Chapter
8: The Party.
All the girls were crowded into
Clare and Libby's apartment preparing for the party.
"Fancy dress, ugh… I hate
costumes. Who's dumbass idea was this anyway?" Libby spat out angrily from
her bedroom as she tried to get her costume on.
"The same dumbass who organised
the whole thing!" Sara replied as she sat down in front of Libby's dressing
table mirror doing her hair in her 50s style gown. She was going as Rose
from the Titanic movie. She was a Leonardo DiCaprio freak and had loved
Kate Winslett's character.
"Rose, are you cursing me?"
Clare shouted from her room.
Sara had a tattoo of a rose
on her lower back that she'd had simply because of her love for the flower.
She'd gotten the nickname 'Rose' from her friends the year previous to
that, after her record 26 times watching the movie Titanic.
"Well I like my outfit." Jenny
shouted as she stood in the bathroom where she was adding the finishing
touches to her costume.
"You're going as Buffy, what
a cop-out. You get normal everyday clothes and we get PVC and leather,
where's the justice!" Jamie complained grabbing her costume from Clare's
closet.
"I think I got the coolest
costume." Lisa said as she stood in the kitchen drinking from a bottle
of water.
Lisa was going as Poison Ivy
from the Batman Forever movie. She was a fiery young woman with long red
hair, which had been styled on top of her head, to give her the perfect
finish. Her green Lycra outfit and the make-up mask she had made her a
dead ringer for the villain.
"Ugh!" Libby screamed in frustration,
"Who's God forsaking idea was it to give me Batgirl?"
"You were the one who picked
it out the hat because you couldn't decide on a character!" Clare shouted
in a matter-of-fact tone from her bedroom where she was sat doing her make-up.
"Put a cork in it, Leya!"
"I bet the guys aren't having
this much trouble getting into their costumes!" Jamie said as she stood
in Clare's room struggling to get her Catwoman costume on, "Now I know
why I hate PVC!"
~~~~~*~~~~~
The guys had come up with a plan
to get Lance to put on the costume they'd picked out for him. They told
him they were going to Planet Hollywood and the theme for the night was
heroes and villains. Which was to explain why they were all dressed up
the way they were when they picked him up.
"Well Lanceten," Chris began
as he stood in the hallway of the Bass household trying hard not to laugh
at the young man, who was dressed in blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a
leather jacket. "Wait until the girls see you!"
"It was your idea to make
me wear this!" Lance retorted.
"Not mine! The girls picked
out your outfit."
"Hey, look at Mr Luke Perry!"
Joey said as he returned from the restroom wearing his Superman costume.
"I'm Xander, Joey!" Lance
said putting him straight.
"That's what he said, Luke."
Chris teased him.
Lance gave Chris a deadly
glare; "If you don't got nothin' funny to say, keep your mouth shut!"
"Ooh! Give him a leather jacket
and he turns into Little Miss Hard!" Joey said playfully.
"I'm not the one wearing tights!"
The group laughed for a while
at each other's expense taking the mickey out each of their costumes. Until
Justin had the sense to check his watch for the time, "Holy smoke Batman,"
he said turning to Chris, "We'd better go if we wanna get there on time."
"Robin, to the Bat Mobile!"
Chris said as he and Justin engaged in a role play game.
"I think they're taking their
characters a little too serious!" JC commented as he, Joey and Lance followed
behind the other two members.
"This coming from the guy
who had to have a toy gun with his costume!" Justin said from inside the
mini bus as he heard JC.
"Well do you think Hans Solo
would be without his gun? I don't think so Mister!"
~~~~~*~~~~~
As the boys turned up at the party
destination a puzzled look crossed Lance's face, "Guys I know it's been
a while since we were at Planet Hollywood but this ain't it!" he said as
Chris turned the engine off and they began to climb out of the vehicle.
"Chill out little man," Joey
said putting an arm around the birthday boy's shoulders, "All will become
clear… soon!"
~~~~~*~~~~~
Libby and Clare were keeping watch
for the bus from the front window of the building they'd booked for the
occasion. It was the only local place that was big enough to fit in all
the guests. All the guys' families were there, all the one's that could
make it anyway, and all there really close friends. There were quite a
few Batman's, Superman's, Robin's, Wonder woman's and Batgirls and there
were quite a few that hadn't bothered dressing up at all but the turn out
was good. Clare was pleased. It looked like this party was going to be
a success, not like her past efforts.
~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~
It was just last month when
she'd tried to organise a party for Libby's 18th birthday.
She rang all her friends'
back in the UK but they'd all refused invitations except Louise, she was
always up for a party. The only family that showed up was her twin brothers
and her mom. Jamie couldn't be there because she was on vacation and her
father just hadn't showed up.
The party had started with
a fight between her brother, Neil, and Dan. The DJ she'd booked was drunk
before the end of the third record and things only got worse from there.
The table that the food had been displayed on collapsed halfway through
the night causing it to fall on the floor. Dan and Libby had an argument.
Clare tore her dress on one of the doors. She went home to change and when
she returned everyone had gone home.
It was a disaster and she
swore she wasn't going to organise another party for the rest of her life
but when the guys had suggested it she couldn't say no.
~~~~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~~~~
Libby noticed the bus pull up
and she nudged Clare bringing her from her thoughts.
Clare walked over to the DJ
stand and took his microphone so she could inform everyone of Lance's arrival.
~~~~~*~~~~~
"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled as
the doors opened and Lance walked in with the rest of the group behind
him. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped to the floor in shock.
Diane walked up to her son
and put her arms around him, "Happy Birthday darling!"
"Happy Birthday little brother."
His sister, Stacey said as his mom pulled away and she hugged him.
Lance turned to Clare as she
joined the group at the door; "This had to be all your doing!"
"I was pressured." She said
with a smile as she stepped up to him and gave him a hug, "Happy Birthday!"
"Whoa! Luke Perry eat your
heart out!" Libby said walking up to him.
"Thanks, but we've already
had that joke." Lance said glancing at Chris who was sniggering behind
his hand.
Clare clapped her hands and
turned to face everybody, "Let's get this party started!"
~~~~~*~~~~~
Once Lance had done his rounds
saying hello to all his guests the party was underway.
"You would not believe how
many times the Luke Perry joke has been cracked." He said returning to
the table where Clare, Jamie, Lisa, Jenny, Sara and Libby sat. "I will
get you back for this, Clare."
"Oh no, don't blame me, that
costume was all Chris and Joey's idea!" Clare said standing up and heading
out to the dancefloor toward Lyn, Justin's mother.
"They told me… ooh you wait
'til I see them!"
~~~~~*~~~~~
After dancing to a few songs Clare
gathered Libby, Jamie, Sara and Lisa up for the special birthday surprise
they had planned for the whole group. They were the only one's who knew
about it but they let Jenny in on the secret because they'd need her help.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys
and girls, could I have your attention please!" Jenny yelled into the microphone
that she'd taken from the DJ. Everyone turned their attention to the young
woman stood on the stage before them. "Thank you. It is my pleasure to
announce that here, for one night only, we have a special performance by…"
she stopped and walked backward off the stage before finishing her sentence,
"No Sync!"
Everyone watched in amazement,
as the girls appeared dressed up as a member of the group. They were all
wearing the spacesuits the guys wore on stage at a concert and when they
ripped the suits off they had the china doll suits on underneath. Sara
had put a blond wig over her own hair to make herself look like Lance.
Jamie's hair had been styled into small platts, which she'd tied up to
make herself look more like Chris. Lisa had also put on a wig and had drawn
on a goatee with her make-up to make herself look like Joey. Libby had
had her short blonde hair curled to try and make herself look like Justin
and Clare had hair thick of gel to hold it in position. She'd had trouble
making it look as short as JC's but she knew it was all worth it when she
saw the look on his face as they all began the routine to 'Tearin' Up My
Heart'. It had taken two long days for the girls to get the routines right
and in synchronicity but they'd enjoyed it knowing that it was a great
idea.
They performed to 'I Want
You Back' and 'Crazy For You' before they disappeared to change back into
their costumes.
~~~~~*~~~~~
As the girls walked back out into
the party room they were greeted by applause. They all blushed slightly
as they headed back to their table so they could get a drink.
"That was great!" Joey said
walking up and kissing his girlfriend.
"Thank you honey!" Lisa said
as they pulled away from each other.
"Those voices need some coaching
though!" Chris said playfully.
"We're not planning on doing
it as a profession Lucky." Jamie said sarcastically.
"Thank God for that!" Justin
said with a smile.
"We wouldn't want to put you
out of business, would we?" Clare retorted.
"I don't think there'd be
any danger of that happening, not unless people enjoy listening to cats
being strangled!" Chris continued.
"I thought you were pretty
good." Jenny said as she walked over to them.
"Thank you Jenny, at least
some people appreciate the hard work it took to put that together and the
guts it took for us to get up on that stage in front of all these people!"
Clare stated.
~~~~~*~~~~~
At the end of the night, once
the guests had gone and there was just Jenny, Clare, Jamie, Lisa, Sara,
Libby and the guys of 'N Sync left in the building, they all started tidying
the room.
"You! Go home!" Clare said
walking over to Lance and taking the trash can from him.
"You need my help here." Lance
replied looking around the room.
"No. You're the birthday boy,
now go home."
Lance looked at Clare helplessly,
"Fine! I'll go. Anyone need a lift anywhere?"
"I hate to ask, but would
you mind? I missed the last bus an hour ago." Jenny asked feeling a little
awkward.
"Sure, grab your coat."
Jenny looked at Clare realising
she was leaving them with the cleaning up, "You don't mind, do you?"
"No. Get out of here." Clare
replied with a smile.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Down at the front of the building
Lance held the passenger door open on his red Toyota 4 Runner, it was his
favourite car and he'd just brought it so he was only too happy to give
Jenny a ride home.
As their journey started in
silence, none of them knowing how to start a conversation, they were both
thinking about each other.
He's such a nice guy,
Jenny thought, he's got a smile that could light a world of darkness,
his eyes are so enchanting and he's funny too. He can make me laugh and
a guy has never been able to do that before, except Matt, but he's just
a friend. I always get the butterfly feelings that Cyndi's always talking
about when I see Lance. I can't believe I've only known him two or three
days and I'm feeling like this! Maybe I should ask him to come see a movie
with me… nah! I don't want to appear to appear desperate, do I?
I've known this girl a
couple of days and I feel like I've known her my whole life, is that bad?
Lance thought, no it can't be! I've never felt like this about anyone
before. Her smile makes me feel like smiling, she lightens my day… wait
a minute, listen to yourself, you're talking like an infatuated teenager.
But she is perfect, well perfect enough for me. She's brainy and she can
hold a conversation, unlike most women I've met. She's fun to be around
and we get on, what else could I ask for in a potential girlfriend? Should
I ask her along to a movie sometime?
"Take the next left." Jenny
said directing Lance to the University, breaking the silence and bringing
him from his thoughts.
"So, what subjects are you
studying?" Lance asked trying to learn more about her.
"Music," she replied with
a smile, "I play the piano and the flute but I wanna be able to play everything!"
"You want to be a musician?"
"Maybe… either that a dancer
or a writer."
"A dancer, huh?"
"Yeah, I love to dance, I
was always tryin' out for pommer squad in high school so I thought it'd
be fun to do a degree in dance."
There was a short silence.
"So how d'ya meet Libby?"
Lance asked.
"We take Math together."
As Lance pulled up outside
the University, he looked at Jenny, he didn't want their time together
to end. He enjoyed her company and found himself wanting to spend every
waking minute with her.
Jenny looked at the door that
led inside the building, I don't want to go inside. I don't want tonight
to end. Why do I have to leave now?
" Well then, I'd better get
inside, I've got to plan for a recital we're having next week," Jenny said
as she turned to Lance, "Thanks for the ride."
"Any time," Lance said as
she opened the car door and began to climb out onto the sidewalk, "Listen…"
Jenny turned back and looked
at him so he could continue.
"We might be going to the
movies in a couple of days, you wanna come along?" he asked hoping his
friends would be up for it.
Jenny looked at him in shock,
he asked me out. Okay so everyone else would be there, but it was a start.
"Sorry. You'll probably be
too busy. Forget I asked." Lance said in quick response to the vacant look
on her face.
"No, I'd like that. Yeah,
I'd love to!" Jenny responded as a smile appeared on her face.
"Okay great. I'll get Libby
to give you a where and when."
"Well, why don't I give you
my cell phone number and then you can call me yourself. Libby's got so
much goin' on she'll probably forget to pass on your message and I wouldn't
want to miss out on a good movie, would I?"
"Yeah, okay!"
Oh my God she's giving
me her number, she wants me to call her. Yeah well why else would she give
you her number? She just doesn't want to miss out on the movie. Lance
thought as Jenny wrote down her number on a piece of paper that she had
in her jacket.
"Okay, well I'll call you
with the details." Lance said as she passed him the number.
"Great. I'll speak to you
soon then." Jenny said as she climbed from the vehicle and made her way
up to the entrance as Lance drove off.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Jenny walked into the dorm with
a big smile on her face and Cyndi noticed straight away.
"You look happy!" she said
as she looked up from the books she was studying from.
Cyndi was a petite young woman.
She had blue eyes and blonde hair that had got her the nickname Blondie.
She had a love for music and animals and was studying to become a vet.
"I am," Jenny responded as
she walked over to her bed and dropped onto it, "I've just been asked out
on a date."
"Oh yeah, do tell. Who is
he?"
"Lance Bass. He's the most
perfect guy I've ever met. He's got a smile that makes you weak at the
knees, his eyes, oh his eyes and he can turn your world upside down just
by saying 'hello', he's perfect… just perfect." Jenny replied dreamily.
"You mean the Lance Bass,
from 'N Sync?"
"Do you know another man so
perfect?"
"Yeah, Chris Kirkpatrick!
The eyes, the smile, the body… now that's perfection in its greatest form!"
Jenny smiled at Cyndi, she
didn't care what her friend thought, Lance was perfect enough for her.
Chapter
9: You Got It.
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