CHAPTER 11
(Transcon Studios/10:45am)
Kaitlyn decided to drive to Transcon instead of riding along with Chris and Justin.
(KAITLYN)
*Knowing those two, I'd probably be dead by now if I did ride with
them*
She must've been late because the whole parking lot was filled. But there were a lot of people going on tour with them though. Kaitlyn couldn't find a parking space so she decided to make her own by the sidewalk entrance. When she got out of her she was startled by Justin and Chris standing by the back of her car.
"Couldn't find a parking space sweetness?" Justin said laughing.
"Funny, I know how to park correctly at least." She said eyeing Justin's car that was parked in two spaces diagnolly.
"Haha! You got moated!" Chris joked.
"Oh shut up! Let's get going already." Justin said walking to the front doors.
Diane was suppose to be on tour with the group so she was in the conference room helping Lou set up. So Emily was at the front desk.
"Hey Emily, is JC, Lance and Joey here yet?" Chris asked.
"JC'S HERE? WHERE?" Emily asked excitedly.
The three of them looked at each other and back at Emily who still looked excited to find JC.
(KAITLYN)
*I hope JC has pepper spray when he's around this girl!! There's
something wrong with this girl. Odd that Lou's so sane and his own
niece isn't.*
"No Emily, we were wondering if they were here yet." Chris said as clearly as he could to her.
"Oh, I haven't seen them, but say happy early birthday to JC for me. I won't be on tour with you guys." She slumped in her chair.
(CHRIS)
*Thank god she's not coming on tour with us. And I thought I was
crazy!*
The three of them went down the hallway on their way to the conference room when she heard a whisper coming from one of the doors.
"Kaitlyn! Psst...over here!" The voice said calling her over.
"Who's there?" She was beginning to get scared.
"It's me JC, in the closet! Help me out!"
Kaitlyn opened the door to the janitor's closet and JC immediately closed it back to a crack.
"Lord, JC! What are you doing in there!"
"Kaitlyn, help me. Is Emily anywhere around?" JC said as quietly as he could.
"No she's..." Kaitlyn pushed the door into JC's face and she herself could feel his face bang against the door. "Sorry." She said in a low whisper.
"Kaitlyn, what are you doing?" Emily said looking at her curious.
"Who? Me? Oh, I'm just looking for the bathroom." Kaitlyn said as convincingly as she could.
"Oh, well it's the third door to the left. This is the closet." She said reaching for the door. Kaitlyn grabbed her hand from the knob and patted it nicely.
"Could you show me there? I don't want to get lost again."
"Okay." Emily said shrugging her shoulders.
Emily took her to the bathroom and then Kaitlyn watched Emily head back to the desk and made it for the closet. She opened the door to see JC still rubbing his nose.
"OH SHOOT!" She heard Emily scream.
Kaitlyn looked at JC and jammed the door back into his face, "sorry, again!"
"Kaitlyn, I thought you were in the bathroom." Emily looked at her curiously to why she was back at the closet.
"I did go. I just needed to wash my hands, that's all."
"But your hands are totally dry." Emily said looking at her.
(KAITLYN)
*Think Kaitlyn, think!*
"Well, I was about to when I looked at my watch to see that I needed to get going to the meeting."
"Oh well. Do you need help getting there?"
"Oh, no, I'm fine."
"Well, could you excuse me, I need to get the mop. I've been so clumsy. I spilled my tea."
"Oh well, here, let me get it for you." Kaitlyn said as she tried to stop her.
"It's alright, you need to get to that meeting anyways." She said opening the door. Kaitlyn closed her eyes and waited for Emily to start screaming over seeing JC. But when she opened her eyes to see, she saw Emily take the mop that covered JC. Luckily, Emily didn't see JC since she was distracted by Kaitlyn twitching her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Emily said closing the door.
"Me? Yeah,I just had something in my eye," she said, then looked at her watch,"oh would you look at the time. I better get going. Bye." Emily walked back to the front desk and went also to make sure she was busy. Kaitlyn opened the door to see JC rubbing his nose still.
"I'm so sorry JC. She kept coming back."
"No that's alright. Remind me to sue her one of these days for nose endangerment!" He said in pain.
"I'm sorry, here, let me take a look at it." She said looking at his nose. "Well, it's not broken."
"Good! Kaitlyn we should get to the meeting." He said walking.
"So when is your birthday?" Kaitlyn asked with a sly smirk.
"Let me guess, Emily?" he kind of said irritated.
"Why? You don't like celebrating your birthday?"
"Well, it's not that I don't want to, it's just I'm kind of sad that I don't get to spend it with my family this year. You know, since we're going to be touring and all." He said quiet upset.
Kaitlyn saw how much JC's family meant to him. Her own didn't, but she did love her younger sister Jennifer and younger brother Cody. But, she really wouldn't mind being without her two older sisters, Shannon and Misty. They did nothing but cause her humiliation.
"Look JC, I know how you feel, I hate having to be away from my little sister Jennifer. She still lives with my folks down in Key West. But I feel close to her, knowing that she thinks of me like I think of her." Kaitlyn said kindly.
JC gave her a hug and then opened the door to the conference room. The meeting hadn't started yet, but they were there just in time. Justin had been saving a seat for the both of them. Chris and Joey were sitting all the way at the end of the row while Lance sat with another guy who looked very familiar to her.
"So what took you two so long? I thought you were right behind me and Chris." Justin said in a low whisper.
"We had a problem with Emily." The way JC said it sounded funny.
"What? You hurt your nose man?" Justin asked confused by what JC was trying to say.
"Problems with Emily, is what he said." Kaitlyn cleared it all up.
"Whatever man."Justin shrugged.
Lou came up to the little microphone and began:
"Well gang, we're here. And first off, I would like to thank god for that. But also, to five worthy guys who have graced us all with their voices, looks, and heaven forbid, large egos. But with this tour, who knows they might just develop a vanity complex. But on a serious note, you will be handed a copy of the list of travel arrangements. Whether it is a car, truck or bus, all are final. You will also get a packet of information to our tour schedule, hotel arrangements, daily scheduling, people on tour, numbers that are available of those on tour and numbers of any people left here in the office. Diane passed out each packet to each person. Everyone was eager to find out where they would be on the road. Of course the five of them were together on bus 4 while Kaitlyn was on bus 1.
"How come Kaitlyn on a different bus Diane?" Lance asked.
"Well, her and me have to get there before you guys so that's why we're on the first bus."
"Who else is on that bus?" Kaitlyn asked.
"Besides you and me, Gwen, the set designer and Jeanie. She's the wardrobe designer." Diane said. She finished her conversation with them and walked off to pass out the rest of the packets.
"Alright people, now that you know where you will be on the tour, everyone must be here by six tomorrow! Have fun packing!" With that, Lou stepped off the podium and exited the room.
Joey came over to the group with the same guy Lance had been sitting with. "Hey Kaitlyn, this is my older brother Steve."
"Nice to finally meet you Kaitlyn." Steve said shaking her hand."Joey has told me so much about you."
Kaitlyn eyed Joey thinking of possible things Joey could of told his brother, "uh-oh. Good things I hope!"
"Oh don't worry, he took the blame for all those things that happened."
"REALLY? Well, Joey, how did your brother turn out so sweet and you so....." Kaitlyn couldn't find the word so Steve finished her sentence for her.
"HORMONAL?"
"Exactly."
"I don't know, I'm just me!" Joey joked.
"Well, we better get going. I have to pack." Steve said.
"You know what? So do I. See you guys." Kaitlyn called back.
As she walked out,Kaitlyn came up to her with a rather beautiful and sweet looking lady next to him.
"Kaitlyn, I want you to meet my mom." Justin said in a boyish tone.
"Nice to meet you Kaitlyn,Justin talks about you day and night."
"Thank you." Kaitlyn said feeling her cheeks get hot.
"Call me Lynn dear." She said sweetly.
" Lynn. Well, I hate to rush our little introduction but I really have to get home and make a phone call. It was nice to meet you. See you tomorrow Justin."
"Sweet girl Justin. She's very nice." His mother complimented her as she waved from her car door.
"Yeah I know." Justin smiled and waved back at her.
____________________________________________________
(Kaitlyn apartment)
Kaitlyn got home quickly since talking about Jennifer and Cody to JC made her realize that she hadn't even told her parents. She put her bag down on the kitchen counter and pressed the play back button on her answering machine.
"Message one: Kaitlyn it's me Emily. Well, you are still in the meeting but Lou wanted me to remind everyone to be at Transcon by six. Bye."
"Message two: Hey Kaitlyn, it's me Joey. Sorry about yesterday and all. No hard feelings right? Okay...sweet dreams, if you know what I mean!"
(Kaitlyn)
*Joey, Joey, Joey....such a flirt!*
"Message three: Kaitlyn it's me Cheyanne. Just checking up to see how things are. Call me before you leave."
"Message four: Kaitlyn, it's Misty, mom wants you to give her a call. Not like you do unless your told anyways."
Kaitlyn picked up the phone and dialed her parents number.
"Hello?" Kaitlyn could tell it was Misty.
"Misty? It's Kait."
"Oh, hi. Mom is worried over you not calling for a week now. Are you that conceited? Can't you stop thinking of yourself and think of your mom for once?"
"Whatever Misty. I'm not being conceited, I'm being a person, I was planning on calling today anyways. How about you and Shannon, you never seem to be out of the house anyways. Or actually, Shannon still with Mitch? That low life bouncer? Your twenty-six Misty! Get a life!"
"You know what? I don't have to take these insults, especially from my little sister. And for your information, I got a job."
"As what?" She started to laugh.
"A manager at Borders."
"Big woop! I called to talk to mom, so take your-job-loosing-selfish-little-high-school-drop-out hands off the phone!"
"Alright little miss sunshine!"
"Kaitlyn darling?"
"Hello mom. How are you?"
"Fine sweetie. How's your job?"
"Well, that's what I called for."
"Yes..."
"Well, I know i should of told you and dad sooner but I'm going on tour with a band."
"KAITLYN! Your going on tour with a band and you don't give us notice or ask us what we feel about all of it?"
"Mom, I don't need your permission if that's what your implying. I'm twenty years old mom. Stop treating me like a baby, you and dad and Shannon and Misty have always treated me, Cody and Jennifer as if we're outsiders......" the conversation trailed off into more arguing. Kaitlyn talked to Misty, her mom and dad. They were not the bit pleased, but she didn't care. They never supported her and never showed her respect.
The phone call lasted two hours until her mom and dad both agreed that it was her life and that she would at least try to call them once a week. By the time she got off the phone she was in tears. The phone rang again and at first she didn't want to pick it up, but she did.
"Hello?"
"Hey sweetness, what's wrong?" Justin said concerned.
"Justin. Just the voice I needed to hear....."
* * * * *