Find You

I've Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas

I woke up on Saturday. I rubbed my eyes and waited for my vision to adjust. I checked my phone; 8:15... I'm late.

Suddenly I hear my mom yelling across the house, "Nessa, are you ready?! Your cousin is waiting outside!"

I jumped out of bed and rushed around the room trying to get dressed in my work out gear. I threw on my spandex and a loose, white Hanes t-shirt. I ran to the other side of the house through the living room and sprinted past the kitchen so that my mom wouldn't see me, straight to my restroom. I brushed my teeth while I rushed back to my room in search of my shoes.

My mom caught me this time and noticed I wasn't ready. "Bruja (witch), hurry up!!"

I found my track shoes in my gym bag and ran back to the bathroom to rinse out my mouth. By the time I rinsed and splashed water on my face I could hear the honking coming from outside. I grabbed my shoes and made a run for the car in my socks. When I got in I laced up my shoes and searched the seat for my iPod.

No IPod? Panic flashed across my face and I heard my cousin Berry giggling. I looked up at her and she had a wide-toothed grin that revealed her braces...

"Why are you laughing?" I asked obviously in the dark about the laughing matter.

She raised her right hand out to my view, her thin fingers held my iPod.

"You lost it, again."

"You hid it?"

She laughed, "no, you loser, you left it here, it was under the seat cover."

Once I plugged in my headphones and let the music drown out my attention span, thoughts flew through my mind at the same speed with which we passed the houses by the highway. Finally, a particular song came on my iPod; the chords of the guitar were far too familiar... Rose Garden.

I moved my lips to form the words of the song but I didn't sing, singing was not made for people like me.

Once the song came to a close, my brain reminded me of the date; today would be the day I met the Jonas Brothers. The instant my brain adapted to the thought the next song came to my iPod,

"I gotta feeling, that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good good night..." A smile permanently etched itself onto my face, I couldn't help it. I put the song on repeat and locked my iPod. I looked up with the same goofy grin only to find that Berry had been staring at me.

She flashed an odd smile before asking, "What's wrong with you?"

I kept my smile, unable to clear it and simply stated. "I'm excited to run."

So I lied, in reality I couldn't wait for tonight's events. I would meet my celebrity crush. He would finally know that I existed, heck I might even dance with him.

Once we arrived at Griffith Park, we made our climb up the hill and back down in record time... for us at least. The entire time the Black Eyed Peas blared through my earphones. Tonight would definitely be a good night.

I spent that afternoon getting ready. I clipped in my extensions; I had recently dyed them to match my new hair color, a dark maroon red. I spent the next two hours curling my hair to perfection with my pink curling wand. When I finished I pinned a side all the way back to the base of my neck and swung my hair over the opposing side.

Berry came over and did my makeup. She was like my sister and I was her little mannequin. She dolled me up and I scrunched up my face and made odd facial expressions. It was more makeup than I was accustomed to and I felt like it would crack and fall off, I just had to test it.

Luckily, it stayed; I did have to hand it to her though, I looked pretty.

Later, she raided my closet and picked out a Peach colored summer dress with white stitching designs, it reached just above my knees. She paired it with my ridiculously high, but oh so adorable, purple pumps. I looked in the mirror and decided I liked her sense of fashion.

I listened to Pandora for a while waiting in the living room for my mom and Berry to get ready. You would not believe which song came through my speakers. "I've gotta feeling..." I laughed to myself and sang along this time, causing my brother to make an appearance.

He opened his door, poked his shaved head out and said "you can't sing. Ness; just stop trying."

He followed his comment with a chuckle and receded into his room closing his door behind him. Although embarrassed, I sang louder simply to annoy him.

When we arrived I greeted my amazingly loud and festive aunts and my crazy little nieces and nephews. I sat at a table with Berry and my cousin Jennifer discussing her wedding which happened to be just a few weeks away.

The sun was just beginning it's journey towards the horizon when a black Escalade pulled up in the front. We looked at the vehicle expectantly, as far as we were concerned, we didn't know anyone in the family who drove an Escalade.

Suddenly the doors opened and 4 guys stepped out. Three of them had fairly short hair, perhaps just long enough to notice the texture of it: curly. The last man was much larger, taller, bald, and significantly older. It was them. The Jonas Brothers.

Everything began moving slowly: their walk up the driveway, their introduction, even their performance. All I could do was stare in awe and absolute amazement.

They finished performing and stayed a while longer as the sun was savoring its last minutes in the sky. The party really began then.

My cousin Berry, being indifferent about the boys and who they were, approached them and asked Joe to dance. I envied her watching her teach him the steps for salsa, cumbia and merengue. Joe was lost for the first 3 or 4 songs. I watched them dance and laugh, like the friends they never were.

I looked over at Nick and found him and Kevin looking directly at me, their lips moved to form words that never reached me. They looked away as soon as they noticed me watching them.

I decided I would be as brave as Berry and ask Nick to dance. I tried not to think about it as I managed to stand up. I looked directly at him just as he looked back at me and I lost my nerve.

A single look was all it took as I pretended to flatten out my dress only to sit right back down. What was I thinking? Nick Jonas was just across the dance floor yet there was no way in the world he would ever dance with me.

I watched him and Kevin carefully and they looked to me and away from me constantly while conversing. Could they possibly be talking about me??

Finally, Nick stood up and I eyed him carefully without making myself too obvious. He crossed the dance floor and walked in my direction.

I looked behind me to see what it was that he could possibly want only to turn back around and find a body standing in front of me. Nick! He was standing right in front of me.

"Hi" he said with a somewhat friendly tone.

I looked at him, unable to speak and nodded.

He scratched the back of his neck before he continued, "Um, would you like to dance with me?"