Larger Than Life

Your life can change with one chance meeting. My life is an example of that. My meeting with Brian was by chance. I just happened to be walking home somewhat slowly that day. Brian just happened to be lost. And by chance I wasn’t watching where I was going and ran into him. I mean I really ran into him.

"Oh, my God, I’m sorry," said the man I had ran into. He bent down to pick up the bags I had been carrying. He handed it to me.

"It’s okay," I said quickly. Being the way I was at the time I was trying my best not to look at him. I was looking anywhere but him. His head and eyes kept going to where I was looking. Then I looked at the ground. I really don’t know why I did this. I’m over it now.

"You can look at me. I won’t turn you to stone or anything. And I’m not bad looking by popular option," he said after a moment and smiled.

"I know," I snapped and looked at him. He just looked back at me like he was waiting to say something. So I did. "What?"

"Nothing. I was just wonder, since I have you stopped, could you tell me how to get to the Hilton from here? I’m all turned around. I’m not too familiar with this area. And no one seems to know me, oddly," he said looking around.

I was about to say why would anyone know you, but I kept that to myself. He as probably some loony guy from LA and figured everyone knew him. Instead I said, "I figured that. Well, I can’t tell you the way but I could show you."

"Thanks. I’m Brian, and you?"

"Christy," I said. "Follow me."

I started walking and Brian followed. We walked in silence for awhile.

"So, where were you going?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

"I was heading home. I was suppose to stay after school for tennis but it was cancelled," I said.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Eighteen. What are you doing in town?" I asked.

"You don’t know?" he asked surprised.

"No, why would I know?" I asked. This guy must had some major ego or something. He sure seemed to think I knew everything about him.

"I just assumed…"

"Well, don’t assume. It never gets you anywhere in life," I informed him with a smile.

"Oh, okay. Well, I’m in town for a concert."

I left it at that. I have a problem. And I still have it to this day. I never ask questions. I never think of anything till after the fact. I should have asked, "What concert?" instead I said, "I have never been to a real concert. Most likely because I’m an anti-social."

"You? I always pictured a anti-social person in all black and would be caught dead talking to other people. And it sounds to me as though you’re involved in school with tennis. And you’re socializing with me," Brian pointed out.

"Okay, you caught me. Anti-social was a tag I got stuck with because I won’t talk to people; A: because I could never think of anything to say; and B: because I hate everyone in my school. If I had a choice I wouldn’t go to North Wood. My mom suggested I join the tennis team. Lucky for her I like tennis and that caused me not to put up much of a fight. But I have a strong disdain for all the people on the team. They are all preps. They don’t like me because I don’t follow their ways. And because of that I was tagged as anti-social. And the fact that I do enjoy talking doesn’t help," I spilled out. I had just had one of my non talking days. Usually after one of those I had a lot to say.

"Well, you could have fooled me," Brian laughed, eyes sparkling.

"Well, sometimes it just builds up inside of me. It all then comes out at once," I explained. "It’s not natural for me to not talk."

"Then why…" Brian started to ask, raising a brow.

I knew his question so I just answered it. "Because I don’t want to talk to those people. If you met them you’d understand. Well, here’ s the Hilton. Maybe I’ll run into you again," I said ever so cheery. The bad mood I had been in before had vanished. See what I a little talking can do! I turned to leave and felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I want you to meet someone," he said with a smile.

"I don’t know…"

I wasn’t so sure. Should I trust this guy? I did just meet him. But…

I didn’t have time to think. He grabbed my hand and took me into the lobby.

"You really don’t know who I am?" he asked, stopping.

"You’re Brian."

He just shook his head. He headed for the elevator. I stopped. He turned, gave me a look like I was pathetic, walked over, and picked me up like a groom would pick up a bride to carry her over the threshold. I would have screamed, but I was flattered. Also I got this strange thrill from all the people looking at us. Brian carried me into an empty elevator and waited for the doors to close. Only then did he put me down.

"You really don’t know who I am?" he asked once again.

"Am I suppose to?"

"Let’s see if I can jog your memory," he said with a little grin. He took a breath a broke into song.

I knew who he was when he gave me that little grin. It was the same little grin he gave the camera in that music video that was used when he called MTV to put some rumor that he was going to die to rest. Yet, I wanted to see what he was going to do. He sang to me the beginning of "I Want It That Way."

You are my fire

the one desire

believe when I say that

I want it that way.

I kept a straight face during the whole thing. Even though on the inside I wanted to scream. I had a Backstreet Boy singing to me. Just about any girl would have killed to be in my spot. However, seeing that I had not known who he was until he had grinned, I acted like it was nothing. Brian if you are reading this now, I was like, just so excited. It really meant a lot that I got a private performance of "I Want It That Way."

"Well?" he asked.

"Oh," I said nonchalantly. "You’re a Backstreet Boy."

That one day, one meeting changed my life. But in more ways then you’re thinking of. No, I’m not popular in school. In fact, no one knew. Why should they? They didn’t even think I was there half the time. No, in Brian I found a friend. Also in the other guys. I really don’t know to this day why they hang around with me. I was eighteen. That’s all. But no. They wanted to hang out with me. To this day I think they had screws loose in their brains. But, who was I to ague? I enjoyed my time I spent with them. Now because they were who they were they weren’t always there to hang out with at dances or anything. But there was concerts here and there, a weekend every now and then in a different city, and I didn’t see a change in myself what so ever. That was until they took me to the MTV Music Video Awards. I wasn’t starting school till late September. They were doing a dance number on it. Since I didn’t have anything better to do I practiced with them and got pretty good.

"You’re a natural, Christy," A.J. told me with a smile. "Nick took weeks to learn all that."

"Hey! No I didn’t!" Nick yelled. A.J. poked him in the stomach. Nick put his arms over it protectively.

From then on out I practiced with them. But I didn’t want to perform. Okay, a part of me did. But I didn’t want to take a place of a professional dancer. The Boys had other plans.

They had already left to go get ready. A tech guy came out and put a mic on me. He said it was incase the Boys wanted to talk to me. Not ever having been to an awards show I didn’t see anything wrong with is. I did found it odd they gave me a mic a dancer wore. But who was I to ague? Well, the guys came out on stage and just stood there. And Brian had that little grin on his face again.

"Hey, Christy, come here," Brian called form the stage.

I didn’t ague once again. I had no clue what was going on. So I just walked up on stage.

"How’d you like to dance with us?" Nick asked.

"What? I’m not in costume," I said. Thinking about it now, I sounded real stupid. Come on, LIFE OPPROTUNITY HERE!

They all had on ankle length trench coats. When they removed them, I fit in perfectly. Brian had on a blue oxford shirt and a purple silk tie. Kevin had on a white shirt and a green oxford shirt on over it. Howie had a long sleeved t-shirt on that was yellow. Nick had on a khaki colored suit. A.J. had an A.J. looking outfit on. But, what about the other dancer. There would be too many if I joined them.

"Called in sick," Kevin said, reading my mind.

"Come on," Howie said.

I said okay. We took our spots. The music started. "Larger Than Life" was the song they were dancing to, or "The Fan Song," as I called it. I really could sing that song well so A.J. made me sing some of his parts. That as really okay with me. I still remember the trill of being on stage. I loved it. It must have shown. Howie and Kevin just kept nodding to one another the rest of the night when ever the perforce was mentioned.

That one invitation from Brian, that chance meeting, and the fact I could dance changed my life. Over night I became famous. Everyone wanted me. They all knew me. Record company’s wanted to sing me. I now have turned into what some would say a Britney look-a-like. But, no! I can sing and dance! No, I’m not Britney. I write my won stuff and well, hang out with the Backstreet Boys. Not ‘N Sync. But that one chance meeting with Brian changed me life. Totally. I never imagined myself to have a career in show biz. Think about it. The anti-social girl dancing and singing in front of thousands of people. However, I’m stuck here and I love it.