The interview was over and Nick screamed as soon as I ended the call. Even though it was with Bop magazine I had to listen to the questions so the phone was on speakerphone. He was asked harmless questions. Where was he? What were all the guys doing? What were the guys working on? How was his little brother Aaron? Does he get to see his family enough?
�Officially the dumbest interview I�ve done in the past three days. Even beat the stupid one we did this morning.� I�ve always had a feeling celebrities hated interviews but I didn't think it was that hated, especially by Nick. He handled questions and interviewers so well. You would think he was excited to be there, that he wanted to be doing nothing else. I shrugged and tried to lighten the mood,
�At least there was no thinking involved.� He sighed loudly and looked over at me,
�Just thinking about how I wanted to deprive myself of oxygen.� I smiled,
�You're pretty when you smile, you should do it more often.� I�m pretty when I smile. Maybe I should take that as a compliment but he didn't exactly word it well,
�As opposed to when I�m not smiling. I�m a dog.� He sighed with an air of annoyance,
�You think too much. Don�t overanalyze.� He took me by surprise with that one; I guess he was right though. He gave a compliment and I dissected it until it meant nothing.
�I tend to do that. College will make you like that.� He shook his head,
�Takes the fun out of things.� He sat up quickly and put his shoes back on,
�Well, I have to get going. I want to take a nap.� I shook my head,
�You can�t.� He looked at me like I just told him he wasn�t allowed to go to the restroom or something and I regretted having to be the one to spoil his fun,
�Sorry but you, Howie and AJ are doing a live radio interview with a station in London at noon.� He rolled his eyes,
�What time is it now?� I looked down at my watch,
�Eleven, if you want to take a nap you�ll only get about forty five minutes. We have to set up a little early to make sure the connection and all that are good.� I felt sorry for him; they never seemed to get a break. There was always something. Interviews with radio, TV, magazines and newspapers; TV specials, TV appearances, live performances, photo shoots and all while they were on a booked solid tour. He walked towards the door,
�Better than nothing. Where are we doing this from?� Peter made sure that interviews, whether in person or over the phone, were never done in the guys� personal rooms; it would seem like an imposition.
�Here, in my room.� He stood with his hand on the doorknob for a moment, seemingly thinking about something,
�Well then I�ll just sleep here.� I couldn�t hide the uneasiness on my face,
�If that�s not a problem.� He waited for me and I couldn�t exactly tell him no. What if he went to Peter of Jeff and told them I denied him? There goes my career before it even started,
�No, that�s not a problem.� He nodded and I almost waited for him to ask me was I sure, like most people, but he didn�t. He just kicked off his shoes and climbed back in my bed. I stood there in the middle of the room like an idiot, not knowing what to say or do,
�Do you want some room service or anything?� You�re supposed to make celebrities comfortable right? Besides all I had was some juice and a bagel at the radio station, I was starving.
�Yeah, eggs, I don�t want them cooked too hard, bacon, sausage�I want links. French toast and orange juice.� Damn, quite demanding wasn�t he? And from what I read about him on the internet I thought he was the laid back not a star type of celebrity. There goes that theory; there was one thing they were wrong about. From what they said about him I figured he would want some Fruit Loops. I placed the order, adding in my ham and eggs then sat in the chair and watched TV, trying not to disturb him.
Once the food arrived he sat up and sat at the table by the balcony. The bellhop pushed the cart in and uncovered the plates.
�I said links, I don�t want patties; I want sausage links.� Nick sat back and sighed as the bellhop began to push the cart away,
�Dude, leave the rest of the food just take the patties away and bring me links.� I couldn�t believe how irritable he was being; maybe it was the sleep he had been deprived. The bellhop was older than both of us and not only did he call him dude but he was being rude because of a simple mistake that I�m sure wasn�t his fault. The bellhop placed everything on the table and nodded his head,
�I�ll be back with the links sir. Sorry for the inconvenience.� I looked over at Nick; didn�t he feel uncomfortable about someone older than him calling him sir? I sat there and did nothing more than pick over my food but he didn�t seem to notice. I truly hope this wasn�t the person I was going to be working for; for the next few months, I don�t think my stomach can take it.
Nick, Howie and Brian were all sitting around the table with the phone on mute as we waited for the interview to begin,
�I think they may ask you to sing something.� Nick rolled his eyes and Howie scolded,
�Nicky, its what we do.� He nodded and rolled his eyes,
�I know, look I�m tired that�s all I didn�t get much sleep.� He glanced over at me and I hope he wasn�t acting as if it were my fault. He could have very well gone to his own room and took a nap afterwards; spoiled punk. The more I look at him the more I don�t know why on Earth I want him to pay any attention to me at all. Howie made a noise and began to smile,
�Oh yeah, I saw her last night. What�s her name again?� Brian smiled and shook his head,
�Candace. You should know that by now Howie. She�s been around for the past two years.� He looked at Nick as he continued,
�Off and on. Just as I�m about to forget about her, you guys start messing around again.� Nick shrugged,
�Dunno.� He suddenly laughed,
�She serves a purpose.� Brian rolled his eyes at Nick. I�m glad Nick is the only one that thinks that was appropriate; at least Howie and Brian have a certain amount of decorum when it comes to women; especially when one is in the room. I almost feel sorry for this girl; I wonder if she knows how Nick talks about her. So the fans got it wrong about his superstar attitude but they were dead on about doggish ways when it came to the fairer sex.
I closed the door behind them after the interview ended and picked up my phone, not bothering to let Tish speak at all,
�He is such an ass Tish, you have no idea.� She laughed,
�You must be talking about Boy Wonder.� I grunted,
�He is such a fucking diva. I don�t know though, he said he didn�t get a lot of sleep. But he sent his sausage back because they were patties and not links. What does that have to do with a lack of sleep? Then he ragged on this girl he�s been sleeping with for the past couple of years.� She laughed,
�Ok, tell me all about this.�
Chapter 16
Total Control
Stories