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Chapter 32
“Passengers, we are now making our descent on Orlando, Florida. The temperature is currently 87°. Please buckle your seatbelts, straighten your seats and store away all electronics. Thank you for flying Flights International.”
Nick leaned over in his seat and shoved Brian. “Rok! Plane’s landin’. Wake up!”
Brian grumbled as he opened his eyes. Blinking several times to clear his head, he looked at his watch. 2:32 p.m.
“Faith said she’d be home at 2,” he said, not caring if Nick heard him or not.
Nick tapped his cell phone. “I just talked to Promise. They’re still on their plane.”
Brian’s eyebrows shot up. “They are?”
“Yeah. It was delayed for an hour before they boarded. I had to go ‘cuz we were landing.”
Brian groaned. “I could have talked to Faith?”
Nick grinned. “Bummer.”
“So when will they get home?” Brian asked, ignoring Nick.
“Promise guessed about 3:00 or so.”
Brian’s chest lifted. Not too long to wait, he figured. As soon as they landed and he got home, he could shower, unpack, eat, and relax.
“Of course, we have a meeting at 3:15,” Nick added, and Brian groaned.
The plane landed, and the Backstreet Boys departed from the gate in one big mass of tiredness. It had been a great summer, but now they just wanted to get back into the swing of things.
“Boys! It’s good to see you!”
Five heads turned to catch the face of the voice. Mallory stood there, her arms open wide. The guys looked uncertainly at each other. They’d barely gotten to know her before management shipped them off to Hawaii. Still, they hugged her one at a time to be nice.
“Why don’t you put your bags in the limo and come get a drink with me at this cute little café I saw at Gate C. I want to hear everything about the trip.”
Her enthusiasm immediately warmed them up. They followed her, talking excitedly. All but Kevin, who kept silent, not wanting to play sharing time. He had just been dumped by the only girl he’d ever love. And it tore him apart.
In the café, Mallory and the guys sat at a large table. Five cups of coffee and a glass of coke scattered about the table. Nick was in the middle of a funny story about Promise when AJ interrupted him.
“Dude, I swear you love her.”
Everything stopped. Nick sat stock still, staring at AJ. Everyone else stared into their cups uncomfortably.
“AJ, I have absolutely no feelings for Promise past friendly love,” Nick said firmly. “She’s like my best friend. I could never see myself with her like you’re with Grace.”
And that was it. AJ shrugged, lifting his mug to his lips.
“Who’s Grace?” Mallory spoke up.
“Promise’s best friend,” AJ supplied. Brian snickered. AJ looked around the table at the smirks on everyone’s faces but his and Mallory’s.
“What?” he demanded. The whole table burst out laughing.
“Brian, stop laughing,” Howie gasped. “You have it bad for Faith and you know it.”
“H-Howie!” Brian exclaimed. “What about Destiny?”
“I know!” Howie laughed. “We’re pathetic.”
Kevin frowned into his coffee. Suddenly he felt a hand on his arm. He looked up, straight into Mallory’s eyes. They held warmth and concern, and he felt a lump form in his throat.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly.
His throat closed. Unable to speak, he just nodded. He missed Hope.
“Kevin, why’re you so quiet?” Brian asked suddenly. Then he realized. “Oh,” he finished lamely.
“S’ok, man,” Kevin mumbled. His eyes stung.
The table was quiet.
“Maybe,” Nick spoke up, “maybe it’s for the best, Kev.”
It was daring, and everyone held their breath. Kevin managed a small smile as he stared at the tabletop.
“Um,” Mallory began. “I’m lost.”
“Just a little broken relationship,” Howie explained quickly. Mallory nodded, and reached over to squeeze Kevin’s hand. He smiled once more then looked away.
An awkward silence followed.
“So,” Brian spoke up, uncomfortable with the silence. “How’ve you been, Mal?”
She looked at him. “Great, just great,” she gushed. “Working in the public relations department is great. I love being a part of Jive, and being able to work with you guys. It’s great.”
“Is it great?” Nick teased. Everyone laughed.
“I already feel like a part of your group,” she said and Nick and Brian pretended to wipe their eyes.
“How sweet,” they cooed. Mallory threw a straw wrapper at them, rolling her eyes.
“Well, I guess we’ve gotta go,” she said, standing up. Everyone else stood up, too, and threw away their napkins, leaving their empty mugs on the table.
“It’s 3:10. Let’s rock n’ roll,” Mallory yelped, starting to run. “I’m already making you guys late!”
They ran behind her, laughing at her panic.
~*~*~*~*~
Faith sighed and stepped out of the gate. “Home,” she said excitedly
to Grace.
“Home sweet home,” Grace added. Faith grinned.
“I miss Howie,” Destiny said glumly. The girls ignored her. The
whole flight they had listened to Destiny complain and whine about Howie,
and now they were sick of it.
“You guys,” Destiny whimpered. “I miss him!”
“And I miss Brian, Des,” Faith said calmly. “And Grace misses
AJ. I’m sure Promise misses Nick, and Hope…” She trailed off.
“I didn’t mean…uh…”
“It’s okay,” Hope said with false cheerfulness. “I’ll
get over him.”
“Right,” Promise piped up. “Of course you will. Right,
girls?”
The other three nodded quickly. “Of course you will, Hope. You’ll
meet someone new,” Grace said optimistically.
“Oh, you guys, I wish I had what you did. I wish Kevin was more like
Brian, or AJ, or Howie even-“
“Howie,” Destiny moaned. Four pillows simultaneously smacked her
on the head.
“And I wish I was more like you guys,” Hope continued. “I
know…things didn’t exactly sail smoothly for you and Brian, Faith,
but you guys got over it! Why can’t I get over it?”
“Well, obviously you weren’t meant to be together.” Promise
shook out her braids from the ponytail she had had them in. “If it
didn’t feel absolutely perfect in your heart, Hope, then it wasn’t
right. You couldn’t pretend it was, couldya?”
Hope shook her head. “Guess not.”
Promise hailed a taxi quickly and continued. “It’s like I told
Leighanne. Maybe Kevin’s your pizza. Y’know, you love him like
you love a hobby. You have a soft spot in your heart for him. But he’s
not what you need to survive. If he was, you wouldn’t be able to talk
about it right now. So, in conclusion, Kevin’s your pizza. Just wait
for your soulmate.”
Hope let the words sink in and found herself comforted by them.
“You told Leighanne that?” Faith asked, surprised.
“Yeppers!” said Promise. The girls looked at each other.
“I thought she was over that stage,” Grace whispered to Faith.
“Prom, you should be a psych or something,” Destiny spoke up suddenly,
thoughtfully. “You tell everybody solutions to their problems an’
stuff.”
Promise laughed softly. “Maybe,” she said, shrugging. “I’m
leaving my options open.”
They were silent as a taxi pulled up, responding to Promise’s waving.
Once every last carryon, pillow, purse, suitcase, stray shoe, and souvenir
had been stored – or rather, stuffed – in the trunk, all five girls
piled into the cab. After a few minutes of complaining of the elbow room,
they settled down and began reminiscing about the trip.
“Do you guys realize – we spent the whole summer with THE Backstreet
Boys?” Grace pointed out.
“Not just with them,” Promise said. “We got-“ she raised
her eyebrows lightly, “-intimate.”
The other four giggled. “They never knew what hit ‘em,” Destiny
commented.
“Well, neither did we,” Faith pointed out.
“Ah, well, it was fun,” Grace said. “Oh, yeah, it was fun.”
“Y’know, we have to catch up,” Hope said. “All I really
know is that this summer was s’posed to be the five of us, and we kinda
got lost in our guys. Besides that, all I know is about Kevin and me. Faith,
I know things were rocky at first, but then, things were great. Then Leighanne
showed up and things went kersplat, right? Now things are well. Grace, you
and AJ are sweet, but what happened? I want to know things! Promise, you
and Nick…how adorable. And Des, all we know about you and Howie is
that-“
“You miss him!” Faith, Grace and Promise yelled, laughing.
“I do,” Destiny whined.
“I think this calls for a major girl night,” Faith said.
“Yeah, we need to know everything about everything,” Grace agreed.
“Okay,” Promise began, kicking into planning mode. “You bring
popcorn, I’ll bring the chick flicks-“
“Uh, Prom?” Grace interjected. “We live in the same house.”
They all giggled.
“Can you guys imagine what it would be like if all of us, and all the
guys lived in one house?” Destiny laughed. “That would be
hectic.”
“I don’t even want to imagine it,” Grace said, shaking her
head. “Brian and Nick would be after my tapes constantly and I’d
have to get AJ on them.”
“Yeah, and AJ will really defend your Brad Pitt fiend,” Hope said
sarcastically. The other three laughed.
The taxi pulled up to their apartment just as Grace pulled out her favorite
movie – Meet Joe Black – from her messenger bag, the only one that
hadn’t fit in the trunk.
Huge letters screamed off the cover, “Brad Pitt is ugly!” Faith
recognized it as Brian’s handwriting but didn’t say anything.
“I’m going to KILL them,” Grace seethed.
Suddenly, the driver spoke up. “I would get the Soap Opera Circus in
my cab,” he muttered.
The five looked at each other and burst out laughing.
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