~7~

“You need to eat something.”

“I’m too tired to eat.” Annaleigh was surprised anyone would be able to decipher her words from the way her mouth was mashed up against the wooden table top at the* NSYNC house. She groaned when she felt a warm cup being gently pushed, repeatedly, into her nose. “Stop.” 

“The hot chocolate will keep you awake long enough to eat something, hon.” JC made a clicking sound with his tongue as he continued to care for her blisters. She merely winced, letting out a low “Owwww” as he placed a light layer of gauze on her freshly popped blisters before wrapping them with a bandage. “Sorry.”

Annaleigh mustered a weak glare over at Joey as he used his finger tips to press the mug into her nose one last time. With a sigh, Annaleigh removed her face from the wood—the movement stinging slightly as she unstuck her face from the condensation sealing from her breath—and used her free and freshly bandaged hand to grasp the mug. Lifting it towards her mouth, she quickly stuck out her tongue and dipped it in the hot beverage before taking a long sip. 

The warm aroma of chocolate swirled around her nose, the steam hitting her in the face. The hot liquid sloshed around in her mouth before sliding down her throat and into her stomach, warming her chest cavity. She let out a sigh through her nose as she smiled, feeling a little bit more wide awake than she was a second ago. Whether there actually was caffeine in the drink and it was waking her up, or she was going along with the thought of there being some in a sort of placebo effect, she didn’t know or care to know in that moment.

“I’ll have a tuna melt ready for you faster than you can blink,” Lance said as he moved around the kitchen. 

“I don’t like tuna melts,” Annaleigh said, resting her chin in her hand. Lance blinked, his eyes narrowing just slightly.

“Since when?” he asked. 

Annaleigh shrugged her shoulders. “Couple years ago,” she replied. Lance’s eyebrows twitched just slightly before he set his elbows down onto the table, across from her.

“Grilled cheese?” he asked and Annaleigh shook her head. “Panini? BLT?” At each suggestion, Annaleigh shook her head and Lance made a humming sound in the back of his throat. He bowed his head for a moment before looking back up at her. Her stomach twisted just slightly when she saw just a hint, or maybe in her tired stupor, disappointment. “You still like jelly beans?” 

“Love ‘em,” Annaleigh replied.

Not only was it her guilty pleasure, but it was comfort food for her as well. Unhealthily so. She had often heard comments and jokes about her being addicted to the candy. Some girls loved chocolate, she loved jelly beans. For as long as she could remember, not only was it the cheapest thing she could afford as a kid when given permission to buy what she wanted from the local store, but her grandparents always had a big bowl of jelly beans waiting for her whenever she visited. 

“She’s not eating jelly beans for dinner,” JC said to Lance, pausing in wrapping the last band-aid around Annaleigh’s fingers.

“I was just asking,” Lance said, his vocal tone lifting just slightly in defense. 

“Man, both of you are acting more like her parents,” Joey sad shaking his head back and forth. He ran his hands over his face before reaching back to pull in the brim of his backwards cap. “Don’t worry, Annaleigh, I’ll have a cheese steak sandwich ready for you faster than you can say Sei molto gentile!”

“That’s like the only thing he can say in Italian, by the way,” Chris commented from the end of the table where he was eating left over cold pizza. He let out a snort, the sound punctuating the air in between the sound of pans hitting each other. 

“Hasn’t failed me yet,” Joey said in a chipper tone and a shrug of his shoulders. A clicking sound filled the air as he turned on the stove before he turned around to face Annaleigh, wiggling his eyebrows. “Either that or just put on the accent, huh? Makes all the girls go crazy.”

“I’m too tired to laugh, Joey,” Annaleigh said, her lips twitching upwards just slightly. JC patted the palm of her hand with the tips of his fingers and she pulled her hand into her lap. “Thanks, JC.” 

“Of course,” JC replied with a nod of his head.

“How are y’all still…y’all?” Annaleigh asked with a groan, running a bandage covered hand over her face. 

“Please!” Chris said with a snort, an amused smile on his face. “The party doesn’t start ‘till at least 2:30.”

“Believe it or not, you’ll get used to it,” Lance replied with a short laugh. He sucked in a breath of air before reaching for the near empty fruit bowl on the counter and grabbed an apple. He peeled off the sticker and took a bite. “After years of doing this, it becomes easier.” 

“That’s not to say we don’t get tired,” Justin spoke up, around a large mouthful of cereal. He rotated his bare shoulders before adjusting his tank top strap.

As Annaleigh looked over at him, his curly hair seemed to wilt just slightly at the suggestion of his words. Here she thought the boys were having the time of their lives, and it was evident that they were, but they had to be some of the hardest working fellas she had ever met. 

“Have you called Mr. Ryan yet?” Lance asked and Annaleigh snapped to attention.

“No, I haven’t had time,” Annaleigh said as she reached into her pocket for her cell phone. After unsuccessfully punching in her home phone number, she jabbed her thumb into the 2 key on her phone and held it there for a couple seconds before lifting her phone to her ear. The dial tone pealed once, twice, three times in her ear before she heard a click and her father’s tired, gruff voice answer. 

“Hello?”

“Hi, daddy.” Annaleigh smiled, feeling the familiar sting of pain hit the back of her nose. A lump formed in her throat, and Annaleigh felt a wave of tears (of fatigue? Sadness? She wasn’t sure) rush to pool in her eyes. 

There was the sound her father clearing his throat and he suddenly sounded more awake, his voice more clear. “Hi, Sweet Pea.” She could practically hear the smile in his voice. “I was waitin’ for your call. How was your day?”

Annaleigh put her hand over the mouthpiece of her phone and looked over at Lance, her eyebrows furrowing together. “What times is it back home?” she asked in a whisper. A thoughtful look crossed Lance’s face as she took another bite of his apple. Half of his face scrunched up as he thought. 

“Around…one in the morning,” he replied.

Annaleigh mouthed her thanks before turning her attention back to her phone. “Sorry, daddy, I didn’t mean to call so late,” Annaleigh said as she raked her fingers through her hair, pulling her feet up into her chair. “We got back a little while ago.” 

“I’m just glad you made it safe, Sweet Pea.” Annaleigh smiled as her dad’s tone filled her ear. She put her phone between her ear and shoulder, as the weight of her exhaustion crashed on her shoulders. “I miss you already.” 

“Miss you, too,” Annaleigh replied. “Today was good. A loooong day of rehearsal, but it was good. All the guys in the band are cool.” She paused. “*NSYNC aren’t so bad either.”

“Damn straight,” Justin called, milk dribbling down his chin as he talked. 

“Use a napkin, dude,” JC said with a groan as he got to his feet to put up the first aid kit. Justin stuck his tongue out at JC in reply. The bag was over spilling with bandages, and gauze, and creams, and medicine. With five boys living together, she wasn’t surprised that they would get bumps, bruises, and scrapes somewhere along the way.

“Well, tell me about your day,” Ryan said around a yawn. “I want to hear all about it.” 

Annaleigh went on to explain her day, starting from getting lost, to meeting the members of the band, all the songs she had to learn, meeting Gabriel, and interacting with the other men in the band, and what she had to look forward to on her schedule for the AMAs.

“Sounds like you’re going to be very busy soon,” Ryan commented. “I’m proud of ya, sweetie. Mighty proud.” 

“If mom calls-“

“I’ll have her reach you on your phone,” Ryan instantly replied, his vocal tone becoming tight just slightly. “She hasn’ called you back?” 

She had requested those very words multiple times and each time he’d promise those very same words as well. It kind of became a routine between the two of them. At this point in time, they both knew a call from her mother would most likely never come. Despite that, again and again they’d hold onto some bit of hope that she’d surprise them in a good way.

“Mmm-mmmm,” Annaleigh replied, slowly shaking her head back and forth, careful not to dislodge the phone from between her shoulder. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Sweet Pea. I’m sure she’ll call.” He let out a sigh and quickly changed the subject. “Well, everythin’ here at the Bass home is goin’ well. Both James and Diane miss you as well and wish you well. And they say ‘hi’ to Lance.”

“Your parents say ‘hi’,” Annaleigh relayed the information to Lance who gave a nod of his head. She put her attention back onto her phone conversation and the pause on her father’s end of the phone conversation. 

“You know I can’t help but worry.”

“Dad-“ 

“But, I know with Lance there he’ll be sure to look out for you. Just be careful, Sweet Pea. Be careful, do your best, and have fun. I know you; you get really…hard on yourself when it comes to you and your music. Try not to perfect anythin’, just allow yourself to show through the music.”

“Thanks, daddy,” Annaleigh replied.  “I will.” She reached up her hand to scratch at her hairline. “Dad’s it’s late, I don’t want to keep you up.” 

“Ok,” Ryan replied. He then started firing off advice as quickly as he could. “Make sure you get plenty of rest no matter what and make sure you eat well. Fruits and vegetables whenever you can, especially on tour—I know how easy it is to rely on fast food. It’s ok to say when you’re tired and that you need a break; you are the youngest person there after all and—“

“Daddy,” Annaleigh interrupted him with a bit of a laugh. Even from thousands of miles away, he was still the overprotective dad she watched him grow to become. 

She used to have free reign as a kid to come and go as she pleased as long as she was back home by the time the street lamps came on. After the abrupt departure of her mom, she got her first brick of a cell phone, and had to go through a laundry list of details before leaving the house including where she was going, how long she’d be there, when she thought she’d be back, and who she would be with. That was all before her focus shifted to looking for a job and helping to keep her family afloat.

And yet, from her short time around the boys, she felt a youthful energy around them. It was almost infectious in a way; they could act like their goofy selves no matter what situation they were in. Whether that was to help everyone feel included into their family, she wasn’t sure. But, she was grateful for that sense of comfort. 

Nevertheless, she was out there for a job.

Point black. 

Period.

“The boys know all about bein’ on tour, I’m sure they could help me out,” Annaleigh said, raising her voice to talk over her dad. 

“Right,” Ryan replied with a sigh. “I mean, it’s been a while since the old man has been on a tour bus, huh?” Annaleigh put her hand in her face, feeling her stomach drop down into her toes. Of course he’d be coming from a good place when giving her advice.

“Sorry, daddy, I didn’ mean it like that,” she said to him, letting out a sigh through her nose. She then sucked in a deep breath of air before letting out a loud yawn. 

“Shoot, baby girl, I know that,” Ryan replied. “But, it’s getting late; I’m going to let you go. Get a good night’s sleep, y’hear?”

“I hear,” Annaleigh replied. “And, daddy?" 

“Yes?”

“…Could you e-mail me a packing check list thing for tour?” Annaleigh asked. “And some tips and stuff?”

Ryan let out a deep chuckle. “Of course, Sweet Pea,” he replied. “I’ll let you go.” 

“Night, daddy.” Annaleigh listened to her dad’s deep timbre before the click of the phone line cutting out sounded in her ear. She felt her shoulders slump as she hung up her phone. It was official now; she was officially in a whole new world of business now. Annaleigh set her phone down onto the table and reached for her mug of hot chocolate, she realized the five boys were staring at her. “What? Shoot, y’all are freakin’ me out?”

“Who’s Gabe?” Joey asked, turned away from the stove. She hiked an eyebrow at his tone—he sounded like Jasmine trying to get information out of her about she was currently smitten with. 

The smell of caramelizing onions hit the air and Annaleigh smiled. It smelled just like the diner she had left behind. She was already missing trading jokes with Alan, the feeling of someone caring for her well being with his parents, and just the welcoming and warm environment that not only the diner brought but the patrons as well.

“He’s new to the *NSYNC band, too,” Annaleigh replied. “He plays the keyboard.” She paused for a moment, blinking rapidly as she suddenly realized that none of them had known about the change. “Y’all didn’t know?” 

“We just knew that Troy was taking time out for his family,” JC said, shaking his head back and forth. His eyebrows furrowed together and he rubbing his chin with his fingers. “Huh. So, David left, too.” He lifted his head and looked around at his band mates. “We should get him a good luck gift; let him know he was appreciated.”

“Good idea,” Justin agreed with a nod of his head. “I just wonder why he left so quickly.” He let out a sigh through his nose. “Well, Annaleigh, how well do you think Gabriel did? Do you think he’ll fit in?” 

Better than me, Annaleigh thought to herself. She tapped her thumbnail into the side of her mug. Gabriel could just bond with the men faster than she could. She was the odd girl out. Not that she didn’t anticipate it ahead of time. “He’s a very good fella and takes direction well. He picked up on things pretty quickly.”

“I’m sure the both of you will knock it out of the park,” Joey said as he turned back towards the stove. Moments later, Annaleigh had a steaming sandwich with gooey cheese and sweet onions sitting in front of her. She lifted it with her hands and took a large bite. 

“Joey gis is berry goof,” she said with her mouthful, taking another bite. I guess I was more hungry than I thought.

“I told ya,” Joey said with a smile, putting his hands in the air. “No one passes up food from Joey Fatone.” He then started to bow. “Thank you. Thank you.” 

Annaleigh swallowed the mouthful of food and licked her lips. “Don’ think I told y'all, but congratulations; with the court hearin’ ‘n’ everythin’. “ She noticed the instant change of atmosphere in the room. She was sure it had dropped a couple degrees at least. “Sorry you had ta go through that.” And sorry I even brought it up. JC merely waved his hand in the air before giving a shrug.

“It is what it is,” he said to her, “it was all about the music to us. As long as we could continue doing what we loved, everything would be ok.” JC opened and closed his mouth a few times as he peered over at her. “If you really want this, we could help you out, you know.” 

“What do you mean?” Annaleigh asked.

JC pursed his lips just slightly as he thought. “I know how to play the bass a very tiny bit, so that part will really be up to you, but everything else—“ he put a hand to his chest, “—we’ll help. We want success for you more than you know.” 

Annaleigh gaped at him, not because of the words that came out of his mouth, but because of how one minute he looked the most tired she had ever seen him and the next he was in serious business mode. She wasn’t too surprised about it; she had always heard JC to be described as the serious one in the group, it was just different to hear about it and to see it firsthand.

“JC, she’s exhausted,” Lance said, reaching his hand forward to pinch at the cheese that slid out from the side of Annaleigh’s sandwich. She slapped at his hand, but he quickly pulled it back to pop what bit of cheese he managed to get in his grasp into his mouth. “At least wait until the morning.” 

On the one hand, Annaleigh was dealing with sensory overload. She was tired, she was hungry, and she was trying to remember everything she needed to know before she went back to rehearsal the next day, before rehearsal for the AMAs started. The minute the boys were done with their video shoot, it was crunch time to getting their debut single performance as perfectly as they could get it.

Not only that, but the boys were up for a huge award that night. Interviews and wardrobe fittings and photo shoots all before, during, and after the red carpet was bound to be squeezed into every last minute of their day. Annaleigh thought things were moving fast now, but in all actuality, she had no idea what was ahead of her. 

And she hated that.

“I thank ya kindly, Lance, but I’d rather know,” Annaleigh said, waving her hand in the air. Better to have everything laid out in front of her than to have it suddenly brought up. Lance merely gave a nod of his head, accepting her answer. 

“We’ll just be working with your voice,” JC continued folding his hands onto the table. “Considering you’d be working to build your skills on the bass with the rest of the band.” She could see why JC was well respected with the way he carried himself. “We all know how anxious you get with performing, but you have a great voice. If you ever wanted to do some singing, then you could be prepared. Especially with your accent.”

Annaleigh blinked before narrowing her eyes slightly. “What’s wrong with-?” 

“Nothing, sweetie,” JC interrupted her with a small laugh. “In fact, I think it’s downright adorable, but it’ll be harder for anybody take you seriously if you have a country twang to everything you sing if you’re not sticking exclusively with country music.”

“Careful, C,” Justin said in a soft tone. 

She lifted her eyebrows. “What’s wrong with-?”

“Nothing,” JC insisted. 

“You’re digging yourself into a ho-o-ole,” Chris said in a sing-song voice.

“Country’s fine; it’s who you are,” JC said after a moment of silence, recollecting his thoughts. “And if there’s one thing we’ve learned about this is, if you don’t know who you are, then no one is going to know who you are. What you bring to this is very unique, no doubt about that.” 

“I think what JC is trying to say is that, we’ll help you vocally if you choose to do more singing,” Lance spoke up, saving his friend. “If it’s not what you want, that’s ok. But, I don’t think it’ll hurt to at least have it to fall back on.” He then snapped his fingers and pointed at her. “Plus, you’ve already got some vocal training experience with Mr. Westbrook. The thing is, if you’re not going to be singing country music, then you should work on not singing that way. I had to do it.”

“Exactly,” JC said with a nod of his head. 

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

“No matter what, it all just takes confidence,” JC explained before a thoughtful look crossed her face. 

“Hmmm, maybe we should work on your confidence, first.” Annaleigh made a humming noise in the back of her throat as she lifted her mug of hot chocolate to her mouth, taking a long sip. “I’m just telling you what I think based on your audition, hon.”

“I understand, and I thank ya kindly for tellin’ me the truth,” Annaleigh replied, lifting her hand up into the air. She raked her fingers through her hair before pressing her lips together. It’s just part of the business. You’ll get worse criticism in this line of business. Dad tried to warn you. 

And that whole time she had told him time and time again that she could handle it and it’s what she wanted. She wanted to get her feet went in the business and she had practically cannonballed into the gosh darn center.

“I’m in,” Annaleigh replied, lifting her hand to rub at her eyes as they suddenly started to burn. “Joe, this was god, but I’m too tired to finish it. One of y’all can have—“ Chris practically dove on top of the table and grabbed the paper plate, dragging it back towards him, “it. Ok, then.” 

She gave them a quick smile before making her way back towards her room. She kicked the door shut behind her and moved her bags to the ground. She quickly changed into her pajamas and turned off the light before climbing into bed, making sure to get Chip from her bag.

“We didn’t mean to make you upset,” Justin said, tapping his spoon on the side of his bowl. The corners of his lips were pulled downwards into a boy-ish frown-pout. 

“Naw, y’all didn’,” Annaleigh replied with a shake of her head, pushing her chair back. “It’s all…just a lot.” She let out a sigh. “I thank y’all for everythin’, really I do. It’s jus’ been a long day.” After giving all the boys a hug goodnight, wishing them a good night’s sleep, she took a quick shower, allowing the warm water to massage her tired muscles before she changed into pajamas and climbed into bed.

But she couldn’t get to sleep. She didn’t know how long she had tossed and turned before admitting defeat and letting out a frustrated sigh, staring up at the ceiling. “Come on, guys,” she said as she lifted her stuffed Pluto the dog and teddy bear into her arms. 

She slipped out of her room and into the hall (the house was dark and quiet) before making her way over to Lance’s door. She quietly pushed the door open, sliding inside to hear soft snores coming from the center of the darkness. She closed the door behind her and made her way over towards the bed, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark. “Lance.”

“Hmm?” Lance gave a mumbled response and Annaleigh kneeled down beside his bed, nudging his bare shoulder. “Hmmm?” 

“Roll over,” Annaleigh whispered and Lance did as she was asked. Annaleigh grabbed his blankets and lifted them before climbing into bed beside him. “Thanks.”

“Yep,” Lance muttered into his pillow. Annaleigh’s eyes fluttered shut as the Lance’s body heat wrapped her in a comforting cocoon of warmth. Lance rolled over to his other side and let out a sigh before asking in a deep timbre he could only achieve with his fatigue, “You ok?” 

“I didn’ think it’d be like this,” Annaleigh admitted.

“You did kinda come at a bad time, I’ll admit,” Lance said after a second sigh. As her eyes adjusted to the dark she could make out the curve of his body under his sheets and blankets as he faced her. They slowly lifted and fell with each tired breath his body took in. “But, we don’t call you ‘Ace’ for nothing. Once you get into the routine of things you’ll knock it out of the park. You’ll see.” 

“Yeah,” Annaleigh agreed around a yawn. There was a long pause of silence where Annaleigh was sure Lance had fallen asleep before she heard him ask, “I’ve missed a lot haven’t I?” Annaleigh made a humming sound in the back of her throat.

“I’m happy you’re here,” he said to her, his breaths evening out. 

“So’m I,” Annaleigh replied, just as tired. “I just don’ want to let y’all down.” If not as equal importance, she didn’t want to let herself or her family down.