Chapter 31
"You know what really sucks," Toni said the next day. They were at the concert venue in their seats waiting for the concert to begin.
"What's that?" Kristen asked.
"The fact that I always used to think that being in the front row at a Backstreet Boy's concert would make me the happiest person in the world."
"And it doesn't?" Angela asked.
"Well, not after I met them and have watched the concert from backstage."
"Girl, just stop thinking for a while. You come up with the weirdest stuff," Kristen said.
"Well, she is right. It does lose it's effect of going to a concert after you have met them and spent almost every day with them," Angela said when she felt a tap on her shoulder so she turned around to face a little girl.
"Did you just say that you guys met Backstreet Boys?" the little girl asked.
"No, we were just messing around trying to think what we would be acting like if we had met them," Angela responded to the girl who now had a very confused look on her face.
"What the hell was up with that response?" Kristen whispered.
"Because if I said yes we have met them she would ask me a million and one questions and I want to be able to watch the concert without having to answer them. Trust me on that one."
~backstage~
"Now why are we doing this again?" Nick asked AJ.
"To make your girlfriend, Brian's girlfriend,
Toni, and two other girls feel special for about 4 minutes," AJ responded.
"Well, we could do something else. We don't usually bring people on stage for two songs," Nick argued.
"Do you not like making Kristen happy?"
"Yeah but don't you think that it's just a little odd that she will be coming on the stage for 'The Perfect Fan' and 'I Want It That way'? The fans will notice something."
"Nick, stop complaining. It's starting to get on my nerves. This will be a lot to her," Kevin said. "Where's Kristen's mom at?"
"Right here with me," Howie said walking towards them with Kristen's mom.
"It's nice to meet you again Mrs. Bonnell," Kevin said shaking her hand.
"You mean you boys actually remember meeting me and my daughter the last time? By the way call me Cindy."
"Kristen reminded us when we met the second time," Kevin explained. She shook all the guys hands and stopped when she got to Nick.
"I remember you very well," she said.
"How so?" Nick asked.
"The night of that concert when you walked her around stage you made her day. I didn't know what to do with her. She was the happiest person alive and wouldn't shut up about it. But now you are the keeper of her heart," Kristen's mom said giving Nick a hug.
"Well, we have to get on stage. The security will lead you on the stage when it's time," Kevin said walking away.
The lights when out and the stadium erupted with the screams of fans. It made Kristen think about when she had gone to this concert with her mom and had the best night of her life. This time Kristen didn't scream she just enjoyed the show with a smile on her face. She loved the way Nick performed on that stage it made her feel so happy inside seeing him sing and dance.
"Cassie is a really good dancer. I just now realized that since I always saw her from a side view backstage," Toni said in Kristen's ear. Kristen nodded in agreement. "Why didn't you try out?"
"It just didn't seem right for me at the time," Kristen said. They had to practically scream in each other's ears to be heard. It had come time for the guys to sing 'The Perfect Fan' and as usual they brought five daughters up with their mothers. Except Kristen noticed that this time there were only four up there.
"Why isn't Nick singing to anyone?" Toni asked Angela and Kristen. They both shrugged their shoulders just as confused as she was. About a fourth of the way through the song a security guy came and stood in front of Kristen and handed her a belt that was hooked to some cables.
"Could you please put this on miss?" the security guy asked her. Kristen was completely confused and she looked at Angela and Toni and they couldn't figure out what was going on. Kristen took the belt and put it on with the security guy's help then he stood about two feet away from her.
"What is that for?" Toni asked.
"I have no clue. He told me to put it on so I did." Kristen turned her attention back to the stage in time to see Nick lifted off of the ground by cables. He flew through the air and stopped right in front of Kristen then was lowered to the ground. At this point the fans were going crazy. Nick took Kristen's hands in his own as both sets of cables on the two of them lifted them into the air. It freaked Kristen out when her feet weren't touching the floor and she pulled herself closer to Nick who held onto her as he sang and they were set back down on the stage. He helped Kristen get the belt off of her and pointed to about ten feet away from them. Kristen looked where he was pointing and saw her mother standing there. Nick took her hand and walked her to her mom where she gave her a hug and started crying. Nick walked both of them around the stage holding each of their hands. Once again when the song ended Nick wiped her tears away, gave her a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. AJ saw and it made him really happy about his idea of having Kristen's mom come to Orlando for the concert. Kristen and her mom went backstage and talked for a few minutes before Kristen went back to her seat.
"This is complete déjà vu," Kristen said to Toni.
"Girl that was sweet! Nick must really love you if he flew your mommy here to see you!"
"Yeah, I guess," Kristen said softly. After a while the guys came out to sing their finally of 'I Want It That Way'. Howie came out and started talking to the audience which seemed different to Kristen since they usually didn't talk to their fans right before they sang the finally.
"How would you guys like it if we did something a little different tonight?" Howie asked and the fans screamed in response as usual.
"Well, we thought we would sing a different version of 'I Want It That Way' that most of you probably haven't heard before." More screams followed as usual. "But there's more. We're going to bring five lucky young ladies up on stage so we can have someone to sing to." The stadium erupted again.
"They just keep pulling lots of surprises tonight," Toni said. A security guard came and got Toni, Kristen, Angela, and two other girls and brought them on stage. Toni, Kristen, and Angela were confused again. Kevin took Toni by the hand, Brian took Angela, Nick took Kristen, and AJ and Howie took the other two girls and had them sit down on their stools on the center of the stage. Each guy held the girl's hand and looked directly at them while they sang:
Brian:
I'm yours completely
I feel so deeply
You're my first thought every day
And I want it that way
Nick:
My life is for you
And I adore you
My love is for every day
And I want it that way
All:
No good-byes
Ain't nothing but a heart ache
No more lies
Ain't nothing but a mistake, that is why
I love it when I hear you say
I want it that way
AJ: As AJ sang his part he looked right at Kristen instead of the girl who was next to him. Kristen took notice of it and looked back at him and smiled. Nick saw and sort of glared at AJ.
My heart is on fire
So strong desire
Yes I know
It's too late
But I want it that way
All:
No good-byes
Ain't nothing but a heart ache
No more lies
Ain't nothing but a mistake
That is why
I love it when I hear you say
I want it that way
Kevin:
I gave you my heart baby right from the start
And that's the way it will always be
Yeah
No matter the distance I want you to know
That deep down inside of me
Howie:
You are my fire
The one desire
You are.......................
When they finished the song all the girls gave the guys great big hugs. When they were walking off the stage Kristen went up to AJ and gave him a hug also. The three went backstage and waited a few minutes before the guys joined them. Kristen went up to her mom and gave her a hug.
"How long are you here for?" she asked.
"I have to leave in about an hour to catch my flight back home."
"You only stayed here for a couple of hours though. Why can't you stay longer?"
"I can't miss any work with the general at the office." Kristen's mom worked as the general's secretary on the air force base. Toni was in one of the dressing rooms talking with AJ when Kristen told her mom she would be right back since she wanted to talk to Nick. She thought Nick would be in the dressing room but stopped outside the door when she heard Toni and AJ talking and her name was mentioned.
"Nick had a great idea to bring Kristen's mom here. He must really love her to do that for her," Toni said.
"It wasn't Nick's idea. Nick wasn't even really sure if he wanted to do it for her. That girl has been through so much lately and he had to argue about whether or not to do it," AJ said.
"I'm confused. Whose idea was it then?"
"Mine. It was my idea for it all and I flew her mom out here." Kristen heard that and she was sort of upset with Nick but was so thankful to AJ for what he did.
"You do so much for her. It's obvious that you love her for what you did."
"I do. That's why we said it was Nick's idea so Kristen wouldn't know that I loved her." Kristen was completely shocked and her eyes filled up with tears as AJ continued to talk. She went back over to her mom to talk with her.
"What's wrong?" Kristen's mom asked when she saw the tears.
"What do you think of Nick?"
"He seems like a good guy."
"Okay what do you think of Nick with me?"
"It's not going to work Kristen."
"Why not?"
"Well, I don't mean to put your hopes down but he's gorgeous Kristen. One day he will realize how gorgeous he really is and he will know he could get any girl that he wanted and he won't stay truthful to you. But you have the problem of always proving me wrong so maybe it will work out. You never know."
"Mom, all five of these guys are gorgeous and they could all get any girl they wanted as it is.. So you're saying that they will all be like that?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying. I think Nick and AJ will only have that problem because they are still young. Nick is what 19 and AJ 21? But Nick would be more of a problem cause AJ would scare the girls away."
"Mom! That is cruel! He's a really nice guy!"
"That boy has about ten too many tattoos, a funky clothes style, and some weird hairdo's. He's always wearing sunglasses never showing his eyes. You don't know what those eyes are doing behind the sunglasses. Some girls don't go for that type of thing."
"You are impossible. You judge guys very weird," Kristen said.
"Only watching out for the best for my little baby."
"Please don't start."
"Hi Cindy!" Cassie yelled when she saw Kristen's mom.
"Hi Cassie how have you been lately?"
"I've been great. It's nice seeing you again. I'd like to stay and chat but I have to go somewhere. Bye," Cassie said running off.
"Where is she going in such a hurry?"
"Probably going to spend time with her boyfriend like usual."
"Well, at least she got her own boyfriend this time."
"Please you don't need to remind me of that. I'm getting over it and moving on."
"Well, it's a wonder that you are still friends with her. I would have killed her."
"My friends always come before boyfriends."
"I don't care she crossed the line."
"Sorry to interrupt but we have to get you to the airport," Kevin said. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, I am. Are you coming?" she asked Kristen.
"I think I need to stay behind and talk to some people. Love you mom and I'll talk to you later," Kristen said hugging her mom good-bye. Howie and Kevin went with her to the airport. Brian and Angela went out for a really late dinner so it was Kristen, Nick, AJ, and Toni left.
"Did your mom already leave?" Toni asked walking towards Kristen with AJ in tow.
"Yeah, she did," Kristen said softly.
"Is something wrong?" AJ asked.
"No, I was just thinking. You know how I get when I think too much. Where's Nick?"
"Right here," he said coming out of the dressing room and wrapping his arms around Kristen and giving her a quick kiss.
"Why don't the four of us go out and do something?" Kristen asked.
"I'm not really in the mood. I'm sort of tired," Toni said. "But you three can go out if you drop me off."
"No, we can just go rent some movies and bring them back to my place," Kristen suggested. They left to go to Blockbuster and went back to Kristen's place about an hour later. They were into the middle of the second movie when Kristen got up to go to bed. "Toni can you please lock up when everyone leaves?"
"Sure." Kristen went and got into bed and about ten minutes later she heard her door open and someone slide into bed next to her. She turned to see Nick's face which met with hers while they kissed.
"Nick could you please leave. I want to be alone," she said when they separated.
"Not until you tell me what is bothering you."
"Why didn't you want to go through with AJ's idea?" Kristen asked after a few seconds.
"What are you talking about? That was my idea."
"No, it wasn't. I heard Toni and AJ talking backstage. Why didn't you want to go through with it?"
"Honestly I don't know. I was being an ass and I'm sorry," Nick said kissing her forehead. Kristen cuddled up in Nick's arms and slowly fell asleep thinking only about how what her mother said about Nick and her's relationship was completely false.
Chapter 32
