"Jacqueline, I don't care if he wants to meet me. I'm not coming. You know I have to work!" Serenity sighed. She hoped Jacqueline would believe her this time, and she wouldn't actually have to call her brother in to really work. This was her hard-earned vacation, and she wanted to spend it away from everyone and everything, NOT hanging out in boy band land.
"Work, my ass. I called Adrian. He told me you guys were scheduled to go on vacation for two weeks, starting tomorrow. You're free; come visit."
Serenity sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Jacs, I . . . " Serenity started.
"Look, I know you want to spend your vacation alone," Jacqueline interjected. "But you've got two weeks. Can't you spend a few days here?" Serenity closed her eyes and presently Jacqueline heard a thumping on the other end of the line. "Ren, stop hitting your head against the wall!" Jacqueline said, exasperated.
"I'm not hitting the wall, Jacs. I'm hitting the keyboard," Serenity said, still headbutting her laptop's keyboard.
Jacqueline rolled her eyes and smirked. "All right then, smartass. Come visit. Your keyboard will thank you."
Serenity glared at the phone and sighed. "I . . . uh . . . um . . . urgh! All right! But only a few days. Got it!?!"
"Fabulous! So I'll expect you in a few days?" Jacqueline said, hoping she could get Serenity to visit when the boys were at home.
"No, I want my vacation first. How does next week sound?" Serenity said, bound and determined to have HER vacation.
"But you said . . ." Jacqueline started, beginning to panic.
"I said I'll visit, but I didn't say when. I figure I'll get at least a week to myself before I visit you and that pixie stick fiend you call a boyfriend," Serenity said, cutting her off.
"HEY! I told you he's working on that!" Jacqueline replied, shocked.
"Working on it, my butt! Last time I talked to you I heard him running around acting like Cornholio!" Serenity said, smiling.
"Urgh! I told you that was Justin!" Jacqueline said, trying to save face for her boyfriend.
"Uh-huh, sure it was. And I'm a blonde!" Serenity shot back.
"It was. Seriously!" Jacqueline said, still trying to save face. Serenity just shook her brunette head and rolled her eyes, even though Jacqueline couldn't see. "Stop rolling your eyes, Ren," Jacqueline said, intuitively.
"I'm starting to rub off on you, aren't I?" Serenity joked. "God help us all if I am!" Jacqueline laughed. "Hey! I like being me; it's an adventure!" Serenity said in mock defense.
"Yea, an adventure in psychoticness!" Jacqueline shot back.
"Funny. HAHA. So, I'll see you in a week?" Serenity said, trying to change the subject.
Jacqueline sighed. "Are you sure you can't come any earlier?"
"No, why?" Serenity said, curious.
"Well, the boys have to leave in a week, and Chris really wants to meet you. That's all," Jacqueline said, hoping Serenity would give in and come earlier.
Serenity smirked. "Oh, fiddlesticks!" she said sarcastically.
"Serenity . . . " Jacqueline started to whine.
"NO," Serenity said firmly.
"All right. A week it is, then," Jacqueline said, defeated.
Serenity sat back and sighed. "How am I ever going to get out of this?"
She sat back and looked around her office. It was set in a back corner of her photography studio in Raleigh, NC. As she looked around her office, her eyes fell on a photo in an old, silver frame. As she picked it up, here eyes grazed over the picture. It was a family, her family. Her eyes finally stopped on a young, dark-haired boy about five, and darkened.
"Where are you?" she thought sadly.
Jacqueline flopped on the couch. "So, is she coming?" Chris asked as he all but pounced on her.
"Well, yes and no," she said, trying to break it to him easy that once again, he wasn't going to get to meet her beloved Serenity.
A confused look passed over Chris' puppy dog face. "What do you mean, yes and no?" he pouted.
"Well, what I mean is," Jacqueline sighed and broke the news all in one breath. "She's coming, but it's not until next week, and you're going to be in New York recording by then."
"Oh, is that so?" Chris asked as a wicked grin spread across his face.