He made his way backstage, sweaty and exhausted, but thrilled. It had been an outstanding first performance, and he couldn’t have been happier.
Leah ran up to him, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. “Oh, Nick, that was wonderful!” she cried.
“Thanks,” Nick said, grinning at her. “Well, I’m gonna hit the showers. I’ll meet you on the bus, okay?”
“Okay.” Leah ran off one way, and Nick went in the opposite direction, desperate for a shower.
Minutes later, Nick slowly stripped and turned on the water in the shower. He waited a few minutes to let it heat up and then climbed into the steamy jet. The hot water felt like heaven on his body. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, just letting it flow over his body, washing away his sweat. He was startled out of his bliss by a loud knock on the door and his bodyguard Joe’s deep voice calling, “Nick, are you okay in there?”
“Yeah!” Nick shouted, rolling his eyes. “I’ll be out soon!” Sighing heavily, he squirted some shampoo into his palm and ran it through his blonde hair. Then he took the bar of soap and quickly washed his body. Taking a few final minutes to rinse himself off, he finally shut off the water and climbed out. He threw on a pair of sweats and left.
Joe was waiting for him outside. “Nick, you ready to get out to the bus?” he asked.
“Yeah, let’s go, I’m beat,” Nick said, following Joe out of the small venue to where Nick’s tour bus was parked. He climbed onto the bus and found Leah sitting on the couch.
“So, what are our plans for tonight?” she asked, as he sank down tiredly beside her.
“Plans? I don’t know about you, but I just wanna go to bed,” said Nick, tiredly raking a hand through his wet hair. “I’m exhausted.”
“Oh,” said Leah, sounding disappointed.
“Why? You wanted to do something?”
“Well, I dunno, I’m just not tired yet. I’m wide awake from the show.”
Nick smiled. “Sorry,” he said. “Usually I’m still on an adrenaline rush now, but it seems to have faded early tonight. But if you wanna stay up and watch a movie or something, go right ahead.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll stay up awhile then,” said Leah. “Go on to bed.”
Nick did just that, staggering to the back of the bus and collapsing in his bunk. He didn’t know why he was so tired; he usually was not this beat after the very first concert. Figuring it was just a result of the buildup of nerves he had experienced before the show, he pulled the covers up around himself and closed his eyes. All he needed was a few hours of sleep.
***
Nick awoke the next morning with renewed energy. Pushing back the curtains surrounding his bunk, he climbed out of bed. The curtains were drawn around Leah’s bunk, and he figured she was still asleep. He hadn’t even heard her go to bed the night before, having fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
His stomach rumbling with hunger, Nick walked to the center of the bus, where the kitchen area was located. He stuck his head in one of the cupboards, rummaged around, and emerged with a small box of Frosted Flakes, which he dumped into a bowl and poured some milk over. He sat at the small table, eating and looking out the window at the passing scenery. There was snow on the ground. Having grown up in Florida, seeing snow still amazed Nick. He would have liked it if it wasn’t so cold. Nick had never been big on cold, which was why he liked living in a place with mild winters. He couldn’t imagine being cooped up inside all winter and not being able to go out on his boat.
Nick’s thoughts were interrupted by Leah’s voice. “Nick?” Nick jumped in his seat and turned his head to find Leah standing there, her blonde hair in tangles from sleep, her eyes bleary.
“Leah! Hey, I didn’t even see you standing there. Did you sleep well?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so, considering I’m on a bus. How about you?”
“I slept okay. I’m used to the whole bus thing by now, I guess.” Nick smiled. “So, you hungry? There’s cereal in the cupboard.” He nodded to the empty Frosted Flakes box.
“Um, not right now.”
“Okay. Well, get something to eat whenever you feel like it.”
Leah nodded and sat down at the table across from him. They made small talk and looked out the window while the bus drove on. After awhile, the bus slowed, and Nick noticed a rest stop ahead.
“Looks like we’re going to make a pit stop,” he said. “I’m gonna get out, are you?”
“Yeah, I guess so. I should go throw some clothes on,” Leah said, looking down at her wrinkled spaghetti strap top and pajama bottoms.
“Yeah, me too.”
By the time they were both dressed, the bus had stopped at a gas station. Nick and Leah climbed off and went into the gas station. After a quick bathroom break (despite his many years on the road, Nick still hated using tiny bus bathrooms), the two wandered through the small convenience store, looking around. They got some snacks for the road and took them to the counter. While the young man behind the counter rang up their food, Nick’s eyes traveled to the magazine rack. Immediately drawn to one periodical in particular, Nick groaned.
“What?” Leah quizzed from beside him.
“Look,” Nick said flatly, pointing at one of the tabloids. Leah gasped. There, gracing the front cover, was a picture of her and Nick on Valentine’s Day, in front of the restaurant. The headline above the picture read “Backstreet Boy Nick Carter’s New Love Affair.”
“New love affair?” quoted Leah, her nose wrinkled in disgust. “God, these people need to get a life. I can’t believe they actually care about who you’re dating... no offense.”
Nick laughed. “I don’t get it either. I’m sorry – I didn’t expect you to be in the tabloids this soon.”
Leah shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. No harm done, right?”
“No... except when the teenyboppers get a load of this, I’m sure there’ll be a few hate sites about you springing up online.”
“Hate sites? But... but they don’t even know my name! How could they-“
“Because they’re jealous and delusional,” Nick interrupted. “They hate any girl they see me with.”
Leah laughed. “Well, I don’t care. Screw them, right?”
“Yeah,” Nick said with a grin. “Screw them all.”
***
Later that afternoon, Nick’s cell phone rang.
“Nick Carter,” he answered.
He was greeted with a cheerful, “Nickolas Gene Carter, what in the hell do you think you’re doing dating some trampy stripper, of all people?! I thought I raised you better! Just think what this is going to do to your reputation!”
“Nice to talk to you too, Mom,” Nick muttered, rolling his eyes. His mother sounded irate, and he assumed the “trampy stripper” she was talking about was Leah. Just how she knew about Leah and Leah’s career choice was beyond him.
“What did you say?”
“How the hell do you know she’s a stripper?” Nick demanded, ignoring his mother’s question.
“So it’s true?!”
“What are you talking about? Where did you find this out?” Nick asked again.
“Well, it was in the latest issue of Globe! I saw it at the supermarket this morning, and lo and behold, your face was on it! That girl you were with – she’s a stripper?!”
“How did they find out she’s a-“
“Nickolas, I don’t know, but they found out, and now it’s all over the world that you’ve got some trashy new girlfriend that takes her clothes off for money. Just lovely. What were you thinking? Don’t you care what people think of you?!”
Nick was outraged. “No, Mom, that’s just it – I don’t!”
“Well, you should! You’re supposed to be a role model – what will your young fans think?!”
“I don’t give a crap what they think, Mom! I never claimed to be a good role model, and I’ll damn well date whoever the hell I want!”
A click on the other end of the line signaled that his mother had hung up on him. With a growl of rage, Nick turned off his cell phone and threw it onto the couch, where it bounced a few times and came to rest. Aaron was right – Jane Carter was a bitch, an irrational, shallow, heartless bitch. “Damn her,” he muttered angrily under his breath.
“Nick?” came a tiny voice from behind him. Nick turned to find Leah standing there, her eyes wide.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” he said quietly, giving her a grim half smile.
“That was about me, wasn’t it? Your mom saw the tabloid?”
“Yeah. And apparently the tabloid knows... uh... where you work.”
“How??”
“Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe whoever sent in that picture of us together recognized you and knew where you worked. I have no idea. But the truth is out now, I guess.”
Leah sighed. “Great. Now all your fans will think I’m a slut.”
“Leah, they’d probably go around calling you a slut anyway, so it’s not a big deal. I like you for who you are, not what you do, and that’s all that matters.”
Leah smiled a little. “Really?”
Nick returned the smile, along with a hug. “Really.”
***
