Nick crashed onto one of the hotel double beds and stared up at the ceiling. "I am so glad we don't have a concert tonight; I don't think I can move," he groaned. "You know, if I have to do another interview today, I swear I'm gonna scream."
Brian sat down on the other double bed and tossed one of the pillows at his blond roommate. "Ah, poor baby," he teased. "Well, knowing Billie, she'll probably find us another interview before the night's over." he checked his blue watch. "I mean, it's only 4:30."
Nick sat up and tossed the pillow back. "Well, I'm gonna enjoy what little freedom I have right now. Let's go to McDonald's. I'll go get the other guys," he suggested.
"No, I'm not really all that hungry right now. You know, I think I'll go for a walk." Brian stood up and stretched.
"Cool! I'll go with ya."
"Well, I kind of want to be by myself for a while."
A look of concern crossed Nick's handsome face. "B-Rok, are you alright? You're not as crazy as you usually are today."
"Yeah, I'm alright. It's just one of those days when you want to yell, 'Screw touring!' It has nothing to do with y'all. I'll be back by tonight."
"Well, okay. I'm gonna take a nap. Lock the door on your way out," Nick said as he lay back down on the bed.
Brian grabbed his Kentucky cap from the dresser and headed for the door. As he opened it, he looked back at Nick and said, "Slacker!" Nick, with his eyes closed, just stuck his tongue out at him. Brian smiled as he closed and locked the door behind him.
Once out in the hall, he looked left and right to see if he could see any bodyguards or anybody else. No one was in sight. Maybe he could sneak out without anybody knowing. He pulled the bill of his cap down over his baby blues and headed off down the hall.
He rode the elevator down to the lobby. Once the doors opened, he saw the crowds of teenage girls swarming it. Reporters were there, too, and the hotel manager was trying to keep everything under control.
Hoping nobody saw him, Brian ducked behind a luggage cart full of someone's luggage. Apparently, they were checking out because he was able to hide all the way to the door. He slipped out and headed down the sidewalk.
*Well, that wasn't too bad,* he thought, *I bet I couldn't do that again.*
He got a few feet away from the hotel and stopped. Which way to go? He looked around for a little while until his eyes landed on building across the street. Carson's Car and Truck Rental-We help you go when you have no transportation. Brian smiled. *Why not go for a drive?* he thought.
He looked both ways, then crossed the street. There were different kinds of cars and trucks all over the lot. Corvettes, Cavaliars, Dodge Colts, and even a few Dodge RAMS. He walked around, peeking in windows and checking everything out. He had looked over four different cars when he looked up and stopped.
Across the lot was an ugly, yellow-and-orange pick-up truck. It was polished and had new tires, but Brian could tell that it was rather old.
He grinned as he walked towards it. It looked just like the one he had in high school. Ah, "The Bleedin' Banana," his friends had called it. He had loved that truck up until the time it broke down, and he bought his blue Jeep.
"May I help you?" a voice behind him brought him back to the present. Brian turned around to see a man who looked to be in his late 30's or early 40's dressed in a white shirt, a tie, dress pants, and black shoes.
"Yeah, I was hoping to rent this truck for a little while," Brian answered.
"Well, we do have better things on the lot. Are you sure you don't want to look around?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Brian dug his wallet out of his pocket and produced a credit card. He handed it to the man, who in turn glanced at the name.
"Brian Littrell," he commented. "I've heard that name somewhere before." He tried to peek around the hat, then his eyes lit up in recognition. "Brian Littrell; the Backstreet Boys, right? My daughter loves you guys. I think you're her favorite."
Brian shuffled his feet nervously and smiled. "Thanks," he mumbled.
"Come on in. I'm sure we can get you all fixed up. I'm Brad Summers, by the way." He stuck out his hand. Brian shook it.
As they walked towards the building, Brad asked, "You wouldn't mind signing something for my daughter, would you? She's eleven, and she plays your CD nonstop."
"Sure," Brian smiled. The two men then disappeared into the building.
A little while later, they re-emerged from the building; Brian holding a set of keys, and Brad holding the autograph for his daughter. They shook hands, and Brian climbed into the pick-up truck. He cranked it up, and Lenny Kravitz's "Fly Away" came blaring over the speakers.
*How appropriate,* Brian thought with a smile. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he sang along to the top of his lungs.
"I want to get away/I want to Fly Away/Yeah, yeah, yeah!"
"I can't believe Trisha did that to you! Diane really should fire her," Kristin commented as she picked up the last of the Leggos.
"I know. I think Diane did have a talk with her, and It looks like I'll be by myself tomorrow while you and Sharon take your kids to the pool," Tessa said as she pulled the vaccuum out of the closet.
Kristin threw the Leggos into their appropriate box and turned to her friend. "So, since she never came back from lunch, this means you've been here since 7 AM and it is now," she looked up at the clock, "5:30."
Tessa nodded as she started up the vaccuum. Her schedule usually read 7-3, but since Trisha decided to call in sick for the rest of the day, Kristin would have been left by herself from 3-6. Tessa couldn't do that to her roommate, so she stayed.
This just topped off her rather bad day. First, Amber; then, Trisha; next, one of her five-year-old's, Lindsay, fell from the monkey bars and broke her arm; finally, the movie they rented for quiet time wouldn't play, and Kristin and Tessa had a time keeping everyone quiet.
Tessa finished vaccuuming the carpeted part of the large room and curled the cord around the handle. She pushed it back into the closet and began to reach for the mop.
Kristin stood up and stopped her. "You've had a bad day. We don't have anymore kids left, and we only have one more chore left. Why don't you just go on home?" she suggested.
Tessa looked at her. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Go on."
Without protesting, Tessa gave the mop to Kristin and walked over to the counter. She gathered her stuff and headed towards the door.
"I'll see ya tonight," she said as she pushed open the door. Kristin said goodbye and started to mop the eating area.
Tessa waved at Diane Ellis, the owner of the camp and daycare it was part of, as she brushed past the office. She finally made it to her car and opened the door. She climbed in, layed back in the seat, and sighed. She was certainly glad that today was over. She sat up, cranked up her red Dodge Colt, and the gas tank light lit up.