Bri walked out of the Sports Authority store in the mall in Nashville, Tennessee. She was walking and reading her schedule when she bumped into someone and she looked up and saw a pair of blue eyes looking at her.

        “I’m so sorry, I was reading this and wasn’t watching where I was going, I’m so sorry,” Bri said. The guy smiled.

        “It’s okay, I wasn’t watching where I was going either, I was looking at this game I got,” he said.

        “What game is it?” Bri asked.

        “Mortal Kombat Deception,” he said.

        “I got Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks,” Bri said.

        “You play video games?” he asked.

        “Yeah, I have a PS2,” Bri said.

        “I’m Nick,” he said holding out his hand.

        “I’m Bri, nice to meet you,” Bri said.

        “You work here in the mall,” Nick said.

        “Yes, at the Sports Authority,” Bri said.

        “Cool, are you working now?” Nick asked.

        “I’m off today, just came to get my schedule,” Bri said. Nick smiled.

        “I was wondering if you would like to come hang out, play some video games, I want to check out your Mortal Kombat game, I heard it was good,” Nick said.

        “Yeah, that would be good, I really wanted to see what the two player mode was like,” Bri said. They went to her place and Bri got everything ready and they sat down and played the game. They took a break and she got them drinks. Nick sat there.

        “So do you live here alone?” Nick asked.

        “Yup, I used to have a roommate, her name was Amy, she got married a year ago,” Bri said.

        “Oh, I live alone, too, I’m used to it,” Nick said.

        “What do you do for a living?” Bri asked.

        “I’m in the music business,” Nick said.

        “Really,” Bri said.

        “Yup,” Nick said.

        “Cool,” Bri said.

        “What kind of music do you listen to?” Nick asked.

        “Country music,” Bri said.

        “Cool,” Nick said. They went back to playing the game.

Chapter 2

A few weeks later, Nick and Bri hung out and became great friends. She met his other friends, AJ, Howie, and Brian. She also met Howie’s wife, Leigh, and their baby and she met Brian’s wife, Leighanne and their son, Baylee.  Bri, Leighanne, and Leigh became best friends and went on shopping trips and hung out while the guys hung out. Bri was at her apartment getting ready for work when someone knocked at the door. She opened it and saw Nick.

        “Hey, Nick, what’s up,” Bri said.

        “I came to see if you wanted to hang out,” Nick said.

        “Sorry, I am getting ready to go to work,” Bri said.

        “Oh, need a ride?” Nick asked.

        “Sure,” Bri said. He smiled and they went to the mall. He parked and got out and she got out and they walked into the mall and they walked into Sports Authority.

        “What time?” Nick asked.

        “Ten,” Bri said.

        “See you then,” Nick said. He left. Bri clocked in and sat down and smiled. Matt came in.

        “Hi Bri,” Matt said.

        “Hey Matt,” Bri said.

        “You okay?” Matt said.

        “Yeah, I’m great,” Bri said.

        “You are in love, aren’t you,” Matt said.

        “Well, I do sort of have a crush on someone, my friend, Nick,” Bri said.

        “Well, you should tell him that you like him,” Matt said. Bri looked at him.

        “But what if he doesn’t feel the same way, what if he only thinks of me as a friend,” Bri said.

        “You won’t know until you talk to him,” Matt said.

        “I know, it’s just that I’m scared that I will scare him off and lose him as a friend,” Bri said. They heard commotion outside the store. Matt looked and saw two guys running through the mall with guns. Matt locked down the store and Bri ducked behind the counter. Matt grabbed the club and sat with her.

Nick was at home watching TV when the news came on.

        “Breaking news, hostage situation at the Nashville Mall, two guys with guns have taken the entire mall hostage, no word on how many were in the mall at the time, the mall is in complete lockdown and the police have the mall surrounded, no word on if anyone has been hurt, we will keep you informed and we have a news crew on the way to bring us updates on the situation,” the news anchor said. Nick grabbed his phone.

        “Brian, it’s me, did you see the news, Bri’s in there, she was working til ten and I was going to pick her up, yeah, I’m on my way,” Nick said. He grabbed his keys and wallet and ran out the door. He drove to the mall and pulled in and got up. A cop came up to him.

        “Sir,” the cop said.

        “What is going on in there,” Nick said.

        “We have contacted the suspects, do you have family in there?” the cop asked.

        “The woman I love is in there, her name is Bri, she works at the Sports Authority store,” Nick said.

        “We are working on getting everything under control,” the cop said.

        “Why are they doing this,” Nick said.

        “They said they used to work here and got fired for showing up late,” the cop said.

        “So they decided to hold the entire mall hostage because they got fired,” Nick said.

        “Afraid so,” the cop said. He went on. Nick stood there. Brian came up to him. Nick told him what the cop said.  Nick stood there.

Chapter 3

Brian and Nick waited for word on the situation at the mall. Brian looked at Nick.

        “You like her, don’t you, like more than a friend,” Brian said.

        “I’m in love with her, I’m just scared to tell her,” Nick said. Brian smiled.

        “Tell her, Frack, be honest with her,” Brian said.

        “I just want her to be okay,” Nick said. They heard gunshots and screaming. The police and swat team moved into the mall. Brian and Nick stood there and waited. The police brought out two guys in handcuffs as the people in the mall started coming out. Nick saw Bri come out with a guy. He was hugging her close.

        “That’s Matt, her co-worker and a friend of AJ’s,” Brian said. Nick walked over to them.

        “Bri,” Nick said. Bri saw him and ran to him and hugged him. He held her close.

        “I was so scared, Nick,” Bri said. Nick held her close to him and she rested her head on his chest and held onto him.

        “I was, too, I thought I was going to lose you in there, who knows what they would have done to everyone in there,” Nick said.

        “Nick, I have to tell you something,” Bri said.

        “So do I,” Nick said. Bri looked up at him and she kissed him softly. He deepened the kiss and held her close as they kissed deeply. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.

        “I’m in love with you, Bri,” Nick said.

        “I feel the same way, I’m in love with you, too, I was scared to say anything because I was afraid you didn’t feel the same way,” Bri said.

        “I do, Bri, I do,” Nick said. They got into his car and went back to her apartment. They sat on the couch and started kissing. Nick pulled back and looked at her and smiled.

        “Be my girl?” Nick asked.

        “Yes,” Bri said. He kissed her deeply as he held her close. His cell phone rang. He groaned.

        “Yeah, hey man, what, I’ll be there, bye,” Nick said.

        “What is it,” Bri said.

        “A meeting, I’ll call ya later,” Nick said. He kissed her and got up and left.

Chapter 4

Four hours later, Bri was watching TV when there was a knock at the door.  She opened it and saw Nick.

        “Hey, how was the meeting?” Bri asked as he came in. He took her hand and sat down.

        “It was okay, I have to go out of town on business, I’m going on the road with a music group, I will be gone for four months,” Nick said. Bri looked at him and nodded.

        “Call every day and night?” Bri asked.

        “I will call every hour if I’m able,” Nick said. Bri smiled and kissed him. The kiss deepened and they laid on the couch.

Two days later, Nick left. Bri laid on the couch. Her cell phone rang.

        “Yeah,” Bri said.

        “Hey girl, good news, you are going to be performing at Disney World,” Heather said. What no one knew was that Bri was a famous pop singer. She went by the name Hayley and wears a brown wig to hide her identity.

        “That’s awesome, when?” Bri said.

        “Tomorrow night, can you be ready,” Heather said.

        “When do we leave?” Bri asked.

        “Tonight,” Heather said.

        “I’ll be ready,” Bri said. She hung up and went to pack and Heather came by and got her and they went to the airport and got on the first flight to Orlando.

Meanwhile…

Nick sat there on the bus playing video games. Brian, Howie, and AJ came in.

        “Beyonce can’t perform tomorrow night at Disney World, Hayley is performing in her place,” Brian said.

        “Who is Hayley?” Nick asked.

        “She’s a singer, she’s as popular as Beyonce is, they said if they don’t want to see Hayley, they can have their tickets refunded but so far no one has so they want to see her as well,” Brian said.

        “She sings that one song, Both Worlds, it’s awesome,” Howie said.

        “Oh yeah, that’s a good song,” Nick said.

        “It’s on tomorrow night and we don’t have a show so how about we watch it,” AJ said.

        “I’m all for it,” Brian said.

        “Me, too,” Howie said.

        “I’m in,” Nick said. He called Bri.

        “Hey,” Bri said.

        “Hey, um, what are you doing tomorrow night?” Nick asked. Bri looked at Heather.

        “I have plans with a couple of friends from work, why,” Bri said.

        “Well, I was going to see if you would be watching TV tomorrow night, there’s a concert at Disney World and it will be on TV,” Nick said.

        “Who is going to be there?” Bri asked.

        “A singer named Hayley,” Nick said. Bri’s eyes widened.

        “You are going to watch that?” Bri asked.

        “Yeah, I heard her song, Both Worlds, it’s awesome,” Nick said.

        “Yeah, I heard it, too,” Bri said.

        “So are you going to watch it?” Nick asked.

        “Actually that’s where I’m going, I’m on a plane to Orlando, we are going to see it in person,” Bri said.

        “Really, cool, can you call me when you are there so I can hear it over the phone,” Nick said.

        “Won’t you be watching it,” Bri said.

        “Yeah, but I want to hear it live,” Nick said.

        “Well, it will be live on TV, I will see what I can do, though,” Bri said.

        “Okay, I gotta go, talk to ya later,” Nick said.

        “Bye,” Bri said. Nick hung up. Brian came in looking at a picture.

        “Nick, look at this,” Brian said. Nick looked at the picture.

        “Hayley?” Nick asked.

        “Yeah, doesn’t she look familiar,” Brian said. Nick looked at it.

        “It looks like Bri with a blonde hair and makeup,” Nick said.

        “I think it is,” Brian said.

        “No way, must be someone who has the same features,” Nick said.

        “I have an idea, let’s invite her to come open for us on the tour,” Brian said.

        “We have two opening acts, we can’t make them leave to make room for Hayley so you can find out,” Nick said.

        “We are going to the concert, then,” Brian said.

        “Brian, we are on tour,” Nick said.

        “We are going to be in Orlando, remember,” Brian said. Nick sighed.

        “Fine,” Nick said.

Chapter 5

That next night, Brian, Howie, AJ, and Nick went to the concert in disguises. They watched the show and afterwards, they showed their backstage passes. They went backstage and walked down the hallway and found Hayley’s dressing room. They knocked on the door. It opened and Hayley stood there.

        “Hi there, fellas, can I help ya?” Hayley said.

        “We have backstage passes and wanted to meet you,” Brian said.

        “Well come on in,” Hayley said. They went in and looked around.

        “Okay, we know who you are,” Brian said. Hayley closed the door and looked at him.

        “Excuse me?” Hayley said.

        “He thinks you are my girlfriend, Bri, in disguise,” Nick said.

        “I’m sorry, but I’m not,” Hayley said.

        “You two look alike, only difference is you wear makeup and have blonde hair, which could be a wig,” Brian said. Hayley pulled her hair.

        “Sorry, it’s my real hair and I don’t know who this Bri is,” Hayley said. Brian rolled his eyes.

        “We are sorry about this,” Howie said looking at Brian.

        “It’s okay,” Hayley said.

        “Come on, I know it’s you, Bri,” Brian said.

        “Why do you think I’m Bri, huh, what do you want exactly from me,” Hayley said.

        “Stop lying to us!” Brian said.

        “Get out of my dressing room, I will not stand for this, you accusing me of being someone I’m not, get out of here before I call security,” Hayley said.

        “Brian, go,” Howie said as he and AJ pulled him out the door. Hayley shook her head.

        “I’m sorry for Brian,” Nick said.

        “Don’t apologize for him, he is the one who should say he is sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Hayley said.

        “I’m Nick,” Nick said.

        “Nice to meet you,” Hayley said. They shook hands. Nick left. Hayley closed the door and let out a sigh of relief. She called Heather.

        “Yeah, Nick was just here with his friends, his friend Brian was trying to find out the truth, he didn’t get the truth and he never will, yeah, I know, talk to ya later,” Hayley said. She hung up and went to change and she put on her hat and glasses and grabbed her bags and opened the door and saw Brian standing there.

        “What do you want now,” Hayley said.

        “The truth,” Brian said.

        “There is no truth, okay, I’m not this Bri girl, okay, I don’t know who she is, I never met her, but I’m sure she wouldn’t like you accusing me of being her when I’m not,” Hayley said. She hit him with her bags and went out the door and down the hallway. She went to the limo waiting for her and got in and went to the hotel. She got out and walked in and saw Howie, AJ, and Nick in the lobby. She went over to them.

        “I suppose your friend knew I was standing here and thought it would be a good idea to stay here too so he can keep an eye on me, tell him to get lost, he tried to corner me at the arena again,” Hayley said.

        “Brian has totally lost it,” Howie said.

        “I’m tired of him accusing me of being someone I’m not, tell him to get lost, or I will have to file a lawsuit for harassment,” Hayley said. She went to the elevator.

Nick stood there looking at Howie and AJ. They were talking when Brian came running in. They grabbed him and went to Nick’s room and closed the door and locked it. They tied him to the chair.

        “Brian, you have lost your mind, you knew Hayley was staying at this hotel, you purposely picked it,” AJ said.

        “She is Bri, I know she is,” Brian said.

        “Brian, it is impossible, Hayley has blonde hair, Bri has brown hair, Hayley proved her hair was real and not a wig, Hayley is not Bri, get it in your head, we should call Leighanne,” Nick said. Nick’s phone rang.

        “Hello,” Nick said.

        “Hey Nick, I’m on a plane back to Tennessee, how was the concert, I didn’t see you there,” Bri said.

        “It was great, just Brian is being an idiot,” Nick said.

        “What did Brian do,” Bri said.

        “He thinks that Hayley is you in disguise, he keeps bothering her, trying to get her to admit it but she isn’t because I know it’s not true,” Nick said.

        “Tell him he is wrong, I’m on a plane back to Tennessee, got on a flight out right after the concert,” Bri said. Nick smiled. He looked at Brian.

        “It’s Bri, she’s on a plane to Tennessee right now, she left right after the concert,” Nick said.

        “Yeah right,” Brian said.

        “Why does Brian think that I’m Hayley,” Bri said.

        “Because you two have the same features and the hair color is different, he thinks you wear a wig to cover the blonde hair and hide your identity, I don’t know,” Nick said looking at Brian.

        “Impossible, my brown hair is real,” Bri said.

        “Howie, AJ, and I know you aren’t Hayley, Brian can’t get it in his head,” Nick said.

        “I got to go, I’ll call you later, okay,” Bri said.

        “Okay, bye,” Nick said. He hung up and looked at Brian, Howie, and AJ.

        “Bri is on her way back home right now, she’s on a plane,” Nick said.

        “Call the airlines,” Brian said.

        “Stop it, Brian, okay, just stop it, they are not the same person, Bri is Bri, Hayley is Hayley, okay, people have lookalikes out there,” Nick said.

        “Nick, you are blind,” Brian said.

        “No, Brian, you are, they are two different girls, okay, get over it!” Nick said.

Chapter 6

Three days later, Bri was lying on her couch when Brian, Howie, AJ, and Nick came in.

        “Brian, stop this!” Nick said.

        “Tell me the truth, Bri!” Brian said.  Bri got up and walked over to Brian and slapped him across the face.

        “What truth, Brian, I’m not Hayley, okay, get that in your head!” Bri said.

        “I called Heather, Hayley’s manager, asked her to have Hayley come over here,” Brian said.

        “I don’t want Hayley here, Brian!” Bri said.

        “Why, because she isn’t real, because she’s you!” Brian said.

        “Why do you think I’m Hayley, huh, why are you so intent of thinking that I’m Hayley, why do you hate me!” Bri said.

        “I don’t hate you, Bri, but you need to tell us the truth,” Brian said.

        “I have been telling you the fucking truth, Brian, okay, you just don’t want to hear it!” Bri yelled.

        “Brian, please, stop this, okay, you are pissing my girlfriend off, okay,” Nick said. Bri glared at Brian and faced away from him.

        “Brian, if you can’t accept the truth, get out and never come back,” Bri said. Brian looked at Nick, Howie, and AJ. 

        “Bri, I’m sorry, I just wanted to know the truth,” Brian said. Bri closed her eyes.

        “It is time you all knew the truth,” Bri said softly.

        “What,” Nick said. She reached up and pulled off her brown wig to reveal the blonde hair. They gasped.

        “I was right, guys,” Brian said.

        “Brian, shut up,” AJ said. Nick went to Bri’s side. She sank down to the floor.

        “Bri,” Nick said.

        “No, I’m Hayley, Bri’s dead,” Bri said.

        “What,” Nick said.

        “My real name is Hayley, Bri was my twin sister, when we were ten years old, there was an accident, I found my father’s gun and was messing around with it and I thought I pushed the safety button and the gun went off and Bri was standing right there, there was so much blood, I threw the gun into the pond behind the house and told my parents that there was a strange man on the property who was trying to kidnap me and I told them that Bri was trying to save me and the guy killed her, I told them that I fought off the man and he ran off, no one knew what happened, I have been living with the guilt ever since, when I got into the music business, to keep safe from fans, I would go onstage as Hayley, but backstage, I would be Bri and have a brown wig to hide my identity,” Hayley said.  Nick looked at Brian, Howie, and AJ.

        “It was an accident,” Nick said.

        “It was my fault, I shouldn’t have been anywhere near that gun!” Hayley cried. She ran out the door and went to the police station. She told the officer everything and they placed her under arrest and took her to a jail cell. She sat on the bed and hugged her legs.

Nick, Brian, Howie, and AJ arrived at the police station.

        “The Backstreet Boys, how can I help ya?” one officer said.

        “We are here for Hayley Andrews,” Nick said.

        “She’s under arrest for the murder of her sister,” the officer said.

        “Officer, it was an accident,” Nick said.

        “That is for the court to decide,” the officer said.

        “Can you keep it under wraps, she’s a famous singer and don’t want her fans to hate her for something that happened nineteen years ago,” Brian said.

        “We will protect her identity, my daughter is a big fan of hers and I don’t want my daughter’s heart to be broken,” the officer said.

        “Can I see her, please,” Nick said. The officer nodded and led him down to the jail cell. Hayley saw him and got up and stood there.

        “Nick,” Hayley said.

        “We are going to get you out of this, okay,” Nick said.

        “Nick, it’s too late, I confessed,” Hayley said.

        “Without an attorney,” Nick said.

        “Oh right, but Nick, I did it,” Hayley said.

        “It was an accident, okay,” Nick said. An officer came down and unlocked the jail cell.

        “You are free to go,” the officer said. Hayley and Nick went up and saw Brian, Howie, and AJ talking to her mother.

        “Mom,” Hayley said. She saw her father sitting with his lawyer.

        “Your father confessed, honey, he shot Bri,” her mother said.

        “What,” Hayley said.

        “He saw you with the gun and he knew the gun had blanks in it, he killed Bri because he molested her,” her mother said.

        “He what, he killed her because he raped her,” Hayley said. She looked at her father.

        “She was going to tell the police, that’s where she was going when she was shot,” her mother said.

        “And you knew what he was doing to her,” Hayley said. Her mother shook her head.

        “No, I didn’t, he told me this morning, he couldn’t live with it anymore,” her mother said.

        “But he never touched me, why her!” Hayley said.

        “She was his favorite, his girl, you didn’t want to be with him, you would be with me,” her mother said.

        “So I was blaming myself for nothing,” Hayley said.

        “Honey, you didn’t know the truth, now we both know the truth, your father is going to pay for what he did,” her mother said. Hayley hugged her mother.

        “Mom, this is Nick,” Hayley said.

        “Hi Mrs. Andrews,” Nick said.

        “You take good care of my girl, okay,” her mother said. Nick nodded.

        “I will,” Nick said. Nick took Hayley home. They walked in and Nick hugged Hayley.

        “I’m here for you,” Nick said. Hayley turned and hugged him and cried. Nick held her close.

        “Nick, can you stay here tonight, I need you to hold me,” Hayley said.

        “I will stay as long as you need me to,” Nick said. They went to her room and got ready for bed. Nick laid down and Hayley laid down and he held her close.

        “Thank you for being there for me,” Hayley said.

        “I will always be there for you,” Nick said.

        “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth, about me being Hayley,” Hayley said.

        “I understand why now, you wanted to keep your identity a secret to have some kind of normal life,” Nick said. Hayley looked up at him. He kissed her softly. The kiss deepened. Their clothes went flying off and they were making love. Afterwards, they laid there holding each other. Hayley rested her head on Nick’s chest.

Chapter 7

Three weeks later, the guys noticed a change in Hayley. There were times where she would refuse to answer to the name Hayley and insist her name was Bri. Nick called her mother. They all got together and talked. Hayley came downstairs.

        “Hi Mom!” Hayley said hugging her.

        “Hi Hayley,” her mother said.

        “Mom, it’s me, Bri,” Hayley said.

        “Honey,” her mother said.

        “Hayley,” Nick said.

        “Nick, my name is Bri,” Hayley said.

        “Honey, you are Hayley, Bri died, remember,” her mother said.

        “No, Bri is me, I’m Bri,” Hayley said.

        “Bri,” Nick said.

        “My name is Hayley, Nick,” Hayley said.

        “You said your name was Bri,” Nick said.

        “You heard wrong, silly,” Hayley said.

        “Hayley,” her mother said.

        “My name is Bri, Mom,” Hayley said.

        “You are confusing us,” Brian said.

        “What,” Hayley said.

        “You told your mother that your name was Bri, then Nick said Bri and you told him your name was Hayley, what is your name, really,” Brian said.

        “My name is Bri,” Hayley said. Her mother came over to her.

        “Honey, your name is Hayley, your sister’s name was Bri, she died nineteen years ago,” her mother said.

        “What!” Hayley said. She sank to the floor. Nick knelt down in front of her.

        “She can’t be dead!” Hayley cried. Nick held her. Hayley cried on his shoulder.

        “I’m sorry, baby,” Nick said softly.  Hayley cried.

Epilogue

Nick stood there with Hayley’s mother as they looked through the small window of the room where Hayley was. She had gotten worse as the days went on that she required professional help so they checked her into a psychiatric hospital.

        “I can’t believe it came to this,” Nick said.

        “Me either,” Mrs. Andrews said.

        “Will she be okay,” Nick said.

        “They will take good care of her, you can visit her whenever you want to,” Mrs. Andrews said.

        “I love her, Mrs. Andrews, I love her a lot,” Nick said.

        “I know you do,” Mrs. Andrews said. Nick looked at Hayley. He slowly walked out of the hospital and went home. Brian, Howie, and AJ were there and they told him they would be there for him. That night, Nick stood on his back porch and looked up at the sky and thought about everything. He knew he had to stay strong and support Hayley through everything she was going through and vowed never to give up on her. The phone rang. He went to answer it. It was Hayley’s mother telling him that she was called to the hospital and they told her that Hayley had hung herself in her room an hour ago. Nick hung up and called the guys. He laid on the couch. He knew nothing would be the same ever again. The next few days were very emotional for Nick as he attended Hayley’s funeral. He hugged her mother and they said goodbye to Hayley as she was buried next to her twin sister, Bri. After the funeral was over, Nick went home and listened to Hayley’s album and closed his eyes and he knew she was at peace.

The End.