At First Sight...Sorta

At First Sight…Sorta

Chapter 1
“How do you always look so fabulous?”
Carmen picked an imaginary piece of lint from the front of her blouse and smiled smugly. “It’s a gift. Besides, you look great! I can’t design my own clothes like some people I know.”
Raven copied Carmen’s smug smile. “I do look good, don’t I?”
Carmen rolled her eyes as the limo pulled into the theater. “We’re here.”
Raven picked her bag up from the floor and turned to her new friends. “Thanks for coming with me tonight, especially at the last minute.”
Carmen checked her lip gloss in the compact mirror she kept in my purse. “No prob. This is infinitely better than my original plans for the night. I can wait to see that movie, but I’ll probably have ice cream later anyway.”
Raven shook her head as the car rolled to a stop. “Showtime.”
The two girls checked each other’s teeth, then got out of the car, greeted by hundreds of flashing bulbs…



“Yeah, it feels great! We’re really happy with how the movie came out, and we hope everyone enjoys it.”
The reporter smiled. “Thank you, Zac. Congratulations and good luck.”
“Thanks.” As the reporter turned to her cameraman and signaled “cut”, Zac turned to Ashley and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Man, this is crazy,” he said as he and Ashley posed for another picture. “I really didn’t expect this.”
“Come on Zac, you should be soaking it all in!” Ashley exclaimed. “This is your first big movie premiere.” Ashley nodded her head over to the crowds gathered behind the velvet rope. “Besides, you wouldn’t want to disappoint all of your new girlfriends, would you?”
Zac looked over at a particularly excited group of girls that had been screaming non-stop for the last 30 minutes, even after he had given them all an autograph, a hug, and numerous pictures. “Very funny.”
“I agree. It is kinda funny.” Vanessa smiled.
“What’s funny?” Corbin said as he, Monique and Lucas joined them. None of them had the chance to say more, because the press immediately began clamoring for a group shot of the entire cast. The six of them stood for photos, smiling and laughing. Suddenly, there was a big stir at the beginning of the red carpet. The photographers that had been taking the cast photos shifted their attention to the ruckus, seemingly forgetting all about them.
“Who’s upstaging us at our own premiere?” Lucas asked incredulously. The group turned to see who was causing the commotion.
“Oh…my…GOD!” Ashley began clapping her hands together from excitement while Monique and Vanessa clasped each others’ hands and squealed. “I can’t believe she’s here!”
“Who?” Zac asked.
“Carmen! Look!”
Zac turned his head…and all coherent thought slipped away. Past the flashing bulbs, the clamoring reporters and the screaming fans…stood the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her cobalt blue eyes sparkled and shone as she smiled for the flashing cameras. Her hair hung in dark waves down her back and shimmered in the fading sunlight. The white blouse she wore with a stylish pair of jeans complimented her skin tone beautifully, and her outfit was completed be a pair of open-toed white heeled sandals and simple hoop earrings. Her smile sent a shaft of pure sensation straight up and down Zac’s spinal cord, traveling to the very end of every single nerve, then settling in his heart. He didn’t realize he was standing completely still, staring at her in awe until…
“Zac? ZAC!!”
He jerked as if shocked with a bolt of electricity, then looked down at Vanessa. “Huh?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
“Enjoying the view?” Ashley asked with a smile.
“I sure am,” Corbin said, admiring Carmen from afar. “Ow!” Corbin rubbed the spot on his arm where Monique had dealt him a sound slap, as one of the technical guys working on the movie came up to them.
“It’s time, guys.”
“Thanks Paul,” Vanessa said, and then turned to her fellow cast members. “It’s showtime.”



Chapter 2
“That was…a great movie,” Carmen said as she and Raven left the theater, their arms intertwined. “Probably the best Disney movie I’ve ever seen. Okay, not the best, because who could ever forget about The Lion King?”
“True, true,” Raven said as they made their way into the Sun Theatre’s main ballroom for the after party. “But High School Musical is definitely a close second.” The two girls took glasses of punch from a passing waiter and slowly began walking around the room. “You know, I haven’t seen anyone around yet. I know we can meet the cast later and everything, but…hey, there’s Raviv!”
Raven pulled Carmen across the room to talk to Raviv, another young Disney Channel star. As soon as he and Carmen were introduced, other Disney Channel stars came over to the join their group, and soon after Carmen had met the Sprouse twins, Brenda, Aly and her sister AJ, Miley, and Haley. It wasn’t long before Carmen felt as if she had known this group of kids for her whole life. The expertly hidden coil of nervousness in her stomach began to ease as she smiled, then laughed at something Raviv said.

Zac moved his arm from around both Ashley and Vanessa when the photographer moved on, and stretched his cheeks to the maximum capacity, trying to restore feeling back into the lower half of his face. As he turned, his eyes were once again drawn across the room to Carmen. Something in his stomach turned over as the sound of her tinkling laughter floated past him.
“Will you just suck it up and go over there?” Ashley said, grabbing a shrimp from the tray of a passing waiter and popping it into her mouth. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“He swallows his pride, walks all the way over there to introduce himself, and she dismisses him like a moldy apple in the produce section at Wal-mart?”
Ashley turned her head and gave Vanessa an exasperated look while Zac just stood there, looking totally defeated. “No. No way, I am not going over there.”
Corbin joined them after signing a fan’s autograph book and slung an arm around Zac’s shoulders. “Dude, just do it. Besides, who comes to a movie premiere without meeting the hot, young, studly star?”
Zac snorted, but his smile returned. “Well, I guess so…”
“Hey Zac.” Paul was back. “They’d like a few pictures of you over by that basketball arcade game.”
“Okay, sure.”


“Oh God, stop! My stomach is killing me,” Carmen gasped, holding a hand over her tummy trying to assuage the ache.
Raviv smiled. "This punch is pretty good. I"m gonna get some more. Anybody else want some?”
“Yeah, thanks,” Raven replied, and at Carmen’s nod, he set off across the room to the refreshment table.
“Somehow I think he wasn’t talking to me,” Raven said as soon as he was out of earshot. “I don’t know how you do it.”
Carmen blinked innocently. “Do what?”
“Make every guy who meets you succumb to your womanly wiles inside the space of five minutes.”
As the other girls giggled, Carmen rolled her eyes. “I guess it’s just a gift. I’m stuck with it.”
“Hey, if you don’t want it, I will gladly take it off your hands,” Miley sighed, gazing across the room at Corbin’s grin as he spoke to a reporter. “There’s something about that hair…”
“I make it a point never to be interested in a guy whose hair looks better than mine,” AJ said. Aly giggled, and soon her laughter had spread to the other girls.
‘What’s so funny?” Raviv said, handing Carmen and Raven their drinks.
“Nothing you’d understand,” Carmen said with a smile. “Thanks for the drink, though.”
Raven took Carmen’s hand. “Come on, there are some people you should meet.”
The two girls made their way across the room to meet the cast of High School Musical. They stood waiting until the group of photographers were satisfied, then Carmen cleared her throat to get their attention. Ashley was the first one to turn around.
“Oh my god,” she squeaked.
Carmen smiled. “Hi, guys. I just wanted to come over and introduce myself. I’m-“
“Carmen!” Vanessa exclaimed. “Oh my god, hi. I’m Vanessa.” Vanessa went around and introduced the rest of the cast. The girls simply said hi, but Lucas and Corbin made a point of shaking her hand.
“We’re really glad you could come. I absolutely love your single,” Monique gushed.
“Yeah, it’s all she listens to, and by default, we,” Corbin said, then winced at the receiving end of another sharp slap on the arm from Monique.
“Well, thank you. I loved the movie y’all, really. It was so good!” Carmen said.
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Raven agreed. “The dancing was tight! Dang Ashley, you were gettin’ down!”
The whole group laughed as Ashley blushed. They visited for a while longer until Carmen’s cell phone alarm went off. She rolled her eyes as she dug it out of her back pocket. The flashing screen read, ‘How early are you getting up tomorrow?’. She silenced the phone and said reluctantly, “A not so subtle reminder from my assistant. I have a really early flight tomorrow morning, so I’d better go. It was so nice to meet you guys!”
“Yeah, you too,” Lucas said.
“Hey, you’re gonna be at the TCA’s right?” Carmen asked.
“The what?” Vanessa asked with a puzzled look on her face.
“Never mind, but we should hang out. Raven you give them my number okay?”
“Sure, no prob,” Raven said.
Carmen’s phone rang and she answered it, slightly annoyed. “Hello?....Yes, I’m leaving right now…..I swear I am!” She mouthed ‘See ya”, and with a wave of her fingers turned and walked away.



Ashley, Vanessa, and Monique waited until Carmen had left the room before clasping hands and squealing shrilly. Zac cocked an eyebrow as he rejoined the group. “What’s up? Oh, hey Raven.”
“Hey Zac,” she said as they slung an arm around each other in a friendly hug. “Does your face hurt yet?”
“I’m way ahead of you,” he said with a small smile. “What’s with the girly shrieks? Is Orlando Bloom here?”
“Man, If Orlando Bloom was here, they would’ve fainted,” Lucas said with a snort. He put a hand on Zac’s shoulder. “But you’ll never guess who was here…”



Chapter 3
“One more…excellent, excellent!” Marc lifted his head and grinned. “That’s a wrap, people!”
In the ensuing hustle and bustle of the photo shoot staff, Marc strode over to Carmen and took her hands in his. “You are the reason I am a photographer. Beautiful, just beautiful.”
Carmen smiled while working the crick out of her neck. “Thanks, Marc.” As she walked towards the dressing room to change, she heard her cell phone ringing the theme song from “Gilmore Girls”. Her assistant Shawna materialized next to her, holding the phone. “Thanks. Hello?”
“Hey Carmen, what’s up?”
Carmen smiled as she took a change of clothes out of her bag. “Hey, Vanessa! Man, I was just gonna call you. I’m wrapping up a photo shoot right now. Hold on, let me put you on speaker..”
“Okay.”
Carmen shut the door of the dressing room, then pushed a small button on the side of her phone, and put it down on a low table so she could change and talk at the same timed. “Hey ‘Nessa, you there?”
“Yeah. How was the shoot?”
“Pretty good. Marc picked out some amazing clothes, as usual. I am so hungry, though,” Carmen whined as she pulled her jeans up and buttoned the snap. “I came straight here from a radio interview. We were running so late, we couldn’t even stop at Mickey D’s. I’d give anything for a double cheeseburger right about now.” Carmen heard two giggles as she pulled her T-shirt over her head. “Is Ash there with you?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” Carmen recognized Ashley’s voice coming over the phone, plus some other noises that told Carmen that she too was on speaker phone. “We’re just hanging out, trying to decide what to wear tonight.”
Carmen froze for just a moment, the sighed. “And there goes my appetite.”
“Nervous?” Vanessa asked.
“Very.” Carmen dropped her flip-flops on the floor and zipped up her bag. Picking up the phone, she de-activated the speaker and spoke into the receiver. “I can’t believe my CD is already out there, sitting on actual shelves in actual music stores. It gives me chills just thinking about it.”
“Well there are at least 6 less copies out on the shelf, because we all bought copies this morning,” Ashley said.
“Aww, thanks guys,” Carmen said as she opened the door to admit Shawna, who was frantically motioning that it was time to go. “well, I gotta go catch this flight now…”
“Catch a flight? Where are you?” Vanessa asked incredulously.
“New York.”
“Carmen, your party is in, like, 4 hours, and you’re still in New York?”
“That’s why I have to hang up, cuz we’re in a hurry. I’ll see you guys there, okay?”
“Okay, bye!”
“Bye.”


“Carmen!”
“Carmen!”
“Right here, Carmen!”
“Beautiful, beautiful!”
Carmen kept smiling for the seeming thousands of cameras flashing in front of her while the tension and the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach coiled tighter and tighter.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod.
Elise, Carmen’s handler, steered her away from the photographers. “Okay, mingle time.”
“Thank God,” Carmen muttered, surreptitiously stretching out her jaw before greeting Andy, her production manager for the album. She chatted with him and other people who worked the technical side of things before she felt a tap on the shoulder, and turned to find Raven standing there. The two friends hadn’t seen each other since the movie premiere and had a joyful reunion.
“Oh my god, I am so glad you’re here,” Carmen gushed. “I’m about to lose my mind.”
“Girl please, you have nothing to worry about.”
Carmen grasped Raven’s hand tightly as they walked around the room. “Really?”
“I listened to it this morning, and…it’s hot. I mean, blazing. It probably won’t leave my CD player ever again.”
“You’re my friend, you have to say that.” Even so, Carmen felt a little better knowing that someone liked her music. The two girls made their way over to the drink station. Carmen smiled at the waiter and said, “I’ll have a Shirley Temple.”
“Make that two,” Raven added.
“Make it three.”
Raven and Carmen turned and squealed as Hilary joined them. The three girls hugged.
“Where have you been?” Carmen asked as they collected their drinks and left the drink station.
“Oh you know, business as usual,” Hilary answered. “Man Carmen, your CD is awesome! I was listening to it all day today.”
“Thanks,” Carmen said with a smile. “I just hope about a million other people share your taste in music.”
As the three girls continued visiting, Carmen began glancing around, acknowledging people she knew with a nod and smile. Her eyes traveled around the room until she spied Ashley and Vanessa coming in the door.
“Oh hey, there’s…”
At that moment, everything that had been rolling around in Carmen’s head disappeared. Her nervousness and tension seemed to melt away as she stared at the hottest guy she had ever seen in her life. His blue eyes shone as he put an arm around Ashley and Vanessa. His smile sent shockwaves straight from her brain to the nerve endings at the end of her fingers and toes, then back again. A breath she hadn’t know she was holding rushed out when his smile widened into a laugh at something Ashley said to him right as they moved on from the front door.
Zac Efron…was a definite hottie.
“Carmen? Carmen are you listening?”
Carmen blinked, gave her head a tiny shake, then turned to find Raven and Hilary giving her strange looks. “Huh?”
“Are you feeling okay?” Raven asked.
“Yeah,” Carmen answered, turning her head to watch Zac walk across the room to the drink station. Even his walk sent a curl of awareness through her nerve endings. “I’m great.”

Chapter 4
Carmen felt as if there were ants crawling all over her skin. She was bored to tears. She had been talking to an endless stream of producers, publicists, handlers, managers…in other words, adults. She couldn’t believe that she had been at her own Album release party for over 2 hours, and she hadn’t even gotten the chance to say hi to any more of her friends, not even Vanessa and Ashley.
And Zac.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?”
Carmen looked up from her fingernails to see Steven, her production manager, standing on the small makeshift stage at the front of the room.
“First of all, I’d just like to thank everyone for coming and showing your support. But right now, I’d like for Carmen to come up here…”
Oh great. With a smile to the smattering of applause, Carmen made her way to the stage. Steven took her hand and drew her towards the microphone.
“Carmen, I just want to say that it has been a privilege to work with you. You have an amazing talent, and I am proud to have been a part of this amazing record.” He took an envelope out of his pocket and opened it. “That is why I just couldn’t wait to read about it in tomorrow’s paper, so I have the sales report right here.”
Carmen’s stomach clenched, and she felt her hands immediately get very,

very damp. No, not here in front of everyone!!!
Steven took the piece of paper out of the envelope. “Carmen’s debut album, after being on the shelves for less than 24 hours, has sold…’
Carmen felt as if there was a vacuum in her ears, sucking out and eliminating every other sound except Steven’s voice, his breath as he paused for torturous dramatic effect.
Steven grinned. “650,000 copies!!”


Zac watched with a smile as Carmen’s face registered, nervousness, fear, shock, and ecstatic happiness, all in the span of thirty seconds. She still had her hand over her shiny pink lip-glossed mouth as the celebrating went on around her. He was glad, because he had seen her war with her emotions for the past 2 hours. He saw her boredom and frustration at being surrounded by adults and their boring conversation while he, Ashley, Vanessa, Raven, and Hilary were free to laugh and talk amongst themselves. He’d give anything to be able to congratulate her, but…
“Zac, come on we have to go. Your flight leaves in 45 minutes.”
He nodded, and with one last look at her now beaming face, turned and left.


“Look at her, she’s still speechless!”
Raven laughed and hugged Carmen, and Carmen just shook her head and took a deep breath. She was speechless. What was there to say?
650,000 copies. 650,000 copies. 650,000…
“So, how does it feel to be a Gold album selling artist?” Ashley said, poking Carmen in the arm repeatedly.
Vanessa popped a piece of shrimp in her mouth and smiled through her chewing. After swallowing, she said, “I remember how psyched we were when the Soundtrack first came out. This is so exciting!”
Hilary nodded her agreement, and then looked around in puzzlement. “Um, are we missing someone?”
“Yeah, Zac had to leave,” Ashley said around her own piece of shrimp.
Carmen was snapped out of her happy stupor. “Huh?”
“Yeah, he caught a plane home to take a little vacation. You know, hang out with the fam and whatnot. Plus there’s this fundraising carnival thing in his hometown that they wanted him to go to. He’s probably on his way right now.”
Carmen’s ecstatic mood took an instant nosedive. It must have shown on her face, because Ashley raised an eyebrow and smirked knowingly.
“He told me to tell you that he’s really bummed that you haven’t had chance to talk, and congratulations…Well, he really just said congratulations, but I could tell he was bummed.”
Well, that’s something I guess, Carmen thought to herself.
“Anyway, there’s always that photo shoot next week for Teen People. You guys should be able to hook up then,” Vanessa said. “I still can’t believe we made the countdown. The Hottest 25 People under 25.”
“I know, how random is that?” Ashley added.
While the other girls talked about the upcoming photo shoot, Carmen bit her lip and sighed.
That’s cool, I guess. We can talk then. An image of his shining eyes flashed in her head, and a tingle ran up and down her spine. I really hope we can talk then.


Chapter 5
“I will never get tired of this,” Monique sighed as the cast of HSM were led through the big white doors of the holding room for the Teen People magazine shoot. They all immediately collapsed onto the plush white chairs.
Zac grabbed a candy bar from a bowl on the coffee table before sitting down next to Lucas on the single sofa. “Man, I’m starving…”
“Okay kids, cheeseburgers all around!” Tracy, their publicist, breezed through the doorway, carrying various paper bags that emitted tantalizing smells.
Zac grabbed a bag, ripped open a paper carton, and took a huge bite out of a Big Mac. “Blugh hwue.”
Corbin paused, cocking an eyebrow as he opened his own paper bag of food. “What?”
Zac swallowed and said, “Bless you,” in Tracy’s general direction before diving back into his Big Mac.
“You’re welcome,” Tracy answered with a smile. “You guys are gonna have to wolf those down, because we’re kinda late and they’ll be ready for you in about half an hour. And that includes hair, makeup, and wardrobe.”
“Ah, the magic “W” word,” Vanessa said as she popped a fry in her mouth. “I love photoshoots.”
After the gang finished their hurried lunch, it was time for hair and makeup. They were led through another set of double doors. There were a lot of people bustling around, fetching cameras and fixing lights, and various technical things. Zac was looking around like the others, then his ears perked up.
“Who’s listening to “Rent”?”
“What?” Corbin asked.
“Someone’s listening to the soundtrack to ‘Rent”,” Zac said again. He turned and followed his ears. “Very loudly.”
The rest of the group followed him down a hallway, ignoring Tracy as she called after them. “Guys, we don’t have time for this…”
They walked until they came to a big set, where the most activity was going on. “Out Tonight”, a song from the Broadway play ‘Rent”, blared from a pair of large speakers that had been placed next to the wall.
“Whoa, this is cool,” Vanessa said, moving a little further into the room.
“Alright babe, let’s go! Yeah, that’s it. Beautiful, beautiful!!”
Zac’s eyes widened and his heart raced as he finally saw Carmen up on a white platform, posed against a big white pillar. Her long dark hair was stirred by the air circulated by a large fan, and several dark tendrils caressed her face. Her blue eyes and the golden brown tint of her skin were enhanced by the matching color of her surroundings and her clothes. She was dressed very simply in a white peasant blouse and blue jeans. She was leaning against pillar, posed with her hands in her pockets with a small smile on her face. With the photographer’s direction, she made small movements with her head and hands. Zac was mesmerized, even with the way her hair moved when she tossed her head.
“Alright Carmen, give me one more!”
With that, Carmen tossed her hair and flashed the photographer a big, beautiful smile, and Zac felt as if a lightning bolt had struck him.
“How does she always look so gorgeous?” Monique asked, with a sigh.
“Some girls are just born lucky,” Ashley answered with her own sigh.
“What are you talking about?” Lucas said, slinging an arm around both girls with a big grin. “You two are equally as gorgeous.”
“Aww! Thanks, Lucas!” both girls crooned, then gave him a kiss on each cheek.
“Okay guys, come on,” Tracy said, ushering them out of the room. “We are very late.” She gave an exasperated sigh, then grabbed Zac’s arm. “Zac, let’s go.”
He tore his eyes away from Carmen as he was propelled backwards out of the room. “But-“
“NOW.”


“Monique! Corbin!”
Carmen smiled and waved as she hurried over to two of her newest friends.
“Hey! We saw you earlier, and you looked hot!!” Monique gushed.
Carmen smiled and blushed, just a little. “Yeah well… Where’s everyone else?” she asked as she craned her neck looking around the room.
“Everyone, huh?” Monique said with a smile. “They’re still in hair and makeup.”
Carmen’s face fell. “Really? That’s sucks, because…”
Elise hurried up to them. “Carmen, the car’s here, we’re late, so we have to go.”
Carmen let Elise take the bag that was slung over her shoulder. “I’m supposed to be at an interview…like 2o minutes ago, so yeah, I gotta run.” Elise put a hand on her back and began ushering her out. “Say hi to the others for me! ‘Bye!!”

Two hours later, the HSM cast were washing off their makeup and getting ready to leave.
“Hey y’all!”
Lucas, Ashley, Monique, and Vanessa greeted Raven. “I didn’t know you were here!” Vanessa said, hugging Raven enthusiastically.
“Yeah I just got here.”
“Well this set up sucks,” Ashley said. “We’re all coming and going at different times!”
“Why, who else is here?”
“Carmen just left,” Lucas said.
Raven cocked an eyebrow. “And did she and Zac…”
Ashley shook her head, and Vanessa and Monique both said “No.”
“Okay, this is getting ridiculous,” Raven huffed. “How many times do they have to be in the same room?” She crossed her arms. “It’s obvious that we have to do something about this.”
Ashley, Vanessa, and Monique exchanged calculating looks. “We’re in,” Vanessa said.
“Definitely,” Ashley said, and Monique nodded her approval.
Lucas backed away. “Something tells me I want no part of this, but good luck.”
Raven put her hand out, and the other three girls piled their hands on top. “Ladies, I have the perfect plan.”


Chapter 6
“And the Teen Choice Award for best new artist goes to...Carmen!”
Carmen smiled, and amid the wild and loud applause from the audience, stood up and made her way to the stage. She walked up a short flight of stairs, high-fived a few fans, and went to the podium. Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and Johnny Depp all congratulated her on her award, then stepped aside so she could reach the microphone.
Carmen had to wait a few moments for the crowd to calm down, and even then there were always groups of people screaming while she spoke. “You know, I always thought about moments like these when I was a kid. I always thought about what I was going to say, but right now I’m drawing a complete blank.” She took a deep breath while the audience chuckled and cheered her on. “Well, I just want to say a huge, HUGE thanks to Steven, and the whole team at Trans-Atlantic Records for working with me on the album. I want to thank everyone on the production team, and especially, I want to thank you guys!!” The crowd erupted as Carmen smiled and waved. “Thank you guys so much!” Then with another deep breath, she followed Johnny, Orlando, and Keira off stage. After a last round of congratulations from them, she turned to make her way back to her seat.
“Carmen!”
“Hey Ash!” The two girls hugged, and their group soon grew to include Raven, Aly, and Raviv. “Does anyone else feel that this whole performance is infinitely weird?”
Raviv snorted. “You don’t have to tell us.”
“It’s nothing but the chain reaction set off by High School Musical,” Aly said, nudging Ashley playfully.
“Yeah well, let’s just hope it goes over well,” Ashley said with a shrug.
“Well I’m gonna go back to me seat, okay guys?” Carmen said giving them all a last hug. “Good luck!”

“And now, for the first time in Teen Choice Awards history…give it up for the Disney Channel Circle of Stars!!”
Carmen clapped and cheered along with the rest of the audience as the casts of “That’s So Raven” (Raven, Orlando, and Anneliese), “Phil of the Future” (Raviv, Aly, and Amy), “The Suite Life” (Dylan, Cole, Ashley, and Brenda), and Kyla from “The Proud Family” came out on stage, and began to sing. In seconds, most of the crowd was on its feet, including Carmen. She was dancing and singing along, when she noticed that Raven had disappeared…then she reappeared, right next to Carmen. Raven took her arm and pulled her out of her seat and down the aisle towards the stage.
“What are you doing?” Carmen yelled over the music, but Raven ignored her. Once they both made it to the stage, Carmen was swept in by all of the singing stars…

“Oh no!” Zac said, laughing as Ashley drew him out of his seat and into the aisle. The crowd was going nuts as he went up on stage with Ashley. He was immediately corralled Raviv and Orlando and started dancing around with them. The performance was almost at an end, and Zac was having a great time, when he suddenly saw a curtain of long dark hair out of the corner of his eye. He immediately froze.
Is that…
He didn’t have time to think, because at the last crescendo in the music, he was suddenly pushed forward from behind.


Carmen had been dancing with Cole when Raven drew her away, towards the middle of the stage. Raven twirled her under her arm, and then passed her to Ashley, who in turn brought her further towards the center of the stage. Just as Carmen was beginning to sense a pattern, they both turned her around, and gave her a firm push. Carmen lurched forward…and landed against someone.
A boy.
With the only pair of eyes that had ever made her lose her breath.

((On live television, Zac and Carmen stared into each other’s eyes for thirty long seconds, just long enough for the performance to end. As the Disney Channel stars exchanged high-fives, the crowd remained on its feet for a full minute, cheering on the very first Disney Channel song to be performed at the Teen Choice Awards. It was the audiences’ applause, and the interruption of their friends that finally made Zac and Carmen rejoin the rest of the world. Even then, their eyes always seemed to find each other.))
Epilogue
6 months later, February 14
“Hey what’s up you guys? I’m Vanessa Manilo, and this is TRL. Thanks for tuning in. Now, for the past month, you, the viewers at home, have been going on to www.mtv.trl.com, and have been voting for our very special guests this Valentine’s Day. Well, it’s time to find out who you picked!” The studio audience cheered. “Alright, here they are, the winners of TRL’s Cutest Couple internet poll. Give it up for Zac Efron…and Carmen.”
The audience stood on their feet and gave a loud and boisterous welcome as Zac and Carmen entered the studio, hand in hand. They both greeted Vanessa, the host, with a hug.
“Hey guys! How’s it going?” she asked them.
“Oh, we’re great!” Zac answered for the both of them.
Vanessa let the audience calm down a bit. “Oh my gosh, I think you two are the cutest couple ever!” The audience agreed, and Zac squeezed Carmen’s hand and smiled down at her. “So how long has it been? You know, since you two decided to, go steady, or whatever it is they’re saying these days!” Vanessa asked laughing.
Both Zac and Carmen laughed. “Wow, it’s been, like, 5 months,” Zac said proudly.
As Carmen squeezed his hand and smiled, Vanessa crooned, “5 months, really? So you guys just celebrated a month-aversary, huh?”
“Yeah, it was cool,” Carmen answered, and then blushed a little as the crowd “Awwwwwww”’d.
“So tell us how it all started,” Vanessa pressed. “I mean, we all saw the Teen Choice Awards, but what was that all about? Was it , like, love at first sight?”
“Well…yeah,” Carmen answered, then looked up at Zac.
He then put a possessive arm around her and gave a sheepish grin and a shrug. “Sorta.”

The End