| Some Things Never Change- Time Zones |
| 3 |
 |
| Chapter 2 |
 |
| Chapter 4 |
| Cassidy looked around at the mess of people scattering from place to place. It was always like this on days they prepared to move on to the next city. Management ran around making sure everything was set. Security guards became extremely uptight about who could even spit on the ground near the buses. And then there were people like Cassidy that showed up purposely 10 minutes late�and still asleep--just to be a pain. People need to relax more. She rolled her eyes and dragged her luggage behind her to the bus she was usually assigned to. It annoyed her the way they always rush rush rush just to get on a damn bus and sit for hours. Why not leave at a reasonable hour? Instead of cramping the shows so close together and making everything a stampede from place to place. Before Cassidy had even stepped onto her bus, the first one was already pulling out in front. She knew she�d hear it from management later that day about what a delay she was for them. Right, mental note: turn off cell phone. She couldn�t wait to just crawl in her bunk and fall back to sleep. She�d woken up nearly 15 minutes ago and had managed to stuff all her belongings back into her bag, put on a pair of sunglasses and some flip-flops, and walked out the door in hopes she had everything with her. Mornings just weren�t her thing, especially as of lately. Looking up at her bus, Cassidy noticed it seemed to look different that day. Whatever� as long as I am a bus away from Joey or Steve�s bus, I�ll survive my day. She loved them both to death, but they just weren�t the people to be around when you�re trying to catch up on sleep. It took all of her strength, and both arms to just yank her bag up the bus stairs. She really needed some sleep. Almost there bunk. Cassidy froze in mid-step though as she turned the corner into the living room of the bus she�d just stepped onto. She blinked slowly, then looked around to double check she was on the right bus�� oh crap. �Your bus left an hour ago sweetheart,� Joey grinned from ear to ear at her. Use the breathing technique Cass� �And I wasn�t notified because..?� �You were,� Joey grinned some more. �No, I wasn�t Joey. I think I would know. John told me 7 o�clock, and it is now, 7:08.� Steve, Joey�s brother, shook his watch and put it up to his ear as if listening to whether or not it�s working. Holding in laughter he looked at his watch, �Really, that�s funny�. Mine says 8:15.� Joey bit his lip to keep from laughing, �yeah, funny, mine too Steve.� Not being able to hold it in any longer, they both let loose and burst into laughter so hard tears pricked at their eyes. Cassidy continued her breathing technique. �You set my watch back to Pacific time,� she said more as a statement and not a question. �Come on, who would do a thing like that? That�s just, stupid!� Joey tried to say with a straight face, but failed. Cassidy clenched the straps to her bag, and slowly walked by them, continuing to drag it. In a dazed expression, she forced a whispered answer out of herself to keep from yelling, �You�re lucky�. I�m tired�. Steve and Joe high-fived each other, and celebrated their victory. Continuing to be a smart ass, Steve yelled back at the bunks to her, �You can take your sunglasses off now, this isn�t Hawaii 5-0!� They both giggled at his remark and high-fived one another again. JC, whom had been sitting very quietly throughout the whole ordeal eating a bowl of cereal, finally looked up from his breakfast to take part. �You guys are asses,� he mumbled between his bites of Captain Crunch. �Aww, come on Jace�.. shouldn�t you be calling her that? We�re just trying to lighten up the mood for Miss Female Eeyore back there,� Joey paused to laugh at his own joke, �Besides, she knows it�s all fun and games in the end�. JC rolled his eyes, �I worry about her though.� �How do you mean?� JC shrugged his shoulders and paused his eating for a moment, �I don�t know, she just seems� different. Quieter, eats less, never goes out with us at night anymore. Maybe it�s just me, but� I don�t know.� Joey and Steve became serious for a second to consider what he said, then Joey smiled and shook his head, �Nooo, she�s fine. You know Cassidy, she just gets that way when she�s tired. Probably sick of touring. She�ll be fine once she gets rested.� JC�s gaze lingered on him for a bit longer then answered, �yeah, you�re probably right, my minds just messing with me� Either that he thought or you�re just trying to reassure yourself. *~*~*~* The bus rocked back and forth as Cassidy carefully tip toed to the front. According to her newly set watch, she�d slept for about four hours. Four well deserved hours. And although she could use more sleep, that was good enough for now. JC was sitting at the table playing solitaire alone. Cassidy sat down across from him after grabbing some crackers out of the cupboards. �Sleeping beauty finally awakes?� he winked at her. �That was so incredibly cheesy Jace,� she laughed while taking a bite out of a cracker. �You know me and my cheese, I�ll take it with a cracker if you don�t mind,� and he leaned over the table to grab a few for himself. Cassidy reached for JC�s cards and swiped them up into a pile. �Go right ahead, I wasn�t playing a game or anything,� he lifted his hands up and gestured for her to continue shuffling. She laughed and started dealing out cards, �Well it�s no fun sitting here while you play a game all by your lonesome.� �Aha, so we�re playing what?� �Go Fish,� she grinned. �Ahhh, everyone loves a classic,� he smiled back. They started sorting through their cards and picking out the matches they already had. �Do you have an 8?� she asked first. �Go fish. Got a 3?� he questioned back. Cassidy tossed the 3 of hearts across the table. She was leaning up against the window, with one leg bent up on her seat, and the other dangling. �Have a 5?� JC got to ask again. �Go fishin�!� she laughed. As Cassidy considered her next move, JC became very serious for a moment. �How are you feeling Cass?� She looked up at him and tried to hide her surprise at the question by giggling. �Shouldn�t I be asking you that? You�re the one that has to perform daily and be surrounded by all this hype. I�m just here for the ride. Got a 7?� she kept the game going. He tossed a 7 across the table and set his hand of cards face down on the table. �You�re surrounded by that hype too you know. I pay people to make sure I�m okay. I�m asking how you�re doing.� JC reached over and set her cards down, and put her hands in his. �Look at me please.� �I�m fine JC, what makes you think there�s anything wrong with me?� her voice had turned a bit distant, and she pulled her hands out from between his. Joey chose that moment to walk in with a piled high sandwich in his and mouth and hand. Not taking notice of any tension in the room, he pushed JC closer to the window and sat down at the table with him. �Oh! Go Fish! Cool, can I play?� he obnoxiously spit out food as he started dealing his own cards before anyone could answer him. Cassidy stood up and brushed the cracker crumbs off her pants, then moved out of her seat. �I�m done Joey, you can take my place,� she motioned for him to switch spots. He shrugged and picked up her hand of cards and started to move across from JC. JC sighed and stood up as well. �Cassidy� you stay, I�ll leave.� Cassidy put her hand out in warning. �No Jace, just leave me alone,� she whispered the last part and walked back to her bunk. Joey stopped what he was doing and looked back and forth from the bunks to JC. �What was that all about?� he curiously eyes JC. He sighed again, �Nothing Joe, nothing.� *~*~*~* Two hours later, the two buses holding Nsync members (plus Steve and Cassidy), pulled over at a gas station to have a quick break. The guys beat Cassidy off the bus and into the store. Justin grinned when he saw her, and held open the door to the quick-mart for her. �Cassy, babe, what are you doing here?� he tried to sound innocent. Cassidy, having recovered her good mood, smiled back sarcastically, �Justin, darling, wouldn�t want to think you had anything to do with this.� �Course not,� he winked at her. Looking around, it was just like any other pit stop. Joey and Steve were arguing like brothers over who go the last candy pacifier, Justin and JC were loading their arms with tootsie rolls, and Lance was checking out the hot food section. Chris was�. Where was Chris? Suddenly, someone tapped Cassidy on the shoulder from behind. �A sweet for the sweet?� Chris gave a toothy grin. Cassidy took the Hershey�s chocolate bar from Chris, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Chris clutched his chest as if having a heart attack, and stumbled back a few steps. �Still my heart, I got a kiss!� Chris walked off with a dreamy expression. Cassidy giggled and shook her head. She walked back to the cold beverage section and pondered what to get to drink. �Why do you think about it?� JC leaned over next to her and whispered. Cassidy jumped a bit in fright. �Oh you scared me!� JC laughed, �Sorry. But you know you�re going to get root beer, you always do.� Cassidy smiled, �yeah, but you never know, I may want a Pepsi-Twist one day!� JC just smiled back and shrugged, �I�m sorry about on the bus earlier too. No hard feelings?� �No hard feelings. I�m sorry too, I didn�t mean to get so defensive.� �No prob, but you are okay, right?� he looked at her in concern. �I�m fine,� she whispered and turned to go pay for her items and get back on the bus. *~*~*~* By 6:30, the buses were pulling into their hotel in Denver. About damn time. The usual number of fans were waiting for them outside to get autographs. Cassidy rushed through them quickly, she didn�t want to wait for the guys to get done signing autographs and taking pictures. �Hey sunshine,� Eric, her favorite security guard, greeted her at the elevators. �Hey Eric. Long drive eh?� she stepped into the elevator with him. �Yes it certainly was. I imagine even longer for you.. much longer. Heard what the kids pulled on ya,� he tried to keep from laughing at the expression she gave him in reply. �You have NO idea, no idea,� she leaned back up against the elevator just wishing to be in her hotel room. �Here we are Miss Lawerence, enjoy your room,� he smiled at her. �Thanks Eric, see ya later.� Another security guard greeted her outside the elevator and told her what room she was assigned to, and gave her the key. It seemed like only 5 minutes later that someone was knocking on her door. Lance�s green eyes welcomed her when she opened the door. �Hey Lance, what�s up?� He shifted his weight nervously, �umm, well we�re all going out clubbing later on, and the uh, the guys wanted me to ask you if you maybe wanna come..?� Cassidy had to laugh at the way he got so nervous over the smallest things. �Let me guess, they said I could never refuse you?� Lance blushed a little and nodded. �Sorry Lance, I�m not feeling very up to going out tonight. I think I�m going to just chill here, try and relax or something.� �Alright, that�s cool,� he replied, �If you change your mind, just let us know.� �I will.� As she was shutting the door, Cassidy�s cell-phone began to ring. �Oooh, I knew I should have turned that stupid thing off,� she said aloud to herself. �Hello?� she answered it. �Hello? Is this a Miss Cassidy Lawerence?� the caller asked. �Yes, yes it is. Who is this?� �This is Nurse Robin Kelley from the General County Hospital here in Orlando, Florida.� Cassidy�s heart skipped a beat, �yes?� �Do you have any relation to a Richard Dean Lawerence?� Her voice turned to a whisper, �Yes, he�s my father.� �I�m sorry to have to be the one to inform you of this, but he died earlier this morning due to complications of his heart and liver.� As much as she wanted to believe she heard her wrong, she knew she didn�t. �Oh?� she could barely hear her own voice. She clutched the side of the wall and slid down to the floor. �Mam, we need to know who to contact so we can have your funeral services take care of the body.� Cassidy�s heart beat was taking over her hearing and she was having a hard time breathing. Her throat had dried up, and words were frozen in her throat. Everything was starting to go blurry, and she could barely hold on to the phone any longer. �Mam? Mam, are you still there?� �I�ll take care of it,� she managed to get through. She turned off the phone and dropped it to the floor beside her. Tears slowly started to roll down her face, as she closed her eyes and wished all the pain would just go away. |