After Vegas we flew to New York. Kevin in particular was very glad to leave Vegas. Now he could relax whenever Jade and Brian went MIA as AJ termed it. The tour is going along really well. I’m taking a lot of photographs for the book and Jade has had the first parts okayed by the Boys’ management. We have a week in New York and then we get a week off before the next show in Boston. Kevin is going to fly back to LA to see Kristen. Howie is meeting his sister Pollyanna in New York to help promote her new album. AJ is going to hang out in Boston with his mom. Jade and Brian are going to stay with his family in Kentucky. And I am taking Nick to meet my parents in Brooklyn. I catch up with Jade in the hotel restaurant. She’s eating toast real quick and I sit by her with a grin.
“Hungry huh?”
“No, late,” she grimaces.
“You have a job?” I grab some toast for myself.
“Yeah and I feel like a TOTAL sell-out,” she rolls her eyes. “It’s for People.”
“Ah,” I chuckle. “What is it?”
“Not sure really. Some girl doin’ a kiss and tell,” Jade shrugs. “I just got a panicked call from Andy the editor. He’d heard I was in New York and his reporter got ill, so here I am playin’ white knight.”
“Need any pictures?” I offer.
“Nup, but thanks,” she checks her watch and stands up. “Shoot, I better run. Catch ya later girl.”
“Yup,” I watch her disappear and eat my toast, figuring out what to do with my day.
I walk into the hotel suite paid for by People magazine and get my first glimpse of my interviewee. She is pretty, blonde and pregnant. I sit opposite her and pull out my tape recorder. I have no respect for people like her. They date a celebrity and then when it all goes wrong they cash in. I have no clue what I’m doing here. If it wasn’t for Andy who got me out of some bad crap in the past I woulda turned People down flat. But here I am so I’d better make the best of it. I look up from turning my recorder on and smile at the woman.
“Hi, my name’s Jade Greene from People Magazine. You’re Laura Chase right?”
“Yeah, that’s me,” she smiles. “It’s good to meet you Jade Greene. Your parents have a sense of humour right?” she added with a little giggle and I nod.
“Oh yeah. But I just got married so I don’t have to use it all the time any more,” I smile. She seems kinda sweet actually. I had expected her to look like a total slut but in fact she looks like the sweet girl-next-door with her sensible dress and gold cross around her neck. “Ok, should we get started?”
“Sure.”
“I don’t know ANYTHING about this whole thing cos I was kinda a late draft for someone else,” I explain. “So could you start from the beginning?”
“Sure,” she smiles and sits back in her chair. “Ok, I work in a bar in Florida. Well, I USED to,” she corrects herself with a giggle. “When I found out I was pregnant, I moved back here. It’s where my family live. The bar is called Pop City, do you know it?”
“Oh yeah,” I smile. I have been there many times with Ali, Nick and Brian.
“Cool. Well, I met him there seven months ago. He ordered a drink from me and we got talking. He had just split up with his girlfriend and was feeling kinda down. I thought he was real cute so I flirted with him and ended up going back to his place. Whew, it was GOOD,” she giggles and fans her face. “Anyway, that night kinda started off two months of us basically fucking.” She sighs, “Sorry to be so coarse but that’s all it was. I wanted more but he wouldn’t take me out anywhere just in case people saw us. I shoulda known then that he was still with his girlfriend I guess. But I really fell for him ya know? So I found out I was pregnant and I told him. At first he refused to believe it was his. He called me a whore and stuff. But when he calmed down he accepted it and gave me this huge cheque for an abortion. With extra for my keepin’ quiet and out of his life. I just ripped it up, I was so mad and so upset… But now, I kinda need money for my baby…”
“Ok,” I say. “Tell me who he is. How is he famous? All that.”
“Oh sorry, I missed that part out,” she giggles. “He’s a Backstreet Boy.”
“What?!” my eyes widen and my thoughts immediately turn to AJ. Then I realise he would never ask a girl to abort his baby, NONE of them would. Plus I know full well that they’ve been on tour for the past twelve months so how they could be fucking her in Florida I do not know. So I look at Laura with suspicious narrowed eyes and make up my mind to prove that she’s lying.
“Yeah, they’re kinda well-known huh?” she smiles. “I never thought he’d be interested in me at ALL.”
“Which one are you talkin’ about?”
“Brian,” she says. “Brian Littrell.”
“Brian?” I stare at her in shock. I can’t believe I’m hearing this. Surely this is all a set-up? I mean of all people to tell that story to, she gets the guy’s WIFE!
“Yeah, ya know which one he is?”
“I know,” I recover the power of speech and clench my hands. “And I know you are lying.”
“What?” she stares at me.
“You picked the wrong guy honey,” I say with a calmness that I don’t feel. “See, I happen to know Brian real well and I know he would never ever ask a woman to abort his child, let alone cheat on his girlfriend.”
“Nobody can know him that well,” she says, starting to get angry.
“I can. Maybe I should tell you my married name?” I stand up. “It’s Littrell.”
She stares at me, speechless, as I gather up my things and walk out.
After eating breakfast I head back to my hotel room. Nick walks out of the bathroom, a white towel wrapped around his waist, as I close the door behind me.
“Hey Nicky,” I greet him with a smile.
“Hey Ali,” he smiles back and I walk over to wrap my arms around him.
“What you doin’ today?”
“I’m gonna hang out with Brian.”
“Aw,” I pout and tug at his towel. “But I’m all lonely…”
“What’s Jade doing?” he asks, grabbing his towel before I can pull it away from him.
“Uh, she’s working. She has an interview,” I stare at him, not sure what to think. I’m making it damn obvious that I want to go back to bed with him and he’s just not interested. He starts getting dressed and I walk over to sit on the bed. “So I gotta make my own fun huh?”
“Maybe AJ wants to do something,” he suggests.
“But I wanna do something with YOU.”
“I wanna see Brian,” he says.
“Fine,” I throw him my best pout but he doesn’t even look over at me. “Nick, we ok?”
“Huh?” he glances at me and then smiles quickly. “Sure we are.”
“Cool,” I smile back and he finishes getting dressed.
“We can have dinner together tonight, if you want,” he offers as he heads towards the door.
“That’d be good,” I tell him as he disappears. I lie back on the bed and sigh lightly. I’m just being paranoid about Nick. I mean, sure he wants to spend time with his best friend. It doesn’t mean he’s falling out of love with me. I just wish Jade is around to tell me that herself. Somehow I think I’d believe it more if someone else said it. I sit up and dial AJ’s room, determined to find someone to hang out with today.