Izzy walked back to her bunk, she was so exhausted. It had been one of those long tiring days where she was running from the moment she got up till right then and all she wanted was some sleep. As she neared the bunks she smelt something a little funky but she figured it was Joey’s bunk. She pulled back the covers and slid in slowly. Her legs hit something cold and slimy and she screamed, jumping out of her bunk. Her legs were covered in huge, long, earthworms. Izzy literally flipped trying to get them all off of her. Joey ran back to see what was the matter and saw the worms on the floor, he jumped back a little,
“What the hell is going on?”
“Ask that fucking band mate of yours!” She yelled back at him and got the final worm off her leg and ran to the sink to wash her legs off. It still felt like they were crawling all over her legs. Joey saw her bunk as more worms fell out and he quickly grabbed a plastic bag. He began scooping the ones on the floor into it. Lance poked his head out of his bunk,
“What’s going on?”
“JC struck Izzy’s bed.” Joey replied.
“He’s so dead.” She muttered hopping up on the counter to get away from the worms, “That was completely gross.” Lance saw a worm almost drop on him and he ducked further into his bunk quickly,
“That’s really nasty.” Lance agreed,
“Izzy go sleep in my bunk.” Joey said and she shook her head,
“Joey, I don’t think I’ll be sleeping much. You two go to sleep, JC can clean this up at the next stop.” She sighed sitting down on Joey’s bunk and putting her head in her hands.
“And let all these little babies get into everyone else’s bunk? I think not.” Joey said still cleaning up the mess and Izzy blew out air,
“I’m gonna fucking kill him, Joey I swear to god, one of these days, he’s gonna go to far and I’m gonna kill him.”
“Iz.”
“I will be doing the world a fucking favor.”
“You asked for it. This is what you get for playing with C.”
“But it’s my bed! That’s like sacrilegious! He better pray that I’m in a better mood when I see him or I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
“Izzy-bell, everything is cleaned up. Just go in the back and chill for a little bit okay?”
“Is it safe to come out?” Lance called from his bunk and Joey carried the plastic bag up front,
“Yeah I got them all.” He said snickering a little as he tied up the bag tightly leaving it up front. Lance came out of his bunk and sat down with Izzy,
“You okay?” She leaned her head on his shoulder,
“No, I’m not.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders,
“You want to watch a movie or something?”
“You need to get some sleep.”
“It’s okay, I already got some sleep tonight, you on the other hand haven’t. So what do you say to that movie?”
“Okay.” She agreed and they went into the back. She settled into Lance’s arms and they watched, The Matrix. Lance quickly fell asleep but Izzy just couldn’t shake that feeling of the worms on her legs.
“Izzy! Can you come here?” Joey called to her and she half groaned as she got up. Joey was standing near all the guys talking. She slowly walked over,
“What’s up Joey?” She asked rubbing her eyes a little,
“You look like shit Iz. How ya feeling?” Joey said as she came up to him,
“Aw, did the bed bugs bite or did they just crawl?” JC said and broke down in laughter. Something in Izzy snapped and she whipped around and decked JC. All the guys jumped back and JC grabbed is left eye,
“Ow! Fucking bitch!” He shouted and Izzy turned to Joey,
“I’m feeling much better thanks.” She smiled and walked away from the group. The other three were already getting ice for JC’s eye and dragging him away from Izzy. Joey jogged over to her,
“Jesus, Iz what the hell were you thinking?” She turned around sharply,
“I don’t think well when I don’t get much sleep.” She took a deep breath, “He’s a fuck head Joey. He’s had that coming for a long time!”
“Do you know what you just did?”
“Something I’ve been dying to do ever since I met that guy?”
“Oh, God I just pray that he doesn’t sue you!”
“Trust me he won’t.” She said, “I’ve got too much on him for him to do so.” She crossed her arms. Joey rubbed his forehead,
“Look, just go and take the day off. Spend it as far away from JC as possible, get some sleep. I’ll call you later.”
“Joey, I don’t need the day off.”
“Izzy just take the fucking day off!” He yelled and she rolled her eyes,
“Fine, whatever.” She said and stalked off.
She walked into the arena around 7:30, there were tons of teenyboppers milling around. She smiled at all of them. The show was about to begin and she made her way backstage.
“Izzy!” Chris shouted when he saw her.
“Hey Chris.” She said non-chalantly walking over to him,
“Where have you been all day? God, Joey’s having a cow!” He ran up to her and grabbed her hand,
“Geez, Chris I’m fine! I went shopping and then went to the park. Sorry I’m a little late.” Chris began dragging her down the hall,
“A little late? You’re three hours late!”
“Two and a half.” She protested and Chris dragged her into the room holding the guys except for JC,
“Izzy!” They all cried when she entered the room,
“Hey guys, what’s going on?” Joey came over and hugged her tightly,
“Where the hell have you been?”
“I was at the park, sorry.” She shrugged, Joey let go of her and began to pace,
“You didn’t take your phone, you’re three hours late!!! I was so worried about you and all you have to say is that you’re sorry?!”
“Joseph, I think you need to calm down.” She said sternly,
“Calm down?! You waltz in here like nothing happened and you want me to calm down?! I didn’t know if you were mugged or hurt. We were all worried sick, I was this close to calling hospitals looking for you!”
“Joey, you’re the one who told me to take the day off! I went to cool off and it took a little longer than I expected. You’re not my father you know. I don’t have to run everything I do by you!” She said turning on her heel and walking out the door. Joey followed her,
“Izzy! Izzy! Come back here!”
“No, go away Joe!” She shouted over her shoulder. Joey ran up and grabbed her arm,
“I said come back here! I was talking to you!” Izzy kicked out and knocked Joey on his back. She sat down and pinned him to the ground,
“I’m not talking to you until you fucking calm down!” She pushed off of him and walked away.
“Izzy we’re not done here!”
“As of right now we are!” She yelled and Joey went after her, grabbed her around the waist throwing her over his shoulder. “Joseph! Put me down!”
“No, we’re going to talk and you’re going to stop being an impossible woman.”
“I’m not being impossible! You’re being a dictator!” She shouted at him. Joey carried her to an empty room and dumped her on a couch. He immediately close the door and locked it, standing in between her and the door.
“I am not being a dictator. I’m being someone who worries about someone who he cares a lot for!”
“I’m fine.” She said coldly and Joey sighed,
“Can’t you just see that I was worried? You weren’t in the best of moods when you left this morning.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Izzy I just was worried that’s all. I couldn’t reach you.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“I did just fine on my own for six years with out you looking after me Joey. I’m usually not the one who needs it.”
“But sometimes you do.” Izzy looked away from Joey knowing he was right and took a deep breath,
“I don’t know if I can handle him any more.”
“You can’t do what you did this morning ever again.”
“I can’t promise something like this morning won’t happen again.”
“Then something needs to be done.”
“Maybe I should just leave.” She said quietly,
“No, I refuse to let you run away from this.”
“Run away? Who said anything about running away?”
“Every time things get rough you high tail it. You never deal with your problems. You have no choice, I’m not letting you leave.”
“I face my problems.”
“Uh huh, which is why you came down here early when you got into a fight with Greg and why you’ve been threatening to go back to Edwards every time things don’t go your way around here.” Izzy looked down to the ground knowing that he was right, “Izzy baby, you have to deal with this. I can’t take it anymore; Justin, Chris and Lance can’t take it anymore. You and JC’s fighting is pulling us all in, causing us all to take sides. We’re caught between you two and we don’t want to take sides because we care for you both. You two need to figure out how to live with each other.”
“I didn’t know it was effecting everyone like that. I’m sorry.”
“That’s good, but you need to try something with JC.”
“Okay,” she agreed, “for you guys I will.”