Chapter 9
The rest of the plane ride was not as interesting as the beginning of it, but I wasn’t in need of anymore of that drama anyway. Thankfully, Chris laid off about the peanuts, and I got to sleep. Not for long, but sleep on a plane, sitting next to Chris should be appreciated no matter how long the time.
When we got off, we were quickly escorted to some big limo, which was not necessary, especially since everyone else had to stuff themselves into a small van. I’ve never been one to understand why “special people” need to have limos while the people who work have to sit in small confined areas with hardly any breathing room. Pardon my politeness and common sense, but I just couldn’t resist.
Anyway, off we went to the hotel in our spacey limo, Chris and JC still arguing about the ongoing topic of airplane peanuts. Justin and Angela were discretely passing glances to one another. What they were about? I don’t know. Joey was on his cell phone, calling Kelly to tell her he had arrived in New York. She’s always been paranoid about those things. She’s not a big plane person. Lance was writing something in his Palm Pilot. He’s always using those weird gadgets. And I was sitting near the door, because I was the last one in the car, watching everyone, and trying not to seem nosy or observable. Because I wasn’t. Not at all.
There wasn’t much discussion in the car, except for private little conversations here and there, but the hour it took to get the hotel went by like watching paint dry. Oh so fast, if you know what I mean. The minute the car stopped I jumped out of the car, eager to go somewhere, or do something. As much as I dread going on “business trips” with Justin and his “associates”, I always have fun once I get there.
“Chill out Laney, we’ve got a week. We’ll have time to do some stuff.” Chris reassured me as we walked into the hotel. I would describe it, with all its rich and expensive entireties, but I’ll leave it up to your imagination. Let’s just say it wasn’t like a regular Days Inn pit stop.
I saw Angela watching me out of the corner of my eye. It freaked me out, but I figured that maybe she was jealous of my wonderful relationship with the guys, because with the exception of Justin, she hadn’t spoken to any of them since we left the airport. And supposedly, they were the ones who invited her on this trip.
We finally got to our floor, and stood near the elevator waiting for room assignments. Just because they were NSYNC didn’t mean they got to run around and pick their own rooms. Johnny stepped out of the elevator with a bag full of keys and a clipboard in his hands. I leaned against the wall, and waited to hear my name.
“Lance and Chris… Room 317.”
“Man Johnny, I shared with Chris last time.” Lance whined. I chuckled as Chris wrapped his arms around Lance and dragged him towards the room they were forced to share. Johnny shook his head and looked back down at his list.
“Joey and JC… Room 321.”
Wait… so did that leave the three of us? No… maybe she was sharing with a crewmember. It was always Justin and me at least most of the time, unless Johnny made us go with someone else to keep us from arguing all the time. But we were over that now. He wouldn’t do that to me.
“Justin and Laney… and Angela… Room 320.”
“Thanks Johnny.” Justin replied as he grabbed the keys from Johnny’s hand. I kept my spot against the wall, still in shock that I was going to have to share a room with the two of them. I had patched some things up with Justin, and now I was supposed to deal with him and Angela together. I didn’t want to move. I really didn’t. But I couldn’t act so shocked, and upset, so I pushed off the wall and followed Justin when he turned around and called my name. I wanted to say something to Johnny, but he was already off reading the rest of the rooming assignments. Opportunity passed. Shoot.
“OK, well I want this bed.” Angela said quickly as we walked into the room. I groaned in frustration as I saw her plop down on one of the beds. One of the two beds.
What made her think she got one? As far as I was concerned, she could sleep on the floor. As much as I wanted to like her, because she didn’t seem mean or anything, I just couldn’t. She annoyed me in one of those ways you just can’t explain.
“Oh well… I guess we can just order a cot for me.” I said without thinking. I mean, Justin wasn’t about to offer to sleep on the floor, and frankly, there were no other options.
“No, no Laney…” Justin started. I thought he was going to suggest he could sleep on the floor, which would have surprised me, but he shocked me even more by what he said after that.
“You can have that one, and Angela and I can share this one.”
“Yeah… perfect.” Angela replied perkily, of course, having absolutely NO problems with sleeping arrangements. I can’t even believe he suggested the idea. It was like he didn’t see anything wrong with it. Couldn’t he just keep his love life out of my life unless I asked to know about it? Not only was I extremely uncomfortable with the idea, but I didn’t want to be sleeping in the same room with Justin and Angela in the bed next to me. Together. Justin walked towards the corner of the room, putting down his luggage, like there was no awkwardness in the room at all.
“Ooookay. Cool. No emotional, physical, or sexual issues with that at all.” I joked, mumbling the last part, hoping no one would hear me. But unfortunately, someone’s ears were a little sharper than their brain.
“What Laney?” Angela asked, looking devious for a split second, before going back to her innocent sweet face.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” I replied nonchalantly.
Our first adventure was the next day. The guys had radio interviews that afternoon, but their morning was free. Though it was only an hour or so, it was appreciated time. Time to do whatever, and enjoy our stay in the city. I was getting ready in the bathroom, since I was the last one to shower. I was surprised Justin and Angela hadn’t offered to take a shower together to preserve water, and save time. Everyone else had gone downstairs to eat breakfast but I told the guys I would meet them down there. I wasn’t really hungry, and I normally don’t take too long to get ready anyway.
I stepped out of the bathroom, and grabbed my purse from the table. Checking to make sure I had all my stuff, I opened the door, and walked down the hallway towards the elevator. Brian, one of the security guards was standing in front of it. Most of the men on NSYNC’s security team were big, strong and intimidating, but Brian was kind of short. A little on the chubby side, and looked really sweet. But he could direct people, and yell orders like it was no one’s business.
“Laney? What are you still doing here?” Brian asked, looking surprised to see me.
“I’m going downstairs. I didn’t really need breakfast, so I skipped it. Why?”
“Oh. I thought you were going with the guys today.” He sighed, sounding a bit more relieved.
“I am going with the guys.” I replied, becoming more confused.
“You are?” he asked, now sounding panicked again.
“Of course.” I laughed, trying to calm the sense of nervousness that was rising in my stomach.
“Well then why weren’t you downstairs?”
“Because I was taking a shower, and I figured I would skip breakfast.”
“Oh. Well I hate to say it Laney, but the guys already left.” He told me, trying to make it sound as positive as possible.
“They what? But Justin and Angela knew I was up here.”
“Angela told me you had already gone downstairs. She said you took a shower first, and you wanted to go downstairs early.”
“She told you that?” I said. Was I really hearing this right? Maybe Angela got confused. Maybe she just thought I had gone downstairs, or maybe Brian misinterpreted what she was saying.
“Yeah. I’m sorry Lane. I would’ve stopped them I had known-”
“No, no Brian,” I said cutting him off, “It wasn’t your fault. I should’ve just gone downstairs with everyone else. It’s fine.”
“I’m really sorry Lane. I can call them and tell them to turn around if you’d like.” He offered.
“No, that’s fine. I’ll find something to do. I’m in New York City. Come on.” I laughed, trying to make light out of the situation. Truthfully, I was pissed. Did Angela purposefully leave me off this trip? That’s exactly what it sounded like. I mean, it’s not like she was that stupid. By her actions, it seemed like she was actually pretty smart, with her scheming and everything. Why would she do that, though? I didn’t want Brian to see me upset, so I just continued my way into the elevator, and pushed the lobby button.
My mind was so jumbled with thoughts I couldn’t even think straight. I was trying to stay calm, and not cry (which I hate doing), but I was also trying to figure out what was going on. After all that happened, you’d think Justin would make sure I was included with everyone. I’m not even sure if Justin knew. With our past, it wouldn’t surprise me. I tried to concentrate on the floor numbers ticking away from the elevator. But it wasn’t helping. A part of me hoped they would still be standing in the lobby, waiting for me. Another part of me wanted to just go off by myself and have my own fun without them.
“And I’ll do just that.” I said quietly, as the doors opened. I didn’t want to mope. Especially when they all came back. No way was I going to waste a day in New York sulking because of some mix up, which definitely shouldn’t have happened in the first place. When I walked outside into the city, I can’t say I had become completely clear-headed. But I got really close. It was so nice to be in a new atmosphere, and even through every thing, it was really nice to be by myself.
Bad thing is, I had no idea of direction. And someone like me, in a city like this, is completely screwed. I tried not to let it ruin whatever boost in spirit I had gained, but it was difficult when I realized that I had hardly any money on me, I didn’t know where to go, and I was pretty emotionally drained, and still not ready to deal with any big problems. I started walking, in whatever direction my spirit took me. Sounds kind of cheesy, but where else was I supposed to go? I wasn’t looking for anything.
Oddly enough, our hotel wasn’t in the middle of the city, it was kind of low key, because Johnny didn’t want to have to deal with tons of fans in the middle of New York. So as I walked, nothing really looked familiar. I was hoping to recognize something I might’ve seen on TRL or something, but soon remembered that was in Times Square. The heart of New York.
“Silly me.” I told myself, trying to lighten the mood. I stuck my hands in my jean pockets, and focused on the road ahead of me.
“Oh… thank god,” I mumbled, as I came upon a coffee shop up ahead. “I could definitely use something. Coffee. Hot chocolate. An espresso. Something!”
I picked up my pace as need for a drink picked up. I threw open the door, happy to have found some kind of destination. Warm air surrounded me, much different from the wind blowing around outside. I rubbed my hands together, and looked up at the menu. I almost couldn’t decide. A classic decaf coffee, light on the cream? A fancy mocha latte? As I moved closer to the register, I grabbed a five out of my pocket, figuring that a cheaper drink would be best, considering my low budget.
“Hi, I’ll have a hot chocolate with whipped cream please. Ooh… and can you put chocolate sprinkles on top, too?” I asked politely, hoping I didn’t sound too much like a 10 year old. The man behind the counter laughed, and grabbed a cup from under the register.
It didn’t take that long for me to hear my name called, and as I went up to retrieve my drink, the man said, “Be careful. It’s really hot.”
With its handy cup holder sitting around it, the cup didn’t feel that hot. Unfortunately, as I quickly turned around to go find a seat, I realized that maybe I should start listening more, because I suddenly shrieked in distress.
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