Continued
"Wow-o-wow!" Melissa sighed as the five girls walked out into the mild summer night after the concert.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: DAMN! Those guys are fabulous!" Lexie used her tourbook to fan Nikki's face.
Faye skipped down the sidewalk to the parking garage. "What a perfect day! First we spent all afternoon with them, and then we sat front row for their concert! I can't think of anything that could have made today any better!"
I can. Jacquie pushed the negative thought out of her head as they headed to the car. Today WAS perfect. I shouldn't be so selfish. I did have a wonderful twenty-first birthday.. even if nobody remembered.
"It's after eleven! I don't think anything's open." Lexie concentrated on the road ahead of her.
"But I'm hungry!" Faye complained. Melissa echoed her statement and rubbed her stomach as if to further prove her point.
Nikki sighed and looked over at Jacquie who was staring out of the window at the passing cars. "Jaqs? Do you mind if we stop to get some grub for the children?"
"No, that's okay. I'm not hungry though," Jacquie replied still looking out the window, so she missed the conspiratorial grin that all her friends shared.
Lexie pulled off the highway at the next exit, and parked the car. "Golden Arches, here we come!"
"Why here?" Jacquie asked.
"Why not?" Lexie replied with a grin. "What better way to end today than with the restaurant of Backstreet choice?"
Faye snorted. "That's pathetic, Lex. You ARE obsessed."
Lexie nodded as she got out of the car. "And damn proud of it, thank you very much." She stuck her head back in the car. "Jacquie? Are you coming in with us?"
"I guess," Jacquie shrugged. Too bad MickeyD's doesn't have any vegetarian options... Once again she pushed the negative thought out of her head and followed her friends inside. "Why are all the lights out? Lexie? Nikki? Mel? Faye?"
"SURPRISE!!! Happy Birthday Jacquie!!!!"
The inside of the restaurant was covered in black streamers and black and silver balloons. While Jacquie looked on in shock, all of her friends began singing 'Happy Birthday' to her. Not only were her four concert pals there, but Sarah, Emily, Carol, and Laura were there too. All her closest friends were there to help her celebrate her twenty-first birthday.
With tears streaming down her face, Jacquie hugged each of her friends, but it wasn't until she was done hugging Faye that she realized what was written on the banner and on all the party favors and streamers. "Over-The-Hill?"
The girls burst out laughing. "Well, you have been complaining that you are feeling old, Jaqs," Nikki snickered.
"So we just thought an 'Over-The-Hill' theme was more than appropriate," Melissa finished.
Lexie passed the Birthday Girl a napkin with 'Old Fart' emblazoned across it. "Did you think we'd forget YOUR birthday?"
"Well... yeah."
"Silly girl." Lexie gave her another hug. "Sorry we kept you in the dark all day, but we wanted everything to be perfect for the surprise. You're not mad at us, are you?"
She grinned. "Of course not! I love you guys!"
"Coming through! Coming through!" Carol and Sarah stepped aside as Faye and Laura came barreling through with their arms piled high with wildly-decorated packages.
"Y'all didn't have to get me anything!" Jacquie protested.
"We know that, but we wanted to, so we did." Melissa said. "So open them already!"
Jacquie reached for the closest box. "That's mine," Lexie grinned as Jacquie pulled out a Furby wearing a University of Kentucky hat. "Kinda reminds you of Brian, doesn't it?"
Everyone laughed as Faye passed a heavy bag over. "I thought it was fitting."
"Thanks, Brat. I know this dictionary will come in handy. And I can always use another poster of the Boys to decorate my ceiling." Jacquie smiled and hugged the younger girl.
Sarah, Emily, and Carol went together and gave Jacquie a complete Catholic schoolgirl outfit. "We heard about your photo op, so this is for next time."
"There's not going to BE a next time!"
Sarah nodded. "Sure, Britney.. Sure."
Shaking her head, Jacquie opened Laura's gift and read the title of the book aloud. "The Art of Meeting and Mating Older Men."
When everyone turned to look at Laura, she blushed. "Shaddup, all of you. I got it for her to use with Kevin." Then it was the Birthday Girl's turn to turn a bright red color. She quickly reached for the last gift and opened it to find a scrapbook of photos from their previous birthday adventures from Melissa.
Before they could look through the volume, Nikki cleared her throat. "You may notice that I don't have a gift for you, Jaqs. It's not that I didn't get you anything. It's just that I couldn't wrap it up for you."
Jacquie wasn't the only one who looked at Nikki in confusion as she pulled out her cell phone and made a quick phone call. "It's time," was all she said before turning the phone off and looked at the door behind where Jacquie was sitting.
Music came pouring out of the restaurant speakers, and every girl looked up eagerly when five distinctive voices sang along. AJ was the first to peer through the doors, Brian and Nick were quick to follow, and Howie and Kevin brought up the rear. They gathered around the stunned group and finished singing the traditional birthday song. The girls applauded as the guys hammed it up, bowing and waving to them.
Nikki reached over to tap Jacquie's shoulder. "So you like your birthday present?"
"HECKOLA YEAH!" Jacquie laughed as she watched the guys deposit more gifts on the table in front of her.
"More presents?" Jacquie asked. The Boys nodded as they flopped down in chairs around the room. "This is going to be interesting."
Nick smirked. "You have to open mine first." He handed her a box and sat back while Jacquie tried to rip through the paper.
"How many layers did you put on this thing, Nick?" She asked after pulling off what seemed like the tenth layer of wrapping paper.
"It is your twenty-first birthday, isn't it?" Everyone groaned and AJ snatched his hat off and whacked Nick on the head with it.
Finally getting through all the layers, Jacquie discovered her gift. "Another Furby?"
"Whaddya mean?" Nick asked, so Faye held up the one from Lexie that was still wearing the Kentucky hat. "Hey, that one looks like Brian!" Nick exclaimed.
"So this is you?" Brian retorted taking the toy from Jacquie. "Yeah, it's blonde alright." The two guys then spent five minutes comparing each other to the Furbys before Howie and Kevin finally took the toys away so Jacquie could finish opening her gifts.
Brian blushed when Jacquie saw what he gave her. "I thought it was rather fitting." Everyone laughed when she pulled the BSB boxers out of the wrapping.
"I just hope they're clean," Nikki snickered as Brian fervently nodded, blushing even more.
AJ cleared his throat and slid a box across the table. "I know this isn't the most exciting of gifts, but when I saw it, I instantly thought of you."
With a quizzical look, Jacquie tugged the metallic paper off to uncover a Spanish-English dictionary plus a cassette entitled "How to Speak Spanish In Six Weeks". She grinned. "I only need six weeks?"
"I figured you're smart, so I'll be expecting some progress the next time I see you."
Melissa raised an eyebrow. "Planning on something?"
Emily spoke up. "Six weeks? That's right around the beginning of October." AJ grinned and looked over at Kevin who was sitting against the wall. The older man glowered at his friend before smiling and shrugging his shoulders.
"Hey!" Everyone looked at Nick who was still playing with the Furbys. "You still have to open Howie's gift."
Howie and Nikki were sitting together against the other wall. Howie reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box. "I hope you like it."
Jacquie set the rectangular box on the table while she read the small white card attached to the top. She looked up with a skeptical look before opening the box to reveal a sterling silver heart pendant on a silver chain. "Howie, it's beautiful! Thank you. Although the card is a little cheesy."
"Card?" Howie reached for the slip. "I didn't write a card." He read the few lines and groaned. "NICK!"
The blonde looked up with a smirk. "What?"
"I'd know your handwriting anywhere." Howie read the card. . "Happy Birthday Jacquie! No matter where you go, always remember that my heart stays with you." Everyone groaned and AJ hit Nick with his hat again.
Suddenly, the room went dark. Brian started singing "When The Lights Go Out" while everyone could hear Lexie and Melissa arguing over something. Then they walked out with a cake covered in candles.
"Um, Jaqs? How old are you again?" Howie asked.
Jacquie looked up. "Twenty-one. Why?" He pointed to the cake that Lexie set before her. It was COVERED in candles. She quickly counted. "Why are there seventy-nine candles?!"
The girls started laughing. "We were going to each put twenty-one candles on the cake, but Faye dropped a bunch of them on the floor earlier," Nikki explained. The girl in question blushed and nodded. Jacquie shook her head and made a wish before blowing out all of the candles.
It was an hour later when Jacquie slipped out of the room and went outside. She climbed in the McDonald's Playplace and crawled along the tunnel until she reached the section with all the balls. Jumping in, she pulled her knees up to her chin and watched as her friends laughed and talked inside of the restaurant.
"Want some company?"
Jacquie turned from watching the group inside to see Kevin crawl through the tunnel and sit beside her. Smiling, she scooted over to make room for him inside the children's playroom.
"Come here often?" She laughed and tossed a few of the plastic balls at him.
"Sure, all the time. I'm a regular."
Kevin looked inside at their friends to see Mel throw some leftover cake at Nick. "Why aren't you inside with everyone else? It is your birthday party."
"I know." Jacquie snickered as Nick retaliated by rubbing some cake in Mel's face. "I just wanted to get away from everyone for awhile. It's a little weird to go from everyone ignoring my birthday all day to an all-out celebration with two hours to go."
"Your friends have been planning this for a long time now. Nikki called us almost a month ago when she found out about the concert dates."
Their conversation continued for well over an hour. They talked about her schooling, his touring, birthdays in general, and many other things. It wasn't until a glob of cake hit the window that they noticed their friends inside.
Trying to contain their laughter, Kevin helped Jacquie out of the Playplace and back into the restaurant. It was a mess. It was a battle of the sexes. It was hilarious.
Nick and Brian were on one side of the room throwing cake at Mel, Faye, Laura, and Emily who were armed with potato chips and the leftover veggie dip. Sarah, AJ, and Lexie were cowering in the middle of the battlefield under a table while Nikki and Howie were recording the event on his camcorder and with her camera.
Kevin put his fingers to his lips and let an ear-piercing whistle fly. Everyone froze in their tracks when they noticed his stern expression. Then Jacquie collapsed into a chair laughing, and they realized that Kevin wasn't mad - just trying not to show his amusement.
Needless to say, none of the young people walked out of the restaurant without being covered in food. The Boys said their goodbyes and Nick and Brian raced for the bus. Howie and AJ helped the girls load up their cars while Kevin pulled Jacquie aside.
"Jacquie, I'm sorry I didn't get you anything for your birthday. I looked all over, but I couldn't find anything I wanted to get you."
She smiled. "That's okay. You didn't have to get me anything."
He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and started writing. "Here are my pager and cell phone numbers, and my email address. Give me a call or an email sometime, ok?"
"I'd love to." He leaned down and gave her a hug before he headed off to the bus. The girls stood in the parking lot waving as the Boys' bus drove away.
Nikki walked over to where Jacquie was still standing and slung her arm over her friend's shoulders. "So did you have a good birthday?"
Jacquie nodded. "You girls are amazing. I had no idea."
"That was the idea!" Lexie laughed behind them.
They walked over to the cars. "But you know what this means, don't you?" Everyone looked at Jacquie. She grinned evily. "Now I just have to work harder to top this for y'all next year!"
Groaning, they climbed into the cars leaving Jacquie standing in the parking lot. "Come on! You had to know that I was going to consider this a challenge." The girls shook their heads in disbelief. "Now, let's go home." Jacquie walked over to the car, but Nikki refused to unlock the door. "Nikki?"
"You have to promise that this is the end of the birthday shenanigans. No more surprises. No more parties. No more running unexpectedly into the Backstreet... " Nikki's voice trailed off as Jacquie's smirk grew into a full-fledged smile.
The door unlocked. "I can see that you've come to your senses."
"Nah," Faye said. "You're just too damn lucky when it comes to meeting those Boys."
"Yeah," Lexie echoed from the other car. "We're just in it for the Boys."
"Lexie, you ARE obesessed!"
"Shaddup, Brat."
Shaking her head, Nikki led the caravan of cars back to the hotel. Jacquie was staring out the window lost in thought once again. I would have never guessed they could be so creative! Now... How am I going to top an Over-The-Hill Birthday Party at McDonald's? She looked back at the girls in the car behind them. And I do believe that Faye's birthday is next...
