"Come on Nick lets go, get your big butt moving!" Brian screamed.
"I'm coming Rok don't pee in your pants!" Nick yelled back climbing off the sofa.
"Bye Manda, You have to come back soon!" Candice cried hugging her best friend.
"I'll be back so soon you'll tell me to leave!" Amanda hugged her best friend, "Promise me this Candice, promise me this please!"
"What?"
"EAT!"
"Amanda.."
"No just do it, please!" Amanda gazed at her best friend who was shrieking and wanted to burst out in tears. She turned around, "bye," she muttered.
"Now I'm all alone," Candice sighed and walked back to her car slowly.
"Hello?"
"Hey Candi," a cheerful voice said.
"Oh...hi Nick."
"Well, I love you, too!"
"Sorry."
"So what are you up to?"
"Manda went back to New York a couple days ago, I've just been chillin here."
"Oh..I'm sorry," Nick sighed.
"It's fine I have lots to do anyway."
"That's good, so how is your game?"
"Better," Candice laughed.
"So when I get back you're gonna kick my butt right?!?"
"You bet buddy!"
"Hey sorry but I've gotta go cya bye," Nick hesitated.
"Bye," she hung up a little happier.
"Hey Mickey, how ya doing?" Candice asked looking down at the four pugs jumping at her. "You hungry guys?" the dogs all barked, "OK, OK hold on." She walked into the kitchen with four pugs at her ankles. "There you go guys," she poured the food in the bowls set aside for the dogs. "You miss him too?" She sat down and watched them eat, "you eat like him, too." She laughed at the dogs diving into their food. She slowly walked into the entertainment room and flopped down on the sofa, "where's the freakin remote?" she asked out loud throwing the pillows off the sofa, then the phone started to ring. "Hello?"
"What are you doing," a low voice whispered.
"Nick ohm--you scared me to death!"
He laughed, "so what are you doing?"
She through another pillow, "ha I found it! Oh I was searching for the remote."
"No, I think you are messing up my house! You better not touch my room," he held back his laughter.
"Your room?" She yelled standing up, "I couldn't even find Houston in that mess you call your room!" She teased sitting back down and turning on the TV
"Just don't mess it up..I know where everything is." Brian laughed loudly in the background.
"OK," she jumped up, "to Nick's mess...I mean room!"
"Hey," Nick protested; a dog parked.
"You can come too Mickey, say Hi to Daddy." She held the phone to the dogs ear and he barked. "I need some new clothes anyway," she whispered to the dog, but she made sure it was just loud enough for him to hear too.
"Hey my clothes...leave them alone!" Nick cried.
"Like they would fit her anyway, you're 6'1 and she is 5'5 and plus I know you weigh more than her." Aj added matter-of-factly.
"Thank you Aj!" Candice screamed into the phone so he could hear.
"My ear," Nick cried back.
"Sorry Nickels," Candice whispered. "Ohmigod!" She cried stepping into Nick's room and dropping the phone.
"Candice are you OK?" she picked up the phone.
"Yeah..er...I'm fine," Aj and Brian huddled around Nick and the phone. "Nick your room. It -- it's actually clean."
"What?" He demanded pushing Brian and Aj away from him.
"A note," she grabbed the folded up piece of paper with Nick's name on it.
"Read it to me please," Nick whispered a thousand thoughts ran through his head. Did my mom do this, but why wound she write a note? I mean I'm 19 she wouldn't have done this and plus they didn't even have enough time to pack.
"Dear Nicky," she interrupted his thoughts. "I remember you were going on tour this summer and I really miss you." She read not even in a low whisper. "I really wanted to do something for you that was special, because I'm so sorry and I miss you so much," Nick sat in silence. "I still love you and I always will, and I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you I swear. I promise never to lie or do it again." Candice took a deep breath; Nick still sat in silence. "I was so wrong and I want you back, and I really want you to come back I swear this time it will be different, love always Amanda," Candice choked out the last words.
"I gotta go bye," Nick whispered slamming down the phone. "Mandy," he mumbled under his breath.
"So, Nicky what's up in O-town?" Aj asked looking up at Nick walking around with that lost puppy dog look on his face. "Yo, Nick!"
"Huh?"
"Sup with Candice?"
"Oh..nothin..She was feeding my dogs and she saw my room."
"And? She's seen your room before."
"And?!" Nick snapped, "and it was clean, Mandy had cleaned it and left a note," Nick screamed. Aj sat in silence, He knew Mandy and he hated her, but he never said anything because Nick saw something in her that he liked and Aj wasn't going to interfere with that, what he could never figure out is what Nick saw in her.
Nick rubbed his chin and passed in front of Aj. "I think I'm gonna call her."
"Candice?"
"No...Mandah," Nick whispered dialing her phone number.
"Hello?" A male voice answered.
"Is Amanda home?"
"Yeah hold on..Amanda Hun phone for you!"
"Hello?" she asked breathlessly.
"Mandy?"
"Nick Ohmigod, I've missed you," she screeched.
"Well, Mandy I want you to do something for me."
"Anything!"
"Stay the hell out of my house and out of my life!" he screamed hanging up the phone.
"Nicky!"
"What was all the yelling?" Brian asked running into the room.
"Nick called Mandy," Aj said bluntly.
"What why would he call her?" Brian whispered as Nick stormed out of the room. Aj told him the whole story and Brian went to search for Nick.
"What the hell are you doing calling up that...that Mandah!" Brian asked Nick who was sitting at the end of a dark hall.
Nick put his head between his knees and played with his shoestrings. "Brian I didn't take her back. I told her to stay out of my life," he whispered. "But I do want her back."
"Why?!" Brian cried.
"I dunno," Nick stood up and walked back to his room and locked himself in.
"Mandy?" Candice cried aloud. "Mandy was over here!" She ripped the paper into shreds and tossed it into the wastepaper basket. She walked over to his bed and sat down, Mickey jumped up next to her, "I guess you belong to her, too just like him." She patted the dog on his head and walked toward the door glancing at some picture Nick had up of him and Mandy, some of the backstreet boys and one of Nick and her, then some others of his family. "So that's Mandy.." She traced the frame with her finger, "he doesn't look happy in any of these," she thought aloud looking at each picture. Then she looked at the picture of her and him, taken just two weeks after she had moved here. They were sitting by her pool relaxing; he looked so happy.
"Nick........stop......I can't breathe," she screamed in between her laughs. "Nick...please....stop tickling me," she gasped.
"Oh I guess I could do that," he grinned then he stopped. She was sitting on his lap and Amanda walked by and snapped a picture.
"Mandi!" They both screamed laughing.
She sighed, he looked so happy and I well---well..I look so fat, she thought closing her eyes. "Oh god!" She clenched her stomach and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
"I'm beat," Brian yawned stepping off the plane.
"Me too," Nick agreed, "but I'm glad to be home."
"I hope there's no fans here yet," Kevin whispered. It was six in the morning and they had just arrived back from their European tour. Lucky for them there was no fans at the airport yet..or at least no one had noticed them.
"Ohmigod It's Nick Carter," they heard a girl scream from behind them.
"Oh shit," Brian pulled his baseball hat down more to cover his face, just then a small figure jumper on Nick's back.
"I got a backstreet boy," she squealed. Aj just stood there and laughed and soon Brian and Kevin followed.
"Get it off," Nick cried spinning around and waving his arms. "Mark you are so fired!"
"I'm back!" she laid her head on his shoulder. Nick turned his head to see the figure on his back.
"Candice what the.."
"Oh can't I try and scare my best friend?"
"Yeah.." she jumped off his back
"Hey guys welcome back to O-Town," she hugged each guy. "So whatcha wanna do Nickels?" She put her arm around his waist. She's so small, he thought, what happened to her? Aj send him a questioned glance, all Nick could do was shrug. Brian looked at him with a 'what happened to her' look all over her face. Nick just frowned back at him. "I missed you a lot," she smiled up at him, he faked a smile. "What's wrong Nick?"
"You ight?" Nick looked down at her dark blue eyes; she turned away.
"I'm fine."
"Sure?"
"Yep," she grinned. "Race ya!" She took off for the exit door.
"Go," Brian pushed Nick and he ran after her.
"Beat you Nicky boy," she gloated gasping for air; Nick flashed her a big smile.
"New car?" He asked looking down at her new Tropical green Eclipse.
"Yeah, I was kinda sick of my mustang...my dream car.." she laughed.
"Let me drive," Nick reached for her keys.
"What about the guys?" She asked as Nick turned up the radio.
"Oh they'll be fine," Nick hit the gas. "Seat belts Hun Nick's driving." He turned up the radio more, Ohmigosh, she thought I don't know what I missed, she glanced over at him.
"But I'm glad I have it back," she thought aloud.
"Well, I'm glad," Nick said grinning at her stupidly. Candice laughed, he's so adorable, she thought. No Nope, she scolded herself.
"So whatcha wanna do tonight?" she asked flopping down on her sofa.
"Sleep..I think I have jetlag." He sat down next to her.
"OK, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Sorry Candi...I'll spend the next month with you and not sleep at all!" He kissed her cheek and headed for the door.
"Bye," she said putting her hand on her cheek. "Why do I even care?" she screamed.
Because you love him! her head screamed. No, you don't the other side declared.
"Yes, I do!" she collapsed on the sofa. You can't love him you're so messed up!
"I'm fine!" She screamed covering her ears. No, he doesn't want you!
"No stop it!" she screamed, "Oh I'm gonna be sick." She whispered running to the bathroom.
"So, so good to be home," Nick mumbled opening his front door. He saw a figure on his couch.
"Welcome back Nicky," the voice whispered. Nick's mouth formed an O and his eyes widened as the figure came into focus.
© A Candi Idea