Chapter Sixteen


Kaity and Nick sat stiffly as they watched Mrs. McKenzie pause, take a deep breath, and march over to the picnic table they were still seated at.

“Mom?” Kaity asked nervously, seeing the determined look in her mother’s eyes.

“Don’t. Let me say what I have to say. I am not going to be the person who ruins this entire thing. From the first day I saw you two together, I have been dreaming in the day you would fall in love. I’m not going to let you lose that. For that reason, Kaity, I’m letting you go on tour with Nick.” she finished, heaving a sigh of relief.

“I can go?” Kaity asked standing quickly. Nick’s arm fell from her shoulder. “You just said I can go?”

“Yes.” her mother said quietly.

“Nick! I’m coming with you.” she squealed looking down at Nick. He glowed. Kaity lept over the picnic table bench and pulled her mother into a tight hug. “Mom, I can’t thank you enough! I promise that Nick and I will behave. We won’t do anything, I promise.” she said quickly as she jumped up and down in her mother’s arms.

“Kaity, I’m not worried about that anymore. I trust you two.”

“Thank you Mrs. McKenzie. That means a lot.” Nick said standing. Kaity let go of her mother and Nick pulled her into a hug as well. He stepped back smiling and hugged his mother. “Thanks, Mom.” he whispered to her.

“Anytime.” Jane whispered back.

“So...when are we going to get this barbecue started?” Nick asked as Mr. McKenzie walked out of the house in an apron, carrying the chicken.

“Daddy!!” Kaity yelled as she ran up to him.

“What?” her father asked eyeing her carefully.

“She said I could go!”

“Who?”

“Mom! She said I can go on tour with Nick!” Kaity said hugging her father. He hung onto the plate of raw chicken and smiled.

“Good, I’m glad. I’m going to miss you though.”

“Aw, Dad. You will not!” Kaity said jumping up and down again. Nick came up behind her and picked her up, carrying her over to the pool in her yard. “No! Nickolas Gene Carter, put me down now!”

“Maybe.” Nick said laughing. Kaity tried kicking, but all she hit was air. She glanced around and saw Emily and Brian on the other side of the pool with their feet in the water.

“Emily...help me.” Emily shook her head. “What? I set you up with your dream guy! And this is how you repay me???” Kaity asked surprised. Nick motioned to throw her in but he froze before she left his arms. He set her down.

“I thou-”

“I’d never toss you in the water like that.” Nick said smiling.

“You wouldn’t?”

“No, I’d at least make it so you can fight back if you want to.”

“Like how?”

“I’d push you.” Nick said shrugging his shoulders before he placed his hand on her shoulder. She smiled up at him lovingly before Nick gave her a little push. She fell back into the water with a huge splash! She resurfaced with a look of horror on her face.

“I cannot believe you just did that to me!” she yelled wading over to the edge of the pool. Grabbing his leg, she pulled Nick into the pool with her. He held on to her as he pulled himself to the surface.

“I can’t believe let you do that to me.” he said looking down at her. She laughed.

“I can’t believe that I’m going with you!” Kaity said smiling.

“Me either.”

“I love you.” Kaity whispered.

“I love you too.”



*****



“Now tell me that isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.” Jane said quietly to Mrs. McKenzie.

“It is...”

“That is because of you.” Nick’s mother said pointing to the wet couple.

“I know...I hope I did the right thing.”


Two Weeks Later


“Do I have everything? My PJ’s? My toothbrush? A lot of clean underwear?” Kaity asked frantically as she dug through her huge bag.

“Yes, will you chill already? Jesus!” Emily said falling onto Kaity’s bed.

“Sorry, I am just so nervous. I’ve never been on tour with Nick before.”

“Well duh. I know that. But, please, stop worrying! This is Nick and the guys...on a bus for two months, performing every other night. How hard can it be?”

“Very hard. What if the fans hate me?” Kaity asked nervously. She had been worrying about this for the last two weeks.

“Kaity...the fans have known about you for as long as Nick has been a Backstreet Boy. I’m sure they’ve grown accustomed to you by now. God, I hope so.” Emily said rolling her eyes.

“No, Em. I wasn’t dating the guy then! Now I am. What if they don’t like me dating him. What if they yell cruel things at me? What if they attack me?”

“Sweetie, that’s what a bodyguard is for. And as for the cruel words, ignore them. You love Nick and he loves you. The fans can kiss it.” Emily said waving her hand in the air. Kaity smiled.

“Thank you. I’m going to miss you.”

“Eh, prolly not, but thanks for thinking that way.”

“Are you kidding!? I’m gonna miss talking to you every day...seeing you all the time, shopping? I can’t have fun at a mall without my shopping buddy.”

“Well, Brian mentioned me coming for a visit..so we can hit the malls big time then. K?” Emily asked.

“Course....I’m still nervous.” Kaity admitted.

“Oh shut up! Everything will be fine. Imagine you today if your mother had told you no. You would be devastated about having to say good-bye to your blond boy toy tomorrow.” Emily said laying back on Kaity’s bed.

“What’s your point?”

“You get to leave on a big black tour bus with him. Hello? The sunshine on this cloudy day of yours is the fact that you don’t have to spend two months, TWO months away from your boyfriend. I on the other hand...do.”

“Brian isn’t your boyfriend though.” Kaity pointed out.

“Sure...he hasn’t asked me using those exact words, but I consider a date three times a week to be a pretty serious commitment. Ya know?”

“Yeah...I guess. But you’re still going to visit.”

“Hopefully.”

“You will.”

“I hope.” Emily muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Kaity asked sitting next to Emily.

“I don’t know. I’m just...depressed I guess. PMSing.”

“You’re really going to miss him, huh?” Kaity asked reading her best friends thoughts.

“Mmmhmmm.” Emily said nodding slightly.

“He’s going to miss you too.”

“I know, it’s just..you are so lucky.”

“Me lucky?? How? I’m sitting here petrified that I’m going to get bitch slapped by some crazy nick lover and you think I’m lucky? I think you’re insane.”

“Kaity.”

“Emily.”

“Kaity...”

“We’ve been over this before..will you sit up? I hate not being able to look at you.” Kaity complained.

“Sorry.” Emily said pulling herself into a sitting position.

“Sokay...I’m gonna miss you.”

“Oh don’t start this again.” Emily said a small smile playing on her lips.

“Are you smiling.”

“Shut up.”

“For the record, I will be calling you every day.”

“You better.” Emily said sternly.

“I promise..I’ll use Nick’s cell phone. Let him get stuck with the long distance bills.” Kaity said laughing. Emily laughed too as she glanced at her watch.

“I better go Kait.”

“Do you have to?”

“Yeah, I’m going over to Brian’s tonight. We’re going to have one of those so called ‘mushy good-bye’s’ there so we don’t make a scene tomorrow.”

“Have fun. I’ll see you at the studio tomorrow morning. Okay?” Kaity asked standing up. She pulled her best friend into a hug.

“Yeah, don’t worry anymore. You won’t be able to sleep.”

“I won’t. I’m being stupid.” Kaity said shaking her head.

“Yes, you are. When I leave, you go to bed and get that beauty rest. You’ve gotta look good for Nick.” Emily said grabbing her purse. Kaity led her downstairs to say good-bye before she went to bed.

Kaity’s parents pulled their car in behind the Carter’s van early the next morning. Parking, Kaity and her parents got out and unloaded Kaity’s luggage. The sun was just rising, and the air was cool. The Backstreet Caravan loomed outside the studio entrance. It consisted of two busses for the Backstreet Boys themselves, and in addition to those, there were three busses for the crew. The semis carrying the equipment and stage were already two hours ahead of them, so that by the time the band reached their first destination, the arena would already be set up for sound check.

“Ready?” Nick asked coming up to her. She looked up at him hesitantly.

“Uh..” Kaity began nervously. For some reason, the large busses never seemed so intimidating when she was only there to see Nick off. Now that she would be leaving with them...they looked big and empty.

“What?” Nick asked concerned.

“Nothing, it’s stupid, forget it.” Kaity said grabbing the strap of her bag, pulling it towards the tour bus.

“Kaity?”

“Nothing...come on.” Kaity said bravely as she walked towards the bus.

“Are you sure they’re going to be okay on these busses?” Mr. McKenzie asked Denise McLean, AJ’s mother and Backstreet PR.

“Jon, these busses are huge. Bodyguards can stay with them if things get dangerous. Don’t worry.”

“Daddy, stop the interrogation. You can have a tour if you want.” Kaity said passing her father and Denise.

“No, no, that’s okay.” Kaity dropped her bag by the rest of the luggage waiting to be loaded and grabbed her duffel bag. Nick waited for her by the door of their bus and let her climb on first.

“Well, baby, this is our home for the next two months.” Nick said waving his arm at the huge space that lay before them. The tour coordinators has rented two different busses. Howie, AJ, and Kevin were going to ride on one, and Nick, Brian and Kaity had the second one. Each bus was big enough to accommodate more people so if anyone wanted a guest, there was room.

“Wow. This thing is huge!” Kaity exclaimed as she stood in the middle of the makeshift kitchen. To one side of her was a table with a forest green marble top with a padded bench. Bookshelves lined the wall next to the table and there was a huge stereo system set up with countless CD’s. Behind the table was a gigantic tinted window. On the other side of the bus was a long green couch and beyond that was a counter, that matched the table, with a microwave, refrigerator, and a mini-stove.

“Keep going.” Nick said putting his hand on Kaity’s back. She moved further into the bus, walking across the navy carpeted floor, and down a narrow hall. On either side of her were bunk beds. “You can pick whichever one you want. I recommend a bottom one. Things get a little bumpy sometimes and falling from six feet up isn’t the most pleasant thing in the world.”

“Thanks.” Kaity said stopping toward the far end of the hall. She pushed the curtains back from one of the bunks and looked at Nick questioningly.

“Fine with me. I’ll take this one.” Nick said pointing to the bunk across from the one Kaity had chosen.

“Cool!” Kaity answered as she chucked her duffel bag onto her bed. “What’s back here?” she asked as she continued down the hall to a door.

“That’s the back room. It’s cool. Go in.” Nick said pressing the door handle. The door opened and Kaity stepped into a large room. Against the back wall was a black leather couch and diagonal to that was a big screen TV, set up with dvd and playstation.

“Gotta have the video games, huh Nick?” Kaity asked turning to him.

“What else are you going to do for eight hours on a bus?” Nick said shrugging.

“Well, I certainly hope that you won’t be occupying yourself with that game when I’m here.”

“I’d never do that! I’ll be occupying you!” Nick said giggling.

“You are so adorable.” Kaity whispered kissing him.

“I’m adorable? Come on! Can’t I be strong? Masculine? Sexy? Nooo, I’m adorable. Teddy bears are adorable.”

“Shut up. You know you love it.” Kaity said ruffling his hair.

“Hey-”

“I know...concentration..I got it. I won’t touch the hair.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

“What then?”

“I don’t mind you touching my hair, acutally, I kind of like it.” Nick said looking at his feet momentarily.

“You do now?” Kaity asked smiling.

“Yeah. It feels good.” Nick said meeting her eyes with his.

“These two months are going to be very interesting.” Kaity said moving past Nick. She stopped next to another, smaller door at the end of the bunks. “What’s this?”

“Bathroom, it’s really small.” Nick said pushing the door open for Kaity to peer into the room. It was tiny and cramped, but there was a toilet, sink with a somewhat large counter, mirror and a closet.

“Nice..”

“Not really, but it holds us over till a rest stop.” Nick said chuckling. “Want to go say good-bye to your parents now?”

“Yup!” Kaity said making her way to the front of the bus. She stepped off the bus and was met by her parents.

“We’re going to miss you so much!” Her mother stated teary-eyed.

“Mom, I’m going to be home in two months, and I’ll call.” Kaity said comfortingly. She hugged her mother tightly.

“Still, I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too. Dad..” Kaity said pulling away from her mother to hug and kiss her father.

“You be good now.”

“Yes, Dad.” she said rolling her eyes.

“Check in as much as possible.”

“Will do.” Kaity said pulling back. She saw Brian climbing out of Emily’s parents car. Emily, who drove, climbed out as well and headed towards Kaity.

“Call me, or die.” Emily threatened smiling at Kaity.

“Oh I will. I will see you right?” Kaity asked lowering her voice as she tilted her head in Brian’s direction.

“Yup, in three weeks.” Emily announced. “He and I talked about it last night. He asked me to be his girlfriend!”

“Really?! That’s great! I can’t believe this.”

“I know. I am so happy. I can’t wait to visit you guys. It will be so cool. Brian’s sharing with you and Nick right?”

“Yeah..”

“Great. It will be awesome when I visit. Just us and the two guys.” Emily said smiling.

“You’re right, that will be awesome.”

“Plus, I planned it so that I’ll be there for your birthday. Wouldn’t want you turning eighteen without me.”

“Really? Thank you so much. I was thinking about that actually. I was all depressed that my family wouldn’t be with me...or you for that matter.”

“Ah..as always, I am the ray of sunshine on your rainy day. Some things never change.” Emily said hugging Kaity. Kaity hugged back.

“I will call you as soon as I can get Nick’s phone away from him. Okay?”

“Better, girl.” Emily said spinning Kaity towards the bus, giving her a little shove. “Looks like they’re waiting.” Kaity glanced around, Nick was standing by his family, patiently listening to Aaron babble away. He smiled and nodded his head, telling her they were ready. Kaity smiled and shot Emily one last look before she headed for the bus. Nick gave his brother a hug and a kiss on the top of the head before pulling himself away. Brian was giving Emily a quick kiss as the rest of the guys boarded their bus.

“Everything set?” Nick asked one of their bodyguards, Tom, who was standing by the door of one of the crew busses.

“Looks that way, Mr. Carter. Everything is loaded, all crew is on board. The only thing left is to get you and Mr. Littrell on and we’re ready to hit the road.”

“Great.” Nick said turning to the families and friends there to see them off. “We’ll be seeing you guys!” Nick said as he reached for Kaity’s hand. She climbed on the bus, followed by Nick and then Brian. The driver closed the door behind them and started the bus. She took a seat on the couch to her left and looked out the window. She felt the tears prickling her eyes, threatening to fall. Nick said down behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s gonna be hard for the first few days, but trust me, it gets easier.” Nick whispered as he watched her struggle not to cry.

“I know. How did you do this at thirteen?” Kaity asked as the bus rolled forward. Outside, she could see her parents waving at the bus, but she knew they couldn’t see her through the tinted glass.

“I just did. I had to in order to fulfill my dreams. This is one of the downfalls.” The bus slowly pulled out of the studio parking lot, and eased onto the quiet road. Kaity watched her family and friends move further and further away from her as the driver accelerated the bus. Kaity closed her eyes then opened them again. She looked out the front window of the bus and saw the bus housing Kevin, AJ, and Howie rolling along in front of them. Though she was sad she was leaving, she couldn’t help but notice the excitement growing in her stomach. Here she was, on a tour bus, with her boyfriend, about to take on the country with the Backstreet Boys.

Chapter Seventeen
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