Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 17:27:39 EDT
From: Kb79@aol.com
Subject: Life's Discoveries, chapter 2, Boybands

DISCLAIMER: This story is a work of fiction. The characters are real people
but are being written in fictional situations. This is not saying anything
about the sexual orientation of anyone mentioned.

WARNING: This story deals with homosexual themes. If this offends you,
don't read. If you are under 18 years of age, don't read. If reading this
story causes you to break any laws, don't read.

FEEDBACK: We want to know what you think of it so... send us an email! Kelly's
email is Kb79@aol.com. Fred's email is SaetanSaDiablo@aol.com. As most of you
know by now, we are both friendly people who love to chat, so free to contact
either of us at anytime.

Life's Discoveries
Chapter 2
By Kelly and Fred

Last time on Life's Discoveries....

"Brian? Brian man, let me in. We need to talk!" Kevin said through the
door.

"Maybe I don't want to talk to a dirty faggot." Brian's fierce voice said
through the door.

The lump in Kevin's throat got a good 8 times bigger with that comment. He
was about to turn away, when the door opened.

Brian's back was to him as Kevin walked in.

"So what do you want to say, queer?" Brian's voice was thick.

Kevin couldn't place it for a moment.

But when Brian turned around Kevin could see...

Chapter 2

Kevin could see the tears streaming down Brian's face. 'No wonder his voice
sounded so thick, he's bawling his eyes out.'

Kevin walked over to Brian and tried to give him a hug.

Brian pulled away from Kevin quickly. "Don't touch me! You freak, don't
touch me!!!" Brian screamed through his tears.

"Why are you doing this?" Kevin asked his cousin.

"WHY AM I DOING THIS?!?" Brian screeched. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!?"

"It's not like I chose this Brian. It wasn't my decision. I was born this
way. If it was up to me, I'd lead the rest of my life like I had planned,
happily." Kevin said softly. "Even with Kristin."

"Then do it! Marry her, make up with her, tell her you were wrong, and
stupid! Anything you have to do, just don't mess up the wedding! Please."
Brian begged.

Kevin couldn't look Brian in the eyes. He was unable to comprehend why
Brian was acting this way. "Brian... I can't...."

"Please Kevin, please?" Brian softly pleaded, he looked desperate.

"What is it Brian? Exactly why is it so important that we go through with
this double wedding? This way the entire focus is on you and Leighanne."
Kevin tried to reason.

"NO! We had a plan, a deal! You ruined it, you fucking asshole! I can't
believe you had to come flaming out of the closet now!! You are so
selfish!!" Brian tried to yell fiercely, but the tears were falling to hard
to be very successful.

Kevin couldn't take his cousin being so harsh with him, he sank to the
floor, and for what felt like the millionth time that day, broke into sobs.

"I can't believe you Brian, out of everyone, I expected you would accept me
for who I am." Kevin stated.

"ME? Excuse me, unlike you, I have morals and don't support fudge packing,
pillow biters!!!" Brian shouted back.

Kevin continued to cry. "What does me bring gay have to do with my morals?"

"Everything! Because being gay goes against everything that is right!"
Brian answered harshly.

"Why? What's so wrong? What will I do that you don't? Go out on dates?
Kiss? Have sex? Possibly fall in love? What's so different?" Kevin tried
hard to change Brian's mind.


"The difference is you - will - be - doing - it - with - another - man!!!"
Brian spelled out for Kevin, while taking a swipe at his tears.

Kevin gave up, he was crying to hard to even discuss this with Brian any
longer.

He stood up and went for the door. Right before he left, he turned to
Brian.

"I'm sorry I have hurt you so badly. I'm sorry the plans are ruined. I'm
sorry Kristin left me. And trust me, I'm sorry I'm gay." Kevin paused. "But
most of all, I'm sorry that my cousin, who is also one of my best friends,
can't accept me for who I am, and abandons me, in possibly the only time I
have ever needed him."

Kevin knew the words were fierce, but he meant them, and as horrible as it
was to say, he felt that Brian deserved it at the moment. Kevin left the
room and started down the hallway. He stopped at Nick's room and knocked.

"Who is it?" Nick's voice called out.

"It's Kevin." Kevin just barely squeaked.

"Hold on Kev." Nick answered as he got up and went to open the door.

When he opened the door he saw Kevin standing in front of him, looking more
defeated and pathetic than he had before.

"Kev?" Nick asked.

Kevin walked in a step and shut the door behind him.

"Do you remember what you promised you would do for me if I calmed down
enough to talk to the guys? Do you remember what you said?" Kevin's eyes
were pleading with Nick to remember, so he didn't have to disgrace himself
and ask, beg for it.

Nick threw his arm around Kevin's shoulder. "Yes, of course Kev, I
remember, come on in." Nick led Kevin into the room.

AJ was still sitting on the bed, he and Nick had still been discussing the
current situation. AJ took one look at Kevin, and how he was practically
leaning his whole weight on Nick, and knew he better leave or witness a
complete Kevin breakdown. And AJ didn't want to see that. That was a very
frightening idea.  AJ decided to let Nick handle it all. He got up and
headed toward them.

Kevin looked scared as AJ came near him, but all AJ did was grab Kevin's
shoulder softly, and give him a half smile. Then he punched Nick in the arm
and left.

"Kev? What happened? What is wrong?" Nick asked guiding Kevin to the bed so
he could sit down.

"Brian... Jerk..... so angry...." Kevin stuttered, alternating between
sniffles and hiccups.

"The two of you couldn't work it out?" Nick asked, curious about his best
friends behavior.

"No" Kevin was swiftly losing control. " Nothing I tried.. he completely
didn't care.... He has so much hate.... You shoulda heard the things he
called me."

"Kevin, he's your family, he does not hate you. He is just shocked and
confused at the moment. Give him some time, you know he isn't heartless."
Nick sat down next to Kevin and he began to rub his hand soothingly up and
down Kevin's lower thigh and knee.

Kevin looked down at Nick's hand. His mind went completely blank for a
moment at the touch.

"Kev? You alright? You aren't completely losing it are you?" Nick grabbed
Kevin's shoulders and shook him lightly for a second.

Kevin snapped out of his daze quickly.

"Sorry Nick, I don't know where my head is these days." Kevin said, looking
the blond, sadly in the eyes.

Nick's eyes visibly softened at the sorry sight in front of
him. "Aww... Kev..."

Just that small bit of sympathy from Nick was enough to set Kevin off
again. He began to shake as the tears once more fell steadily and swiftly.

"Come here." Nick instructed, as he held his arms out to the tall dark man
in front of him.

Kevin quickly complied, wanting so desperately to feel the warmth of Nick's
embrace wrapped around him.

"Thanks Nick." Kevin choked out.

"Shhh... Kevin, don't mention it. I just want you to feel better." Nick
said as he held onto Kevin tightly.

Kevin laid his head against Nick and just let it all out. He felt like such
a baby, but he didn't know what else to do.

"Kevin, I need to talk to you about something, is that okay?" Nick asked
carefully.

Kevin looked up at Nick, with his blood shot eyes making the green look
even more intense.

*In Howie's Room* -Ring, Ring-

"Hello?" A deep voice said.

"Lance, is that you? Finally, I've been trying forever. It's me, Howie."
Howie said, relieved, over the phone.

"Hi." Lance answered enthusiastically. "I know who it is, like I don't know
your voice by now."

"Who is that Lance?" Howie could hear in the background.

"Uhmm... It's my friends Mike." Lance answered back to whoever he was in
the room with.

"Mike? My name is Mike now?" Howie asked, slightly perturbed.

"Come on, you know how it is." Lance whispered.

"Sure..." Howie said sarcastically.

"Hey Mike, listen it's kinda noisy in here, let me call you back in the
other room, okay." Lance suggested quickly, not really asking.

"Yeah Lance, call me on my cell phone, I'll be here." Howie smiled at the
phone and hung up.

30 seconds later the phone in Howie's hand rang.

"Hi Lancey-Poo." Howie teased.

"Shut up you jerk!" Lance laughed. "Sorry about that, but you know how it
is."

"No, I don't, I let my friends know I talk to you." Howie said.

"No you don't!" Lance answered back.

"Yeah, I'm not afraid what they think, even if I am friends with a guy from
*NSuck." Howie boasted.

"Bullshit, asshole, you get just as much shit from those guys as I get from
my guys when we talk or hang out." Lance shot back.

"True, but I did tell them this time." Howie admitted.

"Ya did? Why? Actually, why did ya call? Ya haven't mentioned yet." Lance
questioned.

"Are you ready for this? We need your help." Howie said.

"We? Who's we?" Lance asked.

"The guys and I." Howie sighed.

"What the Backstreet Boys need my help? Little ole me? What is it? Need
dance steps? Or possibly someone who's voice is lower than an Alto 1?"
Lance was cracking up.

"No Lance, seriously, we really need your help." Howie said in a flat, dead
tone. "Kevin just admitted to us that he's gay."

Lance dropped the phone. 'Kevin? Kevin Richardson is gay? No fucking way!'
Lance thought to himself. Then Lance realized he had dropped the phone and
he quickly picked it back up.

"Howie? Howie? You still there?" Lance panicked.

"Yeah man, I'm here, let me guess, you had the same reaction we all
did. Jaw dropped, head swam?" Howie asked.

"Yeah, never would have guessed, quite a shock. How did this all come
about?" Lance asked.

Howie proceeded to tall him about what had happened.

"Holy Shit, that sucks. Poor Kevin, he must be in turmoil. What do you need
from me? I mean, how can I help?" Lance questioned.

"We want someone to talk to him, he just came to terms with being gay, we
can be there for him all we want, but what he really needs is someone who
understands what he is going through." Howie explained.

"Ohh..." Lance seemed to understand.

"Can you help us? Help him?" Howie asked, almost pleading.

"Sure Howie, of course I will. Let me just talk to the guys about getting a
few days off." Lance assured.

"Thank you so much Lance." Howie breathed out in relief.

"Of course Howie, were buds. You've always been there for me, even when the
other guys weren't. I owe you." Lance said, knowing he would do anything
Howie would ask of him.

"You're the best, when can we expect you?" Howie asked.

"Well, I'm looking at our schedule right now, and I think I can be over
tomorrow, the guys are gonna give me a hard time, but I will be able to
work this all out." Lance told him.

"Thanks again, you are so awesome. I'll see you tomorrow." Howie said.

"I'll be there around 11:00, bye Howie." Lance informed.

"Bye Lance, thanks again." Howie said as he hung up the phone.

"I better got tell Kev and the guys." Howie said out loud to himself.

*Back in Nick's Room*

"What is it Nick?" Kevin said looking as Nick as if whatever he would say
would mean the world to him. "What do you need to talk to me about?"

Nick took a deep breath. "This is not easy to say, but I need to tell you
anyway."

"Okay." Kevin continued to look at Nick with a mixture of confusion and
interest.

"Ok, well, hmm, yeah," Nick stuttered. "I'm..."


*Ok, so we never finish a thought at the end of a chapter, we're just
trying to get you to come back for more. Stay tuned for the next chapter,
it's already written, just needs to be typed. See ya all soon!*