Chapter 25

Two months later

It was January 22^nd, and the girls of JADE sat in their dressing room, reveling at their surroundings. Here they were, at the arena in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and in less than an hour, they would be going on stage to open for the Backstreet Boys. None of them had gotten up the courage to peek out into the crowd and see how many people were there, but they didn’t have to. They already knew that all of the Boys’ shows on that tour had been sold out, and that they would be performing for more people than they ever had before. To say they were nervous would be an understatement.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Elyssa called.

The door opened, and in came Don, their manager. “You girls ready?” he asked. “You’ll be taking the stage in just a few minutes.”

Wide-eyed with nervousness, the four girls nodded slightly.

Don smiled. “Relax girls,” he said. “You’ll do great.”

“Thanks,” Ashalyn managed to say.

“Well, come with me. You have to get mic-ed up,” Don said.

Wordlessly, they got up and followed him down the hall, where the equipment people quickly attached their microphones and headsets onto them.

Don glanced at his watch then. “Well, girls, it’s time,” he said. “Good luck.”

They grinned nervously and quickly gave each other hugs for good luck. Then, they took the stage.

“Hi there!” Elyssa called brightly, once she was on stage. “You guys ready for the Backstreet Boys?”

The crowded arena erupted in screams and cheers.

“We thought so,” Elyssa said, smiling. “Well, they’ll be coming pretty soon. But first, we’re gonna sing a few songs for you. That okay?”

The crowd cheered again in approval.

“Good,” Ashalyn said, stepping forward. “In case you didn’t know, we’re a new group called JADE, and right now, we’re going to sing the first single from our debut album, Jadeite, called ‘Why Don’t You See’.”

Ashalyn waited for the cheering to die down, and then she nodded to their band to begin the song.

***

When “Why Don’t You See” was finished, they broke into “So Hard to Say Goodbye”.

When that one was over, Jenna announced, “Now we’re going to sing another song Ashalyn wrote entitled ‘To Win Your Heart’.”

The music began, and Jenna began to sing the first verse.

I was just a child,

When I saw you the first time,

But I knew even then,

That I wanted you to be mine.

It was so long ago,

But those memories live on,

‘Cause I will always love you,

And the feeling will never be gone.

Then came the chorus.

I want to win your heart,

‘Cause you already have mine.

From the first time I saw you,

I knew it was love at first site.

If I could win your heart,
I know we’d be just fine,

‘Cause I would treasure yours,

Just like I hope you treasure mine.

Ashalyn sang the second verse.

Just a few years later,

At our junior high school dance,

I asked you to dance with me,

And you eventually asked me back.

I tried not to get my hopes up,

You were just being nice,

But still, I kept dreaming,

And hoping that it was a sign.

Serena took the final verse.

Now it’s a few years later,

And we hardly ever speak.

But I just keep hoping,

That you have not forgotten me.

‘Cause I still love you,

And you know I always will.

Even if I’m not in your heart,

You are in my heart still.

Finally, they repeated the chorus till the end of the song.

But still I want to win your heart,