Teenage Groupie XXVI

The weekend after my final exam, I was to join the boys in New York City for a special treat. I was elated because I hadn’t gotten a treat from them in such a long time. They had booked the flight and a spare hotel room just so I wouldn’t get the wrong impression about my visit, so I packed my bags and set out on the journey with enthusiasm.

At the airport the guys had a limousine drive me straight to their hotel accompanied with their bodyguard like a VIP. In front of the hotel, there sat a swarming crowd of young women with placards, and posters standing at the driveway of the hotel, on the street, on the sidewalk, any spare aperture that afforded them a sneak peek at the hotel so they could look up at the hotel windows, and watch closely any of its exits. Inside, the hotel staff was busy warding off a few of the girls that had managed to penetrate the strict hotel security into the lobby. The girls looked unflinching as they forced their way through the burly male bouncers.

The bodyguards led me right past the crowd of women into the hotel and I smirked to myself when some of the girls shot me angry envious glances at the opportunity I had to seep through their sesame. “Groupies the lot of them, can’t they have a little dignity and wait somewhere more presentable,” I murmured to myself.

For that brief second it felt good to be the one being led past the groupies and into the most sought after hotel. The one who was protected from the enraging crowd, and not the one being tugged on, or angrily shoved away. I couldn’t believe that I had been the one standing there, on of those street corners in front of a hotel like this not too long ago.

On arriving at the hotel, I was led straight to their double suite. The bodyguard turned away as soon as he heard a voice answer to the knock from inside.

“Hey, Nikki.” Nick was the first one to run up to hug me. He looked tanned, had added some more weight in his midsection. I could feel his tummy tugging at mine as he squeezed me tight.

I hugged him back with fervor. “Gee, I’m glad to see you too, Nick. I haven’t seen you since the hospital, right?” Nick nodded, beaming a smile down my face. He was having a hard time controlling how excited he was. I couldn’t blame him really, the last time the guys had visited me was during the first few days in hospital when I had to be sedated in hospital for shock and trauma. Since then, it’s been phone calls, and brief visits every once in a while from one person at a time, and once the therapy sessions intensified, the visits disappeared.

He pulled away and smiled. “ Yeah…how was therapy, mom said you were a pretty good patient.”

I smiled proudly. “Yeah, it was okay. I couldn’t hit on the doctor though, but it was pretty cool,” I murmured.

“Sorry I couldn’t come up there to be with you, we had to go down to South America and all the tours been pretty crazy. Besides, the doctors said it would be a good idea if you got away from us for awhile,” he explained, ever so courteously to me so I wouldn’t hold his distance as a grudge. I nodded in acceptance, shutting my eyes. “How was high school? Mom says you’re quite a student. Not like I was. Any cute boys up in there?” He teased.

I shook my head blankly. “Nah, they don’t make them like they used to.” He flashed me a contagious smile in response to my compliment. “Where’s AJ?” I asked looking around the room. It was noticeably empty, missing his noisy presence.

“He’s good. He’s downstairs with the manager.” His index finger indicated to the ground floor.

“And the others, Brian, Kevin, Howie…” I asked, taking a seat on the fluffy love seat at the corner.

“They went up to Tower records for something. I don’t know, beats me. You know how they can get,” Nick brushed off, nonchalantly; he was never good with details, no wonder he never liked school.

I sprang up from the chair, restless and bored, walked over to the window, where he stood and chewing on my lip, I looked down the tall glass windows of his magnanimous suite. “Wow, what a crowd?” I exclaimed at the crowd of women that was seemed to be increasing in size by the second, some sighted us, so they began to wave their placards and posters at the peeking curtains.

Nick ignored them blatantly, absorbed in staring at my face solidly, I could feel his eyes working on me from the corner of my eyes. “What happened to the hair?” Nick shrieked, suddenly realizing what was different about me. My hair was no longer blood red like he had become accustomed to seeing me with; it was now a pale dark color. My natural roots.

I ran my hands through my black coif. “Part of the therapy. I decided I should probably go back to my natural roots.” I suddenly felt shy, explaining my damp reasoning.

“Looks good,” looking unconvinced, his eyes still perched up on my scalp. “Don’t think AJ will take into the dark hair thing too much though…but it’s cool to me,” Nick said with a twist of his head, shuddering like he had swallowed something of enormous proportions. He was still beaming from seeing me; the smile couldn’t leave his face.

I reacted by asking, “How are you? Anything new, any new woman I should know about?” I teased him, poking my finger at his soft protruding belly button. It felt just as soft as Dr. Harrow’s.

“Yeah, I do. Don’t laugh though. She’s some cool chick named Tiffany. Cool blue eyes, nice smile. Reminds me of you actually,” he enthused.

“Oh…how…isn’t she blonde?” My eyes lit up.

“Yeah…but why?” He asked, clueless.

“If she’s blonde, how can she possibly remind you of me?” I said, cynically knowing that Nick had a weakness for Blonde bombshells. Just then, he yanked my hair playfully, pulling it, wrestling me to the ground, causing us to roll onto the floor like two stubborn kindergarten kids battling for a measly piece of candy.

He stopped midway tired, panting like he had run half a block. “Mom said you’re on anti-depressants. How’s that?” He asked pinning my shoulders to the floor. He fought to steady his breath as he pranced up, one large foot in front of the other carefully.

I wiped my eyes. “Bad, very bad. Just keep away from it, if you can. It does terrible things to your sex drive. I haven’t had sex in months and I really don’t feel like it. It’s that bad, Nick believe me.” I took his hand as he helped me to standing position. “Isn’t there anything to drink around here?” My throat was getting dry I walked up to the refrigerator to help myself to some drinks.

AJ walked into the room, making his entrance. “Sweetie.” He grabbed me with a spin. “I am so happy to see you.”

I was stunned he was this excited. He was never this emotional towards me while we dated. It would take a night of deprived sex to get him to hug me when I saw me.

I was flabbergasted with the shower of emotion. “I can’t believe this. What is up with you guys? Spit it out, what are you guys up to?” I pulled away from the hug flippantly, opening up a can of coke I had retrieved from the fridge. The splash of the can cut through the silence, the two men keeping mum to my suspicions. TI saw them, exchange wary glances, until Nick summoned up the courage to speak.

“It’s about Lance,” he dropped, unflinching.

My mouth flew open. So many times I wished I didn’t have to hear that name just so I wouldn’t be reminded of the embarrassment of losing him.

“What about him?” I said with clenched teeth. They refused to answer. “Guys, I thought we wouldn’t discuss this anymore?” Frustration sank into me. Following the events of that fateful day with the police arrest, the guys and I had made countless calls to his cell phone, left messages with his publicist and made frantic pleas to his manager all in an effort to get across to him, offer him sort of explanation, plead with him to accept my truthfulness, and that everything had not meant to be a sham between us. But he had ignored them all.

AJ started. “Well, him and the fellows are here in N.Y.” His voice held some faint glimpses at hope.

“What?” My heart dropped into my stomach, causing my stomach to burn like volcano larva.

“Yeah, we were able to get his manager to cough up their plans and they are here,” AJ replied.

“This is so not funny,” I whined.

“Well, it gets better. We have his room keys for the day and we can get you in without him knowing,” Nick said, lifting me up from behind. “His bodyguard and ours go way back.” He winked at me.

I turned to face him, my mouth swallowing a gulp of wind. He held my hands tight to calm me, and steady my wobbly legs; the information seemed to spin letters and numbers around my brain. “Calm down,” he consoled.  “We have a plan.” He rubbed on my hands to warm them up. I cast him an incredulous look that asked, what plan in not so gentle words. He continued, “We just want you to go up there and talk to the guy, you know. Tell him how you feel explain everything to him, that’s all.”

“In other words BEG,” AJ stated categorically.

“I can’t do that,” I gasped, shutting my eyes at the plans stupidity.

AJ hissed loudly. “I told you she wouldn’t,” he snapped. “By the way, this was Nicky’s idea, not mine just so know who the moron is between us.” AJ stood up in frustration. “I told you this wasn’t going to work,” he murmured to Nick, pretending that I wasn’t still standing there.

“It will,” Nick shot AJ an angry look to shut him up and possibly calm his impatient tail down. He didn’t seem to be co-operating with God knows what they had arranged earlier in my absence. “It was your idea too, AJ,” I heard Nick cry out pitifully.

I felt sympathy tremors sink through me with Nick’s declaration. It was AJ’s idea too, I heard myself asking inside. Gee, why? Why would he wish that Lance and I get back together, or restore our burnt bridges, why, the plan had traces of Nick on it, but none of AJ’s temperament. He was neither forgiving nor accommodating, so where did it being AJ’s plan too come in?

“Okay, okay.” I took a seat, taking small steady breaths, hoping to cooperate with the charade. “Let’s say I do this, I go there, what do I say? I’ve never done this before, I don’t know how to show love; the therapist said it himself. And AJ,” I looked over at his swelling face. “Why are you helping me do this, last time I checked you couldn’t stand him and Nick why is this so important to you? I thought you guys couldn’t stand each other?” Nick didn’t reply; he turned away from my gaze, avoiding the death daggers I handed out. “I thought the guy liked me and he didn’t, and it’s ended, so can we just forget about this. The true people who care about me are in this room right now, un-fucking believable guys, so why would you want to give me to some other guy?” I spelled out my opinions, vehemently.

The guys kept quiet waiting for one person to break the ice, fiddling with their thumbs, hair, face, no one felt bold enough to this time.

I took in a deep breath. “You guys, I love you. And I wouldn’t run out and squeal on you for anything. If you’re doing this about the statutory rape thing, I’m sorry. I was the one who lied about my age, the one who drank alcohol, who did the horrid things just to get next to you all. And I want to stay here, with you. I really do,” I pleaded.

Nick walked to the window, while AJ pulled out a cigarette from his back pockets. They both looked very glum.

“Guys, don’t look bad, I’m fine really. Please, chin up, tomorrow’s my 18^th birthday, I want us all to walk in the clouds and PARTAY,” I cheered, mimicking a little victory dance. I walked over to Nick and dragged him away from the window, forcing another hug from that almost choked his large sized self this time.

“So, ehm, Nikki, what’s going to happen to the 10 dozen roses we sent up to his room already?” AJ pitched in, nonchalantly, aware that he was dropping a bomb.

“You what? Why would you do a thing like that? I can’t breath…” I almost fell to the ground in exasperation. I started to take short steady breaths, running my hands through my hair fidgeting. I sank to the floor by the bed, leaning my back on it. “I can’t do this, guys I can’t do this.”

Nick asked AJ to excuse us while he talked to me alone. AJ obeyed explaining that he would be downstairs at the bar if we needed him.

Nick came to sit with me, slouching down on the floor beside me. He placed his right hand on top of mine on my knee, his big hand enveloping my small pale one.

“Is this about AJ?” He asked, almost in a whisper.

I pursed my lips as I thought of the appropriate answer to this question. “A little.” From the corner of my eyes I saw him nod. “Nick, why didn’t you tell me AJ wouldn’t love me, you know…that he really didn’t care?” I said, slowly like a maltreated child.

“It didn’t matter at the time…maybe I should but I didn’t think, you know you would get so hung up on the guy, I thought you would forget him, and he would forget you, just like the others. But that’s no excuse though. I’m sorry. I should have told you.” Nick apologized, rubbing gently on my hands.  “You know, he goes to anger management classes now, some sort of therapy treatment for his fiery temper. He’s also trying to get back together with his ex—Amanda. The whole stuff with you being a minor just sorta freaked him out. He says he wants to be a better, calmer focused man now,” Nick narrated, events I had heard about through Nick’s mum earlier and casually dismissed as a flighty rumor mill. The thought of AJ with anger management classes just sounded like a crude mixture of water and oil, why would anyone do that?

“Do you still have a thing for him?” I heard Nick ask.

“No,” I replied coldly, without remorse. “Well, not like I used to. Then it was like he was the high I needed to stay alive, to reinvigorate me, otherwise I would sink into a depressed mode. Now, I don’t need that vivacious energy jolt anymore, I am high on my own. But he will always have a place in my heart though, just like the first, the first man you ever make love to does.” My reply was solemn, spewing out my inner thoughts in a confession mode.

“But what do I say to Lance, Nick. I don’t know what to tell him. I know I love him---I think---but is that all I should say, will he believe me? You saw him that day; he was mad and disappointed in me. He’ll think I’m messing with his head again.”

“He will believe you, don’t worry about it. Guys just act like that to make their ladies act all crazy in love with them that’s all. I’m sure he loves you, deep down inside. Who wouldn’t, you’re a great gal, Nikki. The best.” He tugged my shoulders in a buddy fashion as if we were two men gearing up for a big confrontation with an evasive woman.

I turned to look at him and his blue eyes locked into mine that made it difficult to break away. I reached forward and gave him a tight hug, shunning all the doubts and fears I had harbored moments ago.

When we pulled away, I said, “The last time we sat on the floor like this I was crying. Remember that?”

“Yeah, and now you’re still crying,” he said as he wiped away the stray tear on my cheek. “Some things never really change, now do they Nikki?”

I forced a small smile into his face. “Except…us,” I pitched in. To that he gave me a reassuring smile. I leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips, shutting my eyes gently to absorb the feel of his mouth. As I held still in that kiss with Nick, thoughts of the first day I met him ran through my eyes. I remembered his wispy blonde hair that he couldn’t stop fiddling with nervously the first time we got introduced, and his gentle blue eyes that detailed every bit of his kindness as he snobbishly murmured a faint groan of hello. I remembered that night we almost made love in his room; the polite refusal he had given me with his formal confession of genuine feelings for me, something that has always stayed with me throughout my hospital stay.

Then, I remembered that afternoon in the elevator when I was being whisked away by the police, the hurt look on his face when he had to watch me tell Lance I was being accused of killing my father. It felt like he was feeling almost as bad as I did, every hurt and pain that had happened to me had revisited every bone in him. Then, to see his warm worried face at my hospital bed, the face I looked upon when my head became clear only reassured me that I was in safe quarters. There was no denying it, Nick was just the best friend I could have, always there for me whenever the storm brewed inside me to calm it down just by a gentle touch or the kindest words. And I simply loved him for that.

“I will see you again, won’t I?” he asked, brushing my hair back like a big brother as he held me still.

“Can I avoid you Nick…even if I tried, you know I can’t.” He helped me to my feet. “How is this girl, Tiffany like me?” I asked, teasing him again about his new girlfriend. “Is she a groupie too?”

He laughed softly. “Common, I’ll tell you on the way. We have a lot to do before Lance gets back from their Press conference.”

We walked downstairs to the lobby to join AJ where we would indeed commence our covert operation to win Lance back.

 Part 27...