~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He was confused.........again! He had almost been hurt when Sam had acted like she didn't want to see him perform. And he couldn't understand why. He let his thoughts drift over the past couple of weeks. Him and Sam were.......well, weird. They spoke in the halls and occasionally on the phone. But they never really talked anymore. They acted like they were almost strangers instead of people who had known each other for 16 years. His thoughts went back to the party. He'd been thinking about that night quite a bit. He could clearly remember the anger on Sam's face. He could also clearly recall the timid way she had kissed him back. Nick began smiling as he thought of that kiss. He was still laying there smiling when his door opened. A moment later he was knocked out of his revere by a pillow smacking him in the face.
"Hey!" he muttered in surprise as he sat up. Looking around, he spotted AJ with the pillow, "AJ!!!!"
"Sorry Nick.......it was too easy. You were just laying there with that goofy grin on your face!"
"Yea Nick........were you thinking about Sam?"
Nick didn't answer Brian but started blushing.
"I knew it!!"
"Oh shut up Bri."
"Nicky likes Sam, Nicky likes Sam," Brian taunted until Nick got up and tackled him. The two wrestled around for a few minutes before breaking apart out of breath and laughing.
"You guys done?"
"Yea Kev, we're done."
"So what's on the agenda tonight?"
"Well........we need to come up with a name and we need to practice for Saturday," Howie said sitting on Nick's bed.
Everyone else sat down and they thought of some names.
"How about............Florida Five?" Nick yelled out. His suggestion was met with groans.
"Nick! That is really lame," AJ protested.
"Geez.......don't see you guys coming up with any great ideas," Nick sulked.
On that note they all went back to thinking. A few hours later they still had nothing.
"I give up!" Brian shouted in frustration.
"Chill Bri, we'll think of something."
"Hey AJ, what was the name of that place we all used to hang out at a few years ago?"
AJ looked at Howie in confusion, "The mall?"
"No doofus! Oh man, that place all the local kids used to go to at night! Oh man, what was it called?!"
"The Backstreet Market?"
"Yea that's it!"
"So? What about it?"
Before Howie could answer AJ, Brian jumped up off the bed.
"That's it!" he screamed causing everyone to look at him like he was a lunatic, "Guys........our name......Backstreet Boys! You know, kinda like the Beach Boys, Beastie Boys......"
Everyone looked around at each other and slowly began smiling.
"Brian my man! You are a genius!!" AJ cheered, slapping Brian on the back.
"Hey! What about me?! I'm the one who brought up the Backstreet part," Howie said defensively.
Everyone started laughing. Not long after they were staring at each other confused. Listening, they head it again. Slowly, one by one they headed to look out Nick's window. The sight they saw made them choke on laughter.
"Hey Nick, where ya going?" Brian asked as Nick made his way to the door.
"To get the video camera. This is too good of an opportunity to miss!"
Moments later he came back and they all crowded around the window as Nick recorded.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sam was just finishing her paper when Sera walked in.
"Hey Sam, ya done?"
"Just finished. Perfect timing."
"Yea I know, I'm good! Ready to go?"
"Do we have to go to the mall? I'm not in the mood. Why don't we just hang out here."
"And do what?"
"Well, my folks are out for the night, so we can crank up my stereo and sing along. You know, just goof off, pig out.......what do you say?"
"Okay, you go get the snacks and I'll get the music pumping."
Sam jumped off her bed and ran downstairs to get snacks. A moment later she could hear the music going. Racing back upstairs, Sam shut her door behind her and deposited the chips and sodas on her dresser. After a few minutes of arguing they chose a really old CD to put in.
"I can't believe I'm going to listen to this!" Sam groaned as sounds of 'New Kids On The Block' filled the room.
Sera grabbed her hands and they started jumping around the room. Song after song, they danced and sang, acting like total idiots!! Changing CD's a few times they somehow ended up on another 'New Kids' one. Sam was going crazy during 'Hangin' Tough' and singing into her mirror with enthusiasm while shaking her butt. Sera was jumping around on her bed like a moron. As Sam stared into the mirror something caught her eye. She could see the reflection of her window and therefore Nick's window. And in his window she saw Brian, AJ, Kevin, Howie and Nick watching them and laughing. To make it worse.......Nick had a video camera. Turning around Sam screamed.
"NICK!!! YOU ARE DEAD!!!"
Sam turned and raced out of her room with Sera close on her heels. The raced outside, slamming the door behind them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick, Brian, Howie, AJ and Kevin watched and laughed as Sam and Sera entertained them. And Nick got it all on video. After a little while, Sam caught them and began yelling. They continued to laugh as they watched Sam and Sera run out of her room.
"Oh shit guys! They're coming over here!" Nick sputtered between laughing, "Let's get out of here!"
Everyone unanimously agreed and they all took off downstairs.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jane sat in the living room trying to watch TV. It was hard though. Nick and the guys were upstairs laughing hysterically and she could hear music pour from Sam's house. Suddenly there was silence........for a moment. Then Jane heard what sounded like a stampede of elephants running down the stairs and out the backdoor. A moment later the front door opened and shut and two sets of feet skidded to a stop.
"They went out the back Sam!!" Jane hollered.
"Thanks Mrs. Carter!"
Then two sets of feet stomped through and the back door slammed again. Robert looked at his wife in amazement.
"How did you know it was Sam?"
"Women's intuition."
Robert looked at her strange but left it at that. They both turned back to the TV show.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Once Sam and Sera reached the backdoor, they saw they guys heading down the stairs to the beach and took off after them. For about 15 minutes they chased them up and down the beach. Then Sera managed to corner Brian and had him lying face down in the sand. Not too long after that Sam caught up to Nick and jumped on his back.
"Give me the tape!!"
"No way Sam, that one's mine!"
Nick lost his balance then, from laughing and having Sam on his back, and they both tumbled to the sand. Not giving up, Sam began punching him.
"Hand it over!!"
By now everyone else had gathered around and were egging them on and laughing at them.
"No way Sam!! That was priceless......"
"Nickers!!! Give it up now!!"
"NICKERS!!??" everyone around them turned to yell.
"Sam!! Oh your dead now!"
With that, Nick grabbed Sam and headed down to the water. Not listening to her screams, he tossed her into the surf. Sam came up sputtering and once again got up and tackled Nick's retreating figure.
"Nick!! I want that tape and I want it now!"
"No way!" he cried as Sam shoved sand in his face.
"You know guys, all this sexual tension is not good for you," Sera commented which caused both Nick and Sam to get up quickly.
"Shut up Sera.....Nick, I want the tape!"
"Uh huh, no way, no how."
"Oh......so you gonna make me take out the lovely video of you streaking down the beach butt naked when you were 13?"
"What?! How did you know about that?"
"Gee Nick......um.....you were screaming loudly!! So I grabbed my camera and got some blackmail footage. So, either you give me the tape or all of your lovely friends as well as mine will get to see you in your birthday suit."
"Guys.....why don't we discuss this later! Lets do something now." Brian said interrupting the argument.
"Like what Frick?"
"I dunno.......AJ, any ideas?"
"Yea.....truth or dare!"
"NO!" both Sam and Nick yelled at the same time.
"Oh come on.....this one will be better......we won't just be picking on you two. We'll pick on everyone!"
After some grumbling they all sat on the sand and began a very boring game of truth or dare. The highlight of the night was when Nick and Sam got them all back for the previous game. After daring them all to sit in the ocean in their underwear, her and Nick grabbed their clothes and ran. After dropping the clothes in a dumpster they hid out at Sam's until the banging got too bad. Then they let them in and directed them to their clothes. It was hilarious!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So, did you have fun Frack?"
"Yea, I haven't laughed so much in ages!!"
"Yea I know! So how long do you have before graduation?"
"Hm.....only about a month. We've got prom in two weeks and then two weeks after that we graduate."
"You going to prom?"
"I doubt it."
"Why not?"
"I don't know.....there's no one to go with now."
"Well......now don't bite my head off now.......why don't you ask Sam?"
"I don't know Bri.......things aren't exactly normal between us. That'll just make it worse."
"How so? I mean, come on......you don't want to go cuz you don't have no one to go with. Sera told me that Sam isn't going cuz she doesn't have anyone to go with. You guys are in the same boat......so you may as well go together. Who knows......it could be fun!"
"Maybe."
"Well that's a start! Ask her Nick! I'm going home! Since we didn't rehearse tonight, we were all gonna stop by tomorrow and try it again. Is that okay?"
"Yea that's fine. We didn't really accomplish much today did we?"
"Yea we did. We picked a name. And you know who you're taking to the prom now."
"Brian, you are hopeless. Okay, I'll think about asking her!"
"Good......but I'd hurry......she is a girl and with prom so close, she's still going to need to shop!"
"Okay, okay! I get the point! Now go!! I'll see you tomorrow."
After Brian finally left, and exhausted Nick went upstairs. Popping in the video he laughed for a while as he watched Sam dance around.
"Maybe Bri's right......prom could be fun......especially if she dances like that," Nick mumbled laughing. Turning off the lights, he watched the video until he eventually fell asleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After everyone had left, Sam headed off to shower and get the sand off of her. Thinking back, Sam searched her room for all of her old videos. Finally finding them in the back of her closet, she popped on in her VCR. It was of her 5th birthday party. Sam couldn't help but laugh as she watched Nick push her down and saw herself crying. A moment later Nick came over and gave her a hug and a kiss. The next thing you knew, they were running around again.
"God it was so easy then........"
Popping another video in, she found herself looking at a tape of her Sweet Sixteen party. The most recent recording of her and Nick. Watching it, Sam gasped. Right here on video for everyone to see, she stared at Nick with such longing in her eyes.
"I can't believe no one ever said anything.........man I'm so obvious!"
Sam fell asleep watching her and Nick dance to the first slow song of the party..........