“Savvs?! Savvy?!” AJ called brightly, dancing into the girl’s house with an excited chirp to his usually raspy voice. He could hardly contain his excitement as he attempted to locate his lovely girlfriend. Today was the first scheduled rehearsal for appropriately planning the tour, so the boys would be unattainable for the entire day. Adrenaline flowed through his veins at the thought of getting on the road again with Savannah curled sweetly beside him. That’s why he stopped off before the rehearsal in attempts to sneak some affection from his girlfriend first. Of course, he was running late as usual for the rehearsal, but he couldn’t go very long without having a taste of Savannah’s physical presence. She was an obsession that AJ refused to give up. That’s why he was forcing himself to become more tuned into Savannah’s wants and needs. And, the previous dates had been magical, ending with a slight upgrade in their physical boundaries. And, knowing that last night had been exceptionally lovely, he half expected her to come crutching straight into his arms as he popped into the living room. But, unfortunately, he found the room uninhabited by either girl. Frowning slightly, AJ thought about going upstairs till he noticed a tall figure from the corner of his eye. Whirling, AJ came face to face with his eldest friend, causing him to snort with surprise. “Shouldn’t you be at rehearsal Mr. I-Show-Up-At-The-Butt-Crack-Of-Dawn-Just-To-Make-The-Others-Look-Like-Unprofessional-Assholes?”
“Well, if you would show up on time for once, maybe you wouldn’t look like such a sleaze?” Kevin prompted, arching his thick, dark brows in question. He couldn’t help that he was a stickler for promptness. It was an inherited trait of being the oldest man in the group and pseudo-father-figure.
“This is a valid tardy though, Kev, I’m in love!” AJ protested. “And I’m trying to be an excellent boyfriend.”
“An excellent boyfriend, huh?” Kevin mused for a moment with question, unable to believe those chief adjectives would ever consume any portion of AJ’s romantic life.
“Of course!” AJ snorted.
“I did see that little piece of jewelry you wrapped on Savvy’s wrist. She’s fallen in love with that bracelet. I almost thought that Howie got it for her, because it didn’t have your flamboyant style—”
“Don’t underestimate me,” AJ interrupted with a slight growl at Kevin’s suggestion that Howie bought Savannah a gorgeous piece of jewelry. Howie’s behavior with Savannah continued to plague AJ’s mind, but he brushed that backward as he glanced to Kevin, knowing best not to start a fight just before a long practice. “I knew exactly what I was picking out. She has such a natural beauty; she doesn’t really need anything flashy to make her pop out from the woodwork. When she walks into a room, it lights up, regardless of the expensive jewelry she’s wearing. A simple white gold bracelet compliments her exotic beauty far better than anything.”
“Always had to hand it to you when it came to picking out the right jewelry for the right girl…”
“Besides, that’s one piece of a set I purchased. I just figured I’d give them individually when the time is right. More loving for the money,” AJ grinned wickedly with his confession. “The white gold necklace has this awesome pear shaped emerald that matches her eyes.”
“You’re such a devil,” Kevin chuckled, rolling his own light green eyes in amusement.
“I’m really trying though,” AJ confessed, turning serious for a moment. “I love Savvy and I’m going to do right by her. I’ve got everything planned perfectly for the tour. I’m going to make sure she has a special physical therapist while we’re rehearsing and every night she’s going to get the absolute best room service if she doesn’t feel like attending the concert. I’m even asking about any special products that’ll make it easier for her traveling on my tour bus… I’m in love, Kev… Honest to God in love with a perfect woman…”
Kevin looked like he might argue that point of AJ always assuming he was in love, but found himself smiling instead. He was completely oblivious to the fact that AJ had taken several ideas from his interruption into Howie’s night with Savannah, more so infatuated with the depths that AJ professed to go for Savannah. It was hard to deny AJ that little tidbit of security, especially with the way his little brother’s dark eyes glittered at the proclamation. There was a bounce to AJ’s step that Kevin had never really seen before. Instead, AJ had always ridden an emotional rollercoaster filled with wrong choices and haphazard mistakes. To see him fixed into a healthy relationship with a beautiful woman (inside and out) did Kevin’s heart wonders. Sadly, Kevin found himself wanting to steer Howie away from tearing apart this relationship, no matter how badly Howie was infatuated with Savannah. It was easy for Howie to find healthy permanent relationships, but nearly impossible for AJ.
“Sounds like she’s got herself a real good man taking care of her,” Kevin finally answered with a smile.
“Thanks…” AJ beamed, obviously proud that his only father-figure would offer such a monumental comment without prompting. But, like Nick, AJ’s mind quickly trailed from topic and he glanced to see if Rhiannon was nearby. When he was unable to find her, he glanced back to Kevin with confusion. “So, what are you doing here?”
“Waiting for—”
“Kev! I told you that you didn’t have to wait!” Rhiannon instantly chided, sauntering down the stairs as she gingerly fixed the collar of her robin blue button down shirt that complimented the creamy camisole tank and black pants. Kevin had actually spent the night because Rhiannon was getting persistent headaches more than usual. He had even insisted she call the doctor, but he assured them both it was just a part of the healing process and normal to have a relapse several months after the initial head injury. So, when the initial crisis had been averted, Rhiannon had to get ready for work and push Kevin to the door. Obviously, he didn’t leave.
“I wanted to wait to make sure you didn’t need anything,” Kevin insisted, leaning to kiss her softly. Gently, he ran his fingertips against her forehead, pressing another kiss to the top of her head. “And tell you that you looked beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Rhiannon grinned with a blush.
“And, I’m just looking for Savvy Grace,” AJ interrupted, slightly disgusted by the display of affection.
“Oh, she’s upstairs napping,” Rhiannon answered offhandedly, slightly unsure of her assessment. Today had been one of the worst days for Savannah, her depression deepening as a terrible bout of pain surfaced in her tattered leg. She hadn’t slept the entire evening, just moaning softly as tears slipped down her face. Rhiannon had attempted to soothe her, but it was an impossible task. Savannah actually trembled with the freshness of the pain and had a slight fever. Rhiannon was truly at a loss as to what to do, especially when Savannah refused to visit a doctor. She could only impress upon the fact that Savannah continue to take high doses of her pain medication and pray that nothing serious was developing.
“Does she need a kiss from her prince charming to wake up?” AJ asked with another wicked grin, preparing to rush up the stairs. But, Rhiannon quickly caught him with her good arm, practically yanking him downward. “What?”
“Please don’t wake her up right now, AJ.”
“Why?”
“Because she just finally got to sleep…”
“What do you mean?”
“Today isn’t one of her best days. She’s in a lot of pain,” Rhiannon confessed softly, reaching to gather her purse and other items. “She even has a fever… I don’t know what’s happening to be honest and she doesn’t want to see a doctor again. So, I can’t really do anything about it right now… But I really don’t want to leave her alone…”
“Why don’t you call off work?” Kevin suggested softly, noticing the distress in Rhiannon’s light brown eyes.
“I can’t, we need the money.”
“But—”
“What are you guys doing today?” Rhiannon questioned immediately.
“We have our rehearsal all day today,” Kevin informed, watching Rhiannon’s face crumple dramatically. It actually caused a sharp pain to invade his heart, so he quickly reached to cup her face. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to leave Savvy alone… I thought maybe…”
“We’ll take her to rehearsal,” AJ instantly intervened, knowing he’d be the savior in the situation.
Rhiannon glanced up in shock toward the feisty man. She instantly started to chew on her lip, not knowing if that was the best choice for the situation. Savannah may not have talked about it exactly, but Rhiannon knew that Savannah held a dark grudge against her music that followed a mournful depression. It was as if she completely severed the ties in her heart that related to music. In her room, Savannah had removed everything that ever stood to remind her of music. Each CD was packed away into her closet, along with her expensive music system, autographs and personal photographs from her career as a dancer were filed in a box underneath her bed. She refused to even listen to the radio before drifting into slumber. So, going to watch a rehearsal that she was initially supposed to be involved in didn’t sound so brilliant. “I don’t know AJ—”
“She’ll love it!” AJ insisted, refusing to be budged on the issue. He was finally starting to concentrate on what was good for Savannah. And, he couldn’t think of a better way for her to spend a painful day. Getting her to the rehearsal to see all the formalities and excitement of preparing for a popular tour was the ticket. Her heart would be soaring by the end of the day and all her aches and pains magically healed. “She’ll see her man in action! What could be better for her?”
“AJ—”
“I insist,” AJ finished the conversation, never bothering to consult Savannah on what he thought she wanted.
“Figures he was always late before, so what would keep him from being late now?” Brian questioned openly toward Nick and Howie with a lopsided grin, bouncing on his heels with an excited spurt of energy. Four of the Backstreet Boys had already arrived for their first tour rehearsal after a five year hiatus and were anxious to begin the proceedings. Only, they were prevented doing so by their constantly late companion. So, instead, the three attempted to stretch out their warming muscles as Kevin spoke with their management crew and choreographer.
“He stopped off for a quickie! Y’know, that extra spurt of energy for dancing!” Nick announced with a manic grin, obviously far too energized for this rehearsal.
“Somehow, I doubt it,” Howie snorted, pushing Nick’s forehead to cause him to stumble backward. Howie didn’t even want to begin to think of the possibility that Savannah might become so love struck that she’d give up her principals for something AJ would consider meaningless sex.
“Howie!” Nick yelped in shock as he tripped over his own two feet from the push, landing sharply on his backside. He stared at the older Latino in bewilderment. Howie had never forcefully reprimanded him for his outrageous behavior. He was used to the deliberate pushes and slaps from Brian, Kevin, and AJ. But, to have Howie physically quiet him was almost mind blowing.
“Nick…” Howie trailed in immediate guilt, bending to help the young man up. He had been so agitated and aggressive since AJ started dating Savannah. And, since he couldn’t properly vent his frustrations, Howie found himself acting out against the innocents in his life. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“Hey, Savvy’s here!” Nick interrupted, brushing away the abnormality in Howie’s actions as if he had the memory span of a retarded goldfish.
“Huh?” Howie questioned in shock, dropping Nick back to the floor as he turned toward the doors. Sure enough, AJ was entering the building with Savannah at his side. For that first moment, like always, his body reacted with an intense excitement, causing his palms to grow sweaty, his blood pressure to raise, his body to flame with heat, and his heart to accelerate. Savannah was radiant as ever as she concentrated on the placement of her crutches and AJ’s voice instead of looking ahead. She wore a simple pair of faded, low-riding, boot-cut blue jeans to match her denim jacket that layered her creamy red rib-knit tank. A portion of her toned abdomen was revealed from the shortness of her tank, revealing a ruby bellybutton ring. Her blonde curls were pulled into two low pigtails with free curls framing her face. She looked so perfect, even if she was hobbling with crutches.
“God, she always looks hot,” Nick announced from his slumped position on the floor, obviously reading Howie’s mind. “Remind me to nail some of my dance moves.”
“Some being the key word,” Brian chuckled.
“But what’s she doing here?” Howie finally voiced, clearing his fantasies away to assess the situation. An immediate worry started to plague the pit of his stomach. Savannah had been adamantly against involving herself with music again, so why would she want to come watch a rehearsal that she had been stripped of by Nick’s stupidity?
“She’s here to watch AJ,” Kevin announced somewhat stiffly, finally joining up with the boys. He glanced toward Howie, hoping he wouldn’t cause any serious problems. The tension was rising amongst the group members, mostly because of Howie’s insistence in hoping for AJ’s destruction. “And Rhi’s coming a little later after work.”
“That just doesn’t make sense,” Howie disagreed after another moment of deliberation, watching AJ slip Savannah a passionate kiss and motion toward a seat before scurrying off to speak with some old friends. Savannah eased her body down into the chair, but immediately reached to grasp her leg as it barely touched the ground. Howie watched her beautiful face contort into a look of agony as her skin seemed to pale except for a strong flush in her cheeks. Frowning, Howie glanced to see that AJ was occupied, and then slipped over to Savannah. “Hey, Sweetheart!”
“Howie?” Savannah laughed with surprise as the man bent to hug her. She forced a delighted smile, patting his back as he affectionately kissed her cheek. “Shouldn’t you be warming up?”
“I had to see you first and I think you’re warm enough for the both of us,” Howie commented, reaching to feel her flushed cheek. “You okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Savannah lied, brushing his concern away. “It’s just hot as hell outside.”
“Oh…” Howie trailed, already knowing that she was hiding away the truth of her condition. But, he said nothing damning, just sitting down beside her on the other folding chair. “So, what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to watch JJ shake his stuff,” Savannah answered brightly, hiding the fact that she hadn’t even been given a choice in the situation. Rhiannon didn’t want to leave her home alone with her serious injuries, so AJ took her to the rehearsal as if he were babysitting an infant. It was infuriating and saddening in the same instant, causing a sour disposition to bubble in Savannah’s already broken heart. But, she acted as if she wanted to be there just so she didn’t disappoint AJ and his attempts to become a loving boyfriend. His heart was in the right place.
“And shake it for you, I will!” AJ announced brightly, approaching the twosome like a whirling tornado. He had been talking casually with a group of people until he noticed Howie approach Savannah with a hug and kiss. After catching Howie and Savannah’s conversation the last time they were alone, added with the constant sleepovers Howie invited himself to, AJ couldn’t help but keep a tighter guard over his girlfriend. He didn’t want to think that his best friend could be capable of such treachery, but he didn’t want to take the chance with such a wonderful woman. So, it took only a spare moment for AJ’s rage of jealousy to ignite within his whole body. Tensing, he hurried over to the scene to establish dominance like a wild animal.
“As long as it’s for me only,” Savannah laughed as AJ turned to offer a wildly feminine shake of his backside. He then turned as if he might give her a lap dance, but leaned down to brush a passionate kiss to her lips. And, with the heated embrace initiated, AJ brought Savannah’s arms around his neck, making sure Howie could see the delicate piece of jewelry wrapped on her dainty wrist. “Mmm…”
“Remember, I love you?” AJ whispered with a rasp as he let their lips linger just inches apart.
“I’ll remember,” Savannah promised with soft sigh.
But Howie found himself wondering if the sigh was of contentment or, hopefully, of hidden sorrow.
Just a few more hours… You’re doing okay… It’s not so bad…
Savannah exhaled slowly as she continued to subconsciously encourage herself for maintain normalcy while watching the boys’ rehearsal. She had to admit when AJ roused her from an exhausted nap and told her of the plans, she was furious. No one had asked her what she wanted. They didn’t take into consideration the fact that she had been robbed of this very opportunity. Nor did they consider that it would be torturous to force her to watch from the sidelines. Much less did they seem to understand the tremendous physical pain and sickness was being inflicted on her body that day. Instead they insisted that she should be thrilled with the opportunity, but it was just another wound to inflict in her already shredded soul.
She initially wanted to tell him to go to Hell, but the excitement gleaming within his dark brown eyes had caused a wave of guilt to perplex her heart. AJ’s love of music still thrived deep inside his heart and she should be supportive of that. A relationship wasn’t one-sided and she continued to remind herself that as she watched the boys working so diligently on stage. Besides, the rehearsal hadn’t been so horrible because they practiced their slow ballads first. That gave AJ an opportunity to sing the worth of his entire heart and soul to Savannah. And she had to admit that his voice invested chills down her spine. So, swallowing her pride, she attempted to focus back on the show.
This is for AJ…
“Well, if it isn’t the charity project of the Backstreet Boys,” a somewhat nasally voice announced, breaking into Savannah’s thoughts. She immediately glanced up to catch a somewhat anorexic woman that looked to be far older than the young Savannah. She was short and lean with no real curvature to her childlike body. Her hair was bleached into a white straw color with dark roots slightly peeking along her hairline. Her dark brown eyes seemed to glow with the wrath of jealousy. “I’ve got to tell you, I find it really clever that they decided to invite you to watch the tour… Poor little girls don’t ever bite the hand that feeds them.”
“And you are exactly?”
“The overqualified woman that took your place in this fabulous tour,” the woman insisted, extending a deadly manicured hand to clutch Savannah’s delicate hand. Her acrylic nails pressed hard into Savannah’s flesh, hoping to elicit a howl of pain. But, Savannah remained silent as she stared upward. She didn’t know what to say. Usually, she would lash out with her overextended vocabulary and hash the woman into nothingness. “You must feel like complete shit, knowing that you missed out on this huge chance. Most girls would kill to reach the level of professionalism here. I heard you were in a few silly music videos, but a well-publicized tour is where you make your huge break into the business—”
“Your point?” Savannah interrupted curtly, feeling her stomach twist with nausea.
“It’s just a really bad break… Y’know, with what happened to that leg of yours.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you feel for me…” Savannah answered dryly.
“But, maybe it was a blessing. You couldn’t have been that talented for God to just take away something so special.”
“You freaking—”
“Rest assured, the best dancer got your position,” she cattily purred as the dancers were called to their positions. Sure enough, she sauntered straight over to AJ, seductively reaching to hug him tightly and kiss his cheek.
Savannah just stared at the woman in shock, wondering how God could allow such hate and offensiveness to settle into one woman - especially a woman who was given such tremendous opportunities in life. She was fully prepared to use her crutches to beat the woman to a bloody pulp, but the music and chorography quickly started. So, Savannah slouched back into her chair, just staring lifelessly at what should have been an electrically charged dance. But, she was able to quickly access the laziness and damage the haphazard dancers were bringing to the dance. She continued to assess the damage, noticing missed beats and unsynchronized steps. It looked like a mess as Fatima immediately started to holler corrections.
Savannah knew she could do much better. At the tender age of five, Savannah could have danced circles around these ‘professional’ dancers. She had the talent of _expression heartfelt emotions within each move and articulation of her body. She felt the music on a molecular level, making the music exude from every essence of her being as she danced. She could provide a passion for the dance that no one could ever attempt to top. She would mesmerize the crowd.
Nevertheless, she’d never be given the opportunity to create such beauty again. The doctor had already made it quite clear about her predicament. He had undoubtedly stressed the point that she would be extremely lucky just to walk away from the accident with a profound limp. So, her talents had been stripped away from her for something that wasn’t her fault. It was extremely unfair and she finally lost control of her emotions.
Unable to stand watching the disaster in front of her any longer, Savannah boosted herself upward. It hurt too much to keep silent and she was finally breaking down. She moved toward the exit as tears started to flood her vision. She didn’t want to disturb her best friends’ work, so she attempted to be quiet. But, without clear vision, she stumbled slightly in her attempt to escape. She dropped her crutches and she didn’t care, proceeding to push out the door despite the extreme agony tearing through her broken leg.
But Howie seemed to care as he watched her practically crawl out the door without her crutches. His heart lurched in shock, realizing the damage she could do to her already injured leg. He jumped from the stage without much consideration for anything, proceeding toward the exit to claim Savannah’s crutches and soothe her aching heart.
Nevertheless, the perfect boyfriend, AJ, didn’t care, much less notice, as he fell into the deeper concentration of his dancer’s off balance, yet extremely seductive, rhythms.
