Boy Band (13 page)

“Cory, you don’t get it.  This is your career.  There isn’t even room for little misunderstandings, let alone big ones.”

“Okay, okay, fine.  I’ll have a talk with her,” Cory agrees.  

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.  This girl has got you blinded.  She’s stirring up unnecessary drama behind your back and you don’t even realize it.”

“You know, Joni, you have been bitter and cynical about this relationship since day one.  And you know why I think that is?  I think you’re jealous.”

“
Excuse m
e
?” Joni demands.  It’s a good thing looks can’t actually kill, because Cory would be flat-lining right now.  

“Yeah.  You don’t like it that I’m with someone and you’re not.  But you know what?  You’ve brought that upon yourself.”

“And what doe
s
tha
t
mean?”  

“You know exactly what it means.  You could have guys lining up to date you if you would just give them a chance, but no.  You’re still too hung up on Jesse to open yourself up to someone new.”  

I actually laugh at that.  Aside from me dating Oliver and Sam knocking up some weird girl from Tacoma, Joni still being hung up on Jesse is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.

That is, until I see the look on Joni’s face.  She looks exposed, vulnerable, and, to my utter shock, on the verge of tears.  

“You know what, Cory?  You can go to hell,” she hisses.

And with that, she turns and flees the scene.

CHAPTER 11

“
Won’t you take me back

To that summer sunset

And the way you looked at

The fire in the sky

And won’t you take me back

To that beginning of forever

Please tell me you remember

Us together..
.
”

Song: “Fire in the Sky”

Artist: The Kind of September 

From the Album
:
The Kind of September

I feel terrible.

Joni is still heartbroken over Jesse.  Have I really been so blinded and preoccupied with my own hopeless pining over Sam that I didn’t notice what she was going through?  What kind of friend am I, anyway?  

A terrible one, that’s what.      

I mean, I know that she changed a bit after Jesse broke up with her.  She doesn’t open up as often as she used to.  She also doesn’t laugh as much as she used to.  She’s a lot more guarded now.  Maybe that was intentional.  Maybe she didn’t want any of us to know how much the breakup with Jesse actually affected her, and that’s why she became so strict and serious.  Or maybe it’s a type of defense mechanism.  If she doesn’t let anyone in, then she won’t get hurt again.       

There’s only one way to find out for sure. 

I find her sitting by herself next to the carousel, which the guys will be filming on sometime later today.  She’s going over notes on her iPad, but she seems distracted.  She’s so lost in thought, in fact, that she doesn’t even notice me until I call her name.

She looks up, clearly startled.  When she realizes it’s only me, she looks relieved, but still slightly embarrassed.  “Oh, hey,” she greets me.  “Just going over the schedule for the day.”  

“Are you okay?” I ask her.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine.  I’m still a little pissed off about those stupid rumors, but I don’t want it to get in the way of shooting today.”

“I meant about Jes - ”  

But Joni holds up a hand and cuts me off.

“Mel.  You know what?  I’m just going to stop you there.  I have absolutely no feelings for Jesse Scott.  Cory is an idiot if he thinks I do.”

“Are you sure?  It would be understandable if you did.  I mean, he was your first real boyfriend.”

“No, he was a guy I dated briefly in high school.  My first real relationship is going to be mature.  And thoughtful.  And not with some pretty, egotistical pop-rocker.”

I think of Oliver and have to bite my tongue.  I’m usually pretty good at keeping secrets, but I’d also like to think that Joni might feel differently if she knew about his feelings for her.  Somehow, I’m able to fight the desire to spill everything that Oliver told me the night before.  But just barely.  

“That might be the case,” I say, taking a seat next to her, “but it still could have hurt your feelings, you know, when it ended.”

“Mel...  Come on.  You know I don’t like talking about stuff like this.”

“I know.  But sometimes you need to talk about it.  Otherwise you carry it all inside and it just sits there, taking up space in your mind that could be used for more important things.”  Like the cute British guy who is head over heels for her.  

Joni looks at me and the corner of her mouth lifts into a half-smile.  “You should be a therapist.”  

“I’d love that.  I could get paid to talk,” I smile.  The truth is I would make a terrible therapist.  I’m far too obsessive, analytical, and, let’s be honest here, neurotic to ever qualify for a job in the mental health industry.  

“You should start with Cory,” Joni quips.  

“Unfortunately, I think infatuation is the most socially acceptable form of insanity,” I tell her.  “It’s also probably the most common.”

“Yeah,” she says shortly.  Then she stares back down at her tablet.

“So... Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.

She looks back at me, her eyes softer and somehow lighter than usual.  It’s not hard to see why Oliver has a crush on her.  She really is beautiful, with brown hair that falls in soft curls around her face, even when most of it is clipped up, and big green eyes that give her a look of innocence, kind of like a Disney Princess.  

The thing is, she doesn’t want people to see her as beautiful or innocent or any of that.  She wants to be admired for her intelligence, her drive, and her accomplishments, not her looks.  She was like that even before she started dating Jesse.  It’s something I’ve always respected and admired about her.  

But I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t make my day every time a guy tells me he thinks I’m pretty.      

Finally, Joni sighs.  “I’m not still hung up on Jesse.  At least, not in the way Cory thinks.  I don’t want him back.  I’m not secretly longing for him to come ravish me in the middle of the night.  I just... I want to be okay with him. And I’
m
no
t
.  And I don’t, for one second, want him to think that he messed me up so badly that I’m afraid to open up or share my feelings with anyone on the off chance that he’ll figure it out.  And I can’t give him that kind of satisfaction.  I just can’t.”  

“Joni, I don’t think Jesse is proud of what he did to you,” I tell her.  “I think he respects you and I think he really is sorry that he hurt you.  He just wasn’t ready for a commitment, you know?  Like you said, it wasn’t like you two were engaged or in a long-term serious relationship.  You just dated in high school.  Most high school relationships don’t last.”  

“I know,” she says.  “And you’re right.  I know he felt bad about it.  I’ve just had a hard time forgiving him.”

“That’s okay.  I still haven’t forgiven Sam for telling me that we all have microscopic mites living on our eyelashes.”  

“That’s gross.”

“I know, right?  He told me that in eighth grade and it still gives me nightmares.” 

Joni smiles at me.  “Thank you.”

“What for?” I ask.

“For being a good friend.”  Then, she gathers up her iPad and her bag and stands up.  “Come on.  Let’s go shoot a music video.”  

 
 
　
 
　⋯

I don’t actually get a chance to talk to Oliver about our newfound relationship until we break for lunch.  Even then, it’s not much of a real conversation because we’re surrounded by his bandmates who all find the situation totally hilarious.  Josh, especially.

“I wish you two had told us you wanted to be alone.  We would have reserved you your own private room,” he snickers.

“Oh will you pleas
e
shut i
t
?” Oliver snaps.  Thankfully, he’s just as unamused as I was earlier this morning.  

“Hey, maybe Mel could star in our next music video.  We could put her on a balcony and have Oliver sing to her,” Jesse grins, getting in on the action.  Sometimes, he tries so hard to be funny.  He’s just not.  

“Or maybe we could have them on an ocean liner, holding each other and looking out over the waves!” Josh adds.  

“I kind of want to see them pull off that one move fro
m
Dirty Dancin
g
,” Sam grins.

“I hate you all,” I mutter, taking a swig of soda.  I’m just glad that neither Cory nor Joni is here for this conversation.  I’m not sure where they are, but I’m hoping they’re talking things out.  

“I do, too,” Oliver agrees with me.  

“Aw, see? You’re so perfect together,” Josh laughs and draws a stupid heart in the air with his fingers.  

“Josh, I’m warning you,” I threaten, but of course, I’ve got nothing.  I’m not devious or quick enough to actually come up with anything good.  Besides, Josh knows no boundaries.  Once, in high school, he set three chickens loose in the courtyard. They were all wearing signs that rea
d
#
1,
#
3
, an
d
#4.  I cannot tell you how long the faculty and staff spent searching for chicken #2 before they figured out that it didn’t exist.  

You see, that is why all threats I make toward Josh Cahill are totally and completely empty.  I fear retaliation, especially from him.  

“Don’t worry, Mel.  I’ve already sent out a tweet explaining that this is all just a false rumor,” Oliver assures me.  

“Aw, why?” Josh asks.  

“Josh, are you becoming a fangirl?” I ask.

“No.  It was kind of entertaining though, reading all the different opinions on it.  And seeing how twitchy it makes the two of you.”

“You’re a terrible human being,” Oliver says.  

“But I’m so cute!” Josh protests.  “Just the other day, a fan tweeted that she wanted to cuddle up with me by a fire in matching onesie pajamas. If that isn’t adorable, I don’t know what is.” 

“Josh in a onesie.  Quick, someone fetch the brain bleach,” Sam remarks.  

“So, are people actually responding to what you said?” I ask Oliver.  

“Most are.  Some are disappointed.  Some are convinced that we’re just not ready to go public yet.  But honestly, I don’t think anyone’s really surprised, you know, considering the source,” Oliver replies.

“You mean Tara?” Jesse asks through a mouthful of turkey sandwich.  

“Yeah,” I say.

“This year for Christmas, I’m getting all of us matching onesies,” Josh announces.  This results in a group-stare from Jesse, Oliver, Sam, and me.  I honestly have no idea what exists in that massive space in between Josh’s ears, but I’m fairly certain it’s not a functioning human brain.  

“What the heck is wrong with you?” Sam asks.  

“Where do I begin, brother?” Josh asks and downs the last of his bottled water.  Josh doesn’t drink soda.  He says that the carbonation makes his tongue hurt.  And yet, he has about twenty tattoos.  Don’t those make your skin hurt?  

Josh is a strange bird. 

By now, our lunch break is just about over so we clear our trash away and prepare for the final stretch of shooting.  We got all of the sunset and nighttime shots filmed yesterday, so the guys just need to finish up the daytime bits (which are, incidentally, for the first half of the video), and it will be a wrap.   

I’m not filming, today.  Instead, I’m taking photographs of the guys and the set for their website, publicity, social media, what have you.  

As I’m checking the camera to make sure I have the proper batteries, memory cards, and lenses, I hear a high pitched squeal somewhere off to my right.  I glance up and am horrified to see Cory, spinning a delighted Tara Meeks around in his arms.  She’s laughing and shrieking about something that will probably ruin my day, but I try to ignore her and go back to my equipment check.  

It’s rather difficult to ignore someone, however, when they’re suddenly hovering over your shoulder.

“Melinda, hi,” she greets me.  Well, at least Melinda is closer to Melissa than Meredith or Joni.  We are making progress, it seems.  “Listen, Cory told me that you were a little upset this morning about what I tweeted and I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to step on any toes.”  

Usually, I’m the kind of person who shrugs things off without much fuss.  No harm done.  Water under the bridge.  Oh, I know you didn’t mean any harm.  That sort of thing.