***
"We just wanna thank ya'll for comin out here tonight! You guys were great..we love you!" Ashlee shouted, wiping the sweat from her face with a towel.
The five girls joined hands as they prepared to bow, and Ashlee announced one last time, "We are Eternity!"
"Thanks ya'll!" Jordan smiled widely and waved at the crowd as she, along with her four bandmates, ran offstage.
"AGH! Finally we're done!" Tressa sank into a folding chair backstage, pushing her sweaty hair out of her face.
"I know it! I mean seriously, who knew that shoot would take all damn day? It's friggin hot out!" Rachel complained loudly, sitting down and resting her head in her arms.
"We knew it would take all day..they always do!" a familiar male voice chuckled.
Rachel raised her head from her folded arms and looked to see who made the comment. Her tired expression transformed into a smile when she saw Jc's chiseled face staring down at her sympathetically. "Yeah, well that information might have been helpful YESTERDAY!"
"But then we wouldn't be able to laugh at you today!" Chris said cheerfully, bounding into the room, the rest of the guys close behind him.
"Aww yeah good one..dumbass." Tressa grumbled, obviously tired from their long day.
"So..did anything funny happen during the taping? We wanna hear all about it." Justin grinned and plopped down next to Jordan and Leigh.
"You mean besides the fact that Rachel almost killed herself when she tripped over Ashlee's foot during 'Confessions of Love'? Or maybe when Jordan completely forgot the words to her solo during 'The Way We Like It'? Take your pick." Leigh said sarcastically.
"I did NOT forget the words...they just kinda...uh, slipped my mind." Jordan said sheepishly, her cheeks flushing in embarassment.
"Even I don't forget the words to my solos!" Joey laughed, teasing Jordan.
"Have you ever thought that's because you don't HAVE any?" Justin joked, looking at Joey's now flabergasted expression.
"So anyways, this is boring. I am tired, and sweaty. I feel gross...and this is the last night we have rehersal free before the summer tour starts. So let's do something, but nothing too exciting, cuz I am exhausted." Ashlee interruped before Joey could come up with a decent comeback for Justin.
"Yeah, I hear ya girl." Tressa mumbled, resting her head on the table.
"Alright, let's rent movies or something...we can swim, hang out, whatever." Lance suggested.
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, "Well where are we gonna do that? Only two of us have pools, so you guys pick where you want to hang out at." JC shrugged, glancing around. "It's either our house, or Jordan and Rachel's. Your call guys."
"I say Jordan's cuz they have more food usually, and it's closer." Joey mentioned happily.
"Food? Is that all you ever think about boy?" Tressa rolled her eyes before getting up and beginning to gather up her belongings. "Well, Jordan and Rachel's house it is. Give us some time to get our shit together, and we'll meet you guys there."
"Here, go grab some movies and let yourselves in...we'll be there in a few." Jordan said, digging through her purse and finally finding her keys, threw them to Justin.
"Aight. See ya in a few." Justin said, following the rest of the guys out of the room.
***
"Soooo, what's up with you and Jordan? Seriously...tell me what's goin on." Chris prodded as he climbed in the passenger seat of the Benz.
"Dude, I dunno. She's real emotional right now, but I don't know what it is. I care about her a lot, and so I am trying to figure out what's wrong...but she keeps saying she's fine." Justin blurted out, "Did I ever tell you about that night I went after her?"
"The fourth of July? Yeah...how she was really upset and stuff?" Chris replied.
"Well, did I tell you about the picture I found in her room?"
"Nope" Chris glanced at Justin curiously as they drove toward Jordan's home. Joey, Lance, and JC had offered to get the movies, and were going to meet everyone back at the house.
"Well, it is kinda bothering me...cuz the picture was of this man. His smile was so familiar...but I can't place where I have seen him before. Ya know?" Justin said, his eyes showing the confusion he felt.
"Huh? I am so lost. The picture was of a man? And it looked familiar?"
"Yeah! It was an older man, probably like in his early forties." Justin tried to explain the photo. "He was really tan, and he had this smile...that's what seems so familiar."
"How so?" Chris questioned, intrigued.
"It's hard to explain, he had dimples...and just his smile was so genuine...so familiar! Ugh! I just can't explain it..you would have to see the picture. Then you would get what I'm sayin. I just have this feeling that the man in that pic has something to do with her being so distant lately." Justin said, obviously frustrated.
"Oh, ok.." Chris trailed off, thinking as they pulled into Jordan and Rachel's driveway.
***
"Is that it dad? Did the penguin tell you to do it?" Joey recited along with Adam Sandler as Billy Madison blared from the television.
"UGH!" Jordan muttered under her breath. She glanced at JC and smiled, her hazel eyes glimmering mischeviously as she picked up a handful of popcorn that was in the bowl next to her on the couch.
Jordan tried not to giggle as she flung popcorn at Joey, and as he began looking around trying to see what was hitting him. Jordan and JC finally burst out laughing as Joey looked back at the couch to see where the flying objects had come from.
"Ohhh that's IT! You are so dead now!" Joey teased, getting to his feet.
"Yeah RIGHT!" Jordan squealed, standing up on the couch and hopping over the back of it, trying to stay away from Joey. She grabbed a pillow and flung it blindly, missing Joey and beaning Leigh in the back of the head.
"Oh, you hooch. Now you are so dead." Leigh giggled, flinging the pillow back at Jordan. The brunette saw it coming and ducked down, the pillow flying past her and clocking Justin in the face as he re-entered the living room.
"Hey, who did that?" he demanded, trying to keep his wide grin from spreading across his face. He looked at Jordan, who glanced back at him innocently.
Justin was just about ready to whip the pillow at Jordan when Lance interrupted. "Hey ya'll, can we just watch the rest of the movie?"
"Party pooper." Jordan pouted playfully, reclaiming her spot next to JC and her sister on the couch before continuing to watch the rest of the film in silence.
***
"No, it's like this!" Rachel rolled her eyes and redemonstrated the dance move she was showing Lance and Leigh. "FIRST you pat, then you wave. Duh Lance, it's like your signature move...you would think you could at least attempt to get it right!" she laughed before pushing the play button on the stereo once more.
JC, Chris, Tressa, Ashlee, Justin, and Joey were outside on the patio talking and laughing at Rachel through the glass doors. "She is sucha nut." Ashlee giggled, peering inside.
Rachel noticed the 'crowd' watching her, and she waved frantically. "Ohmygod! Are you guys from N Sync?" she shouted, running over to the glass doors and plastering her face against the clean glass. "Oh hey...do I have any boogers?" The blonde giggled, making a pig nose on the door.
"As a matter of fact, you have some of the nastiest nostrils I have ever seen in my life. What are you growing up there woman?" Chris said, opening the door and laughing.
"Hey have you guys seen my sister? I think she got abducted by an alien spaceship...or something like that." Rachel asked the group outside.
"Nah, we haven't seen her since the movie got over. She excused herself...and never came back. That was over twenty minutes ago." JC mentioned to Rachel.
"Dude, she pry just went to the bathroom and fell in. That happens to Joey all the time, right Joey?" Chris commented.
"Huh?" Joey, too busy staring at Rachel, wasn't paying attention to Chris' comments.
"Nevermind. I'll go look for her. Be right back guys...if I'm not back in ten minutes, send a search party." Chris walked back into the house, through the living room where Leigh and Lance were talking intently on the couch, and down the hall toward Jordan's room.
***
"Can I come in?" Chris' braided head peered slowly from behind the door.
His voice startled Jordan, and she almost dropped her photo album along with the letter she was holding in a trembling hand. "Uh..sure." She hurriedly wiped away her remaining tears, and closed the photo album quickly. In her hurry she dropped the letter on the floor as she got up to see what Chris wanted.
"So wasup girl? Wanna talk about it?" he stated, a look of concern in his brown eyes as he noticed Jordan's tear stained cheeks.
"Nah, I'm fine..." Jordan trailed off, glancing around the room, trying to avoid Chris' concerned gaze.
Chris sat down on the bed where Jordan had been sitting when he knocked. "Sit down...something's bothering you and I want you to tell me what it is." he said, the serious tone in his voice showing Jordan that he was worried about her.
"It's nothing, really!" Jordan protested as he tugged on her arm, pulling her down so she was sitting next to him on the edge of the bed.
"Spill it." he smiled, trying to reassure her that she could confide in him.
Jordan's eyes welled up with tears as she remembered the letter she had read prior to Chris' interruption. The words she had read over and over played on repeat in her mind as the tears flowed freely onto her cheeks.
"I know that this comes too late, and at one of the most inopportune times in your life...but I thought you should know that I love you...I always have. Please let me be a part of your life...I regret every moment that I missed...how can I ever make that up to you, and convince you how much I care?"