Picking Up The Pieces
Chapter 14: Start Me Up
Author's Note: Ok... how weird is this? According to the little info we have about the new season... the first three episodes are tentatively titled "Lose Yourself"... "Like A Virgin" and "Start Me Up"... It kills me that they go so well with the last chapters of this story! For those of you who don't know the song lyrics... "Lose Yourself" is a rap song about someone who leaves home to become a music star (and then returns to find he doesn't fit in)... "Like A Virgin" surprisingly is not sexual... but is a song about being reinvented and starting over despite the bad things in your past... "Start Me Up" is self-explanatory... but here, it's about "Boyz Attack" taking it's first steps towards fame (and infamy!)
Just had to share all that... it boggles me! It makes me wonder how these same titles work with the show...
Anyway- thanks again to the loyalist reviewers on earth- Rachel, Katie, Petra, Chloe, Airrelle, and romanma. I see you guys at it, chapter after chapter... It touches me, it really does! Keeps me going! It "Starts Me Up" (hee-hee!)... Oh, and special thanks to my "DJ", IamJude who suggested the songs used in this chapter... Of course, Nsync's people own em', not me!
Ok- enough babbling... "start" already, D, girl!
Chapter 14: Start Me Up
Tommy mumbled a quick goodbye to Katie and headed downstairs.
"Chaz!" he yelled, pissed off.
"I was on the phone!"
"But this is important!" Chaz insisted.
"What could be so..." Tommy began, then stopped and stared, open mouthed.
Through the window, he could see the five expensive sports cars parked outside.
"No way! Those aren't..."
"For us?" Chaz finished, then laughed.
"Of course not! Not yet, anyway! None of us can even drive yet! Especially not you, "Little Tommy Q"!"
"Don't start!" Tommy warned. He hated the nickname Georgia bestowed on him, but understood it's publicity value. So he tolerated it.
"It's not like I have a choice, anyway... It's worth it!"
"I overheard Georgia and Darius talking!" Chaz boasted.
"Those cars are for our first photo shoot! Tomorrow!"
"What are we waiting for?" Tommy asked him
The two boys raced outside, excitedly going from one car to the next.
"This one is the best!" Chaz exclaimed, jumping into a sleek, silver convertible.
"It's cool!" Tommy replied.
"But I like this one better..."
He stood by it, admiring the bright royal blue car with the white stripe.
"Darius called it "the Viper" Chaz informed him, shrugging his shoulders.
"I'd like a car just like this... Someday, I'm gonna have one! When I make it big..."
Chaz interrupted, destroying his reverie, but saying exactly what he was thinking.
"I'm gonna have a car like this! And ten more just as cool!" the older boy boasted.
"I'll take this one! And a motorcycle, too!" Tommy admitted then.
"What else do you want?" Tommy asked Chaz curiously.
"A penthouse apartment!" he replied
"Yeah... that'd be good..." Tommy thought wistfully.
"Tom?" Chaz asked, seeing his friend's distant expression.
"Oh! I was just thinking... about how much I'd like my own place..." he confessed.
"Me, too." Chaz agreed somberly. His own parents had argued constantly, before finally divorcing six months ago. The separation had been acrimonious, and his mother was still angry, taking her emotions out on her son. He had been glad to get away. Looking at Tommy now, Chaz knew instinctively he shared his need to escape.
The two boys eyes locked in wordless, perfect understanding.
Chaz finally broke the silence.
"Anyway... D knows how to pick em'!"
"Yeah... these cars are great!"
"Not just the cars..." Chaz began.
"His house... Women... You know he and Georgia have a thing going..."
"No way!" Tommy replied, astonished.
"Oh, yeah. I heard em' ..."
"You "heard them"? How?"
"Well... not like that..." Chaz confessed sheepishly.
"I heard em' making plans... Trust me, they are getting it on!"
Tommy shook his head in disbelief.
"Why not? G's hot!" Chaz asked.
Before Tommy could reply, the woman in question called to them from inside the house.
"Tommy! Chaz! Get in here! We need to go over the schedule for tomorrow's shoot!"
"Coming!" they chorused obediently, running into the house.
The "boyz" devoted the next day to their photo session. Nothing was left to chance. An army of professionals swarmed them, fixing them up for the cameras. Georgia and her assistant, EJ personally selected the clothes each of them would wear and each boy put them on without complaint.
Darius supervised the shoot and waited with Cal, their photographer. When the boys came outside, Cal jumped right into action.
"Ok!" he yelled, authoritatively.
"I want you to kill me through the lens! Lots of attitude! You are rock and roll gods!"
He then set up the first shot.
"Bruno- you sit here in the driver's seat. Chaz- you get right next to him. Ryan, Tom, JP- you sit there." he commanded, pointing to the top of the back seat."
"Ok... give it to me! No smiling! I want edgy! Sexy! Go!"
The photographer picked up his camera and began snapping. Through it all, he kept barking out directions and comments.
"Nice! Work it! Good, good! Chaz, turn a bit to the left. Tommy, lift your chin! That's it! Perfect!"
"Solid!" Darius cried out.
"Now, let's try something else!" Cal continued.
For the rest of the day, he worked with the group, photographing the "Boyz" in a variety of poses, using the five cars as props. Naturally, Tommy's favorites were the ones taken with the Viper.
Darius noticed this and smiled.
"You like that car a lot, huh!" he asked Tommy.
"Yeah!"
"Yo! Cal!" he yelled, gesturing to the photographer, who was loading new film into his camera.
"Get some extra shots of Tom here in this car!"
"You can show em' to all your friends! Make em' jealous!" Darius grinned at the boy.
"I will!" Tommy answered, imagining Katie's reaction.
"Thanks!"
"No problem!" the maestro replied benevolently.
Cal developed the photos quickly. The proofs from that day arrived just a week later. Georgia and Darius looked at them first. After approving them, they then showed them to the "boyz". Tommy, Chaz, JP, Bruno and Ryan were equally impressed.
Tommy's hands reached instinctively for the pictures of him alone in the Viper. He then realized what he was doing and stopped himself.
"Go on! Take em"!" Darius encouraged.
"Thanks!"
"You want a car like that someday!" Darius said knowingly.
"Yes." Tommy told him.
"Well... you're gonna have one! All of you can!"
The mogul raised his voice to address his group.
"Everyone! Listen up! I got an announcement!"
"It gives me great pleasure to tell you that I've scheduled your first concert for this Sunday!"
The "boyz" clapped and cheered. Darius waited for them to stop, then continued.
"It's at the Clearview Mall. In the food court! A promotional concert. You guys will sing and sign some pictures. If anyone wants em!" he added, laughing. He knew a lot of girls would.
"That's only three days away! So, you guys better work hard!"
And they did. Georgia and Tim intensified their practices before the concert. At night, Tommy found himself exhausted. But he found enough energy and time to call Katie the next afternoon and tell her about the show.
She was as excited as he was.
"I'll get there! Somehow!" she promised him.
"Can't wait..." she added.
Tommy sighed with relief upon hearing that. He hadn't realized until that minute just how much he needed her there.
"I can't wait to see you." he told her.
"Me neither."
"I..." he started, but once again, Chaz burst in, yelling.
"Tom!"
"Chaz! Don't you ever knock!" Tommy screamed back at him, putting his hand over the phone's mouthpiece.
"Sorry!" Chaz intoned cheerfully, noisily chewing his gum.
"But don't blame me! Blame Georgia! She wants us all downstairs! Right now!" he announced dramatically, before turning and retreating from the room.
"Katie..." Tommy began apologizing.
"I heard!" she replied.
"Chaz sure is pushy!"
"Yeah! He is!" Tommy agreed, laughing with her.
"I'd better go!"
He hung up the phone and joined the rest of the group downstairs. Georgia and EJ stood in front of them, surrounded by piles of what looked like white sheets.
"Your costumes" Georgia announced, as EJ distributed them to each of the "boyz".
"Um... are we dressing up like ghosts or something?" Tommy blurted out impulsively, before he could stop himself.
Everyone else laughed.
"Funny, Tom!" Georgia smiled indulgently at the group's youngest member.
"This is your stage look. The group's trademark will be dressing all in white." she informed them, handing Tommy a shirt and pants.
"So? What do you all think?"
"We'll look like hospital staff... Not musicians..." Tommy thought, ironically considering his father's profession.
Georgia noted the group's silence and easily discerned their skepticism.
"Trust me! It'll sell! Especially with these!" she said, handing a white bandanna to each of them
"Go try the stuff on! We've got to make sure everything fits right! D wants to see a full dress rehearsal."
Tommy changed into his outfit. He didn't like the costume any better on him than he had in EJ's hands.
"All I need is a stethoscope around my neck..."
"Tom!" Georgia's voice summoned him.
Grabbing the bandanna, he headed back towards her.
"A perfect fit!" EJ smiled happily.
"I'm glad one of us thinks so!" Tom thought sarcastically, but remained silent.
"Yes." Georgia agreed.
"But what do I do with this?" Tommy asked, holding out the scarf.
Georgia took it from him, folded it, and tied it around his forehead.
"Perfect!"
"I like it!" Darius proclaimed, entering the room.
"You guys look good! Now, we'll see if you're ready for this..."
Darius watched them rehearse, staring at them fixedly with highly critical eyes. His judgement was harsh and he never failed to sting them with caustic remarks when he thought they were warranted. Occasionally, he did praise them. From time to time, he whispered something to Georgia or to their producer, Tim, who nodded and made notes on the small pads they each held.
Finally, mercifully, the grueling session ended. The "boyz" stared nervously at their mentor.
"Ok!" Darius announced.
"We've got a few edges to smooth out! And we will! You boys will work round the clock if you have to! But you'll be ready..."
The "boyz" did practice extensively in the little time remaining before the concert, although not for the twenty-four hours a day he threatened them with. All too quickly, it was Sunday. Like the others, Tommy showered and dressed in the white outfit. Done a few minutes early,
he stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"This is it... I'm really going to do this..."
Someone knocked on his door.
"Come in!" he called out, as Chaz entered.
"You actually knocked!" Tommy remarked sarcastically.
"Yeah, well... It's a special occasion..."
"You look good!" Chaz added.
"You, too..."
The two boys stared openly at each other.
"You nervous?" both asked in unison.
They smiled at each other.
"Yeah" Chaz confessed first.
"Me too..."
"We can do this!" Tommy said suddenly.
"Course we can!" Chaz added, with just a little less arrogance than usual.
"Let's go!"
Downstairs, Darius, Georgia, Tim and their choreographer, Troy waited to escort their group to it's first performance.
It was judgement day.
Nervously, they filed into the plain black van, remaining silent for most of the drive. When they got there, Darius parked the vehicle by a special side entrance to the mall, used only by employees.
He surveyed his "boyz" as they entered the building and took the elevator down to the basement food court, where they would perform. They waited tensely in a special room off to the side. Darius kept an eye on the clock. Time passed and soon it was just ten minutes before their debut.
"Awright!" he began, beckoning them closer.
"Today is gonna be a tough day! Your first show! You've all worked hard! You know what we expect of you!"
The boyz all nodded, their heads bobbling.
"But you guys can do this! I worked damn hard to choose the best! And make it better! That's you! All of you!"
"Now, get out there and do it!'
"Yeah!" Chaz, Bruno, JP, Ryan and Tommy all cheered.
"Hands in!" Chaz called out, as they all placed their hands in a circle, and then raised them, cheering again.
Outside, the music started and the announcer stepped onto the stage.
"And now... The Clearview Mall is proud to present... Making their debut right here, right now... Boyz Attack!"
Taking a deep breath, Tommy ran after the others and took his place.
They segued immediately into their first number.
"Here we go, here we go, here we go..."
"Here we go, one more time!"
"Everybody's feeling fine!"
"Here we go!"
"Yes, yes, yes, here we go!"
"Boyz Attack has got the flow!"
"Bounce your head to the beat."
"We've got everything you need."
"Here we go now!"
"Here we go, yeah!"
"If you want to party with us."
"Just feel free and feel the rhythm."
"Here we go now..."
"You know the party's here!"
"So sing along and have no fear..."
"Boyz Attack" is here to make you people scream!"
The audience responded appropriately. Girls were indeed screaming and shrieking. The pandemonium only exacerbated with every word they sung.
"Now's the time for us to reunite..."
"Come on, party people!"
"There's a party going on tonight!
"Tonight is the night!"
"Everything is gonna be alright!"
"Just get up and feel the flow..."
"And here we go!"
Tommy's eyes scanned the crowd, taking in the hordes of excited females. He couldn't believe it.
"Freakin awesome!" he thought, as the group finished the song
"Let's sing it one more time."
"Everyone's feeling fine."
"We got the skills."
"To keep this party pumping, baby."
"Keep dancin' all night long!"
"Until the break of dawn..."
"Come on, party people..."
"There's a party going on tonight!"
The group then launched into "Selfish" the next song in their set, and continued from there. "Pick Up The Pieces" undoubtedly was the crowd favorite. The hour-long concert flew by in an instant. After two encores, the group reluctantly ended it.
"Thank you, everyone!" a beaming, sweaty Chaz screamed gleefully into the microphone.
As planned, the "boyz" then moved to the long table, where tall stacks of glossy photos had been placed in front of each of them. Five lines quickly formed and love for the new group flowed from each girl's mouth.
"You guys are sooo awesome!"
"The best!"
"Simply amazing!"
"I love you!" one aggressive fan squealed, slamming her picture down in front of Tommy.
"Um... thanks!" Tommy replied, a little shyly, not sure how to respond.
That girl stepped away, lovingly clutching her autograph, making room for the next girl.
"I love you, too!" a familiar voice told him.
"Katie!" Tommy cried out.
"Can I get your autograph?" she replied, giggling.
" I didn't see you out there! I didn't think you'd come..."
"I told you I would... Guess it was just hard to see me in this crowd!"
"How did you get here?"
"Your mother drove me."
"Ma mere... is here too?" Tommy asked.
"Yes"
Tommy quickly looked around, but did not see her. Katie answered his unspoken question.
"She's waiting for me in the car... She wasn't sure you'd want to see her now... Thought it might embarrass you..."
"That's not..." Tommy began protesting automatically, then stopped. He saw the other "boyz" flirting eagerly with the crowd of girls. None of their mothers were there.
"Um..." Tommy began not sure what to say.
"Shall I give her a message?" Katie offered helpfully.
"Uh, yeah... Tell her..."
"T!" Darius yelled, cutting him off.
"You've got people waiting..."
Tommy glanced down the line of females in front of him. He noted that his line was longer than Bruno's, JP's, Ryan's or even Chaz's.
"I gotta go..." he apologized to Katie.
Her eyes narrowed sadly.
"I'm sorry. But I'll see you soon..." he promised vaguely.
"When?" she asked doubtfully.
"Dunno... But I'm sure I'll be home for Christmas...It's only a few weeks away"
"Two months..." she replied, still upset.
Before he could say anything to comfort her, Darius interrupted again.
"T! Now!"
Without another word, Katie turned and walked away.