Chapter 1
**Damn College Sucks!**
Right now, I am a senior at UOP (University of the Pacific) in
California, and about to lose my mind. We are in the middle of midterms and the severe lack of anything resembling sleep is starting to fry my nerves. I had three tests this week and four papers due. My profs have been running me ragged lately. Okay, don't tell anyone, but I actually appreciate how hard they are working me. It will really help when I go out to find a job after I graduate from the flaming pit of Hell here. However, just because I say that I appreciate the workload, does not mean that I have to enjoy it. I am burning out (you other college students can understand where I'm coming from) and when it finally happens, things are going to get ugly! **The Meeting
It was about 8 p.m. and raining lightly. I had just finished my
last test of the week and was going home to eat and then slip into a coma walk across campus and down a few streets to get to my apartment. As I was within a block of my place, I noticed a limo parked on the side of the road with its hazard lights blinking. When I saw that the driver was out with the hood up trying to get the car running again, I walked over to see if I could help the poor guy out. As I approached the car, one of the occupants opened a window and, in a deep voice, said that he needed to speak to the driver. The voice sounded oddly familiar, but I couldn't place it. I stood close by and listened to the conversation, waiting for a natural break. What I heard began to explain why that voice sounded so recognizable.
"No, Mr. Richardson, I am not going to be able to get the car
running again by myself. We need to get a tow truck over here and another limo to take you guys to a hotel for the night," explained the driver.
"Thanks, Chuck, but we have a slight problem," the occupant said,
"There is some sort of big conference or convention here right now and all of the hotels are booked solid for the weekend. Also, none of the limo companies will be able to get another car out until at least the morning. I called around to check. They're all much too busy tonight."
"Damn! What are we going to do?" Chuck asked, exasperated.
It was here that I spoke. Breaking the uneasy silence that had
begun to permeate the vehicle. "You can stay with me," I said, startling the driver and making "Mr. Richardson" bust out laughing.
The door of the limo opened and a tall, dark-haired man stepped
out, followed by four other young men. He walked over to me and began to introduce himself and his companions. "Hello, my name is Kevin Richardson, this is my cousin Brian Littrell, the blonde over there is Nick Carter, next to him we have--".
"--The outrageous AJ McLean and the ever gentlemanly Howie
Dorough," I finished for him as my brain finally registered who they were. "By the way, my name is Doug McCarver." Kevin seemed a bit surprised and confused after I said that, and my mind made the connection as to why.
"What? Were you expecting me to start jumping around and screaming 'Howie I want to have your baby' when I realized who you were?" I asked with a smirk. I did not fail to notice Howie's eyes light up and his smile when I said that. 'Hmmm...there may be something there,' I thought quickly to myself, ' and he is my type.'
Kevin smiled and blushed as he replied, "Well, yeah...kinda. No
offense to you or anything, but that does happen to us a lot. I guess that I've just come to expect it."
"Don't worry about offending me, Kevin. It's nearly impossible."
"Awwwww, look at Kev blush," crowed AJ, "ain't it cute?" he asked as he pinched Kevin's cheeks hard.
"Ow! Damn it AJ, you are such a dick! That hurt!" Kevin yelled as the other guys and I all started laughing.
"Well, getting back to what I was saying," I broke in still
chuckling, "you guys can stay at my place for the weekend. My roommates are on a two-week camping trip in the Sierras, so y'all can use their rooms if you want."
"Hold on. Before we even discuss any of this, you are going to
have to tell us about yourself. I mean, you could be a serial killer or talk show host or something," Brian said while unsuccessfully trying to hide the fact that he was snickering.
"Okay," I replied, "As I already said, my name is Doug McCarver. I am a 21-year-old Senior English major at UOP. I have a 3.78 GPA and clean criminal and driving records. My family lives about 20 minutes south of here in Modesto. I have two sisters, Michelle and Elizabeth, aged 18 and 15 respectively. I also own two pets, a pug named Kina and a cat named Bitch Monster. We usually just call her Bitch, though. It's a whole lot easier when you're yelling!"
"Bitch Monster?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Just wait until you meet her, you'll quickly see where she got the name from!"
"But we don't want to inconvenience you any," Howie said while
staring intently at the asphalt, "and--."
I cut him off, trying not to stare at him too much, "Don't worry
about it. I have plenty of room and food. Plus, I would...enjoy the
company." He finally looked up at me and smiled brightly.
Kevin glanced at the other guys before speaking, "Give us a few
minutes to discuss it, and then we'll give you our answer." I nodded and they got back in the limo so that they could talk privately. While they were inside, I pulled out my paper for Composition, stood under my umbrella to keep the pages away from the sprinkling, and commenced editing the damn thing.
Chapter 2
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