�Better Than Best� Chapter 10: Phone Calls & Lucky Charms

We ran on stage. �What�s up LA? Are you ready for this? Make some noise!� I said in the microphone.

�All for Love� began and we were off to a great start. The fans screamed and we danced harder. The fans cheered and we sang louder. We had so much fun. Quick clothing change before �Liquid Dreams� and �All or Nothing.� I changed shirts to a white tee shirt and pulled on a leather jacket. Back onstage the fans screams were deafening. When the final song, �All or Nothing� came around we were so pumped that we really got into the song. It was great.

Backstage everyone was congratulating us on a great performance. None of us could stop smiling. As we were walking to the dressing rooms, my cell phone rang. I was anxious to answer it, hoping it was Justin.

Even before I could say hello I heard screams in the background, and then a voice. �Jenna, if you couldn�t tell I�m at your concert,� Justin�s voice said.

�You saw us perform?� I asked shocked.

�Yes, and might I say, you were great,� he had walked somewhere quieter because there were no longer screams in the background.

�So, are we still on?� I asked.

�We sure are, I�ll pick you up tomorrow morning around nine if that�s ok with you,� he said.

�That�s great. Do you know where we�re staying?� I asked.

�Yup, sure do. I�ll meet you at the front doors tomorrow, k?�

�Great, see you then,� I said.

As I hung up the phone I felt a hand around my waist. I turned and saw Dan. �Justin, huh?�

�Yeah, I can�t wait to record with them,� I replied.

He smiled. �Just don�t get too caught up in Justin, he�s got Britney, remember?�

I laughed. �Oh don�t worry, you�ll never have competition. He saw our show tonight and loved it.�

�Really?� Dan asked. �That�s great. When are you going?�

�Tomorrow morning at nine, you�ll be in the studio remixing the other �All or Nothing� track. I did mine today.�

�Jenna, I just want you to know that I am so happy for you. You are going to be surrounded by talented guys tomorrow. I love you and I hope that you will remember that tomorrow,� Dan said to me as we walked to our dressing rooms.

�Dan, you can�t even imagine how much I love you. You mean everything to me. I could never hurt you,� I hugged him with all my might.

He�s slightly taller than I am so my face was buried in his shoulder. His hand was on my neck, stroking my hair. My hands were on his back.

�You don�t know how good it is to hear you say that. Get dressed and I�ll take you out to a late dinner,� Dan squeezed my hand.

�I�ll be ready in ten minutes,� I said.

I went into the dressing room and changed into the jeans and yellow tee shirt I had been wearing that morning. I touched up my make-up and gathered my stuff. I went down to Dan�s dressing room to find him and Ash sitting and talking.

�Hey guys. What�s going on?� I asked.

�I was just telling Ash where we'll be. He�s going to make sure that everyone else knows,� Dan said.

By that time Ash had gotten up and was standing next to me by the door.

�Jenna, you look great. Tell me all about it before you take off tomorrow morning,� Ash hugged me and left.

I smiled at Dan. He got up and walked into the bathroom.

�I�ll be out in a sec. I still gotta change,� he said through the door.

�K,� I said wandering around the room. I sat on a chair by the door.

A few seconds later, Dan�s cell phone rang. �Can you get that, baby?� he asked.

�Sure,� I said spotting his orange Nokia sitting on the table. I grabbed it up. �Hello?�

�Is Dan Miller there?� I heard a girl�s voice ask.

�May I ask who�s calling?� I replied.

�Just get Dan,� a disgusted voice said.

�Look lady, I�m not going to let you talk to him unless you tell me who you are!� I turned around startled to see Dan standing behind me.

He gave me a puzzled look. The girl on the other end wasn�t done yet.

�Why don�t you tell me who you think you are?� she screamed.

I pulled the phone away from my ear. I threw it at Dan. �You deal with it,� I snarled at him.

He caught the phone and said into the receiver, �I don�t know who you are, but you have no right to talk to my girlfriend like that. Goodbye,� he pushed the end button.

I stared at him in shock. �You don�t even know what she said to me.�

�Doesn�t matter. If it made you that angry it wasn�t worth it,� Dan came over and hugged me.

Not surprisingly, the phone rang again. Dan groaned but answered it, �What?�

I couldn�t hear what the person on the other end was saying but Dan�s face stiffened. �Look, I don�t know how you got this number but if you don�t stop calling here, I�m going to call the police,� he hung up on them.

�What happened?� I asked.

�Some chick started saying stuff about how I shouldn�t date a band member. Don�t worry, I�ll never break your heart,� Dan kissed my forehead. �Let�s get something to eat.�

I put my arm around his waist; he put his around my shoulders. �You got it,� I said as we walked out the door.

We took Mike Cronin�s Chevy Tahoe and drove to a small all night diner. We sat at a table in the corner. Dan and I shared a grilled chicken salad and Caesar wrap. While we ate we talked and laughed.

I love how he makes me laugh. He�s so sweet too. He held me in his arms and nothing else mattered. He kissed me as we walked back to our room and there was nowhere else I�d rather be.

We kept kissing as we fell onto the bed. He took his pants off as I pulled my shirt over my head. Soon the sun was coming up.

I nudged Dan. �Mmph,� he said rolling over.

�Ya wanna take a shower together before I leave?� I asked.

Dan�s eyes opened. �Yes, let�s go!� he said pulling me out of bed and into the bathroom. Half an hour later, we were dressed and ready to go.

�Let�s get the guys and have a quick breakfast,� I suggested.

�But I�m not gonna see you all day! Can�t we have breakfast alone?� Dan got down on his knees and begged.

�I promised Ash I�d tell him how our date went,� I replied.

�Okay, just this once but don�t tell him everything,� Dan got up and grabbed my purse.

�I don�t think they�d be able to eat if I told him everything,� I giggled.

Dan put my purse over his head. I grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall to get the others. We knocked on Jacob�s door first. Trevor answered it.

�Hey guys! We were just about to get some breakfast,� Trevor said.

�That�s what we were coming to do,� I said as we walked into the room.

Ash, Jacob, and Trevor had been playing cards. Ash and Jacob looked up as we entered the room.

�So we up for something to eat?� Ash asked.

�You just want to eat cause I was about to whoop your ass,� Jacob said.

�Yeah, yeah whatever. I was gonna beat you,� Ashley retorted.

�Guys, chill, I was gonna kick both of your butts,� Trevor laughed.

�Come on guys. I gotta get going soon,� I told them.

The guys got up and we went downstairs to the coffee shop. Dan and I poked at each other playfully and giggled the whole walk. We got a table and ordered. Dan put his arm up behind my head. In my ear he whispered, �I love you.�

Suddenly I got the feeling that the guys were staring at me. Trevor was the first to speak.

�I think I just got hungry for some Lucky Charms,� he said.

Jacob caught on, but Ashley looked puzzled, �Why�s that, Trev?�

�Cause I think Dan got lucky last night,� Trevor and Jacob high-fived behind Ashley�s head.

�Dan gets lucky every night,� Jacob added.

�Grow up guys,� I said. �It�s not like it�s never happened to you three.�

�Oh, she sounds pissed,� Ashley teased.

�You guys, quit,� Dan said defending me. �You don�t want our lead singer to go join *NSYNC, do you?�

We laughed. Our food arrived and we hungrily dug in. We ate and talked until it was time for me to meet Justin. The guys walked me to the front of the hotel.

�Good luck, Jenna,� Ashley said hugging me.

�Have fun,� Jacob said.

Trevor smiled, �What they said.�

Dan kissed me. �You go in there and show them how it�s done. Shine like the star you are.�

I reached up and hugged him. �Thanks you guys,� I said as a limo pulled up.

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