Boy Band

by Jacqueline Smith

  Which is how discussions with Joni usually end.

  CHAPTER 3

  “Don’t you think

  You ought to know by now

  How you make me

  Crazy, crazy

  My heart’s racing, racing.

  And don’t you think

  We should be one by now

  You know that you’re

  The only one for me

  So baby, don’t you think

  That maybe we should be

  Together now.”

  Song: “Together Now”

  Artist: The Kind of September

  From the Album:The Kind of September

  There’s always a bit of a melodrama whenever one of the guys gets a new girlfriend.

  First, there’s the speculation. He’ll be spotted chatting with her backstage, or maybe the paparazzi will catch them leaving a restaurant together. Fans will notice that he’s paying her a little extra attention on Twitter or maybe that he posted an extra-friendly picture of them on Instagram.

  Then, there’s the debate. Are they just good friends? Are they dating casually? Is it all a publicity stunt? Did they have a one night stand and now she’s expecting his child and he’s with her only because he has to be? Is itlove?! The most controversial part is when the fans split up into teams. They’re either very, very super supportive of the couple, in which case they will welcome the new love interest with open arms and post on all their social media sites about how cute they are, or simply, they’re not. When that’s the case, the girl can, at times, be the target of online attacks, bullying, and gossip.

  Then, of course, there are the relationships that the tabloids and the gossip columns make up just because they can. Like a few days ago when rumors were flying around about Sam dating Kelli Barnett, the reality star. It happens to all five of the guys all the time, but for some reason, Sam is their main target. He’s actually got something a reputation for being a player, which is ridiculous because he’s only had two real girlfriends in his life and neither lasted longer than a few months.

  The bottom line is when you date one of the guys, even if you’re just reported to be dating one of them, you kind of become famous by default, and not always in a positive way. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is.

  Josh has always said that he has to like a girl a whole lot to deal with that kind of pressure and publicity. Fortunately for the guys, they’re all still very young and most fans understand that yeah, they’re going to be dating. They’re cute, famous, successful, and could pretty much have any girls in the world. Of course they’re going to date.

  Unfortunately, not everyone is going to be happy about it. Joni, for example.

  Now granted, she’s unhappy for completely different reasons, seeing as her brother is the one who invited his girlfriend to set today, but it’s still stirring up a bit of drama. When Joni doesn’t approve of something, she makes sure that everyone knows it. If you don’t agree with her, you’re wrong and probably in for at least a few hours of passive aggressive cold-shouldering.

  Today, however, there’s too much to get done for her to dwell on Cory and Tara for too long.

  The guys just got out of makeup and Tim, the director, is going over his vision for the scene they’re about to shoot. They’re supposed to be following this guy around in a dream-like universe. The guy has fallen in love with this beautiful girl and he’s trying to work up the nerve to speak to her. She seems to be aware of his presence, but somehow, she never sees him, leaving the viewers to wonder if one of them might not be real. It’s actually a really cool concept.

  Right as shooting begins, I notice Tara and another girl walking my way. I’m dressed pretty down but I have my very own name-tag lanyard and walkie-radio, so maybe I look official.

  “Hey Joni!” Tara grins.

  I turn around, expecting to see Joni standing behind me, but when I don’t, I realize Tara is talking to me. It’s kind of understandable. The only time she’s ever met me, I was with Joni, and we do sort of look alike. Well, not really. But we both have brown hair.

  “Oh, um. Hi. I’m not Joni,” I tell her. It’s a little unnerving to talk to her. She’s 5’11, five inches taller than me, and so beautiful it’s kind of like looking into the sun.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Who are you again?”

  “It’s okay. We’ve only met once. I’m Melissa Parker.”

  “Huh. I don’t recognize your name,” Tara’s friend comments.

  “Oh, I work behind the scenes. I’m not famous or anything.” It’s weird, but I almost feel like admitting that to these girls is like admitting that I don’t wash my hands after I go to the bathroom.

  For the record, I always wash my hands. But I stand by my point.

  Sure enough, Tara’s friend replies, “Aw, that’s cute.”

  Okay.

  “So, Meredith, do you know when Cory will have a break?” Tara asks. I’m guessing she’s talking to me since, you know, we’re the only ones standing there.

  ButMeredith? Really?

  “Um, no, I don’t. They just started. But I can show you around and introduce you to the team if you’d like.”

  “Oh no, that’s fine. We’re just here to see Cory. Oh, and Sam,” Tara exchanges a playful smirk with her friend.

  You know that feeling when your blood runs cold and your heart speeds up and you get that weird tingling pain in your face? It’s that feeling when you know that something you really don’t want to happen is about to happen.

  Yeah, that’s what I’m feeling.

  “You know Sam?” I ask, hoping they can’t hear how out of breath I suddenly sound.

  “No, but I promised I’d hook her up,” Tara says with a devious wink. “Oh, I guess I forgot to introduce you.”

  “Gee, thanks. Some friend you are,” the girl teases.

  “Meredith, this is my good friend, Courtney Vickers. She and I are represented by the same agency, but she’s also considering a career in music, which ispart of the reason I brought her today.”

  “Yeah, the other part is because my bestie Tara told me that she could get me an all-access pass to Sam Morneau,” Courtney nudges Tara’s shoulder and giggles. It’s only then that I become aware of just how gorgeoussheis. She’s not as tall as Tara, but she’s still taller than I am. Her hair is a rich and luscious auburn and her perfectly shaded eyes are what I think people refer to as starburst blue. Three different shades of blue, but amber around the pupil. I’ve always envied eyes like that.

  Part of me isn’t worried that Sam will go for her. He can usually see right through girls who are actively trying to get famous. But another part of me realizes that Sam is only human, a male human at that, and male humans are often seduced by female humans, especially the ones who look like Courtney Vickers.

  ⋯

  After two hours of shooting, Tim finally tells the guys to take a lunch break. Cory heads right over to Tara and Courtney. Much to my dismay, so does Sam. I’m hoping he’s just going over to say hello. Sam is, by far, the friendliest person I’ve ever met. Of course he’s going to go say hello to his friend’s girlfriend.

  “So, who’s the new girl?” Oliver asks, taking a seat next to me at one of the lunch tables.

  “Courtney. Tara’s friend. Hoping to hook up with Sam.” I try to act like I don’t care. Which I don’t. Not really. You know, in an alternate universe.

  “Ah.” Apparently, he’s not surprised.

  “Oh my God, I’m starving,” Josh says loudly, as he and Jesses sit themselves and their sandwiches down across the table from us.

  “Hey, who’s that girl with Tara? She’s hot.” Jesse comments.

  I’m going to get tired of this question.

  Thankfully, I see Sam bid Tara and Courtney a cheery goodbye as he makes his way over to the makeshift sandwich buffet. By the time he finally joins us, he’s already eaten half the food on his plate.

  “Does anyone have any napkins? I’ve got cheese powder under my finge
rnails,” he announces, his mouth full of Doritos. Courtney should see him like this, in his natural state.

  “Why don’t you just wipe it on your pants like you always do?” I ask.

  “Because Tiffany said if I ruin one more of her outfits, she’s going to kill me,” Sam says. Tiffany is their stylist and is always getting after him for being messy. Well, all the guys are messy, but for some reason, Sam is the only one who ever gets in trouble for it.

  “Here.” Oliver passes a few napkins over to Sam.

  “Oliver, you’re a lifesaver.”

  “Or at least a pants-saver.” Jesse laughs.

  “Almost just as important,” I comment.

  “So, Sam. You want to tell us about Tara’s friend? Courtney?” Josh asks, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

  “What about her?” Sam asks with a laugh that might mean he’s either amused, embarrassed, or potentially smitten. I’m hoping it’s one of the first two. Disgusted would be even better, but he rarely gets disgusted by anything. Except sponges.

  “Did you get her phone number? Her address? Are you going to teach her what it means to really be a woman?”

  “Josh, ew.” I glare at him.

  “She just gave me her number,” Sam tells us. By now, I’m pretty sure he’s embarrassed. Despite his well-established reputation as a ladykiller, Sam still gets so bashful about the idea of girls liking him or wanting to date him. It’s funny, because he’s so wild and crazy and he definitely puts on a good show of making people think he’s sexy. But the second someone actually tells him that, he’s like a shy little turtle.

  “Are you going to call her?” Oliver asks.

  “And if not, do you mind if I call her?” Jesse asks.

  “You know what, this sandwich is just amazing. It’s like the best sandwich I’ve ever had in my life,” Sam remarks, stuffing his face with food once again.

  “So, the video looks like it’s going to be good,” I offer.

  “It is. I think I’m going to tweet about it,” Jesse says, whipping out his new smartphone. “Oh hey, looks like Tara’s already telling the world that Sam has a new girlfriend.”

  “What?” Sam and I exclaim at the same time.

  “On set of new #TKOS music video with the BF #CoryForeman and BFF #CourtneyVickers hitting it off with #SamMorneau. Winky face.”

  “Oh, this will be fun,” Sam mutters.

  “That’s just ridiculous. She just met you! You didn’t even talk for that long! You’re not her property!” I hiss.

  “Wow. You know Sam, if you’re unhappy about it, you should sic Melissa on her. I think she’s about ready to tear her head off,” Jesse smirks.

  I can feel the blush creeping up my cheeks, but I try my best to act casual.

  “I just think it’s wrong for her to run around spreading gossip about you that isn’t even true,” I tell them.

  “Most gossip isn’t,” Josh reminds me.

  Before I can think of a witty comeback that would portray me as a protective friend and not a jealous girl with a really pathetic crush, Cory, Tara, and Courtney are standing over us.

  “Well, I think we’re off. We had so much fun on set today. Thank you so much for having us,” Tara says.

  “Oh, it was our pleasure,” Oliver replies.

  “Oliver, you’re too sweet,” Tara grins. “And Sam, I told Cory that the four of us need to double sometime, and he totally agrees.”

  “Definitely,” Cory says. “I think it’d be fun.”

  “Oh. Okay yeah, sure.” Sam blushes. My heart sinks a little, but I’m fairly certain he’s just being polite. “It was nice to meet you, Courtney.”

  “Likewise,” she smiles and pauses to lay a seductive hand on his shoulder. “Call me any time. I’d love to sing for you sometime. You might even be able to talk me into a private performance.”

  Josh can’t help it. He bursts out laughing and has to bury his face in his arms. I would be laughing with him if the whole situation wasn’t so awkward.

  At this point, I don’t think Sam’s face could possibly get any redder. I think the only time I’ve ever seen him blush harder was the time the button on his jeans popped when we were in high school. See, this button didn’t just fall off. It flew off. Like, his pants were so tight that the button literally could not hold on for a second longer so it launched into the air like a rocket. And maybe, if that was all that happened, it wouldn’t have been so embarrassing for him. But the button, in its flight to freedom, accidentally hit a girl that he had a crush on in the eye. It hit her so hard that it left a welt. Poor Sam was mortified, but the rest of us all thought it was hilarious.

  Let me tell you, I have never felt worse for laughing until I cried.

  “Sounds fun,” Sam finally replies. “I’ll see you around.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that,” Courtney points at him before Cory escorts them off set.

  “Oh, that poor girl,” Jesse smirks.

  “What?” Sam asks.

  “You’re not going to call her. You’re not even going to follow her on Twitter. I can see the headlines now. Yet Another Heart Broken by Notorious Ladies Man, Sam Morneau.”

  “Didn’t you just break up with Whitney Preston a few weeks ago?” Oliver asks.

  Whitney Preston is an actress who most recently appeared in the big screen adaptation of some weird book about time travelers and dinosaurs. Sam has never even met her.

  “What can I say? It wasn’t me, it was her,” Sam jokes lightly. Despite his good-natured approach to the rumors that follow him everywhere he goes, I know his media-inflicted reputation bothers him. He’s a good guy with a huge heart and yeah, he’s kind of weird and gross and there’s his bizarre thing with sponges, but he’d never intentionally hurt a woman or lead her on. None of the guys would.

  “Guys,” Joni appears out of nowhere.

  “Hey, where have you been?” Oliver asks.

  “Yeah. You missed your best friend forever, Tara,” Jesse remarks.

  “Yes, that was the whole idea,” Joni says. “You have five minutes to finish eating and get yourselves together for the next scene. Mel, if you’re done, I want you to go grab one of the handheld cameras and start shooting some stuff for the behind-the-scenes video.”

  “Right.” I love filming. It’s one of my favorite on-set jobs. It’s especially fun because it gives the guys a chance to just be themselves in front of the camera. In the music videos, you’ll see them singing and dancing and being all charming, but behind the scenes, they get to laugh and joke and just be guys.

  As soon as I have a camera, I make my way around set, filming the crew, the props, the set itself, and of course, the guys. At one point, Josh runs straight at the camera, takes it in his hands, and kisses the lens.

  “That one’s for you,” he grins, winking at the camera.

  “You just left a lip smudge on the lens,” I laugh.

  “Oops. Here you go.” He raises his elbow as if to polish the lens with his sleeve, but I take a step back, just in case he’s actually planning to do it.

  “I’ll clean it,” I assure him.

  Next, I find Jesse in front of a mirror, running his hands through his hair and making sexy, come-hither faces at his reflection. Fans will love that.

  “You look beautiful, I promise,” I tell him.

  “Hey. Go away. This is private,” he teases, cozying up to the mirror.

  “Not for long it isn’t.”

  “Don’t judge me, Melissa. I’ve seen you. I’ve seen you and your little hairbrush and your Maybelline eyeliner and your Revlon lipstick. Speaking of, why do you use two different brands?”

  “I think the real question is why doyou know which brands I use? I don’t even think I knew that.”

  “Because infidelity iswrong, Melissa. It’s just plainwrong.” Of all the guys, Jesse is the only one who calls me Melissa. I don’t know why. Maybe that’s how I introduced myself to him. Everyone else just calls me Mel.

  “Glad
to hear you say that, Jesse. Do you have anything else you’d like to share with the fans?”

  He stares straight into the camera. “I love you. Desperately. Passionately.”

  “Almost as much as he loves himself,” I quip.

  “That’s it. You’re gone. Out,” he orders.

  I wander a bit further. Oliver and Cory are both back in makeup, so I film them for just a moment before taking off in search of my favorite member of the group.

  I find him off to the side, lurking behind one of the green screen panels that have been set up for dream sequences.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “I have a Dorito stain on my shirt and I’m hiding. Shh!” he holds his finger up to his lips and looks frantically at the camera. I have to laugh.

  “What happens when you have to go film?”

  “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet!” Now he’s laughing too.

  “You’re going to get in so much trouble...”

  “I know. Tiffany’s going to ground me or something.”

  “Can she do that?”

  “Probably!” he cries, his big blue eyes bugging out.

  “Maybe you should bring like, an adult bib or something for these days you have to eat in costume.”

  “Or I could just take off my shirt,” he grins seductively at the camera. Then he begins to do a strip-tease.

  See, this is what’s strange about him. When no one is actively hitting on him, he’s one of the flirtiest guys you’ll ever meet. Actually try to flirt back, however, and he transforms into a shrinking violet. It just doesn’t make sense.

  “I’m not sure the Internet is ready for this,” I tell him. Of course, I’m actually very much enjoying it, especially once the shirt fully comes off and he starts swinging it around and shimmying up to the camera.

  And naturally, it’s right at that moment that Joni comes rounding the corner, wondering what the hell we’re doing.

  “Nothing, nothing,” Sam throws his shirt back on and begins to button it. He’ll never admit it to her, but Joni scares him almost as much as Tiffany. Before he follows her back to the group, he leans into the camera and mutters, “You can slip the money into my G-string later.”