Hello hello again. Yes, this installment has truly run long. I couldn't find a place to end it, and it's getting very late/early (4AM), so I finally ended it. For those of you who are used to my deep, emotional stuff, well, tough. This one's very narrative, but it keeps the plot line flowing. I hate stories that leave holes. You have to guess, and it's a pain. Anyway, hopefully you'll enjoy it. If something is off, tell me please, so I can make sure to not mess it up next time! But since a good half of it was written between 2 and 4AM, it might be messed up anyway. A great big thanks to my DJ. I love you man! Someone will get mentioned in a later installment...maybe. If it goes that way. Like I said, I don't really know all the twists. They come as I write.
OK, and here are the boring, various disclaimers. This is a FICTIONAL story involving the band NSync, specifically member Lance Bass. I do not know NSync in any way, shape, or fashion with the exception of what I can get off of fan pages, their official site, various interviews, and the like. I do not know the sexual orientations of any members, although a guy can dream, can't he? :-) I do not claim to know the personalities of any member of Nsync either, and all reactions are the product of one deranged author.
If you're part of Nsync, please e-mail me! If you're not, e-mail me anyway!
Iff (test your math/science terminology here!) you are offended by homosexual relationships, or are under 18 or the legal age in your area, or your local laws/customs do not permit the reading of such material, then don't continue, even though this section contains no sex. GASP! Yes, I'm not one for writing porn stories. This is (hopefully!) a real story with emotions beyond passion. If those rules apply to you, then don't get caught reading this if you do decided to go on and read it.
Although I have cut out my inspiration's paragraph, I'm still acknowledging ScottyT and Darren LeVanelle for inspiring me to write a non-sex based story. And also a thanks to all my real-life friends who are never going to read this for giving me the driving force behind the writing! I love you guys!
Every Little Thing I Do
Chapter 4
By Mahka
I drove home in a daze. Wow. I was going to see the Nsync show from a vantage point few people have seen it from. Not only that, but if I got what I wanted, I'd go on tour with them and see their shows in every venue. That was only 3 venues, but it was enough.
It was barely four in the afternoon when I entered the house.
"MOM! I'M HOME!" I kicked off my shoes at the door, and walked in. Oldies coming from the basement, again. I clumped down the stairs, making as much noise as I could. "Hi!"
"Oh, hi. How was shopping?"
"Fine. Didn't get recognized, thankfully. Guess what?" I was excited to share the news, and wanted to see how she would take it.
"What?"
"Lance gave me an all-access pass!"
"Cool!"
"Yeah, so can I go to the concert tonight? He said they'd send out a limo for me too."
"I guess...what time is it?"
"Seven, but I'd leave around 6 or 5:30 I guess."
"Fine. What are you having for dinner?"
"Oh. I forgot about that...I guess either I'll stop for McD's or maybe they have food down there. They always cater shows." My knowledge of performances and tours from all those MTv documentaries paid off. Yay!
"Ok, fine then. Are you going to take anyone else?" She looked back down at her paper work and continued working.
I had forgotten about that! I wondered if my pass would get more than one person through security. Even if it could, who would I take? I knew of no closeted fan in my circle of friends. In fact, many of them were anti-boyband. And I wasn't about to invite any random freaky girl off the street. So many choices and decisions! If this was what college and life would be like, I'd like to revert back to a 10 year old. Life was good then. Everything provided, but enough leeway to do some things that you want. Well, not a lot of things. OK, maybe uh...hmm...oh well.
"I dunno, maybe. I'll call some people and ask if they wanna come I guess," I finally replied.
"OK. Fine then." She returned to her work, and I turned to leave the room. I had reached the doorway when I turned around again, acting like something had just popped into my mind, when in reality it had been sitting there for an eternity.
"Oh, and mom, Lance also invited me to go on tour with the group for the rest of the tour."
The pen stopped wiggling, and she looked up.
"What?" I had expected that reaction. I explained the whole thing to her, how I'd travel with the group on the bus, go to each concert, hang out with them, just as a friend. For about two weeks, until the tour ended. At least it was only two weeks and not two months! She couldn't quite get it at first, but I finally got it through. She was reluctant, and it was blatantly obvious. After much begging, rationalization, and every other tactic I could think of, I finally got an extremely slow affirmation. I let my joy show through, as I gave her a huge hug and kiss, and a slow smile spread across her face. I knew she wouldn't be so cruel. After all, I had barely done anything over the summer. Much of my time was spent doing all that college crap and sleeping. That's all I did. I rarely went out with friends.
I walked out of the office calmly, but bolted up the stairs. I grabbed the headset phone off my desk where I had left it earlier, and immediately dialed Sarah. Simultaneously, I signed on to AOL. I was giddy with excitement. Not only was I going to see Nsync for free from a vantage point never had by a fan, but I was going to tour with them!
"Hello?"
"Sarah! Guess what?!" I practically screamed into the phone.
"What? What'd you do?" She was being all bubbly, trying to match my excitement. Didn't even come close.
"You remember Lance right, the one we met yesterday?" God, was it ONLY yesterday? It felt like forever. So much had happened since then.
"Yeah...what'd you do with him? You didn't poison him, did you?"
"No! Of course not. But guess what?" OK, so I was repeating myself. She had thrown me off course with her additional comments.
"You said that already, dummy!" She laughed. "What?"
"I'm going to go see Nsync in concert tonight!"
"WHAT?!" This time it was Sarah who was screaming. "You're SO kidding, right? I mean, how did you pull THAT off? I thought all the tickets had been given away by the radio stations..."
"Yeah, but Lance gave me an all-access pass!"
"Nuh- no way! Nuh-uh, not a chance."
"No, REALLY!"
"Oh my gosh, that's so awesome!" It was finally beginning to sink in for Sarah, and I was plenty happy to have someone who shared my excitement.
"Anyway," I said, calming down somewhat, "I was wondering if you wanted to go tonight...assuming that my pass is good for two or more people. I haven't asked him yet."
"Whoa...yes! Definitely! You driving?"
"Actually, they said they'd send a limo for me if I wanted one, so..." I grinned, and I could hear her take in a deep breath.
"WOW! That's so cool!"
"Yeah, but first, let me make sure my pass can get you in, too! I don't want to get your hopes raised." Stupid me. I should've called Lance first and checked that out BEFORE I asked someone if they wanted to go. Oh well. Sarah was an understanding person. Thank goodness I called her and not one of my other friends.
"Alright, you go call your celebrity friend, and gimme a call back, k?"
"OK, talk to you later!"
"Luv ya hon, m-bye!"
She hung up, and I hit TALK, waited about two seconds, and called up Lance. The greatest thing was that their particular phone plane picked up the cost of the long distance charge on my side. I assumed that that was because they traveled so much and someone calling them from wherever they were shouldn't have to incur those evil charges. I guess being a friend of a celeb was a plus! It was about 4:45 when I called.
"'lo?" I heard over the roar of hair dryers.
"Lance, it's Mark!"
"Hey! Wassup? Can you make it?" I heard him say something to someone out of the range of the phone, and the dryer stopped.
"Yes, on both counts!"
"Way cool! So you ready? I'll send out a limo right now."
"Uh, well, two questions first."
There was a slight pause on the other end, then he continued. I didn't want to think anything was amiss, so I attributed it to the fact that he was on a cell phone.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Ok, first, how am I going to get dinner?"
He laughed. "You sound like Justin! Always asking about food! Don't worry about it! There's food here, and then you can chill with us when we grab dinner after the show!"
"Ok, cool. And the second question is..." I took a breath, praying that he would say yes. "Can I bring a friend or two with me?"
"Uh, on tour? I don't think we have enough..."
I cut him off. "No, silly! To the concert! Not on tour! Will the pass you gave me cover a few of my friends?"
"Oh! Yeah, sure. If security gives you any trouble, just tell them to page me and I'll clear it up."
"Awesome! I think I'm going to bring just one friend though...Sarah. You remember her, don't you? She was the one I was going to meet when I ran into you."
"Oh, yeah, sure." His voice hinted slightly at the fact that he was clueless, but the southern gentleman in him wasn't going to let that fact be known. Such a perfect guy!
"Great. So when's the limo coming out?"
"Right after you hang up! I'll give you a call to tell you her ETA, 'k?"
"Ok. Talk to you later?"
"Yup! Luv ya! Bye!"
He hung up, leaving silence in my ear. Did he just say "Luv ya"? I'm sorry, but it took several days for even the most open of my friends to say that as a farewell! With Sarah, it took her a good two or three years of getting to know me! Hmm...slightly over 24 hours had passed since we first met. My crush was getting bigger by the second, and it sounded like he was feeling the same way. But once again, my rational, logical left brain kicked in, telling me that he couldn't possibly be gay or bi. He had so many girls after him who knew everything about him. Why would he chose a loser guy who didn't know jack about his life until he told him everything? Dammit. That's what I get for taking one too many science or math courses.
That really annoying beeping in my ear brought me back to reality. Why did they have those alarms that told you the phone was off the hook? Ugh. I shut down the connection to the base unit, and turned back to the computer screen. An IM screen was up, from an internet user, so the little warning was up. It was a friend from my PMEA festivals, Steve. He was a sophomore last year, so he was new to the festival scene. We became good friends after Regions, chatting online. He had a girlfriend, but I wasn't attracted to him anyway. He had somewhat opened me up, but still, I felt a little off, and didn't tell him everything, unlike my relationship with Lance. I hit YES to accept the IM, and he popped up. <> Steveo23: hey Steveo23: mark? you there? Steveo23: hellooooo......
I guess I had let him sit too long. I quickly typed in a response. <<author's note: typos and miscapitalizations are intentional to give a more realistic tone to the conversation ~Mahka>>
NCC1701DS9: hey Steveo23: hey, wher were you?
NCC1701DS9: oh, sorry, on thephone Steveo23: ah Steveo23: hey, I finally got a corect DL of Byebye bye
NCC1701DS9: really? Cool Steveo23: yeah Steveo23: so wassup?
NCC1701DS9: hey, speakin of Nsync, you wanna come see the concert tonight? Steveo23: huh? Youre kiddingr ight?
NCC1701DS9: no Steveo23: how'd you manage to get ixs?
NCC1701DS9: I didnt.. Steveo23: then how...?
NCC1701DS9: I got an allaccess pass Steveo23: what? Steveo23: your kidding, right?
NCC1701DS9: no Steveo23: how? All the contests wer eover like a week ago
NCC1701DS9: I met lance Steveo23: your kidding
NCC1701DS9: nope. I ran into him at the mal and he gave me an all-access pass to the show. We can get past any securiy, gobackstage, etc. wanna come? Steveo23: when? Now?
NCC1701DS9: no, in two years. YES now! Steveo23: I dunno...hold on, lemme check with mym om Steveo23: brb
NCC1701DS9: k
I wasn't about to tell anyone else about my tour with the band. I figured that would come in it's own due time. Maybe Lance would tell them. Who knows?
Steveo23: bak
NCC1701DS9: wb
NCC1701DS9: so whar'd she say? Steveo23: she saidi can go!
NCC1701DS9: cool Steveo23: but she wantst o now how I'm getin ther
NCC1701DS9: theyr sending a limo fir us. We;ll swing by ang get u Steveo23: ok, cool. What time?
At that moment, the phone rang again. I stabbed at the TALK button while I continued to type.
"Hello?"
NCC1701DS9: hold on a sec
"Hey, it's Lance. Just wanted to tell you that the limo will be at your place at about 5:30. She's taking some short cut that'll bypass all the rush hour traffic. Steveo23: k
"Cool, that's just enough time
NCC1701DS9: I'm geting the time righ tnow
for Sarah to get over here." Steveo23: k
"Great, so see u soon, plus another person?"
"Well, actually, two, if you don't mind."
NCC1701DS9: limo at my place about 5:30...can u mak it?
"Sure, no problem. Anything else?" Steveo23: mybe...lemme check Steveo23: brb
"Yeah, can we have the limo driver take us to a friends house first to pick him up before we go the venue?"
NCC1701DS9: k
"Definitely. Oh, we have a surprise for you. OK, hey, listen, make-up's yelling at me for messing up my hair and foundation right now, so I gotta go, k?" I could hear some noise in the background. I guess that was the yelling. My mind was being split, and it wasn't happy.
"Sure, later!"
"Love ya," and he hung up. AGAIN! He said "love you" again! This can't be right...once, it might have been a slight slip up. But twice? Steveo23: I can make it
NCC1701DS9: ok, kewl
NCC1701DS9: try to be a few minutes early Steveo23: ok, I gtg if I wanna make it Steveo23: ttyl!
NCC1701DS9: bye!
ERROR: Previous message was not received by Steveo23. Steveo23 signed off at 4:53:26 PM.
Whew! My brain split was over, and I was feeling better. I signed off after a quick check of the weather. I had to call Sarah to tell her to get her butt over here, and I had to get ready for the tour. SHIT! I had totally forgotten the fact that I had to pack for several weeks! There was no way I would be able to pack everything in less than 30 minutes. Well, I'd try anyway.
I called Sarah again, clipping the phone to my pocket as I sprinted up the stairs. She answered, and I quickly filled her in on the details as I rushed around my room, throwing shirts, shorts, pants, socks, and other clothing items on my bed. I didn't care what I put on the bed. I just scooped and threw. We finished our conversation as I glanced at the clock. 5:12. Ok, I still had some time! I ran into my bathroom, grabbing toiletaries and throwing them into my little bag. The phone rang as I threw the bag on my bed with the rest of my stuff. I fumbled a bit with the phone, and got it between the first and second rings before my mom picked up.
"Hello?" I gasped as I ran to get my suitcase from the basement.
"Hey, what're you doing?" I recognized the southern bass immediately.
"Packing! That's what!" I shouted. I turned the corner and clumped down the basment stairs two at a time. Not smart, as I lost my footing more than once.
"Huh? For what?"
I pulled the storage room's door open as my mom shouted "What are you doing?"
"Packing!" I yelled back in reply. To the phone, I said "For the tour, you dummy!"
I found my suitcase sitting in a corner with a plastic sheet over it. I heard talking in the background, and Lance's voice was suddenly quieter as he talked to whoever else was there. I pulled the sheet off, grabbed the handle, and started to drag it up the stairs. It was a big, bulky green thing, and although it was wheeled, it wasn't easy to carry. What good are wheels if you don't drag it? And I wasn't going to drag it, at least, not in the house. Not unless I wanted to get beaten by my mother for tracking dirt on the carpet.
"Hey, you don't really need to pack! We were going to take you shopping in New York," came the voice in my ear again.
"Why? I'm not THAT special! And I don't need a new wardrobe, thank you very much!" I hauled the thing into my room, unzipped it, and started throwing clothes in. It wasn't a total mess...yet.
"Well, uh..."
"What? You don't like my clothes! How can it be unfashionable?! What's the matter with t-shirts and jeans or shorts? I mean, it's very casual!"
"Whatever, just get your stuff together and get over here pronto! Bye!" Lance hung up before I could say anything else.
I was sweating at this point, partially from the effort of packing for 2 or more weeks in about 10 minutes and also from the fact that I was sort of pissed. Well, that would pass, hopefully.
I checked the contents of my bag quickly. It wasn't the prettiest packing job I had done, but it wasn't the worst. I figured that I had everything I would need. If I needed something else, I could buy it on the road. Well, Lance could buy it. It sounded like I was getting new clothes anyway.
I was in the process of zipping up the suitcase when the doorbell rang. I glanced at the clock sitting in the corner. 5:25. It might be the limo, I thought. And neither Sarah nor Steve was here. Shit. I left the green thing on my floor as I bolted down the stairs. I took a quick peek through the side windows, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was Sarah! I unlocked the door and let her in. She enveloped me in a hug. I mean literally enveloped me. She's two or three inches taller than me.
"Hi! I can't believe you have a pass! That's so cool!" She released me, and I closed the door. "Am I late?"
"Nope. Limo's not here yet. Hold on for a sec." I started up the stairs.
"K," she said, and set her bag down on the floor.
I reached my room and dragged my suitcase out. As I came into sight of Sarah, she raised an inquiring eyebrow at me.
"What's that for?" she asked.
I was about to answer her, halfway down the stairs, when the doorbell rang again. Saved by the bell! This would save time later in explanations. It was Steve, and I gave him a high five as he entered.
"Wassup?" he asked.
"You ready? Oh, and this is Sarah. Sarah, Steve. You should know each other already, we were at Districts and Regions together."
"Oh yeah! Hey!" Sarah was always the outgoing one. I doubted she really remembered who he was. Oh well. I stole a glance at my watch. 5:28.
"So, we ready?" I asked, rubbing my hands together. I felt so cliché, but oh well.
"Yeah!" they said in chorus. I wouldn't have been able to conduct it better if they had been rehearsing for 8 hours a day for 3 days.
The doorbell rang for a third time. I glanced at my watch again. 5:30:01. DAMN they were on time! I opened the door to greet a uniformed driver, complete with hat and white gloves. Whoa! What service were they using? Celebrity status all the way.
"Mark? Are you ready?"
"Yeah. Hold on a sec, I'm gonna tell my mom I'm leaving."
"Yes, sir. Would you like me to take your bag?" Her eyes moved to the suitcase behind me.
"Sure," I replied, and handed it to her. Lifted it without any apparent effort. Damn. Sarah and Steve gave each other a look over the suitcase, as if to ask the same question. I turned and bolted into the basement. After a brief goodbye and promises to call constantly, my mom and I walked back up. I grabbed my shoes from the mudroom, brought them to the front door, and put them on. A slightly battered pair, but they were comfortable, and I wore them all the time. I had put my sandals and dressy-ish brown shoes in my bag earlier. Finally, at about 5:40, with all the farewells, hugs, and kisses out of the way, we waved goodbye to my mom, and walked to the limo. It was partially hidden from view as we came around the garage. We only saw that it was black, and a Lincoln from the hood ornament. But when we turned the corner, the three of us stopped dead in our tracks, mouths flapping open.
"Oh. My. God." Sarah's face was turning from one of amazement into joy, her lips curling up into a smile.
"It's HUGE!" I exclaimed, while Steve only nodded in dumb amazement. The limo was huge. It had to be at least 20 feet long, if not longer. I was surprised we hadn't seen it earlier, considering how long our driveway was. This wasn't a stretch - it was a SUPER-stretch!
The driver stood by the open door, and motioned us inside. We crowded in, gasping as we entered. The limo was designed for at least 10 people, with a bench along the side and facing backwards. Mood lights were on, highlighting the wood trim and mini bar containing various sodas. The driver shut the door, and walked to the front. We heard the door open, saw her step in, remove her hat, and close the door. Steve moved to the front, rear-facing row, spreading himself out.
"This is so cool!" he exclaimed.
Indeed it was. Sarah and I continued to sit on the main bench near the rear, playing with the various buttons and knobs on the overhead console as we pulled out of my driveway. Radio tuner, CD player, temperature control, lighting control, sunroof, and privacy divider. We ended up putting the divider up and opened the sunroof. Warm air and light flooded the cool, dark interior.
"Let's not," I said, and we closed the sunroof again.
There was a note on the mini-bar. I moved to it and read it out loud.
"Hey guys! Hope you enjoy the show! Have a pre-show drink. It's on the label. See you later! -Lance"
"Well, looks like everything's covered!" said Sarah. "So what does everyone want?" Steve and I gave her our orders, and she popped the cans open.
"What, no glasses and ice?" I joked in mock horror.
"Oh, fine!" She grabbed the glasses out of the holders, and dropped ice into them from the ice bucket.
We relaxed with our drinks, watching suburban Philly fly by, with curious glances at red lights. Highway finally revealed itself, still struggling with late rush-hour traffic. The clock read 5:53. I pushed the intercom button between the passenger section and the driver.
"Yes?"
"Will we have enough time to get to the concert with traffic?" I asked.
"Oh, we're not taking the highway, so we'll bypass the traffic. We'll get there in plenty of time. If not, I'll call ahead and let them know. They'll hold the concert for a few minutes if needed."
"Oh, ok. Thanks!" I clicked it off, and turned back to my companions.
There was a slight pause as the two of them exchanged glances, which didn't pass completely unnoticed by me.
"What?" I asked, annoyed that they were plotting something without me. After all, I was the one with the pass and connections! And besides, they barely remembered each other from the festivals!
Steve turned to me, drew in a breath, and spoke. "Alright Mark, spill it."
"Huh?"
"You know, why you have a suitcase and everything even though the concert's only two hours long," added Sarah.
Oy, here goes, I thought. I drew in a breath and launched into my story. I skipped the meeting Lance part since Sarah was there and Steve had already heard it. I went through our lunch conversation, how he had announced it to me, the pass and everything. By the time I finished, their jaws were on the floor.
"Oh my gosh, you get to tour with Nsync?" Steve screamed. I guess he wasn't as anti-boyband as I thought. Oh wait, he had mentioned that he liked Backstreet Boys. And Sarah had both of BSB's albums, so I knew she wasn't completely against them.
"Yeah, pretty much. As Lance's traveling companion."
"What I don't get is why on earth he would choose someone he barely knows to go with him," remarked Sarah. "I mean, he's already said that he has friends back home, and I know that they usually think of each other as like, brothers."
"I dunno, maybe he just found some sort of connection." I shrugged. I wasn't about to admit to them that I had caught him staring at me on multiple occasions. I wasn't ready to out myself to even my closest friends. Hell, I wasn't even ready to out myself to myself!
We continued the ride making small talk, although I kept getting funny glances from Steve and Sarah. We arrived at the venue at 6:15. Rather quickly, considering everything. The limo pulled up to a side entrance, and I could see swarms of girls crowding the rails, wondering who was inside the limo. Many "I LOVE YOU JC!" and "JUSTIN'S THE BEST!" signs were in the air. I spotted several for Chris and Joey as well, but none for Lance. The poor guy. No wonder he was lonely! He didn't have as big of a following among the fans!
The door opened up, and we stepped outside, directly into a swarm of crew members and security personnel.
"Pass?" rumbled a guard. I meekly drew it from my pocket and showed it to him. He took it and swiped some reader over it. "Alright, go ahead."
I placed the pass around my neck and led the other two in. We had taken but a few steps in when I heard a shout.
"Mark! Over here!"
I looked around and saw Lance in a hallway. The entire area was bathed in a mix of blue and dim white lights. Blue borders. Thank goodness all three of us were used to working in such awful lighting due to our stage work. We walked over to him, where he was getting miked, makeup still fixing things with his hair and face.
"Lance, this is Sarah and Steve," I said, pointing to each in turn. He smiled and waved, and was smacked on the arm by the makeup artist.
"Don't move!" she growled as she continued to powder his face.
"Hey, listen," he said as she worked. "Sarah, Steve, you two can go over to Mel over there in the corner and get passes and head out to the arena. You get super front-row seats. Mark, go over to Kristin over there. We've got a job for you."
I was confused, as were Sarah and Steve, but the look in Lance's eyes were enough to get me going. "It'll be alright," I said as I pushed them in the right direction. I headed over to Kristin.
"Mark, right?" she asked as I neared her.
"Right. What am I-" I started to ask.
"Hold, stand right here, back straight, feet about shoulder's width apart, arms at your sides..." She pulled out a measuring tape and started to measure me, giving me instructions to lift my arm here, bend there. She yelled out a bunch of numbers to some assistants waiting in the back, and they scurried to do her bidding. She finally finished her job and patted me on the back. "Hurry up and go to wardrobe. You've got 20 minutes."
"To do what?" I cried as I stumbled toward waiting hands.
"Oh, you're introducing Nsync and warming up the crowd! Didn't Lance tell you that?"
"No..." I realized that this was the surprise he had been talking about. I was handed shirts, pants, and even shoes, shoved behind a curtain, and told to put them on. They all fit perfectly. Wow she was good! I stepped back out, where Kristin was waiting. She gave a once over, and shook her head.
"Nah. OK, number 28 and 39, 104. Take those off," she said, and I stepped back behind the curtain, stripping everything off. I was barely done when new clothes came flying over the top. "Put those on! Leave your other stuff there!"
I slid them on, everything fitting perfectly again. The pre-show excitement was getting to me. I stepped out again, and this time got a nod from Kristin. "Lookin' good," she remarked. Then she turned and bellowed "MAKEUP!"
Lance walked by, giving me a look. "Not bad! I'll see you later, k? Hafta go do prayer now, and we have yet to get a hackey." With that, he headed off before I could ask what on earth he was talking about. I guess I hadn't done enough research!
Three people rushed up with a cart, mirror, and lights, brandishing brushes and little plastic cases, while a fourth brought a stool. "Stay still, and don't laugh!" commanded a voice. I did as I was told, and I felt a sponge work its way around my face as I was pushed back onto the stool. I usually did my own makeup for shows, but this was fun. Getting waited on like this was something new.
"Look up!" I did as I was told, and I felt the hard point of an eyeliner work its way on my eyes. A brush was dusting itself across my cheek. Blusher, I guess. "Look down!" Yes, ma'am!
A few minutes later and the hands disappeared. Three faces looked at me while I stared at myself in the mirror. I had makeup on? They were good! "Looks good," one said, and the other two mumbled their consent. I heard another rumble behind me and turned just in time to see a cart laden with hair products approach.
"TEN MINUTES!" a voice sounded from somewhere. The pace suddenly seemed to increase greatly, people scurrying about, talking into walkie-talkies and headphones.
"Turn around!" A voice commanded. I did as I was told, and immediately felt hands running through my hair. No sound issued forth from the worker as I felt gel work its way into my hair, followed by a comb. Five minutes later, I heard a spray can and felt mist fall onto the back of my neck. I checked myself in the mirror again. Not bad. It looked the way it does when I'm soaking wet - straight down, separated into little points. "You're done!" I was pushed off the stool, and stumbled into the darkness, trying to adjust to the change in lighting conditions.
"SOUND!" Kristin yelled. I was beginning to think she was my personal assistant, taking care of my pre-show preparations. A microphone was shoved into my hands, and a tech with headset told me to speak into it.
"Test?" I was confused, but did as I was told.
"No, I mean, REALLY speak into it. Scream if you want. The crowd can't hear you." It was true. I could hear the roar of a million voices outside. OK, well, maybe not a million, but a heck of a lot.
I spoke some more, louder and more sure of myself this time. The tech cocked his head, listening to someone, and nodded. "OK, you're good." He stuck a little piece of plastic in my ear and ran the wire under my shirt, clipping something to my waistband. He grabbed my microphone.
"Can you hear this?"
"Yeah, but barely."
He spoke into his headset again, and told me to tell him when I could hear him through the monitor. He spoke constantly, and I heard the volume slide up. I finally found it, and he nodded. He handed the microphone back to me. "He's done," he told Kristin, and walked off.
"OK, now get out there and get that crowd going!" said Kristin as she shoved me toward a curtain. A sign above it said STAGE.
"What am I supposed to do?!" I cried. I was so confused and desperate for help.
"Just go out there, and when the stage manager gives you the signal, introduce Nsync, as a group. Just go out and have fun!"
"TWO MINUTES!"
"Go!" She gave me another push. I stumbled toward the curtain, my stomach churning. I lifted the curtain, looking into the dark corridor that stretched in front of me. I looked back and saw her flash two thumbs up and a smile. I smiled weakly and let the curtain drop behind me, following a small string of lights on the floor.
I met a man at the end of the corridor, and he gave me some last minute instructions, which amounted to "have fun and make some noise." Great advice. The stage manager, he told me, would be just in front of the stage on the floor, where I would be sitting. I heard a "One minute" in my ear, and realized that it was time.
Feeling partly nauseous and partly excited with butterflys the size of Texas in my stomach, I stepped beyond the other curtain into a dark corner. I could see the stage in front of me, lit under blue and white, and beyond that, the crowd. Signs, glow sticks, and other home made attention getters waved in the air wildly.
I thought about Lance and about how much I meant to him and how much he meant to me. I couldn't let him down now, not after all he's done for me. I WOULDN'T let him down. I loved him too much. I took a deep breath and steadied myself. Just before I walked forward into the lighted zone, I heard a voice in my ear.
"Go get 'em Mark!"
Thanks, Lance, I thought. His voice seemed to strengthen me, and I found new energy. I let my performance side kick in, although the butterflys had just called in lady bugs the size of Antarctica. I took another breath, letting myself absorb the energy of the crowd. It was completely and totally spontaneous, contagious, and electrifying. My thoughts were a whirl, wondering what I would say, when the voice said "Showtime."
I felt another hand give my a shove, and I stepped into the lights.