We walked around for what seemed hours (no, I wasn’t bored, my foot hurt, I was on crutches remember), undisturbed by fans (which was weird because B wasn’t wearing his cap and sunglasses), until we found a park in the centre of Glasgow. For a Saturday afternoon (2:30pm), it was pretty empty. "You must have wiped out the entire teenage female population of Glasgow the other night, judging by this place!!" "I guess you’re right! Look, Lorraine" "Ooh, my full name, B, you know words!!" I interrupted, he wasn’t laughing, so I shut up after that. "Lorraine, I’m trying to apologise here" "Sorry, carry on" "Lorraine, I’m sorry for the way I treated you earlier, it wasn’t very caring, wasn’t very boyfriend-like and it wasn’t me, it’s just that…um…" "Just that Nick’s younger and you thought that because he’s nearer my age that I would like him more than you, is that it?" "Well…yeah, how did you guess?" "I could sense something was the matter when you told him to ‘stop hugging my girl’, you sounded a bit possessive, I kind of got it from that, look Brian, just because Nick’s nearer my age doesn’t mean he’s any more attractive to me - well, he’s alright-looking, but you’re just plain gorgeous!" "You mean that?" "Of course I do! And there’s a smaller age gap between me and Aaron than you and me, but I’m not going out with him am I……well, I haven’t asked him, but maybe……" "Lorraine……" "Sorry, I was only joking about asking Aaron out" "You were??" came a voice from behind the bush behind us, B went over and pushed the branches apart to reveal Aaron kneeling in the soil with his hair caught in the leaves. "Aaron, what are you doing here?!" we both said "Well, Biscuit and I were here playing, and I was kinda getting on his nerves, and he saw you two, so he told me to go bug you two for a while, but he’s still watching me" he pointed to somewhere to my left, and there was Biscuit, watching, geez he’s big!! He saw us look. And waved. "You, getting on someone’s nerves, never!" I said , half sarcastic, half joking. "Yeah, I know, I’m a sweet little kid, I don’t know how that could have happened?!" "Very funny AC, I’m not trying to be nasty, but we’re trying to have a quiet moment here, can’t you go play somewhere else for a while?" B said, to Aaron, and nodding his head in the direction he wanted Aaron to go in (i.e. - away from us). "Is there something wrong with your neck Brian?!" Aaron put in this really cute little boy face, and this made me burst into hysterics, there were tears coming out of my eyes! "Aaron……" "Okay, okay, I’m going" Aaron left us alone at that point, he had found a squirrel and was then occupied by following it around the park, and later on was found by Biscuit trying to climb a tree because he wanted to see where the squirrel lived, kids eh?! Meanwhile… "Good, he’s gone, now where were we?" "Before or after I made the joke about Aaron?" "I think I preferred it better before" "Oh yeah, I was telling you just how gorgeous Nick is and that I don’t know why I’m not going out with him instead of you" I said laughing my head off. "Now you know that wasn’t funny!" B was laughing too, he knew I was joking. "I know, but seriously, if given the chance, I’d pick you any day" "Really? Why?" "Umm… how long have you got?!" "Huh?" "Well, I love…… just everything about you, your eyes, they’re really beautiful, the way they always seem to have a twinkle in them, it’s usually a mischievous one, but a twinkle nonetheless, your voice, it’s the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard, no contest, I can always tell your voice in the songs, and your normal Kentucky accent is really adorable too! And the cute little way your lips tilt slightly more to the left than to the right when you smile, I love that! And your personality, there’s no-one like you Brian! (he laughed a little cheeky but shy laugh just then - awwh!!) You keep everyone laughing, I thought all of this before I even met you, your personality came across that way from whenever I saw you on TV, read things you’ve said in magazines, we even think alike, a little while ago I was watching the enhanced CD of the Backstreet’s Back album, and you were all saying what your perfect date would be, and I was watching it with my dad, and before you came on, I said I’d go to a park and have a picnic with the guy, just getting to know them, and then you come on and say almost those exact same words, I was speechless, I have my dad as a witness! (that part was actually true, I did watch the enhanced CD and I did actually say the same as Brian, you can ask my dad, though I’m not actually telling him, the rest of this is fiction) It’s like……" "We’re made for each other" "Yeah, something like that" And with that, he kissed me, with real feeling, not just the passion from the hospital, although there was some of that too! "Ewwwh! Girl cooties!" said Aaron, creeping up behind the bench "Aaron, go bug Biscuit!" We said together. And he did (such a nice boy!) "See… made for each other" whispered B. "Well, I’m not going to stand in the way of nature, bring it on!" ~~~~~~~ back at McDonalds ~~~~~~~ "So Lauren… go on and tell us what was all that racket about earlier" "Why, it’s not any of our business anyway Nick" "I know, but Brian is my best friend, we know everything about each other" "Well, you can ask him when he and Rainey get back can’t you? Or you can just let him tell you in his own time, just as they will all of us, and I don’t know the whole story, only Rainey’s side of it, I’m sure Brian has a very good reason for what he did… oops…" "What did he do, he didn’t hurt Lorraine did he??" asked Kevin, he had a very surprised tone of voice (very protective isn’t he?! Mind you, it’s quite sweet). "No!!! I don’t know how you could think that! Well, he didn’t hurt her physically" "What do you mean, not physically?" "I’m not saying anything, it’s not my place, let them tell you, now, I’m in the mood for a walk, who’s with me?" "Yeah" was the unresponsive but willing answer Lauren got from everyone. They went for a walk in the same direction B and I had walked in, once again, undisturbed by fans (even though it was abut 3:30pm now, and a sunny day), but they were wearing their caps and glasses. "I hope I don’t sound whiny, but my feet hurt" said Shay, after about ½ an hour of walking. "Awwh, my girl tired?" said Kev, in a really baby voice, but he did mean it in a serious way. They saw that they were near a park (the one me and B were in), and decided to go in. They found a couple of benches next to each other and all sat down, and enjoyed the ‘entertainment’. "Brian and Lorraine have made up, I see" Nick saw us kissing, and once again got a grin on his face, is that all that boy thinks about?! "Awwh, I think it’s sweet, about time too" said Lauren "Yeah, are you gonna tell us what happened back in McDonald’s or what?" "AJ, let them tell you, here they come" B and I walked in their direction looking into each other’s eyes, and we walked right past them (well, B walked, I hobbled). "Hey!" shouted Nick. This snapped us out of our trance. "Huh?" we said together. Well, actually, b said "huh?" I said "What?" "You gonna walk right by us without so much as a hello?" Nick said again "well, we were thinking about it, but I guess we’re not now" B joked. All of a sudden, Brian’s mobile phone started ringing. "Hello?" Brian answered. ~~~~~~~ the conversation ~~~~~~~ "B-Rok?" "Yeah, Donna?" "Yeah, it’s me, listen, we’ve got the girls’ contract all ready for them to sign, do you think you can bring them over to……………?" (I couldn’t think of a place, so it’s just ……………) "Sure, I’ll bring them right over" "Okay, see you later" "Bye Donna" ~~~~~~~ off the phone ~~~~~~~ "What did Donna want?" Howie asked "She’s got the girls’ contract ready for them to sign, she wants us to go over to……………" "Okay, let’s roll!!" shouted AJ. We all started to walk (and hobble) towards the car - well - limo, that the guys had waiting. "Uh, guys……" I started "What is it Rain?" asked B "Well, I um…well let me put it this way…what I’m trying to say is…" "Yeah, what are you trying to say?" You know that had to be AJ! "Well, I don’t think I can just go and sign that contract" There, I said it. "What do you mean, you’ve wanted this for years!" Lauren was a bit shocked. "I know, and I still do, it’s just that…well, I’m only 16, I’m still in school, and I haven’t even mentioned this to my parents - you do the maths" "Yeah, I see where you’re coming from" Kev said trying to make me feel better, but somehow it didn’t work. "I’m sorry guys, but I’ll have to run it by my folks first, which, shouldn’t the rest of you do aswell?" "Yes, we should guys, they will get mad if we just kinda don’t come home for 3 months" Lauren said. B then called Donna to tell her, and Donna told him to come to ……………, and pick her up, then they would go round all the parents and ask permission (Shay had come with parents, as had Lauren and Holly, they were staying in different hotels, Brianna’s parents were still in America, so she would just have to call hers). So off we went to pick up Donna, and then we went round all the hotels to speak to all the parents, except Brianna’s. Donna spent a lot of time speaking to them all, but luckily, they all said yes, even Brianna’s parents who were a bit shocked to say the least when Brianna calls to say she’s not coming home for a while, she’s joined a band!! All that was left standing in our way was my parents, and school.