Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 17:46:02 EDT From: Papito6187@aol.com Subject: Rob & Lance 23 Funny, was it not? Who'da thunk that the guys of N Sync would get drunk and have two of them think they slept together? Oh..ok.. good point. Anyways, as many of you have been telling me, they (Rob & Lance) have been too happy, and there is no real relationship that is totally like that. I know this from experience, so let's just say that it's not gonna be as smooth sailing. Read on and you'll find out. There is a lot of things that I'm going to be doing, although I haven't written it yet, I have them in my mind. Trust me, it'll all make for better reading and story. So, enough giving stuff away! On with the show!! JC, Justin, and Chris all moved over to my bed and sat on the edge. "Ok, first of all, you didn't sleep together. I put you guys there so you wouldn't have to sleep on the floor." I said calmly. "Stop yelling!" Chris said. "You guys got really drunk last night and passed out. I had to pick all of y'all up and bring you up here! Damn, you're all heavy!" "Oh, I thought I slept with Joey!" Lance said. "No!" "What time is it?" Justin asked. "About 10:30." I said. "Where did you sleep?" Lance asked. "I fell asleep in the office. Oh! Justin, I called your mom and told her you were here." "Thanks!! I forgot to leave her a note." Justin said grabbing his head. "So, seeing that you all have HANGOVERS, I will fix you all some coffee." "Don't yell!" they all said. "LIKE THIS???" I yelled while exiting my room. "OOWWW!!" they all screamed in pain. "Why isn't he hung over like the rest of us?" Joey asked. "Well, he didn't have that much to drink, and. I don't know! It hurts too much to think!" Lance said. "Well, whatever, that coffee should wake all of us up!" Lance said. "It never does for me." Chris said. "Yeah, but remember, he uses that Spanish coffee!" "Oh yeah, what did he call it? Puerto Rican coffee?" "Yeah." "Well, I'm gonna go jump in the shower!" JC said. "Me too!" Lance said. "What, you wanna shower with me Scoop?" "No idiot! There is another bathroom in here!" "Oh." "Well, I'm gonna go downstairs." Joey said. "I'm going back to sleep!" Justin said. "Me too!" Chris said. I was downstairs in the kitchen making the coffee when Joey came in and said, "Can I help?" "Nah, it's ok. I got it!" I said. "You sure?" "Yeah. Damn, even when you're hung over, you still look happy." "Shut up." "HUH! WHAT? I DIDN'T HEAR YOU!!" I screamed. "AAAAHHH!" "Ok, sorry, I just love doin that, maybe that'll teach y'all not to get drunk with me again, I hate playing nanny!" "Well I'm sorry." "It's ok, don't worry about it." "Did you call my mom too?" "Nah, Lynn said that she would call her." "Oh, ok cool." "So, how's your arm?" "Huh? Fine, why?" "Well, with that stunt you pulled last night, I'm surprised you didn't break it or something." "What did I do?" "You don't remember?" "No." "You thought you were Superman and tried to fly off the landing up there." "I did?" "Yup, luckilly for you, Chris broke your fall." "For real?" "Uh huh!" "I must have been really drunk then, cause I don't remember shit!" "Dude, I'm just playin!" "Oh, what really happened then?" "Um.. Let's see, you tried to sleep with my couch." "You mean sleep on." "No, I mean sleep with. You were trying to have sex with it!" "Okay..." "What else, JC was running around touching `stuff'. Oh! And Justin was hitting on JC!" "What?" "Yup! And Chris thought he was Michael Jackson." "Okay." "Yeah, it was a site! Oh, and not to mention the positions y'all took on the floor!" "What do you mean?" "You'll find out later." "Huh?" "Nothing." "That coffee smells good!" Lance said walking down the stairs. "Hey, feelin any better?" "No, not really, still got a pounding headache, but other than that, I'm straight." "No, you're bi." "Huh?" "Nothing. Where is everybody else?" "JC's still in the shower." Lance began to say. "And Justin and Chris went back to sleep." Joey finished. "Oh, ok. Well, we'll just have to go and WAKE THEM UP!!" I yelled. "Would you stop yelling!!" Lance said while he and Joey covered their ears. "This is all payback!" I said as I started up the stairs. "Your man is weird!" Joey said. "I know!" Lance admitted. "WHAT WAS THAT?!?" I screamed from the middle of the stairs. "Nothing!" they both said. I went into the guestroom and saw Justin and Chris sleeping side by side. "Aww, how cute! I think Jay would be a little jealous though." I whispered. I walked over to the window, pulled open the curtains and yelled, "TIME TO GET UP! YOUR COFFEE IS READY!!" They both shot out of bed and grabbed their heads. "My head!" Justin groaned. "Mine too!" Chris said. "Well, now that you're up, why don't you guys come down stairs and get some coffee so you can get over your hangover!" I said walking towards the door. "Alright, alright! We'll be right down!" Justin crankilly replied. "Now there's the Justin I've heard so much about!" "Huh?" "Well, now that you're not waking up next to Jay, you're back to your old cranky self!" "Yeah, whatever!" He said lying back down in bed. "Don't you go back to sleep or I'll really start to yell!" "We're up, we're up!!" Chris said. "Good!" I said as I walked out of the room. While I walked down the hallway, JC came out of the bathroom. "Hey, coffee's ready!" I said. "Oh, ok. I'll be right down." "Cool." "Hey wait, Rob?" "Yeah?" "Can I ask you a question?" "Sure." "Not to sound I don't know... but.. Why are you being such an ass?" "Huh?" "I mean, why do you keep yelling and bothering us on purpose?" "Well, I told you guys that I didn't want to have to play nanny and I did!" "So?" "It's a long story, look, your coffee's ready I'll see you downstairs, and make sure those two are up!" I said heading down the stairs. "We are!" Chris said coming out of the room and heading into the bathroom. "I gotta talk to him later!" JC thought. "Rob, come here for a sec!" Lance said pulling me into the living room once I reached the bottom of the steps. "Yeah?" "Could you please, for the love of god, lay off the yelling?!?" "On one condition." "And that is?" "I don't EVER want to have to play nanny with you people like that when you're drunk!" "I don't get it? What's the big deal?" "Like I told JC, it's a long story." "I'm listening?" "No, not now, not like this, not when you have a hangover and a pounding headache." "Tomorrow then, we sit down and talk?!!" "Ok fine, after I get back from the studio." "Ok, now your coffee's on the counter." He said pulling me in for a quick kiss. We went back into the kitchen and I took my coffee. JC had already came down and Justin, and Chris were just on their way down the steps. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" I asked as we were all around the kitchen area. "Well, I have to go into the office today to go over some schedule changes, but after that, I'm pretty much free all day." Lance said. "Aw, but I thought you all had the next few days off?" I said. "Yeah we do, but it's just this one day." "Ok, what about y'all?" "Well, I was gonna go and take my brother to the park and play with him." Justin said. "I was gonna go hang with my bro." Joey said. "I was gonna go and sleep." JC said. "What about you Chris?" I asked. "I didn't have anything planned today." He said. "Well good, then I guess it's me and you today!" "Ok, cool!" "So what do you wanna do?" "I don't know, what do you wanna do?" "I gotta go shopping." "Ok, sounds good to me! One of my favorite hobbies!" "Cool, you can show me some cool places to go around here!" "Sounds like a plan!" "Look's like we're not existing at the moment." Justin said. "Eh, leave them alone, they're just figuring out what to do." JC said. "So, you'll give me a ride home?" Joey asked. "Yeah, me too!" Lance said. "Ok, I guess." Justin said. "Cool!" they both said. "So, who's goin where and when?" I asked. "Well, I'm gonna drop all these fools off, and then that's it I guess, we'll leave in a little while. Or whenever they wanna go." "Ok, well, whenever y'all leave, we'll leave too." "Cool." Chris said. "Well, I'm gonna go take a shower." I said. "Yeah, me too!" Lance said. "But you just took one.. Oh!" Joey said. We all started laughing while Lance and I went upstairs. Once we got into my bedroom, I kissed him and then started to get ready for my shower. "Hey!" He said shocked that I pulled away. "What?" I asked taking off my cloths. "Why'd you stop?" "I gotta take a shower!" "I thought you were just saying that." "No. I feel weird when I don't take a shower." "Mind if I join you?" "Actually yes." "Huh?" "Well, my body's all tense from sleeping in that chair!" "Well, I can give you a massage!" He said seductively in my ear while rubbing my shoulders. "How can I resist that?" I said turning around and kissing him. I ran into the bathroom, turned on the shower and got in. Not even two minutes later I felt a pair of hands rubbing my shoulders while I stood under the hot water. "Mmmm.. That feels sooo good!" "There's plenty more where that came from." He whispered in my ear with his sexy deep voice. He continued to massage my shoulders and back while I was under the hot water, I would've let him continue if I didn't have to get ready to go out with Chris. "Baby?" I said while he started to kiss my neck. "Hmm?" "Baby!" "What?" he said stopping. "As much as I would love to stay here and do this, I have to get ready!" "I know, I know, so do I." He said disappointedly. "Hey, don't worry, before you leave, we will pick up right where we left off on Monday." "Ooh! Is that a promise?" "Oh yeah!" "Yay!" He said clapping his hands and then stepping out of the shower. "Dumb ass!" "What?" He said flushing the toilet. "AAAAAHHHH! Oh, oh!! I'm gonna get you!" I screamed. "That's for screamin all morning!" I finished up my shower and Lance was no longer in the room. I went into one of my suitcases and picked out some cloths to wear. After I got dressed, I heard the phone ring. I picked it up and it was Melissa. "Hey!" She said. "Hey girl!" I said putting on my sneaker. "What's up?" "Nothin, just finished getting dressed." "Ooh, sexy!" "You know it!" "Anyways, um.. is Josh up?" "Yeah, hold on! Geez, I move down here, and does she call to talk to me? NO! She calls to talk to Josh!" "Shut up and put him on!" "Hold on." I said while laughing, "JOSH!!! PICK UP, IT'S MELISSA!!!" "Ow, my ear!" "Hello?" JC said picking up the other end. "Ok, I'll talk to yah soon, love yah girl, bye!" "Bye!" she said as I hung up. I went downstairs and saw JC sitting on top of the counter in the kitchen on the phone and the rest of the guys were in the living room talking. "So, what the deal?" I asked sitting down next to Lance. "Well, as soon as LOVERBOY over there gets OFF THE PHONE we're gonna LEAVE!" Justin said. "I thought you all had headaches!" I said. "They've pretty much faded." "Yeah, mine too!" Lance said winking at me. "Even though I still feel like shit and am tired as hell, I'll live. I won't be able to keep up with my brother, but I'll live." "Well, I gotta go, the guys are waiting for me. I'll call you later when I get home." JC said. "Ok cool. I'll talk to you then." Melissa said. "Hey Melissa?" "Yeah?" "I miss you." "Aw... I miss you too!" "AAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!" We all yelled from the living room. "I'll see you!" Melissa said laughing. "Bye!" JC said as he hung up the phone. "Finally!" Justin said. "Shut up!! Watch, you just wait until I catch you on the phone with Jay!!" "Can we go please?" Lance said. "Yeah, come on!" Justin said. "Ok, so what's goin on?" I asked. "What do you mean?" "I mean, are we gonna all meet somewhere later, or what?" "Oh, well, JC was gonna come over for dinner tonight and eat with us." Lance said. "Where?" "At my house." "Oh, ok.. Cool then, what about the rest of the guys?" "I'm gonna be with my family." Joey said. "Yeah, me too." Justin said. "I'm just gonna go to bed once we're done." Chris said. "Ok, then I'll drop you off and pick JC up then go over to Lance's." I said. "Ok, cool." JC said. "Ok, just call me on my cell before you come." Lance said. "Ok, cool! Let's head out then!" I said. "Alright, everybody move out!" JC said. We all made our way outside. Chris got into my car and JC, Justin and Joey got into Justin's car. Lance and I stood in between both cars. "Ok, so I'll see you later!" I said as I gave him a quick kiss. "Ok, cool, see yah." He said. "Love you!" "Love you too!" "Later guys!" "Bye!" They all said from Justin's car. I got in my car and we were off to the mall. "So, where are we going?" I asked. "To the mall." Chris said. "I know that, but which way am I going? Remember, I am new to this city!" "Oh, yeah.. Um.. get on the highway right there." "Ok, getting on the highway." "I'll tell you where to get off." "Ok, cool." We drove for another half an hour, talking about nothing important. We got to the mall around 1 and there wasn't a big crowd considering it was a weekday and the early afternoon. We parked towards the entrance just in case we had to make a quick exit. Once we got into the mall I said, "I bet you my Michael Jackson could beat yours!" "What are you talking about? He asked not remembering last night. "Well, last night, you thought you were Michael Jackson and you were dancing like him." "Oh.. that.. Well, I do that when I'm sober too!" "Well, like I said I bet mine could beat yours!" "Bring it on!" "Ok, but not now!" "Of course not now." "Oh, you gotta help me pick out something to buy for Justin and Joey's birthdays!" "Ok, cool. Joey's easy, just get something Superman, and Justin just get something baby blue!" "Sounds easy, but I don't wanna get them anything corny." "Well, that's why I'm here!" "Well anyway, let's hit the mall!!" "My favorite words!" "I gotta get me some clothes too!" "Me too, let's go do that now then!" "Cool, where you wanna go?" "Let's go to the Gap." "Cool, come on!" We went into the Gap and Chris bought a few shirts and a couple of pairs of pants. I bought just one shirt. "Ok, where to now?" He asked. "Well, before I spend any and all of my money on me, I wanna get these guys their gifts first. So, I saw this store over there that I wanted to check out, but I don't know the name." "So lead the way!" "This way!" We went into the store and I saw the perfect gift for Joey, it was a figurine of Clark Kent turning into Superman (You know, when he rips open his shirt and the S shows). "OH!!! That is phat!!" I said looking in the case. "What?" Chris asked. "Look!! Come here!" "What?" "Look!" "OH!! That is hot!" "Yup! I want it!" "For you, or for Joey?" "Well, I would love it for me, but I'm gonna get it for Joey!" "Then that's how you know you got the perfect gift!" "Yup! I bet you it costs like over a hundred bucks!" "Probably!" "Excuse me? How much is that Superman figurine." "Oh that? It's on clearance sale, so it's half off, it's $55." The lady said. "Oh cool! I'll take it!" "Ok, let me get it for you." She took it out of the display case and gave it to me to look at. It was perfect, she put it in a box and put it in a bag. I paid for it and said, "Well, one down, one to go!" "Yup, where to now?" "I dunno, I gotta get Justin's gift now. So what do you suggest?" "Hmm... I dunno." "I thought you were Mr. Expert!!" "Shut up!" "Oh, `well, that's why I'm here' ooh ooh ooh." "Shut up!" "Well?? Come on! You're supposed to be helping me!!" "I know, I know... hold on! Let me think!" "La la laaaaaaaa, waiting, la la laaaaaa!" "I'm gonna kick your ass!" He said while starting to chase me around the mall. I ran around the fountain and he chased me half way then met me around the other side. We started play fighting which got the attention of one of the mall guards, he came over to us and said, "Excuse me!" We stopped playing around and looked at him. "Would you please refrain from ruff housing in the mall please?" "Sorry." We both said. "Don't let me catch you doing it again!" "Ok." We said. He walked away and I started mimicking him. Chris was laughing hysterically and the guard turned back around. I stopped immediately and he didn't notice. All he could see was Chris cracking up. I went up to Chris and pulled him along with me. We were walking around when I saw this store that looked interesting, so I went in. It was a sporting goods store. "Look, they have personalized jerseys!" I said. "Cool." "I know, I'll get him a North Carolina Jersey with Curly on the back." "Yeah!" We went over to the desk that had the jerseys and I looked through the catalogue. Sure enough, they had the jersey so I asked the lady if she could give me that one. "Sure, what do you want on the back?" she asked. "Curly." I said. "Ok, just fill this form out and I'll have it for you in about an hour." "Ok." The form had stuff about the size of the jersey and whatnot, so I asked Chris, "What size shirt does Justin wear?" "Get a large." "Ok. If it don't fit, can I bring it back and get a new one?" I asked the lady. "Sure, you have a 30 day warrantee." She said. "Ok, cool. Well, here you go!" "Thank you, it'll be ready in an hour." "Ok, thanks!" "Thank you! Oh, and one more thing?" "Yeah?" "Could I get your autograph, my daughter loves you guys!" She asked Chris. "Oh, sure! No problem!" He said signing a piece of paper that she gave him. "Thanks, she'll love it!" "Oh, by the way, how much will it be?" I asked. "Sixty-five dollars." "Oh, ok. Then I'll see you in an hour!" "Ok, see you then." "Well, that's it, now let me just set aside $70, and then I can get some stuff for me!" "How much money do you have?" Chris asked as we stepped out of the store. "Don't worry about it!" "Ok, whatever. So where do you wanna go now?" "How bout we go get some food?" "My other favorite words!" "Well, let's go!" "Alright!" "Well, come on!" "I'm comin!" "Then we're off!" "Yes we are!" We both started laughing on our way up the escalators. We got to the food court, which was fairly empty, and put our bags down at a table. Then we went our separate ways to get food. We got back to our table and ate our food. We were talking and joking around when a little girl, about 8 or 9, came up to the table and asked for his autograph. He gladly gave it to her and she ran back to her mother with a huge smile on her face. "That's one of the kicks of doing this." He said as her mother smiled at him. "What?" I asked. "The joy you can give to someone just by signing your name on a piece of paper. It's like they've accomplished all they wanted to do in life just by getting the autograph." "Cool." "Yup." "Whoa." "What?" "I just realized, I never asked for any of your autographs." "So?" "I mean, as big of a fan I am, well, I guess it's not weird, considering Lance and I got to really talk and become friends. I mean, yeah, we became more than friends, but I guess I didn't need it since I had the real person." "Well, I'll sign this napkin if you want!" he said jokingly. "Shut up!" We both started laughing when we realized that we were done eating. "How much time we got left to wait?" he asked. "Um.. a half hour." I said looking at my watch. "So, what do you wanna do now?" "I dunno." "I know, let's go to Sam Goody, I wanna pick up some records." "Ok, cool." We got up from our table, threw out our stuff and headed towards Sam Goody. He was looking at the records and I was looking at the CD's. I didn't see anything I wanted, so I went over to where he was. "What you getting?" I asked. "Nothin really, look." He said showing me the records. "Oh. Well, I ain't getting nothin." "Why not?" "I dunno, they don't have anything I want." "Oh. Well, I'm pretty much done here anyway, I'm gonna go pay for it." "Ok, let's go." We went over to the cashier and she recognized him and was just about to freak out when Chris said, "If you don't flip out I'll give you an autograph!" She simply nodded her head yes and he signed a piece of paper. He paid for the records and when we walked out of the store we heard her scream. We both started laughing when he said, "It's always funny when they do that!" "I can imagine." "Just wait and see!" "Well, where to now?" "I dunno, do you wanna get anything?" "Not really, I mean, all I gotta do is go food shopping but I won't probably do that till tomorrow or something." "Well, how much time do we have left?" "Uh 15 minutes." "Oh, well that's not that bad." "Hey, does this place have a comic book store?" "Yeah, come on!" He said pulling me in the direction of the comic book store. We got into the store and he asked, "You collect comics?" "Yeah, not as much as I used to, but yeah." "Who's your favorite?" "Superman and Batman." "Oh god, another Joey!" "Nah, I'm not just obsessed with the symbol, I love the comic itself." "So does he!" "I know, but he's more into the emblem though." "He's cool. I like X-men more myself." "Oh, I love them too! My favorite is Gambit!" "Wolverine." "YES! They have it!" "What?" "The Superman issue that I've been looking for, for months!" "Which one?" "The one where he turns back into the regular Superman." "Huh?" "Well, you see, he went through this whole power change thing, then he managed to split into 2 Supermans, look, see!" I said showing him another comic, "Then he became one again and got back his regular powers. This is the issue where he becomes one again and gets them back! I missed it when it came out the first time, and it sold out pretty quickly, so now they have it!" "How much is it?" "Thirty bucks!" "Damn! For a comic?" "It's a collector's item!" "Oh, well you gonna get it?" "Hell yeah!" "Cool." I bought the comic book and looked around some more. I bought a couple of Gambit comics, some X-men, some Batman, some Nightwing and a Spiderman. I paid for those and then we headed over to the sporting goods place. The jersey was ready and I paid for it. Once we got out of there Chris said, "I think we should get out of here soon. It's getting close to school letting out and I don't want to be mobbed. I mean, the occasional fan is ok, but I really don't feel like getting mobbed!" "Ok, I just wanna check out that jewelry store over there first. You can wait here if you want." "Ok, cool. I'll be at the fountain." "Aight, I'll be right back." "Ok." I went into the store and looked around. I bought an emerald stud earring, and was looking at the rings when I saw one that caught my eye. "Lance would love that!" I thought to myself. I asked to look at the ring and decided I would buy it for him. I knew his fingers were a little smaller than mine, but not much. I tried it on and it only fitted a little passed my knuckle. "I hope it'll fit him!" I thought. I asked the guy if he could inscribe my initials on the inside and he agreed. He took the ring and did it at some little desk in the back. I paid for it with my credit card along with the stud. After paying for it, I walked out to see Chris signing autographs for a few girls. Once he saw me he seemed relieved. He looked up at me and said, "Sorry ladies, but I have to get going. My friend over there is waiting for me!" They shot their attention over in my direction hoping that his friend was one of the other guys from the group. Once they saw me, they sighed and he picked up his bags and walked over to me while they sad goodbye and that they loved him. "Let's get the HELL out of here before it gets any worse!" he said grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the exit. "Ok, ok! Slow down, you're gonna pull my arm off!" "Oh, sorry!" "It's ok!" "What did you buy?" "An earring." "That's it? "Yeah." "Cool, can I see?" "Sure!" I said. I didn't want him to know that I bought Lance the ring cause he might get the wrong impression. I mean I know I fell for Lance fast, but that was way too soon to get engaged! I just bought him the ring to remember me while he was on the road. I had slipped the ring box in my pocket before I got out of the store, so there was no way he would see it. I showed him the earring and then put it on. We got out to my car and I said, "So what do you wanna do now?" "I dunno. I mean, I don't wanna go home yet, I'm having too much fun! But, then again, there's not many places we could go without me getting mobbed." "Wanna go back to you place and chill with whoever's there?" "That sounds like a good idea, let me call and see if anybody's there anyway." "Ok, cool." He called ahead and JC was there. Justin was still out playing with his brother and Lynn and Paul were at work. "So what the deal?" I asked as he hung up the phone. "Well, I woke up Josh, and nobody else is there. Justin's still out with Johnathen and Lynn and Paul are at work." He said. "Ok, so where am I going and how do I get there?" I said pulling out of the parking lot. Hours before in Justin's car. "Ok, so who's going where again?" Justin asked as he looked at Joey beside him and then to JC and Lance in the back. "I'm going home." Joey said. "So am I." Lance said. "Me too." JC said. "Ok, so we'll stop off at Joey's first then drop off Scoop." Justin said. "Cool." They all said. Justin and Joey were in their own conversation in the front and JC and Lance were talking in the back. "So, when does your mom get in?" JC asked. "I gotta be at the airport at 3 to pick her up." Lance said. "I'm telling you, you're in for it! You'd better tell Rob!" "Don't worry about it!" "Ok, don't say I didn't warn you!" "First I gotta go in and find out our schedule changes." "Oh that was for real?" "Yeah, they told me yesterday when me and Rob went to pick up his stuff." "Oh. Damn! I hope they don't screw us over again!" "Nah, I think they're just pushing back the shooting date for the `I drive myself crazy' video. I think we're heading to Europe. They also gotta tell me what appearances we'll be making, when and where they are." "The usual." "Exactly." "Something bad is gonna happen tonight, I just know it!" JC thought to himself. "Josh!" Joey said snapping him out of his trance. "Huh?" "I'll see yah!" "Oh, ok.. Later!" "Bye." "Bye!" the rest of them said as he headed to his front door. "You ok?" Lance asked. "Yeah, I was just thinking." JC said. "About what?" "Nothing important." "Ok." Fast forward to airport. "Mom!" Lance yelled as he saw his mother coming out of the gate. "Hey suga!" she said giving him a hug and kiss. "How've you been?" "Good." "How was the flight?" "A little shaky, but otherwise good." "Come on, let's go get your bags." "Ok, so where's this Rob I've been hearing so much about?" "He's out with Chris. He and Josh are gonna meet us later on at the house for dinner." "Oh, ok. Well let's get goin, I gotta start cookin!" "Oh no, I'm cookin!" "NO you are not! I'm here now and you will be eating what I cook!" "Yes ma'am." "That's my baby!" Back at Justin's house. "Hello?" JC said being disturbed from his sleep, "Oh, hey Chris!" He filled in Chris on where everybody was then tried to go back to sleep when they hung up but was disturbed again as soon as he laid back down. "Who is it now!?" He said crankily picking up the phone, "Hello?" "Josh?" Melissa said. "Oh, Melissa! Hey!" "Did I disturb you?" "No, no! I was up already! What's up?" "Nothin." "I thought I was supposed to call you?" "You were, but I couldn't wait that long, I wanted to finish talking to you." "Oh, ok. So where were we last?" "I dunno." "Ok, then.. Oh! There was something I wanted to ask you." "What?" "Well, you said you were going to move in with Rob right?" "Yeah, why?" "Well, if you're going to school in Miami, why would you move to Orlando when it's a 3 hour drive?" "Oh shit! You're right! I totally forgot about that! Well, it looks like it's back to my original plan." "And that was?" "Well, I was planning on getting an apartment, but my mom just informed me that I have a cousin that lives in Miami in a condo and she has an extra room. So, I guess I'm gonna be moving in with her." "You gotta tell Rob then." "I know." "Another question that we really didn't get into." "What?" "Um. exactly why are you coming to school down here?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, you went to West Point! So many people would've killed to go there, and you're transferring to a school down here?" "Well, I said to myself that I would spend a semester at West Point and see how it went, if it wasn't all I had expected it to be, I would go with my other school of choice and major in interior decorating." "So what? That's it? You're just giving up on West Point?" "Well, I went there for the wrong reasons." "And what were they?" "I wanted to learn how to fly." "Okay." "I know. it's weird, but I don't know.. it just sounded good when I decided." "So, now you wanna be an interior decorator?" "I always wanted to be that. I just figured I'd do it after college, but now I decided to get my degree in it so it'll be more professional." "Oh, ok." "Why do you ask?" "I just was wondering." "Oh, ok. Do you want to go to college some day?" "I would like to, but I don't see it happening." "Why not?" "Well, for one thing, the obvious." "Besides that." "Well, I figure after this thing is over, I want to still be doing something in the music. Hopefully have my own label or go into producing for RCA or something." "That sounds good. Sort of like what Rob was gonna do." "I guess." "Well, he's gonna get to do it on his album right? That's what he said." "Yeah, I think he gets to co-produce some stuff. He did that on a couple of our tracks. He really knows what he's doing!" "Well, he's been studying this stuff for years." "That's right, y'all went to school for that stuff right?" "Well, I went for art, and so did Jay, well he's still there. Rob went for singing." "That's how you met right?" "No, we've known each other for a LONG time! Our families know each other and we met when we were like 7." "Whoa!" "Yeah, and Rob met Jay when they were in 4th grade? I think." "Wait, but if they met when they were both in 4th grade, then why is he still in High School?" "Well, he got left back." "Oh, I see." "But he's supposed to be graduating this year. That's if he gets his act together, which I know he will so he can go on tour with you guys this summer!" "That's if, hopefully, his parents let him. I mean, if he hasn't come out to them yet, and they're not ok with it, they might like it." "If that happens, I'm sure they'll agree with letting him go with Rob." "Let's just hope that it all works out." "Yup!" Back in my car. "That's it up there right?" I asked as we pulled up to Justin's house. "Yeah." Chris said. "Ok, cool! I now know my way here from the mall!" "Well, that's basically the same way to get here from anywhere." "Ok, cool. I'm gonna be so lost when you guys leave and I have no co-pilot!" "Remind me to get you some maps!" "I got some already! They supplied me with them." "Good!" We got out of the car and went into the house. "JOSH! WE'RE HERE!!" Chris screamed after we stepped inside. "Hold on Melissa, Chris and Rob are here." JC said as he got up from his bed with the cordless. "Ok." She said. "Hey guys!" "Sup Josh!" I said. "Hey man!" Chris said, "Any mail?" "Yeah, it's on the coffee table." "Ok, cool, who's that on the phone?" "It's Melissa." "Oh, let me say hi!" I said. "Ok. Hey Mel?" "I heard." She said. "Ok, hold on." He said giving me the phone. "What up chica!!" I said grabbing the phone. "Nada, como estas?" she asked. "I'm good, what you up to?" "Nothin, oh! I just remembered!" "What?" "Um, ok, you live in Orlando, and I'm going to school in Miami." "Oh yeah! Duh!" "So that means, I won't be living there." "The room will always be yours whenever you want it!" "Of course!" "So where you gonna live?" "Well, one of my cousins lives in a condo in Miami, so I'm gonna move in with her." "Cool. You're still gonna come here first though!" "Oh, yeah! We'll spend a couple days together then you can drive me down." "Groovy!" "K, put Josh back on, I'll call you later." "Ok, te veo, love you girl!" "Bye, love you too!" "Here!" I said giving the phone back to JC. "Hello?" JC said taking the phone back. "Hey, I'll call you later on tonight. Ok?" She said. "Uh.. ok. See yah." "Bye. Miss you." "Miss you too, bye." "So, when is Curly coming back?" I asked. "I dunno. He didn't say." JC said hanging up the phone. "Oh, ok. Good! Let me show you what I got him for his birthday, and Joey too!" "Cool, let me see!" I took out the gifts and showed him. He was impressed and said, "They're both gonna love it! When are you gonna give it to them though?" "Well, I'll give it to them before y'all leave." "Oh, ok cool." "I wish I could be there, but they're gonna have me workin non stop once I start." "Yeah, we know how it is." Chris said. "Damn, my feet hurt!" "So sit down!" "I will!" "Good!" "Fine!" "Fine!" JC gave us a weird look and we both started laughing as we headed for the couch. "I'm gonna go get ready for later, I'll be back." JC said. "Ok." We both said. Chris turned on the TV and TRL was on. We watched that until JC came downstairs. "Wooo! Look who's all dressed up!" I said, "Why so dressy? It's only Lance's house!" "Oh, um.. no reason. I just wanted to wear this." He said rubbing the back of his neck. "Ok, whatever." "What y'all watchin?"' "TRL." We both said. "What number they up to?" "2." We both said again. JC started laughing as he sat next to me. "Hmm.. I wonder what's gonna be number 1?" JC Asked knowing it would be "A little more time on you". "It would be nice if they actually showed the entire video for once though!!" I said. "I know, that pisses me off!" "Nobody gives a flying fuck about Carson! I wanna see the videos! I mean, it IS MTV!!" They both started laughing as their video started. "AAHHHH! It's them!" I said in a mock teenybopper, high-pitched, shrill, scream. "OH my god! Look at JC, he's sooo fine!" Chris said in the same voice. "And look at Chris, he's sooo ugly!" JC said. "Shut up!" Chris said throwing a pillow at JC but hitting me. "You ass!" I said. "HA HA! YOU MISSED!!" JC screamed. "Oh yeah! Not this time!" Chris said throwing another pillow hitting JC dead in the head. I started laughing and JC hit me with a pillow. "Oh no you didn't!" I said getting a pillow and smacking him upside the head. We erupted into a HUGE pillow fight on the living room floor. It was only to be disturbed by Justin coming though the front door with Johnathen on his shoulders. "What the he..heck, is going on?" He said remembering his brother was there. "Huh?" We all said looking up at them. Johnathen was laughing hysterically on Justin's shoulders, he asked him to put him down, then he ran over to Chris and gave him a hug. "Hey there shorty!" Chris said messing up his hair. "Don't call me shorty!" He said fixing his hair. "Just like his brother, always worried about the hair!" JC said. "Hi!" He said noticing me on the floor. "Hi!" I said back. "What's your name?" "Rob, what's yours?" "Johnathen." "Hi Johnathen!" "Hi Rob!" "Well, as you can see, this is my little brother Jo.." Justin began to say. "Johnathen, yes, I know. He just told me!" I said cutting him off. "Johnny, this is Rob, he's our new friend. He's gonna be going on tour with us this summer." JC said. "You wanna play?" He asked. "Sure, what do yah wanna play?" I asked. "Uh.. how bout hide and seek?" "Ok, you go hide, and I'll go find you!" "Ok!" He said running away going to hide. "How long do you think he's gonna wait before he comes out askin why you haven't found him yet?" Justin asked. "How'd you.." I asked. "We do it to him all the time!" JC said cutting me off. "And he always hides in the same place, the pantry." Chris said. "We once went four hours, like that. We totally forgot, until he came out and said `Hey, you were supposed to come find me!' I said, I was lookin but couldn't find him anywhere." Justin said. "He just laughed and thought he was a good hider." JC said. We sat back on the couch and continued to watch TV. Around 5, Lynn came home. "Hey mom!" Justin said. "Hey guys! Where's Johnathen?" She said taking of her coat. "He's hiding. We're playing hide and seek." Chris said. "How long has he been hiding?" she asked a little ticked off. "About and hour or so." Justin said. "I told you guys to stop doing that to him! "Sorry!" They all said. "I'll go get him!" she said walking over to the pantry. She opened the door and found him sleeping, using a bag of flour as a pillow. "Johnathen, honey, wake up!" She said shaking him. "Hi mom! Shh, I'm hiding!" "Come on out baby." "Ah hah! There you are!" I said sticking my head in the pantry, "I found you!" "AW man mom! See, you gave away my spot!" "No she didn't, I was just about to look in here when she opened it up!" "Sorry." Lynn said just smiling. "Boy, you're a good hider!" I said as I put him on my back and carried him to the living room. Lynn laughed subtly and closed the door to the pantry. I crashed him down on the couch and he was laughing. Then we all ganged up on him and started tickling him. That went on for about five minutes straight, till we stopped cause he couldn't breathe. He then went upstairs to go play video games with Justin. "We'd better get goin, I gotta go and change." I said to JC. "Ok, let's go then." He said getting up from the couch. "Where y'all headed?" Lynn asked. "We're gonna stop by my house first, then we're goin over to Lance's for dinner." "Oh, ok. Well I'll see yah later then." "Bye!" We both said as we walked out to my car. "Ok, let's see if I remember how to get home from here." I said as I started the car. "If you need help just ask." JC said. "Cool." Back at Lance's apartment. "So, when are they getting here?" Diane asked. "I don't know, he said he'd call before he came over." Lance said. "I can't wait to meet him!" Back at my place. "Ok, I'm gonna take a quick shower then get dressed." I said. "Ok, cool. I'll be down here." JC said. I went upstairs and he went over to the piano. He sat down and started playing some scales to warm up. He then started playing the song from last night. It had new meaning to him. It actually expressed how he felt about something now. As he played, he got the image of Melissa in his mind. He smiled and continued playing, visioning her watching him playing, smiling. He could hear her laugh, see her face, smell her scent. He missed her like crazy and they've only been gone from each other for a day and a half. He stopped playing and started thinking. "It's not fair! Rob and Lance get to spend more time together, Justin and Jay had way more time, me and Melissa, we had like two days! I just wish she could be here now! This is gonna be hell on me! Having to just be content with phone calls. How the hell am I supposed to make this work, when I'm gonna be on tour all the time? I mean, I'm used to being alone, but it's a whole nother thing to be on tour while you're with someone and have them be waiting at home for you! That's not fair to her! What am I gonna do? Obviously she wants to try and make this work, otherwise we wouldn't have made ourselves officially a couple. But how long will she be able to deal with just hearing from me on the phone and not seeing me in person? Ok, calm down Josh, if you really believe in fate, you have to trust that this, will all work out. Just keep remembering that and you'll be fine!" "I'm ready!" I said heading down the stairs. "Huh?" JC said coming out of his thought. "I said, I'm ready." "Oh, ok. Let's go then." "You ok?" "Yeah, I was just thinking." "About what?" "Oh, nothing." "Melissa huh?" "How'd you know?" "You have that look on your face." "Oh." "You wanna talk about it?" "Nah, it's ok. really, we gotta get going anyway." "We've got plenty of time. How bout we talk for a little and be out of here by 6:15?" "You sure?" "Yeah." "Well, I'll call Scoop and let him know." "I'll do it." "No, it's ok!" He said taking out his cell phone and pressing the speed dial. "Ok, you'll do it then." I said looking at him weirdly and taking a seat on the couch. "Hey, Lance, we're gonna leave here at about 6:15." JC said. "This isn't Lance, this is Diane." She said. "I know. Um, we won't be long." "Ok, take your time!" "Ok, see yah later." "Bye!" "Ok, it's cool." "Ok, now what's on your mind?" I asked. "Well, it's just that, I really wish I could've spent more time with Melissa before we left!" "Oh, that. That's not it though, is it?" "What do you mean?" "There's more isn't there?" "Yeah." "Well?" "I dunno." "You were having doubts weren't you?" "Yeah." "You were wondering if it was going to work out with you being on tour and her being here." "Uh huh." "Look, she knows what she got herself into with becoming your girlfriend. And think of it this way, you'll really get a chance to know each other." "Yeah, how? By talking on the phone? I'd rather talk to her in person and get to know her." "I know, but the way she acts on the phone is the way she acts in person." "It's not that, though! It's the principle behind it." "When's your next vacation?" "Vacation, what's that!?" "Oh damn! That long huh?" "We're gonna be working non-stop!" "Well look, I have faith in you guys, and you know I'll do everything possible to make sure you guys will get through this!" "I know, I know. But.." "There's nothing you can do but try and see where it leads you. If anything, it's gonna be harder on me!" "How's that?" "Well, I love the guy, and I was just getting used to having him around all the time. How do you think it's gonna feel when he's ripped out of the picture for a few months, and I'm back here miserable without him?" "The same way it's gonna feel when he's on the bus wishing you were there with him. The same way it's gonna feel when I'm on stage wishing that I was singing to her and not to all of these people that I don't know!" "Are you falling in love with her?" "How would I know? I haven't even spent that much time with her to find out! Look, I'm a romantic, I can't help it. The way I see a relationship is that the boyfriend should be there for his girlfriend and make her feel like she's a queen, treat her with all the respect that she deserves. I can't do that if I'm gonna be on tour and in a different city every few days!" "The point is, that you have to try before you give up on something that could wind up changing your life forever!" "I know, and I plan on doing that! It's just frustrating me that I have to do it that way and not the way I want it to be, the way it should be!" "Well, I don't know what to tell you." "Neither do I." "It's gonna be hell, but we will all get through it." "We?" "Yes, we! Me and Lance, Justin and Jay, and you and Melissa!" "I hope you're right!" "I am!" "Whoa, it's time to go!" "Already?" "Yeah. Come on, I'll drive." "Ok, here!" I said throwing him the keys. On the way over, I couldn't help but think that JC was becoming one of my best friends out of the group. I mean, Lance came first, but out of the rest of them, even though I was cool with all of them and would be there for every single one of them equally, it was just evident, that JC and I had some sort of closer bond. That seemed weird to me, considering when I first met him it looked like he didn't like me. But that was just due to the circumstances. We reached Lance's house and JC parked the car. He seemed a little nervous, I didn't know why though. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Look, Rob? I can't do this anymore!" He said finally breaking down. "What?" "Lance's mom, Diane, is here. She's in there now and that's who we're eating dinner with, that's why I got so dressy tonight!" "WHAT?!?" "He wanted to surprise you, but I just couldn't take it anymore, it's not fair to you!" "GO IN THERE AND TELL HIM TO GET HIS ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!!!" "Ok, ok. I will!" "Leave the keys in the ignition!" "Ok!" He ran up to the door and rang the bell. Lance answered the door and JC said, "Look, I'm sorry! Go outside, Rob wants to talk to you!" "Huh? What? Why?" He said confused as they stepped in the hallway. "I told him." "What? Why!" "I couldn't keep it from him anymore! It just wasn't fair to him!" "Oh shit!" "Lance, honey? Is that them?" Diane said coming out of the kitchen. "Um, it's JC, Rob's in the car. I have to go and get something. We'll be right back!" "But I thought we had everything!" "No, I forgot to get something, I'll be back!" "I'll stay here to keep her company." JC said. "Oh, ok! You can tell me about this girl, what's her name?" she asked. "Melissa." "Oh yes, Lance has told me so much about her." "I'll be back!" Lance said as he walked out the door. He walked up to the car and looked in the window, I wasn't happy. "GET IN!" I said pissed off. "B..but.." he stuttered. "GET IN NOW!" He got in and I took off. He was looking at me with guilt in his eyes. I just kept my eyes on the road. "W...where are we going?" I didn't answer. "Rob?" I pulled into a parking lot. There was nobody there so I pulled into the back, parked the car and got out. Lance got out and followed me. "Rob?" "What the hell is wrong with you?!?" I yelled. "Huh?" "Don't `huh' me! You know what I'm talking about! What, did you think this would be funny? `Oh, my mom isn't coming. Oh but she is, and I'm gonna surprise Rob.' Did you think I would laugh? Huh?" "I... I'm sorry!" "Don't give me that Lance!" "B...but, I didn't mean to." "To what? Huh?" "I... I don't know." "I would have NEVER played around with something as serious as this with you! When I brought you to meet my parents, I said, `Oh, I'm gonna take you to meet my family.' That is some serious shit there! How would you have felt if I did this to you? Hmm? If I said we were going somewhere and I just sprung it on you, not even, was gonna wait until you met them to say, `Oh, by the way, these are my parents.' Hmm? How would you like it?" "I... I.." "You would've been pissed!" "Uh huh." "I can't believe you! You know I can take a joke, but this is NOT a joke!" "But.. But I didn't think you would take it this way!" "Exactly! You didn't think!" "Look, I'm sorry!" "Yeah well so am I! I wanted the day that I met your mom or anybody from your family to be special! But now I will always remember it as the day we had our first fight! Over something this stupid!" "Stupid?" "Yes, stupid! You did a really STUPID thing! Now look, I'm gonna go back there, and I'm gonna meet your mother. But don't expect me to stay the night, or for you to stay at my place! I may forgive you now, but I am still pissed! The only reason I'm letting this slide so easily, is because your mother is waiting at your house to meet her son's boyfriend!" "Rob, I am really sorry! I mean it." "I know, but come on! We gotta get back to your house." I said as I walked back to the car. He got in and I drove back to his house. As we walked in, I saw a look of disapproval on his mom's face. I thought it was because of me, but she called Lance into the kitchen, and JC mouthed the words, "I told her". "What is wrong with you boy? You don't go doing something like that! I thought I taught you better than that! That poor boy out there is probably nervous enough! Even more cause of what you pulled! What do you have to say for yourself!?" "I know, I know. It was a stupid thing to do! And I just got my guilt trip from him too!" "Is that all it is to you? A guilt trip?" "No ma'am. I feel horrible, and I truly am sorry." "Well, you don't have to tell me that, it's him who you have to tell!" "I did." "And?" "He's still pis.. Mad, but he'll calm down. He said he forgave me." "Well you're lucky, cause I'd a been mighty ticked off!" "He was, he was." "Come on, let's go out there and you introduce me." "Yes ma'am." They walked out and I stood up from the couch when she came out. "Hi!" She said not waiting for Lance to introduce her, "I'm Diane, Lance's mother. I'm so very sorry for his behavior! If I'd a known that he didn't tell you I was here, I would've surly made him tell you!" "It's ok ma'am, really." "No it's not! And don't you cal me ma'am, it makes me feel old! You call me Diane." "Yes ma... I mean, Diane." "But I call you ma'am all the time!" "That's different, you're my son, as much as I'd hate to admit it right now!" The three of us laughed a little as Lance frowned feeling ashamed for what he had done. "Now, dinner's just about ready, and I'll call y'all when it's done." She said going back into the kitchen. "Come here Lance." I said walking over towards the door. "Yeah?" He said still ashamed. I gave him a kiss and said, "You're forgiven, just don't EVER pull that shit with me again!" "I swear! Does that mean you're staying the night?" "No, I'm going home! You're not that forgiven yet! And besides, I would feel weird with staying the night with you while your mother was here!" "Well, she likes you, I can tell you that!" "And I like her!" "I'm sorry baby!" "I know. But like I said, don't you ever pull that with me again! Comprende?" "Yes sir." "Now let's get back to Josh." We went back into the living room and I was still a little pissed but calmed down for the simple fact that I was meeting his mom. I did forgive him, really, but I would still scold him about it when we were alone. The three of us sat there for about five minutes and Diane came out of the kitchen and said that dinner was ready and served in the dining room. We all got up and went into the dining room. I sat down and was in awe of the feast she had made for us. She cooked up some pork chops, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and gravy, home made biscuits, some fried chicken, a salad and some home made lemonade. "Wow!" I said, "This looks too good to eat!" "It tastes even better!" Lance said, "If you liked my cooking, you're gonna LOVE my momma's!" "Oh hush up boy, let's all just sit down and have a nice dinner!" She said sitting at the head of the table. Lance was sitting to her left, I was next to him and JC was on her right. We said grace and dug into the food. He was right, I thought his cooking was good, but hers was even better! So began the meal and so began the interrogation. She was asking me all kinds of questions, where I was from, what part of New York, how many siblings I had, how old he was, where my family was from, and the most lengthy, how I met Lance and when I began recording. The whole story about the past couple of weeks is what we all talked about the most. That lasted until long after we had finished the meal. She had interrupted me to go clean up, then she came back into the living room with dessert. She made lemon cake with chocolate frosting with a side of ice cream. She brought us all a plate and asked me to continue. By the time I had finished the whole story, it was going on 9:30. It was after I had finished my story that she told me some embarrassing stories of when Lance was a kid. I was having a ball! I looked over at Lance, who was beet red, and said, "I told you I would get you back!" "What do you mean?" Diane asked. "Well, when these guys came over to my house last week, my mom was telling some stories and showing some pictures, these guys were laughing hysterically and making fun of me. I told them that I would get them back once I met all of their parents and they did the same thing." "Oh, I see!" She said laughing. We continued to talk until about 10:30. That is when she said, "Well, it's getting late and I don't want you getting home too late Josh." "Oh, it's ok." He said. "Yeah, we batter get goin anyway, we're gonna go in the studio tomorrow and work on your song right?" I said. "Yeah, that's right! I forgot." "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you! Even though all that happened, happened I'm still glad I got the chance to meet you!" "Oh same here! I'm happy that you're in my son's life and making him happy, even though he can be a hassle sometimes." She said. "Eh, that's why I love him!" With those words, she looked at me with shocked, but grateful eyes. She got up and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She then went over to JC and did the same thing. "I'm gonna walk them out to the car ok mom?" Lance said. "Ok, I'm gonna go get ready for bed. Goodnight y'all, I'll see you in the mornin." She said heading up the stairs. "Goodnight!" we all said. "She really likes you!" He said as we stepped outside. "Can you blame her?" I said. "Shut up!" "I'll see yah Scoop." JC said. "Yeah, we'll all meet up tomorrow at Justin's for dinner or somethin." "Gotta ask Lynn first though!" "I know, of course!" JC got in the car and Lance and I just stood there for a minute. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." I said. "Yeah. Rob, I'm really sorry about before!" he said with love in his eyes. "I know. And I really do forgive you. Just don't let it happen again." "I won't!" "Come here and give me a kiss now!" "Yes sir!" He gave me a quick kiss and then said, "We are outside, and my mom is in there." "I know, don't worry, I'll get you tomorrow!" "That a promise?" "Oh yeah!" "Oooh baby!" "Night!" "Night, love you!" "Love you too!" I gave him a kiss on the cheek and got in my car. "So, I can either drive you home and then pick you up tomorrow, or you can just spend a night at my house." I said as I started up the car. "How bout, we go back to my place, then I can pick up some clothes, and we could chill a little with Justin and Chris, then go back to your place." He suggested. "Sounds like a plan!" "When then let's go!" TBC.. Questions, comments, suggestions, all welcome. Email me at Papito6187@aol.com. P.S. NO Rob and JC are NOT going to sleep together, so don't even think it! Well, you can imagine, but don't expect it to happen. They are becoming best friends, and that will be all! No more secrets revealed! My lips are sealed, well, unless a certain blonde that I wrote a story about wants to try and open them! Hey, you never know!!! It's my fantasy damn it!!!!!!