Knock knock knock
AJ couldn't hear the door. He was too busy listening to his headphones and musing over the last couple of years in a private room backstage.
Knock knock knock
It was probably just one of the guys coming to yell at him for wasting time instead of being in wardrobe where he belonged. They would be starting the concert in a little while. The door opened a crack and Brian stuck his head in.
"AJ?"
AJ sensed someone enter the room, but didn't even bother to turn around. He knew who it was. Brian. They all had a sort of connection. They all had unique auras. They could tell who was who even when they couldn't see that person. It was all very strange, but very cool. I guess that tends to happen when you've been with the same group of people 24/7 for over a decade now.
Brian walked up behind him. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. AJ removed his headphones and faced him.
"Can you believe we made it this far?" AJ asked thoughtfully.
"No. I thank God every day for it. What are you listening to?"
AJ opened his CD player and showed him. It was their U.S. debut Backstreet Boys.
"Good choice, but I thought you'd be listening to something more…now. Like Millennium." He picked up the CD cover and stared at it. "Man, we were just itty-bitty kids back then, weren't we. It feels so long ago."
"Ten years, my friend."
"I know. So many people thought that we'd be gone after two years or so. They'd be saying 'They're fifteen minutes of fame are up! Where are they gonna be in five years?' Well, look at us now. We're still here. Where we always wanted to be." He handed it back to AJ. He looked at it sadly.
"Yeah, the original five. Five." He looked down and spoke quietly. "It's been four years, Brian. But I still remember…everything. I can see everything just like it happened so vividly. Like it was happening right now. I can…I can feel everything. Is it ever going to go away?"
"I don't think it'll ever go away, but…eventually it will be easier. It wasn't your fault, AJ. So just stop blaming yourself."
"I know. I know. It's just…you know, one of the main reasons I decided to stay in this group is because he tried so hard to keep me in it. I think that was why he did what he did. And I don't want his death to be in vain. The original five. Ha, five my ass."
Brian put his hand on his shoulder as a comforting gesture.
"It'll be ok, AJ. So…you ready to get down and funky with all the ladies in our house tonight?" he added grinning.
AJ laughed and stood up. "Don't try to be a home boy, Brian, it ain't working."
"What?! You ain't no home boy neither, Mr. Cool!"
"Shut up, country bumpkin!" he continued to tease.
"Dennis Rodman wannabe!" Brian retaliated.
"Ok, you know you crossed the line! You wanna step outside?"
"Let's go!"
They started walking out the door. But AJ stopped.
"Oh! Oh wait, I can't kick your ass until after the concert! The fans might get suspicious!"
"Kick my ass?! Oh no no! You are sadly mistaken! I---"
Just then, Kevin came in and interrupted their foolish banter.
"Umm, guys? We kinda have to put a concert on? Right now?"
"Yeah, yeah, ok, ok. Jeez, Kev, ever since you turned thirty, you've been really, well how shall I put this, anal."
Kevin smacked Brian in the back of his head and pushed them both out of the room and into the wardrobe department. After AJ was all done, the Boys went backstage ready to dazzle their fans yet again. They were kind of nervous. This was the first concert of their new U.S. tour in which they preformed some old favorites like All I Have To Give and Larger Than Life and a lot of some new songs from their latest album Time Again, which went multi-platinum in less than two week of its release.
Kevin looked at his three band mates. "Ok, kiddies, it's show time! You ready?" They all confidently nodded their heads. "Alright, let's do it!" Soon the music started and they danced on stage, smiling and singing, what they do best. The girls (and some guys, too) screamed in decibels dangerously high and harmful to the human ear. AJ looked at Brian who nodded reassuringly. AJ smiled, then turned his attention back to the crowd and continued hyping up the audience. Not that they needed it since they had excitement to spare.
They did it again. Yes, the Boys were back again and definitely here to stay.