Disclaimer: I do not know *N Sync or their sexual preferences. This story isn't true, it's fiction. If you are underage or you dislike homosexual content, please leave.
Hi everone! I'm sure most of you have read this already. :) Thanks for all the feedback, it's been great! I haven't posted Chapter 4 yet, but Cele just emailed me the revision and I'm going to try and post it tonight on my website. http://www.angelfire.com/boybands/nsajscgirl/index1.html Please email me and let me know what you think! nsajscgirl@yahoo.com
Prisoner of Love Chapter 3
(One year later...)
JC woke up suddenly from his restless sleep, a hoarse moan escaping his throat. It never failed even after an entire year...each and every time he fell asleep those events ran through his mind. Starting with the day before the murder right up until he was convicted. He lay in the narrow bunk staring up at the gray ceiling of his cell; the gray surface, full of winding cracks, was a constant reminder of where he was and why he was there.
"Hey, man, you okay?" a soft voice below him asked. JC sighed and shifted on the uncomfortable mattress before answering Anthony Monticelli, his cellmate. He had been extremely fortunate when he was placed in a cell with Anthony. The small, beefy Italian posed no threat to JC and they had quickly formed a sort of camaraderie. It quickly became apparent that Anthony had immense connections.connections that JC knew he could use to his advantage. Anthony's uncle was involved with one of Miami's larger crime families and JC planned to use that fact to his advantage. It also helped that Anthony reminded JC a lot of Joey...almost too much sometimes.
"Yes, I'm okay," JC replied. He rubbed wearily at his sore eyes; they felt like they were full of grit and dirt.
"What was it about this time?" his cellmate questioned, voice full of curiosity.
"The same thing."
"Oh, okay." Silence reigned for a moment except for the soft sounds of their breathing and the odd sounds of the prison. Unable to stand the silence for too long, Anthony spoke up again. That was one of the few things that JC disliked about Tony, his need to talk constantly. JC was of the belief that silence was golden and the most perfect moments came during silence, but Anthony didn't seem to understand that concept. "So, what if something goes wrong tomorrow?" he whispered the question, afraid of being overheard.
"I'll deal with it when the time comes," JC answered, hoping that Anthony would just leave him alone. He turned on his side to face the wall, needing a different view for a moment. During his stay in cell number 58, he had taped pictures of things that spoke to him to the wall beside his head. Beautiful pictures of sunsets and beaches had been torn out of the pages of various magazines. There were even a couple of pictures of him and the guys although they caused him a great deal of pain. The pain increased every time his tired eyes settled on Lance's figure. His favorite picture though was a picture of a Florida swamp, dark with the coming of night, but through the hanging Spanish moss and tree branches, the sunset's colors could be seen clearly. The night sky in the picture was tinted an incredible shade of orange and pink, providing good contrast with the dark branches of the swamp's trees. The colors of the setting sun were reflected in the stagnant water of the swamp and although JC couldn't pinpoint the reason that the picture was his favorite, he knew that he felt an amazing sense of peace when he looked at it.
"Mom sent me another letter today," Anthony continued, unaware of JC's wish. He managed a small smile at that bit of information though. Anthony's mother sent him letters on a weekly basis, full of news concerning the Monticelli clan. Whether they held good news on everyone's health to news of deaths and marriages, both JC and Anthony looked forward to Gloria Monticelli's letters. When Tony wrote her back, he would always include a little bit about JC and she continually asked about his wellbeing in her weekly letters.
"What did she say this time?" JC asked. Even though he didn't want to be bothered, he figured this was better than returning to the dreams that had plagued him.
"She said that Tina got married, can you believe that?!" Anthony exclaimed, not exactly expecting an answer. After all, JC didn't really know his family. "My little sister...married! Momma said that this guy's good for her. I really hope so, otherwise, I'll have to kick his ass! Man, I can't wait to see them again!"
"You've only got a month, you can wait," JC said softy. Anthony answered with a noncommittal grunt. A new thought occurred to JC and he rolled over on the lumpy mattress to drop his head over the side of his bunk. "You aren't thinking about skipping out tomorrow after me are you?" The minute he asked, he knew the answer. Anthony refused to look him in the eye. "Tony! You've only got a month left...then you get out. Promise me that you won't follow me tomorrow! If you're caught, they'll stick you back in here for another ten years," JC hissed at the younger man, trying to get his point across. He stared at the young man beneath him, his eyes pleading. "Please, Anthony...promise me."
"OKAY! Okay! I promise, damn!" Anthony exclaimed. He threw his hands up in frustration, although he told himself silently that this time tomorrow, he'd be a free man. JC stared at him for several more intense moments. "I said I promise, JC!" JC nodded before pulling himself back up and lying back again.
He took the next moments to go over tomorrow's plan once more in his mind. JC had gone over them a million times, but he knew that it couldn't hurt to do it again. Everything had to be perfect. The warden, a prick in JC's opinion, had taken a "liking" to JC. JC knew that the only reason the warden liked him was because JC had been famous. Warden George Belmont enjoyed seeing JC taken down a peg and JC was going to use that to his advantage. Between Anthony's contacts and JC's arrangements, JC had no doubt in his mind that his plan to escape Florida State Penitentiary was a sound strategy.
(The next day...)
"Now you told your uncle exactly where to leave the car and what to leave in it?" JC asked Anthony for the thousandth time. Anthony nodded his head wearily, his long brown hair swaying with the movement.
"Yes, yes, yes! For God's sake, yes!" JC lips twisted into a grin at Anthony's answer. JC had paid Lou Monticelli, Anthony's uncle, a small fortune to help him set up this escape from the outside. If all went well, there would be a car and clothes waiting at a nearby gas station for JC. Nervousness coiled in his stomach, causing his heart to beat faster and his palms to sweat. They sat side by side on the bottom bunk so they could whisper to one another without worrying about a guard overhearing them.
"Now, when we drop Belmont off at the governor's office, tell me what we do next," JC requested. He rubbed a quick hand over his chin, scrubbing roughly at the stubble he had allowed to grow there. Anthony sighed in frustration.
"We've gone over this a million times!" he whispered furiously, his beady eyes flashing in the dim light of the cell.
"Another million times won't hurt, Tony," JC stated before continuing, "This is my life we are playing around with. If you mess up, I'll end up back here with a lifetime sentence. Now, what do you do once we drop the warden off?" Anthony sighed again and nodded his head up and down continually as he answered JC's question from memory, his feet scrapping against the floor as he swung his legs rhythmically.
"You are going to park in the grocery store parking lot. Warden will give me the grocery list, like he's been doing for the past two months. I'll go inside store and start getting all the items..." Anthony paused before pleading with JC, his dark eyes begging. "Please, man, let me go with you! I want to see my family so bad, please!" JC shook his head violently; he frowned at the man sitting beside him.
"NO!" he whispered loudly, leaning close to Tony to make his point. He toned it down again before continuing, "I don't want you more involved than you have to be. You stay inside that grocery store until you have every single item on that damn list, do you hear me?" he waited for Anthony's nod. He wrapped his left arm around Anthony's shoulders once the young man agreed. "I'll be gone before you even get halfway done with the Warden's shopping." Anthony nodded sadly. He had never expected to meet someone like JC in prison and he was going to be sorry to see JC go.
"I'm gonna miss you, man."
"Don't go getting all mushy on me, Tony," JC said almost playfully as he pushed Anthony away. A loud buzz announced the arrival of one of the guards and both JC and Anthony tensed. This was it...the beginning. Or the end,' JC thought to himself. They stood silently, waiting for the guard to slide open the cell door. JC fiddled with the one of the buttons on his light denim prison jacket that covered a thin, white T-shirt. His prison number was stenciled onto the left breast pocket. He would definitely have to get rid of the jacket the minute he escaped. JC had waited an entire year for this day. He had made himself a model of good behavior in the hope that the warden would come to trust him. Eventually, eight months of keeping his anger under check and keeping his mouth shut under the warden's verbal attacks had paid off. Belmont requested JC's presence in his office. Because of JC's seemingly submissive personality, the warden felt that he could trust the young man to drive him wherever needed without the steady gaze of a watchful guard. JC was ecstatic the moment Belmont proposed the situation to him, and he barely managed to hide his excitement. When Belmont asked JC if there was anyone he would recommend to act as a gofer, JC quickly offered Anthony's name. Everything had quickly fallen into place, causing JC a moment's unease. Maybe everything had happened too easily,' JC had thought several times. He had shaken off the feeling however and pushed on. Things were finally looking up.
Since the first day of JC's new assignment, the weekly schedule had remained exactly the same. Every Friday, the warden would visit Florida's governor to eat lunch and kiss ass. During the hour and a half that Belmont spent with the governor, JC sat and waited with the parked car while Anthony ran any errands that Belmont could think of. On that first day it had taken all of JC's willpower to stop himself from just opening the door of the Cadillac and leaving...walking away from it all. The only thing stopping him was the fact that nothing was planned. He knew that if he'd escaped on the very first day that he drove Belmont, he would have been caught with very little effort on the police's part. He didn't know this part of the state well enough to just take off. Besides that, he wouldn't have money or a car. Despite the fact that JC had been labeled as a criminal, he couldn't force himself to steal anything. JC was brought out of his thoughts by the slamming of Belmont's office door. He watched the rotund Warden with wary eyes. Warden Belmont reminded JC a lot of Lou Pearlman and he shuddered at the resemblance. Belmont's chubby hand closed around JC's lean bicep and JC tensed, forcing himself not to pull away.
"Another beautiful day outside, Chasez. Too bad you'll be stuck in the car," the warden said snidely, a slimy grin crossing his face. JC remained stoically silent as he followed Belmont outside to the waiting dark blue car. Anthony trailed behind them, head bowed, taking a seat at the front in the passenger's side while JC opened the back door for Belmont. JC slammed the door closed and paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath of the warm outside air. The sun was hot on his head and he smiled inwardly at the knowledge that within the next hour, he would be a free man.
The ride into town was silent, except for the occasional instructional remark made by Belmont, although JC and Anthony had heard the same directions over and over again. From the very beginning, when they had first started these trips into town, the warden had refused to let JC turn on the radio. During the last year, next to his friends, JC missed the music the most. He had taken it for granted while he was able to create and listen to it freely. Belmont took perverse pleasure in keeping him away from one of the things that he knew gave JC the most comfort. However, Belmont couldn't take JC's lyrics away from him and he had filled several notebooks with words, poems, and lyrics for songs that he could hear in his mind. Just to piss the warden off, JC hummed loudly in the quiet car, occasionally singing when he couldn't stop himself. Belmont shot him furious looks from the back seat, but JC ignored them.
With the usual terse instructions that JC had heard a million times, Belmont exited the car at the governor's office and JC pulled off down the street. He pulled into the parking lot of the local grocery store. The lot was nearly empty considering it was the middle of the day and JC was relieved that everything was going according to the plans he had carefully laid out. Turning off the car, he leaned back against the seat and turned to face Anthony. He noticed that Tony was studiously ignoring him, facing the window. The sunlight reflected brightly off of the car next to them and JC squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes.
"Tony?" JC questioned softly. Anthony sighed heavily and turned to face JC suddenly.
"Hey, I'm not gonna make this hard, man. Just don't get caught, okay? I'll see you around," Anthony said briskly before opening the car door and stepping out into the hot sunshine. JC watched as the dark-haird man walked away quickly, his shoulders slumped.
`At least that wasn't like saying goodbye to one of the guys,' JC reflected as he turned away from the sight of Tony's beefy figure striding with surprising speed towards the glass doors of the FoodLion. At the thought of the other guys, JC smiled. They had been so good, especially Justin. The young man would visit JC nearly every week, bringing good news about his budding solo career and JC's finances. Justin was the only one that had any clue JC was planning the escape. The only reason JC had involved his young friend was because he needed to take money out of his account to pay Monticelli off. Justin had tried to talk him out of it, urging JC to stay and do his time, but he knew that if he stayed in that prison another day, he'd go insane.
Chris and Joey usually visited together, trying desperately to bring laughter into JC's life. His cheeks hurt and his stomach ached after one of their visits and he wouldn't give that up for the world. It was almost like the old days on tour when Chris and Joey was try their hardest to make the others laugh. The joking and laughing stopped only when it was time for them to leave and yet they always managed to leave him with a smile on his face. His full lips turned up at the corners in fond memory, still sitting in the warden's blue Cadillac.
His wandering thoughts turned to Lance and the fond smile faded from his face. He leaned his head back until it bumped against the headrest. JC's blue eyes were reflected in the rearview mirror and even he could read the hurt that glowed dully in their depths. Lance was the only one of the guys that refused to have anything to do with him after the trial. Lance believed that he was guilty.that he had MURDERED someone. The hurt that JC felt when he thought of Lance was like being stabbed through the heart with a red-hot poker. JC hadn't seen Lance since the day he was sentenced and even then it had been a brief glance across a crowded courtroom because Lance refused to visit him the day before the trial. Occasionally, JC would turn his head, hoping to catch Lance's gaze again, but the young blonde refused to make eye contact. He remembered vividly, though, the look in those catlike green eyes; they had been full of uncertainty and fear and anger and hurt and betrayal. `Lance had no right to feel betrayed though,' JC thought bitterly as he bounced his head against the headrest gently. Lance had betrayed him, judging him guilty of killing Meredith without even asking for the truth. Lance was supposed to have been his best friend and JC felt that he had a right to expect Lance to be by his side when things got rough, especially considering JC was innocent. So all in all, Lance was the reason that JC decided to attempt a daring escape. A deep fire, an anger, had started to burn within JC that day that his best friend decided to forego faith and trust and believe in lies. That anger had kept JC alive, wanting...needing to someday prove his innocence to Lance. It didn't really matter if he proved his innocence to the world as long as he proved it to Lance. He just wanted to see the truth and understanding shine brightly in Lance's incredible eyes before he left his "friend" for the last time and he was going to do that with a little help from Justin.
JC was jerked out of his thoughts at a loud honk from a passing car. A small shot of panic burst through his chest as he realized that he had wasted ten precious minutes thinking about the past. He forced himself to slowly get out of the car, although his heart was beating wildly. JC took a deep breath. He wanted to scream and shout and jump up and down, but managed to control the urge and simply grinned to himself instead. He didn't want to attract unwanted attention. JC took the first few tentative steps of his freedom in baby steps before he broke into a brisk walk, headed directly towards the gas station across the street. While he walked, he stripped off his prison jacket and folded it into a bundle, which he stuffed under his right arm. He spotted the car that Monticelli promised him would be there and a sigh of relief fell from his lips. He was free.
JC's FREE!! LOL And boy does he have plans! Lance shows up in the next chapter and you'll get an idea of what he's doing and going through. Thanks ya'll! Robin nsajscgirl@yahoo.com