Ashley managed to convince Laney to come back. Laney's face was still bright red. She switched places with Ashley so she wouldn't have to face talking to Brian. So Ashley took her place. Brian looked hurt. Laney almost forgot to switch her and Ashley's plates! They quickly swapped plates. Laney decided to take a taste of the spaghetti. It was delicious and she couldn't resist taking another taste. And other one. And another one... Soon enough, her plate was completely empty. KC and Nick were talking amongst themselves. Laney found herself feeling jealous of them. Why couldn't I be more like KC? She's fearless, Laney thought, frowning.
Someone walked onto the little wooden stage in the middle of the rooom. She had gray hair. The Boys recognized her as the woman in the lobby.
"Welcome everyone to Canterbury Lodge. My name is Patricia Smith and I'm the manager here. I hope you enjoy your stay here. I have a surprise for you all tonight, though. We seem to have some celebrities among us for the week" she announced into the microphone. Patricia let everyone talk for a few moments. The Boys were all looking at eachother, somewhat upset it seemed.
"Please welcome the Backstreet Boys" she continued. She stepped back from the mic and motioned for the Boys to come up. A loud squeal filled the room as they walked to the stage.
"OH MY GOD!! IT'S NICK!! OH MY GOD!!" a voice screamed. All eyes turned to a table by the back window. A girl around 9 was jumping up and down. Her parents were scolding her. She ignored them and ran up to the stage. She bounced up the stairs.
"NICK!! NICK!! Can you sign my shirt?!" she yelled running up to him. Nick smiled down at her.
"Sure. Do you have a pen?" he asked sweetly The girl frowned and shook her head.
"I've got a pen!" came a woman's voice near the stage. The woman from the Living Room ran up to the stage, holding a blue pen. She handed it to Nick and smiled. Nick thanked her. He turned to the girl again.
"What's your name?" he whispered. The girl smiled up at him.
"My name is Kristina Robinson and I'm in love with you" she said enthusiastically. Laughter filled the room. KC was biting her lip, nervously.
"Well, I love you too Kristina" he replied. Kristina squealed again and held out her sleeve for Nick to sign. Nick wrote a little message on her sleeve and signed his name. The message read:
Kristina read the sleeve and gave Nick a hug. Then she ran back to her family, very satisfied. Brian stepped up to the mic and cleared his throat.
"Umm...I'm not really sure what to say. I hadn't expected to be presented like this. But oh well. I'm looking forward to this week and so are the other guys. I hope to talk to everyone some time or another" he replied. Then the Boys walked off the stage and back to the table. Everyone soon went back to their own conversations.
Dessert was served later on, about 15 minutes later. It was a piece of chocolate cake. Laney had gotten over her fear of eating in front of Brian. He hadn't said a word to her since she switched seats with Ashley. Who was now talking to him. Laney quietly nibbled on the cake, aimlessly.
After dinner, everyone got the urge to go exploring outside. Other than the ski hill and mountain, three was a trail through the forest. That was where they were headed. Everyone bundled up warm and told Patricia where they were going. It was manditory for the guests to tell her where they were going in case of an emergency. Howie and Kevin led the way. Followed by AJ and Brian. Then KC and Ashley. Laney wanted to stay behind everyone else to think. But Nick just happened to join her.
"That was a nice whipe out at dinner Laney" Nick stated laughing. Laney cringed up her face.
"No it wasn't. It was embarrassing. Brian was---". Laney stopped herself mid-sentence on purpose. Some things were better unsaid. Nick thought for a minute.
"Umm...if you don't mind me asking, what was Brian doing?" he asked. Laney waved her hand at him.
"Nothing. It's not important. But...umm...did he say anything about me all day?" she asked. She almost didn't want to hear his answer. Nick smiled slyly.
"Lots" he said plainly. Laney groaned.
"Tell me!" she yelled. Nick laughed and kicked some snow in front of him.
"He said you were kinda cute. But he thought you seemed too shy to talk to him. After you ran off at dinner, he said that he thought he did something wrong. Did he?" Nick explained casually. Laney blushed. She pulled a few strands of hair behind her ear.
"No. But I was too embarrassed to sit beside him and just talk, you know?" she replied. Nick nodded. It was already dark out, but AJ and Kevin had flashlights, so did KC and Ashley. Laney looked up at the dark starry sky.
"So...you like KC, huh?" she casually said, making sure KC was out of ear-shot. Nick shook his head.
"No I don't. She's just a friend. She's really fun to be around. Why do you ask?" he confessed. Laney's heart sunk.
"Well you're really flirting with her and she thinks you like her. I think you need to talk to her" Laney explained. Nick nodded.
"I think I'd better." He walked ahead of Laney and tapped KC on the shoulder.
