"AJ, do you think she’ll come? What if she doesn’t come? What if I never see her again?" Brian asked as he nervously paced back and forth in the dressing room. It was an hour before the concert, and he was very anxious.
"B, sit down, man. Breathe. Dennis said that it looked pretty good. I think she’ll be here," AJ replied as he checked his hair in the mirror.
Brian sat down and nervously tapped his feet on the floor. He was so distracted that he barely noticed Nick, Kevin, and Howie walk into the room.
"Still nervous, huh?" Nick asked as he sat down next to him.
"Yeah," Brian answered.
"Don’t worry. She’ll come," Kevin reassured him. He then turned to AJ. "Is everything ready? Is Billie willing to cooperate?"
AJ turned to him and gave him a big, cheesy grin. "As ready as she’ll ever be. We’ve got Jeff watching her, and I plan on being there when she meets Tessa," he said.
"Okay, then. And, Bri, you know what to do onstage, right?"
Brian nodded. He and the other four Backstreet Boys had been planning this since the day before. He just hoped that he could win Tessa back.
Tessa, Zoey, Skylar, Megan, and Kristin found their seats and sat down. Front row, center. They were very good seats. After seeing a line of younger girls outside and all of the merchandise, Tessa knew she was at Brian’s concert. She wanted to turn and run, but Zoey wouldn’t let her.
"We’re going to face him," she had said.
Tessa nervously fiddled with the end of her shirt. She didn’t quite know what to expect. She didn’t even know why she was there.
"Tess, stop it, or you’re going to rub a hole into that shirt," Megan chided. She patted her friend on the shoulder. "It’s going to be okay; I just know it."
"Tessa Connors?" Tessa looked up to see a rather big man wearing a jacket that read "Backstreet Boys: Official Security" on the right side standing above her.
"Yes?"
"Someone wants to speak to you and your friends backstage. If you’ll follow me, please."
The five women stood up and followed the security guard backstage. Waiting there was the blonde woman from Mountain View. Tessa’s heart sank. How much more heartache could she endure?
Standing behind the woman was a rather handsome man with curly hair dyed bright crayon red, a perfectly-shaped goatee, and he was wearing sunglasses. He held out his hand. "Tessa Connors? I’m AJ McLean, and I believe you’ve already met our road manager Billie Ross," he smiled.
Tessa shook his hand. "Yes," she answered. She looked behind her at Zoey, who was so busy glaring at Billie that she hadn’t even taken notice of AJ.
"I think Billie has something she needs to tell you, don’t you, Bill?" AJ smiled down at her.
Billie shifted from side to side and glared up at AJ. "Alright, Dopey, alright," she said. She then turned to face Tessa, but she wouldn’t let their eyes meet. "Everything, except the Backstreet Boy part, that I told you about Brian was a lie," she mumbled.
Tessa’s eyes widened. "What? Why?"
"Because I was jealous, alright. Can I go now, Dopey?"
"You haven’t apologized yet," AJ said sweetly.
Billie huffed. She rolled her eyes and said, "I’m sorry. Brian’s really a nice guy. You should give him another chance." It was all said with no emotion.
Tessa just stood there, stunned. Zoey approached Billie. AJ patted Billie on the back and headed to the dressing room to get ready. Skylar, Megan, and Kristin glared at the unfortunate Billie.
"So, basically, you screwed Tessa AND Brian. Okay, you’ve got five seconds to get out of here before I plant my fist in your face," Zoey threatened. Billie was gone in three.
The five women made their way back to their seats. As they settled into them, the concert began.
"Do you think he hates me? How could I have believed her?" Tessa whispered.
"It wasn’t your fault, and if he hated you, why did he invite you to come?" Zoey whispered back.
The concert was a blur for Tessa. All she did was keep her eyes on Brian. When he found her in the audience, he smiled and winked. Hopefully, all had been forgiven.
In the middle of the concert, each guy had his own solo. Howie’s was very sweet. He threw roses into the audience. AJ’s was rather sensual. Tessa looked over at Zoey to see that her friend had an eyebrow raised. Kevin’s was fun, and he looked like he truly enjoyed himself. Nick’s had a definite Journey sound, and Tessa noticed that Skylar loved it. Finally, it was Brian’s turn.
He walked onto the almost-bare stage carrying a guitar. He pulled up a stool and sat down. The stool was a few feet away from Tessa. He tuned his guitar, then addressed the audience.
"Normally, during my solo, I usually sing a song that I wrote called ‘That’s What She Said.’ But, tonight, I want to debut a brand new song that Kev and I wrote. It’s dedicated to someone very special who showed me what it was like to have a normal day. It’s called ‘Too Good to be True,’" he said. He then began to play his guitar and sing.
A smile so contagious.
A voice that makes me melt.
About you I could write pages
And pages on how I felt.
Chorus:
But as I sit here thinking of you.
Looking at the stars, alone in my room.
I wonder are you
Just too good to be true.
Is there something that you're hiding?
A secret deep inside?
Are you just pretending?
Do you have a darker side?
You bring me flowers no reason.
Danced with me in summer's rain.
But love changes like the seasons.
Would you be here when autumn came?
I've been fooled one time too many.
But regrets I have not any,
And I'm falling on a whim.
Chorus
Eyes, blue as the sky.
Heart, good as gold.
You make me laugh until I cry.
Your arms are warm,
When I,
Am cold.
When he finished the song, tears came to Tessa’s eyes. It had to be a special moment because she never cried at anything. She looked over at her friends and smiled. Zoey was smiling. Skylar had been completely caught up in the song. Megan’s eyes were watering. Finally, Kristin was completely in tears. Tessa turned back to the stage and watched Brian. Everyone was applauding as he stood up to bow. He winked at her as he straightened up.
As the show continued, Skylar leaned over to Tessa. "You know, if all artists are adorable blonds like Nick, then I’m in the right profession," she grinned.
"The one with the ponytail…Howie? He’s adorable," Megan observed.
Kristin wiped her eyes. "The one who played the piano earlier. Kevin? He’s got to love music as much as I do," she said.
"Zoey, what do you think?" Tessa asked.
"Hmm, they’re all very good performers, especially the one with the sunglasses. He has a wonderful voice and is a great dancer, but look at him. He’s wearing sunglasses inside and his hair! Bright crayon red? He could be cute, but I don’t know," she answered.
Tessa laughed and turned her attention back to the concert. No matter what her friends thought of the others, she was perfectly happy with her Backstreet Boy.