At 12:30 my friends and I arrived at the concert hall. The tiredness I was struggling through was completely gone now. The five of us were in total adrenaline rush. We went up to the security guard. His name tag said "Lonnie Jones, Authorized Personnel".
    "Hi, my name is Samantha and they're all with me. I was given backstage passes to meet the BSB. Mrs. McLean should already know that I'd be here." I explained to the guard.
    "Yeah, hi Samantha. She told me you would be coming. And Happy Sweet 16. I'll let her know you're all here." Said Lonnie with a smile.     "Thank you." I replied with a polite smile. He may seem like he's big, mean and strong. But he's actually really nice. Lonnie made quick conversation on his cell phone. Ten minutes later a short woman, around 5'3 with copper red hair and features similar to AJ arrived.

    "Hi Samantha, my name is Denise McLean but you can call me Denise. I'm so glad you came, Happy Birthday. The Boys know you're coming with friends and they're eager to meet you." Denise welcomed us inside the backstage area. The people there were so nice!
    "Thanks for inviting me, Denise. These are my friends Leah, Tavlin, Dianna and Michelle. You can call me Sam." I said introducing my friends. They all waved hi.     "Ok, Sam. So how's your mom doing? Her name's Christiana, right?" Asked Denise.     "Yeah, that's her name. She's Shirley Lau's best friend. You were her Sorority Sister, right?" I asked.     "Yeah, that was fun. College days. But instead of me going through the highlights of college, I'd better introduce you to my son and his friends." They had reached a door that says "Backsteet Boys Personal Dressing". I gave a quick look to my friends before we went in. They were there, they couldn't believe it at all. There was nothing but a door between us and the Boys. Oh, wow!     "Whoa, before we go in. How's my hair? Is my make-up ok? Clothing? Anything that looks bad? Anything sticking out?" I rambled rapidly at no one in particular. My friends were checking the way they looked, too.
    "You all look fine! Calm down, they're all really nice to their fans. You'll feel right at home." Denise said with a laugh and knocked on the door.
    "Who is it?" Called a gruff rap like voice that I knew just all too well. I smiled broadly.
    "Hon, it's me with Samantha and her friends. Open now!" Denise called. The door opened and there stood the guy that I had looked up to and respected for the longest time. AJ saw me and smiled. I was practically floating.

    "Come on in, ladies." AJ, always the gentleman. I walked in with a grace that I had come accustomed to. My friends followed.
    "Hi. My name is Samantha, you can all call me Sam. Welcome back to Toronto. I hope you enjoy your stay." I said smiling. This was actually a breeze.     "Hi Sam, it's been great here so far. Let's get you settled in here. Make yourself at home." Kevin said graciously.     "Thanks Kevin. And these are my friends Tavlin, Dianna, Leah and Michelle." They all stared speechlessly at the ones they considered the 'sexiest'. I cleared my throat. They snapped out of their trance andgreeted.
    "AJ, I see you're wearing a Pentagram. Are you interested in Wicca?" I asked AJ.     "Oh, yeah. I saw your picture that Denise showed us and figured you were Wiccan. And I guess I'm right. You're wearing one, too." He said.     "Yes, I've been Wiccan for the past two years. It's something I'm really interested in. I find it's very eclectic itself. There's not only one single high power." I explained.
    "I read that as well. It's cool that you choose to do what you want. I know there's a lot of people who pay attention to the stereotypes of Witches, it gets pretty cruel." Nick added in. As if on cue, a tall girl with long blond hair strode into the room without announcing her arrival. I could've sworn I saw her picture somewhere but I couldn't place my finger on it. That was bugging me. She walked right past everyone else without a slight hello and up to Brian. Right there and then she started to kiss him. Talk about your public displays of affection. A-ha! Now I knew where she seemed so familiar. A fan had taken her picture and scanned it onto the Internet. Her name was LeighAnne.
    "Hi, baby. I'm so sorry I couldn't ride here with you, I was at a photo shoot in Milan and it just finished. You're not mad at me are you?" Leighanne said to Brian in a mock child voice. God I'm gonna be sick.
    "Nope, I'm not offended, darling. And by the way, this is Samantha, and her friends  Leah, Tavlin, Michelle and Dianna." Brian said acknowledging the rest of the people in the room. Leigh Anne looked overat us.     "Hi." Was all she said.     "Oh, Brian. I just remembered. When I got here there were already fans waiting and I couldn't help but over hear them talking about some freaky weirdo Witch around the area. I hate those, if you'd just talk to them they'll probably curse you or something..." She went on, oblivious to the fact that her and Brian weren't alone. At the word "Witch" my ears perked up. And as she continued with her thoughts of a Witch on the premises, I grew more and more certain that she was talking about me. This was interesting. Nick realized this as well and was about to stop her chain of thought but I stopped him instead. I wanted to hear what she had to say. I crossed my arms and listened intently.
    "So, honey, I'm telling you and the Boys to be careful around here. Who knows what weird freaks are lurking around here. I thought Toronto was the absolute last place to find Witchy Satanists. I know I sound like that bus driver from The Craft but it's true. You all had better watch out for that weirdo." She said honestly. OK, I had heard enough. I interrupted her.
"Ummm, Leighanne, is it?" I asked politely.     "Yeah, what's it to you? Can't you see I'm talking here?" She snapped.     "I figured so. I just wanted to point out to you that I AM THAT WEIRDO!" I said the last point under my breath with heated venom. I just can't stand the ignorance of the kind. A look of pure surprise and insult washed over Leighanne's Barbie doll face.
    "No you're not!" - She noticed my Pentagram - "Yes you are."     "That's right. I'm a Witch, the little 'Satanist' as you like to put it. Well let me tell you this now. Before you go off to speak your mind, make sure you know you're facts and make sure you're not going to insult anybody else in hearing range!" I snapped. I gave her the most evil glare I could muster that'd practically melt ice.
    "Hey, I know all I need and want to know, ok? I know your kind are evil, you do strange rituals during the full moon and you mentally screw with people's minds. Your kind makes me sick!" she retorted.     "You, as a person, makes ME sick! You think you know, but you don't even know the truth. There was, are and will always be nasty stereotypes on all different kinds of people. What you know are the stereotypes against Wiccans and nothing more!" I shot back. She was just about to counter me when her cell phone rang. She answered and made quick hushed conversation.
    "You know, you're lucky that I have to bail out of here. If I had stayed you would've had to watch your back. I've got to go. My agent just called and said that they need to redo the photos. I'm off to Milan, again." She turned to Brian.     "Bye baby. I'll call you soon. Sorry to just leave again. And remember, stay away from that freak!" She then turned to me.     "If you try anything against my boyfriend whether it be Witchy or not, you're going to regret it. Do you understand me you little Devil worshipping sket?" She hissed at me and stormed out the door.     "Yeah, whatever, same to you." I muttered. Brian was quick to apologize for the actions of his girlfriend.
    "Sam, I'm sorry for that. She's really hardheaded and she's always talking before she thinks. She's usually not this mean to people shejust met."     "Brian, it's ok. I didn't mean to insult your girlfriend like that. I've met lots of prejudice people before in my life. Some insult me because I'm Chinese and some because I'm Wiccan. I doubt I could ever get used to that so I'm always in defense." I assured him. AJ came up with a smile, draped his arm around my shoulders and gave me a kiss onthe cheek.
    "You go girl! Stand up for what you believe in! Stand up for what's right! Yeah! Diva in the house!" AJ congratulated.     "Thanks, sugar! But don't you have a girlfriend yourself? I believe her name was Amanda." I inquired.     "Yeah, it was but we broke up. She couldn't stand the female fan majority and all the girls bad mouthing her. Oh, well. It's probably for the best." AJ sighed.     "Ouch, I'm sorry to hear that. And on that lovely note, let's change the subject to something we know we all have in common. Music. I wonder what's on MuchMusic." I said, I found a remote for the TV in the corner of the room and turned it on to Much. All I Have to Give blared on the TV.
    "Woohoo, they're playing us." Said Howie with a laugh.     "Yeah, I remember them saying it. On August 31 it's Backstreet TV. All Backstreet, all day for the next 24 hours! For those Backstreet addicts that can't get enough or those who unfortunately couldn't cometo the concert. Should I change the channel?" I asked everyone.     "No!" My friends called."Yes!" Exclaimed the Boys.     "Ok, ok! Majority rules!" I laughed and changed the channel to MuchMoreMusic. What luck. The beginning notes of My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion filled the room.
    "This song holds so much meaning for me. I love it!" I exclaimed.     "Of course you do, Sam! This is the girl who is completely obsessed with Titanic!" Chimed Dianna.     "How can I not be?! That is the best historical fiction ever created as a movie since Schindler's List! I can't help but realize that this all happened back in 1912. It is the honest-to-God fact that on Monday, April 15 of 1912 at precisely 2:20 am, Titanic fell from the world above and down to the murky depths of the Atlantic off Newfoundland." I said with importance.
"See what I mean?" Dianna addressed the room.     "Shut up!" I told her and watched the video. Somewhere during the middle I had closed my eyes and started to sing. I couldn't help it, I always sing during the song and I would cry every time I heard it atnight.     "'You're here, there's nothing I fear. And I know that my heart will go on, we'll stay forever this way. You are safe in my heart and, my heart will go on and on....'" When the song finished I opened my eyes and was greeted by loving applause.
    "Sam, you're a really good singer. Did you ever take lessons?" asked Howie.     "No, I haven't this is a natural thing I do for fun." I said modestly.     "Well, for you it shouldn't be just for fun. You should take it professionally. Have you written any music?"     "Yeah, so far only one song. Want to hear it?" The room nodded agreement. I turned off the TV.     "Kevin do you have your keyboard here?" I asked.     "Yeah, sure. Let me go get it." He answered and went into anotherroom.     "Sam do you have any idea what you're about to do?" Asked Leah.     "Yeah, kind of. I'm going to play on Kevin's keyboard the song I wrote. Duh!" I said.
"Sam, it's Kevin's keyboard." She emphasized 'Kevin'.     "I know. Oh. OH OK! Wow, Leah take a picture." I handed her my camera. Kevin came out with one big piano length keyboard.     "That must have cost a fortune." I admired.     "It's worth it. Very high quality." He said and placed it on the piano and switched it on. I gently played a few chords. Nice sound! I pulled up a chair and sat down.
    "This is called Fell From Heaven I wrote it!" I played and sang the entire song....

"You're my star that fell from heaven and into my life
     When you walked through the door
     You turned my life around
     Now you're walking out
     And I'm falling
     Back into a world
     I thought I'd left behind
     The world of darkness and despair"

That was the chorus. It was an R&B song. When I finished I was greeted by applause once again.     "What do you guys honestly think?" I asked sheepishly.     "It's a great song." AJ said. I didn't notice that he had a small tape player with him. He pressed a button and a tape came out.     "Donna and Johnny are going to love this!" Said AJ with a sly smile.     "I can't believe you recorded it! Why didn't you tell me?" I said surprised.
    "You would've gotten nervous. I'll also talk to Fatima Robinson to help with dance moves. Are you a dancer? You sure have the grace of one when you walked in the door."     "No, I'm not actually. The grace came from two straight years in a girls' finishing school! Also, I've been taking tae kwon doe for the past eight years."     "Finishing school? That's where you learn to be a proper lady, right? And tae kwon doe? Do not try to attack her!"     "It was my dad's idea to put me in finishing school. He did that before my parents divorced when I was 10. That kind of school's brainwashing! Now I can walk around for hours with a heavy book on my head and not have trouble. Parents love me because I'm all suddenly prim and proper. I always wanted to learn martial arts and tae kwon doe looked interesting." I said and obediently went up to AJ and curtseyed royally.
    "A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, sire!" I emphasized 'sire'. I got up. AJ then took my hand and kissed my knuckle gently.     "The pleasure is all mine." He said. My heart melted and my knees turned to Jell-o. Damn, he's hot! Michelle saw the look on my face and flashed me a meaningful glance. Oh, yeah right! I already have a boyfriend! I pulled my hand away graciously and smiled shyly. Nick shot AJ an evil stare. I wonder why.
    "So, how long are you all planning on staying in Toronto?" Asked Tavlin.     "Well, we have all of today with the concert, and tomorrow for sight seeing. Say, maybe you could come with us. Be our tour guides, show us around the city." Said Howie. The rest ofthe girls eagerly agreed.,br>     "I can't. I already promised someone I'd spend the entire tomorrow with them. I can't break this promise. I'm sorry." I replied frowning.
    "Aww, damn! That sucks!" Said AJ, Nick nodded.     So the ten of us talked about whatever sounded interesting for the next three hours and ate pizza provided by the tour. We got our merchandise signed and got pictures taken. I gave them my presents of the silver band engraved rings and they loved it immensely. They all promised to wear them during the concert for good luck. (Which is good since I had actually charged the rings separately with positive lucky energy, which I told them.) Aaron came into the room then to remind the Boys that the show was about to start and I gave him the Ninja Turtle present. He totally loved it and it added to his already growing collection.
At 3:00, the Boys had to get ready to put on the show and we made our way to our seats.

    The concert started at four. It was amazing the fact that I was so close to the stage. I've been to the last concert they did a year ago on August 22 but was way in the 401 row. I was also at the MuchMusic Awards back in October.
I was pretty close but were still a ton of people in front of me. My ears started ringing way before the concert even started. Ringing from the forever annoying screams of hormone crazed teenyboppers. The ones that sat around me gave me weird looks at my appearance and some brought up the courage to ask me how I got the backstage passes. I told them simply it was my birthday and my parents knew people. Their mothers were quick to make sure their kids stayed away from the "Devil's advocate".
Whatever, these kids would grow up to think that people like me were pure evil and placed on earth to screw humanity. Stupid clueless parents. Oh well, nothing I could do about it.
    Solid HarmoniE (SHE) were up first and they sang a couple of songs. They were pretty good, I'll give them that. They could kick Spice ass any time. The audience didn't really think so. They didn't pay that much attention. You gotta feel sorry for them. I hadn't met them backstage because their bus was running a bit late and they had just arrived. They said that the Boys had mentioned a girl named Sam celebrating her 16th and said wished her Happy Birthday. I stood up and waved, yup that girl with the raven black hair and the old fashioned style sense was the birthday gal. They waved back and left.

    Aaron Carter came out next, as usual, he sang two songs but I think he might have lip synched. Well, it's hard for a little kid, can't blame him. He said to the audience that there was someone celebrating her 16th birthday and wanted to wish her a very Happy Birthday and thanks for the Ninja Turtle. I smiled. After the noise of the audience had died down a little I called out.
   "You're welcome Aaron! Tell Nick and the Boys good luck and make sure they're wearing the rings I gave them. I told them the they were charmed!"
The people around gave me the weirdest looks. Whatever, let them think what they want to think.

    "Ok, Samantha! Now it's time for the band you're all here to see, they have gone Double Diamond in Canada which no one has ever done before and it's all because of you. Make some noise for the Backstreet Boys!!!" Aaron called out, which started the crowd in a screaming frenzy as him and his dancers ran off the stage.
Awww, Aaron was so adorable. He obviously had that mini introduction speech memorized well.     Suddenly the lights from the stage dimmed and there was a low, loud rumbling sound coming from the speakers. I was tempted to call out "EARTHQUAKE!!!!" but bit my tongue. Then, with pyrotechnic fire sparks and a spray of dry ice smoke, like the phoenix rising, the Backstreet Boys rose to the stage from a moving platform coming from the stage floor. Wow, gotta hand it to them. They came up with a great entrance and the stage looked hot! So was the concert, I won't get into too much detail about how it went all the way through. If you want to know, go get tickets! I'll just say that the solos were highlights. I couldn't hear a word of Nick's song Heaven in Your Eyes because of over zealous Nick fans especially the one sitting two seats next to me. ("Michelle, how can I put this to you in a nice, calm, gentle way? SHUT THE HELL UP!").AJ's solo was for me, the climax of the show. Trust AJ to be the oh so controversial one! The song was Lay Down Beside Me and just from the title you could imagine what it would look like seeing him perform it.
I won't elaborate too much on that. I'll let curiosity kill the cat (I can't believe I just said that! Ah!). I'll only mention the words that flashed through my mind: "Oh my GOD! I'm having trouble breathing here. Damnit AJ, you're mom's watching, there are kids in the audience younger than Aaron! Their parents are not going to like this!" In between each solo, they all mentioned lil ole me and thanked me for the rings which they were wearing.
I beamed proudly. During Howie's solo he had chosen one lucky member of the audience to personally hand deliver a rose to, serenade, and a kiss on the cheek. This time the lucky girl was Tavlin. How sweet that is! She was riding on cloud nine and was the envy of everyone, except us.
Wow, I have never seen her smile like that before.
Howie threw roses at the audience and left. The concert ended an hour or so later. Time for us to get backstage,again.

    We went back to the backstage area and into the dressing room after the Boys made themselves presentable.

    "Props and congratulations to you all for one damn good show!" I said applauding them.     "You were all wicked out there. The crowd loved it, the stage looked great. You're all a 10!" Gushed Leah. The rest agreed.     "So where to now? Is there an after party?" I asked.
    "Actually there is, at Atlantis the Nite Club. We don't have to be there until eight but I want to leave now and drive around the city."asked AJ eagerly.
    "Well why do you want to leave now? Where is there to go without you being recognized?" Asked Dianna.
    "There are lots of places. We've got three hours to kill. Let's go shopping. I know, the Eaton Center. Diversity. You guys make yourselves inconspicuous and we'll leave." I said.

The five of us left the room and went to buy paraphernalia from concert vendors. I got a program, laminate, and calendar. I was going to buy a T-shirt but figured I don't wear shirts like that anymore. Half an hour later we went backstage again and got ready to leave.

    "AJ, I said go inconspicuous! Never quit your job to be an under-cover cop. Ok?" I sighed at AJ's clothes. He wore black leather pants, a white muscle tank top that showed off ALL of his six tattoos, his trademark hat and sunglasses.  He had blue hair. He had it the entire day.
    "Yeah, yeah, I know. I don't feel right dressing in anything else. I don't really care if fans see us or not. This is who I am." He said with pride. I remembered then, the sole reason why I had begun to admire him in the first place. His personal daringness. He did what he want, he didn't care.

    "Top respect for you on that count, AJ. Scratch what I said before."     "That's cool. I appreciate that in a fan. So if we're all ready, lets go!" Said AJ. Eager to start having fun, he grabbed my arm and ran outside. Nick gave a frustrated grunt and ran after them, the rest followed. We made it into the tour bus with record timing. Uh-oh, fans!. They've spotted us. The Boys didn't mind. They stayed an extra ten minutes to sign autographs and pose for pictures then got on the bus and sped out.
I told the driver how to get to the Eaton Center. He told me it'd take ten minutes total to get there. I went back to the couch and sat down between Nick and AJ.     "Nice bus! Spacious." I admired looking at my surroundings.     "This bus has a bit of history itself. It used to be Janet Jackson's tour bus during her Rhythm Nation World Tour." Brian explained.
    "Wow, Janet used this bus?! Awesome. She's amazing." I was stunned.     "I know. So what kind of stuff did you buy?" Asked Brian, I showed him the calendar, laminate and poster.All that cost me $80!" I said.     "It's less in American money. That's what I keep telling the record company. The ticket price's too high, merchandise price is too high, CD price's too high. They never listen. Always looking for money." Said Brian shaking his head.
    "But that is the world today. Everyone eagerly grabbing and holding on to green pieces of paper with pictures of dead Presidents on them. My mom always told me the power of sharing equally and that everyone does it. But if you look in society today, that's completely not true. Why is there first, second and third class people? Why are there people on the streets, begging and washing car windows for a mere two dollars? Why are there kids dying in Ethiopia from malnutrition and poor health conditions? Why are there people who are millionaires and can spend as much as they want and still be living the high life, while others have to budget every single thing they choose to buy in order to pay the bills and keep a roof over their heads if we're all supposed to be sharing?".
I explained. I didn't really mean to go into a long speech on the subject, but it was something I truly believed in and couldn't help speaking what I knew to be true.
     "I completely agree. But what can we do? It's been like this throughout history. It's always the same." Replied Nick. He took the program I had bought and started doodling in it and wrote me personal messages. I felt so appreciated. After he was done, AJ grabbed it from him and created some of his own artwork, as did Kevin, Brian and Howie.
    "AJ, I was wondering about your tattoos. Does it hurt to get them?"I asked.     "If you can stand pain than it's ok. It's only a sting you feel as the needle goes. Why, you interested in getting one?" He replied.
    "Yeah, more than one actually. A Pentagram, Celtic arm band, my name in Chinese and a blue heart." I answered.     "'Cause we know her blue heart will go on." Added Dianna with a laugh.     "You're not going to let me live down my Titanic obsession, are you?"     "Hmmmm, nope!" She giggled and went back to her conversation with Kevin.
    "You're really into Titanic, aren't you?" Asked AJ.     "For me yes. The movie inspired me differently than it did most people. After seeing it for the first time, I promised myself to always light a white candle every April 15 and play the soundtrack at lease once that day".
"That's really spiritual, I like that in a girl." He replied, looking deeply into my eyes. I stared back. His eyes were mesmerizing.
I believe he felt the same way. He leaned closer to me, I leaned closer still. This boy is going to kiss me, I think I want him to, I thought. Everyone around us on the bus became nonexistent for a while.
We were oh so close to kissing.
    "What's up you two? What are you talking about?" Nick's voice came like a thunder bolt piercing the calm night sky.
    "Ahh!" I looked up with a start. AJ also snapped back to reality.     "Nick, you startled the hell out of me!" I exclaimed.     "DON'T do that! Can't you see we're busy here?" AJ snapped.     "Busy with what? You two were just talking, weren't you?" Nick emphasized 'talking'.
    "Um, y-yes we were just talking about tattoos." I thought up quickly giving AJ a look that said 'please don't start a fight, just play along'.     "Yup, that's right. So Sam, when are you getting those tattoos done?" He asked.
"When I turn 18." I said with uncertainty.     "Tattoos, huh? That's ALL you were talking about?" Nick asked quizically.
    "Yes!" AJ and I said in unison.     "Yeah, right." Nick muttered under his breath. Michelle came to us at just the right moment.

    "Sam, can I talk to you in private for a second?" She asked     "Yeah. Excuse me." I said and went with Michelle to the back of thebus.     "I saw everything that happened. You and AJ were about to kiss. And you're just covering it because of shame. Aren't you forgetting someone?" She asked.
"Forgetting who?" I asked.
    "Oh, gee, I wonder. First name: Jason, last name: Ramirez."     "Oh, my God! I totally forgot about my boyfriend. How could I do that? I am NOT being unfaithful." I said more to myself than to her.
    "Sam, I remember the conversation between you and Jason back on the 29th. He said that if AJ or Nick or whoever made a move on you, you were to tell them that you weren't single. Then you said to him and I quote 'I world never betray you'. Sam, you're going against your word. That's not like you. Now AJ's totally flirting with you, Nick's getting damn jealous. This can't be a good thing. You need to tell them both that you're out of the running of the single game." Michelle said all knowingly.

    "I knew that one day you're photographic memory would end up kicking me in the butt. Don't worry. Nothing more could happen between AJ or Nick and I. Trust me, I can handle this.
I know I can........" I went back to my seat. AJ and Nick looked up with curiosity. They obviously were discussing what had happened a few minutes ago.
"What?" I asked at their looks.
"What was that talk all about?" Asked Nick.
"Michelle was just thanking me for bringing her along with me today. You're welcome again, Michelle!" I said in an attempt to cover up the real conversation. Michelle nodded and rolled her eyes at my expense.
"I think we need to lighten the mood here. I wonder what's on the radio." AJ said and walked to the stereo. Brian was playing his Puff Daddy CD.
"AJ, I was listening to that!" Brian said, looking up from his conversation with Leah.
"Listen to it later, I want to hear the radio." AJ said without looking up from the stereo. He clicked on the radio. 'Lady Marmalade' by All Saints blared throughout the bus. Satisfied with the song, AJ came back to the couch.
"You know, I really like this song but could never really understand the words." Replied Nick thinking out loud. He then turned to me with the most innocent, angelic look in his eyes. He really didn't know the true meaning of his next words.
"'Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?'" He asked me, quoting the song. My head shot up with a start and I starred at him in surprise. Leah, Tavlin, Michelle and Dianna all froze at his question. I laugh at the irony now, eight years of learning French finally caught up with all of us in a quite surprising turn of events. Blank looks came from the rest of the Boys except from AJ. He had the biggest smirk on his face. He understood and was restraining himself from bursting in laughter.
How was I going to answer Nick's innocent question? Well, since he quoted a song, I sang the chorus of another song to him.
"'I should make a move but I won't. I know you're probably thinking that something is wrong. Knowing if I do that it won't be right. I want to get down but not The First Night.'" I sang with a smile. My friends and AJ all burst into giggles. Sill more blank looks and confusion in the eyes of the rest of the Boys including Nick.
"Huh?" Nick said.
"Nick, honey. Do you understand French?" I asked.
"Uhhh, no. Why?" He asked.
"Well, 'voulez-vous coucher avec moi' means 'will you sleep with me' in French." I said, my face turning red. I fell off the couch and onto the floor laughing along with everyone else.
"Oh my God! I didn't know. Shoot, I'm sorry. Uh....." Nick stammered his face turning different shades of red.
"It's ok, it's ok. I understand. Normally I wouldn't know either but eight years of French has finally proved itself useful. Don't feel bad. Next time when someone asks you about your most embarrassing moment in an interview, you can tell them this." I said through chuckles.
"As I said, I really am sorry." Nick said still trying to make up for his goof. He helped me off the floor.
"It really is perfectly ok. I'm flattered. Never thought I hear that directed to me coming from Nick." I replied. Nick blushed again. Uh-oh, wrong words.
"Whoops, shouldn't have said that. My bad. I hope we're not going to end up constantly stepping on our words for the remainder of the day.!"
"Yeah, me too. I hope so." Nick mumbled. At this point, the bus pulled to a pause at a red light. We had passed a lot of those. Good old City of Toronto. Faint heavy metal and Goth music streamed into the bus from the outside. I knew where we had stopped.
I smiled, went to a window on the right and pulled it opened. "Merry Meet SilverWolf, my darling. How are you doing this fine evening? Where's SpiritWeaver?" I called out the window.
A guy wearing a black top hat and an old fashioned dark brown suit greeted me. He had dark, dramatic features contrasting to a particularly pale face.
"Merry Meet WhiteRaven, my Princess. What a pleasant surprise. I've been having a marvelous time today. SpiritWeaver is within. I'll send her your greetings. Where are you off to?" He said with charm.
"I'm off with my childhood friends and new found friends to the mall." I replied.
"Ah, yes. I do recall you mentioning celebrating your 16th birthday today. Happy birthday to you. Will you be stopping by to make your presence known around here?" He asked.
"Unfortunately not today, probably not tomorrow either. But I vow to you this. I will be coming around some time this week. Until then, Blessed Be SilverWolf." I bid him farewell.
"As to you, WhiteRaven. Blessed Be. SpiritWeaver will be informed of your presence tonight." He said to me as the bus started to go when the light turned green.
I blew him a kiss and he blew me one back, then continued to smoke his joint.
"Who was that? And what's with SpiritWeaver, SilverWolf and WhiteRaven?" AJ asked me as I brought my head back in from the window and shut it.
"We had just stopped in front of my favorite club. It's a Pagan club called Sanctuary. That was my friend. His magickal name is SilverWolf. It's what he is known by in Wicca. His real name is Peter. His girlfriend's magickal name is SpiritWeaver. Her real name is Jennifer. She and I have become really good friends, like sisters. And I'm WhiteRaven." I explained.
"Wow, fascinating. This religion gets more interesting by the minute." Howie said in awe. I smiled at his fascination.
"There are a ton of informative books on the subject. The New Age section of any book store or library's bound to have beginner's guides."
I offered. The bus pulled to a final stop in front of the Eaton's center. It was precisely 6 pm. Perfect timing. We'd have at least two hours to shop around. All we had to do was get past the gathered mob in front of the mall.
"Umm, how the hell did fans find out you're here? This wasn't even planned." Asked Leah, worried.
"Think about it, they're teenyboppers. They have a tracking radar system on the Boys. Wherever they go, the girls will find them. Make an unplanned move and they will come. You're all like magnets." I said seriously.
"Always telling it as it is. Madonna says to Express Yourself and you take it literally but in a different way. As for the mob, security will get us out." Kevin replied.
"That's me, get used to it. And how did security know we're here? I didn't see them when we boarded the bus." I said.
"We contacted them when you had gone out to buy stuff. Just told them to follow along behind our bus bus keep a few car spaces behind."
"Oh, ok. Good to have them here. Never know what'll happen." I said. We left the bus and was quickly caught in the swarm. The screaming sounded like a a kingdom of bees. The Boys like the honey comb. The bee keepers (security) were fast to intervene.
"Hi Lonnie. Remember me. Good to see you again." I said to the Head of Security.
"Hey Samantha, long time no see. I'm joking. The rest of you head on out to the mall, we'll handle the situation here. Go!" Instructed Lonnie.
"Thanks again. Call me Sam." I smiled.
"Sure thing, now get!" Lonnie knew his job well. No time for small talk.
"Not yet! I'm busy here. Wait a while." That was AJ, engulfed with countless arms holding pens and papers in front of his face. I went pushed my way through the crowd and asked him politely.
"AJ. I know you want to make all your fans here happy with autographs and everything. But we're on a schedule today. You have to be punctual and get to the club at exactly nine, yet you still want to get in two hours of shopping right?" I inquired.
"Yeah, I know. You're right. Ok, I'm sorry I can't stay but I really have got to go. Bye all! Keep the Backstreet Pride Alive!" AJ addressed the fans and was about to make a get-away.
"You're actually going to let her tell you want to do? Who the hell is she, your girlfriend? No offense but she's a bitch and she's dressed like a cult freak!" Said one obnoxious fan.
"I just love it when people talk about me like I'm not here. And who the hell are you to judge? You don't even know me. And no, I'm not his girlfriend. Happy?" I snapped.
"That still doesn't cut it. Who the hell are you that gives you the special VIP treatment? You belong at a Marilyn Manson rave causing trouble and giving the cops something to keep locked up. You're a Satanist just like him." She said, nose in the air, hands on her hips. I sighed. Second time that day that I encountered the ignorant.
"There's so much I could say in my defense to start a riot. But I'll just leave it at this: Don't make the same mistake your parents made, use birth control. Manson forever. Come on AJ, let's go." I said curtly and turned on my heal. AJ followed in awe. I could hear the fan mutter under her breath that I was a whore. Oh, well.
We made it into the confines of the mall. I checked my watch: 6:10.
"Uhh, am I the only one that saw and heard what happened out there?" AJ asked. Nick raised his hand, so did Brian, Leah and Tavlin.
"We try, we really do, to admire and respect our fans but at times it gets too much like what happened out there." Brian said.
"Well, whatever people comment negatively about me these days doesn't affect me at the least. Hope it doesn't affect anyone else. I just take it all with a truck load of salt." I said cooly.
"Great disposition. And with that over and done with let's get go-" Howie was interrupted with the yell of a 11-year-old boy.
"Hi Nick, hi guys, hi Sam!!!" Aaron yelled running at full speed to catch up with us. He had entered the mall from a side entrance. His security guard following him. It's a good thing he didn't see what happened at the front of the mall.
"Whoa, slow down Air Boy. Don't want to fall and bash up your nose and have all your blood and bits of your brain leaking thick all over the floor, now do you?" Nick said with a laugh.
"Nick, graphic much? You're gross!" Michelle teased.
"What? It's the truth." Nick defended. Aaron made a face and stuck his tongue out at him. I knelt down to talk to Aaron.
"Hey, AC. I didn't know you were coming. Why didn't you tell us, you could've come in the same bus?" I asked.
"It was a last moment thing. My mom told me to tag along with you. And besides, I have to come and buy you a birthday present like everyone else is here for. Oops! I wasn't supposed to say that." He turned to Nick.
"Sorry!"
"Big Mouth!" Nick glared at him. I laughed.
"Aaron, you don't need to buy me anything, it's ok. I didn't know your mom was here, I haven't met her."
"She was busy and she told me to tell you that she's sorry and she'll see you at the night club. Is there an arcade here, I want to go to the arcade." Aaron said, looking around the huge mall.
"I believe there's an arcade on the lower level. It's down that escalator, go straight, two lefts then a right. This mall is pretty big, maybe I should come with you." Offered Michelle.
"Thanks, Michelle. I challenge you!"
"No, you'd win. I suck!" Said Michelle.
"And ain't that the truth. I think that arcade uses tokens. Do you have enough money with you?" I said. Michelle turned away from me and scratched the back of her head with her middle finger. I laughed, gotta love the subtlety.
"Only around $5." Said Aaron. I went into my bag and fished out another five dollar bill and handed it to Aaron.
"Here, have fun." I said. Aaron thanked me and him and Michelle headed tot he arcade.
"Meet back here at 8:00!" I yelled to them. They yelled their agreement back.
"Enough wasting time, let's go!" Dianna called and we made our way to Eaton's. So we headed into Eatons and entered the Diversity department. Diversity is what a lot of people call a "Teen Heaven" There was a section of the room that was covered in tarp wall paper, buckets of chalk were provided. You could now tack up the walls any way you wished and not get in trouble. A construction platform was in the center that made the place look like it was under construction. Climb up the platform and you enter the lounge. Beanbag chairs and blow-up plastic furniture were everywhere and attached to the platform were television screens showing episodes of South Park, Simpsons and Beavis and Butthead. Gotta love that. Beside the lounge area was where all the merchandise was kept. This doesn't necessarily consider Diversity as only a place for teens. The works of Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Buffalo, Levi's, SilverTab, etc. lined the shelves. If you like youth style and club wear, you'd love Diversity.
"NICE place! My kind of department store." Admired Nick. The rest of the Boys agreed.
"I knew you'd like this place. That's why I brought you here. Shop around at your desire. Let me warn you, this stuff is pretty expensive.
"Nah, that's ok. We're all given the ok to charge everything to the tour. They'll cover it. We just have to show them this card." Said Kevin, and displayed a card that said "Official Backstreet Boys World Tour Member. Merchandise necessities charged to Tour Offices." It had a specific bar code. It was the shape of a credit card. Much better than a credit card, like someone else's.
"Lucky! You can shop and buy as much as you want and not have to pay a cent of it. That's the life!" I mused.
"And now that you're with us. You can buy whatever you want and we'll let you charge it to the Tour."
"Whoa! You're for real? You sure you won't get into trouble for this?" I asked skeptically. There HAD to be some kind of catch.
"Nope, it's perfectly ok. You can buy what you want. There's no catch." Kevin read my mind.
I smiled and looked to my friends. They were ecstatic. I've always wanted to buy from here but couldn't afford it. Now I was happy.
Besides clothing, there was a lot of other accessories to choose from. AJ went there first.
"Sam, come here. Help me look for some new stuff." Said AJ kneeling by a sunglasses rack.,br> "Only if you help me find a new outfit." I said and went over to him.
"It's not like you actually NEED another pair!" I said.
"You can't have too many. I also want one of those jumbo ball chain necklaces."
"Accessorize to your heart's desire." I said with a laugh. I managed to help AJ pick up a silver rimmed mirror Ray Ban sunglasses plus the necklace he wanted.
"Now it's your turn. Anything specific in mind?" He asked me.
"No, nothing really. I'm just looking for something nice. Tell you what. You know the kind of style that I like, I want you to pick out something for me." I told him.
"All right! I get to do Angie's job. Come with me." Said AJ and led me to the dress department. He picked up a sheer see-thru black lace dress.
"How bout this one?" He asked.
"Yeah, but what do I wear under it.?"
"Nothing," he said with a sly smile.
"You know, if you were anyone else, I'd slap you."
"What's stopping you now?" He asked sincerely.
"Well there's security and," I placed a hand on his cheek, "you're always in the public, concerts, photos, television, I couldn't bear seeing you having to cover a bruise." I said. We stared at each other awkwardly, I looked away.
"Help me find something else that's sensible." I said.
We shopped around for a half hour or so, laughing and teasing each other. AJ managed to help me pick out a navy blue off shoulder silk dress. I loved it.
"You know what. Instead of charging this to the tour, I'll buy it for you. It's your Sweet 16 birthday present from me." AJ said and kissed me on the cheek.
"Oh God, AJ. Thanks, but you really don't have to buy it for me. There's no need for you to buy a present for me. This is really expensive anyway." I said staring at the price tag.
"Don't be silly, I want to buy it for you." He said and took the dress out of my hands and to the cashier. I tried to argue him out of it but he ended up winning. He handed me the bag smiling.
"I hate you." I mumbled.
"And lots of love to you too, girlie." He said. I noticed a shelf that had fake ink tattoo kits.
"That's what I need, the closest to the real thing without getting me kicked out of the house." I said and browsed through the shelf. I picked out a kit that had butterfly shaped stencils and multi-colored ink.
"Can I charge this to the tour?" I asked. "Yeah, sure. In fact, I could help you apply the designs. I'm pretty good at that." AJ said handing me his card.
"Man of many talents." I complimented and bought the kit. This time the cashier, a petite girl with short red hair around 19 years old, noticed us.
"Wow, I didn't notice this before but aren't you AJ McLean from the Backstreet Boys? My younger sister's a major fan." She said. I noticed the name on her name tag: Suzi.
"Yes I am, Suzi. Would you like me to make an autograph for her?" AJ offered, extending his hand. Suzi shook it.
"Would you? That'd be so kind. My sister's going to freak, she adores your band. She mostly likes Nick but she'll be ecstatic all the same." Suzi said, bubbling with enthusiasm.
"Out of curiosity, how old is your sister?" I asked.
"She's 12 turning 13 in November." Said Suzi. A word flashed in my mind. You know what that is. AJ took out a glossy picture of himself, one of those really official ones, and a pen and signed it.
"What's your sister's name?" He asked.
"Dana." Suzi replied. AJ handed Suzi the picture. She read it out loud.
"'Dear Dana, I talked to your sister Suzi today at her work. I hope you made it to our concert and enjoyed it. Thank you for your love and support for the BSB, I'll tell the rest of the Boys hi for you. Luv Alwayz, AJ McLean.' You're real nice, thanks again and good luck with your career." Said Suzi. I noticed how AJ had signed off his autograph, Luv Alwayz. We said goodbye and left.
"AJ, I always sign my letters Luv Alwayz, the same way you did, what a coincidence." I said.
"Really, cool. So, what else do we have in common?" Asked AJ. "Hmmm, scary movies, dare-devil stunts, we both consider inner beauty better than outter beauty, talking, partying, we both used to smoke, I know there's other stuff but I can't think of any now." I said.
"Scary movies, huh? So what's your favorite scary movie?" Asked AJ imitating Ghostface Killer of Scream.
"Witch Board" I said, looking right at him.
"Hmmm, haven't seen that." He said.
"You should! You'd like it." I predicted.
"The smoking thing, not something I'm actually proud of." Said AJ.
"Me neither." I said. We walked by a Baskin Robbin's.
"Care for an ice cream? My treat." I said.
"Sure." He replied.
"You know. They say 31 flavors. But have you ever seen a Baskin Robbin's with exactly 31 flavors?" I asked.
"Nope!" Aj laughed. We both went to the parlor and ordered. Mint chocolate chip for the both of us. "Like, oh my God! It's B-Rok! He's, like, totally dreamy. I'm gonna faint! This is, like, so cool!" I cried laughing. AJ laughed at Brian's response.
"Damnit, not again. Leah let's get OUT of here!" He exasperated and started to drag the girl out the door.
"Whoa, Brian! You're not leaving on us now, dahling!" I replied.
"Oh, Sam, it's you. I thought it was another...." Brian trailed off.
"Yeah, yeah, I know who you thought it was going to be. I just wanted to annoy you a little." I said smiling.
"I thought you guys were back at Eaton's." Said AJ. "We were but we decided to shop other places." Explained Leah.
"Oh, you don't like the places I show you?" I asked.
"Oh, no it's not that. I wanted to find you a birthday present without you knowing and asked Leah to help me." He said.
"A present for me? No, I can't accept. You really didn't have to. You're too generous." I gushed.
"No, I insist." He said and shoved a small box in front of my face.
"Open it." He said. I sighed and did so. Inside was a beautiful cubic zerconia necklace. The pendant was a bright blue glass heart surrounded by more cubic zerconia.
"This is your Heart of the Ocean, Rose." Brian smiled.
"Thank you, Cal. Le Coeur de la Mer. It's gorgeous." I mused. I gave Brian a hug and a peck on the cheek.
"That'd go great with the dress I just bought you." Said AJ.
"Dress? Let me see!" Leah asked. I showed it to her.
"It's beautiful, I'm borrowing that." She said.
"Leah! I didn't even wear it yet. And you never return things! Why do you think I never let you borrow this outfit?" I said gesturing to my clothes.
"Oops, forgot." She said simply.
"Let's go to the arcade, see how Aaron's doing." I said and we got going. We walked across the mall towards the arcade talking and laughing at practically anything and everything. I noticed Howie and Tavlin inside a store: Studio 67, for club clothing.
"Howie, Tav. Hey!" I called and they waved. The four of us went in.
"Why do you people keep leaving the places I thought cool to show you?" I accused.
"Well it makes it harder to find a present for you when you're in the same place." Said Howie and winked at me.
"Arrggh! You don't NEED to buy me presents! Really!" I whined.
"Nonsense. I want to." He said and handed me a bag. I took out the contents.
"Witch Board! How'd you know?."
"Sam, you're forgetting about me!" said Tavlin.
"Oh, yeah. You told him, cool." I said.
"We'll see if we get a chance to watch it. I want to see that!" Said AJ.
"OK. So Howie, thanks so much for the movie. What are you looking for?" I asked.
"Clubbing clothing. I like the stuff in here. There's not many places like this in Florida."
"We're inovators. Hmmm, I'll help you look. Let's see what I can find." I replied looking through clothing racks. I found a really cool shirt.
"Howie, hell with the bright colors and everything, black and silver are in. Check this out." I said holding up a black clubbing T-shirt with silver sleeves.
"I'm pretty good at estimation and I think this is your size. Go try it on." I handed it to him and he went into the dressing room. Later he came out and stood in front of the mirror. I went over to him and leaned my arm on his shoulder.
"This is like so totally you. I mean aren't you glad I helped you out? I am like the coolest fashion consultant ever but it's just that, like, no one's noticed my taste, yet! And might I add that, baby, you are a 10! Thank you!" I gushed.
"It's that bad, huh?" He asked.
"You do mean 'bad' in the slang sense so that it means 'good' right?" I inquired.
"No, I'm joking. I like it. I'll get it." He smiled.
"Awesome. I told you I'm good. Thank me, Howie." I said.
"Thank you Sam." Howie made his purchase and we all headed out the door.
"Let's see what Aaron and Michelle are doing." Said Brian. We headed in the direction of the arcade. On the way, we bumped into Kevin and Dianna.
"Hey Kev, DiDi." Said Tavlin.
"Hey guys!" They greeted.
"DiDi?" Asked AJ.
"Yeah, we all have our little nicknames. I'm Tavi, there's DiDi, LeLe, Sami, and Michi." Tavlin said pointing at each of us one at a time and pointing in the direction of the arcade to indicate Michelle.
"That's cool. So, Sami. I've got a present for you." Said Kevin.
"Kev, you really didn't have to do this. You're too kind." I said humbled.
"Sami, how many times have you said that?" Asked AJ.
"Countless." Kevin handed me a bag. I looked inside. A book.
"21st Century Wicca by Jennifer Hunt. I've been looking for this. My friend from Sanctuary told me it's really informative and useful. Thanks Kev!" I said, raising on tip-toe to give Kevin a kiss on the cheek and a hug.
"Kev, always the practical one." Said Brian.
"I know I am. So where are you guys off to? The arcade?" Asked Kevin.
"Yeah." Said AJ. So we went to the arcade. Once we entered we were bombarded with the computerized sound of around a hundred different video games working at once. We found Aaron and Michelle at a Jurassic Park virtual reality game. Aaron was getting a kick out of it. Nick was there too.
"Hi guys!" Called Leah.
"Hey, people. Long time no see." Said Nick.
"Yeah, we were only away for like an hour or so." I said.
"Well with you gone, it seemed like forever." Nick said looking at me.
"Awww, that's so sweet! I'm flattered." I said. Michelle glared at me.
"So Aaron, how's your Jurassic Park mission?" I asked.
"Don't interrupt me! Die T-Rex!!!" Called Aaron as he shot off his video game attachment gun.
"Don't bother the Dinosaur Slayer!" Michelle laughed. I looked around at the arcade and found a Street Fighter II game vacant for two players. I got an idea.
"Nickolas Gene Carter. I challenge you to a fight to the death." I called out, pointing to the Street Fighter II game.
"Girl, challenge accepted. You're on!" He said and we raced to the game. I've been playing Street Fighter since I was nine. That was the only video game that I was good at. I could beat Nick.
"Sam and Nick, battling it out in Street Fighter. This I have to see." Mused AJ and the rest of them joined us at the game leaving Aaron to finish his game.
"Who's your fighter?" Nick asked me.
"Chung Li, you?"
"Ryu."
"Excellent." So we played. The game lasted a good 15 minutes. Nick, I must admit, was an amazing player. Very challenging. It was tough, really tough, but I still won, just barely.
"Great game. OK, you're better than me at this and for that, here's your prize." He handed me a box. A big box. I looked inside. It was a black, three-quarter sleeve blouse with puffy upper shoulders.
"I love it, Nick! Thank you so much!!!" I cried and gave him a hug and kiss.
"I figured that was probably your size. I hope it is." He said. At that moment my watch went off.
"Guys, it's 8:00 we got to go. Time to start the party!!!" I went back to Aaron.
"Hey Kiddo, it's time to go. The party's going to start without us!" I said.
"Awww, do we have to go now? I was just getting to the good part." Aaron whined.
"Yes, we do. Do you want to go to the party or not?" I asked.
"OK." The 11 of us left the arcade and headed for the entrance. We all braved the mob in front of the entrance and made it to the bus and headed on our way to Atlantis the Nite Club. I thought that the party was going to be the event of the year for me personally. Never has anything like this ever happened to me. I was going to remember this for as long as I live.
And I was, but for all the wrong reasons.