"N.S.--Y.N.--C."
"Hey Belle," Tammy smiled into her phone, making sure to keep her voice low. The others were sleeping in their respective bunks on the bus and Tammy didn't want to wake them up. She turned over in her own bunk, whispering, "No, things aren't any better with the guys."
"You're kidding," Isabella gasped. "It's been two whole weeks! You mean they haven't made up yet?"
"Nope," Tammy replied, thinking back to the morning after the big blow up.
"Mornin', y'all," Lance mumbled as he stumbled into the suite's living room area. "Aspirin," he muttered, rummaging through his knapsack, which had carelessly been left on the couch. He looked up when no one responded to his greeting. "Something wrong?" he asked, his green eyes curious.
Justin looked up at him and went back to his cereal, chewing slowly because of his aching jaw. Chris continued to look at T.V., and JC hadn't even bothered to look up from his newspaper.
"Where're Tammy, Belle, and Yazzy?" Lance asked, making a final attempt at conversation.
"They went home," JC answered curtly. "Atleast, Yaz and Belle did early this morning. Tammy's in the other room." Just then, Tammy entered and sat in a chair next to the window, staring out at Chicago's skyline.
"Why'd they go home?" Lance asked.
JC shrugged, Justin rolled his eyes, and Chris and Tammy ignored him. "What's wrong, guys?" Lance asked, starting to get angry.
Joey walked in and put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "You don't remember, man?"
Lance shook his head. "I was pretty wasted last night."
"No kidding," Justin snorted, glaring at Lance.
Lance laughed uneasily. "What, did I do something embarrassing again last night? If so, I don't remember."
"No," Chris finally spoke up. "Well, yeah. But you didn't only do something embarrassing. You did some things that were just downright rude and stupid."
"Like?" Lance arched a nonchalant brow.
Chris frowned, growing impatient and tired of the scene already. "Like almost molesting a fan in a club. Like ruining our night of fun. Like starting a physical fight with your groupmates. And most of all," he continued, rising to his feet in anger, "like hitting a woman!"
Lance's mouth fell open then he closed it, unable to respond. Instead, Joey did it for him. "Lay off, Chris," he scowled. "Lance didn't know, man. He was drunk, okay?"
"That's always his excuse," Justin jumped in.
"Shut up, Justin," Joey frowned. "Nobody's talkin' to you."
"Well," Chris jumped in, "nobody was talking to you! Lance can fight his own battles."
"You're right," Lance responded softly, "I can." He looked around the room and chewed his bottom lip. "Look, guys," he sighed, "I'm sorry for whatever I did last night. There's no excuse for it, and it shouldn't have happened."
"Damn right it shouldn't have happened," Justin snapped, not yet forgiving his friend.
"Justin!" JC turned to him, shocked.
"What?" Justin replied, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "Don't believe the hype, JC. He says this everytime. He says it so much that I have it memorized."
"Look, Justin," Joey ground out angrily, "cut him some slack. He apologized, okay?"
"That doesn't change anything, Joe," Justin responded, never taking his blue eyes away from Lance's green ones. "What about next time?"
"What about it?" Lance asked, finally speaking up again.
"Next time," Justin growled, "the media could be there and might feel the need to take a photo of 'Innocent Lance' stripping in a club because he's too drunk to know what the hell he's doing! You're outta control, man. Seriously."
"What are you saying, Justin?" Lance asked, a challenging look in his eyes. "That I'm an alcoholic?"
"No," Justin shook his head. "I'm saying that you can't control yourself when you drink, and therefore shouldn't anymore. It's a pretty simple concept, Lansten. Back me up here, JC."
JC looked at Chris and Justin, two of his best friends, paired off against Joey and Lance, his other two best friends. He could honestly see where both parties were coming from, and felt that both sides were right. True, Lance did overreact last night, but JC could see it in Lance's eyes the regret he felt at knowing he was fighting with friends, and knew that Lance would stop drinking. "Um…" he murmured, looking at the floor.
"Don’t tell me you're taking their side," Chris arched a challenging eyebrow.
"No!" JC shook his head.
"So you're on their side?" Joey asked in disbelief.
"No!" JC defended himself. "I'm not on anybody's side!" He looked at Tammy, hoping for some backup, but she just continued to stare out the window, determined not to get into the argument. JC realized that right then he was gonna have to do something drastic, so he did. Looking at his watch he said brightly, "Well! Will ya look at the time! Time for us to go to rehearsals." With that, he got up and hurriedly exited the hotel room.
"Man," Isabella said to Tammy. "I'm glad I got outta there when I did. That's too much drama for me, especially considering we still haven't found Rakshiki."
"I know," Tammy sighed. "I wish I could hurry up and be done with this script. It's taking me way longer than it's supposed to. Under normal circumstance, this script would be done in six weeks tops, and I could go home. Instead, I'm on my third month with these guys."
"Maybe if you weren't leaving so much you'd be done," Joey called from his bunk.
"Shut up, Joey," Chris grumbled. "We are trying to sleep. Our voices need rest. We actually use 'em, ya know?"
"Yeah," Joey replied sarcastically, "nothing excites me more than hearing a thirty-year-old chipmunk."
"Atleast I don't look like an Italian Ronald McDonald," Chris retorted. His voice was like a sharp sword in the dark.
"Would you guys just stop fighting?" JC pleaded from his bunk.
"Shut up, JC!" Justin, Lance, Joey, and Chris said in unison.
"All of you, shut up!" Tammy finally snapped. "And I dare somebody to say somethin' else!"
After a long silence, Justin chuckled, "Goodnight, Tammy."
"Bitch," Tammy replied good-naturedly. On the phone, Isabella was laughing hysterically. "Man," Isabella gasped, "I can't believe it got that bad!"
"Yeah," Tammy responded in Spanish, upon realizing that the guys could hear her every word. "You know who I feel the most sorry for? JC."
"Why?" Isabella asked in Spanish, reverting back to her native language out of habit.
"'Cause all the guys have turned against him," Tammy answered with a sigh. "He refuses to take sides, and is caught right in the middle, so all the guys gang up on him. It's like, Justin and Chris have paired up, Joey and Lance have formed this unbreakable alliance, and JC is left out in the cold." She chuckled bitterly, "They need to change their name to NS-YN-C." She laughed, trying to pronounce the chopped up word. "But you know what the weirdest thing is?" Tammy continued.
"What?" Isabella asked.
"They don't treat me like that, and I'm not taking sides, either."
"Well, maybe it's because you're not in 'NSync, ya know? You're not really one of them, so it hurts them more to know that a fellow bandmate won't take their side."
"I guess," Tammy sighed. "I hope they can get their shit together by tomorrow, though."
"Why?" Isabella asked.
"'Cause," Tammy chuckled ruefully, "they have an interview tomorrow with 'Rolling Stone', and I'd hate for them to get into one of their petty arguments in the middle of it."
The next afternoon, Tammy was watching with amusement at the five guys who were sitting through an interview from a 'Rolling Stone' reporter, looking as if they were happy to be there, but feeling like they would rather be anywhere else.
"So," the reporter asked, "how does it feel having the most successful tour of the new millenium?"
"Great!" Justin answered with a sickeningly sweet smile, purposely cutting off Lance, who forced a plastic smile on his face.
"Oh boy," JC thought. "Here we go again."
"Oh c'mon," the reporter laughed. "Your tour made more money than all of the Backstreet Boys' tours together and all you have to say is that it's 'Great'?"
"It's incredible," Lance grinned. "We are so thankful for this. We've had so many blessings come our way and our fans are just incredible."
"In-credible!" Chris repeated sarcastically, a happy smile on his face to cover up the fact that he was making fun of Lance for constantly using the same word. Lance just sent a sweet smile his way, laughing softly.
"Man, this is scary," the reporter laughed. He turned to Tammy, who was sitting in the corner jotting down notes for her movie. "So, Ms. Movie Writer," he joked, "you've been with these guys for three months and know all the dirt. Do these guys ever get mad at each other?"
Tammy chuckled, sending an evil glance at the boys, who were starting to look a tad bit nervous. "I mean," she lied, "they fight like brothers. Who doesn't? It's not like they're perfect or something." She sent a mischievous smile to the group and continued, "It's funny to see them mad at each other 'cause everyone's used to seeing them so happy-go-lucky that when you see them really mad, you can't help but laugh at them." The boys smiled and laughed nervously.
"So how long do their fights last?" the reporter asked.
Tammy shrugged, and looked pointedly at the guys. "Oh," she replied, "no more than a day or two. They don't stay mad for long, do you guys?"
"Not at all," JC shook his head. His hands were trembling and he ran them through his hair to take the attention away from them.
"Any girlfriends?" the reporter asked nosily.
"You know," Chris grinned, "we are still in the room. Feel free to ask 'NSync a question about 'NSync."
"Not if I want a straight answer," he grinned. He looked at Tammy. "So?"
Tammy laughed. "Everyone knows Chris has a girl," she answered. "As for the rest, from what I've seen they just date around."
"Aww," the reporter wailed. "They got to you too! That was the perfect boyband answer!" The entire group busted up laughing and the reporter went back to asking them questions. Tammy noted how good of a front the guys put up when the reporter paid attention to them, but the second his back was turned, their distaste for their bandmates resurfaced. Eyes would roll, faces would be made, and Lance even went so far as to mouth "Bitch", to Justin when the reporter's back was turned. Justin merely smiled, and when the reporter turned to ask Lance and Joey a question, Justin pantomimed sucking a man's penis, then pointed at Lance. JC just shook his head and looked at the floor, so when the reporter asked him a question, Chris and Justin did the "suck it!" motion to him as Joey and Lance made the "ass kisser" motion. JC gazed at them, sighed, and then smiled softly at the reporter saying, "We plan to do this for a long time, and I think we'll make it, 'cause unlike other groups, we're best friends and brothers. We get along really well and we love each other."
Tammy's heart went out to JC, and she suddenly decided she couldn't take it anymore. She whipped out her cell phone and made a call to Isabella, demanding that she come back out and spend some time with her and JC. "Hell," she said to her friend, "having you around might help to take some of this tension off."
Three hours later, Tammy walked into the living room of the hotel suite. She looked around, not surprised at what she saw. Lance and Joey were on the couch watching T.V. together, trying their hardest to ignore Justin and Chris, who were fooling around in the kitchen. JC was huddled in a corner singing softly to himself, then writing some lyrics onto a pad. "Hey JC," Tammy called, snapping him out of his musical world, "think you might wanna take a break from songwriting long enough to go pick up Isabella with me?"
"Sure," JC smiled, getting to his feet. As he and Tammy walked out of the room together, Lance and Chris flicked him off and Joey and Justin both said together, "Ass kissing goody-goody", then glared at each other.
"Man," JC sighed, "the days are gettin' longer and longer."
"You ain't kiddin', boy," Tammy drawled. She turned to JC and said gently, "I'm sure it'll be over soon. Right now, they don't even remember what they're fighting about."
JC chuckled sadly, his blue eyes thoughtful. "Yeah," he mused. "It can't last too long, ya know?"
The two got in a cab and rode to the airport of Detroit. After sitting in one of the uncomfortable airport seats, Tammy looked at her watch. "Still five more minutes until her plane arrives," Tammy announced. JC just nodded, still in thought. "You know," Tammy said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I see how they leave you out… and take out a lot of their anger on you 'cause you choose to stay neutral."
"You do?" JC asked, looking at her.
"Yeah," Tammy nodded, "and I just wanna say that I'm proud of you. You did the right thing tryin' to stay outta that, and I respect you more for it."
"Thanks, T," JC said, giving her a real smile for the first time in a long time, "that means a lot to me." Suddenly, Isabella's flight was called and the two walked to the gate Isabella would be coming in from. Imagine Tammy's surprise when she saw not one, but two people come through the door. "Yasmine!" Tammy screamed as she and JC rushed forward to give them hugs. "I didn't know you'd be coming too!"
"That's where the whole concept of surprise stems from," Yasmine replied with a grin. "Let's go!"
They got the girls' bags and hopped back into a cab. After dropping off their stuff off in the hotel rooms Isabella reserved before arriving, JC asked hesitantly, "You guys really wanna stay in the hotel today?"
The girls looked at JC, understanding what he was really saying. He didn't want to be around his groupmates anymore than he had to. "Nah," Isabella said, with a grin and a wink, "I wanna see some-a this motor city. Hows about y'all?"
"I agree," Yasmine nodded. "I wanna see where Kid Rock and Eminem grew up."
Tammy rolled her eyes. "How we gonna know which trailer park to go to?" Her remark caused the group to bust up laughing.
"You guys sure you won't feel weird hangin' out wit' just one guy tonight?" JC asked, still uncertain.
"Of course not!" Tammy hip bumped him in a friendly manner. "Tonight," she announced, "you're gonna be our pimp daddy and we're gonna be your hoes." Yasmine and Isabella immediately fell out laughing again as Tammy looked JC up and down. "Now," she continued, "you don't really have the persona of a pimp yet, so I want you to do this for me. Grab your crotch," she instructed with a straight face, "and say, 'Where my bitches? Where my hoes at?'."
Isabella and Yasmine continued to laugh hysterically as JC softly grabbed his crotch, and blushing said softly, "Where're my bitches?"
"No!" Tammy yelled. "You don't say 'Where are', you just say 'Where'. A true pimp daddy is too sweet to use proper grammar. And say it in that high, pimp voice. Get the pimp attitude, JC!"
"Okay," JC nodded, determined to get it. He grabbed his crotch with more force and said in a high voice, "Where my bitches? Where my hoes?"
"Right here, daddy!" the girls chorused, laughing so hard tears were streaming down their cheeks.
"I didn't hear y'all the first time," JC grinned. "I said…" At that, he looked at the girls with a gleeful look in his eyes and started to sing soulfully in his strong tenor, "Where my bitches? Where my hoes at?" All four of them started to laugh even harder.
"Whatta group," Tammy rolled her eyes. "Let's go, y'all."
"Wait," JC asked as the left out of Isabella's hotel room, "do you think it was a smart idea to leave the others alone?"
"Who cares?" Isabella shrugged.
"I care," JC replied softly.
"They'll be alright," Tammy reassured him as she threw and arm around his shoulders. "Let's just go enjoy the Motor City."
The next day was a tense-filled one. All the boys of 'NSync were on the bus along with Yasmine, Isabella, and Tammy, who were really fed up with the fight. "Where are the guys?" Yasmine asked from the couch. She and the other girls were lounged in the front of the bus and the other guys were nowhere in sight.
Tammy responded, "JC, Lance, and Joey are in their bunks, Justin and Chris are playin' video games."
"I'll be so glad when they make up," Isabella rolled her eyes. "The tension is so thick you can cut it with Tammy's sword." She was of course making a reference to the sword Tammy had saved from the fight with Gentro, which had found a special place in her heart.
"Well," Tammy sighed, "I'm glad we're not like that. If we have a fight, we don't walk away without settling that shit right then and there."
"Hell," Isabella snorted, laying back on the couch against Tammy's shoulder, "we can't afford to be pissed at each other for a long time. Together we stand, divided the whole world falls."
"I really love you guys," Yasmine smiled with nostalgia.
"Aww," Tammy and Isabella cooed, getting up and enveloping her into a hug. "You guys suck," Yasmine laughed.
"You know what this is?" Isabella grinned at Tammy.
"What?" she asked suspiciously.
"It's one of those sappy ass, time for us to sing moments," Isabella answered with a laugh.
"No way," Yasmine shook her head with a smile.
"Why not?" Tammy shrugged. "We ain't got shit else to do. 'Cept bother the guys, and they're depressing as hell right now."
"Yeah," Isabella nodded, "we haven't really sang together since we sang 'Together Again' for the boys."
"But Michelle and Serena aren't here," Yasmine whined. "We won't have a five-part harmony and it'll sound weird."
"So?" Tammy shrugged again. "If it comes from the heart, then that's what music's all about."
From his bunk, Lance heard Isabella begin to sing in her soulful voice, "You'll never know what you've done for me. What your faith in me has done for my soul. And you'll never know the gift you've given me, I'll carry it with me. Yeah…"
Tammy clear, alto voice carried throughout the entire bus. "'Cause through the days ahead, I'll think of days before. You made me hope for something better, and made me reach for something more."
By the time the girls came together and harmonized on the chorus, Joey, Lance, and JC had stuck their heads outside their bunks to look at them, and Justin and Chris huddled at the door of the back lounge to watch them.
Yasmine smiled at her friends and sang to them, "You were the one always on my side…" and Isabella immediately jumped in and echoed her lyrics. The guys couldn't believe it. They looked so radiant just sitting there singing together, arms wrapped around each other, totally engrossed in the song.
By the bridge, Joey, Lance, and JC had climbed out of their beds and were huddled with Justin and Chris at the opening of the lounge/kitchen watching the three young women. As they hit the long note at the end of the bridge, the guys all looked at each other soberly, remembering how great it felt when they all sang together. Chris and Joey looked at the floor as JC and Lance looked each other in the eye, then at Justin.
Meanwhile, Yasmine, Tammy, and Isabella were on their feet now just belting their hearts out, completely oblivious to anything except each other, the sound of their voices blending together, and the undying love and comraderie they felt towards each other.
Watching them sing suddenly caused Justin do the unthinkable. He turned to JC and gave him a big hug. "I'm sorry, man," he whispered in his ear. He turned to Lance and hugged him next, who hugged him back. They both exchanged apologies as Joey and JC hugged, then JC and Chris, then Chris and Joey.
The girls by that time had finished singing and looked at the guys who were all wrapped in a group hug. "Well, whaddya know," Yasmine mused with a tiny smile on her face, "we're not just the saviors of the child, we're also the saviors of good music everywhere. Go figure."