TWENTY ONE: ALMOST PERFECT

It was a perfect day.

Almost.

I had one concert at eight o’clock that night and a rehearsal that didn’t start until twelve in the afternoon. By luck I had been able to purchase my habitual contraband unnoticed and undisturbed. On top of that, I was having a good hair day, even after the hair disaster.

But the piece d’ resistance?

I had not seen a roll of an eye, heard a groan of exasperation or the rapid tapping of a keyboard, the entire day.

But like all perfect days, something had to screw up.

“… Leighanne coming on tour?”

“Next Wednesday; she’s got to wrap up a shoot first, then she’ll join us in Boston”

I hate waiting. There’s no two ways about it- it’s boring… boring… and…well…

BORING.

Today was no different- Kev was held up somewhere and Nick must have just gotten up, cos the only thing I heard when we rang him was “shit”.

And when the rest of the crew arrive? We actually have to work our asses off to perfect flawless routines.

“What’s she doing anyway?”

“Some movie…. I don’t know whose in it, something about being in the wild”

“Roawr”

B shot me some dirty look.

“What?”

I’m innocent. Its not like I can’t appreciate beautiful women; and man, Leigh is one of them. Not my type, but one of the elite, indefinitely.

“Yo, D whats in the news?”

“Nothin much” he waved dismissively, as I caught sight of headlines such as ‘Clinton Scandal’ and ‘Extortion on our streets’ “But I heard there’s a review of our concert last night somewhere”

B and I glanced over D’s shoulder, as he flicked through the paper.

”There it is” Brian yelped. He frowned. I snickered. “What? We were cackly?”

“My laugh wasn’t up to scratch? What the hell does that mean?” I scowled. Brian snickered.

“Five bras were thrown on stage? But I only saw one!”

D frowned. We jeered. “Yeah, the one that hit you in the face when we performed “I Want It That Way”

“Shut up!” D retaliated, swatting Brian on the head.

But when those asses reported that Nick “appeared to perform with deliberating difficulty”, man, we were rolling- Nick had a problem with a wire snaking up his back, which the tech guys couldn’t fix until intermission, so for the first half- he was winging it.

I was mentioned, supposedly flirting with thirteen year old ‘Amanda’ in the front row while I was gyrating in ‘PG 13 moves’ and throwing to-die-for sly grins to the already delirious audience.

“’J, you should reconsider these thirteen year olds. They’ll worship you like their god”

Can’t say I don’t have that hold on women, but I don’t want to gloat. “Nah, don’t think I want to have girls groveling… it’s so degrading”

Brian smirked, casting an all too familiar grin my way “But I know you’d love it”

“Would not”

“Aww, c’mon, admit it”

“Gro-

“Guys” D interrupted, holding up the paper “I think there’s something you should see”

He gave me this look, and I knew, for sure it could only be about one thing and one thing only.

“Especially you J”

I held my breath- then I looked to the page D was holding up.

Holy shit.

Where are those fuckin’ smokes when you need them?

 

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