Kerri read the note slowly in disbelief. The not read:
Dear Kerri,
I'm sorry you were not able to go onstage. Even though it was not my fault, I feel the need to make it up to you. I talked to Fatima before I went onstage. One of our opening act's dancers quit. They need a replacement and I thought of you. Fatima said if you wanted to, you could audition tomorrow morning at 9:00. She will meet you at the New Age Studio.
Love,
Nick
Wow, Kerri thought, this is unbelievable. This is my dream, and it might come true. Not only would she get to be onstage, she would get to see Nick also. I already have a boyfriend she thought, somewhat grimly. Mark had been rude all night. Kerri really wanted to have the Backstreet Boys sing to her. She understood, in a way, why Mark didn't want her to go. He didn't want five guys singing a love song to his girlfriend. She wished he had been nicer about saying no. Kerri looked at the clock, it was nearly midnight. I better get to bed, she thought, smiling for the first time on hours, I need to be rested for tomorrow.
The next morning Kerri was filling a water bottle when the phone rang.
"Hello?" she said, looking at the time.
"Hey sweetie, how are you?" Marks vioce said cheerfully. He was apparently happy that he had been able to spoil her night, and Nicks. "I was wondering, how would you like for me to take you out to breakfast?"
"I'm sorry Mark. I already promised Desiree I would go to breakfast with her, Amanda, Carinne, and Shelby." She lied, not wanting him to know where she was really going.
"You can go with them another time. You see them everyday." He said, not willing to take no for an answer.
"I see you every day too. They ARE my friends, and I already promised." Kerri protested.
"Well, you ARE my girlfriend, and you ARE going to come with me." He told her. "I'll be over to pick you up in a little while."
"Fine Mark, bye." She said, hanging up the phone. He can come over if he wants, she thought, but I won't be here. She lugged her bag over her shoulder and left the appartment.
Kerri tried to calm down before entering the studio. She was excited for the opportunity and she was also worried about what Mark would do when he found out she wasn't home. Kerri took a deep breath and walked in the door. She made her way to Fatima, prepared to introduce herself.
"Hi, you must be Kerri." Fatima said, surprising Kerri.
"Yes." She nodded. Nick must have described her to Fatima.
"Now I know that Nick recommended you, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to GIVE you the spot. I need to see that you are able to do the job correctly. You know that right?" Fatima said, smiling.
"Yes, I'm ready." Kerri said, knowing that Fatima was serious, despite her smile.
Fatima asked her to do some basic moves to see what she was capable of. Then she went into showing Kerri one of the dances she would have to preform. Fatima stepped back to watch her. Kerri's good, she thought, Nick was right. After doing a few more steps, Fatima made up her mind.
"Ok, you can stop now, I've seen enough. I made my decision." Fatima said, her face blank.
Oh no, Kerri thought, shes going to tell me I'm not good enough. Her heart pounded in her chest, but not because she had just been dancing for half an hour.
"If you want it, the spot is yours." Fatima said, then smiled.
"Thank you." Kerri gushed, her heart felt like it was about to burst.
"The other dancers should be here any time now. The practice is only an hour because everyone already learned the dances. They just need to keep them sharp. I will get one of the dancers to teach you the steps during the Backstreet Boy's rehearsals, while I work with the Boys and their dancers." Fatima told her.
Just as Fatima said, within a few minutes all five other dancers had arrived. During their practice Kerri watched and tried to move with them the best she could. After the practice was done, Fatima asked Jess to teach Kerri the dances.
"Start out in first position parallel. Move your arm…" Jess told her as the girls moved through the song. Kerri did her best to learn the steps. The first show she would perform was the next night. She had to fly with everyone to New York. Fatima told her they had two months of touring left and to get used to flying. Kerri would have to quit her job, and she was glad. After learning the second dance Kerri went to call Desiree.
"Desiree!" Kerri said excitedly as her friend picked up the phone. "I'm the new back up dancer for the opening act of the Backstreet Boys tour! I just started today."
"That's great Kerri, but I have some bad news. Mark called me earlier, when I answered he asked why I wasn't at breakfast with you. I told him I wasn't supposed to be, I didn't know you told him that. He got really mad and now he is looking for you." She said in a hurry.
"Oh, no." Kerri said, I should have called and told her not to answer the phone. "Ok, thanks for telling me. I'll talk to you later." She hung up the phone and leaned her arm against the wall to support her. What if Mark found her?
All of a sudden she felt someone tap her on the shoulder, she froze in panic.
