Chapter 3




“He shoots and scores!” Brian said as he made another 3 point shot. “Ha! I believe this is the 4th time I beat you, in what was it? Five games we played so far?”

“Lucky shot Bri. It’s just an off day for me,” said Nick grabbing the basketball from Brian.

“Excuses, excuses,” said Brian not accepting Nick’s lame excuse.

“Brian! It’s Denise on the phone!” called Leighanne from the front screen door.

Nick followed Brian into the house to get a drink while Brian took the cordless phone from Leighanne.

Nick opened the fridge to get a soda but was unlucky. All he found in the fridge was a carton of skim milk and some orange juice. “Hey, don’t you have anything else to drink in here?” he asked incredulously.

“Sorry Nick, but I convinced Brian to lessen his pop intake,” Leighanne explained.

“Okay, but what about when I come over?”

Leighanne just laughed. “I’ll remember that. Next time I go to the grocery store...stock up on pop for Nickolas’s next visit.”

“Hey Nick, Denise said that...” he was cut off by the ringing of Nick’s cell phone.

“Hello,” greeted Nick.

“Nick, it’s Denise. I want to remind you that there is a meeting concerning the tour tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. sharp.”

“Okay. Thaks. Got it. Bye.”

“Nick, remember, meeting tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.” Nick was reminded by Brian.

“Yes, Bri, I got it. I’m not deaf you know. Geez! First my mom called this morning to remind me, then Denise called me again for the second time, and now, you...”

“Well, Nick, I know you’re not deaf, but you tend to forget things from time to time,” replied Brian knowingly.

************************************************************************ “Okay, that’s a wrap people! Good job! Just to remind you, rehearsal tomorrow will be at 5 p.m. due to the tour meeting. We’ll practice until we smooth the rough spots for the last dance number we did today,” said Brad as he called an end to another long and vigorous dance rehearsal.

“Hey Jayme, do you want to go out for lunch with Juli and Nicole at Pizza Hut? They offered and I told them that I would ask you,” Lindsay asked.

“Umm...thanks for the invite, but do you mind if I just go home instead? I plan to take a quick nap,” replied Jayme.

“Are you feeling all right?” asked a worried Lindsay.

“Yeah, I’ll be all right. I just need to take a nap. I have a headache,” Jayme assured her friend. “I’m just glad that I don’t have voice rehearsal today. Tina had a meeting. You go ahead and grab lunch with Nicole and Julie.”

“Well, okay, but I’m driving you home. I’ll just meet them at Pizza Hut.”

************************************************************************ Jayme just tossed and turned in bed and couldn’t sleep at all. She felt incredibly dizzy. She turned on the television set and started watching General Hospital hoping that it would make her fall asleep. No luck. She turned on Jerry Springer instead.

“Today in our show, we have guests that have a very shocking secret to tell their spouse. Meet Bob. Now Bob, what is the secret that you’re going to tell your wife, Nancy, today?” Jayme heard Jerry’s voice.

“Well, we’ve been married for a year now. And she doesn’t know what my real night job is.”

“Ooooh,” was the audience’s reaction.

“Hmm...maybe your husband is really a woman who had a sex change operation and you’re about to find out just now,” thought Jayme. This show usually has guests that has the most bizarre problems.

A commercial came on and Jayme then slowly drifted off to sleep and heard nothing else but the soft humming of the TV.

************************************************************************ “I don’t believe it! You lied to me! You said nothing happened between you and Ginger! You slept with her and she’s my sister!!!” the woman screamed at her husband and slapped him across the face. With that, she stormed out of the stage and threw her engagement ring in her soon-to-be ex-husband’s face.

“We’ll be right back after the break!” said Jerry Springer.

Nick just got home from Brian’s house after their little game of basketball. He was definitely enjoying the time off from being a BackStreet Boy, at least for now. No mobs of screaming girls to deal with, no press interviews, no sleeping in hotels in different states every night.

“Ring!!!” was the sound that came from the phone in the kitchen.

“Aww, man...I don’t want to miss any of this. Now, where is that cordless phone?” Nick said aloud to himself as he tried to find the missing phone. He looked under the couch and flipped the cushions. The phone rang for the fourth time and the answering machine picked up.

“Nick, pick up. I know you’re home,” said A.J.’s voice.

“Damn it,” Nick muttered. “Yeah, what do you want?” he asked as he picked up the phone. He absolutely hated it when he has to tear his eyes away from the TV in the middle of a show he’s watching or when he’s playing a video game.

“Geez, you don’t have to be rude! What are you doing anyways?”

“Umm...nothing,” he replied and quicky turned the down the TV volume.

“Well, what are you doing tonight?”

“Nothing planned, really,” was his answer.

AJ let out a sigh of relief. “Okay good. I need you to do me a favor.”

“Great. Now what?”

“Well, actually you should be glad that you’re not gonna be stuck at home tonight. I arranged for you a little double date with me, Amanda, and her cousin Jenny.”

“What? Who is Jenny and what if I don’t want to go out with her?” “But Nick,” AJ started to explain. “She just had a really bad break up and I told Amanda

I would find her a date, but my friend Tony had plans and I needed to find her a date, and now I’m asking you. Please??? I would really appreciate it.”

“But...” Nick hated to be pushed around like this.

“Nick! Come on buddy, I need your help! I promised Amanda and she will be really pissed off at me if I don’t find Jenny a date soon. I told her I’d do it about a week ago, but I kinda forgot about it until she reminded me again today,” A.J. explained.

“A.J. that’s your problem not mine, okay? It’s no my fault that you forgot all about it and now you’re in a bind. I’m sorry!”

“Man, I can’t believe you! What about all those times I was there for you? Come on, I always got your back!” A.J. persisted.

“Right A.J. and would you like to refresh my memory when exactly ‘you got my back?’ When A.J.? Do you call laughing your ass off at me when I got thrown out of the dressing room in my underwear, ‘watching my back?’” asked Nick.

“Aww, geez, that was like ancient history. Please? Nick, you know I won’t stop bugging you until you say yes.”

“Do I have a choice?” sighed Nick.

“Thanks Nicky boy. I knew I could count on you. I owe you one. Be at my place around 7. I’m helping Amanda cook dinner. Thanks buddy!” with that, AJ hung up.

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