Part 8
“All right, take five!”
Alex sighed in relief and flopped herself down on the stage.
She had been rehearsing and learning all the songs for the last six hours. Even
though this was her third break Alex’s arms were stiffening and her fingers were
hurting in a way that she hadn’t felt since she was a beginner.
Alex looked down at the rough calluses on her fingers and
went over what had just happened to her in the last several hours. The contract
had been relatively simple. Alex would be with *NSYNC for the next 3 months. If
Alex left before that 3 months legal action…etc. etc. That wasn’t what had
stopped her heart when she had read it over and been told what was entailed.
What had surprised her was the salary. She couldn’t believe it. It was more
than she’d ever imagined. Maybe to some it wouldn’t have been that much but to
her it was a fortune. She had never had money of her own after all.
She jerked her head around at the raucous laughter coming
from the other band members who were laughing and goofing around at the other
side of the stage. They seemed like a close group and she felt nervous around
them. She’d never had many friends and didn’t really know how to act around
other people.
Leo looked around and caught her eye. He gave her a friendly
smile. “What are you doing all the way over there, Alex? Get over here, man!”
She got on her feet and shuffled over to them.
“We should actually get back to work. We need to get you
ready for the tour,” Cole said smiling at Alex.
She nodded. “Yeah this is a lot of stuff. I hope I can remember everything.”
“Kid, you’re doing better with this than I did and I had a
hell of a lot more time than you did. Don’t worry about it.” Cole grinned and
punched her on the shoulder.
Alex smiled at him before turning away and wincing. It took all
her willpower not to rub her shoulder. That friggin’ hurt.
As Alex picked her guitar up the five members of *NSYNC
walked through the door.
“Alex! We came to see how you were doing,” Joey called as he
and the other guys walked over to the stage.
Alex looked around at the nine men who thought she was a
man. Now that she thought about it, it was kind of funny. She had fooled them
all including Richard and Charlie. She smiled feeling more at ease. This could
be fun. She was going to be making money to do what she loved and hang out all
over the country with a group of people who didn’t know who she was. So in a
way, she could have a totally new life and finally be herself, uh, well without
acting too much like a female.
Alex grinned in satisfaction at the thought.
“What or who are you thinking about?” Joey asked.
Alex looked at him in puzzlement. “Huh?”
“You have to be thinking about doing something pretty good to
be smiling like that. Maybe your girlfriend?” Joey said winking.
“What? No! No way!” Alex glanced around to see slightly
bewildered looks on all the guys faces.
“Do you have something against girlfriends?” Lance asked
curiously. The other guys laughed.
Alex mentally slapped herself. Idiot! You’re a guy. A guy
doesn’t react like that when asked if he has a girlfriend. “No. It’s just that.
I don’t have one.”
The men watched her as she continued to sputter. “I mean.
Not like … I’m against women or anything. I’m not gay or anything. I like girls
like. just. well…”
She looked over at JC who was watching her curiously and she
couldn’t go on.
“Dude calm down. No one’s going to massacre you because you
don’t have a girlfriend,” Justin said smirking. He turned to Chris and
whispered, “Gay. Definitely gay.”
Chris rolled his eyes. “Oh and how do you know this oh
recognizer of gay men?”
“I just do. Look how he talks and stands. A little too
feminine if you ask me,” Justin said smugly.
“No one did ask you. No one ever does and yet you continue
to talk. I just don’t get it.” Chris shook his head.
Justin narrowed his eyes. “Fuck you!” he retorted.
“Blah blah blah,” Chris mocked and bounced over to a seat.
Alex watched them suspiciously. They had been talking about
her, she could tell. She had to do this pretending to be a guy thing better or
they were definitely going to find out her little secret.
“We should get to work, Alex,” Cole said firmly.
“Yeah. Sorry,” she said grasping her guitar.
“All right, let‘s do Pop,” Cole said to the band.
Juice, the drummer, knocked his drumsticks together counting
them down.
Soon all of them were jamming and Alex was back to doing
what she did best, playing guitar.
---
“On the road again. Going places that I’ve never been.
Seeing things that I…” Justin stopped singing as he was shoved from behind.
“What the fuck?” He twirled around to see JC grinning at
him.
“What are you grinning at?” Justin asked.
“Nothiiiing. Just happy that we’re back on schedule. I can’t
wait to get back on stage. What are you doing out here?”
“I felt like watching the guys load the trucks,” he said
nodding his head at the trucks in front of them “Yeah, I’m ready to be back on
stage too. I guess we owe it all to boywonder over there,” Justin said,
glancing over at Alex who was helping load the trucks.
“What do you think of him?” JC asked, looking over at the
young man.
Justin shrugged. “He’s a’ight, I guess. Seems pretty cool
but dude needs to come out of the closet already.”
JC looked at Justin incredulously. “You think he’s gay?”
Justin shrugged again. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
JC looked over at Alex. Well he was a little girlish and his
face was somewhat pretty but that didn’t mean the guy was gay. “Why do you
think so?”
Justin shoved his hands in his pant pockets. “Just the way
he was acting when we asked him about the girlfriend thing.”
“Is that all? Maybe he’s shy because he doesn’t have one.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Justin looked only partly convinced.
JC looked back at Alex. He wondered where he had come from.
Charlie had told him and the other guys earlier that Alex had stopped Richard
and himself when they were walking down the street. Alex had been carrying a
backpack and his guitar and it had been obvious to them that he was travelling
through the town.
Alex looked like a kid with his big eyes and lean body; JC
wondered why he wasn’t in school or with his family. Alex just seemed too young
to be on his own. Maybe that was why JC was continuing to feel a growing sense
of protectiveness where Alex was concerned.
“Why are you staring at Alex?” Justin asked breaking through
JC’s train of thought.
JC’s eyes flickered over Justin’s face then back to Alex. “I
don’t know. He’s an interesting guy.”
Justin nodded his agreement. “Interesting, odd, strange –
sure.”
JC rolled his eyes and Justin laughed. “I’m kidding, man.
I’m just jealous that he can kick my ass in guitar.
“Well you should be. He’s good,” JC said shoving Justin
good-naturedly. Justin shoved him back and they ended up chasing each other on
the front lawn of the hotel.
Alex who had been loading the truck, stopped, looked over at
them and smiled.