Chapter 4
Time had passed, and the guys were spending more and more time in rehearsals. They had a huge performance ahead of them, one that would give them some much needed exposure. It was amazing how excited the boys were about their singing. Nick and Brian could be heard everywhere they went, singing at the top of their lungs. Most of the time, it was more embarrassing for them than not, but, it was what made them happy.
I would go with them when I wasn’t in school. On the weekends, I could usually be found tagging along behind Nick to all his practices. The guys always had a good time poking fun at me, but I took it. I was probably more vicious about picking back. Hey, like I always said, if ya can’t take it, don’t dish it out. It always sounded like a good rule of thumb. I really do think that the most fun I had was when Nick would pull his practical jokes on the guys.
“Damn Nick! Would you quit with the sunshine jars?!! They suck dude!!” Howie would say every time he opened one.
“Look, you think that you would have learned the FIRST time I gave you one Howie. And everyone said I was the blonde!” Nick would laugh and run away as fast as he could.
For those who didn’t know what a sunshine jar was, Brian was always quick to explain. “No, no…don’t open it! Nick collected his farts in a jar and if you open it…it will be the nastiest thing you will have ever done!”
“I am SO gonna kick your ass Carter!” Howie would yell as the two of them tore down the hallway. “Once I get my hands on your scrawny ass, you will wish you were dead!”
“Eww! You better not touch my ass, scrawny or not, you perv!!” Nick squealed as he tried to make a run for it.
On most occasions I sat there watching them, in near hysterics. I couldn’t decide what was funnier, to watch Howie chase Nick, or to watch Brian and Nick play the practical jokes. Life was fun for them, and I was always there to see it happen. They never took their lives for granted though, and realized that their dreams would only come true with hard work. And that they did.
***
“Hey Sunshine! Can you toss me a towel from the linen closet?” Nick hollered one day as I sat in the hallway outside the bathroom waiting for him.
“NO way Nick, you are naked in there…I don’t want to see your bare butt!” I laughed as he stood there waiting impatiently.
“Look, if you don’t get me a towel, I will just have to walk out there and get it myself. And trust me, I will make sure it is FAR more embarrassing for you!” he threatened.
“Fine, fine, just keep that bare white butt of yours in there. I don’t want to be scarred for life!” I said as I wandered to the linen closet.
It was funny, because we were so comfortable around each other. It was like we were brother and sister, and nothing ever fazed us. On many occasions, he would be playing video games while I sat their jabbering away at him. Everyone always said we were glued at the hip, and were surprised when one of us wasn’t around.
“Sunny, umm, did I tell you that we will be playing a few junior high schools in the area?” he said as he finished getting dressed after his shower.
“Oh really? Which ones?” I asked, curious with his career.
“Some of them are in Orlando, and then we have a few in Tampa. So, maybe you can tag along if you get out of school on time.” He said, his eyes twinkling.
“I will do my best dude. I would love to be there.” I said with a smile.
“Oh, and Sunny, Mr. Pearlman said that if all this worked out, we would probably be touring in Europe in the summer.” He said nervously.
“Europe?? As in across the Atlantic Ocean?” I said, surprised.
“Umm, yeah.” He said, looking away. He was always afraid of the day that this would come. It made him feel so bad. We were very best friends, and we never thought about the day that he would have to go away for his singing.
“That is so cool Nick! You will do just fine! I am so jealous! Look, you just have to promise me one thing…” I said, trying to hide my hurt.
“Yeah..”
“You have to write to me all the time, and send me pictures of everything you do.” I said smiling. “And, oh yeah, you also need to bring me a souvenir from every hotel you go to. You know, the fly swatter, the stationary, the towels…” I said, rambling.
“Consider it done chica!” he said confidently.
“Well, do you want to hear me sing a few of the songs we have been working on? They are really great!” he cheered.
“Sure, but I wanna see that Carter charm you have been bragging about. Let’s hear ya big shot!” I said as I watched him brush his hair.
He looked at me for a minute, gave me one of those sultry Carter looks, well, that’s my name for it, you know, one of those sexy yet goofy looks, and then blew me a kiss. I started laughing in hysterics.
“I KNOW that will make the girls scream your name Carter! Now, the next time you blow me a kiss, I just might have to hit you!” I said. The whole time though, I was sitting there with my heart fluttering a thousand miles an hour. Ah yes, the Carter charm was definitely there, but I couldn’t let it show it was working on me. After all, we are best friends, right? Yeah, that’s it…best friends.
Nick sang his parts to several of the songs and his voice just totally amazed me. I wish I could sing like that, you know, with the voice of an angel. Nick was born with a gift, and trust me, it was about time he was able to use it.
“Dang, Nick. That was great! You know, if you keep it up, they may never let you come back from Europe. You know what they say about Paris, it’s the city of love, and trust me…those girls are gonna love you.” I said with a soft smile.
Nick looked at me, nervous about what I said. “Do you really think they are gonna like us?”
“Yeah, they will.” I replied as he turned to grab his backpack. The whole time, all I could think about was, ‘I am just afraid they are gonna like you too much.’
“Come on you two! Rehearsals are in one hour! We gotta get going!” Jane yelled upstairs to us.
Nick and I grabbed our bags and ran down the stairs. The whole
way to rehearsals, all I could think about was Nick. I was afraid
that once they went on tour, I would never hear from him or see him again.
The thought that my best friend was leaving soon made me sad. But,
I wasn’t about to let Nick know how much it hurt for him to go away.
I knew that if he realized how I felt, he would never go, and then he would
never become the great singer that he was destined to be.