Into My Arms

By the time I finished texting everyone and I finished talking to David, Demi and I had to go back stage to get ready. We went to our dressing room and sat in two chairs looking into the two mirrors as we had two women working on our makeup and hair. Eventually it came to it and Demi went on stage. I walked out of my dressing room, putting the ear piece in when I saw a bunch of familiar faces. My jaw dropped.

“Oh my god!” I squealed as I ran to all of them and David caught me in his arms and spun me around. “I cant believe you’re all here!” I added.

I hugged Jake, then Collin, Austin, Justin and then the whole crew from Honor Society all hugged me tight and then I hugged Liam, Miley, Selena and Taylor.

“Yea like we would really miss your 18th birthday,” Mike said.

“Okay, you all have to go in the audience now while I get Rachael ready,” Anna smiled.

“Have fun,” Taylor said and gave me one more hug. Then so did Miley and David and they all walked off, with security surrounding them.

“You look great,” Anna commented as she began to help me with my ear piece.

I looked down at my short shorts and my black tank top with the words Live Like We’re Dying. Then she started to fix my hair. She led me to the side of the stage where I could hear Demi singing Remember December. I looked into the sea of hundreds and hundreds of people and saw my little party of people were front row. I was led below the stage as I bent down onto one knee on a platform and Anna was right next to me.

“Okay, so you get up there sing the first verse from Live Like We’re Dying…” she started to say.

“Yes, then I make my way down, and drop down the trap hole thing and then I get thrown up and the dancers catch me. I know Anna,” I laughed.

“I know you do. I just like making sure”

“I know,” I rolled my eyes.

I was singing my version of Kris Allen’s song because I loved the song and the way we made it, it was a great opening. She started to explain much more than what was needed all at once.

“Anna! I need to go now!” I yelled and laughed and she stumbled back and smiled as I held the microphone in my hand and smiled back at her.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Please welcome my best friend! Rachael Lewis!” Demi announced and as the rock-type music began to play, the platform began to rise.

As I appeared on the very high level of the stage, the cheers and screams and whistles overwhelmed me as I smiled brightly and began to sing.

Sometimes we fall down, can't get back up
We're hiding behind skin that's too tough
How come we don't say I love you enough
Till it's to late, it's not too late

I worked my way down the steps.

Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come
And we could make a feast from these crumbs
And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you,
What would you wish you would've done

I got to the second level of the stage and when I dropped down the trap door, the music stopped and the stage crew that caught me, they quickly hooked me onto a harness and I stepped into two of the guys hands. They shot me back into the air as I was being pulled, and I felt like I flew down to the first level of the stage and I felt my balance leaving so I did a flip to try and regain my balance. Two of the dancers caught me and everyone got louder. The music got started again and the dancers unhooked me and I started to strut down the cat walk and stopped in the middle. As I started to sing, I saw Demi with a complete shocked look on her face but she was smiling, opened-mouthed and all.

Yeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying

I smiled into some of the fans cameras and grabbed some of their hands, before running back to the stage and continuing the song.

~~~~~~~~~~

A few songs and an outfit later, I took a sip of my water and smile at the crowd as I threw it to the side and Demi caught it and I picked up my acoustic guitar that was leaning on a step and a microphone stand was brought out to me.

“Thank you,” I said as I grabbed it and one of the dancers followed me on the cat walk with stool.

I sat down and adjusted the mic and I just smiled and looked out to the roaring audience of hundreds…possibly thousands of people. They just didn’t seem to have an off button, they kept cheering and screaming…did their voices ever start hurting from their shrieking? I was now wearing a different pair of shorts and a little vest over a different tank top I was wearing. I couldn’t stop smiling at my fans though as I video taped the crowd with Joe‘s video camera and I got good zoom ins of the signs that some of them were holding. A lot of them said ‘Happy Birthday Rachael’. I made some eye contact with the ones who were up close and were reaching out to touch me…which sounds so wrong. I reached out to touch a few of their hands and I smiled into a few pictures as I said some personal hellos to a few of them. I rolled my eyes at the fools in front row, cheering and screaming so loud.

“That’s my little sister!” David shouted to some girls next to him and they were just star struck that David Henrie was just talking to them.

They were all pretty much saying the same thing, or something similar…in any case, they were screaming random things…end of story. I swallowed to catch my breath.

“You know…Anna was telling me some of the questions you guys were…or are texting to us and I couldn’t help but laugh, someone was like ‘hey…is Bon Jovi here?’” I said and made a face, which got some laughs.

“I wasn’t sure if that person was serious or not but if you were, the answer is, no he is not here…I wish…another was like ‘hey…do you know you tripped during Party in the USA?” I said with a different voice. Then I laughed.

“Umm yea, I know I tripped, I kind of almost did a face plant on stage, I think I would know…I don’t know, some of them were just funny to read, I guess you just had to be there,” I said and got some screams and laughs, which made me laugh too.

“Well anyway…we posted polls all over our websites, on twitter, face book and you guys texted in your votes today as well to tell us what you wanted to hear me perform tonight…the choices were, Catch Meby DLO backstage, The Climb by Miley, The Way I Loved Youby Taylor, Cant Have You by the Jonas Brothers, and Rose Garden by Nick…and the one that won is…” I smiled and sighed as I shook my head.

“Rose Garden,” I finished and screams erupted like there was no tomorrow. “Okay, so I know you all know the words, so you better be singing along,” I told all of them and then I started to play. Then I began to sing and even more screams were heard and I smiled.

She was brought into this world
Out of a beautiful mistake
When her mom was just a girl,
And her daddy didn't stay.

She was working at age nine
At the flower shop in town.
Working hard just to survive,
'Cause life was throwing her around.

In the rose garden,
Where the rain is fallin'
And the thorns are sharpin'
Rose garden, yeah.
Rose garden.

She was young but not naive...
Always wise beyond her years,
Hoping that no one would see
Every time she dried her tears.
In the rose garden,
Where the rain is falling.
And the thorns are sharpin'
Rose garden, yeah.
Rose...

Don't let those petals fall...
Don't let them fall on you...
Don't let those petals fall.
Don't let them fall on you...
Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Yeah!

Rose garden,
Where the rain is falling.
And the thorns are sharpin'
Rose garden, yeah.
In the rose garden!
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Rose!
Rose

“You sing it now,” I said and I stopped playing and began to video tape all of them singing.

In the rose garden,
Where the rain is fallin'
And the thorns are sharpin'
Rose garden, yeah.
Rose garden.

“Excellent!” I cooed and set the camera down as I began to play again and I joined in.

In the rose garden,
Where the rain is fallin'
And the thorns are sharpin'
Rose garden, yeah.
Rose garden.

Rose garden

Then as soon as I finished, roses were being thrown onto the stage and I was shocked by it but I smiled greatly. Then rose petals began to fall from up above as I stood up and held my hands out to catch some petals. Then I picked up the camera and walked back to the stage as John grabbed the stool and followed me. I was about to get ready for the next song until Demi came running out with a microphone waving to the crowd as they began to roar with applause and screams.

“Demi what are you doing?” I asked.

“Don’t worry about it…hey everyone! I have something to say now…you all know today is Rachael’s eighteenth birthday! Well three guys really wanted to be here for the celebration,” she announced and Nick, Joe and Kevin all appeared on the big screen and the screams got louder.

“Hey Rearea,” Joe sang.

“And everyone else who’s watching…we felt really bad for not being able to be there for Rachael’s birthday, it’s the first one we’ve missed in years,” Kevin added.

“And we just couldn’t miss our Rachael’s eighteenth birthday,” Nick concluded.

“Happy birthday Rachael!” they all said.

“Now look to your right and smile big for the camera” Nick said and I was confused but as the screen went blank, I turned my head and saw Nick walking toward me as I saw a camera was in position and screams erupted for the third time in five minutes.

My jaw dropped and when he got to the center of the stage, where I was, I rushed into his arms and hug him tightly. “I cant believe you’re here,” I whispered.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” he replied.

Then I saw Joe, Kevin, Danielle, Frankie, Big Rob Denise, Paul, Anna, Zach and dad come out onto the stage as Joe was rolling a cake toward where we stood. Kevin was video taping it all. I covered my mouth with my hand as I felt tears build up. I don’t know why but it really got to me…they actually came! They came to be with me on my eighteenth birthday! I held the tars back though. Joe walked around the cart and hugged me tight and lifted me off the ground a little. When he set me down, he kept an arm around my shoulders as they all surrounded me on both sides and the cart holding the cake was right in front of me. Nick stayed close, keeping an arm around my waist in a discreet way.

Joe began to talk into the microphone. “How are you all doing tonight?!”

He got a response…I think you could guess what kind of response. “That’s great because Rachael here really needs that boost of self esteem sometimes…” I punched his side and rolled my eyes at him.

“No, I’m just kidding…but we were really afraid we wouldn’t make it and we’re happy to know that if we cant help Rachael out then our fans will be there to help her and we love you all…now lets sing to Rachael so I can finally eat some of this cake"

I laughed lightly as I looked down at the microphone-shaped cake that said Happy Birthday Rea-Reaon it with lit candles filling the whole top of the microphone. Joe led the song as everyone in the whole room began to sing to me.

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Rachael
Happy birthday to you!

I began to tear up even more as I leaned into Nick and laughed lightly. I smiled at all of them. Sometimes I wondered if I even deserved friends and family like them. They all meant to much to me…and just the fact that they did something as little as bringing a cake onto the stage for me, really means so much to me. I hugged Nick and he kissed my cheek as the cheers and screams continued. I, then, hugged Joe, Kevin, Danielle, Frankie, Paul, Anna, Zach (who kissed my cheek as well and I kissed his cheek too) and Big Rob (who lifted me into the air in such a tight hug that I could barely breath) and then I hugged Demi for a long minute and then dad.

“Happy birthday sweet heart”

“Thanks dad,” I smiled.

Then I went to Nick again and wrapped my arms around his neck to hug him as he hugged back. Then they all waved as they got off the stage. I wiped my face to be free of tears, the best I could without smearing any makeup as awes chorused from the audience.

“You guys seriously are the best fans ever. No joke,” I told them and they cheered.

“Okay, enough of this. Lets get started!” I cheered and they followed my motion.

I sang my heart out and danced around even more, catching glances of Nick watching me from the side lines. I stared back at my fans and I knew that even in the darkest of times, whenever I’m having any type of doubt, I knew I could count on performing to build up my energy and self confidence. This is what I lived for…no matter what happens in the future, this is what I’ll never forget…this is when it’s my time to shine…it’s my moment…and it’s a moment in time where it’s life changing.