Ok, I went off on a little tangent here. Anyway, once he got off stage, he purposely fell onto the couch and put his head back. Everyone swarmed around him. I wanted to congratulate him for an awesome show, but I didn’t want to fight my way through the crowd.
I jumped out of my reverie when I heard Kevin’s voice over the excited buzz of the crowd. “It takes a lot of energy out of you to put on a show like that. He’s tired. Give him some room to relax.”
Through the parting crowd, I watched Nick give a grateful smile to Kevin. Now that the crowd was dispersed, I made my way over to him. When I reached him, he had his head resting on the couch with his eyes closed. “Hey!”
He opened his eyes. “Hey”
“Great show.”
He smiled slightly. “Thanks.”
Shortly after the entire entourage was making their way over to the after party, while Nick, the other four remaining Backstreet Boys, Abby and I went back to the hotel.
We threw Nick a small, intimate after tour party in our suite. Howie supplied the alcohol, 2 6 packs of beer. Nobody in our little party had more than 2 beers. The guys even allowed us to drink, even though we were underage.
Nick nursed his one beer for about an hour. Then he got up, took a shower to relax. When he returned ready for bed, we knew that the little get together was over. The other 4 Backstreet Boys left but not before we found out that they would be staying with Nick and us at his house for a few days.
Abby and I went to bed knowing that the following day would be a tiring travel day.
We arrived at Nick’s house during late afternoon. Nick’s house was gorgeous and surprising. Surprising because it wasn’t this HUGE mansion that I was expecting. The house was large enough to house a family of 6 but the point is that it was only a one family house. Nick gave us a tour of his house and we spent the rest of the day lounging around. We ordered take out dinner and spent time out by the pool.
We went exploring the next morning around 11. Nick was still sleeping, but we were being quiet. We quietly entered his room. He didn’t even stir. We looked around his room. An idea struck us and we ran out of the room before bursting out laughing and waking him up. We went back to the room we were sharing and conspired about our idea.
When Nick finally woke up, we begged and pleaded with him to take us to the mall. He finally agreed and we were off. We went into target where we bought wire hangers, strong tape, a flashlight and a magnifying glass. Making up the excuse that we were short compared to Nick, we would need a stool, so we bought one of those too. Our next stop was to an art store where we bought yarn and a hot glue gun. Then we told Nick that we were done shopping, and he gave us a weird look, but shrugged it off. Then we left the mall.
We spent that night in a similar fashion that we spent the night before. I won’t admit this to anyone but I was actually enjoying my time here. And Nick, wasn’t as bad as I had thought. He was actually very sweet. Yet another thing that I refuse to admit to anyone but myself.
I know Nick was curious as to why we bought all that stuff today but he never brought it up. It was the middle of the night. Nick was dead to the world. Abby and myself got all our giggling out before entering his room. Abby held the flashlight as we snuck into Nick’s room. I had a couple deformed wire hangers, which I taped to the ceiling above Nick’s head using the strong tape. I threaded the yarn through the hangers that were hanging from the ceiling. I anchored the yarn to his carpet with the strong tape. I took the tape and made a stand for the magnifying glass. I positioned the magnifying glass so that when the morning sun hits the glass so that there will be a beam that burns the yarn.
Now for the last part. I grabbed the orange that we grabbed from the kitchen. I was about to attach it to our concoction. After thinking for a few minutes, I realized that the orange could probably give Nick a concussion. With that thought, I ran from the room, leaving a puzzled Abby behind. I dropped the orange back into the fruit bin and searched the kitchen for something that wouldn’t hurt him as much. With a stroke of evil genius, I threw open the refrigerator door and grabbed an egg. I ran back to the room to show Abby what I got. She wanted to protest but I knew she wouldn’t because that would wake Nick, and this little prank of ours would have been shot to hell. I put hot glue around the egg then placed the yarn over the glue. I held the yarn in place until the glue took hold.
To test part of my concoction, I gently pulled the yarn back so that the egg was directly over Nick’s head. I taped the access yarn down. As silently as we came, we left the room.
The sun rose and shined into Nick’s room. As usual Nick didn’t stir. As the sun beamed light into the room the magnifying glass beamed light onto the yarn. Soon the yarn was starting to break, strand by strand.
We were sitting in our room talking. We just woke up, and had yet to remember that our prank was occurring as we sat there. Well we forgot about the prank until we heard Nick scream.
The yarn finally broke, dropping the egg onto Nick’s forehead. “WHAT THE FUCK?” He sat up and felt the gooey egg drip down his head, however, he couldn’t figure out what was dripping on his head. He reached up and attempted to run his hand through his hair. The egg made that habit a bit difficult. He pulled his hand away and looked at his hand. “Holy shit. That’s fucking gross.” For the first time since he woke up, he looked around the room. He spotted the shell of the prank. “Welcome to Bedrock.” (AN: In the Flintstone Movie starring John Goodman, Fred Flinstone’s alarm clock, is a rock on a string. The string breaks dropping the rock onto his head. That’s where the set up for this prank came from.)
He noticed the similarity the prank had to the Flinstone’s movie and figured out who was behind this prank. He was about to go after the master minds behind this prank when he realized that he was covered in egg. He would not give the satisfaction of getting seen like this, so he jumped into the shower. 20 minutes later, he emerged from his room, dressed and egg free. He walked up to a door and threw the door open and quickly threw his arms behind his back.
We jumped when the door flung open. We were about to laugh when we realized that he wasn’t covered in egg. “You’re supposed to be covered in egg.”
“I’m aware of that. But I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction.” He threw a water balloon at each of us that exploded when hitting us, soaking us and the bed. “It’s not great payback, but it’s the only thing I could come up with on short notice. You better watch your back.” Soaking wet, we watched him start to leave. We were sort of shocked when he turned around. “Oh, one more thing. The sheets on my bed are now covered in a messy, gooey egg. I hope you have fun washing the sheets. Ciao!” With that he closed the door and we sat there in shock.
I was still starring at the door in shock. “He was supposed to react. You know. Be partially angry, chase us around the house.”
“I know. What’s the point of pranking him if he’s not going to react properly? He can be so frustrating.”
Third Person
Abby and Casey were outside bathing in the sun. Nick was sitting in his office and looking out the window. His gaze was fixed on Casey in her suit. He didn’t hear Brian open the door.
Brian entered the room and left the room slightly open. “Hey.”
Nick turned his attention to Brian. “Hey.” Nick turned his gaze back to Casey but didn’t allow it to remain there. Brian followed Nick’s gaze but couldn’t figure out what he was looking at. “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.”
“Nick.”
“What?”
“I know you and I know when you are lying.”
Nick sighed. “Fine. I was looking at Casey.”
Unbeknownst to the boys, Abby was walking past the room and stopped when she heard Casey’s name. She stayed by the door listening to their conversation.
Brian gasped. “What?”
“What do you mean Bri?”
“Do you like her?”
“She’s a very nice girl.”
“No. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant do you like her?”
“Yeah. But I don’t know what to do.”
“You forget any feelings that you have for her.”
“What?”
“It’ll never work between you and her.”
“Why?”
“Nick. Just trust me. If you get together with her, you’ll ruin a friendship. You two are better as friends.”
“How do you know?”
“Nick, she won’t be able to return the sentiment. People like that can’t.”
“I don’t understand.”
“She obviously has baggage.”
“So? You’re saying that just because she has baggage that she doesn’t deserve to be in a relationship. According to your opinion, then I don’t deserve to be in a relationship either. I have baggage too.”
“She’s not good for you Nick.”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
“Nick. Don’t do it.” Brian left the room. Nick went to go back to gazing at Casey but stopped himself. Brian knew of his crush so now it was only a matter of time before the other guys would be lecturing him. He had to be careful now.
Abby had walked away from the door when she saw Brian getting ready to leave. She didn’t want to get caught. She hurried to her room where she contemplated what to do.
An hour later, she came to a decision. She exited her room and bumped into Brian. “Hey Brian.”
“Hey Abby.”
“Um, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure.”
She lets Brian into her room. “I know I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but I heard my best friend’s name, and I had to know what was being said. Why are you so against Nick and Casey being together?”
“Because I’ve seen Nick get hurt too many times, and I don’t think she’s capable of giving him what he needs.”
“And what does he need?”
“Um…”
“See, you can’t answer. Brian, it isn’t your decision who Nick dates. If Nick likes Casey, then Nick should be able to pursue Casey. I personally think that Nick and Casey would be good together. You can’t tell Nick who he can and cannot date.”
“I just don’t want him to get hurt again.
“You can’t stop him from getting hurt. If he gets hurt, the only thing you can do is be his best friend and help him pick up the pieces. And besides, Casey might not return his feelings. But, if she likes him, then let them pursue a relationship.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“It isn’t a matter of guessing. I am right. Let this take its own course.”
Casey’s Point of View
That night there was a storm. A very unexpected storm and a very bad storm. It knocked out the power for while. The wind was lashing, windows were rattling. Thunder was directly over head. You could see the bolts of lightning touch the ground outside. It was bad.
The next morning, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping. Not only was the sun shining, but the sky was blue and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. There was no sign of the storm, except for the massive amount of damage it caused to Nick’s yard.
The Day was absolutely gorgeous. So Abby and myself went outside to bake in the sun.
“I overheard something interesting yesterday.”
“Really? What was that?”
“Nick likes you.”
“He’s been nothing but nice. I never thought he didn’t like me.”
“No. He LIKES you.”
“Do you mean he likes me as in he’s interested in me? Like in a dating sense?”
“Yes. How do you feel about that?”
“How do I feel about him liking me or how do I feel about him?”
“Both.”
“Well, I’m flattered that he likes me But I don’t feel that way about him. I like him as a friend. But I could never like him as more than a friend.”
“Why not?”
“He’s a great guy.” Did I just say that out loud? I did, didn’t I? “But, we have
completely different lives and besides, he’s out of my league.”
“How is he out of your league?”
“Oh come on Abby. How ISN’T he out of my league.” I cringed slightly when Abby gave me the look. The best friend look that says, yeah right, now I want the truth. I knew she was going to see right through me.
“Casey, I’m your best friend. You don’t have to lie to me.”
“I’m not…” there’s that look again.
“Do you really not like him or are you just afraid to admit it?”
“Why admit something that isn’t true.”
“You can be so frustrating sometimes.”
“Why?”
“Because I can tell that you’re lying.”
“I’m not lying. I’ll admit that he’s a good guy and that I’d like to stay friends with him, but there’s nothing else.”
“Casey, have you ever heard of the word DENIAL.”
“Yeah, I heard of it, but I’m not in denial.”
“Yes you are. I’ve seen you looking at him when you think no one’s looking. Why won’t you admit that you like him?”
“Because I don’t.”
“Ok Casey. If he was some kid in our school, would you like him.”
“Um, probably.”
“Then why is our real situation differently?”
“Because in our real situation, he’s a superstar who could have ANY girl that he wants. Why would he want me?”
“I don’t know but he does.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t Abby.”
“I heard him say it. He likes you. And I think he wants to pursue something with you.”
“This is ridiculous Abby?”
“Why? You’re young, beautiful. You deserve him liking you just as much as any of his other girls. Look, just talk to him. See what he says.”
“Fine, I’ll talk to him.”
“I just have one more question, then I’ll leave you alone.”
“What?”
“Do you like him?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
Earlier that Morning
Third Person POV
Nick woke up and looked out his window. He sighed deeply when he saw the damage the storm caused. He didn’t see the point in showering since he wanted to go outside and clean up his yard. He’d shower after his yard was clean. He got dressed and walked out to his yard. He was out there for 3 hours before he noticed any movement in the house.
He jumped slightly when he heard his backdoor open. He relaxed when he realized that it was Abby and Casey coming outside. He went back to work.
He heard them talking but he didn’t want to eavesdrop. They didn’t even know he was there.
“I overheard something interesting yesterday.”
“Really? What was that?”
“Nick likes you.” He heard his name. Now he needed to know what was said. He stopped working so that he wouldn’t make any noise and disturb their conversation.
“He’s been nothing but nice. I never thought he didn’t like me.”
“No. He LIKES you.”
“Do you mean he likes me as in he’s interested in me? Like in a dating sense?”
“Yes. How do you feel about that?”
“How do I feel about him liking me or how do I feel about him?”
“Both.”
“Well, I’m flattered that he likes me but I don’t feel that way about him. I like him as a friend. But I could never like him as more than a friend.”
Nick felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach. Not wanting to hear anymore, he silently went around the house and entered the house through the front door.
He went up to his room to be alone. That shower sounded like such a good idea right now.
Casey’s POV
It was a couple hours later. I was feeling really warm from sitting out in the sun for long. I decided to take a shower. I went to the guest room and got some clean clothes and headed for the bathroom.
After my shower, I got dressed in the bathroom. I placed my dirty clothes in the guest room, and then I was going to go search for some form of life in this house. I didn’t have to look far, because at that very moment, I started to hear someone playing the guitar. I followed the music and it led me right in front of Nick’s room.
I walked up to his door ready to knock. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that his door was opened. He was sitting Indian-style on his bed, holding his guitar over his lap. He had his eyes closed as his fingers strummed his guitar. He did look beautiful like that. And so serene. I almost didn’t want to disturb him, but I also needed to have that conversation with him.
I knocked on his open door. He opened his eyes, and smiled tentatively at me. “Hey Nick. Can I come in?” Nick nodded as he removed his guitar from his lap and placed it on his bed. I entered the room. I sat at his desk facing him on the bed.
“You can come closer you know. You don’t need to stay on the complete opposite side of my room.”
I smiled and walked over to his bed and sat beside him. My gaze shifted to his hands. They were trembling. “Are you ok Nick?”
“I’m fine.”
There was an awkward silence. I looked a round his room for some topic that I could talk to him about. I noticed his guitar. “You’re really good.”
He shrugged. “Thanks.” He smiled, but I could sense that it was a forced smile.
“Are you sure you’re ok?”
He sighed. “I’m fine.”
I kept trying to have a friendly conversation with him. I was trying to see if he would tell me of his feelings. I’m not sure why I wanted him to say it, but I did. However, throughout the attempted conversation, he seemed to be getting tenser and I could barely get more than one syllable words from him. I figured he wasn’t in a good mood and that I wouldn’t get the confession that I wanted, so I left him alone.
Much later that night, I was trying to fall asleep but for some reason, I couldn’t sleep. I’m not sure why, but the fact that I hadn’t seen Nick since our tense conversation earlier that day was worrying me. I didn’t see him after our conversation before dinner, at dinner, or after dinner.
Not wanting to wake Abby with my tossing and turning, I went downstairs to the living room to watch TV. I looked at the clock. It was 4:30 in the morning. I snuck back upstairs. The fact that I hadn’t seen Nick was really bothering me. I had to convince myself that he was sleeping. I quietly opened his bedroom door.
I looked into his room, and gasped. He wasn’t there. Not only that, he’s bed looked picture perfect. He hadn’t even slept in it yet.
Now, I was really worried. I went downstairs and sat on the couch. I put the TV on low so I didn’t wake anyone else in the house.
It was a half hour later when I heard something outside. I looked around the living room, but I didn’t see anything I could defend myself with. I jumped and turned toward the door, without finding a defense weapon, when I heard it open. I could feel my scream getting ready to wake up the whole house.
I was about to scream when I realized that it was Nick walking into the house. “Hi Cashey, yous up earwy.” Oh my god, he’s drunk.
I’ve been around drunk men before. Hell, one of them killed my sister. Since I don’t know this one that well, I was afraid of what he would do. I tentatively approached him. “Come on Nick, you need to get to bed.”
“I no need bed.”
“Yes Nick. You aren’t making sense.”
“I fwine cutsie.”
“Nick please.”
“Yousth begging me.”
“Nick, it’s for your own good.”
“Eberyone twinks theys knows whatsh goosh for me.”
“That’s because right now you don’t know what’s good for you.” I grabbed his arm as he staggered.
“I knows whatsh I need. And itsh not bed.”
“Nick, don’t make me get Kevin.”
“Kewin not shcare me. I shtand up to him.”
“Brian.”
“Bwi Bwi ishn’t shcawy.”
“Nick. Come on. It’s bedtime.” I grabbed his arm and dragged him up the stairs. It wasn’t hard because he was too drunk to even consider walking straight. I want to know why he went out to get so drunk, especially alone.
I dragged him to his room and pulled his bed down. As I was about to push him into bed, he quickly staggered into the bathroom. I gagged as I heard him throw up. When I didn’t hear him heaving anymore, I entered the bathroom. I found him resting his head on the tub. I used all of my strength to get him off the floor and to his bed. Once he was in bed, I pulled his covers over him. He passed out. I left his room, and returned to my room. I finally fell asleep.
Third Person POV
The next morning, everyone except for Nick was sitting at the breakfast table. They were discussing their plans for the day. They finally decided on what they wanted to do and they started to disperse to get ready.
“Hey, what about Nick.” Brian asked.
Casey looked up. “Nick’s not going to feel up to coming. He came home drunk at like 5 this morning.”
Brian looked at Casey, not sure if he should believe her. He went upstairs and into Nick’s room. “Nick wake up.” Brian said softly.
“Don’t talk so loud.” Nick mumbled.
“Are you ok buddy?”
“I just want to sleep. Leave me alone.”
Brian nodded. “Ok.” He left the room to join the others. Then they left for the day.
Several hours later, Nick finally rolled out of bed. He was disgusted with himself for falling asleep in his outfit. He was even more disgusted by the strong stench of alcohol that surrounded him. He stumbled into the bathroom to take a shower.
Once he was dressed, and feeling a bit better, he grabbed his clothes and his sheets and took them to the laundry room to wash.
After the laundry was done, he made his bed and went downstairs. He pulled out his 1 cup coffee maker and made himself some coffee. He took his coffee into the living room where he drank it in front of the TV.
The doorbell rang as he finished his coffee. He went to the door to answer it. The delivery man handed him a decent sized box in which he carried into the kitchen. He looked at the return address. He recognized the address, but he couldn’t remember from where. He opened the box and gasped as he saw the contents.
He took one out and looked at it closer.
And
Kathryn Lynn Kielson
Wish your presence
On the Date of
Wednesday June 22
In the year
Two thousand five
As their love
Joins them together for
Eternity
The design on the card was smeared by his tears. He flung the invitation across the room, not paying attention to where it landed. “KATIE.” He screamed. He forcefully grabbed the box that held the rest of the invitations and roughly took them to his office where he shredded all of the invitations in the box. He returned to the kitchen. Tears were now flowing freely down his cheeks. “Katie. Why you?” He placed his head in his arms on the table, and started sobbing.
And that’s where Casey and Abby found him.
