-make it alright-
-chapter twenty-four-

�I just can�t believe you walked in on them,� BJ shuddered at the thought.

�It was pretty traumatizing,� Melissa agreed. She lifted a hand to her face, shading her eyes from the sun. She and BJ were sitting on the curb outside an abandoned laundry mat. The Boys had just begun filming �As Long As You Love Me� inside.

Brent was due to arrive in a taxi from LAX any minute now. Melissa was anxiously awaiting his arrival. BJ had joined her friend outside, eager to hear about the previous night�s events.

�Hey SwissMeliss!� AJ called out, as he approached the girls on the sidewalk. �Do you know where Nick took off to?�

�He�s in the trailer, sleeping.� Melissa explained.

�Well, we need him on set. Nigel�s just about ready to film his solo.�

�He�s tired. We were up late last night. Anyway you could push back his scene till later?� Melissa asked, staring up at AJ with squinted eyes. Overnight, Melissa�s entire relationship with Nick had changed. She�d never again look at her best friend in the same way. But deep down, a part of Melissa would always be concerned with Nick�s well-being. That maternal instinct always kicked in when she was around him. Nick needed someone to take care of him, and Melissa liked to be the one to do it.

�Oh really? Busy night, huh? I�ll have to find out about that later. I don�t know about pushing back his scene. Let me check with Dick and get back to you.� With that, AJ was off as fast as he�d just spoken. He was obviously eager to have a mission.

�Oh Lord,� Melissa groaned, once AJ was out of earshot. �Now everyone is going to find out about what happened.�

�News travels fast around the Backstreet camp,� BJ agreed. �God, Brent�s going to be more disgusted then I am when he finds out.�

�Why do you say that?�

�Brent HATES Mandy. With a passion. You knew that, right?�

Melissa nodded. �Brent makes sure that EVERYONE knows how much he hates Mandy.�

BJ laughed. Melissa was right about that one.

�So I never asked you,� Melissa turned to BJ. �What do you think about Mandy?�

BJ�s nose scrunched up in disgust. �I don�t know. She�s definitely not my favorite person in the world.�

BJ rested her elbows on the sidewalk, leaning her body weight back. She sighed, shaking her head. �I just have mixed feelings about her, I guess. She�s really possessive of Nick, and she doesn�t want anyone else to be as close to him as she is. So she�s not very nice to any of his friends, or family for that matter. That�s why Brent hates her. Hell, that�s reason enough for me to hate her.�

�I feel a �but� coming on.� Melissa mentioned.

�But-� BJ began. She looked to Melissa and they both laughed. �I�ve seen her and Nick together, when they think no one else is around. They act totally different when they�re alone. Its actually pretty sweet.�

Melissa groaned. She copied BJ, leaning back on her elbows. �I know what you mean. That�s what it was like last night. I wish that girl would give me an actual reason to hate her. It�d make things so much easier.�

�You mean you don�t hate her?� BJ asked. She seemed to be surprised at Melissa�s comment.

Melissa shrugged. �I want to hate her. I really do. But I�ve barely said two words to her, so I don�t really have a reason to hate her. I guess I just kinda feel like she�s the competition.�

�Competition?� BJ asked. �But you have Brent. You don�t like Nick, do you?�

�It�s not even a question of whether or not I like Nick,� Melissa tried to explain. She�d also tactfully avoided answering BJ�s question. Truth was, Melissa herself didn�t know if she liked Nick. And if she did, she wasn�t about to admit it. �Its that since I was nine years old, its always been me, Nick and Brent. Well, and you, of course. But you�re Nick�s sister, so it doesn�t really count. I just kinda got used to being the most important girl in their lives, you know? And I know I shouldn�t feel this way, but nevertheless, I�m kind of annoyed that there�s someone else in the picture to split Nick�s attention. Ya get what I�m saying?�

BJ nodded her head slowly. �I think so.�

Melissa sat back up again. She rested her elbows on her knees, placing her chin in her hands. She let out a long, slow breath. �I wish she was really ugly, or had a handicap or something. Like six fingers on one hand or something. Then I�d have a reason to feel a little superior. Because right now, it seems like Nick filled my old spot with a girl who�s a million times more perfect then I could ever be.�

�Mandy? Perfect?� BJ asked skeptically. �How so?�

�Think about it, Bj. She�s tall and skinny, beautiful long blonde hair. She�s the All-American girl. And about as far away from me as you can get in any way� I don�t know� Sometimes it just kinda hurts that the first girl Nick fell for is so completely different from me.�

BJ didn�t know what to say to make Melissa feel better. Deep down inside, BJ knew that a part of Melissa would always love Nick, even though she�d never admit to it. Sitting up, BJ wrapped a comforting arm around Melissa�s shoulder. They sat together in silence.

Neither was sure how long it was until the cab drove up. It could have been seconds, or several minutes. But nevertheless, it was the only thing that could shake Melissa out of her momentary slump. She jumped to her feet, ready to attack Brent as soon as he finished paying the cab driver.

�Brenty!� She exclaimed excitedly, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

�Whoa, there.� Brent had to brace his legs so as not to topple over with Melissa. Once he�d regained his balance, he kissed Melissa affectionately on the lips. �Hey you.�

�Hey you too,� Melissa replied. She kissed Brent on the forehead. �Am I relieved you�re finally here.�

�Have things been that bad?� Brent asked.

Melissa shrugged. �Let�s just say I have A LOT to fill you in on.�

�Ooh, sounds juicy.� Brent speculated. �Listen, I hate to cut this short- but I have to piss like a racehorse. Know where any facilities are?�

�There�s a bathroom in Nick�s trailer,� Melissa informed Brent. She pointed to the R.V. they were standing nearby. �You can go in there.�

�Great,� Brent flashed a relieved smile. �Can you get my luggage? I�ll be right back.�

�No prob. See you in a few.�

�You too.�

Brent rushed into Nick�s trailer, causing a lot of commotion in the process. Nick was sleeping on the couch when his best friend entered the room, stirring him out of his rest. But Brent didn�t stop for a greeting. He continued right on into the miniscule toilet.

Brent�s time in the bathroom gave Nick a moment to situate himself. He was dressed in the brown button-down shirt that would be used for the first scene in the video. It was wrinkly from his nap. Great, Nick scolded himself. Andre�s gonna be pissed at me now.

Brent emerged from the bathroom a moment later. He situated himself on the couch opposite of the one Nick lay upon. �Hey man, did I wake you up?�

�Yeah, but its okay.� Nick said. �I was just taking a nap. I didn�t get a lot of sleep last night.�

�Man, what has been going on here?� Brent wondered aloud. �I�m starting to get the feeling I�ve missed out on something major.

Nick nodded. �Oh, you have. Lissie walked in on me and Mandy together last night.�

�And you guys were�?� There was no need for Brent to finish his question.

�Yeah.�

Brent tried his best not to laugh. �Man, that must have been embarrassing.�

Nick covered his face with a pillow. �You can�t even imagine. I feel like such an idiot. Its hard for me to even look Liss in the eye today.�

Brent shrugged. �These things happened. Besides, Mel is probably more traumatized then you are.�

�Oh, thanks man. Some best friend you are.� Nick scoffed.

�Chill, I was just playing. Hey- and think of it this way� it could have been worse. It could have been your mom walking in on you instead of Mel.�

Nick threw his pillow at Brent. Hard. �Ugh, man. That�s just plain nasty. I don�t even want to imagine that.�

�Sorry,� Brent apologized, a grin on his face. �Hey, you done napping? Let�s go to craft service. I�m starving.�

�Yeah, sounds good.� Nick agreed. He followed Brent into the sunlight.

�There you boys are,� Melissa skipped up to Brent and Nick, a huge smile on her face.

�Uh-oh, I know this look,� Nick said warily.

�I know it too,� Brent wrapped his arm around Melissa�s neck. �My girl wants something.�

It was the first time Nick had been around Brent and Melissa since they�d started dating. Watching them together was a bit� unsettling. Growing up, Brent, Melissa and himself had been like the Three Musketeers. Inseparable best friends. Or so Nick thought. But now when Nick recollected �the good ol� days,� his feelings about the time they shared together seemed to have changed. They were tainted by faint idea that things might not have occurred the way Nick had once thought they did. He, Melissa and Brent could have never have equally been best friends. It just wasn�t possible. Because if their friendship had been equal in all links, how would Brent and Melissa wind up together, leaving Nick as the odd one out?

Melissa grinned cheekily, shifting her weight back and forth on her legs. �Its true. I want something. BJ just reminded me I haven�t listened to my new CD yet. Can I use the stereo in your trailer, Nick?�

�What new CD?� Brent was confused.

�Some ex-Mouseketeers are in a boy band. They�re getting pretty popular in Europe. I brought the CD back for Liss.� Nick explained. He slapped Brent on the back in that boyish-manner. �Let�s hold off on the food for a second. You gotta hear one of their songs. Its absolutely hilarious.�

Brent was never one to go against the grain. Since everyone else seemed eager to listen to the album, he went along with the crowd. His rumbling stomach would have to wait for later.

�Pop it in, Nickers!� Melissa directed. She tossed the CD to Nick. She had never been quick when it came to electronics. Nick�s ability in that area evened her out. In the meanwhile, she began fishing through the cupboards in Nick�s trailer. It didn�t take her long to discover what she was in search for. She tossed a bag of Cheetos in Brent�s direction. �Eat up. I know you�re hungry.�

While Brent tore into the chips, Nick played a cut off the album. The techno-beats of �Riddle� filled the room. After listening to the first few measures of the song, BJ, Brent and Nick had to bite their lips to stop themselves from bursting into laughter. The song was awful, but they didn�t want to hurt Melissa�s feelings. She was smiling to herself, just happy to hear Justin and JC�s voices again.

�Who�s playing this pansy-ass music?�

Judging from the sour expression on Brent�s face, the voice could only belong to one person. Mandy. Sure enough, she appeared at the head of the trailer, arms crossed in front of her chest.

�We�re just playing that new CD I bought for Lissie,� Nick explained. �You know- the *NSYNC one? With the MMC guys?�

A faint look of recollection crossed Mandy�s face. �That�s right. I remember you telling me that. Thank God it was just Melissa�s music. I thought my boy had gone soft for a minute.�

Nick gone soft? He�s a member of a fucking boy band, for goodness sake. How much more soft can you get? But Melissa tactfully kept her thoughts to herself. Instead, Melissa glared at Mandy as she rested her head on Nick�s shoulder.

�God, these guys SUCK,� Mandy commented- highly emphasizing the last word. �Let�s hope their 15 minutes of fame is almost over.�

Anger began to boil in Melissa�s small body. Both BJ and Brent could sense it, and they exchanged worried glances behind Melissa�s back. They watched as Melissa�s clenched her fists tightly, knuckles on their way to turning white.

�You know, Nick�s told me all about this little Mickey Mouse Club obsession of yours, Melissa.� Mandy continued on. She was either completely oblivious to the fact that Melissa�s face was growing red with temperament, or had chosen to ignore it and add more fuel to the fire. �And honestly, I can�t help but wonder when you�re going to get over it?�

�You know, I don�t expect you to share or even understand my interests,� Melissa began to say through clenched teeth. �But I would hope that you could at least respect my interests and let them be.�

�Don�t you think it�s even the slightest bit weird?� Mandy asked. No one was sure whom she was addressing- whether it was just Melissa, or the entire room. �I mean, the show�s been cancelled for what? Three, four years now? And you�re seventeen years old. When are you going to grow up?�

Melissa stood up. Though several inches shorter then Mandy, Melissa fearlessly took a step closer to the girl. Mere inches separated the two.

�Uh-oh,� Brent said under his breath. He knew this wasn�t going to be a pretty picture.

�Me grow up?� Melissa asked angrily. �What about you? You act like you�re in middle school, the way you talk down to everyone else. Maybe you didn�t realize that when you started dating Nick, you�d have to deal with everyone else that comes along with his life. Family, co-workers and friends. I get that you don�t have to like us. And that�s okay. We�re Nick�s friends, not yours. But as Nick�s girlfriend, don�t you owe it to him to at least try and get along with us? Or at least respect us? I don�t know where you come from, but where I grew up, that�s part of your job as a girlfriend. And as far as me and everyone else can see, you haven�t done that at all.�

�Well, not all of us grow up in fairy-tale princess land.� Mandy retorted.

�What�s that supposed to mean?� Melissa sneered.

�It�s supposed to mean that you�re a fucking princess!� Mandy threw her arms in the air. � The poor little rich girl. You�re so sheltered. You�ve grown up with this little bubble around you. The worst thing that�s ever happened to you was when your fucking TV show got cancelled. And you know what? Its time for your bubble to be popped. Life isn�t a fucking Disney movie. People aren�t perfect.�

Mandy�s comments stung. Probably because Melissa could see there was some truth in what the other girl had to say. She�s an observant little bitch, isn�t she? Melissa thought angrily to herself. But even if she did hit the nail on a couple of things, who is she to say that to me? I was taught if you don�t have anything nice to say, then not to say anything at all. Sure, I may be guilty of doing the opposite once-and-a-while. But Mandy does it all the time.

Melissa turned her attention to Nick. He cringed under her criticizing stare. �Are you going to let her talk to me like that?�

Nick was speechless. He froze when it came to confrontation. When he got into fights with the guys, things were different. They could duke it out physically. But with both Melissa and Mandy awaiting his answer, Nick didn�t know what to do. �I�uh, I mean��

�If she really loves you Nick, she wouldn�t be treating everyone you care about so cruelly.� Melissa tried to reason.

�If SHE really loves you Nick, she wouldn�t be treating your girlfriend so cruelly.� Mandy twisted Melissa�s words around to her own advantage.

�Are you going to throw away eight years of friendship away in exchange for a good lay?� Melissa retorted. She felt a twinge of guilt as soon as the words left her mouth. What she said was unbelievably harsh. But Melissa had said it more out of animosity towards Mandy rather then a plea with Nick.

�You moved out of Florida three years ago, Melissa. Maybe its time for you to grow up and make some new friends. Nick has.� Mandy narrowed her eyes at Melissa as she said it.

�You know what? I don�t have to take this. And neither do you, Nick. One day you�ll realize that love shouldn�t hurt in the way that Mandy causes it to. And when you finally realize that, I�ll be ready to comfort you, Nick. But until that day comes, I don�t want to talk to anyone that has anything to do with Mandy Williford.� Melissa turned on her heel and stormed out of the trailer. Nick was left with his mouth hanging open in shock.

�What did I do?� He whined.

�I think its what you didn�t do that hurt so bad.� BJ spoke with wisdom beyond her years.

~want to be notified when this site is updated? email me (and send feedback!)~

� 2000 [email protected]