Kelly walked up to the front desk of the hotel. She glanced over her shoulder to see her twelve year old niece, Frances, flirt with the bellhop as he gathered their bags from the trunk of Kelly’s silver BMW. She snapped her fingers and even across the large lobby, Frances’ head snapped up and she began to walk towards her aunt.
“Sorry.” Frances quietly apologized as she approached Kelly. “He was cute. I couldn’t help myself.” Kelly shook her head and smiled at the girl.
“Just stay close, okay?”
A tall black man that looked no older than Kelly approached the front of the reception desk and smiled. “Welcome ladies. How may I help you?”
Kelly set her driver’s license and credit card on the desk. “Kelly Cobain to check in.”
The man, whose name tag read Greg, took both items and began to type on his computer. “Here you are, Miss Cobain. The two bedroom suite for the weekend. Are you here for Challenge for the Children?”
Kelly rolled her eyes and pointed over her shoulder. “This one is. I’m just the adult chaperone.”
Greg smiled down at Frances. “And which one’s your favorite?”
Frances puffed out her chest. “Justin. Although my mom thinks JC would be better in the sack.” She then winked at Greg.
“Frances!” Kelly looked at her niece appalled, and then up at the man that she was sure was blushing. “I’m not her mom.”
Greg looked down at the computer screen, typed something, and then handed Kelly back her items and two room keys. “Your suite is on the eight floor, room 824. Bobby will bring your bags up to you along with your car keys in a few minutes.”
“Thank you.” Kelly grabbed Frances’ hand and walked over to the elevators. As soon as the doors closed and the two girls were left along, Kelly smacked Frances in the arm. “Frances Bean Cobain! I can’t believe you said that. How many times have we told you to not repeat the crazy stuff your mother says?”
Frances shrugged. “Sorry! I just wanted to see how he’d react.”
Kelly let out a sigh and thought, “More like Courtney every day.” She looked sternly at her niece. “Another stunt like that and this whole weekend is over. No game. No party. No skills stuff. Nothing. Do you understand me?” Frances nodded but didn’t reply. Kelly sighed again, but gave her niece a small smile. “Once we get settled, want to go get some lunch?”
“Yeah and can we go shopping to get something to wear tonight to the party. This will be my first celebrity party like this that isn’t Mom’s friends and I don’t like what I’ve packed.”
Kelly shrugged her shoulders as she pushed Frances’ long blonde hair off her shoulder. “I’ll think about it.”
The elevator stopped on the eight floor and the two girls walked off towards their suite. Kelly slid the key in the lock and when the light turned green, turned the knob so they could both walk in. Frances instantly began to explore while Kelly grabbed her cell phone to call everyone who requested to know when they checked in. Kelly called Linda Carroll, Courtney’s mother who currently had custody of Frances, Dave Grohl, Kelly’s boss and best friend and her voice mail since she had missed a call from her mother, Wendy.
Kelly was twenty-eight years old, 5’5” with long blonde hair that had black streaks. She was eight years younger than her brother, Kurt and the last thing her parents had done together before their divorce. She looked so much like Kurt, it was scary. Because she looked so much like her brother, whenever she was around Frances and people didn’t know who they were, they always thought the pair were mother and daughter. Kelly heard a knock at the door, so she set her cell phone down and looked out the peep hole. She opened the door to see the bellhop and a tall man that looked like he would have fit into Nirvana perfectly.
“Come on in.” Kelly hugged the tall man. “Hey Joe! Thanks for coming out here with us.”
Joe picked up Frances, who had reappeared, and kissed her cheek. “Well, when Dave told me your were taking this one into the land of the boy band, we decided that she’d need some extra protection. Plus, if you meet anyone, you can ditch her and not feel bad.”
Kelly rolled her eyes as she tipped the bellhop. “Joe, you know me. Pop acts just don’t do it for me.”
Joe set Frances down and grabbed her bags. “No, you like the drummers. I bet a few of them know how to play.”
Kelly grabbed her bags and started walking towards her room. “Well, until they play those drums in a band that doesn’t involve the word ‘boy’, I’m still not interested.”
Joe shook his head as he walked into Frances’ room. She shut the door behind him, and then grabbed his wrist. “Joe, I need your help. We’ve got to get Aunt Kelly laid.” Joe looked down at the child surprised. “Sorry, but we need to get her hooked up with someone. She hasn’t had a date in a year and hasn’t been outside of that Foo group in forever. She needs someone different and soon. I mean, Aunt Kelly’s almost thirty and then she’ll never meet anyone.”
Joe chuckled. ”Dave did after he turned thirty.”
Frances fell back on the bed dramatically. “Yeah, but that’s his second wife and she’s not thirty yet.”
Joe patted the young girl’s knee. “We’ll see what we can work out. Why don’t you unpack. I’m going to check on Kelly.”
Frances sat up and started to open one of her suitcases. “Okay, but just not Justin. He’s mine and too young. Plus the whole Britney thing…Aunt Kelly doesn’t need that.”
Joe just shook his head as he left one bedroom to enter another. “That child is so much like Courtney, it’s scary.”
Kelly zipped up her suitcase and placed it in the closet. “You’re telling me. She told the guy that checked us in that JC would be better in bed than Justin. They girl’s only twelve and has basically no innocence left.”
Joe sat down on Kelly’s bed. “She informed me that we have to get you laid this weekend. Used that word and everything.”
Kelly sat down next to Joe. “If only Kurt were here.” Kelly let out a sigh and rested her head on Joe’s shoulder. “Although, that doesn’t sound like a half bad idea. It has been awhile.”
Joe put an arm around Kelly’s waist. “You over him yet?”
“I never will be totally. Plus, working with the band doesn’t help the situation any. But, I know I need to move on. I mean, hell, I’m almost thirty.” Kelly then let out another sigh.
There was a light knock at the bedroom door and Frances peaked her head in. “Can we eat yet?”
Kelly straightened up and quickly wiped the tear that had escaped. “Sure. There’s this nice little deli up the street with some boutiques nearby. We can eat and shop. How’s that sound?”
“Sweet!” Frances exclaimed. The trio gathered what they needed then headed down the street to get some lunch.
After they had finished their lunch and Frances had bought a whole new outfit for the party that night, they started to walk back to the hotel. “You know what we should do?” Frances asked.
Kelly glanced down at her watch to see what time it was. “Take a nap before we have to get ready?”
“No.” Frances shook her head. “We’re in the same hotel as the band and a ton of other celebrities. We should roam around and see who all we can meet.”
Kelly shook her head. “I’m not traipsing through the hotel just so you can get your jollies. Plus, a bunch of people won’t even be here until late tonight or tomorrow. Maybe you can talk Joe into it tomorrow night. Let’s just leave people alone this afternoon.”
“Fine.” Frances reluctantly sighed. “Well, can I at least go swim for a little while? Joe can watch me and you can take a nape. Please!”
Kelly looked at her watch again. “That sounds fine, but in an hour and a half you have to be in the shower if you want to get to the party on time.”
“Thanks!” Frances hugged her aunt then ran towards the elevators.
“Yeah, thanks Kel. Just want I want. Pool duty.” Joe shook his head.
“I knew you’d enjoy.” Kelly patted his arm. “Plus, the Florida sun could do you some good. You’re looking a little too goth lately.” Joe rolled his eyes.
“Come on guys!” Frances tapped her foot as she held the elevator door open. Joe and Kelly shook their heads as they entered the elevator.
***************************************************************************
Kelly twirled a piece of hair as she nervously bounced her foot. “Tell me again why we’re in a limo to go to a party that we could have walked to?”
Frances put her hand on Kelly’s still knee. “Because Mom wanted me to make an entrance. And no one just walks down the red carpet from the sidewalk. You have to arrive.”
“I still don’t understand why we’re doing the red carpet anyway.” Kelly pointed at Frances. “We aren’t stopping to talk to anyone. No one should recognize us. We should be able to just walk in.”
“Aunt Kelly!” Frances whined.
“You two are to keep a low profile this weekend.” Joe sternly said. “Frances, you are here as a favor from Dave. You pull a single inappropriate stunt and your butt is back on a plane to your grandmother. Understand?”
Frances looked down at her lap. “Yes sir.”
Kelly couldn’t help but smile at Joe’s strong warning. With as much as Frances had been acting like Courtney lately, having a strong male around to help control her niece was nice. In the few moments of silence while their limo waited in line, Kelly looked at her motley crew. Joe was in all black; jeans, t-shirt, shoes, with his long black hair barley brushed and a five o’clock shadow. Frances was the complete opposite with white pants and a baby pink one shoulder tank and silver platform flip-flips on. Her long blonde hair was curled and up in a messy ponytail. Kelly didn’t know how to dress for a pop party, so she just wore something that made her feel comfortable and not stand out too much. She donned jeans and black healed boots with a shrunken black jeweled CBGB’s t-shirt. Her hair hung stick straight and she held a small black clutch that contained the hotel room keys, her cell and a pack of cigarettes.
When the limo pulled up to the red carpet, Joe went over the rules one last time. “Okay, Kelly gets out first, then you Frances. We stay to the back of the carpet and walk right in. Once inside, Kelly you’re free, but stay close to your cell. Frances, you’re with me all night. Everyone ready?” The girls nodded and Kelly opened the car door. A few people cheered and clapped as the three got out of the car, but no one knew who these three were. They showed their passes to the first level of security, and then quickly walked to the front door. Frances waved at every photographer and was greeted by a few camera flashes. The second level of security at the door checked their passes then let them in the building. The third level of security checked Kelly’s purse then gave the three full clearance to the pulsing room.
Kelly leaned down and kissed the top of Frances’ head. “Have fun and be careful. Don’t leave Joe’s side for any reason. I’m going to get a drink and meet back up with you two in a few, okay?”
Frances hugged Kelly. “Thank you for bringing me, Aunt Kelly. This is going to be so cool. Now, you go have fun and I’m going to go find Justin.” Frances started walking towards the dance floor with Joe on her heels.
Kelly called after her. “Remember, low profile.” Frances nodded and waved as she kept walking. Kelly watched Frances until she disappeared in the crowd. Kelly then looked around the room to see faces she knew she should recognize. The only people she remotely recognized were Benji and Joel Madden and that was only from the CD Epic had sent her to have Good Charlotte as an opening band for the last Foo Fighters tour. Kelly sighed and walked towards the bar. She found an empty bar stool and watched the crowd while she waited for the bartender to notice her.
“Good evening,” the bartender said to get Kelly’s attention. “What can I get for you tonight?” Kelly turned to face the bartender. “May I recommend a glass of Cristal?”
“Figures.” Kelly rolled her eyes. “No, thank you. I’d like a Jack and Coke please.”
“Coming right up.” He quickly made her drink and set it on a coaster in front of her. “Anything else right now?”
Kelly glanced down the bar. “How about an ashtray?”
“I’m sorry, but there’s no smoking in the building. There’s a smoking deck out those doors over there.” The bartender pointed to his left.
“Thanks.” Kelly tilted her glass towards him then walked towards the deck. “I want to know,” Kelly thought, “how Cristal is okay but smoking isn’t.” Kelly opened the doors to the deck and saw no one else standing outside. “And now I’m all alone. This fucking sucks.” Kelly set her drink down, pulled out and lit a cigarette and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the first drag off her Marlboro Light.
“That stuff will kill you.” A voice came from behind her.
Kelly didn’t even bother to open her eyes as she turned around. “At least I’ll die doing something I love.” Kelly opened her eyes to see who was addressing her. “The only thing better would be death by chocolate…or sex.”
“I’ll agree with you on those two.” A hand was extended and Kelly shook it. “I’m Lance.”
“Kelly.” She responded then took a sip of her drink. “So, you come out here to bum one or to just preach?”
Lance smirked. “Neither. Just wanted a breath of fresh air.” The both stood silent for a moment. “But I’ll bum if you’re offering.”
Kelly smiled and reached in her clutch. “I only have Lights. Sorry. I normally carry Reds with me too.” Kelly lit the cigarette and passed it over to Lance.
“That’s alright. This will probably kick my butt bad enough.” Lance took a drag and coughed at the foreign substance in his lungs.
“It’s been awhile?” Kelly asked as she offered her drink to him.
Lance took a sip and his coughing subsided. “A long while.” Kelly nodded. “I guess this isn’t the best first impression.”
Kelly smiled as she took a sip of her returned drink. “I’ve had worse.”
Lance took another drag and only had one small cough as he exhaled. “So, normally I know everybody at these kinds of things, but I don’t recognize you. Are you here with someone?”
“No,” Kelly shook her head and laughed, “my niece wanted to come and I pulled some strings to get her into all the exclusive stuff. She’s twelve and all about this stuff.”
Lance raised and eyebrow. “Well, you must have some good connections to be able to get into everything. But, where’s your niece now?”
Kelly looked though the glass doors to see if she could see Frances. “She’s in there with a friend of mine. In fact, I should probably get in there and find her. Make sure things are going okay.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. We’ve got tons of security in there and it’s mostly celebrities or people in the business in there. No crazed fans or anything. Well, except you and your niece.”
Kelly shook her head. “I’m not a crazed fan. Frances on the other hand has her moments. But that would be why she’s here with two chaperones.”
“You’d think with two chaperones sent to control a twelve year old fan that they’d both be at her side keeping an eye on things.”
Kelly let out a small laugh. “She’s on the great Justin hunt right now and I didn’t want to get in the middle of that. Plus chaperone number two is 6’3”, 250. I think he can do a better job than I can. She gave me the night off to have fun anyway. I figured I should enjoy it while I can.”
“So, why aren’t you inside enjoying your freedom?” Lance took one last drag off his cigarette, and then put it out in a nearby ashtray.
Kelly nodded towards the party. “This isn’t really my scene. Techno pop blaring and strobe lights…just doesn’t do it for me.”
“And what does?” Lance raised an eyebrow.
Kelly smiled and brushed her hair off her shoulder. “A seedy little unknown bar with a small stage and a band totally rocking out. And in a city that’s a little more known for its rock scene. Like Seattle or New York. But I can’t think of a single rocker that came from Florida. Can you?”
Lance shook his head. “No, but some good music has come from here.” Kelly shrugged in response. “You seem to have some really strong opinions on music.”
Kelly blushed, realizing that she was being a bit rough with her casual conversation. “Guess it was just the way I was raised. I grew up very rock and rock people have the tendency to be opinionated about their musical genre.”
Lance nodded and smiled. “At least you’re honest.” They stood quiet for a moment. “You said you pulled some strings to get here. What all kind of strings did you have to pull?”
“It wasn’t too big a deal, actually. The guy I work for is in the business so when Frances convinced me to come, I just had him call and get everything for us.” Kelly took the last sip of her drink then set it down on the ledge as she perched herself up on it.
“You must have an awesome boss. Who do you work for?”
Kelly took a breath in. She wasn’t sure if she should say anything or not. That would go against the whole low profile she was supposed to be keeping, but this Lance guy seemed laid back enough to be able to roll with things. And she felt something very trustworthy in his bright green eyes. “Um…well I actually work with Dave Grohl.”
Lance’s jaw dropped. “You mean Foo Fighters/Nirvana Dave Grohl?”
Kelly smiled and looked at the floor. “Yeah and the eight hundred other bands he drums for. I’m his personal assistant. And then the band’s when they’re on tour.”
“Wow.” Lance chuckled. “How long have you been with him?”
“Well, I’ve been working for him since the beginning of Foo in ’95. But, I’ve known him for about fourteen years now.”
“Back in the Nirvana days.” Lance raised an eyebrow.
Kelly rolled her eyes, but let out a little laugh. “Yeah, my brother introduced us. I was like fifteen then.” Kelly’s clutch started to play Tenacious D’s Wonderboy. “Pardon me.” Kelly reached in her clutch and hit yes on her cell phone. “Hello?”
“Aunt Kelly, where are you?” Frances said between sniffles.
Kelly got a worried look on her face. “I’m outside, off the bar. What’s wrong honey?”
“I want to go back to the hotel. I don’t feel good.”
Kelly’s brow furrowed knowing she wasn’t hearing the whole story. “Okay. I’ll meet you and Joe at the doors in just a moment, okay?”
“Okay.”
Kelly hung up her phone and placed it back in her clutch. “I’ve got to go. It was nice to meet you though Lance.” Kelly started walking back inside.
“Maybe I’ll see you around this weekend?” Lance asked as he opened the door for her.
“Maybe.” Kelly waved then headed for the rest of her group that was already at the front door. As she walked up to Frances and Joe, she could see tears quietly rolling down Frances’ cheeks and Joe just shrugged. Kelly put her arm around Frances and the trio walked out the door.
“The limo’s waiting for us, ladies.”
Lance watched as Kelly walked out the front door, hoping that she’d turn around and come back. He let out a sigh and walked towards the bar, noticing Joey sitting with a beer in his hand. “Hey Joe!”
“Lance.” Joey cheerfully greeted him and patted the empty stool next to him. “Where have you been, man? Shannon Elizabeth’s been looking for you.”
“I’ll catch up with her later.” Lance said as he waved at the bartender. “Jack and Coke.” The bartender nodded and quickly made the drink for Lance. “Joe, I just haven’t been feeling this party, you know.”
“You mean the great Justin show.” Joey rolled his eyes.
“Yeah.” Lance took a sip of his drink. “But, I meet this girl a little bit ago and man, she’s like that whole opposites attract kind of girl. She’s all rock and roll, smokes, hard exterior. I don’t even think she knew who I was. She’s here because her niece is a fan and her boss is Dave Grohl.”
“Nirvana Dave Grohl?” Joey asked.
Lance nodded. “Yeah, she’s his PA, but she’s known him for like fifteen years.”
“Wow. What’s her name?”
“Kelly.”
Joey laughed. “Great name. Great name.” Lance smiled. “So, where is she? Was she not diggin’ on you too?”
Lance shrugged. “She left. I think her niece wasn’t feeling good or something. She was hard to read though. More than anything, it just seemed like she felt out of place.”
Joey shrugged as the guys sat quiet. “Oh, dude. Did you hear that Courtney Love’s kid was here earlier? She was trying to hit on Justin. Dude, it was hilarious watching Justin spit and sputter as this pre-teen was hitting on him. Oh, what the hell was her name?” Joey tapped his finger on the bar.
A light went off in Lance’s head. “Frances?”
“Yeah!” Joey smacked his flat hand on the bar. “Frances Bean Cobain. Hey, I bet that Kelly girl of yours knows her. As long as she’s known Dave, I’m sure she’s run across Kurt Cobain’s kid before.”
“I bet.” Lance downed the rest of his drink. “Joe, if anyone asks I went back to the hotel because I wasn’t feeling good and I’ll catch up with everyone tomorrow. Okay?”
“Sure man.” Joey looked at his friend confused. “Are you not feeling good?”
Lance shrugged. “Just not feeling this. Plus, I’ve got something I need to do. I’ll catch you tomorrow.” Lance waved as he walked towards the front door.
***************************************************************************
Once inside the limo, Kelly turned to Frances and wiped the tears from her face. “Frances, what happened? Did somebody say something?”
Frances shook her head and rested it on Kelly’s chest. “I don’t want to talk about it. Not in front of Joe.”
Kelly wrapped her arms around Frances and looked at Joe. He shook his head. “Frances, sweetie…you know you can say anything in front of Joe. He won’t tell anyone.”
Frances let out a sigh. “Can we just wait until we get to the hotel? I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
Kelly nodded and kissed the top of Frances’ head. “Okay. At the hotel.”
The silence of the limo and elevator ride was interrupted when Joe patted Frances’ head and kissed Kelly’s cheek then said, “I’m right next door if you need me. Night girls.”
“Goodnight.” Kelly replied as Frances walked in their suite and towards her bedroom. Kelly followed her. “You ready to tell me what happened? Did Joe do something?”
Frances shook her head as she opened the top drawer of the dresser and pulled a handful of items out then walked to the bathroom. “Joe didn’t do anything. He’s awesome. But, I think something’s wrong with me.” Kelly looked at her niece concerned. “My stomach had been hurting me all day and earlier at the party, I went to the bathroom and…and…” Frances started to cry. “I was bleeding. Down there.” Frances slid down to the cold bathroom floor. “I don’t know what happened and I don’t know how to stop it.” Frances sniffled. “And now my new white pants are ruined.” Frances pulled her knees to her chest and just let loose. Kelly could see the red stain on the pants and smiled at Frances’ moment of innocence.
Kelly ran her hand down Frances’ face and urged her to look at her aunt. “I think I know what happened. Why don’t you get in the shower and clean yourself up and then we’ll have a talk, okay?” Frances nodded. “Leave your clothes in here and I’ll try to fix your pants. And when you get out of the shower, your panties will have what’s called a pad inside of them. Just leave it in there when you put them on and I’ll explain everything then.” Kelly kissed the top of Frances’ head. “You get in the shower and I’ll be right back.” Frances nodded again and once she stood up and started to run the water, Kelly left the bathroom. Kelly went down to the lobby and asked the front desk worker if he would mind opening the gift shop so she could buy some pads and a bottle of Advil. When she got back up to the suite, she put a pad in Frances’ clean panties and took her dirty panties and pants into Kelly’s bathroom to soak. She heard the water turn off and waited a few minutes before knocking on Frances’ door.
“Come in.” Kelly walked in and joined Frances on her bed. “This pad thing feels weird.” Kelly smiled and nodded. “So, what’s wrong with me? Do I need to go to the doctor?”
Kelly shook her head. “You don’t need to go to the doctor. What’s happening to you is natural. You’re having your very first period. Has your mom talked to you about that? Or about puberty in general?”
Frances shook her head. “No…not really. All she’s told me that I’ll have to start shaving my legs and under my arms soon if I want boys to keep liking me and that I better inherit boobs from dad’s side since yours are so much bigger than hers and that she doesn’t have a period anymore.”
Kelly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Well, there’s a little more to all this than that. Yes, you will have to start shaving your legs and armpits soon, but not for a boy. Women shave for hygiene and vanity reasons. If you shave your armpits, you typically smell better when you sweat and the older you get, girls like to be smooth and hairless on parts of their bodies. You should start shaving when you notice that the hair is no longer blonde, but turning a black color. Has it started doing that yet?”
“No.” Frances glanced down at her legs. “Not yet.”
“Okay, when it comes to your breasts, you don’t really inherit them. Your body has a size planned for you and they’ll grow to be that size. The only way that will change is if you gain a lot of weight or loose a lot of weight. Larger girls typically have larger breast and really underweight girls typically have no breasts. If you stay in your right weight range for you height, your breasts will grow to the right size for your body. And about your mom’s comment, most women would rather have a different breast size. You mom wants mine because they’re big. I’d like hers because they’re smaller.”
“Why?”
Kelly smiled. “Because I hate having to wear a bra. Plus big boobs get in the way when you play the guitar.”
Frances smiled. ”Is that why you play the drums?”
“No.” Kelly laughed. “I play the drums because that’s the instrument your dad taught me to play when I was a little girl so I could hang out with him and his friends.”
“So, what about this period thing you think I have?”
“When a girl is having her period, she bleeds from down there. It lasts for about five to seven days normally and when your stomach was hurting earlier, that was cramps. It’s a warning sign that you’re going to start your period. What happens is you’ve got this organ inside your body called a uterus, that is made to hold a baby. If you don’t have a baby inside of you, then for about three weeks, your body builds up blood and tissue that’s there for cushioning if you do have a baby. When those three weeks is up, you have a period that is a week of emptying all that out of your body. You’ll basically have one every month until you’re in your forties or fifties.”
“So, do you get them?” Frances asked. Kelly nodded. “Do boys have anything like this?”
Kelly shook her head. “No, they have their own things, but no bleeding.”
“Why doesn’t mom have one anymore?”
Kelly took a breath in and chose her words carefully. “Well, some women don’t have it because they are too thin or too fat for their body types. Some don’t have it because of medical reasons. Some types of birth control stop it or cause it to come less often. And some women don’t have it because of the bad chemicals they put in their bodies.”
“Like drugs?”
Kelly nodded. “Yeah. If you have too many bad chemicals in your body, not all your parts work properly.” Frances nodded in understanding. “Now, when you’re on your period, there are certain products you have to use to keep from ruining your clothes. Like the pad you have on. Let’s go in the bathroom and I’ll show you how to put one on.” Frances nodded and they both went into the bathroom. They spent another ten minutes in the bathroom learning and talking. When they walked out, Kelly asked, “Do you have any questions about any of this stuff?”
“Not right now.” Frances shook her head. “I think I’m just going to take some of that Advil and go to bed.”
“Okay.” Kelly smoothed Frances’ hair back and kissed her forehead. “Have a good night and rest. Make sure and call your mom tomorrow to tell her about this. She’ll want to know.”
“I will.” Kelly started to walk out of the room. “Aunt Kelly…thanks and I’m sorry if I ruined your night.”
Kelly smiled. “You didn’t ruin anything and it’s stuff like this that I’m here for. I love you.”
Frances smiled. “I love you too.” Kelly smiled back then closed the door behind her.
She walked into her bedroom and took Frances’ clothed out of the sink and hung them up to dry. She then took her makeup off and changed into her spaghetti strap mid-thigh length satin nightgown before calling Joe to assure him everything was okay. She then took her laptop out and plugged it into the internet connection in the common room. She started searching for information on the band in charge of the event she was at to see how Lance fit into it all.
***************************************************************************
Lance sat at his laptop looking through websites about Kurt Cobain to get some confirmation about Kelly. He read bio after bio until he ran across one that mentioned Kurt’s family.
Kurt Cobain was born February 20th, 1967 in Hoquiam, Washington to Dan and Wendy Cobain. He had a younger sister, Kelly, born October 12th, 1975. When his parents divorced in 1976, Kelly lived with his mother and step-father, Pat O’Conner, while Kurt bounced around living with different families in the community.
Lance sat back as he read the paragraph over and over. He then searched for the Foo Fighters official site and saw a small bio on Kelly listed under Other Crew that named her as the band’s personal assistant and photographer. Lance looked at the picture next to the bio that looked to be a year or so old. Kelly’s hair was longer and all blonde. But the piercing blue eyes were still there. Lance drummed his fingers on the table then picked up the hotel phone and called the front desk.
“Front desk. This is Anthony. How can I help you?”
Lance cleared his throat. “Um…there wouldn’t happen to be a Kelly Cobain checked into this hotel, would there?”
“Let me check.” Lance could hear the click of the keyboard. “Yes sir, there is. Would you like me to connect you?”
Lance sat quiet for a moment. “No, could you just give me her room number?”
“Sure, Mr. Bass. Room 824.”
“Thanks.” Lance said before hanging up the phone. Lance sat back in his seat, trying to understand why he had gotten Kelly’s room number and why he had such a huge urge to run down the three floors from his room to hers to talk to her. He was torn between his rational side that said if Kelly didn’t tell him who she was, there was a reason and the thought that if he just asked her she would talk. Why he wanted to know, he wasn’t sure, but he had pulled his jeans and a t-shirt on and was walking out his hotel room door before he had realized that he had made his mind up to see Kelly.
***************************************************************************
Kelly read through the press release for this years Challenge For The Children on NSync’s website and was embarrassed when she realized that the Lance she had been talking to was apart of the band that was in charge of the whole event. She clicked on his bio and realized she had seen the picture before on Frances’ wall, but just didn’t make the connection. As she read thorough the bio, she thought that it didn’t seem like he was four years younger than her. But, she hadn’t been around anyone, other than Frances, that was younger that her in years, so it didn’t surprise her that she assumed he was at least her age. Kelly drummed her fingers on the table, and then picked up the hotel phone.
“Front desk. This is Anthony.” Kelly hesitated. “Hello?”
Kelly took a deep breath in. “Hello. This is Kelly Cobain in room 824 and I have a strange question for you.”
“Yes, Miss Cobain.”
“Um…” Kelly bit her bottom lip. “I was wondering if you could tell me if Lance Bass was staying at this hotel or not.”
“Yes ma’am.” Kelly could hear typing on a keyboard. “Would you like me to connect you?”
Kelly closed her eyes and nodded. “Sure, why not.”
Kelly heard the phone click then begin to ring. Her heart started to race and she laughed at herself and her nervousness. It rang four times, and then she heard the phone click again. “I’m sorry, Miss Cobain. Mr. Bass doesn’t seem to be in his room right now. Would you like to leave a message?”
“No, that’s alright. Thanks though.” Kelly then hung up the phone and let out a shaky breath. “Well, that was out of character.” Kelly thought to herself. She shut down her computer, grabbed her robe and started to walk towards her room when she heard a knock at her door. She put her robe on and walked to the door. She didn’t even think about looking out the peephole to see who it was, assuming it was Joe. Kelly opened the door and looked up to see Lance looking down at her.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I found out we were staying in the same hotel and I just wanted to…to…um, I’m not really sure what I wanted to do.”
Kelly smiled and shook her head. “Surprisingly, I understand.” She stepped out of the doorway. “Do you want to come in?” Lance nodded. Kelly motioned to the two chairs in the common room and they both sat down.
“I didn’t wake you up, did I?”
Kelly shook her head. “No, I haven’t wound down enough to sleep yet. My niece is asleep in the other room though.”
“Oh.” Lance glanced over his shoulder at the shut door. “Do I need to go?”
“No, no. Frances sleeps like a rock. You don’t have to worry about her.” Lance nodded and then they both sat quiet for a moment. “I’m actually glad you came by. I feel like an idiot, but it never hit me who you were when we were talking earlier and I just wanted to thank you for having us at your party.” Kelly looked down at her lap, feeling so embarrassed.
Lance blushed. “Oh, it was no big deal. Just wish you could have stayed longer. Was everything okay with your niece?”
Kelly nodded. “Yeah, everything’s fine now. She just wasn’t feeling good.”
“Well, I hope she’s feeling up to coming to the events this weekend.”
Kelly pulled her feet up in the chair and flattened the front of her nightgown and robe so as to not flash Lance. “I think she’ll be fine. So, what are you doing home so early from your own party?”
Lance rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t really feeling it. In fact, the only time I had any fun was when I was out on the patio with you.” Kelly blushed. “And don’t feel bad about not knowing who I was because it took me awhile before it dawned on me who you were.” Kelly looked up at Lance feeling like her heart stopped beating. “But, I guess you’ve always been a behind the scenes kind of person, huh?”
Kelly nodded and picked at the arm of her chair. “Plus, if I’m ever considered a celebrity, it’s only by association.”
“Was that your parents’ decision or what?”
Kelly shook her head. “My mom and step dad didn’t have anything to do with it. Kurt wasn’t a big fan of the fame and he didn’t want any of the rest of us to be exposed to it. Plus, I was a teenager. That is tough enough without being hassled by people. He even wanted me to change my last name so no one would connect us.”
Lance laughed. “But you look just like him.”
“Exactly. But I’m sure you don’t want to hear all this.”
Lance shook his head. “No, I do. I’m totally intrigued by all this. It’s not everyday you meet someone who was apart of something as big as a band like Nirvana. I want to hear it all. Or at least what you’re willing to tell.”
Kelly smiled. “You know, no one’s ever asked for my version of everything. I guess Kurt did a good job of keeping me out of the spotlight.”
“It’s not just Kurt I want to hear about.” Lance looked down and blushed. “I want to learn about you, too.”
Kelly nodded as her stomach did flip-flops. “Well, what do you want to know?”
Lance shrugged his shoulders. “I guess what is it like to be Kurt Cobain’s sister?”
“Well, until I was about ten, it was just like being anybody’s sister. He was eight years older than me, so we didn’t have any of those sibling problems. If anything, he tried to be more of a father to me. He didn’t really like our step dad. I was about six when he taught me to play the drums. I wanted to learn to play the guitar, to be more like him, but he told me that drummer were hard to find and to a girl drummer would be real important one day.” Lance sat back and listened as Kelly talked. “He technically formed Nirvana in ’86, but it wasn’t really right until he hired Dave in ’90. Kurt, Dave, and Krist. They were perfect together. I was fifteen then and instantly feel in love with Dave. He was twenty-one and funny and not from Seattle. I was convinced that the whole reason Kurt hired him was so that Dave could meet me and see that I was the love of his life and we were going to have beautiful grunge rock children together.”
“Did you ever date him?”
Kelly shook her head. “No, we ended up becoming really good friends and when Kurt started getting really messed up, Dave took it upon himself to take over the father role and try to keep me as unaware of what was going on as possible. That started about the time Courtney thrust herself into our world. We all knew she would be trouble, but Kurt was feeling so isolated and Courtney could make those feelings go away and at first you couldn’t begrudge Kurt that. Then things just seemed to snowball. Nevermind came out. Kurt and Courtney got married. Frances was born. I graduated from high school and started college. Dave got married. Then, next thing I knew I was getting ready to finish my first year in college and I got a phone call from Dave that Kurt had died. I was the first one of the family to find out and got recruited to tell the rest of the family. Kurt had called me a few days before, wanting to know how my midterms went. I told him I was thinking about quitting college and he told me he had escaped from rehab. So, when Dave called me, I wasn’t totally surprised. I think I wanted to believe in the conspiracy theory that Courtney caused it. It was just easier than dealing with it. I mean, she didn’t even call me to tell me, Dave had to. I was so pissed off at her, but I had to get over that.”
“Wow. I remember when that happened. I was fifteen and had just joined NSync. I didn’t really understand how big of a deal it was at first. It just felt so weird.”
Kelly shifted in her seat. “I remember being so pissed at the whole thing. Fans were crying and making these memorials to someone they had never meet. They tried to rationalize it and people who knew who I was were blaming me for not crying every time I was in public and going to all the fan meetings with Courtney. I was perpetually pissed. Other than when I first got the call, I don’t think I cried over him until a year later. I was to mad to deal with everything. I finished the semester, but only because I only had a month of school left, then moved in with Dave. He had just gotten divorced and was trying to sell his new band, Foo Fighters. Once he got his deal with RCA, he hired me as his personal assistant and he and I have been basically attached at the hip ever since. I’ve been living in a Foo Fighters bubble for almost nine years now. All my closest friends are in the band. Every guy I’ve dated had been in either the band or crew. The few times I get outside that world, I’m still around people that have close connections with Foo or Nirvana. I’m a bit of a hermit.”
Lance smiled. “Well, I’m outside that world. At least you can say you did something out of the norm this weekend.”
Kelly laughed. “This whole weekend is out of the norm for me. Which is why it’s so strange that this, “Kelly pointed to herself, then Lance, and back to herself, “feels kinda nice. You know, you have a very calming demeanor. I feel very comfortable tell you things I don’t tell anybody.”
Lance blushed and looked down. “I’ll take that as a compliment. And, you know, there’s something about you that’s totally intriguing, and not just the whole Kurt Cobain thing. You’re just so different from everybody I’m around all the time. It’s like a breath of fresh air.” Kelly smiled and tucked some loose hair behind her ear. “You said you never get outside the band. Even date band members. Does that mean that you and Dave have dated?”
Kelly shook her head. “No, I’ve dated some of the crew. The only band member I’ve dated was Taylor Hawkins, the drummer.”
“Are you still?”
“No. We’ve been over for a year. Taylor joined the band in ’97 to tour with The Colour And The Shape album and we became pretty close friends. He was the perfect mix of Dave and Kurt. And he was a Texas boy. I’d never meet anyone from the south before and he didn’t fit the stereotype I had in my head. We didn’t start dating until 2000…really built up the friendship. And I think that’s one of the reasons I can still be around him today. I even thought he was the one, you know. But when he entered rehab last year, he broke up with me. Said he had to get clean for himself and not for anyone else. And he said that if things didn’t get better, he didn’t want to drag me through another Kurt. I knew he wasn’t that bad, but I did what he asked and let him go through it alone.”
“That had to be tough.” Lance said as he laid a hand on Kelly’s knee.
Kelly nodded a little. “Once I got over the emotional part of it all, it was a big wake up call that the guy I’m meant to be with will probably be nothing like my brother or my best friend. I just haven’t had the balls to look for him yet.” Kelly looked down at the hand that was still on her knee. “What about you? Got a Mrs. Right Now or flying solo?”
Lance removed his hand and sat back in his chair. “No one right now. I seem to be the king of the six month romance. Every relationship I’ve ever had since I’ve started dating has ended by six months and normally not by my choice.”
“Maybe you just haven’t met the right girl yet.”
Lance looked up at Kelly. “Maybe.”
They both sat in an awkward silence until Kelly cleared her throat and asked, “So…NSync…I thought the whole boy band thing was over. There were like five years that guys like you and the whole blonde girl crew seemed to kill rock music, but I haven’t heard much from that whole crew on the radio lately. Is it over or just disguising itself better?”
Lance rolled his eyes. “A bit of both. Teen pop is on a down swing as new rock bands come out and all the ‘boy bands’,” Lance made finger quotes, “have their breakout solo starts. As for us, JC just put out a solo album. Chris is working on one. And Justin, the one your niece was chasing today, is our biggest success story right now. Of course, he’s the reason we’re putting off starting a new album again.”
“I sense a bit of animosity.” Kelly joked.
“Between you and me?” Kelly nodded. “If NSync’s over, that’s fine. If we still have a future, that’s great. But I want it to be a group decision. All five of us say it was a good ride but let’s put out a greatest hits album and say goodnight. Not one person to keep making the decision to push things back for the whole group.”
Kelly leaned forward in her seat. “Have you talked to the group about how you feel? You’re apart of a band for a reason. It’s an equal partnership. I know with Nate, Dave, Chris and Tay all member shave equal say. I mean, Dave could overrule if he wanted since it’s technically his band, but he likes the equal partnership. And if Dave overruled too much, the guys would kick his ass. As immature as it sounds, maybe you all need a good fist fight. Nothing levels out egos like beating the shit out of people.”
Lance laughed. “I’m about to that point. If nothing else, it would make me feel better. I mean, I love all the guys. I’m just tired of the bullshit. Pardon my language.”
Kelly laughed and shook her head. “Fuck it. I don’t care what you say in front of me. I’m not that much of a lady.”
“Still…” Lance looked down at his lap. “Music used to be my passion. But now…now Justin with his success and big head and need for more solo time makes me never want to hold a microphone again. I mean, we’re supposed to sing the National Anthem tomorrow and the thought of standing next to him, singing and pasting a fake smile on my face makes me feel sick.”
Lance messed with a string on his chair, still looking at his lap. Kelly looked at him. He was the picture of a man scorned by the people he cared about the most. She knew that look and knew the feelings inside. She had seen it before. She had felt it herself. Kelly couldn’t explain why, but she had such a big urge to relieve his unhappy feeling, even if it was only for a moment. Kelly reached out to Lance, running her hand down his cheek. She could feel his jaw clenched. She placed her hand under his chin and made him look up at her. She smiled sweetly at him, and then pulled Lance towards her as she began to kiss him. His lips were tight and unreactive for a moment until his brain registered what was happening. Lance felt Kelly place her hand behind his neck and her other hand on his knee as she slipped out of her chair and to her knees on the floor in front of his chair. He wrapped his arms around Kelly’s waist as he began to kiss back. Lance lifted Kelly only his lap as she opened her mouth so he could deepen the kiss.
They were both lost in the moment until Tenacious D’s Wonderboy started playing. Kelly reluctantly broke the kiss to grab her cell phone from her purse on the end table. She looked at the caller id and saw it said Tay Cell. She hit yes on the phone and closed her eyes as she sat back in her chair. “Taylor now’s not a good time.” Kelly said out of breath.
“Sorry.” Taylor looked down at his watch. “Did I wake you up?”
“No.” Kelly ran her hand through her hair. “It’s just…I just …Is this really important, or can I call you tomorrow?”
Taylor shrugged. “I just wanted to know how your day went, but I can wait until tomorrow.”
“Thanks. Sorry to be so rude, but I’ll call you tomorrow.” Kelly said then hit no on her phone. She looked up just in time to see the front door close behind Lance. “Shit.” She tossed her cell phone in Lance’s empty seat as she rushed to the door. “Lance, don’t go!” Lance turned around and looked at Kelly. Calmer she said. “Please come back.” Kelly couldn’t believe those words were coming out of her mouth.
Lance shrugged. “I was just giving you some privacy and going to get something to drink. You want anything?”
Kelly let out a small laugh and smiled. “Yeah, a bottle of water please. Let me get you some change.”
Lance shook his head. “I’ve got it. No big deal. You finish your phone call and I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Okay.” Kelly smiled and tossed Lance her room key. Lance put it in his back pocket and walked towards the vending room. Kelly stepped back in her room and retrieved her cell phone to call Taylor back.
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