A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.  ~Lois Wyse  

~ 12 ~

Telling Stories around a Campfire 

“Are you sure we don’t have anything else to eat around here?”

I shook my head and looked over at AJ who was swatting at invisible insects that were supposedly just hovering around him and nobody else. “No AJ, all we have is what we brought, unless you smuggled a pizza in your bag.”

“I wish I would have.” He said as he half heartedly took another bite out of his canned chili.

“Suck it up J, it’s not like you are going to starve to death or anything.”

“I didn’t say I was going to starve Kevin. I am just openly disapproving of our meal. I mean this is a reunion for all of us. You’d think we’d be eating better.”

“Oh here you go, you big baby. I was saving this for myself when we go hiking tomorrow for the extra boost of energy but if it’ll shut you up; me collapsing halfway through our trek will be worth it.” Nick tossed a candy bar over to AJ as the rest of us laughed.

“Why do I think you have more than one of those Nickolas Gene?”

“Stop calling me that Brian.”

Brian gave Nick a small smile which prompted Nick to throw some chocolate his way as well. “Oh fine…here!”

“Thanks!”

“So much for eating healthy then?” I had to say something, right? I mean what kind of Kevin would I be if I didn’t mention the fact that my ex little pork chop was carrying around a whole candy stash?

“I eat really healthy, notice that I’m not the one gnawing on the stuff. I just brought them if we needed them.”

“When does anyone actually NEED a Twix?”

“I needed one or else I was going to die.” AJ was quick to say as he threw the wrapper into the fire.

“I didn’t know one could die from whining.”

“Good one Kev!” Brian nodded at me from across the flames as he finished his Kit Kat bar.

I glanced over at Nick, “So, where’s mine?”

“Where’s your what?”

“Candy bar.”

“What? After you insult me?”

“You are much too sensitive Nick…now give me some candy!” I tried to say that as Cartman from South Park which really made both Nick and AJ laugh so hard I thought they were going to roll right into our campfire.

“Oh my God! You did NOT just try to do Cartman! AJ did you hear that? Kevin just fucking pulled a Cartman!”

“Do it again KEV!” AJ pleaded.

“I said give me some candeeeh!” I did it much better that time and once again they died laughing. “What is so funny?”

“You are…” Nick said as he threw over a Butterfinger. “Congrats, you have earned this my man.”

“How many different types of candy do you have in there?”  Brian asked as he tried peering into Nick’s bag.

“Enough. Let’s say I had the midnight munchies and leave it at that.”

“Good plan.” I sighed as I bit into my candy bar. I have to say it’s been a long time since I’ve actually eaten one of these. I’ve never been big on sweets, but every once in a great while I found myself wanting to indulge. I guess now was as good of a time as any. “So, what do you guys want to do now? I brought cards, we could play some poker.”

“Poker doesn’t seem like a camping game.” AJ answered.

“Yeah…and besides we don’t have a her to poke…get it? A her to poke…poker…poke her? Get it?”

“Wow Brian, that was like a Howie lame ass joke.”

“Shut up Nickolas Gene.”

“Well it was!”

“I thought it was funny.”

“Of course you did because you’re the one that said it. I don’t think Baylee would have even found that one funny.”

“Baylee probably gave it to him before he left.”

“Oh, now you’re going to start on me too AJ? What is this, pick on Brian night?”

“Howie’s not here, you’re the next in line.” Nick said as he finally succumbed to peer pressure and took out a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

“And how do you figure that?”

“Height order…” Both Nick and I said that at the same time much to the chagrin of my cousin who promptly gave us both the finger and smiled.

“We could always tell ghost stories!”

We all looked over at AJ, “Really? Are we 13 again?” I asked kind of sarcastically. What can I say? I am in that kind of a mood.

“I don’t know man, it’s just a thought. It seems like it makes more sense than poker. I mean where would we even play poker?”

He had a point.

“I have a good story to tell.” Of course Nick did.

“Does it involve you and a slutty ghost having sex?”

“Oh, did I tell you that one already?”

I tried not to laugh but I couldn’t help it. He cracks me up.

“Now why did you think that one was funny and my poking joke wasn’t?” Brian asked me as if he was thoroughly offended.

“You are a funny little thing too Brian…you happy now?”

“A little.”

“Good.”

“I have a scary story but it’s not a ghost story.”

“Does it involve you and cross dressing AJ?”

“Haha very funny Brian…”

“See? I AM funny!”

“It involves a scary fan.”

“Oh, those are the worst.”

“Yup.”

“Tell us.” Nick said criss-crossing his legs and sipping on a juice box. Yes, a juice box. Apparently he packed those too.

“Is this the Emo, goth girl?”

AJ nodded at Brian before he started his story, “This girl wrote me a fan letter awhile back telling me how I changed her life as she was going through some really rough times. It was a really beautiful letter and I was touched by it so I wrote her back and thanked her. I guess that was my first mistake.”

“Sometimes all it takes is one mistake.” I added.

“She mistook my reply for a vow of devotion and suddenly the letters I got from her increased by about a hundred and ten percent. I was getting on average about three letters a day from her, is that about right Rok?”

Brian nodded, “Yeah, something like that.”

“Those letters ranged from intensely disturbing to mildly entertaining depending on the mood I was in. Most of the time she was very emo. My life is one rippling wave of horrific ness…blah blah blah…and other times she would sound like she was the happiest person in the world just because she felt like she knew me.

Things started getting scary when she called me on my cell. I’m not sure how she got the number but she kept calling me over and over and leaving messages. That’s why I changed my number. After I changed my number she stopped writing me letters and I thought she had gone away until she showed up on my doorstep. I called the police and had her arrested. I felt bad but I think she was crazy and I didn’t want to take a chance.”

“That’s pretty scary. When did all that go down?” I wondered.

“While we were recording Unbreakable.”

“You ended up getting a restraining order on her, didn’t you Bone?” Nick asked. I suddenly felt bad because I was the only one who didn’t know about the situation.

AJ nodded at Nick and then turned back to me to finish the story, “Turns out she was schizophrenic and had stopped taking her meds. Things could have gotten out of hand.”

“I’m glad they didn’t.” I said taking a deep breath. “Remember the lunatic who loved me?”

“Oh yeah, your one fan.” I rolled my eyes at Nick as he started giggling.

“I should have given her your address.”

“Nice…don’t think you’ll be getting anymore candy from me after that remark!”

“Can I have a juice box?”

He shook his head at me and sucked on the straw so hard the box practically imploded on itself. When he was done he turned to me and burped. “Tell us about your fan Kevin.” He said once he was done being gross.

“She used to stalk me every night when I was in Chicago. She’d be waiting by the stage door entrance and she’d yell and scream for me and cry uncontrollably. She made the entire cast feel uncomfortable. She would ask me for my autograph every single night as if I wouldn’t recognize that it was her every time. I always did it because I was afraid to say no. It’s not like we had security or anything.

Then one night as Kris and I were walking back to our hotel I felt someone following us and sure enough I looked back and it was her. When she saw me turn, she tried hiding behind a mailbox. I seriously think that was the first time I actually feared for my life. Kris was calm and just said we should walk into the nearest restaurant and that’s what we did. We went in there and just sat and had some coffee, making sure we were surrounded by a lot of people.

She actually stood outside for a good hour and a half waiting for us to leave before she gave up and went home. After I told the cast what had happened, the theater had to have police on hand after every performance to ensure our safety. She showed up two more times but after she saw the police she stopped coming.”

“Have you ever seen her again? Like at our shows or anything?” AJ asked like a concerned dad.

“Oddly enough, no. I did actually look for her when we did our New York dates but I didn’t see her. Maybe she just was into the Broadway me and not the BSB me.”

“I remember hearing about that from Howie. I guess that was all happening when he came to see you in the show. He was worried. I’m glad she left you alone cousin.”

“What about you Brian? Do you have any scary stories?” Nick asked now lying down on the ground zipping himself into his sleeping bag.

“Well, there was that psycho who kidnapped my dog…”

“Yeah, that was crazy, anything else?”

“Not really me, I’m always more worried about my wife and my son then I am for myself. Sometimes it scares me how obsessed people seem to be about my family. I try to steer clear of them.”

“Understandable,” I added, “That’s why we’re keeping Mason out of the public eye. The less people who know he exists or what he looks like, the better.”

“I don’t mind Baylee hanging out with our fans because most of them are fine, just a few of them kind of creep me out but luckily Baylee has a great radar for that too. He loves people but he can tell when someone isn’t quite all there. He let’s me know. He’s like ‘daddy that one over there is staring at me and making me feel bad’ and that’s when I’ll have Leigh come and get him.”

“Good to know your son has more sense than this one over here.” AJ said pointing over at Nick.

“Hey! Why do you say that?” Nick seemed surprised by this statement which made me shake my head at him.

“Oh I don’t know… by far out of all of us you have the most whacko fans.”

“That’s what everyone says but I can’t really point to one incident that scared me.”

“This is what’s wrong with you. You are too trusting with some of these people.” I was getting a kick out of AJ lecturing Nick. Maybe he took over my roll. Wow, what a terrifying thought.

“I am not too trusting. I don’t trust anyone, remember? I’m Nick Carter, the one with trust issues?”

“Do we have to bring up that time you almost got into a car with a stranger?” I spoke up.

“Are we bringing that up again? I was only fourteen!”

“Fourteen is old enough to know better Nick!” AJ scolded.

“I can’t believe you guys. That happened such a long time ago.”

“And it’s a perfect example of what AJ is talking about buddy. I mean if Kevin didn’t happen to follow you to that woman’s minivan…”

I interrupted Brian’s thought, “We would have never seen you again.”

“Come on…I would have handled it.” He sat up again now that he was being attacked.

“Handled it? You were ready to hop in her van and let her drive you to see her supposedly crippled daughter.”

“She could have been telling the truth.”

“Didn’t she start out by telling you her daughter was waiting in the van because she couldn’t make it into the theater?”

“Well…yeah.”

“And didn’t she change her tune when you asked her where her daughter was once you got to the van?” 

“Yeah, but…”

“And what did you see in the van Nick? I know what I saw but what did you see?”

“Rope and stuff.”

“And don’t you think it’s weird that once I insisted on coming with you, suddenly this woman was in a rush and needed to go, without you meeting her daughter?”

“Okay fine…but I wouldn’t have actually gotten into the car. I’m not that stupid.”

“You wouldn’t have had to. Once she had you close enough she could have just pulled you in and goodbye Nickolas Gene.”

“Do we know whatever happened with that?” Brian asked.

“I called the police and reported her and made sure I gave them the license plate number. It was a rental and when they went to find the owner, the name and address were fake.”

Nick turned to me surprised, “I didn’t know you called the police and reported it.”

“Don’t you remember them talking to you about it?”

“Oh yeah, I guess maybe a little.”

“You need to be more aware of what’s going on around you Nick. That about aged me twelve years.”

“And gave us all a glimpse of what life with you was going to be like.” AJ added.

“Yeah, had I known what life was going to be like with you, I would have just let you go.” I winked at him. Hey, I had to get him back for his one fan remark. I would have never let him go. He’s lucky I saw him wander away. After that incident, we started having a security guard around because Lou realized we were at the point where we needed one. Funny how he looked at that as a good thing but it scared the four of us to death. Obviously I didn’t say five because Nick was oblivious…and still is.

“There’s this girl now who posts on his Myspace from time to time and insists they are married. She even took a picture wearing a wedding dress with Nick’s poster next to her.”

“Why are you going on my Myspace AJ? That’s disturbing.”

“Just be careful…all of you. I don’t want to turn on the news one night and hear about something bad happening to any of you.”

“We are careful Kevin, and we look out for each other.” Brian said trying to ease my mind. Not that it’s something I found myself worrying about all that much.

“What about Howie?” Nick said, grateful to take the attention off of himself. “Does he have any crazy fan stories we can think of?”

“Besides some of his older fans who can be really stalkerish and creepy like the cruise one he always talks about…”

We all laughed knowing exactly who Brian was talking about as he continued, “For the most part, I don’t think he’s had any trouble.”

“Well…we could all toast to being safe and alive after all these years of nuttiness but Nick is hoarding the juice boxes.”

“No one asked for one.”

“I asked for one.”

“I mean no one who doesn’t suck.”

I stood up and made my way over to Nick who screamed like a girl when he saw me coming. “That’s it!” I said as I jumped on him and grabbed his bag of goodies. “I’m taking this now!” I handed the bag to Brian as Nick laughed underneath my weight.