*At Brian's*

"Oh my gosh, you have the whole collection of the Bee Gees. You know how much I hate you?" Leah shrieked as she flipped through Brian's CD collection.

Brian shrugged, "C'mon, you know how much I love their songs."

Leah glared at him, "Oh give it up, I know you're a Backstreet Boy and how rich you are. You don't have to flaunt it at me."

He flinched when she turned away, "I'm not. I just - "

She turned around, this time smiling, "Easy boy, I was just kidding." She pinched his cheek playfully.

He turned bright red, "Oh, uh ok."

She laughed, "So, where is your bedroom?"

"Here," Brian led her out into the wide hallway that separated the living room and the game room. "Up," He directed when they reached the stairs.

"Man, its getting really creepy, are there any cobwebs around?" She asked warily as she looked all around in the dimly lit staircase. Brian rolled his eyes as she continued to speak, "Considering you are not home often."

For a moment he heard and saw a hint of fear flash across her face and sound. "Nah, I employ housekeepers."

Leah smiled weakly, as they climbed yet another set of stairs, "Dang, where is your room?"

Brian shrugged, "Uh, somewhere up there?"

"Brian!" She jabbed him roughly in the ribs.

"Fine, fine. Just one more set."

"Serious?"

"Serious."

"Cause I'm starting to get scared." Brian felt Leah grab his hand and gripped it like a vice.

"Don't worry, we're reaching," He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

They stepped up the last step and Brian opened the door and switched on the lights "There, this is my humble abode, have fun."

She grinned when she saw his room. It was classic and . . . .messy. "Oh my god," she let out a short laugh, "we're supposed to work in here?"

He shrugged, "CONSIDERING I'm not home often." He shot her a look as he mimicked her.

She rolled her eyes as she kicked away some strewn papers and flipped through old magazines. "Kay, you've got a computer somewhere?"

"Yeah, downstairs."

He watched as she slowly put down the magazines and turn around. He couldn't keep a straight face. The expression was priceless.

"BRIAN!" She yelled as she racked her hands through her hair.

Brian burst out laughing, uncontrollably.

Leah shot him a dirty look as she waddled clumsy through the pool of things on Brian's floor, "Go to hell."

____________________________________________________________


"So Nick, what do you look for in a girl?"

"Um, not much."

"Looks? Money? Personality?"

"Yeah! That's it! I look for personality."

Rachel brushed his thigh lightly, "What kind, nice - you know spunky?"

Nick moved back, she was getting way to close for his comfort. The whole evening, she followed him around. When he was in the gents, she was in the ladies. When he was dancing, she would be the next couple. When he was drinking, she did too. It was seriously getting on his nerves. It was as if she was desperate for guys. He had been wishing a fan would interrupt but just so it happened, the club wasn't exactly filled with pre-adolescent children.

"Uh," Nick stuttered as she yet inched her way nearer. He searched his brain for an answer. "Um, I dont know?"

"You must know." She moved closer again, "I mean, you should know what you want." She batted her eyelashes and crossed her legs.

He turned away, rolling his eyes. "Well, perhaps I like those shy people, y'know." There, Rachel wasn't shy.

"Oh really?" her whole face lit up, "Ooh, I loooooooove guys who like shy girls, I mean some guys just don't . . . ."

Nick leaned his head onto his palm. Apparently, she wasn' t going to shut up soon. The only reason he was putting up with her was because his best friend was wooing her best friend.

____________________________________________________________

"Gee Brian, I've been here for the past three hours and I don't even see a hint of a Coke - so maybe not a Coke, but surely some ice water at the very least?" Leah stretched lazily on the couch. Brian had succeeded in making Rachel's song into a decent one with a little bit of Leah's help.

Brian rolled his eyes and got up unwillingly. After racking his brains for rhyming and stuff for two hours, he was beat.

He brought back the Coke and fell back to the couch, his eyelids drooping.

"You know what? I think that was a very good piece." She said after taking a long sip of Coke.

"Yeah sure." He mumbled.

"And there wouldn't be any better pieces. You say?"

A snore replied her.

____________________________________________________________

"Hello?" Nick mumbled into the phone. He squinted in the sunlight.

"Hi Nick!" A chirpy voice greeted him from the other end.

"Um who is this and why are you calling me at this time of the - " He glanced at the clock, "morning?"

"It's Rachel and . . ." He groaned and slammed his face back into the pillow.

"What is it Rachel?" He asked, annoyed.

"See I have this complimentary tickets to the Titanic. Care to - "

"See Rachel, I've seen Titanic a thousand and one times so I don't think I want to go, also, don't you have class?" He yawned.

"I do. But Leah's not home since last night - "

Nick's head shot up that, "What do you mean not home? Since last night?"

"Duh! Anyway . . ." As Rachel droned on and on, Nick felt a silly grin creep up his face. I wonder what happened at Brian's yesterday.

Nick flipped his covers off and onto the floor, pulling his cordless with him.

When Rachel finally paused to take a breath, Nick got a word in, "Geez, Rach, I've got to make an important call. Could I call you later?"

"Oh!" She shrieked, "Nick! You called me Rach! Only my closest friends call me that!"

Nick rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Thank you and goodnight."

He hung up and waited for the dial tone. He proceeded to dial a number he was most familiar with.

____________________________________________________________

Brian's head fell of the armchair at the sound of his cell's ringing.

Groggy, he answered, "'Lo?"

"Rok?"

"Frack?" Brian sat up straighter and looked at his surroundings. He saw Leah's horrible position on the sofa and chuckled.

"Frick, is Leah at your place?"

"Uh-huh," Brian got up and walked slowly to the kitchen.

"Since last night, I presume?"

"Duh!" Brian yawned and got out the cereal.

There was silence at the other end.

"Nick?"

"Yeah," Nick choked back the laughter that was threatening to spill out any second. Brian sounded so innocent, so ignorant.

"Nick no, it isn't what you're thinking. Nothing happened."

"Uh-huh. Nothing happened."

"Really!"

Nick then lost control and started laughing.

"What?"

"You . . . nothing . . . happened - I believe!" he sputtered out.

"I told you Nick. Nothing happened." Brian was starting to get angry.

"Yeah sure. A gorgeous girl like Leah at your house and nothing happened? You think I'm a baby or what?"

"You are a baby!"

Nick rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Brian. Just don't get her pregnant, one Brian is enough."

"NICK!"

"What?"

Brian saw Leah stirring on the sofa, "Guess what Nick? Leah awoke and I have to attend to her ok? So bye."

He folded the phone and stuffed it back into his jeans pocket.

He strolled over to Leah, "Hey you."

Leah first looked around, as though absorbing the surroundings before fixating her eyes onto Brian and giving him a short smile.

"Hey yourself," She straightened her clothes before glancing at her watch.

Her eyes widened in horror, "Shit!"

He started to panic, "What?"

"I'm late! Damn," She looked at Brian and gave him a sweet smiled "You," She grabbed him by the collar, sent me to school."

___________________________________________________________

"Can't you drive a little faster? Just a little?"

"Yeah my ass, lady. I could get a thousand merit points taken away at the speed I'm going." Brian retorted as Leah struggled to apply lip-gloss onto her lips.

A line cut across her cheek as Brian halted suddenly, "Brian Thomas Littrell!"

He fought back a laugh as he shrugged, "Sorry, I couldn't help it. Red light."

She shot him a death glare as she snatched a tissue and dabbed it roughly at her cheek.

Once that was settled, she grabbed Brian's cell in his pocket.

She flipped it open and dialled home. It rang for ages before Rachel picked up.

"Hello? Rachel speaking."

"Rach?"

"Yeah, and if this isn't Nick Carter, I'm hanging up."

"Its me dumbass."

"Leah? Where the hell are you?"

"Nowhere, just get my notes - "

"I know, they're in the car."

"Great, I'm on my way. A jam here."

"Lee, I suggest you just go straight to the campus, dont bother coming home to change or anything. Alright? You're late as it is."

"Yes Mom," She paused, "How was last night?"

"Sucked, talk to you in homeroom. I'm taking the earliest period today."

"Good luck."

"Go to hell, Lee."

Leah grinned as she stuffed the phone back into Brian's tight jeans pocket.

"Who was that?" Brian laughed as he swerved to the left, towards the exit.

"Finally, go straight please."

____________________________________________________________

Rachel waved to yet another unknown stranger who said his hello. What was going on? Why was everyone so friendly to her? She was usually the outcast. Was it her outfit? She glanced down; she had worn a yellow spaghetti strap with a narrow strip of skin left exposed matching with three-quarter white pants. Her brown hair was let down and she had a yellow scarf tied round her neck.

Couldn't be. She walked wearily to her locker. Shed been here for barely a week but she had made a few friends, unlike Leah. She pulled out her books as Tasha Lim stood next to her and gave a tantalizing smile.

Rachel raised an eyebrow and looked at one of the close friend she had made.
"Yes?"

Tasha smiled, "had fun last night?"

Rachel flushed a deep pink, looking away, she pretended she didnt know what Tasha was talking about. "What?"

"You were at a club." Tasha hinted.

"Uh-huh." She replied nonchalantly.

"With Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys."

"Uh-huh." She felt a silly smile crawl up her face. So all those people who had bothered with her wasnt because they liked her it was because she was seen with a star.

"Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys. You were seen with him." Tasha pointed out.

"So?" She shrugged like it was something that happened everyday. So hanging out with Nick hadn't been that bad at all.

Why of course, hanging out with him hadn't been bad at all.