First of all, from the moment that all the fuss and worry had died down, the sinking feeling of waiting for Dimitri Pyre to show up began flooding me. I jumped at small noises - and when the only thing shielding you from a football field of noisy people, many of whom were yelling your name and screeching at random because they realized I was so close, there's only just so long you can go before you hear a noise.
Second, the ache that had started numbly at the base of the drop had only increased over the next few hours, to a point that even breathing had begun to hurt my back as the muscles tensed up from the shock of the impact. Baylee was fine - once his shock had worn off he'd been up and playing with Mason, no where near the bleachers. I felt like I'd been hit by a Mack truck.
"Are you sure you're okay to do this?" Brian asked, for about the 908th time just before we took the stage. "I'm sure Principal Hasselhaffer will understand if we have to back out."
"I'm okay," I insisted, shaking my head, "Really. I'll be fine." I winced as I took a step toward the stage, but didn't let Brian see. Howie had done a no-no and given me a couple prescription strength IB Profins he had in his backpack, left over from a tooth ache he'd gotten on the last tour.
Kevin was standing just off the stage, with some of our crew and body guards. He smiled at me, "You okay, really?" he asked once Brian had accepted the answer and turned away. Kevin knew I'd never tell Brian the truth about it even if I wasn't.
What he didn't know was that I also wouldn't tell him the truth either.
"Yes," I said, forcing a smile, "A little stiff, but I'll make it."
The fact of the matter was I knew that no matter how shitty of a condition I was in, I would never stand up the fans unless I was on the verge of death, which, consequently, would never happen since I was invincible. I'd felt a lot better since Amie had discovered that the numbers were the Loop and not my possible death, and gone back to believing myself unkillable, although I didn't know for certain, but Amie had said that there was only one thing to kill a Time Watcher. And who the hell knew what that was?
I stepped onto the stage, following my brothers, and the bleacher-and-field full of people started screaming as Principal Hasselhaffer introduced us. "It is a special treat, Tates Creek High, for me to welcome here, on our own Commodore's field, an alma mata of the school returned for a good deed... Brian Littrell, and the Backstreet Boys!"
The high school band played and we walked out onto the stage, Brian flushed bright red for having been singled out as though we were "Sting and the Police" or something like that. The people cheered, and AJ was clearly thinking something evil in his head because of the way his mouth was curled. Howie was grinning.
Principal Hasselhaffer waved his hands, "Now before the Boys start performing for you, I had a very important announcement to make." A hush settled over the crowd, and I had an idea what was coming. Like I need more attention drawn to it, I thought.
AJ nudged me, "Here come your coins man!"
"Today, a tragedy almost took place as Brian's son, Baylee Littrell, took a tumble from the top row bleacher. But one of Brian's own friends risked his own health and well being to dive after him to save his life..." Hasselhaffer waved his hand to me, "Nick Carter."
Again, the band revved up and the people cheered. I stayed put in line, hoping maybe they'd think he was pointing at AJ. But Hasselhaffer reached back and pulled me forward, a big dopey grin on his face, and he tapped his hand on my chest as a guy with a big ass camera took a picture. I groaned. Great, I'm gonna be on hickville USA's front page, my life is great.
"And now," Hasselhaffer said, once the photo op had been taken, "The show!" He pushed me back into the line up and rushed to climb down the little metal steps that carried him off the intensely small stage.
"This is gonna be a weirdass show," AJ muttered, shuffling his feet to indicate out lack of dance space.
To make it even odder, the high school band started playing the opening stanza for I Want it That Way and Brian's face, which registered surprise, was almost too busy trying not to laugh to start singing where he was supposed to.
Be-lieve when I s-ay, that I wa-nt it tha-at way..."
I guess they didn't get the memo that we'd supply our own music...
"Dude that was the fucked-upest concert we've ever done," AJ was laughing a few hours later, when we were sitting in the airplane, waiting for it to take off back to Los Angeles.
"I just can't believe they literally had the band learn like fifteen of our songs," Howie agreed. "And how weird was that with the xylaphone during Straight Through My Heart?"
"I vote we never, ever, play a concert using a high school band again," AJ suggested.
I laughed, "I doubt it'll ever be a problem again."
"You never know," AJ argued, "Someday we might go visit Howie's alma mata and they might make us play in the band."
"It was nice seeing Kevin, though," Brian said, piping up only after he'd gotten Baylee settled into the seat. He was stroking Baylee's curls behind the headset, which Baylee was listening to cartoons under again.
"Yeah it was cool seein' Kev," agreed AJ, "He hasn't changed a bit, though, Christ did you see him trying to take over for the music director of the band during Incomplete? 'No no that's the wrong key'." AJ did a deadpan imitation of Kevin's voice.
Howie's eyes glittered as he perked up, "That was what he was doing? Holy crap I thought I was just joking when I thought that."
"He was ready to beat that one guy over the head with that baton thingy," AJ said, nodding, "He was ripped. I miss Kev, but I don't miss psycho-anal Kev."
Brian laughed, "Is there a not psycho-anal Kevin?" he asked. He jumped and reached for his pocket for his cell phone just as the attendants started walking down the aisles to shut everything off.
"He's got a point," AJ said, pointing at Brian with a laugh.
"Mr. Hasselhaffer?" Brian was covering one ear and pressing the cell phone to his ear tightly, "I'm sorry, we're on a plane, you're breaking up. Say that again?"
A stewardess motioned for AJ and Howie to sit forward and then leaned across and gently tapped Baylee. "I'm sorry sweetie, we have to turn the TVs off until we're in the air." She looked at Brian, "And the cell phone, sir?"
Brian nodded and waved her off. She looked affronted, but turned and started down the aisle. I could tell she'd be back to check in on us and make sure everything was off. I busied myself helping Baylee turn off the TV screen and roll up the headset.
"A woman? What? Oh, what? What?.. WHAT?" Brian looked at me, eyes wide, "Did you get her number?! WHAT? Why!?"
I looked at him, my heart slamming.
"Sir, the phone?" the stewardess was back.
"I gotta go but if she comes back or calls you, please give her my phone number," Brian said, "Thank you for calling us, sir. Thank you." He hung up the phone and looked at me, eyes blazing.
"Thank you sir, attach your seatbelt," the stewardess said, turning away.
Brian yanked on his seatbelt. "Claire was there," he said, his voice rushed, low and ecstatic.
"WHAT?" I shouted. The plane filled with the sound of the engines whirring - the sound that meant there was no way in hell I was getting off the plane now. "She was - there? THERE? At the thing? Today? What? What? How? HOW?"
"She found Hasselhaffer after we took off - I mean we left quick, you didn't wanna stay, you weren't feeling good, and worried about the ministry and stuff, but then she went to Hasselhaffer while they were cleaning up and said she was your girlfriend, she needed to find you." His voice was tumbling over itself, like he couldn't get the words out fast enough.
"Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit," I muttered over and over, as the plane started to back up. "How do you know it was Claire?"
"Hasselhaffer said it was a red haired woman, and he couldn't remember the name exactly but he said 'Carla, Cara, Clara' trying to jog it," Brian replied. "Nick, she is looking for you, too."
My heart was pounding so hard I felt like it was gonna come out my neck any second. "Crap. Holy crap." My fingers ground into the arm rests of the plane as it started to take off down the runway. I couldn't tell anymore if the motion making my stomach roll was from my nerves of excitement or from the plane lifting off the ground.
