The Little Things by rubberducks
Summary: Kristi meets Wade at a club, and they immediately click. Then Kristi warns a spot on the Pop Odyssey and sparks fly with JC. Things get interesting when she's forced to choose between the two.
Review please!
Rating: PG
Categories: Long Stories
Characters: JC Chasez
Genres: Drama, Romance
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 11/21/05
Updated: 11/21/05
The Little Things by rubberducks
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Author's Notes:
“C’mon Michelle…You’ve got to stop drooling over your kick boxing instructor…It’s not healthy!” Kristi told her friend over the phone. “Let’s go dancing tonight!”
“We have auditions Monday, you don’t want to be tired, do you?” Michelle was making excuses.
“Do you ever get tired of dancing?” There was no answer on the other side of the phone. This gave Kristi her answer. “Pick me up in an hour.”
Kristi and Michelle were dancing their worries away, just like they lived in Fraggle Rock. Dancing is what they do best, and considering they are professional dancers, that’s probably a good thing.
Kristi and Michelle were inseparable at times. Although there are times when they are on different tours, they still somehow manage to maintain that special bond that only best friends share. Michelle is a thoughtful, dedicated person. She is incredibly smart, something people are shocked about because she is blond”stereotype! She is content with her life, but has always dreamed of a fairy tale ending. You know, a white knight comes to sweep her off her feet. The thing is, this knight has a different name every week. Recently, however, it’s been Mike, her kick boxing instructor. Mike has been the man for several weeks; maybe he is Michelle’s knight.
Kristi, on the other hand, is an extroverted nightmare. Or that’s how her middle school teachers described her. She’s toned it down, but Kristi is still bubbly and far from shy. If you piss her off, you’ll know. With bright blue eyes, flowing brown hair and long legs, Kristi doesn’t have to try hard to stand out. Some may say she’s reckless and needs to be the center of attention, but those are people who don’t know her. To her friends and family, she is a born entertainer who dives into whatever she has committed herself to.
Michelle and Kristi are completely different, but they do have one thing in common: dance. They both went to University of Florida as dance majors, meeting each other in choreography and modern classes. They became roommates once they graduated. But since they both danced on different tours and could afford their own places, they went in that direction. “What’s the point of being roommates if we don’t even see each other?” Michelle asked.
“Now we don’t have to worry about bringing guys home, right Miche?” Both girls had to laugh, but they both knew it was true.
The two had never danced on the same tour before. Kristi and Michelle were both auditioning to be on the *NSYNC Pop Odyssey tour. They normally tried to avoid auditioning for the same tour because if one made it and the other didn’t…and there wasn’t a problem finding work if you’re a good dancer. There are always tons of auditions.
“Kristi, I’m so glad you dragged me out here tonight.” Michelle said as the two went to the bar to get a drink. Kristi was looking around to see if there was anyone worth while tonight, and she saw someone. There wasn’t anything eye-popping about him at first sight, just the way he presented himself. He commanded attention and respect from everyone in the room.
The two spent 10 minutes at the bar, sipping their drinks and talking. The drinks were low, so they ordered more. Kristi was turning around to pay the bartender, when she bumped into someone, spilling her drink. “Crap! Just what I’ve always wanted…to smell like alcohol at a night club.” She glanced at him. And then took a second glance. It was the guy she had noticed earlier.
“Wow.”
“What?” Kristi asked irritated. It didn’t matter if he was hot; he made her spill her drink.
“Nothing…I’m sorry about your drink. Can I buy you another one?”
“I think I’m all set.” Kristi grabbed some napkins and began to walk away when he shouted after her.
“Please? I feel awful about it.”
“Fine. But Michelle gets one too…ok?”
“Deal”
The man, whose name turned out to be Wade Robson, bought Michelle and Kristi drinks. Once those drinks were finished and the conversation was monopolized by Kristi and Wade flirting, Michelle yawned.
“I think I’m going to take off, Kristi.”
“Why?”
“Well…I took an extra kick boxing class today…” The extra class was for one reason: Mike.
“We’ll discuss this tomorrow Ms. Samuels, ok?”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Michelle stated sarcastically. She started to walk away, but paused to wink at Kristi. It was scary sometimes; it seems that they can read each others’ minds.
“Wade, your name sounds so familiar…but I just can’t place it.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Wade didn’t want his celebrity connections to screw up another potential relationship.
Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Wade couldn’t help but feel attracted to her.
The two talked for a while, and Wade kept buying more drinks. “I still feel awful about your shirt.”
“You can make it up to me…”
“Want to dance?” Wade asked, changing the subject.
“…If you can keep up with me.” Kristi answered.
Kristi and Wade were quite a pair on the dance floor. Neither knew the other made a living dancing, and both didn’t care. All of the alcohol consumed was catching up with them, and things soon got hot and heavy.
Wade had had enough. He knew Kristi was teasing him, so he might as well ask her. He was so attracted to her; it was hard to control himself. He whispered in her ear, “Do you want to come back to my place?”
She nodded, and they sealed the deal with a kiss.
The next morning Wade woke up with something lying next to him, asleep. He rolled over; saw Kristi, and everything that happened last night came back to him. He was content to lay there and watch her sleep, but he glanced at the clock and realized he had a meeting in two hours.
“Kristi, honey, wake up.”
“Go away.”
“My, do you have awful manners young lady.” Kristi’s eyes finally opened and she saw Wade.
“You can’t call me young lady…I’m older than you!”
“Fine. But how about I make you some breakfast then get you home…I have to be at work in two hours…”
When Kristi arrived home an hour later, she had Wade’s number and plans for dinner Friday night. She tossed her keys onto the counter and checked her answering machine. There was one message, and she had a good idea of who it was from.
“Kristi Marie Goslen...you better call me as soon as you get this! If you slept with Wade…then…sometimes you’re so impulsive it makes me want to scream! It’s not my problem though…so just call me. I want to hear details girl!”
Michelle is so weird. Kristi thought. That girl switches moods faster than some people blink.
Kristi knew exactly how to play Michelle. She wouldn’t call her back right then, like Michelle had told her to. Kristi made her way through her apartment to the bathroom, where she took a shower and hummed happily. Kristi had had one-night-stands before, but Wade was different. This one-night-er had started a relationship.
Twenty minutes later, Kristi was lying on her bed, dialing Michelle’s number.
“Kristi…talk to me! I’ve been waiting to hear from you all morning! Where have you been?”
“Well, Wade cooked me breakfast, and then I came home and took a shower.”
“Do you not understand the meaning of ‘call me right away’?”
Kristi chose to ignore that. “Shut-up so I can tell you what happened.” She wondered where to begin. “He’s a really good dancer. That’s a major turn-on in my book.”
“You keep a list of things that turn you on?”
Kristi didn’t answer that. “He bought us more drinks, and things got carried away a little…but he’s such a sweetheart and we have a date on Friday night.”
“Kristi, when did we start giving each other readers’ digest version of things?”
“Since you started living vicariously through me, Miche.”
“Fair enough.”
“Any Mike news?” There was an uncomfortable pause.
“Are you excited for the audition tomorrow?”
“Yeah! This tour is going to be huge! We’d be touring for a good 4 months, at least. Now that I think of it, I probably should have told Wade I might be leaving in two months…”
Meanwhile, Wade was sitting at a round table with eight other people. Five of these guys were *NSYNC. Justin, JC, Joey, Chris, and Lance were the reason the rest were here. They were the stars of the tour, and the other four people help make them look good.
“Wade, you got a copy of the song list, right?” Johnny Wright asked. Johnny has been *NSYNC’s manager from the beginning. These five boys (ok, men) were like sons to him.
“Yep. I got it a week ago. I’ve started working on choreography.”
“When will that be done?” Ron, the stage manager asked.
“By the end of this week,” Wade replied. “It shouldn’t be too bad; for most of the songs, I’m just tweaking old dances.”
“Good.” Lance said. Lance seemed to like dancing less than the other four.
“When will the dancers be chosen?” Melinda, the costume head, asked.
“Auditions are tomorrow.” Johnny answered for Wade. “And rehearsal starts Tuesday.”
The meeting continued. It was very productive, with the group finalizing details about dates, venues, personnel, and hotels. But JC’s mind wasn’t at the table; he was thinking about Rachel. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking about her, it never led to anything but trouble. He couldn’t help it. Last time they were planning a tour, he was madly in love with her, and when he came home, she broke his heart.
JC took out the key Rachel had given him to her apartment. He had taken an earlier flight home to surprise Rachel, hoping they could spend an extra half day together. Although the tour was winding down, it would still be a month or two until JC was home regularly.
He opened the door, put his bag down, and started walking towards her bedroom, where he heard voices. Two voices. Rachel’s…and another male voice. JC tried not to read that much into it… maybe Rachel’s brother was over.
“Rachel!” He called as he opened her bedroom door. “I’m back early! Sur-“
JC never finished his sentence because of the scene he walked into. Rachel was in bed with a man. A man who wasn’t JC. The truth hit him hard: she was sleeping with another man while he was on tour.
“How could you?” JC yelled. “How could you do that to me?”
“Let me explain, Jay…” Rachel began. He flinched when she called him Jay, her pet name for him. She got out of bed and wrapped a bathrobe around her. “You’ve been gone for so long, and I’ve missed you. I’m lonely. I’m a woman, Jay, I have needs. Robert doesn’t mean anything to me…he’s just…filling in for you.” Like that made JC feel any better.
“Rachel, I’ve missed you too. But I didn’t start fucking the first thing with long legs and blonde hair that I saw!” JC gave her a look of disbelief. Another thought occurred to him. “Are you trying to blame me for this?”
“I still love you. This doesn’t change that.” Rachel began, starting to get upset because she knew what was coming.
“Yeah, well, take that love and shove it up your ass!” JC screamed, getting more hysterical by the moment. He took her apartment key that he still had in his hand, and threw it at Robert. Poor Robert, he probably had no idea what was going on. “I want my house key back! Now!”
“What?” Rachel asked. “Are we breaking up?”
“What do you think?” JC asked sarcastically. “Rachel, I gave you everything I had. And this…this…is how you repay me?” JC still couldn’t believe it.
Rachel walked reluctantly to her dresser, took his house key off of her key ring, and handed it to him.
“Mail my stuff back to me, and I’ll do the same.” Tears started forming in JC’s eyes. He refused to cry. He wasn’t going to let her see him do that.
“But…what about my sister’s wedding? You’re supposed to be my date!”
“Take Robert…” And with that, JC stormed out of the apartment. He doesn’t know how he managed to make it to the venue. Instead of going home for a few hours like the others did, he went straight there, and cried in the dressing room. He couldn’t look miserable for too long, though, because they had a show to put on. Truthfully, JC hasn’t been really happy since.
Kristi was reading a book in bed when the phone rang. “Hello?”
“Hey! It’s Wade.”
“Hi! What’s going on?”
“I felt bad about shooing you out this morning.”
“Don’t. You should, however, feel bad about ruining my favorite shirt instead.”
“I’ll buy you another one, I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“I’ve got to go. I have an early morning tomorrow. I just wanted to say goodnight.”
“Good night Wade.”
Michelle picked Kristi up for auditions the next day because Kristi’s car was in the shop. They listened to some *NSYNC music to get pumped up and to immune their ears to it.
You get to know the dancing world pretty quickly in Orlando. You see the same dancers at auditions and classes around town. You learn which ones are good, and which ones you wouldn’t mind being in a group with because they make you look good. Kristi and Michelle knew at least half of the dancers auditioning. Some were really giggly, because the performers on tour happen to be very attractive. Others were in their own world, stretching and concentrating way too hard.
“Dancing should be fun…” Michelle whispered to Kristi as they walked past several stretching dancers.
A few minutes later, the choreographer who was running auditions walked into the room. Kristi wasn’t really paying attention; she’d been to so many auditions, she knew what was going on. “Welcome ladies, and thank you for coming. As you know, we only need five of you, and two alternates, for the tour. So, we’ll be having several rounds of elimination. I’ll show you a routine, watch you, and then keep some of you. We’ll do this until we have five dancers left. Any questions?”
Kristi knew that voice sounded familiar. She didn’t bother to look up at the choreographer until he had finished speaking, and when she did, her jaw dropped.
Wade, the same Wade Kristi had talked to last night, was *NSYNC’s choreographer.
As everyone was moving their stuff to the side of the room, getting ready for the long audition process, Kristi elbowed Michelle in the side. “Look who it is!”
“Did you know he was”“
“No!”
“Is this bad”“
“I don’t know!” Kristi was debating whether or not to freak out when Wade spotted her. He smiled and gave her a look, don’t worry.
Easy for you to say, Kristi thought, you’re not trying to get a job!
The first couple of rounds were not too hard. By the third round, it was down to twenty girls. “Before we start again, I’d like to introduce five important men who will be helping me make the final decision.” Wade motioned to the door and *NSYNC entered to room. By now, all of the giggly girls had left, and the twenty dancers clapped appreciatively.
“Don’t be nervous, girls. Before their *NSYNC days, half of these guys couldn’t dance at all!” Wade continued to talk, but Kristi didn’t notice. She was too busy looking at one of the guys. She knew he was JC, but nothing else about him. He turned and saw her looking at him, making Kristi blush. He smiled and they both felt sparks fly from across the room.
“Ok, so let’s get started!”
At the end of the fourth round, there were 10 dancers left. Instead of learning more routines, they just performed the ones they already knew.
“If you ladies could excuse us for a moment, we need to discuss.” The six of them looked like a football team, with Wade as quarterback. He did most of the talking, pointing to each guy in turn, listening for their approval.
After several minutes, “Ladies, we have our five dancers. First, thank you for your time today, and this decision was difficult. I’ll now turn it over to the guys. Guys…”
“Thank you very much!” Joey began like he was a talk show host. “The lucky lady who gets to call me their dance partner is Meghan McCabe! Come on down Meghan!” Even though, sometimes, the other dancers wished the one chosen would slip and break their leg, they were always polite, clapping when one got a job.
“My turn!” Justin cried. “My lady is Michelle Samuels! You lucky girl, you…” Kristi heard Michelle emit a squeak next to her.
“Chris likes all of you.” Why Chris was referring to himself in third person was anyone’s guess. “Beth Wiliks is Chris’s partner.”
Lance looked shy, as though he felt bad for his partner. “Lauren Funders is with me!”
And last, JC was very excited about his new partner. He tried very hard to contain it. “Kristi Goslen is mine…” was all he said.
Wade continued, hoping JC would snap out of his daze. “The two alternates are April Gordon and Sarah Macomb. I’ll talk to you two in a minute.”
Wade continued to impress Kristi today. During auditions, most of the people in the room were older than him, yet there was something about his presence that commanded respect. When he walked into a room, he owned it. That can make any girl weak at the knees.
“Here are your rehearsal schedules, tour dates, hotel information, and other random things you’ll probably need. You’re officially done for the day, but I wouldn’t say no if you all wanted to talk, get to know each other…you’ll be spending the better part of eight months together. Be back here tomorrow morning, eight o’clock sharp.” He glanced at Chris, Joey, and Justin. “No excuses.”
Everyone started to gather their things, chatting on the side when Wade approached Kristi. “Can we talk for a minute?”
“Yeah, sure.” Kristi followed Wade into the corner.
“I wanted to let you know that you made this tour because of talent. It had nothing to do with the other night. I don’t want you thinking you aren’t at the same level as these other girls, because you are, if not better.”
“Thanks. But what are we going to do…”
“Johnny doesn’t like co-workers dating, but once the tour starts, we won’t be working together anymore. So if we just keep it quiet until then…”
“I think we can do it.”
“Great…I’ll call you later in the week about Friday.”
Wade went to talk to April and Sarah, and Kristi headed in the direction of her bag. She had reached her stuff and was putting on her coat when JC approached her.
“Hi, I’m JC. We haven’t officially met.” He stuck out his hand, and Kristi shook it.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Kristi.” Kristi paused, wondering about that spark-filled look they shared earlier. JC, however, saved her from her thoughts.
“A bunch of us are going out to dinner soon, to get to know each other and hang out.” JC seemed nervous. It’s not like I’m asking her on a date or anything…snap out of it! “Want to come?” Why am I so nervous?
“Sure! Let me just talk to Michelle…she’s my ride home.” Kristi headed towards Michelle, but decided it was too far of a walk. “Miche, are you going to dinner with everyone?” Kristi shouted.
“No, it’s my brother’s birthday…I’m going over there.” Michelle answered.
“Oh.” Kristi looked disappointed.
Offer her a ride, idiot! JC stood there, knowing a ride wasn’t a problem. If he couldn’t drive her home, someone else could…there were 6 others going. Why aren’t you offering her a ride, moron! Do it! “I”I can drive you home.” JC sputtered out.
“Really? Thanks!” Kristi’s face lit up. She turned towards Michelle. “Pick me up at…”
“7:30!”
“Ciao!” Kristi shouted as Michelle left the room.
The car ride to Pizzeria Uno was filled with the ‘get-to-know-you’ questions. JC, Kristi, and Justin had driven in JC’s jeep. Kristi called shot-gun first, so Justin spent the ride sulking in the back seat. Although he wasn’t paying attention to their conversation, he could tell Kristi and JC were attracted to each other. In his head, Justin did a happy-dance. Ever since Rachel had broken JC’s heart a year ago, he hadn’t been in a serious relationship since. He’s had different girls and flings, but he never looked at any of them the way he had looked at Rachel…the way he was looking at Kristi.
Once the party of 8 was seated (Meghan and Michelle didn’t come), and orders were taken, things became intense fast. Kristi felt like she lost her head.
“And then I was like, ‘No way!’ and she was like, ‘Most def,’ and I kept saying, ‘That’s not true’!” Chris was going on about who knows what.
“Cool it man!” Lance said. Justin and Joey had been stacking the napkins and everything else on the table into a pile, and when Lance turned around to calm Chris down, he knocked the whole tower over.
“Look what you did!” Justin cried. “What if that was a tower in the Vatican, and you killed the Pope!”
“Justin…think about what you just said.” JC urged him trying to hide his amusement. Everyone could see the realization hit Justin like a brick. He quickly shoved the remnants of the tower towards Joey, folded his hands on the table, and began talking like a normal person.
“So, Kristi…you and Michelle have a…an interesting relationship?”
“She’s my best friend.” Kristi began. One day, the two of them decided to come up with a readers’ digest version of their tale, making it easier to tell. “We met in college. Roommates after college, but we both were on different tours, and we never saw each other, so why not get our own apartments? So we did.”
“She still drives you places?” Lance asked.
“My car’s in the shop.”
“Interesting…” Justin glanced at JC. Rachel hadn’t had many friends, let alone a best friend. “So Beth…”
“Yes?”
“I’m done. I figured I’d come up with something on the spot, but it didn’t work.”
“Oh. Well, I have a question for you guys.” She shot a flirtatious look at Lauren and Kristi. “Girlfriends? Secret marriages? Bastard children?”
Why should I care? Kristi thought. I’m starting a relationship! Then it hit her: no one else, other than Michelle, knows about it.
“Well,” Joey began, “Justin has a girlfriend…they’re so cute! Chris is also taken, but the rest of us are single and ready to mingle!”
JC looked at his hands, glanced back up at Kristi, and then continued to watch his hands rip apart a straw wrapper. JC didn’t want to be feeling what he was for Kristi. They now worked together, and he didn’t know if he was ready for another relationship.
Beth nearly spit her drink out, she was laughing so hard. “I remember hearing all of you guys saying that years ago at a press conference!” She couldn’t stop laughing.
“You’re a fan?” Joey asked, eyebrows raised.
“Not really.” Beth retorted. “My little sister is.”
“How old is she?”
“Joey…she’s 16. Illegal. Sorry.”
“Why does Justin get all of the girls?” Joey wined.
“…Because he doesn’t dye his hair pink.” However confused JC was about Kristi, he never missed an opportunity to insult his best friends. These guys were the reason JC had made it through the past year without messing up his, or anyone else’s, life too badly.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
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