CHAPTER TWO ~ Getting Settled
When the guys had all gathered in the living room area again, Rachel introduced them to Mark. "Mark, here are your new responisbilities," Rachel said joking. "Guys, this man here is goin to be worse than your own mother at making sure you're in at a reasonable hour."
"Very funny, Rach. I won't be that bad guys, but I am here to make sure that none of you get into trouble while you're down here. There are going to be some ground rules set, and Lou and I expect that you will follow them," Mark said.
"You know it's true though, Mark. You're such a fuddy-duddy," Rachel joked back. "Seriously though guys, what he's doing is for the good of the group everyone will eventually know as O-Town. I've gotta get going, so I'm leaving you all in Mark's capable hands. I'll be back early in the morning to brief you all on your daily schedules. Be prepared, I should be here by 7:30 and Lou is going to meet with all of you at Trans-Con sometime tomorrow too. I'll see you all later," Rachel said before walking out the front door to her car so she could go and meet her best friend for a late dinner.
"Alright, guys. Let's go over the ground rules. First, I am sure that all of you except maybe Ashley have had time to do some exploring around the house. You're all adults, and I expect you to act as such, just remember all of your actions are going to be captured on tape for the world to see, and that includes your mothers and girlfriends back home. Granted, this isn't going to air until after the group has been selected, but it could cause problems for you later if you act like some big hotshot. If I or someone else tell you something though, it's for your own good, so please listen. We've all been there and done that with other bands that came before you, so we're trying to help you not make the same mistakes that have been made in the past. Those are the ground rules. Lou will have more specific rules that he wants you to follow, but I'll let him discuss those with all of you. Any questions right now?"
"Yeah, when do we meet the girls who are gonna be throwing themselves at us?" Paul asked, thinking primarily about the groupies that he knew other bands had.
"You're gonna have to make a name for yourselves before you get the groupies, Paul," Mark said. "That is what I was referring to. Those kind of actions could easily leave a bad feeling about the group in the eyes of the parents who will be buying their pre-teen daughters O-town merchendise. Watch how you act," he warned again. "Any other questions?"
None of the guys said anything so Mark then bid them all goodnight, and went out to his car, reminding them all again just before he walked out the door that Rachel was coming in at 7:30 the following morning to discuss their schedules.
"Wow. I can't believe I'm only 18 and living in a place like this," Ashley thought to himself. "I am gonna make my dream come true. I just wish that Nicole was here. She'd be in heaven right about now."
"Yo, Ashley!" Trevor yelled, bringing Ashely out of his thoughts of his twin sister, who he knew would be experiencing some of their step-father's wrath because Ashley was following his heart to be involved in the music industry.
"What ya want?" he asked, not exactly sure what he had missed.
"Wanna check out the rest of the house with us?" Trevor asked again. "Go get your swim trunks on man, we've got a pool and hot tub out back....it's awesome!"
"Sure...but I wanna call home real quick," Ashley answered, wanting to make sure that his sister and mom were alright.
"Hello?" he heard his sister say when she answered the phone.
"Hey, Nicki, sweetie...how are you doing?"
"ASHLEY!" Nicole yelled before remembering that just mentioning her brother's name upset their step-dad. "I'm alright, but it's so hard, Ash. He doesn't want me or mom to even talk about you. I wish I was with you."
"Oh, sis. When I make it into the group, you're moving out here to be with me. I don't want you around him if he's gonna be acting like that. I'd tell you to come out to see me right now, but I think I want to get to know the others first. Oh, your pictures made a big impression on some of the other guys. They were all basically fighting over who would get to make you feel at home here."
"Oh yeah? Who all was fighting over me?" Nicole asked, her mind turned to boys instead of her step-dad.
"Well, Paul, Trevor, and Jacob all really liked the picture I've got of you on my nightstand here. Listen, Nic, tell mom and dad I love them, but I'm gonna go get to know these guys better right now. I just had to hear that you were alright back there."
"I'm fine. School just won't be the same without you here on Monday, but I'll get used to it."
"Yeah, I'm sure I'm gonna be meeting with whoever Lou is hiring to tutor me tomorrow. I think I'm the only one still in school; I'm pretty sure everyone else has already graduated."
"OK. Ash, stay true to yourself, alright? Don't change, I love you the way you are."
"I won't, sis. I really gotta get going. Talk to you later. I'll probably call again tomorrow and let you and mom know more about what is happening."
"OK. Love you, Ash," Nicole said before she hung up the phone, tears in her eyes because of the lonliness she was already feeling for her brother. The two of them had never been apart for more than a couple of days until now, and it was still getting to her that she wouldn't really see her brother for a couple of months, and then after that, it might be summer, after she graduated before she could spend alot of time with him.