We trooped out of the bus and into the radio station.
"I'm filthy sick of all this." I grumbled.
"This is every day life for us." Isaac told me.
"Then thank God that we didn't hit the big time in the US. I'd have killed everyone." I said, my voice trailing off as a guy in a TTKY shirt bounced up.
I elbowed Ike. "What the hell is 'TTKY'?"
"The radio station." he said in a 'duh' tone.
"Hi!" Mr. Bouncy greeted. I pasted a smile on my face.
"Hi." we all replied.
"Let's get going then!" he said, and led us to the radio booth.
My jaw dropped open at the size. Bouncy and the boys could barely fit in here, much less 7 of us.
Mr. Bouncy frowned. The genius must have drawn the same conclusion. "We'll have to move to the other booth." he told us, squishing by and leading us to another one.
"It's a pity we can't do this live, but a pre recorded version won't hurt." he puttered.
I rolled my eyes. This one was larger, and we all fit comfortably.
"Okay! I know Isaac, Taylor, and Zac," Bouncy said, and turned to us "but I'm not familiar with your faces. Names?" he asked, ready with a pen to record our names.
"Jessie." Jessica said sweetly.
"Trudy." I said. Everyone laughed as he wrote that down.
"Trudy with a 'y' or an 'ie' or what?" he asked, looking at me seriously.
"Try K-R-I-S." I suggested.
He pursed his lips. "What?"
God! How dumb can you get?!
"My name is Kris." I said, stretching my mouth into a smile.
He nodded as if he'd seen the light. "Ah! A sense of humor." he put his pencil down.
"Ahem..." Jamie coughed.
Bouncy looked up from the control board.
"Yes?"
I growled slightly. "And her name is Jamie."
"Oh yes, sorry." he apoligized, recorded her name, and went back to fiddling.
"Are you interviewing us?" I asked loudly.
"No." Bouncy said.
I relaxed. What seemed like ages later, Bouncy left and a monster of a man came in. To say the least, I didn't like him. So much so I forgot his name. He kept eyeing me carefully.
He asked all the standard questions, and then came up with some questions each of us must answer.
Isaac got: "If you had to get a gift and only had a $20 in your pocket, what would you get?"
I laughed. "I'd give anything for a $20 note!"
Everyone else laughed, but Scary glared at me.
Isaac answered that he would "buy a gift voucher to some store for that person it was for." I could tell he was bored.
Taylor came next. "If you had only one wish, what would it be?" He replied slyly "I would wish for the people who hate me try to like me. Get to know me. But there's always world peace and stuff!"
We laughed.
"Only one wish, Taylor!" Scarybutt said.
Taylor shrugged. "I'll get back to you. It would probably to end world hunger or AIDS or something."
"Okay, Zac."
Zac looked scared.
"What's the biggest secret you've told?"
Zac laughed uncertainly and glanced at me. "If I tell again, I'd be in deep stuff!"
"Why?" Scary asked, flashing his teeth.
Zac laughed again. "Once is enough!"
"Okay then. Jess?"
"Yep." she nodded.
"Would you want to be even more famous than you are?"
Jessica thought. "No. I have seen the lifestyles of people who are 'more famous', as you say, than me. It's a hectic lifestyle, and at the end of the day, I really appreciate going out with friends and not really be mobbed as much as these guys." she motioned to Ike, Tay, and Zac.
"Cool. Trudy?" he grinned.
I stayed silent.
"Kris?"
"Yeah?" I asked, leaning back and folding my arms.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Oh for fuck's sake." I muttered. Why the hell do they always manage to corner me like this? I feigned an empty-headed voice. "Oh, yes, I do."
Scary raised an eyebrow. "Who?" He obviously enjoyed my being cornered.
I leaned forward, grinning unpleasantly. "I specifically remember that you said you were asking us, and I quote, 'a question'. You just asked it. I answered. That's that."
Scary started, and a lazy smiled crept upon his face. "You're right. Jamie?"
Jamie nodded, and I sat back, victorious.
"Jamie, what would be your idea of a dream holiday?"
Jamie replied instantly. "Somewhere quiet with my friends. That's all."
"Cool..." he said, and flipped a switch. "That's all! You're all done." he spun in his chair. "I wish the best for you and Taylor, Kristen."
"Oh really?" I asked, grabbing Isaac's hand, leading him out of the booth. Scary's mouth dropped, and I grinned.
Once out, I dropped Ike's hand, and we high fived.
"Good going, Kris." he laughed. "Now the poor guy will be so confused."
The others came out, and we went back to the bus.
"That was so cruel, Kris." Jamie commented, buckling herself in.
"Yeah. But cool." Zac agreed, throwing himself into a seat.
I sat down, and Taylor glared at me icily.
"What?" I asked.
"You know." he shot at me. I got out of my seat and sat next to him.
"Look, I only did it to wipe that smarmy look off his face." I explained, and he turned his face to the window.
"Are you jealous?" I asked in surprise. "It was only Ike."
He shrugged.
"It was a JOKE, Taylor." I sighed. "Repeat after me: 'A JOKE'!"
"A joke then." he sighed. "It's just.. annoying that you won't even give me the time of day."
I sat back and rolled my eyes. "That's just it, Tay. We don't have time. Maybe this wasn't the best thing..." I wish he'd stop whinging and going all Dr. Ruth on me.
"No!" he finally turned to me.
"Well, we'll be on the other side of the globe when this is over. What then, huh?"
He shrugged, blue eyes ... sad? "But if I get a 'normal' girlfriend, she won't understand what I do. Why I can't see her, write her, or phone her as much as I would want to. It would be unfair."
I nodded. "But if you always look for the showbiz girl, all you'll find is heartbreak."
"What?"
"With a working relationship like that, a couple is tested. That's why marriages with the stars are so broken."
"But if I always treat a girl less than what she deserves, she'll be unhappy." Taylor argued.
"Fine. I see what you're at. Just be careful, okay? Some girls are just like vines- climbers. They use you."
"That's why I've got you to chase 'em off." he teased.
I stuck my tongue out. "I tell you what, though. I'll hack any girl who comes near you when I'm around."