Living Like A Rockstar

"The lights went out!"

Dani plopped back on the bed.

"Damn it, Celeste! I thought you were the contest people...."

I left the room again to go to the basement. Maybe a fuse had blown and I just needed to fix it. I got halfway there when the lights came back to life. I heard Dani yelling at me from her room that the TV had come back on and to get my ass back in there. I jogged back to the room and reclaimed my place on the bed. Dani was once again glued to the stupid thing. She briefly glanced at me as I entered.

"It went to a commercial....something about technical difficulties."

I yawned as I nodded.

"Not that this whole charade isn't oodles of fun, but I'm tired. Schlepping equipment all day isn't all it's cracked up to be....."

"Whine, whine, whine, Jazzlyn; that’s all you do.....Sometimes I wonder who the older one really- ooh! It's back on!"

I smiled at the back of my baby sister's head. I knew she was tired too. We had had a gig earlier that day and I know running around on stage like she does isn't easy. All I have to do is sing. That doesn't require much movement. Over the sound of the blasting TV I thought I could hear "I'm like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off" being played. I recognized it as Dani's ring tone. I poked the back of her head.

"Uh, Dani? Your phone is ringing."

She swatted me away without even looking away from the TV set. I got off the comfy bed and went to the desk where the phone was ringing. I picked it up to see who it was. A number I didn't recognize....I went into the hall so I could spare the hearing of whoever was one the other end.

"Hello?"

"Is this Dani Cullen?"

"Uh, no this is her sister, Jazz."

There was a pause on the other end.

"That's fine. Miss Cullen, are you aware that your sister entered you and your band into a contest in which the winner gets to spend a month with members of pre-chosen bands?"

"Uh...yes?"

"Congratulations, Miss Cullen. You've won."

I nearly dropped the phone. From the other room I heard Dani scream,

"OHMYGOD! WE WON, JAZZ WE REALLY WON!!!"

I was paralyzed with shock, or maybe it was disbelief....no, ecstasy...I didn't even know. I dropped the small cell to the floor before uttering one single, astounded word.

"Wow."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Three weeks later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, cameras were not my thing. At “family functions” I was usually the one always hiding from the camera. My mom always used to describe me as “Camera shy”. Now imagine my surprise when I discovered that this fabulous house we were to live in for the next month was bugged with cameras…..EVERYWHERE. Dani had obviously been keeping something from me. She must have known I wouldn’t agree to help her if I knew. She passed by me and I grabbed her.

“A reality show, a fucking reality show. That’s what I signed up for? Another lame MTV, Laguna Beach, wannabe reality show. That’s what we’re doing here, Dani? I honestly thought we were here to do something good that would help us. Not provide entertainment for other people by looking like sellouts!”

She winced at the “s” word.

“Jazz, you have to believe me- this will help us. Just pretend the cameras aren’t there. Please, just do this for me?”

I was furious(and, in retrospect, maybe overreacting a little) but my response was cut short by the opening of a door downstairs. Dani’s face lit up and she squirmed out of my grip.

“They’re here!”

She began to race downstairs and I was oddly reminded of Christmases past where Dani would wait up all night waiting to open her presents. We were so young….

Forgetting my rage at the(now filming) cameras I followed her downstairs to meet with our new housemates.

There they were-all ten, perfectly gorgeous in their own way. I was speechless. These guys were practically my heroes. They had a level of talent that, one day, I hoped we could have.

Gabe, Gerard, Pete, Joe, Patrick, Andy, Brendon, Ryan, William, and Travis stood smiling at us in the living room.

Virtually all ours for the next month.