Chapter Eleven

The girls got back to the hotel and caught up on old times while sitting on the bed in Nicole’s room. They had many conversations that ended in hysterical laughter and many sighs. "So does he really speak as slow as I think he does?" They both laughed.

Nicole was still smiling, "No. Well, he does take a lot of time to speak when he does interviews. He just wants to make sure he doesn’t say something stupid. But when he's just talking, like straight from the mind, he speaks at a normal pace."

"So in the interviews, he talks like he's a day late and dollar short?" They continued to laugh.

Nicole relayed stories of her nights with Kevin. Although nothing happened, it was a big deal to the friends. Maggie sat wide-eyed with wonder of the tales. "So he slept in your bed?" Nicole's response was a nod. "And you in his?" She nodded again. "And Kristin knows nothing?"

"She knows I slept in his room, but nothing else." Nicole continued stressing her statement. "And nothing happened!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. So where is she now?"

"Something about going to visit someone. She'll be gone for the night, but back again tomorrow."

"Good. I wanna meet her." Just as Maggie finished her sentence, there was a knock at the door.

Nicole got up off the bed to answer it and spoke while she opened the door, "Mags, she's the enemy."

"Yeah, and I want to be able to identify the enemy." Kevin came, walking through the doorway and asked who the enemy was. Nicole chuckled, then answered no one.

Maggie stifled a laugh then turned to Nicole. "Day late, dollar short."

Nicole furrowed her brows and responded, "Maggie!" like a mother to her troubled child.

Kevin shook off the girls and spoke, "I heard you girls laughing and decided to see the deal."

Nicole looked at her watch reading 6pm. She didn't realize it was getting to the evening, but still wanted to continue her time with Maggie. Turning to Kevin, she asked, "Don't you guys have something to do?" She knew they had a schedule to keep.

"Um, yeah," was his only answer.

Nicole took a shot in the dark. "Guys left ya didn't they?" He nodded with a smirk. Nicole smiled back; she always thought his little smirks were adorable. She couldn't ignore him if he were smiling. Maggie cleared her throat slightly. Nicole could see an excitement in her friend’s face and realized she hadn't introduced them properly. "Geez, sorry Mags. Kevin, Maggie. Maggie, Kevin."

They shook hands and exchanged the ordinary 'Hi, how ya doing.'

Kevin began to recall the incident earlier that day when Nicole jumped to her bed for the phone call and AJ responded it was Maggie. He and Brian didn't understand it before, but he now knew.

"So this is what AJ meant by Maggie?" He told Maggie about Nicole's actions when she was getting ready to call her. She smiled and they all laughed together. "Anyway, Jes said she wanted you to meet up with us at the stage and I figured I'd escort you there."

Nicole felt a hole in his story and was anxious to hear it. "Where's Jes?"

"She's at dinner with Paul and said we should get some extra practice."

She still didn't believe that was all to the story but was not at all apprehensive about seeing it unfold. She figured she would get over to the practice anyway. She didn't want to leave Maggie alone, but figured she would enjoy seeing the Boys. "You up to it?"

Maggie's eyes lit up and knew where this was going, but wanted to hear it for sure. "Up to what?"

"Just think about patting your ass," she responded in a risqué voice. She continued in a kiddy voice, "and singing about some cwying." They both laughed thinking of the jokes they made watching the BSB video of the Homecoming-Orlando concert. Maggie stood up gently tapping her behind and smirked.

Kevin shook his head, "I'm afraid to ask." The girls laughed together for what seemed like the hundredth time of the day. "Let's go kiddies." He was jingling a pair of keys when Nicole realized they were Jessica's keys.

"Wait, she let you take that?" referring to the Expedition. "How?"

He responded simply, "I asked."

She sighed with jealousy as Maggie rung her arm through Nicole's. "Let's go dear. You'll live."

They ventured to the All-State Arena and Nicole laughed how the venue will always be known as the Rosemont Horizon to her. They were walking towards the entrance when she spoke again.

"I've seen many a things here and will never desecrate those memories by naming it after an insurance company."

Maggie laughed at her friend; "You are too dramatic."

"When you’re with the five most popular, good looking, well groomed men in the world, you need to do something to draw some attention to yourself."

Kevin heard every word, and enjoyed hearing the compliments. "Good looking?"

She had to defend herself, plus being around Maggie put her into her sarcastic mood to laugh at. "Don't get your hopes up. I also said well groomed and that's a joke right now." She looked at his jeans whose ends were ragged and the lazy white T-shirt hanging out of the Adidas sweatshirt.

"Tell me something good."

She laughed and spat back in a sarcastic tone, "Well, your almost dressed for the weather."

They continued walking down multiple hallways. "Yeah well had I known it would be twenty below, I could have packed my snow suit."

"It's late January in Chicago, how could you not think of a bitter cold?"

Maggie laughed, watching the two bicker. "Do we know where we are going?"

Kevin stopped in front of a door, "Yeah." As if on cue, he opened the door to the auditorium.

There was stadium style seating everywhere with a centered stage for their "theater in the round" performance. Nicole felt the holes of Kevin's story beginning to fill when she noticed no one else was in the whole place except them three and four guys sitting on the stage. "Where is everyone?" He pointed to the stage and the other guys. "No, like everyone else?"

He didn't answer but walked ahead of them to join the guys at the stage. Maggie and Nicole got to the stage and Nicole was still in wonder. AJ stood up and spoke for the five guys. "Ladies, your entertainment for this evening." He spread out his arms to present the others.

Nicole laughed, "AJ, I was kidding about the strip show."

Maggie nudged Nicole, "No you weren't." Everyone broke out laughing.

"What is this Kareoke night?" Nicole asked putting her hands on her hips.

AJ didn't answer. "Well since you're not being a good hostess, I'll do the introductions." He introduced the other three to Maggie.

"I apologize for lacking in the hostess department, but I am trying to put two and two together."

Brian broke in, "Four." Nicole swatted at him playfully hitting him. "Like Bone said, we're your entertainment." He then broke out singing to the tune of Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely, singing AJ's part, "Your every wish will be done." He returned to speaking. "Whatever you want to hear, we will sing. Whatever you want to see, we will dance."

Maggie was beginning to love the idea of this kind of entertainment. But Nicole was questioning it.

"Does Jessica know you guys are here? Doing this?"

Brian spoke, "Yes. And yes."

She looked around wondering how the guys were going to dance without music. She knew they could sing acappella, and that they did it terribly well. Nick picked up a remote he had lying next to him and pointed it towards one of the corners where some music equipment was being kept. "That's the Way I Like It" began to blare through the speakers. "Presto!" he called out in a proud voice.

Nicole turned around and smiled, then turned to her friend. She could see the excitement in her eyes. "Are you gonna take a seat?" They both smiled and sat down as the show began.