"Hey T," Kedra said as I plopped down on the couch next to her, not taking her eyes off the computer screen.
"Hey," I replied, sitting back and closing my eyes.
"How was your day at the studio?" Tasha asked.
"Long, tiring, and frustrating," I said weakly. Then I remembered the good thing that had happened. "By the way, do you guys have any plans for tonight?"
"No," they replied.
"Well, you do now. In a little over an hour, the Backstreet Boys will be picking us up and taking us out to dinner."
I opened my eyes to savor the looks on their faces.
"Very funny, T," Kedra said after a minute.
"No, I'm serious. I ran into them at the studio today, and they asked if they could take me out to dinner. And they told me to bring you guys along," I said.
"You're really serious?" Tot asked.
"Yep."
They exchanged looks and started screaming and jumping up and down. I just laughed and headed upstairs (we shared a townhouse apartment) to get ready. A few minutes later, they got the picture and started getting ready. 45 minutes later we came downstairs and compared outfits. Kedra was wearing a short black skirt and a black camisole with a sheer black long-sleeved shirt over it. She likes to wear black. Could you tell? She's not gothic or anything; she just likes the color. Latasha was wearing a short white tank top dress with blue flowers on it. Her hair was pulled back into a clip with a layered strand hanging around her face. Yolanda was wearing a long black and white striped tank top dress. She wore her hair down. Ruthie was wearing a knee-length burgundy skirt with a burgundy and white striped tank top. Her hair was pulled back into a French braid. I was wearing a blue floral mini-dress with thin straps. I wore my hair down with little blue butterfly clips (I love those things) in it. The doorbell rang at 8:00 on the dot.
"Oh my god!" Tot squeaked.
I just rolled my eyes as I opened the door to see Brian standing there.
"Hey!" I said with a smile.
"Wow...you look great," he said as he looked at me.
I grinned. "Thanks."
"The guys are waiting in the limo, so..." he said.
I nodded and shoved my roommates (who were standing there in shock) out the door. We walked over to the limo and climbed in.
"I guess I'll make the grand introductions," I said, trying to break the ice. "Guys, these are the pathetic people I'm forced to live with, Kedra Edwards, Yolanda Davis, Ruthie Yanting, and Latasha Young. Girls, well, I guess you know them, but just in case you're blanking, meet Brian Littrell, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Nick Carter, and Howie Dorough."
My roommates continued to gawk, while the guys checked them out. I just rolled my eyes.
"So how old are you girls?" AJ asked.
The girls didn't answer.
"Hello? Kiwi? Tot? Yo? Ruthie? You guys alive?" I said, waving my hand in front of their faces.
No answer. I guess they were in shock.
"Well, since I'm the only of us with speaking abilities, I'll answer for them. Kedra's 20, Yo's the oldest at 26, Latasha's 24, and Ruthie's the youngest at 17," I said.
"Do they talk?" Nick asked.
"Oh yes. They definitely talk. But right now I think they're too busy trying to decide whether this is reality or one of their sick fantasies," I said, grinning.
The guys busted up laughing. Kedra immediately punched me hard in the arm.
"Ow!" I squealed. "Damn! That hurt! Now I'm gonna have a big fat bruise there!"
"You deserve it!" she replied.
I opened my mouth to give her a smart-ass reply, but she spoke before I could.
"Ticha Renee Morano, shut that big mouth of yours if you know what's good for you!"
"Since when has that ever stopped me?" I replied, with an 'attitude look'.
The guys were still cracking up, and by that time, Yo, Tot, and Ruthie had joined them.
"Are they always like this?" Kevin asked through laughter.
"Oh god! Yes they are, and we have to live with them!" Yo answered.
"Hey!" Kiwi and I protested.
By that time we had arrived at the restaurant, so we climbed out of the car, still laughing. It was a really great dinner. After 10 minutes or so, the girls realized the guys were, well, regular guy. Of course, I knew that from the beginning. But, anyway, they loosened up, and we all had a great time. We were sitting around waiting for the check when Tot spoke up.
"Hey Tish. Remember when you first came out here, you said that if you got famous, maybe we could be your back-up dancers?"
I laughed. "You'll have to talk to Elise about that one. But I wouldn't count on it. And, keep in mind, I'm not famous yet," I replied.
"You will be, though. You have a great voice," Brian said.
"And how would you know?" I asked.
"We were listening in on your recording today after we finished up. You're very talented," AJ said.
"Oh my god! You guys were listening? I didn't even notice!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah, you were kinda into your music," said Howie.
I nodded. "I get that way when I'm recording. When I'm performing, it's different. I'm totally aware of everyone. But when I'm recording, I get kind of oblivious to the outside world," I explained.
"Yeah, we figured that. But you have a beautiful voice," Brian said.
I blushed. "Thank you," I replied.
The check came, so the guys paid (they insisted on it being 'their treat') and we headed back out to the limo. 10 minutes later, the limo pulled up at our apartment building.
"That was a lot of fun. Thanks for inviting me out to dinner," I said, mostly looking at Brian.
"You're welcome," Brian replied.
"Thank you for bringing your friends," AJ said, looking at Kedra.
I laughed. "Ok, you're welcome. Like I said, I'm too young to die," I replied.
"You'll be at the studio tomorrow morning Ticha?" Brian asked.
I sighed. "With the way things are going, I'll be at the studio everyday for the rest of my life."
Everyone laughed.
"It'll get better Ticha, I promise," Kevin said.
"I hope."
"Well, we better get going, Ruthie and I have class tomorrow, and Tish, Tot, and Yo have work," Kedra said.
We all agreed.
"See you guys tomorrow," I said as I hugged them the best I could in a limo.
We all said our goodbyes and walked inside. As soon as they drove away, the excitement began.
"Oh my god! We just went to dinner with Backstreet Boys!" Tasha screamed.
They all started screaming and jumping up and down. I rolled my eyes and started to walk upstairs.
"Ticha..." Latasha called.
I stopped and turned to look at her. She had a pleading look in her eyes. I realized that maybe, just maybe, I had been excluding myself from them. So I gave in, ran downstairs, and, for the first time, I let myself scream with them.