The halls were crowded wen Josh Chasez entered the building. It was a new year and the last year of his adolescence. After this year, everything would change, and he planed to make the most of this, his senior year in high school. With his best friend, Joey, at his side, they would rule the school.
"Can you believe it Josh? It's our last year." Joey said, sounding awed. Josh thought he should be. It was a miracle Joey even made it to his senior year.
"Our last year, indeed. And it's going to be a blast!" Josh said loudly, drawing looks from some of the students around them. Josh didn't mind, he was used to being the center of attention.
"This is our year, man. Everything is going to be perfect." Joey said, moving to his locker.
"Completely perfect." Josh agreed.
~*~
"This is it. D-day has arrived. Are you sure about this?" Justin Timberlake asked his long time friend.
"Not really, but what choice do I have? I can't exactly go home and change now can I?" James said sarcastically, running a hand through his newly cut and dyed spiked hair.
"Well, if it helps, I just saw that girl by the red Miata checking you out." Justin said with a smirk, shutting the passenger side door of James' car.
"That does help. Just remember to call me Lance. I can't believe I've tried to be called that forever and it still hasn't caught on." Lance said with a chuckle.
"Well, it will now, because you're a new person with a new look, so you need a new name." Justin assured him.
"Yeah, we'll see. Let's go." Lance said, shouldering his backpack and locking the driver's side door of the '83 coupe his parents had bought him.
Lance and Justin made their way through the student parking lot, idally chit chatting. Just had a permanent smirk on his face as lance tried not to notice the looks he ws getting from most of the student body. He didn't think it would be this uncomfortable being noticed, but it was very unnerving. He didn't know if the reaction was good or bad, so he didn't know whether he should be proud or hope the Earth would open up and swallow him.
Justin and Lance stopped outside the entrance to the school to talk more before the year officially began. Lance was surprised when Samantha Harris, head cheerleader and most popular girl in the school, came up to him and Justin.
"Hey." She said, bouncing as only a cheerleader could.
"Hey." Justin said, shooting Lance a look.
"Hi." Lance replied, trying to figure out a way to duck out so Samantha could talk to Justin.
"I'm Sam." She said, introducing herself.
"I'm Justin and this is Lance." Justin said, smiling as he introduced them.
"Well, that must mean you're the Justin Timberlake my sister talks about non-stop." Sam said, winking at Justin then turning to Lance. "And you must be new around here."
Lance gaped at her. He couldn't believe this. Samantha had never talked to him before if she didn't have to. They had been lab partners in chemistry the year before, and she though he was new to the school. He didn't think he'd changed that much. He'd gotten the braces off, exchanged his glasses for contacts, changed his clothing style, and cut and highlighted his hair. He's also spent some time at the gym, but he didn't think it had done him any good. And Samantha didn't even recognize him.
"You could say he's new." Justin smirked again.
"Well," Samantha started, pulling Lances hand toward her and taking out a pen. "If you need someone to show ya around one night, why don't you call me?" Samantha said, winking at Lance, then curling his fingers into his palm. "You better ask my sister out sometime, Justin. I'll see you guys later. Bye Lance. Hope to hear from you." She said, walking off with a little wave of her hand.
When Samantha was out of earshot, Justin turned to Lance and smacked his shoulder. "Man! Did you see that? That was awesome! I can't believe she gave you her number. I old you. And since she knows you as Lance, everyone is going to. This year is going to be awesome!" Justin proclaimed, walking excitedly beside a still speechless Lance as they entered the school. The year had officially begun, and it was definitely different.
~*~
"So, how is your first day of high school?" Lance asked, sitting down next to Justin. It was lunch, and Lance was surprised he'd made it that far, but he had.
"Oh man, I though tit was going to be this major change, but it's not. It's just like middle school, just more crowded." Justin said, his voice tinged with disappointment, as he played with the mystery meat on his tray.
"Well, I could have told ya that, Curly fry. Nothing interesting happened though?" Lance asked, knowing how excited Justin had been to start his first year in high school.
"Well, one thing." Justin said, his face lighting up.
"Oh. What's that?" Lance asked, pushing his tray away, not even trying to eat the junk the school tried to pass off as food.
"I talked to the basketball coach earlier. He's already got a spot waiting on me when the season starts. And you'll never guess who recommended me." Justin said, eyeing Lance.
"Who?" Lance was extremely curious.
"Your tormentor and the man you lust after, Joshua Scott. He told the coach about me and now I have a sure spot on the team."
"First off, I'm not surprised. You have real talent, and Joshua Scott has always been friendly to you, even talking to you while I was around."
"And ignoring you at the same time because he's an asshole." Justin interrupted.
"And second," Lance continued, ignoring the fact that Justin had spoken. "I do not lust after him"
Justin scoffed. "Lance, how long have I known you were gay?"
"Since right after I did, so about a year." Lance said, humoring his long time friend.
"Exactly, so don't you think I would know what kind of guy floats your boat." Justin said, eyeing his friend.
"Well, you're wrong. Besides how can you know when I don't even know." Lance said rolling his eyes at the curly headed freshman.
"Well, I say he does, and look sharp. He's headed this way." Justin said, grinning and looking towards the entrance of the cafeteria.
Lance followed his gaze and saw Josh, Joey and Samantha walking towards them. "Oh, God, I have got to get out of here." Lance said, looking around for a quick exit. Justin quickly pulled him back down to his seat.
"Will you just calm down. You look great. Your voice is a lot deeper than it was last year, and you've grown. No one even knows it's you." Justin said, then smiled at the three approaching teenagers.
Lance took a deep breath, and put his acting skills to work. "He Sam, fancy meeting you here." Lance greeted, standing to give her a quick hug and offer her a seat.
"Well, I just couldn't stay away from you. Me being nosey and all, I wanted to find out more about the new kid. He Justin." Sam said, smiling warmly at Justin then turning to the other two. "Justin, Lance, this is Joey Fatone, and Josh Chasez. Guys this is Justin Timberlake and Lance…" Sam trailed off, not knowing Lance's last name.
"Bass. Lance Bass." Lance said, shaking hands with the two guys that had made his life a living hell the past two years.
"Nice to meet ya, Lance. I've met Justin before." Joey said, patting Justin on the back fondly.
"Yeah, we've met. It's nice to see ya getting some new company, Jusitn." Josh said, turning a chair around and sitting in it backwards. Justin just grinned and nodded. "I mean, I really hope this Bass is better than the last Bass you hung out with." Josh turned to Lance. "You should have seen this kid. He was such a loser and a fairy. Could anyone have been more flamboyant. Yeah, I may straddle the proverbial fence, and everyone knows it, but that doesn't mean I want to look and act like a girl. But that James kid, my God. Why didn't he just wear a dress and get it over with." Josh laughed along with Joey while Sam rolled her eyes and turned to look at Lance. What she was going to say died on her lips.
Lance's face was red with rage. If looks could have killed, Josh and Joey would have been in the ninth ring of Donte's Inferno by now. Lance quickly stood up and leaned his hands on the table, effectively putting his face in Josh's. Josh quickly stopped laughing, seeing the look in Lance's eyes. "Look really close, Chasez. What do you see?" Lance asked, never letting his gaze waver from Josh's.
"I see a new kid who obviously has problems." Josh said, getting defensive about being confronted like this.
"Oh, I've definitely got problems. Well, only one problem. The same problem I've had my entire life. YOU." Lance spat, still in Josh's face. Joey just looked on, not sure what was going on. Sam, had backed up behind Justin, and Justin just stared, having seen this side of Lance before, and knowing to stay out of the way.
"What the hell? I don't even know you." Josh said, perplexed by what Lance was saying.
"Oh, I think you do. Look really hard. Do you see anything Flamboyant? I'm sure as hell not wearing a dress. I grew up Joshua Scott. I grew up and I grew tired of you. This shit stops now." Lance said, punctuating his words by pounding a strong fist on the table below him.
"James?" Josh squeaked, looking him over very carefully.
"I prefer Lance, and I prefer you stay as far away from me as possible. My looks may have changed, and my voice may have changed, but I'm still the same guy you couldn't stand last year, the year before that, and the year before that. I'm still the same guy you didn't want anything to do with besides the constant pranks and jeers. Well, the pranks and jeers stop as of now." Lance said, pushing himself back from the table. He picked up his back pack and quickly exited the cafeteria, very aware that all eyes were on him. Now, the whole school knew who he was. And he liked it that way.