Orlando, Florida
6:22 pm
AJ had arrived late last night at his condo, and only got a few hours sleep. He
couldn't even believe what he did last night. He just picked up and left
without telling anyone where he'd be. The condo, was only furnished with basic
essentials : a bed, non-perishable food, a few chairs here and there, and a
television set.
A
television set. His only source to the outside world. If he left his front
door, surely SOMEONE would recognize him, especially now that he was in
Orlando. He had isolated himself in his own house, doors locked tight, blinds
shut, not even a window open.
At this time, AJ turned on the TV to keep him occupied. Glancing at his watch,
the boys must have just started their concert without him. He closed his eyes
for a brief second. Flipping through the channels, not looking for anything in
particular to watch, he stumbled upon the news. He cocked his head curiously
and listened intently at the woman on TV.
Reporter: "We're here live at the Virgin Record Music Store here in NYC
where the Backstreet Boys manager, Johnny Wright has just announced the sudden
disappearance of Backstreet member AJ McLean.
"The Boys are supposed perform live in just a few minutes, but the
announcement has obviously caused a crowd disturbance??"
She turned around and the camera zoomed in on Johnny leading Brain and the
others through millions of screaming, crying, and somewhat disappointed fans.
Johnny was pushing and shoving reporters and cameramen out of his way,
screaming "No comment." The bodyguards were doing their best to
hold the fans back.
Kevin, beside Johnny, was shoving cameras out of his face as well. He had a
solemn, angry expression on as he followed Johnny out to the tour bus.
AJ couldn't believe what he was seeing. His jaw hung open, awed at the
commotion that he caused. Tears were swelling up in his eyes again.
"Kevin, Kevin any comments?" A reporter asked, shoving a microphone
in his face.
"No, none!" Johnny shouted, shoving it away.
The
cameraman was running to the crowd now, by the way the angle was shifting.
"As you can see, the manager obviously has no comment at this time?."
AJ wasn't even listening to her. He scooted closer to the screen to get a
better look, and hicsed up the volume.
"Yeah, yeah I have a comment!" Kevin shouted. He grabbed the nearest
microphone he could find and attempted to be heard over fans screaming, "
I love you Train."
He
hung his head slightly, glancing down, then shot it up and said, " I'm
quitting the group." Silence followed. Brain seemed startled. Fans glared
wide eyed, tears rolling down their cheeks, fans from small.
"Kevin,
no," Brian protested.
"What
the hell is wrong with you guys? First AJ, now you??" Aaron shouted.
"Fine! Go!"
"Kevin,
you don't mean that," Johnny stated calmly, attempting to convince Kevin
he wasn't serious. Without warning, Aaron shoved Kevin from behind, sending him
hurling into the arms of a reporter. "I don't need you," he
growled.
Kevin, suddenly enraged, lunged at Aaron and decked him in the face. Aaron
stumbled backwards and fell. The crowd could no longer be contained, they rushed
forward, coming at Aaron's aid.
"Oh my! Ohmigosh! Can we get a close up? Backstreet Boy Kevin
Richardson has just attacked Aaron Carter.." AJ shut off the TV quickly.
His heart was thumping steadily against his chest as a cold sweat rolled off his
body. He arose, with anger, tears blurring his vision. Enraged, he threw the
remote at the TV screen, shattering the remote on impact. He dropped to his
knees, pulled his shirt over his head, and rocked himself back and fourth,
crying loudly.
Nothing
made sense to him, this was inhuman, this didn't make sense. AJ had had this
sensation before, the sensation he had when Aaron made him mad. He was going to
have a nervous breakdown again. Picking himself up, he staggered into the
kitchen where he had his medication laid out on the
counter.
He
got halfway there, and fell to the ground in an awkward position, sulking on
the tile. His life was over, and so was Kevin's.
***
"Kevin
you can't be serious..." Brian said, once inside the tour bus. They all jerked
once, Brian grabbing onto Howie for support as the bus took off from the scene.
"Get
off me Brian, just get off me," Kevin warned, sloppily tossing his
belongings in a pile. "I quit, I freggin' quit, I can't take this bullshit
anymore. I can't take Aaron's
bullshit," he explained, pointing to Aaron lying on a couch, cradling his
nose.
Aaron
sneered up at him. Howie hadn't said a word, he was just in existence. He
couldn't believe their complete career and years and years of friendship and
trust was being destroyed in a matter of days. He sat next to Nick, who was
just totally out of it. He hadn't shaven in days, and stubble accumulated on
his face, forming an uneven stubble goatee. His appearance wasn't as
breathtaking as before.
Johnny
emerged from a different compartment on the bus holding a rag filled with ice.
Stumbling over to Aaron, he handed him the rag.
"Kevin,
calm down please, we need you. Don't leave us too," Brain begged, folding
his hands and waving them at Kevin.
"Whatever
Brian, and YOU," he said, turning to face Johnny, "give me my last
paycheck so I can get outta here."
Johnny narrowed his brows. "You want your paycheck?? You want it?
Here!" He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out his checkbook.
Scribbling on it quickly, he ripped it out and threw it at Kevin. It went a few
feet and fluttered to the bottom of the bus, Kevin not making an attempt to get
it.
Aaron removed the rag from his bleeding, red
nose and said, "You better get that check, Kevin, you'll be needing
it."
Kevin snatched it up from the floor and pocketed it. He thought nothing of
Aaron's statement, he had all the money he needed in the bank. Stuffing his
belongings in a gym bag, he slung it over his shoulder and
marched into another compartment to continue gather his things. Sadly, Brain
tossed his arms in the air in surrender and sat disappointed next to Howie and
Nick.
***
Orlando, Florida
10:40 pm
AJ, head spinning, just roused from his slumber. He pulled himself to a sitting
position on the tile, holding his head. He looked up at the counter he was
trying to get to earlier, so close, yet so far. He groaned, and
attempted to recollect what he was trying to do.
"Come
on AJ, what happened? What happened?" he asked himself. Then he had a
quick cycle, the news, Kevin punching Aaron, then he couldn't remember anymore
in-between details. "Oh yeah," he said, when was done commemorating.
"I,
I gotta call the guys…" he said, picking himself up. He ran into his room
and rummaged through his things for their tour date schedule. He found it,
buried under some of his shirts and 'accessories' he hadn't unpacked yet. Let's
see now… after the concert at the Virgin Record Store in NYC, they should be at
the Holiday Inn. Ah, he found it.
He
knew if he called the hotel and asked to be directed to the room, they would
ask who was speaking. He couldn't identify himself, so he called Howie's
cellular instead. Hopefully he'd get into contact with them.
***
Howie
sat in a corner by himself on the tour bus, trying hard to stifle the sounds
coming from the bedroom compartment. Kevin, Johnny, and Aaron were yelling and
screaming at each other at the very top of their lungs, some censored remarks,
and sounds of things being broken. He didn't know if they were fighting,
arguing, or killing each other, he was minding his business.
For
the past hour, they had been trapped inside the tour bus parked outside the
Holiday Inn. Reporters and fans were surrounding the bus, trying, waiting for
at least one of them to come out. Johnny refused to speak with the public, he
was too busy arguing with Kevin. Brian and Nick went out to see what they could
do to help steady the fans. This had caused a riot, police were trying to hold
the fans back, some even getting arrested.
It
was even louder outside the van than inside, of course, with sirens and
cops on loudspeakers, and hundreds of screaming fans, trying to get into the
bus. So far, none had succeeded. He pulled back the blinds behind him and
peered out. He could see the hotel entrance, but there was no way of getting to
it. A camera flashed in his face, causing him to blink, startled.
"It's
Howie!" someone screamed. He pulled the blinds back quickly, those
reporters and everyone out there was insane.
Clutched
in Howie's hand, was a picture of him and the guys, just the original five, in
front of Cinderella's Castle in Orlando. In the midst of them, was Johnny,
grinning from ear to ear with his arms draped around AJ and Nick. That was when
he was considered a 'friend,' of the boys, before Aaron ever showed his face.
Now Howie knew for sure all Johnny ever cared about was the money he made off
of them.
For
a slight instant, he smiled...then suddenly he saw the picture begin to fade,
starting with AJ. Then he saw Kevin disappear, it was now him, Brian and Nick.
Then suddenly, Nick faded away as well.
He blinked when he realized he was picturing what was happening to the group;
they were fading away. He tossed the picture aside, not wanting to see who was
going to fade next. The phone rang.
"Oh
crap, where'd I put it?" he said, getting up to follow the ring. It rang a
second time, calling out to Howie. A thought came to him, it might be AJ.
"Oh man!" he exclaimed, tossing pillows and magazines out of his way in
search of the phone. The entire bus was in such a mess.
For
the third time, he realized it was coming from the compartment where Aaron and
Johnny were yelling at Kevin. "Come on AJ, don't hang up... I'm
coming." He quickly ducked into the room, paying them no mind and grabbed
his phone off his bed. "Hello??"
"Howie,
hey, this is AJ."
"AJ??
Where are you man?" Howie asked, blocking one ear with his free hand.
"I'm
in Orlando?."
"Where??
Hold on I can't hear you?."
Howie
quickly made his way into the compartment he was in before, shutting the door
behind him. AJ now, was perplexed. All he was hearing was yelling and all sorts
of background noises and distractions.
"AJ?
AJ?? You there??" Howie asked frantically, afraid he'd hung up.
"Yeah,
what the hell is going on over there, D.?"
Howie
didn't bother to answer him. "Where are you AJ? Are you ok?"
AJ
answered in a disgruntled, aggravated tone, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I'm in
OR-LAN-DO."
Howie
sighed, relieved. "It's crazy over here man. We can't get into the hotel,
we can't even get outta the bus?.and, and, Johnny and Aaron are over here on
Kevin's case about-.." Howie stopped himself short, thinking AJ didn't
already know about Kevin resigning.
"About
Kevin quitting?.." AJ finished.
"Yeah,"
Howie responded, sadly.
"I
know, I saw it on TV yesterday. Where's everybody else?"
"Brain
and Nick are outside talking to some reporters, and I'm in here waiting for us
to leave."
"Oh."
AJ
was barely able to pay mind to Howie. He was more concerned about the
background noises, the screams, fans, and especially Aaron and Johnny's loud,
boisterous conversation with Kevin. AJ shook his head in disbelief.
"Jeez,
I friggin' hate Aaron. I had another one last night D,... almost."
"Another
one?! C'mon AJ, you gotta take care of yourself man…"
Just
then a loud noise came from the compartment with Aaron. It sounded as if
someone had charged at the door, but it didn't give it. Howie raised his brows
in surprise and concern.
"Hey,
AJ what's the number where you're at?"
Silence
followed, AJ was looking for the number. Where the hell was it? He picked up
the base of the phone and looked underneath. No, it wasn't there.
"Um..."
"C'mon
AJ hurry up, if Johnny catches me on the phone with you, I'm gonna be in
trouble," Howie said, urging him to hurry. "Ok, ok damn, what the
hell is the number for this house??" Howie frowned, a little concerned
that AJ might have had a lapse last night. How could he forget something that
important?
"Howie,
I forgot, I dunno... can you star 69 me?" he asked, rummaging
through the phone book in hopes of finding the number.
Kevin came, raging into the compartment, swearing violently. "Fuck you,
and fuck you, especially you!" he hissed, gesturing toward Aaron.
"Yeah, yeah, ok AJ I gotta go, take care of yourself orright man?" he
said, in a hushed tone.
"Ok,
D. Bye."
Quickly,
Howie did the call return, waiting for the stupid machine to hurry up. He
wanted to get the number before Kevin left.
"C'mon
Kev?.you don't wanna end up like that looser AJ, do you?" Johnny asked.
Kevin turned around abruptly, anger swelling up inside of him. He wanted to rip
the crap out of Johnny and Aaron.
"No!
AJ left because of that SOB. I don't want what happened to AJ to happen to
me!" he yelled, grabbing up his gym bag and excess crap. "I'm outta
here! I'm gone, to hell with you! Both of you!" Kevin yelled, heading for
bus exit.
"Kevin
wait!" Howie called after him, scribbling the last 4 digits of AJ's number
down. Kevin turned around, disturbed look on his face.
"What
Howie?" he asked rather sweetly, careful not to unleash his anger on
Howie. Howie handed him the paper with the number on it. Without looking at the
paper, he shoved it in his pocket and turned around again.
"I'll
be seeing you D," he said, waving him out quickly. He couldn't stand
another minute in that bus with Aaron and Johnny. Kevin didn't care if he had
to face the fans or the press, he had to leave quickly. He didn't want to leave
the guys either, but he had no choice. Too angry to cry, he marched out of the
bus not giving Howie, Aaron or Johnny a second glance.
***
Outside the bus now, Nick and Brian were trying to calm the fans. Doing
everything possible to please them, signing autographs and answering the press
at the same time. Brian took a pen out of a fan's eager, energetic hands and
did his signature. A reporter from behind him reached over a microphone over
and rammed it into his face. "Brian! Brian! How do you think Kevin
quitting the group will have effect on your publicity??"
Surprised
by the question, he bit his lower lip, thinking about it.
"Umm,"
he mumbled, giving out more autographs. Behind him, Nick was being asked the
same idiotic, non-mandatory questions, while signing more autographs as well.
"I
dunno?" he started, but someone interrupted him, screaming, " I LOVE
YOU BRAIN!!" "I love you too?" he replied, confused about where
the voice was coming from. "Umm, about your question, I dunno if?"
The tour bus door swung open to reveal Kevin, bags packed, arms filled and
looking aggravated. More excitedly filled screams emerged from the fans.
Startled, Brian and Nick turned around to face Kevin.
"Kevin!"
Brain said startled, accidentally dropping the autograph book he was signing,
while trying to be heard over the commotion.
"STEP
BACK!! IF YOU PASS THE BODYGUARDS YOU WILL BE ARRESTED!" A police officer
warned, firing two shots in the air for attention. The entire scene was unbelievable.
"Kevin! Kevin, no! Don't leave!" Brian yelled, flagging him down, but
everyone else drowned his yells out. His voice couldn't compete with the
thousands and thousands of screaming girls.
Kevin
now, hadn't even seen Brian. He was pushing through the crowd, despite his
clothes being ripped apart by fans. Hands smacked him in the face, and he was
being pulled in all different directions, but he ignored it all. Glancing back
over his shoulder, he saw Nick, seeking refuge behind a bodyguard. He was frantically
waving him down, but he ignored him as well.
"Step
back, please step back, give him room everyone," an officer warned,
pushing fans aside to make room for Kevin. "Bring the cab around!" A
bodyguard commanded, making signals with one hand, holding back press with the
other.
Kevin
was walking with his head down, so not to be blinded by the flash of cameras.
He never once looked back.
***
Nick,
had suddenly stopped signing autographs, and begun his decent after Kevin. But
he didn't have a bodyguard, they were all occupied at the moment.
"Kevin!
Wait Kevin! Don't leave!" He pleaded, but a few fans had gotten hold of
his shirt. "Let go! Please, just let me go!" he yelled, pulling away
from them.
But
they didn't listen. The commotion was so loud, he couldn't even hear his own
voice. Thousands upon thousands of fans were sucking him in. To his left, he
was being pulled, to his right he was being tugged. He couldn't fight back them
all, his tugging and pleads were ignored, as well as his reluctance.
He
was swallowed up in the crowd, screaming to be released, that an officer would
hear him, but he fell backwards into a thousand screaming hands, ripping him in
twenty different directions. "Kevin, no, don't go," he said
pitifully, giving up hope, as he was swarmed by fans.
But Kevin hadn't even noticed. He dodged hands and eventually made it through
the crowd. "Kevin, where are you going?? Are you seriously resigning from
the group?" reporters asked rapidly, hoping to get an answer before the got
into the cab. "Kevin, will leaving the group effect your sex life
any?" a reporter asked.
Awed
at the stupidity of the question, he gawked awkwardly at the reporter, shook
his head, and ducked into the cab, shutting the door behind him, repenting
screams.