A Simple Touch
Part One
I carefully shut my bedroom door behind me. No matter how mad I was with my mom, slamming the door and getting into trouble would not be worth it. I hated hearing my mom yell my name, somehow she turned a simple 'Avery' into a long drawn out "Aaa-ver-ry!". That's how I knew when I was in really big trouble.
I couldn't believe it, all I wanted to do was spend the weekend with my friends at a resort about fifty miles or so up the road, and my mom said no. I'm almost eighteen, and all my friends were all responsible. Well, maybe Toni was a little erratic, but you could trust her to be there when you needed her.
Walking across the room I let out a sigh as I sank down onto my inflatable couch. Oh well, hopefully someone else's parents would say no, so I wouldn't be stuck at home all alone. Having a little sister didn't count.
Mya was a pest to the fullest, she had just turned sixteen, and couldn't be more annoying. At least I didn't have to share a room with her. Two of my best friends, Callista and Catrina shared a room. Both of them were seventeen, half-step-sisters. Long story. My room was my haven, my place to disappear into when I wanted to get away from it all.
Oh well, sitting around and moping all day wasn't going to do me any good. Sifting through my collection of cds, I tossed them each of them aside one by one. I wasn't in the mood for listening to The Supertones, Collective Soul, The W's, Hanson, Jars Of Clay, Wallflowers, dc Talk, or any of my other cds. Geez, wasn't there anything I could listen to?
I was just about to give up when I noticed one of my sister's cds at the bottom of the rack. *N Sync. Now what in the world were they doing there? I don't really listen to them, they were talented and everything, but I had never listened to the cd outside of hearing Mya play it. Not quite my tastes, I lean more towards alternative, ska, swing, and the occasional pop artist.
"Oh well, there's a first for everything." I muttered to myself as I opened the cd player. Pulling the blue centered orange rimmed cd out of the case, I studied the design of the flame for a moment before popping it in the player.
As the very first strains of "Tearin Up My Heart" floated out of my speakers, I settled back into the chair holding the cd case.
"You know," I thought to myself as I looked at the cover, "They aren't that bad looking."
Now I was curious. I always heard my sister talking about them, but I couldn't name them if my life depended on it. I knew Justin, and that was only because Catrina swooned over the sight of him.
Mya wasn't home, and even if she was I'd never ask her about them. She'd jump at the chance to make fun of me. Ever since our dad had left us about three years ago, we haven't gotten along.
I knew she kept an *N Sync 'file' in her room. She wouldn't miss it if I borrowed it for a few minutes.
Leaving my room I heard the next song starting. Ha, the day a guy sings that all he wants is to be with me, is the day I decide to like the Spice Girls. I was plain, boring. Maybe 5'9", light brown hair that ended with a slight wave a little below my shoulders, average weight, average build. At least I had semi cool eyes. They were a medium brown, but my mom liked to say they were caramel brown. But in overall comparison to my friends, I was just plain.
Callista had dark brown hair, almost black, which was straight and silky. She wore it right below her shoulders, when she wore it up it really brought attention to her eyes. Dark green, sometimes they reminded me of the sea. 5'6", slim, athletic yet shapely. Everything I wasn't.
Her sister Catrina was the neighborhood flirt. Same height as me, everyone tells her she should be a model, I agree. Light, soft blond hair frames her face with a few curls. Her light blue eyes always seem to have this sparkle in them. One thing is for sure, she sure has the build to be a model.
Toni, now she's a character. 16, spunky, tomboyish, daredevil, just plain crazy. Maybe 5'5", with short spiked bleached blond hair, her roots are more brown. She has intense green eyes, and a fiery temper to go with them. Even though she's the youngest, she sports two tattoos on her small, slim frame. A heart with a butterfly inside of it on her back, and a rose that curves down below her right collarbone.
Even my sister had more style than I did. Mya was 5'4", with dark auburn hair that curled it's way to about three inches below her shoulders. Dark brown eyes were set into a rosy complexion. She had enough energy for three people her age, and for some reason it always seemed to come out at the most inconvenient times possible.
Anyway, I was in my sister's room now. She never puts anything up. After looking around for a few minutes I found her folder hidden inside her nightstand. I pushed the drawer as far closed as I could and then left the room. I had no idea how long she was going to be gone, and I had no intentions of getting caught in the act of 'borrowing' her stuff.
Locking my bedroom door, I laid across my bed with the folder open in front of me. Lemme see, who to learn about first? Flipping through a couple pages that were full of group pictures, I came to a section entitled "Chris".
He was the oldest of the group, wow, he was old! Which one is he? Oh, the one with the really cool funky hair. That should make it easy enough to remember. Mya likes him, odd child that she is. He started the idea for the group, likes the Beatles, collects records, is afraid of heights, and likes Halloween. Ok, that was a start. Next guy.
"Lance". Hmm….cute, very cute. Second youngest, Baptist, sings bass, name is like the fish. Haha, looks good with blue hair! Ok, that was off track. Likes country, wants to be taller, collects antique knives and guns! Wow, neat. Shy, hates things that buzz, loves Christmas, and if you compliment him he'll blush. Sounds cool. Next.
"Joey". He has a lot of earrings, almost as many as Toni does. Ok, middle member in age, collects superman memorabilia, he bites his fingernails, likes Christmas, doesn't like his 'big' feet, being flattered makes him blush. He looks better with facial hair, let me say that much! His advice? Never give up. Good advice. Next guy.
"Justin" Ha, the one guy I can actually name. I can see why Catrina likes him so much. Cute is not the word to describe him, if I ever figure it out I'll let you know. Curly blond hair which he dislikes. Youngest member, Likes Christmas, cranky in the morning, fave word is crunk, collects sneakers? Ok, whatever shreds his cheese!
"JC" Last member. Let me see, loves to sleep, collects Hard Rock Café menus, likes his leather jacket, is terrified of needles, likes Christmas, and bites his nails. Man, he is cute! How old is he? 22? He doesn't look it. Dang, he is by far and away the cutest guy in the group. Oh, it takes a lot to make him blush. How much cuter can you get? Oh cool, he also knew Justin from when they were on the Mickey Mouse club together.
Ok, enough of *N Sync, if I read anymore about them my brain is going to explode! The cd was still spinning away. Hey, how could they want me back if they didn't know me? Never mind, I'm tired and I'm arguing with my cd player. Maybe it was time to put on a different cd.
Grabbing a random cd off my rack I ejected *N Sync and put in the new cd without even looking at it. Pushing the random button, I stuck *N Sync back in their case and dropped it on my chair.
Moments later the opening notes for 'Weird' broke the silence. I went from *N Sync, to Hanson. How bizarre. Oh well, I was one of the few who liked Hanson in my neighborhood, and I was proud of it. I think 'Weird' is like my theme song or something, it describes me perfectly. Sitting on the edge of my bed I thought about calling one of my friends.
As I looked for my address and phone number book, Cat had recently acquired her own phone line and I still didn't know it by heart, my cd player jumped from 'Weird' into 'I Will Come To You'. Great…just the song to remind me that I was also just about the only girl who didn't have a date every Friday night.
Sighing as I found the book, I picked up the phone and started to dial.
Part Two
Turned out I didn't need to call her.
I heard a knocking on my door, and before I could even get up Catrina opened it up and came into my room. Shopping bags in tow, no surprise there.
"Hi Cat." I said waving her over.
"Hey! I just bought the cutest dress while I was at the mall, wanna see it?" Catrina smiled as she set the bags down on my chair.
"Do I have a choice?" without waiting for her to answer me, I said sure. Catrina is a shoppaholic, but it seems like everything looks good on her, so it never goes to waste.
I watched as she pulled a pair of indigo cut-offs out of the bag, and then tossed a medium blue crop-top on top of it. I would never be caught dead in an outfit like that, but like I said, she had the body to get away with it.
After looking through the shopping bags for a minute longer, she pulled out the lightest baby blue dress I had ever seen. It looked as though it would come to about mid-thigh on her, and it would probably fit her like a glove. It was a really pretty dress though, a low back, off the shoulder sleeves, and a straight cut across the front.
"Slammin." I muttered as she tossed it to me.
"Slammin? Ave, you're starting to sound like Justin." Catrina said laughing. She knew I wasn't too keen on *N Sync.
Realizing what I had just said, I tossed the dress back to her from across the room and responded with the ever so effective statement, "So?"
"Nothin." She just continued to smile as she sat down.
After a few minutes of chitchat, I found out she wasn't going to the resort either. Callista had some competition she had to be at on the same weekend, and her mom said that unless they both went, neither of them could go. She brightened considerably when I told her I was staying home too. Turns out *N Sync was in town that weekend. Of course. The catch? It was already sold out. The hope?
"You see, 102 FM is giving away tickets, front row with backstage passes! Tomorrow is the last day you can win. They ask a question about *N Sync, and if you're the tenth caller and know the right answer, you win. I've been trying all week, but I can never get through!" Catrina explained the whole thing to me as I laid there with a pillow over my head.
102 was not my radio station. Give me my Mix any day. Great, now I had a headache that wasn't going away. I hated doing this to her, but I asked Catrina if she would mind leaving. Of course she said no, she was used to my headaches, I got them about once every two weeks. I hated them, but the doctor said there was nothing we could do about them.
After Catrina left I was just sitting there next to my radio thinking. These *N Sync tickets meant a lot to her. I know Toni and Callista would love to go as well. Maybe I'd listen in, just for fun. Tuning my radio to 102 FM, I slid under my cover and closed my eyes. I was out like a light.
I was out for quiet a while, I was just starting to come to when I heard my radio in the distance. It was saying something about where did JC and Justin meet.
JC and Justin! They were giving away the tickets! Grabbing my phone I dialed the number as they called them out. I was only half-awake, I don't think I really knew what I was doing. Busy signal. Ah! Slamming down the phone I picked up and tried again. This time it rang. My palms were sweating as it rang once, twice, and on the third ring someone picked up.
"Hi! And who is this?"
It took a second for my voice to work. "Avery."
"Avery huh?"
I just nodded, not like he could see.
"Well Avery, you're caller number ten. Do you have the answer to our *N Sync question? Where did JC and Justin first meet?"
"I know the answer." I stammered. "They met each other on…on…"
Oh shoot, what a time to blank out!
"On what?" I heard through the phone.
Just as I was about to admit that I couldn't remember, I heard Mya walking in the hallway singing off the top of her lungs. "M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E!"
"The Mickey Mouse Club!" I screamed into the phone.
"That's right! You and three friends are going to see *N Sync when they perform here next week! Congratulations! Please hold the line."
I was in a daze, I know I was asked for my address and phone number, I just don't remember giving them.
Glancing at the clock I realized it was too late to call anyone. Besides, they had probably heard me on the radio, I could talk to them all tomorrow.
Just as I was about to climb back in bed, I noticed that Catrina had left some of her clothes there. I picked them up and as I went to place them on my dresser I stopped and looked at them. I held them in front of me as I examined, we were about the same size. She borrowed my clothes sometime, and they fit her fine. I wondered…
Checking to make sure my door was locked, I quickly slid out of what I was wearing and tugged the shorts on. Oh man, how can she wear these all the time! I was used to baggy pants, and these were far from baggy. Pulling the shirt on, I felt half-naked, which I guess I was, wasn't I?
Walking in front of the mirror, I looked myself over. It didn't look too bad, it just wasn't me. The colors made my hair seem lighter, I liked that part. Doing a little twirl I decided I kind of liked it. Maybe I'd go with Catrina next time she went shopping. Or maybe it was sleep deprivation talking. Now I knew I needed sleep.
Changing into a tee shirt and a pair of loose shorts, I fell onto my bed and was asleep before I could even think about it.
Part Three
The next morning I got about twenty phone calls from friends, telling me way to go. Got a couple hate calls too, and a ton of pranks. It was going to be hard deciding on only three friends. By the time I was ready to eat lunch, the calls has slowed, and I was grateful. All the non-stop ringing did absolutely nothing for my head.
Sinking into my chair at the kitchen, I thanked my mom as she set a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup in front of me. I didn't want to try and stomach anything else at that very moment. Sitting down in the seat next to me, what my mom had to say next floored me. Not literally, I actually stayed in my seat, but figuratively I was floored.
"I want you to take Mya with you."
"You want me to do what?!" I snapped.
"You heard what I said. You have to take Mya with you. You know how much she likes them, and it wouldn't be fair if you got to go and she didn't." My mom answered calmly.
"But mom, they're my tickets! I want to take my friends!"
"I'm your mom, and if I say you have to take Mya, then you either take her with you or stay home and miss the concert. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You can still take two friends with you, but if Mya doesn't go then neither do you."
I wanted to argue with her, but I knew it would be a lost cause. When my mom makes up her mind about something, she really makes up her mind.
Sighing, I mumbled 'fine' and then went back to eating my soup. I could of strangled my sister right about then.
After lunch I decided to go out for a walk so I could be by myself. Mya had been talking about how *N Sync was in town. Even though she had really started to get on my nerves, I listened to enough to find out that they were passing through on their way to a concert, and that they were staying the night in some hotel by us. My head was really bothering me, but I pushed it aside and headed towards the edge of town.
We had a few small cliffs by us, one of my favorite things to do was climb up to the top of one of them and just sit there, I had never taken anyone with me yet. It was my special place, outside of my room. It was especially pretty during a sun set. I always thought it would be so romantic to spend an evening there with someone that you really cared about. But I wasn't counting on that anytime soon.
Walking about half a mile past the residential part of town, I felt another headache coming on. I didn't have a hat and the heat was making it worse. Sitting down on the curb I cupped my head in my hands and took a deep breath. I could not black out, not now. Now my breathing was coming in short gasps, everything was starting to spin. Mumbling a quick prayer that nothing bad would happen, I knew what happened next.
Sure enough, the next thing I remember was feeling someone holding me up. I don't know who it is, but there's something oddly familiar and comforting about them. I guess my prayer was answered pretty quickly.
I could hear voices, but I couldn't really make anything out. Something about me hitting my head pretty hard, that was all I really caught.
Opening my eyes, I let them adjust to the light before looking up. When I looked up I looked right into the most amazing green eyes I had ever seen. They were pale, but not dull, light, but full of color. Pulling my gaze back I noticed that whoever this was, they had one heck of a tan.
"Are you ok?"
I was still trying to clear my head when I heard a deep voice ask me that. I nodded, not sure if the voice was coming from behind me or in front of me.
Another voice joined in. "Hold on, we're going to get you off the street."
I felt a strong arm wrap around me and then I was lifted into the air. Next thing I knew I was being set down on something soft. When I looked I realized I was sitting in the back of an SUV.
Shaking my head lightly to try and get rid of the fog that was following me, I instantly regretted it as a fresh wave of pain came over me. That deep voice came out of nowhere again. It was sort of soothing, a deep smooth voice that was easy on the ears.
I focused my attention in the direction the voice was coming from. Squinting a little to block out the glare of the sun, I found myself looking into the eyes of Lance Bass.
Another wave of nausea started to wash over me. Not again. I felt that arm around me. As I fought back the urge to faint, I turned my head ever so slightly to see who it was supporting me. Just my luck, JC.
After a few minutes of the world spinning in front of me, the pressure in my head started to ease a little. Nobody else had appeared, so I was assuming JC and Lance were the only two there.
Mya would be jealous, but considering they way it happened, I would of rather not run into them. JC still had his arm lightly around my shoulders, I didn't notice until I tried to sit up straighter and lost my balance.
"What's your name?" Lance reached out and gently touched my arm. I shivered a little, I know I wasn't cold, but something about his touch made me pull back a little.
When he didn't move his hand, I told him my name was Avery. And I was just fine, thank you.
"Are you sure on that one?" JC asked as he leaned me against the back of the seat. Maybe now I could sit up straight. This is not how I envisioned meeting *N Sync.
"Yeah," I said wincing as I reached up and touched my head. Seemed intact enough. "I get these headaches every one in a while."
"But you'll be ok?" JC asked again as he climbed out of the door, leaving me by myself in the seat.
"In a minute or two." I mumbled as I took a closer look at the two of them. Lance was doing the casual thing, khaki slacks, light green jersey, typical Lance. JC was also typical, blacks jeans that were hanging somewhere below his waist, white tank top and a black dress shirt unbuttoned.
When I leaned against the seat, I noticed just how well the tank top fit JC, and I knew my face had to be turning bright red at that moment.
Sure enough, JC took one look at me and asked if I was still ok. I mumbled a non-committal answer and looked away.
JC walked a little bit away from the SUV, said he was going to call they other guys and tell them where they were, and that they'd be a little longer.
Lance sat down in the passenger seat, and turned to face me.
"So, you live far from here?"
Making an attempt to be polite was he? Well, then I could muster the strength to answer him.
"Yeah, maybe two, three miles from here. I was on my way to the cliffs, I like going there when I'm upset." Now why did I say that to him?
"Are you upset about something now?" Lance tilted his head a little to the side. His hair was getting a little on the long side, it kinda fell into his face.
Did he really expect me to answer that? Well, if he did or not, he got his answer.
"A little. See, I just won these tickets to see you guys in concert, and my mom is making me take my little sister Mya. She's a brat, and I wanted to take my friends."
"How many tickets?"
"Four, but three of my friends really love you guys." Oh man, they were gonna hate me if they ever found out what I just said!
"Why don't you let Mya go with your friends?" Was he kidding? I couldn't tell from the look on his face. He was just giving me this little smile, like he knew something.
"No way! Those are my tickets, and I'm going to use one of them!"
Lance just let out a soft laugh. "So you don't care if you see us or not, as long as Mya doesn't get to come along with you? Why did you get the tickets if you don't like our music?"
Here came that flush of red again. How he knew that, I did not know. But he was right, I don't listen to them, I heard the cd for the first time yesterday.
"Naw, it's ok. I'll be looking for you. And your friends." Now a full smile came across his face. Dang, he was extra cute when he did that.
Before I could think of anything to say, JC came back over and told Lance that they really needed to get going.
I was about to get out when JC, asked where I was off to.
"Home…or at least that's what I was planning…"
"No way. Sit tight, buckle up, and tell me which way to turn."
Not seeing any other choices, I sat down, strapped myself in, and directed JC to my house.
I don't remember much after that. Lance walked me to my house with JC following behind. My mom answered the door. I don't think she realized who they were, she was more worried about me. Which makes sense I suppose. I started getting dizzy about halfway to my room, so JC helped me out while Lance told my mom what had happened.
I remember him setting me on my bed, and pulling a cover over me. I woke up later with no shoes on, so someone must have taken them off. After JC said he'd see me at the concert, he left just as Lance came in.
He whispered that he'd remember to look for me, and then he gave me a very light kiss on the cheek. Not a romantic kind, more like, like he was a really good friend.
That's all I can recall, I don't even remember dreaming. Next thing I knew it was almost seven o'clock and I was sitting in my bed wondering if it had all been a dream. My mom had gone out, picking up some medicine for me is what her note said. Mya was spending the night at a friend's house. And none of my friends were answering, so after I made myself a sandwich for dinner, I just collapsed back into bed and slept till morning.
Part Four
I didn't tell anyone about what happened, when my mom asked about it I said I didn't remember very much. That wasn't a lie was it?
She wasn't sure if she wanted me to go to the concert anymore. See, I won the tickets on Friday, and the concert was the next Saturday. Today was Tuesday, and my headaches were just now starting to get better. This was the worst they had been in a long time, ever since I started taking medicine for them they had been pretty mild.
I told her to give me another day or two before making up her mind. I really wanted to go now. Mostly just so I could thank JC and Lance for what they had done. They didn't have to stop, but they did.
The whole thing actually kind of seemed like a dream. I was wondering if it had really been them, or if I was just so delusional that I just thought it was them.
Or at least, I thought that until this afternoon when I checked the mail. There was a letter for me, no return address or name, just my first name and address neatly printed on the front.
At first I didn't think much of it, probably one of my friends being weird like they normally are. I just tossed it on my bed and then forgot about it until later.
Catrina called me about the missing outfit, so I was getting it together so she could come and pick it up. Mom won't let me leave the house. Especially if it involved driving. So there I was, picking up clothes when I remembered the letter.
Sitting on the edge of my bed I carefully lifted the flap open and pulled out a single sheet of college ruled paper. It had been written with dark blue ink, I could see where it leaked through when the pen sat there too long. Weird.
Unfolding it, I began reading.
Dear Avery,
I never did get your full name this past Saturday, so I guess Avery will do. I don't know how much you remember, you seemed pretty out of it, but I stopped to help you after you blanked out. Me and JC never learned much about you, but we were both wondering how you are. I know you said that you had tickets, I hope you can still come. In case you can't, we'll give you tickets next time we're in town, but it would be great to see you there this weekend. Here's four passes to the meet and greet before the show, we didn't forget your friends (smiles).
Hope to see you at the show, we'll be looking! Hope you're feeling better.
Much Love - Lance Bass
P.S.- JC would kill me if he heard me say this, but after we left your house, he told me that you were really pretty, and he was wondering how old you were. Don't know what you think of him, but run with it! -Lance
I don't know how long I just sat there and stared at that piece of paper before I came to. Carefully folding the letter, I pulled out the passes and hid the envelope and letter inside of one of my videotapes.
Catrina and Toni stopped by a few minutes later, it was nice to see Toni. The last time I saw her was over a week ago, when we had snuck into a nearby club. We almost got caught, but Toni wound up dragging us out a back door. Something tells me she spends too much time in that club.
I gave Catrina her clothes back, and then we just hung out for a while. We fixed some sandwiches and talked about the concert. I forgot that Callista was going to be out of town, so I agreed to use the fourth ticket for Mya.
Toni seemed a little distant, I think it's because she just broke up with her boyfriend about a week ago. It takes her a long time to get attached to guys, so it was hard on her. Catrina on the other hand never makes commitments like that, guys know that they're lucky to get a second or third date. Me, I don't date much. Better things to do with my time. Yeah right. I'm plain and boring, remember?
We talked about clothes, what we were going to wear, things like that. I wanted to mention the letter, but I bit my tongue.
I wonder which Nsyncer Toni likes the most? I know Cat likes Justin, Mya likes Chris, I think I like JC, now we just need a Joey and Lance.
Lance, speaking of Lance, there was something about him. It was like, he understood exactly how felt.
It wasn't the same kind of connection you have with a boyfriend type relationship, but it was like we
had been friends forever.
Catrina snapped me back to reality when she said that they had to go. I said goodbye to the both of
them and we made plans to go shopping that Thursday, mom willing.
I decided that I didn't own anything that I would wear to the concert, I wanted to look nice. Not nice,
more like, stunning. If I was going to see JC, I wanted to leave an impression that wouldn't involve me
passed out on a curb.
The two of them left soon afterwards, and for some reason I decided my room needed cleaning. I'm
not sure why that happened, I think I just needed something to do. I popped my sister's cd into the player,
and soon I was singing along to *N Sync as I sorted clothes and made my bed.
By the time I was ready for bed, my room was the cleanest it had been in a long time. I could see the
entire floor, and I had no more dirty dishes hanging around. Feeling a small sense of pride, I changed and
tumbled into bed with "Crazy For You" stuck in my mind.
One, Two, Three Strikes...
Continuation
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