September 30th, 1995

Clinton, Mississippi

“Hey, wake up. Come on, Lance.”

Lance squinted one eye open before groaning, squeezing his eye shut, pulling his blanket up over his head. He let out a loud groan when he continued to feel someone shaking his shoulder. Then he felt a stinging blow on his backside and he let out a scream of pain before it morphed into a groan as his forehead throbbed.

“Whhaaat?” Lance asked, sitting up, allowing the blankets to fall down his bare arms and puddle around his waist. He rubbed at his eyes with his fists before blinking rapidly at the figure standing in front of him. A smile blossomed across his face. “Stace?”

“Hey, Squirt,” Stacey Bass replied with a smile as she moved to sit down next to her brother before leaning over, giving him a hug. “How ya been?”

“Good,” Lance replied with a smile as he leaned back against his pillows. “But, I want to know ‘bout you. How’s school? How you doin’?”

“School’s good,” Stacey replied with a shrug. “Classes, teachers, students, homework.” She then patted his knee. “But, s’not important. I heard ‘bout Orlando.”

Lance blinked in surprise for a moment before remembering that he had called her and told her about the news. It also wouldn’t surprise him if his mom had even told Stacey about it. His dad had all but cornered him as soon as he got home to congratulate him of his good news.

His mom had stood by him, reminding him that they hadn’t come up with a decision, and then his parents had gone off to talk about it. He didn’t know the outcome of their conversation, his head was pounding too much at that point, and he was too exhausted to continue to try and fight, what looked to be, a losing argument.

“So, what do ya think?” Lance asked, lifting a hand to block the sun from his eyes.

“I think this is a good opportunity for you,” Stacey replied and Lance felt himself smile. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for ya.” She then gave him a wide smile. “Lucky for you, I’ve mastered the fine art of negotiating with mom.”

“You’re awesome, Stace,” Lance replied, his smile getting wider.

“Don’t thank me,” Stacey warned, pointing a warning finger at him, “haven’t said anythin’ yet.” She then ran her fingers through her hair. “She’s just worried about you, you know. The music business is something completely different then she’s used to.”

“I know,” Lance replied.

“And you’d be gone for so long,” Stacey added, “but I know you can do it.” She reached out a hand and ruffled Lance’s hair. He made a face, pushing her hand away. “You impressed everyone gettin’ into Attaché so young, but I’ve always known you were meant to entertain people.” She laughed lightly. “Remember when we’d put on those shows for mom and dad?”

Lance laughed with her, before putting a hand to his head. He remembered those times as well. He would beg Stacey to sing and dance and be part of a “show” with her for their parents, and grandparents, and anyone that would spare five minutes to watch them. There was something about the smiles, the applause, and the laughter that made all of those performances worthwhile. It was those moments that made him want to perform as much as possible.

“Yeah,” Lance replied with a fond smile. “Those were good times. Thank you for putting up with me so much back then.”

Stacey rolled her eyes. “I have to put up with you all the time,” she said with a teasing smile. It was Lance’s turn to roll his eyes. “I’ll talk to mom and see if I can get her to change her mind. This is obviously somethin’ important to you.”

“Stace,” Lance said quietly. Stacey gave a small tilt of her head, showing that he had her attention. “I feel like I was supposed to do this.” He twisted his fingers in his lap. “Bob must think so too if they keep calling.”

“A Lou Pearlman called, too,” Stacey replied and Lance gave her a confused look. “Accordin’ to mom, she’s the manager for the band. He’s also called, trying to get her to change her mind.”

Wow, Lance thought, his smile getting wider. Even the manager is calling? He felt his heart beat faster. This is it. I know this is what I’m supposed to do with my life. I just know it. He ran his hands over his face, letting out a sigh. He blinked before groaning in pain when a pillow collided with the same of his head.

“God, Stace,” he groaned.

“Someone had to wipe that goofy look from your face,” Stacey replied before sticking her tongue out at Lance. “Just don’t forget us small town folk when you get to travel around to those big, fancy cities.”

“I’ll send you a postcard every now and then,” Lance replied before sticking his tongue out at her in return. “Maybe.”  He grasped the pillow and hit her in the side with it. “Now, get out.”

“Already bossing us around,” Stacey said with a laugh as she got up to head over to his bedroom door. She tapped her finger tips on the wood for a moment before turning around. “Hey.” Lance glanced over at her. “I’m proud of you, you know.”

“Proud of what?” Lance asked.

“Proud of you for always accomplishing what you dream of doing,” Stacey replied, resting her arm against the door. “You’re working hard to make things turn out how you want them to. You had Darren help coach you until your audition for Showstoppers and Attaché was perfect. You sacrificed a lot during Seven Card Stud, but you were travelling and performing, something you always said you wanted to do. You’ve never let anything stand in your way. So…I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Stace,” Lance replied. “And thanks for talking to mom for me.”

“Anytime, little brother,” Stacey replied before making her way out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

Lance pushed his blankets off of his legs and swung them over to the floor. He slowly got to his feet, wind milling his arms slightly when he got a head rush. He let out a sigh through his nose, and shuffled over to his closet, his pajama pants legs sliding down his legs as he moved. He pressed his forehead against the cool wood of the closet door before pulling it open. He let out a small groan of pain when his closet door creaked, loudly.

Putting a hand to his head, he reached for his hangers, pushing them back and forth before deciding on a pair of jeans. He changed into them before then trying to find a shirt to wear, stopping every once in a while as he succumbed to the pounding of his head.

“So, how’s that hangover working for ya?”

“Why don’t you ever come through the front door like a normal person?” Lance asked, not even bothering to turn around as he straightened. He reached for a shirt hanging off a hanger and tugged it off of the plastic. He turned to face Annaleigh as she climbed in through his, now open, bedroom window, a backpack on her back. He separated the ends of his t-shirt before pulling it up over his head.

“Normal is boring,” Annaleigh replied with a shrug, removing her arm from one of the backpack straps. She unzipped the backpack before pulling out a bottle of water, holding it out to him. Lance took it with a nod of thanks before she reached into her backpack a second time before handing him a bag of white pills. “Advil. So, how was Homecoming? From what you can remember, anyway.”

Lance glanced at his closed door before turning back towards her. “Keep your voice down,” he muttered.

He took the bag from her and twisted off the top to the water bottle, holding it against his palm with his pinky finger. He set the bottle down onto the floor before opening the bag. He reached a hand in and grabbed two pills, popping them into his mouth before grabbing the bottle, drinking the water, pushing the pills down his throat.

“I bet you anything that The Back of the 80 was around even when our parents were our age,” Annaleigh said, looking unconcerned as she dropped her backpack to the ground before moving to sit on her bed.  “I bet they even went to the Fire Tower and had an underage drink or two. I bet they were rebels of their time.”

Lance crossed the room to his dresser to put the bottle of water and the bag of pills down onto the top before brushing his hair into a smooth swipe instead of it sticking up at odd angles. “Not even Homecoming could stop me from thinking about Orlando.”

“I hope your date didn’t notice,” Annaleigh commented.

“We had a good time,” Lance replied before pointing at the closed door with his brush. “Stace is downstairs talking to my mom right now.”

“Well, at least some people are talking,” Annaleigh commented, twisting her mouth to the side. “All my parents do is fight about it.”

Lance frowned, turning around to face her. “They’re still fighting?” he asked, setting his brush down onto the dresser before moving to sit down beside her, pulling his knee to his chest. “You told me they were arguing last night.”

“And that was what they were doing when I got up this morning,” Annaleigh replied with a shake of her head. “They didn’t want me to worry, of course. It’s weird, it was like one minute they were fine, and then I woke up one day and all they did was yell at each other.” Lance watched as she tilted her head to the side, allowing her dark brown tresses to fall over her green eyes. “Maybe if I didn’t bring up the Orlando thing, it wouldn’t have started this fight.”

“That’s not your fault,” Lance said with a shake of his head, “and you know it.”

He had even noticed the Carrs had been arguing more lately, if not shooting some passive aggressive remarks at each other. It was uncomfortable to listen to when sitting a room away from them. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to spend as much time away from it as possible or to even just want to run away from it.

When it all came down to it, that’s what he thought she was doing, wanting to tag along, to run away from the problem with her parents. Maybe she really did think it was because of her, and without her being there, they probably wouldn’t have anything to fight about. Not that she’d ever admit that. They were incredibly close, but most times, she hated talking about her feelings. But, she was always proud of the fact that she put others before herself, something he had to give her credit for. Even when things weren’t going well for her at home, she wanted to be sure that he got what he wanted.

He couldn’t ask for a better friend. That was a girl, anyway.

“It’s hard to tell, they fight about everything nowadays,” Annaleigh replied, running her hands over her hair before letting out a heavy sigh. “I just want to get away from it for more than a few hours.” She then rested her hand on her palm, putting her elbow on her knee. “So, what would be the first thing you’d do if you could go to Orlando?”

Lance lifted his eyes to the ceiling for a moment as he thought about it. He then looked back at Annaleigh and he felt himself smiling with her. “Disney World,” the two of them said together, nodding, before they started to laugh.

She and Darren alike were two of the main reasons why he wanted to stay to Clinton, but at the same time, he knew that they would be behind him 100% if and when he decided to leave Mississippi behind. It would be nice to have a friend there with him and he did know that Darren thought Clinton, Mississippi would be where he’d spend the rest of his life.

He always said that when he attended college he would work on his vocals more all the while studying conducting in the hopes of running a music program himself, if not just working as a choir director one day. Annnaleigh on the other hand just wanted any way to get out of Clinton as much as possible as long as it was music related. Whether she be the next Madonna, Janet Jackson, or Cyndi Lauper, or to be in a group like The Bangles, she, like Lance, just wanted to perform.

“Pirates of the Caribbean is a must-ride from what I’ve heard,” Annaleigh said as she fell back against the mattress, tucking her hands behind her hand. “And I’ve heard the live performances are pretty good, too.” She closed her eyes, letting out a sigh. “That’s what I want to do one day; perform at Disney World. That way once I’m tired from performing, I can ride roller coasters and stuff to get my energy back and to check out Blizzard Beach.”

“Disney’s Wide World of Sports,” Lance replied and Annaleigh made a face, keeping her eyes closed. “How many people can say they’ve ever played at the baseball field in Disney? Too bad it’s not going to be open for a couple more years.” He used his foot to prod her in the side and she blindly slapped at his barefoot, leaving a red mark on his skin. “Most importantly, we’d have to check out Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.”

“God, remember how obsessed with that movie we were?” Annaleigh asked with a laugh, her blue eyes glowing as she sat up to look at him.

“Yeah,” Lance replied with a small laugh. “Mom got so mad at us for rolling around the hallway, reenacting that swapping of the golden idol scene.”

“You break one vase and you’re branded for life,” Annaleigh replied and then squeezed one eye shut into a cringe. “You break an urn…” She trailed off and Lance cringed as well. He couldn’t remember any other time his mom had yelled at them so much. It really was an accident…but they had been told three, or four, or five times to stop playing in the hallway.

“My backside hasn’t been the same, since,” Lance commented with a shake of his head.

“I can attest to that,” Annaleigh replied with a devilish grin.

“Ace,” Lance said with a shake of his head.

“Not like it’s somethin’ I aint ever seen before,” she said, the devilish smile still on her face. Lance could feel himself blushing. She then sat up, dropping her gaze to her lap. “I’d miss you, you know. If you got to go.” She glanced up at him through her bangs. She then gave a small smile. “Once you leave, Darren and I won’t have someone to get us to stop insulting each other.”

“Silly me, I thought that was the way y’all flirted with each other,” Lance commented evenly. His smile widened when he saw Annaleigh’s cheeks turned bright pink. “I’d miss you, too. I’d miss everything about Clinton.”

“But, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Annaleigh finished for him. “Yeah, I getcha.” She then punched his leg. He wondered how after all these years, he hadn’t gotten used to her slapping, hitting, or punching him in retaliation for teasing her about her feelings for Darren.

He had wondered what it would be like if the two of them had started dating, but it was just something that was hard to picture. They were just as similar as they were different. He didn’t fully know the extent of her feelings for Darren, but he could see that he only saw of her as a little sister.

“Thanks, James,” she said quietly, tilting her head to the side starting to twist her hair into pig tails. “For being my best friend despite how crazy I can be. For putting up with me all the time, and for believing in my dreams as much as you believe in yours.” 

“Of course,” Lance replied before leaning over her, digging his fingers into her sides. “Someone has to, Freckles.” Annaleigh absolutely hated the freckles that ran across her nose and he knew he wouldn’t be a good friend if he didn’t tease her about it every now and then.

“Stop,” Annaleigh shrieked between fits of laughter. She tried to push his hands away, but he continued to dig his fingers into her sides, tickling her faster over her sides and across her stomach. “So-ah ha ha—stop!” 

“Say it,” Lance urged between his laughs, easily deflecting her hits. “Say it, and I’ll stop.”

“Ok, ok, I give,” Annaleigh laughed before Lance removed his hands. Her face was bright red, making her freckles and her blue eyes stand out even more. “You’re such a jerk, ya know.” She then got up off his bed and turned to face him, eyes flashing as she brushed her pig tails over her shoulders. “This is going to work out for you, James. I just know it. Have faith.” A mischievous grin then crossed her face. “Like I have faith that I’ll beat you downstairs.”

Lance immediately jumped to his feet and hurried after her as she darted out of the room. He quickly moved past her, using his longer legs, and pushed her to the side with his arm. Annaleigh let out a shriek of laughter, grabbing onto his arm before jumping onto his back, nearly knocking him down the stairs. He looped his arms around her legs and carried her down the rest of the stairs, carrying her through the living room and into the kitchen. 

“Morning, son,” James Bass greeted, looking over at him over a mug of coffee. His eyebrows twitched in amusement when he saw Annaleigh hanging off of his back. “Morning, Annaleigh.” He motioned towards the plate of muffins in the middle of the kitchen table. “Got plenty of muffins for ya.”

“Oooh, Lemon Poppy Seed,” Annaleigh said with a smile as she hopped down from Lance’s back, taking the extra seat at the table. “Thanks, Mr. B.” 

“Did you come in through the window again?” Diane asked, gently blowing on her cup of coffee. Lance dropped into his seat at the table, kicking Stacey back in retaliation to the blow to his leg.

“Sorry, Mrs. B,” Annaleigh instantly replied as Lance reached for a chocolate chip muffin. 

Lance held back his laughter noting that she didn’t sound sorry at all. This was a conversation they had had a few times; one that Lance was sure his mom just accepted that she did. Annaleigh always chose to come into the house through his window; despite the fact that walking up the porch to the front door was easier.

She’d been doing it since they were kids and his family had just gotten used to it. It wasn’t a surprise to any of them for her to come have her in the house without hearing the front door open or close. She, at least, had the courtesy to call ahead of time.

His mom was always worried of the two of them being alone in his room, despite knowing that they were nothing more than just friends. He wondered if she thought there was more between the two of them despite him telling her that there wasn’t. She would sometimes go as far as coming into his room, when the two of them were there alone, with an excuse to be in there before leaving, making a show of leaving the door open. 

“You know me, I like to climb things,” Annaleigh commented. Lance all but shoved the muffing into his mouth to block the bark of laughter that was rising in his throat. Annaleigh blushed a bright pink as Diane chuckled, Stacey laughed, and James loudly cleared his throat, trying to hold his laughter in. But, his smile gave him away. “Trees! I like to climb trees!” She pulled off a large chunk of her muffin and placed it on her tongue. “I’ll stop talking now.”

“So, Lance, Stacey came to talk to me about this whole situation with Orlando,” Diane said after a moment of silence.

Lance paused in his chewing before sitting up straighter in his seat. He put a hand over his mouth and asked, “And?”

“Is this something you really want to do?” Diane asked, after another moment of silence. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she peered curiously over at her son. 

Lance chewed rapidly, before swallowing. “Ma,” he said in a quiet voice as soon as he swallowed. “I’ve never wanted anything more than I’ve wanted this. For a while, I though baseball was what I was supposed to do with my life, but I dropped that the minute I started singing, because, somehow I knew that that was what I was going to do for the rest of my life.”

“I thought you wanted to be an astronaut,” James commented, peering over at his son. “Used to talk about going up into space all the time. Asked for space memorabilia for your birthday for years.” Lance shot his dad a pleading look and James put a hand into the air. “Just saying.” 

“Well, they do space launches from Cape Canaveral,” Annaleigh said, playing with the paper holder around her muffin. “That’s not too far from Orlando. With all of his money, he could probably by a rocket.”

“Not that I’d be doing it for the money,” Lance quickly explained. “I want to do it for the experience and no one said it was a done deal. It’s just an audition anyway.” He then clasped his hands together, sticking out his lower lip. “Mom, please?” 

Diane let out a sigh, twisting his mouth to the side. “Ok,” she finally replied and Lance dropped his arms down onto the table, his jaw dropping. “I’ll let you go to Orlando to audition.” She relaxed into a smile. “Your sister gave me the hard sell. She’s always been your biggest fan.” Lance smiled over at Stacey and she winked in reply. “I’ll be going with you to make sure this is going to be ok, because, honestly, I’m still a little worried about all of this.”

“Whatever you say, mom,” Lance replied with a smile. “Thank you!” He then jumped out of his seat and wrapped his arms around Stacey, giving her a tight hug. “Stace, you’re the best.”

“Anytime, Squirt,” Stacey replied with a smile, tapping Lance’s arms.

“And, Annaleigh,” Diane said, turning towards the younger girl. Lance rested his chin on top of his sister’s head to look over at his friend. Annaleigh, bit her bottom lip, looking over at Lance out of the corner of her eye. “As long as it’s ok with your parents, I’d like for you to join us. This really is a good learning experience for you as well.” A wide smile crossed her face. “Only if it’s ok with your parents.”

“Maybe if you talked to them?” Annaleigh asked, her voice lifting into more of a question. “I’ve tried, but that started fight number 35 with them.” She then looked over at the older girl. “Stace, you seem to be the miracle worker, maybe you can get them to change their minds.”

“I’ll try and talk with them, but it is ultimately up to them,” Diane said, reaching for her coffee mug. She then looked back and forth between Lance and Annaleigh. “Well?” She raised her eyebrows. Lance gave her a confused look and she gave a smile. “Figured you’d be on the phone with Darren by now.”

Lance laughed before releasing his sister, making his way over to the phone.