Date: Sat, 08 Jul 2000 17:55:42 MDT From: . . Subject: Hot and Humid 6 The usual legal jargon, get the hell outta here if you don't belong or don't care to read :P. I don't claim to know anything about any of the celebrities mentioned in this story. This is a work of fiction nothing more. Hot and Humid Chapter 6 (Lance's point of view) I let out a sigh of relief as I sat down on the padded seats of the tour bus and tried my best to relax. These pas few weeks have been nothing less than nuts. "I gotta ask for some more R 'n R," I mumbled to myself as I brushed one hand through my newly blue hair. "Gotta change that back too," I thought to myself in retrospection, "Hmm oh well no need to worry about those things for right now." Without a second thought I started to lightly doze off. Soon the bus started up and started to drive off with me still sound asleep. I was awoken with a sudden jerk. Startled I got to my feet and looked around. "Where are the guys," I thought to myself, "where am I? This is just too weird. I'd better go check with the driver as to what's going on." I got up and walked to the front of the bus. The driver almost jumped out of his skin when I put a hand on his shoulder, he swerved off to the right hand side of the road. I stumbled, lost my balance and fell to the floor with a loud thump. I heard the sound of squealing brakes being depressed and the feeling of the bus coming to an abrupt halt. I daftly rubbed the nape of my neck in confusion. "M.. M... Mr. Bass," the driver stammered out. "What on earth are you doing here?" he asked visibly shaken by my sudden appearance. "What do you mean?" I countered growing a little defensive, "Where are the other guys? What's going on!?" I deeply growled looking around. "Don't you know," he said in a small voice. "Know what?!" I asked throwing my arms up in the air in utter disarray. "You're supposed to be on the other bus with all the guys heading for the next town," he gestured behind him with his thumb. "This bus is going to get fixed up. Everyone must be worried sick." I blushed a deep crimson and felt no more than three inches tall. "And I turned off my cell phone," I caught on as I hung my head in shame. "When we get back this one'll be hard to explain to the guys," I mumbled to no one in particular. Pete (the driver that I bitched at :)) made all the arrangements and took care of everything for me. We finally managed to make it to the next town but over an hour late thanks to my antics. The guys didn't let me off easy; after the whole thing was over everyone got quite a kick out of the whole mix up. Everyone but me that is......... When we finally made it to the hotel in which we would be staying for the night, everyone got together and sorted out the rooms. We were all dead tired and instantly went into our own separate rooms to unpack. "Geese I made a moron out of myself tonight didn't I?" I said to myself as I hung up the last outfit on its respective hanger. "The guys won't let it go tha....." I was interrupted when my door was suddenly flung open. "Crazed fan?" I thought peering around the corner. "Um Lance what are you doing in my room?" a familiar voice called. "What on Earth are you talking about Chris?" I asked him raising one eyebrow. "This's my room yours is down the hall," I gestured to my right. "But Lance," he started, confused, "I could'a sworn...." "No I think he's right Chris," Justin said, standing in the door way, "This room's Lance's." "Really?" he scratched his head obviously perplexed. "I must've grabbed the WRONG one," he turned to face me with a smile a mile wide spread across his lips. "Hey...." I yelled catching on. I picked up the nearest pillow but the two of them were already out the door and down the hall. I could hear them hooting all the way. "Y'all are nothin' but nuts," I smiled to myself and continued unpacking. After everything was back in order I grabbed the hair bleach and stepped into the shower. "Blue haired Lance's big exit stage left," I said to myself as the blue dye became nothing more than a memory. "After all," I thought, "what's the sense of messen with what fans like?" I laughed to myself as I thought of Justin and his new hairstyle. "I can't help but wonder how many fans got pissed off with that one?" Just then I heard my cell phone go off from my duffle bag that I left on the bed. "Damn," I swore to myself and wrapped a towel around my naked torso. "I'm cummin I'm cummin," I called running desperately to catch the phone in time. "H-hello," I managed picking up the phone in my wet right hand and balancing my towel with my left. "Hi," an uncertain feminine voice said on the other end, "is this James Lansten Bass?" "That would be me," I replied. I was a little uncertain of whom it could be I mean after all I don't give my number to everyone that I meet. Who then? "You don't know me but I'm calling on behalf of a friend of mine." "That's a little odd," I scratched my head and managed to catch the stupid towel just in time as it migrated past my hips and towards the floor. "His name is Ryan Collier......" she began sounding a little hopeful. "Oh yeah," I interrupted her, "how's he doing anyway? I completely forgot..... Why hasn't he called eith..." "He's WAY too shy on the phone," she finished for me. "Oh," I was startled, "I had no idea." "No biggie," she soothed. "Hey well yeah I know that Justin's missed him a little," I stated matter of factly. "Hmmm?" she questioned, "how so?" "Well," I began, but the towel decided to make plans of it's own and I had to run to catch up with it. "Are you ok?" she asked a little curious with my strained delay. "Um..... No no nothing it's ok," I turned beet red remembering all those corny phone sex pick up lines. (What are you wearing. I wearing nothing but a naughtly little towel that keeps falling off)........(:P). "What I mean to say is that Justin always seems to mention your friend every now and then....... And well I think that he misses him more than he lets on. I'm sure that you know why." "Yup," she returned, "he told me a long time ago about that, no worries." Umm.... Hey lady who the heck are you and how did you find the piece of paper with my number on it if Ryan's too shy to call. Um... not to be rude or anything but I......" I trailed off. "Hey, no problem Lance, I can call you Lance can't I?" "Sure. But who're yo.." "I'm Emily, a very close friend of Ryan's and I'm the reason why this whole misunderstanding got started in the first place." "So you're the one that chased Justin off that night in Orlando?" I finally got it. There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Oops! No I'm sorry Emily I didn't mean it the way that it came out sorry 'bout that." I apologized, "It's just that...." "I know, I know this stupid thing's all my fault. But I've been thinking these past few days about how I'm gonna make it up to 'em and that's where you come in sugar." "What do you have in mind?" I was genuinely curious and I wanted to get a chance to see one of my closest friends be happy. This was exactly that.................... After I hung up the phone from talking with Ryan's friend I couldn't help but smile. "This's exactly what Justin needs," I thought to myself while walking back into the bathroom. I had already set my cell phone back on the dresser and now I needed to finish up with what I was doing. The only problem was that now my hair was dry and half of it was blond while the other half was still blue. I sighed to myself and stepped in the shower once again. "Good thing that I locked the door and shut my phone off this time," I smiled to myself. "No more distractions, no more screw ups and in a few weeks we get another small break right before that challenge for the children II thing happens. Speaking of which I've still got to check on those invitations (gotta make a mental note). These next few weeks'll pass by WAY too slow especially with what Emily 'n me have got planned. I chuckled a little to myself and finished up in the shower. "If only Justin knew what we've got in store for him," I shook my head lightly as I pulled up my boxers and jeans. I put on a loose fitting T-shirt and exited out into the hallway walking towards Josh's room. "I'm gonna need some back up if I wanna pull this thing off," I considered as I knocked twice on Josh's door. "Oh well here goes nothing." (Ryan's point of view) A few weeks later :) "But Em," I complained, "this is completely nuts." "I know that it might sound strange Ryan," she pleaded with me, "but I'm stuck taking Mitch to the vet today and I can't make my last delivery so I was hoping that......" "No.... No Emily this was my day off," I complained, pacing back and forth in my apartment. "PLEEEEEASE," she asked, "please sugar will you do this one little favor for me today and I promise I'll make it up to you somehow." "How?" I asked my curiosity peaked. "I can't tell you," she retorted, "it's a... A surprise." "Sure sure kiddo," I replied, "you've got no idea how you're gonna make it up to me do you?" "Whatever," she brushed the question off, "are you in or are you out?" she asked flatly. "......... Ok Em I'm in," I finally caved. "Great," she beamed and she proceeded to give me directions on how to get to the place where the package was to be delivered. I sighed as I hung up the receiver. Oh well, I mean after all I'm helping a friend right? I gathered up my keys and placed the directions in the left pants pocket, heading towards the door. On my way down to the elevator I wondered how I was going to get there. "Guess I could take the old rust bucket," I asked myself, "the pig hasn't seen the road in a while and driving should take my mind off of anything important." I immerged out into the daylight and had to shield my eyes from the glaring Florida sun. Soon I had found my car (checked the insurance to see if it's already expired :), the gas, and to make sure that nothing was falling off) and within minutes I was on my way over to Emily's place. She had left the package on the balcony for easy access. As I walked across her lawn I wondered what it would be like to once again have a real place of my own. Not some tiny little apartment like mine but a real place, one where I could plant shrubs and flowers in the back yard and actually have a pet or two. "Wishful thinking," I reminded myself, "your place is close to work and for the time being it's just fine." I picked up the white package and read the thank you note that Emily had left for me. I smiled to myself as I backed out of her driveway and onto the street. (I gotta get out more :)). The directions weren't all that hard to follow needless to say that Emily's flare for the artistic is sadly limited to the deformed stickmen. Within minutes I was driving through central suberbia, land of the many cloned houses with only minor exceptions. I turned off of the main street and followed it until I came to a four way stop, then I hung a right and then left on the next street. Finally I managed to find the one where I was supposed to deliver the plain white package. I parked the car parallel to the curb and stepped out of the car. "Wow," my jaw fell open. This house was incredible. It had a central walkway up to the garage, the entire house was done in a deep red and a clear white. There were bricks everywhere. "Whoever lives here's got taste," I commented to myself while shutting the car door behind me and locking it. I slung the package under one arm and walked up to the door. I ran the bell. I could hear a lot of rustling behind the door that caught my attention but it finally swung open. A small familiar figure stood there staring back at me. "Ryan," he called flinging his little arms around me and giving me a big hug. "Jonathan.... H, hi," I was almost too stunned for words. "Who's a the door J," a masculine voice called from behind door. I couldn't move a muscle, I was too shocked to move, the blood drained from my face and felt like it spilled across the pavement in a little puddle of red. I didn't want to....... Why did Emily?...... How did Emily?........How could she? Standing there wearing noting but a plaid pair of boxers and a baby blue skimpy T-shirt, was a startled Justin staring down at me. * Well? What do you think? I hope that this one's better than the last Send comments and suggestions to Sec_ko@hotmail.com Thanks ^_^