****
Chris walked happily to the “hair and makeup” room, whistling and bopping his head. As soon as he opened the door though, his entire stance drooped. Joey was busy fiddling with the boom box while JC had his hair done. Justin and Lance sat on the couch, both openly glaring at Bobbie. She stood against a wall, chewing gum and examining her nails. She wore black ankle boots, skintight tiger print pants, a black tank top that was tied in the back, and dark sunglasses.
“Goddamn, what is that smell? Oh, hey Bobbie.” Chris said loudly as he walked in the door. He avoided JC’s eyes, in case he got one of “those looks,” but everybody else was trying very hard not to laugh.
“Hello Christopher.” Bobbie said.
“Uh oh, my full name.” Chris said, wiggling down between Justin and Lance.
“Yeah, you best be careful Chris.” Justin added in a warning tone.
“I know.” Chris whispered back. “But it’s just the glare from all the sunlight in here…. It makes me disoriented.” The three on the couch cracked up laughing and Bobbie just huffed.
“Yeah, you’re just so funny.”
“How about some music?” JC asked loudly. He didn’t feel like dealing with Bobbie’s attitude today. Joey popped a cd in and cranked the volume before taking JC’s place in Sophie’s chair. The Vengaboys’ music filled the small room and its occupants began to groove. With the exception of one.
“Ugh, can you please turn that shit off? God, I feel like I’m back in L.A.”
“Too bad you’re not.” Justin mumbled and continued to shake his moneymaker.
“Joey Beautiful, could you turn it down a bit?” Sophie said softly in his ear before he exited her chair. He turned to her with a pleading look but she smiled at him. “For me? Please?” She moved to stand in front of him and stuck out her lower lip. He took a long survey of her body; bare feet, long legs, jean shorts, stripe of belly, white ringer t-shirt with light green at the neck and arms, expressive hands folded in a pleading way over her heart, teardrop necklace, and soft, young face.
“Aww, I can’t resist that.” He quickly turned the volume knob down and then grabbed Sophie’s face and spun her around to face the other guys. Squishing her cheeks lightly between his thumb and forefinger, Joey grinned; Sophie looked like she was making a permanent kissy face. “How could anybody resist this?” He asked the other guys who began to crack up at how pathetic she looked. Even Sophie began to shake with giggling.
“Whoo purn ti bit?” Sophie asked looking at Joey out of the corner of her eye, wondering when he would release her.
“What was that Sophie, my love?” He asked, making a face at her. She narrowed her eyes and smacked his hand away from her face.
“I said, whose turn is it. You big goofball.” She said laughing at him. “Go sit down and try not to cause any trouble.”
“OK!” He exclaimed gleefully and skipped over to the couch where Justin narrowly escaped being sat on.
“We don’t have an after party tonight, do we?” Justin asked as he took his place and let Sophie work her magic on his curls.
“Nope, we’re going right to the hotel because we’ve got a really early interview in the morning and then the flight’s at one.” Lance said, not missing a beat. Joey and Chris, who were still dancing even as they sat, just shook their heads and giggled at Lance’s unending knowledge of their schedules. JC smiled warmly and did his best not to think about the plane ride where sleep would be his only means of avoiding Bobbie. “Not that I have any objections to sleep.” He thought to himself, before giggling.
“I wonder how long it is from the hotel to the airport. I wanna sleep as much as possible. I love Jon, but the kid keeps me up.”
“It’s only about fifteen minutes to the airport from the Hilton Sugar.” Sophie said absently as she concentrated on his head.
“Who told you that?” He asked.
“Nobody, I’ve been here before.”
“You have? I thought you told my dad you’d never been around these parts.”
“Well, I hadn’t ever been to Memphis.”
“But you’ve been in Nashville before?”
“Yeah, a few years back. I stopped here before I went to Lexington.” “Why’d you go to Lexington?” Justin asked, wrinkling his nose. No good Tennessee native could see the sense in Kentucky. “Brybie’s family lives there.” Sophie studied Justin’s head for a long moment and decided something wasn’t right.
“Brybie?”
“Oh, sorry. Brian Littrell.” Sophie corrected herself. Justin jumped like he’d been pricked with something.
“You were there with Brian Littrell?” He asked, glancing at the others to see if they were listening; but they weren’t. Sophie sighed and pushed him back into the chair.
“I was on holiday and instead of sending me to the Hamptons, my father sent me to be with Brybie.”
“For what?”
“He’d had just broken up with his girlfriend and needed a date for some family thing.”
“So, did you guys end up dating or something?”
“What is this fascination you have with me dating Sugar?” Sophie laughed. She knelt beside the chair. “He actually met Lee-ken, um, Leighanne at another party not long after that and then she was in that video they did, and they just clicked. I was just there so he had somebody to walk in with and to keep him from breaking down and getting back with his old girlfriend.”
“So you’re not friends with them?”
“Them being who?”
“The Backstreet Boys.”
“Well, I’ve got a standing invite to the wedding, whenever it happens, but I don’t plan on going. I don’t really know anybody but Brybie.”
“Oh.”
“Is that satisfactory?” She asked with a sly smile.
“Yeah, I mean, I just….”
“Liked the idea of being my first boyband experience?” Now she laughed out loud and stood up, pulling him up with her. “Don’t worry Sugar. No matter what, I still love you best.” She kissed his cheek and called for Chris to get his hair done.
“Ya know Sofa-girl,” Chris said, looking at his watch. “You’re slackin today. I mean, if this behavior keeps up, we’ll have to let you go.” Sophie was about to say something smart back to him, but Bobbie cut in.
“Like you could fire her. I bet her daddy wouldn’t like that too much.”
“Go to hell Bobbie.” Justin said, he lunged at her, but Joey caught him.
“That would imply that she wouldn’t already be at home there J. And we all know that ain’t true.” Chris quipped before JC grabbed Bobbie’s hand and dragged her out of the room. Chris was hissing at her as she passed. “Succubus.”
“What the hell was that?” JC asked angrily when the door shut.
“Oh come on Joshie. It’s true.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. That was way out of line.”
“So? I’m sick of watching all of you fall all over yourselves over her. It’s sickening.”
“What are you talking about?” JC rubbed his temples; his anger was turning into frustration very quickly.
“Joey and Justin can’t keep their hands off her. Chris is more defensive about her than he is about his damn dogs. And even you! She’s a big girl Joshie, if she doesn’t like me she can fight her own battles. I’m ready for it. What’s so special about her anyway?” “You really want to know?” JC asked, turning to face Bobbie. His tone was soft.
“Yes, I really want to know.”
“She treats us with kindness, comforts us when we’re upset, she makes us feel at home no matter where we actually are, and asks nothing in return.” “Please, that bitch has you eating out of her hand.” Bobbie scoffed.
“Right statement, wrong person. Go sit in the VIP section and wait for the show to start.” JC stared at the floor and pointed down the hallway.
“What are you….”
“GO!” It was the first time he’d really raised his voice to her and for once she didn’t talk back. She just turned and went, and JC didn’t watch her go.