Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 12:04:29 -0500 From: joey miller Subject: 'Learning how to Fly' Chapter 2 LEARNING HOW TO FLY Chapter 2 Well, here is chapter three. Hope you enjoy reading it! As always, I appreciate comments, praise, and criticism. Please send anything you have to say to Pandora0071@lycos.com. And you know the drill: No feedback - No updates. Disclaimer: This is fiction, meaning that I made it up and none of this is in any way based on true events. I do not mean to imply anything about the sexuality of any celebrities mentioned in this story. If you do not want to read stories with homosexual contents, go away. If accessing this story is illegal wherever you live, please leave or try not to get caught. Saturday, June 30th Miami, FL The plane slowed down, touched on the runway, bobbed up again, then came back down for good. Nicky unbuckled his seat belt and gathered his things. Next to him, Jamie was still asleep, leaning onto Dave who was so immersed in his book that he probably hadn't even noticed that they were back on solid ground. Colin was nervously fidgeting with his glasses, taking them off, cleaning them, and putting them on again. The plane finally reached its position and came to a halt. Jabbing his elbow into Jamie's side, Nicky woke up his band mate and got up from his seat. He hated flying and was always eager to leave the plane. And then everybody was standing in the aisle, waiting for the doors to open. "Will they be at the airport?" Jamie asked. Colin shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose their management will have sent someone to pick us up." "The talent too important to meet us in person?" Nicky laughed bitterly. "Hey, you don't know them at all. Give them a chance before you judge them." Dave said. At that moment the masses of people in the aisle started to move and everyone pushed for the exits. Dave, Colin, Nicky, and Jamie retrieved their luggage and left the airport building. Outside, they scanned the crowd. It was Dave who spotted the man with the sign that said `Dragonfly'. He waved and the man came over, followed by two other guys clad in sweatpants, baseball hats, and sunglasses. "Too important, huh? It's the Backstreet Boys!" Jamie exclaimed excitedly. "Or two of them anyway." Colin added. The man had reached them by then and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Joseph, one of the bodyguards." He shook hands with the band mates. Then the two other guys stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Kevin Richardson, and this is my friend and fellow Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough. Pleased to meet you." Jamie grinned from ear to ear, flashing his pearly whites. Colin stared in awe. An uncomfortable silence spread. Finally Nicky broke down laughing. "Man, J, Colin, snap out of it. They're not gods. They just pretend they are." Howie and Kevin looked back and forth between the members of their opening act, unsure whether or not to join the laughter. "It's alright. Nicky was just kidding." Dave reassured, biting his lips in an attempt to stay serious. And then they all laughed. "Let me get that." Howie offered, grabbing one of the suitcases. Kevin and Joseph took one each as well and together they walked over to the limousine parked in the VIP parking lot. The drive to the hotel was short and they hurried inside past a few fans who had, despite all efforts towards secrecy, found out where their idols were staying. They all assembled in one of the suites on the fourth floor, which had been entirely reserved for the two bands, bodyguards, and dancers. Joseph left and just seconds later the three missing Backstreet Boys entered, followed by a young woman. Kevin stepped forward. "Alright. Dragonflies, these are Brian, AJ, and Nick. Guys, these are Nicky, Colin, Jamie, and Dave." "Oh...two Nicks!" AJ exclaimed in mock exasperation. "I'm not Nick, I'm Nicky." Nicky defended himself, emphasizing the `y' at the end of his name. "But if that is too confusing for you, you can call me Nico. That is the German way of shortening Nicholas." He added proudly. "German? You German?" Nick asked. Nicky nodded. "Yo, he was conceived while his parents were on honeymoon in Germany." Jamie explained. "Alright, with that said, I think I should introduce myself." The young lady interrupted the good-natured banter. She was around twenty and clad in a business suit. But the glimmer in her eyes belied her serious appearance. "I'm Kimmy and I'll be your babysitter. I'm responsible for everything and anything. Whatever you want or need, I'll take care of it, with one exception: I do not perform sexual favors." She said, smirking. Jamie shook his head, feigning disappointment. "And I was hoping...." "Yeah, like you'll need me for that." She replied, and immediately quieted the guys down as they started to laugh again. "I've got the keys for two rooms. I don't know how you Dragonflies want to divide that up amongst yourself so I'll leave it to you. You can go to your rooms right now if you want. But you will all have to meet for dinner tonight. Management reserved a table for you at some restaurant. I'll see you all tomorrow morning at ten for rehearsal." With that, Kimmy handed the keys to Colin and left. Colin kept on of the keys and handed the other one to Jamie. It would be the usual arrangement. Soon everyone dispersed. Nick caught up with Brian on the way to their room. "You can stop clenching your teeth now. He's gone." He said, sarcasm heavy in his voice. Brian rolled his eyes and brushed past his best friend. Ok. Enough from me for now. See you for the next chapter! Joey