[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
“I am really not looking forward to this.” Jason mumbled as the SUV drove slowly past the Air Canada Centre. He actually looked nervous as he stared out of the tinted windows at the throng of fans who had already gathered.

Looking at Jason immediately made me feel even more anxious. I had never seen him be anything other than calm, cool, and collected. The fact that he was nervous only helped to solidify the notion that we were about to walk into a disaster zone.

“You’re not looking forward to it?” Q shot back. “You’re not the one who has to keep all of those women in check. Try not to let any of them lunge at you.” He added, narrowing his eyes at Nick and AJ.

“Really, Q? You make it sound as if it’s our goal to make them jump on us.” AJ sighed, following Jason’s gaze.

The SUV slowed to a stop and four members of the venue’s security team immediately surrounded it. One of them pulled open the backdoor and gave us a weary smile.

“Okay. The plan is for us to come up behind the tent. We’ve got other guys stationed around the crowd, but we didn’t have time to get a barricade set up. We were told that you would be meeting with fans inside, not outside...” He trailed off and glanced at Q for support.

“John and I will watch these two.” Q gestured at AJ and Nick as he spoke for himself and the other member of the boys’ personal security team; a tree trunk of a man who was squished into the seat rather awkwardly beside him. “Make sure that your guys control the crowd and keep these two outta the way.” He instructed, nodding at me and Jason.

The man signalled his understanding and gestured for Jason to follow him. I could hear Jason take a deep breath as he stepped cautiously out of the SUV. I followed his lead and scrambled out onto the pavement.

Q and John began muttering instructions to Nick and AJ as we started walking towards the familiar, black VIP tent. I kept my eyes glued to the ground until the excited murmur of the crowd began to grow louder. By the time I looked up, the chatter had been replaced by shrieks. I dared a quick glance back at Nick and AJ. They were both walking determinedly towards the crowd with smiles stretched on their faces.

It didn’t take long for the fans to realize that there was nothing in-between them and the guys. The crowd began to surge forward and, within seconds, the venue’s security team was in place to provide a human barricade between the boys and their fans. At Q’s insistence we stopped; leaving a few feet of space between us and the swelling crowd.

“Why are there so many people?” I hissed in Jason’s ear. I was used to seeing maybe four hundred fans in line for VIP, but this group appeared to be almost double the size.

“We oversold the VIP.” Jason replied. “Something went wrong with the server and more tickets were released last night.”

“This just keeps getting better ...” I grumbled, taking the printed copy of the VIP guest list from his hands. “You make the announcement and then we’ll split it up as planned.”

“People! Jason shouted, trying to make himself heard above the excitement of the crowd. “Hello?!” He tried again and sent me a slightly desperate look when hardly anyone paid him any notice.

I shrugged and began subtly trying to catch Nick’s attention. I hadn’t realized it, but security had slowly manoeuvred us so that the wall of the venue was now behind us. The crowd was still in front of us, behind the human fence of yellow security shirts. Nick caught my look and elbowed AJ gently in the ribs.

“Ladies!” AJ shouted. He cupped his hands around his mouth so that his voice boomed over the crowd. “Nick and I, and the fellas from Ground(ctrl), have a little announcement that we need to make.”

The shuffling crowd immediately quieted at the sound of AJ’s voice. All eyes were on him as he motioned for Jason to take over.

“I hate to have to tell everyone this, especially on the day of the show.” Jason began. His voice was not nearly as confident as AJ’s had been. “Due to some unforeseen circumstances, there will be no performance tonight.”

Jason’s announcement was greeted with shocked silence, so he ploughed on while he was still sure that he was being heard. “The show will be rescheduled at a later date and all of your tickets will be honoured. VIP passes will also be honoured at the re-scheduled show. If you would like a refund, instead, you will have to speak to either Amy or myself before you leave today.” Jason glanced quickly in my direction and I motioned for him to keep going. “Since Nick and AJ are here, we’re going to ask that you all form a line for a quick photo-op. Everyone will get a group picture, regardless of your VIP package, so we’ll be taking you five at a time. Like I said, for those of you would like a refund, you will need to speak to Amy or me after your picture has been taken.”

Once Jason was done speaking, the crowd began to rumble with displeasure. I could hear random bits of profanity and speculation flying about as security hurriedly ushered the mob into a line. I quickly scrambled into position next to Nick, while Jason took up a spot next to AJ. Q and John flanked the four of us as the photographer got himself situated.

By the time the security team had positioned the first group of five fans next to Nick and AJ, the crowed had reached a fever pitch: “This is bullshit!” “What the fuck is going on?” “Is this all because Brian can’t keep it in his pants?” “Where is Brian anyway? Is he too afraid to face us?” “I can’t believe this!” “Looks like the Backstreet Boys have let us down again.” “I’m going to make sure that everyone knows just how shitty BSB fans are treated!” “I don’t blame Brian for cancelling the show. Can you imagine getting on stage and looking at a room full of people who have all seen your dick?”

I cringed inwardly as I listened to the girls natter on about Brian’s infidelity and continue to blast the guys for cancelling the show. I had to hand it to AJ and Nick though. They greeted every fan with a genuine smile, and I could hear them both apologizing over and over again for the cancellation. In fact, the first two hundred or so fans appeared to take things in stride. They gushed over Nick and AJ, posed for their pictures, and politely allowed themselves to be guided off of the property when their turn was over.

I absently flipped through the sheets of paper in my hand as the next group of girls got into position for their picture. So far, only six people had stopped to ask for a refund. I looked over at Jason and saw that he was busy dealing with two thirty-something fans. He was frantically scrolling through the VIP list on his phone while a blonde woman was waving her hands in his face in frustration.

“Oh my God! I love you!”

I hastily turned my attention away from Jason at the frantic tone in the young woman’s voice. One of the girls from the most recent group still had her arms locked around Nick’s waist. She was staring up at him intently and practically drooling on his shirt.

“Uhhh thanks.” Nick stuttered, sending a not-so-subtle ‘help me’ look in Q’s direction.

“What the fuck!? She’s got my phone!”

I ripped my eyes away from Nick and saw Jason gesturing frantically at the girl who had just been waving her hands in his face. She was now booting it away from the crowd at top speed; her long, blonde ponytail swinging behind her. Another girl, who I assumed to be her friend, was hot on her heels. Before anyone even had time to utter a response, Jason took off. He blasted through the crowd of fans and security guards without so much as a second thought, spewing obscenities as he sprinted after the two women.

“Hold up!” John bellowed, abandoning AJ’s side and following Jason through the crowd. “It’s just a phone, man!” His voice ricocheted off the pavement as he frantically tried to catch up.

“Awwww shit ...” Q whistled, his eyes trailing after Jason and John. “We gotta pack this in, boys.”

“We might be losing control of the situation.” One of the security guards who had met us at the SUV cautioned as he looked hurriedly over his shoulder.

The crowd had used the disruption to their advantage. The once somewhat orderly line had disintegrated and people were beginning to try and elbow their way to the front. I swivelled to see that Nick was still trying to disentangle himself from the overzealous fan and that AJ was quickly becoming overwhelmed by another group of women who were fighting to get closer to him.

“Car ... now!” Q yelled. He grabbed my arm with his left hand and used his right hand to pry the girl’s arms from around Nick’s waist. He then turned his attention to AJ.

“Keep an eye on her.” Q instructed. He let go of my arm and shoved me towards Nick.

I bounced roughly against Nick’s chest as he firmly grasped my hand and began pulling me in the direction of the SUV. Q, meanwhile, fought his way through the group of women surrounding AJ. When he finally reached him, he planted his meaty palm forcefully around AJ’s lower arm and pulled him violently away from the crowd.

“Move!” Q commanded. He and AJ caught up to us and he immediately seized Nick’s arm in his other hand.

The four of us hustled towards the waiting SUV, but our progress was slowed by the jostling of the crowd. The fans were cursing in frustration over the fact that the guys were leaving without fulfilling their promise of a picture, and I kept my eyes firmly locked on the parking lot as hands and cameras inadvertently pelted me from all directions. I tightened my grip on Nick’s hand and used my other arm to protect my face as girls scrambled to get a picture of the guys. Thankfully, the venue’s security team managed to coral the mob at the entrance to the parking lot and the four of us were able to sprint down the stairs and into the waiting SUV without further incident.

“Dammit, John!” Q grumbled, once the driver had safely pulled out into traffic. Wrenching his phone out of his back pocket, he angrily began jabbing at the entries in his contact list.

“I think one of those chicks ripped my shirt.” AJ mumbled incredulously. He pulled his t-shirt away from his chest and stuck his pointer finger through a clearly defined hole to prove his point.

Nick snorted in response and his whole body began to convulse with laughter. “I’m sorry.” He stuttered. “That whole situation was just so ridiculous!”

“Rochelle bought me this shirt.” AJ frowned, but I could see that he was trying to suppress a smile. “We all look a bit rough.”

I glanced at my arms and saw that they were littered with pale, red marks. I knew just by the look of them that they were going to be covered with bruises by tomorrow. I ran a hand through my hair and attempted to shake out the knots.

“John?” Q’s deep voice reverberated through the car and snapped us all back to reality. “Where the hell are you?”

After a short pause, John’s voice blasted through the speaker phone. “Front and University. I’ve got Jason. No sign of the girls or his phone.”

“That’s fucking wonderful.” Q seethed. “Don’t move. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

True to Q’s word, we pulled up at the busy corner of Front and University a few minutes later. John and Jason hustled inside and the driver pulled away from the curb before they had even finished closing the door behind them. Both of them looked winded, but Jason was still gasping for breath. Sweat was streaming down his face and his cheeks were flushed with exertion. He ripped back a full bottle of water before leaning his head back on the seat and closing his eyes.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Q admonished, once Jason’s breathing showed signs of returning to normal. “You put us all in a shit-ass situation by taking off like that.”

“Sorry.” Jason mumbled without opening his eyes. “I can’t believe she took my phone ...”

“And you ...” Q said, turning to John and ignoring Jason’s pseudo-apology. “You know that you never leave one of the guys unattended. Unless the kids or the wives are around, they are always your top priority. You were supposed to be protecting AJ, not this idiot!”

“I know ... sorry.” John admitted gruffly, directing his apology towards AJ.

“No worries, man.” AJ replied. “It all turned out okay.”

“Are you shitting me!?” Jason cried, finally lifting his head off of the seat and opening his eyes. “That chick has my phone! Do you guys have any idea what’s in my phone? Do you know what she has access to?”

“Ground(ctrl) stuff ... “ Nick trailed off as he took in Jason’s darkened expression.

“Access codes, billing information, VIP lists, passwords, phone numbers, email addresses ... she will have access to it all!” Jason exploded.

“We can change all of that. It will be a pain in the ass, but we can change it.” Nick offered, obviously trying to calm him down.

“Yeah, but we can’t change the fact that she’s going to see the latest instalment of Brian’s bedroom antics.” Jason grumbled.

“What?!” I exclaimed with far more emotion than I had intended. “What do you mean?”

“The guys in Sacramento have been monitoring the forums 24/7 since the first picture was released. A few hours ago, they managed to intercept two more pictures before they were made public.” Jason explained. “They sent me the pictures by email so that I could give Brian the heads up that there were more. Obviously, they sent them to my work address which is linked to my phone.”