"Lets go" James said, his voice still showed his anger from the recent loss of Sarah. "Jennifer, I want you and Alyssa on the Backstreet bus so neither of you catch her cold. I cant afford to lose either of you" he said as he walked away.
"Jams, I am not leaving my friend alone when she is sick for 24 hours while we drive to Las Vegas" she shouted angrily at James.
"I dont believe giving you a choice" he said firmly
"Jenn, drop it" Nick suggested quietly. "Hes just upset about Sarah because now he has to replace her in the middle of a tour"
"I know, but shes my friend" Jennifer replied
"Dont worry, I'll take care of her" Brian spoke up from the back of the crowd.
"No, you cant get sick" Jennifer protested]
"Relax, I'll be fine, I've been with her all day" Brian said firmly
Before Jennifer could reply Brian had climbed onto Jennifer's bus and Nick grabbed Jennifer and pulled her quietly onto his.
A few minutes later James climbed on the Backstreet bus to make sure Jennifer and Alyssa had done as he asked.
"After we arrive in Las Vegas, we will start shooting the video" James told her
"What? I thought we were doing it next week in New York" Jennifer said, now really mad at James
"Well we decided to push it back to this week" James said
"Would you like to elaborate on why" Jennifer demanded quickly
"Theres been a small problem. The single will be released next week, even though its earlier than we thought. Your TRL appearance has been moved to the release date too. The rest of the TV appearances are the following week" James said, showing no emotion
"Um, why?" Jennifer asked, trying to hide her anger
"Because Rolling Stone is coming out earlier than I thought, there was a small mix up, and the only way we could get the single out before the magazine, was to put it out early" James said
Jennifer didnt know what to say. She just stared blankly at James. How could she have gotten into this mess. James left the bus, saying he'd see her again in Vegas.
"You ok?" Nick asked
"I hope so" she said as she stood up and walked to her bunk where she layed down and cried.
After what seemed like the longest bus ride yet, they arrived in Vegas. Jennifer had managed to crawl out of her bunk and was enjoying the lights and excitment of Las Vegas. Nick soon came over and joined her.
"I love this city. I love how you can lose track of time here and how everything is always lit up. Its so incredibly exciting" Jennifer said, forcing a smile
"Yeah" Nick agreed silently. The truth was, he had some bittersweet memories surrounding this city. The trip there reminded him of a lingering problem he had managed to forget for a few days....Amanda and the baby. How could he have forgotten? This was where is all happened he sighed. What a mistake he realized.
"Are you ok Nick?" Jennifer asked, looking deep into his blue eyes.
He wanted to tell her everything so he could get it all out, but he didnt want to upset her again. I guess she forgot too Nick said to himself. "I'm ok" he told her, trying to sound convincing.
Sensing that something was the matter, Jennifer kissed him gently on the lips.
Oh that kiss Nick thought. So gentle, yet so powerful. It sent shivers up his spine. He pulled her close and for a brief moment in time he was problem free.
Minutes later, the buses arrived at the Mirage Hotel where the group was staying for the next few days. As they pulled up, they noticed several fans waiting outside the hotel. One of them stood out in particular. She looked about 19. Long, beautiful londe hair that hung in layers perfectly around the girl's face. She had blues eyes the color of the bluest ocean and legs that seemed to go on forever. She was gorgeous. Jennifer knew instantly this girl would be trouble. There was something about her, far beyond her appearance that gave Jennifer the chills. I guess you could call it a sixth sense, but she knew it.
As they got off the bus, the Boys went to sign the autographs. Jennifer sat down on a nearby bench to wait for them. She looked around for the girl, but she was no where to be seen. She began searching for Nick. Where did he go? He was right over there a minute ago. Jennifer looked frantically around. All of a sudden someone placed their hand on her shoulder. Jennifer was so startled she jumped. It was the girl.
"Hi" she said, acting friendly.
Jennifer read right through the act. "Hi" she said, trying to show enthusiasm.
"Are you Jennifer?" the girl asked
"Yes I am" Jennifer replied with a faked smile. She was still preoccupied with finding Nick amongst the crowd now. Where could he have gone? She was getting worried.
"My name is Kelly" the girl said, extending her hand
"Hi Kelly" Jennifer said as she reached out and shook her outstretched hand.
"I really really like your music" Kelly told Jennifer
"Thanks" Jennifer replied, trying to give this strange girl her attention, although Nick was the only thing on her mind.
Kelly realized Jennifer was losing attention. "I am an aspiring singer myself" Kelly said quickly
"Good luck" Jennifer said. She still had this bad feeling about Kelly. Stop it, Jennifer told herself, she's a fan, and right about now, you cant afford to lose any. However, nothing could make her shake that uneasy feeling in her stomach.
"Any advice" Kelly asked, trying to get Jennifer's attention
"Um..." Jennifer started to say before Kelly interupted her...
"I'm sorry, you look distracted"
"No, I'm sorry, its just that, I cant find my, um, manager" Jennifer lied quickly
"Oh, no problem" Kelly replied
"Listen, you seem really nice, do you live around here?" Jennifer asked, eager to not only get rid of this girl right now, but also to be able to learn more her and keep her eye on her.
"Yeah" Kelly said
"Well, how about we get lunch or something tomorrow, if thats ok with you" Jennifer said
"Sure, sounds great" Kelly said
"Ok, just meet me around, say, 1pm at the hotel lobby"
"Ok, see you then" Kelly said as she turned around and left. A satisfied, yet mysteriously evil smile came over her face.
Jennifer immediately ran to look for Nick. After searching the crowd of fans, and asking Howie, AJ and Kevin, she concluded that he was not outside. Now where?
She ran inside and approached the front desk. She got the key to her room and with the help of AJ, the key to Nicks room. She threw her bags in her room and ran down the hall to Nick's room. She knocked...no answer. Again...still no answer. She decided to open the door....He wasnt inside...
Now completely worried, and out of breath, she approached the front desk.
"Have you seen Nick Carter?" she asked frantically.
"Is he the blonde Backstreet Boy?" the lady asked
"Yes" she responded quickly, her voice now trembling
"I cant reveal any information regarding Mr. Carter to you" the lady said firmly
"But, but I'm his.." she was cut off
"Ok, then tell me" AJ said from behind
"Thanks AJ" she said gratefully
"No problem, but now you owe me dinner" he teased
"He left about 10 minutes ago with a young woman who said she was his fiance" the lady said. Her words shot right into Jennifer's heart. She didnt know what to do or say. It felt like the room was spinning in circles and suddenly it was all to overwhelming. Jennifer, with tears rolling down her cheeks, lost her balance and fainted. AJ lunged forward and caught her before she fell to the ground.
"Jennifer...Jennifer" he said frantically as he tried to wake her. "Call an ambulance" he demanded
A few minutes later Jennifer was carried to the nearest hospital, all of the Backstreet Boys and dancers, except Nick, where right behind her.
As they awaited nervously for the nurse to update them on her condition, Nick arrived back at the hotel. As he went to the front desk he asked the lady where everyone was at.
"They all left with a young lady who passed out a little while ago" she replied, not looking up from her computer
"WHAT? When? Who?" he asked, his voice trembling
"About 20 or 30 minutes ago, and I believe her name was Jennifer, but I am not positive." the woman replied stifly
"Oh god" Nick said as he ran to catch a taxi to the hospital.
Meanwhile...
"Good news, shes ok" the doctor told them anxiously. "She just fainted. You can bring her home in a little while, we just want to keep an eye on her" she continued as everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.
As they all went to sit down and wait until they could see her, Nick came running up to them.
"Is she ok?" he asked, sounding very concerned
"WHY SHOULD IT FUCKING MATTER TO YOU" AJ yelled, getting in Nick's face
"What?" he asked, now scared of what his friend would do next
"How the hell could you do that to her, she loved you, she trusted you" he said as he slammed Nick against the wall.
"Do what?" Nick asked surprisingly
"You know what you did...A fucking fiance, thats low" AJ said as he slowely backed off. Nick went to open his mouth in defense. "Dont even" AJ said as he shoved Nick back into the wall. "I dont want to hear it, just leave" he said to Nick
Nick, unsure of what had just happened, slowely left the room, completely aware that all eyes were on him as he left.
