Howie gave him a slap on the back. "Maybe that's because American burgers don't have sushi in them like Japan," he joked. AJ McLean and Howie Dorough started walking down the sidewalk of Atlanta, Georgia.
"You know," remarked Howie. "Atlanta isn't as polluted as people say." AJ just shrugged. As they got closer and closer to the Fox Theater (which is where they would be performing that night), they saw a bunch of kids playing on the sidewalk. They counted about 6 kids, most of them boys.
"TAG!" screamed a boy, as he tagged a kid with a bandana covering his head and eyes. "You're "It"!" AJ and Howie smiled at each other and continued to walk towards the theater building.
"Who's "It"?" asked a young girl.
"Max is!" answered another girl. Everyone ran around screaming and laughing. Howie and AJ froze when the group of kids stampeded their way. One-by-one, the kids ran between the two men, screaming "Excuse me!". After the last kid sprinted past, AJ looked at Howie and shrugged.
"Boy, that was stra...," AJ began to say. The person that was "It" ran right into him which caused him to fall on the ground and cry, "OOF!"
"Hey, Bone," Howie said, crouching next to his friend. "You alright?"
AJ rubbed his head and glared at the kid next to him. "Yeah. You?"
The kid lifted his head up and stared into AJ's eyes, which sent a chill down his back. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm really sorry about that," the kid said. Howie and AJ gasped. The kid was a girl!
"MAX! Are you coming or not?!" screamed a kid from across the street. Max waved to the impatient kids and smiled sweetly at AJ and Howie.
"Again, I apologize for bumping into you," she stood up and started across the street. She turned her head towards them and said, "But I'm really glad I got to meet Howie and AJ of the Backstreet Boys." She laughed and ran back to her friends who ran off screaming again.
Howie and AJ looked blankly at each other. "What was that all about?" AJ wondered.
Howie shrugged. "She's a girl? How can this be?"
"Don't ask me! Well, Max is a girl's name, short for Maxine. Why does she look so much like a guy then?" They sat there, thinking. Howie suddenly snapped his fingers.
"She doesn't show her hair!"
"Oh yeah! I wonder why."
"She's a fast runner. She could be a tomboy."
"Yeah, I guess that has to be it. That was weird when she said our names, you know? I felt chills run down my back."
"Same here!" exclaimed Howie. "Well, let's get going. The gang's probably wondering where we are." AJ agreed and they both jogged into the backstage door of the Fox theater.