"No, Mother," Kim Ann replied monotone and mocking.
Angela rolled her eyes, but smiled. Although Kim Ann made her mad as fire sometimes, she also held her in high esteem....on a pedestal. But today, she felt like the pedestal was hers....an odd feeling, yet a delicious one. To even THINK that Kim Ann may be jealous was extremely satisfying.
As they walked towards the not-so-crowded store, Sandra observed. "You know what would've been cool.....I wish we could've driven Nick's Durango, you know? Then, we'd actually be driving a Backstreet Boy's vehicle AND using a Backstreet Boy's credit card. Wouldn't that be the coolest?"
Angela laughed and tilted her head. "Why does it matter? No-one else would know, ding dong."
"Yeah, but I would know. That's all that matters to me," Sandra answered. "I don't know...I just thought it would be cool. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I still can't believe it's happening. Do you?"
Angela giggled. "I don't know. I've never thought about it like that....All I know is that Nick is gorgeous, Nick is nice, and Nick likes me. THAT is bizarre. I mean, he really LIKES me....for me. I mean, I think he does."
Kim Ann brushed past her and mumbled. "He does." It was still a touchy subject with her. She saw Nick's affection for Angela as wasted. "A damned shame, is what it is," she mumbled louder, enough for Angela to hear.
Angie stuck her tongue out at Kim Ann and pulled out a cart for sleeping bags. "You know what, we'll probably need three carts, don't you think? I mean, we're talking eight sleeping bags, right? Plus pillows and blankets. That's a lot of stuff."
"I say we lie and get five sleeping bags and tell them there weren't anymore. Then Kevin will HAVE to let us sleep with 'em," Kim Ann added.
Sandra paused her walking and put her hands on her hips. "I'm NOT sleeping with Brian. He's a nice guy and it would be nothing but uncomfortable to throw something like that out there at him. NO way."
Kim Ann grabbed a cart and rolled by Sandra. Flippantly, she replied, "So.....we need SIX sleeping bags," and kept going.
"Seven!" said Angela firmly.
Sandra grabbed her a cart and rolled by Angela. "Yeah, RIGHT......SIX, Kim Ann. Six."
"You know, I don't appreciate your guys' comments on what I'm gonna do tonight." Angela yelled after the two of them as they kept distancing themselves from her. "Screw you guys," she said loudly and moved in the opposite direction towards electronics. As she wheeled in closer, she came upon the posters section, the front poster being Britney Spears. "Gag," she said to herself.
After a long look around for Kim Ann and Sandra, Angela started flipping slowly through the posters until she found what she was looking for.....the Backstreet Boys. She glanced again over her shoulder before moving the poster into full view and gazing at it unashamedly ......... studying it. She felt someone walk up beside her, and assuming it was Sandra or Kim Ann she said out loud, "You know, that doesn't look like Nick at ALL. Look at the pink lipstick they've got on him."
A guy's voice answered her mockingly. "Yes, I just HATE it when they put too much lipstick on Nick."
Angela jolted around to face him and blushed. "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else."
"Whatever..." he replied, sarcastically. "What a bunch of faggots," he added, looking at her defiantly. "I don't see what girls see in them. Their music SUCKS, too."
Angela looked at him, speechless, feeling anger bubbling up inside her.
He continued. "And Nick's the biggest fag of them all."
Angela looked him straight in the eyes and said "I'd go out with him LONG before I'd go out with YOU, asshole."
He only smirked at her and looked her up and down. "No worry there, honey. I only date good looking chicks." He smirked again and walked away.
Angela stood there quietly, looking at the floor. She looked back up at the poster and touched her fingers lightly to Nick's face, as if it were actually him, to comfort herself. It was then that Kim Ann and Sandra snuck up behind her.
"My GAWD, Angela," Kim Ann bellowed out. "It's been TWENTY MINUTES. You're not DYING."
Angela withdrew her hand quickly and giggled, embarrassed that they'd seen her. "I was just looking at it."
"Wow. Kevin looks pretty hot in that one," Sandra mentioned. "Don't you think?"
"Yeah...." Angela said. "He looks really good. A lot better than in that tee-shirt he's wearing today."
Kim Ann laughed. "Brian looks like an elf."
"He does NOT," insisted Sandra.
"He does, too!" Kim Ann repeated, pushing Sandra, but to no avail.
"Whatever." Sandra replied. She had considered cutting on Howie, but she liked him, so she held back. Angela looked at their carts and noticed there were only three sleeping bags. "Um, don't you think you guys are skimping a little on the sleeping bags?"
"Hey, man, it's fate," Kim Ann answered. "It's October, they don't keep a lot in stock this time of year. This is all they had." She smiled widely, flipping her red hair. "I figure we can just line them all up and have one big Backstreet festival tonight."
Angela laughed. "Yeah, right....what are we gonna do? I don't want to sleep on the floor."
"Don't sweat it, Ange," said Sandra. "We picked up three inflatable mattresses, an air pump, stacks of blankets and pillows, too. We're set."
Kim Ann took off and headed for electronics. "Hey, you guys, let's get Millennium. Angie, have you ever heard it?"
"I've heard some of it," Angie answered. "Well... the one song."
"You haven't heard 'Larger than Life?' " Kim Ann asked in disbelief. "That's Nick's theme song," she added, laughing.
"You know what, Kimmy, I think you need help for your sexual problems." Angela was getting a little tired of all the sex references. It was funny at first, but it had run its course with her.
"MY sex problems..." Kim Ann responded, putting her hands on her hips. "YOU'RE the one with sex problems, chicka."
"Kim, lay off." Sandra butted in. "It's getting old."
Kim Ann sighed and threw Millennium into her cart and flipped through the rest of the CD's in the Backstreet slot. "Hey, here's something called Star Profile. Look at this picture. Look how young Nick looks, Ange."
Angela looked at the cover and smiled instantly. "Isn't he just the sweetest?" The light blue shirt and hat Nick was wearing drew his baby blue eyes out, and his tilted head and big smile made him look innocent and beautiful. She took the CD from Kim Ann and looked at the price. "Do you think AJ would notice? Would the bill show a CD or would it show a Backstreet Boys CD?"
"I don't know," said Kim Ann, frowning, "but it's unauthorized. That means they don't get any money from it, doesn't it?"
"Oh, get it, Angie." Sandra said. "That's the cutest picture of Nick." She started laughing. "And you can get him to sign it, too."
Angela blushed. "Gawd, I'd rather die than have him know I bought this." She started to put it back but Sandra grabbed it from her and threw it in the cart.
"You're getting it," she said firmly.
"Well hell, then, let's throw their first CD in, too." Kim Ann picked up Backstreet Boys and threw it into her cart, too.
"AJ is gonna shit when he gets his bill and it's all Backstreet Boys stuff. How vain is he?" Sandra said, giggling.
"No, he'll shit when he sees.....you know." Kim Ann winked at Sandra and Angela looked at them both suspiciously. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.
"Nothing." Kim Ann said, smiling. "Nothing at all."
"You'd better not be buying a bunch of shit. He'll be pissed off at ME, not you!" Angela didn't want to take advantage of AJ's kindness. She still couldn't believe he'd actually given her his credit card.
"Don't worry, Angie," Sandra reassured her. "We wouldn't do that to you. We're just giving you a hard time....tryin' to make you paranoid."
"Okay...." Angela was still doubtful, but she trusted Sandra. "I just want to get back so we can get around. I have to stop by the house. I want to change and put some make-up on and stuff."
"I'm ready," said Sandra.
"Me, too," added Kim Ann, and they headed to checkout.
As the cashier was ringing up the items, Sandra called Angie over to a magazine rack. "Look! They're on the cover of YM!"
Hesitantly, Angela walked over to Sandra, glancing back at the cashier to see what was being rung up. Sandra pressed harder. "Look!" she said, shoving the magazine under Angela's nose, knowing it would distract her. "Do you like Nick's hair that short?" It worked.
Angela thought for a few seconds, focused on the picture. "I don't know. I mean. I don't like the mousse look. It makes his hair look greasy. I think....I think I like it better the way it is now." She smiled as her mind raced back to when she'd slid her fingers into his blond mane. It wasn't incredibly long, but it was one length and just below his ears...well, one length except for the underneath shaved part, but that wasn't visible…
"COME ON, PEOPLE!" Kim Ann shouted at them, jarring Angela back. She hurried over to the register to wait for the last couple of items to be rung up.
The cashier pressed in the total and looked at Angela, expectantly. "Your total is three-hundred and eighty-four dollars and fifty-eight cents."
Butterflies were in her stomach as Angela held up AJ's credit card. "I'm paying with this." She nervously slid it through the card slot and waited for the "okay." It bleeped back as accepted and she breathed a sigh of relief, not that she was doing anything wrong. She could feel her heart skip a beat when the cashier held out her hand for the card, but she handed it to her without hesitation.
The cashier glanced at the card and then at Angela. "AJ? That's unusual." She was studying Angela's face and Angela could feel it heating up, but before she could stumble through her explanations about the borrowed card, Kim Ann interrupted. "It's short for Ann Jellica. Her mom thought it was cool to split it up like that, but Angie hates it, so she goes by AJ on everything."
"Ann....Jellica?" The cashier repeated. "How unique....I kind of like it. There's nothing wrong with individuality, young lady." She handed the card back to Angie and smiled.
"I know," Angela replied, sheepishly. She couldn't believe how quickly Kim Ann had come up with that.
"Well, thank you for shopping at Wal-mart, Ms. McLean. Have a nice day."
Angie giggled a little at the sound of "Ms. McLean" and said, "You, too," as they walked victoriously towards the exit.
Once outside, they all burst out laughing. "Why thank you, Ms. McLean," Sandra said. "I mean, Ann Jellica. Where the HELL did you get THAT from, Kimmy?"
"I don't know," Kim said laughing as she gave Sandra a high five. "I'm good under pressure. I saw Angie starting to freak out."
"I WAS freaking out," Angie said, putting her hand over her heart. "I don't know her, and you KNOW she would've had the cops on us for a stolen card. That was SO cool, Kim Ann. SO cool."
"It was, wasn't it?" Kim Ann smiled at Angela, and for the first time of the day, they had a mutual admiration for each other. "Ms. McLean..." They all laughed again as they loaded everything into the car.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Story Index
