Behind His Smile---JC Chasez Fanfiction

Fourteen

(Later that night)

Another day done. Another night passing.  Very slowly.  JC snuggled under the soft comforter of the hotel bed, his eyes fixed on a muted TV show.  For once he felt a little peaceful.  The day had actually been decent, and he had felt better than he had in awhile now.  There hadn't been any nagging questions from the guys, and Lou had not really had a chance to speak to him much.  They had gone to breakfast, then an interview, then spent the rest of the day in leisure time.  Tomorrow they'd be meeting with agents and managers to go over some details for their swiftly-approaching tour.  There was so much more to be done yet.

JC yawned when a commercial flicked on, showing a half-dressed woman advertising some type of new car. His mind wandered to his girlfriend, and he wondered what she was doing right now.  It was about 2 a.m. so she'd probably be sleeping.  If she was luckier than he was. Sleeping before two had become a scarce occurrence for him.

When the TV show came back on, JC watched with interest, not caring that there was no sound on.  He didn't want to awake Joey. It was almost more interesting this way anyway.

After about twenty minutes, JC decided sleep wasn't coming anytime soon and he slipped silently out of bed.  By the light of the flickering television, he found his shoes and jacket, and the a key to the room.  He crept quietly to the door and opened it, peering out. Complete silence. 

He knew he'd get in so much trouble with his security if they caught him sneaking out.  He snapped the door shut as quietly as he could, then slid his shoes and jacket on, holding the key between his teeth.  

Not even sure where he was going, JC crept down three flights of stairs to the hotel lobby.  The receptionist was dosing, so he swept silently past her to the door and let himself out.

The air was sharp and a little cold, and moisture hung low, as if it was about to rain.  JC stuffed the key into the pocket of his sweats, then checked his surroundings before jogging out onto the sidewalk.   A random vehicle drove by, trapping him in the brightness of its headlights for a few moments. JC kept his head lowered. 

Once he got a little nearer to town, he could smell food and hear music and partying.  These people were always "living the life".  JC scanned the streets to get a glimpse of everything that was going on.  A giggling group of girls were quickly approaching and JC pulled the hood of his jacket down low over his face.  He shuffled along, pretending to have a destination in mind. 

"Yeah, I heard things are getting really sketchy in NYSNC's band," one of the girls said.  "Have you been seeing the papers? They're always coming out with something new."

JC listened closely, stopping in front of a corner store and pretending to be interested in the window items. 

"First there was the JC-in-the-hospital thing, and not telling us why he was, and then there was the JC-refuses-to-do-flip-move-on-stage-leaving-fans-concerned..."the girl continued.  They were seating themselves at an outside table in front of a small sea-food restaurant. 

"Don't forget the security thing, and when Lou Pearlman was grabbing him in the Suburban." another girl added.

"Literally makes me want to puke," yet a third girl spoke up.  "The news people say all this stuff to get the fans worried, but they don't give any good details or hints."

"I agree with you," the first girl said. "It's getting out of hand.  What's going to be next--JC leaves NSYNC?"

"Please god, no." one of them wailed.  "I would end my life."

"Same," the first girl agreed.  She picked up a menu and looked at it.  "The shrimp basket looks good, want to share?" the others agreed and they made their order.  

JC shifted a little, wondering if they were going to say more. He tinkered with a bell that hung on the window of the little shop, accidentally catching the attention of the girls.

"Why does that guy have a hood pulled over his face?" one of them voiced. 

"Probably a freaking pap just hanging around to see if a celeb happens to be out here somewhere."

"I swear they're too good at their job,"

JC had to agree with that statement.  Even from where he was, he could see a few paps loitering around, their eyes on every restaurant and club to see if any stars were out tonight.  

"Excuse me sir, are you the paparazzi?" one of the girls called from the table, causing the others to giggle and shush her.

"Even if he is, why would you wanna talk to him?"

"To ask him questions about NSYNC. Maybe he knows a little something."

JC decided it was time to continue on his way, and he turned sharply to his right to advance to another storefront.

But it was too late.  The three girls were by his side, and one of them was holding a bottle of water, holding it to her mouth as if it was a microphone.

"Hi, sir, do you have anything to say about the incidents the news has been saying about NSYNC? Do you think any of it's true?  Is JC really ill?"  she held the bottle to his mouth, and JC tried to back away without looking up.

"Just answer my question sir."

They were good at this role-play stuff.  They were all giggling and trying to be as annoying as possible. JC kept walking along with them, hoping they'd get bored and leave him alone. 

"Just giving you a taste of your own stupidness," one of them cackled.  "You stupid paps are so annoying.  How do you like it?"

As they did this, the scene was causing a stir among the real paparazzi.  They quickly grabbed cameras and chased the procession of JC and girls.

"Who's this you're talking to?" they inquired of the girls, trying to get a view of JC's face.  JC lowered his head even more, holding onto his hood tightly with his fingertips.  

"Just an annoying pap like yourself," one of the girls said.  "We're treating you guys how you treat celebs.  Do you like how annoying it is?"

"We're just doing our jobs," the paps answered.  As they neared a corner, JC decided to make a run for it, and as soon as he did, the cameras started flashing endlessly. Somehow, one of the girls got in front of him, and they ended up tripping over each other until they landed on the sidewalk.  JC groaned when he landed on his back and felt his entire face exposed.

"WHAT!?? It's JC CHASEZ!!!"  the girls were now on top of him, screaming in his face.

JC wasn't sure what was happening, but it didn't feel right.  Is this what a panic attack was? He remembered having one once when he was younger, but he couldn't remember what it felt like.  All he knew was that it was getting harder and harder to breathe, and the sound of cameras and shrieking girls was becoming all jumbled into one loud noise.  He tried to move but he couldn't.  Smiling and crying faces were very close to his, and all he could hear was his name over and over.

"Please, please get off me," he muttered.  "I can't breathe." he could feel his arm raising to push a girl away, but somehow his brain wasn't in control and his arm flopped back down. 

The paps were now gathered all around, at least 20 of them, and they all had cameras pointing to the crazy scene.  Everyone was shouting his name, and no one was helping him up. 

JC could barely hold onto consciousness anymore, and everything he saw was becoming hazy.  "Help me," he mouthed.  No one paid any attention.  The only thought in his mind was that he regretted leaving the safety of the hotel.