Chapter 5 – Changes

“You need anything else?”

The waitress stared at the girl that had been sitting at the small booth for almost an hour, staring at the paper and sniffling. She'd ordered a coffee and a water, turning down any food. She hadn't hurt anything, the other tables busy with the regulars and groups coming in after the lunch rush.

“Listen, honey, we all gotta eat. You want some pie? I have a slice of pecan and some ice cream with your name on it.”

“I have three bucks on me,” Melissa admittedly sheepishly. “And I'm job hunting...I can't exactly promise to pay you back tomorrow.”

It was a little 'greasy spoon' type of diner. However, judging by the amount of traffic in and out, it had good food. The only reason she'd ducked in was because her feet had hurt from walking around searching for work.

Victoria dug out her ticket book and wrote down the pie and ice cream. “Let me come back with your food and we'll talk.”

Melissa watched the woman walk away and went back to searching the ads. Most of the jobs she was either not able to do or not qualified for. Something caught her eye and she frowned.

NSYNC in Memphis – tix for sale. Row 10. Great seats.

She looked at the contact number and sighed. She was supposed to be on that tour. In the span of a few minutes, that had been ripped away from her. It seemed wrong to keep thinking of it, but it was all she could do. It hurt to think of Chris. As usual, he wasn't far from her mind.

Her thoughts wandered and she was startled when a place was set down in front of her. A salad with grilled chicken and crackers with dressing and a slice of pecan pie and ice cream, along with a glass of tea.

“What's this?” she asked, watching the woman sit down across from her with her own glass of tea and a Reuben sandwich.

“This,” she said, gesturing to the food, “is lunch. Tell me about yourself. Job wise...” she added as she took a bite of her own food.

Melissa told her a little of when she was in accounting, but then she went into culinary school. A smile came to her face when she was asked about her favorite dishes. They weren't different than a lot, some of them she'd tweaked for her and Chris. He loved tacos, but sometimes she made them with homemade shells and and chicken and seasonings, other times fish tacos and homemade fries with sea salt. The last time Beverly had come to visit, she'd teased her son about gaining a few pounds.

That thought was quickly shoved away when she was left with a question to answer.

“Excuse me?” she said, blinking at the older woman.

“Do ya have cotton in your ears, kid? Do ya want a job? It's not glamorous, but it's a paycheck and you keep your tips. Of course, you might be bussing or helping George back in the kitchen. I keep telling him the recipes need to be vamped up a little,” she said, rolling her eyes goodnaturedly.

Melissa sucked in some air and felt relieved. At least she'd have a little money coming in.

“Yes. Thank you...” she paused, waiting for a name.

“Victoria. Come see me tomorrow around 10 in the morning. I'll only keep you until five-thirty or so.”

The woman's long silver hair moved when she talked, a smile on her face as she explained the busy times of the diner and what was expected of her.

Melissa was excited about the job. She didn't figure she would get to keep much, if any, of her money, but it would be nice to at least hold the check in her hand.

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“Did yer mama use a Tupperware bowl to cut your hair like that, or the much classier set of fine butter containers y'all used for company?”

Lance narrowed his eyes at Justin.

“Keep talking, Noodle Hair,” he said.

Justin giggled and held his cereal bowl and spoon to his chest as Addy walked by.

“You two, knock it off,” she said. “I won't deal with the two of you acting like five-year-olds for the next seven months. Lonnie will have to carry me off in a white coat and find me a well-padded room.”

“I'll join ya, Miss Addy,” the large man said from the bus's lounge sofa.

Adeline smiled at him. The boys had practically begged Johnny to get Lonnie, Tiny, and as many of the old NSYNC crew back that he could manage. They claimed it just “wouldn't be” an NSYNC tour without “Sexual Chocolate”. Addy had turned up her nose and giggled at the nickname for their bodyguards – but she smiled at the thought that all five of them had seemed to revert back to the days when they were in their twenties.

In the end, Lonnie and Tiny joined them as bodyguards along with four new men – just as big and scary as the two originals – and most of the old band. Kevin, Troy, Billy, Paul, and Ruben had returned for the new tour, with the addition of a new girl named AJ to make the full band.

“Why are you guys looking at these anyway, if they're so awful?” Addy asked. She reached down and grabbed the photo album from Lance's hand, immediately giggling. “Lance...the hair...”

“I'll leave you on the side of the road in Hartford,” he said. “I can handle single fatherhood.”

“Not at bath time, you can't,” she said with a smile. “Besides, don't feel bad. When I was sixteen I had a perm and feathered bangs.”

“That's not so bad,” Justin said.

“I was sixteen in 1999,” she said. “My style was not only horrendously bad, it was out of season by about thirteen years.”

“Ouch,” Justin said.

“Yeah,” she said, handing the photo album back to Lance. “Needless to say, I burned my senior pictures.”

“What can you manage to do with these?” Lance asked, pointing at the album full of pictures going on twenty years old. “I can't believe Johnny kept these.”

“I can't believe you and I walked out of the house looking like that,” Justin said, pointing between himself and Lance. “What were we thinking? Bright blonde is so not our color.”

“Don't you be talking about blondes now, Curly,” Addy said, pointing her finger at Justin. “Your letter is the first we could cut out of the NSYNC name and it would still make sense.”

“Try it,” he said. “I'll cut ya.”

“He's small enough that with a little wrangling, he can easily fit in one of those luggage compartments, Miss Addy,” Lonnie said, not looking up from his cell phone. “Just FYI.”

“Lance, man, back me up,” Justin said, patting Lance on the shoulder. “They're plottin' against me here.”

“What in the world gave you the impression I'm on your side of this?” he asked. “I'd love to stuff you in a luggage compartment.”

“If I get stuffed in the luggage compartment, it's only you versus your wife and Lonnie,” Justin said with a smile. “Who ya think will win that one, Bowl Cut? It might be wise to have me on your side.”

“Only because you raise a good point,” Lance said.

Justin smiled and nodded knowingly.

“Speaking of hair...” Lance said, his voice trailing.

Addy and Justin both looked down and their eyes landed immediately on an old picture of Chris. The whole bus became silent.

“Where is he, anyway?” Addy asked.

“Bunking with Joe and C,” Justin said, his voice becoming suddenly softer.

“He...can't handle this bus,” Lance said. “You...me...Liam.”

“It's the...'happy family' thing,” Justin said hesitantly.

Addy nodded slightly. She understood.

After a week, Chris was still raw. Mel still hadn't come home, or even contacted any of them – not that they expected her to, but they had held on to hope for a week, because that was all they could do.

The worst part was that they had nothing to go on. She hadn't left a shred of evidence behind as to why she would leave – with the exception of a note. There was something about that note that didn't sit right with Addy, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

“He'll manage,” Justin said. “How long can he do this to himself, really? It'll take him time, but...he'll get over her.”

Lance and Addy glanced at one another as Justin walked out of the room towards the bunks. They weren't so sure even time could heal this one.

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“Joseph Anthony Fatone, I'm gonna kill you...”

Chris opened his eyes and stared up at the top of his roomy bunk bed when he heard JC's voice travel down the hallway.

“What'd I do now?” Joey asked.

“Did you steal my iPad again?” JC said.

“I didn't touch your stinkin' iPad,” Joey said. “You damn technological freak of nature.”

“I put it in your bunk, C,” Chris said, raising his voice to be heard from behind the curtain he was using to hide himself from them. “It fell out of your duffel bag. I didn't want it to get broken.”

“Thanks Chris,” JC said.

Chris was relieved to hear the room outside go silent again, until he was startled by his curtain being pulled back harshly.

“Yo,” Joey said. “How you doing, Christopher?”

“You scared the shit out of me, Joey,” he responded, throwing a pillow over his eyes. “I'm trying to sleep, can you leave me alone?”

“I call bullshit, you aren't trying to sleep,” Joey said. “You sleep naked.”

“I do not, asshole,” Chris said, uncovering his eyes.

“I know, but it got you to quit hiding behind a pillow,” Joey said with a smirk.

Chris groaned, rolling his body over to face toward the wall, taking the pillow with him and hugging it to his body.

“Wanna talk about it?” Joey asked.

“That's the second to last thing I want to do.”

“What's the first?”

“Think about it,” Chris said.

“You can't keep it all bottled up inside like this, Chris,” Joey responded. “You'll explode.”

“All week long, that's all Addy and Lance have wanted to do,” he said. “Talk about it. Get it off our chests. Express our feelings. I'm damn tired of expressing my feelings. I think everybody knows by now how I feel.”

“Ad and Lance are upset, too,” Joey said. “You can't blame them. Mel was Addy's best friend. And Lance is too proud to admit it, but she was like a sister to him.”

“You don't have to talk about her like she's dead,” Chris said. “It's not she was Addy's best friend – she is.”

“She's not around anymore, Chris.”

“Oh gee Joe,” Chris said, turning his body towards Joey, scrunching his face up in anger. “I forgot. Thanks for reminding me.”

“I fail at helping, don't I?”

“If it were an Olympic sport, you wouldn't even take the bronze,” Chris said. “You don't just fail, you suck.”

“I'm sorry,” Joey said, his voice lowering. “I wish I could tell you what's going through her mind right now. I wish I knew, too.”

“What are we talking about?” JC said, pulling back the curtain more as he came up next to Joey.

“God, go away!” Chris said, burying his face back in the pillow. “NSYNC is about to go without their S.”

“NYNC – nah man, doesn't have quite the same ring to it,” JC said.

“He's upset about Mel,” Joey said. “And no, he doesn't want to talk about it.”

“You can't keep it all bottled up inside, Chris.”

“If I screamed loud enough,” Chris said, “do you suppose the driver would get scared, lose control of the bus, and crash right off a bridge? That sounds more pleasant than talking to you two right about now.”

“You don't love us anymore?” Joey asked, a fake pout on his face.

“Remind me to switch back to the other bus,” Chris said. “The Addy-Lance-Justin love fest still has to be minutely better than this.”

“I wouldn't count too much on that,” JC said. “Addy and Lance are getting along now, but God help anyone who's around if those two get to fighting with each other.”

“God help Lance,” Joey said. “Did you see the way she knocked Wade's lights out yesterday? Holy shit, I didn't know she had it in her. She broke his nose.”

“Joe, she's from Joisey,” JC said, his best Jersey accent coming out. “Of course she has it in her. Have you ever been around when she gets pissed and her accent starts coming back to her? It's hilarious as hell.”

“Somebody better warn the new choreographer.”

“I heard she's smokin' hot...”

“Are you guys kidding me right now?” Chris yelled, turning his body to look at the two of them. “Can you please have this fucking discussion somewhere else and leave me the hell alone?”

Joey and JC cautiously nodded and backed off, realizing that they had pushed Chris to his limit. When they walked away from the bunks and closed themselves off in the lounge area, he sighed and laid his head down on the pillow.

It would be a long damn tour.

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“So, where is she?”

Addy looked at Justin, who was tapping his foot on the linoleum dance floor.

“Go take a cold shower, Justin,” she said, grinning. “Her and Johnny got stuck in traffic. He texted me and said he'd be at least half an hour late.”

“At least she can't bitch at us for being late this time,” Lance said.

“Or not being here at all,” Chris added.

“I don't think she's anything at all like Wade,” Addy said. She glanced at her knuckles – the purple bruising had only gotten slightly darker, matching the color of the accent diamonds in her handmade engagement ring, and they still hurt, but at least she could flex her fingers this morning. “At least I hope not. Johnny said she's a sweet girl.”

“Which counts for how much, exactly?” Joey said. “Johnny said the same thing about Wade once.”

“But this is a woman,” Justin said. “How bad can she be?”

“Seriously?” JC asked. “They can be worse. No offense, Addy.”

“I still have one hand that isn't injured, JC,” she said with a smile, while several of the others laughed.

“I don't care, as long as she's hot,” Justin said with a smile, garnering a look from the others. “What?”

Addy leaned against the wall and it was just a few moments later that they all heard the door of the room open.

“Sorry guys, I'm so late.”

Addy could say she was not stunned. The new choreographer was a tall beauty, with shiny dark brunette hair just past her shoulders that she quickly pulled into a messy bun the moment she rushed in and put her bag down on the bench by the door. She had legs that went on for miles, and she immediately pulled the baggy sweatshirt over her head to reveal a tight blue razorback tank top, running over a trim-but-toned stomach. With her back turned to them, Addy could see a large decorative music note tattoo on her right shoulder blade, which only accented her toned upper arms.

“I'm Courtney,” the woman said, turning towards them. “I assume you're NSYNC?”

“Are we?” Joey said.

“They are,” Addy said to the woman, rolling her eyes.

“Nice to meet you,” the woman said. “I'm your new choreographer.”

“Hot mama,” Justin whispered.

Addy rolled her eyes again and shook her head. Of course all eyes would be on the new choreographer – including Lance's, but to her relief it was more of a shocked look than one sizing up her beauty. Addy did have to admit, she was pretty.

She smiled when she looked to her side – she lifted a finger and closed Justin's jaw manually.

“I hope you all won't miss Wade much,” Courtney said, placing her sweatshirt on top of her bag.

“Wade who?” Joey and Justin said, in unison.

“Pigs,” Addy whispered with a roll of her eyes.

“I look forward to working with you guys,” Courtney said, glancing at Justin and Joey with a smile.

“We look forward to working with you as well,” Joey said, raising his eyebrows.

“But just because Wade is gone, don't think you all can get comfortable and lazy on me,” she continued. “I'm going to work you guys just as hard.”

“She can work me as hard as she wants any time she wants,” Joey whispered to Justin, who giggled.

Addy pursed her lips, reaching over to pinch Joey's side. When he winced and turned to her, she narrowed her eyes.

“Behave yourself,” she whispered. “You're not fifteen, Joseph Anthony Fatone.”

“Ooooh,” Lance said, grinning. “You got the full name, Joe. You'd better listen.”

“Hey, Ad,” Justin said, elbowing her. When she turned to look at him, he smiled, even though his eyes were on the choreographer's body still. “I want to personally thank you again for cleaning Wade's clock. This is like, the best gift you could ever give me. Merry early Christmas to me.”

She rolled her eyes once more. “Absolutely no blood flow to the upper brain anymore,” she said, watching them all walk off to take their places on the rehearsal floor.