by Zoicite
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Lou didn't give them many options when Charlie left. "Well," he said, and then paused. Lou always spoke slowly with a lot of heavy breathing in between each word. "You can either find a fifth guy, or..." Kevin waited for the or. Lou breathed deeply and the air whistled a little in his throat. "Or," Lou said again, tapping his large fingers against his desk, "I can find you a fifth guy." Kevin glanced at the others. Nick was biting his bottom lip and wringing his hands in his lap. He looked on the verge of tears. Kevin hoped the meeting was almost over. Howie and AJ were frowning and watching the floor. Lou had found Kevin, and frankly Kevin thought that he'd been a pretty good choice. But then before him Lou had found Sam, and that hadn't worked out, and now Charlie was gone as well. Kevin wasn't sure that they should waste any more time with Lou's hit or misses. "We'll find someone," Kevin said, waving a hand toward the others. AJ looked up from the floor and stared at Kevin. Howie smiled and turned to Lou, nodding enthusiastically. Kevin stood and put a hand on Nick's shouler, rubbing a little. He heard Nick sniffle and he hoped it wasn't the beginning of a cold. Lou mumbled something, waved a large hand, and they were free to go. "Come on," Kevin said, scrubbing a hand through Nick's hair. "Howie told your Mom we were going for pizza."  "Why didn't you just let Lou find someone else?" AJ asked later when the four of them were stuffed into a small booth, a half eaten pizza getting cold in front of them. Kevin shrugged. "Wouldn't you rather choose? What if Lou picks another Charlie and we're in this same spot all over again in six months?" "Kev's right," Howie said. "It's better if it's someone we know." "And I do know someone," Kevin added. "You do?" Nick asked, looking up from the pizza he'd been quietly eating. "My cousin, Brian, has an amazing voice," Kevin started. "He's been singing since -" "He's in Kentucky though, right?" Howie interrupted. "Well, yeah, but I'm sure -" "I think I know someone right here in Orlando." Kevin wasn't too confident when Howie's friend showed up to audition. Chris was, well, funny looking, really. He was Kevin's age, or so he said, but he was only slightly taller than Howie. Chris targeted Nick as soon as he got there, and within a few minutes they were laughing and talking loudly with their hands flying. Chris had a harsh laugh that made Kevin flinch when he wasn't expecting it. Finally Lou arrived and Chris prepared to sing. He took the glass of water Howie handed him and gargled it loudly before spitting it back into the cup. Beside Kevin, Nick was nearly bent in half giggling, and Kevin made plans to call Brian as soon as he got back to his apartment. AJ was also smiling at Chris and Howie just watched, seemingly confident in the fiasco going on before him. Chris put his hand to his chest, announced that he needed to warm up, and sang "mi mi mi mi" in an operatic voice. AJ was laughing right along with Nick. Lou was not. "Let's go, Chris," Howie said. Chris composed himself remarkably swiftly, cleared his throat, and began to sing. Kevin wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't what he heard. Chris's voice was high, almost an alto, Kevin guessed, and so pure that it put Howie's falsetto to shame. Chris soared through the song, each note perfectly pitched and on the mark. His practiced piece was excellent and he was an adequate sight reader. Even his dancing was all right, though he could use a little work in that department. When the audition was over they looked at Lou expectantly, waiting for his decision. Lou sighed, breathed deeply, and lifted himself from his chair. "Well, he'll need braces," Lou said, and Kevin saw Nick's face light up. "I'll see the five of you first thing tomorrow morning then. We need to rehearse for Sea World" He set a hand on Chris' shoulder on his way out, squeezing. "You're in," Nick laughed, jumping around Chris, who frankly looked a bit surprised himself. Howie hugged him, and Kevin walked over and shook his hand. "Welcome to the Backstreet Boys," he said. Kevin regretted not calling his cousin within the first two weeks. |