Free Under Her Skin by Alexis Lauren Page B

after performance. The night seemed to drag as they waited for their category to be called. It was hard to concentrate on everything that was happening, as they sat in sweet anticipation.
    Finally, their moment came as the band that won the award the previous year went to the podium. "Tonight, we're presenting the award for Best New Artist, and for the first time, the winner has been picked by the fans. For the past week, MTV has accepted your votes and let you pick this year's Best New Artist. And the nominations are…" The screens came alive, showing the videos of all the nominees. The presenters announced each nominee as their video played. Each video felt like a full length movie, as they sat there waiting to hear the winner.
    Finally, all attention went back to the presenters. "And the winner is…" One of them opened up the envelope slowly. "That's great, I love these guys." He said, more to himself than anyone else. "PLEASURE POINTE!"
    The crowd went wild, but no one moved. They didn't realize that their name was being called. The group in front of them turned around and stood to shake their hands, and the producer waved frantically, trying to get them moving.
    In a delayed reaction, the group finally stood and hugged each other. Tobias turned to Marlo when she stood up, and pulled her into a deep kiss. He backed away rather quickly and let out a shout of joy. He looked into her eyes for a tender moment, before starting to head down the aisle.
    Marlo hugged each of the guys as they passed her. Dusty was the last one. He pulled her tight and lifted her in the air. "I saw that." He whispered in her ear, then ran to join the rest of the guys. She sank back into her chair, a little embarrassed by the kiss, but so ecstatic and proud of her boys.
    The guys all gathered around the microphone. "Wow, this is great! We didn't prepare a speech, because honestly, we NEVER thought we'd be up here." Dusty told everyone. He looked at the little moon man, holding it tight in his hands.
    "First, we need to thank our fans. You're the ones that put us up here, and you're the ones that keep us going day to day. Next, we need to thank all of our friends and family, everyone who has supported us since day one." Dusty went on. He looked to the other guys for help, as he got caught up in the moment.
    "All the production crew, Kevin, Pete, the guys at the recording studio, our record company…" Sammy added.
    "And most importantly, a special thanks to my sister Marlo. Thank you so much for always keeping us in line, and being there for us whenever we need you." Dusty announced.
    "We love you Marlo!" Sammy and AJ yelled together.
    Tobias took the mic then. "Thanks for being my sparring partner, as well as my teddy bear." He looked out to the crowd and spotted Marlo.
    She looked back at him and blew him a kiss, as well as the rest of the guys. The music came on to usher them off the stage, but before they moved, they saw their biggest fan give them a standing ovation. Marlo stood, with tears pouring from her eyes, clapping like there was no tomorrow. Her heart swelled, knowing how deserving the band was. Their hard work and long hours were finally paying off, and she couldn't be happier for them.
    The guys made it back to their seats, just as the show was ending. They had been kept backstage for pictures and interviews. After the cameras stopped rolling, they were able to get out of their seats and head to the front lobby.
    Once there, Marlo hugged all the guys again, telling them all how proud she was of them. Her brother held her the longest. "What was that all about?" He whispered.
    "What are you talking about?" Marlo whispered back.
    "I saw the kiss." Dusty told her quietly.
    Marlo's face reddened. "It was nothing. He was just excited."
    Dusty nodded. "Sure." He taunted.
    Marlo smacked his shoulder, hoping that he would drop the subject. She moved away from him rather quickly, to avoid any further conversation about the topic at hand. She