Chapter 4
(1 week later-Orlando)
The morning air was crisp and the sun was slowly rising over the horizon as Stacy zipped up her jacket. She bent down and zipped up Annie’s as well, taking a hold of her hand and locking her front door behind her. She opened her purse and dug through it searching for her car keys. She slowly walked to her car, fumbling for the right key. She opened the back door, picking Annie up and buckling her into her car seat.
“Don’t tell me you were going to drive over to our house?”
A familiar voice sounded behind her as she pulled her door open. She turned around quickly.
“Steve. And to what do I owe this pleasure? I was just going over to say hi to the fam. Are you gonna ruin that for me?”Steve nodded, smiling from ear to ear and handing her an overstuffed manila envelope containing the record contract Joey had asked her to look over. She grabbed it quickly from his hands and glanced at it, before tossing it into the passenger seat of her small car.
Steve made his way to the opposite side of the car, as Annie squealed in glee.
“Uncle Steve!” She smiled at him, pressing her palm to her lips and kissing it, waving her hand towards him as he opened up her door.
His fingers made their way to her stomach and she giggled as he tickled her sides.
“How’s my little rascal this morning huh?” He laughed as her small hands tried to push his own away, with no results. He stopped tickling her and kissed her forehead, waving a goodbye and closing the door.
“Actually I was gonna try to ask you out again.” Steve made his way back to Stacy and took her hands in his, getting down on his knees. Stacy burst into laughter.
“Steve, you are too much. How many times do I have to shoot you down before you get it through that thick Fatone ego that I don’t want to go out with you.”
Steve stood up and plastered a pout on his face. His eyes got larger. “It’s because you’re in love with my brother huh?”
Stacy laughed harder. “Yeah. The day I fall in love with your brother is the day….”
“The day that NSYNC sells a million albums.” Steve smiled widely, pulling his hands away from Stacy’s.
Stacy stopped laughing and her brows furrowed in confusion. “You don’t think they’ll make it?”
Steve shook his head quickly, leaning on the car. “No, I didn’t mean that. I support those guys all the way, but come on, a million albums? That’s damned near impossible.”
Stacy nodded. “Nothing’s impossible and watch your language around the young one.” She motioned to the back seat where Annie sat, playing with a Barbie she had discovered on the seat next to her.
Steve’s eyes widened mischievously. “So you are in love with my brother?” He chuckled softly.Stacy quickly sat down in her car and slammed the door, rolling down the window. “You just stop that right now Steven!” She turned the key in the ignition and started down the driveway. She honked and leaned her head out the window. “And say hi to mom and dad Fatone for me!”
Steve waved back as Stacy sped down the road.
«««
“Joey, come on. Concentrate here!” JC sighed and glanced over at his friend. “This is the last song we have to do.”
Joey nodded, placing the headphones back over his head. He glanced around the small recording booth at his friends. He looked through the glass at the man sitting at the controls and stuck his thumb up, motioning for him to continue.“Your love is like a river, peaceful and….”
The music stopped abruptly and the group heard the microphone click on.
“Joey that is all wrong. You’re too high on that part and you’re half a beat behind everyone else.”
Joey rolled his eyes in aggravation. “Why can’t I get this down?” He grumbled to himself. Maybe because all you’ve been doing lately is going out to clubs? Or maybe it’s because you can’t stop worrying about Stacy. Joey shook the thoughts from his head as the music started once more, this time totally emerging himself in the song.
«««
“But Steve! Something is wrong with her I know it! What is it?” Joey shouted angrily into the receiver.
“I’m sorry Joe, I promised I wouldn’t tell you anything. She has to tell you herself.”“WHAT?!” Joey couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His best friend was keeping something from him deliberately and his family knew about it. Why didn’t he? She was his best friend. Maybe “was” is the right phrase. Maybe she feels like I abandoned her. I mean, I did, didn’t I? Joey shook his head in confusion. “She, she isn’t mad is she?”
Steve sighed. “Joey you’re not gonna get anywhere with this, you gotta talk to her yourself. But no, she doesn’t resent you. I know what you’re thinking. You’re still her best friend. She’s just…” there was a short silence. “She’s scared.”
Joey was even more confused now. “Scared of what?”
Steve’s voice got louder. “I don’t know! Scared she might lose her best friend! Scared she can’t live out her dreams! Scared she might ruin yours! I don’t know Joey, why don’t you ask her yourself!” Steve’s hands flew into the air in frustration.
Joey’s heart sank. “She’s scared she’ll lose me?” His voice was barely above a whisper.
Steve shook his head, guilty that he let out a small portion of Stacy’s secret. “I don’t know Joey. But at the rate I hear you are partying and drinking in those clubs over there, I am too.”
“What? I’m not going out and getting drunk every night. I don’t drink that much. Besides, I don’t go for the alcohol anyway.”
Steve snorted. “Oh yeah, you go for the promiscuous women.” He sighed angrily. “What’s with you lately. I mean you have always been a flirt, but from what the guys have been telling me about the way you act when you guys you go out, what do you think you’re so big already that you can go do whatever with women over there and they fall all over you or what?”
Joey’s face grew red in anger. “No! God Steve! You have no idea what it’s like! It’s hard work and it’s stressful. I just need a break. Would you relax and stop acting like my father!”
“Well, someone needs to.” Steve muttered under his breath.
“I heard that!”
Steve shrugged. “So…”
Joey almost slammed down the phone in his hand, but Steve continued.
“Are you gonna call her?”
Joey sighed in defeat. “Yeah. Listen, sorry for yelling at you. I think part of it is….”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to explain yourself. What you do with your life is your business, not mine.”
“Thanks.”
«««
Joey stood still in shock. Stacy could see the tears brimming in his swollen eyes.
“Joey, I meant to tell you, I swear…It’s just how could I?”
Joey shook his head in disappointment. The disappointed looks of five other faces stood in front of her.
“How could you do this to him?” Justin muttered.
JC stared at her angrily. “You are such a liar.”
Stacy couldn’t help the tears that fell down her face. “But I was trying to protect him…”
“From what?” Steve’s voice echoed in her ears.
Stacy looked around, trying to find the voice belonging to him. She turned to face Joey again, discovering him gone.
The world around her turned dark and she was alone, standing in the middle of a desert, Annie’s small hand holding onto her own, but slowly fading away.
“No!” She cried out to the now lonely desert. “Don’t leave me alone Joey. I can’t do this alone!”
Stacy’s eyes jerked open and she breathed faster, trying to calm herself down.
“Stacy?” Stacy’s sleepy gaze fell onto her sister.
“What are you doing here princess? Why aren’t you sleeping in your own bed?” Stacy whispered into the dark room, trying to distinguish Annie’s features.“I hoord you cwying sissy. Why are you so sad?” Annie moved her head closer to Stacy’s and laid it gently on the pillow next to her.
Stacy’s left hand found her sister’s hair and she ran her fingers through it soothingly. “I’m sorry I woke you sweetie, but I’m not crying.” Her right hand moved up to her face and she felt it, noticing her wet cheeks and eyelashes. She wiped the tears away quickly.
“Do you miss mommy too?” Annie whispered into Stacy’s ear as if trying to tell her a secret.
Stacy nodded. “Yeah sweetie, I do.” To be honest, her mother was the least of her worries, but she played along anyway.
Stacy could see Annie’s sympathetic smile in the darkness. “Well, mommy told me that anytime I get sad I gotta sing dat lullaby she used to sing to us. Do you member it?”
Stacy’s brain searched through her lost memories, searching for the song her sister so vividly remembered, but she couldn’t.
“No, sweetie. Do you want to sing it for me?”
Annie nodded happily and began humming the tune to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
Memories flooded Stacy’s mind as Annie started in on the chorus.“In da jungle, da mightily jungle, da wion sweeps tonight…”
Annie’s eyes slid shut as Stacy took over, singing in a whisper. After a few minutes, she kissed her sister’s cheek softly and covered her small body with her comforter. Her eyes slowly closed once more.
«««
Joey waited for the dial tone and quickly dialed Stacy’s number, his hand shaking nervously. The phone rang twice before the soft voice of a child answered it.
“Hewo?”
Joey shook his head, hanging up the phone quickly. He laid back on his bed and rubbed his hand over his face in confusion.
“Hey Joe!” Chris’ cheerful voice broke the silence. “So, did you tell your family the good news?”
Joey nodded, answering in a muffled voice. “Which good news?”
Chris snickered. “Too hot to handle, Mr. Ladies’ man?” He paused, purposely bouncing onto Joey’s bed next to him. “Too much to drink last night, you hunk?”
Joey shook his head from where it rested underneath his bent arm. “No.”
Chris bit his lip. “Oh. Well then, did you tell them we are coming home to fine tune the album and re-release it?”
Joey shook his head once more. “Not yet.”
Chris jumped up and down a few times on the bed before bouncing onto the floor, landing on his butt.
Joey laughed. “Serves you right.”
Chris winced in pain. “Ow, that hurt.” He stood up and gained his composure. “Well, you’d better tell ‘em soon, this guy Lou Pearlman wants to meet with us in two weeks.”
Joey sat up straight and glared down at Chris. “I’ll tell ‘em okay? Just, give me time. This is a lot to handle. I don’t know what you are so upbeat about. This is all happening so fast, it’s like I’m caught on this roller coaster and I can’t get off.”
Chris nodded, standing up and taking a seat next to Joey on the bed. He patted Joey’s knee gently. “And you don’t think we all feel that way?” His eyebrows lowered, as if waiting for an answer, but he continued. “Ya know if we all worry about this like you are right now, we’d be total stress cases. I’ve learned you have to appreciate what you get, what’s been handed to you, as long as you deserve it and so I’m going with the flow and enjoying it. We’ve deserved this Joey, don’t ever forget that.” Chris frowned slightly and stood up, walking to the door. He opened it, turning around and smiling comfortingly at Joey before walking out and closing the door behind him.
