The Trip of a Lifetime

CHAPTER 1

"Ohmigod! 98 Degrees!!! 'I do cherish you. For the rest of my life, you don't have to think twice...'" I sang.

"Jess, you must have seen this video a million times, and you still get excited every time you see it or hear 'I Do (Cherish You)'," my friend Shannon said in amazement.

"Well, I can't help it! I love them so much! Oh, doesn't Jeff look just so cute?" I exclaimed.

"Yes, but I have to say, Drew is much cuter. With his little hat and --" Shannon said as the song ended. We were at my house after school watching MTV's Total Request Live. Carson Daly popped up on the screen.

"That was 98 Degrees with their latest hit 'I Do (Cherish You)'. In fact, the guys of 98 Degrees have just announced that they will be holding a contest. The lucky winner and her friend will spend a day with them here in New York sightseeing, drop by here for a visit with them, then conclude the day with front row seats to their concert at the New Amsterdam Theater," Carson said as the contest rules rolled on the screen.

"Quick, Shannon, grab a pen! I have to get this down!" I said as she scrambled for paper to write down all the information.

"Yeah, Jess. Like you're actually gonna win this!" Shannon said, but she handed me a pen anyway.

Six weeks later...

"I still haven't heard from MTV about the contest I entered," I complained at school.

"What contest?" my friend, Sabrina, asked.

"Oh, I just entered a contest through MTV. If I win, I'll actually get to meet 98 Degrees!!!"

"Oh, come on. You're not gonna win!" my other friend, Andrea, said skeptically.

"Well, you never know..." I answered.

After school, I rushed home to check her mailbox. Inside was a letter from MTV. 'Is this what I think it could be?' I thought excitedly. I rushed inside and immediately called Shannon.

"Have you opened it yet?" Shannon asked after I filled her in.

"No, not yet."

"Well, open it already! I'm dying of suspense!" Shannon said.

I was able to calm my shaking fingers long enough to get the envelope open and open the letter. On the other side, Shannon was waiting impatiently. Then, Shannon heard a loud, long scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod!!!!!! I'm actually going to meet 98 Degrees! I'm actually going to see my darling Jeff!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!" I squealed.

"No way! We actually won?!?!" Now it was Shannon's turn to scream.

"The letter says that we will be leaving December 3, and they included the plane tickets. Oh, New York is so beautiful in the winter, and it will be even more beautiful with 98 Degrees there! AAAAAAHHHH!" I was able to get out before I started crying tears of joy.

CHAPTER 2

December 3...

"Bye, Mom! See you soon!" I waved to my mother at the boarding gate. Shannon echoed the farewell, and we both boarded the plane bound toward New York City. Once we were settled in their seats, we began conversing.

"I can't believe this. This isn't happening to me. This is just a wonderful dream," I said as I pinched herself.

"It is, Jess," Shannon assured her. "Tomorrow, we are actually going to meet 98 Degrees!" We both began one of our usual screaming fits as our fellow first class passengers stared at us. The plane took off just then with a loud roar. The rest of the trip seemed like days, when in actuality it was just a few hours. Finally, we touched the ground at Newark International Airport. As we exited the plane and recovered our luggage, we chattered nonstop about what it would be like to spend the day with 98 Degrees. When we reached the exit for arriving passengers, we scanned the names on the signs that the limousine drivers held. We finally found our names, introduced ourselves, and were whisked off in the black stretch limo to The Bentley Hotel.

"Look, there's the Empire State Building!" Shannon pointed.

"And Radio City Music Hall!" I cried.

The limo driver, Charlie, said, "Ladies, we are now heading down Broadway. Soon we will be passing through Times Square."

Shannon glimpsed at her watch. "It's 4:00. They should be filming TRL now!"

"I think I see the crowd now!" I exclaimed as I opened the sun roof of the limo. We both leaned out into the crisp winter air and I yelled, "Hey Carson! Everyone, vote 98 Degrees!" To this, the crowd applauded and cheered. I felt on top of the world.

After the occurence in Times Square, we made our way to the hotel. After checking in and relaxing in our luxurious room, we decided to visit New York's most famous department store - Bloomingdales. After shopping relentlessly, we decided to call it a day and return to our room.

"Hey, Shannon," I whispered once we were in bed.

"Yes, Jess?" Shannon replied from the other twin bed.

"My dream is about to come true. I am going to meet 98 Degrees tomorrow!"

CHAPTER 3

I awoke from bed with a start. I started jumping all over the room, yelling, "Today's the day! We're going to meet 98 Degrees!" I was so loud that I woke up Shannon, who started jumping with me. It was a pretty funny site since we were both still in our pajamas.

After we calmed ourselves and settled down to the breakfast that we had ordered from room service, Shannon asked, "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, we'll be picked up at 10:00," I said, glancing at the clock. "Whoa! 10:00's just in an hour in a half! We'd better hurry. Anyway, after getting picked up, we can basically go anywhere we want until 3:30. Then, we'll stop by the MTV studios in Times Square to appear with the guys on the show. After the show, we'll be dropped back here to get ready for their concert, which is at 7:00," I finished with a flourish.

"I can't wait!" Shannon said, finishing the last of her breakfast. "Let's get ready!"

Ater changing and getting ready for our big day, we proceeded down to the lobby, where we would be getting picked up. At exactly 10:00 a.m., we spotted a black stretch limo pulling up to the hotel.

"That must be them!" I whispered excitedly. Sure enough, a chauffeur exited and approached them.

"Are you Jessica and Shannon, the winners of the contest to spend a day with 98 Degrees?" he asked.

"Yes, that's us," I replied.

"I'm Ben," he said. "The guys are waiting in the limo."

Exchanging nervous glances, Shannon and I made our way down.

CHAPTER 4

As we approached the limousine, the door opened from the inside. My knees became wobbly, for inside were Jeff, Nick, Justin, and Drew. My eyes instantly locked on Jeff's eyes, and I could see that Shannon had followed suit with Drew.

"Hi," Nick said politely. "You must be Jessica and Shannon, the winners of the contest."

All Shannon and I could do was to nod their heads silently.

"Well, come on in! You must be freezing," Drew said, ushering us into the limo with them. Once we had settled in and introduced ourselves, the limousine was filled with silence.

"So, what do you want to do first, Jessica?" Jeff asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well, I've always loved the Empire State Building. Why don't we go there?" I suggested.

"Your wish is my command, Jessica," Jeff said with a smile and passed the information on to Ben.

Shannon leaned over to me and whispered, "Jess, I think he likes you!"

"I hope so!" I replied.

"No, I mean REALLY like. He can't keep his eyes off you!" Shannon whispered excitedly.

"Do you really think? I never even thought about something like this could ever happen!"

"Hey, am I missing something?" Jeff interrupted.

"No, of course not, Jeff," Shannon assured him with a wink at me.

As Jeff slipped his arm over my shoulders, I contentedly leaned back in my seat and smiled. I couldn't wait to see what else would happen as the day progressed.

CHAPTER 5

As soon as Ben pulled up to the Empire State Building and opened the door, girls began crowding around the limo, hoping for a glimpse of any member of 98 Degrees. Of course, Jeff, Nick, Drew, and Justin were gracious to their fans and signed autographs all around. Once done with that, the guys escorted us upstairs to the observation tower. Being the celebrities that they are, we bypassed all the waiting in lines and buying tickets and went straight up.

"Oh, the view is so beautiful!" I exclaimed, gazing at the snow-topped buildings of the city.

"Isn't it?" Jeff said, coming up from behind me.

"I just love New York. It's so romantic," I stated. I looked over at Nick, who was talking animatedly on his cell phone. "Who's Nick talking to?" I asked.

"Oh, probably his girlfriend. Her name is Jessica too! They really love each other," Jeff replied.

"So, do you have a 'special someone'?" I asked coyly.

Jeff took a deep breath, then smiled. "No, not right now. But I'm hoping something could develop with someone I just met..."

'No, it couldn't be me!' I thought excitedly. He took a step closer to me and enveloped my hands in his . 'Yes, it is!' I raised my face to his...

"Guys, we'd better get going," Ben called out over the crowd.

I looked at Jeff, and he looked back at me with disappointment in his eyes. The moment had been broken.

"Well, we'd better go," Jeff said. He walked with me downstairs. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Shannon was having luck with Drew as well. They were whispering quietly to each other.

"Shannon, let's go to the ladies room before we leave," I suggested.

"Um, sure..." Shannon said distractedly.

We walked to the ladies room and, once we got in, began jumping up and down, screaming.

"I can't believe this is happening! I never thought that Jeff Timmons would be interested in me!" I said, still overcome with joy. "And it looks like you're not having a bit of trouble in the love department either. So, how's Drew?"

"Oh, he's even cuter and nicer and sweeter than I thought he would be. We're hitting it off greatly!" Shannon said, checking her reflection in the mirror.

"Me and Jeff are hitting it off too! God, everytime he says my name in his sexy voice, shivers just run up and down my spine!" I confided.

"So, I guess something could develop between you two even after this day with them, huh?" Shannon asked with a gleam in her eye.

"I guess I'll just let fate take its course with us two," I said. "I just hope it leads us in the right direction!"

CHAPTER 6

Shannon and I rushed back to the guys, who were waiting in the limo.

"Where should we head next?" I asked.

"Well, we've planned a little picnic for you two over in Central Park," Justin stated. "It's probably ready now."

"Good, I'm starved!" I exclaimed.

When they arrived at Central Park, a picnic setup was waiting for them. After we feasted on the meal of steak and seafood, Jeff led me over to a nearby tree.

"So, tell me about yourself," he said with a smile.

"Well, my life's not that interesting, at least not compared to yours! I just go to school, play sports, listen to music, and just do normal things," I said.

"I wish I could do that! Life on the road can be so tiring, and especially so lonely. You don't know what I'd do for a little down time between concerts. Not that I mean to sound unappreciative. I love what I do. I just wish I could have a little relaxation every now and then," Jeff explained ruefully.

"Well, at least you can relax now," I pointed out. "This is fun, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's very fun. The most fun I've had in months, in fact," Jeff said. "Maybe we could do it again sometimes."

"I don't think I have enough luck to win two contests!" I exclaimed.

Jeff laughed. "No, not the whole contest affair! I was hoping maybe after today we could get together. Just us."

"That would be great!" I exclaimed, my excitement evident. "You don't know how many times I've envisioned this day. Even my best dreams didn't amount to this."

"Mine neither," Jeff murmured as he enveloped me in his arms for a hug.

To be continued...

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