"Okay, ya'll!" a man yelled out. "You're on in ten!"
"Nice coverup job, Nick! Don't you just love makeup? It can do wonders...you can hardly see that huge bruise on the side of your face!" AJ snickered.
"Shut up, AJ. I'll push you off the stage tonight! Remember when I did that to Howie? This time it wouldn't be an accident," Nick suddenly turned serious. "Hey, AJ...have you ever just laid eyes on a girl...you didn't even know her name or who she was...but she had some sort of charisma about her...and you couldn't get her out of your mind?"
"Nick, what are you mumbling about? Are you asking if I ever experienced love at first sight?"
"Well, yeah...kind of."
"Yeah, I guess I have. I saw this girl at a zoo once. She was so beautiful and had an aura surrounding her. I was so enraptured...so, I followed her all the way to the monkeys."
"Really? What happened?" Nick stared increduously.
"I introduced myself, made small talk and asked her out. Unfortunately, she said no. I was crushed and heartbroken. I actually wrote a few songs based on that experience," AJ suddenly switched tones. "Why? Have you fallen for the woman of your dreams or something?"
"Well, I was in a music store earlier and I saw a cute girl across the bins. I know she didn't recognize me, but I felt a strong connection with her. It was like we knew everything about each other. It was weird, man. All I could do was look at her. I was so afraid that she'd run away from me if I so much as spoke to her," Nick smiled shyly. "I honestly don't know why I noticed her. Usually I'll just keep to myself and avoid looking at people, but there was something there. Something that I have no idea about."
"Whoa, man. That's really deep. What happened next? Did you work up the courage to ask her out?"
"No. Her boyfriend interrupted us before I even had a chance to open my mouth," Nick frowned.
"Boyfriend?"
"Yeah, I guess. He looked British, but I could have sworn she was American! I probably won't ever see her again."
"Don't worry about it. Whatever is meant to happen will happen. No matter what you do or don't do about it," AJ advised.
"Hey, ya'll ready to get out there and do it? You hear the fans screaming? C'mon, let's do this! Oh and Nick, don't forget that step in 'Larger Than Life', alright?" Kevin rolled his eyes and retreated.
"I will not kill him, I will not kill him," Nick chanted softly.
AJ chuckled as they made their way to the stage.
Tracy and Nichole finally entered the NEC Arena and found their seats. They looked around and were amazed to see many of the girls around them screaming and crying. The lights dimmed and the opening acts took the stage. After 45 minutes of doing their thing, they left the stage in record time. Now, it was the long wait. Nichole and Tracy occupied the time by people watching, talking to the bodyguards and to some of the friendly girls around them.
Finally, five shadows stood before the crowd. A loud computerized voice screamed out "BACKSTREET BOYS", bright blasts of lights pulsated, and girls cried and fainted. Yes, the BSB show had begun. The Boys performed their first song, "Larger Than Life" flawlessly. Nick remembered to get the choreography right, Howie didn't fall over a dancer, and as always, the Boys' voices were heavenly. Their second song, a ballad, was performed on stools. The Boys had an opportunity to look into the crowd and connect with their fans. Nick glanced down and noticed Nichole standing directly in front of him. With a start, he realized she was the girl he had checked out earlier at Racks. He sat a little straighter and belted out his notes forcefully.
Nichole felt like screaming when Nick Carter looked at her. She glanced over at Tracy and saw that she had an adoring yet confused look on her face. She returned her gaze to the Boys and found that Brian was waving to Tracy! Of course, Tracy was squealing and jumping up and down.
The Boys performed about 16 more songs, did 2 encores, and finally left the stage. Nick had given it his all for this one performance. He had no idea why that girl impressed him so much. The rest of the guys were shouting and giving high-fives...needless to say, they were very pleased with their performance. Nick broke out of his daze and went over to AJ, who was jumping up and down.
"Hey, Bone, did you see that girl in the front row?"
"Oh yeah Nick. I saw like a hundred of them," Aj rolled his eyes. "Be more specific, man."
"The one that had dark brown hair and wore a white tank top," Nick said impatiently.
"The one that was directly in front of you most of the time?" Nick nodded. "Yeah, what about her?"
"She's the girl that was at the record store," Nick smiled. "She's adorable isn't she?"
"Yeah, kinda nice looking," AJ agreed. "Well, is that it? I wanna go take a shower."
"Yeah, that's about it. I gotta find some way to meet her, man!" Nick sighed loudly.
"Yo! What's your problem, Frack?" Brian yelled out in a high pitched voice as her approached Nick.
"He's having 'matters-of-the-heart' problems," AJ supplied.
"Oh, really?" an eyebrow was raised.
"Yes, really!" Nick was getting agitated. "That girl I saw earlier was in the front row. I gotta find some way to meet her and make her forget about her boyfriend...then make her mine."
"Oh, yeah. He's definitely lovestruck if he concocts a stupid scheme. Aw...our Nicky has a crush! We gotta help him Brian," AJ said.
"Whoa, hold up. Boyfriend? She has a boyfriend. You need to forget about her, man and move on. You haven't even talked to her yet, so there shouldn't be a problem," Brian rationalized.
"No! I refuse to listen to you! I will meet her and I will make her fall for me," Nick hardened his fine features, flared his nostrils and stalked off.
"Well, that didn't go over too well with him, huh?" AJ snickered. "Why are you so against him and that girl being together?"
"I just don't want him getting hurt. Now we know she's a fan...and that's not what I want him getting into."
"What the hell is wrong with you and the fans? They've never done anything to you...except make you rich and famous!" AJ seethed.
"You want to know why I'm against the fans? They caused the breakup between me and LeighAnne! She got jealous of them and went totally nuts! She couldn't handle it anymore and broke it off. Do you know how much I loved her?" Brian ranted.
"No, you didn't love her. You were in love with her image, not the actual person. And I can see why...she was a total bitch.. She obviously didn't love you either or she would have stuck by you and tolerated all of your adoring fans. Give it a rest, B-Rok. The fans didn't cause your misfortune, you did. Because you stayed with that woman, she took what you loved the most, the fans, made them look like the monsters they are not, and wrapped you around her finger. Well, she's gone now, so you can get on with your life! Ok, I'm finished now. I'm going to go take that shower. See you later," AJ said as he strolled out of the room.
Brian stood in the middle of the room, alone and distressed. But only for a moment. Apprehension replaced his distress. He thought that the fans had caused the rift between him and LeighAnne, but now he knows that he was in the wrong. Aj had shared the light of truth. Brian felt horrendous guilt as he thought about his actions toward his loving fans. They obviously didn't deserve the treatment he had bestowed upon them. He didn't know how to make it up to them though. The fans had noticed his belittlement, there was no doubt about it. They just didn't know what had caused his resentment. Brian was plagued with the decision of how to clean up the mess he had made. He walked down the hall to his dressing room to ponder his delimma.
Howie had left the celebration to call his girlfriend. The bickering between Kevin and Nick was really getting to him. He didn't tell Joanna about the fight...he didn't feel the need to. But now, it was different. He was tired of putting on a happy, understanding facade for his friends. They expected him to take everything and deal with it. But he couldn't anymore. Joanna was the only one that will listen to him...and he difinitely needed someone to listen right now.
"Hello?"
"Joanna, baby, it's me."
"Howie! How are you? Have you already performed yet?"
"Yeah, we did great. The fans went berserk. Um...I kind of have a problem."
"What's wrong sweetie?"
Howie could hear the alarm in her voice, "Well the tension between Kevin and Nicky was broken...and ended up in a fistfight, that was really cool actually...but that's not the point. Nick has a nice bruised cheek and Kevin is madder than hell. Brian is edgy because because of the fans. And I'm about to break my facade...I can't take it anymore! They expect me to listen to them and 'get on' their sides. Damn all of them. AJ's even getting on my nerves and he hasn't done anything except be a big brother to Nicky! I think it's his stupid hats I just think I need a break."
"Oh, baby. I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling down. If there's anything I can do, let me know and I'll do it. Don't you have a break after tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I do. But I'll be stuck with the guys. Hey, I have an idea. How about I fly you out to England?" Howie got excited over the prospect.
"Really? Yeah, I'd love to!"
"Great! Can you leave tomorrow?"
"Sure! I'll just call in sick or something."
"Ok, I'll call and have a plane ticket issued to you. I'll see you tomorrow, sweetness. I love you."
"I love you too, Winky-Blinky. Bye!"
Howie hung up the phone, feeling better than he had before. He skipped down the hall in search of the guys so they could go back to their hotel since the crowd had diminished somewhat. He found Kevin in the bathroom, dancing up a storm in front of the many mirrors. Then he found AJ talking to the stylist about getting green hair and cornrows for the next performance. Nick was getting roughed up by Fatima, their choreographer, because he wasn't that energetic in Everybody. Brian was found holed up in his dressing room ,staring at the ugly white wall. They all decided it was safe to head back to the Hyatt, so they piled into their limo and sped off.
"Nic, that won't work! I'm telling you...we won't be able to fit into that potted plant and spy on them. Why don't we just wait in the lobby for them?" Tracy impatiently asked.
"Well, I suppose you're right. We can lounge in the chairs looking important or something. Then we can approach them. Did you see the way Nick looked at me?" Nic sighed.
"That was nothing! Brian waved at me!" Tracy laughed. "Did you see how Kevin lip-synced when the other guys sang their parts? That bugged the hell out of me! Oh, and his dancing! Ick! Howie was actually decent, Nick was a tad chunky, and AJ was nervewracking! Brian was the only perfect one out there, dismissing the fact that he hates his loyal followers."
"I thought they were all fantastic! Hey, we need to go down to the lobby. They might be back soon," Nichole checked her watch.
"Yeah, you're right."
The girls got in the elevator and descended to the lobby. Looking around, they saw that it was practically deserted. Smiling at the front desk clerk, they ambled over to the comfy couches and grabbed a magazine. A few minutes later, the BSB arrived. They sauntered through the doors and made their way through the lobby. They had all changed clothes and were looking kind of...normal. With hats perched on their heads, blue jeans clinging to their bodies, and pensive expressions on their faces, they approached the front desk and asked for their messages. Tracy and Nic followed their every move, every word, every smile. Nick turned slightly, glanced around and let his gaze settle on the girls. His eyes lit up with recognition when he saw Nichole sitting there. He started to walk over to her, but Howie interrupted by telling him something about Joanna.
Nichole watched the group conduct business and her eyes widened as Nick turned around to look at them, And finally, his gaze landed directly on her. She drew in a breath and realized that he was the guy from the record store! All she could do was sit there with her mouth slightly hanging open. She couldn't believe Nick Carter was flirting with her earlier...and at the concert too! Nick continued to stare at her, with a wide smile forming on his face. He took off his hat and shook his head slightly so that his hair would fall naturally. She saw him take a step forward and her heart began to beat erratically. Then Howie spun him around and told him something. Nick shrugged and turned back to Nichole. By that time, the rest of the guys were finished doing whatever and their bodyguards ushered them into the elevator. Before the door closed, he gave Nichole a shy smile and a wave. Then the doors whooshed together.
"Nichole! Nick waved at you! He gave you a special little smile! What's going on? There's something you're not telling me," Tracy exclaimed.
"Nick is the guy from the record store! I just now figured it out since he had that hat on," Nic had a big smile on her face.
"Guy from the record store? Ok, you're got some explaining to do."
The Boys stood backstage in a circle, their heads bowed, their mouths uttering the same prayer they had said for the past six years, but yet it was slightly different. This time, each member meant what he prayed for and gave sincere thanks even though they all had their own individual problems.*A Few Moments Later*
*At The Same Time*
*At The Same Time*
