****
“How good is it going to feel to sleep in our own beds?” Justin asked the next night as they motored away from Atlanta.
“Do you really need an answer for that?” JC laughed. “I bet your mom is going nuts.”
“She is.” Justin laughed. “She made the girls finish their media tour alone.”
“The girls?” Sophie asked, running her fingers through Justin’s curls as he reclined on her.
“Yeah, my mom runs a girl group called Innosense. They’re in Europe now.”
“Those are the ones who only got into the group because they knew you guys right?”
“Sophie!” JC choked on a laugh.
“Oh come on, you know it’s true.” Dani added.
“Dani!” Chris said in the same tone as JC.
“Oh whatever.” Dani continued. “JC contributed Nikki, though God only knows why, probably because he can’t say no to a woman. Justin put in Fro-glow, I mean, Veronica when Britney said no. Lance got to have that weird little Mandy girl. You had Amanda, but AJ got those sloppy seconds and they added Jenny. So now of course, Trace had to run and scoop that up. Joey couldn’t let his first love go without a modicum of fame so he stuck Danay in there.” There was a stunned silence. “What? You didn’t think I actually liked those girls did you?”
“Wow, um, ok, Dani and I will be going to the front of the bus now. Come on dear.”
“This is what you get when you poke me in the face to wake me up.” Dani grumbled as Chris pulled her out of the back and closed the door behind them.
“That was, interesting.” Justin said softly.
“But true.” JC added, suppressing a smile.
“And they do work the connection like it’s nobody’s business.” Sophie said quickly. Justin flipped over.
“Ah ha! So you already know about Innosense!”
“Caught me.” Sophie giggled. “I was just making sure that those were the girls you meant.”
“Oh, what, and not just my roving harem?”
“How’d you guess?” Sophie said making a face at him.
“I’m just a genius I guess.” Justin said, turning back over with a satisfied grin.
“Yeah, guess again.” Joey snorted. JC and Sophie both looked at him wide eyed. “What? I can be a smart ass too ya know.” Then he smiled a big goofy grin and everybody laughed.
“Hey I just thought of something.” Justin said, turning over again.
“Sugar can you stop doing that, my shirt’s all in a twist.”
“Yes, and you’re way too close to her boobs.”
“Joey’s back.” JC quipped as he flipped through a magazine.
“Anyway,” Justin continued as the others laughed. “If we’re all going home, where are you going to stay Somine?”
“A hotel. The Omni, I think.”
“You’re staying in a hotel?” Joey asked.
“Yeah. I don’t mind.”
“But how are you going to get around?” Justin asked.
“There’s a car waiting for me.”
“But you don’t know Orlando.” Joey countered.
“I’m a fast study.” Sophie smirked. “Don’t worry about me guys, I’ll be fine. I don’t mind staying in the hotel at all.”
“Are you sure?” Justin said, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.
“Yes.”
“Because you could always come stay with one of us.” JC said finally.
“I would never want to impose.”
“You wouldn’t be, it’d be great to have you.” Joey insisted.
“Really guys. I should just stick to what’s been arranged.”
“Johnny won’t mind if you change your plans. He’s used to us doing it all the time.” Justin pushed.
“Guys, it’s very sweet of you all to offer, but I can’t. Now let’s just leave it at that ok?” Sophie answered a little stiffly.
“Ok.” Joey and Justin answered, Justin got up to go to the bathroom and Joey took the opportunity to lie next to Sophie and play with her dangling curls.
“The offer still stands.” JC said, his eyes locked on Sophie’s tight jaw.
“Thank you Sweets. Really.” Normal Sophie was back. “So what are ya’ll’s plans for tomorrow?”
“Sleep.” JC said with a big smile.
“I’m pry going to hang out with Steve and my old friends.” Joey answered.
“Do I get to meet Kelly?” Sophie asked.
“Sure. She probably won’t be around a lot though, my other friends don’t really like her much.”
“Why’s that?”
“She doesn’t like to party.”
“That’s it? That doesn’t seem like a very good reason.” Sophie said, reaching over to stroke his brow.
“I don’t know. I think they just think she’s wrong for me.”
“And what do you think?” Sophie asked softly. JC watched her every move, fascinated.
“I think that she’s stuck by me for a long time and that she’s a really great friend to me.”
“But is she a girlfriend Joey Beautiful?”
“Dani’s in rare form tonight.” Justin said, coming back into the area. “She just told Chris that he sheds more than Busta and Korea put together.”
“He should know better than to piss her off in the morning.” Joey answered. “She’s moodier than you when she wakes up.” He looked up at Sophie and winked as Justin resettled himself against Sophie’s body. She kissed the top of his head.
“I asked the others what they were going to do tomorrow Sugar.”
“I’ll just sleep and then go hang out with my old friends. You wanna come?”
“I’ll think about it. I was just going to wander around Orlando. Maybe take in a theme park.”
“May I recommend Disney?” JC said with a smile.
“You may.” Sophie laughed. “I hear they crank out some talented kids in that place.”
“Well, some more than others.”
“Oh?” Sophie raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, Kevin worked there too.” JC laughed.
“Aren’t you the one who’s always talking about how it’s a friendly competition?”
“And it is.” JC insisted with a grin. “And my friendly opinion is that….”
“Some one do something about my girlfriend.” Chris said as he threw open the door to the back.
“Oh, so now I’m just your girlfriend? I don’t even have a name anymore?” Dani yelled from the front. The other guys laughed.
“It’s your own fault man.” Justin laughed, shaking his head.
“Sofa-girl, please?”
“Yeah, I’ll talk her down. But for the love of God Bubbles,” Sophie said as she got up. “Don’t piss her off in the mornings ok?”
“Yes, I have learned my lesson, I swear.”
“Yeah whatever. Next time it’ll be Chinese water torture.” Dani yelled.
“Don’t give me ideas woman!” Chris yelled back.
“Oh no you didn’t!”
“Chris, get back there and close the door.” Sophie whispered hurriedly as she watched Dani get ready to pounce. “Hey Dilly, you want to play some video games?”
“Are there any where I get to kill boy band members?”
“I don’t think so. But I’ve always thought Bubbles looked kinda like Mario.”
“I heard that!” He shouted through the door.
“Good.”
“Why is everybody yelling?” Lance asked groggily as he stuck his head out of his bunk.
“Because I hate everyone today.” Dani said, almost smiling at her own bad attitude.
“Dilly’s in a bad mood. Sorry we woke you.” Sophie said with a shrug.
“It’s ok.” Lance said faintly. “Um, are you playing video games?”
“Yeah. The others are going to watch a movie in a little bit, if you want to go back with them.”
“I might.” He said, a small smile growing on his lips.
“Soph, get your gorgeous ass over here and watch me kill Mario with a mushroom man.”
“Coming Dilly.” Sophie laughed and walked to the front where Dani was trying very hard to be bad at playing the game, just so she could watch Mario shrivel up in a little ball and fall off the screen.
“What are you and Bubbles doing tomorrow?”
“What we always do. Sleep late, call up some of his friends, and just hang out.”
“Sounds like a nice day.” Sophie said, nudging Dani’s arm and forcing her to miss a chance at Mario’s death on the screen. Dani sighed.
“Yeah. We have a really great time just laying in bed….”
“Stop right there.” Sophie laughed.
“I meant just talking and making each other laugh, you sicko.”
“Oh, I’m the sicko? Aren’t you the one whose boyfriend had her panties on his head last night?”
“Details details.” Dani laughed. “But yeah, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.” This time Dani purposefully avoided a pit of lava.
“Even if you’re spending the whole day with Mario, I mean, Bubbles?” Sophie asked. Dani sighed, but smiled.
“Yeah. He’s not so bad.”
“That’s my Dilly.” Sophie said and gave Dani’s shoulder a squeeze.
“I’m glad you’re here Soph.”
“I am too. But if you don’t die soon, this could get very boring.”
“Here…. There’s a really cool ring of fire coming up. We’ll have Mario go out in a blaze of glory.”
“Awesome.” Sophie laughed. Lance watched the whole scene from his bunk, a smile still on his face. Maybe the ice princess was melting a little. “And how nice would it be to be the one warming her up.” With that thought in his head and a much bigger smile on his face, he hopped down to see what the guys were up to.