"God, you two! Can't you at least attempt to be civil towards each other?" Leslie asked in a frustrated voice.
"No!" Lance and Nicole yelled at the same time.
"But, you're both my friends, and I hate seeing my friends fight!"
"I'm sorry, Leslie, but there is no way I can get along with that!" Nicole said, pointing to Lance. "He's just too much of an ass hole to put up with!"
"If anyone here is an ass hole, it's you, bitch!" Lance shot back at Nicole.
"That's it! I don't have to take this! I'm outta here! I'll talk to you later, Leslie." Nicole walked out of NSYNC's suite and went to her hotel room that she shared with Leslie.
"To think, I actually used to think he was cute! What was I-" Nicole said, talking to herself, but was cut off someone.
"Did I just hear you right?" Leslie asked. "Did you just say you thought Lance was cute?"
"Key words there: thought and was. Both past tense. He's an ass hole, and that just ruins it! He could be the best looking guy on earth, which by the way he's far from, and I would still hate him!"
"Can't you try to be nice? For me?"
"I guess so, but only because you're my best friend. I wouldn't do it for anyone else."
"Thank you."
"Welcome."
"Well, I have to go to band sound check now. I'll see you later."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye." Leslie left and Nicole plopped down on the couch.
"Sometimes I wonder why I ever agreed to come on this tour with her." She said to herself. "Oh yeah, because she's my best friend, and I thought that all of the guys were nice. At least none of the others are like Lance." Nicole was watching TV when someone came into the room.
"Hey, Nicole."
"Oh, hey JC," She replied when she recognized the voice.
"Is Leslie here?"
"No. She's still at sound check. You can sit down if you want."
"Thanks…You know, I'm really glad she agreed to take the job as our keyboardist."
"And why is that?"
"Because we got to meet her and you, and you guys are our friends now."
"Not all of us are friends." Nicole contradicted bitterly.
"Well, with the exception of you and Lance." JC corrected himself.
"Yeah. But I promised Leslie I'd try to be nice."
"That's good." Just then, Leslie walked in.
"Hey, JC." She said, "You know, they're lookin' for ya. It's your turn for soundcheck ."
"Oh thanks Leslie!" JC said, standing up. He kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Bye." He said and closed the door.
"Bye, JC. It's not like I'm here. I don't exist, Leslie. You can't see me. Haha." Nicole said, being her normal stupid self.
"Ok…Whatever, Nicole." Leslie replied.
"What was up with that?"
"What?"
"One, JC kissing you on the cheek. Two, him only sayin' good-bye to you."
"One, it was a friendly kiss. We're friends."
"He never kissed his other female friends."
"Two, I don't know."
"It's like he forgot I was here when you walked into the room…like most guys do." Nicole mumbled.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"No. What'd you say?"
"I said nothing."
"No…You said 'like most guys do.' What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
"It had to mean something or you wouldn't have said it."
"I was simply stating a fact."
"A false fact."
"Bull shit. Name one guy who doesn't forget I'm in the room when they see you."
"Lance."
"That's because we're too busy fighting."
"Therefore, he doesn't forget you're there. So, ha!"
"That doesn't count."
"Yes it does. Lance is a guy, and he doesn't ignore your presence. He may not enjoy it, but he doesn't ignore it, which makes no sense whatsoever to me. But, anyway, I'm right."
"Ok. Whatever."
"You know. Now, that I think about it. It's like you two enjoy it. You forget anyone else is there when you fight with him…and so does he!"
"Leslie."
"You both do it! It's like-"
"Leslie."
"You guys put all your energy and concentration into fighting with each other, that you forget anyone else is in the room.
"Leslie."
"It's weird 'cuz neither of you have that much passion in you when you fight with other people."
"LESLIE!"
"Yes, Nicole?"
"Passion?!"
"Yeah."
"You are delirious. So shut up!"
"Okay, fine."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"So is that how you really feel?"
"Would I have said it if it wasn't?"
"I guess not."
"Well then."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm used to it. Don't worry about it."
"Obviously it bothers you."
"Not really anymore. And even if it did, there's nothing you can do about it."
"Anymore? How long have you felt that way?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Yes."
"For a while, I guess."
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
" 'Cause there's nothing you can do about it."
"But-"
"Leslie just forget it."
"But, Nicole-"
"I said, forget it."
"Okay."
"Thank you."
"Oh no, that's not all." Nicole said after the concert as she sat around with the band on the tour bus. "Then he kissed her."
"So let me get this straight. He acts like you're not around when Leslie's around, and then he kissed her?" Ruben, NSYNC's guitarist, said to Nicole as he watched her frown.
"It was just a friendly kiss on the cheek." Leslie said as she headed towards the mini fridge, from her bunk area. She grabbed a Dr. Pepper and took a sip. "It meant absolutely nothing to him or me. You know how touchy-feely he is." Leslie said exiting the kitchen and re-entering the TV room.
"Maybe she's right." Ruben commented. "You know how he acts, that's just the kind of guy JC is. Sensitive and touchy-feely as Leslie put it. I mean why is bothering you anyway? It's not like you have a thing for JC, right?" Nicole glared at him as she sipped her warm honey tea. "You don't like JC, do you?" Ruben asked.
"No! Of course not! Why would you even…I mean, me and JC…together!" She shook her head with complete and utter disgust.
"I'm just wondering why that little incident matters so much to you then."
"It's not just that." Nicole said bowing her head.
"You wanna talk about it?" Ruben asked.
"It's just, that's how it's always been for the 8 years that we've been best friends. I just wish guys would look at me the way they look at her, and notice me the way they do her. I'm 21 and have had all of 3, count them 1, 2, 3," She said holding up three fingers. "Boyfriends. I mean I've always felt like maybe…" Her voice began to fade.
"Maybe what?" Ruben asked staring into Nicole's eyes, which were mixed with the appearance of loneliness and sorrow.
"Never mind." Nicole said. "I'm getting tired, I'm going to go to bed now." She stood up and began to walk away. Ruben grabbed her hand. She turned around to face him.
"Guys do notice you, Nicole. I've seen one noticing you recently, but I won't say who, so don't ask. One day, you'll meet the man you're destined to be with," He said, still holding Nicole's soft, pale hand. "You got that?" She nodded slightly and left for her bunk.
"Look, Lance…I've tried long enough to be nice to you. Leslie may be my best friend, and she may want us to get along... but me and you both know that's virtually impossible!" Nicole said three days later.
"Tell me about it." Lance mumbled.
"What'd you say?"
"Nothing, Nicole. Nothing at all."
"I swear you are the most pig-headed-"
"Hey, what's going on in here?" Leslie walked into the hotel lobby.
"Nothing," They both claimed.
"Were you guys fighting again?"
"He started it!" Nicole yelled.
"Chill out!" Lance said.
"I swear! You two promised!"
"I didn't promise a thing." Lance muttered.
"God, all I wanted was for two of my friends to try and at least act civil towards each other. And you can't even manage that!" Leslie yelled.
"Hey! I tried!" Caitlin defended herself.
Tears began to form in Leslie's eyes. She walked away and got in an elevator and went to Nicole and her's hotel room. As she was getting out of the elevator, she ran into JC. By now, tears were running down Leslie's cheeks.
"I'm sorry." Leslie said as she wiped her cheeks, trying to hide that she had been crying.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said, walking towards her room. JC followed her.
"Please tell me, Leslie."
She opened the door to her room and walked in. JC followed close behind. She sat down on her bed, and grabbed her stuffed dog, Fred. She hugged him closely.
"I just wish that Lance and Nicole could get along, at least around me. They have no idea what it's like to watch two of your best friends fight constantly. They don't know how much it hurts me." Leslie cried.
JC plucked Fred from her arms, and pulled her into a comforting embrace.
"I know. We've all gotten tired of their fighting, and I swear they fight like a couple, but there's nothing we can do. They've tried…well, at least Nicole's tried. For some reason, Lance seems to like to pick fights, and only with her. They are really confusing. But they will always fight."
"But it still hurts to know that my friends hate each other. Also, it's not just the fact that they fight…it's the way they fight. It kinda scares me."
"What do you mean?"
"Have you ever actually watched them or listened to them when they fight? I mean, they have so much passion in their voices, and in their eyes. I don't understand it. And have you ever seen them fight with anyone else like they fight with each other?"
"Actually, now that I think about it, no. That is kinda scary. It's like they actually really mean what they say to each other."
"That's what I get so upset about them fighting. Knowing that they hate each other so much tears me up inside."
"It's ok, Leslie. You shouldn't worry so much about it. They'll learn to get along eventually. They have to live with each other for four more months. They have to learn, or they'll be miserable. So just don't worry about it."
Leslie's tears started to slow.
"There now, that's what I want to see. Less tears, but I'd prefer no tears. I don't like seeing you cry. It makes me sad."
"Why?"
"Because…um…you're one of my best friends."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Aww…you're so sweet, JC." She hugged him a little tighter.
"So are you." He kissed the top of her head. She then let go of him and pulled out of his arms.
"Hey, JC, can I just be alone right now?"
"Sure."
"Thanks for being here."
"Anytime."
"Ok. Bye."
"Bye." He kissed her cheek and left.
What's up with him, lately?!