Nashville Nights by Tracey West

CHAPTER ONE:
    ENCORE, ENCORE!
    â€œGood night, Nashville,” Aly yelled into her microphone. The screaming crowd at the Sommet Center clapped and cheered. Aly grabbed her sister AJ’s hand and they ran off the stage together.
    â€œWow!” AJ panted as she tried to catch her breath. “What a rush!”
    â€œYou bet,” Aly said as she snagged a bottle of water off of a table. She gulped it down. “But we’re not done yet!”
    The concert crowd was clamoring for more. Clap, clap, stomp. Clap, clap, stomp. The stadium shook as the fans clapped their hands and stomped their feet in rhythm to get Aly and AJ back for one last song.
    AJ grabbed Aly’s water and took a big swig. “Okay—let’s do this!”
    The girls raced back onto the stage. The crowd went wild.
    â€œWe couldn’t leave you all without doing one more song,” Aly said into the microphone. “How about this one?”
    Aly and AJ nodded to their band. The drummer, Tommy, began tapping out the beat. Matt, the lead guitarist, and Jeffrey, the keyboardist, joined in. Soon the bass player, Malcolm, was playing along. The crowd went wild as they recognized the song “Walking on Sunshine.” It was originally recorded back in the 1980s by a band called Katrina and the Waves. Aly and AJ loved it so much they recorded their own version on their album Into the Rush.
    â€œI used to think maybe you love me, now baby I’m sure, and I just can’t wait till the day when you knock on my door,” Aly and AJ sang together.
    As they got to the chorus, AJ turned her microphone so it faced the crowd. “We know you know the words—sing it for us!” Aly urged.
    â€œI’m walking on sunshine, and don’t it feel good, hey!” The arena echoed as everyone sang the words of the feel-good anthem.
    They hit the last note and ran off the stage to thunderous applause.
    â€œI love ending the show with that song,” AJ said. “It makes everyone so happy.”
    Aly smiled. “What a great show! The crowd was so much fun. I love Nashville!”
    Their mom, Carrie, and their tour manager, Jim, were waiting for them backstage. Carrie gave them each a big hug.
    â€œFantastic!” she exclaimed. “You both were wonderful. I was singing along the entire time!”
    Jim smiled. “Everything went off without a hitch. No problems. That’s always a good thing,” he said.
    â€œYou can relax now, Jim,” Aly teased. Jim was young and just out of college, but he was very organized and always worried about things running smoothly.
    They all walked back into the dressing room. The girls grabbed a couple of bottles of flavored water before flopping on the couch.
    â€œFaith and Hope Walker would like to talk to you,” Jim said.
    â€œThe new country music singing sister duo?” Aly asked. “They are awesome!”
    AJ nodded. “I love their single, ‘Nothing Like a Sister.’ It’s so cool.”
    â€œBring them in, please!” Aly said to Jim. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
    Jim and Carrie left to find Faith and Hope. A minute later, the country music sensations walked through the door.
    Faith and Hope were dressed simply, in jeans, boots, and T-shirts, but they both looked beautiful. Faith had long, curly brown hair that fell almost to her waist, and dazzling green eyes. Hope had dark brown hair cut in a sleek bob and the same emerald eyes as her sister. They broke out into huge grins when they saw Aly and AJ.
    Faith let out a squeal. “I can’t believe it—Aly and AJ right before my very eyes! You all are so talented. I can’t believe we’re standing in the same room as you!”
    Aly and AJ stood up and smiled at the country singer sisters.
    â€œSame goes for us,” AJ said. “Mad props on your new single. I’ve got it on my iPod. It’s so sick it’s contagious.”
    â€œYour