Chapter 2: The Vision
“Okay so basically, there are certain things that your fans relate you to. For example, everyone knows that JC is the daddy of the group and he writes a lot of the lyrics for you albums””
“Don’t forget he likes to sleep.” Justin jabbed.
“And he likes to sleep.” Natalie added quietly. “So I want to sort of combine all of those aspects that your fans identify you with in your picture.”
“Okay. How are you going to do that?”
Natalie gently closed her eyes as she picture the scene in her head. “You are in a room…” She paused when Justin snickered, opening one eyes to glare at him before continuing. “You are in a bedroom, with all white linens. The walls are white as well as all of your clothing. You are sitting propped up on the bed with pillows….no shoes or socks….writing in a notepad. You aren’t looking at the camera you’re not even aware of it. It’s just you in your own world writing a song from your heart.”
She opened her eyes slowly to see five set stare right back at her. She immediately became self conscious. They hated the idea. “You’re in the bed because you like to sleep a lot and you’re writing a song because you write most of the lyrics I guess I didn’t really tie in the whole daddy of the group thing but I can change…”
“No, it’s perfect.” JC interrupted her nervous ramblings.
“Really?”
“Anything is better than just standing there with big cheesy smiles on our faces.” Joey replied. “I hate how they always have us standing around together with our arms crossed over our chests. We look stupid.”
Everyone laughed at that.
“What else you got?”
“Oh! You know what else we could do.” She smiled and grabbed JC’s upper arm starting to get excited. “For a shot with all of you, JC, you could be at the sound board and the rest of guys could be…uh…goofing off in the recording box and you could be….” She trailed off closing her eyes in thought. “You could be sitting here with your head in your hands gripping your hair in frustration.” She opened her eyes again. “Then we can include everyone yet still have you as the focus and it shows you being the mature one and you being in control of the recording session.”
“Girl, where was all this earlier?” Chris laughed.
“I told you, I was nervous.”
“I want a hot girl in my picture.” Justin blurted out. He was met by a collective sigh of the group.
Natalie looked over at Justin, “I don’t think that’s really what the magazine is looking for.”
“You said it was supposed to be about us right?” She nodded in confirmation. “Well, women want me.” He replied cockily.
Natalie rolled her eyes and turned to JC. “Why don’t we get started? We probably won’t have time to do anyone else tonight but we can at least get yours going.”
(One Week Later)
“It’s here, it’s here!” Chris yelled waving the magazine over his head as he ran up and down the hotel hallway. Four heads peeked out of their rooms to see what the commotion was about and upon seeing the magazine all jumped on him.
“Give it to me!” Joey screamed.
“Ouch! My leg!”
“Who just bit me?”
“Let go of my hair!”
“Get off the floor you idiots!” Mike yelled grabbing the magazine from….well he wasn’t sure whose hand he got it out of. “You all are going to get kicked out of here!”
The five men untangled themselves from each other and followed Mike into the room Justin and JC were sharing. Chris and Joey jumped on of the beds while Lance occupied a seat next to Mike on the couch and JC and Justin sat on the edge of the other bed.
“These pictures are awesome.” Lance commented taking the magazine out of Mike’s hands. “Natalie is the best photographer we have ever had.”
The magazine was passed around the room, everyone commenting on the pictures and how true they were in expressing each of their personalities. Each member had their own spread with a head shot, a solitary pose, and a group pose along with their interview.
JC’s pictures turned out just as Natalie had described…maybe even better. Joey was in the kitchen in his picture cooking spaghetti while wearing a ‘kiss the cook’ apron. Lance was snuggled up on the couch reading a book, Justin was playing basketball in a baby blue UNC jersey, and Chris was playing with his dog Busta.
“They’re a’ight,” Justin commented.
“Shut-up Justin,” Joey said not looking away from the pictures of himself.
“You shut-up.” What Justin’s rebuttal.
“You.”
“You!”
“You!”
“You!”
“Why don’t both of you shut the f**k up!” JC boomed unable to take their childish banter any longer.
“Is that kind of language really necessary C?” Joey replied receive a death glare from JC.
“Yeah, man, you kiss your momma with that mouth?” Justin added with a snicker.
“Real mature Justin.”
“Anyway…” Lance interrupted before any more words could be spoken. “We should call Natalie and ask her out to lunch or something as a thank you.”
“We never did anything like that for our other photographers.” Justin said inching his way up the bed to recline against the headboard.
“We never had a photographer like Natalie before.” Joey answered looking over at Justin. “Even you have to admit that.”
“She didn’t even get me the hot girl I wanted.” He pouted.
All the guys groaned. They tried to remember he was only nineteen but, man girls was all he thought about. And what every magazine and entertainment show said about him thinking he was God’s gift to women was one hundred percent true. He was cocky; plain and simple.
And if you weren’t completely drop-dead gorgeous he would give you the time of day. Example, Natalie. Natalie wasn’t ugly by any means she just wasn’t a stick thin blonde with a huge chest. So Justin gave her a hard time the entire time they were working with her. And Natalie was too shy to speak up for herself so she just let him walk all over her.
Maybe going to lunch with her wouldn’t be such a good idea. That would mean having to listen to Justin gripe more than usual and no one wants to listen to that.
TBC......PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE!
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