Gretchen frowned. Nick was supposed to call her by 8 PM, and he hadn’t. It would be 11 PM where he was at, Florida, and the concert for that night would be over by then. It was now 8:30.
Gretchen paced around in her living room, biting her bottom lip. ‘Ring’ she silently said to the telephone. ‘Ring.’
‘Rrrrrrrrrrriingg!’ the telephone followed her orders.
She picked it up on the second ring. “Nick?”
“Uh, no… this is David.”
“Hey David,” Gretchen sighed, plopping down on the couch.
“I just wanted to tell you good luck. I know the Grammy nominations are being announced tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, thank you, David. That’s sweet.”
“You sound stressed. What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s just that Nick was supposed to call me a half hour ago, and I have yet to hear from him. I’m getting worried.”
“He had a concert tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe it just went overtime. Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll call. So… I just called to tell you that. Good luck.”
“Thanks David. See you later.”
“Bye.”
Gretchen hung up the phone and stared blankly at the wall. David was sweet. Nick was aggravating her right about now.
Finally, at 9 PM, the phone rang.
“Hello?” Gretchen answered the phone sullenly.
“Hey. Sorry I’m an hour late,” Nick said.
“What happened?”
“We all went out to eat and I lost track of time. You forgive me?”
“Yes,” Gretchen replied stonily. “Are you going to visit your parents tomorrow before y’all leave for the next concert?”
“Yeah. Next stop is Toronto.”
“OK. Don’t forget to watch the Grammy nominations tomorrow,” Gretchen said.
“I won’t.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Nick,” Gretchen said.
“What? You want to hang up already?” Nick asked.
“Yes. Later, Nick.” Gretchen hung up the phone and lay back on the couch. He made her so mad sometimes.
AJ and Jen walked along the shore at the Pensacola beach. It was past midnight, but that had only made it easier for them to sneak off together.
“What are you doing with that Curtis loser anyway?” AJ asked.
“He’s not a loser… he’s really nice,” Jen defended.
“He’s not your type. He’s too tame. You need somebody like me… a wild man.” Jen burst out laughing.
“You consider yourself a wild man?”
“I sure do…” AJ replied.
“That’s interesting.”
“So stop talking already and kiss me,” AJ said.
“AJ! I have a boyfriend!” Jen said.
“So get rid of him,” AJ replied.
Jen rolled her eyes playfully, and then pulled AJ’s head down to hers and kissed him.
“Now that’s what I like!” AJ exclaimed.
The next day, Nick drove to his house. Because the concert the night before was only 30 minutes away from where he lived, he thought it would be nice to go see his family for a few hours until they had to leave again.
He arrived to a happy household; the Backstreet Boys had been nominated for 2 Grammys, and his family was very happy. Also, Gretchen had been nominated for “Best New Artist” and “Best Female Singer”. Something like that.
Nick settled in the living room with his siblings, and they talk about the Grammys and such.
“Oh, Nick, do you want your mail?” Leslie asked.
“I still get mail here?” Nick questioned. “Sure, where is it?”
Leslie went and got two envelopes from the kitchen. One was normal, one was a little bulky.
Nick opened the plain one first. It was his cell phone bill.
“300 dollars!!!!????” Nick exclaimed. “Is that humanly possible??!!”
Once he got over the shock, he went for the bulky envelope.
His eyes narrowed as he pulled out what appeared to be one page of a magazine folded up. He opened it, looked over the content and then cussed. Loudly.
“What’s wrong?” Lynnsey asked Ross over the phone.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked back.
“What are you talking about?” Lynnsey asked.
“Oh, nothing, just the fact that lately we can hardly even carry on a conversation. Ever since I left Florida a few weeks ago it’s been like that.”
“I haven’t noticed,” Lynnsey said quietly.
“Exactly. It’s like you’re somewhere else, all the time. Why?”
“Ross, you’re just paranoid. Chill out, OK?”
“No, I will NOT chill out, Lynnsey!!” Ross said so loud that Lynnsey jumped. “Now you tell me why you’re acting this way or I’m hanging up!!”
Lynnsey glared at the phone. “Maybe, Ross, it’s because my father is dying. Did THAT ever cross your mind? Don’t bother hanging up, I’ll gladly be the one to do it.” Lynnsey slammed down the receiver and burst into tears.
He didn’t understand her at ALL. He didn’t even try. Lynnsey walked back from the pay phone to the waiting room and lay down on the couch. After they finally left the hospital, she didn’t ever want to go back to one. EVER. Her mom was asleep in a chair, and the TV was on. Lynnsey turned it off and sighed. When would this end?
She looked at her mom’s cell phone that was lying on the end table, and bit her bottom lip. Should she? She went to her purse and pulled out the slip of paper with the phone number on it, and grabbed her mom’s cell.
She took a deep breath and then dialed the number.
“Hello?” He answered.
“Kevin? This is Lynnsey.”
“Hey! Did something happen? Is your father OK?”
“Yes, he’s… still here. I just called because… I need someone to talk to. I’m at wit’s end here and I don’t know what to do.”
“Maybe you need some rest?” Kevin suggested.
“No, I just… need a friend.”
“I’ll be your friend,” Kevin replied.
Kevin consoled Lynnsey over the phone for an hour, and then thought of something.
“I’m in Florida right now. Do you want to meet somewhere?” he asked.
“Like where?” she asked.
“Well, I’m too far away from Tampa to drive there and get back in time for when we leave tonight, but we could meet somewhere halfway. Maybe… in Franklinton. Do you know where that is?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“There’s a mall there. Meet me at the main entrance in an hour. Is that OK?” he asked.
“Yeah! That… that sounds like fun. I’ll be there,” Lynnsey said gratefully. She was getting outta there!!
2 hours later…
“You don’t have to buy me anything,” Lynnsey protested.
“No, I want to. It’ll be a friendship bracelet or something. So you can remember me,” Kevin laughed. He had never gotten that cheesy with ANYONE before.
Lynnsey laughed too. “Well, I don’t need a bracelet to remember you, but if it means that much to you, OK.”
The bracelet was simple, silver with a single small butterfly charm hanging from it. Yet, it was elegant.
As the cashier rang it up, Kevin glanced sideways at Lynnsey. “Did you mean that? You don’t need a bracelet to remember me by?”
“Of course, Kevin! How could I forget you?” Lynnsey laughed, and Kevin smiled to himself. Those last 5 words were said so casually, but meant so much to him.
“Where are you guys heading to tonight?” Lynnsey asked as they headed for the food court.
“Toronto. We’re stopping in Montana to sleep at a hotel tonight, and then going all the way to Toronto tomorrow. We hope to be able to hang out tomorrow during the day. Rent a car, cruise the city…”
“Sounds like fun. Your life… must be amazing,” Lynnsey said.
“It is, believe me. Even more so are the people I get to meet this way. That’s what amazes me. I wouldn’t know you if it wasn’t for being in the Backstreet Boys,” Kevin said.
“I know, huh? Well, let’s thank the stars that you are then,” Lynnsey said.
Kevin smiled again. She meant everything as in friendship, but it was like everything she said just made him feel better and better.
An hour later, they were saying their good-byes at the entrance.
“I’m glad you called me today,” Kevin said to Lynnsey.
“I’m glad I did too. You knew exactly what I needed- to get out of the hospital for awhile.”
“If you ever need anything, just call me. Don’t hesitate,” Kevin said.
“I won’t. Good-bye, Kevin,” Lynnsey said.
“Bye. I’ll see you again in a few months,” Kevin said.
Lynnsey nodded. “Give me a hug…” They embraced, and Lynnsey sighed. Why? She didn’t know, but she guessed it was because she was hugging the one person in the world that understood her.
Lynnsey headed to her car, and pulled out of the parking lot. She felt a fullness now that she hadn’t felt a few hours ago. And for the first time, as she went back to the hospital, she wasn’t going there in dread.
“Nick, I thought with all of your experience with tabloids you’d have a better head than this!” Gretchen exclaimed.
“What am I supposed to think, Gretchen? There’s a picture here, and it doesn’t look too innocent!”
“Nick, David is a high school friend. The only time we made physical contact was a hug when we first got there, a hug when we were leaving, and when we were discussing the whole Brandon thing, and that was because he was trying to comfort me. I am NOT cheating on you!! And I can’t believe that you would even believe that for a second!”
Nick tried to calm down. “I know…”
“And maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I’m still trying to learn how to trust you ! Much less would I be untrustworthy myself!”
“Wait a sec… you still don’t trust me!? Gretchen, we’ve been together now for 3 months. That is the longest time I have ever been with a girl without cheating on her, and that’s an accomplishment for me! How you can you not trust me?”
“You wait a sec… NOT cheating on me is an accomplishment?”
“Yes!”
“Well, excuse me, Nick, but NOT cheating on me should just be normal, not something special that you get a reward for.”
“I’m not getting a reward, obviously, because my reward would be for you to trust me! And how did we get onto me cheating on you,when you’re the one being questioned right now?”
“UGH!!!” Gretchen screeched. “WHY am I being questioned still? You think I’m lying now?”
“No! I didn’t say that!”
“You know what, Nick? You need to get ready to go to Toronto, so I’m going to let you go now.”
“Wait-…”
“Bye.” Gretchen hung up on him. Nick sighed.
“Did you have fun with Kevin, Lynn?” Lynnsey’s mom asked.
“Yeah, a lot of fun.”
“I really like that Kevin, Lynnsey. He’s got good upbringing and morals, and his salary isn’t too bad either! Not to mention he’s a GOOD looking guy…” her mom said.
“Mom, he’s too young for you, and you’re still married,” Lynnsey joked.
“I know, silly! I’m not telling you all of this for my health, you know?”
“What are you getting at, mom?”
“What I’m getting at is that it would be my dream to have that boy for a son-in-law, that’s what I’m getting at.”
“Mom!!!” Lynnsey turned bright red. “You’re crazy!!”
“Am I?” she asked, giving Lynnsey the eye.
“Yes, you are.”
“Whatever you say, honey. Whatever you say. Mother knows best, sweetie.”
“Sure, mom.”
Just then, Mayor Parker’s main doctor, Dr. Plait, interrupted them.
“I need to speak with both of you in the hall,” he said.
Lynnsey’s heart sped up. Had her father died?
“Is everything all right?” Lynnsey’s mom asked, looking extremely worried.
“Yes, everything’s fine. Just follow me, please.”
He led them outside the waiting room, clipboard in hand.
“I have some very good news for you about Mr. Parker,” he said. “The doctor we had that gave you the diagnosis for 6 months to live was… how should I put this… unprofessional. He is no longer employed here, and we have come up with some new results. We told you that chemotherapy would not work, and that radiation would be useless. It turns out that we were wrong. Both of those things will help out a tremendous amount, and we plan on starting them tomorrow. With a good sign from that, Mr. Parker could live another 10, 15, even 20 years.”
“Are you sure?” Lynnsey’s mom asked, almost unable to believe it.
“Definite.”
Lynnsey and her mom hugged and squealed, and cried from happiness. Lynnsey’s father was going to be OK!
The next day, the 5 Backstreet Boys headed out in a rented black 1994 Mustang to see the sights of Toronto. They had been there several times, but they never got tired of it.
“Look, let’s stop at that mall over there,” AJ said, pointing.
“Does everyone want to?” Kevin, the driver asked. “Yes” they all said.
Kevin turned on his blinker and prepared to make a U-turn. He didn’t even see the out-of-control car heading their way on the left side of them. As he started to turn, Nick shouted, “Kevin, look out!” Tires squealed, bystanders screamed, and there was a crunching of metal.
Then everything went black.