Lauren is a celebrity.

I don't know how she hasn't guest posted over here yet but Lauren and I are BBFs. Best Blogger Friends. If you see me tweeting nonsense to someone all day long or if it simply says "AHAHHAHA" it's probably to her. I feel like I can be my weird, weird self around her. And around her I mean by email, text, facebook, twitter, blogger...Anywho, I asked her to guest post and instantly she says "OH! I'll write about the time I was in a girl's pop band" like that is normal or something. THAT is why you all are going to love her.

Read away, friends!

I think Hollie will introduce me. I'm counting on it. I have nothing interesting to say in the introduction, I just keeping thinking about that time I was in a popular girl's pop group.

Say what?

Oh yeah, that's right. Let me set the scene for you, I was sixteen (enough said)... My friend was having her Sweet Sixteen party and her parents rented a limo for her and her besties to take us to Planet Hollywood for dinner and back. Can you imagine going out in a limo with all your girl friends and no parents for a night "out on the town" at sixteen? Um, we thought we were the ISH.

We jammed out to music on the way there. Probably Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys - let's be honest. About halfway there I looked at everyone and said, "We should totally come up with alternate identities and pretend we're famous!". Everyone got super excited because hello, we're in a limo, of course people are going to think we're famous. But then, they realized that maybe this plan that some faults.

Having the overactive imagination that I do, I explained to everyone that we must all speak in British accents the whole night and that we were part of a pop group. We were in town recording our debut CD (surely Washington DC has recording studios I explained) with an American producer.

For the rest of the ride to Planet Hollywood we practiced our accents. Mine was flawless as I had literally JUST returned from a month in England visiting family. One of the girls was hopeless, she sounded like was from India or some other random country anytime we tried. We told her she wasn't allowed to speak within earshot of anyone else, and if anyone asked we were to say she was the drummer (looking back on it now, that seems kind of mean, but it was for the good of everyone).

When we got to Planet Hollywood, there was a short wait because a 4-H convention was in town. Our British accents got attention right away and people assumed we were a big deal and started asking us if we were famous (seriously - the accent bit was so genius). I was put on the spot as to what the name of our group was and before I knew what I was saying I said, "We're the Metalloids". Yeeeeah, so I was in Chemistry at the time and you can guess what we had just covered. At least it sounds kind of like a girl band name, right?? That was it - people started asking for our autographs.

The hostess noticed the buzz and talked to the manager - all the sudden we were seated ASAP. We were of course giddy with ourselves and simply signing autographs would have been enough to talk about for the next month at school. But no, that was not all.

After we had ordered, the manager of the restaurant came out to talk to us. He brought us all goody bags from Planet Hollywood filled with gear. I specifically remember the blinged out T-shirts. Then he started conversing with me, asking where we were from, etc. I was so NERVOUS! Here I am, sixteen and I just got all this free gear from a restaurant. I thought surely at this point we were breaking some sort of law. Call me a goody two-shoes but I was freaking out inside.

I fibbed the best I ever have in my entire life and said we were from Salisbury (where I had just visited) and shot off as much information as I could accurately give. The manager said his fiance was from around the same area, and commented on how cool that was (at this point I thought "so, he must know I'm lying - my accent can't be THAT good?!").

Somehow, I got away with it. I convinced the manager that we were the real deal. Somehow. Despite him getting married to a TRUE Brit. How is that even possible?

As we finished eating, the manager asked us if we would all take a picture with the staff from the restaurant. He said the meal was on the house, and pointed to a picture of N'Sync up on the wall with saying "We met them at the beginning of their career too. Hopefully you guys will be just as successful".

We smiled and cheesed it up and acted the part. Once we were alone, everyone started geeking out. This MUST be against the law. We pooled together all the money we had to leave on the table because we didn't want to be arrested when someone found out we were big liars and prayed that it was enough. Of course it was enough for the meal and tip, but we KNEW it wasn't enough to cover all the Planet Hollywood gear they gave us. We all left feeling like we had just stolen a bunch of stuff!

It wasn't until we were almost home that we all looked at each other and started laughing hysterically. I mean, did that REALLY just happen? Um, yes, yes it did. I think we talked in accents for the next month or so, on and off. I was so glad to have shared that with a whole group of my friends because if we hadn't been there with each other - we NEVER would have believed that it actually happened.

So yep, that was my time in a pop group. It felt good to be famous for a hot second, but honestly I don't think I could have dealt with that sort of pressure on the regular, holy anxiety. I wonder if even famous people think they're scamming people - since they just see themselves as regular ol' people (well - those that aren't up their own butts).

On a side note... Part of me really wants to go back to Planet Hollywood. I haven't been since that night, and I kind of wonder about that photograph.

I don't know if I have a story to top this, do you??
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