The burning liquid slid down JC’s throat as he drained the remaining amount of rum from its bottle. A few years ago, he wouldn’t be seen drinking excessive amounts of any type of alcohol. Things change, JC thought as he wiped the liquid from his lips with the back of his hand. Shots were no longer an option for him since he felt that they failed to get him through the day.

Clutching the empty bottle, JC sauntered through the bare hallways of his home. Aside from *NSYNC memorabilia and the typical furniture and clothing one would find in the mansion of an ex boyband member, JC owned nothing else. He found it hard to find similar levels of the chart topping success that *NSYNC enjoyed with his other musical ventures.

His short walk ended in front of the mirror near his kitchen where he took a moment to examine his appearance. He’s come a long way from the JC Chasez that the world had learned to know and love. JC thought of himself as unrecognizable; a man once viewed as classy and clean was now a man one would mistaken for someone who was homeless.

JC laughed to himself as he turned the corner to grab another bottle of alcohol from the kitchen. Setting the empty rum bottle on the counter, the void in his hand was now replaced with a bottle of whiskey. JC paused before taking a sip, trying to recall how many alcoholic beverages he’s consumed throughout the day. His head was throbbing but it didn’t matter to him. He had come to think that the only way to cure a hangover was to drink more alcohol. Unable to remember, he shrugged as he proceeded to down the liquid.

A buzzing from JC’s pocket startled him, causing him to nearly drop the bottle. “Damn,” he groaned as he rummaged his pockets for his phone. The buzzing was uncontrollable. Normally, JC would have ignored the call but the name that was flashing on the screen held his attention.

“Hello?”

“Hey Josh, how’s it been?” Justin’s voice blared through the phone.

JC took a moment before answering. How HAS it been? “It’s been good for me but I’m sure it’s been fantastic for you.” Whether or not Justin noticed the sourness in the response he received, JC was unsure.

“Oh, I’m alright. Listen, I don’t know if you’ve heard but I’m receiving the Video Vanguard Award in a few weeks. I know this is extremely short notice but I’m set to perform before receiving it. I’ll be doing a fifteen-minute performance showcasing all the highlights of my musical career. So naturally… I can’t forget about the one thing that catapulted me into the mouth of fame in the first place.” Justin explained.

A certain heaviness weighed down on JC. He hasn’t heard from Justin in so long and now here he was, probably about to ask him to do him a favor so he could receive his award. As excited and proud JC was for Justin, it was difficult for him to genuinely be happy for him. Not after all the downfalls he experienced due to Justin’s sudden decision to go solo. “Oh, and that would be…?”

“I’ll never forget about my time with you and the guys. I would be nothing if it hadn’t been for my time with you. You’re my brothers so I would love if you could join me on stage to perform some of our hit songs. I already asked the others and they’re all really excited about it. We can’t do it without you, of course.”

At least you know you’d be nothing without our help, was something JC wanted to say. But he couldn’t deny how flattered he felt for being remembered. If the others were fine with it, then who was he to say no? “Sure, I’ll do it. It would be fun.” JC’s tone had been sincere this time which Justin definitely noticed.

With the same level of titillation Justin expressed at the beginning of the conversation, he replied “Awesome! The guys should be at your place within the next week to pick you up. I’ll discuss everything with all of you at the studio. Thanks so much for doing this, JC. It’s a really huge deal for me to be performing with you guys again. I’ll see you later.”

“See you.” JC clicked the phone off and dropped it back into his pocket.

JC took the time to register what had just happened. It was as if the musical gods finally took notice of his suffering. He desperately needed a way back into the industry and this was it. A little stage time could do a lot for someone who was no stranger to it.