Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 14:05:05 -0400
From: Mikey Boy <mikeyboyz1029@hotmail.com>
Subject: Pains Of Forgetfulness Chapter 9

	Welcome to the ninth installment of POF. I hope you like this story
because I've had a blast writing it. You know the rules. If you're not
supposed to read this, then don't. It's that simple. This story is about
the pains of forgetting your true love.

	I have no idea whether any members of *NSYNC are gay, straight, or
bisexual.  Any similarities are purely coincidental. I don't know if any of
them are gay, but I hope so.  We can wish, can't we?


	Comments are welcome at: mikeyboyz1029@hotmail.com.  I would love it if you
dropped me a line.  Ok, now to the story.


*             *            *            *            *           *

Chapter 9: Things Change

The Next day . . .


	"RING! RING!" Lance's cell phone woke us both up from our sound sleep.
	"Hello?"  Lance said groggily.  He suddenly sat up in the hotel bed beside
me and became pale.
	"What!?" A pause.  "Well... Retract the copies.  Do whatever you have to,
just stop that story!"
	"What's wrong, baby?" I asked.  He held his hand meaning silence.
	"Ok, do what you need.  Talk to you later."  He turned off his phone.
	"What's wrong?" I asked.
	"Someone posted a front page story about you and I in the National
Enquirer."
	"What does it say?  Anything scathing?"
	"It says we are lovers, and that's dangerous to the group.  They're being
retracted by BMG, but some may slip through the cracks."
	"Ugh, that's awful."
	"Well, I can't hide all my life."
	"True, but I understand."
	"Hey, I've got another call to make.  Hold on, babe."
	He went into the bathroom to use the phone.  I got an idea.  I would go to
chat rooms on the Internet, and see if anyone was talking about us.
	I got my laptop out and logged into the Internet.
	I had an instant message from my good friend Bryan who lived in Virginia.

Mikieboyz21:
How's it going?

BryanVAdude:
Hey.  How are you?  I'm not so good.

Mikieboyz21: (M)
What's Wrong?

BryanVAdude: (B)
Very depressed.  I'm still thinking about Him.

M:
Oh, I know it's hard, but you have to get past it and move on.

B:
I can't... I keep thinking about the time we went to DC and he stood beside
me crying while we watched the fireworks on the fourth of July.

M:
Why was he crying?

B:
He said he wanted someone to love him... but I never got the chance... That
was the last time we were together.  He met another guy.

M:
Oh, that's sad... you and Josh were a couple once, right?

B:
Yes, for a year.  He was my soul mate.

M:
Well, you gotta get out of this rut.

B:
I can't

M:
You can... I'll see what I can do to help you <wink>.

B:
What?

M:
You'll see... Well, Lance needs to talk to me... TTYL, Bri...

B:
Bye.

"Well, we need to get packed, ok?  We have an important meeting in 3 hours
in NYC.  You need to be there, too."  Lance said.  He was obviously very
agitated by the phone call this morning.
	We got packed and on a plane within an hour.

*             *            *            *            *           *

	Lance hardly said two words on the plane.  I know this is hard for him, but
he has to open up and talk about it.  I'm here for him.
	At the meeting, we (all the *NSYNC guys and management) decided what to do
about this dilemma.  It was a tough thing to decide.  Only 1,000 copies of
the National Enquirer had been sold that day, so not many people heard about
it.
	After much discussion, it was decided that Lance would come out in a few
weeks at one of their concerts.  There was no reason to hide the truth from
the fans any longer.
	After the meeting was over, Michael pulled Lance aside and talked to him.
	"Lance, I need to go help a friend in Richmond.  He's very depressed, and
he needs to 'bury the hatchet'."
	"I wanna go, but I have a little more business to take care of."
	"You don't have to, babe, but if you want to, you can meet Bryan and I in
DC at Union Station."
	"Ok, I'll do that.  Leave your cell on, so I can call you."
	"Ok."

*             *            *            *            *           *

	I hopped on a plane in NYC and flew to Richmond.  I then rented a car in
Richmond and I drove to see Bryan.  He didn't know I was coming, and I was
surprised that I actually remembered how to get to his house after my
amnesia spell.  I think that problem had finally solved itself, though.  I
called Bryan's house as I entered his driveway.
	"Hey, Bryan, look who's coming up your driveway." I said.
	"Oh my goodness.  It's you."
	"Yep, in the flesh.  Well, don't just stand there, open the door."
	"Alright, if you insist." He laughed.
	I hung up the phone, and embraced Bryan in a warm hug.
	"Wassup, guy?"
	"How you doin'?" he said.
	"I'm great, hope you are."
	"I'm ok, jus tin a rut."
	"Well, I'll fix that.  Let's have sex."  I laughed.
	He laughed too.
	"Just kidding.  I've got someone I love and I don't wanna mess around on
him."
	Bryan fell silent.
	"We'll fix your problem.  We're going to take a little trip."
	"Really?  Where?"
	"You'll see.  Hope in the car and tell me all about you and Josh.  I need
info."  I grinned.
	We jumped in the car, and he reluctantly started to tell his painful story.
	"Josh and I met in college, and I knew when I met him, that he was the one
for me.  We were together for a year, but only 4 months during that year
were we official.  When we were together, everything just felt right.  We
could look at each other and speak so many words just through our eyes.  We
were meant to be."  He sobbed.
	"Go on."
	"Well, I found out a little later that he had slept with one of the male
cheerleaders on the cheerleading squad.  He then broke up with me.  We had
decided before we broke up to go to DC for a trip.  We still went, and I
remember having such a hard time.  I still loved him, but he didn't love
me."
	"That's awful, but love is that way sometimes."
	"Well, as we stood in the Mall near the reflecting pool, and watched the
fireworks on that 4th of Jul, I saw him crying.  He told me he wanted
someone to love him.  I felt like I was going to hurl, like my insides were
screaming to get out.  I've never felt some much emotion in all of my life.
It was horrible.  That scene will never leave my mind.  It haunts me every
day."
	"Well, we'll fix that.  We're going to DC."
	"To do what?"
	"You'll see when we get there."
	"So... how are you and Lance doing these days?"
	"Well, I had amnesia for a while, and my baby was there to help me and be
there for me.  It's a shame I can't be there for him, now."
	"Why is that?"
	"Well, this morning, we found out that the National Enquirer decided it
would be fun to out Lance to the public."
	"Oh no..."
	"That's not good, but fortunately, the paper only sold about 1,000 copies
today.  The rest were pulled from the shelves."
	"Well, that's good."
	"Lance is still going to come out to the world in a few weeks at an
upcoming concert, though."
	"Well..." Bryan said surprised.
	"I love him, though.  We've been together a pretty good while, and everyday
with him is better than the last."
	"Ah, love."
	We drove on and on, and finally we reached DC.  When we got to Union
Station, Lance was there waiting for us with a goofy expression on his face.

*             *            *            *            *           *

	It was now about 8 PM, and Lance and Bryan had already met.  It was a
little while before my plan could be implemented, so we decided to all stop
at a nearby bistro for a bite to eat.
	When we had finished eating, Lance, Bryan, and I went outside the
restaurant.  I pulsed out my blindfold, and I blindfolded Bryan.  We all got
on the subway and after a few stops, we reached our destination.
	"We're here, but hold on a sec before you remove your blindfold.  Or better
yet, I'll take it off."
	"Ok.  Sounds fair to me." Bryan grumbled.
	Lance let out a gasp when he realized where there were exactly.  Michael
was being a great friend.  He just hoped Bryan didn't hate him for it.

To Be Continued. . .


*      *       *       *       *       *       *        *        *

Well, what did you think?  Was it garbage and not worth the time of day to
read it?  Or was it so engrossing you couldn't stop reading it until the
deadly words, To Be Continued. . . were placed at the end?  Email me or IM
me at HPUGuy1029 on AOL Instant Messenger, and tell me what you thought.  My
address is: mikeyboyz1029@hotmail.com. The next chapter will be up soon, so
hold your horses!  Well, I've pretty much planned out the whole story very
vaguely (although the story has changed significantly since I started it),
so if you want to tell me how you think the story should go, then drop me a
note.   I love email! Until next time, Michael.  :)