Chris
managed to keep a strong face in front of the girls, but as soon as he
was out of the kitchen, and into Joey's arms, he broke down, crying.
The only thing he loved more than teaching, was singing. And he knew that singing at the Cauldron wouldn't be enough to help his family, and that even when the rough times were finally over, his mother couldn't support them alone.
And he loved teaching. He loved going to the school every day, seeing his students and making a difference in their lives, as small as it was. He loved seeing their eyes lit when they finally understood what was he asking about the latest long novel they had read, or when he handed the tests in and they discovered they had passed.
More important, he loved Emerson High. It had been an unusual school from the beginning, with no one in the faculty having any trouble with his open sexuality or with his most bizarre ideas. Sure, Zeck gave him a little grief over his clothing, and his language, but the truth was that even the old, boring teacher, was somewhat of a friend to Chris.
Now he had lost
all that. And what was worse, he had no idea of why. Zeck had said that
he had another job, but Chris had never gone job hunting, not since he
first got the position at Emerson, four years ago.
* * *
Joey watched as Chris slept, exhausted for the day's strange situation.
They were on an almost empty first class cabin, on their way to Orlando, and Joey still couldn't believe how things had happened. After Chris had cried on his arms, over what had happened at Emerson, and the way he had discovered it, Beverly had come into the room, very serious.
"Maybe this will be for the best, dear." She had said, grasping her son's hands, even when Chris was still leaning onto Joey. "A change of pace, an opportunity to pursue your dreams…"
"Mom, I…" Chris had begun, but she hushed him with a finger upon his lips.
"Hear me out, Chris. You abandoned everything back in Orlando five years ago when I got sick, and have been a dear to all of us ever since." Beverly's voice barely registered in Joey's head as soon as she said 'Orlando, five years ago' as he began to do mental math. Five years ago, he had been working as a Werewolf in Universal. Five years ago, Chris had been in Orlando. Five years ago… they could have meet. "And knowing you, I'm sure you're more worried about being able to help the family than about finding out why the guys at Emerson think you have a new job. But things are different now. Both Molly and Kate work, and I'm healthy so… it's not the end of the world. We can make things work."
"Mom…" Chris tried again, sighing. "I know that. It's just… I don't know what to do now…"
"Joey," Beverly turned to see him, and Joey dragged his mind back from the thousand what ifs that were threatening to drown him at the moment. "I don't want to be imposing but… Chris told me that you had been inviting him to go to Orlando with you this winter, and he didn't accept because he had work to do. Is the invitation still open?"
"Sure, Beverly." Joey had hugged Chris a little tighter, to reinforce his words. "Always."
And so, after a little protest from Chris, who didn't want to be a burden for Joey, they had helped him pack his stuff, and off they were, away from the snow and the troubles and to sunny Florida.
Satisfied that Chris was still asleep, Joey grabbed the phone in the seat in front of him, and dialed a number from memory.
"H'lo?" A half-asleep voice answered him from the other side.
"Josh? You're never going to believe from where I'm calling you…"
"Albany. Justin already told us." JC said, but his tone was still more asleep than angry. "You're with Chris."
"You got that half-right. We're not in Albany, we're on our way to Orlando." Joey chuckled, and counted the seconds for the information to register in JC's brain.
"What? How? When?… Why?" Was all that *N Sync lead singer could say. "I mean, I knew you were planning to invite him, but… I thought you were going to wait until the 28…"
"Something happened. I'll tell you when we arrive… Say, you have no trouble if we stay at your house, do you?" That was the only thing that really worried Joey. When not on tour, he always was a guest at JC's place, but this time, it wasn't just him crashing on the guest room. It was him and his boyfriend, the guy whom JC had spend the best part of a week hating.
"Not at all. What's your flight? I'll call Lance and Justin and we'll be there to pick you off."
* * *
Chris woke up just in time to see the plane land. He resisted the impulse to kiss Joey, aware that the stewardess had recognized his boyfriend and not wanting to make a scene, so he just picked up his carry on and smiled at the other man.
"I can't believe I'm back here…" He said, taking off his sweatshirt. He had forgotten how hot was Orlando in the winters.
"You will have to tell me why you were here before." Joey answered, smiling and sweating. Apparently, the singer wasn't unaffected by the sudden change from snow and wind to sun and humid air.
"Yeah, well, first we have to find a cab and hotel for me to stay." Chris tried to keep smiling, as he really didn't want Joey to know that when he first got to Orlando, he had wanted to find a way to get in the entertaining business. He couldn't, because he didn't want Joey to even believe that he was using his contacts to fulfill that long forgotten dream.
"You are not going to get a cab." Another voice interrupted, and Chris turned on his heels to find himself face to face with the big, tall black man that had taken Joey away from him the first night, so long ago in the bar, the man who had helped him to get away from Danny, the night of the Dream Date.
"Hi, Loomie!" Joey cheerfully greeted. "Where are the others?"
"JC, Justin and Lance are waiting in the parking lot." The bodyguard explained, handing Joey a baseball cap and dark sunglasses. "We don't know how, but apparently the Orlando *N Sync fan club found out about your trip and are blocking practically every entrance."
"Shit. I guess I was recognized at the Albany airport…" Joey groaned. "All right. Lead the way, Loomie."
The tall black man led Chris and Joey through a mace of hallways and doors,
taking extreme care to avoid windows. Finally, they reached a subterranean
parking lot, where the only visible car was a blue van.
Predictably enough, inside it the other members of *N Sync received them with open arms. Chris gave them the quick update regarding his job, and was very surprised when JC offered him his house to stay as long as he needed it. Even when they had exchanged a couple of e-mails in the past, most of them concerning JC's acceptance of himself, Chris still didn't believe that the younger man liked him.
Obviously, he was wrong.
Getting out of the airport was an adventure in itself. Chirs had thought that Loomie had been exaggerating when he said that the entrances were blocked. Sure, *N Sync was popular, but they couldn't be _that_ popular, could they?
They could.
Outside it seemed as if every single girl in Florida had decided to go to the airport. They all sported big banners with the guys names -again, Chris noted, there were less declarations of love for Joey than for the others… and this time it made him a little sad for his lover. They wore makeup with the guys' names. Tried to take a picture of every single shadow in the airport windows.
"This happens _every_ time you try to go out?" he asked, awed.
"You get used to it." Justin answered, not even trying to look through the window. Chris supposed it was a good idea, so no one could see him, so he simply leaned into Joey and closed his eyes.
* * *
Joey made sure Chris was asleep before leaving the room that they were going to share in JC's house. He hadn't believed it when his bandmate made the offer, sure that his friend was going to be completely against the idea that they were in the same floor, let alone the same room, but then he remembered that he hadn't told JC about their relationship… So because of his little omission, he and Chris were sharing the room they couldn't share at Chris' house.
But he knew that it was time to come out clean to the rest of the guys. It wasn't fair that Lance and Justin knew, while JC, who had been his best friend for a long time, didn't.
And they were waiting for him in the living room, looking somewhat worried.
After leaving the airport, managing to escape more or less intact, they had offered to give Chris a tour around town, so he could sightsee a little.
For an hour, they managed to pass unnoticed. But as they were arguing about going to Universal or not, a group of giggling girls had spotted them.
And behind the girls, there were guys with cameras.
So they had had to run, hoping that they hadn't been able to get a picture of Joey holding Chris' hand, or a good picture of Chris, because then that would mean explaining to the world about their new friend. Which wouldn't be a problem if Chris weren't 'out' back in Albany. Knowing Paparazzi, it was only a matter of a phone call before '*N Sync' gay orgy' was in every supermarket in the country.
After that, they had spend the afternoon at JC's house.
In those hours, they had gotten to know each other better. Just as it had happened in the hotel room back in Albany, Chris' shy demeanor had slowly changed into much more relaxed one, as he became more and more comfortable around the band. Joey loved that, as he had caught a glimpse of how Chris really was back at Albany, a glimpse of a hyperactive joyful man that enjoyed to spend time with his four sisters. He wanted to see Chris that happy all the time.
Kate had told him that Chris used to be like that before, that everything was an excuse to hum, to sing, to laugh or to make a joke. That it was rare to see her older brother standing still for more than one minute. But that that had changed when Danny come to Chris' life. Then, Chris had become more serious, as if he was afraid to make the wrong move, said the wrong word all the time. And even when he laughed, he didn't laugh as much as he used to.
One more reason to hate Danny Windsor in Joey's book.
"Did you guys found something?" He asked, keeping his voice low.
"Apparently, the school won't be working until Monday." Lance answered, shaking his head. "Kate tried to contact Mr. Zeck, but he didn't knew anything except that Chris supposedly has a new job."
"I figured that when he came to Chris' house." Joey sat on the coach, lowering his head. "I don't know guys… this is weird. What school hires teachers in winter, anyway?"
"One that fires teachers in winter, I guess." Justin answered, looking down. "How's Chris?"
"Asleep." Sighing, Joey braced himself. It was time to be truthful. "Guys… I… "
But the next words that came out of JC's mouth stopped him. "You don't think that it was because he's gay? Emily told us that they knew since he started working there… and you guys have been discrete…"
* * *
JC smiled when he saw the confused look on Joey's face. On the course of the last three months, he had written to Chris once a week, and finally, what Chris had tried to tell him that first week, when JC had cried on his shoulders, was starting to sound believable. He wasn't a pervert for being interested in the male part of the population, he wasn't sick for liking one of his bandmates more than the others, and certainly that he was gay wouldn't cause the end of the band… And even when Chris had never mentioned Joey in one of those letters, JC wasn't blind. It had took him about two weeks to discover that Joey's eyes lit every time he mentioned Chris' name, or that his friend was using his e-mail accounts more than before. And Lance had to know, because sometimes it seemed that Lance knew everything. Not to mention that during their stay in Albany, Lance had gone out of his way to insure that Joey and Chris had some time together. Justin too, since sometimes he had this weird smile that he always got when he knew something the others didn't.
And since there had been no rumors, strange pictures or even gossip on the net, JC knew that they were being careful, and discrete. He had only try and get over the hurt feeling that his best friend hadn't told him he was in love.
"Say… what?" Joey asked, blinking and opening his mouth like a trout out of water.
"Joey, don't even try to lie. I know you and Chris have been dating since… I don't know. The dream date probably." He managed not to sound hurt. He managed not to sound betrayed. Besides, he really didn't had a reason to feel that way. The way he had behaved during that part of the tour, it was a miracle they hadn't kicked him out of the group. "But since the National Enquirer hasn't run pictures of your gay marriage, I'm guessing no one outside this room and Chris' house knows about it, right?"
"It was two days after the dream date…" Joey finally managed to close his mouth, and smiled weakly. "When you stopped being a prick… You aren't mad, are you?"
"Just with myself." JC admitted. "I mean, I really was out of place that week… You should never have felt the need to hide from me, Joe."
"Just from the press, the fans and probably our management." Lance joked, then sobered suddenly. "It couldn't be because Chris is gay… not after four years… But if that were the case, Chris could sue the school."
"And the school wouldn't risk that." Joey groaned. "And we're back in square one."
There was a long silence after that, and JC let his mind roam. Joey and Chris didn't had an easy path for the future. For one thing there was the distance thing. With Chris in Albany and Joey touring, things couldn't go smooth. Then there was the fact that they couldn't even be friends without someone noticing. And then out came the explanations, the excuses, the fuzzy pictures taken by a security camera in some seven eleven and…
And he was panicking again over nothing. He really had to stop believing the world was going to crash at every minute.
Even when he was positive that things were bound to get worse before they got better.
* * *
AJ hung up the phone, puzzled. Nick had insisted that he invited *N Sync to the New Year party because: A) they were their friends, and B) it would give everyone a new puzzle to solve. Although AJ was sure it had more to do with C) Nick wanted to see Justin. But that wasn't the problem.
What had him puzzled was that when he called JC to invite him, the first thing that JC had asked wasn't 'What time you expect us?' or even 'Do we have to find dates?' but 'Are there going to be cameras around?'.
Now, JC could be really paranoid sometimes, another trait he shared with Kevin who freaked every time AJ announced he was going to get a new tattoo or when Nick disappeared -and now they knew they didn't have to worry much about that- or when Brian forgot that they had a rehearsal for being playing hoops all morning, or, lately, every time Howie breathed.
So the camera question had been an odd one, and AJ had answered: "Why? Afraid they could take your wrong angle?"
"I'm serious AJ… Look, I can't tell you this over the phone, but… Do you think there will be reporters around? It's very important for Joey. I don't think he'll be able to go if he knows there will be cameras all over."
And if possible, that made even less sense. Because Joey was the *N Syncer who lived to give the cameras a shock. Like when he had died his hair red just because AJ told him he would never dare to do it, or when he almost pulled down his pants to show off his Superman boxers.
"They ain't in the guest list, but you _know_ that there will be some hidden on the trees in the sidewalk." He finally answered, and heard as JC said something to someone next to him. Probably Lance, since Nick was glued to his cell phone and that meant that he was talking to Justin.
"All right. We think we can go… We'll just try to get there before the cameramen do." And then JC hung up, leaving AJ feeling as if he had just entered the theater when the movie is halfway trough.
Across the room, he could see Nick whispering things into his cell, and smiled. At least things were still right in that paradise. But the smile soon turned into a frown as he saw Nick start to frown too, and the whispering became more short, until his blonde band mate hung up too, looking worried.
"What's wrong?" AJ asked, biting the 'lovers' spat' comment that was in the tip of his tongue. He really didn't had to go telling Nick about his bet with Brian.
"Justin couldn't explain it over the phone." Nick explained, evasive, and AJ was certain that it was a lie. Because Nick looked upset, but not really upset. More like worried, and if he was worried, then maybe Justin had told him exactly what was wrong with JC and Joey…
But this was not the time to press for details. He still was wondering if it had been such a cool idea to throw a New Year party when his band was breaking apart, and he had no time to also start worrying about *N Sync.
* * *
Chris woke up to find himself alone in bed.
For a moment, he didn't even thought of it as a strange situation, but as the memories of the day before started to return to his sleep-addled brain, he frowned. He could remember going to sleep in Joey's arms, and now, Joey wasn't anywhere to be seen.
And even when it could be anything, from Joey having to go to the bathroom, to making a phone call, to… whatever, Chris worried. He didn't like the feeling of waking alone anymore, and the only reason why he had put up with the loneliness in his own home was because now he had a poster of Joey to look at him from the ceiling every time he opened his eyes.
"And next, you'll be giggling with Emily and her friends talking about who's the cutest in the group…" He muttered to himself. "Great."
"I thought you already knew who was the cutest on the group." Joey told him from the door, carrying two mugs of coffee. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you up."
"Is all right." Chris took the mug he was being offered, not saying anything about it being Superman's head. Noticing that Joey wasn't smiling, he sobered up. "Is something wrong?"
"Kate called… You got a letter… from a private school in LA. Apparently, you are expected there in January 2." Joey sat at his side, just in time to catch the mug falling from Chris' shocked hands.
"WHAT?"