JC stared out the window at the dark sky as his dad drove through the city. It looked as if it would pour at any moment, and he couldn’t help but think that it would be fitting considering how this day had been going. Even now, he couldn’t escape the awkwardness.

They’d been driving for nearly ten minutes in tense silence. JC had thought they were going to talk, or at least that was the impression he’d gotten when his parents had offered to go for a ride. It wasn’t that he wanted to talk, but he knew it was necessary to tell them how he felt about being forced into things.

That didn’t mean he was going to be the first one to speak. Despite knowing what he needed to say, JC found it difficult to actually do it. He was hesitant to talk to them about not pressing charges because he knew they wouldn’t take it well.

But maybe he wasn’t giving them enough credit. After all, they’d been handling everything pretty well, or at least better than he’d thought they would. JC just wasn’t sure that would last because he’d seen the underlying anger on their faces when he told them what Lou had done.

Feeling eyes on him, JC looked to the front seat and met his mom’s concerned gaze. She offered him a small smile, which he weakly returned. He was about to look away when she said, “You want to tell us what happened with the detective?”

JC sighed. “I just…I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“Take what?” Roy asked.

“Just everything,” JC said. He didn’t want to go into detail because he still didn’t want them to know about the second rape. If they knew, that would just be an even stronger reason for them to insist on taking Lou to court.

His parents glanced at each other before Roy looked at JC through the rearview mirror. “The detective told us you tried to take back what you said about being raped.”

JC averted his gaze, feeling his stomach clench. There was no question that Lou deserved to go to jail, but everything was becoming overwhelming. He had to do so much to make that happen, and he wasn’t sure he could do what was asked of him. But JC knew his parents wouldn’t let him drop the charges, especially if they found out about the second rape.

Suddenly, JC’s eyes widened and he slowly looked towards the front, knowing he still had his parents’ attention. “He told you everything, didn’t he?” he said.

“Honey, why didn’t you tell us?” Karen asked JC, confirming what he already knew. The detective couldn’t tell his parents he freaked without them demanding an explanation.

“I didn’t want anyone to know,” JC mumbled, looking down at the carpeted floor beneath his feet.

It was quiet for a moment before Roy said, “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. What happened isn’t your fault.”

“I should’ve fought harder.” JC rested his forehead against the window. “I shouldn’t have been so weak.”

“You’re not weak,” Karen said.

JC didn’t respond as he continued to stare out the window. He couldn’t believe that. If he wasn’t weak, he wouldn’t have let Lou take advantage of him again.

Karen sighed. “Josh, look at me.” JC glanced at her, but didn’t meet her gaze. She frowned and said firmly, “Joshua.”

JC knew that tone and slowly raised his eyes to meet her own. Once Karen was satisfied that she had his attention, she continued. “You’re not weak,” she repeated. “Your father and I don’t think so, and I know no one else thinks so. It’s amazing you were able to keep something so horrible to yourself for so long.”

“Are you mad?” JC asked, looking at both his parents before lowering his eyes once again. Despite everything they’d been telling him, he couldn’t help feeling that they looked at him differently now.

“We’re mad at Lou for hurting you,” Roy said, glancing at Karen who nodded. “But we’re not mad at you. We’re not happy that you didn’t say anything sooner, but we know that you dealt with it the best way you knew how.”

JC was about to apologize when he noticed that they were pulling into the hospital’s parking lot. “What are we doing here?” he asked, a feeling of dread washing over him.

“You’re going to get examined by a doctor,” Karen said.

JC shook his head. He’d expected as much, but he wasn’t going to be forced into another thing he didn’t want to do. Not this time. “No.”

Roy turned in his seat so he could see JC better and said, “The detective told us how important it is that you’re examined.”

“I don’t care,” JC said. “I don’t want to do it.”

“Why?” Karen asked, frowning.

“Haven’t I been through enough?”

Karen looked over at Roy before returning her gaze to JC as she sighed. “I know you hate doctors, but your father and I would really like it if you’d let a doctor look at you.”

“So what I want doesn’t matter?” JC demanded.

“You could be hurt and when you’re hurt, you see a doctor,” Roy said. “I know you don’t want to, but it’s only going to help your case. The less evidence they have, the longer it’s gonna take to get Lou in jail.”

“What if I don’t want to press charges?” JC asked. He recognized that this wasn’t the best way to bring it up, but he couldn’t help it. They weren’t taking no for an answer, and he was losing his patience.

Roy shook his head. “You’re going to see a doctor and use any evidence they find to put Lou in jail.”

“You can’t tell me what to do,” JC said, glaring. “Just because you’re my parents doesn’t mean you always know what’s best. Neither of you can possibly understand what I went through, so you don’t have a say in what I do. Not this time.” He looked at them and said firmly, “I am not going in there.”

“Josh…” Karen began gently, but JC opened his door. He didn’t want to hear anything else they had to say; he was done listening.

JC got out of the car, slamming his door. He quickly glanced around the parking lot before he started to storm off in the direction of the road, ignoring the rumbling thunder. Behind him, he could hear the slight squeak of the car doors, but he paid them no mind.

“Joshua,” his father said sternly.

JC didn’t pay any attention to Roy, continuing to put distance between himself and his parents. He had nothing else to say. If they refused to accept it, then that was their problem. Right now, all he wanted was some space so he could collect his thoughts. But he hadn’t put as much distance between them as he’d thought.

“We’re not done talking, Joshua,” Roy said, grabbing onto JC’s right shoulder forcefully and turning him.

Immediately, panic set in. JC yanked his shoulder out of his father’s grasp, stumbling backwards. He panted heavily as his heart raced, beating painfully against his ribcage as memories were pushed to the forefront his mind.

JC unconsciously rubbed at his right shoulder, remembering the pain he’d felt from Lou’s pressing weight. The feeling of being trapped, held down by Lou and being completely immobile, was something JC didn’t think he’d ever forget. It haunted him.

He hated that Lou affected him even when he wasn’t around. There seemed to be no escape from what’d happened. It was all anyone talked about, and JC just wanted it to end. The nightmares, the flashbacks, the nagging thoughts of what if…he wanted them to disappear.

“Josh, sweetie…”

JC looked up, surprised to find himself kneeling on the ground with his parents crouching in front of him. He didn’t remember falling to his knees, having been too caught up in his thoughts. But seeing the concern in his parents’ eyes, JC had no doubt that he’d probably scared them.

Karen seemed to realize that she finally had his attention and reached out to touch JC’s arm, only to have him shy away from her. “Don’t,” JC said, his voice shakier than he’d thought it would be.

“This is why we want you to get looked at,” Roy told him gently. “We need to make sure nothing’s wrong. That you’re OK.”

JC shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t have to do this anymore. You don’t have to pretend you’re OK.” Karen ducked her head to meet JC’s gaze, tears falling freely. “We’re here now. Let us help you.”

JC swallowed and looked away, feeling moisture on his cheek. For a second he thought it was raining, but he realized that he was crying too. It felt like everything was crumbling around him. He was exhausted and had no more energy left to fight.

“I’m scared,” JC whispered as another tear fell.

Karen reached out her hand once more, but this time JC didn’t avoid her touch. She seemed relieved as she gently held his hand and said, “It’s alright. We’ll be with you every step of the way.”

JC glanced over at his father, who nodded in agreement. He still didn’t want to see a doctor, but he didn’t have the energy to fight anymore. Exhaustion was setting in, and he just wanted to go home.

“Do I still have to press charges?” JC asked, hesitantly.

Roy and Karen glanced at each other before Roy said, “No, not if you don’t want to. But at least wait until the doctor examines you before you make up your mind, OK?”

JC nodded. He knew that they were probably hoping that he would change his mind, but he was glad that they weren’t forcing the issue anymore. It made him feel a little bit better about seeing a doctor.

Slowly, the three of them got to their feet. Karen continued to hold JC’s hand as Roy led them to the hospital’s entrance. As they walked into the lobby, JC took a deep breath and prayed that the examination would be quick.

Chris dribbled the basketball, switching hands as Joey made a swipe for it. He backpedaled slightly to put a little more space between them and looked to his left. Justin was standing a couple feet away from the hoop with Lance guarding him. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to reach it himself, Chris faked to the right before passing the ball to Justin.

The ball was easily caught, and Justin turned to position himself to shoot a basket. Lance moved closer and raised his arms, trying to prevent Justin from getting a shot off. But Justin jumped and extended his arms, sending the ball sailing through the air and into the hoop effortlessly.

There was no celebration as Lance took the ball and tossed it to Joey, forcing the four of them towards the basket at the other end of the court. Justin jogged lightly, clearly not in a hurry to put himself on defense. It wasn’t an intense game so it wasn’t like his actions were weird, but Chris had hoped that Justin would get into it.

Not that Chris blamed him. It was hard enough accepting that your best friend had been raped, but to find out it had happened twice was too much to deal with. That was why Chris had argued with Lynn about telling Justin and Lance, but she couldn’t be swayed. He’d recognized that and eventually let it go.

Almost immediately after, Lynn had gone searching for Justin. She’d found him in the back bedroom with Lance and broke the news to both of them. At first Chris had hated that she’d told Lance because while he couldn’t stop her from telling her son, that didn’t mean that Lance had to know. But Chris realized that it wouldn’t have been fair to Lance to be the only one out of the loop.

And really, they hadn’t reacted as bad as he’d thought they might. He hadn’t known what to expect, but he’d figured that Justin would be especially vocal. Instead, Justin had emerged from the bedroom tight lipped, looking like he wanted to hurt someone even as he held back tears. Lance hadn’t been much better.

That had been when Chris had gotten the idea to play basketball. He’d thought engaging them in something would help to take their mind off it. Justin had tried to protest, but he’d insisted. So far it didn’t have the effect he’d hoped for, but Chris wasn’t ready to give up yet.

The sound of the hoop shaking as the ball hit the backboard brought him back to the game. Quickly, Chris glanced at Justin before moving forward to catch the rebound since his partner wasn’t going to. He caught the ball and turned to head back down the court, Joey following him every step of the way.

Joey seemed more into the game than Lance or Justin, but Chris wasn’t fooled. It was obvious by the way that Joey kept up with him and faced off against him that he had a lot on his mind. Really it was more a game of one on one since Lance and Justin weren’t participating much.

Wanting to change that, Chris passed the ball to Justin who was a couple feet in front of him. Justin barely caught it before forcefully tossing it back to him, looking annoyed. Chris barely suppressed a sigh before he took a shot.

The ball danced around the rim before falling outside. Lance caught it and immediately tossed it to Joey, who jogged down the court. Again, the game shifted as the four of them went to other side of the court.

Chris moved to guard Lance, forcing Justin to go up against Joey. If the glare Justin sent Chris’s way was any indication, he didn’t appreciate what he was trying to do. So he hardly tried to block the pass from Joey to Lance.

Immediately, Lance focused on the basket. He just sent the ball towards the hoop when the back door opened, drawing their attention. Joey absently grabbed the rebound as he looked over at Lynn, who was standing in the doorway.

“Sorry to interrupt. Lance, your mom’s on the phone,” Lynn said, holding up the cordless phone.

Lance quickly crossed the asphalt and accepted the phone she held out. Once it was out of her hands, Lynn turned and went back into the house with Lance following her. More than likely, Diane had called to see how the demo had gone. She’d be getting more news than she’d bargained for.

Justin watched them leave, frowning. His mom returned to the kitchen table where Roy and Karen were sitting. They’d only gotten back about five minutes ago, and already there was no sign of JC. Justin understood why JC kept avoiding them, knowing how embarrassed and uncomfortable he must feel about the whole thing, but Justin hated that JC felt like he couldn’t talk to him.

Justin started for the back door.

“Hey. Where you going?” Chris asked.

Justin glanced over his shoulder briefly. “Inside,” he mumbled.

Chris looked like he wanted to argue, but Justin didn’t pay any attention to him. He knew why Chris was objecting, and he didn’t appreciate it. The game was Chris’s way of distracting him, but it hadn’t worked. And he was done humoring him.

Justin walked the short distance to the back door and stepped into the kitchen. He glanced into the living room, spotting Lance who was talking to his mom on the couch. Looking away, Justin continued to move towards the hallway.

The parents were quietly talking and didn’t seem to notice him walking by. Something that Justin was grateful for. There was only one person he wanted to talk to. Someone who was probably lying on his bed, trying to deal with everything on his own.

As Justin made his way down the hall to the back bedroom, he tried to mentally prepare himself. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to say to JC, but one thing he knew was that he’d have to say the right things.

The bedroom door was partially closed, and Justin paused in front of it briefly to take a deep breath. He released it slowly as he pushed open the door, stepped into the room. But he stopped in his tracks, staring at his best friend in disbelief. JC was packing.

“What are you doing?” Justin asked, making his presence known since JC didn’t appear to have heard him come in.

JC jumped and quickly turned, letting out a breath when he saw Justin. “God, J. Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“What are you doing?” Justin repeated. He wasn’t going to be deterred that easily.

JC sighed and grabbed another shirt out of his open dresser drawer, placing it in the partially full suitcase. With his back to Justin, he said quietly, “I’m going home.”

Justin felt his stomach drop. After everything that JC had been through, it wasn’t outrageous for him to want to go home, but Justin couldn’t believe JC was just gonna leave. Right away too by the looks of things. And that hurt the most. He wouldn’t have found out JC was leaving until he came out to say goodbye. But even ignoring the fact that Justin didn’t want him to leave, he wasn’t sure how JC could. Didn’t he have to stay put until this stuff with Lou was dealt with?

“Can you still talk to the police and stuff from D.C.?” Justin asked. There was no answer, and Justin prompted, “JC.”

“I’m not pressing charges,” JC said, his eyes focused on the t-shirt that he was smoothing a wrinkle out of.

Justin blinked, taking a step back. “What?”

JC didn’t say anything as he continued packing. Justin moved around the bed and into his line of sight. “But why? What happened?”

JC met his gaze briefly before looking back down at his suitcase. “Nothing. I just don’t want to go through that.”

Justin frowned, knowing that JC wasn’t telling him everything. He knew how JC felt about sharing his private life with strangers, but he’d talked to the detective. That was when it hit Justin.

“Does this have to do with what happened earlier with the detective? Is that why you changed your mind?” Justin asked.

JC’s head snapped up. “I didn’t change my mind. I never wanted to press charges.”

“So you’re just gonna let Lou get away with what he did?” Justin asked, unable to believe that. JC always tried to do the right thing, so it was hard to understand how he could just let it go. He had to know that Lou needed to be punished for what he’d done.

“I guess I am,” JC said evenly.

Justin shook his head, watching as JC continued to pack. “That’s not right, JC.”

“Not right?” JC threw down the shirt and glared at Justin. “Why does everyone think I should be doing the right thing? Lou didn’t, so why should I? Why is it my responsibility?”

“Because you always do the right thing,” Justin said, his forehead creasing in confusion.

JC scoffed slightly. “Yeah, well, not this time.”

Justin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Never had he heard JC talk like this, and it was disconcerting. The JC he knew would never back out of doing what he thought was right. It made Justin wonder if JC had considered what might happen if he dropped the charges or if it’d been something he’d decided impulsively.

“Can you really just let him go free? What if he hurts someone else?”

“All I’ve been doing this whole time is thinking about other people. I kept it a secret and put up with Lou’s crap because I knew what would happen to our careers if I said something.” JC’s eyes locked with Justin’s. “After all that, don’t I deserve to be a little selfish?”

Justin couldn’t really argue with that. JC had been through a lot, so he should do what he wanted and think of himself for once. But that wasn’t him. He wasn’t a selfish person.

“Just think about this. If you let Lou walk away, he’ll go out and find another group. He’ll pick someone that he likes. It could be someone like you, or maybe someone like me. Either way, he’ll take advantage of that person’s trust and hurt them. Just like he hurt you.” Justin stepped closer and said quietly, “You can put a stop to it. You can save someone else from the pain you’re going through.”

JC didn’t say anything, but was looking down at the bed with a small frown on his face. Even though JC wasn’t looking at him, Justin could almost see his thoughts churning. It made him hopeful.

But then again, why would JC listen to him? Yes they were best friends, but JC already had it in his head that he couldn’t talk to Justin about this stuff. Joey was the one he went to now, not Justin. As much as that hurt, that wasn’t even the worst part. Their friendship wasn’t as strong as it used to be. If anything, it was weaker. Everything that’d happened over the past week proved that. And despite Chris and Lance’s reassurances, Justin had been right. He was losing JC.

“Look,” Justin sighed. JC raised his head to look at him. “I know you think I don’t understand, and you’re right. I don’t. But I want to help.” Justin paused, trying to find the right words. “I think it’s wrong to let Lou get away with this, but if that’s what you want…then I’m with you.”

Justin glanced at JC, seeing that he’d returned his gaze to the bed and was clearly thinking. For once, Justin had no idea what he was thinking, and he hated that. But there was nothing else he could do right now. It was up to JC.

As Justin left the room, he hoped that the JC he knew was still in there somewhere and would do what he thought was best. No matter what that meant.

Joey sat across from Justin at the kitchen table, watching as Lance gave Chris two of the cards he’d asked for. The four of them were playing Go Fish as a way to unwind and relax a bit. JC and his parents had left a couple hours ago for a nearby hotel.

There had been no objection about JC staying at a hotel. Not that Joey had really expected one. They all knew how much trouble JC had been having sleeping in the house and for good reason. Joey could barely stand it just knowing what’d happened under their noses, but at least this would be their last night.

Hearing that JC was going to stick around and press charges had sent the rest of them into action. There’d been no question that they wouldn’t be going anywhere. All of them wanted to be there for JC.

Chris had gotten things squared away with his apartment, so Joey was going to stay with him. And the last Joey saw, Lynn had been on the phone trying to make arrangements to get an apartment for her and Justin. None of them really knew what was going on with Lance since his mom was coming, but Lynn had already made it clear that he would be welcome to stay with her and Justin.

Regardless, they were all packed and ready for tomorrow. They’d wasted no time in finding new places to stay because they certainly couldn’t continue living in Lou’s house with JC pressing charges. Not that they wanted to.

Just then Lynn walked by and grabbed some more cleaning supplies before disappearing into the living room again. She’d spent the last half hour cleaning, and Joey wondered why she cared so much after what Lou had done. But maybe it wasn’t about Lou. Maybe keeping busy was just her way of coping. She probably knew that it could just as easily have been Justin that Lou had taken advantage of.

Joey glanced at Justin, glad to see him more relaxed. He’d been so upset earlier that Joey had shared Chris’s worry about him. But Justin’s mood had really improved once they’d heard that JC was going to take Lou to court. It seemed Justin had something to do with that. Joey and Chris had been in the kitchen getting a drink when Justin had come out of the back bedroom, looking troubled. Then shortly after JC had walked in and they’d found out that he’d decided to go through with it after all. So clearly, Justin had to have gotten through to JC somehow.

Joey was curious what exactly Justin had said because JC had been so against the idea before. He wasn’t going to question it though. It had worked, and that was all that really mattered.

“You guys are killing me,” Chris grumbled, pulling three cards out of his hands. Justin accepted the cards and laid down four fives.

“Do you have any queens?” Justin asked, looking down at his cards.

Chris made a noise of disgust. “Why don’t you ask Joey or Lance? He’s the one who’s cheating.”

“No, I’m not,” Lance said stiffly. Joey frowned, wondering why he was so tense. But as Lance glanced at the clock, he realized that he was probably just anxious for his mom to arrive.

“Uh huh,” Chris replied, disbelief evident.

Justin cracked a smile. “Chris. The cards.”

Chris sighed, but handed a queen over even as he grumbled. Justin’s smile grew as he laid down another set of cards, causing Joey to smile. It was nice to have a moment like this considering how upset everyone had been the past twenty-four hours.

The game continued. Justin and Lance were pretty much tied with the number of matches they had. Chris was out of the game because he’d run out of cards, so they were close to the end. But before they could find out who the winner was, the doorbell rang.

Lance put his cards down, abandoning the game as they listened to Lynn greet Diane. A moment later, the two mothers came into the kitchen. Diane glanced around at the four of them and said, “Hi boys.”

There was chorus of hellos around the table. Diane offered them a sympathetic smile and asked, “How are you doing?”

“We’re alright,” Joey said.

Diane nodded. “What about JC?”

“He’s doing better,” Justin spoke up. “He’s staying with his parents up the road.”

“I’m glad. When Lance told me what’d happened, I couldn’t believe it,” Diane said.

“Yeah, we were all pretty shocked,” Joey agreed. It was a little weird talking about it like this because the shock had only just worn off. But it wasn’t like Diane really knew what they’d all been going through since last night.

“Is he pressing charges? Lance mentioned that you weren’t sure,” Diane said.

“Yeah, we weren’t sure what he was going to decide, but he is,” Lynn told her.

“That’s good. Hopefully everything will turn out alright.”

Joey echoed Diane’s sentiments because he knew that this wasn’t going to be easy for JC. But at least he was going to have a good support system. Hopefully that would make what was sure to be a long process easier.

Diane glanced at her watch and adjusted it on her wrist before looking at Lance. “You ready to go?”

“No,” Lance said.

“Aren’t you packed?” Diane asked, frowning.

“Yes. I just don’t want to leave,” Lance told her.

Diane sighed. “Lance, we talked about this.”

“No, we didn’t. You just said you were coming to take me home. You never asked me what I wanted,” Lance said.

Joey looked at Lance in surprise. He had no idea that Diane wanted to take Lance back to Mississippi, but obviously Lance had. That explained why he’d been acting so on edge earlier. It wasn't because he’d been anxious for her to arrive, but because he’d been dreading it.

“This isn’t your decision to make,” Diane said.

Lance frowned. “Why not? It’s my life. I should be allowed to decide what I want to do.”

“You’re only sixteen.” Diane paused briefly. “I didn’t even want you out here by yourself with people I didn’t know.”

“You may not know them, but I do. They’re my friends, Momma, and I want to stay with them,” Lance said.

Diane shook her head. “That’s not going to happen. You’ve only been here for a few weeks and look what happened.”

“What happened is that I made some great friends, and I can’t leave them now. Not when JC needs help,” Lance told her.

“I appreciate that you want to help him,” Diane started. “But I think you’d be better off at home and graduating from high school. Your father and I let you try this, but it didn’t work.”

Joey felt a pit in his stomach. He had a sinking feeling that if Lance went home, there was a good chance that he wouldn’t be coming back. It didn’t help that NSYNC’s future was uncertain. This was quickly turning for the worse, but Joey didn’t feel it was his place to say anything.

“With all due respect, shouldn’t you let Lance decide what’s best?” Chris asked, obviously not afraid of speaking his mind. “I know you’re worried that what happened will happen again, but I can promise you it won’t. We’d never let that happen.”

“But you let it happen the first time, didn’t you?” Diane returned. “You put your trust in the wrong people, and they took advantage of that. I’m not going to expose my son to this anymore.”

Chris frowned. “You can’t take him out of the group. I know you don’t see it, but we’ve gotten close over the last few weeks. We can’t do this without him.”

Joey glanced at Lance, who blushed slightly. He probably hadn’t expected Chris to stand up for him, much less say something like that. And Joey knew that meant a lot to him because of how insecure he was about his place in the group when they first started rehearsals.

“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to find someone else. Lance and I had an understanding that if this didn’t work for whatever reason, that he’d come back home,” Diane said.

“But it did work,” Chris protested. “We made a demo and—”

“Chris,” Lynn interrupted. “Diane’s doing what she thinks is best. It’s what any mother would do. It’s what I would do if I was in her position.” She looked over at Lance. “Lance, it’s alright. I promise we’ll keep you updated on what’s going on.”

There was a moment of silence before Diane said, “C’mon, Lance. Let’s get your things.”

Lance sighed, defeated. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. Reluctantly, he headed for the bedroom with Diane following close behind.

Once they were gone, Joey looked around the room at the somber expressions. None of them had expected this to happen, and they didn’t want to see Lance go. They’d already gone through so much and grown close that they wanted to stick together, especially for JC’s sake. But they were still friends and that wasn’t going to change no matter what.