.
Chapter
11
“Lydia, Lydia!!” Jeni and Klare exclaimed as they ran toward her.
“You are not going to believe what we are going to tell you.”
Lydia looked around at Lance, JC, Joey, and Chris for some sort of
explanation. When they didn’t give her any information she asked, “What am I
not going to believe?”
“The guys want us to go on tour with them!!!!” they yelled. “They
want us to meet them in Philadelphia!
How great is that??”
“What?” she asked looking around for some more information. “They
want all three of us to go?”
“Yeah. When you and Justin went into the hallway the guys asked us. We
were all in here hoping that you two got everything worked out, so it could be a
good trip,” Jeni explained.
Justin looked at his watch and saw that their show started in an hour and
that half of the audience was probably already there. “Sorry to break this up,
but the guys and I really need to get to the venue. You girls can stay here and
talk about this then go to the venue,” he told the girls. He then turned to
the rest of his band mates with a confused look on his face, “You guys really
need to inform me on this. Will y’all tell me ‘bout it on the way there?”
“Yeah, we’ll tell ya,” JC assured as he stood up from the bed. The
rest of the guys stood to walk out of the door. “We’ll see ya tonight,
ladies,” JC said.
“Ok, have a good show,” they said in unison.
“See ya after it. Meet us back here. I’ll have Jake waiting in the
lobby for y’all.”
“Alright,” Lydia said.
As the door to the hotel room closed behind the five men Lydia turned
around to face her friends. “What the heck is this tour thing about?”
“They want us to go on tour with them,” Jeni re-stated.
“But we have school! We can’t drop out of college!” Lydia stated.
“I know, but we can take a break. These two girls are following them in
a motor home and they took off some time at college!” Klare pointed out.
“I know this, but I still don’t think I can do it,” Lydia repeated.
“Is it because of Justin? I’m sure that you can figure out a way to
stay away from him,” Klare questioned.
“No, Justin and I got everything worked out. I just don’t know how
I’ll explain it to my mom,” Lydia admitted.
“Your mom? Lydia you’re 19 years old. You shouldn’t have to ask
your mom if you can do something,” Jeni explained.
“You guys don’t understand. My mom is very protective of me. She’s
very worried that my real mom will somehow find me and try to take me away from
her. Besides, I’m all she has now. I can’t leave her alone.”
“What do you mean? What about Craig?”
“Craig and her are getting a divorce. I can’t leave her when she’s
going through this. It’s not easy for me, I can only imagine what it’s like
for her,” Lydia told her friends.
“Well, maybe getting away would be good. That way you can have time to
think about things and you’d have your friends here to talk to and maybe
it’d be easier on you,” Klare suggested.
“I don’t know. I’ll have to think about this. It’s a big thing,
ya know.” Lydia said.
“Ok, just think about it. That’s all we ask,” Jeni stated.
“Guys, it’s 8:20 already. The show starts in forty minutes,” Klare
informed.
“Dang, that means that the opening acts are on now! We need to move!”
Jeni practically yelled.
“Well let’s go!!!” Lydia said as she and her two friends walked out
the hotel door and toward the elevator.
When they reached the lobby it was full of teenage girls holding signs
that said ‘Justin, will you marry me?’ and a few that said ‘JC, I’ll be
your girlfriend’. The three figured that they were the unfortunate souls that
couldn’t get tickets to the show. As they made their way through the crowd, a
girl that looked to be about 15 stopped them to see if they were staying at the
hotel.
“No, we’re not staying here. We were here visiting a few friends,”
Jeni told her.
“Did you happen to see Nsync?” the girl asked with a voice full of
hope.
Lydia remembered the feeling she got yesterday when she first saw their
tour bus, and decided that she would tell her the some of the truth. “Yeah, we
saw them. They are nice guys.”
“Did you talk to them? What’d they say? Is Justin hotter in
person?” the girl questioned.
“Yes, we talked to them. They didn’t really say much, and to answer
your last question, Justin is hot in person but he is also different,” Lydia
answered.
“Wow, that’s so cool!” the girl exclaimed. “I’m waiting to see
them after the concert. I didn’t get tickets to it so this is my only
chance.”
“What’s your name?” Lydia asked her.
“My name is Sara.”
“Well Sara, I’m going to be meeting them so I’ll have them sign
something for you. Do you have anything?”
“Actually I do. I have this CD cover.” Sara handed Lydia the cover to
her Celebrity CD trusting that she’d get their autographs for her. Lydia took
the cover then looked at her watch.
“Sara, I gotta go. If you stay here till I get back you’ll have their
autographs.”
“Thank you. What’s your name though?”
“Lydia Jankins”
“Thank you Lydia.”
“Not a problem,” Lydia replied with a smile and headed out the door
to find her friends. She walked toward the parking lot and looked for her
friends. As she got closer to her car she saw a note. It read: ‘Lydia, we
didn’t know how long you would be talking to that girl so we decided to leave.
Sorry about this, but we didn’t want to miss Dream. We’ll see you soon.
LYLAS, Jeni & Klare.’ “Great. I have no idea where our seats are even
at!” she thought out loud to herself. She got into her Honda CR-V and turned
on her radio. Pink’s “Don’t Let Me Get Me” was ending and Nysnc’s
“Bye Bye Bye” was now playing. This
is an old song, she thought to
herself.
Five minutes later she pulled into the now full parking garage and parked
her car. She hopped out and started toward the elevator that would take her down
4 stories to the main floor. As she neared the Arena, she could hear the screams
and yells. There was also the sound of music playing. “Must be Dream,” Lydia
said out loud. She walked through the doors and headed toward the ticket person.
“Ticket please,” the old man said. The nametag on his shirt read
‘Bob’. He looked to be about sixty and Lydia wondered if he even knew who
Nsync was. She decided it didn’t matter and opened her purse to get her ticket
and backstage pass.
“OHMIGOSH!!! Jeni has it!!!” she yelled.
“You don’t need to yell, just give me you’re ticket and you can go
scream with the other teenagers,” Bob told her.
“I don’t have my tickets. My friends have them, and they are already
in there,” Lydia said getting upset.
“I’ve heard that one so many times today. It’s not going to
work,” Bob said with a sigh.
“NO! I’m telling the truth. Just let me talk to Justin or JC,
they’ll tell you!”
“Are they in that boy group? If they are I can’t do that. They are
going on in five minutes.”
“I’m going to miss this concert!!!”
“Sorry dear. You can’t get in without at ticket.”
How can I get in? There’s got to
be a way! There has to be. Her
thoughts were pushed away when she saw a big, black man. He looked like one of
their bodyguards. “That man there!” Lydia said pointing, “Ask him if he
knows me! Please?”
Bob turned around and called the man over. The man came over and looked
Lydia over. “No, I don’t know her,” he said.
“I didn’t think you would,” Bob said while looking at Lydia.
“NO! You have to! Get Jake, he’ll tell you!” Lydia begged.
“I can’t. He’s on watch. Sorry,” the big man said.
Lydia watched as the man walked away and Bob stood watching her. That
bodyguard was her only chance of getting into the concert she had been dying to
go to, and now her chance was gone. She stood up and started to walk away when
she heard someone calling her name. It sounded far away but very familiar. She
turned around to see the most unlikely person walking toward her with her
ticket.
“What the..” Lydia said confused. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to find you,” the person replied.
“Well, how did you know I was here?”
“I called your house this morning to see if we could talk about what happened last night and your mom said that you were in Buffalo with some friends. I figured you came here with Jeni and Klare to catch a glimpse of those guys you love so much.”
“Well, actually, I got tickets. I’m supposed to be watching their concert right now, but this moron won’t let me in,” Lydia stated while looking at Bob.
“Well, I got on ebay last night and I got a pair of tickets for tonight’s show. I wanted to surprise you and hopefully make a truce. I don’t want you to hate me.”
“Bryce, this is sweet, but you hurt me. You can’t buy my trust or friendship.”
“I know, but lets just go to our seats, enjoy the concert, and then afterwards we can talk about this.”
“Fine, I’ll watch the concert with you, but I don’t want to talk after it.”
“We’ll see about that,” Bryce replied.
The two made their way back to where Bob was standing. “Find your ticket, miss?” Bob asked.
“Yeah,” Lydia replied. Not the one I SHOULD have though.
Bryce handed the tickets to Bob and then took the stubs back and headed toward their seats. “Bryce, where are these seats exactly?”
“The person said that it was Section 331 row 5 seats 10 and 11.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
Bryce and Lydia headed in the direction of their seats. When they finally reached them Lydia thought she was going to pass out. The concert had started and they were in the middle of the first song. “Bryce, how much did you pay for these nosebleed-section seats?”
“$120”
“For both, I hope.”
“Umm… no, for one.”
“WHAT! Are you nuts? Here’s a tip, Romeo. If you buy tickets off ebay, at least know how good they are.”
“Lydia, why are you so upset? You are in the same room with your beloved Justin Timberlake!”
“I should be on the floor with Klare and Jeni! Singing and dancing with them!”
“How’d they score those tickets?”
“We met Nsync yesterday at the FAO Schwartz toy store yesterday. They wanted us to meet up with them here today and so we did. They gave us VIP tickets. That’s where Jeni and Klare are.”
“Lydia I’m sorry that you are “stuck” here with me, but at least
you get to see the concert! There are many people that would love to even be
here right now,” Bryce yelled above the loud music.
“Bryce, I’m not getting into this with you right now. I’m going to
watch the concert.”
Bryce turned away from her and squinted his eyes to see the 5 figures
dancing to “Tearing Up My Heart”. How can she actually like these guys?
All they are, are a bunch of pretty boys who want to get laid.
Lydia sat listening to the music playing and the smooth voices singing out the loving and incredible lyrics. When the song “Selfish” came on she concentrated on the lyrics harder than she had before. She felt like Justin was singing it directly to her, but she knew that couldn’t be true. She had just formed her friendship with him and there was no way he had fallen in love with her that easily. In the middle of the song she looked over at Bryce who seemed to be in a trance. Maybe he’s just tired. It is a long drive to Buffalo.
Bryce sat on the edge of his chair, elbows on knees, head propped up on his closed fists. He was staring into the screaming crowd yet all he could hear was the smooth voice of one of the men onstage. He was absorbing every word of the slow song. It was expressing everything he felt. Sure, he had broken up with Lydia because he hadn’t loved her. When he saw how scared, hurt, and vulnerable she had looked the night before, he developed a feeling he hadn’t felt when she was around. He was scared that he was falling in love with her. He knew she’d never give him the time of day and that she’d never trust him. He had to figure out what he was feeling. This song wasn’t helping either. It made him realize that he wasn’t being selfish, he was just… loving her.
The concert ended and all was going well. Bryce didn’t give any clues that he had finally realized he loved her, he acted the same way he always had. At least, he thought so. “Bryce, I want to apologize for being such a baby. I also want to thank you for the tickets. It was very…thoughtful.”
“It was the least I could do.”
“Well, I’m going to go down and try to find Jeni and Klare. Maybe I’ll find my backstage pass and fulfill a promise I made.”
“What promise?”
“I promised this girl, Sara, I’d get her Justin and the guys’ autographs.”
“Well, good luck on that little task of yours. I have to get going if I’m going to make it home at a decent hour.”
“Have a safe trip. I’ll see you tomorrow maybe. Thanks again for the tickets.”
Bryce and Lydia went their separate ways. Lydia had just walked off the last step when she saw Jeni talking to Bob. She looked to be a bit worried and Lydia could only imagine what was wrong. She slowly walked up behind her and waited patiently for her to finish her question.
“Have you seen my friend? She is kinda tall, has brown curly hair down to her shoulders, slightly tan?” Jeni asked frantically.
“Yeah, I have seen a girl like that. Before the concert she was trying to get in. I also saw her after the concert too,” was his reply.
“You saw her after the concert too? Where???”
“Right behind you, dear.”
Jeni turned around and was face to face with Lydia. She gave a little squeal and hugged her friend. “Where the heck were you???”
“I was in the nose bleed section with Bryce. Since you had my ticket and backstage pass I couldn’t get in. I was about to go back to the hotel when Bryce came up and gave me a ticket he bought on ebay.”
“Wow, that guy must really feel bad. Anyways, I’m glad you are ok! Here’s you pass. The guys are waiting for us backstage.”
“Ok, lets go,” Lydia said in a cheery voice as she slipped the pass over her head. She couldn’t wait to see JC and Justin. She couldn’t really see them from her nosebleed seats so she was anxious to see them. She also had to tell them whether or not she was going on tour with them. Jeni and Klare had already decided they were going to go. Now it was up to her if she went or not. This decision would change her entire life and possibly the relationship with someone she could love.
Chapter 13
Lydia and Klare made their way toward the backstage area. “Hey Jen, I thought they were going to meet us at the hotel,” Lydia said when they were halfway to the “Nsync room”.
“Nope, they changed their minds. They had Jake come tell us during the show.”
“Ok, just making sure. Oh yeah, I have to get that cover signed for Sara. I told her to wait for me and I’d get it for her.”
“Wow, you really spent a lot of time with that girl, didn’t you?”
“Shut up! You know I like making new friends!”
“I know, I’m just saying…” Jeni started but stopped when they reached the door to the room Nsync was in. They opened the door and walked in and looked around to find no one in there. “What the heck! Where’d they go?”
“I don’t know. There’s one of their phones, they have to be here somewhere.”
They both heard a sound coming from behind them and turned around. JC walked out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waste. Lydia and Jeni stood staring at his amazing physic that still had little water droplets slipping down his 6-pac stomach and onto his towel. JC looked at them and quickly noticed Jeni wasn’t blinking. He remembered that she had once had a crush on him and he started to become very uncomfortable. Lydia, on the other hand, had composed herself and was now looking everywhere in the room except at JC’s half-naked body. She noticed Jeni and elbowed her in the stomach. Jeni hunched over and regained her composure. “Hey JC, ummm…. looking for something?” Lydia asked.
“Actually I am. I misplaced my gel, have ya seen it?”
“No, we haven’t. We were looking for you guys. Where’s everyone at?” Jeni asked.
“Justin, Chris, Joey, and Klare all went back to the hotel. Lance is off getting some snacks or something, and I’m here getting cleaned and sex-ified.”
“Oh, is this your phone?” Jeni asked, holding up the little yellow cellular phone.
“No, mine’s blue. I guess that’s Lance’s. That boy and yellow,” JC replied with a chuckle.
Lydia was now feeling comfortable about looking at JC and had almost forgotten he was even in a towel. The three people could hear a key being put into the hole and the doorknob turning. They looked at the door and watched as Lance walked in carrying a container of gel. He took his key out of the hole and turned to find JC half-naked with Lydia and Jeni standing about 3 feet in front of him. His jaw dropped at the site and his mind went wild with many ideas. JC, Jeni, and Lydia noticed the shocked/confused look on his face and couldn’t help but laugh at him.
“What’s so funny?” Lance asked, getting defensive.
“If- you- could have- seen- your face- you’d be laughing- too,” Jeni said between laughs.
“Well, what am I supposed to think? JC’s half-naked with two girls… ALONE!!”
“You shouldn’t assume things Mr. Bass. It could get you into trouble,” Lydia said walking closer to Lance with a serious face.
“Lydia, you- your freaking me out,” Lance said while walking backwards.
“Well, Lance, I guess I’m about to make a point,” Lydia replied.
“And what point is that?”
“That even MEN get scared at times,” Lydia said as a small smile crossed her face and a giggle escaped her lips.
“That WASN’T funny Lydia!” Lance yelled.
“YES IT WAS, LANCE!” JC and Jeni said in unison.
“Good one, Lyd,” Jeni complimented.
“Thank you, thank you.”
“Well guys. I’m going to go back and finish getting ready,” JC said while exiting the room.
Jeni and Lydia spent the next twenty minutes waiting for JC to get, as he said, “sex-ified”. Lance had already signed Sara’s cover and Lydia was starting to wonder if she’d get back in time to give Sara her gift. Lydia looked at her watch. “Guys, I need to go now. It’s already 11:15 and I still have to get this cover to Sara.”
“What about JC?” Lance asked.
“What about him?”
“Doesn’t she want his autograph?”
“Dang! You are right. How could I forget that???”
“It’s all good. Give me the cover for a second.”
Lydia stood up and handed Lance the cover. He walked across the room and knocked on the door that JC had walked behind a half hour earlier. There was a muffled voice and Lance cracked the door and walked through. A minute later he returned into the room with the signed CD cover. He handed her the cover and offered to go back to the hotel with her. “J said he’d be another 15 minutes. He’s still fixing his hair,” Lance informed.
“Dang that boy takes more time to get ready than I do!” Jeni said.
“Lydia, do you want me to come back to the hotel with you?” Lance asked.
Lydia looked at Jeni and noticed she had a pleading look in her eyes. She probably wants to spend quality time with JC. “Sure Lance, let’s go.”
Lance went to tell JC that him and Lydia were going to leave and that he had to take Jeni back to the hotel. When JC said it was ok, Lydia and Lance made their way out of the venue and toward Lydia’s CR-V. When she unlocked it Lance walked over to the driver’s side door and opened it for Lydia. He then closed it behind her and walked around to his side. “Thanks Lance. That was sweet.”
“Not a problem. I learned a thing or two down in Mississippi.”
“I guess you did,” Lydia replied while giving him a smile that penetrated his soul.
Lydia noticed he got a goofy look on his face and her smile slowly fell. Did I say something stupid? she thought. Her thoughts were brought to a sudden halt as she felt Lance’s soft lips pressed against hers.