Where were you when it all happened??

I remember walking into school that day. It was a warm and beautiful day. Though something didn't feel right and I felt a chill up my spine like I've never felt before.

I was a senior in highschool...2nd period. I was in the nurses' office filing away forms and folders. I occasionally looked out the door and noticed a few people running by. My instinct was to grab the radio and plug it in. That's when the nurse and I knew what happened. I then knew that the chill that had run up and down my spine was very significant.

I dropped everything and started running, thinking hey anything was possible...I could die too.

More importantly, since I found out where the planes were coming out of, my life began to sink. I stopped and slid my back down a wall. That's where my friends found me...paralized in fear.

I only had realized that Howie and the guys were in Boston the night before and possibly planning to fly to Toronto the next morning while Brian's wife Leighanne was going to fly out to LA.

I didn't know where Howie could be and all I thought about was him. Where could he be? Was he among the dead in NYC, Washington D.C., or Pennsylvania? For once in my life, I was in no control over what was taking place.

I even stood on the lunch line, pale and crying. My friends knew how important it was to me for him to be found. I just wanted him to be alright.

During lunch, the entire school was called into the auditorium. The principal was giving his speech about what happened and acknowledged that several students were leaving school. I remember him telling us that the safest place was to be in the school. I thought, "yeah right" while being comforted by my friends. They were handing me tissues and hugging me.

After the assembly, we were told to go to our classes and just not do work. Walking to English class was a difficult thing. Many people in the hallways just like me, scared, lifeless, and crying. I noticed a close friend of mine, Honor Friberg, who was in my choir class. I watched her bend down and cry. I just dropped my books and hugged her. I told her that I was so sorry that she was so scared. She told me she had found out her cousin was killed. When I told her, "God bless you, and I will pray for you," she smiled at me through her tears. She said, "Thanks for caring about me". My friend Heather said, "that was a nice thing to do."

We had the channel on CNN in every classroom. I was writing down the timeline of events in my school assignment pad.

English class was difficult to get though because it was the first time I'd seen footage of what happened. The towers just fell about a half hour before I got to class. It was very unreal to see two buildings just fall and thinking about all the people that were trapped. My two friends Johanna and Heather were in my class and they were just sitting in the back with me just consoling me. It was still a mystery about Howie's whereabouts at that point.

The day seemed to grow cold. I remember a sense of bitter cold brush over me as I cried in my seat.

History class was filled with anger. My teacher watched with so much frustration as CNN repeated the footage of the towers collapsing. My teacher wanted to throw a desk, and didn't want to be spoken to the entire period. I never saw a tough man like my teacher cry before. Still, I tried to get any leads to Howie's whereabouts.

When school ended, I made a mad dash for the bus and when I got home, I jumped onto the computer. With a last glimmer of hope, I did get to breathe a sigh of relief.

Howie and two of the others guys had changed their itinerary and drove up to Toronto (in a tour bus) the night of the show. Brian and one other were going to come in the following day. They all made it safely to Canada before the whole ordeal happened and the borders were closed. Leighanne, Brian's wife, had a close call of her own. She was supposed to be on flight 11, the first plane that crashed into the north tower. She luckily canceled that morning.

One person who wasn't so lucky was carpenter and stagehand for the BSB and his name was Daniel Lee. Daniel Lee was a very young and vibrant person, who unfortunately was on flight 11. He was on his way back to LA to see his pregnant wife. Unfortunately, he never made it.

I will miss Daniel Lee and all the others that died that day. It's sad to see what the world has come to.

UNITED WE STAND!

Backstreet hugs & Howie kisses,

ME

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