Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2001 19:01:28 -0400 From: J. B. <DownLikeAStone@msn.com> Subject: When It's Over - Part 2 DISCLAIMER: This is story is a work of fiction and in no way is meant to apply anything about the sexuality of Lance Bass or any other celebrities in the story. I don't know them and don't know any one that does. Also, if you are not of legal age in your area to read stories of this theme, or do not enjoy/are offended by stories that contain gay relationships/ sex, then please find something else to read. The author takes no responsibility for any one who reads this. When It's Over - Part 2 Lance had left soon after that comment. Jody hadn't taken it well. As a matter of fact he had become down right rude after that last comment, and soon found himself being shown to the door and it being closed in his face. A was several months later, at the MTV video music awards when Lance saw Jody again. Both bands had been on tour and neither of them had any reason to call or contact each other for any reason. Now Lance was pacing nervously around backstage waiting for their performance. He had casually come out to his family on a small break in the tour a few nights ago. Much to his surprise, when the words came out of his mouth, most of his family simply left the dinner table and walked away. Once again he found himself leaving without having meant to upset anyone. He had tried to talk to his family, while he was home and through several phone calls since then. But no one was ever home, he always got a machine. His tension had been taken out in rehearsals and in the gym, the guys had noticed but wrote it off as him having a bad day. For some reason, he now understood Jody's performance months earlier, all the tension he seemed to throw at the audience. But, Lance had placed his foot in his mouth that day in the hotel room before he managed to ask Jody about the performance. Now he found himself idly wondering what kind of surpass the members of Should've Known would throw their way tonight. He had seen on MTV that Jody's performances had become increasing violent, at times even screaming directly at fans. This tour and those performances were winning them legions of fans that could relate to the tension and pain in Jody, and some how they found it to be a catharsis. Jody was lazily sipping on a bottle of beer back stage when the rest of the guys walked into their dressing room. They all seemed to barely notice Jody, or if they did, they pretended not to. The distance between him and the band had grown over the past months. Feeding him the anger and resentment that he needed to drive him through those sets, singing and screaming until he was physically and emotionally drained every night. But at least he could sleep afterwards, and he could look at himself in the mirror some mornings. Brad finally broke the silence. "And what does our INFAMOUS front man have in store for us tonight?" Brad asked, he seemed to be joking, but Jody was still rather short with him. "I was thinking something fun." He stated simply giving brad a very devilish look. "And that would be what?" Jeremy chimed in, a bit curious what was up his sleeve. "A Place for My Head." Jody said and got up to get another beer. "Linkin Park? When did we get trendy?" Jeremy asked, a little shocked at Jody's choice. "Not trendy, we will do a version of it, maybe a little more upbeat than the original." Jody smirked as he said this, the band knew the song quite well and wanted to play it. "Right. So you can go yell at and insult the fans and management that got us here." Brad said, somewhat annoyed at Jody. "In case you didn't notice, our sales have been up, both album and ticket sales. So, I will continue to do what I want, and if you don't like it, I can find another band." Jody stated simply. There was no remorse in his voice, nor was there any anger, it was just calm and cold. NSYNC's performance went as everyone had expected it to, they sang and danced, and the girls all screamed at them. Lance wasn't exactly sure if it was over or if he had just walked of stage, his mind just wasn't in it anymore. He was stopped by the band and reminded he needed to change clothes before heading back to the audience. Should've Known took the stage nearly an hour later, things were behind and the producer had asked them to do a short song, he needed to catch up so they could all go home on time. But Jody wasn't exactly in the mood to be nice, so when he made it out on stage the band started the familiar guitar part and Jody readied himself, pushing all his emotion down into a tight ball, and letting it slide up into his throat. "Here we go" he whispered more to himself than any one else, but the band heard it, and they knew something was up. "I watch how the Moon sits in the sky / in the dark night Shining with that light form the sun The sun doesn't give life to the moon assuming The moon's gonna owe it one It makes me think of how you act to me / you do Favors and then rapidly / you just Turn around and start asking me / about Things that you want back from me I'm sick of the tension / sick of the hunger Sick of you acting like I owe you this Find another place / to feed your greed While I find a place to rest I want to be in another place I hate when you say you don't understand (You'll see it's not meant to be) I want to be in the energy, not with the enemy A place for my head Maybe someday I'll be just like you / and Step on people like you do and Run away from the people I thought I know I remember back then who you were You used to be calm / used to be strong Used to be generous / but you should've known That you'd Wear out your welcome / now you see How quiet it is / all alone / I'm so Sick of the tension / sick of the hunger Sick of you acting like I owe you this Find another place / to feed your greed While I find a place to rest I am so sick of the tension / sick of the hunger Sick of you acting like I owe you this Find another place / to feed your greed While I find a place to rest I want to be in another place I hate when you say you don't understand (You'll see it's not meant to be) I want to be in the energy, not with the enemy A place for my head" Jody had been behaving quite well so far and the beat dwindled down for the slower tempo of this part of the song. The band was honestly impressed, they had never seen Jody so calm on stage, and thought that maybe just for a moment things would be ok for them all. But then in a surprise to almost everyone Jody wheeled around facing the band, making eye contact with them all individually before beginning. "You / try to take the best of me Go away You / try to take the best of me Go away You / try to take the best of me Go away" He whispered the words over and over again while looking at the band, but they all knew what was coming next. "You / try to take the best of me Go away You / try to take the best of me Go away You / try to take the best of me Go away" He began screaming, his eyes never leaving his band mates, looks of horror over all of their faces. He then wheeled back around to face the dumbstruck audience as he continued. The words were dripping for disgust as he sang the words. "I want to be in another place I hate when you say you don't understand (You'll see it's not meant to be) I want to be in the energy, not with the enemy A place for my head I'm so sick of the tension / sick of the hunger Sick of you acting like I owe you this Find another place / to feed your greed While I find a place to rest I am so sick of the tension / sick of the hunger Sick of you acting like I owe you this Find another place / to feed your greed While I find a place to rest" The band wasn't happy, Jody was exhausted, and the crowd seemed about half confused and half insulted. They weren't sure if he was screaming at them or the band, but they either way, things were not in a good place at the moment. And so did the band, as they all began backstage they kept their distance from him, knowing now was not a good time as demand an explanation of what he was thinking. Jody went backstage, but skipped the dressing room and headed straight out the back doors to stand in the cold September air. He knew he couldn't stand here long. Other acts would soon be leaving and he didn't really want to meet any of them. Then he noticed some one else was out here, over by the guard fence, clinging to it for dear life, he looked more than a little pale, even in the shadows. "Hey, you ok?" Jody yelled, surprised that there was sincere concern in his voice. "Yeah, just a little winded." A breathy voice returned. "What's wrong?" Jody asked as he jogged over to the man, realizing right as he stepped in front of him that t was Lance, and he didn't look good. Lance looked up at him but his eyes instantly fell back to the ground as he forced himself to stand on his own feet. "Nothing, I'm fine, you can go on about your life." "Yeah, right, and I am going to be the next Michael Jackson." Jody said, the sarcasm was half hearted as he grabbed Lance by his shoulder, catching him as he was about to fall back on the fence. "Did you want something?" Lance asked, trying to sound normal, hoping Jody would just leave, he wasn't in the mood to make another ass out of himself. "Yeah, I want to take you inside to your friends so they can help you." Jody said as he lifted Lance over his shoulder and headed for the door. Minutes later he was knocking on the dressing room door of NSYNC, wondering why he cared enough to do this. The young one, Justin, had to remember that name, opened the door and was shocked by the image. "I have a package for ya'. One very sick blonde trying to act big and tough." Jody said as he followed Justin into the room and set Lance down on the couch. Lance merely fell over and stared at the cushion in front of his face. "I think he may have had a panic attack, been stressed out lately?" "Yeah, he.. ugh... Has been dealing with some stuff." Justin mumbled as the rest of the band ran around gathering wet rags, calling doctors and management, and just generally trying to help. "Thought so... Just keep him awake for a while, try to stay calm, keep him calm, and make sure he sees a doctor." Jody said as he turned to leave the room. "Jody." Lance said quietly, sounding amazingly hoarse. "Thanks." Jody simply nodded and went out the door, shutting it behind him. Jody was sitting at the kitchen table in his house, listening to the loud screams in the other room he knew he caused. He felt small, hell, he was small. He was always the small kid, the short one no one ever wanted on their team for any sport. The yelling stopped and Jody suddenly l realized that he wasn't alone in the room. His sister was leaned on the door facing, tears in her eyes, looking at him. "You wanna come with me?" she asked simply, not sure if he would, but knowing it was best. "Please." he said in a tiny voice. His mom chased them out of the house and not because she didn't want them to go. She just simply wanted to say her part before they left. "Your both fuck ups. Always have been, I swear, if your father was here he would be so disappointed." She yelled at them, knowing it was a sore spot for both of them. Jody was eleven, and even though he never met his father, the idea that he would be disappointed hurt him very deeply. Jenny, his sister, was so upset Jody was sure she was going to do something rash, but instead she just turned on heel, grabbed him the hand and walked out. The car ride was silent until the phone rang. It continued to ring until Jody opened his eyes. "Damn it." Jody said under his breathe as he reached for the source of the horrid noise. "Hello?" Jody asked, somewhat groggy after the rough night of sleep. "Hi... uhmm... This is Justin, a friend of Lance's... and I uhmm..." the voice said, trying to sound calm, but Jody could tell he was a little upset. "Lance ok?" Jody asked, much to his own surprise it came out almost urgent. "Yeah, the doctor's said you were right it was panic attack, they pretty much forced us to cancel some shows and sent him home so he could rest some and pull himself together, too much stress, I guess." he was babbling, just like Lance did when he called. "He looked like he could use the rest." Jody said, somewhat relieved that Lance was ok. "Yeah, I just called to thank you for finding him and all. He said he wasn't very nice about it, but you pretty much ignored him." Justin laughed at this, picturing Lance trying to force Jody away from him. "It was no problem, I've been through some panic attacks myself, I know your mind isn't quite balanced when it hits you." Jody said almost defending Lance. "Yeah, I bet. Hey, uhmmm... The guys wanted to know if you let us take you out or something. You know... To show our appreciation and stuff. Damn, that sounded stupid... Why the make me do this shit, knowing I suck at it, I have no idea." By this time Jody was laughing quite hard. "It's because you make the other person feel so sorry for you that they go just to make you feel better." Jody said somewhat slyly. "Sure, I'm game, where, when, what should I wear, and uhmm... Who will be there?" "Uhmmm... 7 o'clock, downstairs in the lobby of your hotel, jeans and a T-shirt are good, and uhmm... the five of us, you, and Brittany." Justin forced the details out of his memory, trying not to forget anything. "Brittany? You mean the blonde you flaunt all over national television?" Jody asked, trying to test Justin out. "Yeah... I'm not sure if I flaunt her or if she flaunts me though." He said jokingly. "I could like him." Jody thought to himself. "See you then, Justin." "Yeah, later." Just before 7 Jody left the elevator in the lobby of his hotel and noticed a group of people over by the desk. He walked over, noticing Lance before the rest of them. He looked much better. His normal color was back and his green eyes were sparkling as he laughed at a joke some one in the group had made. Jody was still amazed at how simply handsome this man was, and wondered if he should do something about it, or just let it happen if it was meant to be. But, Jody never had much faith in destiny. "You look much better..." Jody said as he walked up beside Lance, startling the group. He decided to wear a pair of jeans, that tended to cling in certain areas, and a tighter T-shirt with a nicer white button down shirt he got in Gdansk at some point. "Uhmm... Thanks, I feel better too." Lance said, slightly blushing and looking Jody over. "Let me introduce you to everyone, Justin, whom think you have met, JC or Josh, Chris, Joey, and Brittany." The group all gave Jody a smile, pat on the back, or a handshake, except Brittany who just looked at him with a sly smile. "So, your the one who carried him inside." She said, looking like she knew something he didn't. "Yeah, I guess that would be me." "Not bad, Lance." She said while turning towards the door. "Come on guys, time for some fun." Several hours later Jody found himself in one of the guys rooms. There was some horridly catchy dance CD in and turned a bit too loud enough for even his taste. Most everyone was up dancing, goofing off, and just generally having a good time, but Jody had some how managed to sneak out on the to balcony and was in the process of smoking a cigarette when he heard the door open and close behind him. "Nasty habit you got there." Lance's deep voice made small chills go down Jody's spine. "What this?" Jody said while blowing some smoke out of his nose into the wind. "Yeah, bad for a singer, you know." "I just do it when I have stuff on my mind, helps me keep things straight, but not as expensive as heroin." The last comment came out with less of a joking sound then he had wanted. "Uhmm... Heroin?" "Joke. Not big on needles, ya' know?" "Yeah, never could understand wanting to stab yourself over and over again to get high." There was a pause and both grew quite nervous with the silence. "So, whats up?" Jody said, searching for anything to rid the night of the silence. "Not much. Just came to see why the guest of honor / my savior had disappeared outside." "Too much fun, not good for the whole depressed angry young rock star image." "Really." Lance said as he moved closer to Jody. Out of reflex Jody instantly dropped the cigarette and stepped on it. The blonde moved a little closer, obviously testing the waters. Jody in return moved closer, allowing his head to drop slightly to become level with the blonde man in front of him. "I... Uhmmm...." Lance whispered. "Shhh... Just let it happen..." Jody said almost completely under his breathe. "Hey Guys! Every one is heading out for the night, just wanted to say bye." JC said as he hung his head out the door, a wicked grin on his face. "Yeah, uhmmm... bye." Jody said as he politely grinned at both men and walked past JC through the door. He managed to quickly force his way out of the hotel room and headed for the elevator. He saw Lance walking quickly towards him as the doors shut but was relieved that Lance wasn't quick enough. He needed sometime to think, and to do something about the raging hard on in his jeans. OK, there is chapter 2. Like where it is going? Not like it? Let me know, just don't be mean about it. Feedback is always appreciated it. downlikeastone@msn.com And I promise the rock songs will end shortly.