Chapter 6
"That wasn’t too sincere," Jacob told her. "And it’s not a ‘stupid’ hat. Oh, and I also recall something about me being a ‘spoiled, wannabe rock star’ or something."
"You’re not gonna make this easy are you?" she asked. Jacob smiled.
"No, I’m not," he said. Maria stood up and climbed into her bunk.
"Well, if there’s one thing I’m not going to do, it’s beg you to forgive me," she said. Jacob winced as he rolled out of his bunk and stood up. Maria looked at him.
"When do you want to do it?" he asked.
"I was thinking after the show tomorrow night," she answered. He nodded.
"Fine." Jacob walked toward the front of the bus. Maria smiled. She hadn’t expected him to be so accommodating after what had happened. What if he had something planned? What if he didn’t answer any of her questions? Maria closed her eyes. She had a feeling that the Jacob interview was going to be very stressful.
Alex looked at Erik, who was still engrossed in the baseball game that was on the TV. She liked him, but wasn’t sure how he felt about her. They had stuff in common and it wasn’t only their nationalities, either. He had flirted with her, but then again, she had seen him flirting with fans too, so she didn’t make much of it. He was a flirt. Alex sighed.
"What’s wrong?" Erik asked. Alex looked at him.
"Nothing. I’m just tired," she said.
"From what? We’ve had, like, two days off and all we’ve done is travel today," Erik said with a small smile.
"I don’t know, maybe I’m just tired," Alex said as she got up and left.
"What’s with her?" Ashley asked.
"Man, I don’t know. Let’s just watch the game," Erik replied.
Alex saw Maria lying in her bunk. She stopped beside her and leaned in to talk to her.
"Hey. How’s it going?" she asked. Maria shrugged.
"I’m okay. Don’t worry about me," she said.
"Did he cheat?" Alex asked. Maria nodded. "What a jerk. You don’t need him anyway, Maria. You’re a strong, independent woman. You don’t need a man to survive," Alex told her. Maria smiled.
"Thanks, Alex. I know. I’ll figure something out when I get home," she said.
"Well, it’s good that you kicked him to the curb. He doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near you. Tell him, ‘Adios!’ and kick his ass out of there!"
"He better be out by the time I get back because I really have no intention of giving him another chance. I don’t love him and I think it would be best for him to leave," Maria told her. Alex nodded.
"Good for you!" she said and pulled herself up into her own bunk. Maria went back to her drawing. She needed paints. Yawning, she put the drawing aside and closed her eyes to get some sleep.
St. Paul, Minnesota
The weather was much cooler in Minnesota. Not cold, but not warm either. Everyone was gathered at the front of the bus so that the Mikes could do a rundown of the day’s activities.
"We will arrive at the venue two hours early. You’ll do a run-through of the songs that you’ll be performing and that will include the sound-check, mic checks and other technical aspects of the show that need checking. Then, you’ll have some free time before you’ll be needed in hair and makeup. There are some fans that won backstage passes that you’ll meet after the show, so change quickly after the last song. Then, we’ll return to the bus," Mike M. told them as they nodded, knowing the routine by now.
Mike C. then spoke. "Also, on June 13th, you’ll be attending and possibly performing at the Teen Choice Awards. The show will be taped and will air the following week," he said. The guys looked at each other.
"Um…were we nominated for anything?" Ashley asked, hopefully. Mike C. smiled.
"As a matter of fact, O-Town is up for Breakthrough Performance and for Best New Band," he said. Maria noticed that Jacob didn’t look too thrilled.
"We don’t have a show that night?" he asked. The Mikes looked at each other.
"No. Your schedule is clear," Mike M. said. Jacob just nodded.
"Are we invited?" Alex asked. "Because I don’t have anything to wear." The guys laughed.
"Yes, the three of you can go. It’s not a fancy awards show, though. Everyone usually just wears jeans and goes casual," Mike C. said.
"I still don’t have anything to wear. Especially if I’m going to be on TV sitting next to them when they win," she said with a smile.
"That’s what we like to hear," Erik said, putting his arm around her and pulling her to him. Alex looked at him and he smiled into her eyes. She looked away, suddenly feeling shy. Shy? Her? What was going on?
"I’ll tell you what," Mike C. said. "When we have some free time in the schedule, you can go shopping. How’s that sound?" Alex clapped her hands, a little too excited being told that she could go shopping.
"Awesome!" she said. Maria nodded.
"Yeah, that sounds good. I didn’t really bring anything ‘wearable’ either," she told them. Mike M. looked down at their schedule.
"I’ll let you know when you can go," he said.
"Thanks," Maria said, but she wasn’t really all that excited about going to an awards show. They always seemed so blown-out-of-proportion and boring. Jacob noticed her lack of enthusiasm and smiled to himself. ‘She’d probably rather work than go,’ he thought. ‘I know how she feels.’
The Mikes told them that they would be at the venue within the hour, so they all went to relax until they arrived.
Later that night
"Where’s your camera?" Ashley asked Maria as they hung out backstage in the dressing room, the guys getting ready to perform.
"I don’t need any more performance pictures right now. I just thought that I’d try and enjoy the show," she said.
"’Try?’" Trevor asked as he came into the room, adjusting his head mic.
"Sorry. I just thought that I’d enjoy the show tonight," Maria corrected herself. Trevor smiled.
"That’s better," he said. Jacob then wandered in. His back was still hurting, but he was trying desperately not to show it. He stretched his arms.
"We gotta get ready," he said. Maria nodded and left the room. She had gotten used to the group’s routine by now. They had what they called a ‘lockdown’ where they prepared themselves mentally for the show. They liked to go through that ritual alone with no one else in the room with them. After that, they would say a prayer together before going onstage. Maria walked towards the backstage area where the Mikes were watching the stage crew set up for O-Town. Maria hung back, but she could hear the Mikes talking.
"Watch Jacob tonight. If he looks bad, we’re getting him help," Mike M. said. Mike C. nodded. ‘Help? For what?’ Maria thought. They must know about his back. She turned as the group came running, ready to perform.
"Let’s go!" Erik yelled as the others followed him. A DJ from the radio station that was sponsoring the show introduced them and Maria winced as the screams pierced her ears. Mike C. laughed when he saw her.
"You get used to it," he yelled over the noise. Maria just nodded. She’d never get used to it.
Jacob was in pain. Maria could see it and she knew that the Mikes could see it. He barely moved during ‘All Or Nothing.’ After the song, the group ran off the stage to change quickly so that they could meet the back stage pass winners. Jacob lagged behind, walking stiffly, a grimace on his face. He glanced briefly at Mike C., who had waited for him, but then looked away, knowing that he would be receiving medical treatment whether he wanted it or not.
Hating doctors herself, Maria actually felt some sympathy for him, but if he wanted to get better, then some kind of treatment was necessary, so he’d just have to deal with it.
Later, back on the bus, Maria wondered how she would go about reminding Jacob of the interview that she had scheduled with him. ‘I just want to get it over with,’ she thought. She waited patiently while the Mikes spoke with Jacob, who didn’t look very happy.
"Jacob, we’re getting you a physical therapist," Mike M. told him. Jacob just looked at them.
"If you only twisted your back, then you probably won’t even need therapy for that long a time. We need you healthy," Mike C. told him. Jacob still didn’t respond. "We’re sorry if you don’t like it, but that’s what we feel we have to do for you. We’re only looking out for you, you know that, right?" Jacob looked at Mike C. and nodded reluctantly.
"Now, we’ll let you know when she’ll be joining us. Go and rest," Mike M. said. Trevor, who had been getting a drink from the kitchen, turned to Jacob as he passed.
"Jake, I only told them because I don’t want you hurting, man," he said. Jacob gave him a small semi-friendly wave and continued on to his bunk, not even looking at Maria, who stood by the door.
"He’ll be okay," Trevor said softly as he handed Maria a bottle of water.
"I hope so," she said, taking the bottle, wishing that it were something a lot stronger. "Wish me luck," she said. Trevor smiled.
"Good luck," he told her, giving her a ‘thumbs up’ sign.
"Jacob?" Maria asked, as she walked up behind him. He turned to look at her. "The interview. Remember? We can wait if you don’t want to do it now."
"No, let’s just get it over with," Jacob said. He pushed open the door to the back of the bus where Dan, Ashley and Erik were watching a movie. Maria grabbed her notebook and a pen and stepped in behind Jacob.
"Guys, Maria wants to do my interview. Can we have some privacy?" Jacob asked. The guys all stood up.
"Sure, man. No problem. We’ll watch TV in our bunks," Dan said as he followed Ashley and Erik out. Jacob sat down on the seat and put his legs up. Maria sat at his feet and pulled her legs up, crossing them beneath her. She placed the notebook on her lap and wrote something.
"Damn. Do you mind…?" Maria started to ask, but she was interrupted.
"Look, I’ll save you some time here: my birthday is April 25th, 1980. I’m from El Cajon, California. I have a younger brother, Bryan and a younger sister, Danielle. I play the guitar, saxophone, piano, clarinet, bass and violin, but the guitar is my ‘best’ instrument, and the one that I enjoy playing the most. Sports that I like include: water polo, wrestling, baseball, soccer, basketball, surfing and skateboarding. My favorite food is cereal. My favorite singer and inspiration is Michael Jackson. My favorite colors are black and silver. I have a large family and am one of thirty-eight cousins. I also like to change my look a lot…my clothes and my hair. I try to constantly ‘reinvent’ myself. It makes life more interesting." He stopped and looked at Maria, who had yet to write anything down.
"Okay. I was going to ask you if you would mind waiting while I got a pen that worked. This one is no good," she said, trying to hide a smile. Without waiting for an answer, she got up and left the room. Jacob sighed and laid his head on the seat. This wasn’t going very well already.
Maria returned a minute later. She sat back down and Jacob lifted his head. Maria gave him a small smile and pushed a stay piece of hair behind her ear. "Jacob, this isn’t going to be an interview like all the other ones that you’ve done. I want to talk about what interests you. Yeah, some people might think that what you watch or what kind of cologne you use is interesting, but I’d rather talk about what you want to talk about. I’m assuming that whoever reads my article already knows you and I hate asking questions where the reader knows the answer, it’s redundant and boring. So, what interests you?" Jacob looked at her closely and thought for a minute.
"Music interests me. Whether it’s playing or singing or writing it, I just love music. Being able to express yourself through a song is the best way to express yourself," he said. Maria nodded when she was done writing.
"I can see that when you’re performing, you put so much energy and passion into your performance. Has music always moved you like that?" she asked.
"I love to perform with the guys because being able to show our fans how dedicated we are to what we’re doing and how passionate we are about the music itself, it just makes it all worthwhile."
"Did you set goals for yourself when you were younger, like, ‘I’m going to grow up and be a star,’ or ‘I’m going to be a certain kind of musician?’ Has O-Town fulfilled your dreams in any way?" Maria asked.
"I was always drawn to music, and I always strove to be the best at whatever I became involved in.* I’ve been singing since I was five and I played sports, concentrated on that for awhile, but after messing up my body too much, I was unable to do that anymore, so that’s when I got into theater and music. It was in the fifth grade. My sophomore year in high school was when I started taking it seriously, though. I was only interested in the music theory classes. I was very focused and saw all my other subjects as a waste of time," he told her. Maria nodded, totally understanding. When she was in high school, she had only wanted to go to her art and photography classes…the hell with everything else. She smiled. "What?" Jacob asked when he saw her smile.
"I was the same way in high school. All of my good grades came in the arts classes, while everything else pretty much sucked. You can tell just by looking at my grades what I concentrated on and what I didn’t," she said. Jacob smiled.
"Did you get in trouble?" he asked. Maria shook her head.
"My mom didn’t really care. She figured that I’d straighten myself out eventually. I needed good grades to get into a good college, so it was up to me to do the work," she said. "I was hard on myself, though, and my best was never good enough for me."
"Ah…a perfectionist. I got that impression while watching you take some of the individual pictures of the other guys," he said. Maria looked at Jacob and wondered why they were all of a sudden talking about her.
"Okay, enough about me. After all, this is your interview," she said. He laughed. Maria looked down at her notebook again. She was feeling strange and very attracted to Jacob at the moment, which wasn’t good. She knew that it wasn’t good, and it wasn’t right, either. ‘I’m getting too close,’ she thought. ‘I need to back off.’ Maria then went back into ‘interviewer mode.’ "Was a boy band ever in your plans as a way to start your music career?"
"Uh…no," he said and the way that he said it made Maria laugh.
"Why not?" she asked.
"At the time when the auditions for ‘Making The Band’ came about, I was in a hard-rock band trying to make it in San Diego. I didn’t even want to go to the auditions, but one of my friends filled out the form for me and sent it in. From that, I got a callback and just kept moving on. I’ve always believed in my talent, so I wasn’t that surprised," he said, honestly.
"You seem to be very opinionated and honest. Do you think that your personality helped you get as far as you did?"
"I think so. It’s still helping me, too. If I hadn’t stood up for myself during the recording of the album, I would’ve been more than unhappy with the way that it had come out. It’s necessary to let people know how you feel. I think the only reason why people can’t be themselves is because they’re afraid that somebody’s not going to agree with them…I’m not going to be afraid to stand up for what I believe in. It’s just a difference of opinion I have. And every person has an opinion and shouldn’t be afraid to speak it."*
Maria’s pencil flew over the notebook as she followed what he was saying. She looked up. "That kind of attitude can get you into trouble, though. I mean, you have to be careful of what you say when you’re a ‘pop star’ or it might make the whole band look bad," she told him.
"I’ll admit that I have had to keep some of my opinions to myself since I was picked to be in the band, but I try to be as honest and truthful as I can. I don’t want to change who I am because I’m now a part of O-Town. I think it’s important to keep things real and not change who you are because of certain circumstances."
"Your circumstances are extreme, though," Maria said with a smile. He nodded.
"Yeah, it’s not easy for me to remain the same person that I was before the band, but I’m trying," he said. Maria got an idea.
"Okay, if you’re always honest and truthful, then how do you feel about me traveling with the band and being around all the time? I know that you don’t particularly like doing interviews or photo shoots," she said. Jacob thought about it. She was testing him to see if he’d stay true to what he’d said. He wouldn’t let her down.
"When I first met you, I was upset. I didn’t want a reporter hanging around us. We had had enough of having a camera in our faces to last us a lifetime, but I’ll admit that it’s gotten easier having you around. You don’t hound us all the time and you give us our privacy when we need it," he said, hesitating for a minute. "I was also weary of your taking pictures of us because I don’t like my picture being taken and I think it’s the worst part of the whole ‘boy band’ thing. But, it’s part of the PR stuff we have to do, and it’s part of our job, so I have to deal with it. You’re also not that hard on the eyes, so…" Maria looked up sharply at that, meeting his intense gaze. Jacob was being serious. He smiled and Maria swallowed hard, her heart speeding up as he continued to stare at her.
"You’re not so bad yourself," she said, not backing down. Jacob’s smile became wider. Maria felt like she was participating in a staring contest, but she found herself unable to look away from his bright, blue eyes. Jacob’s gaze was unyielding as they continued to look at each other.
The door opened and Susan came in, Maria’s cell phone in her hand.
"I’m sorry to interrupt, but Maria, you have a phone call," she said. Maria finally tore her gaze away from Jacob and looked at Susan.
"I’m busy," she said.
"It’s your mom," Susan said, rolling her eyes. "And she sounds agitated." Maria shook her head.
"When is she not agitated?" she asked as she stood up and took the phone from Susan. She then left the small ‘lounge’ area. Susan glanced at Jacob.
"How’s the interview going?" she asked. Jacob smiled.
"Okay," he said. Susan frowned.
"Just ‘okay?’" she asked. Jacob shrugged. He liked Maria. The way that she hadn’t gotten flustered or upset by what he had said made him like her more. She had also admitted to being attracted to him. He knew that nothing could come of their attraction, but it would be fun to see how she would act around him now.
"Jake? Do you want to work on that song?" Ashley asked. He had suddenly replaced Susan in the room. Jacob hadn’t even heard her leave. He looked at Ashley.
"I guess my interview has been put on hold. Sure, just let me get my guitar," Jacob said as he stood up slowly and went to retrieve his guitar. He had known that the trip was going to be interesting, but he had no idea that it would be this interesting.
Author’s note: Hello again. The * means that the sentence or sentences that precede it was taken directly from the book O-Town: Making the Band by O-Town and K.M. Squires. I figured that if Jacob was going to be interviewed, why not use his own words? Also, the Teen Choice Awards are my version of the awards. I don’t remember when they were held or who won what, so it’s going to be a fictional awards show. Just so you know. Thanks for reading!
~Maura