Chapter 11:
The Fiasco
The annoyed assistant came back again and
asked the Backstreet Boys to follow him down to the DJ’s studio. Chris Felix, a
popular DJ in the
"Hello,
"We all know about your upcoming tour
and how successful your other ones were. Tell me, why do you feel the need to
become even richer?"
The guys’ faces fell, confused by the
unexpected turn in questioning. They looked toward Kevin, making him the
designated spokesman. Kevin coughed, stunned by the obvious contempt in the
DJ’s voice.
"Well Cat, it’s not a question of
money."
"Really," jeered Felix, his tone
now changed to one of hostility.
"Uh, yes. We created a great album
and just want to share it with our fans."
"So you charge seventy-five dollars a
ticket," scorned Felix.
Nick looked at Brian with a "is that
how much we charge’ look and Brian gave him a subtle "don’t ask"
frown.
AJ broke in. "I’m not sure what we
charge."
"Oh, I see," the Cat drawled
sarcastically. "Your concern for your fans is limited."
Howie wanted to ring the DJ’s neck. He
could see that Cat was now out to crucify them; he should have suspected
something by their sullen teenage assistant. He shifted uneasily in his chair,
not sure what to do.
Brian spoke up. "Our concern for our
fans is real. We don’t charge anymore than other bands."
"How about the disadvantaged? The
handicapped? Are you accommodating towards them?"
AJ wasn’t sure where this was leading.
"We try to be. If there is a problem we don’t know about, maybe you could
inform us." He glared meaningfully at him.
Felix leaned back into his chair, smiling
maliciously. "You guys play to a certain type of audience, mainly
adolescent girls. What about your gay following? Don’t you have anytime for
them?"
The guys exchanged silent looks. Gay
following?
The bewildered look on the Backstreet
Boys’ faces was priceless and Felix went on hurriedly. "Well, it just so
happens that I’ve invited some loyal gay fans to come visit the great
Backstreet Boys. Fellows, come on in!" Cat signaled to an assistant to
allow the group of men to enter. This is going to send my ratings sky-high he thought
eagerly. One by one they filed in, till the small room filled to capacity.
The guys’ disbelief grew as Felix
introduced each gay man, some dressed casually, others only in G-strings or
tight shorts. The gazes of adoration and desire made each Backstreet Boy squirm
with uneasiness and Cat gleefully noticed it.
"So Boys, what do you think of the
boys?"
Howie, ever the diplomat, came to the
rescue.
"Uh, Cat, our group appeals to all
types of fans. We try not to be particular to one group. We embrace all
types." Howie cringed as he realized his mistake of wording. So did the
other Backstreet Boys.
Felix pointed to one of the men standing
in front. "Come closer, come closer," he encouraged cheerfully.
"Tell us, which Backstreet boy do you like? Do you have anything you want
to say to him?"
A short, red-bearded man, excited to be
chosen, could hardly breathe. "Howie!’ he struggled, unable to say more.
Howie gave him a weak smile.
"AJ!" yelled another. "You
are the best..."
"Brian!" interrupted another one
in the back. "Anytime you’re ready, I’ll be waiting!"
Brian felt his headache coming back and
shook his head slowly. Why me?
Felix noticed this and egged Brian on.
"What’s the matter, Brain? How come you’re shaking your head?"
Brian glared at Felix then looked at Nick
for support.
"Oh, I get it..." said the DJ.
"You like Nick." Felix waved his arms expansively to the group.
"Sorry guys, he’s taken."
"Now just a minute..." exploded
Nick and Brian as they sat up from their seats.
"Ooohh...
what’s the matter guys?" taunted Felix.
Disgusted, AJ sat up too, ripping his
headset off. "This is crap. We’re outta here." He motioned to Howie
and Kevin to stand up. The throng of men, sensing their departure, surged in
closer and all five backed away, immediately aware of the potential trouble.
They gave each other a silent oh shit, how are we gonna get out of this? look.
Kevin and Nick both thought about making a break for it, Howie and AJ wished
they could kill the DJ, and Brian was wondering where the hell Xavier was.
Felix, of course, was loving it. He was
up, out of his seat, seizing AJ’s arm. "Hey, don’t leave just yet.
Everyone here wants to know more…" AJ angrily ripped his arm away from his
grip. "Don’t touch me," he growled.
Felix feigned alarm. "Oh, maybe you’d
rather have one of them grab you..."
A large arm intervened between AJ and
Felix, gripping tightly around the DJ’s wrist.
"That’s enough," Xavier said
quietly.
Felix looked up to argue, but the pain
from the bodyguard’s grip rendered him speechless. He stared into a pair of
brown eyes calmly daring him to disobey, the pressure increasing ever so
slightly. Xavier watched him nod his reply, then pushed Felix back into his
chair. Leaning over the DJ, massive arms resting on each side of Felix’s chair,
Xavier spoke in a low voice.
"Now end it. Go to a
commercial." Felix looked defiant and Xavier felt his blood boil.
"Now!’ he roared and everyone jumped.
Shaking, Felix punched a few wrong buttons
before finding the right ones. Xavier turned to see the other two bodyguards
who had slipped quietly in and nodded to them. They opened the door and Xavier
turned to the guys. "Alright, we’re leaving."
Felix, regaining some of his composure,
felt brave enough to jump back out of his chair.
"Hey, who are you to come barging
in..." he began, his voice faltering as Xavier turned to look at him in
disbelief. The intense, raw anger Felix saw caused him to quickly comprehend
the threat of the man who loomed before him. Xavier smiled ever so slightly as
Felix paled, then stumbled back into his seat. Xavier met the DJ’s fearful
expression. "Good man," he whispered, satisfied that Felix understood
his silent warning. He focused his attention back to the Backstreet Boys.
"Ready?"
The other bodyguards, their arms
outstretched, had cleared a small path for them and the guys began walking
cautiously through. As if sensing a sinking ship, the group of gay men became
panic-strickened, realizing that their chance to see
their idols was disappearing. A sudden rush toward the Backstreet Boys broke
the guards hold, and pandemonium erupted. Frantic to touch them, they grabbed,
tugged, pulled, hoping for anything tangible.
"Run!" yelled Xavier to the
guys. Trying desperately to see if Brian was okay, he roughly shoved anyone in
his way. He discovered Brian, arms covering his head, attempting to fend off
the intrusive hands. Xavier grabbed Brian around the waist with one arm and
then noticing Howie in a similar situation, grabbed him with the other.
Kevin, Nick, and AJ were faring better,
but not by much. The two bodyguards were doing their best to take the brunt of
the onslaught, propelling the other three down the hallway, with Xavier running
ahead. Xavier kicked the back door lever open with his foot, then released Howie
and Brian from his grip, pushing them outside. Kevin, Nick and AJ came rushing
up, and Xavier managed to escape outdoors with them, turning around to slam the
back exit door. Inside, the two bodyguards ran up to the closed door, then
turned around to face the agitated fans. Blocking the door with their bodies,
they effectively barricaded the crowd from exiting.
***