BACK		Think It Over

?Let?s hear you sing!? I exclaimed as a whole bunch of us watched Nicky strut to the stage to perform a karaoke song.
Nicky laughed as he saw all of his friends and me cheering him on. He started to perform a rendition of the Jackson Five?s ?I?ll Be There?.

After finishing his smashing performance, the whole karaoke bar burst into cheers.
?A beer for the man of the hour!? One of Nicky?s friends, Patrick, shouted out to a waitress.
I kissed Nicky on the cheek. ?That was absolutely wonderful.?
He grinned and kissed me on the lips. ?That song was for you Colleen.? He whispered into my ear.
?Aww?? I pretended to squeeze his cheeks. ?Such a gentleman, aren?t you?? I tousled Nicky?s floppy blonde hair.
?I try.? He touched my nose and then drank his beer.

Then a young man dressed in a suit pulled up a chair at our table. The whole group silenced, wondering why a stranger had done that.
?Hello,? He greeted us uncomfortably when he noticed six faces staring at him.
?I?m Chris O?Neil. I?m a representative of RCA Records. I just wanted to meet the young man who sang the Jackson Five song earlier.?
?Then why didn?t you say so?? Patrick slapped Chris?s back. ?The Nickster is over there!?
Chris and Nicky shook hands. I could tell that something good was about to happen. I always knew that Nicky had a great singing voice.
?Why don?t you come by to this audition for a new band we?re starting up? It?s tomorrow morning at RCA Dublin headquarters.? Chris said to Nicky as he handed Nicky his business card.
Nicky look flustered. ?You think I?m good??
?I think you have what it takes to make it,? Chris smiled and got up. ?Nice to meet you Nicky.? He waved us goodbye.
?Wow! You?re going to be famous!? Patrick cried, as all of us couldn?t believe what happened.
?Ah, I don?t know. I mean, there must be lots of other people who?s better than me.? Nicky sipped his beer.
?Don?t be so modest. You?re great!? I hugged him and Nicky chuckled. ?We?ll see Colleen.?

***** The next afternoon *****

?How did your audition go?? I asked Nicky as we sat down on a blanket in a local park for our picnic date to celebrate him getting an audition.
?Good. I don?t want to say how good. It could be bad luck.? Nicky handed me a Dr.Pepper.
I laughed. ?God. You can be so superstitious.? I popped open the drink and sipped it.
?I met some of the other guys who are already in the band. Three of them already made it since one of their mothers was the person behind it all.? Nicky said as we ate our BLT sandwiches that my mother had made.
?That sounds nice. Do you like them?? I asked him.
Nicky nodded his head as he bit into his sandwich. ?They seem pretty cool to me. The manager said that he would call me any time soon. They?re letting the people who tried out know if they made it or not today.?
?I have faith in you Nicky. No matter what happens, I?ll always be proud of you.? I touched his cheek and he kissed it
. ?Yeah, I know you do.? He whispered and brushed his hair away from his face.

***** Half an hour later *****

I heard Nicky?s mobile ring. His face turned white the moment it rang.
?Answer it!? I whispered to him.
?I can?t. It?s them. Oh my God. They called so soon? That must mean I?m not in the band!? Nicky panicked as he stared at his mobile. ?Answer it for me Colleen.?
I took the mobile from his hand. ?Hello? Yes I remember.?
Nicky looked anxiously at me as I listened to the person on the other line.
?Okay. I?ll tell him?. Yes?. That?s fine. Bye.? I clicked it off and handed it back to Nicky.
Nicky looked as if his grandmother had just died. ?I knew it. I didn?t make it.? His head hung low.
?Well?.? I began. ?That was Chris, the guy from last night. You made the band.? I pretend to be nonchalant.
Nicky?s head flew up. ?What??
I laughed joyfully. ?You made it! They loved you! They want to see you tomorrow 9 A.M.!? I hugged Nicky and he gasped.
?I made it?? He couldn?t believe my news.
?Yes, for the millionth time, you made it!? I exclaimed as he hugged me tighter.
Nicky scooped me up into another hug and kissed me affectionately on my lips. ?I couldn?t have done it without you Colleen.?
I chuckled at his facial expressions. ?You better get home and get ready for tomorrow.?
Nicky kissed me again quickly. ?You?re right. What should I wear??
I squeezed one of his cheeks. ?I don?t know. That?s up to you. Since when do you ask me for your opinion of what to wear??
?Never mind. You?re right. Let?s go.? Nicky and I picked up our picnic lunch to go back to our houses.

***** Five months later *****

I sighed as I looked at a strip of photobooth pictures of Nicky and I. I hadn?t spoken to him in nearly two weeks and the last time I saw him was when he returned home to Dublin over a month ago. I would actually get a chance to see him today when his new band came into town for a signing session.
I checked my watch. It was already 2 o? clock. We were to meet at a café near the record store.
?He?s never late. Strange.? I thought as I searched the crowd. I spotted a young blonde-haired man approaching my table. When I saw this man wearing a Manchester United hat, I knew it was Nicky.
?It?s so good to see you Colleen,? Nicky hugged me tightly and kissed me on my lips. ?Sorry I?m late. I had to sign a few more autographs.?
I smiled at him. ?It?s good to see you too. I guess you?ve been really busy.?
?Too busy. I?m sorry I haven?t called you lately. We?ve been working on our promotion for our first single.? Nicky took off his cap.
I gasped in horror when he did that. I saw Nicky look at me with a funny look on his face.
?What?s wrong?? He peered at me as he set his hat down on the table.
?You cut and dyed your hair?? I finally regained my posture.
Nicky ran his fingers through his hair. ?Oh yeah. I guess I did.?
?You never liked to have short hair. Forgive my behaviour. It?s just a surprise that?s all.? I choked on my water.
Nicky laughed. ?It?s pretty much temporary. The stylists want us to try out some new looks.? He took my water bottle and took a sip. ?Hey, our record company is having a party to celebrate the record deal. Would you like to come??
?Ooh! Such a privilege! I?m going to be mingling with famous people!? I teased Nicky.
?Watch out, I?m going to be one of those people soon!? He rapped my hand with my water bottle.

***** Later that night *****

?This is Mark, Shane and Kian. Over there by the food table is Bryan.? Nicky introduced me to his band mates.
I shook their hands. ?Nice to meet you. I?ve heard some interesting stories about you guys.?
Shane, the shorter dark-haired guy laughed. ?Nothing bad I hope.?
?You must be Colleen, Nicky?s good friend.? Kian finally said to me.
I stood there staring at Kian. ?Good friend?? I thought. I turned to Nicky with a look on my face, waiting for an explanation.
Nicky shifted his feet from one side to the other. ?Would you excuse us please?? he asked the guys and they gladly left us alone.
?What do you mean, ?Good friends?? I asked Nicky in a sarcastic tone.
He blushed embarrassely. ?We?re not really supposed to have girlfriends. At least not for a while.?
I bit my lips. ?I thought you never cared about what people thought about us.?
?Look Colleen. This has always been one of my dreams. I can?t just?? Nicky sighed and took my hand to lead my outside.

You say you wanna see the city lights
?Cause they shine so bright
And they?re calling you, oh
Before you go, you need to know
I won?t stand in your way, but I want you to stay

Nicky put his hands on my face. ?I still love you Colleen, you know.? My heart ached as his warm hands calmed my nerves. ?You need to find your dream Nicky.? I felt my eyes water. ?I?m only in the way of that.?

I remember those summer nights
When I held you tight
And it felt so right
I thought what we had would never end
And now you?re leavin?

Baby, think it over (think it over)
Before you walk away
Baby, think it over (think it over)
Before you turn the page
I want you to stay

I saw Nicky?s light blue eyes become glazed. ?But?? he sputtered.
?It?s for your own good.? I removed his hands from my face, regretting every single second. ?You have this wonderful opportunity. Don?t lose it.?

You say you?re goin? to be a star
But some day you are
And I would never ask you to change
I really want you to chase your dreams
But the pain it leaves is just so hard on me

?You?re really willing to give up your happiness so I can be happy?? He asked me in shock.
?I?m not giving up my happiness. I?ve always been happy. No matter where you go or do, I?ll always be proud of you.? I started to back away.
My heart raced as Nicky watched me walk away. ?Please, let him come to me. Make him follow me.? I desperately thought, but it seemed like Nicky wasn?t going to do that.

I remember those summer nights
When I held you tight
And it felt so right
I thought what we had would never end
And now you?re leavin?

Baby, think it over (think it over)
Before you walk away
Baby, think it over (think it over)
Before you turn the page
I want you to stay

?I love you,? I whispered to Nicky as I pulled my cashmere sweater around my shoulders, which were cold from the wind outside. ?I always will.?
I saw his hand reach out to me, but quickly dropped to his side. That was my only chance for us and his hesitation showed it all.

Stay till the morning comes
I wanna change your mind
One last chance for you to see
What you?re leaving behind

I remember those summer nights
When I held you tight
And it felt so right
I thought what we had would never end
And now you?re leavin?

As I completely wrapped myself in my sweater, I let out a deep sigh of agony. ?Oh God.? I muttered under my breath as I tried to hold back my tears.

Baby, think it over (think it over)
Before you walk away
Baby, think it over (think it over)
I?m begging you to stay

?Whenever you?re ready, come back to me,? I thought as I walked off in the lonely night so I could catch a taxi back to my house. ?That is, if you don?t ever change.?

Baby, think it over
Think it over
Think it over
Baby, think it over
Think it over??

~ Lyrics ~ Think It Over ~ Wave (A Canadian duo)