章節 5: I heard Frank was looking for me

Ugh, if Steve goes, why can't I go? Why do we all have to stay?

On his way out, Steve hugs Jamie a little overlong and is telling him something that pisses Jamie off. Those two better watch it, people might think they're in love.

Not that I have anything against that, my brothers raised me to be an open-minded kind of guy and in an industry like this, there are many things that can happen and have happened and it's better if nobody talks about them. I doubt Boy Next Door would be as big as we are today if we let our guard down and showed the world our secrets.

"This is our second to the last song, thank you for sticking with us to the end!"

I looked at the screen and sighed. Look at these assholes. Three of them had scandals in the last year and they're still the number one group in the country today. So much for being good at keeping secrets.

Which reminds me.

I pull on a sweater and make my way to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Burt's voice is like my mom's when I'm grounded. My mom hasn't grounded me in ten years, but I don't miss that tone of voice at all, especially with Burt around.

"I remembered Frank owes me money, I have to get it now before the show ends and everyone's all whoosh!" I throw up my hands in the air as if scattering everyone every which way.

Burt closed his eyes again. "Do you even know which Frank it is who owes you money? You don't have time to look for Frank, you're next for make up touch ups after Mark."

"Just one quick run, I promise," and I'm out of there like lightning.

Most of the dressing room doors are halfway open and chattering could be heard through some. Obviously, the much younger kids are noisier and more excited, and are room hopping. The older groups are quiet, like in my room, where Burt has already started napping while waiting for Michelle's touch ups. The guys in my band are four years older than me, so while I still have all this energy, they're like grumpy old men who can't wait to go home and sleep.

Heh, okay fine, I also just want to go home and sleep. Being in a famous boyband is hard work.

Goddess Athena. Firestar.

I had gotten good at reading signs on doors 5 strides away from me so that I didn't have to turn my head. Peach Fuzz. Omnipotent.

"Sir LJ, good evening, you were amazing out there just now! So handsome!" Chirping from a couple of girls from Firestar passing me in the hallway.

"Thank you, you guys did great too!" I nodded brightly at them. Standard small talk in my line of work.

Obsidian and Tech Mech, sharing a room. But there's like seven kids in each group, how did they fit all those idiots in there?

"Hey, LJ, bro, how you doin'?"

I turned my head and focused on Kyle, standing by his open door, a pack of cigarettes in his hands. He held out one hand for a slap.

"Hey, bro," I replied, slapping his hand, but also bowing in greeting. Kyle is from Omnipotent, one of the biggest boybands, one of the first to start this craze in the first place. They were the reason why my parents let me audition at such a young age, they figured if these kids could make a decent living out of singing and dancing, so can I.

Kyle was past the age of 30 ("The real dominant post youth!" I would joke to anybody who would listen, but never to Kyle's face, nor to anyone from Omnipotent) and looked very dignified, which is why I found it funny that his group still had dance choreography for their latest releases. I mean, I guess I would still be dancing at that age, but dancing was in my blood, it was why I was in this band in the first place. But Omnipotent were more singers and visuals (maybe more visuals than singers) and when they broke out, they did simple moves that couldn't even be called dancing: right hand out, left hand out, shimmy to the right, and bounce bounce.

When Boy Next Door debuted, we were dancing differently from everyone else, so you can imagine teenaged girls just losing their shit with what we did onstage. The concept was simple, we were the boy next door, fresh faced kids between 14 to 19 (though in reality, I was the only one who was 14), but all of us could sing and all of us could dance, and we sang and danced at the same time, as hard as we could. Omnipotent were already artists of the year when we debuted, and generously endorsed us to their fans as their little brothers. They were nice but not to the point of really being brotherly, not the way my brothers and I are to each other. Kyle was maybe the nicest among them, and I think it's mostly because he's gay.

"Where are you off to?" he asked, tapping a cigarette out from the box he was holding.

"Just restless," I said, "I really want to go home, but I guess not. Also, I heard Frank was looking for me."

Kyle shrugged. Too many new kids for him to remember if Frank was a real person. "Must be nice to be 20," he said before going off towards the other end of the hallway. Maybe that's where the smokers go.

I noticed he was already wearing the Popvaganza t-shirt that everyone had to wear during the last sing-together. I wondered if I could get away without wearing mine this time. I turned around and continued on my quest.

PYD. Succulent.

Ah, here we are.

I stride past the door. It is slightly ajar, the girls are in there, watching PYD's performance on their tv monitor.

"Gangsta's so charismatic, isn't he?"

"Eww, gross, Charlie."

Seven, eight, nine, ten. I stop walking and turn around. Nobody in the hallway, so no need to pretend there is a reason why I'm abruptly going back where I came for no reason at all.

Through the door, I can see Rory toss her hair back as she laughs at something someone said. Her laugh is like crystal, tinkling in the wind. Her eyes sparkle.

She gathers the waves of hair from her shoulders and tosses them again. Why do girls do this? On her wrist, a shiny bracelet of blue glass beads slid down her forearm.

My heart beats so fast, faster than any moment onstage tonight, faster than any moment this week. I walk swiftly back to our dressing room. Better yet, I flew.