Chapter 11: Fifteen Minutes in Hell
Things were not getting any better for any one as the weeks moved on. The schedule was rough and the guys were always sick, they seemed to be sharing everything with each other including cold germs. As much as Lexi wanted JC to notice her, he didn’t even have time for that. And it wasn’t personal she could see it in his eyes he cared about her. But they all needed help. It was getting harder to ignore that voice in the back of her mind, tell her what she should do. Her plan wasn’t forgotten, there was just so much to do.
Lexi had decided to come in early and bring the guys a treat. They had been working so hard and Jade never gave them anything as a reward for their suffering, but when she got there her mood suddenly dropped. Pasted on the door was a poster for a brand new club promotion. It read ’15 Minutes in Heaven’. Lexi read the sign over a few times and rolled her eyes, it had to be one of the lamest promotions yet, and the guys were not going to like it one bit. She went straight to Miss Gaillard to find out what it was all about since she was probably going to be the one that had to explain it to the guys.
The promotion was simple and based on the old High School kissing game, by the same name. Only instead of a teenage boy it was an N Sync guy and instead of a closet it was a cage, because let’s face it if you are making out with a hot guy these days you are going to want everyone to see. They were going to raffle off tickets to see who got to make out with an N Sync guy for 15 heavenly minutes. Lexi already hated the idea, she knew how bad the parties and dates were for the guys and these ticket were only a buck, so it was going to open it up to a whole new batch of crazy fans.
“I don’t think this is such a good idea.” Lexi stated then paused to think about how to word her protest in a way the Jade would understand, she had to admit that she was getting better at it but ideas still got shot down from time to time. “It’s the guys, they all have colds and you wouldn’t want to risks them getting your guests sick would you? That could really cut down on repeat visits.”
“Well can’t you make them better?” Jade snapped, as if Lexi hadn’t been trying to do that already.
“I am trying but it’s hard with their schedule and all the drinking. Maybe we should get them some vitamins or something?” Lexi asked, it didn’t hurt to throw that in there. Would it cure them, probably not, but it sure the hell couldn’t hurt. Maybe it would give them a little boost and since taking them to the doctor was out of the question it was her best option.
“I like it, go ahead and pick that stuff up. Save your receipts and I will reimburse you later. But this promotion is happening tonight, if it doesn’t go well then we can rethink it later. I need you to explain it to the guys for me.” Jade said and then shooed Lexi out of her office.
After getting the instructions from Jade, Lexi went to see the guys, though her present wasn’t going to be as uplifting once she gave them the bad news. When she walked in no one looked at her or said anything. Lexi forced a smile then announced that she had a surprise for them, but still no one moved. It was kind of depressing; Lexi was trying to stay positive.
She reached into her bag and pulled out 5 candy bars. Joey looked at her in awe but tried to hide his excitement. It had been months since he had candy or sweets. He held out his hands and waited for her to place the chocolate in them. By the time she got the rest handed out, Joey had his gone. The others broke off pieces, in an attempt to savor it. Accept JC, he just set it aside for later, he had been complaining to her that his stomach was bothering him lately so it didn’t surprise her that he didn’t eat it right away.
“Thank you Lexi, you are a sweet heart.” JC said.
“You’re welcome, I know you guys are tired and I wish I could do more for you. Hell I am tired and I don’t do half as much as you guys do” Lexi said then took a seat next to Justin on his bed. They didn’t mean to be ungrateful so they did thank her. “I do however have bad news though, not sure if you noticed the posters yet, but you have a new promotion.” She added.
“No, we have not left the room today.” Lance explained. They were just trying to get caught up on sleep. Amidst groans and sighs of contempt she was able to deliver them their instructions. She tried to point out the positives, at least it was timed and there was just one crazy girl to deal with. But nothing seemed to improve their demeanor.
As the night went on the raffle tickets were sold at an alarming rate and at 10 o’clock they had each guy draw a name from his bucket. The lucky winners were quick to join them on stage. The first pair climbed in and started the clock. Lexi turned away she couldn’t even bare to watch. The girls were forceful, trying to get the most out of their 15 minutes.
Lance found it awkward and unpleasant, especially since he was gay. He had no interest in the woman that was practically trying to climb up him, forcing him against the bars and groping him. After what was the longest 15 minutes ever the bell finally rang and the women were forced off the stage, giving the guys a chance to catch their breath.
While the guys were performing their last number, Miss Gaillard approached Lexi to give her some more good news. The new promotion had been such a success that they were going to do it every Friday and Saturday from now on. Lexi hung her head; she wasn’t sure how she was going to tell the guys. So when the night was over and they guys were settling in for some sleep she just blurted it out.
“But that woman tried to rape me tonight, I swear she did.” Lance whined. The others just took a deep breath and got in bed. That worried Lexi more than anything else, they weren’t even fighting it anymore, and they had given up. They were ready to accept that this was how it was going to be from now on.
Lexi on the other hand was not okay with that way of thinking. Things could be better but she needed a partner for her plan to work. There was no more time to wait, Lexi stepped out and closed the door, and then she let herself start to cry as she headed home. Now the voice in her head was screaming at her telling her what she needed to do. She had a million things going through her mind and no one she trusted, so she did something that she hadn’t done in a long time, she got her phone out and dialed an old friend. The voice of reason was about to get its way.
There was a sleepy voice on the other end, but a friendly greeting was delivered through the tired haze. It was reassuring to say the least. Lexi hardly said hello before blurting out all of her problems pausing between to wipe her eyes and clear her now runny nose. She told her about the guys and the club she was working at. She told her everything and then waited for a reply. The answer came in the form of a slow and calm voice, just the way she remembered it.
“Okay, slow down and start over.” Her friend said. Lexi took a deep breath and fell into her chair before starting over from the beginning, this time going slow and filling in the details as her friend listened intently on the other end, commenting from time to time to let her know that she was still there.
“Isadora, I have a plan.” Lexi stated when she was finished. Isadora issued a confused response; this had not been where she thought the conversation had been going. “I want you to buy them.”
“That is not a plan, it’s a suggestion.” Isadora pointed out.
“Ok, then I also suggest you bring me onboard to work with them. I have worked with them for months and seen Jade fail miserably. I have a plan. I can make you rich…er. Plus I can give you the insider information that you need to make the sale successful.” Lexi explained.
“Have you thought about what you are asking me to do? You barely know me anymore and I thought you said that I spend money foolishly.” Isadora commented.
“You do, which is exactly why I can’t think of anyone else in the world that would want to buy a boy band. And yes I have thought about this, I have better odds getting somewhere with you than I do with Jade. Whether you choose to believe it or not but you are still the same person that you were in High School, you just don’t get in trouble now when you do crazy things. I know you would take good care of them because they are more than just an investment, they could be your friends… maybe even more. I assume you still have a thing for Chris Kirkpatrick. He could fall in love with you just like you always dreamed of and yes, I could help make that happen for you as well. But first you have to be his hero; you have to save him from the monster. This fire breathing dragon, named Jade Gaillard.” Lexi said carefully recalling details from conversations that they had so long ago, when they were just girls and still chasing after boys rather than imprisoning them.
“Okay you have my attention.” Isadora said. She was more impressed that Lexi had gone from soft spoken and go with the flow to a forceful person with a plan. “Why should I hire you though? I could just do it myself.”
“When would you have time? I can tell you for a fact that this eats up most of my day as it is. I can be there every step of the way and the guys already trust me. I know how they think and what will work on them.” Lexi recalled the conversation she had with JC. She knew they were scared to get a new owner, they wouldn’t know how to act especially when they find out about Lexi’s involvement but it was a chance that she was willing to take. She hoped that they would eventually forgive her. They might lash out again and fight back or they could just be too beat down, but If Lexi was there and she knew their new master, they might be okay. Lexi would take proper care of them and Isadora could pay for everything; she was a fan just as much as Lexi was, maybe even more so. Isadora wouldn’t hurt them.
“I didn’t think they were for sale.” Isadora said interrupting Lexi’s thoughts.
“They aren’t, but they are so sick. I don’t think they can make it much longer, and if Jade can’t make money off of them, I think she’ll just get rid of them. I would rather it be to you than some stranger.” Lexi said. Isadora considered the offer, she wasn’t opposed to the challenge but she was also a business woman. And Lexi some hoe knew that eventually Jade would cash in and pawn the guys off on someone else.
“This would be a huge investment and if they are as ill as you say they are it would take time before I would see a return. Just to be real for a minute, can they be saved and can I get my money back? If I don’t have any money then they don’t have money either.” Isadora asked. She was always good at asking the tough questions.
Lexi wasn’t going to lie to her friend; she hoped that this was the truth. “They want to get better, and they want to live. I mean they are doing everything they can just to survive. If you give them a chance they will take it and they are so scared right now they would do anything to make you happy, you wouldn’t have to hurt them. You could just say what you want and I am pretty sure they would do it.”
“Lexi, you know me, I am not into hurting anyone.” Isadora said. Lexi thought she wouldn’t but it was good to hear come from her, but she knew how tempting the Supremacy System was, that much power was going to a lot of people’s heads. They both knew the risks involved, and Lexi was secretly concerned that what JC had said would be true and that Isadora would turn out to be just as bad as Miss Gaillard, but some risks were worth taking. Either way they were dead men walking.
“I want it in writing just so you know. It’s not that I don’t trust you but like you said I don’t know you very well. If I help you get custody of them, I want in on it. I want a real job with great benefits and a chance to make things better for the guys. They don’t deserve this.” Lexi demanded.
Isadora told her friend that she would look into it on her end and consider her offer, but that it was probably best not to let Miss Gaillard know that they were working together and she probably shouldn’t tell the guys, at least not right away. They might have mixed emotions about it. Isadora didn’t want to cause them any more stress or risks them exposing their little deal. If Jade found out they were working together Lexi could lose her job and Isadora would never get owner ship of the band.
