Chapter Three

Vanessa was so nervous, she couldn’t sit still. Brooke parked the car and took the keys out of the ignition. Then she took a deep breath and turned to face her friend.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“I feel like I’m gonna puke,” she said, her voice weak and shaky.

“Oh no you don’t! You’re going to walk into that arena, go right up to Kevin, and present him with that mysterious gift of yours. While I on the other hand, am going to see exactly why they call AJ ‘Bone.’”

Vanessa looked down at the wrapped box sitting in her lap. “Maybe I shouldn’t give this to him.”

“What is it?” Brooke asked casually, though she was dying to know.

“I don’t want to say. It’s so dumb!”

“Oh please, anything that you give him is not dumb.”

Vanessa wasn’t so sure.

They got out of the car, made sure they had their tickets and VIP passes, and headed for the entrance to the building. They walked past all the girls waiting to get inside, flashing their passes at the security guards. Vanessa was startled when one young girl hissed “Bitch!” at her as she passed by.

“They’re just jealous,” Brooke said. Vanessa nodded, tightening her grip on Kevin’s present.

They were ushered backstage to a large conference room by a stagehand. “Ladies, you look lovely tonight,” he said, grinning at them before he left.

“See, I told you we looked good,” Brooke said.

Vanessa nodded. She was dressed in form fitting black pants and a lavender colored satin top. Her shoes were chunky black heels. Her hair was piled on top of her head in curls and she’d spent an hour on her makeup. Brooke had chosen a similar outfit. Black capri pants with a sky blue short sleeved blouse. Her shoes were also black with big heels. They had opted on a classic look instead of the typical shorts and strappy tank top that most of the girls were wearing. Brooke’s hair was twisted up and held in place with a pearl studded comb. Stray curls framed her face.

“Do you think AJ will notice me?” she asked nervously, eyeing the other girls in the room.

“Of course he will. He’ll see you from across the room and fall for you so fast!” She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

“Thanks.”

Vanessa glanced at her watch. It was almost time for the Boys to start the meet and greet. They both jumped when the door to the conference room opened and in walked Brian.

Tiny shrieks could be heard throughout the room. Vanessa and Brooke were at the end of the line, so they watched as Brian chatted with everyone ahead of them.

“Wow, he’s so cute!” Brooke whispered.

Vanessa had to agree. When he reached them, he grinned and extended his hand for each of them to shake.

“And what are your names?” he asked, his voice soft and Southern.

“Brooke,” she breathed.

“Vanessa.”

“Well, ladies, you look great!”

“Thanks,” Brooke said. “Would you sign this please?” She handed him her Millenium cd cover.

“Sure thing. How do you like it?”

“Oh I love it!” Brooke gushed. “The ‘Perfect Fan’ is such a beautiful song, I was nearly in tears when I heard it.”

“My mother sure was,” he said, laughing. “Thank you very much for the compliment.” He signed his name and then turned to Vanessa.

She handed him her cd cover and basically said the same thing. Her mind was like mush. She couldn’t think.

“How about a picture?” he suggested.

“Oh, yeah,” she said. She aimed her camera at Brooke and Brian and snapped a picture. Then she handed the camera to Brooke.

“So where are you two sitting tonight?” he asked Vanessa after their picture was taken.

“We won front row floor tickets,” she said.

“Whoa, lucky you. I’ll be sure to wave to you,” he told them.

Then he moved away from them to mingle with everyone. The door opened again, and in walked Nick. The shrieks erupted once again.

“I don’t know if I can handle this,” Brooke said. “I’m acting all crazy now, and I haven’t even seen AJ yet!”

Vanessa laughed. “Just stay cool. You’re doing fine.”

Nick made his way down the line. “Hello!” he said cheerfully when he got to them. “How are you?”

“Just fine. And you?” Brooke asked.

“I’m great! I’m hyper, and ready to put on a show for you all!”

He signed their cd covers and posed for pictures. Then he joined Brian in circling the room. A few minutes later, Howie and AJ entered the room.

Brooke grabbed onto Vanessa’s arm with an iron grip. “There he is!” she cried. “Oh my God, what do I say? How does my hair look? Oh my God!”

Vanessa tried to wiggle free of her grasp. “Just be yourself,” she said.

Howie reached them first. He was just as sweet and nice as they thought he would be, and very anxious to get the show going.

When AJ was standing just two feet away from Brooke, Vanessa cried out in pain as her nails dug into her arm.

“Hi there,” he greeted them. He was wearing his trademark shades and his hair was actually brown! The black tank top he wore showed off his tattoos and muscles.

“Hi,” Vanessa said, wincing. “Brooke, you wanna let go, please?”

AJ laughed easily. “No need to be nervous,” he said to Brooke. “How ‘bout you latch onto my arm for awhile?”

That was it. Brooke gave a happy sigh, and then she was falling, taking Vanessa with her.

“Whoa!” AJ cried, reaching out to catch them. He grabbed ahold of them with both arms and steadied them. “Are you all right?”

Vanessa nodded, and stepped away from Brooke. “I think she’s a little nervous,” she said, smiling.

AJ looked at the girl still in his arms and grinned. “Is that it? What’s your name?”

“Brooke,” she whispered.

“Well, Brooke, would you like to sit and talk with me a while? I don’t think your legs are strong enough to stand right now.”

She just nodded. AJ, still holding onto her, lead her to a nearby couch. Brooke gave Vanessa a wide eyed look of shock. Vanessa just shook her head and turned to face the door. Where was Kevin?

A hand touched her shoulder. She whirled around and found Brian standing there.

“He’s coming, he’s just a little slow tonight,” he told her. “I’m guessing that’s who the gift is for?”

She looked down at the box still in her hands. “Yeah.”

“Looks like AJ found a new friend.”

“Brooke really likes him.”

“Well, he’s not really seeing anyone at the moment. And he seems interested in her...” Brian grinned and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Vanessa couldn’t help but giggle.

“So what’s it like being in the most famous group in the world?” she asked him.

He shrugged. “It’s a lot of work, but I love it. I get to travel the world, and entertain people. But sometimes I miss just being able to walk down the street without starting a riot, know what I mean?”

She nodded. “I can sympathize totally. You know, Brooke and I camped out for tickets to this show, and they sold out just as we got to the counter.”