--chapter one - page six--

“If you really did fall in love at first sight, how come you didn’t exchange phone numbers?” Lalaine was strapped into the back, middle seat of Nick’s car, leaning forward towards her cousin and Nick. “If I found the love of my life over Spring Break, I’d definitely make sure I had his digits. How come I spent two months scouring the Internet for Nick’s number, Malu?”

Nick looked to Malu, curious to hear her response. The story management had told them to tell was that they met at Spring Break and fell desperately in love. Their child had been conceived as a culmination of the love. The continued their love affair long distance until Malu finished up the semester and they could spend all their time together.

But the one fault in that plan was Lalaine. She was the only person to know that it had taken Malu two months to track down Nick. Lalaine was a smart girl and there was no fooling her.

“You promise not to tell?” Malu turned around to look at her cousin. Lalaine nodded solemnly. Malu leaned back into the passenger-side seat, sighing loudly. “So we aren’t really in love. It was a one-night stand that went wrong.”

Lalaine smirked. “I thought so.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Malu asked her cousin inquisitively.

“It’s supposed to mean that I know you, Malu. You don’t fall head-over-heels in love with some guy you meet at a bar.” Lalaine was right. She was the little sister Malu had never had. Her parents, Malu’s aunt and uncle, had sent Lalaine to the States when she was just seven years old. They wanted her to live the good life, in America. The two had shared a room in the Torrance apartment ever since. Though they were polar opposites, Lalaine was Malu’s best friend.

“So why the fake story?” Lalaine questioned.

“Come on, Lalaine…” Malu rolled her eyes. “You’re a smart girl, you can figure it out. Having a baby out of wedlock is controversy enough for Nick’s career. Having it with a girl you know nothing about is positively devastating.”

“And you’re okay with pretending to be in love?” Lalaine was surprised by her cousin. If there was one thing Malu was known for, it was her brutal honesty. Part of the reason Malu’s parents were so frequently angry with their oldest daughter was because she had never been very good at keeping secrets from them. If Malu hadn’t been able to withhold skipping class to her parents, how would she be able to pretend to be in love with Nick to the whole world?

Malu shrugged. “I guess. What other option do I have? Stay in Torrance with Mom and Dad breathing down my back? No thank you. At least this way I get to travel.”

“What about you, Nick?” The initial shock of being in the presence of a Backstreet Boy had worn off, and now Lalaine felt free to delve into his psyche.

“I really do want to be there for every step of the pregnancy. I mean, it’s my baby too. Besides,” Nick paused to think a moment. Then he shrugged. “I’ve spent years pretending that I don’t have a girlfriend. Pretending that I have a girlfriend when I don’t can’t be that different.”

The girls laughed at Nick’s comment, but only for a moment. Nick’s car had turned the corner, onto a street lined shoulder-to-shoulder with screaming girls. Malu had been to a few concerts in her lifetime, but nothing quite like this. Little girls, not even in their double digit years, were dressed in clothes equal to or more risqué then those Malu herself wore. She couldn’t help but wonder aloud at the sight, “What are they wearing?”

“They’re always dressed like this,” Nick tried to explain. He was driving slowly down the street, watching out for any crazed fans who might run out in front of his path. “I’ve never quite been able to figure it out- whether they’re dressed in skimpy clothes because they see Britney or their older sister dressed like that, or if they think they’ll have a chance with their favorite pop star if only they just show a little skin.”

“And their mother’s let them walk out of the house dressed like that?”

“As if you haven’t been dressing like that since you were nine years old! You’re such a hypocrite, Malu.” Lalaine said with a burst of laughter, as if it were the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Malu frowned to herself. It was true, as a fourth grader she’d gotten in trouble for wearing a skirt deemed too short by the school dress code. But the main reason Malu had begun to dress so questionably was because she knew her parents would object. Even as a youngster, Malu couldn’t stand the thought of someone, parents included, having any sort of power over her.

“You’re not going to turn all matronly on me now that you’re pregnant, are you?” Seeing how Lalaine’s teasing caused a stir in Malu, Nick couldn’t help but join in on the fun. His comment only further incensed Malu, at the realization that her cousin got along better with Nick then she did.

“Matronly? Yeah, right. I’m going to be the coolest mother to walk the face of this planet. If my daughter wants to wear mini skirts and belly shirts, I’ll let her. But she sure as hell won’t look like a cheap prostitute’s mini-me. My daughter will be put together. Classily so.”

“So you finally admit that we’re having a daughter?” Nick taunted, reminding Malu of an earlier conversation where she’d bet her child’s name she was carrying a boy. If she lost, Nick got to name the child, and vice versa.

“Don’t twist my words around on me,” Malu warned. She wavcd a finger underneath Nick’s nose. “I was just trying to prove a point.”

“You keep telling yourself that,” Nick began. “And I’ll start thinking of baby names. Got any suggestions, Lalaine?”

“How about naming the kid after me?” Malu’s cousin suggested.

“Argh!” Malu yelped, uncharacteristically half-crazed. “As if you, Lalaine, and you, Nick, didn’t annoy me enough individually as it is. Now I have to deal with you two ganging up on me together. It’s not fair! No one is ever on my side. I can’t deal with this any longer. I’m getting out of here.”

“Malu, don’t. Its not safe-” Nick tried to say. But it was too late. Malu had already unlocked the passenger door and stepped out onto the street.

Instantly, a crowd surrounded her. Girls pushed and shoved their way to the front, not caring who they hurt in the process. Camera’s flash, autograph books were held out to be signed. A bold girl in the front began to ask questions. “Who are you?”

“Malu.” Somehow, she found herself scrawling her signature onto a teenaged girl’s leather purse. But for the life of her, Malu couldn’t figure out how she got there or why in the world would this girl want a complete stranger to ruin her perfectly good bag.

“Who’s in the car with you? Are you going backstage?”

“I’m here with Nick.”

“Nick Carter? Aaron’s brother?”

“So I’ve been told.” Malu couldn’t help the curtness in her voice. She’d never been the best-behaved girl, and the foreign crowd surrounding Malu left her rather out-of-touch with her senses.

An older fan, much closer to Malu’s age, glared at the girl with her hands on her hips. “Are you dating Nick?”

If she thinks she can glare at me like that and get away with it, she’s fooling herself. No one glares with attitude better then yours truly. “As a matter of fact, I am.”

“That’s a shock. Because Nick only dates Barbie clones, and you…,” the girl looked Malu over from head-to-toe. “are no Barbie doll.”

Malu could feel the heat raising in her cheeks. The pen she’d beeen signing her name with dropped to the ground. She could feel her hands clenching into fists. And just when her arm began to pull back, someone grabbed it.

“Okay girls, enough chatting. Its time we ought to get inside.” The fans, and Malu, were so shocked to see Nick that everything temporarily paused. But there he was, standing beside Lalaine and a tall, burly black man. A bodyguard. Someone else was stepping into the drivers seat, valet-ing the car to VIP parking.

“We’ll see you all inside. Enjoy the show!” Nick shouted coolly, as if nothing had happened. The bodyguard escorted Malu, Lalaine and Nick within the safety of the gated backstage. Controversy was temporarily forgotten as the fans clamored for photographs of their idol’s famous older brother.

As soon as they were out of the public’s eye, Nick grabbed Malu’s arm almost forcefully, pulling her to him. “NEVER do that again. Do you understand me?”

Malu tried to shake herself away, with no luck. “I don’t have to listen to you.”

“I know you like to be independent,” Nick tried to reason. “And I’m fine with that- except when it comes to situations like this. I love my fans, but they simply aren’t safe sometimes. I’ve been doing this for ten years, I know how to deal with them. You have to listen to me about this sort of stuff. Something could have happened to the baby. Do you understand?”

Malu gulped. She had completely forgotten about the baby when she was about to start a fight with the girl. She nodded her head. Relieved at her agreement, Nick released her arm.

“Its like that everywhere you go?” Malu asked. From the tone of her voice, Nick knew he didn’t need to apologize for grabbing her. They’d forget like it had ever happened.

“At concerts and public appearances where fans are, yeah.” Nick answered. “Damn, I forgot you’ve never been through that before. I should have prepared you or something. I’m sorry.”

Malu shook her head at Nick, as if telling him not to worry. “Its no big deal. I guess I should get used to it, if I really am going to be hanging around all the time.”

She was able to convince Nick she was okay- but in reality, she was a little shocked. What had she gotten herself into?

...to be continued...
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