Chapter 7 - Let’s Play B-ball!

***30 minutes later***
Two cars drove into the car park with the headlights on, ‘cause it’s night time. There were no cars or anybody spotted in the park or the car park.

“Hey, we’re here!” Katie shouted. She looked through the car window.

Everyone started to get out of the cars and helped out with the things that they brought with them.

“Wow, nice park.” Melissa said.

“It sure is.” Howie said.

“Hey!” Katie said, with a big smile on her face. “There’s a basket ball court here.”

“Brian and I are gonna play down there later, you wanna come?” Nick asked, as he walked next to her.

“Sure!” She gave a big smile at Nick.

Everyone started to walk down the footpath towards the park. The park had mostly everything that you could ever want. It had a big blue lake, that was bigger then a football field, it had two basketball courts with grey tall fences around it, some play equipment and a large picnic ground that had tall green light poles, turned on.

They started to set the things out, on the wooden park table. But everyone decided to wait for a while before they go and eat. So everyone chose to do whatever they wanted to do, so they all went their own ways. Brian, Katie, Nick and AJ went down to the basketball court, while Howie, Kevin, Melissa and Erin sat around the wooden table, talking to each other.

“Hey, I see you got one of my roses from the concert.” Howie said.

“Yeah I did, why?” Melissa asked.

“I don’t know. It just looks good on ya.”

Melissa wore the white rose in her hair, next to her right ear.

“Thanks.” She answered. She started to blush.

“Anyway…” Erin turned to Kevin. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Well, the other guys and I are gonna fly back to Florida, to spend about four days there, preforming some concerts and after the fourth day, we get to have a break for a whole week or more, if we’re lucky enough.”

“Yeah, and on our holiday, we get to spend sometime with our family and friends.” Howie butted in.

“So that’s why when I saw your tour dates, on the net, there’s a big blank after the tour dates from Florida to the Europe tour.” Erin said.

“Yep.” Kevin answered. “Anyway, why aren’t you joining your friend, Kate?”

“Because she’s the one who loves playing basketball. Not us.” Erin said.

“Why aren’t you two playin’?” Melissa asked.

“Let’s just say we want to give it a rest for once.” Howie said.

“Plus Nick, can get a bit touchy if he loses too.” Kevin added in.

Everyone started to laugh.

“Erin,” Melissa began. “There’s a lake here.”

“So, what’s the big deal? It’s just a lake.” Howie butted in.

Before Melissa could answer that, Erin did it for her. “ Howie, never said that around Katie, ‘cuz she has a thing…for the lake.”

“What’s the thing…?” Howie raised his left eyebrow.

“Well, she just loves the lake…” Erin couldn’t say anything else as her mind went blank. “But I bet you that tonight that she’ll go towards the lake.”

“That’s only because she loves to look at it.” Melissa added in.

After awhile of thinking. “Oh. I get it now.” Howie said.

Kevin rolled his eyes at Howie. “Anyway…you know, you can row a boat here?”

“No.” Erina and Melissa answered together.

“You wanna row a boat after we all eat?” Howie asked.

The girls looked at each other for the answer.

“Maybe.” Erin said. “But we’ll see.”

***25 minutes later***
Down at the Basketball court. Katie and AJ were on one team while Brian and Nick was on the other. The scored was16 to 14, Nick and Brian’s way.

“Okay, time out!” AJ shouted.

“AJ, you know that there is no way you and Kate is gonna beat us.” Nick said, in a cheeky way. He was holding the ball under his right arm.

Katie was standing next to AJ and she took one step forward. “You wanna bet on that, Nick?”

Before Brian could say anything Nick said it first. “Sure. And the bet is gonna be…”

He looked at Brian, but he wasn’t pleased at what he was doing. “One person from the ‘loser’ team, has to be a slave for tonight and the only way of getting out of the bet is…to shoot 3 hoops in a row, Okay?”

Katie turned to AJ. “What do ya think. Go for it or not?”

“Why not, Kate. Anyway, we’re only two points behind them.”

Both of them turned to face Nick. “Okay.” They said together.

“You’re going down, Nick.” AJ added.

They all shook hands with each other, but for Brian.

Nick smiled. “Great. Let’s continue and the first team to score up to 26 points is the winner, okay?”

“Fine with me.” Katie said. Then she turned to Brian. “Hey, are you okay with this?” “I guess so…” He looked away.

She walked up to Brian and whispered. “Brian, your not the only one who doesn’t want to do this stupid dare.” Then she walked towards AJ. “What ‘cha waiting for, Brian. Let play!”

Brian sighed and said to himself. “Well, at least she’s on me side.”

AJ and Katie started with the ball ‘cause Nick and Brian scored the last shot. The ball was going back and forwarded from one side to the other of the court. Near the end of the game it was 24 all.

Nick had the ball and he started to dribble it to his side of the court, he shoots but it rebounds off the backboard, so AJ snatches the ball and then dribbles it over to his side of the court. Brian was guarding Katie, while Nick was running after AJ. AJ jumps up so he could shoot and so Nick jumps up as well, so he could try and knock the ball out of his hands but AJ quickly passes it to Katie. She catches it and shoots and the ball hits the backboard and enters the hoop.

“Yes! We won!” Katie started to jump around like a maniac.

AJ ran up to her and hugged her. They start to sing a victory song, ‘We Are The Campions.’ [Author’s note: You know the song, from the Mighty Ducks movie.] “Man! I had a clear shot, if it wasn’t for AJ, I…I would have, GRRR!” Nick yelled out loud.

Brian saw Katie and AJ walking towards him. “Great game, you guys.”

“Yeah, it was, wasn’t it.” Katie reached out her hand towards Brian, for a handshake.

“Great game, man.” AJ reached out his hand out as well. Then he turned to Nick, who was still angry about losing. “Oh, poor Nick…angry about losing. HA! What a sore loser!”

Nick turned away from AJ and sat down.

“AJ! You’re the sore loser if your gonna rub it in some ones face.” Katie said in a strict voice. She grabbed the ball from the ground, and walked towards Nick.

“But Kate, I was just having fun.”

She did reply back to him or even looked at him.

“Hey Nick, are you okay?” She said in a soft voice, as she bobbed down next to him.

“Yeah…” He didn’t look up to make eye contact with her.

“So, Nick! Your gonna be a slave or shoot for it?” AJ shouted.

Nick got up and gave him an evil look. “I’ll shoot for it.” He started to walk towards one of the hoops in the court. The others followed behind him.

“Hey, you guys. Is Nick always like this, if he loses?” Katie whispered.

“Yeah, that’s Nick for ya.” AJ answered.

“But he can’t help it though…it’s just…well, the way he acts.” Brian said, with a smile.

Everyone stood behind Nick, but for Katie, who stood near the hoop so she could past the ball back to him.

“I’ll show you what I got.” Nick said to himself.

Nick looked up at the backboard and then at the basket ball. He started to bend his knees and made his first shot, it went in. The second shot did the same and now it was up to his third throw. He closed his eyes and thought. “I can do this, I can do this.” He opened his eyes and made the shot, the ball bounced off the board and hits the hoop, then the ball bounced off the board again and slowly the ball went through the hoop.

“YES!” This time it was Nick’s time to jump around like a maniac.

Katie clapped for Nick and the got the ball on the ground.

“Great shot Nick.” Brian said, and patted him on the back.

“Dam, and I really wanted a slave for tonight.” AJ joked.

Nick looked at AJ and said. “Why don’t you be my slave then.”

“Nah, I think I’ll past, if I have to clean up your mess, that’s horrifying enough.”

Nick gave him a shape look.

“Ring, ring!” AJ’s mobile phone rang.

“Ring-” He answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey AJ, it’s me, D” Howie said.

“Hey. Why ‘cha call?”

“I just wanna say that it’s time to eat, so-”

“Well see ya there in less then a minute.” He interrupted.

“Find then. I’ll start timing you, when you hang up the phone, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. Just wait.” He told the others to get ready to run. “Okay, we’ll see ya there.” He hanged up the phone.

Everyone started to run down the footpath as fast as they could. Brian was in the lead with AJ tagging behind. Katie and Nick were in the middle of Brian and AJ.

***Meanwhile***
“5…4…” Howie said.

A small group of people was running closer to where Howie and the others sat.

“3…2…”

“We’re here!” AJ shouted.

“1.” Howie looked up. “You just made it, AJ.”

The four of them was trying to catch their breaths.

“Man…(puff)…let’s never…” Katie sat on the chair, next to the wooden table like what Brian, Nick and AJ started to do. She took a deep breath.

“Do that again…” Nick finished off her sentence. Then he took a deep breath as well.

“Well, didn’t you guys have fun without us.” Erin said.

“Ha, ha very funny, Erin.” Katie replied.

“Well, now that everyone’s here, let’s eat!” Howie said.

***25 minutes later***
After eating all the food, everyone started to talk about things.

“Can I have everyone’s attention.” Kevin said.

Everyone stopped talking and looked at him.

“Thank you. As you all know, we, the Backstreet Boys, are going to leave tomorrow, in the late afternoon and I just wanna say. It was great to meet you three girls and we’ll keep in touch with each other.”

“And that’s a promise!” Erin said.

“Hey, so are you three going to sleep over tonight?” AJ asked.

“Why not.” Melissa said, she smiled at Katie.

“Great! So who’s gonna sleep in who’s room, ‘cuz we all have our own room so… you three can pick any room you want.”

“I think I’ll sleep in-”

“Mine.” Howie interrupted. He gave a big smile.

“Okay, then…” Melissa wasn’t so sure about sleeping in Howie’s room.

“That’s one down and two to go.” Brian said.

“Well, I don’t really mind.” Erin said.

“Yeah, the same with me.” Katie said.

“Kate, Erin, you can sleep in AJ, Brian, Nick or in my room.” Kevin said.

Erin smiled. “Okay then. I’ll pick…yours, Kevin.”

“Fine. But I’m gonna do something when we’re back at the hotel, so do you mine staying in one of the other’s room?” Kevin asked.

“What’s the thing?” Erin asked.

“He gonna play his on his keyboard.” AJ said.

“Hey! Erin knows how to play it too.” Katie said.

Erin gave an evil look at Katie that said. “Big mouth!”

“Hey that’s great. Maybe we can play together.” Kevin said.

“Sure.” Erin accepted his offer.

“Two down and one to go. Come on Kate, make a chose. AJ, Nick or with me.” Brian said.

“I still don’t know…” She looked at her friends and smiled.

They did nothing but look back at her.

“It’s your chose Kate.” Erin said.

“Well…” She began to say.

“Three down and none to go. ‘Cuz, Kate, is moving in with me.” Nick said, with a huge smile. “Right Kate?”

“I…um, guess so.” Katie said. She wasn’t so sure about staying with Nick.

“Hey Kate, you can sleep in my room or AJ’s, if Nick gets ignoring, Okay?” Brian said.

“Sure.” She nodded. Then she turned towards Howie. “Hey Howie, remember when you said that, you guys are going take us back home in the morning, or was it in the afternoon?” Katie asked.

“Yeah…um, I think it was both. The morning and the afternoon…why?”

“Well, what’s the time slot?”

“Um…”

“The morning is 7:00am and the afternoon is 1:30pm or later, and that’s when we can take you home.” Kevin answered.

“What time do you guys want to go home?” Brian asked.

“Well, my mum did say early in the morning, so…the morning it is.” Melissa said, she looked at the others to see what they thought about it.

“Fine with me.” Katie said.

“Same.” Erin said.

“Great, then it’s settled.” Howie said.

Katie got up. “Hey, you guys, can you row a boat here?” She looked at the lake, from the distance.

“Yeah, you can, why?” AJ asked, a huge grin appeared on his face.

She smiled. “Well then, I’ll see you guys later. I’m gonna go to the lake.” She started to walk off.

AJ was about to get up.

“Kate, wait!” Nick said. He got up and ran after her.

AJ sat back down as Katie stoped and turned around.

“Hey Kate, can I tag along?”

“Why not.” She smiled

They walked toward the lake together.

“See! I told ‘cha, Kate would do that.” Erin said.

“Fine then, you’re correct. But do you guys wanna join those two?” Howie asked.

Everyone agreed and walked towards the lake, to row a boat.

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