July 10, 2001. It was a normal, sunny day as the residents of Los Angeles, California awakened to the monotonous lull of everyday life. Lance Bass quietly drove to the studio for a recording session of his movie soundtrack, On the Line. He pretended not to notice the swarm of fans running parallel to his car along the sidewalk. Screams were heard through the thick glass. The car window rolled down. "Okay! As soon as I park, I’ll sign autographs and take pictures." A chorus of delighted squeals erupted. Lance couldn’t help but grin. Johnny Wright and the guys would have to wait another half-hour. Ten minutes later, the line of admiring fans was receiving the highly anticipated attention from the Nsync-er. The usual compliments were paid, the familiar flashes from the cameras seen, and the hysterical crying heard. The crowd finally departed at around 8:30. An already weary Lance began trudging toward his car, dreading the complaints he would get for his lateness, when he saw one sad-eyed woman remained. He gave her an inviting smile, hoping to dissolve the aloof shyness. "Hi." The girl stared at him strangely. "Are you Lance Bass?" "Last I looked in the mirror." Funny she didn’t recognize him off hand. "I’ve come to warn you." A lump formed in his throat. This was unexpected. "Warn me? Is this some kind of twisted joke?" She twirled a strand of her long raven hair. "I’m afraid not. I can’t say much. Just be cautious of change. Change doesn’t always bring good intentions." "What?" She opened her palm, revealing a small box. "Take it." Chills ran up Lance’s spine. "I-I-I am really sorry, but I can’t accept." Wasting no time, he dashed to his car. Driving down the street, he glanced in his rear view mirror. The mysterious woman had vanished. What did she mean? Change doesn’t always bring good intentions?
By the time Lance parked his vehicle and was riding the elevator up to the ninth floor, his fear subsided to curiosity. I overreacted. It could have been anything from a dumb joke to a warped bid for attention. The elevator’s humming halted and the doors slid open. He entered a cozy, spacious room known as the lounge. Sunlight bounced off the white walls. Sheryl, Lance’s best friend since childhood, was pouring a generous amount of coffee into her mug. "Good morning, Lance." "More like weird morning. Any coffee for me?" "No, actually I planned to swallow the whole pot." "Thanks." Sheryl handed him a steaming Styrofoam cup. Lance noticed she was frowning. "What’s the problem? Is there something hanging out of my nose?" Sheryl studied him quizzically. "You feeling all right?" "Sure. Why?" "Your face is so pale." "One whose had only three hours of sleep is not entitled to look perky." "I heard from the grapevine that you held a makeshift meet-n-greet." "They’d gone through a lot of trouble to meet me. Let’s just drop the subject." "Fine. Just wondering if a fanatic tried to mug you or…" "Nothing that horrible." Johnny poked his head out from behind the doorway to the studio. "Well, Lance decided to show up after all." Lance returned the half-full coffee cup to Sheryl. "See ya."
The recording session flowed smoothly. Justin reached for his water bottle. "Johnny can be a real drill sergeant." J.C. nodded. "Was that second song gonna be played during the opening credits?" Lance shrugged. Chris noisily played his gameboy. "Die, die, DIE!" "Who’s being murdered by the Psycho of the group?" Joey waltzed in. Chris flung the gameboy down. Joey snickered. "Ha ha! I said you would lose. Pay up." "Forget it!" "We had a bet." "And?" "And I know you believe in one sided bargains. You win, I pay. You lose, I get nothing." "Exactly." The guys chuckled. Even idiots were smart enough to know better that to place a bet with Chris. Johnny opened the door. "Lance, someone is here to see you." J.C. snorted. "My, Lance is certainly popular today." "Easy on the sarcasm." "I was just kidding." Johnny escorted Lance to the lounge. Sheryl sat on the right sofa. On the left sofa sat a guy in his early twenties. He extended his hand. "Hi. My name is Cody Hunter. I’m a musician. I sing, write, and play the guitar for all my songs. I am interested in your record label." Lance flopped down beside him. "Whoa. Where were you when I held those auditions?" "What auditions?" Lance sighed. Cody seemed nice, but countless people had told him the same story. Mostly fans wanting to get aquatinted with him. "What kind of music do you sing?" "Pop/rock." "I own a country label." "I guess I could sing country too." "Don’t change your music style on my account. The music could expand some." "Would you please listen to one of my songs?" Why not. "Follow me." Cody performed a melodious ballad in front of the Nsync band. When he finished, there was a round of applause. "Hey," Justin mentioned, "You have a bass voice too." Lance had been truly impressed. Later in the evening, after a sold out concert, he invited Cody to join him and the guys for pizza. Lance sat in the booth next to the window. Beside him, Chris was sticking fries up his nose. Joey blew bubbles into his Coke. Cody shook his head. "You guys are a blast to hang out with." J.C. pointed at himself. "Thanks to moi." Lance turned his head to look out the pizza parlor window. For a second, reflected by the light from the street lamp, he saw a shadow. A woman emerged in the middle of the street. It was the same strange girl from the meet-n-greet. Lance dropped his pizza slice. What is that crazy lady doing, standing in the middle of the road? Why won’t she quit staring at me? She held out her hand. She was still carrying the small box. "Move your big butt Joey! Out of my way!" Lance frantically climbed over his bewildered band mates, exited the restaurant, and ran into the middle of the street. The girl was gone. He was all alone. A gust of wind blew through the air. A door creaked nearby. He shivered.
