Chapter 13: A Day With The Boys - Part 1
I sat at Nick's desk at two in the morning
scribbling on my notepad madly.
"Kate, what are you doing?" Nick tiredly questioned
from his bed. "Come to bed, please," he begged.
"I have to interview each member of the largest group in
America tomorrow, and you want me to come to bed?" I
questioned, as if his concern for my sleep sounded absurd.
"Well, why don't you come over here and interview me,"
he teased.
"Shut up Carter," I mumbled.
"Okay, but if you're not here in a half hour, I'm gonna drag
you out of that chair," he sighed as he slammed his head
down in the pillow, annoyed that I wouldn't come to bed with him.
~THE NEXT MORNING~
I awoke slowly. My eyes were dragging as I searched the room,
trying to figure out where I was. I looked next to me, Nick was
gone. The clock read 8AM.
"Shit," I exclaimed. I had so much to do, and my first
interview was at nine-thirty with Kevin. I jumped out of bed and
made my way to the bathroom.
"Hey sexy," Nick said as he strolled out of the
bathroom on my way in.
"Hey," I said, my mind wandering.
"What time do you meet with Kevin?" He asked, pulling
his sweater over his blonde hair.
"Nine-thirty, so I gotta get going," I said, pushing
past him and making my way into the bathroom. He smiled at me and
pulled me back to kiss me gently.
"I'm going with Brian to play a little B-ball, so I'll catch
up with you later," he replied.
"Yeah, at one-thirty, that's when my interview with you
is," I teased.
"I'll be looking forward to it," he smirked slightly as
he placed another kiss on my lips.
~NINE-THIRTY EXACTLY~
I approached the cafe hurriedly, but still professionally with my
papers in hand and my bag on my shoulder. Kevin was sitting alone
at a table slowly sipping on a cup of coffee.
"Am I late?" I questioned shyly as I approached him.
"Not at all Kate. How are you doing?" He asked politely
as he stood up and kissed my cheek.
"Good, good, just a bit nervous about being here and having
to do all these interviews," I lied. I was comfortable with
the boys, but once Kaylee got here I would be under a close eye.
"Well get comfortable, or would you prefer to go somewhere
else?" He asked, sitting back in his chair as I pulled mine
out and laid my stuff down.
"No here is fine, thanks," I replied, taking out my
notebooks and recorder.
"Okay, are you ready?" I asked, pencil in hand. He
nodded.
"Is it okay to record you?"
"Sure, go ahead, whatever makes it easier," he offered
in his deep southern accent.
"December 15th, Kevin S. Richardson, Backstreet Boys
interview part one. Kate McBride," I said into the
microphone.
"Okay Kevin, relax and if you can, answer your questions as
best as you can," I informed him as I began writing a bit on
my notepad.
"Okay, so all of your fans and I know the guys think of you
as the older brother of the group. Since you would be the older
brother, most of the guys would look to you. Within the group,
who do you seek advice from the most?" I asked, jotting down
a few words.
"We've all had our ups and downs, but when it comes down to
really personal aspects I think I turn to Brian the most. We're
family and a lot of issues that I may have concern my family. I
mean, Nick told you I'm sure about my father passing away and all
and Brian was there for that and he has been ever since
then," Kevin answered before taking a deep breath.
"I hear you and Nick have gotten into quite a few tiffs, can
you name one specifically?" "Well Nick and I can - bunt
heads - a lot because of our age differences. It's gotten much
better now that we're older, but when the Backstreet Boys first
kicked into high gear we were just at different stand points I
guess you could say."
"Any hitting or physical fighting?" I asked.
"Backstage one time a few years back we got into an argument
and yelled quite a bit and kinda tangled ourselves up a bit, but
we never hit each other physically," he admitted, smiling a
bit as if he could jump back to that time and relive it all over
again.
"Did you ever think it would get this big - the fame?"
"No, no way. I didn't know what to expect when we first got
together, we took it day by day, but I never thought it would be
like this."
"You know there are a lot of older women who fall head over
heels for the older Boy of the group," I smiled at him.
"A lot of people tell me that more moms enjoy seeing me than
the younger girls," he chuckled a bit as if he slightly
believe it.
I laughed along with him.
Kevin was definetly a ladies' man, but he did it in such a soft,
kind manner. He was polite and kind and answered every question I
asked him.
After about an hour I thanked him and told him that I'd see him
with the rest of the band at 5 for the group interview.
It was now a little after 10:30, I had a half hour until I met
with A.J. I walked around a bit, grabbed something to eat and
then took a taxi to A.J. McLean's house.
I knocked on the door quietly, afraid that I would get ransacked
by a bodyguard of some sort. It was to my surprise when A.J.
answered the door in a tank top and baggy jeans; no sunglasses,
funky hats or long necklaces.
"Hey Kate," he said with a smile as he kissed my cheek
and let me in. I looked around the quaint house. It wasn't as big
as the Carter mansion - nowhere close - it was big enough for him
and as he informed me later in the interview, his mom. He had
residents elsewhere, but this is the place he called home the
most.
We sat down at the kitchen table and went through the same
routine as I did with Kevin and would with the others.
"So tell me about this bad boy side you have as the
"bad Backstreeter," I smiled to myself a bit.
He laughed a little while he thought.
"I don't think I'm totally outrageous like some people out
at raves and stuff, but when it comes to the five of us guys I
see myself as that. You have the young heartthrob Nick who I can
bet my life on couldn't stay awake long enough to go to a club
all night, pick up five ladies or drink until his head hurt. I've
done that, but I'm responsible about it. My style is different
than all of theirs. Howie and I go to a lot of clubs and once in
a while wake up hung over, but I think I venture out more than
the others do. I mean, the whole group has less tattoo's on their
whole body than I do on one arm," he joked, looking at his
left arm. "I just can't define it, but anybody who knows me,
just knows," he tried summing up what I think he had a
difficult time saying.
"What's your biggest fetish?"
"Oh gosh, I have a lot. As you can see with all these
tattoos and hats. Umm, I love shopping, I guess that's where this
all stems from. Ask Howie or any of the guys, I just love
shopping. We travel everywhere around the world and you can
always find me shopping, when we have the time," he chuckled
a bit.
"Well A.J. I love to shop too, we'd be great shopping
partners," I teased.
"Okay, now lets flip the question, what's a pet peeve of
yours?"
"Well, haha, I have a lot, as all people do, but I love to
perform. And when I'm off stage I'm just climbing the
walls," he replied. A.J. had so much charisma and he was
just a fun and loving person inside and out. I'm sure it had
affected his fans in a lot of ways. "I've seen you perform,
you are a wonderful singer."
"Thank you," he quietly said in between my sentences.
"What would you want to say to people out there who want to
start a singing career?"
"To go for it. But it takes passion and push. You get let
down a lot, but if it's what you love to do, go for it. That goes
for anything someone wants to do I guess."
I talked with A.J. a bit more after the interview. He suggested
that after the group interview we all go out for dinner.
As he was walking me out he stopped me in the corridor.
"Nick really likes you Kate, and I think you guys are
perfect for each other. Don't let anyone get in your way,"
he reassured me as he hugged me and I walked out. With that in
mind, I wandered what else lie ahead for us.
It was now 12:00. My taxi waited for me (on the company check) as
I jetted back to the Carter mansion. I dropped off my notes from
Kevin and A.J.'s interview grabbed a coat, a soda and headed down
to the basketball courts where Nick and Brian were.
"Hey, who are those two hot guys over there playin' b-ball?
Wait, wait, oh-mi-god, is that Nick Carter and Brian Littrell
from the Backstreet Boys?! Ohmigod, I'm gonna die, is my hair
okay?" I joked with a valley-girl accent.
"Hey baby, you wanna piece of this?" Nick teased as I
walked up to him and pushed him.
"Do you play Kate?" Brian asked, wiping the sweat off
his brow with one hand and holding the orange ball in the other.
"I haven't in years, but I'll take a couple shots," I
said, setting down my stuff.
Brian tossed me the ball. I threw it in the air and first try
made it in.
"She's made for ya bro," Brian said, throwing Nick the
ball.
"That she is," he said, looking at me lovingly.
"Well Carter, I hate to interrupt, but are you ready for
your interview?" I asked, picking up my things.
"Yes, of course, time with you is well spent," he
tossed the ball back at Brian as Brian giggled.
"I'll see you at 2:45 Bri," I said, as he and Nick
slapped hands and Nick and I walked back to the Carter house.