“Too long Joey,” muttered Lance Bass as he continued to type on this laptop while he tried to ignore his best friend Joey Fatone.
“So since we’ve known each other that long, I would, say, be able to tell when you aren’t getting enough fun and are working too much?”
“Joey,” sighed Lance. “Do you know any other twenty-three year old who has a good career and who’s home costs half a million dollars?”
“Justin Timberlake,” replied Joey with a smile, nodding his head, referring to a friend of theirs. Justin was a twenty-one year old, whose parents were rich and had given him anything he wanted since childbirth. But nevertheless, Justin somehow remained down to earth and was a close friend of Joey’s, despite the fact that Lance was insanely jealous of him.
“Don’t ever mention that name around me!” hissed Lance as he turned around to glare at Joey.
“What is it with you and him?” asked Joey. “He’s been nothing but nice to you!”
“Maybe it’s because he’s never worked for anything in his life.”
“Oh please Lance,” grumbled Joey as he rolled his eyes. “Half of what you own was paid for by your parents!”
“They HELPED me out to get me where I am today!” pointed out Lance. “Justin MOOCHES off his parents and he shows no sign of getting a steady job or going to college!”
“I mooch off my parents too!” shot back Joey. “They’re our parents, we’re suppose to be able to do that!”
“You know Joey I thought you were different but you’re just the same as Justin!”
“Look Lance!” yelled Joey, glaring at him. “I don’t know what happened to that kid I met so many years ago at Bible Camp, but you my friend have changed! Back then you were a fun, nice kid! Now, all you are is a spoiled brat, who cares nothing more than working and making money! So go ahead Lance, work hard and make as much money as you want, but at the rate you’re going you’re going to end up having a heart attack at 45 and no one will regret you’re gone!”
“Fuck off Joey,” replied Lance coldly. “And don’t try and bother me while I’m working ever again.”
“Fuck you!” shot back Joey as he stormed out of the room, leaving Lance alone. As soon as the older man was gone, Lance once again turned back to his laptop to continue on with his work, as if nothing had happened.
*~*~*
“Bass is fucked up,” commented Justin Timberlake an hour later as he and Joey shared a beer at Joey’s bar, Fat-One. “I don’t know how you two became friends in the first place.”
“He wasn’t always like this,” sighed Joey. “We went to the same Bible Camp as kids and back then he was a sweet, little kid, who knew how to have a good time. We lost track of each other when we both when off to college but then when we bumped into each other a few years ago, he was a completely different person.”
“Like I said he’s fucked up,” replied Justin as he took another swing of his beer. “You’d think with him gay and me bi, we’d have some sort of ‘connection’ since the world isn’t yet the greatest place for people like us but no, he still hates me for some reason.”
“Probably because you’re rich and don’t act like what Lance feels a rich person should act.”
“Not all rich people like to go to boring parties and talk to other rich people just so that they can feel better because they have more money,” grumbled Justin. “Just because I don’t act like it doesn’t mean I don’t have any ‘class’. If I wanted to I could fit right in with all those snobs since I grew up with them, but I don’t, because I don’t like fake people like that.”
“Never change Justin,” advised Joey. “I’ve already lost one friend today and I would hate to lose another.”
“I don’t plan to, Joey, in fact, I was wondering if you had a job for me?”
“You? Working here?” asked Joey shocked. Justin never before showed any interest in anything besides partying, basketball, or videogames. Working in a bar was the last thing Joey expected Justin to do.
“I sing,” explained Justin with a sigh. “Nobody knows but you. I was hoping you’d let me sing a few nights of the week as some sort of entertainment.”
“Sure,” grinned Joey. “If you’re good, it bring in more customers and if you suck, then the bar will empty quickly at closing time. You can start Wednesday.”
“Thanks Joey!” beamed Justin. “I won’t let you down!”
*~*~*
Late that night, Lance finally left his office and quickly drove to his large home in his fire-red Ferrari.
Lance really couldn’t understand Joey. He knew that Joey worked hard with Fat-One but he was never wanting to expand. Joey could be rich right now like him but instead he kept merely kept Fat-One and was content just to keep running it.
Plain and simple, money met everything to Lance. Sure there was a time when he was younger that he could care less about money, but then he watched as his sister and her husband struggle with their bills due to their mediocre jobs and would always end up going back to his parents for more money. Lance didn’t want to end up like that, so he threw himself into his studies and made sure he got the best job available working for record company in Orlando, who had all the hottest acts around signed to it’s label.
Sure working so much did have a negative impact on his social life but Lance would always forget about worrying about a social life when he received his paycheck. Lance even had plans to start his own company. He had already made inquires about being able to sign away the hot acts and have them join his own label.
Soon, his plans would be complete and then nothing would be able to stop James Lance Bass.