The clock struck twelve the moment Sheridan set foot at the party. She
had gotten bored from sitting in front of the T.V back at the hotel and finally decided to
take up Eli's earlier invitation to join them.
Scanning the room for a familiar face, she soon spotted Kevin.
"Kev" she yelled, making her way through the swarming crowd.
Hearing his name, Kevin lifted his head and watched as the beautiful
brunette hurriedly made her way towards him.
"Hey there gorgeous" he greeted, placing a kiss on her soft cheek. "What made you
change your mind?"
Sheridan laughed light heartedly "Boredom" she said bluntly.
"Well" Kevin said, taking a sip from his margarita "You've come to the right
place."
**Meanwhile**
Still infuriated, A.J violently ripped the lyric scribbled white sheet
from his note pad and crunched it up in his fist. "Goddamn it!" he cursed, hurling the
paper ball half way across the room.
'Why the fuck does she have to be so damn bullheaded?' he grumbled to himself.
'Even worse than Amanda'.
Amanda! Now there's a name that hadn't entered his mind frame for quite some
time. The woman had caused him so much grief in the last few months, it was
understandable that his conscience had tried to wipe her out entirely. His thoughts began
to slowly drift away from his argument with Alyssa, and his mind was soon filled with
memories of Amanda.
He tried his best to shake it off, but the vision of her long flowing dark mane and
penetrating caramel eyes just kept appearing before him.
Surrendering to temptation, he reached over and picked up the receiver; rapidly
punching in the digits.
After a few eternal wrings, someone finally picked up.
"Hello?" a sweet voice answered.
A.J sighed with a content grin "Hey Amanda, it's me..."
"Ha!ha! Had ya fooled, didn't I?"
A.J's brow arched as he dumbfoundedly continued to listen to the
prerecorded message.
"... So just leave a message after the tone, and we'll get back to you when we
get the chance. Or whenever we feel like it... BEEP..."
"Hey Amanda, it's me." he began hesitantly " I, umm, I was just wondering
how you were. Please call me back when you have the time, k? Take care"
As he hung up, he let out a deep breath. 'Shit' he mouthed rubbing his face
with his bonny hands. What the hell was going on?
**Back At The Party**
"Can I get you anything miss?"
"No thank you, I'm fine"
Surprised by his girlfriend's decline to cocktails, Kevin placed a worried
hand on her shoulder "Are you Ok honey? You feeling sick or something?"
Utterly disgusted by his insensitive query, Naila aggressively jerked her body
away from his touch "Excuse me?"
Before even being given the opportunity to explain himself, Naila's temper
went into over drive "So because I don't want to eat, there automatically has to be
something wrong with me, right? It's impossible for me to just not feel like eating, is that
it?"
"What are you talking about?" Kevin said, completely caught of guard by her
erratic behavior.
"You know exat-" All of a sudden, she felt faint and her eyes began to flutter
back as she slowly started to tip over.
Reaching out to catch her before she fell, Kevin held her back by the
shoulders.
Within seconds, Naila had regained her strength and went into hysterics
"No, don't touch me!" she yelled, capturing the entire rooms attention "Let go of
me!"
Not wanting to cause a commotion, Kevin immediately let go "What the
hell's gotten into you?" he demanded in a loud whispered.
Without bothering to answer, Naila quickly spun around, rapidly making her
way through the bustling crowd. When she spotted the ladies room, she ran towards it
and locked the door behind herself. Her heart was beating like a drum against her chest,
and she could hardly keep her composure as she stumbled to the mirror. She
observed herself carefully in it, but ignored it's true reflection. Instead, she saw only a
food obsessed pig, with no self discipline what-so-ever. All she ever thought about was
eating. Day and night, it consumed her entire being. She felt ashamed of being alive!
Feeling sick to her stomach, she pushed open the door to one of the stalls and crouched
down next to the bowl. Seeing as she hadn't eaten a proper meal in days, all she threw up
was water. Never the less, it was enough to make her feel better. A lot better! When she
was done, she washed her face off with cold water. As she bobbed her head back, she
caught another glimpse of her reflection, and somehow felt satisfied by it. Maybe that
was all she needed?
**~~**
Still puffing with rage, Nick stormed up to the punch table, grabbed a
plastic cup and filled it to the max. He chugged it down immediately and whipped his
mouth off with his sleeve. Boy, did he ever have a one hell of a predicament on his hands.
"Yo, a scotch!" he ordered, snapping his fingers in front of the bus boys face. There's no
place for manners in such a situation.
"Nick!" a voice exclaimed from behind "Nick, you are aware of the alcohol
content in that punch?"
"Yes" he answered coarsely "And that's why I ordered a real drink!"
"But Nick" Sheridan said, taking him by the hand "Do you really think it's a
wise decision for you to be drinking?"
Nick knew precisely what she was referring to, but was too emotional to give
a damn. "Sher, I've had drinks since." he pointed out "And right now, I need one more
than ever! So just buzz of, would ya?"
Considering he hadn't bit off her head during that last comment, Sheridan
chose not to push her luck, and decided to let it go. "Suit yourself" she shrugged "But don't come crawling back to me if
things go wrong!"
By this point, Nick had completely drifted off. He was too preoccupied with
figuring out how he was going to break the news to Eli. Feeling a soft hand place itself on
his shoulder, he turned around.
"Hey" I whispered with a smile "Ready to go?"
He just nodded and made his way past me.
On the drive back to the hotel, I kept on wanting to ask what was wrong. It
was obvious that something was bothering. If only I knew what it was.
"A drink at this time?" I questioned in disbelief as I watched him fiddle with
the key to the mini-bar.
"Damn it Eli, I've had a rough night, and I need a stiff drink!" He barked,
almost viciously.
Taken aback by his skittish reaction, I stood there in silence for a few
moments, just watching him.
Nick slammed the bar's small door shut and let out a grave sigh. Running his
hands through his thick blonde locks, he quietly apologized "Look; I'm sorry" he said as
he sat down on the tip of one of the beds.
"Baby, what's the matter?" I asked as I gently approached the bed, kneeling in
front of him so that he'd be forced to face me.
Shaking his head, he scrunched his nose and flatly answered "He knows"
"Who knows?"
"Brian"
I inhaled sharply, not wanting to find out, yet still knowing I had to "What
does Brian know, Nick?"
Abruptly standing up, he began to pace nervously around the room. If he had
been a smoker, he undoubtedly would have been puffing up a storm by now.
"What is it Nick?" I pleaded "What does Brian know?"
"About us!" He finally answered angrily.
"Oh my god" I gasped, putting my hand on the bed as to not lose my balance.
It took a few seconds of deep breathing, but I was finally able to mutter out "How?"
"Jesus, I don't know Eli" He snapped, finally daring to look her in the eye. A thousand
thoughts of worry flew across Nick's mind. What would Brian do to him? What if Eli
realized that Brian was who she was meant to be with and left him...
A surprisingly upbeat voice interrupted his thoughts "That's great!"
Nick spun around to find Eli wrapping herself in his arms "Baby, that's
good news!"
Slightly confused, Nick looked down at the beautiful girl in his arms "What's
good about it?" he asked in disbelief.
"Because" I began to explain, taking him by the hand and leading him to the
bed "This way we don't need to hide our relationship any more. It's better if he knows
now."
I spent most of the night attempting to persuade Nick that we were better off
this way. Although I maintained a confident outlook on the situation, I was rather
worried about how on earth I was going to confront Brian about all this. After all I had
done to him, it would kill me to have to break his heart again.
**The Next Day**
"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?"
All heads turned as A.J stormed out of the elevator and emerged in the lobby.
He stomped up to Alyssa like an enraged bull; steam almost visibly fuming from
his ears.
"Having a good time?!" Alyssa offered cheaply, still bitter about his refusal
to attend the party.
"More like getting a good time!" A.J snarled, wanting nothing more
than to wipe that stupid superior grin off Lyss's face, but being too much of a gentleman
to do so "That godamn son of a bitch J.C- I'm gonna have that mother fucker's ass next
time I see him!"
Alyssa rolled her eyes at her boyfriends childish behavior "Oh, could you be
more immature?" she scolded "You have nothing to be jealous about! We're just friends"
A.J's jaw dropped "Excuse me? Who said anything about being jealous?"
"Okay you two, that's enough!" Howie interfered "This isn't the time, and
certainly not the place" he pointed out, taking a glimpse at the star struck fans just across
the glass.
Being the civilized individuals that they were, Alyssa and A.J decided to
drop their argument. For the time being, at least...
**~~**
Laurel couldn't help but giggle to herself as she watched Rick
frantically squirming around his luggage's. 'He's kinda cute' she thought.
"Let the bus boy worry about that" she smiled, walking up to him with an
extended arm "Hey, I'm Laurel. It's nice to meet you"
Discreetly wiping his sweaty palms in his baggy jeans, he gave her a sturdy
hand shake "Rick. I'm gonna be touring with you guys, in case you didn't know"
Before Laurel could do so much as open her mouth, an arm was placed
around her and Rick.
"Well I see that our two youngens are getting along well" Dawn teased,
nudging Laurel playfully in the rib cage. "Which is good news considering you'll be
sharing a tour bus for the coming months!"
Laurel tried to conceal her anxiety, but she just couldn't help but gush
"Awesome!"
"Yeah" Rick smiled back. After all, it couldn't be all that shabby sharing a
constricted bus with 5 gorgeous women! 'Ya, I could get used to that' he thought as they
were wised off.
**Later**
Due to tensions between couples, Alyssa and Naila had decided they'd
rather stay on their own bus. Laurel and Kristy had no complaints about that- it had been
a while since they'd all been together. On the other hand, Eli had mysteriously manage to
vanish onto the other bus. She didn't give a reason as to why, but Alyssa had concluded
that it was because she wanted to spend some quality time with Nick. Everyone was tired
from the previous nights events, and they all took a nap. That is, everyone asides from
Laurel and Rick; who instead chose to stay up for an afternoon of movie watching and
popcorn popping.
"Aight. 'American Pie' or 'Scream 1'- you decide" Rick offered, holding up
both options in his hands.
Laurel pondered a bit. "Hmmm" she thought, rubbing her chin in deep
concentration. Horror or a horny teen boy flick? Not much a choice there. "I'm up for a
good laugh!"
" 'American Pie' it is, Rick declared, right away popping the video in the
VCR.
As they both lay on the floor, watching Jason Biggs slip on his cock-sock,
Rick's attention couldn't help but deviate towards the beautiful blonde at his side.
"So, um, how'd'you like touring?" he asked, trying to make small talk.
"It's all right I guess" Laurel shrugged, shoving a fist full of popcorn in her
mouth "Not as glamorous as it's made out to be. There's a lot of shit that goes on behind
the scenes that the public doesn't know about"
"Like that whole Angel incident?" Rick let slip.
Laurel suddenly turned to face him "What do you know about Angel?" she
asked, not realizing to what extent the media had been gossiping about the whole
ordeal.
Rick proceeded to tell her all that he knew about subject. Which was a lot,
considering how attentively he had been following the coverage on the topic. "I wouldn't
have expected that from Angel! " he chuckled "She seemed so sweet and innocent. Guess
it was only an image, eh?"
"Not at all!" Laurel protested angrily "Eli's one of the nicest people you
could ever meet!"
"I feel bad for Brian though. Having his girlfriend cheat on him with his best
friend..."
"But they didn't do anything" Laurel interrupted, wanting to burst his
rumor-bubbled before it could spread any further "It was all a mistake! The article was a
fraud. Nick and Eli never slept together. Ever!"
Rick's eyes grew large "No way!" he gasped "So why didn't they say anything
to the press?"
"Because" Laurel explained, sitting up Indian-style so that she could face him
better "They didn't find that out till recently. It's a long story"
Nodding his head in uncertain approval, Rick went silent for a few seconds.
"So, that means that Angel and Brian are still together?" he asked, still a bit
confused.
Laurel shook her head "No. They had a huge fight and things have been
rocky around here ever since." Biting her lip, she signaled him to lean over "But between
you and me-" she murmured "I'll bet they're gonna get back together! They have to"
**Meanwhile**
Summing up every ounce of courage I had in my entire being, I
nervously advanced towards the back of the bus. I was convinced that I was doing the
right thing, but still- it was going to be difficult.
As I entered the infamous bunk area, the butterflies in my stomach transformed
into bowling bawls, and I was just about to chicken out when I heard a voice call me
back.
"Wait Kev, I need to..." Brian froze in mid-sentence when he saw who was
standing at the door frame.
I took in a deep breath "Hi Brian" I smiled.
He just turned around, picking up his book from the floor "I thought you
were Kevin" he said, as he neatly stored it back in his bunk.
"Sorry to disappoint you" I joked meekly, awkwardly rubbing my clammy
hands together as I slowly approached him.
The closer I got to him, the sterner his expression would become. I was
almost afraid to open my mouth...
"Is there anything you want?" he asked coldly, almost sending shivers down
my spine.
Fighting back tears, I searched for words to make this as delicate as possible.
"Brian, I know you found out about Nick and I"
My eyes looked up to meet his. God, they were they ever blue. "I'm so sorry"
"Are you happy?"
Puzzled by his sudden query, I gave him a confused look "Excuse me?"
Sighing, Brian took his face in his hands and slid to the carpeted purple floor
"I can't lie! I'm still in love with you Eli. I'm always going to love you, no matter what. I
can't tell you how much I want to just hold you in my arms again and" shaking his head,
he looked to his side and peered into Eli's hazel eyes "But I can't" he said, chuckling
grimly. "I can't, and it kills me. It hurts, and I can't stand it any more! But there's nothing I
can do about it."
"I'm so sorry Brian" I heaved, as tears rolled down my cheeks.
"Are you in love with him?" he asked, his eyes focused on vacant space.
Nodding, I somehow manage to mutter out the words "Yes"
We both sat there in complete silence knowing that any word that would be
uttered, would just be one too many. I tried so hard not to cry as I thought of all the pain I
was causing him to go threw. I loved him so much, but I just wasn't in love with
him any more.
"All I want is for you to be happy" Brian finally said, bringing the moment to
an abrupt end.
Smiling, I turned to him and wrapped my arms around his neck "I am" I
exhaled, feeling his hands reach around me "Oh god Brian, I just want things to go back
to the way they were! I hate having to walk on egg shells around you, and I hate having to
lie to everyone. Promise me things will go back to the way they used to be. Please Brian?
Please?"
Brian's heart melted as her warm tears splattered against his shoulder. It felt
so good to hold her again. "I promise"
**Same Time**
"You wanted to see me?"
"Yes Nick. Please; take a seat"
Pulling out a chair, Nick sat down across from Dawn in the empty
kitchenette.
"What's up?" he asked, still baffled about why she'd asked for him.
Removing her glasses, Dawn carefully folded them and placed them in front
of her. "Nick, this is very serious." she warned, leaning forward with her elbows resting on
her armrest. "What I'm about to tell you is strictly confidential, and I'm going to need your
complete trust for this. Can I trust you Nickolas?"
Intrigued, Nick nodded.
"Good" she said, pleased. "We received this in the mail yesterday" she began,
taking out an envelope and sliding it to his side of the table.
Taking the letter out from the envelope, he scanned through the paper and
looked up at her, agasped "These are-"
"Custody papers-yes" she answered "Addressed to Felicity. A certain Maria J.
Walters is seeking legal guardianship of her sisters and brother."
Nick began to panic "Oh my god, this is horrible! Eli will be crushed when
she finds out"
"Miss. Walters claims that Felicity has ignored her responsibility's as the
children's custodian, and feels she should no longer have the right to be considered their
guardian."
"Eli would never let that happen" Nick protested "She loves those kids more
than anything in the world"
"I don't doubt it" Dawn said sincerely "She's a very sweet girl, and her heart
is always in the right place. But this isn't about heart any more"
Nick's brow arched. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms over his
chest "What are you getting at?" he asked, having a gut feeling that whatever it was, it
wouldn't be good.
"Nick this is very serious" Dawn repeated sternly "Eli would probably want
to bring this to court. Her reputation is fragile enough as is. Something like this could
literally kill her career before it even has the chance to take off..."
"So what is it you want me to do?" Nick inquired, more intrigued than ever.
"All that is needed is for her to sign the agreement to this paper" Dawn said,
pulling a sheet out of her folder "Custody would be handed over to Miss. Walters, and
that would be that. But we both know Eli wouldn't sign. So I've spent yesterday afternoon
and all of this morning making countless phone calls, desperately searching for a
solution..."
"And?.."
"And I've found a loop hole!" Dawn declared proudly "It was almost
impossible to find, but I've discovered it. It states that whom ever is responsible for
Felicity is authorized to sign the contract in her name. Seeing as she's currently signed
with The Backstreet Boys, that makes you her current guardian, hence giving you the
right to sign"
Nick couldn't believe what he had just heard! Infuriated, he bolted from his
chair and threw the contract back on the table "No! I won't do it! Are you out of your
fucking mind? How can you ask me to betray a person's trust like that?"
"It's in her best interest Nick! It really is! I wouldn't ask you to do this unless
there was another option. But there isn't! Either you sign this paper, or you can kiss your
Angel good-bye."
Overwhelmed by a mixture of emotions, Nick found himself faced with quite
the moral dilemma. Either he let Eli find out, and lose her forever- or sign, and never be
able to face her again.
He wasn't left with much choice-
"Dawn?!"
"Yes?"
Sighing, he reached out his arm "Hand me the paper"
The moment the black ink touched the sheet, he knew he had made the biggest
mistake of his life. But there was no going back now.
