Copyright
BY WILDHEART
Subject: Boy bands
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
I know that a lot of writers use this section to thank people or beg for e-mail or even to suggest other stories. I will most likely do very little of that, mostly because if you like the story, chances are you will write an e-mail, and I like to keep thanks private so that I can say what I want without thought to others reading it. I am pretty sure you can find other stories you like and you really do not need me to tell you what to read. I mean you know what kind of stories you like and I don't, so it is better to let you find what you like. All that said, I do want to thank Nifty for the wonderful job they do!
This is a story about friendship, love, romance, and family. While it will in time also include making love, this is certainly not a sex story. You really should be legal to read this story and of course if you are not, then at least do not get caught! Seriously, by reading this story you are agreeing that you are in fact of legal age, where you live, to be reading it. You may contact me at: wildheart407@runbox.com if you have comments, suggestions or whatever.
Disclaimer or CYA Statement: This story is fiction and none of the characters, be they created in my mind or be they celebrities are to my knowledge gay. I do not know any of the celebrities in this story and do not claim to know if they are gay, or straight. Also I am not into digging up a lot of junk about bands or people, so you should know that not everything is accurate. You will not find real life couples in this story, since I am sadly convinced that most are nothing but shams designed by record companies anyway.
This is my first attempt at a Nifty story and I hope you all will like it. I hope to post about once every two weeks and I WILL not stop this story until it is done. You will not get a chapter a year or a bunch of cliffhangers. I hope to make this a good series and to do that I need your input.
This story will be written with different points of view (POV), first person, and third person (narrator). The changes in POV should be easy to follow as I will try to clearly mark them.
N'SYNC POV
We all sat around after the PI left trying to decide what to do first. "I think that we should deliver that folder of information to the Owens's in person and maybe we can get the info about Cole from them too. I just wish there was some way to help more." Justin said.
"I pretty much agree about taking the information in person, but I wonder if we couldn't have a concert to raise money for them, and maybe refuse to issue press passes to any news organization that refused to report on this case. I would bet that would include all the radio stations too!" Joey said deep in thought. "Let me make a few calls and see if I can set up the concert through Freelance, cause you know that no one else will do it." Lance said as he grabbed his cell phone and started making calls.
Lance spent about an hour on the phone as the rest of us bounced ideas off each other. Once Lance was finished with his calls, he came back with a very serious look on his face. "Guys we have a couple of dates coming up that we can do this, but the problem is that there is no way to advertise the show if we do not use the local radio stations. Management does not want us to do this show, but will not stop us if we really want to do it. They will not pay for it though, so I have called a meeting in the morning of all our tour staff. I thought we could explain the situation and ask for volunteers to help us put on one show. If we have to hire them, we can take a small about of the proceeds to do that, but it has to be a very small amount. We can get Cardinal stadium next weekend if we hurry. Freelance will underwrite everything so that part is not a problem. So what do you guys think?"
"I think that we need to talk to the crew before we make a final decision, but I would say that we should go for next weekend if possible. I would suggest that we advertise on radio only and make sure that the ads point out several times that it is a benefit concert." Chris suggested. We all quickly agreed to that suggestion.
After more discussion we all headed to bed to get some rest before the meeting the next morning. After a quick breakfast, we all headed down to the conference room that Lance had reserved for the meeting. We had decided that Joey would be our spokesman, so he headed for the front of the room.
"Hey everyone, sorry to get you all out of your beds so early on a day off, but we had a friend who told us a story a couple of weeks ago that really upset both us and him. It seems a newspaper and a reporter is being sued in a case that we have investigated..." Joey laid the story out, and then showed them the folder and read some of the information in it. "Folks the long and the short of it is, the family is almost broke, and the fund-raisers they have tried to hold have failed simply because they have not been able to advertise them. We have decided to hold a benefit concert next weekend, but we need volunteers for this to happen. We can pay you, but that will be cutting into the money made to sue those bastards. I do understand though that some of you can't really work without pay, so let us know if that is the case and you will be paid" he finished.
It was even better than we had hoped, almost all the crew and dancers were willing, and all the musicians were willing. As soon as he heard Lance was on the phone to make the final arrangements. We decided that we would send tickets to Mr. and Mrs. Owens without telling them why they needed to be there, but that they were required to be there, as was their attorney. We hoped to reach Cole after the concert.
We had to rush in and make the tapes for advertising the concert, as we wanted them to be different than the usual to catch people attention. Once that was done we decided to advertise in Louisville, Lexington, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Evansville.
Once we were done, we headed back to the tour. We had two concerts that week before we headed to Louisville on Friday for Saturday's show. Freelance was taking care of advertising and setting up the bank account and something else Lance wanted done.
COLE POV
I had to suffer through the whole graduation ceremony on Tuesday and was not sure what I wanted to do with the rest of my week. I still had another few days of work before my two-week notice was done. I got up fixed breakfast and ate in silence.
I decided to go for a walk, and through on some shorts and t-shirt. As I walked out of the building, my neighbor asked how graduation had gone the day before. I told her it had gone well and that I was glad it was over. We exchanged a few more pleasantries and I continued on my way.
Two hours later I walked back into my apartment and took a shower. I decided to go see an afternoon movie and maybe grab some fast food for dinner.
I jumped in the car and flipped the radio on as usual. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I heard the first few notes of one of my favorite N'Sync songs. The song did not begin, instead I heard; ** `Hey folks this is Joey, Lance, JC, Justin and Chris from N'Sync and we want to tell you about a very special concert.' Joey said. `This coming Saturday in Louisville, KY we are throwing a party.' Chris said. `But it is a very special party.' JC said. `One that we hope will help someone.' Lance said. `You see a couple of weeks ago a new friend told us about an injustice done to some very good and special people by a slimy newspaper and reporter. Well this concert is to help raise money for that family to continue the legal battle they have been fighting.' Justin stated emphatically. `Tickets are on sale now. The show starts at 4 pm at Cardinal Stadium. Hope to see ya all there!!' Joey said. **
I almost hit a parked car so I pulled over very quickly and sat stunned. What are those guys doing, I asked myself over and over. I finally pulled myself together and headed back to my apartment. I sat down, and then realized I had to go to that concert. I quickly logged onto the internet and quickly went to Ticketmaster®. I sighed as I found a ticket and bought it. I was amazed that the tickets were only $20 instead of the normal $45. I went to Orbitz™ to reserve a hotel room in Louisville. I did not want to stay with Will and Rose this time, since I was not sure what all this was about. I quickly called work and spoke to my boss and explained that I would have to leave on Friday instead of Sunday, and he assured me that was fine. The rest of the day and Thursday seemed to creep by. Friday, I packed up the car and started the two and a half hour drive to Louisville.
I checked into my room and took and shower trying to relax. I went to the mall window shop and kill time. Finally the day ended and I tried to sleep, but had very little luck. I don't know if I was excited, confused or what, but I certainly could not sleep.
I finally gave up on sleep at 8 am and headed to out for breakfast. After that I went back for a shower, and to dress for the show. I screwed around til time for lunch, headed out for lunch and drove around to try to kill time.
At 3 pm I headed to the Kentucky State Fairgrounds where Cardinal stadium was located and finally found a spot to park. I walked in and found my seat. It was not the best seat, but I did have a good view of the stage.
ROSE AND WILL OWEN
We were sitting at home Tuesday evening watching TV when the doorbell rang. Rose got up to answer the door. When she came back she had a large envelope with her. "A delivery guy just dropped this off and it is addressed to both of us." Rose said as she opened the envelope. A letter and three tickets fell out. She grabbed the letter first, and read it aloud:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Owen,
Enclosed you will find three tickets to a very special event. The tickets are for the both of you and your attorney. It is vital that all three of you attend this event. It is being held on Saturday at 4 pm.
Please remember that it is very important and you truly are needed at this event. We have arranged to have a car pick you up at your home at 3 pm on Saturday and we hope that your attorney will be with you; however the car can pick him up if needed.
Sincerely,
Friends
"Well this certainly is interesting. Do you want to go or do you want to just stay home?" Rose asked. "I think we have to go, I mean they are sending a car and everything so it seems pretty rude to let them waste that money. I'll call Chris and tell him to be here by 2 Saturday."
COLE POV
I relaxed for a bit waiting for the show to start. I really wondered what and more importantly why these guys were doing this. As my thoughts drifted I began to think about the past. Before I knew it, I was gripped once again by the horrible pain I felt when I found out Alan had killed himself. This had not happened to me for quite a long while, but I knew that why it was happening.
As I calmed myself down, suddenly the stage exploded with lights, fireworks, and sound. When it all died, there stood N'Sync looking great as always. "Hey Louisville, great to see you all come out in support of a great cause!" Joey screamed.
Justin stepped forward, held up his hands for quiet. "Today we are here to help someone who truly deserves help. Let me tell you a story about how this all happened. A few weeks ago we met a fan and he asked us a question at one of our Q&A's. We could not really answer his question at the time, but we wanted to meet him and get to know him better. Long story short, we invited him back to the hotel to have dinner after the show. After dinner, he told us about why he had asked the question. It seems that he wrote an article in his high school newspaper and the local paper followed up on it. They apparently assigned a lady to the story that had strong views about homosexuality. She printed a lot of lies about a student, outted him, and was pleased by the response of the town. The boy who was outted, his name is Alan, killed himself after being rejected at every turn. His family is now suing the newspaper and the so-called reporter.' At that the crowd cheered. "Of course it is expensive to sue and the media has made it even harder. The family and friends of the family have tried to hold fund-raisers, but the media there and here have not helped or allowed advertising. Well today, we are here to help! Every penny made today will be deposited in the Alan Owen Legal Fund." Justin finished and stepped back.
Lance stepped forward; "My Company Freelance has taken care of all the promotion cost and venue fees, the musicians, crew, and dancers have all given their time to perform this show. We estimate that the fund will make about $350,000 from ticket sales. The people in the media need to know that lying about a person or people to forward a personal agenda is wrong and must be stopped!" Lance finished and stepped back.
Josh stepped forward and his words floored me even more. "Our friend Cole, told us this story and in the process outted himself to us. Sadly, we were all so stunned by the story and by the sheer hatred that reporter showed, we were quiet too long and he took that as a rejection of him. He left the hotel and we have not been able to locate him since, even with the help of a private investigator. The good thing that came from hiring the PI is that we also put him to work on the reporter.
"Mr. and Mrs. Owen, if you see or talk to Cole, please tell him that he is, was, and always will be our friend and him being gay will not change that! Also please tell him that we were and are sorry that he felt rejected." He finished and he stepped back.
Chris and Joey stepped forward. "I would like to ask the Owens's and their attorney to step up on stage as we have some things to give you." Joey said. As I sat there watching Rose, Will and Mr. Byrd walked onto stage. Rose was crying and Will was trying to help calm her.
"I am told that you are the attorney in this case, so I will give you this folder of information. Basically you will find that the reporter is using a false name, has been fired before for false reporting and a lot of other things that should help you with your case!' Chris said as he handed the folder to Mr. Byrd. "Mr. and Mrs. Owen, on behalf of all of us, here is the account information for the legal fund." Chris finished.
"We also wanted to let you know that if you need any help of any kind, you call us right away!" Joey added. At that each member of the group came up and hugged and shook hands with each member of the group. They also told them something without the mic so we could not hear what was said. Soon everyone left except the guys who proceeded to put on an amazing show! At different points during the show, each one of the guys took a turn at blasting hate, and the media.
Once the show was over, I sat for a bit still stunned. I really wanted to thank the guys for all they had done, but I was so embarrassed for the jumping to conclusions, that I did not want to see them. I knew that I could not face them, not after they had been so wonderful and I had treated them so badly. I quietly headed out thinking that I really needed to figure out who and what I was. Am I an openly gay man, or am I the type who only tells a few people and run at the first sign of trouble? All these thoughts were running through my head that day as I left.
My thoughts swirled around in my head bouncing from one to another. I could not get over what I had done and even trying to justify it in my mind had no affect. I decided to go home, and pack. I had already decided that I was moving to Orlando, although I could not have told you when or how I made that decision. I had been saving money like crazy, doing without things, etc. so that I could move if I wanted to.
I drove back to Indy and almost as soon as I walked in the door I turned off the phone, as I had no desire to talk to anyone. I showered and fell into bed and a deep sleep.
The next morning I went to get a U-Haul™ and proceeded to pack everything I owned. I pulled my car onto the tow trolley and left the next day. Of course I had to make calls to get the utilities cut off and let the landlord know I was leaving. I knew that I would not get my security deposit back anyway, so it did not matter.
ROSE OWENS'S POV
As we sat at the concert that night, tears streamed down out faces. Never in a million years would we have thought that something like this would happen. It seemed unreal, like something out of a novel or something. Of course we were stunned beyond belief to find that Cole had somehow gotten involved with these guys.
After the concert, we along with our attorney were called back stage to meet the guys. "Mr. and Mrs. Owen, please accept our sincere condolences. I hope that this concert can help raise the money you need to make those people pay." A nice young man with blond hair said. "I am sorry, I am Justin, and this is Josh, Chris, Lance, and Joey." We shook hands all around and expressed our thanks for their help.
I just had to ask them how they had met Cole and what had happened. They told me and Will all about meeting Cole and what had happened and how they really hoped that they could get in touch with him once again. They hoped that we would let him know that they were not homophobic bigots. I told them that we would tell him all about it the first chance we got to speak to him.
Mr. Byrd told us the next day that the information provided was amazing and that we should also add more to the lawsuit. We told him to do what he thought best. If he felt that we should ask for more or change the suit, then we would.
I tried to call Cole, several times, but got no answer. As the days passed, I tried again only to find the phone had been turned off. I called his landlord and was told that he had moved and had not left a forwarding address. I was worried about him now. He had never done something like this and it scared me. As the weeks and months wore on and we did not hear from him, I became more and more concerned. As the trial date got closer and closer, I had to ask Mr. Byrd to hire a PI to locate him in case we had to have him testify. When we were given an address in Florida, I decided not to contact him unless it was necessary since he obviously wanted to get away from everything.
About 18 months after the concert, and a day into the trial, that the paper wanted to settle. I was not sure I wanted to settle, at least not just for money. I wanted to make sure that woman would never work in news again, and I wanted a front page, a full front page apology and story about the stuff that woman had done. I made sure that I got that included in the settlement. The newspaper would have to send a copy of the story and her picture out to every newspaper in the country along with a notation that she had been fired for lying about a story. The newspaper agreed and also paid us $5 million.
After we got the money, I told Will about an idea I had and he agreed. Now was the time to use the address we had for Cole.
Copyright by Wildheart407
Contact me and let me know what you think. I will tell you now that this story will more at a pretty slow pace to allow you to get to know all the players as well as set up the story. Ideas and suggestions are welcome. wildheart407@runbox.com