ATLANTA
They were at the venue now. It was still a couple of hours before show time but they were busy doing run-throughs and sound-checks. Although they were still doing well, the guys were anxious for when rehearsals would be over. The Mikes had told them that there was going to be an addition to the show but they hadn’t told them what it was yet. Finally after what seemed like a forever practice, they were done with rehearsals.
Alyssa sat in a chair applauding. She’s finished her rehearsals earlier. Bree stood next to Alyssa’s chair, a VIP pass around her neck. Trevor was fanning himself with his hand and Erik was continually tugging at his shirt, trying to air himself off.
Finally, the Mikes approached. Alyssa saw that five girls and two guys were following them. Each was carrying a large duffle bag in one hand and a water bottle in the other. She looked back at the guys. Jacob was frowning but the other four were watching the approaching group with increased curiosity.
“Good work guys,” Mike M. said when they had reached the guys and Alyssa. “Mike and I would like to explain the addition to the tour.” Alyssa got up to excuse herself but Mike M. caught her by the arm. ‘This concerns you too Alyssa.” He smiled at the confused look on Alyssa’s face.
Mike C. gestured to the group behind them. “May I introduce Madison Cooper, Sukari Arston, Zoey Pittford, Lorelai Yu, Bethani Fisher, Cameron Stone, and Andy Mason. They’re going to be your backup dancers for the tour. They’ll be traveling with us the rest of the time.”
“What?!” Jacob cried, jumping off the stage. “Oh great, just what we need, more privacy invaders!” He stormed off. One of the girls, the one Mike C. had called Sukari, was frowning.
“Don’t worry,” Mike M. told her, “He’s always like that.” Sukari nodded but she still didn’t seem so sure. Mike M. turned to Alyssa. “The two guys, of course, will be your backup dancers.” Alyssa smiled and shook their hands. Mike M. turned back to the rest of O-town. “The dancer assignments are as follows. Madison is with Trevor, Sukari, of course, is with Jacob, Zoey is with Ashley, Lorelai is with Erik, and Bethani is with Dan.” As he announced the assignments, each girl went and stood next to the guy who they were paired with, except for Sukari, as Jacob had left.
“Alright,” Mike C. said, “Go get some rest and be back here in an hour to get ready for the show.”
“An hour, got it,” said Dan. The guys slid off the stage and headed for the bus. Alyssa smiled at the Mikes and followed, Bree trailing behind her.
As soon as they got on the bus, Alyssa could hear someone playing the guitar. She had no doubt in her mind that it was Jacob. She figured he was either in his bunk or at the back of the bus just writing again. It seemed to be the only thing that kept him at peace. ‘I hope he’ll be okay again by the time we perform tonight’ she though as she climbed into her bunk to take a nap before the show.
LATER THAT NIGHT
Alyssa could hear thousands of fans screaming as she waited just off-stage for her cue. She was nervous. She knew that because she could feel her palms sweating. Cameron and Andy stood behind her, Cameron with a hand on her shoulder. She took deep calming breaths as she saw Mike M. step out on the stage.
“How is everyone tonight?” he said into the mic that had been standing center stage. The crowd cheered. Mike M. smiled. “Good. Now I know you’re all anxious to see O-town but before you see the guys, I would like to present a young, up-and-coming artist. She is here to promote some songs from her debut album which will be out in stores in a few months. So please, join me in welcoming, Alyssa Star!” The crowd politely applauded and Alyssa took a deep breath and made her way onto the stage.
Half an hour later, she returned backstage where O-town was preparing for their entrance. She grabbed a water bottle and downed it. The crowd had reacted well to her music. She felt that was a good sign. Bree clapped a hand on her back.
“Hey, great job out there! You were excellent!”
“Thanks Bree.” The two of them sat down so that they could watch O-town perform. Although she wouldn’t admit it, Alyssa was worried about how well Jacob would work with Sukari. Finally, the lights dimmed and the crowd went wild. Alyssa heard Ashley’s voice next but she couldn’t see him or any of the other guys for that matter.
“YOU SAID THAT IT’S OVER / OVER EASY / IF I LET GO THE PAIN WILL SUBSIDE / CAUSE SAYING GOOD-BYE’S / NEVER PRETTY / AND IT’S UGLIER LIVING A LIE / JUST ANSWER THIS ONE THING FOR ME / WHYYYYYIE.” The stage lights flipped on, illuminating the stage. The guys were standing in a line, Erik, Jacob, Ashley, Dan, and Trevor, across the stage. Ashley, Dan, and Jacob had guitars. The backup dancers each stood behind their perspective member. Cheers got louder as the guys broke out into the rest of the song.
Alyssa and Bree clapped along to the music and danced as the concert wore on. Although he did a good job at hiding it, Alyssa could tell that Jacob was still unhappy about the whole backup dancer thing. She knew he was trying to get away from the whole boy band image. That was one of the reasons he was glad “O2” offered more of a rock sound and more of an opportunity to play their own instruments. She sighed, she didn’t blame him. After all, Jacob was all about the music. That’s the way it would always be with him, the music and his privacy came first.
AFTER THE SHOW
“Alright,” Mike C. said. “Great show everyone! Now, when we get back on the bus, the first order of business will be to get the backup dancers their bunks.” Jacob grunted. Mike C. frowned at him and turned to look at the dancers. “I’ll let you know then what bunks are still available.” They nodded. No one else said a word as they followed the Mikes out of the venue and back onto the bus.
They all headed to the sleeping area. Jacob continued on to the back of the bus, slamming the door as he went in. Everyone else stayed in the sleeping area. They thought it would be a good idea if they all knew where everyone was sleeping.
“Alright,” Mike C. began, turning to the dancers again. “The front upper and lower bunks on both sides are free, the upper and lower bunks on the right-hand side in the middle are free, and all three bunks on the left-hand side in the middle are free. Choose any bunk that you want.”
As it turns out, the arrangements were as follows:
FRONT RIGHT-HAND SIDE: Cameron, Mike C., junk bunk
FRONT LEFT-HAND SIDE: Andy, Mike M., junk bunk
MIDDLE RIGHT-HAND SIDE: Madison, Bree, Lorelai
MIDDLE LEFT-HAND SIDE: Zoey, Bethani, Sukari
BACK RIGHT-HAND SIDE: Trevor, Ashley, Alyssa
BACK LEFT-HAND SIDE: Dan, Erik, Jacob
Alyssa knew that Jacob wouldn’t be pleased Sukari had taken the bottom bunk in front of his. However, she was surprised to discover, she wasn’t exactly thrilled either. She didn’t know why. She figured it was because Jacob was her favorite member and she didn’t like the idea of another girl being so close to him. Hell, she didn’t even like Janie being close to him and she had been his girlfriend. Alyssa knew it was selfish but she couldn’t help feeling that way.
When she was certain that everyone else was preoccupied up front, she slipped into the sleeping area and down the narrow aisle to the back of the bus. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. “Come in!” she heard Jacob’s voice call. Alyssa opened the door and stepped in. She was surprised to see that Jacob was no longer writing. He was watching TV instead. He didn’t look up when she came in.
“Um,” she said, sitting down beside him. Where would she begin? He raised his eyes to look at her and for once, he didn’t look angry that she was there.
“Um what?” Jacob replied. A small smile tugged at his lips. Alyssa really was beautiful but he still planned on keeping his distance. Besides, he was still hurting over Janie; he wasn’t ready for another relationship yet. But maybe it would help if he were just a little nicer to Alyssa. She looked down at her feet, still not sure how to begin. “Lis, what did you come here for?” She looked at him again. People had lots of different nicknames for her but no one had ever called her ‘Lis’ before.
“The dancers chose their bunks,” she said, looking back down at her feet. Jacob frowned.
“Yeah, so,” he said, “What’s the point?” She sighed and returned her eyes to his.
“The one who’s your backup dancer, that Sukari girl…”
“Yeah, what about her?” Alyssa sighed again.
“Well, she chose the bottom bunk in front of yours.” Jacob’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t look too happy anymore. Alyssa had expected nothing less.
“She did?” Alyssa just nodded. Jacob got up but Alyssa grabbed his arm and pulled him down again.
“Wait, there’s more.” He looked at her with a confused expression. She nodded and he gave her his full attention. “I heard her say when she put her bag on the bunk that she did it because she thinks it’ll give her a better chance of getting to know you.” Jacob made a noise that sounded like a cross between a snort and a sigh.
“Yeah right! Like I’d ever give her a chance. She doesn’t know much about us, does she?” Alyssa shook her head.
“No, she doesn’t. I asked her if she’d ever heard your music or watched your show, she said the most she knew, were your names.” Jacob laughed this time.
“Well, she’s sure going to get a reality check, isn’t she?” Alyssa smiled and nodded. Jacob got up again.
“Where are you going?”
“To tell the Mikes to make her move. I already have you across from me but I’m okay with that because you promised not to bother me. I don’t need another giggling girl in front of me, especially not one who is planning on bothering me a lot.” Alyssa laughed. Jacob smiled. “Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be back.” He disappeared into the sleeping area.
Jacob walked on down the aisle to the front of the bus where everyone else was. Mike C. was on the phone, arguing about something with whoever was on the other end of the line. Mike M. was working on his laptop. The backup dancers were talking, getting to know each other, Trevor and Dan were playing a video game, Erik was eating a sandwich, and Ashley was napping on the small couch.
Not wanting to interrupt Mike C’s phone call, Jacob walked over to where Mike M. was sitting with his laptop.
“Hey Mike?” Mike M. looked up. He smiled slightly when he saw Jacob standing there.
“What can I do for you Jacob?” Jacob glanced at Sukari and looked back at Mike.
“I want that Sukari girl to be changed to another bunk. I just heard from Alyssa that she chose the bunk in front of mine so she could get to know me better. I don’t want any kind of relationship with her except for performer/dancer. Hell, I don’t even want that but I don’t have a choice in that matter. Please move her, it makes me uncomfortable. I want the bunk in front of mine to be a junk bunk and nothing else.” Mike M. sighed. He looked at Sukari.
“Sukari?” She looked at him. “Could you come here for a moment, please?” She excused herself from the group and walked over. She looked at Jacob and smiled. He glared at her. She looked back at Mike and frowned.
“What is it?” she asked, sounding confused. Mike M. sighed again.
“Jacob requested that I change your bunk. So, I want you to move your things to the lower bunk under Mike C’s. That’s the front lower bunk on the right-hand side.”
“But Jacob,” Sukari said, turning to face him, “How am I supposed to get to know you better from a bunk that’s so far away?”
“Simple,” he replied in a cold voice, “You don’t.” She looked at him strangely. He folded his arms across his chest.
“I don’t understand,” Sukari said. Jacob rolled his eyes.
“I don’t want you to get to know me. You being so close makes me uncomfortable. I don’t really want any kind of relationship with you but since I don’t have a choice, it stays strictly professional. I value my privacy and you wanting to constantly butt into it, doesn’t cut it!” He spun and stormed back through the sleeping area to the back of the bus. Mike M. sighed and looked at Sukari, who looked as though she were about to cry.
“I’m sorry but I have to make sure the guys are comfortable. Don’t mind him anyway; he’s very serious about his music and his privacy. You better go make the move now.” Sukari nodded and although she was still upset, disappeared into the sleeping area to change beds.
Alyssa was still watching the program Jacob had put on when he re-entered the back of the bus, shaking his head. She looked up with a smile but frowned when she saw the look on his face. “Let me guess, it didn’t go well?” Jacob shrugged.
“I got what I wanted, but that Sukari girl, geez. I mean, don’t get me wrong, she’s pretty and all but she seems to be a little over-sensitive. I have to admit one thing though.”
“What’s that?”
“It was a good idea putting her with me. She’s black and that means she can dance. Everyone knows I can dance so it’ll work out just fine. But that’s the only thing I like about her.” Alyssa laughed. Jacob smiled briefly. “Hey look, would you mind going to your sleeping area or the front of the bus? I kinda want to be alone for a while.”
“Sure, no problem,” she said as she got up.
“Thanks.” Alyssa nodded as she left the room. She was about to enter the front of the bus when Sukari stepped out of the front lower bunk on the right-hand side and stopped her. She didn’t look pleased.
“This is your doing, isn’t it?” she said in a surprisingly calm voice. Alyssa gave her a confused look. She knew what Sukari was talking about but she wasn’t about to let her know that.
“Excuse me? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sukari’s eyes were red and Alyssa knew she had been crying. She could tell Sukari was trying to hold back more tears.
“Don’t pretend you’re innocent. You told Jacob I chose that bunk, didn’t you?” Alyssa continued to look confused. She gently put a hand on Sukari’s shoulder.
“Poor dear, I think you’re distraught. Why don’t you go and lie down for a while?” That said, she continued on her way to the front of the bus, smiling to herself as she walked.
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