Disclaimer: NSYNC and any other character portrayed here are really just figments of my imagination and not the real people in real life. Remember, its all fiction. The chapter title is borrowed from the song title by 3 Doors Down. 'Again' is by Janet Jackson and 'Bathwater' is by No Doubt.
Author's Notes: I would just like to thank the usual suspects, basically the people who email me about this story and the ones who helped inspire me for the first scene of this one. (Jay, you still owe me a box full)
Also, Happy Halloween to those who celebrate this fun holiday. Just remember to drive safely and don't overdo it with the candy. And for you Christians out there, have a safe All Saints day.
Dane
PS. Any idea is open to consideration. So don't be shy about it.
Mad Season Chapter 14: Be Like That
"Good Shit", commented Justin as he exhaled the smoke.
"Thanks," said Lance with a stoic face and accepted the joint from Justin's stretched out hand. He inhaled a drag and let it settle in his system before letting it out in slow puffs. "Got it from a friend in school. Helped him with some trouble with his ex-girlfriend's girlfriend."
With glazed eyes, Justin looked at his slightly older friend and crutched up his appearance. "Say what? Have you been working with Jerry Springer and not tell me?"
"It's not as crazy as you think. The ex-girlfriend's girlfriend went nuts when she found him and her together in some art gallery's opening when it fact it was just a coincidence. You should have seen it, the girl was crying bloody murder and he went to the nearest safe haven he could find, namely my place. It was funny in the sense that it was like hiding a fugitive from the law. The girl eventually calmed down after a day or so, and I had the profound gratitude of my friend who gave me a month's supply of weed."
"Nice trade off. Where did he get this shit? I want some," said Justin as he blew out some more of the joint.
"He won't tell me. Want some beer?"
"Sure. What you got?"
"Corona's and some Heineken."
"I'll have a Corona, thanks."
Lance went back inside his apartment and swept his eyes briefly across the living room before walking towards the small kitchen. The once sparse apartment was now homely and warm. There were now couches, lamps, rugs, and accessories to add life to the mundane living space. The walls were now painted a cool light blue and decorated with pictures of friends then and now. The kitchen now smelled of Joey's constant cooking and of intimate moments shared between the two lovers. JC once sniffed the place and told Lance to air it out as to not offend other people who "aren't getting any". Lance got two bottles from the ref and strode out into the fire escape. Justin got the bottle graciously and passed the joint back to Lance.
"Last drag" said Lance and inhaled the last of the joint before snuffing it out. He grabbed the bottle, opened it, and passed it to Justin. Lance opened his and clunked it with Justin's before both of them drank deeply.
"Ahh," sighed Justin, wiping off some of the beer from his mouth. "That hits the spot. You know, times like this it makes me wonder just what would it be like if I went to school and shit, instead of being in NSYNC."
"I wonder about it myself, and I think college would have agreed with me."
"Yeah, I think it would. Me, I'm not so sure but I guess it would have been an experience. Going to Frat Parties, dating college girls, doing all those thesises."
"Theses."
"Whatever."
"Anyway, I am in school now, though not in the strict college level that I would have wanted. I just have to show myself every once in a while and do stuff. All these years of doing contract reading and managerial skills are finally paying off. I get to do what I want when I want. It's all good."
"Lance the Bohemian, who would have thought. How about your job at the Speakeasy? Are you still doing it?"
"Yeah, though I don't go there every night anymore. I asked Kelly if I could work part-time and she agreed, on certain conditions."
"And those are?"
"She wants me to sing three sets a week, and I'll choose the day when I will play. That means I'll be Lance the Bartender the rest of the time, which is about three times a week."
" I envy you."
Lance sipped his Heineken. "Why"
Justin shrugged nonchalantly. "It's just growing up, I never had a part-time job like the rest of you guys. I never went to school. I never had any real friends, except for those 'fake ones' that we are associated with. I never dated someone normal. You know, my usual 'what-if-I' scenarios. All of you guys went to high school. Chris went to college. And all of you had normal jobs before NSYNC. Me, I've only had like a few years of actual schooling, and besides that, all I've ever done is stuff like the MMC and NSYNC. In short, I never experienced normal." He took a big swig to empty the bottle of Corona and placed it inside the apartment through the window. Leaning back against the wall, Justin gazed up at the starless sky.
Lance stared at Justin for a moment and tilted his head in befuddlement. "Since when did you become so 'Dawson's Creek'? Maybe the hash is that good. Damn, I think I'll get some more of this shit if it's going to make you act more of your age."
"I'm serious, you dumbass!"
"Look whose talking, Southern Boy. I know you're being serious and stuff. I'm just trying to lighten you up a bit. Now, tell your older brother Lance about what you want to do. I may have a fucked up life at the moment but I can still help you out if I can."
"I don't really know. I want to do something like what you are doing. Do something normal. Meet people outside of the business. Something 'Real World'. I don't know."
Lance placed one finger on his chin to think up a possible option for the younger guy. "How about a part-time job like what I'm doing. My friend owns a coffee place near uptown and is always hiring some inexperienced when it suits him. I'll talk with him tomorrow and see if he can hire you, OK?"
Justin faced Lance and smiled. "I think that would be great, dude."
"Cool." A few minutes passed as the two boys absorbed the cool early morning with quiet contemplation. "So, you want to smoke up some more?"
The Next Day in Bloomingdale's...
"Please tell me again why we are here in Bloomingdale's, JC?" asked Lance with a semi-lost tone as JC handed him clothes off the rack at Calvin Klein's.
"To buy you new stuff to wear. You commented the other day about buying new clothes to Chris and Justin made you promise to go shopping with him." JC placed a pair of jeans in the overloaded arms of Lance and continued to search for more things for Lance to try on.
"So why are you here instead of Curly," asked Lance from behind the ever-increasing load of clothes in his arms.
"Because I told him he needed to get back to work, and that I needed to talk to you. By the way, you did a good number on Curly yesterday. He was eating things left and right when he got home from your place."
Lance dumped the items of clothing into one dressing stall and smiled. "Thanks. About what again?"
JC sat on a nearby chair and talked through the slanted paneling of the door. "About how life is boring without you. About you and Joey. That and I need a really big favor to ask of you."
Lance closed to door of the stall and undressed to try the first outfit. "Shoot away those pieces of wisdom in your fragile brain."
JC smiled widely. "Okay. First off, as 'Big Daddy' of our little band of singer, I need to know what are your intentions towards young Mr. Fatone."
Lance burst out laughing as he hitched up a pair of dark jeans. "Isn't it a bit too late to ask this of me. I mean, we've been together for about a month now so why the third degree."
"Nothing really, just concern."
"Well, you probably know that all we've ever done since we got together is just mess around, but no 'real sex'. We aren't ready for that yet. This sounds silly but I'm just waiting for Joey."
"You're joking," said JC, surprised.
"No. I'm not. I'm ready as they'll ever come, but Joey isn't quite there yet. We talked about it and I want him to set the pace of this relationship." Lance exits the stall and fashions the outfit to JC.
"Keep the shirt. You have too much dark jeans already." Lance nods and goes back into the stall. "I would have figured Joey to take charge of this relationship and have you walking funny. What happened?"
Lance chucks the jeans and replaced them with a pair of khakis. "It's just that we are both learning from our past experiences, that's all. When I'm in a relationship with someone, it usually last about a New York minute because of one thing or another. Same with Joey, mostly because they say that he doesn't have a romantic bone in his body. He is a romantic; he was just waiting for the right person to be romantic with. I'm just waiting for the commitment." He exits wearing a light green shirt and a dark olive button down. JC approves and Lance goes back in. "We both want to prove to ourselves that we are capable of changing. I want this relationship to last so I'm trying not to fuck it up. Joey's trying to prove that he's more than a dumb Italian. You should see us when we are alone, Josh. He cooks dinner; sometimes lunch just to surprise me. He takes me out on the sappiest dates that I've ever had the pleasure of going. He takes me to the movies, theater, sometimes a concert. One time, he even brought me to the opera to watch 'La Boheme'. If I haven't fallen yet, then I'm in denial."
"Nice to know that both of you are happy." Lance exits with another outfit, but JC vetoes it immediately. "Well, that's one thing off my mind. Now, I need to ask a very big favor of you."
"What do you need?" asked Lance as he slipped on a long sleeve shirt.
"Christina plans of doing a song for a soundtrack of a movie. She wants me to produce and write the song. She also wants you to play guitar and sing in it."
Lance pauses in thought and then slips on a pair of faded blue jeans. He goes out and shows JC the outfit. "What do you think?"
"Lose the shirt and try something else with those pants. So, are you going to do it?"
"I don't really know. I mean, is it just you, me and Christina?"
"Maybe Howie and Pink, I don't know the details yet but we'll see. Please say yes, Lance. It would mean so much to me and Chrissy."
"I'll think about it, okay. Now what do you think of this number."
Lance comes out in a pink long sleeve shirt and a pair of maroon leather pants. "Hey, I thought I was the only one who could pull off that kind of outfit. It actually looks good on you."
"Thanks, I'm going to wear this one tonight."
Later That Night in the Speakeasy...
The audience inside the trendy bar all watched as Lance, in his pink shirt/maroon pants combo, sings out his wonderful bass voice to various requests. He read one piece of table napkin and showed it to the rest of the on-stage band. All nodded in agreement. Soon, the piano tunes out the starting notes of a familiar Janet Jackson song.
I heard from a friend today And she said you were in town Suddenly the memories came back to me in my Mind
Chorus How can I be strong I've asked myself Time and time I've said That I'll never fall in love with you again
A wounded heart you gave My soul you took away Good intentions you had many I know you did
I come from a place that hurts And God knows how I've cried And I never want to return never fall again
Making love to you Oh it felt so good and Oh so right
CHORUS So here we are alone again' Didn't think it'd come to this And to know it all began With just a little kiss
I've come too close to happiness To have it swept away Don't think I can take the pain No never fall again
Kinda late in the game and my heart is in Your hands Don't you stand there and then Tell me you love Me then leave again Cause I'm falling in love with You again
Hold me Hold me Don't ever let me go Say it just one time Say you love me God knows I do Love you Again
The crowd cheered as Lance sung off the last note in his rendition of Janet Jackson's 'Again'. He bowed to them before stepping down towards the table which Chris and Dani sat in. All of them ordered a round of beer before Dani asked, "So what is this I hear that you are helping Justin out to find a part-time job?"
"It's true. He brought it up during a smoke-out session that we had about two days ago. Josh said he was tripping on your food."
"Yeah, he was. Me and JC found him eating all of the Chinese leftovers and cold pizzas in the refrigerator when we got back from the studio at four in the morning. That must be some good shit if he's thinking about doing the things that the little people do everyday," said Chris, smirking like an evil elf.
"Well, I found him a bunch of job offers from some people I know. I just have to accompany him when he's been interviewed for the job. Justin wants this to happen, even if it is temporary."
"This is going to be so good. Mr. Ego is going to do something menial. Who would have thought?" noted Dani.
A waitress approached them and gave them their round of Corona's. Lance held on to her arm and whispered something to her ear before she went away grinning. He turned to the couple. "So far, I have to bring him to a record store, a Starbucks, a cafe near uptown, and a clothing store in the village tomorrow. We'll see if he's any good at them."
"Well, I hope they don't make him into a cashier or something along that line. Imagine the chaos of sorting all the bills that he will have to punch through," joked Chris.
"I think he's going to do well. He needs to experience life like this. He can't go on living like this ride isn't going to end. He needs to learn something about the 'Real World'. Besides, it's a good opportunity to meet other people out there that are not connected to the business. He can't go on thinking that every girl he meets is some sort of Barbie Doll."
"God, I agree wholeheartedly. The last one he introduced to us made me want to open her scalp just to see if she a brain hidden somewhere," moaned Dani. "She made Alicia Silverstone in 'Clueless' sound like a rocket scientist."
All of them laughed at that. By then, the waitress came back with three shot glasses filled a blue colored concoction in them. She placed each of the glasses down and sauntered away to serve another customer. Chris and Dani looked at Lance, who wore a Cheshire cat grin. Both of them were confused.
"What's this shit, Lance?" asked Chris who took a closer look at the blue liquid.
"This is a drink called 'Blue Shark'. It's called that because it's been known to bite people when they least expect it."
"And why exactly are you ordering this?"
"What's one week from today?"
Dani thought for a moment, then the clouds in her head cleared. Chris still didn't get it.
"Honey, remember last year when you and the guys made that bet as who can out-drink between the two of you. You won after you and Lance drank about thirty shots of Tequila. Lance couldn't quite accept defeat so you both promised a rematch one year from that day. Do you remember what day you made that promise?"
"Sure, I do. I was made about a week before Halloween."
"And what's next week?" asked lance with underlying mischief in his voice.
"Halloween." A moment passed. "Holy Shit!" Chris exclaimed.
"Yeah Laughing Boy. You and me are going to have a rematch, right after my third set, that is. I told everyone not to let you out of this place until I say so. You can't escape. I got these so both you and me can get our systems prepared for later."
"But why did you get me one of these? I wasn't there when the bet happened," said Dani.
"Don't worry. It's only one drink. We need you to referee the whole thing and so we'll have someone actually remember the results. The rest of the guys were as smashed as we were when that happened. It took us forever to get them to remember everything. Chris won because he didn't pass out from the shot that Joey made for us."
"Can't we do this like tomorrow or something. You caught me well off guard.
"Hell no! Damn it, Elf-Man! I will have my revenge! So swears Capt. Lance!" Complete with a maniacal laugh, Lance raised his shot glass and all of them downed them, even with Chris' slight hesitation. All of them tilted their heads back so the blue stuff could down their throat without much hassle.
"Shit! That's some strong stuff," commented Chris as he wiped off the excess liquid off his mouth.
"Just remember, old-man. We will not leave this place until one of us passes out." Lance stood up so he could go back on stage.
"Okay! If you say so. Just hurry back so we can get this show on the road. By the way, do you want the guys to come here to witness this?"
"They're already here," Lance said as he pointed towards the front door.
"Great," Chris muttered as the rest of NSYNC gathered at their table and Lance strode up to the stage to finish his last set of the evening.
Two days later in Central Park...
"I still can't believe that you actually beat Chris after about thirteen shots. I know you, Lance. What devious little plot did you have up your sleeve to beat Chris?" asked Joey as he walked along beside Lance. Joey decided to meet up with Lance after his Tai-Chi class so both of them can go out to breakfast.
"Nothing really, just the first drink that we had. It had Vermouth in it. You know he can't handle any drink with Vermouth in the mix. The Blue Curacao helped in masking the taste of it.
"How much Vermouth did you and Dani have in your drinks? You're pretty much the same as Chris when it comes to that shit."
"Zilch. Actually, me and Dani only had Blueberry Vodka shots. Any drink we had after that only made Chris into a lush faster than you can say Betty Ford."
Joey looked at his boyfriend with admiration. "You're one evil motherfucker, you know that?"
"I know. Just wait until you see what I have planned for JC next week. I think I've finally lulled him into a false sense of security. He still has to pay for that time when Justin and Chris got arrested."
"Don't worry about. I still want to help in that. Although, I presume that Howie and Christina want some piece of the action when that happens."
"I'm planning to send them pictures after the fact. I'm still thinking whether I should download them into the net or not, if just to spite that asshole."
Shaking his head in disbelief, Joey grabbed lance's hand and started to drag him down the block. "Come on, my devious devil of a bedmate. The restaurant is down this way."
Halloween Night...
Lance, dressed up as a Mad Hatter, walked up to the stage of the Speakeasy and grabbed the mic off its stand. Behind him, a well-known group of Ska-inspired musicians gathered up on the darkened stage with their various instruments. Lance looked towards the female lead singer, who was dressed up as a Beatnik, and winked at her. She smiled back and turned around, waiting for her cue to start the show.
"Can I have your attention please, New York City?" hollered Lance to crowd in many forms of costume. They responded in a loud shout. "It's Halloween tonight, so the spirits seem to gather around this place instead of their other usual haunts." The crowd chuckled slightly. "Because we are having a party to bring out the dead, we're going to start with some music to wake you up. Everybody, please give it up for 'No Doubt'." The crowd cheered immediately as the lights came alive and Gwen Stefani grabbed the mic from Lance. She faced the crowd with a manic glint and waved at them. With the sound of a trombone and a blast a trumpet, their last single 'Bathwater' blared into the revelers delight.
You and your museum of lovers The precious collection you've housed in your covers My simpleness threatened by my own admission
And the bags are much too heavy In my insecure condition My pregnant mind is fat full with envy again
But I still love to wash in your old bathwater Love to think that you couldn't love another I can't help it...you're my kind of man
Wanted and adored by attractive women Bountiful selection at your discretion I know I'm diving into my own destruction
So why do we choose the boys that are naughty? I don't fit in so why do you want me? And I know I can't tame you...but I just keep trying
'Cause I love to wash in your old bathwater Love to think that you couldn't love another I'm on you list with all your other women But I still love to wash in your old bathwater You make me feel like I couldn't love another I can't help it...you're my kind of man
Why do the good girls always want the bad boys?
So I pacify problems with kisses and cuddles Diligently doubtful through all kinds of trouble Then I find myself choking on all my contradictions
'Cause I love to wash in your old bathwater Love to think that you couldn't love another Share a toothbrush...you're my kind of man I still love to wash in your old bathwater Make me feel like I couldn't love another I can't help it...you're my kind of man
No I can't help myself I can't help myself I still love to wash in your old bathwater
As the song drew to an end, Lance approached the rest of the guys lounging on the booth table, which seems to be the official 'NSYNC territory' in the Speakeasy. As the holiday dictated, each and every one of them wore a costume. (JC came as a Musketeer, Chris as a Keystone Cop, Dani wore a Roman outfit with costume jewelry, Joey as a 1920's Gangster, and Justin came as a WWI Fighter Pilot.)
"I can't believe we managed to get these costumes at such a short notice. I thought with all the procrastinating that we've been doing lately, we wouldn't have been able to get anything," said JC as he held on to his bottle of Sam's Hard Lemonade. "Where did you manage to get these stuff, Joey?"
"My cousin works for an Off-Broadway theater company that specializes in period plays. I just gave them your sizes and they delivered them this morning. We just have to dry-clean them after we're through with them though," said Joey as he adjusted his dark pin-stripe suit.
"We'll have to thank your cousin the next time around. Come on Sweetie, I need to dance a bit." Dani grabbed Chris by his lapels and dragged to the floor where the crowd started to mosh along with the song that No Doubt did for the movie 'Go'. Justin decided to follow them.
"Teddybear, you want to join me outside for a bit of air? It's starting to feel a little claustrophobic in here," whispered Lance into Joey's ear. Joey nodded and both of them moved out of the booth. "JC, you want to join us outside?"
"Nah, you guys go ahead. I'll watch the table from being invaded by these costumed freaks." Ever the vain one, JC tilted the angle of the round rim hat and amended the feathers that jutted out of it. Lance just gave him a 'look-who's-talking' look and turned towards the exit with Joey in tow.
Most of the nearby cafes were still open but would close up well before midnight. The young couple settled in one of the outside tables and ordered some quick dessert before heading back into the maddening crowd of the Speakeasy. From where they sat, they saw everything that was happening along the busy-filled street. People of all ages were moving about in their costumes. Some adults accompanied their children to go trick-or-treating while others were dressed up for some party. Down the street, someone lit up a sparkler and an explosion of purple illuminated the area. The noises of the night were definitely ones of undisguised joy.
After their cake arrived, Lance seemed to notice that the conversation the he and Joey were having had gone one-sided. Joey's attention seemed to be held somewhere else. Following his gaze, Lance saw a man, in normal everyday clothes, walking hand-in-hand with a little girl dressed up as a Ballerina, complete with the slippers and the pink tutu. The girl happily swung around her bag full of goodies and smiled as a lady placed some cookies into the bag. Lance switched back his observations back to Joey and saw the sadness in them.
"What's wrong, Teddybear?" asked Lance with a voice of concern, rubbing lightly on Joey's hand.
Joey focused back into reality and looked at Lance. The sadness still there. "It's nothing, Lance. I just wished that I could be there for Brianna right now. It's times like this that makes me wonder when I'll be actually be able to spend more time with her. Kelly (Joey's Kelly, not Lance's) doesn't want me around much because she can't stand the sight of me. All of you know that what we did was a mistake, but it brought a light into world. I'm a father but Kelly is making it so hard for me to be one. I don't get to see my kid and I'm hurt whenever Kelly refuses to allow me to see my daughter." Joey sighs. "I miss my kid. I just want to be there for her, that's all."
Lance squeezed his hand in assurance. "Don't worry to much. Remember that Kelly said that she was going to here in two weeks with Brianna to settle some things with you. You'll be doing that Off-Broadway play while I'll be doing some things to keep you busy when you're not on stage. Before you know it, Brianna will be here and you'll have the most wonderful eight weeks for your entire life with her. Trust me when I say that it will be all right."
Joey smiled leaned over the table to give Lance a peck on the cheek. "Thanks"
"You're welcome. Now, let's finish this cake and head on back inside. JC and the rest of them must think we're fucking somewhere."
Elsewhere the next day...
A young lady with her hair tied in a ponytail looked outside her car window with apprehension. She's been looking at the same view of the hospital of the pass 15 minutes. She knew that she had to leave the car soon for her doctor's appointment. It was just that she feared the worst.
After a few more minutes of coaxing herself to get out, the girl locked and activated the alarm of the car. She walked towards the directory at the front of the hospital, as she couldn't remember the office of the doctor, and continued her way in a slow stride, as to slow down the inevitable. After a quick elevator ride and a passing five doors, she soon arrived at the hardwood door of the doctor she was supposed to see.
The secretary, a kindly yet dour-faced woman, allowed her to enter the office. She exchanged handshakes and greetings with the breaded doctor and sat down on the uncomfortable chair that these sterile environments provided. The doctor gave her a run down on the series of tests that he was going to perform on her. 'You'll know soon enough', her brain kept on saying as the doctor droned on with technicalities. Next thing she knew, she was giving blood and urine samples to a nurse.
She found herself again on that same chair with the same doctor at the same time the very next day. She was more nervous now than she was yesterday. The day before was only a prelude; today was finality. She rubbed her hands together in frustration while waiting for her results. The thoughts were so far into her head that she didn't notice the doctor was calling her name and showing her the results.
"I'm not sure how to say this but all the tests say you are positive," said the doctor with a sincere tone of voice.
Somewhere in the back of her head, her world started to crash slowly. Five words kept on chanting as she half-listened to the doctor who was offering various treatments. Her conscience kept on saying, "I have to tell him."
TBC...
Remember to email me what you think and to give me your opinions and comments about 'Mad Season'. Also read my other stuff on Nifty (Love, Words, and Intentions & Eventually) Later Days.