"Oh yeah? What is it? Don't keep us in suspense!"
"I remembered that Nic said something about liking the Backstreet Boys, so...I got the both of you front row tickets to both concerts, tomorrow night and the next night. It wasn't an easy feat, considering all those pre-teens and their relentless mothers!"
"WHAT?" they both screamed.
"Front row tickets?" Nic asked increduously.
"Two nights of BSB?" Tracy jumped up and down in the car seat. "Nichole? I was wrong. That dream stuff is kinda cool!"
"This is incredible! Thank you Dan! You won't be coming with us?"
"To see the BSB?" he smirked. "No way in hell."
Tracy opened her mouth, but before she could get a word out, Nichole jumped in and said, "Oh, okay. We understand, don't we, Tracy?"
"Yeah," Tracy finally said at Nichole's not so subtle nudge.
"Um...Dan, are you sure you know how to drive this thing?" Nic asked with wide eyes. "You almost sideswiped that car back there! I dunno, maybe I'm just nervous because of the opposite-side-of-the-road thing."
"Don't worry, Nic. I have it under control. Have no fear. Anyway, that car was trying to sideswipe me!"
"Dan! That car was parked!" Tracy exclaimed.
"Oh. Well, I guess it wasn't trying to sabotage me then, eh?" he grinned sheepishly.
Nichole rolled her eyes and stared out at the lush green meadows. She had never seen anything so clean and fresh before. After a few minutes, the picturesque view transformed into tall buildings and bustling people on sidewalks. Finally they pull in to the Hyatt Hotel parking lot.
"Well, here is your residence for the week. Do you girls want to check in and straighten up, because both of you look like hell, and then go out clubbing? Or do you just want to stay in tonight and rest?" he asked as he turned off the engine and got out of the car in front of the huge hotel.
Inc and Tracy looked at each other and simultaneously blurted out a single word-"Sleep!"
"Okay, rest it is then. You must be very tired. Let me help you take your stuff in and then I'll leave you alone, alright?" he opened the trunk and began removing luggage.
"Yeah, that's fine Dan," Nichole uttered. The girls had gotten out of the car and were now stretching their tired and aching limbs. She looked around and noticed that obscene amounts of people were loitering around the hotel. Tracy opened her eyes after a loud yawn had paralyzed her, and looked around also. Her eyes met Nic's and they both smiled knowingly. "Backstreet Boys," they muttered excitedly at the same time.
"Are you going to help me or not?" Dan broke their revelation.
"What? Oh yeah. Come on Tracy," Nic said aloud and then whispered to her, "The faster we get this done, the faster we'll be inside. Keep your eyes peeled."
"You got it! Yep...the BSB are gonna be amazed when they see us!" she grinned cockily as she tugged on her heavy bag.
The three of them hauled the luggage through the automatic doors and proceeded to the front desk, where a perturbed looking woman peered over her spectacles and glared icily. "Can I help you?" she asked as she gritted her teeth. Unbeknownst to the young people at the desk, she was hanging onto her last nerve carefully...all because of the Backstreet Boys. Their fans have left the poor woman frazzled! Every second, a group of teenagers would herd through the doors and go up to her, asking a series of questions- "Are the BSB staying at this hotel?", "Do you know where they're staying?", "Do you have their phone number?", "Can you give this note to them?". Yes, she was a bit wary when she saw the group of teens approach her.
"Um, yes. We have reservations for this week. The name is Nichole McGregor," Nic replied, a little shocked by the woman's cold demeanor.
The woman checked her computer, and indeed saw that they were guests. "I'm terribly sorry for being short with you. Some famous people are staying at this hotel this week and I have been bombarded with every question imaginable. I just assumed that you were fans since you're at a young age. Okay, it looks like your room is paid in full. Let me get a bellhop to take your luggage to your suite. Here are your keys. I hope you have a pleasant stay here," she smiled warmly, melting the iciness completely.
"Thank you," Tracy replied sweetly. She then turned to Nic and whispered, "BSB are definitely staying here! YES!"
Nic smiled and felt her heart beat erratically. The Backstreet Boys were here! The second thing she loved the most is staying in the same hotel that she is. It seemed to good to be true!
"Well, I know what the both of you are going to be doing! Try not to get into too much trouble as you hunt down those poor innocent guys, Ok?" Dan laughed. "I'm going to get going. I'll be here at about 11 tomorrow morning...early enough to go sightseeing a bit before the concert. Is that alright?"
"Yep. It's fine. We'll be waiting right here. Be careful on your way home. And thank you for picking us up at the airport."
"No problem. See you girls in the morning!" he said as he turned and walked out the door.
"Bye!" they called out. Smiling, they got into the elevator and ascended to the 5th floor. Stepping out, they looked up and down the long corridor and noticed the bellhop unlocking their door. As they ambled over to him , they were cautiously looking around for any sign of a BSB. Finally, they reached the impatient man with the nametag bearing the word, James.
"Thank you, James," Nic said as she peered at the tag. "Do you take American dollars or will you wait until I get them transferred over to pounds tomorrow?"
Smiling, James told them that a tip wasn't needed, and if they needed anything else, he'd be happy to be of some service. At that, he retreated to the main floor.
"Wow! Nic look at this! It's huge!" Tracy yelled out.
Nic walked into the room and gasped in awe. The main room consisted of 2 large sofas, a wide screen television, end tables and large potted plants. Toward the back of the room, a small kitchen was nestled into the far left corner. On each side of the living area, there was a door leading to the bedrooms. She walked to the door on the right and glanced in. There was a huge king size bed draped in red, a chest of drawers, 2 night tables, and a sofa.
"Hey, Tracy," she called as she left the room. "We're gonna be living in style this week! Have you seen your bedroom yet?"
"No, let me go look," she walked into the other bedroom. "Whoa...it's so...huge!"
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"Looking at that bed makes me realize how sleepy I am! So, I'm going to rest a bit. See ya in a few hours!" Tracy said as she entered the bedroom completely and shut the door.
"Ok!" Nic decided that she was too pumped to sleep, so she excited the suite and strolled down the hall. The corridor was rather dark, so she couldn't see all that well...she could hardly make out the numbers affixed to the doors. She paused mid-step when she heard arguing from room 526.
"No, Howie! I won't let you do that! You can't go up there! You're insane! Stop moving! I don't want to go to the next level!"
"Nick, I'm getting sick of this level! It's time to move on! A few slick moves and we're out of this one and into the next!"
Nic's eyes widened as she realized that it was Nick Carter and Howie Dorough yelling. From the sound of it, they were in the middle of a lover's spat. Her heart sank as she came to the conclusion that Nick was indeed gay. All the Internet rumors were true. She perked her ears as she heard their voices getting louder and louder.
"Okay, Howie. I agree...this level is kinda boring. But, it doesn't mean we have to go to the next one! We can go back a level and enjoy that one!"
"You're not getting the point, Nick! The whole purpose of this is to ascend to a greater level. You, being 19, should know this by now."
"Okay, boys! Settle down! It's just a stupid Nintendo game. I swear, I thought since ya'll were adults, you'd learn not to argue over trivial matters!" Kevin Richardson's scathing voice drifted out.
"Kevin, stay out of this!"
"Shut up, Nick. i'm tired of your immature crap!"
"Okay, ya'll. Just calm down and breathe deeply. Nick, grow up. Kevin, lose the attitude. There! It's all settled," Howie cried out.
Nichole's mouth was hanging open by the time their conversation had dwindled. She gave an inaudible sigh of relief. They were just playing a game! Nick wasn't gay! She looked up and stared at the number on the door-526. 526, she made a note of that and continued on her way down the hall with a smile on her face...and with a totally ludicrous plan forming in her head.
Tracy paced the room for the hundredth time, completely bored out of her mind. Nic had already crashed, and now Tracy was wide awake. She didn't want to go out of the hotel without her best friend, and she didn't want to watch British tv, so she chose to pace the room. Finally, she had enough of it and went out on the balcony of their suite to get some fresh air and to look at the city. The stars were twinkling brightly against the jet-black sky. She leaned against the rail and heard some soft voices to her left.
"I dunno, AJ. The fans are getting out of control. Sometimes I wish I had never received that phone call, you know? I mean, I love singing and performing, but the fans are getting on my nerves!"
"B-rok, you have to remember that the fans made us. We wouldn't have this fame today if it wasn't for them! I can't believe you're being so callous about it!"
"I know, I know. I just wish I could do normal stuff. Like play basketball without having to worry about being swamped by teenage girls, go to the mall and shop without having girls go up to you and say "Oh, I looove that." and look at you with puppy dog eyes. It gets frustrating, man!"
"I, for one, like all the attention."
"You would, AJ."
"I mean, what normal guy wouldn't like all the girls swarming all over him? You're messed up, B-rok!"
Brian's sarcastic laugh filled the air, "Yeah, That's me. Messed up Brian. I can't even enjoy all of this. Sometimes I just want to do something drastic like cancel a concert and then fly to a deserted island in Tahiti so I can be alone."
"Brian, you need some sleep. Look, we perform for 2 nights here and then we have the rest of the week to tour England. You'll have a break...and then maybe you can get your act together. It's late...I'm going to bed. See ya in the morning."
"Ok, man. I'm gonna stay out here for a little while. Goodnight."
"Night."
Tracy was staring out intently over the railing. "Brian hates his fans!" she thought. "I have a good mind to tell him off!" She leaned over the railing some more and yelled, "You suck, Brian Littrell!" She listened for a reply, but all she got was heavy silence. After a few moments, she went inside. Brian heard her door slam, so he got up and continued to weep softly, hidden by the night's cloak.
"I've got a surprise for you Yanks," Dan wiggled his eyebrows humorously.*Later Than Night*
