Boy Band

by Jacqueline Smith

  Josh:

  Can’t forget

  The way you looked that night

  In a starlight dress

  As we walked the velvet air of summertime.

  Sam:

  Saturn set and Venus danced

  Her way across the sky

  But I never guessed

  That you would feel so right.

  All:

  You said, “This is a dream,

  An enchanting fantasy,

  And what is real’s

  Not what it used to be.”

  Girl, believe me when I say

  Wouldn’t have it any other way

  Why don’t we redefine reality?

  This is real to me.

  Yeah, this is real to me.

  Oliver:

  Morning comes

  With all the colors of the day

  Green and blue

  Against the great Apollo’s golden ray.

  Josh:

  But I can’t wait to meet again

  Beneath the Milky Way

  And this time, love,

  I hope you’re here to stay.

  All:

  Yeah, this might be a dream,

  An eternal reverie,

  But sometimes real is

  More than what you see.

  Girl, what I’m saying now is true

  All that’s real to me is you

  To see you smile is all I’ll ever need.

  Jesse:

  And I believe in everything you are

  In a world of constellations, you’re my lucky star

  All:

  If this is a dream,

  A beautiful mystery,

  Then what is real

  Don’t matter much to me.

  But if it’s time for you to go,

  I just wanted you to know

  You’ve changed my meaning of reality

  Now this is real to me.

  Yeah, this is real to me.

  You are real to me.

  CHAPTER 2

  “So, please, oh, please

  Let me take your hand

  And tell you that I love you

  Can I make you understand?

  That in this whole wide world

  You compare to none

  So I’m begging you, baby,

  Please let me be the one.”

  Song: “Let Me Be the One”

  Artist: The Kind of September

  From the Album:The Kind of September

  With the release of the guys’ new album just a few weeks away, the entire team has been working pretty much round the clock to promote it. Interviews, online Q&A sessions, the new single, and, of course, new music videos. I love everything about being a member of the guys’ team, but I can tell you right now, there is absolutely nothing more fun than shooting a music video with them.

  Since Joni and I are technically employees of the band, we’ve never actually been in one of their videos, but that doesn’t make working on them any less of an adventure. Joni is incredibly organized and a real leader, so she’s always kind of acted as the band’s unofficial manager, even when we were all still in high school. That didn’t change after their agent hired a “real” manager. Joni isn’t the one who gets them gigs or plans their interviews, but she is the one who helps the guys be where they need to be, when they need to be. She keeps things moving smoothly, which is a flat-out miracle when a group is as busy as and popular as The Kind of September.

  I have a much less defined role in the group. When Sam, Cory, and Jesse first decided they wanted to start a band back in high school, I was just kind of along for the ride. I wanted to support them, and, of course, I wanted to be with Sam. I was there when they wrote their first song. It was never recorded, but it does have potential. Unfortunately, the guys all hate it and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. I was there the first time they sang at a school pep rally. I was there when they decided they needed more than just three guys. I even sat in on the auditions they held because they wanted a female’s opinion.

  Over time, I began taking pictures and playing around with graphic design. Right before our high school graduation, I designed a website for them. Sam watched the entire time, hovering over my shoulder and pointing out what he really liked and what he really didn’t like. I usually can’t work like that, but he’s actually a great person to have around when you have something you need to get done. He was so appreciative that he fetched me drinks and a snack and he even gave me a back massage.

  Now they have a whole crew of people to do that kind of stuff for them, but they’ve kept me on as an artistic and design intern. Even though I’m taking a few college courses online, I’ve learned more working hands-on with the artists and other team members than I imagine I ever would sitting in a classroom. When I’m not interning or working on schoolwork, I help out with whatever needs to be done. I help set up equipment or run errands or sometimes, as Sam puts it, I act as their source of balance and normalcy.

  Long story short, I guess I’m still just kind of along for the ride.

  ⋯

  After a long day of shooting the new music video forThis is Real, Josh decides that we all need to head back to our hotel, order a pizza, and do nothing else for the rest of the night. I don’t think any of us object.

  This new music video is going to be amazing, but we’re shooting in Southern California, where the climate is uncomfortably warm for mid-November. Temperatures have been hovering around eighty degrees all day. Being part of the crew, Joni and I are able to wear shorts or tank tops or whatever we want, but the guys are totally at the mercy of the costume and makeup department. Unfortunately for them, this video has them all in really nice suits. I was running back and forth in between takes all day, fetching them cold water bottles and those little handheld fans.

  But we all agree that in the end, it’s all going to be worth it. The director’s vision for the video is amazing: lots of colors, stars, lights, and the hottest band on the planet dancing and singing about love and dreams and fantasy. The fans are going to love it.

  For now, however, all any of us really want to think about is pizza. Josh is already on his cell phone placing the order as we make the short drive back to the hotel in one of the rented SUVs.

  “Yeah, I want four large pizzas, one cheese, one pepperoni, one sausage, and one with the works. Everything you’ve got. We’d also like... one, two... Jesse’s a freak who doesn’t like garlic... three orders of garlic bread and do you deliver drinks by the liter? Great. We’ll take two Cokes and a Pepsi. You guys want anything else?” he asks us. Joni, Oliver, and Jesse are all in the other vehicle, so it’s up to Sam, Cory, and me to make sure all of our dietary bases are covered.

  “Do they have dessert?” I ask.

  “Do you have dessert?” Josh repeats my question. “They have cinnamon rolls.”

  “Those,” Sam demands, pointing an authoritative finger at Josh’s face.

  “How about five orders of cinnamon rolls?”

  “This is going to be a feast,” Sam announces once Josh hangs up with the pizza people.

  “Do you think I have time to shower before it gets here? I feel really grimy,” I say.

  “I’m definitely going to. I’m still picking pieces of whatever that stardust was out of my ears,” Josh complains, scratching at his ear like a dog.

  “As long as you’re not picking it out of your nose,” Cory remarks.

  “No shower for me. I’m going to skip the soap and make you guys breathe in my stink,” Sam teases as he spreads his arms far and wide across the back of our seats. Quite uncharacteristically, I lean out, away from him and his now fully exposed armpits.

  “Why are you gross?” I ask him.

  “Would you want me any other way?” he asks.

  “I’m actually pretty open to the idea.”

  But of course, that’s a lie. I can’t imagine him any other way, nor do I want to.

  Once we’re inside, we all head
to our respective rooms for a shower. Joni and I share a room, so I let her go first. She’s much faster at bathing than I am. It probably stems from having grown up with a twin brother and being forced to share a bathroom. I have two younger siblings, a brother and a sister, but our schedules were so different that we rarely experienced any bathroom conflicts.

  After my shower, I change into my favorite pajamas. Sam actually gave them to me for my twentieth birthday last year. The pants are dark blue and they have little white and yellow daisies on them and they came with a blue tank top. And no, believe it or not, they actually weren’t a random gift. He asked me what I wanted and I really couldn’t think of anything, so I just blurted out the first thing to come to mind, which was pajamas. He also threw in a $50 gift card to Target because, come on, who doesn’t love Target?

  I tie up my long, light brown hair into a ponytail and apply just a tiny touch of mascara even though I know none of the guys care at all what I look like. After two years of working and touring together, we’ve all seen each other at our worst, and somehow, we all still like each other. It might actually be a miracle.

  “Hey, Mel!” Joni pounds on the bathroom door. “Are you done primping yet? Oliver just texted me that the food is here.”

  “I’m not primping,” I insist as I open the door to face her.

  I know she doesn’t believe me, but she doesn’t press the issue. Even though I’ve never told Joni how I feel about Sam, I’m pretty sure she knows, or at least suspects, that I have feelings for one of the guys. I also know she’d tell me, should I ever decide to act on those feelings, that I was making the worst mistake of my life and that I would be totally and completely miserable. Then she’d say that even if we did end up dating, he’d eventually dump me, and it will make things awkward forever. And then, knowing her, she’d throw in something a little patronizing like, “And I just don’t think you could handle that, Mel.”

  I can understand why. She was really hurt when Jesse broke up with her. He’s probably turned her off of dating professional musicians for the rest of her life, which is a little sad, since I’m pretty sure Oliver has a huge crush on her. I actually think they’d make a really cute couple. She’s so bossy and outgoing, and he’s so sweet and still a little shy despite having achieved worldwide adoration and acclaim. They’d be precious together.

  But right now, Joni is too focused on her career (actually, the guys’ career) to even think about dating. Unlike me.

  “Good. Let’s go. I’m starving.”

  “I am, too.”

  So we head down the chilly hotel hallway to the room Oliver, Josh, and Jesse are sharing. About halfway there, someone comes running up behind us, places his hands on my shoulders, and jumps. He manages to land on his feet, but he still stumbles a bit and almost face plants right there in the middle of the hall.

  “Smooth,” Joni laughs.

  “Thanks,” Sam grins that megawatt grin that will forever make my heart skip a beat. He’s wearing his pajamas too: plaid pants and a loose-fitting grey tank top that reveals not only his sexy skinny-guy muscles but also his numerous tattoos. And despite his earlier threats, he’s also done us the great favor of showering. His hair is still a little damp and he smells like his classic Old Spice soap.

  “I’m glad you changed your mind about making us bask in your natural odor,” I tell him.

  “I considered it, but then I remembered that male pheromones can sometimes make females go crazy, so I decided to spare you the involuntary primal lust. You’re welcome.”

  “Wow, Sam. Your empathy toward the female plight is overwhelming,” Joni remarks.

  “As is your humility,” I add with a laugh.

  “So where’s my brother? Or is he already waiting for us?” Joni asks.

  Sam and Cory always end up rooming together because Cory is the only one who is willing to put up with Sam’s annoying sleeping habits. I swear, the boy talks, he snores, he’s a tosser-turner, and when he’s really stressed out, he’s even been known to sleepwalk.

  Once, when we were in junior high, we had this one history project that just about did him in. It was odd, because he was never one to worry about school, but apparently, throughout the course of that project, he woke up in a different room at least four or five times and once even in his backyard. Thankfully, he doesn’t get stressed out very often, so he rarely runs off anymore.

  Still, that doesn’t mean he’s a pleasant roommate.

  “No, I ditched him after I realized that chatting up his girlfriend has become more of a priority than the basic instincts of our mortal preservation.”

  Translation: When Sam is hungry, he waits for no one.

  “Oh, please don’t tell me he’s inviting her,” Joni groans.

  “Probably not. But he might miss out on the pizza if he doesn’t get a move on it.”

  I almost comment that there will be plenty of pizza, but then I remember just how much four hungry twenty-year-old guys can eat. I’ve seen Sam polish off an entire pizza by himself and still have room for dessert. I don’t know where it goes, but he can eat and eat and never gain an ounce. All of them can. It’s so annoying. I look at a cookie, I gain five pounds. But not boys.

  It’s really not fair. They’re all already cute and talented. They could at least give the rest of the world the courtesy of having to watch what they eat.

  Sure enough, when we arrive, Jesse and Josh are both already on their fourth piece of pizza. Oliver, being quite possibly the most polite person I’ve ever met, has graciously waited for us.

  “Hey. Where’s the less pretty Foreman twin?” Josh asks through a mouthful of pizza.

  “Young Cory has decided to forsake our delightful companionship and fine Italian cuisine for an evening of engaging his new love in electronic conversation,” Sam explains.

  “You mean he’d rather spend his night talking to a beautiful woman than hanging out withus? That bastard!” Jesse pretends to be outraged.

  “I never thought I could be so offended,” Oliver jokes. “But we should probably still save him a few slices.”

  “No! It’s every man for himself!” Josh proclaims loudly, standing up on his bed. He’s in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts and a white undershirt. “Of course, you ladies feel free to help yourselves.” He winks at Joni and me.

  All the guys are devastatingly charming, but Josh is definitely the biggest flirt. He will put the moves on anyone. He loves to hug, kiss, and cuddle, and he really doesn’t care who it is. Joni and I have started keeping tabs on how many sneak-attack kisses we’ve received from him. I’ve gotten twelve. Joni’s sitting pretty at eighteen. Sam and Jesse are tied at twenty-four, although they’re not aware that we’ve been keeping track.

  The fact that Josh has kissed Sam more than I have, I’m not going to lie, is kind of depressing. Of course, Josh’s kisses are never on the lips. I’m guessing he reserves that for the girls he actually wants to date. No, the kisses we receive are always on the cheek or on the forehead, or sometimes on the back of the neck.

  Cory finally joins us about thirty minutes later. There are a few slices of pizza left, but they’re all the small, wimpy pieces that no one wanted. By that point, the rest of us are pretty much stuffed and are all lounging around on pillows while Josh flips through the channels on the television, trying to find something to watch. Sam is lying next to me, and every once in a while, he twirls his fingers through my hair or leans over and pretends he’s going to poke me in the ear.

  I don’t know why, but I don’t like people messing with my ears. I never have. If you have a guy friend, never tell him what you don’t like, because he will find a way to use it against you. For some reason, they think it’s really funny. Or maybe it’s their way of getting attention. As for Sam, I think he just gets bored, so to entertain himself, he starts picking on me.

  Don’t tell him, but I’m secretly okay with it.

  “So how is Miss Tara Meeks tonight?” Jesse asks Cory once he’s settled in
with us.

  “She’s doing well, thank you,” Cory responds cheerfully. “I invited her to come visit the set tomorrow.”

  “Noooo. Why?” Joni groans.

  “Because she’s never been on the set of a music video before.”

  “Neither has that weird smelly guy that sat by me in ninth grade algebra but you don’t see me inviting him to visit us on set,” Joni counters.

  “I want to make a joke about Sam being the weird smelly guy from ninth grade algebra, but I’m too full and tired,” I mutter.

  “Hey.” Sam glares at me. “That’s not nice.” And to punish me, he sticks his finger in my ear.

  Seriously, do any other girls put up with that kind of stuff?

  “Cory, do you really think it’s very professional to have you girlfriend out here while you guys are on a very strict time schedule?” Joni continues to push the issue.

  “Sis, I’m not sure you’ve noticed, but we’re quite possibly the least professional people on the planet.”

  To be fair, I think that’s only partly true. No, they’ll never be poster children for modern day professionalism, but as far as musicians go, I think the guys are very professional. They’re well-mannered and gracious. They don’t stir up drama. They don’t get drunk or trash hotel rooms. They’re usually pretty punctual. Everywhere we go, everyone always talks about how surprised they are that the guys are so well-behaved.

  “My mum thinks we’re professional,” Oliver comments with a sleepy yawn.

  The rest of us snicker, but Joni is still scolding her brother. “You need to tell her that this isn’t a date and she’s not a part of production in any way. She is strictly a guest and she needs to stay on the sidelines. Do you understand?”

  Cory clearly doesn’t like being bossed around by his sister, but he also knows better than to try to argue with her.

  “Yeah, fine. Whatever you say.”