Life's Little Surprises
By: Kristine Scott

Then


I woke up with a smile on my face. I had a good dream and I was in that stage where you’re half-asleep and half awake. I looked around me and saw Kevin huddled in the corner with his girlfriend, Larissa. He whispered something in her ear and she giggled. I felt a pang of bitterness run through me. I know I shouldn’t be mad just because Kevin has a girlfriend and I don’t. They looked so happy, smiling and talking to each other. I got up out of my bunk and walked over to the small bathroom that we all have to share. There was a lot of hair stuff and some shaving cream splattered on the mirror.
“It looks like Brian and Nick got into another fight.” I thought silently.
I cleaned up the mess and splashed my face with water. It felt so good to have the cool water on my face.While I splashe my face, I think about my place in Orlando. I want to go home, but I know that the tour is really important. All my life, I wanted to dance on stage for thousands of people. Now, I’m doing that and I’m singing too. It’s a lot of fun, but we have no personal lives anymore. Kevin has to hide the fact that he’s dating Larissa. Our new managers told him that it wouldn’t go well with the fans that he’s dating, so they agreed to keep it quiet.
I walk back into the main part of the bus and sit down by Nick. He’s playing Final Fantasy VII (as usual) and Brian is telling Nick that he shouldn’t go to this one place because it’s a trap.
“Shut up, Brian. It’s not a trap. I think I know my game a little better than you do,” Nick gripes.
Cloud falls off a ledge and dies.
“Told you so,” Brian says, sticking his tongue out at Nick.
“Shut up, Brian!”
“I can’t help it if I know more than you do. You’re still a baby.”
I jump off the couch, because I know that Nick and Brian are about to start their daily routine. They play Nintendo, gripe at each other and then get into a wrestling match. They’re strange.
“Hey, A.J., have you seen my mousse?” Howie asks me.
“No, but you might check the bathroom trashcan. I noticed some stuff in there.”
Howie walks off, steaming that someone would actually throw anything of his away.
“Hey, A.J., what do you want to do today?” Larissa asks me.
“I don’t know. I’m pretty tired. I was thinking about going back to sleep.”
“You sound like Kevin,” she says, playfully.
“Hey!” Kevin says from the other side of the room.
“Sorry,” Larissa shouts from her seat, “Now get back here!”
“Let me finish making my sandwich!”
“What kind?”
“P, B, & J.”
“Don’t it figure?” Larissa and I say.
Kevin just gives us an evil look.
Mac (the driver of the bus) pulls to the side of the road.
“What’s wrong Mac?” my mom, Denise, asks from her bunk.
“I’ve got to go to the bathroom. I haven’t gone in over three hours!”
We all laugh. He always waits until the last minute to use the bathroom.
Mac comes out, looking relieved. He crawls back in his seat and asks where we want to go, since the next show isn’t for about two weeks. (We asked Johnny and Donna for a little time off.) Nick shouts that he wants to go to Astroworld, since he’s never been there.
“Mac, where’s the net stop?” Howie asks.
“Houston.”
“Well Nick, it looks like you’re gonna get your wish. Does anyone abject to going to Astroworld?” I asked.
“No.”
“Fine by me.”
“Huh?”
Kevin, get your mouth away from Larissa’s long enough to listen to what we’re saying!”
Larissa blushed.
“Do you want to go to Astroworld?” Howie asked.
“Fine by me. What about you, baby?”
“That’d be great. I could show you everything.”
Larissa grew up in Houston. She met Kevin in ’92 when they worked at Disneyworld together. She was Princess Jasmine while he was Aladdin.
“That’s awesome!” Nick shouted.
“Does anyone object to going to Astroworld?” I asked again.
Everyone shook their heads no.
“Then it’s decided. Mac, take us to Astroworld!” Nick said, excited that he got his way.
Mac headed the bus in the direction of Astroworld. It was still kind of early. I hoped it was open by now. We all got ready to spend the day at Astroworld, putting on sun block and shorts. We donned our usual disguises, hats and sunglasses, and sat at the front of the bus, waiting for Mac to pull into the parking lot.
At the gate, the attendant told Mac that he could park the bus in the North lot, because that’s where all the big vehicles parked.
We got off the bus and ran towards the huge hill that was at the entryway. Larissa told us that she used to roll down the hill when she was a kid. We all took turns rolling down the hill, acting like little kids. We walked up to the ticket booth and paid for tickets. (Damn! $35.00 just for a day? Prices are way too high these days!)
Larissa told us to use the bathroom while we were at the front gate, because bathrooms got hard to find when you actually needed them.
The first ride we got on was the Looping Starship. It made me kind of queasy, but it was fun. Then Larissa took us to the Cyclone. When we got up to the lines, everyone paired up. I was left alone. So I looked around for someone else who was alone. I saw a girl standing by herself towards the back. She was cute, so I decided to ask her if she needed a riding partner.
“Excuse me, do you have someone to ride with?”
“No.”
“Would you ride with me? My friends kind of stiffed me.”
She smiled, “Sure. I’m Shannon.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Shannon. I’m Alex.”
We talked while we waited for the line to move. For so early, it was really packed!
We finally reached the front.
“Have you ever ridden the Cyclone before?” she asked me.
“No, it’s my first time at Astroworld,” I admitted.
She smiled, “I remember my first time riding the Cyclone, I was scared to death! But don’t worry, it’s a lot of fun.”
I smiled at her. She was calming fears I didn’t know I had. I was glad that I asked her to ride with me.
I looked her over for the first time. She’s about 5’7”, slender, her short brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She wasn’t wearing a lot of makeup, which I like. I hate it when girls cake on the makeup, then I can’t see her natural beauty.
“ She has the prettiest smile,” I thought.
We finally got on the ride.
“I’m just warning you, the ride makes a lot of noise, but don’t worry, nothing’s wrong with it.”
“Thanks.”
As we started the ascent up to the top of the coaster, I felt myself getting queasy. It sure was making a lot of clicking noises. Shannon looked over at me and smiled, “Don’t worry.”
I managed a weak smile, “I’m trying not to.”
The car got to the top and took off, without realizing it, I let out a yelp.
“Relax,” Shannon called to me.
“I’m trying!”
Although I’m sure I left my stomach on the tracks, it was a lot of fun. I was sorry that I had to part with Shannon though.
“It was fun riding with you. I hope I see you again,” she said.
“Yeah.”
She started to walk off when I stopped her.
“Are you here with anyone?”
“No, I came by myself. My friends bailed on me at the last minute.”
“Would you like to walk around with me and my friends?”
“That’d be great. You’re really nice, Alex.”
I smiled. I definitely like the way she says my name. She walked with me to the arranged meeting spot and we sat down. Kevin and Larissa emerged from the ride next. Kevin couldn’t stop smiling.
“Admit it! You had fun!” Larissa said, playfully.
“All right, all right! I had fun!”
He kissed her on her forehead, and then noticed that Shannon was with me.
“Hi. I’m Kev. This is Larissa.”
“I’m Shannon.”
“Kev, I need to tell you something,” I said before he said my name. I pulled him to the side and Larissa sat down next to Shannon, ‘I told her my name is Alex. I don’t know if she knows we’re the Backstreet Boys or not, but I’d rather not tell her yet. I don’t want her to hang out with me just because I’m famous.”
“I understand. Make sure to tell the other guys before they call you A.J.”
Nick and Brian walked down the walkway, Nick looking an interesting shade of green.
“Are you okay, Nikipoo?” I asked.
“Just shut up,” he answered.
Kevin pulled Brian to the side and told him about me telling Shannon my name.
“Hi, I’m Brian,” he said, extending his hand.
“I’m Shannon,” she said, taking it.
We waited for Howie and my mom and chatted. I found out that Shannon is a dancer. She is trying to get a gig as a choreographer for this group called M-Pact. (Yes, they’re a real group. They’re an a capella group that travels around the country) I looked over at Kevin, who grinned at me. He knew exactly what I was thinking.
“Hey, Shannon, we know someone who might be able to help you out,” Kevin said.
“Really, who?”
“Alex. He’s a great dancer and he works with a choreographer every day.”
Shannon turned to me as I shot Kevin an evil look.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’m a trained dancer.”
Shannon looked at me in total amazement.
I made a promise to kill Kevin later. Howie and my mom walked down the walkway then, and my mom called for me. “Hey, sweetie, come here for a second.”
“That’s my mom. Stay right there.”
“Not going anywhere,” she said.
I trotted over to my mom, “What’s up?”
“Who’s the girl? And what name did you give her?”
“Her name is Shannon, and I told her my name is Alex.”
She smiled, “She’s really pretty.”
“Yeah. She’s gonna walk around with us because her friends bailed on her this morning. Now she’s here all alone.”
“I’m glad you found someone to ride with because Howie and I decided only to ride the kiddie rides from now on. That was a bit scary.”
I laughed at her. She always said that, but never rode any kiddie rides.
We walked over to where Shannon was sitting and mom introduced herself.
“Hi, I’m Denise.”
“I’m Shannon.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
Larissa told us that we had to go ride Greased Lightning next. It was her favorite ride in the entire park.
“All right, let’s go,” Kevin agreed.
“I feel I should warn you, this ride is really fast. It goes to like, 70 miles per hour in about four seconds,” Shannon said as we got up.
“That’s okay. I’ll be fine, I hope,” I said.
We walked for what seemed like forever. We finally got to the ride and I saw what she meant. I watched the ride start up, go forward, through a loop, and then do it backwards! I suddenly didn’t feel all that great.
We walked to the lines, which were really short. “They’re always short because the ride is over so fast,” Shannon explained.
“Oh,” was all I said.
She took me to the line that was somewhere in the middle.
“No matter how many times I ride this, I can’t bring myself to get in the front or the back. I feel safer in the middle.”
“Me too.”
The next two rides went by amazingly fast (wonder why) and we were up next.
Kevin and Larissa climbed into the car ahead of us. I could feel butterflies in my stomach. As the bars went down across our laps, Kevin announced that he suddenly had to use the restroom.
“That’s your adrenaline pumping. You’ll get over it,” Larissa said.
“I dunno…”
“Relax, baby. It’s a really fun ride.”
Kevin couldn’t talk. He just kind of squeaked.
The people that were running the ride made an announcement and then they let us go. It was fast, but so much fun, I didn’t have time to get scared or scream. Nick screamed from somewhere behind me, telling Larissa he was going to kill her and that he wanted his mommy.
Suddenly, the ride was over.
“Welcome back…” the announcer started to say.
“Get me out of here!” Nick shouted.
The bars raised off our laps and we walked away. Nick fell to the ground, kissing it.
“Get up, you idiot!” Brian said.
“Fuck off!” Nick shouted.
“Uh-oh. Here comes another match,” I said to Kevin.
“Guys, chill!” Howie shouted to them, “Let’s not make a scene!”
Nick looked over at Howie and laughed.
“What?”
Brian helped Nick up off the ground, “The look on your face was classic!” Nick said.
We were all puzzled.
“We planned that all out, even the screaming on the ride!”
Kevin looked at Howie and me. We knew what he was thinking. We rushed towards Nick and Brian, sending them to the ground. I jumped on top of Nick, ticking him.
“Stop!” he shouted.
“Never!”
“A.J.!”
I glanced at Shannon to see if she heard my name. She had.
“You little shit head!”
I tickled him harder.
“Someone help me!” Nick cried, helpless.
Brian gave a muffled shout from under Kevin.
“Sorry, Nick, Brian is a little preoccupied at the moment. Leave a message and he’ll get back to you,” Kevin said.
Howie helped me with Nick.
Nick finally cried our code word for giving up, “Noogie!”
“Finally!” I shouted, getting up off Nick.
“ ‘Noogie?’ “ Shannon asked.
“Yeah, it’s our word for ‘I give up.’ It’s better than ‘Uncle,’ isn’t it?”
“I suppose so,” she said.
We started to walk away from the ride and Shannon walked ahead of me, talking to my mom. I took the opportunity to check out her other assets. I chuckled and Kevin elbowed me. He knew what I was thinking, he always does.
“So, Brian, how’s Michelle?” I asked, referring to his girlfriend.
“She’s great. She’ll be at the next concert. She’s flying in from New York tomorrow.”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”
“Two months, three weeks, four days and 16 hours.”
“But who’s counting?” Kevin asked.
I laughed. Brian and Kevin are so goofy when it comes to their girlfriends. Kev does the same thing when Larissa is away. My mom made a deal with Johnny and Donna so that Larissa could tour with us. She’s one of our dancers.
We walked to the Viper.
“This is one of my favorite rides. I always sing when we start to go down in the tunnel,” Shannon said.
“What do you sing?”
“Usually Silverchair’s ‘Tomorrow,’ But sometimes I vary it.”
“I love that song,” I said.
“Then you have to sing it with me.”
“No problem!”
We walked up to the lines. They weren’t that long today.
“You guys must be good luck, or something,” Shannon said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Usually the lines are so long, you have to bring a lunch or possibly even a dinner!”
We laughed. Shannon and I took our places at the end of the very last line.
“It’s more fun to ride in the back,” she said.
We waited for about two minutes and then climbed in. When the ride started to move, we started singing.
“It’s 12 o’clock….”
I stole a glance in Shannon’s direction.
“I know you hate me, but I’ll ask anyway. Won’t you come with me, to a place in a little town, the only way to get there’s to go straight DOWN!” We shouted the last word because the cars had reached the top and were now going down into the tunnel. We couldn’t sing anymore after that. The ride totally rocked, but it was over really quick.
Kevin and Larissa got off the ride at the same time as us and went to the bathroom.
Shannon and I waited for the rest of the group at the bottom of the stairs. We talked about various things, like where we went to high school, where we studied dance, and what our parents are like. I found that she’s very easy to talk to.
Kevin ran towards us and almost slammed into us.
“I won!” he shouted to Larissa, who closely followed him.
“You cheated!”
“No, you’re just slow!”
“You’re lying you cheating-“
He silenced her by kissing her. Shannon and I got really uncomfortable.
We rode all the rest of the rides and had a lot of fun. Shannon dared me to ride the Greased Lightning 12 times in a row. I couldn’t resist the challenge. By the sixth time, I was getting a little queasy. By the time I was on the 10th run, I felt sick. But I never back out on a dare. On the 12th run, Shannon screamed to me that I had won the bet. Now I had to decide what the prize would be. I ran down to her and we ran to the end of the sidewalk. A train was passing (there’s a train that goes through Astroworld and Waterworld) through, so we had to wait.
“So, what’s the prize?” she asked.
“Your phone number,” I said as the train passed. I walked across the tracks and Shannon just stood there I walked to the other side of the tracks and turned around, noticing that Shannon hadn’t followed me.
“What are you waiting for?”
“Nothing,” she said as she crossed the tracks.
We walked in silence and I saw Larissa, sitting in Kevin’s lap near the restrooms.
“Hey! Did you win?” Larissa shouted.
“Yup.”
“What did you win?” Kevin asked.
I looked over at Shannon who said, “My phone number.”
“Damn Alex, what won’t you do for a girl’s number?” Kevin asked.
I laughed. Then I realized that Shannon had agreed to my terms. She pulled out a scrap of paper from her pocket and got a pen from Kevin. She scribbled down her phone number.
I stuck it in my pocket as we walked towards the front of the park. It was getting dark already, and Mac had called mom on her cell phone and told her that Johnny and Donna were getting worried.
I grabbed Shannon’s hand as we walked out of the park. I walked her to her car while the rest of the group went to the bus.
“Shannon, there’s something I have to tell you before I leave. I think it’s pretty important to tell you my name is Alex, but people know me as-“
“A.J. I already know. I know you’re in the Backstreet Boys. I know all about you guys. Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, and A.J. McLean. I understand why you didn’t tell me who you are. You’re a nice guy, and I’m glad that I got to spend the day with you. I’ll also understand if I never get a call from you.”
“I’m going to call you tonight.”
“Sure you are.”
“I am!”
“Okay, I’ll leave the ringer on tonight when I get home.”
I smiled at her, “I promise I’ll call you when I get home.”
She got into her car and started it up. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed my mom’s number.
“Hey, mom. I’m in the East parking lot. Could you ask Mac to come get me?”
“Sure thing, hon. Did you tell her?”
“Yeah. She already knew, though. I’ll tell you later.”
“All right honey. I’ll see you in about two minutes.”
I hung up the phone and waited for Mac to pull up. I climbed on the bus and went straight to my bunk. I fell asleep with the phone in my hand.
We pulled into the Raddisson Suites hotel. I woke up with a start. We checked in and I ran to the elevators. I wanted to call Shannon as soon as possible. I ran to the door and had a little trouble with the keycard. When I finally got the stupid thing to work, and ran inside. I found the phone and dialed the phone. She picked up on the third ring.
“Hello?”
“Shannon? It’s A.J.”
“Hi.”
“I told you I’d call.”
“Yeah, you did.”
There was an awkward silence, but I broke it with a corny joke. We talked all night (I was pretty thankful that I got my own room) and we fell asleep on the phone.

Now

I walked through the door to the lobby of the hotel.
“There’s A.J.!” I heard someone shout.
“Shit,” I muttered.
I ran to the elevator, having been given strict instructions not to sign any autographs and to get straight upstairs. My mom can be so demanding sometimes.
As I reached the doors, they opened.
“How lucky am I?” I said as I rushed in. Whoever was in the elevator had rushed out as I ran in. I pushed the button for the 13th floor and the doors closed behind me. I waited patiently for the elevator to reach my floor. I walked out of the elevator and walked straight to my room. I walked in and was attacked. I fell to the floor, my attacker falling on top of me. I fell on my back, and saw who my attacker was.
“Shannon!”
“Hey, A.J.!”
“I didn’t expect you to get here so soon. I thought your flight wasn’t until next week!”
“I moved it up. I couldn’t wait to see you.”
“Come here,” I said as I pulled her to me.
We sat on the floor as we kissed. It didn’t matter where we were, just as long as we were together. I hadn’t seen her for a month and I missed her so much.
“Ahem,” someone cleared their throat from the door.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“I want to know when you’re gonna come up for air,” Kevin said.
I laughed.
“Wussup Shannon?” he asked.
“Not much.”
We got up off the floor and walked over to the table. We sat down and Kevin pulled a chair in between us.
“I want to make sure nothing else happens while I’m in the room,” he said.
“Asshole,” I muttered under my breath.
We sat and talked for about five minutes or so, when Larissa walked in the room.
“There you are. Come on. It’s time to go.”
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“My Lord! You’re nosy!” Kevin said.
I just shrugged.
“We’re going out to a club,” Larissa said.
“ ‘Club?’ Can Shannon and I come?”
“You had to open your mouth,” Kevin said to Larissa, “I guess so.”
“All right. Give me five minutes to change.”
“I’ll see you in 20 minutes, A.J.,” Kevin said.
“Come on! I’m not Howie. It doesn’t take me that long to get ready!”
They laughed.
“Did I hear someone say my name?” Howie asked from Kevin’s door. (Kevin and A.J.’s rooms are connected)
“Yeah. Kevy was saying how you always take forever to get ready,” Larissa told him.
“I can’t help it if I like to look good. When are we leaving?”
“In about five minutes,” A.J. said, “I’ve gotta change.”
He ran to his suitcase and grabbed his favorite tee shirt and a pair of jeans. Then he ran to the bathroom. He ran a brush through his hair and looked for the blue sunglasses that went with his shirt.
“Has anyone seen my blue Ray Bans?”
“Right here,” Shannon said, holding out the glasses.
“Thanks,” he said, taking them, “I’m ready.”
We walked out the door and went out the back way, hoping to avoid the crowd.
When we got to the club, the bouncer recognized me and we walked in.
Shannon and I danced for about three hours before we decided that we were tired. We went to where Kevin and Larissa had gone to, dancing to their own beat.
“We’re gonna leave,” I shouted over the music.
“Later,” Kevin said, not really hearing what I said.
We walked outside and called a cab.
Shannon managed to get one and we told the driver to go to the back entrance of the hotel where we were staying.
He pulled into the parking lot and we climbed out. I refused to let Shannon pay and she threw a small fit.
We stumbled into my room and fell onto the bed.
“I think you’ve had one too many drinks,” I told Shannon.
“Nuh-uh. You had too much.”
We playfully wrestled and decided we’d both had too much.
“I’m gonna take a shower,” Shannon said, and jumped off the bed.
“Good idea I think I’ll join you,”
“I think not!”
“Why not?”
“Because, I said so.”
She walked to the bathroom and closed the door. I fell onto the bed.
Right as I started to fall asleep, Shannon burst out of the bathroom, wearing my shirt and Kevin’s shorts.
“Where’d you get Kevin’s shorts?”
“They were on the floor.”
“Oh,” I said, making a mental note to yell at Kevin for using my bathroom without telling me.
Shannon stumbled over to the bed. The shower had obviously not sobered her up any. I decided to let her stay with me tonight, since I didn’t know where she was staying and I didn’t think she’d know either.
“Good night,” she said.
We fell asleep in each other’s arms. I hoped that I remembered to lock the door to Kevin’s room. I’d never hear the end of it if anyone walked in.
The next day, I woke up and the sun was shining through the window. Shannon wasn’t in the bed.
I got out of bed, and heard a sound coming from the bathroom. I walked to the door and pushed it open.
Shannon was worshipping the porcelain god.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“I’m fucking dandy. What’s it look like?”
I walked over beside her and sat down on the side of the bathtub. I pushed her hair out of her face and put my hand on her back while she threw up.
“It’ll be okay,” I said, trying to soothe her.
“Can you just let me die in peace?”
I laughed at her while she threw up again. I got her a cold wash cloth to put on her forehead. We sat there for about an hour and she finally quit throwing up.
“Do you want to go back to bed?”
“If you can carry me. I don’t think I can walk right now.”
I picked her up and carried her to the bed. She rolled over and started gagging. I rushed to the trashcan and brought it to her. She didn’t throw up though. Instead, she rolled back over and looked over at A.J. She smiled at him.
“I’m sorry. I think I’m gonna mess up the bedspread.”
“That’s okay. It’s not my bedspread.”
I held her when she fell asleep. She didn’t throw up on me. When we woke up, it was about 12:30. She woke up first and I woke up soon after.
“Hey.”
“Hey. How are you feeling?”
“Better. Remind me to hurt you later.”
“Why?”
“For letting me drink so much.”
“I didn’t force you to drink anything!”
“Yeah, but you let me drink a lot!”
I gave up. I knew I wouldn’t win this argument. Shannon can be so stubborn.
We climbed out of the bed and I pushed her into the bathroom.
“Take a shower,” I said.
“Why?”
“You smell like throw up.”
“You do too!”
“So maybe I should climb in with you.”
“Maybe you should.”
I was shocked. I’d always joked about getting into the shower with her, but she always said no.
She started to smile, “The look on your face just now was classic!”
“What?”
“Oh man,You should’ve seen your face!” she repeated.
“You were joking?”
“Of course! Why would I shower with you? I hardly know you.”
“We’ve known each other for over a year Shannon!”
“I know, I just like to piss you off.”
She kissed me on the cheek and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
I walked over to Kevin’s door and knocked.
“Come in.”
“Hey Kev, what’s up?” I stopped dead in my tracks.
“Hey, A.J.” Larissa greeted me.
“Hey, Larissa. Kev, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure.”
I pulled him into my room, away from Larissa’s hearing range and gave him a concerned look.
“Why is Larissa wearing nothing but your shirt?”
“Relax, A.J. She stayed the night in my hotel room. That’s all. We didn’t do it.”
“Yeah, right. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other, and the way ya’ll act when you’re involved in a lip lock. There’s no way ya’ll withstood the temptation.”
“A.J., I’m surprised that you have so little faith in us.”
“Where did you sleep?”
“On the couch.”
“Oh.”
Just then, Shannon poked her head out of the bathroom. “A.J., I need some clothes to wear. All mine are in my room.”
Kevin looked at me with the most vicious look I’d ever seen while I got Shannon some clothes.
“What?”
“You just preached to me about this.”
“We didn’t. We’d both had too much to drink, and she stayed in my room, ‘cause neither of us remembered what room she’s in.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Really!”
“Uh-huh, sure. Whatever,”
“Kevin!” I shouted as he walked back into his room.
“Shit.”
Shannon walked out of the bathroom, fully clothed.
“Kevin thinks we slept together.”
“We did.”
“Not literally. He thinks we had sex.”
“Oh. Then we need to set him straight.” “He’ll believe me!”
She walked into his room and shouted at him. “KEVIN RICHARDSON!”
“What?”
“We did not have sex!”
“A.J. thought that Larissa and I had sex, but he was wrong, so I’m entitled to think whatever the hell I want to think!”
Shannon stormed out of the room and went back into mine.
“I’m going to my room. I’ll be back later so we can go to the movies or whatever you had planned.”
“Later.”
“Bye.”
She slammed the door behind her. Kevin really upset her.
“Bastard,” I muttered.
I walked into the bathroom and took off my clothes. I climbed into the shower and turned the hot water on, almost scalding myself. It felt really good. I washed my hair and then turned off all the hot water. I almost froze right there, but it got my blood pumping. I climbed out and dried off. I hummed “Lay Down Beside Me” as I got dressed and fixed my hair. It was blonde today, but I was thinking about changing it back to it’s original color.
There was a loud knock on the door. I ran to get it. Shannon was at the door, waiting patiently for me to answer.
“Hey-“ I started to say, but she interrupted me.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
I grabbed my coat and ran out the door. We walked to the elevator and she pushed the down button. I glance at her. She still looked angry.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“What’s wrong? I know that there’s something other than this whole Kevin thing that’s upsetting you.”
“Look, I haven’t had the greatest of mornings. I just want to go get something in my stomach and go to a movie.”
“All right.”
The doors opened and I wondered what was wrong with her again.



----------------------



-EARLIER IN SHANNON’S ROOM-
Shannon ran around her room, trying to get her clothes on. Her shower wasn’t very relaxing and there wasn’t any conditioner. The phone rang as she put on her Doc Martens.
“Hello?”
“Shannon?”
“Yes?”
“Hey! What are you doing, chica?”
“Who is this?”
“This is Tim.”
“Tim?”
“Yeah, Tim Simmons, you know, from high school.”
“Oh, Tim. How did you get this number?”
“I have my ways. So, what are you doing?”
“I’m getting ready to go out with my boyfriend.”
“I’m not there.”
“Yes, I know. I said my boyfriend. That doesn’t mean you. You and I were over a long time ago.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the junior prom. I broke up with you that night. Don’t you remember?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Shannon.”
“Look, Tim, I know that we had a little thing, but that’s all it was, a little thing.”
“Look, Shannon, I don’t think you understand. It’ll never be over between you and me. You know, I can see you right now. That shirt looks terrible on you. You should change before I come to get you.”
“What?”
“Yeah, the gray shirt doesn’t look very good on you.”
“I’m gonna hang up now. Please don’t call back.”
“I’m coming for you…” he said in a sing-song voice.
Shannon was starting to get scared.
“Goodbye, Tim. Please don’t call me again.”
“Hang up on me and I’ll gut you like a fish!”
Shannon threw the phone back on the receiver. She was scared and angry. Why the hell would Tim be calling her after three years? She picked up her purse and walked out the door.



---------------------



-BACK IN THE ELEVATOR-
Shannon sighed and looked over her shoulder at A.J., who was still worried about her. She hadn’t said a word the entire time they were in the elevator. They got to the third floor and A.J. pressed the emergency stop button.
“What did you do that for?” Shannon demanded.
“We’ve got to talk.”
“So talk. And get this thing moving soon.”
“Shannon, I want to know what’s wrong with you. You’ve never acted this way before, and it’s really scaring me.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Shannon,” he pressed.
“If I tell you, will you get us out of here?”
“Yes.”
“While I was in my room, I got a call from my high school boyfriend. He talked to me like we’d never broken up. The thing is, I broke up with him the night of my junior prom. That was three years ago!”
Shannon fell into A.J.’s arms and began to cry. She was so scared.
“It’ll be okay,” he said, trying to soothe her. But he only made her cry harder.
“He threatened to kill me. He told me if I hung up on him he’d gut me like a fish.”
“It’s okay. He won’t be able to find you.”
“He knew what I was wearing! He told me that I looked horrible in my gray shirt.”
A.J. got really worried, but didn’t show it to her. “You’re moving in with me.”
“I can’t. Denise, Johnny, and Donna would kill us!”
“I’ll move to a room with two beds. You’re staying with me and that’s final.”
“A.J…”
“I want to be with you every moment of the day. I’m not letting some whack-job take away the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“All right,” she gave in.
“Don’t sound like you’re consenting. I wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer!”
He started the elevator back up and they reached the ground floor. A.J. walked up to the front desk, seeing that all the fans had gone.
“Hi. I’m A.J. McLean. I’m staying in room 1345 and I’d like to switch rooms to one with two beds. And Shannon Timberlake is going to be staying with me.”
“I’m not sure if that’s allowed, sir.”
“Sir, if you don’t give us another room, then you’re putting this girl’s life in danger.”
The man looked around like he was about to give away some missile codes and gave me keys to another room. He took our keys and told us that he could possibly lose his job for this.
“I’ll vouch for you,” I told him.
“I’m sure that’ll be a big help,” he said sarcastically.
Shannon and I went back upstairs to pack our stuff and move to the new room.
I stopped by my mom’s room to explain what was going on. She wasn’t very happy with it, but decided to (finally) let me live my life.
Shannon and I went to the movies after a quick stop to McDonald’s. After the movie, we went back to the hotel. We went into our rooms and collapsed on our beds.
“Good night, A.J.”
“Night, Shannon.”
We slept pretty peacefully that night.
The next day, nothing very eventful happened. We stayed in our room pretty much all day, only leaving for food. Kevin saw me in the hall and pulled me aside. “Why did you switch rooms?” he asked, sounding like a concerned older brother.
“Shannon got a death threat, so we got a room together. Relax,” I said, seeing his expression, “The room has two beds.”
“Okay. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks, Kev.”
“Any time.”
I went back to the room and watched tv with Shannon. We watched “Event Horizon” and fell asleep on my bed in each other’s arms.
That night, I had a bad dream. In the dream, someone was with Shannon. She kissed him and looked over at me.
“Did you really think I cared about you?”
I woke up in a cold sweat. I looked down at her and she sighed. I laid back down and pulled her closer to me.



------------------



-TWO WEEKS LATER-
Shannon and I still shared a hotel room, even though we weren’t in the same hotel. We’d gone to Madrid and I asked her to come with us. I felt closer to her than I ever had before. She was truly my best friend as well as my girlfriend.
We walked through the streets of Madrid hand in hand. I didn’t care if anyone saw us or not anymore. I was sick of hiding my relationship from the world.
We walked to a local park and sat down by a tree. I sang a song that I had written for her. It was called, “Waiting for You.” When I was through, she cried. I pulled her to me and held her tight.
“Let’s go back to the hotel,” she said against my chest.
We got up and walked back, slowly.
When we got to the room, Shannon led me to my bed and flipped the tv on. Let’s see what’s on,” she said. She flipped through the channels and stopped at MTV. Our video for “All I Have To Give” was on. I hadn’t seen that one in a while and she left it on that channel.
After the video was over, a MTV news brief came on.
“Hi, I’m Kurt Loder with MTV news. A.J. McLean has been spotted with a dark haired girl on several occasions. Some say that she is just a friend, but others have said that they have spotted the two “cuddling up” in semi-public places. Has the Backstreet Boy found a girlfriend? More to come.” I looked at the tv with disgust.
“I can’t believe they snoop in our private lives! When I want to announce to the world that I have a girlfriend, I’ll do it. But I’ll only do it when I’m damn well good and ready!”
“I know. But you weren’t called a “dark haired girl,” at least they know your name!”
I smiled at her. She reached up to me and kissed me softly on the lips. I deepend the kiss and pulled her closer to me.
I pulled off my shirt and she ran her hands over my chest. She soon pulled off her own shirt. I ran my hands over her body.
Shannon reached over to the drawer beside the bed. She pulled out a little package.
“Better safe than sorry,” she said.
As I made love to her, all I could say was how much I loved her. She could only say the same.



-----------------



-THE NEXT MORNING-
Shannon woke up in my arms. She kissed me softly and managed to squirm out of my grasp so she could shower. While she was in the shower, she heard the door open.
“Shannon? Are you gonna be in there for a while?”
“Yeah. I’m thinking about moving in here so I don’t have to leave. It feels so good.”
She gasped when I pulled the curtain back and climbed in with her.
“What are you doing?”
“If you’re gonna move in here, then I’m gonna have to come visit a lot.”
She grinned and tossed me the soap.
“Since you’re in here, you might as well do my back.”
I gently washed her back and then she washed mine. She washed my hair for me (which I had dyed back to the original color.)
I made love to her again, feeling so many emotions that I almost cried.
Later on that day, we went to Kevin’s room and talked. We didn’t tell him about us sleeping together, we figured he’d figure it out by him self. We went back to the room and made love again. I couldn’t get enough of her.
While we watched tv, she laid in my arms. I stroked her hair and didn’t really watch the tv. I was too busy watching her.
“What?” she asked when she noticed me looking at her.
“I love you.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I love you.”
Tears formed in her eyes, “ I love you too, A.J.”
I held her close and we fell asleep in each other’s arms.



------------------------



-THREE WEEKS LATER-
We left Madrid and went to Paris. We got a room with just one bed because it was pretty common knowledge that we were sleeping together by then. My mom was okay with this. She told me that she knew I was growing up and she’d try to accept it. She just hoped that we were being safe. I told her to relax, she’s not going to be a grandma any time soon. She laughed at me.
The day we checked in, we were too jet-lagged to even take off our shoes. We just fell on the bed and went to sleep.
When I woke up that evening, Shannon was looking at me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just like to watch you sleep. You look so peaceful.”
I blushed and hoped I don’t talk in my sleep.
She got up out of the bed and walked over to the balcony. She stepped outside, letting the cool air hit her. Her hair swayed in the breeze and I got up to play with her hair. She turned to look at me with tears in her eyes.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I have to leave in a few days.”
“What?”
“I have to go back home. My mom needs me right now and I can’t let her down.”
“I understand. But I’ll miss you so much.”
“I’ll miss you too. Let’s make these last few days the best we possibly can.”
I kissed her and took her back to bed.



The next few days passed rather quickly. The day we’d been dreading had finally come. I didn’t want to be away from her for a second, but I had my career and she had to go see her mother. When we woke up that morning, we decided not to spend the whole day in bed. We got in the shower and then got dressed, making plans for the day.
“When’s your flight?”
“8:30 tonight.”
“Great. Let’s go sight-seeing.”
“Where?”
“How about the Eiffel Tower?”
“That sounds perfect.”
We finished getting dressed and set out for the Eiffel Tower. When we got there, Shannon wanted to go to the top, but we couldn’t because the damn thing was closed that day.
“Oh well. It gives us more time to eat,” she said.
“Where to?”
“Hmmm…McDonald’s?”
I definitely loved this girl. She had the same tastes as me, she liked the same music. We were compatible to the limit.
“Let’s go!”
I ordered for her while she got us a seat. We ate in silence, which was unusual. We were both thinking about her flight that night.
“Let’s go back to the hotel,” I suggested.
“That sounds like a great plan.”
We started to walk back towards the hotel and then I remembered that we didn’t have any Cokes left in our mini-fridge. We walked into a store and got some Cokes and some munchies for later. As we walked to the front of the store, a man ran into the store, wearing a ski mask and carrying a gun. He instructed the cashier to give him all the money in the register and he did as he was told. When he turned around, he noticed us. He walked up to Shannon and pressed the barrel of the gun up to her forehead.
“Give me all your money and all your jewelry,” he said, then looked over at me, “You too, or your girlfriend gets it.”
I took out all the money I had in my pockets and handed it to him. I took off my Rolex and the gold chain that Shannon had given me for my birthday. I handed those to him too. Shannon had to give him her grandmother’s ring and the locket I had given her last Christmas.
He turned to run out of the store. As he did, he pointed the gun and fired. Shannon threw me out of the way, putting herself in the line of fire.
She fell to the ground, clutching her side. I fell beside her.
“Shannon?”
“Hey.”
“Baby, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
I moved her hand off her side and saw a spot of blood that was quickly getting larger.
“Call 911!” I shouted to the clerk.
I heard him move towards the phone and speak into it.
“Shannon, you better hang on! I can’t lose you now!”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
I couldn’t help but let my tears start to flow. She was trying to be strong for me. I knew that she was in pain, but she wouldn’t let it show.
“Love you A.J.,” she said as she slipped out of consciousness.



---------------



-LATER AT THE HOSPITAL-
I waited for the doctor to come back and tell me if Shannon was going to be okay. Kevin and Larissa were there with me. My mom was on her way. Howie, Nick, and Brian were no where to be found. I said a prayer each time I saw a doctor heading down the hall.
“Hey, A.J., let’s pray together,” Kevin said.
I grabbed Kevin’s and Larissa’s hand and we prayed.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder, it was a woman, in her mid-thirties, wearing a set of green scrubs.
“I’m Dr. Jensen. Are you with Shannon Timberlake?”
“Yes, I am.”
“She’s in stable condition. She didn’t sustain any internal injuries from the gunshot. She’s one lucky girl.”
“Can I see her?”
“She’s asleep right now, but you can go in there and sit with her.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
Kevin and Larissa stayed in the waiting room to wait for my mom. She had called Shannon’s parents and they were on their way.
When I walked in the room, I felt tears well up again. She looked so small and helpless in that bed. I sat beside her and she seemed to stir. I just talked to her, not caring if she could hear me or not.
“I love you, baby girl,” I said, calling her the secret nickname I had given her in Milan, “I wish you could hear me right now, I’ve got something really important to say.”
“So say it,” I heard her say.
“You’re awake!”
“Yeah, but you’re kind of loud.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get loud.”
“So, what were you gonna say?”
“Shannon, will you marry me?”
She didn’t answer. She just made a kind of squeaking noise.
“Shannon?”
“Yes,” she whispered.



------------------



-ONE YEAR LATER-
Kevin walked to the mailbox and got the mail since Larissa was taking care of their son, Thomas. He walked in and sorted the mail. He noticed something from A.J. and set the rest of the mail down.
“Hey, Larissa! We got some thing from A.J.!”
“Open it!”
He ripped the envelope open and took the letter out. It read:

Dear Kevin, Larissa, and Thomas,
Shannon and I are proud to announce the arrival of the newest member of our family. Shelley Nicole McLean was born on May 18, 1998. We’re having a party for her as soon as Shannon and Shelley are up to it. Please come. I miss you guys a lot. It’s only been two moths since the last time I’ve seen you, but it seems like an eternity. Call soon.
Peace out!
A.J. and Shannon McLean

THE END

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