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Editor Note: The images used for this story were purchased and used under royalty-free license* from iStockphoto.com . ~Sephrena
Author Note: Please email me at AngelJediGirl (at) gmail (dot) com before posting this story to any other site. Posting to a pay site is prohibited.

Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address.

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Sarah Carerra Book 2: Summer Medley

Chapter 2.39 - Riding in Style

The next three days were similar to what I had gone through the week before. Somebody had set up a fake stage in a large building not too far from home, and that provided us with a chance to run through the dress rehearsals.

Learning to change my clothes in under a minute was not a fun thing to learn. I ended up in some awkward positions as people attempted to get me out of one outfit and into another, so that I could quickly return to the stage. At least the dancers had an entire song to complete their wardrobe changes before cycling back onto stage to perform. But by Tuesday afternoon I seemed to have it down pat. I still felt uncomfortable with people seeing me in my underwear as they helped me change, but it occurred in a small private area where only the women helping me could see anything.

But the biggest difference between the dress rehearsals and work we had done in Kate's studio had to be the large video screen that sat at the back of the stage, towering high above all of us. A number of people had put in a lot of work over the last week to create a visual presentation to offset the work Kate had done. I never got to see it while we were performing, but the glimpses left me impressed. I hoped that at least one concert was recorded so that I could see the whole effect.

Monday and Tuesday consisted of a dress rehearsal before lunch and a second one after lunch. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday all had a single dress rehearsal in the morning so that I could attend to the other matters that I still needed to take care of before the first concert. Julia had me at her disposal Wednesday afternoon for wardrobe fittings. I had something else happening Thursday afternoon, but Dad and Amy were both tight-lipped about what it was. Their excitement told me that I would like it, however. Friday we would get a break to recuperate before the concert, and it was also the time that we would be celebrating Mom's birthday. Some of the family were coming over to our house on Sunday for another party, but Friday afternoon would be all about Mom. Then on Saturday we had to wake up early enough to make the nearly four hour drive up to Paso Robles for the concert.

It was going to be a busy and exciting week.

"Excellent job!" Kate called out as we finished singing 'You Can't Hurt Me' Wednesday morning. That song was being used as my encore, so it signaled the end of dress rehearsals for the day. We had two more days to practice, but it already looked like we were ready.

I walked over to my water bottle to wet my throat, but I knew that I didn't have much time to get some lunch before I needed to be at Julia's office.

I quickly changed out of one of the fake stage outfits Julia had provided for me to use for the dress rehearsal and into some street-worthy clothes before Amy and I headed to my car. It wasn't long before I had pulled into a small cafe that I enjoyed eating at. I was happy to get off my feet and collapse into one of the window booths that had a nice view of the park across the street. Amy took the seat opposite me.

"I've set up the party for August 7th," she told me while we were waiting for our orders to be taken. She was referring to the party that I wanted to set up with the band's families. "That will give you plenty of time to have fun before they leave for the cross-country portion of the tour."

"Okay," I said. It would be a nice way for them to spend some time with their families before they spent a good deal of time on the road. Dad had already told me that we would be flying to most of the concerts, but we would be travelling by bus for much of the two weeks that we were away from home before school began. It sounded like it could be a fun adventure.

The waiter showed up and took our orders, and then I signed some autographs and interacted with a few fans who were in the cafe while we waited for our food.

"Thanks for hiring me," Amy said after the waiter had brought us our food. "I was afraid that you would say no, and I didn't want to look for another job."

That statement surprised me! "You would have had to find another job if I didn't hire you?" I asked incredulously. That didn't sound like the way my Dad's company worked.

"Well, not right away," she said. "Your dad told me that I would be able to stay on with the company, but I don't know how long that would have lasted."

I smiled at her. "Amy, knowing how efficient and easy you are to work with now, I have no doubt that my dad would have done everything in his power to keep you with his company. You're amazing."

She blushed, and tried to hide it by taking a bite of her food. I smirked at her reaction. I knew what it was like to not feel confident in my own abilities. This summer had certainly opened my eyes, and I was excited to try and get Amy to open hers. In the two weeks she had been working as my personal assistant, I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have someone working for me who was not only very good at her job, but also fun to be around. Dad had certainly done a good job in selecting her. I couldn't imagine working with anyone else.

I continued to try to help boost her confidence in her ability to do the job while we ate. I did the same thing on our drive over to Julia's office. She still didn't fully believe me by the time we entered the front doors of the building and boarded the elevator for the trip up to the right floor. It would take her time to learn how good she was, but I would make sure that she did.

When we stepped off the elevator and into the plush waiting area of Aphrodite Image Consulting, I couldn't help but smirk at the look I received from the receptionist. When I was here with Dad the first time, the receptionist had given me a look that told me she didn't think I was worthy of their business. But now she was giving me a look of respect. I had a feeling that I was probably one of their top customers now, and she couldn't deny what that meant.

"You certainly surprised me," she said after telling me that Julia would be right out. "I see a lot of people come through here, and I never expected you would become such an honored client."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, and I must have had a dirty look cross my face because her expression turned toward one of horror for a moment before she spoke again.

"Don't get me wrong," she tried to apologize and explain at the same time. "You're a gorgeous girl, but looks aren't everything in this industry."

"Well," I said, somewhat guardedly. "I wasn't signed because of my looks. I think my voice was more important to them."

The receptionist’s face fell as she realized that I had been offended by her remark. I knew she had tried to compliment me, but she clearly could have chosen her words better.

Thankfully, Julia walked into the lobby at that moment. She quickly looked at me before she turned toward the receptionist. I saw the cold look Julia gave her before turning back to me.

"Right this way, Sarah." At least Julia had a warm smile on her face. I followed her out of the lobby and into the hall that led to the many offices, the dressing rooms, and the 'Stash' that made up the rest of the floor of the building. She didn't seem very happy though, and I knew it had something to do with what she had interrupted.

"You'll have to excuse Ursula," Julia said while we walked. "She can be a bit demeaning. It helps keep some of the walk-ins away, but she has a nasty habit of not turning it off."

We walked for a bit before I responded. I was surprised that the receptionist had said that to me, but she hadn't intended harm.

"It's okay," I finally told Julia. "I know that she didn't mean to offend me. She probably should have considered her words more carefully before speaking, though. I won't hold it against her."

Relief washed over Julia's face. I had the feeling that some of her other clients were less accepting of the flaws in the company's employees. I sincerely hoped that I never became so jaded that I failed to recognize the good that they brought with the flaws.

Julia stopped at a door to a room that I had never been in before. We stepped into the room, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. The gasp that escaped Amy's mouth mirrored my own thoughts. I had expected to be led into the Stash, which is the large room where they kept a lot of clothes for their clients. Instead we had been led into a private dressing room that had a number of beautiful outfits hanging around the room! Each one caught my eye and held my attention for a moment before one of the others clamored for my gaze.

I paid Julia well, and she had yet to disappoint me in any of the outfits that she had chosen for me to wear. The ones she had picked out for the concert tour were no exception.

She gave me a moment to walk around the room and look at each one. She seemed to have put some thought into what type of outfit would look best in each city, and I could feel a "flavor" in the outfits as I matched them up to the cities I would be performing in. Most of the distinctions were very minor, since the costumes had to be relatively the same to allow me to change into each one quickly between songs, but they made a big impact on the overall outfit. I was truly impressed.

"There are a lot of dresses," was the first thing out of my mouth. She laughed immediately. I felt a smile cross my face at her mirth.

"I know that you were a tomboy at the beginning of the summer," she said. "But I'm trying to move your image into that of a girly girl. Soft, feminine, that sort of thing. Can you handle it?"

"Yes," I said, laughing myself. I hadn't ever really been a tomboy, but these clothes were exactly the type of clothes that I loved to wear now.

"You used to be a tomboy?" Amy asked incredulously, causing me to laugh again.

"Not exactly," I told her. "I've never really been into sports or anything, but I never really dressed up or wore makeup too much."

She gave me a weird look like she didn't believe me. I laughed again. I couldn't tell her the truth. But since she hadn't known me before, it seemed way out of character for me in her mind. I had to agree. Dressing the way I had before Megan took over my life would be totally out of character for me now.

"Let's try one on," Julia interrupted. We had a lot of work to do to make sure each one had the proper fit. But I couldn't keep myself from chuckling again at Amy's look as I walked toward the first outfit.

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On Thursday morning Dad insisted on driving me to the building that we had been using for the dress rehearsals. I couldn't figure out why he wanted to, because I had already made him promise to stay away from the rehearsals so that he wouldn't hear the new song. I'd driven myself each day this week. Maybe he had business that he needed to attend to downtown, or maybe he had somewhere he wanted to take me after the rehearsals were over, so I caved in and let him drive me.

Rehearsals went really well. With only two days until the first concert we were about as ready as we could be. Kate was only correcting very small things while we performed all of the songs again.

When I had changed and was ready to go, I found Dad waiting for me. But I knew something was up when I noticed Emily and Ethan with him, dressed as Chloe and Xander. I smiled quickly and Emily promptly wrapped me in a hug. I had hardly seen her during the last two weeks because of our different work schedules. She usually worked evenings, and I'd been working on choreography during the time she was at home. I couldn't wait until summer was over and I'd get to spend more time with her. She had already told me that she wouldn't be working at the store during the school year.

Dad took us out to a fancy restaurant for lunch. We were given a semi-private table so we weren’t interrupted by fans too much, but they were always there when I went out as Sarah anymore. I tried to get Dad's big surprise out of him as we ate, but his lips were sealed on the subject. Emily and Ethan were tightlipped too, yet they seemed to know more than I did.

We started for home after lunch, which really threw me off. But Dad exited the freeway earlier than normal, increasing my excitement again. We were driving up a fairly busy street when I first got a glimpse of it. I noticed a small group of people congregating around a chain-link fence; they were pointing in at a parking lot while taking pictures.

"What's going on up there?" I asked. Emily leaned forward from where she was sitting in the back of Dad's car to peer over my shoulder out the front window.

"I don't know," she said, but I somehow knew she was lying.

A moment later it came into view. I felt the large intake of breath catch in my throat at the sight. Parked in the parking lot were a number of buses, but forefront to everyone's view was a big white one. But what made me gasp was the fact that my logo was plastered across the side of it! Even though I had never seen the bus before, I knew without a doubt that it was my tour bus! Having my name on the side of the bus only confirmed that realization.

"Dad..." I gasped, but I didn't know what else to say to him. He smiled broadly at my reaction while he pulled around the corner to a gate that was being manned by a security officer. After a brief exchange, the officer opened the gate and Dad drove into the parking lot and over to the bus. My eyes hadn't left the vehicle the entire time.

"Wait until you see the inside," Dad said while opening his door. I opened my own door and stepped out. I heard a few cheers from the crowd that had been looking at the bus on the other side of the fence, but I still couldn't take my eyes away from the large bus that was silently idling, waiting for me.

Dad led me over toward the door, which opened at our approach, and Eddie, my driver, stepped out.

"She's a beaut', Sarah," he grinned at me in excitement. "She'll be fun to drive around the country, I guarantee that."

I laughed at his enthusiasm, and he stepped aside and I hesitantly climbed into the bus.

I fell in love immediately. After taking a few steps up and through the driver's section of the bus, I knew that Dad had taken a lot of care in having a designer tailor this bus to my liking. The wood paneling that made up the majority of the walls and surfaces was made of a very light color. Some of the slats appeared almost white while others had a creamy beige, almost light yellow quality to them, though the lighting may have had something to do with the color differences. The floor was a very dark brown hardwood broken up only by the lighter brown shaggy rug that ran most of the way through the middle of the large area at the front of the bus. A dark brown couch lined the wall on my right while two matching sofa chairs and a table greeted me on the left.

Further back a small kitchen area adorned the left wall with a large, full-size stainless-steel fridge. To the right of that was a small dining area with leather benches in a matching dark brown to the sofa. I slowly made my way down the bus taking in every little detail. It wasn't overtly feminine, but it certainly had a feminine vibe to it with a couple of pink pillows on the couch and other small touches here and there. There was even a display case that had a number of pictures of me with Chloe and Xander or with the band inside!

I turned back to Dad, who was following me, and gasped again. At the front of the bus I had totally missed the large screen TV above the fireplace that took up the area to the right of the door that led back off the bus! My bus had a fireplace!

"This bus is for you and your family, Sarah. The band and the other crew members have their own bus," Dad explained before pointing out a couple of the features. "This couch is actually a sofa bed. Your mom and I will sleep there when we are traveling with you. There are three bunks toward the back where Austin can sleep. The other two will be vacant for now, though if Amy or your security needs a place to bunk they may use them. The bedroom is for you."

I turned back toward the rear of the bus. There was a short hallway there and at the end I could see the edge of a bed. Still speechless, I slowly walked toward the hall. I found the bunks on my left quickly; the curtains separating them from the rest of the bus were open and each one looked very inviting for such a small, enclosed space. They all had TV’s and comfortable-looking mattresses topped by soft sheets. Austin was going to love it. Across the hall from the bunks was a bathroom and a small closet or storage area.

At the end of the bunks, there was a door that led into the bedroom. A quick glance inside proved that this was definitely the best room in the bus. The dark brown hardwood floor gave way to plush carpet slightly lighter in color. Just inside the door were a second bathroom on the right and a shower on the left that was much larger than I expected to find on a bus. A short distance further in the room opened up with the bed pushed against the right wall and covered with a beautiful spread that made me want to curl up on top and stay there all day. The left wall was comprised of a small dresser below the large dark-tinted window and a wardrobe further toward the back where I could already see a number of clothes hanging through the open door, likely filled by Julia. The back wall of the bus was filled with more storage space and a larger display case that was mostly empty save for a small frame with a few more pictures of the band and different performances inside, some more pictures of Sarah with Chloe and Xander, and a small picture of Megan and her family. It was the only picture in the bus of my real family. I wished that we didn't have to hide them here in my own private sanctum on the road, but I knew that there was a chance people would be on the bus that we couldn't let in on the secret.

"This is amazing!" Emily said while plopping down on the bed. By the way she sunk down I knew it was going to be really comfortable to sleep on. "You are so spoiled!"

I laughed immediately. I felt the same way.

I continued to look around the bus for the next ten minutes, opening drawers, and learning what it had to offer. I'd never been in a motor home or a bus like this, and the thought of spending time here while on the road was exciting! If I couldn't sleep in my own bed at night, this would be a great second alternative, although I knew I'd still be spending most of my nights in a hotel.

When I finally made my way back to the front of the bus, I found Ethan sitting on one of the chairs staring out the window. He looked bored. I glanced outside and noticed he was staring at the small crowd still looking at the bus and taking pictures. That gave me an idea.

"Bored, huh?" I said and lightly kicked Ethan's leg. He looked up at me and smiled.

"This bus is awesome," he said. "But I'm not entirely sure I like being Xander, and it only reminds me of that fact. I'm positive that I hate wearing this wig and this polo shirt. It's hot outside. I want to wear a T-shirt."

I smirked at him. He was sidetracking my idea, but this sounded more important. "I did warn you to think about the name."

"It's not the name," he said. "I still like the name. No, I hate these clothes and the persona you gave me. I don't want to be preppy."

"Then change," I told him. "Find a style that works right for you. Don't be the person I made you just because I gave you something to start with. Find out who you think Xander is and build him up the way you want him to be. I want you to be comfortable around Sarah and her fans, not feeling like you are putting on a show, okay?"

He smiled so big I thought it was going to crack his face for a moment. Then he laughed and nodded. It was a laugh of relief. I hadn't realized that this had been bothering him, but I was glad we had cleared the air about it.

"Up for having some fun with the fans?" I asked and gestured to the group. Ethan smiled again, and I turned back to my dad.

"Dad, can you get my guitar out of the car?" I asked him. He nodded and stepped past me while he reached into his pocket for his keys.

I followed him off the bus to be greeted by a few screams of delight from the small group standing outside the fence. There were about 10 people standing there. Most of them appeared to be teenagers about my own age, with only a couple of adults and one younger girl with them. I waved at them, and then pointed at the gate. A few looks of surprise washed over some of them, but they got the message and started running toward the gate we had entered not too long before. The rest of them seemed to understand after seeing their actions, or at least followed behind the first group at a slower pace. When they reached the gate I smiled at the alarm on the security guard's face, but I waved them in and he opened the gate for them.

I saw Dad retrieve my guitar and take it onto the bus while I waited for the fans to make their way across the parking lot. He seemed to understand what I was going to do.

The first fan to reach me was a boy who looked like he could be my age. But he was screaming and hollering and acting like a little girl in his excitement. Before I could do or say anything he wrapped me in a quick hug, and then backed away quickly with a look of horror on his face at his actions. He had two friends with him who were only slightly less restrained.

As I laughed lightly at their reaction, it got me thinking. This was the part that I didn't understand about Sarah's fame. It turned normal teenage boys into screaming balls of nerves and giddiness. It was something I had never seen boys do before Sarah entered my life, but their reaction and the shrieks that they emitted put a smile on my face every single time.

While we were waiting for the last stragglers to catch up, one of the other boys reached out slowly toward me. I was laughing again as he brushed my arm before retreating back to his friends with another one of those shrieks. A couple of the girls our age looked mortified at the boys’ actions, and I heard Emily laughing up a storm behind me. I gave a quick glance back and she was turning red with the laughter. Ethan was rolling his eyes at their stupidity. But he had a smile on his own face. He certainly didn't look bored anymore.

"Hi everyone," I said and greeted them with another small wave. There were a number of greetings back. "I saw you guys admiring my new tour bus. Do you like it?" Everyone was nodding their heads or responding in the affirmative. "Well, I just got to see it for the first time myself. It's pretty cool inside. Who wants to be among the first people to take a tour?" Hands shot up from all of them and the boy that hugged me shrieked in excitement once again. I couldn't contain my own laugh when I heard Emily crack up again.

"Come on in," I told them and then stepped onto the bus. I continued walking until I was at the far end of the main room, which allowed everyone room to board. A number of them had their cameras out again and were snapping pictures. I even saw two of them holding their cameras like they were recording video.

They were all mesmerized as I walked them through the bus and pointed out what little I knew about it. The bus seemed a lot smaller with that many people on board, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. At least I didn't have any dirty clothes or personal items strewn about yet to embarrass me.

I made small talk with as many of them as I could while they looked around. When everyone had their chance to see everything, I made my way back up to the front to where Dad was sitting in the chair next to the fireplace. I yearned to press the button to see if it worked, but I had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. He stood up and handed me my guitar, which he had already taken out of its case. The fans scrambled to find somewhere to sit when they realized what that meant. Dad pointed to the chair he had been in and I sat down and swiveled it toward the crowd while placing the guitar on my lap.

"I wouldn't be a proper host if I didn't play you a song before we parted ways," I told them. Both girls and boys shrieked at that information. I had never done a private show for any fans like this before. "Any requests?"

"Ever After!" one of the girls yelled immediately. There were a number of other songs yelled out, but the girl was very persuasive, and soon everyone was agreeing with her. I smiled. It was a good choice since it had started its life on a single guitar. Some of the other songs didn't quite sound the same without the band.

"I loved your dedication at your concert," one of the other girls said. "Chloe must be one heck of a friend."

I laughed out loud and looked around at the faces peering back at me until I found Emily. She had a silly grin of her own at the recognition she had received.

"She is," I smiled back. "Everyone, this is Chloe," I said and gestured toward her. "She's about the best friend a girl could ask for."

Emily looked really nervous now, but managed a small wave back at the crowd. "Hello," she squeaked out a moment later. There was some lighthearted chuckling at her expense. Ethan looked uncomfortable next to her.

"Xander isn't half bad either," I told the crowd, and watched with delight as he turned red at the acknowledgment that I knew he wanted. He brought it on himself, though. I strummed my guitar lightly to save him from more embarrassment and everyone looked back toward me.

"Chloe and I wrote a couple of songs together earlier this year," I told everyone. "But this one is our favorite."

Without any other preamble I launched into the song. The soft strums of the guitar filled the bus while I played and sang the song for the small crowd that was sitting on my bus. Their looks of excitement and wonder never left their faces the entire time I sang. When I strummed the last note they broke out into clapping and cheering.

I'd felt the rush a lot over the last two weeks as we'd learned and practiced the songs for the concert. But sitting there with fans, I knew that the rush I had been feeling during rehearsals was nothing compared to the rush I got when fans were around listening. I felt like I was glowing as I looked around at the people around me. This was why I was addicted to being Sarah. I made a lot of money singing, but it was the smiles and cheers from the crowds that was the real payment.

"Sing 'You Can't Hurt Me' next," someone said. Before I had a chance to say or do anything Dad interrupted us.

"I'm afraid Sarah has other appointments that she needs to get to," he said. His comment was met with groans of disappointment from the fans. I felt slightly disappointed too. I knew that the only appointment I had before Saturday's concert was the dress rehearsal tomorrow morning. But if he wanted me to wrap this up, I would.

"Sorry, guys," I told them while putting my guitar back into its case and moving it out of the way so that it wouldn't get damaged as they left the bus. "It was nice to meet all of you."

I stood up and made sure to at least shake all of their hands as they passed me on their way off the bus. I also gave a number of hugs to some of them and signed some autographs. Overall I did my best to make each of them feel special. When I grabbed my guitar and followed Dad out to his car, I knew that I had made their day. But the best part was that they had made mine.

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Catch a glimpse of Sarah's new tour bus at sarahcarerra.com