PART NINE

**RECAP: "What are you fucking saying, AJ?" Kevin said, rolling his eyes.

AJ shrugged. He looked at the others. "You tell me," he said, shooting everyone dirty glances, as he retreated to his small bunk.***

Brian drove aimlessly around town, not knowing where to go or what to do with himself. He had been driving for nearly two hours, and needed somewhere to stop.

He had almost all of his belongings and his dog Tyke, but didn’t have the slightest clue where to go. He needed a place to spend the night.

Names of people flashed through his mind, but he didn’t feel comfortable asking anyone if he could stay. What he didn’t have was a close friend that he could count on.

"Nick would’ve let me spend the night," he said out loud to himself and his dog, "Nick would have been there for me." He blinked a couple times, realizing exactly what he had just said. He hadn’t said anything like that in what seemed like years. In fact, Nick’s face had only brushed through his mind a couple times since the break up.

Tears brimmed his eyes as he continued to drive. When the boys had first split, he had gone crying to Leighanne every night, looking for comfort. But now, he didn’t have the boys, and he didn’t have Leighanne. He was beginning to think that he had made the wrong choice by leaving her.

"Suck it up, Brian," he said sternly, "you were miserable with her! It’s time to move on!"

He pulled over to the side of the road and put the car into park. His lower lip began to tremble, and he collapsed onto the steering wheel in fits of huge sobs.

***************************

Nick pulled off his sunglasses as he made his way through the store. He had just come from the baseball game and had to stop off at the grocery store to pick up a couple things.

He stopped in one of the aisles and browsed for something for dinner. Two girls, who looked like they were in their twenties or thirties, were standing down the aisle from him, browsing through some magazines.

"Janet! Look at this! Remember these guys?" one of the girls said to the other, holding up one of the magazines.

Nick’s ear perked up, but didn’t turn to look. He had a sick gut feeling that he knew exactly what they were talking about.

"Oh my God! Talk about totally disappearing! Remember how popular they were?! Everything was ‘Backstreet this’ or ‘Backstreet that’! Where did they go?!" the second girl said.

The first girl laughed and said, "They probably all work at Burger King now or something! I wonder why they’re even on the magazine in the first place! Don’t tell me they’re getting back together or something!"

They both mumbled something and walked away, leaving Nick in the aisle by himself. He swallowed the huge lump in his throat as he walked slowly to the magazine rack. He picked up the dreaded magazine and wondered the same thing. ‘Why are we even on this magazine?’

He flipped through the magazine until a bold title caught his eye: BACKSTREET BOYS’ PLANS TO REUNITE.

"What the...?" he said out loud, as he began to read the article.

"...You remember them. They were the poster on your wall, the CD in your stereo, the video on MTV. Then, they seemed to disappear sometime after their third worldwide release hit the stores, and nobody knew if they were over for good. Everyone thought they were done...that they had no more staying power. We were all fooled.

"The Backstreet Boys have made plans with their management team, The Firm, to reunite and record a new album. ‘We’re really excited about this idea,’ one Firm employee states, ‘and the boys seem excited about it as well.’

"‘At first we were skeptical about the idea,’ says bandmate Brian Littrell, ‘but we all joined together and collaborated like we used to. We knew it was the right thing to do.’

"‘We’ve had some difficulties in past, but all that aside, I think it’s time the world saw a new Backstreet Boys album,’ adds Nick Carter.

"Excited yet? The Boys plan to have their new album out some time at the beginning of next year, and you can definitely expect a little dose of boy-band mania along with the release...."

*********************************

Nick opened the door to his house and violently walked in. He didn’t know who to call, or what to do. All he knew was he was furious.

"This is bullshit!" he yelled to absolutely nobody, "this is all bullshit! Someone is printing this shit just to get a rise out of me!"

The fact was, the article had come completely out of nowhere. There had been no collaboration. He had never said the words that were printed in the magazine. He hadn’t even spoken to any of the guys in at least three years. Now, someone was out for serious publicity.

He picked up the phone and dialed the number he knew so well. "Hi....this is Mr. Carter....is Chris in today?.....okay, thanks," Nick said, as he was put on hold by his lawyer’s secretary.

"Hello?" said Chris, moments later.

"Hey, it’s Nick........we have a problem here."

*********************************

"Kevin....honey, are you home?" Kristen called throughout their gigantic house.

"I’m right here," he answered, stepping out of the kitchen, "what’s wrong?" Kristen’s voice had a certain edge to it.

"Kevin, I was just at the drugstore and I found this," she said, holding up a magazine, "and I don’t think you’re gonna like what’s inside."

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