Chapter Five

"This is great!" Michelle shouted through the booming music. She and Lance had just entered The Source, and it was packed with people. Lance had picked her up. When he had seen her, she had looked great. Michelle wore her hair down, which surprised Lance because she usually tied it back. She had chosen denim jeans and a candy-apple red tube top, Lance's favorite color. He had been surprised that she had actually worn something different from her usually style of dressing. Lance led her down the stairs. They spotted a table at the corner of the clubhouse and headed for it.

"There sure are a lot of people here, huh?" Lance said to her as she followed him. He pulled out her chair for her. Michelle grinned and thanked him, sitting down. Lance sat down across from her.

"So," said Michelle, "aren't you just dying to dance?"

"I can't dance, you know that." He blushed in the strobe-lighted room.

"Come on," said Michelle. She leaned towards him. "I know you can. I've seen you dance before, and you are good!"

"I don't like this song," replied Lance, trying to find an excuse. Michelle narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't," he told her, trying to sound convincing.

"Okay, but you have to promise to dance when the next song comes on," she told him with a smile. "After all, we did come here to party, right?"

"Right," Lance said. "I promise."

A waitress approached their table. "Can I get you anything?" she asked them, ready to jot down whatever they ordered.

"A glass of water will be fine," Michelle said to the waitress. "What about you, Lance? What do you want?"

"I'll take water too," Lance replied.

The waitress left them. All of a sudden, Lance and Michelle were completely silent towards each other. Neither had anything to say. A new song broke the silence.

"Oh, hey!" exclaimed Michelle. She looked at Lance and raised her eyebrows. "A new song is on," she said, saying each word clearly.

He groaned. "Aww, man," he said. "I can't dance. I suck."

Michelle giggled. "You promised!" she reminded him, waiting for him to stand up.

Hesitantly, Lance stood up. "All right," he said.

He then turned to Michelle and grabbed her hand. "But you gotta dance with me!" He pulled her up.

"The things I do for my friends," Michelle responded as they walked to the dance floor.

As they dance to the fast-paced song, Lance gulped. Boy, Michelle sure knows how to groove! he noted as she performed dance moves that were outlawed in at least 48 states.

"Hey, you want to try those moves on me?" Michelle turned around, surprised. Joey was standing behind her, grinning.

"Joey!" Lance and Michelle said at the same time. They broke apart from each other, surprised.

Joey laughed. "I saw you doing your little pole-dancer moves," he teased Michelle, as she blushed.

"They were not pole-dancer moves!" she insisted, still humiliated. She looked at him, giving him her best stern look. "Anyway, what are you doing here?" she added, slightly embarrassed still. Oh my goodness, I don't believe I was dancing like that! she thought.

"Joey, what are you doing here?" Lance greeted his friend. "Did you come alone?"

"Unfortunately," said Joey with a sigh. "But tonight I'm planning to find someone!"

Michelle and Lance laughed. "Lance and I just arrived a few minutes ago," explained Michelle, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Did you check out his dance moves?" She gave Joey the thumbs-up sign. "He's a natural."

"Oh, well I'd rather prefer seeing yours," flirted Joey with a grin. Michelle blushed, embarrassed. "Well, would you like to dance?" asked Joey, his hand extended. Michelle took his hand and Joey and her started spinning on the dance floor. A hot salsa beat came on, and they danced to the beat.

Lance proceeded back to his seat, slightly jealous. Hey, she was my date! he thought enviously. God, I'm acting like she's my girlfriend. Lance's eyes followed Michelle and Joey. Joey spun Michelle around and she giggled. They looked like they were having so much fun. Leave it up to Joey to steal a girl's heart. The song ended and Michelle and Joey made their way back to where Lance was sitting. He looked a little glum. "Having fun?" he asked the both of them.

"Oh, that was so much fun!" Michelle said, out of breath.

Just then, the waitress came over to them and placed two glasses of water on the table. Then she departed. Michelle picked up her glass and drank the water down. "Joey, let's dance again," she told Joey excitedly. Then she changed her mind. "Actually, I am going to use the bathroom. I will be right back." She scurried away.

Joey sat down across from Lance. "Damn, she's cool." Joey looked at Lance with a gaga face after he watched Michelle leave.

"Who, Michelle?" questioned Lance, the annoyance in his voice trying not to show. He felt himself grow tense at the subject of discussing Michelle around Joey.

"Yep," answered Joey. "I think I'm gonna ask her out by the end of tonight."

What! Lance's brain thought. No! You can't do that! She's unavailable! Yeah right. He had to think up a reason why Joey couldn't go out with Michelle. And it had to be valid. "You're going to ask her out?" sputtered Lance in disbelief.

"Well, Lance?" Joey said. "What do you think? Should I?"

"Um…" Lance started, not knowing what to say. "Well…I think you…"

"I think I should," Joey decided. He nodded firmly. "Yeah, when she gets back from the bathroom, I'll ask her."

Lance stood up. "I will be right back," he told Joey, walking away. He had to find Michelle and stall her from going back to their table.

"Where are you going?" Joey asked, curious.

"To the um…to the bathroom!" Lance said, feeling guilty about lying.

"Why?"

"Well, I kinda have to go!"

"Oh, okay," Joey said. "If you see Michelle, tell her to come back quickly. I am getting nervous. I want to ask her before I lose my nerve." Lance nodded and rushed off. He nearly bumped into Michelle, who was just exiting the bathroom.

"Michelle!" Lance cried, running towards her. Michelle looked up and saw Lance.

"Oh, hey," she replied with a smile. "You had to go to the restroom also?" She smoothed out her tube top.

"Uh, yeah," he answered. "You want to dance with me again?" he blurted out, thinking of anything that he could to avoid Joey from asking her out. "Please?"

"Sure, Lance," said Michelle. "I'd be delighted to. Is Joey still around?"

"Yeah," said Lance, "he's sitting down."

"Oh, really? I think I'll go back now then."

"With other women!" Lance added, not thinking. Michelle gave him a perplexed look. "I-I mean," Lance said, "he is probably sitting with other people. Or he could be sitting at our table."

"Well, I will meet you out there, okay?"

"Okay." Lance felt a little baffled. "I guess I'll see you there…"

Michelle was already walking down, and about to enter the club scene again. "Dammit," he cursed under his breath. He did not want Joey to ask her out. He knew it would make him very upset. He sighed and walked back slowly. Lance found Michelle and Joey sitting together and talking. Joey was in his ultra-flirt mode. He was trying to impress Michelle, and she just smirked at him.

"Hello," said Lance, approaching them. He pulled up another chair from one of the other tables and sat down. "So, what's going on now?"

"Oh!" Joey turned to Michelle. "That just reminded me," he said. "Michelle, I know this is going to sound a little awkward-and you don't have to say yes, but would you go out with me?" He looked at her pleadingly, and said each word seriously.

Michelle didn't respond at first. She quickly glanced at Lance, who was looking at her. Say no! Say no, Michelle, Lance begged. You don't belong with Joey. "I don't know what to say," Michelle finally told Joey. "I mean, I am flattered and all, but I'm sorry Joey." She put an sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "I'm just not ready for a relationship at the moment. Please try to understand that."

"I understand," Joey replied with a smile.

Michelle rested a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for understanding, Joey," she told him with a smile on her lips.

Lance exhaled with relief. Thank you! He smiled sympathetically at Joey. Joey gave him a disappointed look, but smiled when he looked at Michelle. That was close. I thought she was going to say yes there for a moment.

"Well," Joey said, "can I still dance with you?"

"Of course!" Michelle took his hand and he led her onto the dance floor, with Lance feeling bummed. "Oh, Lance, you get me for the next song!" she called to Lance, winking.

"I think I need to take dancing lessons," he muttered to himself. He watched as Joey spun Michelle around and she laughed. Note to self…practice some challenging moves…look good doing them! He knocked down his glass of water, not paying attention to where he placed his arm. "Oh, shit!" he said, placing the glass on the table upright again. He grabbed his and Michelle's napkins and started soaking up the water. "Man, I hate it when I'm clumsy," he muttered. He tried to clean up the mess before Joey and Michelle returned to the table again.

It was a fresh, new Monday afternoon. Jana roamed the hallways, trying to avoid Justin for the whole day. She had been successful so far. She turned the corner and gasped. There he was, waiting for her at her locker. Oh, no, Jana thought, gulping. He was definitely going to go off on her.

"Jana," said Justin as she approached him. He gave her a smile. Damn, it's so infectious! she thought. "I've been looking for you all morning," added Justin.

Jana smiled nervously and tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind her earlobe. "Hi," she said uneasily.

"How are you doing?" he asked her, leaning against the lockers.

"I-I'm fine," she responded shakily. She cleared her throat, knowing that she had to apologize about the past Friday night. "I want to apologize," she began, "about what happened on Friday. It was totally wrong of me. I shouldn't have run out on you like that. It was rude, unlike me…I..I just…" She bit her trembling lip, trying not to cry. She didn't want Justin to see her face. She was going to cry at that very moment. She lowered her head, but then she looked up at Justin. He had a concerned look on his face. "I ruined your night! I'm sorry!"

Justin's strong arms immediately embraced Jana. She felt secure. "Hey, it's all right," Justin whispered soothingly and softly. "You didn't ruin my night," he told her honestly.

"Yes, I did," Jana argued through sniffles. She held him tighter. "And I feel so guilty about putting you through that mess."

He stroked her dark hair and kissed her head lightly. Justin felt Jana's grip around him tighten. She was so innocent and fragile. This is who I want to be with, Justin decided. I want to be with this girl, not Gina Ho. "Listen to me," said Justin softly, still stroking her hair, "everything is going to be okay. I'm not mad at you for anything, okay?"

Jana nodded and murmured "okay" in his chest. "So you're not mad at me?"

"Of course not," Justin replied reassuringly. He gave her a smile to prove it. Justin held her until the bell rang.

"I can't believe Joey asked me out!" said Michelle, who was at Madison Tree Café with Lance. It was Wednesday night, and they decided to meet there and have dinner there with Jana. Jana had not yet arrived.

"Yeah, me too," responded Lance.

"Didn't you know about it?" asked Michelle.

"Well, kinda," Lance replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Joey did talk about it, but I didn't think he was really going to do it."

"Oh," said Michelle. She sighed. "Jana isn't here yet!"

"Don't worry, she should be here soon."

Just then Jana appeared, jogging to their table. "Hey guys," she said as she reached their table. She took a seat. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No prob," said Lance.

"Well," Jana replied, "what's up, guys? What are you two discussing now?"

"Jana," Michelle said, turning to her friend. "You know Joey Fatone, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"He asked me out," said Michelle. She saw as Jana's eyes widened.

"No kidding!" replied Jana, smiling. "Are you serious?" "

Yes, I am serious!" Michelle answered. "But I turned him down."

"Aww," Jana said. "Poor Joey."

No, it's lucky Lance! thought Lance. He smiled to himself. "In a way, I'm glad you're still single," he told Michelle. "'Cause otherwise, we wouldn't be able to spend quality time together."

"Ha, quality time." Michelle smirked. "Yeah, real quality time. But really, I must say that I like being single."

"Hey," said Jana, as if she had a brilliant idea in her head. "How about we plan Michelle's birthday party? I think we should, since it's coming up!"

"Oh, no, that's okay," Michelle said modestly. "We really don't have to."

"Yeah, that's a good idea, Jana." Lance looked at Jana and nodded. "So, where should we begin?"

"You know, we really don't have to discuss my birthday!" Michelle pleaded, blushing.

"Yes, we do," said Jana firmly. "We need to plan where to have it, what day, and who you're going to invite." She reached into her bag and pulled out a notepad and a pen.

"Whoa, someone is a little prepared!" Lance noted, surprised.

"I'm just organized," Jana answered with a smile.

Michelle felt defeated. "Fine, we'll talk about my party."

"Your birthday is coming up in a week," Jana began, scribbling that down. "Okay, where do you want to have it?"

"Um…" Michelle was at a loss for words. "I was thinking either at my house, or at the beach, or somewhere…?"

"Okay," Jana replied, noting those down.

"Lance," she said, waving a hand, "help us out here."

"Okay, okay." Lance chuckled. "Who are you going to invite?"

"Well, I haven't really decided on that yet," pondered Michelle. "But I'm inviting you, Jana, Justin, Marie…" She ticked off the names of people that she would invite. She hasn't said JC yet! Jana realized. Well, not like I care, but she usually invites him. Oh, you're so stupid. That was when you were going out with him. "Anyone else that I forgot?" asked Michelle worriedly. "Oh! JC." Jana sat upright comfortably.

"JC?" she squeaked. "Y-you want to invite him?"

"Oh, Jana, please?" she begged. "I know you aren't the best of friends with him anymore, but he's still my friend! You have to let me invite him."

"Yeah, JC's cool," added Lance convincingly.

"Okay," Jana said with a sigh, jotting the name "JC" down on the pad of paper. Gee, I really ought to think about making voodoo dolls, thought Jana with an ironic grin. Maybe then JC will be absent the day of Michelle's party. It was a cruel thought, and Jana knew that she'd never do it. "Next thing. Where are you going to hold your party?" Jana questioned.

"Michelle, you should have it at your house," Lance piped up. "It would be fun."

"Yeah," Michelle agreed. "Okay, it'll be at my house."

Jana looked up from her notepad. "All right, all done!" she said cheerily. "Michelle, we're going to throw the best party for you," she replied. "Right, Lansten?"

"Right," Lance said. "Don't call me that though, please."

Jana and Michelle laughed. "You guys are unbelievable," Michelle remarked with a huge smile on her face. "I can't thank you enough."

"Oh, no need to thank us," Lance said modestly. "We're doing this for our friend."

Michelle smiled. She felt like she would cry out of happiness right in front of them. "Thank you anyway," she said softly.

"Let's eat now," said Jana, placing a hand over her stomach. "Gosh, I am starving."

Lance held up the menu. "Hmm, I think I am going to get fat tonight," he joked, scanning the menu.

Gina hummed quietly as she exited Robyn's, a teenage girl-clothing store. "No luck finding any cool clothes there!" she muttered to herself, slightly disappointed. She was roaming Stoneward Mall, searching for a new outfit to wear that night. JC was taking her out with Justin to see a movie. Gina had a liking for Justin ever since she had met him. He was so ideal, and he made her laugh. She could talk to him differently than she could talk to other guys. Not paying attention, she tripped. She was about the crash face first to the ground. Then a pair of strong arms grabbed her, and the world swung back into place.

"Are you all right?" a guy's voice asked.

Gina caught her breath and turned around. "Thank you-" she began. Then she gasped. It was Justin. "Justin!" she exclaimed, flushing. Great. Justin was there to see her ungraceful act.

Justin's eyes widened. "Gina," he croaked out. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes," Gina said, standing up straight again. She smoothed out her skirt. "I'm fine now," she said, blushing harder. "Thanks for catching me. I thought I was going to hurt myself really badly."

Justin grinned. "You're welcome," he told her. He put his hands in his jean pocket. Gina quickly glanced Justin up and down. He looks like he came out of a GAP commercial, thought Gina, smiling. Justin was sporting khaki pants, and a baby-blue polo shirt. Excuse me, I need to die! He was smiling at her also, and they stood there for a moment.

"So," Justin replied, breaking the silence. "What are you doing here at the mall today?"

"Oh, you know," Gina replied. "Shopping."

"Ah, is that your favorite activity?"

Gina blushed. "No," she responded. "I am trying to find the right outfit for tonight."

"I see. Are you planning to impress someone?"

You, Gina thought. She would have died that very moment if she had said that aloud. "Not really," she said, feeling uncomfortable. "I just don't have anything else to wear."

"Oh, that's right. JC, you, and me seeing a movie tonight, right?"

"Yup."

"Okay."

"So, what did you come to the mall for?" Gina inquired. To pick me up, right? thought Gina. v"Uh, I had nothing else to do," Justin said, embarrassed. "JC had somewhere to go today, and I don't know that many people yet around here. They're still acquaintances to me."

"Oh, okay," Gina said, nodding. "Well, if you're not doing anything, you want to have lunch together?"

"Sure," Justin said. "I'd love that."

"Great!" Gina grinned. "Well," she said, looking at her watch. "It's past twelve. How about we eat now? Then we can just cruise around wherever."

"Sounds good."