Everything Has Changed

Chapter 1

Jc lay resting in his bunk, letting the movement of the bus gently cradle him into slumber. There were very rare moments in his life now where he could truly enjoy rest and relaxation, especially in the middle of a big tour. Being 1/5th of N*sync meant that you were never in one place for more than a day. If N sync weren't on stage, they were in an interview. If they weren't in an interview, they were probably doing a photo shoot. If they weren't at a photo shoot, then they were at a meeting, or a radio show, or a red-carpet event, so sleep was very few and far between for Jc. He supposed he couldn't complain. His life was the kind that people went to sleep dreaming and fantasizing of. The kind that so many people strive for and work for every year in hope for just that one glimpse of fame and success. He would sometimes think back to when they first started out in Germany, traveling all over Europe. The seemingly endless fever-dream of not knowing what country they were gonna be in next, all of the performances and interviews, all of the hotel stays and the bus rides, the sleepless nights and the rush of adrenaline when hundreds of fans would scream and chase their cars, all of that was what got them to where they are now, and Jc would be damned if he let all of their hard work go to waste solely because he was tired, especially not at the peak of their career.

Almost as soon as Jc was about to fall asleep, he hears the all too familiar sound of the velcro of the small curtains over his bunk open, the light of the bus shining onto him. "Jc get up man, were almost to the hotel" Justin nags as he annoyingly shakes Jc's shoulder. He groans and pushes Justin away from his bunk gently. "Yeah yeah, give me a few minutes and I'll be up" he replies in his groggy-morning voice. Justin gives him one more punch in the shoulder before he walks back to the lobby of the bus. He turned over and kicked off his blankets to the side, and started up at the ceiling for a moment, deep in his thoughts. "Jc get your ass out of bed!" Joey yells, clearly laughing along with the other guys. They were probably making fun of how he always slept in late when he had the chance, which is what they always teased him about. He shook his thoughts away and hopped out of his bunk. "Aww hey sleepyhead. Was somebody tired?" Joey said in a baby voice towards him, the other guys laughing along. Jc let out a half smile at him. "Oh shut up, Joey" he replied, walking into the bathroom to quickly change and freshen up. With a fresh new pair of comfy clothes on, he grabs a granola bar from the bus's tiny kitchen and sits down next to Lance. "What city are we even in anyways" he asks, taking a bite of his late breakfast "Jc how do you not know? Aren't you supposed to be the smart one" Justin snickers back. "Kansas City Jc. Were in Kansas City" Lance replies. Jc nods as he takes another bite of granola bar and turns to stare out the window. He watched the ongoing blur of cars and buildings pass him by as he returns to his thoughts he had earlier before he got out of bed.

Jc knew it wasn't good for him, especially not the day before a show, but the path in his mind always led back to his ex, Evelyn. They had broken up 3 months ago after what was supposed to be a romantic date, turned into a big fight at his apartment. Up to that point, Jc hadn't had the time to take her out on a date for a couple of months, and the toll of being with someone who was constantly anywhere but next to her was starting to eat her up on the inside. Jc had planned the date as an apology to her for being gone so long on tour. She was greeted with rose petals and pink paper hearts as far as the eye could see, with orange-lit candles scattered around the room and the crackly warmth of the vinyl playing "My Girl" by The Temptations softly in the background. Sure maybe it was over-the-top and corny, but it was perfectly over the top. The night started off great, with constant kisses and a lovely dinner as they watched rom/coms. As the night progressed though, Evelyn delved deeper and deeper into her thoughts about their relationship. She knew that she couldn't keep living off of daily phone calls and apology-dates once he came back home, and then leaving the next day for God knows what. Sure, the date was wonderful and romantic, and everything she dreamed about as a little girl, but what then? He would leave to go back on tour, and she would be left alone again, only getting to be comforted by him through phone calls. She knew that it couldn't keep going on like this. She aired out all of her feelings about their relationship, which eventually led to the argument that would officially end it. She begrudgingly grabbed all of her stuff, and through teary eyes and a trembling voice, she said "I hope your career is worth it Jc. I really really do." She walked out, leaving Jc standing in the middle of the romantic scene that he had set just hours earlier, the vinyl still playing, an echo in his mind that reminded him of the love that was seemingly still there just hours before.