"Are you almost ready Tae?" Alesha asked peeking her head into his bedroom. "What are you doing?"
"Huh?" he asked not looking away from the TV. He was sitting on the floor in front of his bed, his head resting against the footboard, his chin resting on his chest, his knees bent, and his arms across his stomach.
"What are you doing?" Alesha repeated. "This isn't getting ready. You don't even have your shoes on," she grumbled digging around in the mess to find his shoes.
"I'm watching Monty Python," he said glancing over at the shoes Alesha dropped next to him.
"Why?" she asked looking at the TV.
"Nick says it's funny," Taelen said sitting up and pulling his shoes on. "I think it's dumb."
Alesha laughed. "Why are you watching it then?"
He shrugged. "Waiting for it to be funny," he said tying his laces.
"It IS funny, silly boy," she said walking over and turning the TV and VCR off. "Come on. We're going to be late."
"Why do we have to go to the mall?" Taelen whined following her out of the room.
"Because I have some stuff to do. You can hang out in the arcade if you want," she said grabbing her purse and her keys. Locking the door behind them, they walked to the car.
"Can I get a new game?" he asked slyly as he buckled his seat belt.
"Why? For repayment for the punishment of making you go to the mall?" Alesha asked laughing.
"Yup," he grinned up at her.
"Maybe," she smiled over at him.
"Yuck, *Nsync," Taelen grimaced at the radio.
"This is a good song," Alesha said turning up the radio and singing along.
o~/ Your love is like a river/Peaceful and deep/Your soul is like a secret/That I could never keep/When I look into your eyes/I know that it's true/God must of spent/A little more time/On you/ ~o
"She's WHAT?!?" Nick exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"She's going to meet him today," Brian said pacing around the living room. He looked down at his watch and sighed. "She's probably getting ready to leave now."
Nick walked over to the window and peeked out towards the driveway of the beach house. He caught a glimpse of Alesha's Kia driving out of the gates. Sighing, he walked back over to the couch and sat down. "Where she meeting him at?" he asked, his eyes full of worry.
Brian shrugged. "Somewhere in the mall I think is what she said." "At least it's a public place," Nick murmured. "What am I going to?" he sighed, closing his eyes.
"What'cha mean?" Brian asked sat down in a chair, looking over at Nick. Nick looked completely distraught, bringing to Brian's memory one other time in the recent past that he had seen his best friend so upset. Feelings of guilt washed over him, and he had to turn away.
"I have to get her back," Nick said quietly. He looked so lost and desperate.
"Well, man," Brian said turning back towards him. "I don't really know what to tell you. She seems really into this dude on the net."
"She can't be!" Nick exclaimed. "She only just started talking to him right?"
Brian shrugged. "I've no clue how long she's been talking to him. Leah just told me about a week ago."
Nick sighed. "Dammit. What if she meets him and falls in love with him. I'm fucked," he moaned dropping his head in his hands.
Brian looked at Nick and shook his head sadly. "I wish I could say something to make it better. Alls I know is that if ya'll are meant to be together it will happen. If not, then it won't. I know that doesn't make it hurt any less."
"Come on," Nick said jumping up and grabbing his keys.
"What?" Brian asked surprised by the look on Nick's face. "Where we going?" he asked following Nick out the door.
"To the mall," he said almost running to his truck.
Alesha sighed and looked at her watch. "Where is he?" she mumbled scanning the crowd. "What am I doing? I don't even know what he looks like." Shaking her head she walked over to the DWC kiosk and started looking around.
"Something I could help you - HEY!!" Joe said recognizing her.
"Hey there buddy," she said smiling.
"How are ya? I haven't seen you in forever!" he said.
Alesha laughed. "Yeah, I got a new job and stuff. I live over here now," she said smiling.
"Oh really?" he asked. "What do you do now?"
"I design the web page for a local band."
"Wow, anyone I'd know?" he asked.
"Umm…well, yeah, kind of," she grinned.
"Who?" Joe asked, curios.
"Backstreet Boys," she mumbled.
"You did NOT just say the Backstreet Boys," he said laughing.
"Yes, I did," Alesha grinned. "It's kind of fun. I getta travel with them a lot and stuff."
"Wow. Must be fun," he said sarcastically. "I'm just teasing. That's great. Better than here," he said making a face at the store. "So, ya moved from Daytona to Tampa because of the job or something?"
"Kind of. I was…dating one of the boys."
"Oh really?" he asked, arching a brow.
"Yeah. So I was kind of house sitting when I wasn't on tour with them."
Joe nodded. "Cool," he said. "So what'cha doing at the mall? Aren't ya afraid of being recognized?" he teased.
Alesha shrugged. "It's kinda nifty. The fans for the most part are nice to me."
"What in the world?" Joe asked glancing over at a group of about 4 girls making all kinds of noise.
Looking over, Alesha recognized a tall blonde in the middle of the ruckus. Then she noticed the shorter guy with wavy hair. "Umm…excuse me for a minute," she said, laughing. Walking over to the group, she whispered to one of the girls. "I think AJ and Howie are over there," she said pointing in the opposite direction.
"Ohmigawd," the girls gushed running off.
"DAMN!!" Nick exclaimed. "Thanks Lesh."
"Hey chica," Brian grinned.
"What are ya'll doing here?" she asked as they walked back over to the kiosk.
"Well, I was going to get a couple of new comics and Brian wanted to get some new shoes," Nick said shaking his head.
Brian shrugged. "Forgot how crazy it gets," he grinned.
"Joe, I'd like for you to meet Frick and Frack. Kaos and Mayhem. Or rather Brian and Nick of the Backstreet Boys," Alesha introduced them.
"Hello," Joe smiled. "I think I remember you," he said pointing at Nick.
"Yup. I was the one stealing her away from here everyday," he grinned at Joe.
"So Lesh, have ya met him yet?" Brian asked.
"Met who?" Joe asked looking over at Alesha.
"A Net Nerd," Brian grinned.
"A Net Nerd?" Joe asked confused.
Brian laughed. "She's meeting someone that she met on the net," he looked confused for a second. "Did that come out right?"
Joe grinned. "I got'cha," he nodded.
"Well?" Brian asked looking at Alesha. She wasn't paying attention to him, she was too busy staring at Nick. Brian glanced over at Nick who was staring back at her. "Oookay," he mumbled shrugging at Joe.
"What did you say Brian?" Alesha asked tearing her eyes away from Nick's.
"I asked what the weather was like on Pluto."
"What?" she asked, looking over at Joe who was cracking up. He shook his head as he went to the other side of the store to help a customer.
"Nothing. Did you meet Mr. DarkStar yet?"
"No. He hasn't shown up yet. Not that I'd really know what I was looking for being that I haven't a picture to help me," she said annoyed. She shrugged, "Oh well. I'm not terribly disappointed. I just wanted to know who I've been talking to," she said.
"Well, if you've given up on waiting for him to show up, would you like to join us for lunch?" Brian asked glancing over at Nick.
Alesha shrugged again. "I have to find Taelen."
"Taelen's here?" Nick asked.
Alesha nodded. "He's in the arcade playing, EXTREMELY unhappy to be at the mall."
Nick laughed. "One of the few things he DIDN'T get from you."
Looking at him funny, she smiled. "I guess."
"Well, we could all go to lunch, if ya wanted," Nick suggested, almost pleading with her.
"Sure," she said softly.
"Coolieos," Nick grinned. Brian smiled to himself as he seen some life creep back into Nick's eyes.
"Think we're leaving buddy," Alesha called to Joe.
"Okay hon. It was nice seeing ya again. Stop by so we can chat," he said waving. "Nice meeting ya'll," he smiled.
"You too," Brian waved.
"Bye," Nick called as they walked towards the arcade.
