As the girl floated back into consciousness, she felt a hand on her forehead and another holding her own hand. Her eyes fluttered open, and when she could finally focus her eyes properly, the scene before her was amazing! She was in a dressing room with *N Sync!
“Hey!” whispered Lance, who had his hand on her head. “She’s waking up!”
Chris, who had been holding her hand, jumped up and looked at her. “Hey,” he said softly. “Are you okay?”
For just a moment, the girl couldn’t speak. Then she finally managed to stutter, “I - I think so. What happened?”
JC walked over and gave her a sweet smile. “You got a nasty bump on the head. Does it hurt?”
She blinked a few times and suddenly the pain in her head came rushing at her. She flinched and nodded.
JC got up and walked over to a little table. He brought her two Tylenol tablets and placed them in her hand. Then he went to a little refrigerator in the corner of the room and took out a bottle of water. He handed her the bottle and said, “Take these. You’ll feel better in a little while.” Lance gave her a sympathetic smile.
She took the tablets and, closing her eyes, laid back on the sofa that she was stretched out on. She felt someone squeeze her hand gently. Then she felt a hand being pressed against her forehead. The rings the person was wearing were cold against her hot skin. Then a voice, Chris’ perhaps, or maybe Justin’s, whispered, “Hey, guys, I think she’s got a fever.”
“Well,” said JC’s voice. “Let her rest for a little bit, we’ll take her temperature later.”
And then the girl drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up later, she heard people shuffling about around her. She heard Chris say softly, “What about her?”
“Well,” she heard Joey say. “I guess we’ll have to take her with us.”
“Yeah.” said Justin. “I guess that’s all we can do right now.”
Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted up into someone’s arms. She opened her eyes a little bit and saw JC with a worried expression on his face, carrying her somewhere.
She then saw that she was being carried to *N Sync’s tour bus! JC carried her up the steps and into the bus.
“Let her sleep in my bunk.” she heard Chris say. Then she felt herself being set down on a soft mattress. She opened her eyes and saw JC pulling a blanket up around her. He glanced at her face and saw that she was awake.
He smiled and said, “Hi. Glad to see you’re up.” Lance and Justin came up beside JC and stood beside Chris’ bunk.
“Are you hungry or thirsty?” Lance asked.
“Well,” she said. “I’m a little thirsty.”
Justin smiled. “Okay, what would you like? Soda or something?”
“Um, could I just have some water, please?” she asked shyly.
“Of course!” JC said cheerfully, and with that, Justin left to get her some water.
Chris and Joey walked up to the bunk after Justin left and Chris said, “In case you don’t know us, I’m Chris, and this is Joey, JC, Lance, and that dude that just walked off is Justin. Now, what’s your name?”
“Um…” For a moment her mind was a blank. “Um, my name is……Kori…”
“Kori?” repeated Joey. “That’s a pretty name.”
Kori blushed. “Thank you.”
“Pleased to meet you, Kori.” said Lance. Kori blushed even more.
“You know,” Chris murmured thoughtfully. “You sort of remind me of my sister.”
Not knowing what to say to that, Kori asked, “What exactly is going on? What happened?”
“Well, we were just finishing up our concert, you were in one of the first few rows, I think-“ Joey began.
“We were right in the middle of Tearin’ Up My Heart.” Justin cut in, handing her the water.
“Right,” Joey said. “And then something from the lighting fell and hit you on the head! You were out cold, and everybody was screaming because they thought you were dead.”
JC grinned. “And Lance, being the sweet guy that he is, bolted off the stage and rushed over to you to see if you were okay. He didn’t even care if he got creamed by about a dozen screaming fans.” Lance blushed at that.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” he said, a bit shyly.
“And then Lance lifts you up and carries you back into the dressing room, and got one of our bodyguards to watch you until we ended the concert.
By now, Lance was beet red from blushing. “Can I help it if I wanted to make sure she was taken good care of?” he said, smiling at her.
They all grinned at their friend then turned to look at Kori. Her face was just as flushed as Lance’s, but it wasn’t from blushing.
The minute he saw how red her cheeks were, Chris ran to get a thermometer. He stuck it in her mouth and stood there watching her while Lance felt her forehead. The thermometer beeped, signaling that it was done taking her temperature. JC took it out of her mouth and looked at the numbers on it.
“Well,” he said. “You’ve got a temperature of 101 degrees. Is your normal temperature around 98 degrees?”
“I think so.” she nodded wearily.
“Okay,” JC said. “Just lay down and try to get some sleep for now.” And to Kori’s delight, he leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. Then he left the room.
Justin gave her hand a gentle squeeze, then followed JC.
“Hope you feel better soon.” Chris said as he and Joey left.
“Hey,” Lance said softly. “Would you like me to stay in here with you, in case you wake up and need something?” He looked worried.
Kori blushed slightly. “Yes, I’d like that very much.”
Lance smiled. “Okay. I’ve been wanting to do some reading, anyway.” he said, hopping into his own bunk and pulling a book out from under his pillow.
Kori took a sip of her water and settled back into Chris’ bunk, falling asleep in seconds.
When she woke up later, it was completely dark in the bunkroom. She heard the door squeak open and saw a tiny sliver of light.
“Hey, Lance?” She heard JC’s voice. “You awake?”
“Uh huh.” Was Lance’s reply.
“How’s she doing?”
“I don’t know. I think she’s still asleep. I haven’t heard a sound out of her.”
“Good. Maybe she’ll sleep through that signing we’re supposed to do at that mall in about an hour.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Lance paused. “What are we going to do about getting her home? She’s got no identification or anything!”
“Well, Lance, I’m sure she’ll be able to tell us where she lives.”
“I don’t know, JC. I’ve heard that injuries like that can cause temporary or even permanent amnesia! What if she can’t remember anything?”
There was a pause as JC thought about what his friend had just said. “I don’t know, Lance. I don’t know.” With that, JC closed the door and all was silent.
Kori thought about what she had just heard. Did she have amnesia? She tried to think of what had happened before waking up in *N Sync’s dressing room. Everything was blurry. She remembered the time her mother had yelled at her for breaking a vase when she was six years old. She remembered when her little brother had fallen off his bike and she had comforted him and cleaned his scraped knees. She remembered the many times her older brother had teased her about different things. She remembered when her parents had given her *N Sync concert tickets for her seventeenth birthday. The concert she had been so excited about. And look where it had gotten her.
That’s right! she realized. Look where it’s gotten me! I’m inside *N Sync’s tour bus, sleeping in Chris Kirkpatrick’s bunk, with Lance Bass in the bunk next to mine!
She smiled to herself. Other than the fever, this was turning out to be a great birthday after all. After her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she began to wonder what time it was.
“Lance?” she called out softly.
She heard him scramble out of his bunk and come over to hers. “Yes?”
“What time is it?”
“Uh, about seven AM.”
“SEVEN AM?” Kori cried out. “What time did I go to sleep?”
“About 11:30 last night. I guess you slept the whole night through. About fifteen minutes after you went to sleep, the others went to bed too. They got up at six o’clock this morning.” Lance said, smiling at her.
She thought about that. Wait! she thought. I was in Chris’ bunk all night! Where did poor Chris sleep?
“Uh, since I’m in Chris’ bunk,” she said, a bit sheepishly. “Where did Chris sleep?”
“Oh, he slept in our little TV room.” Answered Lance.
“Poor Chris.” Kori murmured.
“Oh, don’t worry.” Lance assured her. “He doesn’t mind. He said he’d much rather you sleep in his bunk if it makes you more comfortable.”
“Are you sure?” she asked worriedly.
He nodded. “Of course. That reminds me, we need to take your temperature again.” He placed his hand on her forehead. “You feel a little cooler. I’ll go ask Chris where the thermometer is.”
He stood up and walked to the door. “Do you want me to turn on the light?”
Kori nodded. “Yes, please.”
Lance opened the door and flicked on the light. Kori had to blink a few times to adjust your eyes.
When Lance returned, he not only had the thermometer, he also had the rest of the guys following him.
“Hey!” said Joey cheerfully. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, thank you.” Kori said shyly.
“Are you hungry or anything?” asked Justin.
“Good.” he said. “It’s back down to 98 degrees. Do you think you feel well enough to go with us to the mall for an autograph session?”
And although JC had always been her favorite, she realized that she was developing a major crush on Lance. He was so sweet and kind to her – they all were – and he seemed genuinely worried about her.
Not that the others didn’t, but they was just something special she felt between herself and Lance.
When she turned her attention back to the guys, she realized Joey had asked her a question.
“Pardon?” she asked, feeling a little embarrassed.
“Do you want to borrow one of our shirts or something so you don’t have to wear what you slept in?” he repeated.
Of course she would! The thought of wearing the clothing of someone from *N Sync made her giddy with excitement. But all she said was, “Yes, please.”
“Well,” said Chris. “Since you and I are the closest to the same height, you can wear something of mine.” He went over to a dresser and shuffled through one of the drawers.
“How’s this?” he asked, holding up a black T-shirt.
“That’s great!” she said, and he just grinned at her.
“Uh, I guess we’ll leave you alone so you can change.” Justin said uncomfortably. He and the others guys quickly exited, leaving Kori to herself.
She quickly changed her shirt. She was glad that she had worn her plain denim bell-bottoms, and nothing really fancy. After she changed she ran her fingers through her long brown hair, making it look just a little less disheveled. She pulled a scrunchie out of her pocket (which she had conveniently placed there the day before) and rapidly French-braided her hair. When she finished, she opened the door, took a deep breath, and went out to find the guys.
She walked into the TV room that Lance had mentioned before, and when he saw her, Lance stood up, looking a bit worried.
“You feeling alright?” he asked.
She nodded. “I feel fine.”
“Good.” Lance breathed a sigh of relief and gave her a sweet smile.
“Wow,” Chris murmured. “She looks better in my shirt than I do!”
Kori blushed. “Thanks,” she said softly.
“You’re right, Chris.” Justin said jokingly. “She looks a lot better in your shirt than you do!” Everyone laughed at that.
Kori felt a little more comfortable after that. She was a little nervous, and felt very shy.
Chris walked over to her and swung his arm around her shoulders. She blushed, and when Lance saw that, he smiled and said, “Chris, I think you’re embarrassing her.”
Chris grinned, made a hideous face and said, “Now why on Earth would I want to embarrass her?”
Kori giggled a bit. Chris looked at her and laughed. That got the rest of them laughing.
They left the bus, still laughing, and climbed into the sleek, black limousine waiting for them outside. When Kori entered, the driver turned and looked questioningly at JC.
JC grinned. “It’s okay, she’s with us.”
Justin snickered at that. “ ‘She’s with us’? JC, that was corny!”
JC laughed. “I know, I know, I couldn’t help saying it!”
The others laughed and Kori saw that Lance was sitting next to her. She began to blush when she saw him and couldn’t keep an embarrassed grin off her face.
Joey turned the radio on and found an oldies station that was playing a Beatles song. He turned the volume up so that it was blaring. Chris immediately began to sing at the top of his lungs, a bit off-key, Kori thought.
“SHE LOVES YOU, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH! SHE LOVES YOU, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!” he yelled. He threw his head from side to side, his dreadlocks whacking JC in the face. JC blinked once, then he and Joey began to do the same as Chris. Lance and Kori laughed as they watched them, and Justin just sat there, looking at them as if they were all lunatics.
“Don’t we sing beautifully, Kori?” JC exclaimed.
Kori just laughed and said, “You guys are crazy!”
“Thank you!” shouted Joey, and Justin burst out laughing at that.
Chris rolled the window down, stuck his head out, and screamed, “SHE THINKS WE’RE CRAZY!”
The others laughed, and Kori turned to catch a glimpse of Lance, and found herself staring straight into his green eyes – and him staring back into her brown ones!
She quickly turned back and began to blush. Oh, my God! she thought. He’s looking at me!
Just then, Justin, who was sitting on her left, put his arm around her and whispered into her ear, “Don’t worry, they’re not always like this, they’re just showing off.” He grinned at her and she smiled back.
Moments later, they pulled up to the mall. As they climbed out of the limo, Lance leaned over to her and said softly, “Stick close to me, okay?”
She held back an excited smile and replied, “Okay.”
And then, to her surprise, he slipped his hand into hers and smiled at her. Kori was in heaven.
When they entered the mall, Kori was overwhelmed by the dozens of screaming fans. She felt Lance squeeze her hand. She looked at him and they smiled at each other.
For the first half-hour, everything was pretty boring. Kori sat between Lance and Chris. She watched all of the excited girls as they lined up to have their pictures, posters, and CDs autographed by *N Sync. As she watched the girls walk away one by one, she realized how lucky she was. She got to sleep in *N Sync’s tour bus. She had become friends with the guys. AND LANCE BASS HAD HELD HER HAND!
She looked at Lance and he gave her a sympathetic smile. Her heart began to pound rapidly. I wonder if he feels the same way about me as I do him. she thought.
At the same moment, Lance’s heart was beating just as wildly. Oh, God, I hope she likes me! he thought. It didn’t even matter that she was two years younger than him. Lance had a feeling he was falling in love.
About ten minutes later, Lance had finally built up the courage to try to put his arm around her and tell her how he felt. The minute he was about to, JC, who was sitting on his other side, accidentally rammed his elbow into Lance’s chest.
“Ow!” Lance yelped.
Kori gasped. “Are you all right? What happened?”
“Oh, jeez!” JC cried. “Are you okay? I’m sorry!”
Lance rubbed his chest. “That’s okay, I didn’t need to breathe at that moment.” he said sarcastically.
“I’m really sorry.” JC said, trying not to smile. “You okay?”
Lance nodded. “I’m fine.”
“What happened?” asked Joey, who was sitting beside Chris.
“Oh, nothing.” Chris said dryly. “JC’s arm just collided with Lance’s chest and knocked the wind out of him, nothing important.”
“Oh, okay.” Joey said, grinning and turning back to the girl he was signing an autograph for.
Lance was still rubbing his chest. “Man, that hurt.” he grumbled. “You got me right in the ribs!”
“I’m sorry, man.” JC said, snickering a bit. “I really didn’t mean to.”
Lance just grumbled as the rest of them snickered. After a few seconds, though, even he couldn’t hold back a smile. He rubbed his chest a little more where JC’s elbow had poked him. He glanced over at Kori and saw her grinning at him, and his heart skipped a beat. He grinned back, and felt extremely good about himself throughout the rest of the day, though he had totally lost the nerve to tell her how he felt about her.
