CHAPTER 27
HALEY NARRATING
Fuck. It’s like seven in the morning. Not even. Why was I getting up early again? Oh yeah. So I could watch my boyfriend sing on TV before I drove out there to see him. It was pouring rain outside too. That would be fun for me to drive in. I got up and started to get dressed while I turned on the TV to watch the Today Show.
I quit getting dressed after I put on socks and just sat on the couch and watched the show. I fell asleep most of the time, but every time they’d mention us I woke up to listen. Even if it was just to say and the Backstreet Boys are here today I woke up to hear it. I guess it was that Backstreet radar kicking in. I guess sleeping with a Backstreet Boy doesn’t make that go away. It probably makes it better.
At one point I heard the guy say there were like two full blocks of people there waiting to watch them. That was a lot of people. That was a lot of fucking people. At least we still had fans. I wonder what they’re going to sing? I know they’ll sing Incomplete, and probably I Want It That Way cause the whole fucking world knows that song, but would they do anything else? I guess I’d just have to wait and see.
So I’m fucking sitting here and they can’t perform yet because it’s raining. I woke up at seven in the morning to wait and watch them try to perform. Didn’t the Today Show have a fucking tent?
They finally found a tent. I guess someone drove home to get their tent out of the garage or something. I mean come on. You’re the Today Show, they should be prepared. It was only rain. Not a fucking hurricane.
Okay, so we’re performing. And it’s not raining anymore, but whatever. They were singing Incomplete, and you know Nick was making fun of AJ behind his back…nothing unusual. It went pretty well. But damn Nick does look good in blue. Then I think I dozed off for a while during an interview. All I know is they were babbling over what they did over the break, and next thing I knew they were already talking about how great it was to be back. If it was so great couldn’t they have done it like a year sooner? But oh well. At least it won’t be as long next time. Or maybe it will be…
I watched them as they started the next song…I Want It That Way. Big surprise, everyone there knew every word. Not that I expected anything different when there’s two full blocks of people lined up waiting in the rain, but you know, that’s the Backstreet fans. Can’t be underestimated. Fuck, the one fucking time Nick does the don’t wanna hear you and they show some random person in the fucking crowd. What fucking good does that do me? He sounded really hot too. He probably knew I was watching.
I had to leave pretty much right now if I was going to get there when I told him I was going to. Maybe I should just call him and tell him I’m going to be late. Yeah, that’s brilliant considering he’s not busy right now or anything. At that exact minute I heard a knock on my door. Why is someone knocking on my door?
I walked to the door and saw Jen standing out there looking nervous. I opened the door. “I knew you’d still be home.” She said.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Normally I wouldn’t bother you this early, but I knew you’d be up watching the Today Show. Have they performed yet?”
“They’re performing now.”
“Oh, let’s watch it then.” By now they’d moved on to the next song which was As Long As You Love Me. “Even I know this one.”
“Don’t lie. You know all of them.”
“Yeah, okay fine I do. They’re just happy songs.”
“You don’t have to explain to me.” It was starting to rain now. Nick totally knew I was watching with the whole let it rain thing. What an asshole. He did look good in blue though. And the rain didn’t hurt.
After they finished the song Jen just sat there talking about useless things. “Dammit Jen, what’s going on?”
“I think I’m moving.”
“What? Why? Where? When?”
“Could you have fit more one word questions into that sentence?”
“Yes, how. Now answer them.”
“I got a job at a newspaper in Chicago. I have to be there by early next month. I don’t know the details yet. I don’t even know if I want to go for sure. I mean, how can I just leave everything here? And I don’t even have a place to live there. Oh my God, what do I do? I haven’t even told Danielle yet. She’s gonna freak out.”
“Yep.”
“Not helping.”
“Sorry. Okay, do you want the job?”
“It’s in Chicago!”
“Yes, we’ve established that. Now, do you want the job? Is it a good job?”
“Yes, it’s like my dream job and I want it. But I want it in Boston.”
“I know. You’re taking it. You want it, you don’t like your job now.”
“It’s getting coffee for people who actually get to write for the paper.”
“I know what your job is. That’s why you know you have to take this.”
“How am I going to find a place to live?”
“I don’t know. We can have Jeff and Kendra start looking now. Kendra hasn’t been that busy at work since she had Kelly. Don’t worry about where you’re going to live. I would worry about Danielle first. She’s gonna kill you.”
“I know.”
“It’s only because she loves you.”
“I know. I can’t go.”
“You have to go. I’ll tell her with you. I’ll go to New York later. We’ll go over to Danielle’s in an hour or so and tell her. Then we’ll tell Melissa.”
“Can we tell Mel first?”
“Danielle won’t want to be the last to know. Remember when Jeff and Kendra got engaged? She was the last to know then and she freaked out. And she wasn’t really even friends with them.”
“I’m gonna miss you guys so much. What if I don’t like it there?”
“Then you can move back. But you have to give it at least six months.”
“I can’t believe I’m leaving.”
“I know. What’s gonna happen with the routine? We’ve been in the same stunt group for twelve years. I don’t think I could fly on someone else.”
“YOU’RE WHAT? YOU CAN’T MOVE. NO. YOU’RE STAYING HERE!”
“I can’t stay here Danielle. This is a great opportunity. I’ve been waiting for a job like this for years. I can’t pass it up.”
“But you are moving half way across the country!” she whined.
“I know. And I’m gonna miss you guys so much. But I have to go.”
“Wait, does Melissa know too?”
“No, we told you first. We thought you’d want to know before her.” I said.
“Oh. Good. I’m gonna miss you. What’s gonna happen with cheerleading?”
“I have no idea. I guess someone else will have to be in our stunt group.” I said.
“No. I won’t do it. I’m not basing with anyone else. I’m not doing it next year. I can’t do it with anyone else. And they’ll probably suck. I won’t even be able to get Haley in the air.”
“Yes you could.” Said Jen.
“Yeah, you’re right I am awesome. But still, I don’t want to do it with someone else.”
“Don’t make a rash decision Danielle.” I said, “you don’t know. Think it through before you quit.”
“NO! Dammit Haley, we always said if one of us quit we’d all quit. We made a pact. It was either all of us or none of us.”
“Danielle, we were twelve years old when we made that pact.”
“So you think it doesn’t mean anything just because we made it thirteen years ago? Pacts last forever Haley.”
“What are you gonna do if you don’t cheer?”
“I don’t know. We’re all 25. We should be working.”
“Speak for yourself. I’m 24.”
“You know what I mean Haley. It just won’t be the same without you Jen. I can’t do it anymore. We had a good season. Let’s just forget about it and move on.”
Melissa reacted pretty much the same way. Only much calmer. She was a little more accepting of Jen’s plans too. But she agreed with Danielle. None of us or all of us. I don’t know what to do. I guess I don’t want to cheer without them. They were pretty much the reason I was still cheering in the first place. I liked to be around them with something that was just for us. I guess without them there’s no point.
That was when I got a call on my cell phone. I looked at the number. I had almost forgotten I had to go to New York. Maybe that was what I needed. To get away from my friends for well, just today since they were all coming up tomorrow.
“Hey.” I said.
“Where are you?”
“Sorry. I, I’ll tell you when I get there. I’m leaving now. I should be there in about two hours.”
“Is anything wrong?”
“No. Well, not really.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll explain when I get there.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
NICK NARRATING
I don’t know what’s going on, but it didn’t sound good. I had no idea what to do. I guess I’d just wait until she got here and then find out what the hell is going on.
HALEY NARRATING
I should call Jeff and tell him to look for an apartment or something for Jen. I dialed his number, but I got Kendra.
“Hi Kendra, is Jeff there?”
“Sure hold on.” He was on the phone soon.
“Hey Haley what’s up?”
“A lot actually. Jen got a job at a newspaper in Chicago.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. She’s gonna be moving there early next month so she was wondering if you could help her look for somewhere to live.”
“Yeah, absolutely. Are you okay with this?”
“I guess. But Melissa and Danielle aren’t gonna cheer next year.”
“Are you?”
“I wish I knew. We made a pact when we first started that it was either all of us or none of us. And part of me still agrees with it.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah. I guess.” That’s when something else occurred to me. “Jeff, there’s something else you should know.”
“What?”
“Um, Nick and I have been dating.”
“Since when?”
“A little after my birthday.”
“And you’re just telling me now?”
“Sorry.”
MELISSA NARRATING
My phone rang and Jeff was on the other line. Before I could get out the word hello he said, “do you have Nick’s number?”
“Oh, so you know they’re dating I take it.”
“What’s his number?”
I gave it to him and he was off the phone and dialing before I could say goodbye. He was pretty protective of Haley.
NICK NARRATING
My cell phone rang and I didn’t know the number.
“Hello?”
“Nick?”
“This is Haley’s brother Jeff.”
“Hi.” Why was he calling me?
“I found out you’re dating.”
“Oh, yeah that.” I gotta stop dating girls with older brothers.
“If you hurt her I swear to God I will hunt you down and murder you. Do you understand me?”
“Perfectly. But you’ll have to get in line to do that.”
“Oh Danielle?”
“Yeah. But look, I’m not just messing around. I love her.”
“No shit? Does she know?”
“Of course she knows. And we’re very happy.”
“Don’t hurt her.”
“I won’t.” I hope. Shit what if I did screw this up? How could I live with myself? Okay, no problem. Just don’t screw it up.
A few hours later Haley was at the door. I had never been so happy to see someone in my life.
“Hey.” I said kissing her.
“Hey.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You told me you’d tell me when you got here. And you’re here.”
“Okay fine. Jen’s moving to Chicago next month because she got a job.”
“And I take it that’s not good.”
“Well, it is for her, but-”
“You’re gonna miss her.”
”Yeah, she’s one of my best friends. And Danielle and-”
“Is Danielle freaking out?”
“Totally. And she’s quitting cheerleading and so is Melissa.”
“Are you sure they’re not just rushing into that? They might change their minds.”
“Melissa maybe, but Danielle always knows what she wants. And there was this pact when we were twelve that if one of us couldn’t do it, none of us could do it. And Danielle never goes back on anything she says.”
“Are you gonna keep cheering?”
“I have no idea. Part of me wants to, part of me says the main reason I was doing it was to be with my friends, so it makes sense to quit too.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“You’re gonna quit aren’t you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes you do. You don’t wanna do it without them.”
“No I don’t. I just wish I had known last year was our last year you know?”
“Well you don’t have to quit.”
“But it was still our last year together. I guess I’d have tried to not let it go so fast so I could always remember it.”
“You will always remember it. It’s not like you’re forgetting your friends. You’ll never forget them.”
“I know.”
“You know I love you right?”
“I know.”
“And?”
“And I love you too.”
“You’ll be okay.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry it took so long, i guess i'm running on backstreet time too.
