Part II: Fly
Kevin walked to his car in the
far off, employee parking lot. His feet and knees ached from standing all day
in those pointed shoes. He stopped at one of the trash cans to throw away the
unsolicited phone numbers he'd received that day. He ran his hand through his
short, dark hair and sucked in air.
How much longer?
What other humiliating job was
he going to have to take?
What was he going to have to
do to fulfill his dreams?
The fresh, humid air brought
back a strange memory he hadn't focused on in years. He and Brian had camped
out one night outside the cabin. His younger cousin couldn't have been more
then fourteen years old. Kevin was in the middle of his senior year in high
school, still enjoying his time as captain of the football team, homecoming
king, most popular senior, most likely to succeed, etc.
"You're graduating
soon," Brian had told him.
"Um-huh," he'd
answered sleepily. Somehow, he always ended up having to make time for his
little cousin. It was something he had let go of: family.
"Gonna leave town?"
"No," he'd said
confidently. "I'll probably go to college around here. But..."
"What? But what?" he
asked.
"But I thought about
it," he admitted. "Why?"
"'Cause you should. What
is it that you really want to do, Kev? Play football?"
He half laughed. "Not
forever. I don't think my knees could hold out. I guess I'd like to sing."
"Can't sing in
He rolled over and tried to
make out Brian's face in the dark. "What? What are you getting at?"
"What are you doing here,
Kev? I mean, really. What are you gonna do when you graduate? Work as a
teacher? As a coach? Is that what you want?"
He'd had the same conversation
with his father, probably fifty times. He already knew the answer.
"No," he said,
"That's not what I want."
"What?" Jordan, the
guy who worked as Prince Eric asked.
Kevin looked up from the trash
can and realized he'd said those last words out loud.
He chuckled. "Nothing.
Sorry. I was just talking to myself."
"This job will do it to
you, huh? I'm quitting tomorrow,"
"Yeah? Going to
college?"
"No. I flew out to LA
last month, and I got a recurring role in a soap opera. I'll be glad to be out
of this place."
Kevin just nodded and started
toward his beat-up pick up.
"Don't let it get to you,
man,"
Like it was that easy. He
started the truck and the radio came on. It was playing Boys II Men's The End
of the Road. He turned up the volume.
"I love this song,"
he said aloud again and sang the song as he made his way out of the parking
lot.
-
Nick had put off asking his
mother if he could quit singing with "the girls," which was what he
always called them.
He had been afraid to say
anything because she was perfectly happy with his schedule as it was. And she
knew "the girls" and their parents very well and trusted them
completely. That was always the problem. They didn't trust anyone with him. He
didn't either. But he was a risk-taker and sometimes, did things that he
shouldn't, like take off with Howie and AJ at Disney without telling his
mother. He understood why she wanted to know where he was at all times. But
lately, life had been offering up too many opportunities, and he wasn't one to
sit and let them go by.
He had taken a deep breath and
asked.
"Fine, it's okay. Are you
sure that's what you want?"
Nick looked in awe at his
mother. He had expected a full-fledged argument. Or for her to say flat out no.
He was tempted to be funny and check her temperature, but he held back. Since
Sunday night, he had made a strong commitment to himself and the guys. And he
had done everything that he could to keep it. He'd turned in homework all week,
granted it was only Tuesday. He'd stayed out of trouble allowing the bullies to
call him every name in the book. He had even let Sam talk him out of filling
some loud mouth kid's locker with glue.
"Really? It's okay?"
he asked.
She nodded as she drove toward
"Sure, Nick. I mean, all
of this is what you want. And if you don't want to sing with the girls anymore,
then you don't have to. We'll just tell them that you decided to move on."
He settled into the seat with
a grin. It was almost too easy.
"You know this has always
been about what you want. And if one day you don't want to do it anymore, you
don't have to. Just as long as you're happy," she said.
He looked at her again. Maybe
she really was sick. She was taking it all too damn well.
He decided not to play with
fire and pulled out his math book and began to do his homework in the van.
She shot him a look but didn't
say anything. She just turned off the radio so he could concentrate.
"Call them mom, please,"
AJ was saying to Denise when the Carter van drove into the driveway.
"AJ, you don't know who
this guy Lou Pearlman is. No one has even heard of him as a music producer. Are
you sure?"
"Yes," he said
flatly. "I'm sure."
She knew better than to argue with
him. It was always easier just to go along with him and iron out the bumps
later.
There was a pizza in the oven
and plenty of cold soda in the refrigerator. Howie was due in at any second,
and the guys would begin their first official practice session.
-
"On the right, ladies and
gentlemen, you'll see the
He went on to describe the
many characters and rides you could expect to pass while traveling through this
part of the park. He knew no one was listening anyway.
"And now we are
approaching the station at
Tonight was the night.
He had taken up the vendor's
words from the other day and checked out the competitions. Surprisingly, he
found that he wouldn't even be the oldest there. Sure, most of the kids there
were about four feet tall, but there were also people in their twenties. What
did he have to lose to anyway? Only disappointment, but he had been down that
twisting road too many times to let it get in the way of his dreams. So he
decided to go for it. This was his chance. Now or never, he figured.
He looked at his watch as the
train boarded at the next stop and let out a sigh. He needed a break already.
-
"I think it's time for a
break," AJ announced loudly.
Without waiting for an answer
from either of the two, he left the room they had been using to practice and
headed toward the kitchen.
"That sounds good to
me," Howie remarked.
Nick nodded.
They followed where AJ had
disappeared to and found him sitting at the kitchen table with the pizza.
"You couldn't have waited
for us?" Howie teased, watching the kid take a huge bite out of his piece.
"I didn't know you were
hungry," AJ said through his mouthful.
Howie shook his head with a
smile. What manners. Couldn't take these kids anywhere.
"Well, I'm
starving," Nick said, grabbing a seat across from AJ. He grabbed a slice
with his hands as Howie sat down adjacent to them.
"You didn't even get
plates?" he asked AJ, watching the two eat.
"Don't need plates,"
AJ answered.
"Sure you don't."
Howie looked at him expectantly, and AJ pointed to the cabinets next to the
sink.
"Over there, Mr.
Neat."
"Thank you . . ."
Howie got up and grabbed three, sliding one in front of each of them. He
grabbed a slice of pizza for himself. "So what do you guys think?"
"We sound good," AJ
said readily. "First place good. Right Nick?"
"Right."
Howie nodded. "I think
so, too." AJ grinned widely. For once he knew Howie didn't have any
doubts.
"I knew you would,
D."
"So what're we gonna wear
anyway?" Nick asked suddenly. "I mean, when we were solo it didn't
make a difference, but . . ." He looked them for help.
"He's right," Howie
said. "We should try and coordinate or something."
"Yeah." AJ nodded.
"Those damn cowgirl chicks that won last time wore those crappy matching
hillbilly outfits." Howie rolled his eyes at the kid's choice of words.
"Judges like that stuff."
"How about we all just
wear cargoes?" Howie suggested.
"Good." Nick let out
a relieved breath. "Nothing fancy or anything."
AJ laughed at him.
-
Kevin’s heart beat loudly as
he stood in front of the crowd. But he really couldn’t understand why. He had
sang in front of crowds countless of times as Aladdin. Maybe that was it.
Without the heat-stroke inducing costume, the people could actually see his
face, his eyes, who he was. He had purposely chosen to dress casually because
was it like him.
The song took forever to
start. He had chosen a Colin Raye country ballad called If I Were You because
it would set him apart from all the kids doing fruity pop songs.
The audience full of tourists
and fellow competitors was strangely quiet as he sang the song about unrequited
love.
It struck him then why things
seemed so different. As Aladdin, he’d probably performed a million times to
people from every continent. As himself, he’d only sang to those beloved
hometown crowds who were so faraway now. The thought almost chilled his blood,
but he pressed on and made eye contact with the people in the front row.
As he hit the last note, he
closed his eyes, and when he opened them, everyone was clapping.
"Thank you," he
said, finally smiled. "Thanks a lot."
"That was great,"
the female MC told him as he gave her back the microphone. "You’re
amazing."
"Thanks," he said
still smiling because of the rush performing gave him.
"Thank you! We need more
sexy men like you around," she said and looked out at the crowd.
"Let’s hear it again for Kevin," she called into the microphone.
And they clapped, but he gave
her a look. ‘Don’t let her ruin this,’ he told himself. ‘Don’t.’
He was happy with himself just
because he’d made himself get out there instead of just thinking about it. He
didn’t need some hard-up woman reducing his talent to his looks.
"Thanks," he said
with a wave and walked off the stage.
-
"Brian, Brian,
Brian!"
The chanting of the crowd
echoed throughout the arena and back at him, giving him a rush. Signs waved
from the audience proclaiming love and adoration, now and then even a proposal.
Brian grinned and wiped the sweat from his brow. He turned to nod at someone
standing behind him on the stage. He couldn't see their face, but he knew that
it was someone familiar.
"Brian!" The voice
changed and he felt someone shaking his arm. His number one fan, he thought
with a smile.
"Mom?"
"You're going to be so
late, Brian," she was saying. "You only have a few weeks left of high
school, sweetie, let's try and make it on time for once, huh?" She smiled
down at her son who had been getting to school later and later.
Brian glanced at his watch on
the night table next to him. Damn! He should've been up a half-hour ago! He
shot out of bed and towards the bathroom to shower. His mom was laughing.
"Breakfast is downstairs
waiting," she called before leaving the room. Brian chuckled.
He thought about the dream
while he was in the shower. What did it mean anyway? Sure he had thought every
now and then about becoming a performer. Who didn't? But he always figured that
even if he stayed in
"Guess what," he
said dramatically to his family in the kitchen. He had surrendered to the fact
that he would never make it to his first period class on time, so he was taking
it slow. "I've decided what award I want to be remembered for in senior
year." He grinned.
"And what would that
be?" his mom asked with a smile. He cleared his throat loudly.
"I, Brian Thomas
Littrell, refuse to follow in the steps of those in our family who have won
awards for most popular and best whatever . . . I am going to take home the
award for . . . Most Tardy!" He looked proud of himself.
"Oh really?"
"Yup. Aren't you
proud?"
"Of course," his
mother said, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll be proud of you no matter
what you do." She paused. "But get to school now."
"Sure, Mom. Love
ya."
She watched her son's
retreating form and shook her head. What a character she had raised.
-
Nick was glum and nervous that
Saturday evening. He had argued with his mother all the way to Disney because
Mrs. Fox had called the house again. He'd blown the weekly quiz they had taken
on Friday. It wasn't really his fault. He'd studied, he'd done his homework,
but he just couldn't concentrate. Sam was really depressed over some girls who
were teasing her in gym class. He'd found her crying at her locker. Even while
they had taken the quiz, he could hear her sniffle behind him occasionally.
When boys teased her, he could try to do something about it. But other girls?
There was nothing he could do about that. He just felt really bad and didn't
concentrate.
He'd gotten a 67, and his
mother had let him have it.
"You're only going
because I don't want you to let those other boys down," she had said
sternly as they walked toward the park. "After today, we're going to sit
down and talk about a lot of things, Nickolas."
There was nothing else that he
could say. She didn't understand what kindness from others meant to him. He
guessed she must have just been used to having people be kind to her.
"Yes mom," he'd said
and sat down to wait for AJ and Howie in the warm-up area.
He was watching a line of ants
on the sidewalk and didn't even notice when AJ stood in front of him.
"You forgot the
cargoes," AJ said.
Nick bit his lip and looked
up. "Oops. I'm sorry. It's just that...Well...I...You see,...Oh forget it.
I'm just stupid."
AJ put his gym bag down on the
line of ants and sat down next to him.
Nick pushed the gym bag off
the ants with his foot.
AJ looked at him quizzically.
"They'll get in your
bag," Nick explained. "And if they get in your pants, forget it. You
won't be able to sing. Believe me. It happened to me once."
Finally, AJ laughed as if he
could just see little Nick singing with ants in his pants.
"You seen Howie?" AJ
asked.
Nick just shook his head.
"He's late, and he's
never late. Plus, he has the music. Did he give you a copy of the music?"
Once again, Nick shook his
head.
AJ looked around. That's all
he needed: a late member of the group and a mute member of the group.
He gave Nick a light shove.
"What's with you anyway? You clam up when you're nervous or what? I've
never seen you be quiet for this long."
He sighed. "It's my mom.
She's mad at me again."
AJ was immediately shaking his
head. "Man, you have so much to learn. Don't you know that the first
person in this whole world that you have to keep happy is your mother? If I can
help it, and I usually can, I don't make my mom mad. Ever. It's just bad. It's
bad for my career. It's bad for her. It's bad for me. I just do what she says,
and she doesn't ask me to do more than I can."
Nick just shrugged.
"Well, that's just it, AJ. I can't do what she wants because sometimes, I
don't even know what that is. And--."
"Alex?!!"
They both turned to find Angie
running up to them. AJ was already ducking for cover remembering how she had
spilled soda all over him. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted Nick.
"Um, hi. Hi Alex."
AJ smiled, "Hi Angie.
What a surprise."
"Oh Alex, there are even
more people here than there were last week. You should see it! Are you guys
ready?"
"Well, as soon as Howie
gets here we'll be ready. Have you seen him?"
She shook her head. "No.
You think he'll show? He wouldn't stand you up, would he? I mean, what are you
gonna do if he doesn't show? But he wouldn't do that, would he? Would he?"
AJ just raised his eyes at her
and tried not to sound mean. "Well, I hadn't thought about it, Angie. But
now that you mention it--."
"Hey guys!" they
heard Howie's familiar greeting.
AJ sighed in relief.
"Hi!" Angie beamed
at him. "I knew you'd be here. AJ was getting nervous, but I kept telling
him that you'd be here. I knew you were just running late. I kept telling him
that, but he wouldn't listen. He's just so silly like that, huh, Alex?"
She plopped down next to him and picked up his gym bag.
Howie looked at their three
faces. He was getting to know them very well. Angie was just her over-excited
self. AJ was trying to hide his nervousness with sarcasm. Nick. Nick was just a
mystery. He'd never seen the kid look serious.
"Traffic was mess,"
Howie explained. "There must have been five accidents on the way over
here. That's why I was running behind. Plus, I had to talk to one of my
professors before leaving school. You know how it is."
"Blondie forgot the
cargoes," AJ informed him. "But it doesn't matter. You got the music?
Should we go warm up? I mean, we need to warm up. And, as you know, only
performers are allowed in warm up area, Angie."
She just smiled and put the
gym bag in AJ's lap.
"Sure," Howie said.
"We need to run through the song a couple of times. Let's go."
They left Angie behind and
headed toward the other performers.
She waved at them.
"Good luck," she
called.
"Thanks," Howie told
her. Then whispered to AJ, "What's with him?"
He shrugged. "The usual.
Mom trouble."
Howie just shook his head and
threw his arm around the little blonde kid.
"Hey, you okay, buddy? We
can do this, right?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah. I'm
fine."
They finally reached the
warm-up area and found a spot where they wouldn't get run over by dancers or
drowned out by other groups.
If either of them had ever
doubted the youngest boy's professionalism, they were reassured by how composed
he was suddenly. Every sign of the sadness was erased when they began to sing
the song they had practiced all week long. He was his smiling, usual self.
AJ was relieved and finally
felt able to concentrate on his singing. He was a perfectionist and wouldn't be
happy until things were just right. By the time they were running through the
song for the third time, a strange hush surrounded them.
Howie looked up and realized
that all of the other competitors were looking at them. He glanced at Nick and
AJ who were way too engrossed in their singing to notice. He closed his eyes
again and finished the song.
All they heard was clapping.
Their peers' applause made
them smile. It had to be a good omen.
"Well, we'd better sit
down. Everything will be starting soon. Remember that we're the fifth act, okay
guys?" Howie said.
AJ nodded and closed his eyes.
'I'm not nervous. I'm not nervous. I'm not nervous,' he thought. 'I'm not
nervous.'
-
"You're not
nervous?" Kevin heard Emily ask.
"No," he lied.
"I'm not nervous. But thanks for coming with me."
"Sure," she said.
"It's no problem."
They were making their way
through the warm-up area. Kevin just had to check in with the MC. He'd be
singing Babyface's When Can I See You Again? It was his favorite song because
it made him think of home. Actually, that's why he'd even asked Emily to come
along. He just wanted somebody familiar and comforting around this time. God,
he missed his family.
She was the person he'd known
the longest in
"You'll be great,"
she told him.
He'd be up second, so he just
decided to wait by the stage instead of taking a seat in the bleachers.
"Thanks," he
muttered, not even looking at her.
The kid up first was some
girl. Disney was full of young girls with big hair, loud voices and no rhythm
who dreamed of being stars.
Kevin sighed gratefully when
he realized that she couldn't sing. At least, he'd sound better than her.
But he gave her a great, big
smile when she walked off the stage nearly in tears. Only her family had
cheered for her.
"You did good,
honey," he told her, crossing his fingers behind his back. He just wanted
her to feel better.
He took his place center stage
and tried desperately to focus on his confidence. He had always had loads of
confidence. It wouldn't fail him this time.
The easy notes of the song
began, and he took a deep breath. The vision he always focused on when he was
nervous encompassed him. The crowd of nearly two hundred became a crowd of ten
thousand. Thinking this way always made him work harder, and therefore perform
better. There was a difference in the vision that he'd never noticed before.
This time, he wasn't alone on stage. And it wasn't just a band that accompanied
him. He couldn't quite make out the faces, but everything sounded great.
He smiled and closed his eyes
into the song as he imagined himself singing before his hometown. He thought of
his mother, brothers and father, even if he had already passed away. They
looked at him proudly and cheered wildly as the song entered its final notes.
"Kevin! We love
you!" he could have sworn he heard.
"Kevin! Kevin!
Kevin!"
Slowly, he opened his eyes and
returned to the relatively small audience before him. He smiled and put the
microphone down.
They cheered. They clapped.
Some girl in the front whistled at him.
AJ silently watched the guy
walk off of the stage, the applause ringing in his ears. The guy was good.
Better than good actually. And he had that deeper voice that they needed for
their harmony.
But he was like twenty or
something, AJ thought, dismissing the idea. He'd rather someone his age in the
group personally. Even though Howie was nineteen himself, he was also a lot of
fun. The guy who was onstage looked kind of serious for AJ's taste. Like he'd
want anything to do with the three of them anyway.
"Possible?" he heard
Howie whisper.
He shrugged.
"Possible. I guess,"
he answered lowly. He glanced at Nick, who just looked back at him silently.
"No input, kid?"
"Nope."
"Okay . . ." AJ
frowned. No as in not a possibility, or no as in he didn't have any input? Oh
well. He turned back to the stage just as the MC announced the next group. The
O'Reilly sisters.
He groaned and was about to
boo, but a hand covered his mouth smoothly. "Do it and your singing career
is over," he heard Howie say evenly. AJ raised an eyebrow as the hand
released him slowly.
"You underestimate me,
'D. I was gonna cheer them on."
"Sure, Aje."
"I was!"
Howie ignored the younger and
turned away. "They stink," he heard Nick remark to AJ.
"It's the matching
outfits," AJ answered smartly, giving Nick's leg a rough pat. Nick looked
at him sheepishly.
"I said I was sorry . .
."
"I'm kidding!
Chill." AJ rolled his eyes. The kid was so sensitive tonight for some
reason. "Like it really matters?"
"Guys, I'm gonna say this
nicely." They looked up at Howie. "Shut your mouths."
"No thanks, D." AJ
grinned cheekily.
"I'm gonna go get a
drink," Nick announced, glancing at the vendors to the side.
"Okay?"
"There's only one more
act before us," Howie objected, watching as the O'Reilly sisters began to
finish up their routine. Great time to be thirsty.
"I'll be right
back," Nick pleaded, starting to get up. "One second."
"Just go," AJ
interrupted. "You'll run out of time." Nick took off.
"He better be back in
time," Howie said softly.
"He will." AJ
laughed. "If not, do you want his part?"
"Not funny."
"Hey, kiddo."
Nick looked up from digging
money out of his pocket to give to the vendor for his soda. It was the heavyset
man again. Pearlson or something. He frowned. "Yeah?"
"Up fifth, right?"
"No, we went
already," Nick said sarcastically. "You didn't miss us did you?"
He sent the man a disappointed look.
"So you're the funny one,
huh?" The man grinned at him, a twinkle in his eye. "Just wanted to
wish you luck and all. Nick, right?"
Nick nodded, becoming shy once
again.
"Well, Nick, see anyone
you want to be in your group?" Nick shrugged. "How about the second
guy up. He was good, wasn't he?"
"Yeah." Nick nodded
slowly. What was this guy getting at anyway? He looked around to see where AJ
and Howie were. He'd rather them handle this sort of stuff.
"Good, good," the
guy was saying. "I think so too. Well, you better go, Nick. Never leave when
you're up next, okay? Not a good thing." He handed the vendor a bill.
"For the kid's soda," he said. Nick looked at him curiously.
"Tell the other boys I said hello."
"Okay." Nick watched
the man disappear into the crowd like he always did. Strange guy. He started
back toward where he left the guys.
"Nick! Get over
here!" AJ appeared and grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the stage. The
last act was taking their bows. "Kid, I ought to .. ." Nick tried to
ignore the older boy's muttering.
"Lou says hi," he
said softly, trying not to spill his soda with AJ's tight grip.
"That's nice," AJ
said absently. "You ready?" He looked the kid up and down.
"Yup."
"Okay, good. Let's
go."
-
Kevin looked up at the group
on stage as he heard their song announced. Boys II Men. He saw Emily smile
beside him.
"I love this song . .
."
"Me too."
He leaned back to listen. They
were good, better than he expected in fact. Much better. They sang entirely a
capella, not missing a note or a beat. Their harmony was good too.
"Wow," Emily said in
a hushed tone. "They're pretty good. The little one's a cutie, huh?"
She laughed. Kevin looked at the kid. He looked about ten. These kids were
getting younger and younger, he thought amusedly. It seemed like show business
was robbing the cradle nowadays.
But they were good, that's for
sure.
"Yeah, they're
good," was all he said. They watched in silence.
"Hey . . ." Kevin
looked up as a slightly obese man with a jolly face sat down next to him.
"Kevin Richardson?"
"That would be me,"
he said with a smile. "Can I help you?"
"Lou Pearlman here."
Kevin shook the offered hand firmly. Lou nodded toward the act on stage.
"They're good, huh?"
Kevin nodded. "Yeah, they
are." What was this guy getting at? Was he the proud father of one of the
kids or something?
Lou smiled and handed him a
card. Kevin read it silently. Wow. Trans Continental Records? He was a
producer? He looked at the man in a different light. What did he want with him?
This was too good to be true, he thought, trying to keep a straight face.
"I was thinking of
getting these boys a contract," the man was saying. "But like I told
them, they need another voice. To round out the sound, you know? And I heard
you singing before. Very good."
"Thanks."
"So what do you think?
Would you want to be a part of the group?"
"Shouldn't you ask
them?" Kevin asked wryly.
Pearlman smiled.
"Of course, you'll have
to meet them before anything is settled."
"Sure, I'll think about
it." Kevin smiled. This was his chance! He took a deep breath. Don't rush
into things, he told himself. Remember disappointment. Things aren't usually
offered on a silver platter like this.
"Good man," Pearlman
said, clapping him on the back. "I'll talk to you more after the
show." He got up and left without another word.
Kevin stared down at the card
silently.
"Go for it."
"Huh?" Emily's words
startled him.
"Go for it, Kev. This is
your break. This is what you wanted." She sent him a reassuring smile.
"I know, but . . ."
Kevin ran a hand through his dark hair. He couldn't think of any reason not to.
-
"...AJ, Howie and Nick.
First place!"
Howie hardly heard anything
past his name when AJ was grabbing him and Nick in a huge hug. He could hear
Nick's laughter in his ear.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" AJ
was saying. "I knew we could do it. I knew it!"
"Guys! Guys!" the MC
was calling to them.
Howie broke away first.
"C'mon," he told them. "Let's go get our prize."
"What is our prize?"
Nick asked for the first time.
"Who cares?" AJ
said. "We won. They could give us a rat's ass for all I care. We
won!"
Howie shot him a look while
Nick giggled away.
"And the guys receive a
two-thousand dollar cash award and a chance to compete in this season's finals
for a contract singing here at Disney. What do you guys have to say?"
Howie felt the two younger
guys pushing him toward the MC. He smiled, cleared his throat and took the
microphone.
"We'd just like to thank
everyone who cheered for us, especially our families and friends, as well as
the judges. And we'd just like everyone to know that we we're in this for the
long haul, so you'll be hearing from us again. Thanks so much!"
Nick felt his ears redden at
those words. Though his mother was in the audience clapping for him, he knew
he'd have to tell the other guys that there was a minor glitch in the plan for
the long haul.
'Not now. Not now,' he told
himself. 'Just be quiet. Enjoy this.'
AJ still had his arm around
him as they hurried off the stage toward their families and the waiting Lou
Pearlman.
"You guys were
great!" Denise said, reaching them first and giving each boy a hug. She
held on to her son a little longer and kissed him on the cheek. "You're
wonderful. I love you."
He beamed. "Thanks. The
guys really sounded great, huh?"
She nodded and watched as
Howie's family surrounded him with praise and love. Nick was being smothered by
his own sister who looked just like him but even smaller.
Lou cleared his throat.
"I knew you guys could do it," he said. "And I like what you
said about the long haul. Just how hard are you willing to work for it?"
They all turned to him,
especially the mothers who had never seen this man before.
Nick gravitated to Howie, who
seemed to have been elected leader.
"We're not afraid of
little hard work," Howie told him. "Or even a lot of hard work. We've
all been fighting to make our dreams come true for a long time. But it all
depends on how sincere and on the level you are."
"Oh things are on the
level, son," Lou continued. "I wouldn't be facing your families if
they weren't. All I really want to hear from you now is that you're willing to
do the work. The rest can be up to me."
He looked at the other two. AJ
nodded at him, and Nick quickly did the same thing though his mother shot him a
look.
"We'll work, sir,"
Howie said. "Just what is it exactly that we have to do?"
"I need to speak to your
parents at my office before anything happens," he said. "Why don't we
all set up appointments?"
Denise stepped forward to
speak to the man while Howie explained that he was already an adult and didn't
need his parents' permission to sign any contracts. Nick closed his eyes tight
and began to wish that his mother could just stop worrying about the future and
think about right now. Right now, all he wanted was to follow these two guys
who seemed to be on the right track.
He felt AJ elbow him.
"What?" he asked,
eyes still shut.
"Look," AJ said.
"Just look."
He looked up to find his own
mother speaking to Mr. Pearlman. She had that questioning look on her face that
she gave everyone who was new in her son's life. Her hand was on her hip and
her head was cocked to one side. He knew all her body language. She was making
sure that things were on the level before allowing him to even begin to get
involved.
"And I think we might
have that other voice we've been needing," Lou was saying. "But I'm
afraid that even if you guys win the finals, you might not be able to perform
here on a permanent basis."
They all looked up at him,
surprised.
"I have much bigger plans
than that," he said. "This park will be too small for where you guys
are going."
Howie smiled and looked at AJ
who was grinning as well.
"That's what I want to
hear," AJ said. "World domination."
Denise laughed and gave her
son a playful shove. "First you have to dominate your ego, AJ."
"Well, I expect to see
you all in my office within the next few days," Lou said. "I'm going
to get in touch with my contacts in the business and get you guys a singing
coach, a stylist, a choreographer, a songwriter, the works. Then we'll work on
getting you guys lots of exposure and hopefully a recording contract."
"And we'll be talking
about what this will cost us, right?" asked Jane.
Lou half-laughed. "Ma'am,
this is a business venture on my part. I'm making an investment in these boys
because I think they have what it takes to make it big. All they have to do is
have the heart to show me that they do. And, of course, do plenty of hard work.
Between now and next week, we should have that fourth voice, and of course, a
name. What would you like your group to be called."
He looked from the older boy,
to the thick-haired middle-schooler, to the little blond kid. None of them had
an answer for him.
He chuckled. "Well, we'll
talk about soon, okay? So, think about that. I'll talk to Howie and AJ and
Nick's parents. And we'll come up with a work schedule. Between now and then,
you guys rest up and take care. We have a lot of work ahead of us."
They all nodded, and even Mrs.
Carter seemed at ease.
"Good-night," he
said and disappeared among the crowd still gathered at the stage.
"Guys wanna come to my
house to celebrate?" AJ asked. "Still got plenty of cokes."
Howie shook his head. "No
thanks, Aje. I have a paper due on Monday, and I haven't even hit the library
yet. I'd better at least start planning what I want to do. Lou Pearlman or no
Lou Pearlman, the real world is still out there."
"That's true
enough," Jane said, reaching for her son who still hadn't even said a word
to her. "We have long drive back. Denise, let me know when you'll be
speaking to Mr. Pearlman. I think it would be best if we did it together."
"I'll call you," Denise
promised. "You guys drive safely."
Nick pulled his sister along
and didn't even turn back to the guys to say good-bye. He had no idea how he
would even face them again, knowing he might not be able to do anything with
them after all.
He felt a slight tug at his
shirt.
"Listen, just keep your
mouth shut, and tell her that you'll do what she says," AJ said softly to
him. "No matter what that is. Got it?"
He looked at him with
apprehension in his blue eyes.
"AJ, you don't get it.
I--."
"No, you don't get it.
This is our chance. Don't blow it. Just do what she tells you. Got it?"
"But--."
"Got it?"
He nodded. "I got it. See
you later."
"Bye."
-
Kevin still sat in the stand
fingering the card and watching the small crowd disperse before him. That
Pearlman guy did know those kids who won the contest. He was tempted to go talk
to them before actually going through Pearlman first. But he quickly talked
himself out of it when he realized how young they really looked.
Maybe it just wasn't the right
place for him and he hadn't come back anyway.
"I'll call him," he
said to Emily but was really reassuring himself. "I'll call him on Monday
to see how things work out. I can't just rush out of here like this is my last
big break."
She nodded and got up.
"Okay. Then lets go. You owe me dinner."
He laughed. "Yeah, I do.
And here I thought you were just supporting me out of the goodness of your own
heart."
"My heart supports
you," she said. "But my stomach's empty."
He realized that his was empty
as well, so he followed her as they made their way out of the park. His head
was buzzing with thoughts of singing in a group, making it big and finally
fulfilling his dreams.
"I should call
home," he said absently. "It's been a long time since they've heard
anything but complaints from me."
"I'd wait to see what
happens with that man," Emily said. "Just in case."
He shrugged. "You're
right, but I have a good feeling about him, you know. I think this is my lucky
night."
-
Nick thought the walk to the
van was eternal. She still hadn't said anything to him, and all he could hear
was his sister's questions about the sun, the moon and the stars.
"Why does the sun
sleep?"
"It's not asleep,"
he told her. "It's just on the other side of the world."
"How does it get
there?"
"It doesn't. The world
goes around it. See, the gravity pulls the world in a circle around the sun.
But at the same time, it's rotating, so that now, it's day on the other
side."
"What other side?"
He sighed. "The other
side of the world, BJ."
She still didn't get it.
Nick finally swallowed back
his fear.
"Mom, are you really
gonna talk to him?"
She didn't answer right away,
and it wasn't to be mean. She had a good feeling about letting Nick join the
group and follow Lou Pearlman on this venture. But she also knew that her responsibility
as parent was to make him accountable for his actions. How could he be
accountable if he blew off something as important as school? But how could she
love him as much as she did and not let him follow his dreams?
"And where are the stars
during the day?" BJ asked as Nick helped her up into the van.
"In the sky, but you
can't see them. Mom?"
She waited until they were
both seated, and she had started the van.
"Nick, I told you that we
have to talk, and we do. But this is still your choice, and you can do what you
want."
He smiled. 'Yes,' he thought.
'Yes!'
"But," she
continued. "But you have to hold up your end of the deal. I mean grades,
behavior, everything, Nick. Everything. And you'd better be serious because
it's not just you anymore. Understand?"
He nodded. "Yes mom, yes.
I know. I know."
"Well, don't you
forget," she said. "And no matter what happens, you know that you can
count on us. I expect that we can count on you."
He nodded. "Yes mom, yes.
You can."
She glanced at him, all the
happiness in the world was back and sparkling in his blue, blue eyes.
"Thought of a name
yet?" she asked him.
He laughed. "Mom, I've
been too worried about staying with the guys to even think of name."
"You should be The
Barneys," he heard BJ said.
"What?"
"I like Barney. You
should be The Barneys."
They laughed, and Jane made
the familiar trip back to
"We should just move over
here," she muttered.
-
Kevin rested his hand on the
receiver of the telephone for a second before determinedly picking it up. He
listened to the dial tone a minute. This was it.
Call, he told himself. It's
not that hard. Find out the story, whether or not he still wants you. Maybe
they had already found someone else and didn't need him any longer. Then he
could stop worrying.
Yeah right.
He glanced at the card in his
hand once more and started dialing the number he had nearly memorized by now,
looking at it so much. Emily was right. This was his chance, he should at least
go for it.
It was ringing. A couple
seconds passed before he heard someone pick up.
"Pearlman here."
"Mr. Pearlman, this is
Kevin-"
"Kevin! How you doing,
son? I was hoping you'd call! I never got your number." The man chuckled.
"You're still interested in the group, am I right?" Kevin's heart
skipped a beat. Suddenly he was glad this was on the phone and not in person.
"I'm willing to check
things out, sir," he said smoothly. He wondered if he sounded as eager as
he felt.
"Well I'm glad to hear
it. I'm setting it up for you and the boys to meet, how's that? If you're all
going be working together, you're gonna have to know each other."
"Right. That sounds good.
Just tell me when." He listened as the man told him about some fancy
restaurant about fifteen minutes away. This guy certainly went all the way with
everything, that's for sure, Kevin thought with a grin.
"Of course, everything's
on me," Pearlman was saying. "So don't worry about a thing."
"Thanks, Mr.
Pearlman."
"Please, call me Lou. And
it's no problem, Kev. I've got some work to do, so I'll see you then, alright?
Dress nice."
"Sure, Lou. Thanks."
He hung up the phone with a smile.
Things were finally working
out.
***