Boy Band (4 page)

“Did you get her phone number?  Her address?  Are you going to teach her what it means to really be a woman?”

“Josh, ew.” I glare at him. 

“She just gave me her number,” Sam tells us.  By now, I’m pretty sure he’s embarrassed.  Despite his well-established reputation as a ladykiller, Sam still gets so bashful about the idea of girls liking him or wanting to date him.  It’s funny, because he’s so wild and crazy and he definitely puts on a good show of making people think he’s sexy.  But the second someone actually tells him that, he’s like a shy little turtle.  

“Are you going to call her?” Oliver asks.

“And if not, do you mind if I call her?” Jesse asks.

“You know what, this sandwich is just amazing.  It’s like the best sandwich I’ve ever had in my life,” Sam remarks, stuffing his face with food once again.    

“So, the video looks like it’s going to be good,” I offer.

“It is.  I think I’m going to tweet about it,” Jesse says, whipping out his new smartphone.  “Oh hey, looks like Tara’s already telling the world that Sam has a new girlfriend.”

“What?” Sam and I exclaim at the same time. 

“
On set of new #TKOS music video with the BF #CoryForeman and BFF #CourtneyVickers hitting it off with #SamMorneau.  Winky face.” 

“Oh, this will be fun,” Sam mutters.  

“That’s just ridiculous.  She just met you!  You didn’t even talk for that long!  You’re not her property!” I hiss.  

“Wow.  You know Sam, if you’re unhappy about it, you should sic Melissa on her.  I think she’s about ready to tear her head off,” Jesse smirks.  

I can feel the blush creeping up my cheeks, but I try my best to act casual.    

“I just think it’s wrong for her to run around spreading gossip about you that isn’t even true,” I tell them.

“Most gossip isn’t,” Josh reminds me.  

Before I can think of a witty comeback that would portray me as a protective friend and not a jealous girl with a really pathetic crush, Cory, Tara, and Courtney are standing over us.
 
   

“Well, I think we’re off.  We had so much fun on set today.  Thank you so much for having us,” Tara says.

“Oh, it was our pleasure,” Oliver replies.  

“Oliver, you’re too sweet,” Tara grins.  “And Sam, I told Cory that the four of us need to double sometime, and he totally agrees.”

“Definitely,” Cory says.  “I think it’d be fun.”  

“Oh.  Okay yeah, sure.”  Sam blushes.  My heart sinks a little, but I’m fairly certain he’s just being polite.  “It was nice to meet you, Courtney.”

“Likewise,” she smiles and pauses to lay a seductive hand on his shoulder. “Call me any time.  I’d love to sing for you sometime.  You might even be able to talk me into a private performance.”  

Josh can’t help it.  He bursts out laughing and has to bury his face in his arms.  I would be laughing with him if the whole situation wasn’t so awkward.  

At this point, I don’t think Sam’s face could possibly get any redder.  I think the only time I’ve ever seen him blush harder was the time the button on his jeans popped when we were in high school.  See, this button didn’t just fall off.  It flew off.  Like, his pants were so tight that the button literally could not hold on for a second longer so it launched into the air like a rocket.  And maybe, if that was all that happened, it wouldn’t have been so embarrassing for him.  But the button, in its flight to freedom, accidentally hit a girl that he had a crush on in the eye.  It hit her so hard that it left a welt.  Poor Sam was mortified, but the rest of us all thought it was hilarious.   

Let me tell you, I have never felt worse for laughing until I cried.   

“Sounds fun,” Sam finally replies.  “I’ll see you around.”   

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Courtney points at him before Cory escorts them off set.  

“Oh, that poor girl,” Jesse smirks.

“What?” Sam asks. 

“You’re not going to call her.  You’re not even going to follow her on Twitter.  I can see the headlines now.  Yet Another Heart Broken by Notorious Ladies Man, Sam Morneau
.
”

“Didn’t you just break up with Whitney Preston a few weeks ago?” Oliver asks. 

Whitney Preston is an actress who most recently appeared in the big screen adaptation of some weird book about time travelers and dinosaurs.  Sam has never even met her.  

“What can I say?  It wasn’t me, it was her,” Sam jokes lightly.  Despite his good-natured approach to the rumors that follow him everywhere he goes, I know his media-inflicted reputation bothers him.  He’s a good guy with a huge heart and yeah, he’s kind of weird and gross and there’s his bizarre thing with sponges, but he’d never intentionally hurt a woman or lead her on.  None of the guys would.  

“Guys,” Joni appears out of nowhere. 

“Hey, where have you been?” Oliver asks.

“Yeah.  You missed your best friend forever, Tara,” Jesse remarks.  

“Yes, that was the whole idea,” Joni says.  “You have five minutes to finish eating and get yourselves together for the next scene.  Mel, if you’re done, I want you to go grab one of the handheld cameras and start shooting some stuff for the behind-the-scenes video.”

“Right.”  I love filming.  It’s one of my favorite on-set jobs.  It’s especially fun because it gives the guys a chance to just be themselves in front of the camera.  In the music videos, you’ll see them singing and dancing and being all charming, but behind the scenes, they get to laugh and joke and just be guys.  

As soon as I have a camera, I make my way around set, filming the crew, the props, the set itself, and of course, the guys.  At one point, Josh runs straight at the camera, takes it in his hands, and kisses the lens.  

“That one’s for you,” he grins, winking at the camera.

“You just left a lip smudge on the lens,” I laugh.

“Oops.  Here you go.”  He raises his elbow as if to polish the lens with his sleeve, but I take a step back, just in case he’s actually planning to do it.  

“I’ll clean it,” I assure him.

Next, I find Jesse in front of a mirror, running his hands through his hair and making sexy, come-hither faces at his reflection.  Fans will love that. 

“You look beautiful, I promise,” I tell him.  

“Hey.  Go away.  This is private,” he teases, cozying up to the mirror.  

“Not for long it isn’t.”

“Don’t judge me, Melissa.  I’ve seen you.  I’ve seen you and your little hairbrush and your Maybelline eyeliner and your Revlon lipstick.  Speaking of, why do you use two different brands?”

“I think the real question is why d
o
yo
u
know which brands I use?  I don’t even think I knew that.”

“Because infidelity i
s
wron
g
, Melissa. It’s just plai
n
wron
g
.”  Of all the guys, Jesse is the only one who calls me Melissa.  I don’t know why.  Maybe that’s how I introduced myself to him.  Everyone else just calls me Mel.    

“Glad to hear you say that, Jesse.  Do you have anything else you’d like to share with the fans?”

He stares straight into the camera.  “I love you.  Desperately.  Passionately.”

“Almost as much as he loves himself,” I quip.

“That’s it.  You’re gone.  Out,” he orders.    

I wander a bit further.  Oliver and Cory are both back in makeup, so I film them for just a moment before taking off in search of my favorite member of the group.  

I find him off to the side, lurking behind one of the green screen panels that have been set up for dream sequences.

“What are you doing?” I ask. 

“I have a Dorito stain on my shirt and I’m hiding.  Shh!” he holds his finger up to his lips and looks frantically at the camera.  I have to laugh.    

“What happens when you have to go film?”

“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet!”  Now he’s laughing too.  

“You’re going to get in so much trouble...”

“I know.  Tiffany’s going to ground me or something.”

“Can she do that?”

“Probably!” he cries, his big blue eyes bugging out.  

“Maybe you should bring like, an adult bib or something for these days you have to eat in costume.”

“Or I could just take off my shirt,” he grins seductively at the camera.  Then he begins to do a strip-tease.

See, this is what’s strange about him.  When no one is actively hitting on him, he’s one of the flirtiest guys you’ll ever meet.  Actually try to flirt back, however, and he transforms into a shrinking violet.  It just doesn’t make sense.

“I’m not sure the Internet is ready for this,” I tell him.  Of course, I’m actually very much enjoying it, especially once the shirt fully comes off and he starts swinging it around and shimmying up to the camera.  

And naturally, it’s right at that moment that Joni comes rounding the corner, wondering what the hell we’re doing.  

“Nothing, nothing,” Sam throws his shirt back on and begins to button it.  He’ll never admit it to her, but Joni scares him almost as much as Tiffany.  Before he follows her back to the group, he leans into the camera and mutters, “You can slip the money into my G-string later.”  

Yep.  That’s the Sam I know and love. 

CHAPTER 4

“
And I said, baby

I want to make you love me

Want to let you hold me

Want you to stay with me,

And baby,

You know I’d leave you never

I want you for forever

So please, baby, let’s not fight

Everything will be alright

You’re the one I need tonight

Please, baby stay with me tonight.”

Song: “Stay With Me”

Artist: The Kind of September 

From the Album
:
17 Times Over

One week.

We have one blissful week off before the release o
f
Meet Me on the Midwa
y
.  The guys are taking that time to spend with their friends and family that they don’t get to see while they’re out on tour.  I’m taking the time to catch up on my Marketing 2301 homework.

When I first broke the news to my parents two years ago that I was forgoing the traditional college route in order to run around with a group of guys who like to sing and perform and, let’s face it, wear pants about two sizes too tight, they weren’t overly enthusiastic.  Granted, I was eighteen and I didn’t need their permission, but as their daughter, I still wanted their approval.  

They knew what a great opportunity working with the guys would be for me.  After all, how many people can say that they’re in the inner circle of a famous band?  It’s given me the chance to travel the world, meet people, learn new skills, and earn a living doing what I love with the people I love.  I’m extremely thankful for that, and so are my parents.

However, they still lamented the fact that I wouldn’t have a “normal” college experience.  I could understand that.  They met in college.  They’ve both often said that college was the best time in their lives (apart from welcoming their wonderful, gorgeous, brilliant children into the world, of course).  They don’t want me to miss out on anything.  That’s where our compromise comes in.  I agreed to take online courses.  I don’t take as many as I would as a full-time student, but I’ve gotten at least a few English and history credits out of the way.  I’m dreading math, but hey, Sam is actually really good at it.  Maybe he can help me out. 

I actually haven’t seen the guys or Joni very much at all this week.  We’ve texted, but for the most part, everyone’s kind of doing their own thing.  Josh and Jesse have been hanging out with friends from high school.  Oliver has been spending a lot of time at home with his family and his dog.  Cory, apparently, has been Skyping non-stop with Tara, who thankfully stayed in LA while the rest of us flew back home to the Bay Area.  And Sam, as far as I know, hasn’t left his house and has been binge-watching Netflix, eating home-cooked meals, and sleeping.