Kerri threw back her head as the lights in the arena turned out. The crowd gave a loud cheer, the concert had begun. The group moved smoothly through their songs, Kerri not missing a beat. Finally the last song was over and the crowd sent out anohter loud cheer. Wow, she thought, look at all these people. Next thing she knew they were being led off stage through the crowd. They gave high fives to fans as they made their way to the safety of backstage. The crew immediately began to set up for the Backstreet Boys. A few minutes later the Boys flew over the audience to the stage. The cheers turned into shreiks of joy as they landed onstage and were surronded by a burst of flames. The show was great, as always. Kerri watched from backstage, enjoying the show. I don't have to worry about Mark this time, she thought bitterly. She couldn't help from wondering how he was doing. After all he has done to me, she thought, I can't help but still worry about him. Kerri knew better than anyone else about Marks problems. She was surprised when a guard placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Follow me." He said as he began to lead her back through the crown again.
"What?" Kerri said confused as to why she was being taken back to the stage. The guard didn't reply. Soon she was onstage by Nick.
"Now everyone, I'd like to intorduce Kerri to you. She is the newest member of the Backstreet Tour family." He said, walking her around the stage so everyone could see her. Then he led her to a chair that was set up on stage on had her sit down. The Boys made a circle around her and began to sing. Some of the fans in the crowd grumbled, but most let out a chorus of aw's. When the song was done Nick leaned over and whispered in her ear, "This is because you didn't get to come go onstage Friday, even though I know you really wanted to. I wanted you to also."
Later that night after the concert everyone met at the hotel. The manager of the tour called everyones attention.
"There is another show here tomorrow night. Yes, that does mean you have a day to check out New York. Just don't get into any trouble, AJ, and be back right here by 4:30." He told them, before turning to go to his room. Christina, Kerri, and Jess all headed to the room that they were sharing.
"You did good tonight." Jess told Kerri as she tossed her bags on the floor, yawning.
"Thanks. You know what, strangly enough, I'm not the least bit tired. Anyone wanna go check out the hotel with me?" Kerri asked. The two other girls looked at her like she was crazy.
"No," Christina laughed, "Some poeple here actually require sleep."
Kerri nodded and grabbed her room key before heading out. She closed the door quietly behind her and found her way down the halls to the main lobby. There were a few interesting gift shops, with barely any people in them because of how late it was. Kerri figured she could find something for Desiree there and stepped into the closest shop. Kerri turned as she felt a hand pull on her sleeve. She turned to find a young girl, about nine, standing there.
"You were one of the dancers at the concert tonight. The one that Nick introduced, right?" She asked quietly. Kerri smiled at her and nodded. "Do you think I could get a picture with you?"
"Of course." Kerri said. The girl called for her mom to come over. Kerri kneeled down next to the girl. Her mom flashed the picture and thanked Kerri. Funny, she thought, someone wanting a picture with ME. Kerri looked into the shops for half an hour. She picked out a nice pair of sunglasses for Desiree before starting back to her room. She was almost to her room when someone grabbed her arm. She turned to see a tall girl with blond hair and clear blue eyes. The girl looked down at Kerri, her eyes full of anger. Confused, Kerri stared back waiting for her to say something.
"You need to stay away from Nick. You have no idea what you are dealing with." The girl told her harshly. "What makes you think he would want YOU anyways? Your nothing special, just some random loser he felt sorry for."
"Excuse me?!" Kerri said, a deep rage flooding through her body. "Who are you?"
The girl stood silently, looking at Kerri. She tilted her head from one side, then the other. "Do you really want to know?" Kerri stared at her coldly in reply.
The girl pulled Kerri closer and very slowly leaned to down her ear. She hissed into it, "I'm Nicks girlfriend!"
