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*Disclaimer - I do not own any members of the group 'N Sync, nor would I ever want to (come on...get real.. Would you want the responsibility of keeping the five of those guys entertained for any amount of time?) they belong to their respective owners *is feeling like she's talking about a rump roast or something* and will remain there. I do, however, own all fictional characters such as Mike, Ashley, Devon, and so on and so forth. Just a reminder folks, plagiarism is against the law, so please don't do it. Thanks.. and enjoy.
Justin, JC, Lance, Chris and Joe all stood in the hallway backstage, waiting to go on and wow the crowd that had come out to see them. Their concert had been sold out for months, something they weren't used to in the United States, but it was a welcome change. The guys stood in a circle, heads bowed in silence giving their thanks and prayers to whomever they wished. It was nearly Christmas, and though it was extremely hard for them to be away from their families, they wanted this so they refused to complain too much.
"All right, who's got the hack?" Joe questioned, breaking the silence. Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bean filled hacky-sack. He tossed it into the air which started the short game of hack before the concert started. Tradition. They always followed tradition. The hack landed in front of Justin, who wasn't paying close attention to what he was doing. Instead he was flirting with one of the girls who had come backstage to interview the group for her school newspaper.
"Justin, pay attention! That was all you!" Lance admonished loudly.
"Uh, sorry." Justin flushed as he picked the hack up to toss it to JC. The game lasted about five minutes before their tour manager walked over to them, holding his ever present clipboard.
"Okay guys, just a last minute reminder on a few things. We are in Denver, Colorado. Lance, don't do that flip, you were pretty weak on it today in rehearsal, we don't need you to hurt yourself. JC, you'll be doing the flip instead. Chris, smile for cryin out loud, you're supposed to be having fun, remember? Joe, enough flirting with the girls in the front row, you need to pay attention to keeping up with the choreography. Justin, you feeling okay? Throat still hurt?" he questioned not taking his eyes off his clipboard.
"I'm fine." Justin replied distractedly.
"All right then, let's go." Steven said with a smile. "Good luck out there."
The guys jogged to the side entrance of the stage and waited a minute, then ran out on stage. Screams erupted from everywhere, deafening the guys briefly as they grabbed their microphones.
"Good evening Denver! How're y'all feeling tonight?" Joe yelled into his mike walking from one side of the stage to the other. He was answered with a loud chorus of screams.
"Maybe y'all know this first one, and if you do, you know what to do....." Lance yelled, laughter filling his voice as Justin took center stage, and the others took their marks.
"You're all I ever wanted....." Justin sang with a smile. The crowd roared its approval.
"You're all I ever needed....." Justin had competition with the crowd, who sang along with the group.
"So tell me what to do now, cause...."
"I..."
"I..."
"I..."
"I..."
"I..."
"I want you back....." the guys sang then broke out into the choreographed dance routine made for the song. The crowd sang and danced along, keeping in time with the guys.
"Thank you for coming out tonight, we had a great time! My name's Joey." Joe yelled into the mike as he walked to stand next to Lance.
"I would like to thank you for coming out tonight in this weather. I'm Lance, goodnight." Lance said stepping forward, then he walked to stand next to Joe.
"Denver, you've been great to us, thank you. My name's Justin. Peace." Justin smiled into the mike then walked to stand next to Lance.
"Hey everybody, I hope you had a great time, cause we had a blast. Thank you once again, I'm Chris." Chris waved to the crowd then stood next to Justin.
"What's up y'all? Did you have a good time?" JC yelled to the crowd. He was met with piercing screams. "That's what I like to hear. Drive safely everyone, and have a great Holiday season! I'm JC. Goodnight!" JC yelled into the mike. All five men stood side by side, then joined hands and took their final bow before heading to the dressing room backstage. The guys burst into the quiet room and flopped down on every piece of furniture available. A few fans were lingering about, hoping to meet and talk with the guy of their choice.
"That was a kick ass concert." Justin said, his voice horse from all the singing he had done.
"We did do a good job tonight, didn't we?" Joe replied smiling as he mopped his face with a towel. Steven walked into the room, his ear glued to his cellular phone, talking animatedly his clipboard long forgotten.
A young girl walked over to JC and smiled shyly. JC smiled back, resting a towel on his shoulder.
"Hi there sweetheart." he said as the girl just looked at him with awe.
"Hi. I just wanted to tell you that I think you have the most beautiful voice I've ever heard." she breathed.
"Well, thank you very much. What's your name?" JC smiled sitting up as Justin sat next to him.
"Marguerite, but everybody calls me Margo." she answered shyly gazing over at Justin.
"Margo, let me see that CD you're holding and I'll get the guys to sign it for ya." JC replied holding his hand out. Margo handed him the Christmas CD they had just put out a month earlier with a huge smile. He grabbed a pen from the table beside the couch, signed his name then passed the CD cover over to Justin who did the same.
"Hey guys, come over her for a second." JC called to the remaining men in the group. Joe, Chris and Lance slowly made their way to the couch and smiled at the young girl.
"This is Margo, she'd like you to autograph her CD." JC introduced her to them.
"Hi Margo." they chorused then each took their turn signing the cover.
Lance handed it back to her with a smile. "I hope you enjoyed the concert."
"Oh, I did! You guys are great, no matter what my older sister says about you!" Margo exclaimed, nodding her head vigorously.
"Yeah? And what does your sister say about us?" Justin laughed shaking his head.
"She just says that you guys are a bunch of pretty boys that won't last very long. She also says that you're all suffering from New Kids on the Block syndrome and need to be taken care of immediately." Margo sighed rolling her eyes.
"Tell her thanks for her concern, but we'll be all right." Justin laughed as he climbed to his feet.
"Margo, let's go! The roads are starting to look bad!" a young man yelled from the doorway. Margo glanced over her shoulder then looked back at the guys.
"That's my brother, thanks for signing my CD." she stated with a smile.
"No problem, have a safe trip home." JC smiled then the young girl ran over to her older brother exclaiming that she gotten all of their autographs. Her brother nodded and told her how cool that was, even though he might have thought 'N Sync was a joke, he was happy for his little sister. They disappeared out the door and headed to the parking lot.
"I wonder where they ladies are." Joe sighed, reminding everyone that Ashley, Michaela, Devon and Rachel were supposed to meet them at the venue tonight for the concert.
"Maybe their running late. It is snowing pretty bad out there." Justin shrugged as he opened a bottle of water. Joe nodded, beginning to worry just a little bit. Justin was the only one who wasn't attached to a girl at the moment, though he had formed a strong friendship with Mike and Ashley, he didn't have a girlfriend per say.
"I think I pulled a muscle in that flip during 'Tearing'." Chris mumbled rubbing his lower back with his hands.
"You should have the trainer take a look at it in the morning." JC told him as he grabbed a bottled water out of the mini-fridge.
"Uh, guys, I have something to tell you." Steven said walking over to them, his face slightly pale.
"What's up? Someone get hurt during the show?" Joe questioned filling a glass with iced tea.
"Something like that. I just got off the phone with Rachel. Something happened." Steven continued.
"Okay, now I'm worried. What's going on?" JC stated leaning back against the wall.
"She's at the hospital." Steven told them, still putting off the really bad news.
"What?! Is she all right?" Lance demanded loudly, his eyes filled with concern and fear.
"She's fine, yes." Steven nodded, not meeting any of their eyes.
"Thank God." Lance breathed a sigh of relief.
"What are you putting off? What aren't you telling us?" JC questioned, hoping what he was thinking wasn't about to be confirmed.
"There was an accident. Just not involving Rachel. She was in the other car. Mike was driving the first car, Rachel was behind her in the second. Ashley and Devon were with Mike. The three are in the hospital. Mike was driving and all three are in the hospital. From what Rachel saw, a car came out of nowhere, and Mike tried to swerve and slid on black ice. They rolled over a few times then hit a tree. I'm sorry guys." Steven told them softly.
".....rolled over a few times then hit a tree. I'm sorry guys." Steven told them softly.
Joe dropped the glass he was holding, closing his eyes against the jolting pain in his heart. Oh, God, please not Ash. Please don't let her be...please no. Joe sat down heavily and rested his head in his hands. This can't be happening. Not to Ashley, she's getting her life together and was doing so well in her pre-med classes. God, I love her so damn much. Please let her be all right.
"....should go to the hospital." Steven was saying when Joe looked up, tears filling his brown eyes. I love her more than anything. She understands me. God, why her? Why her? She doesn't deserve this! Damn it, she doesn't deserve this! Joe buried his face in his hands as tears silently slipped down his cheeks.
"Ashley, Mike and Devon are in the Intensive Care Unit. Other than that, I don't know." Steven shrugged, giving each of the young men sympathetic gazes. You were out there singing and having a good time while your girlfriend was sitting in a wreck, possibly bleeding to death. You should have been with her. Joe's body shook slightly with his silent cries. I can't live without her. I don't want to live without her. None of this means a damn thing without her support, without her love, without her anger. Without her.
Lance walked over to him and rested his hand on Joe's shoulder, silently comforting him. Joe stood up suddenly and rushed from the room. He walked to the locker room and stripped down then stood under the hot spray of the shower. He had to shower and get dressed then get to the hospital. He refused to let Ash go through this alone. He still remembered the first time he saw her. It was at the local hospital in Orlando where she was working part time for part of her classes in pre-med. She had already passed her Certified Nurse's Assistant exam, so she was allowed to work with some of the patients. That was how he met her.
"Chris, I swear you do the dumbest things sometimes. The next time you want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, leave me out of it!" Joe yelled with a good-natured smile as JC and Justin helped Joe hobble into the hospital.
"Joe, you were the one who wanted to go sky diving." Lance reminded laughing as he shook his head.
"Shut up Lance. No one needs to know the details!" Joe grumbled as he sat heavily on a chair in the waiting room. Lance laughed as he walked over to the nurse's station to get the required paper work.
"Joe, just calm down. Your anger is only going to worsen the pain." JC admonished.
"Gee, thanks dad. I'll keep that in mind the next time I let you guys talk me into jumping out of an airplane." Joe replied sarcastically and winced when Justin accidentally bumped into his wounded leg.
"Watch it, blondie!" he growled.
"Sorry, man." Justin replied taking a seat next to an elderly woman who had a terrible cough.
"Here, fill these out." Lance told Joe, shoving a clipboard in his face. He looked at the seven pages with a look of astonishment.
"You can't be serious. What do they want me to do? Write my whole life story?" Joe demanded snatching the pen Lance held out to him.
"Just do it Superdork." Lance sighed rolling his eyes.
"I wouldn't talk Poofoo." Joe grinned as he got to work on the papers. Twenty minutes later he tossed the clipboard onto the table in front of him then folded his arms over his chest. Lance grabbed the paper work then walked back over to the nurse's station to give it to the admitting staff. JC and Chris flipped through old magazines while Joe, Justin and Lance watched a rerun of an eighty's sitcom.
"When are they going to see me? Its been almost a half an hour." Joe questioned with a sigh.
"Patience is a virtue, Joe." JC mumbled distractedly.
"Oh, shut up JC. Who the hell asked you anyway?" Joe snapped with aggravation as he eyed the soda sitting on the table with interest. He slowly and painfully climbed to his feet.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Chris demanded looking up from the article he was reading.
"I'm going to get a soda. Why do you ask?" Joe questioned wincing in pain.
"Sit your ass down. I'll go get you one. What do you want?" Chris scolded as he stood up.
"Um... a Dr. Pepper." Joe said as he dropped back into the chair. Chris nodded and turned to walk to the room where all the vending machines were located.
"No wait, make that a Mountain Dew." Joe called. Chris nodded and turned around again.
"On second thought, I think I want Pepsi." Joe smiled.
"Joe, make up your mind before I get it into my head to sprain your other ankle." Chris practically yelled.
"Fine! Get me a friggen Dr. Pepper then!" Joe countered hotly. Chris threw his hands up into the air as he walked away. He came back moments later with a can of Dr. Pepper and tossed it to Joe with a glare.
"Thank you." Joe mumbled as he popped the top.
"Joseph Fatone?" a young man questioned loudly.
"That would be me." Joe replied standing up, careful not to put any undue pressure on his hurt ankle.
"Follow me, please." the young man stated then started down a long corridor. Joe hobbled behind him as fast as he could. They finally reached a small, blinding white room.
"Have a seat, a nurse will be right with you." the man said then left Joe alone in the room. Joe sat down on the examining table and looked around. He had been in and out of hospitals throughout his childhood, but he never really liked the place. He started humming to himself to fill the silence and keep himself occupied and away from boredom. He smiled when he saw the bed on the other side of the room and decided to hobble over it. Joe sprawled out on the bed then grabbed the remote control and started pressing buttons.
"Bed goes up....," he said softly to himself as the bed rose so he was in a sitting position. "Bed goes down....," as the bed shifted so he was flat on his back. "Bed goes up..."
"Having fun Mr. Fatone?" a female voice questioned with amusement. Joe looked up startled and grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry." he mumbled a slight blush tinging his cheeks.
"My name is Ashley." she stated briskly as she looked at his chart. "And you have a sprain?"
"I'm not sure. I've had sprains before, and this just doesn't feel like a sprain." Joe shook his head.
"Okay, let me get a wheel chair and I'll take you down to ex-ray then." she sighed then left the room only to return a few minutes later with a wheel chair in tow. Joe hobbled over to the chair and sat heavily in it. Ashley then took him down the hall and around the corner to ex-ray. She left him to wait for the people in ex-ray to do their job, though he had to wait almost a full hour before they wheeled him in to take the ex-rays. Finally he was wheeled back to the examining room he was originally put in where he waited another twenty minutes before Ashley walked back into the room.
"Well Mr. Fatone, you were right. You have a hairline fracture in your right ankle." Ashley told him, as she looked down at his chart. "Do you want a soft cast or a hard cast?"
"Soft cast would be nice." Joe stated with a hint of aggravation. Ashley nodded as she pulled out a plastic looking brace. She grabbed his ankle and began fitting him for the right size.
"All right Nurse Hatchet, can you be a little gentler please?" Joe demanded through clenched teeth.
"Forgotten my name already?" Ashley inquired raising an eyebrow. Joe shook his head, refusing to open his mouth in fear of making her angry enough to hurt him in a more serious manner. She adjusted the soft cast then put it on his right ankle.
"All right, if you feel some pain, just put some air into the side pockets. That should relieve the pressure a little bit. I suggest you walk around with crutches for a week or so, then you can try and get along without them. Leave the soft cast on for at least three weeks. Any less than that and you'll likely case more damage then necessary. You're set to go." Ashley explained to him as she handed him a pair of crutches.
"Oh thank you so much for you hospitality Miss Hatchet. You truly are a Nightingale, no matter what anyone else says about you." Joe replied sarcastically as he snatched the crutches and climbed to his feet gingerly.
"Have a nice day Mr. Fatone." Ashley snapped sweetly then walked briskly from the room.
Joe stepped from the shower and dried off quickly. He dressed in the clothes that he had put in the locker room before the show. His heart was still hammering in his chest and he swore he thought it was going to jump out at any second. This was all just too much. He needed Ashley like he had needed no other woman. She made him a better person somehow. She meant the world to him.
"Joe, you okay?" Justin questioned knocking on the door.
"Oh yeah, I'm doing swell, Justin. How the hell do you think I'm doing. My girlfriend was in a car accident and now in ICU." Joe snapped angrily then sighed. "I'm sorry, J."
"It's all right. I can't say I know how you feel, but I do know that you're worried out of your skull." Justin shrugged as he stepped into the room.
"I love her so damn much, Justin. And I can't lose her." Joe shook his head as tears sprung to his eyes again.
"I'm sure she'll be fine." Justin told him softly as he took a seat next to his friend.
"I hope so." Joe whispered, closing his eyes.
"....rolled over a few times and hit a tree. I'm sorry guys." Steven told them softly.
"No way." Chris shook his head. "This can't be happening."
"After you guys shower, you should go to the hospital." Steven replied shaking his head sadly. Chris paced the room, his hands resting on the back of his head. This can't be happening. Not when I just found her. Damn it, this isn't happening!
"Ashley, Mike and Devon are in the Intensive Care Unit. Other than that, I don't know." Steven shrugged, giving each of the young men sympathetic gazes. Chris clenched his fist, hitting the side of his leg hard enough to leave bruises. This isn't happening. It's all just a bad dream. A nightmare. Chris rubbed his face tiredly as he turned his back on everyone in the room. He needed some fresh air, so he grabbed his coat and headed for the door. A body guard discreetly followed him, remaining six feet behind the young man in turmoil. This had to happen just after we got over that fiery fight we had that lasted weeks. We just made up and things were starting to get back to normal. Life sucks sometimes. Chris sighed kicking the newly fallen snow with the toe of his hiking boot.
He and Devon had been together for two years now, and he loved her with such intensity that he was going to ask her to marry him on New Years Eve. Now she's lying in the hospital and I don't even know if she's okay. She has to be okay. I don't know what I'll do if she's not. God, please let her pull through this. I need her like the air I breathe, the food I eat. I can't lose her. Do you her me? I can't lose her. I won't let you take her from me! Chris took a deep breath as he gazed up at the starlit sky. The most important thing for him to do was get to Dev as fast as he could without endangering himself in the process. Steven had mentioned something about a van waiting to take them to the hospital in a half an hour. Half an hour is a lifetime away.
Chris shook his head, trying to clear away the morbid thoughts that had overcome him. He swiped at the tears that fell down his cheeks. He hadn't even realized he'd been crying.
"Chris, why don't you come inside and get cleaned up." Lance said softly from behind him. Chris glanced over his shoulder at his younger friend. Lance looked on with sympathy at Chris's red rimmed eyes, and shivering body.
"She's going to be all right, you have to believe that." Lance told him as he walked over to where he was standing.
"That's what I keep telling myself." Chris sighed shaking his head. He smiled ruefully when he thought of how he and Devon had met. You never would have guessed the two of them would end up together. She hated him in the beginning for his childish humor and cocky attitude, then later loved him for the same traits.
The record store was huge, bigger than the ones he had seen in Europe and was called Empire, which reminded him of the hit movie that he found humorous. The group was at the record store in Orlando to promote their debut album, signing autographs and such. Not too many people knew of them, but there was enough to make a good turnout. He was early, showing up before any of the other members, so he wandered around the store looking at everything.
"Can I help you with anything?" some asked from behind him.
"No thanks, just browsing." Chris replied with a smile. He turned back to the racks of vinyl records that happened to be one of his great loves. He flipped through each record in each bin, taking his time.
"Tim, you don't understand, we have some pretty boy wannabe musicians showing up today to sign autographs for all their pre-adolescent fans. You have to stay, I can't do this alone!" a young woman pleaded blocking the front door.
"Then you tell that sorry excuse for a music 'specialist' to get outta here before I rip his throat out of his neck!" shouted an irate Tim. Chris looked on with amusement.
"He has to be here, he's doing some sort of inventory on how well this group sells. Please Tim, what do you want me to do? Get down on my knees and beg? I need you here. Terry called in sick and Mark refuses to show up for the singing brats. Tim, come on Tim. You know you love me and I know you don't want me to go crazy over a bunch of kids who want to sing for a living." the young woman pleaded desperately.
"If I stay today, I get the weekend off." Tim folded his arms across his chest.
"Done!" she cried with a smile as Chris walked over to the two.
"Can I help you?" she asked when she saw Chris approaching them.
"Morning, I'm Chris Kirkpatrick." he introduced himself.
"And this is supposed to mean to me what? You want a job or something?" she snapped irritably.
"No, I believe I'm one of the 'pretty boy wannabe musicians' that you were just talking about." Chris grinned sarcastically.
"Oh Christ, this is all I need right now." she sighed then composed herself. "Devon Summers, I own this store. You're early."
"And you're rude." Chris countered in a polite tone of voice.
"Is that so? Believe me, you won't know rude until later on this morning when this place is crawling with ten year olds who are screaming at the top of their lungs for the next boy band singing sensation." Devon ground out before she stalked to the back room. Chris followed her with an amused smile on his lips. This was definitely going to be an interesting morning. Her office was cramped with hundreds of promotional posters and stands with a few boxes of tapes, records, and Cds.
"What are you doing back here?" Devon demanded as she picked up the phone and dialed a number. Someone answered and all she said into the phone before hanging up was 'get your ass here now'. She looked at Chris expectantly.
"I followed you. I thought it would be a good idea if I found out how things were going to be set up and all." Chris shrugged trying to keep the amusement from his voice, though it was an unsuccessful attempt.
"A big table will be set up near the front door. That's it. Have fun now." Devon smiled tightly then sat down behind her desk and looked through some papers.
"Boy, I think I'm gonna enter you in the 'nicest and most helpful person in the world' contest. You'd be a sure win." Chris snorted as he headed for the door.
"Don't let the door hit you in the rear on your way out!" she called, her lips twitching with humor. Chris sighed shaking his head as he made his way back to the front of the store. Some women just baffled the hell out of him, even growing up with sisters didn't help out in that category. He noticed the more he thought he knew about women, the less he actually knew.
"You'll have to forgive her, she gets this way no matter who's coming here to do promotional things." Tim stated with a smile as Chris watched a young couple walk inside.
"I kinda figured. That woman just needs to learn how to relax. She reminds me too much of a friend of mine." Chris shook his head with amusement. Devon rushed out of the backroom, looking down at her watch and didn't see Chris standing with Tim in one of the isles, and coincidentally, ran right into him.
"Watch it!" she cried, dropping the stack of papers she was carrying under one arm to grab a hold of Chris so she wouldn't topple over. Chris's arms instantly circled her waist to keep her from knocking him over in the process of trying to regain her balance. Devon glared up at Chris, fire in her eyes.
"Get your hands off me." she demanded through gritted teeth.
"Hey princess, if I remember correctly, you grabbed me, not the other way around." Chris smiled down at the girl. She had the most amazing eyes.
"I don't care whom grabbed whom first, the point is you still have your hands on me!" Devon practically yelled in his face. Chris suddenly let go, and being that she hadn't gotten her balance back yet, she toppled over onto her rear end.
"Why you... you.. cad!" she cried out with the indignity of it all.
"First she tells me to get my hands off her, then she yells at me because I did exactly as I was told. I give up, lady." Chris threw his hands into the air as he walked away. He carefully hid his delighted smirk from the woman on the floor as he looked out the huge store front window. Johnny had just pulled up with the other members of 'N Sync.
"Hey Chris, what's going on?" Joe questioned as he walked inside.
"Watch out for the chick, she's a piranha and she's got one hell of a bite." Chris replied with a sigh.
"You ever heard the song 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet'?" Devon yelled from the cash register.
"Oh man," Joe shook his head laughing. "What'd you do to piss her off like that?"
"I didn't do a damn thing." Chris shook his head then followed Joe to where everyone was waiting.
Chris shook his head, bringing himself back to reality and the painful feelings of not being able to do a thing to help the woman he loved.
"Come on Chris, let's go back inside." Lance probed nodding toward the door. Chris nodded, briefly closing his eyes then followed his friend back inside the venue. He went to take a quick shower and changed into some warmer clothes to ward off the chill that had seeped to his bones. He then sat quietly on the couch waiting for the van to show up. Hang on Dev, I'll be there as soon as I can.
"....rolled over a few times then hit a tree. I'm sorry guys." Steven told them softly.
JC closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly. He heard Chris say something, but he couldn't quite hear what his friend had said.
"Ashley, Mike and Devon are in the Intensive Care Unit. Other than that, I don't know." Steven shrugged giving each of the young men sympathetic gazes. The car swerved and hit some black ice, rolled over a few times then hit a tree. My God. How did this happen? Why did this happen? JC stood motionless for a few minutes then realized that Joe was sitting on the couch, tears slipping down his cheeks and Chris looked as if he were going to pound on a wall or something. He had
to remain calm, for their sake if not his own. They would need someone to be strong. JC sighed glancing over at Steven with complete pain in his eyes.
"When can we get to the hospital?" he questioned, his voice horse with emotion.
"As soon as you guys clean up and change. A van will be waiting outside in about a half an hour or so." Steven answered. JC nodded, his body feeling numb to everything going on around him. Mike is in the hospital. She was in a car accident. She's all right, she has to be. Life without her would be too dull, too uninventive, too... too... JC looked up forcing himself to reign his emotions in. Mike is going to be fine. She was probably just shaken up really good. I should call her parents and tell them what happened.
JC walked over to his duffel bag which was resting in the corner of the room and started rummaging through the pockets, in search of a change of clothes and his cell phone. His hand touched something soft and fury. He made a face as he pulled the object out from his bag. He looked down at a stuffed monkey that had seen better days with a sad smile as his mind wandered.
The arcade was noisy, but JC didn't care. He was too busy concentrating on the boxing video game he was playing against Joe. His character was winning, but only by a few points.
"Man, I'm dying!" Joe exclaimed with laughter.
"I ain't goin' down, Joe." JC called to his friend with a smile. His screen suddenly went dark as numbers appeared in bright yellow. Joe was going down for the count and wasn't getting back up. JC's arms shot into the air as the word WINNER flashed on his screen.
"Remind me never to play that game with you again." Joe mumbled as they walked over to the batting cage where Chris was belting the crap out of some baseballs. He had just had a fight with his girlfriend and was taking out his frustration in the cage. Justin and Lance were playing pool on the other side of the room. Joe stayed to cheer Chris on while JC made his way to the billiards room.
"I'm tellin' you, you gotta act aloof and suave. Like you don't care if she notices you or not. Women go wild for that stuff." Justin was saying to Lance when he walked over to them
"I dunno Justin..." Lance shook his head as Justin took his shot. The four ball sunk into a corner pocket.
"Are you guys still talking about Rachel?" JC inquired with amusement.
"Obviously. Has Lance talked of anything else all night?" Justin laughed as he lined up his next shot.
"I play winner. Lance, just walk up to her and ask her out. Its not all that hard." JC smiled watching the game.
"What if she says no?" Lance countered with a sigh.
"If she says no, then move on. We all have to deal with rejection y'know." Justin groaned as he missed his shot. JC glanced around the room and saw only one other couple in the room with them. The girl looked oddly familiar.
"Lance, shut up about that woman already! We know you like her, but you really can't complain because you haven't even tried to ask her out." Justin shook his head as Lance sunk the eight ball, losing the game.
"Hey guys, isn't that Mike?" JC questioned distractedly. Justin and Lance turned to look at the couple a few tables down.
"Yeah it is, and look, she's wearing a skirt. Someone gimme a camera. This would be perfect blackmail material." Lance laughed leaning back against the pool table.
"What's she doing with that guy?" JC mumbled shaking his head.
"This is just a shot in the dark here, but I'm guessing she's on a date." Justin snorted wracking the balls up again. JC made a face and almost laughed. Mike had been his best friend for about six years now, and he just couldn't see her dating anyone. It was just too weird. No its not, his mind whispered teasingly.
"I'll be right back." JC told his friends then made his way over to her table.
"Hi little one." JC smiled at the young woman holding a pool stick.
"Hey Josh, what's up?" Mike smiled back as the guy she was with took his shot.
"Who's the guy?" he inquired leaning back against the pool table.
"Mark, why? Are you going to act the over protective father figure tonight? Forget it JC, that role has been played out by you." Mike shook her head stifling a bout of laughter.
"Okay, then how about the jealous best friend role?" he questioned softly, close to her ear.
"You? Jealous? Yeah right, coming from the guy who calls me either little one or little bird. Yeah right." Mike nodded sarcastically as she walked over to the table to take her shot. JC took that moment to take a really good look at his best friend. Somehow, without him noticing, she had grown up into a beautiful young woman.
"Whose the guy?" Mark questioned nodding toward JC.
"My best friend JC." Mike sighed when she missed her shot. She walked back over to her perch as Mark lined up his next shot, taking his time.
"When did you grow up, little bird?" JC whispered in her ear. Mark missed his shot then turned to glare at JC.
"A long time ago, JC. You just never took the time to notice." Mike replied flippantly as she smiled at Mark.
"Mike, honey, let's get outta here. I know a great party we can go to. Lots of music and lots of booze." Mark suggested walking over to her.
"Booze? I don't think so." JC shook his head with his arms folded across his chest.
"I'm sorry, but is this any of your business?" Mark demanded looking over at him.
"As a matter of fact, anything that has to do with my best friend is my business. Especially when she's underage and too young to drink." JC nodded, his eyes becoming hard.
"I'd have to agree with JC on this one. Drinking's not my idea of a good time." Mike sighed, hating the fact that JC was right yet again.
"Fine, then stay here with your best friend. Either way, I could care less." Mark shrugged slipping on his leather jacket.
"Okay, have a nice life." Mike waved smiling at the retreating figure then she sighed turning to JC. "Why must you always interfere in my love life?"
"I wasn't interfering, I was stating an opinion." JC shrugged.
"Sure. Fine. Whatever." Mike shook her head walking away from him. JC watched her walk to one of the stuffed animal machines with an amused smile. She had grown up to be somewhat of a sharp tongued hellion.
"JC, you playing or what?" Justin yelled from the other end of the room.
"Nah, I've got some trouble to cause!" JC yelled back with laughter in his voice. He waited until Mike had spent nearly all of her money trying to get a stuffed animal before he walked over to her. He stood behind her and put a quarter into the machine, then took the controls in his hands, trapping her in between his arms.
"Troubles?" he questioned, his voice filled with humor.
"Yeah, you won't leave me alone." Mike replied impishly and bit the inside of his left arm.
"Behave!" JC admonished shaking his head.
"I wouldn't be me if I did." she shrugged with a sigh. JC won a small stuffed monkey on his first try.
"Dumb luck." Mike snorted ducking under one of his arms.
"Here you go." JC smiled holding out the animal to her.
"I don't want it." Mike replied shaking her head.
"Why not?" JC laughed.
"Because I didn't win it." Mike folded her arms across her chest.
"Stubborn." he said softly tugging on her hair affectionately.
"You always underestimated me." Mike shrugged turning on her heel to walk away.
"Not so fast. Take the monkey." JC grabbed her arm.
"I don't want the monkey. You keep it." Mike shook her head.
"I won it for you." JC reminded with a shake of his head.
"I still don't want the damn....." Mike shook her head when he suddenly pulled her to him and kissed her. Her lips were as soft as her tongue was sharp. Just as suddenly as JC had kissed her, he pulled away.
"Why the hell did you do that?" she demanded in shock.
"Because I wanted to. Because you drive me absolutely insane. Because you're the single most infuriating girl I know. And because you're my little bird." JC shrugged.
"Do it again." Mike smiled devilishly.
"Thought you'd never ask." JC laughed.
"I thought you never would." she countered softly.
JC got to his feet, still holding the stuffed animal in his hand, a small smile on his lips. She was a fighter, he knew that for a fact, but he couldn't help but feel totally helpless. He couldn't help her, he couldn't have stopped the accident from happening and most of all, he couldn't help but fear for her. No one knew how badly she had been hurt, and that in and of itself was driving him crazy. Please, don't take her from me. She's a fighter, you know this. Its not her time. She still has thousands of things to do and experience. I want the chance to give her those experiences. I want her by my side through this journey. Please, just leave her here with me. I need her. I love her. I don't want to imagine what life would be like without her. She's my laughter and my tears, my anger and my sorrow. Don't take my heart from me.
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