The next morning, Nick was in the middle of a deep sleep when he heard the phone ring. Knowing that someone else would get it, Nick just rolled over and fell back asleep. He finally decided to answer it ten rings later. "Hi Amber," he said, still not quite awake. "Why are you calling so early?" "Oh Nicky, I just couldn't go another minute without hearing your voice!" AJ said in a high-pitched voice. He dissolved into laughter. "Shut up AJ!" Nick sat up in bed, while AJ kept laughing. "Ha ha very funny. What do you want?" "I told you I wanted to hear your voice," AJ said with emphasis. "Nah I'm just kidding with you Nick. I called to remind you that we have a sound check at 4:00 for that concert thing." "Don't worry, I didn't forget. I'll be there," Nick hung up the phone and tried in vain to go back to sleep. Deciding it was hopeless, he got up and went downstairs in search of breakfast. Amber and Christy sat on the couch, talking excitedly about the huge concert they were attending that day. "I can't wait to see the Backstreet Boys live again!" Christy exclaimed. "I know!" Amber agreed. "I wonder what they're going to wear." "Who cares what they're going to wear?" Christy shook her head. "They're the Backstreet Boys!" "Good point," Amber said. "Hey who else is going to be there?" "Umm... I don't know. I don't think it said on our tickets." Christy got up to look at the newspaper. She grabbed the entertainment section and scanned the page until she saw the concert heading. "*N Sync, Robyn, 98 Degrees, Backstreet Boys of course, All Saints," Christy's voice trailed off and all of a sudden she dropped the paper. "What is it?" Amber asked. "What's wrong?" "Five is going to be there," Christy said with digust in her voice. "Ewww," Amber wrinkled her nose. "I HATE them!!" "Me too!" Christy agreed. "Oh well. I guess we better get ready. The others will be here soon." Meanwhile, Claudia, Sam, and Erica were trying to decide on what they should wear to the concert. "I don't know what to wear," Sam said while systematically looking at, then discarding clothes. "I want to look my best for Brian." "Sam you are so lucky," Claudia sighed. "Your Backstreet Boys likes you back. I don't think D likes me that much." "Don't say that Claudia," Sam said, trying to reassure her friend. "Howie likes you." "Whatever," Claudia said. "Let's just drop it." The room was quiet as the three girls searched through their closets. "AJ is so fine," Erica stated her opinion. "Where did that come from?" Sam inquired. "I just thought it would break the ice," Erica replied. Sam and Claudia looked at each other then shrugged. The girls finished getting ready and went to pick up Christy and Amber. They pulled in the driveway and saw the cousins ready and waiting. "Ok step on it Sam," Amber said when she got in the car. "Why?" Erica asked. "Are we running late?" "No, we aren't running late," Christy assured her. "Amber is just impatient. Can we stop at the grocery store?" "Why?" asked Claudia. "I need some tomatoes to throw at Five," Christy said in a mischievious voice. "Good idea," Amber enthused. "I wish I thought of that!" "Five is a good group," said Claudia. "Why do you guys hate them?" Amber rolled her eyes. "Hello! Where have you guys been?" "Umm here," Sam shot her a weird look in the rearview mirror. "Where have you been?" "Anyway," Amber said. "Scott was mean to my Nicky poo." "Plus they have the stupidest nicknames," Christy added. "Abs! What is that?" "You have a point there Christy," said Claudia. "But Amber you are taking the Nick thing way too personally." "I am not!" Amber crossed her arms and stared out the window. "Well we're here," said Erica. "Look Sam, park over there." Sam pulled into a parking space and the girls hopped out of her car. They walked over across the parking lot and, after standing in line, entered the stadium. The girls pushed their way through the crowds toward the VIP area, while pulling out their backstage passes. When the security aske dto see their passes, Amber grabbed Christy's arm. "I can't find my pass," she said frantically. "What?" Christy hissed. "I swear I put it in here," Amber began to search through her purse once again. At that moment, the guard asked Christy to see her pass. She showed it to him and Amber moved up in line, but was stopped by the guard. "You see," Amber explained. "I am close, personal friends with the Backstreet Boys.." "Yeah yeah," the guard cut her off. "And I'm Madonna. If you don't have a pass, you can't get in." "But.. but...," Amber stuttered. "I had one, but I lost it." "Step aside," the guard moved Amber out of the way. She looked at Christy. Her cousin gazed back at her helplessly, then mouthed, "Don't worry."
"Where's Amber?" Erica asked as the girls walked around backstage in search of the guys. "She couldn't find her pass, so the guard wouldn't let her through," Christy explained. "So what's she going to do?" Claudia wondered. "Well, if we find the guys, then one of them can go get Amber," Sam suggested. The girls picked up their pace and soon found themselves outside the Boys' dressing room. Christy held up her hand to knock, then looked questioningly at her friends. They nodded and Christy knocked on the door. "Who is it?" came a high-pitched voice from within the room. "Umm... Christy, Claudia, Erica, and Sam," Christy answered tentatively. The door swung open and Nick stood there with his arms crossed. "Hey guys, come on in," he held the door open for them. When all the girls were inside, he asked, "Where's Amber?" "She lost her pass and the guard wouldn't let her come in," Claudia said. "Nick, could you go get her?" Christy asked. "She's waiting at the backstage enterance." "Sure," Nick answered. He grabbed a hat, "Tell the other guys that I'll be right back." He walked out of the room and Sam immediately popped herself on the couch. Picking up the remote, she began to flip through channels. "Man, I'm starving." Claudia rubbed her stomach. "Me too," Christy said. "Let's go raid their refridgerator." They walked toward the kitchen area. Erica said, "I'm going to go look for AJ," then left the room. While Sam was watching TV, she heard a door slam, and then saw Brian and Howie enter the room. She began to greet them, but stopped when she heard them talking. "So, are you going to ask her out again?" Howie inquired. "Since Nick ruined the date and stuff." "I would, but we're leaving soon," Brian replied. "There's not enough time. It's too bad. I really like her." Sam thought, OH MY GOSH! I have to tell Christy and Claudia. She jumped off the couch and began running to the kitchen. However, she failed to notice the nintendo control, Sam tripped and fell flat on her face. Brian and Howie came running in to see what all the commotion was. "Sam!" Brian helped her up. "Are you okay?" "Yeah," Sam said, face red from embarassment. "I just tripped." "Hey, when did you guys get here?" Howie wanted to know. "A couple of minutes ago," Sam answered. "Nick let us in, then he had to go get Amber. She forgot her pass." "Spaking of Amber," Brian said, as she and Nick entered the room. At that moment, Claduia, Christy, and Kevin came in from the kitchen and Aj and Erica also walked in. The group sat down and talked, until their manager interrupted, indicating that the guys needed to get dressed. They immediately began changing clothes, forgetting the girls were in the room. "Ahh yeah," Amber said loudly. "Take it all off!" The others began whistling. The boys turned bright red, except AJ, who continued stripping. He ripped off his shirt and threw it at Erica with a flourish. Kevin cleared his throat, "Sorry about that," he apologized. "Usually we don't have other people in here with us." "What's there to be sorry about?" Christy said, with a big smile. Claudia, sensing their discomfort, spoke up, "Maybe we should go. We need to get seats." Howie shot her a grateful smile, which she returned. The girls exited and went to their reserved seats. In a half an hour, the huge concert had begun. 'N sync was the opening act. After their first song, Lance grabbed the microphone and said, "How's everyone doing tonight?" The crowd cheered, then became quiet. Amber yelled at the top of her lungs, "You're fine! But not as fine as Nick Carter!" Lance looked over in her direction and nodded, but with a weird look on his face. Following 'N sync was Robyn, then the Backstreet Boys came onto the stage. The girls began screaming and jumping up and down. They acknowledged them with a wave, and then sang "Get Down." Later in the concert, the boys announced that they were going to perform "I'll Never Break Your Heart." They walked to a group of girls sitting nearby, intending to pull them on stage. "Hey!" Erica shouted indisnantly. "What about us?" The boys turned around and started laughing. They walked towards the girls and extended their hands. The girls came on stage and the guys sang to them. For the last song, the boys sang "Everybody." When Nick sang, "Am I sexual?" Amber screamed, "Yeah! Take it off, Nick!" He started laughing, but quickly calmed himself. The guys finished and exited the stage. The girls stayed to watch 98 degrees and All Saints, then Amber and Christy turned around to leave. "Hey," Sam grabbed Christy's arm. "Where are you guys going? We want to watch Five." "I don't," Amber said. "Plus, we have to say goodbye to the boys," Christy reminded them. "Oh, fine," Erica sighed and the girls left their seats. They entered the backstage area and went immediately to the Boys' dressing room. Claudia knocked on the door and Howie opened it. "Hey guys!" he said. "Come on in." The girls entered, and Howie grabbed Claudia's hand, pulling her into the bathroom. "Howie?" Claudia cleared her throat. "Not to be rude or anything, but why are we in the bathroom?" "Because I know for sure that we can be alone here," he said. "And I wanted to say goodbye to you alone." Maybe my Backstreet Boy does like me, Claudia thought. She gave him her address and phone number and promised to write her soon. She looked into his eyes, as he bent his head to meet her lips. In the kitchen, Erica and AJ were kissing passionately. She pulled away from him. "AJ, I can't believe you're leaving," she said sadly. "Aww Erica, don't be sad," he looked at his watch. "We still have 5 minutes before I have to go!" They resumed their previous activity. Meanwhile, Christy and Kevin were talking in the weight room. "Christy, these past weeks have been the best of my life," Kevin told her. "I am so glad I got the chance to know you." Christy opened her mouth to say something, but before she got the chance to speak, Kevin covered her lips with his. "Wow!" she said as they pulled away. She smiled and grabbed his shirt, pulling him toward her. Nick and Amber were engrossed in a nintendo game in the main room. "You know, Amber," Nick looked at her. "At first you kinda scared me. You're really loud." "Oh sorry about that," Amber apologized. "I was pretty crazy. Especially the tackling thing." "No, I liked that," Nick grinned. Amber threw her control down and tackled him again, planting a kiss firmly on his lips, which he returned. Sam and Brian walked hand and hand outside near the basketball court. "Brian, I can't believe you're leaving!" she said, as a tear ran down her cheek. Brian wiped it away. "Don't worry Sam," Brian said. "Next time, I'm in Florida, we'll go on our first date." "Yes, but without Nick," she said. Brian chuckled. "Yes, with out Nick." He took her into his arms, then kissed her. A couple of minutes later, Nick whistled at them. "Yo Brian we gotta go," he called. Brian and Sam relunctantly let go, and walked inside. The girls said goodbye to the Boys one last time, then they departed for their U.S. tour.
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