“I’m really sorry that you were exploited like that,” Gretchen said over the phone.
“It’s OK, Gretchen. No harm done. Who believes those tabloids anyway?” David asked.
“My boyfriend. At least for a few minutes, he did.” Gretchen sighed.
“He doesn’t want to beat me up, right?” David asked.
“No, no. He’s not the violent type, even if he thought there was a reason to beat someone up.”
“Well, I have to start studying for a test I have next week in Political Science,” David said. “Talk to you later?”
“Sure. Bye.”
David hung up the phone, and got out his PS textbook and notebook. After a few minutes of reading, he sighed in frustration and closed the book. There was no way he could concentrate. Gretchen… that’s who was on his mind.
It was pretty pathetic, at least in his opinion, that after all these years, he still harbored feelings for the girl. From the minute he had first laid eyes on her his freshman year in high school, he had been taken with her. When they became friends, he chose to hide his feelings for her, because she dated other people and did not return the feelings.
As the years went by, he fell more and more in love with her. The relationships he had with others never lasted, because he always compared the girls with Gretchen in his mind, and they never measured up.
When Gretchen had started dating his best friend, Brandon Cooper, he was hurt, but it was Brandon who got hurt when David found out the horrible thing Brandon had done to Gretchen. He gave Brandon a black eye and a bloody nose. Gretchen still hadn’t found out about it.
When she had thanked her new boyfriend in her acceptance speech at the Grammys a week ago, it had hurt David’s heart, because it made him face the reality that Gretchen really loved that guy. He had it on tape, even, and had watched it several times.
David lay back on his bed and pressed the ‘Play’ button on the VCR remote control. Gretchen’s face appeared on the screen.
“… and I want to thank Nick… for being there.” David grimaced.
‘That’s it,’ he thought. ‘No more of this pointless, hopeless, 4-year crush. I’m moving on, and tomorrow, I’m going to find someone else!”
“Kevin, I need a favor,” Kayla said, on the tour bus.
“Yes?”
“When we get to Salt Lake City, could you come with me to go pick out an outfit to perform in? I’m getting a new one.”
“Well, I think we have dance rehearsal when we get there, can you get someone else to go with you? Maybe Claudia?” Kevin asked.
“Nope, I checked with Fatima. No dance rehearsal for you guys until 3 hours after we get to Utah. You’ll have plenty of time to come with me.”
Well, OK then, sure,” Kevin said.
“Perfect! I’ll let you know when I’m ready to go!” Kayla said.
“OK.” Kevin didn’t understand why Kayla wanted him to go with her, but whatever.
“Uh oh, Kevin, I think somebody has a crush on you,” Nick teased, coming up from behind him.
“I think you’re wrong,” Kevin said back.
“I don’t know… Why would she want you to go with her and not the wardrobe consultant? It’s a little fishy if you ask me,” Nick replied.
“Well, no one asked you,” Kevin said.
“Have you talked to Lynnsey today?”
“No. We got in a fight over the phone last night, because I forgot to call her yesterday morning like I promised. She just doesn’t really understand how much my career takes up my time,” Kevin said. “Ross didn’t live in the same state as her, but he was usually available to talk to. I’m not. She’s not used to it.”
“Hopefully, she’ll get used to it, or you relationship could get on the rocks. That’s why you and Kristen were more on the same wavelength- she’s in the business, she understood,” Nick said.
“Yeah, but don’t bring up Kristen. Her understanding my career didn’t save our relationship, so why would Lynnsey understanding it help any more than her not?”
“I don’t know. Hope it works out, though,” Nick said.
“It WILL,” Kevin said. “Why would you even think that it won’t? It HAS to. She’s the one for me, Nick. I know it. It’s going to work.”
Nick nodded. “Sorry, Kevin. I’m sure it will work.”
As Nick walked away, Kevin grumbled to himself, “Of course it’s going to work. We’re perfect for each other. Nick’s just a pessimist, and not very experienced when it comes to real love. We’re going to be fine.”
‘Keep convincing yourself of that,’ Kayla, the eavesdropper, thought to herself, hiding around the corner. ‘Once I get my hooks into you, you won’t even remember Lynnsey’s name!’
“We’re going to arrive at the hotel in Salt Lake City in 10 minutes,” the bus driver called.
“Kevin, once we get there, after we get our showers and what not, we can go to the mall, OK?” Kayla asked.
“OK,” he replied.
“I’m glad you’re coming with me,” Kayla buttered him up. “I’ve really been wanting to become friends with you.” She saw Kevin’s face soften up.
“Oh, yeah, we can be good friends,” he smiled.
‘Good friends,’ she thought.
Lynnsey regretted blowing up at Kevin like she had. She wasn’t used to not being able to get in contact with her boyfriend, especially when she really wanted to talk to him. In a week, her dad would be able to leave the hospital and go home with her mom. He would have to continue going to the hospital once a week to get treatments, but that was all. Lynnsey would go back to the dorm and start classes again when the spring semester started, two weeks from then.
Lynnsey knew that the transition of going back to school would be tough, but after this semester and the summer semester, she could graduate and be through with it!
She had gone back to the dorm after the Grammys for the first time in several months, and her roommate, Jessica Kerr, had welcomed her with open arms. Jessica had become her now roommate after her first one left the school junior year, and they had become good friends, but had not kept in touch during the semester Lynnsey took off to spend at the hospital.
Jessica at first did not believe her when Lynnsey cautiously told her about Kevin.
“You’re such a kidder!” Jessica had laughed at first.
“I’m serious, Jess. Look.” Lynnsey produced a picture of her and Kevin at the Vanity Fair Grammys post-party, his arm around her, her head on his shoulder.
“OH MY GOD!!!!!!”
Lynnsey laughed, thinking about it. Dating a celebrity was going to change a lot of things, but that didn’t matter. She loved Kevin for him, not for the Backstreet Boy, and she knew that they were going to make it. She had never been more sure of anything in her life.
AJ settled into his hotel room, putting his shaving stuff and shampoo into the bathroom and unpacking the clothes he’d need that day. His mind settled on the events at the Vanity Fair post-party a week before, when he, regretfully, had been neglectful to Jen and a jerk to Michelle.
He didn’t know what had come over him with Michelle. No, he didn’t have remorse over it. Who cared what Michelle thought of him? Not him. He just didn’t know why he had said what he had. He spoke without thought.
‘Ah, who cares what the snob thinks of me anyway? It figures Brian, Mr. Nice, is the only one who can tolerate her. Too bad that body - that beautiful body - was wasted on such an uptight, naďve little…’
“AJ?” His thoughts were interrupted. Kevin was standing in his doorway.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to the mall with Kayla if anyone asks where I am, OK?”
“Cheating on Lynnsey so soon in the relationship?” AJ joked.
“Go to hell. See you later.”
Then, there was the issue of Jen. By the end of the night, she would hardly say a word to him because, as she claimed, he was ignoring her. He didn’t know where she got that from, but it had upset her.
They had made up, of course, but the things she had told him bothered him. It was like she was regretting dumping Curtis for him or something. “You’re such a flirt!” she had exclaimed at him the day before, after he had gotten back from talking to two of the other Backstreet female dancers. In fact, Jen had been showing a lot of distrust lately. AJ was almost seriously starting to worry that she would break up with him to go back to Curtis. That would not be good.
“So, Michelle, how is Brian?” Rosie O’Donnell asked.
Michelle smiled. “He’s fine…”
“Oh, he is such a cutie-patootie, tell him I said hi,” Rosie said.
“I will,” Michelle laughed. Michelle was a guest on Rosie’s show, promoting her new movie with Josh Jackson called In the Air. It was the movie that Brian and AJ had come on the set of a few months back. It was going to be released in a week, and Brian was going to accompany her to the premiere in New York.
After the interview was over, Michelle went backstage and called Brian. He answered after the sixth ring.
“What ya doing?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing much…” Brian said, hurriedly.
Michelle narrowed her eyes. What was he hiding?
“What took you so long to answer the phone?” she asked.
“Oh, I’m on the other line. Can I call you back?”
“Who are you talking to?” she asked.
“An old friend. I’ll call you back real soon, OK?” he said.
“OK,” Michelle replied, downcast.
Brian cut back to the other line.
“Hey, I’m back.”
“Who was it?” Leighanne asked.
“My girlfriend.”
“Oh, then I’ll let you go,” Leighanne said.
“OK. I’m glad you called, Leigh. I want us to be friends. And I don’t want you to feel weird about my girlfriend. Maybe you and Chelle can even meet or something.”
“You called Michelle ‘Chelle’… kind of like how you call me ‘Leigh’,” Leighanne said, sounding sad.
“… It’s a habit. You know me, too lazy to say the whole name,” Brian joked.
“Yeah… OK, Brian, I’ll let you go now,” Leighanne said.
“Bye,” Brian said.
Brian dialed Michelle’s cell phone number, and prepared to explain.
“Who were you talking to?”
“Promise not to jump to conclusions?” Brian asked.
“You were talking to Leighanne, right?” Michelle asked.
“You’re sharp…” Brian said.
“I didn’t know you guys still kept in touch…”
“Well, we do… We dated for 3 years, Chelle, I mean… did you expect us each to just forget the other existed?” Brian asked.
“No! Brian, I’m not mad, OK? Don’t get upset with me.”
“I’m not upset with you,” he said.
“Look, um… have you reserved a flight for the premiere next week in New York?” she asked.
“Yeah. My ticket’s ready to be picked up,” Brian said.
“OK, good. I’ll have to call you back later, OK?” Michelle said.
“OK. And Chelle?”
“Yes?”
“I…” he started.
“Yes?
“I… uh… can’t wait to see you,” he said.
“Me too. Bye.”
He hung up the phone and sighed. He had wanted to say “I love you” but was afraid. How would she respond? He didn’t know if she loved him back.
“I was thinking that I should go for something tight and sexy… what do you think, Kevin?” Kayla asked.
“Uh…yeah, why not?”
Kayla sighed. He wasn’t responding to any hints she was giving him.
“Look, Kayla, are you almost done looking?” Kevin asked.
“Not really, Kevin…”
“Oh.”
“Why am I keeping you?”
“No, it’s just that… I left my cell phone at the hotel, and my girlfriend might try to call me,” Kevin said.
“Oh.” Kayla smiled evilly.
‘Where are you?’ Lynnsey thought, redialing Kevin’s cell phone number. He had told her the time they were supposed to get to Utah, and he had told her to call him. She was trying, but getting no luck. To top it off, Lynnsey had just received a package in the mail from Ross – it was basically all the letters she had ever written him and the watch she had given him 2 Christmases ago and several pictures of the two of them. He was returning all of it.
Upset, Lynnsey had really wanted to talk to Kevin. No answer. She was getting tired of this.
“So, can I call you?” David asked the blonde, smoothly.
“Definitely!” the girl, Haley, said, writing down her number.
“Cool. I’ll call you tonight, OK?” he asked.
“OK,” she said happily.
David smiled, satisfied. He had done what he had set out to do. Find a girl. And this one was really nice and easy-going.
“Later, David,” Haley said.
David left the UCLA Student Union and decided to head back to his apartment. Maybe Gretchen would call. Wait… he was supposed to be getting past that.
‘I am. From now on, I’m getting past that,’ he told himself. ‘In fact… when Gretchen calls, I’ll tell her about this new girl. I’ll confirm to myself that I’m moving on.’
He got the chance later on.
“I just called to let you know that I’m going to come back to Los Angeles next week,” Gretchen said.
“Really? Great! You can come over if you want,” David said.
“OK,” Gretchen said. David paused. That wouldn’t be good for his ‘Get-over-Gretchen’ plan.
“Oh, uh… nix that. My apartment is a mess, and with school and all, I don’t have time to clean or anything.”
“That’s OK, David,” Gretchen said. “In high school, I saw your room at your parents’ house all the time. It was always a wreck.”
“Well, uh… that was before you were accustomed to all that fancy living, Gretchen. I mean…”
“David, I haven’t changed and you know it. What’s the real reason you don’t want me to come over?”
“It’s not that I don’t want you to come over. It’s just…”
“Well, maybe you can come see me at my condo,” Gretchen said. “We haven’t seen each other in weeks, David.”
“I don’t think so, Gretchen. I’m busy with baseball and term papers. College is really hectic, you know?”
“Actually, I don’t…” Gretchen said, sighing. She had really been regretting not going to college.
“So, maybe the next visit to LA we can visit. I don’t think next week will do,” David said.
“OK,” Gretchen said, disappointed. “Are you sure? You told me the other day that you’ve been lonely.”
“Yeah, but, uh, today I met this girl, Haley, and so I think she could keep me company. It’s just that next week’s no good, Gretchen.”
“A girl, huh? I see. I’ll call you later, OK?”
“OK, Gretchen. Bye,” David said. Was it his imagination, or was the idea of another girl suddenly bothering Gretchen?
Gretchen didn’t know why, but the idea of David and another girl was suddenly bothering her.