1000 Words Challenge
Feb. 27th, 2007 01:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
turpsTitle: Circles
Author: Terri
Fandom: Nsync
Word Count: 1000
Notes: Thanks go to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ephemera_pop and vaudevilles. They both helped so much. Because of them I may not kick the next water cooler I see.
JC is the last to arrive. His skin itches and he longs for the days where he wore sparkly beads and chunky rings, anything he could worry and twist beneath his fingers. Instead he presses his hands against his sides and hurries past crew who nod and smile his way.
They’re meeting in small room, deep in the labyrinth of corridors behind the stage. The others are sitting at a table in the corner. JC hesitates before stepping forward, his shoes tapping against the scuffed tiled floor. He's greeted with brief smiles and closed expressions. They’re some of his best friends, but he’s never felt more alone.
He sits.
Hard wooden chairs and Chris has his tipped back, balancing on two legs. He’s drumming his fingers against his thigh and his mouth is tight, eyes lined, and JC knows if he gets too close he’ll be pushed away.
He looks at Joey instead. The way he’s looking down at the table, his uneaten sandwich, criss-crossing tracks through spilled salt and JC knows he’s thinking what to say, how he can make this better. JC knows he should try to ease that burden, but he stays silent, selfishly needing that faint reassurance that this is the right thing to do.
“I’ve been thinking, and….” Joey hesitates, and they’ve seen everything over the years, become hardened to the betrayal and hardship of the life they live. This is different, this is real. Lance reaches across the table, rests his hand on Joey’s as Chris lets his chair slam forward. He stands and stalks across the room. His shoulders tense as he leans over the water cooler. Each movement jagged, he pulls a cup from the holder and pushes it against the lever. The water bubbles with a huge belch of sound, and JC remembers when that would have provoked laughter and jokes. But not now. JC looks away, unable to deal with Chris’ issues on top of his own.
There’s a screech of metal against tile. JC winces, listening to the squeak of sneakers against the floor, whispered words that become meaningless sound. He looks up, fingers curling tight when he sees Justin and Chris standing close. Justin talking softly, his attention focussed solely on Chris.
JC forces himself to look away. Instead he watches as Lance runs his thumb over Joey’s hand. Joey’s bitten nails and the slight shine of Lance’s manicure. JC would know those hands anywhere and he wonders how he can retain so much knowledge about his friends, and it still ends with a fail.
“It shouldn’t be like this.” JC isn’t talking to anyone in specific, just repeating words that lost any meaning months before.
“But it is.”
Lance is looking at JC, gaze collected and cool, and he’s right. This is how it is, how it’s been for a while.
It’s still wrong.
“We used to be friends.” JC hates how he sounds, like he’s mourning something that’s already been lost. Maybe it has been. All he knows is it’s been difficult lately.
“We still are,” Joey says, and it sounds like he actually believes that. JC doesn’t know if that makes him love or hate Joey more.
A quick look at Justin and Chris. Chris crushes the plastic cup, drops it in the trash and returns to his abandoned chair, elbows resting on the table, resting his head on his hands. Chris looks tired, they all do.
It’s been a long year.
“Joey’s right.” Chris straightens and leans back, arms crossed as he looks at them all. “We are friends, but we won’t be if we keep going. I don’t think we need to discuss this. We need to stop, before there’s no friendship left to save. It’s obvious what the solution is, someone just needs to say it, and as I started this….” He stops, and JC’s throat is aching is sympathy as Chris scrubs his hand roughly across his eyes. “I started this, and I’ll end it.”
The words are expected, needed even, but they still hurt. Years of history ended in seconds, and in that moment it feels like something has died.
The distant thud of the stage being built, a radio playing in another room, life travelling on as JC remembers how to breathe. He breathes, and discovers each breath is easier, because this needed an end.
“We need to mark this somehow.” Joey’s standing, and despite the shimmer of his eyes, he’s smiling. The real smile that has become so rare. “We should have champagne, beer at least. Lance?”
“Like I carry alcohol around with me.” Tilting his head back so he can look at Joey, Lance grins wide, relaxed and lounging in his chair. “You’ll have to use water.”
“Water it is then.” Joey fills five flimsy cups and hands them out as they all stand, gathering around the cooler.
“A toast.” The plastic cup crinkles under JC’s fingers as he holds it up. “To Nsync.”
“To showing them boybands really can sing.” Lance taps his cup against JC’s.
“Vocal harmony group…” JC interrupts, then laughs when water is splashed into his face from four different directions.
“To embracing and playing with stereotypes.” Chris holds his cup against the others.
“To I Want You Back, and the countdown to never singing it again.” There’s laughter and agreement as Joey adds his toast. Which leaves Justin, who looks at them all, before he holds up his cup.
“To the fans, but more importantly. To friendship and the four best friends I could ever have.”
Cups meet, and water spills over JC’s hand. He ignores it, drinking quickly before he’s engulfed in a hug. Hands and arms and shared strength and love, the bonds of friendship renewed once more. He stands still, his cheek pressed against the scruff of Chris’ goatee, Lance’s hand against his back. Joey tight against his side, the sound of Justin breathing.
These are JC’s best friends, and he knows that today isn’t the end. It’s another beginning.
Author: Terri
Fandom: Nsync
Word Count: 1000
Notes: Thanks go to
ephemera_pop and vaudevilles. They both helped so much. Because of them I may not kick the next water cooler I see.JC is the last to arrive. His skin itches and he longs for the days where he wore sparkly beads and chunky rings, anything he could worry and twist beneath his fingers. Instead he presses his hands against his sides and hurries past crew who nod and smile his way.
They’re meeting in small room, deep in the labyrinth of corridors behind the stage. The others are sitting at a table in the corner. JC hesitates before stepping forward, his shoes tapping against the scuffed tiled floor. He's greeted with brief smiles and closed expressions. They’re some of his best friends, but he’s never felt more alone.
He sits.
Hard wooden chairs and Chris has his tipped back, balancing on two legs. He’s drumming his fingers against his thigh and his mouth is tight, eyes lined, and JC knows if he gets too close he’ll be pushed away.
He looks at Joey instead. The way he’s looking down at the table, his uneaten sandwich, criss-crossing tracks through spilled salt and JC knows he’s thinking what to say, how he can make this better. JC knows he should try to ease that burden, but he stays silent, selfishly needing that faint reassurance that this is the right thing to do.
“I’ve been thinking, and….” Joey hesitates, and they’ve seen everything over the years, become hardened to the betrayal and hardship of the life they live. This is different, this is real. Lance reaches across the table, rests his hand on Joey’s as Chris lets his chair slam forward. He stands and stalks across the room. His shoulders tense as he leans over the water cooler. Each movement jagged, he pulls a cup from the holder and pushes it against the lever. The water bubbles with a huge belch of sound, and JC remembers when that would have provoked laughter and jokes. But not now. JC looks away, unable to deal with Chris’ issues on top of his own.
There’s a screech of metal against tile. JC winces, listening to the squeak of sneakers against the floor, whispered words that become meaningless sound. He looks up, fingers curling tight when he sees Justin and Chris standing close. Justin talking softly, his attention focussed solely on Chris.
JC forces himself to look away. Instead he watches as Lance runs his thumb over Joey’s hand. Joey’s bitten nails and the slight shine of Lance’s manicure. JC would know those hands anywhere and he wonders how he can retain so much knowledge about his friends, and it still ends with a fail.
“It shouldn’t be like this.” JC isn’t talking to anyone in specific, just repeating words that lost any meaning months before.
“But it is.”
Lance is looking at JC, gaze collected and cool, and he’s right. This is how it is, how it’s been for a while.
It’s still wrong.
“We used to be friends.” JC hates how he sounds, like he’s mourning something that’s already been lost. Maybe it has been. All he knows is it’s been difficult lately.
“We still are,” Joey says, and it sounds like he actually believes that. JC doesn’t know if that makes him love or hate Joey more.
A quick look at Justin and Chris. Chris crushes the plastic cup, drops it in the trash and returns to his abandoned chair, elbows resting on the table, resting his head on his hands. Chris looks tired, they all do.
It’s been a long year.
“Joey’s right.” Chris straightens and leans back, arms crossed as he looks at them all. “We are friends, but we won’t be if we keep going. I don’t think we need to discuss this. We need to stop, before there’s no friendship left to save. It’s obvious what the solution is, someone just needs to say it, and as I started this….” He stops, and JC’s throat is aching is sympathy as Chris scrubs his hand roughly across his eyes. “I started this, and I’ll end it.”
The words are expected, needed even, but they still hurt. Years of history ended in seconds, and in that moment it feels like something has died.
The distant thud of the stage being built, a radio playing in another room, life travelling on as JC remembers how to breathe. He breathes, and discovers each breath is easier, because this needed an end.
“We need to mark this somehow.” Joey’s standing, and despite the shimmer of his eyes, he’s smiling. The real smile that has become so rare. “We should have champagne, beer at least. Lance?”
“Like I carry alcohol around with me.” Tilting his head back so he can look at Joey, Lance grins wide, relaxed and lounging in his chair. “You’ll have to use water.”
“Water it is then.” Joey fills five flimsy cups and hands them out as they all stand, gathering around the cooler.
“A toast.” The plastic cup crinkles under JC’s fingers as he holds it up. “To Nsync.”
“To showing them boybands really can sing.” Lance taps his cup against JC’s.
“Vocal harmony group…” JC interrupts, then laughs when water is splashed into his face from four different directions.
“To embracing and playing with stereotypes.” Chris holds his cup against the others.
“To I Want You Back, and the countdown to never singing it again.” There’s laughter and agreement as Joey adds his toast. Which leaves Justin, who looks at them all, before he holds up his cup.
“To the fans, but more importantly. To friendship and the four best friends I could ever have.”
Cups meet, and water spills over JC’s hand. He ignores it, drinking quickly before he’s engulfed in a hug. Hands and arms and shared strength and love, the bonds of friendship renewed once more. He stands still, his cheek pressed against the scruff of Chris’ goatee, Lance’s hand against his back. Joey tight against his side, the sound of Justin breathing.
These are JC’s best friends, and he knows that today isn’t the end. It’s another beginning.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 02:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 02:36 pm (UTC)It is sad, but II like to think of it as the start of something new and shiny. All friendships have their bad times, this was theirs, but the love is there. Just hidden at the beginning.
Thanks so much for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 03:17 pm (UTC)Loved the story!
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 04:09 pm (UTC)*goes off to own island of denial*
I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Thank you so much for telling me.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 04:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 10:05 pm (UTC)I had so much trouble with this challenge, and where this came from I don't know. But I like how it ended, they'll always be friends to me.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 05:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 10:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 06:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 10:07 pm (UTC)But you know, they're totally friends still.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 06:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 10:08 pm (UTC)I'm sorry :(
no subject
Date: 2007-02-28 08:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 08:33 pm (UTC)That?
That piece of beautiful heartbreak and hope and friendship (feels totally like canon) was what you were trying to write yeah?
Because it totally and utterly works. I'm broken. And yet happy.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 10:13 pm (UTC)I think this is what I was trying to write. I just know it suddenly clicked earlier today. The first draft always felt wrong. I knew that but couldn't put my finger on why. But this one? It feels right.
Broken and happy. I'll take that as a compliment.
Thank you :)
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 09:01 pm (UTC)Yeah, and I had a whole big thing typed up about why they are still friends, but it was just babble so I'll let that go. :)
You really did a great job. Your stories always feel like a hug.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 10:15 pm (UTC)Thank you so much for your lovely comment. It made me smile so much to read.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 10:56 pm (UTC)Totally crying here. Yeah.
You write so well, Terri.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 11:54 pm (UTC)But they're friends and love each other. You have to remember that.
Thank you so much.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-28 05:30 am (UTC)...
....*FLAILS*
Oh, god, Terri, this was SO good. And yes, also painful, but good.
Thank You for writing this!!!
no subject
Date: 2007-02-28 07:54 am (UTC)I'm glad that you enjoyed. Now though, I think my next story will have to be a happy one *g*
no subject
Date: 2007-02-28 01:53 pm (UTC)