"I think I'm likin' the hat!" AJ exclaimed as I modeled it. It was a week after I had bought it, and I was just now showing it to him. "But I'm still rather disappointed that you went without me...."
"Oh shut up J!" I cried, taking off my hat and throwing it at him. The hat hit him in the stomach and he began to laugh. J was sitting in a bean bag in the middle of my hat room. I had drug him over that day so that he could see my hat and we could talk because neither of us had anything going on and we were bored. Emily had to work that day, so it was just the two of us.
J handed the hat back to me and I hung it up. Then, we went out to the front room and flicked on a movie. I made some popcorn and we sat and began to watch the movie...Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Then we would put on Grease. By the time Ferris was halfway through, there was popcorn all over the floor. Towards the beginning of the movie, I kept feeling something hitting the back of my head. J kept throwing popcorn at me. So, I would turn around and throw some back at him. Soon, J was spitting kernels at my head. The whole time, Chachi was running around between us, eating up every kernel and every fluff of popcorn he could, until he was completely full and had fallen asleep on the floor. And there was still popcorn and kernel flying between us. I found a kernel, stuck it in my mouth, and quickly turned around to spit it at J, before turning back to face the TV, so I didn't get anything shot at my face. AJ kept bombarding my head with popcorn.
Finally, I gave up, grabbed a big throw pillow, and started hitting him with it. J shielded himself with his hands as I hammered him with the pillow, until the phone rang.
"SAVED!" J cried as I stopped to answer the phone. It was Howie.
"Hey Gilligan. I'm bored. Mind if I stop by?" D asked.
"Oh sure! J and I are just sitting here, watching a movie," I informed him. Then, AJ yelled in the background "SHE'S ATTACKING ME!!!!!" Howie and I laughed. "Come on over whenever you want. We'll be waiting!"
"Ok. See ya in a few!" Howie called into the phone, before we both hung up. Within seconds that I got off the phone with D, it rang again. It was Nicky. He was bored as well. So, Nick was on his way. Not long after, Brock was invited. And finally, the BB had called and was on his way over. When they all got there, it was like one big party, something we hadn't done in a while. On the couch sat Brian, Kevin, Nicky, and Howie, with me sandwiched between them. AJ maintained his post in the chair, with a sleeping Mucho on his lap. We all sang out with Ferris to "Twist and Shout" in the parade scene and crooned out the lyrics to every song and recited every line in Grease. (Brian once played Doody in the play at his school. He knew every word to "Mooning", which only played in the background. He didn't care. He just sang it anyways.)
By the time the movies were over, it was 10:30 and Howie was asleep. My head was resting on my knee, which I had brought up and wrapped my arms around. Kevin got up and decided he had to go, and Brian didn't want to stay because he was planning on doing something with Amanda the next day. So, I invited J, Nick, and Howie to stay and spend the night there. They obliged and made themselves comfortable. AJ went into the hat room and slept on the cot in there. Nick went into the spare bedroom and fell asleep. I let Howie remain sleeping on the couch, because I had run out of spare beds and didn't want to wake him.
The next morning, I woke up to the sounds of rattling and yelling. I brushed my hair quickly and slipped on some slippers and went out to the kitchen.
"What are you guys doing??" I cried, half asleep.
"Making breakfast, but we can't decide what to make," AJ explained. "Frack wants pancakes, I want potatoes, and Sweet D wants biscuits."
"Well, why don't you make something big? How bout we make chocolate chip pancakes, potatoes, bacon, eggs, and biscuits and put them in the middle of the table and everyone can pick and choose what they want, okay? Smorgasbord breakfast. I'll squeeze some oranges and make some orange juice for us, ok?"
Suddenly, Nick noted, "Hey Steph, it's your birthday comin up, isn't it?" I blushed and laughed.
"Yeah! In, like, three days....Stephy's gunna be 19!!!!" Howie teased, tickling my sides. I squirmed and moved.
"What are you guys gunna do to me?!" I cried.
"Don't kill me! I want to live to see 20!!!!' I cried.
"It's a secret...ahahahahahahaha...." AJ whispered into my ear, adding an evil laugh.
I could tell they were having the time of their lives, teasing and bugging me about my up-and-coming birthday. Last year, my big birthday present was my finished house. I had payed for three quarters of it and they split the last quarter five ways. Howie had let me design the house. They never helped me with payments on the house, yet in a way they were by giving me a well paying job. I loved having guardians who loved me so much. My sister would sometimes fly down, but she was busy, so it was hard for her. My parents don't live in Florida anymore, so I was far from them. Once I reached 18, I became an adult, but they still kept a close eye out for me. Occasionally, we would break out a bottle of champagne, but they never let me drink unless they were there to watch over me.
"Ok. So, what do you want for you birthday?" AJ wanted to know.
"A CAR, so we can all stop hauling you around!" Howie yelled, jokingly. He gave me his signature wink.
"You don't like my company, D? Oh. I see how it is..." I said sarcastically. "Not like I enjoy you either. Gosh!" D laughed. "What does the D stand for again? OH YEAH. DORK!" I snapped. Howie and I glared at each other.
A few minutes later, breakfast was ready, so we all sat down and pigged out. By the time we were done, I felt like a horse.
"Who's ready to go to the gym NOW?" I asked. Nicky laughed. "Look at YOU Nintendo Nicky! When was the last time you went to the gym, huh? No. Stupid doesn't get away from his N64 besides to see his girlfriend. Nicky, I don't think Amy wants a fat boyfriend, now, do you?" I joked. "Come on, you can come with us today, when we go. Get you in the habit."
"Aww...that would be fun, now, wouldn't it Nicky? Get some sunshine. Get some sweat. Glisten in the sunshine because of your sweat. I'm sure the girls will swoon for that!" AJ joked. Nicky began to blush.
"Ohhhhh...J, I think we should start being nice to Nicky again," I realized, watching as the boy got really quiet. "But really, Nick, why don't you join me, J, and Curly D over at the gym today. I think Kev is gunna meet us there."
"Yeah. He said that he was planning on being there at the same time we are. Which means that you should get dressed and we should get home and change before we go," Howie replied. We finished eating and cleaned up my kitchen, before they began to head home. As they were walking out the door, Howie tossed me the keys to his Corvette and said,"I'll get a ride home with Bone. We'll all meet at Nick's house before we go to the gym, and ride over in his Durango, ok?" I thanked him and watched as the boys left in AJ's Expedition and Nick's forest green Durango. Then, I woke up Muchacho (he was asleep in my room) and took him outside so he could be out there for awhile, before I left.
In my room, I put my straightened hair in a high ponytail and pulled on a leotard (I don't have the most perfect body, so I never wear just a sports bra like most girls would) and some sweat pants. Then, to be comical, I slipped my Backstreet Boys Crew shirt on over my leotard. While I put on some make-up, I turned on the radio and found "All I Have to Give." Before long, I found myself dancing to the song. Like, the ACTUAL dance.
During "All I Have to Give," me and four other girls always go up and dance with the boys. We wear white tanktops under these oversized, silky pink shirts and pants (we look like the boys) and these big fat hats. We love those outfits because we look totally phat in them. I sometimes keep my hat in my room. Instead of blue rims, the girls' hats had pink on them. With the boys, we all look totally cute up onstage together. Even though I had only had dance since for about eight years and the rest had been dancing since they were about 5, I had become a sudden expert in hip-hop and was always the leader. They didn't mind it at all, because we were all really good friends.
Teresa, Kristin, Niki, and Nefertiti and I had met through the boys and, from day one, were close. Tae and Nef knew each other through their dance school, but Kristin, Niki, and I had never met before. Upon meeting at the final dance auditions (the boys thought they should play fair, even though Howie had already convinced them to choose me waaaayy before the auditioning was even finished), we met and shared dance stories and facts and became quick friends.
Then, we all decided we were determined to win the five spots together. With great luck, we were told to dance as a group. Our good spirits and team effort helped convinced the boys that we should stay together as a unit. So, they chose the other four as well. Tae was 25, but she had a boyfriend, so she was never interested in Brian. Niki was 21, but she never had a thing for AJ in the first place (she thought he was too weird) so he never had to worry. Kristin was 23, had been dancing since she was five, and was an excellent tapper and graceful ballerina. Nef was 22 and secretly had a crush on one of the boys at first (none of us knew who) but soon learned to like him as a friend. There were other dancers as well, but we were the main, important ones who traveled with them to do award shows and were in every dance during concerts. The guys (Sleepy, Reggie, Ro Ro, Swoop, and Ed) were in a few with us girls. Sometimes I did a skit thing with one of the guys or the Boys on stage, which was totally fun. The other crew of dancers were, like, three girls and three guys, but we didn't associate with them too much because they were always different and we hardly ever saw them. Reggie and I were usually paired together, because we were both the tallest ones. The guys were 24, 19, 22, 26, and 20. They were good friends of the Boys and were found through the dance schools they used to take. We were also paired by age. So, Kristin was often with Sleepy, Nef was with Ro Ro, Tae was with Swoop, and Niki was with Emo. Reggie and I were pretty close, and we often went club hopping if the boys were too busy to do anything. But the girls and I hung out all the time. We were always going out to the movies or the mall. And we always got little presents to give the boys. It was amazing how we would get recognized and we were only the dancers! None of the nine of them were as close to the BSB as I was though.
I had known Howie since I was about three. He would come and play with me and my sister because his closest sibling was 21 and we lived down the street. So, in actuality, D went further back with me than he did the rest of the boys. There were only 7 years between us, so we were really tight. When my sister moved away, he was there to comfort my loneliness. When his sister died, I was right alongside him and his family (along with the rest of the BSB, not to mention the world).
When the boys started out, I went to their performances in Florida. I always teased them about never making it. When they did, I was in pure shock. Yet, I was always backstage at concerts and wore their shirts all the time.
During that time, I had met a thirteen-year-old Nickolaus Gene Carter, fifteen-year-old Alexander James McLean, eighteen-year-old Brian Thomas Littrell, and a twenty-one-year-old Kevin Scott Richardson. Howie was nineteen at the time. Watching them grow up in the spotlight was so weird. They changed from being a bunch of crazy-haired, baby-faced goof-offs to mature, (somewhat crazy-haired, if you think back to J) baby-faced goof-offs. Kevin was the one who changed the most. Mainly because he went from being a let-loose adult to the big brother and smart guy of everything. Kev managed practically everything. And the dumb, scruffly goatees couldn't hide their baby features. I had a million framed collages all over my house of the boys and me as we grew up. Some were of me, my sister, and Howie when I was little. Boy, if anyone got into my house, that poor boy could be exploited beyond belief. I had maybe twenty tupperware bins full of pictures. They were stashed away in my carless garage. Also in my garage was a pool table, where J would come over to shoot billiards with me when he had time. Of course, that wasn't very often, so I had a lot of time to get better than him. (Hehehee....) All of my pictures were from me and the boys in different places like Europe, Australia, Hawaii, and right at home in Tampa. A majority of the pictures were of us from probably 1995 to 1997, when they were just hittin it big time. Once, Nick dedicated "As Long As You Love Me" to me, just because he knew I would flip out. Then, they had the girls and me come out and do the dance right alongside them. That was probably my favorite memory of dancing with them.
Now that we were always gone, we didn't take as many pictures. It was a lot harder to.
BEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG!!!!
I suddenly snapped back to reality and grabbed hold of my telephone.
"Uh hello?"
"STEPHANIE!!! Um, I didn't think it took you so long to get ready! When were you planning on coming over???" Nick cried into the phone.
"Um sorry Nicky. All I Have to Give was on the radio and I began reminiscing. I'll be over in a few minutes, ok?" I told him.
"Ok. But hurry it up! Kev's probably already left by now!"
"OK!!!! Bye Nicky," I said, before hanging up the phone. Then, it was a mad dash to get Chachi back inside and get out of the house.
I finally got to Nick's house and opened the door to three very not-happy faces. I weakly smiled and quietly apologized.
"WHERE WERE YOU????" they all yelled at me.
"In La-La Land, I guess. Sorry! But that's what hearing your songs on the radio does to me!" I explained.
"Steph you had us worried sick. We know it doesn't take you a long time to get ready and you were fifteen minutes late!" Howie told me. I looked at them and saw the little flecks of fear in their eyes. Those were the boys who loved me like a sister. "Now let's get goin' cuz we might miss Train." We all hopped in the Durango while Nick locked up his place.
When we got to the gym, Kev spotted us instantly, and trotted over.
"WHERE WERE YOU GUYS?" he cried. The three looked at me. I smiled. Kevin grabbed the bill of my cap and yanked it over my eyes. Laughing, I adjusted it so I could see, then we all walked over to the weights.
"So Steph, any plans for you birthday on Wednesday?" Kevin wanted to know.
"Actually, I was gunna go shopping with the girls and maybe bring Amanda with me, if she wasn't busy," I told him.
"What about Amy?" asked Nick.
"Well, if she wants to come, she can. But I haven't really gotten well acquainted with her. Same with Danielle. I'll have to talk to Amanda," I said. We all picked up our weights and began pumping. It was nice going to the gym because no one under 17 was allowed in it. This meant we had no psychotic fans following us in. There were occasionally women who came in to flirt with Kevin and Howie, but not too many.
"I can't believe that my little dancer girl is going to be 19!" Howie exclaimed. We all laughed lightheartedly. I blushed. Then, a woman who looked like she was in her forties came up to Nick, nearly scaring the daylights out of him.
"My daughter is so in love with you! She wants me to get your autograph. Could I get an autograph for her please?" the woman asked. The boys hated being bothered in the gym or on their own personal time, but they couldn't help but oblige. (That's the sweetness in them!)
"Um yeah sure. What do you want me to sign?" Nick wanted to know.
"Oh she gave me this picture for you to sign," the woman informed him, shoving a black and white picture of Nick and a pen in front of his face. Nick took it and signed it. "Her name's Nicole!" the woman cried, happily. Nick made note of it on the picture and wrote a note. Then, he handed the picture back to the lady and picked his weights back up. The woman thanked him a few times and then quickly ran back to her bags to stuff the picture and pen in them.
"See Nicky! Told ya you'd attract the women here!" I joked. He rolled his eyes.
Luckily for them, that was the only woman who bothered us that time. About an hour later, we were all weighed down (haha!) and decided to leave. Kevin took me home in his 4-Runner.
"So, you're going shopping with the other dancers on Wednesday?" Kev wanted to know.
"Yeah! We're gunna have a blast!" I cried.
"Ya don't want to do anything with your big brothers this year? Oh I see how it is..." Kevin teased me.
"Oh shut up Big Brother!" I laughed, lightly pushing his shoulder. "The girls just talked to me first about doing it! And you know that the right thing to do is go with whoever asks first!"
"Yeah, I know. I just...thought...ya know...that you'd want to spend time with us cuz you're far away from your family and we're the closest you've got."
"Oh Kev. You are such a baby! Tell ya what, when I get back from shopping, you and I can go out to dinner, deal?" I offered.
"Sure...but it won't be the same..." he 'pouted.' I lightly socked him. He chuckled. Then, we pulled up to my drive way and he let me out. I thanked Kevy and made my way to the front porch. He waited until I got inside, then waved goodbye as he pulled away.
I got inside and threw myself on the couch. I was exhausted. Then, I walked into the kitchen and poured a cup of water. Muchacho lazily staggered in and sat at my feet. I picked him and nuzzled him against my cheek. He licked my nose, then squirmed to get down. I bent down to place him on the ground, then went to my stereo and turned on the music. Just for the hell of it, I put in my Rick Astley tape. The stereo was on more than the TV, most of the time.
It was so quiet in my house. I couldn't believe how quiet. Almost eery. I decided to call Amanda, just to keep from freaking myself out.
"Hellllooooooo..." a sing songy voice answered. In an instant I knew who it was.
"BRIAN! You've been dating this girl for a month--"
"One month tomorrow!"
"Whatever. You've been going out with Amanda for a month and you're already answering her phone? SLOW DOWN!!!!" I cried.
"Hey! What can I say? We're tight!" Brian replied. Then, I heard a "gimme that!" in the background, followed by some rustling and laughing.
"Hello?" It was Amanda.
"Hey 'Manda, this is Stephanie. I was just calling to confirm what we were doing but since Brock's there, I'll go--" I told her.
"Oh no! Brian doesn't mind. We're just hanging out right now. What do you need?" Amanda asked.
"Nick and I were talking...what are Danielle and Amy doing on Wednesday? I mean, they can come shopping with us and the girls if they aren't doing anything!" I explained.
"Amy isn't doing anything...that I know of...let me check our calendar, ok?" Amanda answered. I heard some footsteps, followed by laughing, then a cabinet door opening and slamming. I swear I would've thought they were best friends who were 12 years old, instead of 24/25-year-olds, going out.
"Umm...(Brian shut up! Go away!)...as far as I know, she's not doing anything! I'll let her know. And I'll give Danielle the day off, so she'll have to come."
"Okay! Sounds great! I better go, cuz I think the little baby over there needs attention. If I don't see you tomorrow, Happy One-Month Anniversary!" I cried.
"Thanks! Ummm...see ya on Wednesday!" Amanda said, giggling. I said bye and hung up. Then, I fell back down on the couch. Listening to Rick Astley was so soothing....(?) Oh well. Before long, I fell asleep.
FINALLY! It was Wednesday! I couldn't believe it! Ten seconds after I woke up, I heard the phone ring and then the answering machine. One name came to mind: Howard.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR GILLIGAN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!!!!" I laughed soo hard. Not only was it good ol' D, it was Nick, Kev, Bri, AND AJ who woke me up to that. "Hey Stephy! Good morning and Happy Birthday! We love ya!" they said together. I laughed soo hard. Then, I picked up the phone and said thank you.
"Hey Stephy. Happy 19th!" Nick said into the phone. "I hear we don't get to spend it with you. What's this all about? You're only going out to dinner with Kevin?"
"Huh? Thanks Nicky. You can come too!" I told him. Then I heard rustling on the other side.
"Hey Gilligan! Whas up chic?" AJ. "Got your birthday hat and food coloring out?" I laughed. More rustling.
"Hey sweetie. Did you wake up enough? I hope we didn't freak you out!" Kevin softly replied into the phone.
"Well, considering it's the annual call, I can almost expect it, so don't worry Kev. I'm fine!" I informed him, laughing even more.
"Happy Birthday Stephy! I hope you have a good time with my girlfriend! Don't take her away for too long!" That was Brian.
"Oh shut up! Thanks Brock!"
"Hey Dancer! Happy 19th Birthday Stephy! We would come over to make you some mean green breakfast, but we're kinda in the middle of doing some last minute promotional stuff, so we're stuck. Maybe we'll see you at dinner tonight, ok?" Howie explained.
"Sure D! Have a grand time promoting yourselves!" I said.
"Have a grand time shopping with the girls!" Howie called back.
"I will! Bye! And thanks sooooo much!" I cried.
"Anything for our little Backstreet Girl!" Howie teased. They all said bye then I hung up.
As soon as I set the phone down, the door bell rang. This alerted Chachi, who was up and barking in a flash. I yawned and walked to the front door. On the other side was Tae, Nef, Kristin, Niki, Amanda, Amy, Danielle, and Emily.
"HEEEEEEYYYYYY GUYS!" I cried. They all hugged me as I let them inside. They followed me into the bedroom, where they helped me decide what to wear. Being a quick expert, Emily dyed my hair for me. The other seven found an olive green shirt and my favorite jeans and threw them on the bed. Then, Tae came out of the hat room with my crazy, green, custom-made hat. I laughed and told them NO. Only the boys could make me wear it, and that was final. I got dressed and ended up wearing my camouflage fisherman hat with the outfit they had picked out. I looked crazy. My hair was one shade of green and my shirt was another. Then, my hat was a million shades of green. Nef grabbed her camera, set the timer, put it on my high dresser at the right angle, then we all piled on my bed and smiled. She took five pictures of us, so we'd each have one. Amy even tied a green bow around Mucho's neck, to get festive.
Within a half hour, we were ready to leave. Tae, Niki, Nef, Danielle, and Amy all rode in Tae's Honda while Amanda, Kristin, Emily, and I got in Emily's Camaro.
We got to the mall and they instantly treated me to breakfast. Everyone we walked by looked. I was used to it. Because all five of us BSB dancers were together, more girls came up and handed us St. Patrick's Day presents for the boys. Before we knew it, Niki began almost chasing them off by yelling "Look at this girl! Don't you have a birthday present for HER? It's HER birthday, ya know!" The girls stopped coming by when that happened a few times, and the rest of us all hit on Niki for being so mean.
About two hours later, we had hit every store and were going for our second rounds. Each of us had about 4 bags, plus about three small ones in each big bag. I had bought every hat I didn't already have, and totally splurged when it came to the music stores. We all went in to every music store and inquired about the Backstreet Boys, like Tae, Niki, Kristin, Nef, and I did whenever we went somewhere. I guess our faces had become quite familiar.
"Do you girls know them or something?" one of the very annoyed clerks at Sam Goody asked when Kristin wanted to know how many BSB CDs were sold on a typical day. We all busted up.
"Best friend and dancer."
"Dancer."
"Dancer."
"Girlfriend."
"Dancer."
"Girlfriend."
"Girlfriend."
"Dancer."
"Girlfriend." We all called out. The clerk got very wide-eyed. All nine of us busted a gut.
"Ok. Well, why don't you go play around with your boys instead of bugging us about them!" the clerk sternly replied. Nef teasingly stuck out her tongue as we turned around and left.
"Yeah. REAL MATURE there Nef!" Emily snapped jokingly, giving her the thumbs up sign. We all giggled and continued our trek through the mall. The next music store, the Warehouse, was even more fun.
The first clerk we saw was a male.
"Um, excuse me sir, but I was wondering if you knew what the name of this song was: I don't know, what he does to make you cry, but I'll be there to make you smile..." Niki began.
Then we all joined in. "I don't have a fancy car, to get to you I'd walk a thousand miles. I don't care, if he buys you nice things, does his gifts come from the heart. I don't know, but if you were my girl, I'd make it so we'd never be apaaaarrrrttt, but my love is all I have to give," (by now, the five of us dancers had started to dance the dance) "without you I don't think I can live. I wish I could give the world to you. But love is all I have to give. When you talk, does it seem like he's not even listening to a word that you say? That's okay babe, just tell me your problems. I'll try my best to kiss them all away...does he leave, when you need him the most? Does his friends get all your time? Baby please, I'm on my knees, praying for the day that you'll be mine! But my love is all I have to give. Without you I don't think I can live. I wish I could give my world to you, but love is all I have to give...to you...hey girl, I don't want you to cry no more, inside...whooooaaaaaa hooooooaa all the money in the world could never add up
to, all the love I have inside, I love you, baby......and I will give it to yooooouuuu...all I can give all I can give. Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhhh everything I have is for you. You got it, you got it you you you got it...my love is all that I have to give, all that I have is for you-" we sang and danced.
"OKAY! I get the point!" the clerk cried.
"What's the name of it? Do you know?" Niki asked innocently.
"No. I don't know the name of it. I'm sorry. I don't like that type of music," the clerk confessed.
"Well then maybe you know THIS song....Everybodaaaayyyya. Rock your bodaaaaayyyyaaaa...everybodaaaayyyyya rock your body right," Niki began again.
"BACKSTREET'S BACK, ALRIGHT!!!" we all cried out loud. Then, us five dancers did the beginning of THAT dance.
"I don't know that one either! Now, if you ladies know the words and the dances but not the songs, I suggest you buy the CD and listen to it. But I have some other customers to attend to, so if you'll EXCUSE ME!" the angered clerk yelled. He stormed away. We all busted up laughing. By now, a crowd and formed around and was watching us. We all quickly left to look at the CDs. All the little girls followed us. So we went directly over to the Backstreet Boys' CDs and began to tell them that their mommies would love to hear that music. All the little girls grabbed them and ran to their parents. Either that or they told us they already had them. Laughing, we all left.
"Ahhhh...I love my life," Emily sighed. She stretched her arms.
"How often do you guys DO this?" Danielle wanted to know.
"Every time we go out," Nef told her. "It's the fun part about being apart of the Backstreet clan. Watch this." Nef walked into the GAP and went to the clerk at the cash register. "How often do you see the Backstreet Boys in here?"
"Ummm...we just saw one," the clerk replied.
"REALLY? WHERE DID HE GO???? WHICH WAY?? I GOTTA FIND HIM!!!" she screeched, slamming her hands on the desk excitedly.
"Uhhh...a couple days ago, I mean," the clerk corrected herself.
"DAMMIT! I have been searching this WHOLE mall to find a Backstreet Boy and I haven't found one yet! Which one was it? Brian or Howie or Kevin or Nick or AJ? Huh?" Nef continued.
"I think he said his name was Howie. He came in with a friend..." the clerk reminisced.
"NU-UH!! You gotta be kidding me!!! YOU saw a Backstreet Boy?! What did he look like in person? Howie's my favorite ya know!"
"Ummm...he had a curly ponytail and he wasn't that tall. Excuse me, but some customers need help," the clerk tried to excuse herself.
"Well I guess I'll have to camp out here and wait for him to come back. Do you know what days he comes in?" Nef wouldn't stop!
"You can't stay. In fact, I suggest you leave. The store is very busy and we can't hold up others by answering ridiculous questions. Excuse me miss." The clerk left.
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH MISS!" Nef called. She came back to us, walking very coolly. Danielle was in tears, she was laughing so hard.
"Ok. Enough hassling clerks. Let's go to McDonald's and get some food, 'k?" Tae suggested. We all turned and made a beeline for the fast food restaurant.
When we got there, they insisted on buying my meal once again. So, I sat and waited while the eight of them went up. They didn't come back till the food was in their hands. One of the trays was covered with a towel. They placed it in front of me and tore off the towel. On it was a cheeseburger with a candle stuck in the middle and a Happy Meal. Emily pulled a lighter out of her back pocket and lit the candle. They all sang Happy Birthday to me and let me blow out the candle.
"Now you have to open your present!" Amanda cried. "It's inside the cardboard box!" I opened up the Happy Meal and looked for looked for the toy. It was some random animal thing.
"WOW! Thanks you guys! You're the greatest!" I replied, getting up to give them all hugs.
"Hey! We knew you'd love it!" Danielle answered. I laughed.
In the middle of our lunches, Emily's cell phone rang. She picked it up and answered with a cheery "howdy!" Then she say a few "uh huhs," "okays," and a "we're at McDonald's" before saying "bye" and hanging up.
"Who was it?" asked Niki.
"AJ. He wanted to see what we were doing and say Happy Birthday to Steph," Emily told us. We finished our food and picked up our bags.
"We should probably go back. It's 2:35---wait. I distinctly remember Howie telling me the time you were born...HAPPY 19TH STEPH!!!!!!!" Amanda suddenly burst out. She hugged me and the others all said their Happy Birthdays once more. Then, we went out to our cars and piled back in. Only this time, it was a lot more crammed in because we had so much stuff.
On the way home, the girls decided we should do some cruisin'. So, we did a lot of beachside driving, while listening to the Beach Boys on a tape I had brought. Finally, we got to my house. Giggling, we all got out of the cars and walked up the walkway.