Apollo Beach, Florida: August, 1993
�God, I can�t believe summer is almost over.� Nick commented. He was completely lost in thought, as he stared out the window of his mother�s station wagon.
�I for one am glad,� Brent grunted from the backseat.
�Glad that summer is over?� Jane asked. She peered at Brent in her rearview mirror.
�What�s wrong with you?� Nick questioned aggressively. �You�re an insult to kids everywhere.�
�Easy for you to say,� Brent remarked. �You had a great summer, touring around with the Backstreet Boys. But with you gone and Melissa at dance camp, I was all alone. This has been the longest and most boring summer I can remember. I�ll be happy to go back to school.�
Nick didn�t really know what to say. Ever since he�d rejected his MMC contract and signed on with the Backstreet Boys, things had started to change. On Lou�s advice, Nick stopped going to public school with Brent. Instead, he was tutored with AJ and new band mate, Brian Littrell. Much of the free time Nick used to spend with Brent was now used driving to rehearsals in Orlando.
But what Nick hadn�t considered was that life had changed for Melissa as well. She�d spent most of the spring flying around the country with her mother. Together, they attended all sorts of dance conventions and competitions. Then, in June, Melissa up-and-left for an eight-week dance camp near Boston. Neither Nick nor Melissa had realized that they�d both left Brent behind.
�Look! We�re here,� Nick successfully avoided the subject. If there was one thing he didn�t like, it was discussing personal topics. Nick preferred to gloss things over, just having a good time.
�Tell Melissa �welcome back� for me, okay?� Jane asked her son. Nick was already halfway out of the car door.
�Sure, Mom.�
�Bye Brent. Have a nice time.�
�See ya, Jane. Thanks for the ride.� Brent called over his shoulder. He was making a b-line straight for Melissa�s front door.
�Oh, no problem. I�ll pick you boys up at noon tomorrow.� But Jane�s comment was lost. Nick and Brent were already ringing the doorbell.
�Nick! Brent!� Teresa greeted the boys as she threw open the door. She pulled both boys into a hug. �It�s been so long!�
�Nice to see you too, Mrs. Baras.� Said Nick with a muffled voice.
�Oops, sorry. I didn�t realize I was squishing you boys.� Teresa stepped back instantly.
�Its okay,� said Nick, as he straightened out his clothes.
�I guess you�re just happy to have your life back to normal,� Brent assumed.
�I am. Things just weren�t the same without you kids running around. Speaking of which,� Teresa paused to look around. �Where�s BJ?�
�She has the stomach flu,� Nick reported.
�Aww, that�s too bad.� Nick and Brent�s head snapped upward at the sound of Melissa�s voice. Seeing that her daughter had made a grand entrance, Teresa politely excused herself. Nick and Brent�s best friend was standing at the end of the hallway. But it seemed to be a shadowy outline of the girl who�d left Florida eight weeks before. Gone was the skinny girl with limbs too long for her torso. In her place was a familiar face, with an all-new body.
She was wearing cut-off jean shorts over a floral-print bikini. It wasn�t too odd of a sight. Melissa always slept in an undershirt and panties at sleepovers. But unlike last summer, prancing around in a leotard and bike shorts, Melissa suddenly had a body to fill out the outfit.
She was still as skinny as ever. But instead of having the silhouette of a stick, she now had a shapely hourglass figure. Curvaceous hips and a tiny waist. Since when does my best friend have breasts? Nick thought.
�Y�all look like you�ve seen a ghost,� Melissa remarked. The braces Melissa had worn for as long as Nick had known her were gone, in their place, a breathtaking smile. Melissa held out her arms invitationally. �Come on, Brenty. Give me a hug.�
Nick watched as Brent stepped forward to receive his hug. How come she asked Brent for a hug, and not me? Nick wondered. Or better question- why am I jealous of my best friends hugging? Brent and Melissa have always hugged each other. Wait- how come Lissie and I aren�t into hugging each other?�Ugh! What is wrong with me?
�Look at you!� Melissa commented, holding Brent at arm�s length. �You look like your fifteen!�
For the first time, Nick stepped back to examine his other best friend. At twelve, Brent towered over Nick and Melissa. He had to be at least 5�8�. And sure enough, Brent�s shoulders had suddenly become much broader. He even had the slightest hint of facial hair. When did my best friends go to a growing-up party, and why wasn�t I invited?
�Hey Nick,� Melissa chirped. �I like your shirt.�
�Thanks,� Nick muttered. His mind was elsewhere. I like your shirt? Brent looks like he�s ready to get his driver�s permit, and I have a nice shirt?
�We ordered a pizza,� Melissa offered. �Y�all want to eat?�
Wordlessly, Nick nodded and followed Melissa into the kitchen. His mind was spinning, and frankly, he was beginning to feel a bit dizzy. What�s gotten into me?
Nick and Brent took their usual seats behind the counter. Happy to be home again, Melissa scurried around, gathering up plates and cans of soda. She was energetically rambling on about her summer in Boston. But Nick wasn�t really listening. Instead, for the first time, he was really watching her face.
Nick had never realized how beautiful Melissa was. Not just pretty, but genuinely beautiful. She had this amazing hair that fell to the middle of her back. It was a deep, deep auburn color and hung in loopy curls. Her eyes were the color of dark chocolate, framed by thick black lashes. And when did her lips get so full and glossy?
�Melissa, tell me about your family history again.� Nick interrupted. He hadn�t really listened the other times she told him about her background. But all of the sudden he had to know.
�Well, my mama was born in Spain. But her birth parents put her up for adoption. So she was raised by a wealthy white family in New Orleans. Then she moved to Houston when she was 18, to dance with the ballet company.�
�And your dad�s side?�
�Why the sudden interest in my family?� Melissa looked confused.
Nick shrugged. �Just curious, I guess.�
His third degree didn�t faze Melissa. She continued on with her family history. �My grandmother comes from an Irish Catholic family in Houston. But his dad grew up in the Mexican barrio, in Corpus Christi. I have no idea how my grandparents met. But my grandfather was in the military, so my dad was a military brat until he went to college to become a doctor. I don�t really know his parents very well, because they�re always traveling around with the army.�
Melissa shrugged. �I don�t think they like Texas too much, my daddy�s parents. Their marriage is kinda frowned upon there. It quite scandalous, actually. In Texas, races don�t mix too often. But the way I see it, I�ve got the best of both worlds.�
I�ll say, Nick eagerly agreed.
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