Justin slowly walked back into his room. He slid the glass door shut then made his way straight to the bathroom. He didn't even notice JC still laying on one of the beds.
JC watched as his friend walked past him, shut the bathroom door behind him, and turned on the water to take a shower.
He could merely shrug. The lost look in Justin's eyes indicated that things did not go well with Liz. JC sighed and decided to leave Justin to himself. He would come back and check on him later but for now, he would leave him alone to his thoughts.
JC pulled his body off the bed, made his way over to the door and let himself out into the hallway. He walked a few feet away to reach his own room but before he unlocked the door, Chris came bounding down the hall with Joey. The two were laughing hysterically and JC could only roll his eyes at the pair. They were definitely up to something but before he could ask them what was going on – he got his answer.
Right behind them came one of their bodyguards – fully clothed and completely wet.
JC knew that somehow Chris and Joey had gotten him into the pool and chuckled to himself when the guys slapped him on the shoulder as they rushed by him and quickly unlocked Joey's door and ran inside.
Not a moment later, JC was shoved up against the wall as the bodyguard passed him. He began banging on the door for the guys to open up. When they didn't, he glanced to JC, who still hung on the wall, gave him an apologetic 'sorry' then smile wickedly when he produced a certain key card that would unlock the door himself.
JC scooted off the wall, gave him the thumbs up sign and watched as he made his way into the small room. He could hear the yells of his two friends as their bodies were slammed against the beds, then merely a minute later, the bodyguard existed the room and smiled at JC.
JC watched him walk away and head towards the vending machines that were at the end of their floor. He was beyond curious to see what happened to Joey and Chris so he pushed the door back open since it never shut all the way and peeked inside.
He had to stifle his laughter and quickly shut the door when he saw Joey sprawled out on one of the beds with his face down moaning into his pillow. He could see that his hands were under his body towards to top of his shorts. JC could tell he was holding onto his sensitive area. He heard him mumble 'I'll never have kids'.
Now, Chris looked worse. He was balled up on the floor and was clutching his head. All he could make out from Chris' ramblings was that he wanted his 'mommy'. He thought for sure that he would pull his thumb up and start sucking on it.
JC shook his head again as he started to slid his key card into its slot to enter his room. He wanted to relax and get ready for bed. All the others were staying in as well – although Joey did want to go out – he probably wouldn't now.
JC got another chuckle in after thinking about that. He turned the handle of the door and started to go in when he heard a knock down the hallway. He turned his head and noticed Lance at Justin's door.
"Hey, he's in the shower." JC started as Lance turned to look down the hall at him. "Besides, I wouldn't go in there if I were you. He's not in the best of moods right now." JC finished and that caught Lance's attention.
He took his hand off the door and approached JC. "And why is he in a bad mood? Do you know something I don't?" He asked with his eyes raised in question.
JC debated whether to say anything. He didn't want to have Justin mistrust him again with a secret. "Oh, um well, you know, he hasn't been himself all day. He needs to get some sleep that's all." He said, hoping that he didn't sound too tense.
Lance gave him a confused look but wanted to see how far he could take this. "Okay, yeah I guess he didn't get much sleep last night so I'll just see him tomorrow." Lance said as he started to leave but JC caught his attention again.
"Hey, how do you know he didn't get any sleep last night?" JC asked, as his brow raised to Lance.
He turned around slowly and bit down on his lip to think of what else to say. "Lucky guess." He said as he smiled innocently to his friend.
JC crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. "Lance, do you know something about last night and Justin?"
"Maybe. Do you?" He answered.
JC shifted nervously on his feet. "Perhaps." He replied.
Lance thought that JC knew what he knew and wanted to find out. "Would you know anything about a certain late night get-together?" He questioned carefully. He wasn't about to give away the info he knew just in case. He would make it sound like Justin and Britney were together if all else failed.
JC was thinking the same thing. He didn't know how Lance would know about Liz and Justin. She wasn't that close with Lance so why would she call him to tell him about the kiss. But JC knew he was on to something and if Lance did indeed know, then maybe he could talk to him about what to do for their friends.
"Yeah, maybe with a young lady, possibly?" JC replied trying to see if any light bulbs went off in Lance's head.
Lance looked around the deserted hallway just to be sure no one was near them. "Possibly with someone who didn't ride with us over here?" He asked. That would certainly point to someone other than Britney since she did ride with them to Louisiana but Lance just had this feeling that JC knew already.
"Yeah, that might be right but how do you know about it?"
Lance walked closer to JC and whispered to him. "Let's just say that the girl in question had a very nosey roommate last night."
JC knew immediately that Lance knew. Liz had stayed with Mandy, who was extremely close to Lance. If Mandy knew than she would certainly tell Lance.
JC put his arm around his friend. "I think its time we talked. My room or yours?" He asked, joking of course since they were sharing a room together.
Lance grinned at him. "Mine!"
JC laughed as he was finally able to put his key card to use. He slid it into place then turned the handle to allow him and Lance to enter the room.
"Okay, so what exactly did Lizzy say to Mandy?" JC came right out and asked after the two got themselves ready for bed.
They knew it would be a long night so they wanted to get a head start on the conversation.
Lance settled himself into his bed, turned on his side bringing his hand up to his head and leaning both on his elbow. "Well, that was to the point." He started as the two laughed a minute.
"Anyway, when I was downstairs getting something to eat, Mandy called to check on me and make sure we made it safely…." He got an uninterested look from JC and knew he had to cut to the chase and spill it.
"Okay, so Mandy said that on their way back to Orlando this morning, Elizabeth was talking to Lynn about something and got pretty upset. The girls tried to hear them but you know how they are, they can't do anything right. Anyway, she said that she heard Lynn yelling at Elizabeth and when the girls made it to the front of the bus to see what was going on, she heard her say that her and Justin kissed last night. That's about all she heard cause Lynn shoed them away and they had to go to the back lounge. She didn't get the whole story because when they got home, Elizabeth excused herself and went straight home to rest. Mandy knew something was up so she wanted to know if I knew any more than her."
JC heard him finish and plopped down on his own bed, assuming the same position Lance was in before asking his next question. "Well, do you know anything else?" He asked, wanting to know just how much Lance knew.
Lance smiled evilly at him. "Oh, I know A LOT more." He started. JC motioned him with his hand to continue. "Well, the other night I went outside to get some air. I haven't been feeling well myself and wanted to be alone. So I went down to the pool and found Elizabeth asleep. She was tossing and turning in her sleep. She looked so cute. It was like she was trying to make out with the lounge chair she laid on." Lance explained, chuckling to himself and JC couldn't help laughing as well.
He remembered far too well what Justin looked like making out with his pillow only a short time ago.
Lance cleared his throat and began again. "Well, when I woke her up, we talked a little bit. She was giving me advice about what I should do about my own problems…" He started but saw JC mouth 'Julia' and he could only nod. "Yeah, I guess after this, I need to talk to you about that, too."
Again, JC nodded his head but motioned Lance to continue his thoughts on Liz.
"Okay, so she started in on how if you like someone and they don't like you back then that just sucks and how if that person does like you but you're too busy to be with that person then that sucks too and…"
"Damn Lance, calm down. Just skip all that stuff and get to the point, will ya?" JC said as he rolled his eyes at his friend. When Lance got on a roll, it was hard to stop him.
"Sorry man. Okay, so the point is…oh yeah, well Elizabeth said she likes Justin A LOT. She has it bad for him, I could just tell but she tried to push it off as just a schoolgirl's crush. She is just so full of it. Now, I assume that you have talked to Justin so what's his take on her?" Lance asked, happy to be done with his part of the conversation.
JC smiled wickedly at him. "I had my suspicions about those two but not until Justin told me that he thought of Lizzy as more than a friend, did I know for sure – at least that Justin had feelings for her. He told me that he tried to talk to her the other night but Britney interrupted them when she called to talk. He wasn't too happy about leaving Lizzy alone and in fact, never made it back to explain himself for sleeping in Brit's room. He swears nothing happened but I don't know if Lizzy knows that."
He stopped just long enough to take a deep breath before picking back up.
"He told me that he wanted to talk to her again last night and for some reason, he thought that she wasn't serious when she said she didn't want any kind of relationship now because he took it upon himself to kiss her. I talked to him earlier tonight and he seemed a little better. He was going to call and talk to her but when he came back in from the balcony, he walked right past me and went into the bathroom. I just left to give him some time alone. That's about all I know." He said as he finished his long-winded sentences.
The two laid there in silence trying to figure out what they could do from here on out.
Lance was the first to come up with an idea. "Well, we won't see Elizabeth for awhile but maybe on our next day off, we can get Justin to go see Brit – and just happen to run into Elizabeth on the way."
JC just laughed at him. "Man, Justin's not dumb enough to fall for that. He knows that Lizzy will be around Brit's tour so if he wants to go see her, he'll do it himself. No, what we need to do is figure out a way to get Lizzy to lighten up and give Justin a chance. I know Justin won't be a problem to convince but Lizzy is the key. She has to ultimately decide for herself if she wants anything other than friendship from Justin. I just think that if she can't do that on her own, then we MIGHT have to help her out a little."
Lance started laughing at JC when he noticed his eyebrows raising up and down. He knew what JC was capable of pulling off so if Liz wasn't up to par on this one, JC would definitely be able to persuade her.
The two continued to talk about what they would do to help Justin and Liz then JC started in on Julia. Lance felt much better talking to his friend about what he was feeling. Maybe he would get over her after all.
(The Next Morning)
"Elizabeth, could you come in here please." Lynn said over the intercom of her phone. She heard a muffled 'yeah just a minute' come from the other end. She sat back in her seat and held up a stack of papers in her hand. She glanced over the top one and a tiny smile began to spread over her face.
Liz took a deep breath before knocking on her boss' door. She hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night. She tried to call her father after hanging up on Justin but only got a hold of her mom. She spent the next thirty minutes grilling Liz on what was going on in Orlando and giving advice as to what she should do next – but not on Justin.
She didn't dare mention his name. Her mother would have flipped out if she even remotely thought her daughter had feelings for a guy that was younger than her, had no college education and was in a band. Those three things would certainly make her mother's heart stop. She just didn't want to deal with that last night. She had too much to think about on her own that her mother's demands were not necessary at that moment.
Liz was beyond confused now. Her mother was just so demanding that the thought of growing up to be like her was something Liz was contemplating. She didn't want the driving force in her life to be about work and bringing others down just to make her look better but how was she suppose to tell her mother that. She would have to think about that later.
Her thoughts soon returned to the door in front of her. She cautiously knocked on the glass window that was in the middle of the wooden frame. She heard a low 'come in' from the occupant on the other end.
She slid her hand down to the handle and noticed that it was shaking. She hadn't spoken to Lynn since yesterday when she more or less confessed her affection for her boss' son. What would she say now?
Liz held onto her trembling hand with the other one and willed both of them to open the door. It creaked a little as it slowly opened.
She heard another 'come in here' from Lynn and tried to plaster a convincing smile on her face.
She walked right up to the chair that was designated for clients and took a seat. "You wanted to see me?" She asked, hesitantly not knowing what Lynn would have to say.
The papers that she had been looking over, slowly fell down from her sight and she placed them on her desk before fixing her eyes on Liz. She had to cover the smile that crept over her face. Liz was just too miserable at that moment and she didn't want to make her feel any worse – but that was unavoidable.
"Um, yes, I wanted to see how you were feeling? Did you get enough sleep last night?"
Liz wasn't about to talk to her anymore than she had already about Justin. "Yeah, I slept like a baby." She said. 'A colicky one.' She finished to herself.
Lynn gave her a nod then continued on with the reason she was there. "Good. Now, what I wanted to talk to you about is that we have had a change in schedule."
Liz's eyes lit up. Maybe they were being taken off the Britney tour then there would be almost no way she would run into the guys – well, Justin, for the summer. Her hopes were soon crushed when Lynn continued as if she hadn't noticed the change in Liz's face.
"Yes, well, the girls will still be with Britney but they have been picked up to play a few more shows after that."
Liz felt more relaxed now, although she would still have to deal with the 15-day tour with Britney but she was happy for the girls to be given more exposure…but on what tour?
"So, who's the lucky group or person that snagged the girls?" She asked as her curiosity was raised. Her whole body language changed and Lynn felt a tug at her heart when she realized it would soon vanish with her next words.
"The guys." She said, but Liz didn't understand.
"The Guys. I've never heard of them. You'll have to get me the name of the people I need to talk to about arrangements, okay?" She asked as she reached onto Lynn's desk, grabbed a sheet of paper then scribbled down 'research some group called The Guys'.
Lynn chuckled under her breath. Liz was too funny some times. "Um, dear, I don't think you understand. The Guys don't exist." She said as she slid the stack of papers that she had been reading, over towards Liz.
Liz gave her a questioning look then grabbed them. She reached for the top sheet and upon reading the heading, she nearly fainted. The Guys were THE GUYS – 'Nsync!
Liz had tried to remain calm but was failing miserably. She put the page down, brought a hand up to her forehead then leaned her elbow against the desk. "I don't think I feel so well right now." She said as she brought her hand off her head and put it over her mouth.
Lynn couldn't hold back anymore. She busted out laughing which caused Liz to jump. She couldn't believe her own boss would be so mean and laugh at her obvious distress.
"Oh…I'm, um…so sorry dear…I just can't stand seeing you like this anymore." She said as she tried to contain her laughter.
Liz just folded her arms across her chest. She didn't care if Lynn was her boss or not, she had no right to make her feel bad.
Lynn calmed herself down and apologized again. "Elizabeth, I truly am sorry. It's just that you came in her all nervous and down then when you saw that the girls were opening for 'Nsync again, you looked like you were going to die. Dear, you have to get over this and go on with work. I know my son can be a little overwhelming at times and yes, he can turn a girl's heart into mush, and yes he is full of himself and yes, he is a charmer, and yes, he can…"
Liz held up her hands to Lynn. "Okay, I get it." She said as Lynn again apologized for going off on a tangent about Justin. "I know he's all those things but…can we not talk about this right now? I have a lot on my mind and thinking about Justin only makes it worse." She asked as she sat back up, placed her hands over her tired eyes and let out a loud sigh.
Lynn felt bad for laughing at her. She was just too cute but she shouldn't have done it. "Elizabeth, we don't have to talk about my son again if you don't want. I hope that whatever is wrong, that you will come to me if you need to talk. I know I may not be the best person for that, seeing as I am your boss but I am also your friend. If you want to talk outside of work, please give me a call." She said as she stood and approached Liz.
She felt a hand tap her on the shoulder and Liz immediately looked up at her then stood. She walked into two waiting arms and gave her boss – and friend, a hug. She needed that more than she could ever imagine.
To her, Lynn was someone other than just a boss and for the first time she felt close to her in a way that she hadn't thought she should. She was suppose to remain professional but Lynn wouldn't allow that. She brought Liz into her world and embraced her as a friend but to Liz, she was becoming even more than that.
Lynn was someone that Liz connected with and wanted to be like.
For as long as she could remember, her mother and sisters were the only females she had to look up to and dream of becoming one day. But now, all that was changing, for Liz was seeing her mother in particular, in a whole new light and what she saw, wasn't good.
Lynn had shown her the kind of compassion that she had lacked from her own mother and she did it without asking for anything in return. She felt a tear come to her eye when Lynn whispered in Liz's ear 'whatever you need, I'll be here for you.'
That was about all that Liz could stand. She pulled away from Lynn, gave her a quick forced smile, then grabbed the papers for her to get started on the girls' schedules and headed out the door and back to her own office. She didn't want to stay and breakdown now.
Lynn just shook her head after Liz left. "She has it bad. I wonder if Justin feels the same?" She said aloud then walked back around to her chair, sat down in it and pulled the phone closer to her body. She would soon find out.