straighten out *N Sync?'"
"Nice - we need poster boards and markers," I said.
"Let me go ask my aunt - she's a teacher. She should have some," Megan said, leaving the room. She returned a few minutes later with the supplies, "Aunt Renee gave me some pretty strange looks when I told her what we were going to do."
"I guess she just doesn't understand, does she?"
"Nope."
We spent the next 30 minutes making our posters look pretty. We went to bed a few hours later. We left by mid-morning the next day with our posters rolled up and our purses. Mark rode with us, since he needed to go to work on the Square. When we got to our destination, we split from Mark and made our way down Broadway. We found where TRL was shot during the afternoon, but there were hardly any fans there since it was still morning. We decided to look around the shops.
Around 2P, there was already a line to get into the studio so we stood in line. We were hoping to get a bracelet to go inside, but we were too far down the line.
�Oh well,� I said to Megan, �We at least get to stand outside and hold our posters.�
When taping began, we were towards the front of the crowd and we opened both of our posters. I had the one that said, �Help us make *N Sync normal again?� and Megan had the one that said, �Can you help us straighten out *N Sync?� Some of the people who were standing around us laughed at our posters. Our arms got tired after a few minutes, so we decided to just hold the posters up when the camera from inside was pointing outside.
�You know, I don�t think Carson will let us up,� Megan commented after 45 minutes of taping.
�I don�t think so either,� I said, �Unless he�s waiting till it gets closer to the �Pop� video so that he can bring us up to talk to us.�
�Ooo�� Megan said in surprised, �Good one! Maybe.�
A few minutes later, one of the cameras from inside the studio pointed outside, and we immediately put our posters back up again. We saw Carson pointing at our general direction and motioned to come up. Everyone in our general area started looking at each other and asking whom he was pointing at.
�Who was he pointing at?� I asked out loud.
�I don�t know � was it you?� a girl next to me replied.
�I don�t know,� I said back.
�You two girls,� a lady said, pointing at Megan and I, �Come upstairs with me.�
�So Carson was pointing at us,� Megan said.
�Yes, Carson was intrigued by your posters, so follow me � quickly,� she said.
We followed the lady into the building. We were giddy and quite nervous.
�Omigod, we�re actually going into the studio!� I exclaimed to Megan.
�This is so unbelievable!� she replied back, �Just act cool.�
�Right.�
When we got into the studio, we were trying to act calm and collected.
�Hey gals, how�s it going?� Carson asked, shaking both of our hands.
�Doing quite well, you?� I asked.
�I�m doing fine,� he replied, �When the camera comes back on, I�ll introduce you two and ask some questions. Now I�m Carson, what are your names?�
�I�m Megan.�
�And I�m Lynne.�
When the camera came back on, Carson said, �We�re back here live on TRL. Now before the break, I wanted these two lovely ladies next to me to come up since they were holding these interesting signs � hold them up, ladies.�
We did as we were told, holding the signs and smiling for the camera.
�This one that Megan is holding says �Can you help us straighten out *N Sync?� and Lynne has the �Help us make *N Sync normal again?� Now girls, do you not like how they look right now?� Carson asked.
�Well, we like them no matter what, but we�re not too big on the looks they have going right now,� Megan said, then looking at me.
�Yeah � JC�s hair looks like a mop, Joey needs to grow his facial back out, Lance needs to have his hair back to the blonde color. We wanna tell Justin that we like the new �do, but if he could let it grow out just a little bit, that�ll be great. As for Chris � we wanna tell him that the red tint looks pretty cool,� I said.
�Okay,� he said, �But shouldn�t you focus more on their music than their looks?
�We are � as long as they keep making good music, that�s all we care about,� Megan replied, �But we don�t see why they have to change their looks.�
�Well, being devil�s advocate here,� Carson said, �They may just want the change.�
�True,� I said, �But we just want to say to them that we support them, but if they can look like their No Strings Attached days, that would be great!�
�Okay,� he said, �Now what do you think about the �Pop� video?�
�It�s interesting,� Megan said, �But I like it.�
�How about you, Lynne?�
�It�s definitely different from before, but it�s cool,� I said.
�Well thanks girls. Here�s *N Sync at #2 with �Pop,� Carson said as the camera went off. He turns to us and goes to shake our hands, �Thanks Megan, Lynne. If you can follow Sarah there behind the camera, I think she wants to talk to you two.�
�Thanks Carson,� Megan said.
�Yeah, thanks for letting us up!� I exclaimed.
�No problem!� he replied.
We followed Sarah to a meeting room where we sat down at the table with her.
�Hi,� she said, shaking our hands, �Megan and Lynne right?�
�Right,� I said, �I�m Lynne and she�s Megan.�
�Nice to meet you two � I�m Sarah Anderson,� she said, �I�m interested to here your plan on this.�
We were both confused and just looked at each other, then back at Sarah. �What do you mean our plan? Our plan on what?� I asked.
�Your plan on how you would change *N Sync�s looks,� she said in a serious face. We were still confused. �You�re telling me that you didn�t have a plan on how you would change their looks?�
�No,� Megan said, �We just wrote the signs to see if we can get on air and just verbally tell them on camera if they can change their haircuts back to what they use to be.�
Sarah looked at us in utter disbelief, �So this was all a publicity stunt?�
�We really didn�t think we were going to be on air,� I quickly said, �It was mostly out of fun!�
Sarah thought for a few minutes while we started to panic. �Alright, if I were to propose an idea to you guys, would you be willing to do it?�
Megan looked at me with wide eyes. �What kind of idea?� I cautiously asked.
�If MTV gave you a chance to go talk to each of the guys from *N Sync about their looks and anything else you please, within reason of course, would you be able to do it?� Sarah asked.
�What�s the catch?� I suspiciously asked.
�You tape everything and call Carson every day during TRL time to give an update,� she replied.
Megan and I both looked at each other. We both knew I was better and communicating any concerns if there were any, so I thought for a minute. �But how do we know where to go? How would we get there? Are you going to supply us with a camera, transportation and hotel stay? How about food? Megan and I have limited money to spend. And finally - when will we do this? We don�t live around here, and we start our jobs in August,� I said.
�We will pay for everything � hotel accommodation, transportation, air flights, and food. And we can start doing this as early as next week. The actual trip will take two� three weeks tops. After that, we should require no more than a week for an additional comments and finishing conclusions from you two. All you have to say is yes,� Sarah said.
Megan looked at me, her eyes telling me that she really wanted to do this. I was still skeptical. It all seemed too easy. �I don�t know Sarah � why are you willing to do this for us?� I asked.
�It�ll be a great thing to watch for the viewers. We can set you guys up with a laptop with Internet connection, and viewers can e-mail you with questions that they want answered about the guys. You�ll be doing millions of fans a huge favor by actually talking to the guys and see what they�re really like. Think of it as FANatic, but on a much larger scale. We send you to meet each guys individually, and you get to ask them even more personal questions,� Sarah said.
I was still uneasy with the whole thing. �Can you leave us alone for a few minutes � I need to talk this over with Megan,� I said.
�No problem,� Sarah said, standing up and closing the door after she left the room.
�Lynne, what�s the problem?� Megan said, �It sounds like a great idea! How often something like this comes around? We can�t pass up the chance��
�Megan, listen to me!� I said, cutting her off, �It just doesn�t sound right. I just have this gut feeling that it won�t go well. Yeah I want to meet them, but doesn�t it sound weird that they�re just thought of this and are willing to pay for EVERYTHING and all we do is just go along for the ride?�
�Why do you always have to distrust everyone?� Megan asked, �Maybe it�s just that. Maybe we just have to go along for the ride.�
�And what if it�s not? I can bet you it�s not that at all,� I said, �I just don�t know Megan. I don�t want to put my job in jeopardy for this.�
�Your job?! What�s your job have to do with this?� Megan asked.
�Think about it � this is MTV we�re talking about. What if our employers see this? I don�t know about you, but Indianapolis is a pretty conservative place. They�re not into this whole wild and crazy thing. If my employer sees me going across country, representing MTV, what are they gonna think about me?� I asked.
�I think you�re overreacting, Lynne,� she said, �We�re not planning to do anything crazy. We�re just going to see each guy and ask him questions. That�s all. Come on, it�ll be a great experience to end with right before we hit the real world. What do you say? Please?�
Sarah knocked on the door and popped her head inside, �Can I come in now?� I motioned her inside and she sat back down. �So what�s the verdict? You girls wanna do it?�
�So MTV will pay for everything and all we have to do is just talk to the guys?� I asked.
�Yes, you keep us updated through phone calls and e-mails and we�ll pay for everything,� Sarah confirmed.
�Do we have to pay you guys back for this?� I asked.
�All we ask in return is that you keep us updated with how you�re doing after this,� she said, �Is it a deal?�
I looked at Megan with a still-worried look on my face, then looked back at Sarah, �Yeah, we�ll do it.�
�Great,� Sarah exclaimed, �If you can leave us a number where you�re staying at, we�ll keep you in touch.�
�Okay,� I said, writing Renee�s number on a piece of paper and handing it to Sarah.
�Will you guys be able to stop by tomorrow morning to sign the contract?� Sarah asked.
�Contract?� I asked.
�Just your standard contract,� Sarah replied, �It�ll have everything we discussed today.�
�Uh, sure, that�ll be no problem,� I said as all three of us got up, �Thanks for everything.�
�No problem,� Sarah said and points at a door, �There�s the door you came in from. Just enter the same you did when you come tomorrow.�
�Okay, thanks,� I said, grabbing Megan�s elbow and heading towards the exit.
On our beeline towards the door, we ran into Carson. �Hey girls, I just heard what Sarah offered you two. You excited?�
�We�re ecstatic!� Megan exclaimed in excitement.
�It should be an interesting ride,� I replied calmly.
�Well, good luck to you two,� he said, �JC and all them are very nice guys.�
�Thanks,� I said, �And thanks for letting us up into the studio.�
�No problem, see you two later,� he said.
We left the building and headed back to Renee�s house � exhausted and excited. I still was apprehensive about the whole thing.
*~*~*The next day*~*~*
�Why do you have to come with us, Uncle Mark?� Megan whined on the subway.
�Megan � how many times to I have to tell you, we have to be careful,� I replied.
�Exactly, I trust Lynne on this. It sounds all to suspicious, and I want to be there and check out the contract,� Mark said.
�Lynne already made sure we weren�t going to be in any danger yesterday,� Megan snapped back.
�And I still said that I felt uneasy about it when we were going back to the house,� I replied, �I didn�t say we were out of the red.�
�Why can�t you just let your inhibitions go for this one time?� she asked, �Why do you have to be so conservative?�
�I don�t know � maybe I grew up that way,� I said back, �There�s something that�s just not right� I knew I shouldn�t have agreed to this��
�Don�t back out now,� Megan pleaded, �Please Lynne� MTV doesn�t have any reason to bring us down.�
�So you sure you won�t get in trouble at work for being a little late, Mark?� I asked, ignoring Megan.
�Don�t worry about it,� he assured, �I got it taken care of.�
*~*~*At MTV studios*~*~*
�Who is this?� Sarah asked Megan and Lynne.
�This is Mark Jackson, my uncle,� Megan replied, �He insisted on coming to review the contract � I hope you don�t mind.�
�No problem,� Sarah said, leading the three to the meeting room they were in the day before, �The contract states everything we discussed yesterday. All you need to do is sign it, and we�ll be on our way.�
Mark looked over the two-page contract in great detail. �So these two young ladies do not owe MTV anything?� he asked.
�They do not owe us anything,� Sarah replied.
�Why are you doing this again?� he asked.
�It�ll be a great thing for the viewers. They get to interact with these two young ladies via the Internet and get their questions answered,� Sarah replied.
The answer wasn�t a good reason at all, but Mark didn�t know what to do. The contract seemed pretty solid and clearly stated everything we had told him the night before.
�Well girls,� Mark said, looking at us, �It�s all up to you. The contract seems alright.�
Megan quickly signed the contract and handed over to me - I still felt perturbed about the whole thing. Mark�s troubled look didn�t help things. Reluctantly, I signed the contract and gave it to Sarah.
�So when do we get started?� I asked.
�We should get details worked out by the end of the week, and we�ll contact you two before the weekend,� Sarah asked, �Most likely, you�ll be leaving by next Monday.�
We all got up and shook Sarah�s hand. �Talk to you ladies soon,� she replied, walking them to the exit.
�Try not to worry, Lynne,� Mark said as we started to walk down the street, �If anything happens, call us.�
�Okay,� I replied, �Thanks for looking over the contract.�
�Not problem, see you ladies later,� he said, parting ways with us.
[chapter 2]�[Do What Feels Right]
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