* Chapter 27 *

"You are so beautiful...to me...can’t you see-ee-ee-ee?" Meg sang playfully into the mic at our sound check the next day.

"You’re everything I hoped for...everything I need..." I continued in my mic while sitting down on the edge of the stage, facing the huge empty arena.

"You are sooooo beautiful to meeeeee!" Meg sang the ending dramatically to get the whole effect.

Cynth and Mel giggled in their seats in the audience.

"See girls! She’s just as crazy as you are!" I teased.

"Am not!" Meg insisted sarcastically.

"Are too!" Mel and Cynth yelled out.

"Ssshhh...don’t tell anyone," Meg whispered into the mic.

"Whatever!" I replied. "Let’s take it from the top already!" I said impatiently.

"Are you guys ready?" I heard Meg ask the band. "Ok then...here goes," she said as the music started playing.

Meg only sang half her verse before someone came in and told us that our sound check time was up.

"I didn’t even get to sing my part. That was quick," I said as we gathered our stuff and headed to where Mel and Cynth were sitting in the audience.

"Yep," Meg said as we approached them.

"Meg, these are my friends Melanie and Cynthia. Cynth...Mel, this is Meg...AKA Meggie D," I introduced everyone.

"Hi," Meg said warmly with a smile.

"Hi," Mel and Cynth said in return with huge grins.

"Ok then...let’s go get some grub! I’m starving since we didn’t have lunch," I said happily as we headed out of the auditorium.

"By the way, what hotel are you girlies staying in?" Meg asked as we walked out of the big building.

"Um...I can’t remember the name...it’s the humongous white one that looks like a mixture between a 500 million dollar mansion and a castle from Europe," I replied with a shrug while we waited at the curb for a cab. "Why?"

"Nu uh...We’re staying at the same hotel! What floor are you on?" Meg asked.

"We’re on the ninth floor," I answered. "Which one are you on?"

"I’m...I’m on...the private floor," she said sheepishly.

"What private floor? I didn’t know they had a private floor."

"Yeah, they do when the Backstreet Boys are staying there," she said in a very hushed voice so that I could barely hear what she said.

I must have looked really mad because she walked to the edge of the curb and hailed a cab so she could get out of any questions that I wanted to ask.

"How in the whole wide freaking heck did we end up staying at the same dang freakin’ hotel that they are?!?" I asked when we were squished in the back seat of the cab.

I was up against the window on the passenger side while Meg was against the other window with Cynth and Mel in-between us.

"We’ll eat at the hotel...call up room service or something," Meg told us after she told the cab where to go.

"We can’t go to the hotel if THEY are there," I whined as Mel and Cynth gave me confused looks.

"No one is supposed to know that she’s here to sing with me," Meg explained to them. "A surprise sort of thing."

"Yeah well that was a nice idea while it lasted," I retorted angrily.

Meg stuck her tongue out at me while I looked out the window at the people walking along the sidewalk.

"I saw that."

"Saw what?" she joked.

This time I turned to look at her and stuck out my tongue.

"Mmm to you too!" I joked back.

"So when we get to the hotel, I’ll call up to Howie’s room and see if they are there so we won’t bump into them on the way up," Meg said. "Your room or mine?"

"Duh! Ours," I replied. "I’m not even stepping foot on your floor until they have left," I said before turning back to look out the window.

"Are you like mad at them...the Backstreet Boys?" Mel asked as we pulled up to the hotel.

"I’m not mad, just extremely disappointed," I replied as we waited on the sidewalk while Meg paid the cabbie.

"Do we dare ask why?" Cynth wanted to know.

"Before I left Orlando they said that they would keep in touch. I tried calling them a few times...a lot of times actually, leaving messages time and time again and they never even attempted to call me back. They were the ones that told ME to call THEM and they didn’t even bother to lift one single finger once...not ONCE," I said with tears welling up in my eyes. "That’s why."

"I’m soo sorry," Mel and Cynth said as they put their arms around me in a ‘group’ hug.

"I’m going to go call his room," Meg said before we walked in the door that the gray-haired doorman held open for us.

"So how does Meg know them?" Cynth asked after Meg was out of earshot.

"She’s dating...Howie," I said slowly as I scanned the lobby, making sure that none of the guys were there.

"Wow...Meg and Howie...I never would’ve thought...," Mel trailed off when she saw Meg walking back from the front desk.

"No one answered so I assume they are out doing something," she told us while we waited for the elevator to reach the lobby level.

I turned around so that my back was facing the elevator doors when I heard the ding. I waited for the others to get in before I followed, assuming that the coast was clear. When we got to our two adjoining rooms, we got comfortable on the beds and Meg called room service.

"I’m so glad you two are here with me!" I said to Mel and Cynth while Meg was on the phone.

"So are we!" Mel answered back with a huge smile.

"They’ll be up with food in five minutes," Meg said as she took a seat on the bed next to me and turned the TV on with the remote that she picked up off of the bedside table.

"No Jerry Springer," I said before getting up and taking my shoes off by the closet. "No questions asked."

I certainly didn’t want to be reminded of the last time that I had watched Jerry Springer in a hotel room. That night was not exactly one that I cared to remember. The thought of Nick showing up at my hotel room...this hotel room...scared the crap out of me. I walked over and put the chain in the door just to be safe. Even though he probably had no recollection of who I was, I still wasn’t taking any chances. I only walked a few feet when I heard a knock on the door, causing me to jump in surprise. I froze in my tracks and stared at the girls sitting on the beds.

"I’ll get it," Meg said when she saw my pale face. "You go sit down on the bed and relax," she whispered to me as she walked past and undid the lock on the door.

I did as she said and watched two workers wheel in a cart that had platters and plates on it.

"This is delicious," Mel said as we munched on the late dinner that Meg ordered for us and watched an old ‘ER’ rerun.

"No George! You can’t leave!" I pleaded melodramatically with the TV.

I was too late. It was the episode where ‘Doug’ leaves ‘Nurse-Hathaway-who-is-pregnant’ and moves away.

"You watch too much TV!" Cynth said sarcastically.

"Do not!"

"Do too!" Meg joined in.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do too!" I said.

"Do not!" Meg replied.

"I know...I told you I don’t," I said happily as Meg realized what she said.

"Hey!"

I stuck my tongue out at her and bolted for the bathroom.

"Na na na na na na!" I teased from inside the locked bathroom door.

"At least I’m not in the bathroom hiding," she joked back.

I opened the door that she was leaning on and laughed as she tumbled to the ground.

"You should’ve just told me you need to use it," I said sarcastically as I stepped over her and jumped onto the unoccupied bed.

Mel and Cynth almost died laughing when they saw what I was doing.

"It’s fun. You should join me," I said as I jumped up and down on the huge comfy mattress.

Every couple of jumps my head would get a little too close so I put my hand up and lightly smacked the ceiling.

"Liz! I wouldn’t be hitting the ceiling if I were you!" Meg warned.

She was too late. There was a loud and persistent knock on the door.

"Oops!" I said as I hopped off the bed and sat down on a chair in one of the dark corners.

Mel got up and answered the door.

"Can I help you...you...Kevvvviiiinnn...?" she asked slowly to make sure I could hear their conversation.

"Yes, I’m Kevin...and I’d appreciate it if you’d stop pounding on the ceiling," he said angrily.

"I’m sorry about that. It WON’T happen again," Mel said apologetically before shutting the door.

"Holy geez monkey! Crap!" I said loudly as I shook my head violently with my eyes shut.

"Relax Ellz. He didn’t see me and I know he didn’t see you," Meg said before hopping onto the bed.

"Let’s watch a movie," Cynth suggested when we were all sitting on the beds again.

"You guys can watch a movie. I’m really tired so I think I’m going to head to bed," I said while making my way to the open door that went to the adjoining hotel room that was mine. "By the way, I have some things to do tomorrow morning so I won’t be able to go to the arena with you. Meg will take you two and show you where to sit. I’ll meet you there."

"Ok," Cynth replied.

"G’night." I said as I walked through the door.

"Goodnight," the three of them called out before I shut the door and headed to change.

I changed and then hopped into bed, hoping that a good night’s sleep would help calm some of my nerves.