"When we get there, stick with me, I'll get us to the front row." Andrea said as she drove the pickup truck with her friends inside. Andrea was a beautiful woman, at 5'8", she stood taller than most women did, and she had beautiful straight black hair she kept no longer than shoulder-length. Her brown eyes were almost black, but suited her as a contrast to her near porcelain skin. Shay had looked up to her when she was little, and with good reason, Andrea was smart and seemed to handle herself with poise.

"And when we get there, we take pictures in front of the theatre!" Valentino was Andrea's friend, Andrea's gay friend. The fact that he was gay didn't bother Shay until she'd met him, now it made her uncomfortable because he was so open about it. Shay did not want to say she was a homophobe, because she had no problem with someone having a sexual orientation, it was his or her choice in her mind. She just did not want to have to be subjected to it, and boy, did Valentino subject her to it. "And we have to try to get a picture with Benson! I love him! Don't you just love him?" Shay inwardly cringed at the man's effeminate screech.

"Oh my god, yes I do. He is just really hot and his voice is so sexy." Jaime giggled. Shay did not know why she had okayed Jaime to go with them. She had been hoping this would be a night to fix things between them as friends, but she knew now that Valentino was around; this would not be one of those nights. Shay rolled her eyes when Jaime spoke, it irked her to no end, and Jaime was more than loving Valentino, egging him on. Shay thought her head would explode.

Andrea parked; they were extremely early to this concert. "Okay, girls, stay with me. I don't want you getting lost. We'll go to the front right away. I paid for good seats." Andrea got out of the truck and the rest of them followed suit. The concert did not start for another three hours; the band had yet to do a sound check. It was ridiculous how early they were, and it only served to increase Shay's excitement and anxiety.

Getting VIP passes had ensured they got not only early access, but great seats. It had been far from cheap, but Shay had saved for months in anticipation, and cut out some luxuries to afford one.

Valentino and Jaime were singing Disney songs to each other as they waited, they were getting so into they were dancing. Andrea sat beside Shay. "You didn't have to say she could come you know." Andrea said. Shay nodded, sighing.

"I know that, I just hoped we could do something both of us wanted and have fun." Shay said. Andrea put her arm around her and squeezed.

"We'll have fun in spite of her being here." Andrea said a promise in her tone of voice. "Be happy, we're at the concert of our lives!" Shay smiled at that. "There, now, let's ignore the Disney freaks and cheer like fan girls when they come out for their sound checks." Andrea said as she straightened. Shay laughed.

"Okay." Shay said.

She sat and studied the arena with wonder. There were 35,000 seats in the arena, and at least another 5,000 on the floor, plus the hundred or so feet left in front of the stage for the mosh pits and standing room. The ceiling was at least a few hundred feet above them. This place was massive, and it was going to be completely packed tonight for this huge concert. It was almost a borderline full-scale national televised event it was so big. They had hosted two Super Bowls here, and quite a few other huge sporting events. Shay stayed in her seat as she scanned the newly erected stage, the lights were being tested, and she could see roadies testing some of the equipment. They continued their work until she saw someone peek out from directly behind the stage. The roadies began heading backstage then, but Shay kept her eyes fixed on the person peeking from behind the stage.

Without warning, club music began to play, and a disembodied voice came over the sound system. "For y'all who are so dedicated to come to this thing so ludicrously early, here is some music to keep you occupied till we come out. Dance, or don't, up to you." Shay recognized the voice from so many radio and television interviews; that had been Benson Barclay. Jaime and Valentino immediately started to dance; Andrea managed to pull Shay up out of her seat and got her to dance a little as well.

After a couple of songs, other people began to pour into the stadium. Shay sat back down after people began to fill the rows of seats. "Come on, we have to secure a place by the stage." Andrea said over the music. She grabbed Shay's hand and then Valentino's, Valentino grabbed Jaime. After hunkering down in front of the stage, Shay sat on the floor, back to the stage, for a little rest before she would start going crazy.

"Crap." Shay stood a little while later after realizing she needed to use the restroom. "Andrea, I have to go find the bathroom. I'll be back." She said. Andrea grabbed her arm.

"Hold on a sec, we'll see if we can find one closer, people are starting to close in, you won't be able to get back here if you go too far…" Andrea said. They scanned the area, and Andrea spotted a place behind the stage. "There, go." She gently shoved Shay towards it.

"I don't think that's for us, I think -" Shay began protesting.

"Doesn't matter, if you're quick, no one will know." Andrea reasoned. Shay huffed and quickly made for the door to the women's bathroom. She made it back to her place with Andrea in almost no time, impressed with herself for avoiding security so well. "Welcome back." Andrea smiled. Shay nodded.

"Have I missed much?" She asked.

"Nope, nothing. More people coming up here and squishing in, that's it." Andrea said. Shay nodded.

A few minutes before everything was supposed to start, the band came out into the little fenced off area and began scanning the crowd. Everyone cheered as they came out, they smiled and waved, but there was more to their little appearance, and Shay quickly found out what it was. Their bassist, Lyle, pointed directly at Shay after getting Benson's attention, and grabbed her hand after getting an affirmative nod. Shay was completely confused. "Come with me!" Lyle said. It was an invitation, and Shay nodded, too shocked to do much else. He pulled her to the gate and then put an arm around her waist, lifting her out of the crowd of people and placing her amongst him and his band mates.

"Wooo! Go Shay!" Andrea was cheering so loudly, Shay could hear her over everyone else, and over her frantically beating heart. She was quickly whisked away backstage, where she had been about twenty minutes before anyway.

"So, I'm assuming your name is Shay." Benson said slyly. Shay couldn't help but stand still, star struck among them. She realized she had not answered him, and nodded. They all smiled and nodded at each other. "Well, I thought he'd pick someone a little more… rowdy, but whatever. Do you want to help us start off the show?" Benson asked. Shay noticed he had not introduced himself or the other guys, but she figured it was because he figured she knew who they were already.

"What do I have to do?" Shay asked timidly.

"She speaks!" Micah, the lead guitarist, said throwing his arms in the air as he would if he had made a field goal. They all laughed.

"You just have to sing, maybe dance. Nothing extravagant, and we'll help you out." Lyle explained.

"Dance how…?" Shay asked. She knew how the girls in their videos danced, and she definitely could not get on stage and shake it like that in front of tens of thousands of people.

"You've seen our videos, right?" Ethan, the rhythm guitarist, asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but I don't think I'm comfortable with that…" Shay started. She wrapped an arm around herself, holding onto her arm, standing awkwardly in a much too short dress and far too much makeup and way too high heels. The men looked around at each other, small smiles playing at the edges of their lips as they looked back at her.

"If you can't dance, that's fine." Spencer, the drummer, said.

"I can, I'm just not comfortable…" Shay amended.

"No, I don't think you can." Lyle said his eyes playful.

"Really, I can, but that doesn't matter…" Shay started to add something, but she was interrupted.

"Prove it." Micah said. Shay felt heat rushing up her neck and cheeks.

"Why should I?" She asked defiantly.

"Ooooh, she has attitude! I like it! Use it!" Benson goaded.

"Tell them to play the song." Lyle said. Micah moved back towards where the sound guys were, and yelled for them to play the song, Shay was assuming at that point, she could not hear him. She could, however, hear the new song and her anger rose.

"I'm not dancing to that." Shay said, crossing her arms over her chest. Lyle laughed and pulled her to him and started swaying them to the beat. "What do you think you're doing!" Shay protested. She could not move away, he had her pretty firmly by the waist, but she did attempt to skewer his foot with her heel.

"Hey, stop that! I'm just showing you what you'll need to do." Lyle tightened his grip and made it near impossible for her to struggle, placing a leg between hers. Shay felt the heat in her face. The butterflies in her stomach were turning into a tight ball as the other band members watched Lyle closely, almost as if watching for a sign to step in. All of them that is, except for Benson, who was watching Shay intently. She met his eyes and immediately she felt a fire in the pit of her stomach, an urge to sway with Lyle to the music becoming overwhelming.

"Lyle, be careful." Micah warned when he looked at Shay's face. None of the guys was smiling. Benson was watching, almost studiously. Her humiliation was growing into anger, and she finally decided she would show them. She would dance her ass off, and she would dance well.

She began slowly, swaying and moving rather without skill and more with what she knew every girl could do. She did what the song told her to, shaking what she considered a modest backside, and moving her hips provocatively. She had never really considered herself seductive or sexy unless she was dancing, and she did not dance often. So looking around at the guys watching her with jaws dropped, she felt that feeling of smug satisfaction knowing she had caught them off guard. She looked back at Lyle behind her and smirked.

"Okay, I'm done." Shay announced abruptly. Suddenly brought back to herself, she flushed with embarrassment at the spectacle she'd just made of herself. "Hope you were all entertained. Bye." She began to walk back towards the rest of the crowd when an arm shot out and grabbed her around the waist.

"Stay, you're perfect for this. Do you know our songs?" Benson was looking down at her with excitement in his eyes. Shay nodded, not saying a word because she was hypnotized by his strikingly blue eyes. Not to mention she just realized how big he was, standing almost a full head taller than her. "Good. Jake, come over here and fit her with an earpiece real quick. See if you can't get it done before we have to go on stage." He was so commandeering that Shay felt herself begin close in on herself. This was intimidating, she was not a performer, and she did not want to be on stage in front of a bunch of people to possibly make a fool of herself. Benson turned to her as Jake began running wires under her clothing and pinning things to keep them in place. "If he isn't done by the time we have to go on, come out on the next song that plays. Do you understand?" He asked.

"No, not really." Shay admitted.

"Okay, when he's done, if it isn't before we go on, we'll be in the middle of a song more than likely. Come out when that song ends and the next one begins. We'll introduce you, so just stand at the side of the stage so we can see that you're done. Okay?" Benson clarified. Shay nodded once. She was getting a thrill and she hoped it lasted; the adrenaline was beginning to pump through her veins.

"You guys are on in five." A roadie with a headset called from the booth behind the curtain leading out.

"Jake, you about done?" Benson asked.

"No, she'll probably be out by the third song, at the latest." Jake said as he worked.

"This is either your lucky night, babe, or you just happen to be unfortunate enough to get tangled up with us crazies." Lyle said as he watched Jake wire the small girl in front of him.

"I'm feeling like this is a dream to be honest. I kind of want to wake up before having to go out there." Shay said. Lyle let out a bark of laughter.

"You'll get over it once you're out there and realize you can't actually really SEE anyone except maybe someone next to you. The lights are so damn bright they blind you the second you get out there. We have to play our songs by feel alone, which is why we have to practice so often; muscle memory." Lyle explained. Shay nodded as she tried not to laugh as Jake began wiring in a particularly ticklish area around her shoulder blades.

"Thirty seconds guys." The roadie seemed to pop out from nowhere every time. This time he was coming from the bathroom area.

"Sweet, let's do this thing." Lyle said as she swung his arms back and forth, limbering up Shay supposed.

"She's nearly done." Jake said. Benson nodded and headed towards the stairs to the stage, the others following close behind. Spencer went out first, running in a low crouch, hoping to get to the drum set unseen, but it was not to be. Once he was spotted, Shay heard the crowd go wild. The lights went out, and Shay glanced around in the darkness. She could barely see, and wondered how Jake was going to do finishing this up.

Ethan and Lyle went up right after Spencer; the crowd went even wilder. Shay could feel the butterflies in her stomach building. She still was not very clear on what was going on or what she was supposed to do when she got out there. She heard the boys begin to play and Benson jogged up the steps and onto the stage. The crowd sounded like they were going to bring the place down. "Hello, Arizona! How are you tonight?" Benson's voice was different. It sounded like a performer's voice. It sounded how she was used to it sounding, and this brought a little bit of anxiety as the situation was sinking into her gut.

The crowd answered him with cheers and screams of "I love you Benson!" and Shay felt as though her stomach was going to force itself from her body. Jake was going over his work now, and Shay felt the impending moment coming closer and closer. "You're good to go, if you want to head up there now, they're not quite started." Jake said. He was so polite, and he had no clue that Shay felt about ready to hurl all over this unwitting roadie.

"I… Can I have a minute?" She asked, surprising herself with how collected she sounded.

"Sure, but just a minute, he'll be done with introductions soon. He likes his theatrics." Jake went to watch from the side of the stage.

Shay took a deep breath, putting her hands on her knees and squatting to try to calm her nerves she mentally braced herself and then walked to the stairs leading to the stage. Taking a deep breath, she climbed them slowly and stopped at the top, knowing she was in view of all of the guys. Benson glanced over right at that moment and brightened. "Oh, awesome. You guys are in for a real treat tonight. We don't do this often, but we occasionally find some cool people before the show and will invite them to entertain you all with us. Come on out, Shay!" Benson stretched out his arm in the direction Shay was standing to welcome her onto the stage. She stepped out and immediately knew she had underestimated the thrill of being up on stage knowing there were people out there wanting and expecting a great show. She waved a little as she shyly made her way to Benson's side. He put an arm around her, almost like a proud parent would, and continued speaking. "Shay here says she knows all of our songs, so we invited her to start the show with us. Say hi to the fans Shay." Benson said. The crowd cheered, giving Shay the confidence boost she needed to greet everyone.

"Hey everyone, nice to be here with you tonight." She said. She noticed a change in her voice. She sounded like a performer.

"Haha, great. How about we set this place on fire?" The crowd seemed to swoon at Benson's every move, and the way he had said that last bit made Shay's knees weak. The guys began playing a song Shay knew so well, and the butterflies swelled and caught in her throat as Benson began singing.

She was mortified. She knew they were waiting for her to start singing, for her to really do anything, but she was frozen now. His raspy voice filled the arena with the machine gun-like sound of the double bass drum, the deep distorted bass and guitars, and the roaring of the crowd. Just as quickly as the freeze started, she was freed and she started to sing, trying to harmonize with Benson as he went into the chorus.

Shay stood in one spot as she sang, a hand on her stomach trying to calm her nerves so she could control her voice. She'd had a couple of singing lessons when she was younger, nothing really major, and she frantically searched her brain for the lessons as she tried to stay on key and melody. She realized shortly after this she was not being booed, the crowd was actually quiet a moment when she began to sing before bursting into encouraging cheers. She caught Lyle's eyes for a second and realized he looked impressed. This, together with the cheering from the crowd, gave her the confidence she needed to perform. She realized these people did not know her; she could be anyone she wanted to, or even someone she never thought she could be, and she strutted over to where Lyle was playing his guitar. She acted out the part of the girl in the song, pouting her lips, moving provocatively, and stomping across the stage from band member to band member all as she sang with more and more confidence. As the song ended, she was breathing hard. She was not used to exerting so much energy all at once, both mentally and physically. Singing could really take it out of you. "Damn! Where has she been hiding all this time?" Benson said with an impressed look after the song ended. "Am I right Woody?" He turned to Lyle who played a riff as if in answer.

"Hell yes! She can dance, sing, and she isn't hard on the eyes either." He said. "TRIPLE THREAT!" The crowd cheered. Shay blushed and laughed a little.

"Thanks you guys. I surprised myself." She said.

"I'll bet. How about we keep you for the remainder of the show?" Benson suggested. Shay wanted to jump up and down and scream that she would love to, but she kept her cool.

"I dunno," she said. "I think that's really up to everyone out there. They came to see you guys, not you guys plus some random girl." She reasoned.

"Well how about it Arizona, can we keep her?" Benson asked. The crowd went wild. Shay laughed.

"Well, thanks, I guess that's a yes." Shay said.

"I think we should keep her for the tour." Spencer added from his place behind the drum set. At this Shay blanched a little, but the crowd went crazy. She could almost swear she heard Andrea screaming herself hoarse.

Little did Shay know, this was about to become the first night of the rest of her life.