~5~

Chew, chew, chew, turn.

Chew, chew, chew, turn.

How long did it take to decide whether or not she was going to be in the band? If things didn’t work out, she had a life to get back to, a job, school work. She had to get back to making sure her family could stay afloat.

That’s what you’re doin’ right now, knucklehead. Annaleigh made a humming sound in the back of her throat.

“What?” Annaleigh’s eyes shifted over towards Jasmine who was stretched out on the couch on her stomach, flipping through a magazine. She kicked her legs back and forth, her heels hitting her bottom and bouncing off of the couch cushions. She lifted her gaze from the magazine, shaking her dirty blonde hair out of her face before sitting back on her heels. “Do you think teal would be a good color on me?” She turned the magazine towards her friend and placed her hand on the page next to a giant bottle of teal nail polish

“I was just thinkin’,” Annaleigh replied, answering her friend’s first question. “And no, peach is better suited for you.”

“Peach?” Jasmine repeated, glancing down at her nails, a frown coming to her face. “Hmm. Maybe…” She then closed the magazine and slapped it down on top of Darren’s head from where he was sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the couch.

“Hey!” Darren frowned as he reached up to remove the magazine from his head.

“And would ya stop pacing?” Jasmine asked her friend. She gave a dramatic sigh, flopping back down onto her stomach before propping her chin with the palm of her hand. “You’re driving me nuts. You’re an awesome musician, your singin’ was flawless, that outfit doesn’ make you look fat, your hair is just fabulous, and as my best friend you should know all that and be confident with yourself.”

Annaleigh briefly closed her eyes, allowing a short laugh to split through the air. “Thanks, Jazz, I needed that,” she said with a smile.

“You’re welcome,” Jasmine replied with a wide smile, bringing her shoulders up to her chin. She batted her eyelashes, making her look even more approachable then she already did. If she was auditioning for the band, Annaleigh was sure she’d get in on her looks alone. Not that she didn’t have talent. She could sing and dance like it was nobody’s business having taken lessons since she was three. It was no surprise to anyone when she headed out to Clinton’s performing arts high school the first chance she got.   “That’s what best friends are for.”

“You might as well sit down, Ace,” Darren added, his eyes glued to the TV. “Lance said he’ll call when they’re ready to go to dinner.”

“I must’ve gotten in, right?” Annaleigh asked, moving to sit down on the couch, sliding her hands down the back s of her jean clad legs. “I mean, they wouldn’ want ta have dinner with us if I didn’ make it in, right?”

“Of course the fact that we’ve been friends with Lance for years has nothin’ to do with it,” Darren replied, his words dripping with massive amounts of sarcasm. He lifted the remote that sat next to him on the floor and jabbed his fingernail into the power button switching it off. He then tilted his head back resting the crook of his neck on the couch cushions. He blinked his brown eyes, sniffing.  “They’d be crazy not ta hire you.”

“Yeah, well, I called my Ma to let her know,” Annaleigh commented, resting her chin in her hand. “Again.”

“Don’t hold your breath on getting a reply,” Ryan called from his room. Annaleigh got off of the couch and headed in the direction of her father’s voice. She heard Jasmine let out a small “uh oh” behind her back. Ryan shifted his gaze from the TV as Annaleigh leaned against the doorjamb. “I’m sorry, Sweet Pea. It’s just that—“

“I know, dad, just thought I’d try,” Annaleigh replied, swinging her head to the side, trying to move her wavy hair out of her face. She pursed her lips when hair from the other side of her face fell over her eye. “Again.”

Ryan chuckled; a bitter, or sarcastic, under tone to the action. “Yeah, no kidding,” he muttered.

Annaleigh clicked her tongue before stepping further into the room. “How does this outfit look, dad?” she asked, spreading her arms out to show her

“You look beautiful, darlin’,” Ryan replied after looking over her outfit.

“You said that for everything I tried on,” Annaleigh said with a bit of a pout as she put her hands on her hips.

“It’s all true, darlin’,” Ryan replied, an amused look coming to his face. “You looked beautiful in everythin’ you tried on. You always were perfectly content with a t-shirt and jeans when had ta dress ya. Fashion was your mother’s territory.”

He twisted his mouth to the side when he heard Jasmine loudly clear her throat. “And Jazzy’s,” he finished, laughing when she loudly called, “Thank you!” back to him. Annaleigh couldn’t help but smile. “You look more ‘n’ more like your mother every day.” His smile disappeared slightly. “She’ll call eventually; she always does.” He turned his head away slightly. “Only I’m sure she’s going to bite my head off about this.”

“Not like you didn’ have your reservations ‘bout it either,” Annaleigh replied before she could stop herself.

“Anna, I’m not going to get into this conversation with you again,” Ryan said in a warning tone. “I have my reasons for why I didn’t want you to do this.” His eyebrows twitched. “Have the same reasons now.”

Annaleigh let out a sharp breath of air through her nose. She set her jaw, slowly shaking her head back and forth. He was doing so well being supportive and now all of a sudden it was back to their same arguments. “So, why are we even out here, then?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Couldn’t he just be supportive as all get out for once? They had gotten through this far without one argument; granted he was most likely keeping it all in.

“Excuse me, young lady, but I’d appreciate it if ya didn’ take that tone with me,” Ryan said, his eyebrows shifting upwards. “And we’re here because God only knows I’d have ta hear ‘bout this over and over again if I didn’ let you give it a shot.”

“So we’re just out here so I wouldn’ talk your ear off about this? Well, thanks so much, dad, for not thinking I had the talent to do this,” Annaleigh snapped. She heard shuffling behind her before she heard the click of the front door shortly followed by the sound of it closing. “So this is a whole waste of time? I could’ve been workin’ or somethin’!”

“I didn’t say that,” Ryan replied, putting his hand up in the air. His hazel eyes flashed with warning and he squared his shoulders against the headboard of the bed. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t put words in my mouth.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but—“

“If I thought you wouldn’ get into this band, do you think I would’ve had your passport application all set up the minute I had gotten the call from Melanie myself?” Ryan asked, an annoyed look briefly crossed his face as he crossed his arms over his chest, pulling his shirt taut over his form. The annoyance slowly melted away to be replaced with a look of pride. Annaleigh’s next words died on her lips.

“What?” she asked after a moment of silence.

Ryan let out a sigh through his nose, his lips twitching just slightly before he leaned over the side of his bed, grasping the strap to his bag. He pulled the bag up onto his lap before spinning it around so the side pocket faced him. He unzipped it and reached inside before pulling out the small, thin blue book tossing it onto the end of her bed.

Annaleigh paused before slapping her hand down on top of the passport, dragging it across the bed spread before flipping it over in her hand. “Mrs. Rains called you?” she asked, peering up at him.

“She gave Lance the home number before I passed her along to yours when they first brought up lookin’ for a new bass player,” Ryan explained, dropping his bag back to the ground with a loud thunk. “Now, I didn’ want to at first—“

“Of course ya didn’,” Annaleigh muttered under her breath, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Ryan’s eyebrows lifted as his eyes narrowed just slightly. Bad move. If there was one thing Ryan Carr greatly disliked it was when you “back sassed” him in front of his face. “Sorry, sir.”

“Sit down, Sweet Pea,” Ryan said, patting the empty space on his bed. Annaleigh did as she was directed, folding her legs underneath her. “I think you’ve got what it takes ta be a great musician, Anna. I jus’ don’t think you’ll be able to show it to everybody if you’re always in Lance’s shadow playin’ backup to him.”

Annaleigh let out a short chuckle of amusement at his statement. Here she was auditioning to be his back up for months on end, and he didn’t want her to be stuck in her best friend’s shadow. It was better than being blinded by the spotlight in her opinion. There wasn’t too much pressure and while she could show off her skills and support her friend, she knew everybody would be talking about how well the boys performed.

That was just fine and dandy with her.

Ryan was silent for a moment. He ran his hand over his face and raked his fingers through his hair, leaving trails behind him. “What if you do get in and you realize this isn’ what you want?” Ryan asked. “That touring and travelling isn’t what it was cracked up to be? You can’t just leave the boys in the middle of tour after making the commitment to stay. You’ve already signed the contract.”

“Well they kinda goaded me into  it,” Annaleigh replied.

“No, no they didn’,” Ryan said, putting his hand in the air, turning his head slightly to the side. “I know this business, Sweet Pea. Way more than you might think. Mr. Wright’s a business man; if you wanted ta wait until after officially being offered the position, you could’ve.”

“But, dad, it’s a tight window enough already,” Annaleigh protested.

“If they wanted ya enough, they would most likely hold out,” Ryan replied. He reached up a hand and scratched the stubble on his jaw. “With what they’re offering you, with the contract spanning this tour with, from what I understand, room to re-negotiate if you are to follow through with the next tour, and the possibility of working on their next album, and any royalties…they would’a held out. Especially since they know you’re my daughter. Not that I’d ever want ya to use my name to get what you want.”

“No, sir,” Annaleigh replied, drawing an X over her chest before kissing the pads of her index and middle finger, holding them up in the air. “Promise, promise.”

With the figures that Annaleigh would be making, Ryan wouldn’t have to worry about working again for the rest of his life. She knew he would though; he was never the type to sit back and just live off of someone else’s money. She could beg and plead him to take the time to rest his ankle and wait for her payment checks to come in, and he would agree to it, but she knew that his word only last so far. She was just as stubborn as he could be; he’d be walking around the minute the plane wheels landed back in Mississippi.

She let out a sigh, dropping her hands into her lap. “This is what I want ta do, dad,” Annaleigh insisted. She understood that he was worried about her; his only daughter, the only family he had left with him. She would have to leave the house eventually to start a career and go wherever it took her. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“I’m jus’ making sure this isn’t a flash in the pan idea for you,” Ryan replied, sniffing.

“We all thought this NSYNC thing was going to be a flash in the pan, but we were wrong ‘bout that, weren’t we?” Annaleigh asked. Ryan let out a short laugh before his lips pulled back into a smile.

“Ya got that right,” he agreed. He looked over at her, using his teeth to pull his bottom lip into his mouth. “I’ll cut ya a deal, but ya have to be good to your word, y’hear?”

“I hear,” Annaleigh replied.

“I know you can do this, Anna, and…I’ll let you do it,” Ryan said and Annaleigh sucked in a gasp of air in an excited gasp. “But, whatever money you make, each pay check, no matter how much you decide to send home, ten percent of all of it gets put away into the bank to save for college or for whenever you’re goin’ ta live alone.”

“Ok.”

“Two; I know I can’t change your mind about sendin’ me money to help despite always tellin’ ya that I don’t want you to. But, when I ask you to stop, you stop.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And third…I want ya to wear this,” Ryan replied. He swung his legs out of the bed and slowly got to his feet.

“Daddy, use the crutches,” Annaleigh said to him as she watched him brace his hand on the wall of his room. “Or at least let me help.”

“I hate those things,” Ryan muttered under his breath, ignoring her. “Just stay where you are.” Annaleigh put her hands in the air, doing as she was told. She twisted around to watch her dad pull open one of the dresser drawers, reaching underneath a pile of clothes to pull out a small black box. “Catch.’

He rolled the clunky box up his arm before bouncing it off his forearm, launching it through the air. Annaleigh reached out her hand and barely caught it, bouncing it between her hands before clutching it to her chest. She turned the box upwards in her hands and lifted the lid to reveal a glittering chain with a ring sitting off the end. The small band held a dark green gem, her birthstone, in the middle of it.

 “It’s a purity ring,” Ryan explained. “Your mama and I have had it picked out since you were born. We were plannin’ on giving it to you when you turned eighteen in July, but given the circumstances.” He slowly lowered himself down onto the corner of the bed. Annaleigh felt herself tilt just slightly to the left. “Now, since you won’t be able to go through the church ceremony, you don’t have to think of it that way. But, I want you to think of it like a promise ring of sorts. Promise me and yourself that you’ll be safe, that you’ll keep your body safe, and to—“

“Stay pure until marriage, I know,” Annaleigh replied.

“No,” Ryan replied with a shake of his head. Annaleigh blinked in surprise, looking up at him.”I mean, yes, that would be great but…it’d be equally as great to wait until you were in love.” He paused for a moment before letting out a sigh through his nose. “Can ya promise me that?”

“Promise, promise,” Annaleigh replied. Ryan chuckled as she lifted the necklace out of the box and held it up in front of her before sliding the chain over her head. The ring sat against her chest before she tucked it underneath her shirt.

“I hate fightin’ with you ‘bout this, you know,” he said, reaching out to pat her knee. “Just like I know you hate fighting about it. As I’ve said, I have reasons for my hesitations, but it’s not somethin’ I’m willing to share until I know you’re ready to hear it.”

“You always say that, daddy,” Annaleigh said, a hint of a whine in her tone.

“When have I ever broken a promise to you, Sweet Pea?” Ryan asked.

Annaleigh gave her father a pointed look, tilting her head to the side. “When you and Mama said you’d always stay together,” she replied.

Ryan lifted a finger in the air before pointing it towards her. “I didn’ break that promise,” he said to her and Annaleigh hiked an eyebrow before rolling her eyes. “Your mama and I are still together in the sense of how much we love you and how we both want what’s best for you. We still care about each other and don’ ever forget that you are equally your mother and I. Nothin’ will change that. Ok?”

“Ok.” Annaleigh replied. Ryan leaned forward to give her a kiss on the forehead.

“I’m really proud of you, and your mama is too,” Ryan said as he lifted his hand to muss her hair. “No matter what, we’re proud of you.” He let out a deep laugh when Annaleigh made a face, using her fingers to fix her hair. “Come on, we have a dinner to get to. Let’s see if the food here compares to what we can make back home.”

“Yeah, I doubt it,” Annaleigh replied.

“Oh! There’s one more thing,” Ryan said, loudly clapping his hands together. He pulled himself back up the mattress and reached for his bag once more. He unzipped it, reached his hand in, and proceeded to pull out a chocolate brown teddy bear, and a stuffed Pluto toy.

“Chip! Puto!” Annaleigh said with a wide smile, reaching her hands out for her toys. She wiggled her fingers. “Gimmie, gimmie.”Ryan gave her an amused look before handing them to her. Annaleigh hugged her toys to her chest, smiling widely.

“Just so you have a piece of home with ya while you’re out on the road,” Ryan explained. His smile faded just slightly. “So you won’t forget where you came from.”

“I’d never do that, daddy,” Annaleigh said, peering up at her dad. “Mississippi will always be my home and will always be a part of me.” She gave him a bright smile. “And I plan on commin’ back.”

“Glad to hear it,” Ryan softly replied.

“ James, don’t fill yourself up before we get down to dinner.” Uh oh, first name. Lance knew to listen when he was referred to by his first name. In this case though…

Lance removed his hand from the flat pack of Twizzlers in his lap before proceeded to spin the red candy in the air. He moved one to his mouth and took a large bite out of it. Diane tried to give him a stern look through the mirror as she put an earring in her ear, but it shifted into a look of amusement.

“Shouldn’t have brought it if you didn’t want me to eat them,” he said before getting out of the chair in the corner of her hotel room. He removed a second one from the package and held it out to her. “You know you want one.”

“So, I guess it’d be a bad idea to give you those Red Cream sodas, then?” Diane asked, securing her earring before taking the candy from him.

“Yes, it would,” Lance replied before he laughed, his deep timber mixing in with her light tone. He tapped his Twizzler against hers before taking another bite out of it. “But, I expect to have some shipped to me in California.”

“Already on its way,” Diane replied as knock was heard on the door.

“You’re the best, momma,” Lance said, giving her a bright smile before kissing her on the cheek, making his way to the door. He peered through the peep hole before sliding the chain from the lock pulled the door open. “Hey, D. Hey, Jasmine.”

“Sorry to barge in, Miss Diane,” Jasmine said as she stepped over the threshold, her hands clasped behind her back. “Anna and her dad are arguing again.”

“Oh no,” Diane said with a sigh, her shoulders slumping. “Not on a day like today.”

 “We’re just worried about them,” Darren said, moving to sit at the chair at the desk. Jasmine made a beeline for the single bed and sank onto the mattress, crossing one leg over the other before smoothing out her skirt. “But, we didn’ think it was a good idea to stay in the room.”

 “I know you are, sweetie,” she replied, turning around to face him. “I’m worried about them, too.” She took a large bite out of her Twizzler before lifting a hand, holding it over her mouth. “Ryan insists that everything is ok, but I can’t help but worry. Anna still has a year and a half of high school to get through, and then there’s the idea of college and what she plans on doing in the future.” She swallowed, smacking her lips slightly before indicating Lance with her free hand. “Of course, all that will have to work around touring. I’ve been looking at getting her through the same home schooling program you were in when you first started, Lance.”

“With Caroline out of the picture, and his injury…it’s just a mess over there. I’m sure they’ll come through everything just fine. They will make it through with God’s good grace and with faith. I’m trying not to get involved, but it’s hard to see your friend go through something like this. I can only imagine how hard it is for all y’all to have to sit through it as well. But, I’ve been keeping them in my prayers as of late. If there’s anything I can do, it’s that.”

“I’ve tried to convince her to start entering pageants again,” Jasmine explained, “but no luck.”

“Oh, Jasmine, you know how important pageants were to both Annaleigh and Caroline,” Diane said, slowly shaking her head back and forth. “It’s no wonder she wouldn’t do it.”

“The prize money was good enough,” Jasmine replied with a shrug.

“They could’ve used it,” Darren agreed.

“Yeah, but you know how hard it was for her to convince him to let her take the job at the diner,” Lance said, tapping his Twizzler against his cheek. He made a face when his spit covered end started to stick to his face. He frowned as he lifted his arm to wipe his cheek with his shirt sleeve.

“He just doesn’t want to make her feel like it’s on her shoulders to make everythin’ ok,” Diane replied. “Y’all know that the Carrs are independent folks. But, we should be there for them for when they do ask for help. Just like always, y’hear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Darren and Jasmine replied in unison.

“Of course,” Lance agreed. “Has dad called?”

“He had to work late tonight, but promises that he will call later on,” Diane explained. She briefly closed her eyes, an annoyed look briefly crossing her face. “Y’think if I asked, he’d want to work out a lesson plan for me for when I get back?” Lance let out a loud laugh. “Yeah, I thought not.”

“Miss Diane, you think Ace will get into the band, right?” Jasmine asked.

“She has so much talent and that voice of hers. Of course I’m supporting her,” Diane said before she twisted her mouth to the side. Lance blinked. She didn’t answer her question. “The thing is, once word gets out about this, whether she gets in or not, she’s goin’ to have to face people who think she only got in either because of her dad or because of her bein’ friends with Lance. With how much Clinton talked about and still does talk about her family back home, I don’ know how well she’ll be able to handle it to be honest with you.”

“Justin, Joey, JC, Chris, and Lance are doing well,” Darren pointed out to her.

“I’m not denyin’ that,” Diane replied, putting her hand up in the air. She was silent for a moment, a muscle in her jaw twitching. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before pressing her lips together. She briefly closed her eyes as she let out a sigh before opening them. “Us moms are so proud of all the boys and we think it was due to how they had started out; with next to nothing. Annaleigh’s coming in at the height of their popularity. People, unfortunately, want to know as much about them as possible.”

Lance’s eyes narrowed slightly. He popped the rest of his Twizzler into his mouth and chewed slowly as he regarded her. She shifted her weight from foot to foot just slightly, played with her hair. He sat up in his seat, planting his feet on the floor. “Mom?” he asked quietly. He saw Jasmine and Darren exchange glances at the tone of his voice. “What’s wrong?”

For a moment, it didn’t look like Diane was going to say anything. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I know what y’all think about Ryan, but I wouldn’t write Mr. Carr off right quick,” she said. “He has his reasons for not wantin’ his daughter to get into the business. Now, I know I really can’t stop you for worryin’ ‘bout your friend, but there are some things you shouldn’t be messing with, an’ this is one of those times.”

“With all due respect, Miss Diane,” Jasmine said, uncrossing her legs. She slid her hands down her skirt before grasping the edge with her hands, “we’ve always heard rumors ‘bout what happened, but we don’ know for sure.”

“Please, Miss Diane?” Darren asked quietly.

Diane sucked her lips into her mouth. “Mom?” Lance asked, a pleading tone coming to his voice. “Please? We’re not kids anymore. We can handle it.”Diane turned her head slightly to lock eyes with him and slowly nodded. “Ok. Now, what’s going on?”

“I’m telling y’all with the most confidence that you won’t go telling your dad,” Diane said looking over at Lance before shifting her gaze to Jasmine and Darren, “or your parents, that I told you.”

“What is it, mom?” Lance asked again. The pads of his fingers started to hurt, he was gripping the arm rests of his chair so hard.  Diane let out a long sigh before moving to sit next to Jasmine on the bed.

“When Ryan and Caroline were pregnant with Annaleigh, he was really into music at the time,” Diane explained. “He wasn’t a solo musician like he wanted Annaleigh to believe, but he was the lead in his band, Oathkeeper, and thought music was more important than Caroline’s pregnancy.  At the time.” She looked over at Lance, then Jasmine, and then at Darren to make  sure they weren’t going to say anything bad against the man. Lance slowly swallowed.

“That’s not to say he wouldn’t be there for her when Caroline gave birth and he was. The thing is that before he accepted his role as a father, he was trying to hold onto his success and to put off being a parent for as long as he could. It seemed like he wasn’t the type that would ever settle down; it was his public image and he milked it for all it was worth. He really got into the music lifestyle and had an affair and got another woman pregnant while on the road.”

Lance felt the breath he didn’t realize he was holding rush out of him. His chest deflated and his eyes darted around the room, his mind swirling. He looked over at Darren out of the corner of his eyes, and saw that his face was set into a deep frown. Jasmine’s draw had dropped just slightly. Her grip tightened on the end of her skirt.

“She has an older half-brother,” Diane said and Lance felt his jaw drop. “He was born early; two weeks before her. Annaleigh was actually supposed to have a baby brother or sister, but Caroline had a miscarriage. They stopped tryin’ after that. Anyway, after Caroline found out about Ryan’s affair, they had nearly broken up on the spot without any way to reconcile, but it was obvious the two of ‘em have a deep connection, and a deep love for each other. The two of them wanted to make it work.”

“How’d she find out?” Darren asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Ryan didn’t pay for child support for the new baby and the baby’s mother had tried to get in contact with him. Caroline intercepted a call or something,” Diane explained. Lance put his face into his hands before running his hands up over his hair. “He had just wanted to forget about his past mistakes, they both did. They never told Annaleigh about the woman or her half-brother, but the more her interest in music grew, the more tense her parents had become around each other. It’s why they were always fightin’. They couldn’ ever address their problems, they just wanted it all to go away.”

“This summer, Caroline left. Annaleigh was with you, Darren, helping you pack to head out to Ole Miss when she did.” Darren made a face, a hum sounding in his throat, but he didn’t say anything. “Two of ‘em just couldn’t handle all the arguments and keeping their secret from Annaleigh. Caroline felt that she had the right to leave since she was the one who had been, uh, ‘screwed over’. She explained everything to your father and I, Lance, from the road and hoped that we’d look out for her and make sure that she was ok while she was gone. Same with y’all two’s parents.”

“Annaleigh never got an explanation for it; Caroline was there when she left that morning and gone when she got back. It was hard on her, and Ryan didn’t have much of an explanation for her either. I don’ know how he would with how blindsided he was by it. Personally, I don’t think splitting up was never something Ryan or Caroline considered due to its teachings in the Bible. Ryan’s way of dealing with it was working more, and the more Annaleigh was alone, since at this point Jasmine went off to her performing art school, the more she did everything she could to not be so lonely. She focused on school, soccer, singing, work; anything she could do to be around people. Although, that ain’t the first time she felt that way. That’s why she had grown attached to all y’all.”

“Then Ryan had gone and hurt himself at work. He says it was an accident, but a part of me wonders if he gone and done it on purpose. To see if Caroline would come back after knowing how much Annaleigh had taken on just to be sure that the bills were paid. If not for him, then for her. Now, I hadn’t asked him that, but I can assume all the same. Jus’ like I’m assumin’ that the reason he had turned around and started to live by the word of God those, to teach his meaning to students, was to try and give himself a new slate. Thing is, this whole thing wasn’ about either of ‘em, it was always about their daughter. It was always about Annaleigh. Unfortunately, neither of ‘em can see that.”

“Annaleigh thinks she’s the reason why her parents split up and in a way, she’s right. She’s always wanted to get out of Clinton, as you all know. She’s wanted to get away from her parents arguin’, and to get away from her guilt. Now it’s that guilt that’s made a part of her want to stay and not give this a chance to begin with. She couldn’ leave her dad alone knowin’ that he couldn’t do much for himself. An’ he doesn’t want her to leave and find out about his past without him tellin’ her first.”

Silence rang throughout the hotel room, crushing in around them. “Now remember, y’all promised not to tell anyone ‘bout this,” Diane said, looking back and forth between her son and his two friends. “‘Course, you’re facin’ the repercussion from not only Annaleigh, but from Ryan, and Caroline if she finds out. The thing is, I’m proud of the three of y’all, always lookin’ out for her, but we couldn’ expect you three to have to keep that from her. Thing is, we now need your help in making sure the world doesn’t tell her about this, first.”

“Well, what can we do from home?” Darren asked, lifting his thumb, pointing it between Jasmine and himself.

“Be there for her, like y’all always have been,” Diane replied. “She’s goin’ to need someone to turn to that’s not in the limelight to talk to every once in a while.” Lance nodded his head in silent agreement. It really helped to have friends and family back home to keep him grounded and to talk about everything aside from his music.

“Johnny said he’s working on scheduling a show in Mississippi, so I’ll let you all know about that,” Lance said as he reached for his phone in his pocket as it vibrated against his thigh. He removed his phone from his pocket and flipped it open, opening the text message he had. “Everyone’s down the street at The Rusty Spoon. It’s just a five minute walk, the food there is great. It’s kind of like an American pub.”

He got to his feet and  moved to give his mom a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you,” he said to her, blinking his gratitude. “For everything.”

“Yeah, thanks for talkin’ to us, Miss Diane,” Jasmine said, taking the woman’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thanks for tellin’ us everythin’.”

“We promise we won’ say anything,” Darren quickly added.

“You’re welcome,” Diane replied as she got to her feet. “The thing is, Lance is right, y’all aren’t kids anymore. I know we can’t keep too many things from you anymore.”

Only now I have to keep this from someone I’ll most likely be working closely with for the next…months, Lance thought to himself, scratching the back of his head. He then clapped his hands together. “So, who’s hungry?” he asked.

“Free food? I’ll take it any chance I get,” Darren said as he got to his feet.

“Yeah, well maybe you should hold off on that a bit, bro,” Jasmine said with a wicked green as she practically floated to the hotel room door, smacking Darren’s stomach with the back of her hand as she passed. Darren stuck his tongue out at her back before following her.

Lance chuckled, glad there was still some sense of normalcy despite the news they had just been delivered. “I need to go to the bathroom and get my purse and I’ll meet you in the lobby,” Diane said as she got to her feet.

“Ok,” Lance replied before making his way towards the door. He pumped the handle and pulled it open, pausing before he headed out. “Hey, mom?”

“Hmmm?” Diane asked, turning to face Lance.

“Say a prayer for me, too, please?” he asked before giving her a wide, toothy smile. Diane’s shoulders dropped just slightly and she gave him a peaceful smile.

“Of course,” Diane replied.

Lance gave a nod of thanks before heading out of her room. He let out a sigh, scratching the back of his neck before hurrying towards the elevator. Darren stood with his back to the sliding doors, arms crossed over his chest. He angled his head to the side and Lance quickened his pace to a jog before stepping into the elevator.

“Thanks, man,” Lance said as he jabbed his thumb into the starred number one, before pushing his index finger into the door close button after Darren stepped into the car, leaning into the corner. Jasmine was standing at the back, chewing on her thumbnail. He had never seen her so quiet in his life. “So…yeah.”

“I can’t believe it,” Jasmine said, dropping her hand down to her side. “I just can’t believe it. It’s no wonder he’s never wanted her to do this.”

“What do you mean?” Darren asked.

“He’s afraid that, just like Miss Caroline, she won’t come back,” Lance replied, keeping his eyes on the large red number constantly changing to indicate what floor they were on.

“Oh,” Darren replied. He let out an odd laugh. “Probably wasn’t the best idea to kiss her, then.”

Lance snapped his head in his friend’s direction so fast, he would be surprised if he didn’t get whiplash. “Wait…what?” he asked. “Seriously.”

Jasmine snapped her fingers. “I knew there was somethin’ going on between the two of y’all,” she said, an excited smile coming to her face and she clasped her hands together. “It was at the pool, right? What happened?”

“Not much,” Darren replied with a shrug, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. Jasmine let out a loud snort and Lance laughed quietly. Darren started to explain talking faster and faster as he did so. “We were just hangin’ out in the pool and then she had told me she was sweet on me, and then I said I hoped she didn’t meet other fellas with dimples and then I was kissin’ her.”

“And then what happened?” Jasmine asked, rising up on her tiptoes.

“Then nothin’,” Darren replied, removing his hand from his jeans pocket to throw his hand into the air. “I said that we were goin’ to dinner and raced her out of the pool and then all this happened.” He drew a circle in the air with his finger. A half smile came to his face. “I wouldn’ take it back, though.”

 “I can’t believe it.” Jasmine clapped her hands together in excitement. And then suddenly, it seemed like she deflated as she stood back on the flat of her feet. “Wait. But, you’ll be going back to school and she’ll be out in California.”

Darren’s eyebrows shot up, but he gave a simple nod of his head and a shrug of his shoulders. Lance suddenly realized why his friend was trying not to make it a big deal. While Darren was never one to really make his feelings for any girl a big deal, mainly because the minute jasmine got a whiff of it, she did for him. In this case, he chose to be laid back to allow Annaleigh the chance to grow up and figure out who she was as a person before getting into a relationship. With the good possibility of her being added into the *NSYNC band looming overhead, it was probably his last chance for a long while. In essence, it was a kiss goodbye.

“Well, that’s no fun,” Jasmine muttered, lowering her voice as she crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrows knitting together just slight. Darren let out a chuckle, rolling his eyes before looping an arm around her shoulders.

“I’m sorry I just ruined your life,” he said with an amused smile. With a ding the elevator doors slid open as they reached  their destination. Darren practically pushed her out the doors.“Now go on and gossip about me with her. I know you’re just fixin’ to do so.”

“Annoying, big headed, loser,” Jasmine said as she slapped at his hands, pushing them off her shoulders. She then started to skip across the lobby until she reached her friend and looped her arm through Annaleigh’s resting her head on her shoulder.

“You’re a great friend, you know that?” Lance asked as he stepped out of the elevator, shooting out his fist to punch his friend on the shoulder.

“And don’ you forget it,” Darren replied, punching him back. “And as some sort of payment, I expect backstage passes at your show in Mississippi.” Lance let out a loud sarcastic laugh despite knowing that he would come through for his friends, anyway. He slowed his pace, glancing over in the direction of the lobby. “You know what they say, if you love somethin’ enough you should let ‘em go.”

“Yeah,” Lance agreed, shifting his gaze over to Ryan as he shifted his weight from his crutches, wrapping an arm around himself to massage the sore muscles under his arm. “I think Mister Ryan is doing the same.”

“Relax. You should be celebratin’,” Jasmine said with a smile before lifting her glass of sweet tea into the air.

“Celebratin’ what?” Annaleigh asked, eyeing the raised glass wearily. “That I haven’t puked yet?” Or they could celebrate that she was even able to keep what bites she took from her plate down.

They met up with Justin, JC, Chris, and Joey at the restaurant and proceeded to have a nice dinner in the private room reserved just for them. From the last couple of times they had traveled through Mississippi on tour, it was nice to know they were the same boys she had met back when they were putting on their showcase. They were still the nice, sweet, funny, and, of course, flirty boys she had met and that gave her some comfort. As the night went on, she found herself watching them more and how they interacted with each other.

She could be a guy just like everybody else, but she was a girl first and last. Johnny had said she’d have some women around to keep an eye on her, but she wondered if there would be any girls her age around. Probably not with how big of a deal they were making it out to be that she’d be the only girl in the band. She liked guys just like any other girl out there, but at the same time, she needed her girl time, too.

“You’d have to eat more than that to run that risk, girl,” Jasmine replied, shaking her head back and forth before her eyes darted downwards towards Annaleigh’s plate. She loudly clapped her hands together before punching the air with her fists. “Think positive. You’ve totally got this.  We’re entering the new mi-len-i-um.” She snapped her fingers with each syllable, swinging her arm from side to side as she did so. “It’s a time where it’s ok to be smart, confident, and be fabulously beautiful all at the same time.” She sat back in her chair and gave her friend a charming smile. “Join the ride.”

“Shoot!” Annaleigh said as she lifted her fork to spear her “Dirty South” meal composed of shrimp, fish, clams, greens, and grits. She slid a piece of shrimp into her mouth and started to chew it. “I never got the chance to go to Disney World.”

“Should’ve come to the beach with us,” Jasmine said in a sing song voice. “Would’ve been very romantic for you and my brother.” Annaleigh let out a short laugh of annoyance before extinguishing it with another bite of food.

“It’s perfectly fine to be nervous, Annaleigh,” Diane said, from where she was seated to her left at the end of the table. Ryan and Darren were sitting closer to the other side of the table with Lance as Justin had insisted on sitting by the older man, in awe to not only be meeting him, but to be auditioning his daughter for his backing band. JC, Joey, and Chris filled in the rest of the table, directing their attention to both ends of the table as equally as they could. “You’ve seen how nervous Lance was before his performances.”

“Remember before our showcase? He looked like a freakin’ backwards Oompa Loompa; orange hair and green face,” Joey said as he leaned back in his chair, balancing on the back two legs. “At least he didn’t throw up like Chrissy over here.” Chris stuck his tongue out at Joey, the pink muscle covered in mashed up bits of food.

“Four on the floor, please,” Diane said, barely looking in Joey’s direction as she reached for her drink.

“Yes, ma’am,” Joey said, giving Lance’s mom a charming smile as he lowered his seat to the floor.

“Ha, ha,” Chris screeched, making a face of amusement at his friend.

“And  don’t talk with your mouth full, Christopher,” Diane said, shifting her gaze over to the oldest *NSYNC member. Chris just nodded, snapping his jaws shut , resuming his chewing.

“Ha ha,” Joey repeated Chris’s taunting, his nose wrinkling as he pulled a face at his friend. Chris rolled his eyes.

“Ace, I love you, and you’re my best friend, and I’ve always admired how proud ya can be,” Jasmine said, brushing her hair from one side of her neck to the other, “but you can be pretty damn stubborn ‘bout lettin’ your feelings show.”

“Like that’s anythin’ new,” Annaleigh said with a hint of a smirk. She reached for her glass of soda and took a long swig, allowing the carbonation to burn her throat all the way down. She let out an “Ahhh” and started licking her lips. “Besides, weren’ we taught that we shouldn'—“

“Ah, ah, ah,” Jasmine said, lifting a manicured finger into the air. “We were taught not ta show our anger.” Diane made a humming sound in the back of her throat, her eyebrows lifting. Annaleigh glanced over at her and Diane tilted her head in Jasmine’s direction, indicating her agreement. “There’s a difference.”

“Then, just chalk it up to it bein’ part of my charm,” Annaleigh replied. Jasmine lifted her hands as if saying “Whatever” before going back to her meal. Annaleigh reached out her hand and held it over her empty glass when a pitcher appeared out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and gave the waiter a warm smile. “Sorry to be rude, but, I had a Coke, not tea.”

“My mistake,” the man said, pulling the pitcher back. “Just saw what was left and assumed.” He gently shook the pitcher the contents sloshing around inside. “Did you want anyway?”

“No thank ya, sir, I don’ like tea,” Annaleigh replied, removing her hand from her cup. The man nodded his head before proceeding to refill Diane’s glass.

“Wait a minute!” Chris loudly declared, giving Annaleigh an odd look.

“You’re from the South,” Chris reminded her.

“Did her accent give it away?”Joey asked, earning a snort from JC as a ripple of laughter went around the table. Chris made a face at him.

“My point is, you drink a lot of sweet tea in the south right?” Chris asked. He ignored the “that’s not being stereotypical” comment from JC, and Justin’s proud, “damn right, we do”, to add, “When you get cut don’t you, like, bleed sweet tea?”

Annaleigh sniffed before resting her elbows on the table, lacing her fingers together. She tilted her head to give him a smile. “I may bleed tea, but who said it’d be sweet?” she asked. Chris’s eyes widened slightly and Annaleigh’s smile slowly widened.

Chris blinked rapidly before he slapped his hand down on the table. “I like her!” he declared, a wide smile coming to his face. “She’ll fit in fine.”

“Chris!” Justin, JC, Lance, and Joey all but yelled at the oldest band member. Justin proceeded throw a balled up napkin over at him. He let out a loud laugh, clapping his hands together when it bounced off his forehead and landed in his drink.

“Two points!” Justin cheered, punching the air with his fists. “Still got it even off the court.”

“Wait,” Annaleigh said, putting her hands in the air. She glanced down he table at her dad who lifted his beer bottle to his mouth. “What does that mean? Did I get in?”

“I guess I came at a good time then.” Johnny made his way into the room, lifting his hand in greeting. He gave the waiter, who had moved to grab an extra chair from the corner of the room, a brief shake of his head. He then locked eyes with Annaleigh. “Let me holler at you real quick.” He gave a sharp tug on the brim of his cap before motioning for her to follow him.

Annaleigh felt her eyes widen, but stayed put. Sweat prickled her armpits as they suddenly rushed with sweat as heat flooded her body. “Why? Did I do something wrong?” she asked, panic sliding into her voice. She started to twist her fingers together. “Whatever it was, I didn’ mean it.”

Johnny stared at her for a moment before he bowed his head, letting out a chuckle. “No, no, I mean, I want to talk to you,” he replied, his lips pulling back into a smile.

“Oh.” Annaleigh blinked, suddenly feeling foolish. “Well, uh, sir, with all due respect, I don’ think I’d be able to stand without my knees knockin’ together so…”

Johnny lifted his hands into the air. “Understandable.” He then set his hands down onto the backs of Chris and Jasmine’s chairs, a serious look crossing his face. “I I may, what is it that you want to accomplish with your music? Why is it so important to you?”

Annaleigh blinked at the question. Wasn’t this something they coulda asked me at the audition? She quickly started to rack her brain thinking back on it. Or maybe they already did. Oh no, maybe my nerves made ‘em think twice ‘bout me. Feeling a kick under the table, Annaleigh looked over at Jasmine who lifted her eyebrows, silently prompting her to talk. Annaleigh swallowed, looking around the table. Everybody stared back at her, waiting to hear her answer.

“Uh, sir, I want to show people what I can do,” Annaleigh replied after a moment of silence. Her words came out quiet and shaky. She sucked in a deep breath of air before letting it out. She cleared her throat and sat up straight in her seat. “I want to show people they should take chances and to go after their dreams no matter who or what gets in their way.”

“Best case scenario is that you get into the band,” Johnny explained, rubbing at his chin with his fingers, “it’s going to be tough. There’ll be a lot hard work, late night rehearsals; crazy hours, the unpredictability of touring-“

“I can handle it,” Annaleigh said to him. She made a face before quietly apologizing for interrupting him.

“Well, Little Lady, I admire your confidence,” Johnny said with a smile. “When you have it.” Annaleigh let out a nervous laugh. “If you were to be in the band, you’d be working closely with Wade Robson, our choreographer, as well as the drummer, Billy Ashbaugh.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You see, the rhythm section is the most important part of a band, it really keeps everybody together, and they keep the boys on the beat when they perform.”

“I understand,” Annaleigh replied with a nod of her head.

“As well, if you were to be in the group, there are to be a few rules to follow,” Johnny added. He started to count off on his fingers. “No drugs under any circumstances, and no drinking if you’re underage. Which you will be for a while.”

“Yes, sir, I turn 18 in July.”

“Ok. No romantic entanglements with any person in the band so as to keep the focus on the music which bring me to number four; the house you’ll be sharing with the boys is for work. I understand needing to blow off some steam, but it’s important that you commit to your work and put your all into it. You can’t do that if you’re distracted.”

“As well, I understand you’d still be working through your senior year of schooling at the time and this rule is simple; keep your grades up and you can perform,” Johnny concluded. “If for whatever reason you’re having trouble with your school work, we’ll work things out, we’re here to help you. Do you have any questions?” Annaleigh shook her head. “Anything else we can go over when you’re in California. As soon as the boys get back, they’ll be heading into filming their music video for Bye Bye Bye and you’ll be heading into the rehearsal space to meet the band and start preparing. Your first show will be at the AMAs.”

Johnny then held his hand out towards her, his lips parting in a wide smile. “Welcome to the *NSYNC band. Congratulations.”