CHAPTER 8
The next afternoon......
At lunch on Christmas Eve, the topic of conversation was mainly about Christmases past and funny holiday stories. Everyone had a wonderful time, enjoying the relaxing day off. The group talked to their families over cell phones for a while, then discussed what to do after they finished eating.
"We should go on a Christmas light tour," Ayla suggested. "It's the best evening for it."
"That sounds like a good idea," J.C. mused. "Maybe we should do a gift exchange or something."
"But I didn't buy anything for you guys," Zoe complained. "We flew out of Orlando so fast that we didn't have a chance to go shopping."
"Well, how about this," Justin compromised. "Let's go to the mall and go shopping, then we can figure out how we're going to go on a light tour."
"Sounds good to me," Chris replied. The others chorused their agreement.
"O.k. But we each have to go off on our own because you can't show what you're getting the other people," Zoe said.
"Another brilliant idea," Joey teased. "You and Justin better not have any kids or brilliant ideas are going to be flying everywhere." Everyone laughed as the group left the restaurant to find a mall open on Christmas Eve.
******
The entourage of people entered the mall together. Zoe, Ayla, the five boys, and a few well placed bodygaurds glanced through the store directory.
"I'm taking off," Zoe shouted as she parted from the group. "Remember not to show anyone what you have."
The rest of the group dispersed quickly, with each of the boys taking along a bodygaurd. Ayla's first stop was into Abercrombie & Fitch. She knew there was a shirt that Lance had been talking about getting and that's what she decided to pick up. The rest of the afternoon was spent hunting for the perfect present for every personality. There were a few close calls with two of the group being in the same store. Zoe counted about three times that she had had to avoid contact with J.C. or Chris by jumping behind a store display. Two hours later, everyone met back at the fountain in the main hall of the mall and exited, stage quickly, back to the hotel.
"Whatcha buy me? Whatcha buy me?" Chris cried as everyone stumbled into the hotel suite. Laughter and giggles had followed them all the way home as Chris had tried desperately to see what each person had purchased.
"Calm down, man," J.C. laughed at Chris's repeated questions.
"All these gifts are wrapped! How am I supposed to look at the presents if they're all wrapped?" Chris whined playfully.
"We know you too well Chris," Zoe responded with a giggle. "We were prepared." Chris shot her and evil look, then tackled her to the ground and started tickling her. Zoe laughed hysterically while tears rolled down her cheeks. She screamed as the others held their stomachs which were tight with laughter. Chris finally gave up about two minutes later.
"We don't have a tree," Joey observed as the group regained it's semi-control.
"Well, we'll just have to make one then, won't we?" Lance challenged as he left the room quickly. He returned minutes later with a tiny, cardboard cutout.
"What's that supposed to be?" Ayla asked.
"Our Christmas tree, what else?" he retorted, feigning offense.
"But we don't have any ornaments," Justin said.
"Well, we'll just have to draw some," J.C. replied.
"Wait, I've got something," Zoe cried as she ran from the room. She returned with a small piece of paper in the shape of an ornament. On the paper was a picture of each of the guys faces, in between intricate drawings of holly and wreaths.
"Oh my God," Ayla cried, laughing aloud. "It's the ornament from Lydia!"
"Who's Lydia?" Joey asked.
"One of our bestest friends in the whole world," Zoe replied. She placed the ornament on Lance's ghetto tree at the top like an angel. "Speaking of whom.....I need to use the phone." Zoe walked across the room and dialed the phone while the others looked at the artful ornament.
"Is Lydia there?" she asked into the phone.
"This is," a delicate voice responded. "Zoe, is that you?"
"Sure is bean. Merry Christmas. How are you?"
"I'm great!" Lydia exclaimed. "How have you been?"
"I'm fantastic," Zoe replied. "Just hanging out here with the biggest group of retards I know."
"Are you with the guys?"
"Yeah. I convinced Johnny that Ayla and I needed to tour with them for a while. We got a week."
Ayla glanced over to Zoe. "Are you talking to Lydia?" she questioned, jumping over Lance, who was laying on the floor and running to Zoe. She snatched the phone and started shouting.
"Lydia, hunny. We miss you!"
"I miss you too, Byrd," Lydia giggled. "How is everything with Lance?"
"Oh, just great. Did Zoe tell you we get to tour with them?"
"Yeah, she did. When are you guys coming home again?"
"We're not sure. When are you going to come down and visit us?"
"Well, you guys give me a call and we'll see what we can work out."
"Fabulous!!" Ayla cried. She wished Lydia a Merry Christmas and handed the phone back to Zoe. Zoe could hear Lydia's amused laughter as she placed the reciever back to her ear.
"So how are things with you bean? Have you heard from Jeffy lately?" Zoe asked tentatively. She hadn't heard about Jeff in a while and wasn't sure exactly what had happened between the two of them.
"He's home for Christmas," Lydia said. Zoe could hear the smile in her voice.
"So, spill it!! Tell me what's going on."
"Well, he asked me to spend Christmas with him and his family and I'm leaving in about an hour."
"So are you guys together or what??"
"We aren't really together. We're just good friends."
"Yeah right," Zoe responded. "I can't believe you could say that after he asked you to spend Christmas with him. I think something's up."
"Zoe, don't start. Nothing's up and we're just friends. I'm going with that for now because that's what I've got."
"Well, Jeff's a smart boy and he'll figure it out soon enough. You're perfect for each other you know."
"Yeah, I know," Lydia sighed. "So how have things been between you and my husband?" Lydia joked, trying to change the subject from her relationship with Jeff.
"Smooth subject change," Zoe laughed, reading her mind. "Everything's fine. We're great. I talk about you all the time. I think he's ready to leave me for you any minute."
"Well I'm waiting," Lydia chuckled. "Seriously though. Everything's o.k.? The last time we talked you guys were fighting and you were thinking of calling it quits."
"I've definetly reconsidered that," Zoe replied, looking at Justin. She couldn't imagine what had made things so bad that she would say something like that. Justin looked at her and gave her a wink. She smiled back. "I know better now," she said into the phone.
"Good, because you've got the guy of our dreams so you better not be leaving any time soon. How else am I supposed to steal him from you?"
"Very funny, dear," Zoe grinned.
"Yup, it was. Look, darlin'. I gotta run and get ready. Jeffy's coming to get me in a few so I'll talk to ya later."
"O.k.," Zoe said sadly, realizing how much she missed her best friend. "Merry Christmas, bean."
"Merry Christmas to you sweetheart," Lydia said as she hung up the phone.
"Are you finally done so we can open these presents?" Chris asked, giving her another look.
"Oh, Chris, please don't tackle me again. I don't think I'm up for it," she sighed as Justin came and wrapped his arms around her.
"You o.k.?" he asked
"Yeah, I just miss her. Especially around this time of year."
"I know what you mean," he replied, kissing the top of her head.
"Zoe, come look at our tree!" Ayla exclaimed.
Zoe walked over to the wall where they had taped the cardboard tree. On it, the group had drawn ornaments of weird shapes and sizes, filled it with garland, and at the top, was Lydia's *NSYNC ornament.
"Oh my!" Zoe sighed, placing a hand to her cheek. "I think it's going to be a very Merry Christmas."
The friends laughed as they finally sat to exchange gifts. Some were sentimental and some were extremely funny. Chris recieved and gave almost all of the gag gifts. Tears combined with laughter while carols were sung. Zoe sang "Away in a Manger" while the boys serenaded the girls with "O Holy Night."
"I think this was one of the best Christmases I've ever had!" Ayla exclaimed, kissing Lance excitedly. "Now let's go on our Christmas light tour!"
"Good idea," he responded.
"But what are we going to go in?" Zoe asked. "The group limos? I'm sure that wouldn't attract any attention."
"Don't worry. I've got everything planned," Lance said. His friends gave him a questioning look as J.C. laughed.
"Leave it to Lance to be thirty steps in front of eveyone," he chuckled.
The entourage, headed by Lance, went downstairs to the hotel lobby. Waiting outside the front door were two horse-drawn slieghs.
"O.k. Start talking Lance. How did you manage this one?" Justin asked, his mouth agape in wonder.
Lance just shrugged. "Me, Ayla, and Joey in the smaller sliegh. Justin, Zoe, J.C. and Chris in the bigger one," he commanded. They joked and laughed as they started their winter tour across the town. When they tumbled back into the hotel three hours later, all were extrememly tired but amazingly happy. Shouts of Merry Christmas were heard as the friends went their separate ways to sleep until Christmas day.