"SERENA!" I yelled up the stairs. "Are you ready? Taylor and Zac are over to help with our stuff."
"Just a minute!" she yelled back. It was the next day, and I was in a pool of nerves. Nervous didn't even describe it. My uneasiness was not a result of traveling around the world without my parents, or the possibility of being alone with Taylor or whatever, it was because of the fans. I've read some of the stuff that fans say they'll do to Hanson's girlfriends, if they ever get girlfriends. What they say is scary, and I did not want to be ripped to shreds, in terms of speech or literally. I was also worried about looking after Serena. That was going to be one hard task.
I sighed impatiently and rolled my eyes. Taylor smiled at me and followed my gaze up the stairs.
"I think I know a way to get her to move on," Zac grinned. He marched up the stairs loudly and stood on the landing. "Girl, get your pasty white ass down there!"
Serena dragged herself out of her room, pulling along her luggage. She kissed Zac's cheek quickly, and handed him a suitcase and a bag. My sister proceeded to trudge slowly down the stairs.
"That was more than I expected," Zac blinked, following my sister. Taylor and I laughed.
Serena stopped when she was in front of me. "Can't you just see the bags under my eyes? After all that cover up!" she sighed, continuing on out the door. Zac sighed adoringly and trailed the vain girl I called my sister.
"Are you sure you're ready for her? She spends hours getting ready," I said, heaving a sigh.
"Sounds like Jess. Anyway, she won't be able to spend that long getting ready. There will be eleven other people trying to get ready on the bus. Unless we're staying at a hotel where you'll be sharing a room with Jessica, Avery, and Anna. Which is going to be two to a bed and one on the couch…"
"Taylor, it's okay. Let's go," I smiled, putting a hand on his cheek. I walked out of the door with my boyfriend in tow.
"So," Diana said, poking her head into my bunk. "You're sure it's okay that you watch the kids? I was expecting the baby-sitters to come but they flaked out. If you really don't want the responsibility that's perfectly alright!"
I laughed. "It's the least I can do. You're taking me on tour around the world, not to mention letting me be on the same bus as my boyfriend. Besides, your children are angels. I'd be thrilled to watch them."
"Oh, Corrine, you're a God send." Diana smiled and shut my curtain again. We were in the tour bus, having left about an hour and a half ago, and I was arranging my stuff on the shelves. There was already a TV, along with a cell phone charger, and some extra shelves. On the extra shelves I put books, writing utensils and paper for letters, my disc man and CD's, and my chocolate stash. I put the last book, and also my favorite, An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott, on the shelf and sighed. Closing my eyes, I wondered how I was going to be able to handle sleeping in this cage. Dealing with small spaces had never been my strong point; I had always been claustrophobic, and this was no large space.
I quietly opened the curtain, and looked around for someone to chat with. Zac was sitting in the back of the bus on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. He was mumbling some song and tapping a beat out on his knees. This Hanson brother intrigued me the most. Becoming a super star at the early age of eleven and a record deal at age ten should have had some effect to the boy's ego, but to no avail. Zac also exceeded the drumming skills of people twice his age and could write and produce amazing music and lyrics. His world-famous sense of humor had never faltered, either. Don't get me wrong, Taylor and Isaac are equally as amazing, but there was something special about Zac, something that my little sister deserved, and I was happy she had him.
I watched Zac a little more, and then advanced down the hallway. Zac still had no idea he was being watched, although he probably had gotten used to the feeling. Sitting down next to him, he finally noticed me and looked over.
"Hey," I smiled.
"Howdy-doo, there, girly. What's up?" Zac grinned.
"Nothing. What song were you singing?"
"Oh, just this new song we're working on. I was trying to figure out a harmony part but it's not working," Zac frowned.
"Hmm… What's the melody line?" Zac sung me a little sample and I frowned. I thought about the notes for a second and then tried out a harmony I thought might work. It didn't. So, I proceeded to try another one. Zac's face lit up.
"Hey, that works really well! Sing it again, and let me go get Tay," Zac said, getting up and walking over to his brother's bunk. He knocked loudly.
"Taylor, Corrine thought of the perfect harmony for 'Melody'! Come on, I want you to sing the melody so we can see if it really works."
"Whoa!" Taylor yelled, moving around in his bunk.
"Taylor," Zac sighed. "Quit masturbating and get your tight butt out here." Taylor appeared seconds later frowning at his little brother.
"For your information," Taylor retorted. "I was reading a book and you startled me. And how would you know if I have a tight butt?"
Zac grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "That's for me to know, and for you to never find out." Taylor rolled his eyes and sighed. He walked down the hallway to, where I, of course, was cracking up, and sat down next to me.
Taylor shoved me playfully. "Knock it off!" I just laughed all the more harder. Zac finally returned to his seat and grinned.
"Okay, now sing the harmony for Taylor," Zac commanded. I calmed myself down, and took a deep breath. Of course I didn't know the lyrics, so I just hummed. Taylor nodded thoughtfully, and recited the lyrics so I could sing. He counted out loud to four, and we began to sing.
"I want to be your melody/Not just a back round part/Let me be your number one/The possessor of your heart." Taylor and I quit, and looked at each other. I grinned at my boyfriend, and he just looked back at me wide eyed.
"I didn't know you could sing like that, and come up with harmonies like that! That's amazing Corrine, why don't you sing more often?" Taylor exclaimed.
I blushed a deep red and giggled a little."You're exaggerating, Tay. Believe me, I'm not that good," I modestly replied. Zac shook his head.
"He's not exaggerating. You could get a contract so easily!"
"Oh come on you guys. It's the lyrics that made me sound good. Anyway, I'm going to go freshen up." I stood up, not believing a word the two had just said.
"Why doesn't she think she's any good?" Zac asked, quietly.
"I don't know," I responded. "She's obviously very modest."
"I was thinking, while you guys were singing, since we're starting up our own record company, why don't we just sign her on as an artist to the MOE label?"
"It's not that simple, though. Where would we get the funding money to promote her? She shouldn't start off with MOE. Maybe we could pull some strings and get her an audition with Island. I've seen some of her songs, she showed me them, but refused to sing them. Anyway, she's incredible. I'll call Richard and see if we can stop by the headquarters when we pass through the town?"
"Great, Tay. I'm going to go tell Dad and Ike our plans, okay? Don't call Richard yet, though."
I nodded and Zac strode away down the hall to go talk to our dad at the other end of the bus. On the other hand, I went back into my bunk to call some friends of mine.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is Orin there?"
"Yeah, hold on, let me get him." I heard his mom set down the phone and go find him. Orin was a guy from my soccer team when I was nine, and we had stayed buddies ever since. He, of course, thought our music was "gay", and thought we should get out of the biz while we had a chance.
"Yo," Orin said, picking up the phone.
"Hey, my man, how's it going? It's Taylor."
"Dude, hey, it's going, it's going. And how about you?"
"Same here."
"So I heard you got yourself a chick. Is she hot?"
"Very hot. Hotter than Mandy Moore, too."
"Seriously? Whoa… What's she like? Is it a feisty one, like last time?"
"No, this one's sweet and we like all the same things. She has a totally cool personality."
"Dude, no, I meant like physically. Have you gotten any?"
"Nope, we decided to take it slow. Although we did make out once."
"Once?! What are you, gay? Come on, Taylor, you're the rock star. Hook yourself up with some horny babe. Look, I can set you up if you want…"
"Dude, Orin, I'm fine. I like Corrine, so get over it."
"Whatever, man. Just remember my offer is always open. If you ask me, looks like you got a date with your hand, so I'll talk to you later."
"Whatever. Bye, Orin."
"See ya." I hung up the phone with the most perverted guy in Tulsa. Literally. His entire closet was full of porno.
"Taylor!" My dad hollered. I jumped out of my bunk mid-thought and bounded down the bus. Isaac, Zac, and my dad were sitting on the couch in the front of the bus, all looking very solemn.
"Yeah?"
"You have a good idea, son. I think it should be up to Corrine, though, so I want you to talk to her. Okay?"
"Okie dokie. I'll go do that right now." My dad and brothers nodded at me, smiling, as I ran back to the back of the bus. Corrine was sitting on the couch, writing. She was concentrating deeply, and I hated to disturb her.
"Corrine, hey," I said, sitting down next to my girlfriend. She looked up and smiled at me.
"Howdy there. What's up?"
"Nothing. Listen, my brothers, dad, and I were just talking and well, Zac and I have been thinking. You have an incredible voice. It's better than Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Mandy Moore combined! So, we have decided that if you're interested, we can hook you up with Island. And since we're not officially touring and doing shows, yet, there's still time to get rid of M2M and Neve. So if you're interested, just tell me."
Corrine's face paled. She looked down at her notepad and started to bite her fingernails. She stared down for quite a while and I was about to ask her again, when she finally spoke.
"I, I just don't really know what to say, Taylor. I mean a record contract… that's big stuff," she whispered, looking up at me. "I've always wanted to share my music with the world but I never thought I was good enough."
"And why the hell not?" I demanded.
"Jordan Taylor, watch your language young man! There are children on this bus!" I heard my mother yell. Corrine and I laughed. What would we ever do without my family?
"Well, people used to tell me I had no chance whatsoever. I actually did make a demo tape back in California, but I chickened out." Cory shrugged. "That's me for ya'."
"Corrine Becker, don't let anybody EVER tell you that. If you put your mind to it, then you can do it."
Corrine rolled her eyes. "Taylor, you're such a poster boy." She got up and walked to her bunk. I followed.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I exclaimed. Cory opened her curtain and sat down, sighing.
"It has always just been so easy for you, Taylor! You got immediate fame! I mean, you may have gotten rejected a few times, but not by your own family! Do you know what my mom said to me when I asked her if she thought I had enough talent?" I shook my head no. "She laughed! In- My- Face! She just laughed and laughed and laughed, shaking her head at me. I vowed from then on I would never sing for people again, Taylor. So I guess my answer is no, I don't want to be a recording star. I broke my promise singing for you anyway," she scoffed. Corrine rolled inside her bunk, and giving me a weak smile, shut the curtain.
Taylor was the sweetest boy I had ever known. He had just paid me one of the biggest compliments I could ever get. And it felt like he was giving me the moon but I couldn't take it. Being a rock star was not something I could handle at this point, mentally and physically. Especially not since I was going out with the Taylor Hanson. That would not be stardom and glamour- that would just be a nightmare.
I closed my eyes and sighed, letting the evil words I had been told over my seventeen years float through my head. Tears pooled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. Wiping them away, I turned on the radio on the shelf, and let music intoxicate me.
Suddenly I heard a knock at the curtain and Anna poked her head in. I blinked at her, and looked back at the radio. Anna rolled in next to me and shut the curtain. Outside I heard Zac snickering, "Taylor, Isaac, we got some lesbian activity going on!" Rolling our eyes, Anna and I looked at each other.
"Why did he have to bring that up, Anna? You know how sensitive I am on that subject," I whimpered. Anna turned the radio off and sighed.
"But you and I both know he's right, Cory. I realize you have been through a lot as far as music goes. But Corrine, you can't let this ruin your life. He paid you a compliment, hon; Taylor didn't threaten to kill you. Come on, Corrine. You shouldn't be so sensitive when it comes to this stuff. It's going to come up a lot, now that we're on tour with them. Okay?" she asked, wiping my tears away. I nodded. "You should take the offer! Well, I'm going to go, Isaac and Zac want to play a game, so you know what that means!" Anna grinned and I laughed. "Do you want to come with me?"
I shook my head. "No, you go have fun. I'm just going to stay in here."
Anna shrugged and opening the curtain, rolling back out of the cot. She shut the curtain with a grin, and I sighed, falling asleep.