***
"Hey wasup?" Justin plopped down on the couch next to Chris, who was engrossed in his Playstation game.
"Nothin. You just get up?" Chris asked noticing his friend's glazed over stare and the pillow crease on his flushed cheek.
Justin yawned slightly and rubbed his eyes. "Yep, I didn't realize I was so tired!" he laughed, his voice husky from sleeping. "Oh, hey...can I ask you something?" he frowned slightly, remembering Jordan's sharp remark from earlier.
"Um...yeah." the dark haired man mumbled, distracted as he furiously pushed the multicolored buttons on the controller.
"Ok..what did you and Jordan talk about that night we all were just hanging out?" Justin questioned. "Ya know, when I walked in on you two discussing something that looked important...what was she telling you?"
"Oh, nothing really." he shrugged, trying to downplay the seriousness Justin had given the situation. However, Chris knew full well that Jordan's problem was every bit as important as Justin made it out to be.
"Dude, I saw her face. She was really upset...it wasn't nothing." Justin tried to explain. "I'm not stupid you know."
Chris looked at Justin, sensing that the curly blonde knew more than he was letting on. "Why so nosy all of a sudden?" he joked, trying to ease the tension of the conversation.
"Oh Chris..come ON! You know full well why I am pushing you for information." he said, sighing with obvious frustration.
"No, no I don't. But do tell...I'm very curious as to why you decided to harass me!" Chris laughed, attempting to lighten the mood once more.
"Well, it's like this. I care about Jordan...a lot. I thought I had made that very clear to her, but she obviously finds you MUCH easier to confide in..." Justin tried to contain his jealousy and growing frustration as Chris' expression filled with concern.
"Whoa! Hold up." Chris tried to interrupt.
"No..just forget it." Justin walked back to his bunk and crawled in, shutting the curtains before Chris could reply.
'I just wish I could let Jordan know that I am here for her. After reading that letter, I can imagine why she has been so out of it lately...I just wish she felt that she could trust me. She doesn't seem to want me involved...it's obvious after what she said today.' he ran his hand through his tangled mess of curls as he lay there. Shaking his head, he fought to hold back tears of frustration. Turning onto his side, he pushed thoughts of the tanned brunette's infectious dimpled grin out of his mind. 'Maybe JC was right...' was the last thing to cross his mind as he fell into a restless sleep.
***
"Jordan?"
The brunette rolled onto her side, struggling to open her eyes. "What?" she mumbled, still not fully awake.
"We're here."
"We're where?" she said slowly, trying to remember where she was as her eyes focused on the figure holding the curtain of her bunk open.
"Dallas." Leigh said patiently, recalling how her best friend wasn't exactly easy to rouse from a deep sleep. "You need to get up...you won't believe the crowd...and you can sleep when we get inside our hotel."
"Mmmm...kay." Jordan said huskily, moving her tall frame slowly out of her bunk. Tressa brushed past, bumping her as she began pulling on a sweatshirt over her tank top. "Watch where you're going." Jordan muttered, still angry and hurt by Tressa's cutting comments from that morning.
"Jordan, please.." Leigh said, her eyes pleading with her friend.
"How can you possibly expect me to be friendly after the things she said to me?!" she replied, exasperated.
"Just try to be civil...what will the fans think?"
"Oh, I'll be civil alright." Jordan commented under her breath as she grabbed her black backpack and followed Leigh to the front of the bus.
"Well slap me silly and call me a Backstreet Boy!" Rachel giggled as she pointed to the massive crowd waiting outside their hotel. "Can you believe it?!"
"We are so loved." Tressa said dryly, although deep down loving the attention they were getting as they waved to the crowds from the bus.
Jordan and Leigh sat patiently on the couch near the front of the bus as Rachel, Ashlee, and Tressa hovered near the door, waving at fans. "Hey girl...can I ask you something...ya know, without you like eating me alive?"
"Yeah sure." Jordan shrugged, looking Leigh in the eyes.
"Why are you so angry with Justin? You haven't talked to him since that night after the Disney Special. And what's this about a letter?"
"The letter is something that was really private...and Justin read it. He was sticking his nose where it didn't belong, and it upset me." the brunette explained simply.
"Upset you enough that you won't even give him the time of day?" Leigh's eyes searched her friend's expressionless face for any hint of emotion. "You know, he was really starting to fall for you. I could see it in his eyes. Which by the way...I can still see...but I can also see the hurt starting to take over when you won't acknowledge him."
Jordan looked down at her hands, knowing her friend was right. She was about to reply when the head of their security, Lonnie, stepped on board to escort them into the hotel lobby. Leigh watched Jordan grab her belongings and walk down the stairs of the bus. 'I've got to talk to Justin..' Leigh thought as she grabbed her own things and made her way off the bus and into the hotel behind the other girls.
***
"Ohmygod, it's N Sync!!"
"Rachel!!!!"
"JC!!!! I love you!"
"We love you Eternity!"
Hysterical screaming filled the lobby as N Sync, followed by Eternity, entered the hotel. Leigh quickly approached Justin and pulled him toward her. "Hey...if you really want to know what's up with Jordan...she's pissed at you because you read that letter." she said, looking up at him.
Justin's face went from smiling to concerned in a matter of seconds. "What?! She knows?" he inquired, glancing over his shoulder at Jordan, who was posing with her sister and a fan for a picture.
"Yeah. Tressa mentioned it...well, more like screamed it at her today."
"Oh man." Justin shook his head as his eyes filled with worry. "I've really gotta talk to her...explain some things. That is, if she'll even listen to me."
Leigh looked at him, "You can try.." she trailed off as Justin said thanks and strided across the room toward Jordan.
"Oh great.." Jordan mumbled under her breath as she noticed Justin with a concerned look on his handsome face walking toward her. As he approached, a large group of guys about 18 years old surrounded Jordan. 'Saved.' Jordan thought, relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with Justin right then. When he saw the fans that had approached her, Justin stopped short, a hint of jealousy showing in his tired blue eyes.
"Hey Jordan! Can we get a picture?" a tan blonde guy with a backwards hat asked.
"Sure!" she said, smiling sweetly and making sure Justin saw as she pulled the good looking fan in close for the photo.
Justin stood there staring at Jordan as she smiled and talked animatedly with her admirer.
"You're so amazing...and so nice in person! I love your cd." the blonde said to Jordan, smiling broadly at her. "Oh, my name's Andrew by the way."
"Nice to meet you Andrew! That's so sweet of you to say. But I gotta get going..." she gestured as the rest of Eternity began walking toward the elevator. "My friends are leaving me! But thanks for supporting us...we appreciate it." she laughed, leaning in to kiss him gently on the cheek.
Justin felt a pang of jealousy as Jordan's lips brushed the blonde's cheek, her eyes meeting Justin's intense stare. 'I can't believe her!' he thought as he turned sharply and began walking away from her toward the elevator.
Jordan watched Justin walk away, obviously hurt by the affection she had shown her fan. She pushed the guilt out of her thoughts and rationalized her actions. 'He hurt me...so I hurt him...that's just the way it is.' she shrugged, and waving goodbye to Andrew and his friends, walked toward the elevator.
***