"Shit I hate this!" Kevin muttered, tossing his cell phone on to the bedside table. He began to pace in front of Victoria, finally stopping to gaze out the window at the street below. "Why don't they ever listen to me?" He asked softly.
Victoria walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waste. "I wish I could say I know how you feel . . ."
Kevin shook his head. "No, you don't - Why would you ever want to feel sold out?"
Victoria looked up at him. "Is that how you feel?"
Kevin sighed. "I know I would never have much respect for a group that had as much merchandising as we do. I mean look at the Spice Girls!" He paused. "How will we ever be taken seriously when you can buy Backstreet bed sheets?"
Victoria smiled slightly. "I wouldn't mind having you on my bed . . ."
Kevin returned her smile, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. "I hate feeling so acutely aware . . . that it could all end tomorrow . . . and probably will."
"Oh Kevin," Victoria sighed giving him a squeeze. "You can't think like that . . . preforming . . . It's - it's not who you are, it's just something you do. Money shouldn't be an issue for you anymore. If it did all end tomorrow, don't tell me you couldn't be happy without being famous?"
"I don't know if I could be happy without making music . . ." Kevin replied.
"Well," Victoria smiled. "They will never be able to stop you from doing that - famous or not, you'll always have a musician's soul." She ran her fingers playfully across his chest. Kevin gently took her hand and kissed it.
"Thank you," He told her. "I know you're right." He hugged her tightly. Victoria turned her head and rested it against his chest, staring out the window.
"Oh my God!" She cried suddenly, pulling away. "Cora!"
"What?" Kevin asked, looking out the window. He could see Cora lying on the sidewalk just in front of the hotel. "Oh my God . . ."
"C'mon!" Victoria called to him. She already had her shoes on and the door open. Kevin hurried after her.
"Cora?" Nick asked frantically. He shook his girlfriend slightly, before picking her up and caring her inside the hotel lobby. Immediately he was surrounded by girls.
"Security!" Nick yelled over the noise. A burly body guard made his was through the girls and began pushing them away from Nick. A young, female guard stepped forward and took Cora from Nick's arms and hurried away to the elevator foyer. The large male guard pushed through the crowd with Nick in tow, toward Howie, A.J., Denise and a group of other guards. Brain entered the hotel at a quick pace, followed by two more guards.
"Hey Nicky! Bri!" Howie called. "Get a little mobbed?"
Nick brushed his hair out of his face. "Cora fainted on the street. I should go be with her."
"Nick," Denise chided softly. "Ixnay on the Irlfriendgay."
"Oh yeah, right." Nick muttered. He smiled as a fan approached him with a book and a pen. He quickly scrawled his signature and threw it back to her.
"I've gotta go," He told his friends. "Hey Eric," He called to one of the guards. "Wanna help me out here?"
The guard quickly escorted Nick to the elevators.
"Cora! Cora wake up!" Victoria begged her friend.
The female guard slapped Cora's cheeks repeatedly. "Kevin," She said looking up. She fished around in her pocket for a room key. "Go into my room and grab the black bag on the floor, will you? It's got some smelling salts in it."
Kevin nodded, accepting the key and hurrying out the door. Victoria stayed by her friend's side, holding her hand. She squeezed it softly. Cora murmured.
"I think she might be coming around," The guard said, leaning over her.
"Cora? Cora! Wake up! Please wake up!" Victoria pleaded. Cora's eyes blinked and then opened.
"Huh?" She mumbled. "Victoria? Where'd you come from?"
"I'm right here Cor, I'm right here," Victoria smiled at her friend in relief.
Just then, Kevin returned, slightly out of breathe from running. "I got it."
"It's okay Kev," The guard replied, still looking down at Cora. "I don't think we'll be needing it."
Cora's eyes drooped a little, but she managed to keep them open. "Where's Grace?" She gasped. Victoria quickly looked back at Kevin. "Where's Grace?" Cora asked again, with more urgency.
"Grace isn't here Cora," Victoria said softly.
Cora sighed deeply and closed her eyes. Her friends watched as she slowly drifted off into sleep.
"We should probably just let her sleep it off," The guard suggested. "I'm going to go have a little chat with Nick.
Alison was quietly reading Celestine Prophecy in her room, when her cell phone rang. She rolled to the other side of the bed and picked it up. "Hello?" She asked. Alison stopped and listened to the person on the other line. She quickly sat up and turned to plant her feet on the floor. "Oh my God . . ." She said quietly. "Of course . . . Yes, keep me updated . . . YES, I want to know . . . Will you tell him I love him? . . . Just tell him for me, please . . . How can you say that? After all he's done for you . . . Fine, what's his number . . . fine . . . always, good-bye."
Alison hung up the phone and stared at the wall in front of her. She brushed one solitary tear from her cheek and lay back in bed.
"Victoria?" Lara ran up to her. "Is Cora okay?"
Victoria continued to walk down the hall, toward her room. "Um, we think so. The security guard, I think her name was Cynthia, has some first aid training. She took care of Cora."
"Well what happened?" Lara demanded, falling into step beside her friend.
"I don't know," Victoria sighed. She ran her hands through her wavy, blond hair. "She went to go play some basketball with Nick and Brian, but I guess she just walked in the park instead. Nick says she fell asleep under a tree and then ran away from him when he tried to help her up. When she got to the hotel she just . . . fainted." Victoria stopped in front of her door and knocked. "Alison?" She checked her watch. "She's probably asleep." Victoria dug through her pocket for a room key. Finding one, she opened the door and propped it open.
"Should I go stay with Cora?" Lara asked.
Victoria leaned against the open door. "Yeah, probably - it is your room after all. Just don't wake her up. Where were you anyway?"
"I was with Kristen and Andrew. Kristen is a friend of his. She's in the dance finale too," Lara explained. "We were out at a local pub . . . we just got back and Brian told me something had happened to Cora . . ."
Victoria nodded. There was a slightly awkward silence. "Well," Victoria started, finally breaking it, "I better get to sleep now. Got another early morning bus ride." She rolled her eyes.
Lara smiled wryly. "Sleep tight hun, don't let little, gray men nibble your toes . . ."
"That's green men, and that would be Nick," Victoria replied.
Lara leaned forward. "I'm glad Cora's alright, but honestly, I don't know what the girl sees in him!"
Victoria lowered her voice to a whisper. "Maybe he has a large penis."
"Oh, I bet the teeny boppers would eat that right up," Lara giggled. "Actually, that can't be it, Cora's a virgin."
Victoria's eyes popped out. "Get out!"
"For real," Lara nodded.
Victoria smiled devilishly. A wave of guilt washed over her for gossiping about a friend who was sick in bed. ‘She's going to be fine,' Victoria reminded herself. ‘Besides, it's Cora, she wouldn't care . . .shit . . .' "Are you?" Victoria quipped up.
Lara looked surprised at the question. She swallowed hard and bent her head down a little. "I'm not surprised . . . I was pretty sure you were a unicorn tamer . . ."Victoria told her.
Lara looked up at her friend with a wide smile. "Unlike someone I know . . ."
"Whatever!" Victoria shrugged. "Night buddy!"
"Night slutty!" Lara giggled after her. Victoria glared back at her friend in disgust. Lara shrugged. "Sorry, that was just too good to pass up . . . By the way, sweat dreams!"
Victoria just rolled her eyes and shut the door.
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