"Anne, this is getting out of hand, I want out…"
"Lance NO! We almost have her! She's slowing and surely giving up hope! Just a little bit more time! The tour will surely do it for her. I can see it now…"
Lance sighed, getting annoyed with her mind games. "I don't like being like this. I'm NOT a mean person. I'm sure you can handle this all on your own…"
"Lance…please…don't give up on me. I need your help." Lance leaned against his couch and twirled the phone cord around his finger. "Lance? Are you still there?"
"Yeah…but I have to go Anne…"
"OK…I love you Lance."
"Yeah…bye."
Lance hung up the phone and walked into his bedroom. He just needed some sleep. He wanted this nightmare to end. With Anne in the way, he knew that it wouldn't come to any conclusions until her tasks were completed. Why did he decide to do this?
'She's such a evil person Lance, she's turning you into one too.' Lance pulled the covers over him and laid on his side comfortably. His eyelids closing, drifting off to some needed sleep.
(Three days later)
"No one told me packing to go on tour for just two weeks was going to be such a hassle!" Ryan's chest moved up and down, like she was hyperventilating.
In just three days she would be on her way to Mississippi to start off *N SYNC's world tour.
"Calm down Ryan!"
Ryan shot her head to the direction of the voice, her hair flinging over her neck.
"I wish you were coming a long Kylie…I'm not going to have any fun. It's going to be all work and no play." Ryan giggled. "I sound like an info commercial."
Kylie laughed slightly to herself and got up from the couch, walking over to Ryan. "Its OK! You're packing like your going to be their forever. Just pack a week worth of clothes and wear them again. It saves space...What's wrong?" Kylie asked, the look on
Ryan's face worried her. Ryan looked like she was in a whole different world. She was zoned out to be more accurate. Ryan cleared her mind of her thoughts and turned to Kylie.
"Nothings wrong…I was just thinking…"
"You don't seem to be very happy to go…I don't blame you."
Ryan sighed and let her self fall onto her bed. Her body hung loosely and relaxed on the mattress. She turned her face to look at Kylie.
"I would enjoy this so much more if I could solve my Lance ordeal…yea know?"
Kylie nodded knowingly.
"I think I can be of some help…" Ryan looked at Kylie with a questioned looked. Kylie smiled and continued to explain. "I can dig some stuff up on what Anne is doing…Her and I have a friendship…and she's not good with keeping gossip from me…"
Ryan smiled for the first time in days. She nodded agreeing with Kylie. "I just hope that it will work!" "Oh, it will…it will."
(The next day)
"Chris, pick a card, any card!" Justin smiled innocently as Chris looked at him awkwardly on the couch.
"Why do you even try? You suck at magic!"
Justin rolled his eyes and put his cards away. JC strolled in the studio room and looked at the people that surrounded him.
He shook his head at the sight. "You guys, we leave in two days and all you guys can do is sit there and RELAX?"
Lance shook his head and walked over to JC. "A little nervous are we?"
"No…no…not at all."
"Chop chop fellas! We have some things that we need to cover and get down by the end of the day. This is the last day to do so," Darren, *N SYNC's choreographer said strolling into the studio.
"Last day? But we don't leave for two days…" Joey said standing up from the floor.
"Mr. Wright decided to let you guys have a break before we leave. Just so you guys can rest up…sound good to you JC?" JC looked up at the call of his name.
"Oh…yeah…at least the rest part does."
"Typical JC…just typical!" Chris said smiling at his sarcasm.
"What can I say? I'm just a plain Jane kinda guy."
"Ryan?" Johnny called, poking his head through Ryan's office door, searching for her. Ryan looked up at Johnny and smiled warmly.
"Please…come in."
"Are you busy? Cause if you are- -"
"No! Please, have a seat." Johnny nodded his head and sat comfortably across from Ryan.
"How are you doing with packing?" Ryan recapped the busy visual in her head and looked back at Johnny.
"It's going good. I had some help from Kylie."
"Ah, yes. She can be quite helpful at times…Ryan?" Johnny was looking down at his hand, and sighed nervously before he continued. "Is there something going on with you that I should know about?"
Ryan stared at him blankly. She didn't quite understand what he was trying to get at.
"What do you mean?" Ryan placed both of her elbows on the edge of her desk and hands on her head to support her self, trying to fully concentrate on what Mr. Wright had to say.
"I've been hearing some stuff involving you and Joey…We've been through this discussion about you dating one of the guys and- -"
"Whoa! Wait a minute! Whom may I ask told you this?"
"I'm not a liberty to say…Ryan is it- -"
"NO! No, it's not true! Who ever told you this is making it up and spreading a rumor. I'm having NO relationships with any of the guys. The only relationship I'm having with them is a business one."
Johnny nodded at each statement she listed. "I believe you Ryan. I'm just making sure. You understand, don't you?"
Ryan sighed, relieving some of her frustration. "Yes…I just want the person who told you this to get their facts straight."
Johnny nodded once again, not knowing what to say, He rubbed his arm nervously as he thought of something to say.
"Mr. Wright…I know this isn't good of me to just assume things…but was it Anne that told you this? And please…tell me the truth."
Johnny looked around the room, searching for anything to keep him from looking at Ryan. His eyes,unwillingly landed on Ryan's.
"Yes…" he said, practically in a whisper.
Ryan closed her eyes tightly and rubbed her temples. A gentle knock sounded throughout the silent office. Ryan opened her tired eyes and summoned for the person to enter. The door opened slightly. A smile formed on Ryan's lips when she saw Kylie.
"OH! I'm sorry…Am I interrupting some- -"
"No, I was just leaving…I'm sorry Ryan," Johnny pushed back the stair and stood up.
"Thank you for everything Mr. Wright."
He smiled warmly and opened his mouth to speak. "Be expecting a call from me soon. Oh, by the way...no need to come in tomorrow, rest up." Johnny bowed a little and walked to the doorway and let himself out. Ryan sighed and moved her eyes to Kylie.
"What was THAT all about?" Kylie asked rushing to the desk Ryan was sitting at.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. The evil witch is at it again."
"Hold up girl! We don't even know if Anne's apart of this conspiracy."
Ryan sighed and leaned back in her chair comfortably. "She told Johnny that I was seeing Joey."
Kylie formed an ear to ear smile on her full of life face, but it was lost seconds later when she busted out in laughter.
Ryan crossed her arms across her chest and stared at Kylie with amusement. "I don't see what's funny about this Miss Van Holton."
"I DO!" she managed to get out between giggles. Ryan rolled her eyes playfully and repositioned her self in her chair.
"Seriously Kylie…what does Anne want with me?" Kylie finally calmed down when she saw the seriousness on Ryan's face.
"Don't go to conclusions just yet Ryan. We don't know if she's the villain yet."
Ryan knew that she was right, but with this new evidence with Anne assuming the whole Joey thing made her wonder. Ryan definitely wasn't eliminating Anne from the list.
"Hello? Ryan?" Ryan snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Kylie sweetly.
"Hungry? Its lunch time…"
Ryan smiled and patted her stomach. "Yea, lets go!"
(Later that night)
Ryan walked through a park on her way home from work. She stopped at the site of a daisy blooming. She smiled at the flower and kept walking. The clouds started to turn gray and gloomy, reducing the amount of sunlight.
Ryan quickened her pace so she could get home before it started to rain. Ryan made her way out of the park. She picked up the pace more as the sight of rain droplets falling from above came into view. Ryan turned a sharp corner that led her to her condo and ran into someone.
"Anne!" Ryan gasped.
"Hello Ryan…" she said in a low, deep tone. "Watch your back Ryan. You should have never of came here. Look at all the pain your causing yourself."
Ryan looked at her surroundings, the whole atmosphere turned black. "You took them away from me, I'm gonna take EVERYTHING from you."
All of sudden, Joey, JC, Chris, Lance and Justin appeared from behind Anne.
They all had evil grins plastered on their faces. "I'd leave before its too late Ryan…" They all huddled around Ryan in a circle, giving her no escape.
They got closer and closer to her. Yelling things like, "Leave" "Go back where you came from!" "We don't need you here!" and "You don't belong here!" "Your gonna get hurt Ryan."
Anne pointed a blurry object right at Ryan, and everyone started to laugh bitterly at her. Ryan's eyes shot opened, revealing her dark, cluttered room.
She sighed with relief when she realized that it was all just a stupid dream. It was bad enough having to deal with this day after day. Now it was haunting her in her dreams. There was no escape to this. Ryan was really starting to get sick of all this.
She leaned over and looked at the clock. It was 5:26 AM. She didn't have to be at work, and she needed the sleep. Ryan needed store as much energy as possible for this trip. She was going to need it.
