The noise level outside the club was loud enough to make construction noise sound like a lullaby, but Justin, Chris, Joey, and Derrick walked through the doors anyway.

“Good Lord,” Derrick cried, his hands desperately trying to shield his ears from the onslaught.  “I’ve forgotten how loud it gets at this time of night.”

“Oh, it’ll get louder,” Joey yelled back so Derrick could hear over the noise.  “You know, once the ladies find out I’m here.”

“Yeah, right,” Chris said with a smirk, then turned to Derrick.  “Once the ladies find out Joey’s here, they’ll run for their lives, screaming their lungs out.  That’s why it gets so loud.”

“Hey!”  Joey tried to defend himself as Chris and Derrick laughed.  “They don’t run for their lives!”

“Actually, he’s right,” Chris confessed.  “Once the women see that Joey’s here, they immediately begin screaming in excitement, looking for Justin…you know, because we supposedly go everywhere together.”

Derrick laughed again.  “Is that true, Justin?”

“What?”  Justin hadn’t been paying attention to the guys’ conversation; he was distracted by thoughts of a certain someone.  “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Is it true that women scream for you when they see Joey?”

“Oh…uh, I don’t know…maybe…I’m gonna go find somewhere to sit down.”  Justin walked away quickly, not noticing the looks on the other guys’ faces.

Chris, Joey, and Derrick followed Justin to a table and sat down.  Justin sat quietly, his chin in his hands, his eyes blank.

“Earth to Justin…come in, Justin,” Chris joked as he snapped his fingers in front of Justin’s face.

Justin shook his head slightly and looked at his friends surrounding him.  “What’s up?”

“Hey, man, you are way out of it tonight,” Derrick pointed out.  “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing…nothing at all.”

“Then why are you so quiet?”

“Quiet?  Who, me?  Nah, I’m not being quiet.”  To prove his point, Justin got up from his chair, walked over to the first girl he saw, and asked her to dance.  She nodded quickly, and they headed to the dance floor.

Derrick, however, was not convinced.  He turned to the other men sitting at the table.  “I don’t buy it, guys.  Justin’s been acting really distant tonight.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Joey replied.  “He’s usually into doing the clubbing thing, but tonight, it’s just…I don’t know…Chris?”

“He’s definitely got something heavy on his mind.  Something important enough to bring him down.”

“Did something happen today while you guys were at the studio?” Derrick inquired.

“I don’t think so,” Chris answered.  “At least, nothing we saw, right, Joey?”

Joey nodded in response.

“I wish Jen were here,” Derrick commented.  “She’d be able to figure out exactly what was wrong with him.”

“Yeah, she’s spooky that way,” Chris teased.  The three shared a quick laugh, then sat back and enjoyed the music blaring out of the speakers.

**

After two fast songs, Justin returned to the empty table.  Joey was out on the dance floor with two different women, Chris was over talking to the DJ, and Derrick was getting a drink from the bar.  Relieved to be alone, Justin slipped into a chair and placed his chin in his hands again.

I should be having fun, he told himself.  I shouldn’t be thinking about Jennifer.  She’s not mine.  I can’t have her.  She and JC belong together…

So why can’t I stop thinking about her?  Justin thought back to earlier that evening when Jennifer had walked down the stairs in her dress.  I can’t keep thinking about her.  Frustrated, he ran his hands through his hair, then rested his head on his arms.

“Justin?”  Derrick returned to the table, a drink in each hand.  “Here, I got you a Pepsi.”

Justin raised his head from the table.  “Thanks, man.”  He took the glass and downed half its contents.

Derrick frowned slightly as Justin set his glass down then returned to his “head-on-table” position from before.  “Okay, this isn’t normal, Justin.  Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

Make something up…he can’t know what you’re really thinking about.  “I don’t know, man…I think I’m just tired.  You know, with all the touring and everything…I mean, we just got back on Wednesday, and we’ve had to go into the studio every day since we got back, and…I guess I’m worn out.  I need rest.”

Derrick leaned forward in his chair.  “I know it’s been tough, but that’s a part of your life now.”

“Yeah…I guess…”  Good, he believed it…now just keep it going.

“And you know you can’t just give it up,” Derrick continued.

“I know.”

“But at least you get some time off before you leave again.”

“Yeah,” Justin admitted with a grin, “thanks to you.”

“Hey, no problem.  Are you going to be okay?”

“I think so.”  Just let me be alone…

“Cool.  I think I’m going to go mingle.”  Derrick stood, about to walk away.  Maybe he just needs some time by himself.  I’ll have to ask Jen to talk to him when we get home.

Justin laid his head on his arms again, waiting to lift his head until after he heard Derrick leave.  Once he felt it was okay, he looked up and rested his chin in his hands.  Why am I here? he asked himself.  I’m not having any fun…because I can’t stop thinking about Jennifer.  What’s wrong with me?  She’s my friend’s girlfriend.  He pushed his chair away from the table, about to leave, when Joey came back with a girl.

“Hey, Justin, this is Laurie,” Joey said as he gestured to his side.  “Laurie, I’d like you to meet my friend, Justin.”

Laurie giggled in an annoyingly high voice and sat down next to Justin.  “Like, hi!” she greeted while twirling a lock of obviously dyed blond hair around her finger.  “Like, Joey told me, you know, that you’re, like, really talented, and that you, like, sing, and I thought, well, you know, that I could, like, sing with you sometime.  Joey says I’m really talented, too…you know…”

Justin smiled politely at Laurie, then threw a murderous glance at Joey, who sat down on his other side.  Joey shrugged and leaned over to whisper in Justin’s ear.  “Hey, she was cute, and I thought you two might get along.”

“Joey, she’s an airhead.  I can’t really understand a word she’s saying because she keeps saying ‘like’ and ‘you know’ way too often!”

“Come on, Justin, just give her a chance…”

“Um, like, excuse me and everything,” Laurie interrupted, “but are either of you going to talk to me?”

“Uh,” Justin hesitated, “sure.”  Giving her an almost painful grin, he asked, “So, what do you do around here?”

“Oh,” she giggled, “it’s, like, a club…so you dance here, right?”

Justin stared blankly at Laurie.  Oh, good Lord.  “I meant, what do you do in Orlando?”

“Oh,” she breathed, and giggled again.  “I’m going to beautician school.”

Justin flashed another polite grin, then turned to Joey.  “I can’t talk to her anymore, Joe,” he asserted in a low voice.  “I’m going to go crazy if I don’t get intelligible conversation.”

“Give her a chance, Justin,” Joey replied again.  “I’ll be right here…and if you really can’t take it, I’ll get her away from you.”

“You better,” the younger man muttered before he turned back to Laurie.  “Beautician school, huh?”

“Yeah!  It’s always been, like, my dream to be a hairdresser, you know.  I’d work on, you know, like, famous stars and everything.”  She finished with a giggle and head tilt.

Justin’s eyes widened.  He nudged Joey and asked desperately, “Please take her away!  I don’t think I can take much more of this!”

“Okay,” Joey answered under his breath.  Looking up at Laurie, he changed his voice and facial expression to a more pleasant one.  “Hey, Laurie…would you like to dance?”

“Sure!”  She giggled once more and stood up.  “It was, like, really nice to, you know, meet you, Justin.”

“Yeah, same here.”

“See you later!”  She practically skipped back towards the dance floor.

“Sorry, man,” Joey apologized.  “I didn’t think it would be that bad.”

“It’s okay,” Justin answered.  “Go out there and dance.  Don’t worry about me.”

“All right.”

As Joey headed to the middle of the club, Chris, who had watched the little scene with Laurie, stopped him.  “So the girl didn’t make him feel better?”

“No way.  I think it made him feel worse.”

“Damn…” Chris murmured, looking back at the table where Justin sat alone.  “What is wrong with him?”

“I don’t know, man, but we really need to cheer him up.  He’s never this down.”

“I’ll try talking to him,” Chris thought aloud.  “We’ll see what happens.”

**

After a quick pass by the bar, Chris walked over to Justin.  “Hey, man, you’re pretty quiet…what’s up?”

“Huh?”  Justin had his head down on the table again when Chris came over.  “What did you say?”

“I said, what’s up?”

“Nothing, man.”

“Yeah, right, that’s nothing.”  Truly concerned for his friend, Chris sat down at the table.  “Come on, Justin, tell me what’s up.  You’ve never been this down before.  I mean, we’re out clubbing, having a good time, and here you are, sitting alone, when you should be out on the floor dancing.  This isn’t you.  Now tell me what has you down.”

“I said nothing, Chris,” Justin replied, raising his voice to make his point.  “I’m fine.”

Not wanting to upset him, Chris immediately softened his own voice.  “Listen to me, Justin.  You’re not acting like yourself, man.  You’re withdrawn, quiet, inactive…everything that is the complete opposite of who you really are.”

“Oh, really?  And how do you know that?”

“I studied psychology in college, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.”  Jennifer is a psychology major…damn it, stop thinking about her!  “So what else can you tell me, Doctor Kirkpatrick?” Justin asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“No, really, Justin, I’m worried about you.  How long have we known each other?”

“I don’t know…a while, I guess.”

“Okay, we’ve known each other for a long time, and I don’t ever remember seeing you like this for more than a minute or two.  I know something’s bothering you, so why don’t you just tell me about it?  You’ll feel better if you do.”

Justin closed his eyes and sighed.  I only wish I could.  “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Is it something you can’t tell me in particular?”

“It’s not that…”

“Because if it is,” Chris interrupted, “you could always talk to Jen about it.”

“No,” Justin said a little too quickly.  Realizing it, he sat back in his chair and said a bit more calmly, “No, it’s not that bad, Chris.  Believe me, I’ll be fine.”

“Well…” Chris hesitated, not sure if he should believe his friend.  “At least promise me you’ll talk to Jen if it gets really bad.  She can make you feel better when you’re down.”

I’m sure she could.  “I will.”

As Justin lapsed into a thoughtful silence, Chris looked on questioningly.  “Are you okay?” he asked after a minute.

Suddenly restless, Justin stood up from the table.  “I need some fresh air…I think I’ll go for a walk.”

“Do you want some company?” Chris asked, also rising from his chair.

“No, I’ll be okay.  You wait here for Joey and Derrick.  I’ll be back soon.”  He left before Chris could protest.

“Where’s Justin going?”  Joey had stopped by Chris’s seat, witnessing the young man’s quick exit.

“Out for a walk.  He said he needed some air,” Chris said, sitting back down.

“Is he going to be okay?” Joey asked, also taking a seat.

“He said he would, but I’m not sure.  He seemed pretty out of it.”

Derrick came by at that moment.  “Where’s Justin?” he inquired, noticing his absence.

“He went outside to get some air,” Chris replied.

“Are you serious?  He shouldn’t be going out by himself!  He could get mobbed by fans, and in the state he’s in…” Derrick started to head towards the door, but Chris grabbed his arm.

“He’ll be okay, Derrick; he can handle himself.  Justin needs some time alone, that’s all.”

“Do you really think that’ll help?”

“He’s an adult…he’ll deal with this situation with the maturity of one.  We just have to trust in him.”

“You know what, Chris?” Joey interjected.  “That sounded exactly like something Jennifer would say.”

Chris chuckled at the thought.  “Great minds think alike, you know.”

“Or,” Derrick added with a smirk, “the somewhat mediocre minds – like you – repeat what the truly great minds – like Jennifer – have said about the same person.”

All three men laughed at Derrick’s comment.  “Well,” Chris began as the laughter died down, “unfortunately, you’re right.  I heard Jen say that once after we first met her.”

“I wonder where JC took her, by the way,” Joey put in.

“Knowing JC and his ‘intentions,’” Chris answered, “he most likely took her somewhere out of the way so they could be alone.”

“Hold on a minute,” Derrick said, “what exactly are JC’s ‘intentions’?”

“Oh…while we were all at the studio today,” Joey started to tell him, “JC showed us this necklace he was going to give Jen tonight, and then he told us he was going to ask her to go back to D.C. with him so she could meet his family.”

“No kidding,” Derrick said with a wide grin.  “She’s going to freak out!”

“Wait a sec,” Chris blurted out.  “Joey, think back to when JC was talking about Jen meeting his family.”

“Yeah…so what?” Joey replied.

“Just think about it.  Justin was pretty quiet back then about it while the rest of us were excited for JC.  Justin’s never been quiet like that when any of us had talked about girls.  Do you think that might have anything to do with the way Justin’s feeling now?”

“Wait,” Derrick tried to follow Chris’s line of thought.  “You think that somehow, JC mentioning asking Jennifer to meet his family has got Justin feeling bad?”

“Yeah.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, think about it.  JC had said he’d never felt so serious about anyone in his life.  He’s so serious about her that he’s considering having her meet his family.  Justin, on the other hand, has never been so quiet when any of us have talked about getting serious with a girl.”

“Get to the point, Chris,” Joey said as he slumped in his seat.

“I am…my point is, maybe there’s something about Jennifer that’s getting Justin so down.”

The trio sat quietly at the table, thinking about Chris’s analysis.  After a few minutes of silence, they looked at each other and shook their heads.  “Nah.”

**

Justin had successfully dodged the few fans that found out he, Chris, and Joey were inside the club, and was now walking slowly along a nearby pier.  Finding a spot where no one would bother him, he stopped and leaned against the railing.  His gaze settled on the bright lights of an amusement park across the water.

All those people having fun, he reflected.  I should be having fun, too.  This thing with Jennifer is getting way out of hand.  I gotta stop thinking about her.  I can’t be with her.  She’s with JC.  He turned around to watch other couples walking hand in hand along the pier.

“You have to stop thinking about her, man,” he said to himself.  “You can’t be picturing yourself with Jen when you see couples like that.”  He turned again to lean on the railing one more time.  With his shoulders slouched, he looked back out over the water.  Noticing movement, he leaned out further to get a better look.

It’s just a ship, he thought, standing up a little straighter.  Probably one of those dinner cruises.  He took another look.  Wait a minute…that ship’s empty.  Well, except for those few people on the top deck.  He turned his gaze to the stars and pictured himself on the passing ship.  That’s where I would take Jennifer.  We could be alone, like those people on that ship.  Just Jen and me… He shook his head abruptly, trying to get those thoughts out of his head.  You can’t think about that, Justin.  You can’t have her.  You have to accept that.

“But I don’t know if I can,” he muttered under his breath.

“Don’t know if you can what?” Chris asked, coming up behind Justin.

Startled, Justin replied, “Nothing…damn, Chris, you freakin’ scared me!”

“Sorry, man,” Chris apologized, “but we got hungry and decided to find a restaurant so we could have dinner.  Joey and Derrick are waiting in the car, and they asked me to find you.”

“Well, you did.”

“I know.”  Chris grinned at his friend.  “Are you feeling any better?”

“A little,” Justin lied.  No, man, I’m not feeling better.

“Well, maybe you’ll feel a lot better after you eat something.  None of us have had dinner yet.  Come on, let’s go.”

“Okay.”  Justin followed Chris to the car.  Try to forget about it, he thought.  Just think about having fun tonight.  He worked on forgetting about Jennifer as the car sped away.