Clinton, Mississippi

After that initial phone call, the phone at the Bass house wouldn’t stop ringing. Diane left the phone to ring the first few times, adamant that she wasn’t going to let Lance go to Orlando. He understood that she was worried about him and always will be, but the more the phone rang, the more excited he was getting about everything.

When asking his mom as much as he could about the initial phone call, he could see that she was getting annoyed with the questions, but he wanted to know everything. Why was Justin Timberlake looking for him? How did they get his phone number? Who was it that keeps calling? What kind of band was they forming that needed him? And more.

“I’m not talking about this anymore, James,” Diane said with a heavy sigh, rubbing at her temples as the phone rang again. She glanced over at the phone, setting her jaw. “Should disconnect the phone.”

Lance let out a sigh through his nose. Only his mom and Annaleigh ever referred to him by his first name on occasion, and that was only when they were going to tell him something important. Or sometimes in Annaleigh’s case if she was incredibly mad at him.

“But, Mrs. B, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Annaleigh protested, before turning towards Lance speaking to him as if his mom wasn’t there, “she has to say, yes—you can’t expect Lance to just let this pass him by—shoot, this is bigger than him getting into Attaché—that was pretty cool—Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then. That’s what you always say, Mrs. B.”

Diane stared at her for a moment before chuckling, putting a hand to her head. “It took me a little bit, but I think I understood that,” she said, folding her hands on the kitchen table, on top of the newspaper that sat out in front of her.

Lance nudged her Annaleigh with his elbow and gave her a grateful smile. Annaleigh could be pretty scatterbrained at times, taking on two different conversations at one time. It was pretty hard to follow sometimes, but Lance had gotten the hang of it over the years. In this instance, she was actually helping her out. He sucked in a deep breath of air and slowly let it out.

“Mom, you know how important singing is to me,” he said, rubbing his hands together before he slid them into his jeans pockets. “A-and you’ve watched MMC with me sometimes, so you know that Justin Timberlake is good; he’s got professional experience and everything-“

“Well, so has Lance,” Annaleigh spoke up. “He’s learned loads of stuff through Showstoppers and Attaché and-“she was interrupted by the phone ringing again and moved to grab it before either Diane or Lance could say anything. “Hello; Bass residence, Ace speaking”

Lance watched as his mom’s eyebrows rose in a combination of annoyance and amusement. Her persistence on things did cause her to step on toes every now and then and in most cases he wasn’t really sure if she actually thought things through before saying or doing anything. It did have its upside as she wasn’t afraid to tell him what she really thought of things and it allowed her to give good advice.

If there was anyone he needed advice from right now, it’d be Stacey Bass, his older sister. Not that he wasn’t grateful for Annaleigh standing up for him it was just the simple fact that he always turned to his sister for advice with his parents. Being the youngest of the two kids did have its perks; Stacey was the guinea pig so to speak with how their parents raised her. She was the first to go through groundings, and fights, and the inevitable “talk” with their dad—James Bass was a medical technologist and while he really did only work in medical laboratories, he felt like it was his job to explain the birds and the bees to his kids.

“It’s Bob,” Annaleigh said, holding out the phone. She had her hands cupped around the mouthpiece as she held it out between Lance and Diane, switching it back and forth. “Is someone going to take the phone or-?”

“You’ve already taken the liberty of answering,” Diane commented with a hint of a smile, resting her chin in her hand. Lance laughed quietly as Annaleigh blushed.

“Sorry,” she said quietly, giving a sheepish grin before holding the phone out towards Diane. “Put it on speakerphone.”

Diane’s eyebrows knitted together slightly before she took the phone. She pressed the pad of her forefinger to a button on the phone before holding it out. “We’re here, Bob. Lance, too.”

“Oh, good!” a deep, warm voice said on the other end of the phone.

Bob Westbrook was well known in the area as he was the vocal coach for the Showstoppers. He actually lived in Memphis, Tennessee, but always made the drive down to Clinton, Mississippi whenever they held rehearsals; which was every day. “Dedication calls for sacrifice,” he would always say.

So what would I be sacrificing now? Lance thought to himself as he watched his mom talk on the phone. He had a million thoughts running through his mind about everything, but he couldn’t form any words or full sentences in fear of having his mom instantly shut him down; like she had done with the situation already. And if there was something he tried hard to avoid, it was getting his mom mad. Lord, please let this work out for me.

“We really think this is a good opportunity for Lance,” Bob said over the phone. “I understand that this is all sudden, but I’ve been working with Justin and I’ve known the Timberlake family for years. They’re good people.”

Yes! “See, mom?” Lance said, pushing himself up onto the balls of his feet, leaning towards her. He clasped his hands together in a pleading motion. “And you know Bob is good at what he does. You’ve seen Justin on TV. Let me try at least.”

Diane let out a sigh through her nose.

“The Timberlake family is a very professional family. They told me that they were looking for a bass singer and I immediately thought of Lance. With his work in Showstoppers, furthered by Attaché, he’s a right fit. He’ll have to work on his dancing a little bit, but I’m confident that he can help this group go far. Diane, you need to let Lance go. This is his shot.”

Lance felt his face heat up. He always knew he was a pretty lousy dancer, but he did his best with what he could do. He did start to get a little worried though. How much dancing is needed for this? He thought to himself, chewing on his bottom lip. He looked over at Annaleigh but found it hard to read her face. Only you have control of this, God. Please let this work out.

“I understand that, Bob,” Diane said with a nod of her head. “But, I don’t think this is a good idea. Thank you for calling.” She then hung up the phone for a second time.”

“Moo-oom!” Lance groaned, buying his face in his hands.

“Orlando is too far away, honey,” Diane said with a shake of her head. “And your father and I wouldn’t be able to go with you if things were to work out, you are sixteen after all.”

Then why do you keep treating me like I’m six? Lance thought to himself, pressing his lips together. He didn’t dare to say that out loud. “At least hear them out. You know that Bob is the best, and he’s worked with Justin and Justin was able to use his singing on TV. This could become a big thing and you know how important singing and performing is to me.”

“I know sweetie,” Diane replied with a nod. She sighed, closing her eyes, when the phone rang again. She lifted it to her ear, ready to answer. “Let me at least talk to your father about this and see what he thinks. He’ll be home soon.”

“But-“

“We understand,” Annaleigh cut him off as the doorbell rang. She grabbed her arm and pulled him out of the kitchen and towards the foyer.

“We do?” Lance asked.

“We do,” Annaleigh replied.

“I’m not following you, Ace,” Lance said with a shake of his head. He pulled his arm out of her grasp, grabbing her shoulder, stopping her. “I’m sure I could’ve got her to change her mind.”

“Better leave it up to Bob and Mrs. Harless,” Annaleigh replied with a shake of her head, “and your dad. Remember? She was worried about you auditioning for Showstoppers until she heard you at the church talent show. She’s always worried at first; but you’ve always proven her that you have your head on your shoulders.”

“That’s true,” Lance said with a sigh as he grasped the doorknob to his front door, pulling it open to give Darren a smile in greeting. “Hey. You’ll never believe what happened.” He sighed heavily when the phone rang again. “That’s partly what it is.”

“You didn’t answer to a telemarketer did you?” Darren asked as he stepped into the foyer, allowing the storm door to slam shut behind him. “It’s tough to get rid of them.” He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of gum. Annaleigh instantly held out her hand, wiggling her fingers. Darren briefly rolled his eyes before removing a stick from the pack, slapping it into her hand. “So, are we staying here or-“

“I need to get away from the incessant ringing,” Annaleigh interrupted him, putting her hands over her ears. Darren reached out and flicked her on the tip of her nose.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually getting annoyed by your own voice,” he said with a teasing grin. She frowned, batting his hand away.

Lance watched the exchange with raised eyebrows before turning towards Annaleigh, crossing his arms over his chest, giving her a pointed stare. She muttered a “shut up” towards him before moving to get her shoes, allowing her long, dark hair to hide her blushing face. Lance chuckled, shaking his head back and forth.

“Let’s head to the back of the 80,” Lance said to his friend as he also moved to get his shoes. “I’m fixin’ to get out of here for a while.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Besides, I need your advice on something.”

“Yes, I’ll help you learn some dance steps for Homecoming,” Darren replied, reaching out a hand to punch Lance on the shoulder.

“Ha ha,” Lance said with a roll of his eyes. “But, my dancing is part of the problem.”

“Well, I could’ve told you that,” Annaleigh replied as she straightened, planting her hands on her hips, giving Lance a teasing smile.

She would know, Lance thought with a sigh. After he got into Showstoppers and Attaché, Darren and Annaleigh had both helped him out with his dancing as much as they could. Darren was a natural born singer and dancer, and Annaleigh had a natural sense of rhythm that allowed her to pick up moves quickly. She wasn’t even in either music groups, but she was able to nail the dance moves faster than he could.

Her smile faded slightly. “It was just a joke, Lance” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” She gave him a half smile. “If you can do Attaché, you can do this. I know you can.”

“What exactly are we talking about?” Darren asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

“I’ll tell you on the way,” Lance replied. “Wait here a second.” He then made his way back to the kitchen and leaned in the doorway, finding his mom with the phone up to her ear. He waved his hand to get her attention and she looked up at him, removing the phone away from her mouth. “Darren’s here. I’ll be back later.”

“Be back by 11,” Diane replied in a hushed tone, “and make sure Ace has a ride home, please.” Lance nodded and was about to rejoin his friends, but stopped when he noticed her waving her hand in the air. “I know you really want to do this, James. I know how important singing is to you; I’m just worried about what this all entails.”

“I know, Mom,” Lance replied with a nod before lifting a hand in greeting. “I love you. See you later.”

He rejoined Annaleigh and Darren in the foyer before they all made their way out of the house and towards his truck. They all piled into the front seat, Annaleigh squeezed between the two of them, and Darren headed out of the neighborhood, turning up the radio as he did so. Lance hummed along to Kiss From a Rose by Seal as it played on the radio.

“There is so much a man can tell you so much he can say,” Annaleigh sang as she swayed in her seat. Lance smiled before joining in. “You remain my power, my pleasure, my pain, baby.”

Darren joined in a moment later; their voices mixing together. They broke off into specific layering parts of the song, Lance naturally taking the part in the lowest register. He couldn’t help but smile, a chill always went down his spine when he really got into a song that he was performing, and in this case, just goofing off.

“To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny. Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby? But did you know, that when it snows, my eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen. Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray. Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah. And now that your rose is in bloom. A light hits the gloom on the gray.”

Singing in the shower, in the car, or with a group Lane just knew that this was something he had to do for the rest of his life. Even when he was in Seven Card Stud with Darren and five other guys from the Showstoppers group performing at festivals, it was just a taste of what was waiting for him outside of Clinton, Mississippi. It was what he always wanted.

Heck, he had even written in Keri Martin’s yearbook: “Keep this autograph because I’m going to be famous one day.” It was a joke at the time, but deep down he knew it would happen sooner or later even though everyone at school was sure Keri was the one destined for fame and fortune.

As Darren headed towards the back roads, Lance had already made up his mind. He was going to make this happen one way or another.

“So, let me get this straight,” Darren said as he lowered the green bottle of beer from his lips, gripping it tightly in his hand, “Justin Timberlake wants you to fly out to Orlando, Florida, to be in the next New Kids on the Block?”

His face was glowing and flickering from the light of the bonfire that he, Lance, and Annaleigh were sitting around. There were two other bonfires set up with groups of kids from Clinton High dancing around them, whooping, hollering, and singing along to the songs that were being played by the parked cars. The cars were lined up at the entrance to the clearing, car doors wide open, headlights on to give more light to the area.

“Basically,” Annaleigh replied, stretching her legs out in front of her. She leaned back on one hand, lifting her beer bottle to her mouth. “At least, that’s what I’m assuming Justin needs a bass singer for.” Darren let out a low whistle.

Lance knew all about New Kids on the Block, he didn’t know anyone who wasn’t a fan of them. Even his parents knew some of their songs. They were a group of good looking guys who could sing and dance and had hordes of girls chasing after them. Although they had disbanded in 1994, their songs were still popular, getting plenty of airtime. What he did with Seven Card Stud had the same effect and he wanted that kind of rush again.

“You’d just have to worry about lip synching like NKOTB,” Darren commented with a snort before taking a long swing from the bottle.

Great, one more worry, Lance thought to himself. He tried to push the thought out of his mind and stay excited. After all, they could probably have anyone in the band, but they were looking for him.

Darren then pointed the bottle over at Lance. “Is that what you wanted my advice on?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “Whether or not you should do this?” He shook his head. “Shoot, you’d be crazy to pass this up; I mean, they are looking for you.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Lance said with a nod. He looked down into his beer bottle and swirled the amber liquid around in the bottle before lifting the bottle to his lips. He allowed the alcoholic drink to slide into his mouth. He held it there for a moment before swallowing it, savoring the slight burning sensation in the back of his throat. “My mom already said I can’t do it. You know how protective she is.”

“She let you travel with Showstoppers and Attaché,” Darren said, his nose wrinkling slightly. “Then again, she always went with you-“ He stopped, snapping his fingers, “That’s it, Lance. Just convince your mom to go with you.”

“She already said that she can’t take time off work to do it,” Lance said with a sigh.

“Can’t or won’t?” Darren repeated. Lance paused to think about it and filled the silence by busying himself with taking another drink from his beer bottle. “She knows how important singing is to you. The music business in this entirety is just something she’s not used to. Show her that this is something you really want.”

“It can’t hurt. Also, seek the Lord, and his strength,” Annaleigh added with a shrug and Darren angled his head in her direction. “Remember, Romans 8:28?”

“All things will work together for good,” the three of them chorused and Annaleigh gave a nod of her head and  then lifted her beer bottle in the air. Darren and Lance clinked their bottles against hers and they all tilted their heads back, taking a long swig.

Lord, you’re the only one that sees what my future has in store for me. You’re the only one that knows whether or not this works out. Only you can guide me into making this a reality Please help. With as much faith as Lance put in the Lord, he knew that he was going to need to get the ball rolling a little bit on his own. This was once in a lifetime opportunity; he couldn’t just let it pass him by. He just needed a surefire plan.