"Every time I breathe I take you in.......And my heart beats again.......Baby, I cant help it.......Got me drowning in your love.......And every time I try and rise above.......I'm swept away by love......Baby, I cant help it........Got me drowning in your love........"
"Oh my sweet, merciful crap!"
Lauren stopped singing to the music pounding around her at the sound of the voice. She quickly ran over to the stereo and turned down the volume to a quiet background noise. She smiled tentatively at the man standing in the doorway of the living room, 'Oh god, here we go'
"Please tell me I was hearing things, and you were not just singing to the Backstreet Boys?" Justin was finding this quite humorous, crossing his arms over his chest, he decided to tease her a little with the situation he had just witnessed.
"Well, um......I,"
"What happened to the music?" Britney came bounding into the room, carrying two cans of Pepsi. She stopped when she noticed Justin standing at the other entrance to the living room, his jaw dropped. "Oh, hey baby" she smiled shyly.
"Not you too!"
"What? Its a good song!" she noted. "Its not like you don't listen to them." He was about to protest, but she held up a hand to silence him "Don't you dare deny it Justin! I live with you, remember, and Ive seen their CDs in your car!" He didn't reply, because he knew she was right, instead he walked over to her and took one of the cans of Pepsi. Popping the top, he took a long drink.
"Hey! That was mine!" she complained.
"Well, that's what you get for squealing on me!" he grinned and flick the end of her nose.
He sat on the couch, and turned his attention back to Lauren, who was still standing by the stereo nervously. "You can chill, Lauren, I was just bugging you." he took another drink "You know that war between us and BSB is all media. Hell, Joey and AJ went clubbing together last night."
Lauren finally smiled, and plopped down on one of the plush recliners near the stereo. It was true that they got along with the members of the BSB just fine. They weren't best friends, but friends never-the-less. She just felt like a child getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar when Justin had walked in.
Britney sat beside Justin, and tossed the other can of Pepsi to Lauren. Then stole the can from Justin, and took a drink. "Hey, I don't want your goobers in it!" he complained, reaching to retrieve his drink.
"Oh don't even get me started with you and 'goobers', Stinky." she warned.
Lauren had to admit that they were too cute sometimes. They were perfect for each other. They would be lovey-dovey one minute, picking on each other the next, and fighting the next. A lot of fun to watch. She just wished she could find someone she had that kind of a connection with.
Just then, JC walked into the room, and Lauren brightened. She hadn't seen him all day, because he had been helping Joey fix the stereo in his home theater. Why Joey had spent all that money to put a theater in his house that he was never home to enjoy was beyond her.
"So, did you fix the stereo?" she asked.
JC lazily flopped onto the recliner across from her, and put his feet up on the coffee table. "Well, I would have, if Joey hadn't tripped over the wires and pulled them out." He placed his head in his hands, and sighed. "I swear, he's an accident looking for a place to happen."
"You should have seen JCs face when Joey ripped the wires out" Justin laughed "He just kind of stared at him, then the wires, then Joey again, like he couldn't understand what had just happened. It was hilarious!"
"Yeah, like you were any better, J." JC countered "You were the one who almost electrocuted himself! The last thing you need is that hair of yours sticking out even more." he leaned his head on the back of the chair, and closed his eyes.
"I did not almost electrocute myself!" Justin leaned forward pointing at JC in protest "I simply miscalculated what wires went where. It wasn't my fault that it sparked and Joeys rug caught on fire!"
"You set Joeys carpet on fire!" Britney couldn't believe this! She would have paid to watch what they were describing. Like seeing Ren and Stimpy play electrician.
"It was an accident!" Justin whined.
Britney could only laugh. 'Note to self,' she thought 'Keep Justin away from stereo'
"And he got us lost at Walmart" JC mentioned, not bothering to open his eyes to look at the shocked expression on Justins face.
The girls just turned to look at Justin like he was the stupidest person on earth. How the hell did someone get lost at Walmart?
"I DID NOT!" he whined, his voice hitting a high pitch and cracking "I was just temporarily unaware of our surroundings"
"Justin, its okay." Britney placed a comforting hand on his arm "At least you're pretty"
"Pretty! Girl, I'm a man-pretty" he smiled, winking at her.
JC laughed, lifting his head from the back of the chair to look at Justin "Oh lord, Brit. Don't tell him that. He already thinks Joeys got the hots for him"
"He grabbed my ass!"
"Because you told him to!"
"I DID NOT! I just said that I had been doing the Buns of Steel video, and that my tush was firmer! I did not tell him to do a squeeze test!"
"What the hell happens to your minds when you get together?" Lauren said, finally entering in to the conversation. "Fires, ass-grabbing.....ya'll need professional help."
"Well, I'm not the one who was listening to the Backstreet Boys" Justin tattled.
JC turned to her with an evil smirk. "Backstreet, eh?"
Lauren didn't know what to say, and Justin just smiled at her triumphantly. "Oh shut up. Justins got their CD in his car" she said, pulling her legs under her. She turned her attention to her nails.
"So you weren't listening to Backstreet?" Damn, JC wasn't going to let her off the hook. He knew how to make her squirm.
"No" she lied.
"Then why do I hear them playing on the stereo?"
Busted.
"FINE! You're one to talk.......its your CD!" That shut JC up pretty quick. Hopefully Justin wasn't paying attention....
"I KNEW IT!" he yelled, pointing and accusing finger at JC.
Damn.
They loved picking on each other about listening to the Backstreet Boys. They all knew they liked their music, and that they liked the guys, but it was still fun to rag on each other about it.
Lucky for JC, the phone rang before Justin could say anymore. Picking up the cordless that sat on the table in front of him, he raised it to his ear. "Hello"
"Hello, JC. Is my granddaughter there?" the sweet elderly voice shined through the phone.
"Sure, Mrs. King, she's right there." JC leaned forward to pass the phone to Lauren, but Justin grabbed it before it reached its destination.
"My Granny!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Hey Granny," he said, phone pressed to his ear "Guess what! I saw a really cool sweater in the mall the other day, and it looked just like the one you knitted for me for my birthday! Except without the word Crunk" Justins voice was high with excitement. Laurens grandmother had knitted Justin a sweater for his birthday two months ago, with the word 'Crunk' on the front of it. Justin laughed so hard when he opened it, shocked that she had remembered his slang. She had also made Joey one with the Superman logo, with a J instead of the S. Both wore those sweaters for a week, saying that she loved them more than the others. Chris complained, wanting to know where his sweater was. Granny was probably hard at work making sweaters for the rest of them. Lauren smiled at the thought.
Justins happy voice chimed through the room as he spoke to her grandmother. "Yeah, I'm being good...........No, they're being mean to me.........they said I set Joeys carpet on fire.........well, kinda..........It was an accident!" Lauren laughed at Justin as he tried to assure her grandmother that it really was an accident.
"Yeah, she's right here. Bye Granny!" Finally, Justin handed Lauren the phone.
"Gee, thanks Justin. I hate to break you away from your whining" she said, grabbing the phone. "Hi Gran."
"Hi sweetie. You be nice to Justin! You know he's my little honey" Lauren shot Justin a glare, and he smiled proudly back, knowing that Granny was probably giving her crap for picking on him.
"So how are you, honey? Your mom called me today and told me what happened. You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine Gran."
"I cant say I'm not relieved that you left that man. I never liked him. He doesn't deserve you."
"I know."
"But I know a certain young man who does..."
Laurens eyes bugged out of her head. "Oh Lordy, Gran. Please, not you too." She couldn't believe that her grandmother was now trying to play matchmaker. Damn, her mother must have gotten to her too.
"Well, I'm just stating the truth. That boy would die for you, and I know that you adore him. I'm not saying jump his little tush," Lauren rolled her eyes at her Grans mention of JCs rear "I'm just saying that I wouldn't be surprised if this brought you two closer. Romance-wise, I mean."
"Okay, Gran." Laurens tone was dull, so her Gran changed the topic. No point in putting pressure on the girl. She had been through enough, and if she was meant to be with JC, then it would happen. But of course, that didn't mean that they couldn't point it out to her from time to time.
"Oh, don't tell Lance, but I'm almost finished his sweater. Its green, like his eyes, with 'Freelance Entertainment' across the front. I thought it would make cute promotion for his management company. And if you could send me a picture of Chris' Fu-Man logo, Id appreciate it. Im going to start his sweater next."
Lauren had to smile at that. "I'm sure he'll love it." Her grandmother was without a doubt the cutest person on the planet.
"What will I love?" Justin asked, immediately thinking that it was about him.
"Not you!" Lauren mouthed the words with a stern glare. Justin crossed his arms over his chest and stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. He leaned back on the couch hard for emphasis.
"Well, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Tell JC I said hello. And if any of you need anything, don't hesitate to call."
"I will Granny."
"Oh, and tell Justin Ive got cookies for him next time he's in Atlanta."
"I will"
"Bye sweetie"
"Bye Granny"
Lauren pushed the button to turn off the phone, and placed it back on the table in front of her. "Gran said shes got cookies for you next time you guys are in Atlanta" she told Justin.
"Great!" he was no longer pouting. Thank god.
"Hows she doin'?" JC asked, stretching out more on the chair.
"Good. She says 'Hi'"
"Hi to her, too" he smiled.
"Shes glad I'm here with you. Even gladder that I left Jimmy"
"Shes not the only one" his smiled widened.
The phone rang again, and Justin jumped forward to snatch it before anyone else could.
"Hi Granny!........oh, its you........yeah, hang on" He tossed the phone to Lauren, a look of bordom crossing his face.
Grabbing the phone, Lauren pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Kick his ass for me later, okay?" Janssyns voice called through the phone.
"No problem." Lauren laughed.
"I take it he was just talking to your grandma."
"Yeah."
"That explains it" Janssyn laughed. This wasn't the first time she had called Lauren to have Justin think it was someone else. "So whatcha doing?"
"Nothing much." Lauren repositioned herself on the chair, laying across it sideways to hang her feet over the armrest.
"Wanna do something tonight? I was thinking we could go out to eat, maybe see a movie? Ask Britney to come, too"
"I don't know...."
Janssyn cut her off before Lauren could continue "Lauren, its been a week already! You cant keep hanging out at home. You have to get out. The only place you used to go was JCs, and now that you live there, you don't go anywhere! Except to one of the other guys places."
"That's not true! I went to a club with you and Joey the other night!"
"Yeah, after we physically dragged you out of the house! And then you left after an hour because you were tired."
Janssyn was right. Lauren hadnt gone out much since she moved in with JC. Only because she was nervous. She felt like she needed time to adjust, and get herself straight before getting back into life. She had called her agency and requested a couple weeks off, which they gave her without question. After she told them what had happened, they had been very cooperative about giving her time off. There wasnt much going on right now anyways, so she knew she wouldnt be missed too much.
Lauren sighed her reply. "Fine, hang on." She covered the receiver and turned to Britney. "You wanna go out to dinner and a movie with me and Janssyn tonight?"
"Sure. A girls night!" Britney clapped excitedly.
"Hey, I wanna come too!" Justin whined. "I never get to have a girls night."
"That probably because you're a guy, dumbass" JC smirked.
"Thunder stealer" Justin leaned back, arms crossed over his chest, pouting again. God he was good at that.
Turning back to the person on the phone, Lauren spoke up "Okay, Brit said she'll come too. What time?"
"Well, its 4 now, so how about 6. We'll eat till 8, for a 9 o'clock movie. How does that sound?"
"Good. You comin' over here or are we picking you up?"
"I'll come there. Gotta get a Justin ass pinch before we go out." Lauren could swear she saw Janssyns evil grin through the phone.
"Alrighy. See you later."
"Bye"
Placing the phone yet again on the table, she stood to stretch her back. "Janssyns coming over here around 6."
"Aw, man. She's gonna grab my ass again, isn't she?" Justin complained, leaning the side of his head on the back of the couch. "I swear, I'm cursed with a grabbable booty."
"Please," Lauren answered "The only ones who cant resist your gyrating ass are 12 year olds! And my grandmother."
"Hey! I'm not 12!" Britney spoke up, mocking offense.
"With the exception of you, of course" Lauren smiled.
"That's better" Britney said, standing up from the couch. Patting Justin on the head, she headed for the door. "I'm gonna go home and change. Ill be back"
Lauren started for the stairs, when JCs voice called out to her. Returning to the living room, she looked over at him. "Yeah?"
"You want me to wait up for you tonight?"
Lauren smiled at his offer. All week, he had spent hours talking to her until she fell asleep. It had been getting easier to sleep the last few nights, but he still stayed with her. She had been having nightmares, so only felt safe knowing he was there. She hadn't had a nightmare the last three nights, so she was feeling much better. Jimmy hadn't tried to call or see her since she left, so she figured he had let it go. Its not like he wanted her or anything. He never cared when she was there, why would he care if she wasn't?
"No, that's okay. Thanks, though."
"Okay, just checking. But wake me up when you get in if I'm asleep, okay?"
"Okay."
She smiled at him once more before heading upstairs to get ready to go out.
She loved how protective he was of her, but sometimes felt like a bother. He had a life of his own, and she felt like it had been somewhat put on hold since she moved in. He told her she was being silly, and joked that he had no life. But she still felt bad sometimes. He hadn't had a good nights sleep since she moved in, and she knew how much he loved his sleep.
After a quick shower, she changed into a pair of hip hugging jeans and a white button up shirt. The bruises on her back had faded quicker than she had expected. There were a couple spots that were still a little yellow, but they didn't hurt. She applied a little light makeup; concealer, lip gloss and a touch of mascara, before heading back downstairs.
JC and Justin were still where she had left them, quietly watching a basketball game on TV.
Sitting down on the couch next to Justin, she leaned back comfortably, and pulled her hair up onto a ponytail. Once she was satisfied that her hair wasnt going to be a bother tonight, she leaned her head back with a sigh.
"Oh please, don't act like your being dragged out tonight." Justin noted, not bothering to break his gaze from the TV. "Its about time you got out of this house."
"Oh hush. I didn't say anything"
"But you sighed"
"Holy crap, call the police!" her sarcasm was duly noted.
"I'm just saying, you need to get out, is all" Justin finally turned his blue eyes to hers, wrapping and arm around her shoulders "No one should have to spend this much time with JC" he joked.
"I can hear you, dickweed!" JC warned, not bothering to look over at Justin.
Britney came into the room, sitting down on Justins other side. She wore faded blue hip hugging jeans and a black tank top. Her hair was pulled loosely up into a ponytail and tiny fringes fell around her face. Lauren was always amazed at how adorable Britney could always look, even when she was trying to.
Justin wrapped an arm around Britneys shoulders, keeping the other around Lauren.
"This is the life, eh? Me and my bitches" That comment caused a smack in the side from both girls. Justin just laughed at them, before turning his attention back to the TV.
The doorbell rang a few moments later, and JC stood to answer it. Letting Janssyn in, he lead her to the living room where the rest still sat.
"Hey girls." she greeted.
"Excuse me?" Justin asked, looking at her with shock in his voice.
"What?"
"I'm a guy"
"Prove it" she grinned.
Justin just stared at her in shock for her bold statement. Not that he was surprised. She had a real wit about her, which he found a lot of fun. Finally someone who could challenge him in the smart-ass department.
"Ready to go?" she asked.
"Yup" Britney answered, rising from the couch to pull Lauren up with her. "Com'on you, lets get you out on the town!"
Lauren lazily allowed herself to be pulled from the couch, and stepped over Justins legs that hadn't left the coffee table. "Don't bother moving or anything" she commented.
"Oh no problem, I wont........umph!" he groaned as Lauren 'accidentally' lost her balance and pushed her hand into his stomach.
"Oopps, my bad"
Justin grumbled a response as Lauren smiled triumphantly at Janssyn. She wasn't the only one who could make Justins life hell.
Kissing JC quickly on the cheek, the girls left for their night on the town.
They all piled into Janssyns black BMW, with Lauren in the back and Britney calling shotgun.
"So, where are we headed?" she Lauren asked, buckling her seat belt.
"I figured we could go to East Side Marios. Its right beside the theater."
"Sounds good to me. What movie are we gonna see?" Britney asked, tossing her purse on the floor at her feet.
"How about Crossroads?" Janssyn joked.
"Oh Lordy." Britney laughed. "I don't think so. Umm.....is 40 Day and 40 Nights playing? Josh Hartnett is such a cutie!"
"Yeah, I think so." Janssyn called from over her shoulder as she turned the car to head down the driveway.
"Okee dokee. Josh Hartnett, here we come!"
Lauren had to admit she had a good time. It had been way too long since she had been out. Jimmy never took her anywhere, and it was hard sometimes for the guys or Britney to go out like normal people. Luckily they had no problems tonight. The waiter had asked Britney for her autograph, which she gave obligingly. But other than that, no one even seemed to notice them.
The ticket taker at the theater had tried hitting on Janssyn.
"Hey, haven't I seen you somewhere before?" he asked, giving her a once-over.
"Um, I don't know" she replied, handing her ticket to him.
"I swear I have. Id never forget someone as lovely as yourself." Oh, he was just too smooth. "I could look at you all day"
Janssyn grinned, and walked over to a magazine stand in the corner of the theater. Picking up one of the magazines, she returned and placed it on the small stand in front of him.
"Here ya go. Stare all you want"
He looked down at the magazine in front of him, with a picture of Janssyn staring back at him from the cover.
Janssyn wasn't normally that blatant about telling people her occupation, but that had just been to tempting. The girls walked away quickly, leaving the poor guy still staring at the magazine in front of him. Once inside the theater, they burst out laughing.
"Oh, you're just bad!" Britney laughed, placing her drink in the holder in front of her.
"I know, but it was too easy." Janssyn smiled, taking her jacket off and placing it in the seat next to Lauren.
After the movie, the girls all agreed they were rather tired, and headed home. They joked and laughed the whole drive, and Lauren started to feel like herself again. It had been too long since she laughed like this. Without worry or thoughts of what Jimmy would think or do entering her mind. She finally felt completely free.
Pulling up to Laurens house, Janssyn punched in the code, and drove through the opening gates.
Saying their goodnights, Janssyn promised to call Lauren in the morning. Exchanging hugs, Janssyn pulled back down the driveway and headed down the street.
"You think Justin and JC are still watching TV?" Britney asked as they headed for the door.
"Who knows. I have a feeling JC waited up for me, anyways, even after I told him not to."
"Aw, that's sweet. Justin doesn't do that for me very often. Usually I find him passed out on the couch after a hard night of playstation."
As they stepped up to the door, Lauren noticed an envelope at her feet. She bent down and picked it up, confusion crossing her features.
"What's that?" Britney asked, already opening the door.
"I don't know." Lauren stepped into the foyer, and took off her jacket. Placing her purse on the small table inside the front door, she kicked off her shoes before turning her attention back to the small white envelope in her hand.
There was no name on the front. She flipped the unsealed flap, and pulled out the contents. It was a plain folded piece of paper.
Britney leaned over Laurens shoulder, waiting to see what the note said. "Maybe its a note from a fan? Maybe one of them snuck in here when Janssyn opened the gate when she picked us up?"
"Maybe..." Lauren opened the note and scanned the words. She gasped, dropping the note to cover her mouth with her hand.
"What? What is it?" Britney hadn't gotten a chance to read the note, still trying to think of who would have left it. She leaned over to pick the paper back up, flipping it open again to read the message inside. A cold chill washed over her as her eyes scanned the note.
In plain black writing, it read:
'You're still mine'
