Chapter 1
"Alright guys, take ten!"
Brian, Nick, Howie, Kevin, and AJ sighed with relief. Finally a break from the long, tiring dance practice.
Jogging over to where his water bottle lay on the ground against the mirrored wall, Brian tried to think of something other than "5, 6, 7, 8".
He sat down and chugged his water, leaning against the mirror.
Nick sauntered over, swishing his hips as he walked.
He wiggled his eyebrows and looked Brian dreamily in the eye.
"Heellooo, you big hunk a man, you!" he exclaimed.
Brian rolled his eyes with a smile. Who would have thought Nick was 19?
Nick sat down with a plop next to Brian. "I'm tired Bri."
Brian nodded slowly. They had been working for almost 3 hours on a few dance routines for the upcoming tour.
"Yeah, me too man." He closed his eyes.
Nick inspected his fingernails, then began picking dirt from them.
Brian opened one eye and glanced at Nick.
"Uhh... hey man, could you maybe not do that here?"
Nick put his hands into his lap and sat quietly. They both sat for about 3 minutes before they were called over again to practice.
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Brian walked into his house, swinging his keys on his index finger.
Glancing at the clock on his microwave, he realized it was almost 1 am.
He yawned and walked over to his answering machine. He pressed the button and fell back onto his couch.
~beeeep~ "Hi Bri, it's Leigh. I just wanted to check up on you, so call me back when you get a chance. I love you."
~beeeep~ "Hello Mr. Littrell, this is JoAnn Fernan from Clidale Children's House, ummm... to be blunt, I have your sister here. Her adoptive parents are curently unavailable to care for her, and since your parents have both passed away, you're the next relative to keep her. Please give me a call back at 555-5555. Thank you."
Brian felt as if he couldn't move. Then he slowly got up and replayed the message.
He stared at the wall in front of him. His sister?
He knew it wasn't a mistake, his parents had given the baby up for adoption because they were finacially unable to care for another child.
But he had never thought...
He slowly picked up the receiver and dialed the number.
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