Spirit of Happiness by ajsbaby
Story Notes:
This is a little something I was doing for Christmas. I'm afraid there is no way it'll be done by then but I will post it anyway. I'm just trying this out right now so please let me know what you think.
Nothing Extraordinary by ajsbaby
Author's Notes:
Okay,so here's the first chapter of my attempt at a holiday themed story. Please let me know your thoughts on it.
A breeze of cold swarmed through the opened door, my brother Anthony walked in with the basket of petals in his hand. He had raced all the way home and back again just to fetch them. Of all things to forget, in the rush to get to the chapel, Daisy, my niece and flower girl had left the flowers she was supposed to drop. Her father ran three red lights just to get back on time. It was a very important item; after all, what is a flower girl without flowers.

“Oh Anthony, you’re a lifesaver.” I said. “Just in time too. We were about to start.”

“No problem, it’s not everyday my sister gets married.

A quick hug from him and then the music began to play. That was my cue. I gripped my bouquet of fresh flowers with both hands and passed through the doors. I never would have thought to have a wedding in December. It was always just too cold, and I was never one for that type of weather, so how could I possibly enjoy it, but as I walked down the aisle, I took in the sight of the extravagant floral arrangements and the blue and snowy white décor all around. This is what it feels like to get married. I smiled.

I peeked at the groom to see if his face showed any signs of regret or uncertainty, but there was none. There was no doubt in my mind that he was very much in love with his bride, and I felt guilty for ever doubting it. Everything was just perfect, so surreal, that it looked like a scene straight out of a fairytale.

But this was not my fairytale. I took my place and stood proud and tall as I watched my baby sister walk down the aisle in her white princess gown. I’ll never forget the way she looked, the way she smiled at that moment. Bliss was too small of a word to describe it. I had to wipe a tear off my cheek before she could see it. I know it would have made her cry even more than she already was. The last thing I wanted to do was make only sister cry on her wedding day.



~~~

My name is Grace and ever since I can remember, I’ve always lived life just going through the motions. Somehow always being overlooked by everyone. I’m an average girl with an average life, an underachiever I guess you could call me. I never really bothered fighting for anything in my life and I was pretty content with the way my life had turned out. I had a average job- well, okay, maybe not so average, to some, working for the Backstreet Boys might be a tad more than average but that was the highlight of my life. I’ve been asked before by the few people that have found out about my occupation, how a girl like me could land a job working for a successful band. It’s not exactly the type of job that pops up in the classifieds but it’s pretty easy when most of your life you lived next door to the mother of one of its members, and your mother happens to be good friends with her.

At first, it started with small things, I never imagined it would grow into something this big. Back nearly two decades ago the boys had just started out and at the time they had only a small crew, and by small I mean almost non-existent. My mother and I would lend a helping hand whenever we could. My sister Samantha was much too young to be of any great help, but she was an awesome supporter of the group and probably the first fan they ever had.

As their popularity began to increase locally, so did the demand for them. AJ’s mother Denise started up a little fan club for them. At first she was able to manage on her own but as the fans grew in numbers so did the work required to run such an organization. It was much too much work for a single person and a bit overwhelming for her. My mother and I began to help her pass out index cards to crowds when they performed locally. We’d collect each girls information and entered them into a database and send out letters and photos of the guys to them in an effort to promote the group. To make a long story short, we sort of became the band’s first unofficial PR Team. I say unofficial because we were never paid for that.

It was quite fun mailing all those letters out to these obviously insane girls but I never dreamed it would become so hectic, so out of control. We sort of took over the duties of the fan club when Denise would go on tour with them. When the boys hit it big overseas things got really crazy. I still work for them. Things have calmed down some since but the demand for them is still amazing.

“Grace, hold on.” A woman’s voice called out t me as I neared the entrance of the area the boys would be performing tonight.

“Hey Leigh, what can I do for you?” I asked.

Leigh Boniello, now Leigh Dorough, and I never really liked each other in the beginning. Well at least I didn’t like her. For years I had worked hard helping Denise run things smoothly with not only the fan club, but the selling of merchandise at concerts and helping the boys get dressed before shows and in between numbers. When she came along, things changed drastically for me. I felt like I’d been stripped and demoted or something. Denise and I had put a lot of sweat and devotion into keeping things together and here come this woman out of nowhere pushing us aside like she owned the place. I felt resentment towards her. Denise had felt it too, she had started this, it was her baby and now it was taken away from her.

Sure she was hired initially to run the boys official website but eventually she started poking her nose where it didn’t belong, in other aspects of their careers as she began dating Howie. As if her relationship with him gave her more authority over us. But what can I say, as I said before, I never really fought for anything in my life and I wasn’t about to start a feud with her. As serious as Howie was about her, I figure I’d lose my job. And that was something I could not afford at the time.

“Listen, Howie and I have been discussing this for a while now and well, you know we were trying to find godparents for James and well, we thought you be perfect.”

What? Did I hear right? The comment took me by surprise.

“You want me to be your baby’s godmother, did I hear correctly?”

“Yes, you.”

“Why me?”

Of all the people they knew, I was more than stunned to hear that they wanted me to play such an important role in the firstborn’s life. Yes we may have started off in the wrong foot but through the years of working so close together, getting to know each other on a more personal level was inevitable. I had accepted her and the fact that her employment was essential for the boys careers. It turned out she wasn’t such a bad person after all. We’d become close friends even. So I guess it should not have come as such a shock to me but still, there were many other people more qualified for that job.

“Because Gracie, you’re a dear friend to me and Howie and we just love you and trust you.”

“Wow.” Was all I could say. That they would trust me with their child was flattering but I wasn’t sure it was the best idea those two have come up with. “Can I think about it?”

“Sure, you think, you think about it. Take all the time you need to think.” She said in a delighted tone.

“Why, so peppy, I didn’t say yes?”

“But you didn’t say no either. So that’s great.” She ran off leaving me there to process the information she’d just thrown at me.

I opened my bag carefully removing and inspecting my equipment and wondered if she had read my thinking about it comment as a yes. I hoped she wouldn’t be too let down when I told her no. I’d already made my decision when she’d ask me, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her just then. I said I’d think about only to buy me time to think about how I would tell her no. I’m not a heartless person, it’s just that I take the responsibilities of such a role serious and the truth is I can barely take care of myself. I don’t even think I’m responsible enough to hold the title of a mother. Which is why I haven’t had any children of own, that and I still haven’t found that special someone yet. And being godmother is kind of like a back up, stand in mother isn’t?

As I said, I still work for the boys, I can’t exactly say what I do. I do a lot of little things around here. A little of this, a little of that, but mostly I take photographs of the boys with the fans, of them backstage, behind the scenes goofing off, and when time permits, the occasional cup of coffee. When Leigh joined the team it took a load off of me and I found myself with more time on my hands, so I took up photography and enrolled into various courses. It had always been a hobby of mine and something I wanted to pursue. I’d finally gotten the chance to do that thanks to Leigh. I should send her a thank you note someday.

When the group took a much needed long break, I spent it perfecting my craft. It really paid off. Don’t get me wrong, the fan club bid was great fun but nothing compares to the satisfaction of making a living doing something you love.



“All set?” Jen asked, entering the empty space that would soon be filled with thousands of screaming girls- err, let me correct that, lots of screaming grown ass women who have from childhood lusted over these men. Nick, Brian, and Howie trailed behind her.

Nick was closer to my age and from the very beginning, he’s been a nuisance. He might have been cute and all that but he was a little terror. He still is and throughout all the years he has instigated more fights amongst the band than I can count on both my fingers and toes and everyone else's. Brian’s always been the most energetic one of the lot. The man has the power to light up anyone. He was the one who put a smile on my face when my grandmother died midway through the Black and Blue tour.

“Ready to go.” I answered.

The guys took their places behind the barricade. Looking through my camera, I adjusted the focus until I got the clearest view of my subjects. I noticed one of them was missing. As always he was late.

“Alright, where is AJ?” Jen asked. “I thought he was right behind us.”

“He was a minute ago.” Howie said.

“Great! We lost AJ.Again!” Jen shouted, on the verge of a meltdown. She always got like this when time was against us.

“I’m right here.” He said, strutting into the room like the sexy creature he thinks he is.

Alex and I have a history together. Not the kind of history you are probably thinking. We never dated, nor were we ever involved romantically or sexually. Eww! It was nothing like that. What we had was different. We had spent so much time at his house in the early days and had gotten to know each other well. We’d discovered that we had a lot in common and we developed a friendship. We’d had a lot of good times. Spent countless hours on the phone laughing about nothing. He’d tell me step by step every detail about rehearsals and auditions, the way he spoke about it, with such excitement, such passion, I could never get tired of hearing him talk. Most of the time I didn’t know what he was talking about, I’d just giggle. I guess he was the closest thing to a best friend I’d ever know.

But that was a long time ago. AS their popularity grew, so did their demanding schedule and our friendship began to diminish. We started seeing less and less of each other the more fame they acquired until it had just completely dissolved. He’s changed a lot since then. No longer the same person I used to know. We became strangers. It’s not something I dwell on anymore. Things just end, I’ve come to accept that. Friends come and go and you just take it and move on. I admit back then it hurt but the older you get, the more you learn that childhood friendships rarely ever make it to adulthood. I hold no resentment or ill feelings towards him.

“Bring on the ladies.” He grinned.

Typical AJ.


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