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Forty-one

~ Chicago, IL… Day Three, Concert # 15 ~

"Okay boys here’s the deal… over the years you’ve all taken turns grabbing my camera and taking pictures for me. Then two weeks ago when we were in DC, Nick took his turn at taking over the camera for me and it gave me an idea." I reached beneath the table that we were sitting around and put my hand into a grocery bag that was sitting at my feet and pulled five disposable cameras out placing them on the table with a smile. "Once a month during this tour… or how ever often I decide I want to do this, I’m turning the five of you lose with disposable cameras. I want you to capture whatever you want with these cameras, but you have to use all of the film then return the camera to me for developing." I passed a camera to each of the guys as I spoke, "You can take pictures of fans, of buildings, random objects… whatever you want, I’m giving you free range here. Just remember that if the pictures are good, and even if some of them are not, they’ll end up in the book at the end of the tour. Also remember, that if you get vulgar or kinky with the pictures, I am not the one that will be developing this film, so watch what you take pics of okay?"

AJ cackled, "That means no snapping pictures of your dick unless you want some intern at the record company scanning it and sending it all over the Internet before Kel even gets them back in her hands…"

I rolled my eyes but nodded and patted AJ’s shoulder, "Thank you, honey… that wasn’t exactly how I was going to phrase it, but basically yes. Although we haven't had any trouble yet with someone stealing my proofs before I get them, you never know… so be careful what you take pictures of. Oh and you have to take a self portrait of yourself each time too so that I know whose pictures they are…" I laughed. "Any questions?"

"Can we take pictures of you?" Brian smiled.

"Why?"

"Because you’re always taking pictures of us, but we hardly have any pictures of you…" Howie added and the rest of the guys nodded.

I smiled and shrugged, "If you feel the need to take a picture of me, then sure… Like I said, it’s up to you. I’m not going to guide you at all." Practically all at once the five of them snapped a picture of me and I laughed, "Do you guys do everything together?"

"Ooh now that would be a fun picture… a six-some!" Nick laughed

"Six some?" Kevin laughed.

"Yeah I know it’s not a word, but do you have a better name for it?" Nick giggled.

"Orgy…" Brian, Howie, Kevin and I all said in unison then laughed.

"I’ve got a name for it…" AJ smiled as he stood up.

"Oh yeah?" Nick asked. "What is it?"

"Never Gunna Happen Cause She’s Mine So All of Y’all Can Back Off My Woman…"

*****

Sending the boys off with their disposable cameras was something that I should have done years ago. That afternoon at the venue I didn’t have to play mom to any of them and I didn’t have to be the prey in any of their pranks because they were all off taking pictures. From what I could see as I shadowed them taking my own pictures of them taking pictures, they were putting a lot of thought into them too. In fact I started to think that maybe if the pictures turned out well, I was going to have to start giving them two cameras each for each assignment.

With the boys happily running around taking pictures in the venue I went outside to take pictures of the fans waiting outside near the back entrance and planned on giving out meet and greet passes to the good ones who stuck a chord in my heart. I walked out of a side door which wasn’t being watched by the fans and walked up to the security guard who was standing in the bus lot and handed him a cup of coffee, "Hi there Michael… brought you a warm up…"

"Thank you… So, Miss Kellie, how are you today?"

"I’m pretty good… the girls behaving today?"

"So far so good, no one has crossed the barricade and they’re all being polite."

I snapped a picture of him and he smiled, "That’s good…" I looked around for something to inspire a picture and saw a group of girls huddling together to keep warm. I zipped my coat up further and put my gloves on. "Stay warm, Mikey… I’ll talk to you later… duty calls…" I smiled and walked away. As I got a little closer to the girls I stopped and took a picture of them, "Dedication…" I said as I scribbled the title in my notebook. I approached the girls and said hi, "Hey ladies…"

"Hi…" one of them said with a smile.

"How long you’ve been standing out here in the cold?"

"About five hours… Do you know if any of the Backstreet Boys are in there? Those girls over there said that they weren’t here yet."

I smiled, "Those girls are lying… the Boys are all inside actually. We got here early today and used the other entrance."

"Really?" the girl said with a sad statement on her face.

"Yeah… sorry, honey."

"Are you sure that AJ is in there? I just want to see AJ, we all do actually, he’s our favorite…"

I giggled and pulled out my phone, "Hang on a second." I dialed AJ’s cell phone and waited as it rang.

"Yes my love?" he purred as he answered.

"Where are you, honey?"

"Taking pictures of Nick…"

I laughed, "Do I even want to know what he’s doing?"

"Nope… wait til you get the pictures back…"

"Okay… well listen I’ve got a few girls outside who’d like to say hi to you…"

"Cool, put em on…"

I handed my phone to the girl who’d been doing all of the talking and then took pictures of her as she talked to AJ on the phone. Her whole face lit up and tears glistened in her eyes. After a few minutes she handed the phone to me with a shaky hand, "He wants to talk to you again…"

"Hey…"

"She’s cool…"

"Yeah I thought so too…" I smiled.

"Get them M&G passes okay? And send them home to warm up for goodness sake."

"Way ahead of you, honey… I’ve gotta go. But whatever Blondie is doing, tell him to be careful, I know what a klutz he can be."

AJ laughed, "I will… don’t stay outside too long okay?"

"I won’t…"

"Love you…"

"Love you too…" I smiled and hung up the phone. The girls all looked at me in shock and I laughed, "You guys still breathing?" They nodded in unison and I giggled as I reached into my pocket. "I’m under strict orders by AJ to give you girls passes to tonight’s meet and greet… and then send you home to get warm." I handed them over to the girls and they looked like they were in shock.

"You mean we’re going to meet them?"

"All five…" I smiled.

"Oh my god…"

"You’ll be fine… now get out of here before you freeze to death or get sick and have to miss the meet and greet you hear me?"

"Heck yeah… we’re out of here!" the girls giggled. "Oh my god we’re going to meet them!" They danced around a bit and I took more pictures. "Who are you by the way?"

"Me? I’m Kel…" I said holding out my hand to them. "Tour photographer, friend to the Boys, and…"

"Resident groupie…"

I looked up to the voice that had cut me off, "Excuse me?"

"You can pretend that you’re their ‘friend’ but we know the truth, we saw the pictures…"

Looking at the teenager through narrowed eyes I shook my head, "What are you talking about? What pictures?"

"Don’t read the paper much huh? Check out today’s Times…" I didn’t have a clue what the little girl in front of me was talking about but she was pissing me off. "Why don’t you stop bullshitting and just go away?"

I couldn’t believe my ears. I think my mouth fell open and I stared at her, "Listen I don’t know what you’re talking about or who you think you are, but say one more thing like that to me and I’ll have you thrown off of the property faster than you’ll believe."

The girl laughed a cold laughed, "Try it, bitch…"

That was it… I called security on my cell, "Hey it’s KJ… listen I’ve got a situation out here at the fan barricade. Can you come take care of it? Thanks…" I looked at the girl, "They’re on their way…" The girls who I’d given the passes to meanwhile stood by in awe, they didn’t know what to do or say. I smiled at them as much as I could and motioned for them to go with my hands, "Go ahead ladies… I’ll see you tonight okay?"

"O… Okay… thank you, Kel… will you be at the meet and greet too?"

"Yeah, I’ll be there. Now go get warmed up, wouldn’t want you frozen when you meet the Boys…" The girls nodded and said goodbye and rushed off while the little bitch and her partner in crime stood looking at me wide eyed as they realized I’d given out passes to the other girls. When security arrived a moment later I stepped out of the girls hearing range and explained to the guard what had happened. He promptly escorted the girls off property and I walked back into the building with a bewildered statement on my face.

Once inside the venue again I looked around remembering that I’d seen newspapers somewhere back there but I couldn’t remember where. I walked around frantically looking for a newspaper and then saw a janitor with a paper in his back pocket. "Excuse me… is that a Sun Times paper?"

"Yup…" he smiled as he took it out of his pocket. I’m done with it if you’d like it."

I nodded, "Is it the whole paper? All sections?"

"Sure is…"

"Okay… um I can pay you for it… if…"

"No," he smiled holding his hands up, "Go ahead and take it. I’d be pleasured to have such a beautiful young lady take my paper…"

I forced a smile, "Thank you… thank you so much…" I started flipping through the paper page by page frantically looking for what the girl could have been talking about. The janitor said goodbye and walked down the hall as I stood there searching the paper throwing sections to the floor as I finished searching them. "Come on come on… where are you?" I threw another section to the floor and flipped a few more pages then stopped in my tracks as I finally found what I’d been looking for. "Oh god…"