"So how long will Tim be out for?" Kevin asked with concern for the Backstreet Band’s drummer, Tim Berkebile, who had broken his leg.
"Well, I dunno, a couple a months I guess," Freddie Mollins, the bass player, replied, "But we have a replacement…"
"Straight up?" Howie asked, surprised to hear that a replacement had been found already.
"Yeah… right here…" Freddie smiled, beckoning in the new drummer through the door of the rehearsal room they were in.
"No way… no way man, you’re playin’ right?" Nick laughed.
"No dude, this is your new drummer," Freddie explained.
"No way! Girls can’t play drums!" Nick continued to laugh, "I’ll do it myself if she’s all you could find!"
"Excuse me?" The new drummer asked, "You just stick to the singing blondy and let the professionals worry about keepin’ the beat!"
"Well… we are gonna have to see what y’all can do…" Brian said.
"Not a problem!" She flashed a cute smile as she went to take her seat behind the drum kit. She brushed her hand through her long brown hair and then picked up the sticks from the floor and spun them through her fingers.

"I mean, how old is she? She doesn’t look all that old!" Nick continued his protest.
"She’s 19… and I don’t wanna be rude Nick but you don’t look all that old either man!" Freddie laughed, "I don’t see why you have such a big problem with her!" She began to bang away at the drums like a true professional. Nick and the other BSB’s looked on amazement. When she finished her little jam AJ said,
"I think we’re all agreed that your playing was da bomb! We’d love to have you as part of our team!" he smiled.
"Yo…" Nick whispered to her, "Where a girl like you learn to play drums like that?"
"Did I not introduce myself?" She smiled cheekily, "I’m Star Berkebile… your drummer Tim’s daughter!"

Star sat in her hotel room on the phone to her friend back home, "… And the blonde one, Nick is it, he was all like ‘girls can’t play drums…’ but I sure showed him!" she giggled. There was a knock at the door, "Hold up Saffron," she said down the phone, "There’s someone at the door." And she laid the phone down on her bed and went over to answer the door.
"Hi!" Nick said shyly.
"Hey…" Star smiled, "What can I do for ya?"
"I just wanted to… well erm… I thought I should… erm… y’know… apologise, for before, when we met, I’m sorry I was kinda rude," he stuttered.
"That’s kool."
"I mean it was nothing personal…"
"Ya, OK!"
"It’s just that you don’t look like any of the drummers I ever knew," Nick began to explain, "I mean for starters, you’re a girl and you definitely ain’t scary lookin’ like most drummers!"
"You mean like my dad?" Star laughed.
"Exactly!" Nick smiled.

"Well, if that’s all you came round for…" Star whispered, wanting to get back to her phone conversation.
"Yeah, just about…" and Nick looked into her big, hazel eyes, "I’ll see you tomorrow at practice then, it’s at 2 in the afternoon…"
"Tomorrow it is," and she began to close the door.
"And if ya need anything, or, or you’re just bored or something, my room is just down the hall, number 363," Nick said, poking his head in the gap before she could close the door fully, "I got Nintendo!" he grinned.
"No I’m good!" Star replied, this time shutting the door completely. She hurried back over to her bed, got in a comfortable position and picked up the phone again, "Oh… it was nobody…" she resumed her conversation, "Anyways girl, you gonna have to come down see me… I shouldn’t be too busy in about 2 weeks… is that kool?" and she continued to make plans for her best friend to come and visit her in 2 weeks time. Nick was still stood in the hall.
"Goodnight Star," he whispered to the closed door before turning around and heading to his room.

Star was up real early the next day and got down to the rehearsal room at about 8 in the morning. She knew the boys would be busy all morning and that she would be able to practice in private until their first rehearsal together at 2pm. She had a lot of work to do if she was going to have learned all the songs before the tours started in 4 weeks time. As she opened the door she heard a soft humming noise, followed by a beat on the drums.
"Hey you!" She chirped, "What ya doin’ in here?"
"I couldn’t sleep," Nick sighed.
"What happened to the Nintendo?" She joked. Nick didn’t look amused, "What’s that?" She asked, looking at the sheet of paper in his hands.
"I’m starting to write a song for the new album…" he blushed.
"Don’t look like ya got too far!" Star quipped.
"Well, I’m having a little trouble laying down the beat. I mean, I have it up here," and he tapped his head, "but when I come to play it, it sounds all wrong!" and he looked frustrated, "Anyways, what are you doing here?"
"I kinda figured that even great drummers, such as myself, still gotta practice, considering I only got 4 weeks to learn what, 15 songs…"
"It’s 16…" Nick corrected.
"Well, that’s even more work than I first anticipated!" She bantered, "So shift ya butt and let me get started!" Nick silently got up from behind the drums and headed for the door, still looking frustrated. "Ya not gonna stick around?" Star queried.
"I got dance practice at 10…"
"That’s like 2 hours away! C’mon Nick, why don’t ya just hang around… tell me if I’m doing it right!" and she flashed him an irresistible smile.
"Well, OK then, if ya don’t mind…" and he sat on the varnished wooden floor of the music rehearsal room. Star wriggled in her seat to get comfortable and then began to play a simple warm up beat.

"That!" Nick squealed with excitement, "What was that?"
"Erm… just a little warm up, nothin’ special," she looked at him oddly.
"Play it again… play it again!" he demanded. She did as he asked.
"That’s it! That’s it!" he smiled, frantically scribbling on the paper in front of him. He was really beginning to weird Star out. He got up and hurried to the door. Just as he was about to leave he turned around and yelled, "Star… you truly are a Star… you’re a shining star!" and then he was gone.
"Freakin’ goob!" Star thought to herself, shaking her head.

"Saffy I’m so glad you could come!" Star smiled as she hugged her best friend.
"Well, you been down here for 2 and a half weeks now… I can’t go much longer without seeing the dumb ass that is Star!" Saffron Limber smiled as her friend eased up on the hug, "So what ya been up to?"
"Oh I’ve had so much fun! I’ve been helping Nick write a song!" Stars eyes lit up.
"That’s so kool! Anything else?"
"Well, ya know how I always wanted to learn how to play basketball?" and Saffron nodded, "Well, Nick’s been teaching me!"
"Wicked…" Saffron thought for a second, "What about the shops here… I hear they’re great!"
"Oh yes they are… check this new sweater!" Star smiled, showing her best friend her new green jumper.
"Star that’s beautiful!" and Saffron felt the quality.
"Nick picked it out for me when we went shopping at the weekend!"
"Nick this, Nick that… girl that guy is all you seem to be talking about… and it’s not just now! It’s every night on the phone too!" Star looked at Saffron oddly, wondering what she meant by that statement, "Tell me straight, are you falling for him?"
"What? No I am not!" Star protested.
"You so are!" Saffron laughed, "I haven’t seen you like this since 9th grade when you fell in love with Bruce Jenkins!"
"I’m not in love with Nick…" Star blushed.

"Frack, I found this… you working on a song man?" Brian asked holding a couple of crumpled sheets of paper in his hand.
"Ya… me and Star are writing it for the next album…" Nick replied, trying to concentrate on his game of Super Mario.
"You and Star?" Brian asked, "You’ve been spending a whole heap of time with that girl recently, I hardly get to spend time with ya anymore, ‘sept for when we’re rehearsing for the tour!"
"Like I said, we’re working on a song…"
"What’s the deal with you and her then?" Brian asked, "C’mon, you can tell me, I’m your best buddy!"
"Frick I told you, we’re doin’ that song… I really wanna have something with my name on it for the next CD."
"You’re sweet on her ain’t ya!" Brian teased.
"I am not… damn!" he yelled, "See what ya done now? You made me die!" and he slammed the control on the floor.
"Nicky and Star… Nicky and Star…" Brian sang like a kindergarten kid.
"Frick just shut up!" Nick yelled, "You know nothin’ ‘bout me and Star… you know nothin’ ‘bout nothin’!" and he stormed out of the hotel room, slamming the door behind him.

There was a knock at the door.
"Finally…" Brian chuntered to himself, "You’ve only had like 5 hours to kool off, and missed dance practice… Fatima’s gonna kill ya…" and he opened the door expecting it to be Nick.
"Hi Brian! Is Nick around?" Star asked, looking past Brian and into the hotel room.
"No… I was kinda hoping that you would be him," Brian sighed, "He’s kinda gone AWOL… and missed dance practice… we sorta had a argument!"
"And you don’t know where he is? Cuz we’re s’posed to be working on our song…"
"Sorry… can’t help ya out there Star… If I knew where he was, I’d go apologise… "
"It’s all good… I got a good idea where he’s at…" and she sauntered off down the hall on her mission to find Nick.

"I thought I’d find you here!" Star whispered softly.
"Yeah… I had an argument with Frick… wanted to get away from him…" Nick smiled. Star sat next to him on the varnished floor of the rehearsal room.
"You missed dance practice…"
"I know… I needed to think about something… and I think Brian was right…" he whispered.
"’Bout what?" Star asked, trying to catch his gaze but he looked away.
"Nothin’…"
"That our song you been working on?" she asked, looking at the paper scattered around him.
"Yeah… I was struggling for some lyrics… and then I… I thought of you…" They both blushed, "Ya wanna hear?"
"Do you even need to ask that?" Star smiled sweetly as she looked into his big, blue eyes.
"I thought maybe we could call it Shining Star…" and Nick began to sing, "You’re my shining star, that is what you are, there is no one like you baby… angel’s everywhere, every time you’re near, you will always be my baby!" and he leaned closer to Star.
"That’s beautiful…" She smiled.
"So are you…" Nick whispered just before his lips met hers.