"Adri, we're packing it in. You should think about it too."
"I want just one more pass at it, Dean. Then I'll be done for the day." Dean Cantrell stopped walking so that he could watch her.
"She makes it look so effortless," he thought watching her glide by him. Adrianna was definitely his pride and joy. He'd been her guardian angel and father figure since she had turned four and her parents were killed in a boating accident on Lake Michigan. She was also the new darling of the Figure Skating world. He watched as she repeated the end of her routine, gearing up for her last jump. Her form was near perfect until she was in the air. Her rotation was slightly off and when one foot should have touched the ice, both did. She fell once again and Dean cringed, knowing that she would be bruised tomorrow.
"Damn it!" Adri sat on the ice and fought back tears of pure frustration. Seconds later she stood, skated off the ice and walked back to the locker room. As soon as the door closed, Adri slammed her hand on the row of lockers and let out a sound like a growl.
"What the hell is wrong with me??" She angrily pulled off her mittens and sweatshirt, throwing them towards her bag.
"I should be doing better than this." She took off her skates, as well as the rest of her clothes and quickly showered. She felt slightly better as the hot water washed over her sore body. Adri changed into a loose fitting pair of cotton drawstring pants and a white tank top and walked outside, welcoming the humid Florida air. Dean was leaning against his car waiting for her.
"Sweetie, I know how much you wanted to get that routine down before I made you take a vacation, but don't worry about it."
"Falling on my ass in Salt Lake City will not win me the gold medal."
"Adri, you are working too hard. Just take a little time off to relax and when you come back you'll be able to land that jump. I understand that you're upset about the championships in Lake Placid, but if you work yourself like this, you'll just get sick again. I worry about you, Adri."
"I know. Dean...I'm sorry I snapped at you the way I did. It's just frustrating and I know it's all in my head. I had one mistake in Lake Placid and now I can't land my axle."
"You took a pretty hard knock, kid. It wll come back to you, don't worry. Now then, let's finish moving you into that new house."
***************
"Hey, C, do you know who the new arrival is?" JC looked up from the newspaper he'd been reading to see Justin walking into his kitchen.
"There is a custom some people use prior to entering a house. It's called knocking...you should try it sometime," JC said taking off his reading glasses.
"Hardy har har, JC, you're just a regular comedian. Anyway, back to my question...who is the new neighbor?"
"I don't know. I've only seen a moving crew unloading furniture. Weren't you supposed to be spending the day with Vikki?"
"Yeah, I was, but her mother called. Her grandfather isn't doing too good, man."
"Tell her that they are in my prayers."
"I will. That will mean a lot to her."
"Are we still on for tonight? It may take Vikki's mind off of things."
"I'll definitely ask her about it. Catch you later, Jace."
JC picked up the paper and walked out onto his back deck after snagging a drink from the fridge. A few minutes later, he heard a couple vehicles pull into the neighboring drive. Justin had piqued his interest, but he didn't want to look overzealous about helping the new person unpack.
"I'll wait a few minutes before I introduce myself." JC was almost done reading his paper when his cat, Jester, let loose a hiss that raised the hair at the nape of JC's neck. He slowly lowered the paper and came face to face with a rotweiler.
"Shit...uh...this could be bad. How the hell did you get in here?" His eyes quickly scanned the yard and found that the dog must have come through the broken gate which linked his property to the next lot. JC looked back at the dog that had started to growl.
"Renzo? Lorenzo! Where are you boy?"
"I think he's over here," JC called out in a voice that he hoped sounded normal. Adri walked to the gate and took in the slightly humorous scene. Even though he looked viscious, Lorenzo was a big baby. She walked just through the gate onto JC's back lawn.
"Lorenzo, front!" The dog instantly stopped growling and trotted over to Adri. "Stay," she told the dog before walking over toward JC. He was amazed that the dog listened to her.
"I'm really sorry. Lorenzo isn't usually like that. I guess the climate change is getting to him. I forgot to have someone fix that gate. I'm sorry if he caused any problems for you."
"Uh...don't worry about it. I'm JC by the way."
"How rude of me, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Adrianna Matthews."
"The skater," he asked as they shook hands.
"Yeah, that's me." They fell into an uneasy silence.
"So, um, would you like some help moving your stuff?"
"That would be great, JC." Adri turned to walk back to her new house. "Renzo, heel," she commanded and the dog followed.
"Joey would be cheering me on for this," JC thought with a smile. Adri was two or three inches shorter than JC with a very toned figure. He guessed that she didn't weigh anymore and 135 pounds soaking wet. Her thick chesnut colored hair just touched between her shoulder blades.
"Did you know the old owner of this house?"
"Mrs. Bannigan was a sweet old woman who always tried to fatten me up when I came back from the road. She died while I was away and I couldn't make it to the funeral."
"You probably know the layout of the house. You can help Dean place the furniture then." The mention of another man's name made JC slightly jealous and he couldn't understand why.
"Dean, I found someone to help you move stuff since you won't let me do it," Adri called out as they walked through the sliding glass doors and into the dining room.
"Boyfriend," JC asked before he could stop himself. "Please, tell me you aren't serious," she laughed. JC realized what she meant when they entered the living room and he saw a tall middle aged man with slightly greying hair.
"Dean Cantrell, meet JC..."
"Chasez, and it's nice to meet you, Mr. Cantrell."
"Please, call me Dean. Everyone else does," he said shaking JC's hand. "Would you mind helping me move this and put it together," Dean asked pointing at Adri's bed.
"Sure, just tell me what I need to do." The two men worked on the bed as Adri put her clothes away in the bureau and the closet. She left after getting in their way for the second time. Dean noticed that JC stared at the back of her figure as she left the room.
"Do your parents mind you being over here, kid" Dean asked as they put the mattress on the bed.
"You really don't know who I am? No, my parents don't mind because I don't live with them. I'm 24 and part of a vocal group better known as NSYNC. What's with the interrogation if you don't mind my asking?" Dean couldn't help but smile.
"Adri didn't really introduce me properly. By law, I'm her legal guardian, her father if you will. I think of her as my little girl and I noticed how you were watching her. I'm constantly looking out for her. She likes to call me over protective. There have been a few men in your age bracket who have tried to have a relationship with Adri's bank account instead of Adri. I see now that I was wrong in stereotyping you."
"I see where you're coming from, Dean. I've had it happen to me before." They heard a yell and then the sound of breaking glass and went to investigate.
"Adri?? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just...stuck." The two men walked into the dining room and saw Adri sitting amongst the shards of a few broken wineglasses she'd been trying to put in the hutch. She had Lorenzo by the collar and was holding him still.
"How on Earth did you manage that one, Adri," Dean asked laughing.
"I was standing on tip toe trying to put the glasses away when Renzo bumped into me. I think there were three casualties of war. Care to help me out of this mess, cause Renzo here is starting to squirm." Dean went to get a wet paper towel and JC picked up the dog and moved him.
"Damn Boy! For a scrawny guy you're strong. Should I start calling you the Amazing Ant Man?" They both laughed as they picked up the larger pieces of glass. Five minutes later, the mess had been cleaned and JC helped Adri place the rest of the china in the hutch.
"So what was it like working for the Mouse," she asked making JC smile. "I was wondering when you'd recognize me."
"Well I haven't watched tv for about six years, so I had to go on the accent and nickname alone. You were one of the cuter members, though Tony really rocked my world back then."
"I'll tell him you said that."
"I'm sure he'd be thrilled," she said sarcasticly. JC looked down at his watch then.
"Damn, I have to get going. I'm supposed to be throwing a party at my house in three hours and I haven't gotten anything ready."
"Would you like some help?"
"I have to go to the store and pick up a few groceries, but you are more than welcome to tag along."
"I'll go get my keys and stuff."
"I'm heading out for the night, Adri. Take care of yourself, little girl."
"I will. Have a safe trip back, okay? Call me when you get back home."
"I promise, Little One. Goodbye," he said hugging her tightly. "It was nice meeting you, JC. I'll see you in a few months. Take care of Adri for me. She needs to be relaxing."
"Ugh!! Dean...just go."
***************
Adri ended up driving her Wrangler to the store. JC stole glances at her every so often and, for reasons he didn't quite understand, found how she let her hand rest on the gear shift incredibly sexy.
"Stop ogling her, Chasez, you just met her," he thought.
"Okay, what are we here to get," Adri asked as they walked into the blessedly cool air conditioning of the store. "Let me guess, beer, chips, and maybe even something you can throw on a grill. Am I close?"
"You almost got it all," JC said laughing and getting a cart.
"Dean would not approve of the selection of beer you guys have. Other than the Sam Addams, he wouldn't touch any of it."
"What does he drink then?"
"Canadian beer...he is a strict Labatt Ice Brew type of guy."
"Well us Southern folk tend to lean towards Corona. Remind me to pick up some limes when we get to the produce section." Half an hour later, they had gotten everything they needed and were standing in a checkout line.
"Oh Look, JC, I made it into the National Enquirer. It seems that I have a heroin addiction that I didn't know about," she said reaching for the magazine. JC slapped her hand away.
"Just ignore it and maybe it will go away. They reported Justin and I having cocaine addictions last year. My mother hit the roof when she saw that one."
"I can just imagine. Why do you have to be addicted to something if you're famous? I always wondered that."
"Adri, it's Friday, stop being philosophical."
"It's not like I was looking for the meaning of life."
"That's it, Woman!! You're coming to the party and you're going to just let loose and have fun. Got it??" Adri saluted him and they both laughed as they collected the bags and waked back out to the Jeep with them. Tonight would be interesting to say the least.
