Lindsey and the rest of the band were excited and scared as they prepared to go on stage. All the parents were coming with them. All the members of the band were coming as well. All the girls had gotten together and gone and had their hair, nails, toenails, and everything done.
The guys did the same thing.

They all had new outfits for the concert and performance. All the instruments were polished and shiny. They arrived in Charlotte early and set-up.They were informed that there was a green room where they could get refreshments and party with the headliner after their performance if they wanted too.

Ian was playing the drums shirtless during the performance. Jermaine, Terry, and Jamie were decked out in new costumes, that made them look dashing. Lindsey and Tessa were wearing fishnets stocking and dress in similar clothes. Different style, but similar in design.
Kaja and Maxine were dressed to the nines as well. Brenda their manager and lawyer were there with them. She was going with them to
Nashville, Tennessee.

Tessa asked if she could give a few friends of hers, backstage passes. Terry didn’t see any reasons why she couldn’t and arranged for everyone to have a few to give out if they wanted too. It wouldn’t be the first time they have let some of their friends hang out with them during a performance.

Charlotte, N.C.:
When it was time to go on, they walk out onto the stage and jump right into their first song. Tessa and Jermaine couldn’t believe they were playing in front of so many people. They were into the groove as they performed. They went from one song to the next song. They played fifteen songs altogether and when the crowd started chanting “Encore! Encore! Encore!”

They played three more songs before they had to leave the stage. They headed towards the green room, to grab something cold to drink. All their family was proud of them. Tessa spotted her friend Becky. She runs towards her and hugs her.

Becky had received a letter from Tessa along with a back-stage pass for her. She couldn’t believe that Tessa had planned for her to come to the concert and left her a backstage pass. She also couldn’t believe she was in the green room partying with the band either. She knew they had to leave to head towards Nashville, Tennessee for their award.

Tessa spots her friend and heads over towards her. She so wanted to have her friend here for their performance and would love to have her in Nashville, but she knew that wouldn’t be possible. The award community would only pay for the band and their parents. Also, Stefano wouldn’t give Becky the day off.

The band stays for awhile partying with their friends. They enjoy the other band they came to cover for. Once the other band was partway through, Dusty Gasket leaves to catch their flight to Nashville.

At the airport, Krist, Maxine, and Kaja make sure all the instruments, sound equipment, merchandise is loaded and protected before loading into the plane. Lindsey, Tessa, Ian, Terry, Jamie, and Jermaine take their instruments with them on the flight. Lindsey and Tessa had her keyboards, saxophone, and guitar with them. Ian’s drums were packed up with all the other equipment. He helped the girls with their instruments and luggage.

All the parents of the band were with them. Tessa’s mother was able to get the time off to spend with her daughter after she informed her bosses that her daughter and the band she had joined was going to be on television. Jermaine and his parents were excited about him as well. Lindsey knew Barbara was proud of her.

Nashville, Tennessee:
They fly into Nashville late and are taken from the airport to their hotel. They check into their rooms tired from playing and the flight. Each band member shared a room with their parents that came. Those parents that didn’t come with a band member, shared a room with one of the band members with family.

A representative from the awards community meets with the band. They go over what is going to transpire and are informed that they will be allowed to do a sound check before they will have to perform their song.

Brenda, Kaja, and Terry meet with the organizers and some record executives that would like to sign the band. Kaja has been their merchandise manager and seller. She wants to have final say over anything that has been copyrighted by her and produces for. Terry was the owner of the band and Brenda was their manager and lawyer.

The law firm that Brenda worked for made her a partner and has taken an interest in the band. They were thinking about taking on more bands as clients. Brenda would be handling them.

“You ready to be famous, Tessa?” Lindsey knew that after this gig and the gig they did at Charlotte was going to put them on the radar.

Tessa looks at Lindsey “I knew you guys were popular. That’s why I wanted to join the band. Plus, you gave me a chance to prove that people like us are capable of doing things like anyone else.”

“I hope you and Jermaine are ready for this. I know I’m nervous about playing on television.” Lindsey had glanced over to look at Jermaine as he, Jamie and Terry were working out some moves to do on stage.

“You, nervous? You don’t show it when you are playing.” Tessa had watched Lindsey when she played. She was in tuned with the music and dancing as she played.

“I’ve learned to cover my nervousness with our music as we played. I enjoy hearing the notes and rhythm like I do when I am writing the music.” Lindsey loves when she hears the music after she puts everything together.

Tessa smiles and wonders what it was going to be like. Later, they do a sound check and head out to dinner as a group. The organizers of the event were picking up the tab.

When they get back to their hotel. Lindsey tries to sleep, but she couldn’t. She gets up and takes her laptop out. She brings up her favorite music program and starts writing a song. She hopes that by burying herself into writing, that it will put her asleep.

Barbara wakes up and spots Lindsey typing away on her laptop with a set of headphones on. She was hymning a tune as she typed it into her laptop. She reaches over and taps Lindsey on the shoulder.

Lindsey stops what she is doing and turns her head to see who just tapped her on her shoulder. She spots her mother looking at her. She removes her headphones “sorry mom. I couldn’t sleep.”

“That’s alright sweetie. I think most of your band members are like that.” She glances over and spots Tessa watching them. Tessa and her mother were sharing the bedroom with Lindsey and her mother.

Lindsey looks in the same direction as her mother and spot Tessa looking at them.

“You too?” Lindsey notices that Tessa was wide awake as well.

“Yep, I can’t sleep either.” Tessa stays still so she didn’t wake her mother.

“You girls need to get some sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow. “Barbara looks at both girls with motherly concern for them.

“We know mom.” Lindsey saves what she was working on and shuts down her laptop.

She puts her laptop away and crawls in next to her mother. She snuggles again her mother and tries to fall asleep. She feels her mother wrap her arms around her.

“Sweet dreams Lindsey.” Barbara just holds her.

"Night mom." Lindsey closes her eyes as she relaxes against her mother.