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Chapter Thirty-One: It's Nice To Meet You, Nick Carter


My palms were sweating when I got out of my car and walked to the door of the Fresh Oasis the next morning at 11:30. I pulled open the door to find the shop was crowded inside with people, kids yelling and grown ups reading off their tablets. Ricky and Thomas were behind the counter, but I didn't see Becky anywhere. I found a seat and lowered myself into it. After a few moments, Thomas came over, "Can I get you anything?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I'm waiting for someone," I said.

He looked at me in a way that told me he knew who I was and whom I was waiting for (it was a little easier to tell now that I'd had AJ come over the night before to help me get my hair back to blonde in preparation for introducing myself to Becky). But Thomas didn't say anything if he did, just shrugged and walked away. I had a feeling he was gonna go tell Ricky I was there. I fidgeted nervously in my seat, waiting, wondering, hoping it wasn't just a cruel joke to get me here for Ricky to have one of his friends come beat up or something. I checked my watch periodically. When it struck noon, I felt my heart crawl into my throat and my nerves tensed up.

Where was she?

Was I being stood up?

Had she changed her mind?

It was ten past when the door opened and she walked in.

Her hair hung in messy curls around her face, just the way it'd been the first day I met her here at the Oasis. Her wide eyes roamed the shop until she saw me, and then she started walking over. She had on a brand new BSB t-shirt. So new there were still fold lines in the thing. God only knows where she got it, I couldn't imagine any place in the area that sold the things. Yet there she was, wearing it just the same. She was carrying the D&D module again, too, the one with Princess Neryls of Hatteras in it. She was staring right at me, a smouldering, intense stare. I stared right back at her, too, my heart pounding so hard I swear it was like a kick drum in a hip hop beat. I stood up, my chair scraping the floor of the shop. She stepped up to me.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi," I said. Then, remembering I was supposed to pretend not to know her, I said, "You must be Princess Neryls."

"People in the real world call me Becky," she said. She raised her eyebrow, waiting for me to take my cue.

"And people in the real world call me Nick," I said, "Nick Carter."

A slight smile tickled the edge of Becky's mouth. "It's nice to meet you Nick Carter," she said.

"It's nice to meet you too," I answered.

She studied me a moment, her eyes crinkling into a smile, "I like your hair better dark, actually," she said, "But I guess this will do..." She reached up and smoothed a piece that must've been acting out on me.

"Yeah well, I like your shirt," I commented. "But I thought you hated the Backstreet Boys?"

Becky laughed, smirking, "I had a feeling I might be meeting one of them today so I wanted to be appropriately dressed."

I laughed.

"You look kind of like him," she joked, eyes twinkling.

"I get that a lot," I said.

"I bet you do," she said. She paused. "It's gonna be weird calling you Nick for awhile."

"I'm sorry."

Becky shook her head, "You've said that enough. Well --" she made a face, "Not enough I mean you really can't say it enough, but I'm sick of hearing it." She looked me over. "You said once that you wanted a do-over," she said.

I nodded.

Becky took a deep breath, "Well this is it. No more do-overs after this. You mess this up and we're done. Okay?"

"Yes," I answered.

Becky reached for my hand. "But you'd have to work pretty hard to mess it up this time." She looked into my eyes. Deep, deep into my eyes.

"So what did you have in mind for this rondezvous?" I asked.

Becky reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. The coupons we'd won on our last do-over first date. "You up to some laser tag?"

I nodded, "Hell yeah."

Becky reached for my hand and her fingers slipped into my palm. As we stepped onto the sidewalk, I saw Bradley standing a couple spaces away by the Slyyymer, inspecting the parking meter. "I hope it's okay that I bring my brother along," Becky said, "He really wanted to come meet you, too."

I laughed, "I'm really glad you did," I replied as Bradley spotted me and ran over, squeezing me and Becky both into the same hug.