Angela Perera stared at the picture in her hand. It was taken a little over three years ago of she and her best friend, with their boyfriends. Her best friend and her boyfriend were soaked, head to toe, while Ang and her boyfriend were completely, one hundred percent dry, laughing hysterically at the other two. She casually flipped through the pages of the photo album. The majority of the pictures were from the Millennium tour. Katelin, Nick, Krista, Brian, Brooke, Alyssa, Christine, Howie, Kevin, Becca-the-bitch, AJ, and Ang, herself. Most of these faces had changed over the last few years. Dancers and girlfriends had come and go. The only two original dancers that remained with the Boys were Ang and Alyssa. Brooke was still around. She was happily engaged to Kevin and working in the Orlando area as a choreographer, while she attended grad school. The demands of touring had gotten to her and she was much happier sticking closer to Orlando while Kevin and the rest of the guys had toured the world.
Alyssa had stuck with Howie for a while. Then, when the realization hit that their relationship was going nowhere, she broke it off. Howie was quick to agree with her and they are now the best of friends.
For the first time in nearly three years, Nick seemed to be back to his old self. When Katelin had left, he swore that he would never love again. And, up until recently, Ang thought that he was actually well on his way to keeping that promise. After a few months of utter depression, Nick turned to drinking. And drugs. And dozens of women. Just when things couldn't have gotten any worse and he was about to hit rock bottom, he found Lanie. Lanie Strickland basically saved Nick, in more ways than one. Nick was at a club in New York one night about nine months ago, getting completely bombed. Out of his mind. He was getting mixed up with a crowd he never should have been hanging out with. Lanie spotted him with the needle in his hand about to stick it in his arm. Being a frequent visitor to this certain club, she knew this crowd and knew enough not to get mixed up with them. Lanie got to him just before he shoved the needle in his arm and dragged him away. Ever since she "saved his life," as Nick always put it, they became inseparable. First, best friends. They hung out together as much as they could and when Nick was on tour, they talked on the phone, wherever he was in the world. Three months later, when the tour was over, Nick convinced her to pick up and move to Florida. Lanie, hesitant at first, agreed but only under the condition that she live with Brooke and Alyssa at the beach house and not with Nick. Nick reluctantly agreed and Lanie was in Florida two weeks later. They ended up getting even closer and finally decided to give a relationship a try. They've been dating for three months now and Ang could've sworn she hadn't seen Nick this happy since he was with Katelin.
AJ, on the other hand, dealt with Krista leaving in a different way. Instead of correctly dealing with the fact that he lost his child, and the love of his life in the process, he threw himself into another relationship. And when that one didn't work out, he threw himself into another one. And another. And another. Right now there was Sarah, the girl AJ was engaged to. They had been together for two and a half months and AJ proposed last week. Everyone tried to talk him out of it. Kevin, mistakenly, pointed out the fact that he and Krista were together for eight months and they had never really discussed marriage because there was no rush. AJ flipped out and swore up and down that he was in love with Sarah. No one really believed him.
Ang and Brian were still the picture-perfect couple. At least on the outside. Ang was suffering from the same anxiety that Christine was three years ago with Howie. She wanted to move forward. Bring their relationship to another level. In other words, get engaged. But Brian never even brought the subject up. Afraid of starting a fight and of stirring up trouble, Ang kept her mouth shut. She had kept her mouth shut about a lot of things. Especially the very important fact that every once in a while she would be getting the same threatening phone calls that she was getting three years ago. They only occurred every once in a while and Ang rarely took them seriously. But they were still happening.
"Ang!" Brian called from down stairs. "People are here!" Ang quickly closed her photo album and went downstairs as their friends started to arrive. They were having all of the guys and girls over for a barbecue. It was opening day for the 2002 NFL season and the guys would most definitely be parked in front of the television all day.
"Hey Ang!" Nick announced, his hand linked to Lanie's.
"Hi guys," Ang greeted, giving them each a hug. "Come on in." Kevin, Brooke, Alyssa, AJ, Sarah, and Howie weren't too far behind them and the entire group settled in front of Brian's huge big screen t.v.
"Yo Kev," Nick said, halfway through the second quarter. "What the hell are you doing? Put the game back."
"I didn't change it," Kevin defended. "They cut in." On the screen, instead of the Jaguars game, was Peter Jennings.
"We interrupt this program for a special report from ABC News. A chartered Lear jet, taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City has exploded in mid-take off. The private jet was chartered by notorious investment banker Michael Taylor. Mr. Taylor was on his way to London when the plane exploded. No word yet if Mr. Taylor's wife, Adrienne, his nineteen year old daughter, Katelin, or any other passengers were on board. There are no survivors and no known cause for the explosion as of yet. We will continue to update you with details as they become available." The television cut back to the game but no one was paying attention. The room was dead silent.
"Oh my god," Brian whispered. He glanced at Ang and Nick, both of them staring at the television, eyes wide and mouths hanging open. Lanie looked at Nick, confused. She knew about Nick's history with a certain girl back in New York but she didn't know who this girl was.
The silence was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. Brian stood up and went to answer it. A second later, he came back into the room and handed the phone to Ang:
"It's your mom." Ang quickly jumped up and grabbed the phone from him, running into the other room. Nick quickly followed her, wanting to find out anything that Mrs. Perera might know.
"Who was that?" Lanie finally asked. "Do you guys know them?"
"Didn't Nick ever tell you about Katelin?" AJ asked. Lanie shook her head.
"Katelin's the girl who Nick used to date," Kevin explained. "Her father kept them apart by blackmailing Nick…"
"Oh yeah," Lanie said, understanding setting in. "Yeah, he did. But I never knew her name."
"God," Brooke began. "Do you think she's…" She trailed off, not wanting to even say the words. No one said anything. They just waited and hoped that when Ang got off of the phone with her mother, they would have some answers.