Chapter 17: Words Can Paint A Different Picture
The concert came to a close way later than
usual. After a standing ovation the Boys took off backstage.
Felicia and I flashed our passes and headed back there.
Kaylee tagged along behind but was stopped at the gate.
"Sorry, no press," one of the security men said,
stopping Kaylee.
"What!? Why is SHE allowed back there?" she screeched,
annoyed. I walked up to them.
"Cause I've got connections," I teased with a look of
partial defeat - at least for the night - on my face.
"UGH!" Kaylee yelled as she walked off.
"Don't worry Kate, enjoy your one hour of fun because the
night is not over yet," she muttered to herself as she took
off out of the arena and back to the hotel.
-AT THE PARTY-
At the end of every tour there was always a party. It seemed to
me that the Boys found every reason in the world to have a party,
but that was because they could. They rented out the back room of
the arena and invited their band members, dancers and crew along
with their family and friends as well as the Boys and their
family and friends.
"Hey baby," Nick replied, coming up to Felicia and I
and putting his arm around both of us.
"Nick you're all sweaty, ick, get off me!" Felicia
teased.
"Awww I love you too 'licia!" Nick teased, rubbing his
sweaty face all over Felicia. Brian walked up and smiled.
"Nick, are you torturin' my woman?" Brian joked.
"Yup!"
"Good!" Brian continued to joke.
"Brian! Can't you see I'm a damsel in distress here!
Ugh!" Felicia yelled.
"Back off Nickay," I teased, pushing on his belly.
He let go of Felicia and smothered me.
"Ahhh! Take a shower! Both of you!" Felicia yelled as
Brian began to hug her with his hot, sweaty body.
"Well not that we don't like seeing you sweat, it's just not
on top of us!" I giggled. "Okay, we'll be back,"
Nick replied, kissing me gently and walking off.
Felicia and I watched him and Brian run down the hall pushing
each other.
~11:30PM~
The party continued as alcohol was brought in and everyone began
drinking heavily.
Nick and Brian mingled around with everyone, thanking them for
all of their hard work on this tour.
Felicia and I stood off to the side and chatted about the tour
and the guys.
~AT THE SAME TIME~
Kaylee paced back and forth in her hotel room. Why was that guy
taking so long? She wanted to get to the party before it was
over.
~AT THE SAME TIME~
"Well look at those absolutely stunning women over there in
the corner Nick. You think they fancy us?" Brian teased.
"Well those guys over there are pretty hot now that they've
taken a shower," Felicia replied back.
"Did you enjoy the concert?" Nick asked approaching me.
He linked his hands with mine and kissed me.
"No," I joked.
"No!?" He yelled.
"Now why would I enjoy seeing you strut your stuff out on
stage with those sexy outfits and sweating heavily? Especially
those pelvic thrusts," I replied, looking up at him with
adoring eyes.
"Now you didn't mention those pelvic thrusts in your story
did you?"
"Ha, ha, no but I do think the teenyboppers back home would
really enjoy it if I did," I replied, leaning into him to
hug him tightly. He wrapped his arms around me.
Jane and Bob approached us to congratulate Brian and Nick.
Bob smiled at me, but Jane didn't really notice I was there.
~12:15AM~
Nick and I were walking around and chatting with everyone when we
ran into Brian and Felicia again.
"Did you see who just decided to grace us with her
presence?" Felicia sarcastically replied.
"Who? Kaylee?" I asked, my face growing angry just at
the thought of her name. God that woman never stopped.
"Yup, she's right over there," Felicia pointed.
"How in the hell did she get in here?" I asked.
"I dunno, but something tells me she did a bit of flirting
with the security," Felicia replied.
"Why do you think that?"
"'Cause she is wearing those trashy clothes," Felicia
muttered. I turned around and look at Kaylee. Her dress was
short, revealing her perfectly tanned legs. Her blonde hair lay
down her back as she walked around with her purse hung over her
shoulder.
"What is she up to?" I worriedly asked outloud.
"Excuse me!!!!!!!!" Kaylee yelled.
"Ohmigod, what is she doing?" I asked, looking up at
Nick. He held my waist tightly.
"EXCUSE ME!!!" Kaylee yelled.
She looked like she had a couple sips of alcohol before she got
here. She seemed a bit too bubbly.
Everyone turned around as the chatter of the room went silent.
She slowly pulled my recorder out of her purse.
"I just want to say that you guys are great performers and
you deserve the world. And Nick, you deserve more than that Bitch
over there," Kaylee spit. My heart started racing, why was
she doing this?
All of the bands' friends and family stared back at me. Nick held
onto me as Kevin and A.J. tried to get Kaylee to leave.
"No no, Kevy-Kev, I think Nick wants to hear this,"
Kaylee replied, hitting play and blaring the volume.
The tape clicked on the recorder as everyone listened.
What could she possibly have that was so important?
Felicia looked back at me - worry plastered on her face.
My voice echoed through the huge room. The words were real, but
the order they were in...what was going on? My mind was racing.
"Nick...he's famous and every girl wants him. I'm usually
not a fast person...but Nick I'm just fucking him for a piece of
news. There's no amazing connection between him and I, it's just
the news. It's so surreal fucking him...I don't want to hurt him,
but it's my job. This shit is too good to be true." The
words seemed to move slow as I looked around. All eyes were on
me. My mouth gaped. What the hell is this? I didn't say that! I
was so shocked that I didn't realize Nick had released me from
his arms and ran down the corridor.
"Nick!" I yelled, my voice cracking as tears welled up
in my eyes. There were gasps all around the room as Kaylee
smiled, defeat written all over her face. Felicia turned to
Brian.
"Brian Kate didn't say those things! She said just the
opposite, Kaylee is manipulating this whole conversation!"
Felicia yelled. Brian looked over at Kevin and nodded as they
began to take Kaylee outside of the party.
I ran down the corridor after him.
I'd lost him at a turn. I looked around, tears streaming down my
face. That's when I saw a door at the end of one of the halls
open.
I ran down there and ran outside. Nick sat on the ground against
the wall in the cool winter air, his head in his hands.
"Nick," I said softly, putting my hand on his shoulder.
"Get the fuck away from me!" He yelled, pushing my hand
off his arm.
"Nick, that wasn't me, I mean, that..." I started, but
I didn't know what to say.
"What the hell do you mean that wasn't you? That was you
Kate! I heard your voice! How could you say those things?!"
He yelled, anger building inside of him as he looked up at me.
His face was streaked in tears.
"I didn't Nick. I don't know how she did it, but I didn't
say those things!" I yelled, tears burning the side of my
face.
"Go away! Get the fuck out of here!" He yelled, his
face full of fury.
I turned around and ran down the hall.
I saw Kaylee coming out of an entrance with Brian, Kevin and A.J.
Felicia tagged along behind.
"YOU FUCKIN' BITCH!" I yelled. Now I was making more of
a scene, but I didn't care. I could lose my job, my career, my
money, my whole life, but I wasn't going to lose Nick. Not now
and not to her.
"Oh Kate, what's the matter? The truth hurt?" She
taunted.
I ran up to her, my fist folded so tight my knuckles were white.
She smiled at me as I ran my fist as hard as I possibly could
straight into her face. She screamed out in pain as she fell to
the floor.
"How could you do this to me? I didn't say those things you
manipulating little bitch! How dare you twist my words around!
Get up! Get up you fuckin' little whore!" I yelled. Okay so
I was really unprofessional right now, but I didn't care. She
laid on the ground as A.J. and Brian grabbed onto me and threw me
into the wall.
"Kate! She's not worth it!" Brian yelled at me.
"Kaylee you stupid bitch, get up!" I screamed, tears
streaming down my face. Everyone was out in the hall by now.
"He means everything to me! I love him more than I've ever
loved anything or anyone in my life! How could you take my words
and play with them and play with my life like that!? You haven't
hurt just me, but you hurt him. How can you do that to someone
you don't even know when your fight is with ME?!" I yelled,
tears fell off my face as A.J. and Brian held onto my arms.
"Oh shut up Kate," Kaylee replied, wiping the blood off
her nose. "You're not a journalist, I was just doing my job.
And after Amanda sees what you've done to me and poor little
Nicky, your career is going to be in the trash can," she
smirked at me.
"I don't care what you do to me, but how could you do that
to him!?" I screamed. She chuckled as she got up and walked
off.
I pulled at A.J. and Brian's arms, but A.J. grabbed onto my waist
and pulled me into him.
"She's not worth it Kate, calm down, come on," Brian
replied as I screamed after Kaylee down the hall.
A.J. released me.
"Brian I didn't say those things, I didn't," I replied
in almost a whisper.
"I know Felicia told me," he said as he held onto my
arms.
Before I knew it I collapsed in his arms.
~AT THE SAME TIME~
Nick looked on from down the corridor. If she really said those
things then why would she be putting up such a fight? Shouldn't
she be on the next plane out of town? He thought to himself.
Frustrated, angry, and hurt he ran back down the hall and out to
the limo. He ordered that the driver take him home.
~TWO HOURS LATER~
I sat on Brian's couch with my head buried in Felicia's lap.
"She must have done it when we were in the room talking
Kate," Felicia sadly replied.
I nodded as Brian tried calling Nick's cell phone for the fifth
time.
Jane and Bob had called Brian saying that Nick left a note saying
he was going "out" and hasn't come home yet. They were
worried.
Brian hung up the phone and sighed.
"Well he has it on or else it wouldn't be ringing. He
probably sees it's my number and knows you're here," he
sadly replied, sitting down on the chair.
"Is that your recorder Kate?" Brian asked, sipping at
his tea.
"Yeah. Kaylee asked for it right before Felicia and I had
that conversation. Now that I come to think of it...remember
Felicia I had asked you during the concert if you'd seen Kaylee
around?" I asked, sitting up and sipping on my tea. She
nodded.
"Well, you did knock her pretty good," Felicia teased.
"I've been wanting to do that for a very long time. If she
ever comes within ten feet of me I'll give her matching eyes to
go with her lip and nose," Felicia laughed. I couldn't help
but chuckle.
We all looked at each other.
"Where could he be Bri?" I asked, I was so worried.
Tears still streamed down my face. They hadn't stopped since the
tape recorder played.
"I dunno Kate, but we'll find him. I promise we'll find
him."