“Hey bartender, scotch on the rocks.” Howie sat at the bar with his head in his hands, his head covered in a baseball cap, until the bartender slid the drink in his direction. “Thanks,” he grumbled. He was the only customer in the dim lit bar room at this time. Very few people make a habit of drinking so early on in the day. In fact Howie wasn’t one to succumb to such drinking binges, but he couldn’t take anymore.
How did we get here, he kept asking himself. Whatever happened to the Backstreet Boys will always be here. Out living the short shelf life theory, and just in it because we had singing talent? All that about show business being two different words. Who was it that told me to watch your business because while your running the show someone will run off with it? Who ever it was should have told me one of my best friends could be such a person.
The bartender looked at him in curiosity. “Wanna get it off your shoulders buddy,” he asked, throwing a towel over his shoulder?” Howie muffled a small laugh. “No, but thanks anyway.” He’ll read it in the paper soon enough, he told himself.
He paid the bartender and walked out, screeching the tires of his car while pulling out of the parking lot.
********
Katy wiped a subtle sweat from her brow as the hot Georgia sun beat down onto her. She continued sweeping the patio, ignoring the temptation to sit down and enjoy the glass of sweet tea her mother had brought out for her. She and Heather had been planting flowers around the patio and on the window seals all morning and up into midday. They had gotten black soil everywhere and she decided to clean it up before it settled into the crevices of the wood.
She slid one of the old wicker rocking chairs out of the way. Upon doing so she saw a folded up section of a newspaper. She picked it up and she was about to throw it away as she discovered familiarity in one of the faces. “Oh my goodness. Kevin,” she said, searching for the entire article. She found it and read the headline out loud, still in a soft tone, “Backstreet Boy in legal turmoil!” She scanned the article while she eagerly made her way into the house.
Heather and Brandy were making lunch when she came into the house in mock dismay. Her mouth gapping open and she quickly covered it with her hand as her eyes grew wider and wider with every word.
“Katy, what’s wrong,” Heather asked, concerned. Brandy gestured her to sit down on the barstool at the counter. “Did either of you read Sunday’s paper?” They both shook their heads and looked at her in puzzlement. “Well the group that out guests are a part of are supposedly breaking up. It said in the article that one of their band mates, Nick Carter, had some legal turmoil and it caused controversy. It says that Kevin, Brian, and AJ are no where to be found. So they are most likely here to get away from the media, I suppose.”
Brandy took the article from her sister’s grasp. “What kind of legal turmoil,” Heather asked. “Oh my goodness,” Brandy gasped. Heather snatched the paper from her sister. After reading the article she simply snickered, “MEN!”
“Ya’ll listen. Don’t tell Mom and Dad. They’ll find out soon enough anyway. I don’t want them to throw the poor guys out, ok,” Katy pleaded. “Yea, we’d hate to see sweet Kevin go, wouldn’t we Kate,” Brandy teased. Katy launched a cherry tomato at Brandy’s head. “Hey,” she yelled. “Promise me! Please…” “We promise Katy. We won’t say a word,” Heather said, stopping a back and forth argument between here sisters before it got bad. Brandy being the youngest, and Katy the oldest, they had those nit picky type fusses over ridiculous things often.
********
Heather slid the glass door to the patio open and walked outside. She was thankful that Kevin, Brian, and AJ had decided to go out and find something to do today because it was one of those scorching hot days. The swimming pool seemed to be screaming her name since 10am this morning when she was helping Katy do a little gardening.
Kevin had asked Katy to join them and she had readily agreed. Something about the way they looked at each other told her they were more than just “good friends” as Katy had put it. All in all, though, Heather was glad that she had left too. She loved both of her sisters but Katy always had her busy doing something. If it wasn’t their mother, it was Katy.
She retrieved a float from the small building on the other side of the pool. Slowly inching her way down into the water she scooted onto the float. Before long, with the help of the subtle waves and the warmth of the sun, she was drifting off into a comforting sleep.
She woke to a huge splash that sent her flying off of the float an under the water in one breath. She came up in shock. “AJ,” she yelled, wiping her face free of access water. “Wow, Heather, you have nice ears,” he smiled, obviously not looking at her ears. Heather crossed her chest with her arms and tried, unsuccessfully, to reach for her towel on one of the lounge chairs.
Brian came from no where and reached out his hand to pull her from the pool. Once she was standing upright he wrapped her lobster red body in the oversized towel. “Thank you, Brian,” she blushed. Brian nodded, grinning softly at her. He shot a sharp look in AJ’s direction at which AJ winked at him.
********
Brandy sat in her window seat with a notebook, writing poetry. She thought of her writing as a way to express herself. When she had no where else to go, no other resort, she turned to her writing. Being the youngest of her sisters brought on plenty of pressure. When she had a problem she usually talked to one of them, but she couldn’t very well rant to them about the things they do that bother her. Like Katy’s overbearing attitude, so protective. She was always right about everything. And Heather, how short she tended to be with people. You could ask her to explain DNA coding and she could sum it up in about seven words. Brandy didn’t complain though. She knew it was just part of who they were.
Her hand grew tired and she gazed out of the window. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was beating down heavy on her sister who was lying peacefully on the float in the swimming pool. The water sparkled enchantingly on the surface.
Her gaze converted to the tanned flesh of AJ. She couldn’t help but stare. He even had a tattoo on his navel, and another on his back that she had missed before. He reminded her of Tommy Lee, with funny facial hair.
He cannon balled into the water, creating a splash big enough to startle her sister and knock her off of her float. She observed the words being exchanged between them and then saw Brian walk from the patio over to rescue her. He had been standing there even before AJ splashed her. He was seemingly watching just as she was.
She watched as Brian wrapped her sister up and walked her into the house, from the safety of AJ’s wrath. AJ grinned evilly and continued swimming. He swam from one end to the other, over and over again. After a long while of this he swam towards the ladder and raised his body from the water. He looked like a god of the sea emerging from great depths, water sliding off of him in a huge rush.
He mouth opened slightly as her face inched towards the window, somehow subconsciously hoping to get a better look. He slung his head from side to side, slinging water in either direction. He ran a towel over his head and then wrapped it around his waist. He slid a pair of flip-flops on and started into the house.
Brandy settled back into her seat. She sweeped her long brown hair away from her face and looked back down at her notebook. She tried hard to study it but nothing came to her. She set it down on the cushion and headed downstairs for something to snack on.
She grabbed a coke and an apple from the refrigerator and started back to her room. She heard the sliding door open. She didn’t have to turn around to see who it was. She quickened her pace and ran up the stairs.
“What’s wrong with her,” Katy said, laughing. “What’s right with her,” Heather joked. Brian was rubbing aloe on her shoulders. She had gotten sunburned pretty bad out on the water.
“So did you guys enjoy yourselves,” Heather asked Katy and Brian. “We certainly did,” Brian replied. “Oh you should have seen smart guy over here. He was wearing long sleeves and pants to cover up those tattoos from their fans. Well he couldn’t stop complaining at how hot it was. ‘Course I told him before we left today that it was hot. He kept telling me that he was from Florida, that this wasn’t hot at all. Well we ate down at Delilah’s, that little coffee shop down the street, and then we hoped on a riverboat. AJ would not shut up to save his mama’s life. He wanted to come home and go swimming. We didn’t even get to go shopping.” AJ grinned shyly. “Kevin passed out after we got home. I think I wore him out.”
Heather, Brian, and AJ looked at each other and smiled. “Not that kinda’ wearin’ out.”
