Justin jogged down the asphalt basketball court, dribbling the ball with his right hand. He just passed center court when Chris stepped out in front of him and made a swipe for the ball. But Justin easily pivoted on his left foot and spun away from him before successfully shooting a lay-up.

“Oh yeah!” Justin cheered as he glanced back at Chris. “Never mess with the master.”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “The master? You think you’re an expert at basketball or something?”

“I’m better than you,” Justin said.

“What if I’ve been letting you win?” Chris countered.

“Well, that would explain why you suck.”

“I don’t suck!” Chris protested. “I just don’t want you to feel like a loser.”

“That’s impossible. I know how good I am,” Justin said.

Chris rolled his eyes as he scoffed. “That’s some ego you got there, kid.”

“I’m not a kid,” Justin objected, nose scrunching up at the suggestion. “And it’s not ego. It’s confidence.”

“Hey, man, whatever you say. Now throw the ball,” Chris said.

And just like that their game of one on one turned into shooting lazy baskets. It was their afternoon break between rehearsals. Not long after the five of them had eaten lunch, Justin had coerced Chris into playing a quick game of basketball with him.

Everyone else had dispersed from the kitchen to do their own thing. While Justin would’ve liked it if someone else had joined him and Chris, he understood why they hadn’t. There was no denying that they all got along well together, but they needed some alone time too. And that was hard to come by considering how busy they were with only a few hours a day available for down time.

“We should do something tonight,” Chris said as he released the ball, causing it to hit the backboard and miss the basket.

“Like what?” Justin asked.

Chris shrugged and rolled his eyes as Justin’s shot went through the net with a swoosh. “That’s why I’m asking.”

“You didn’t ask,” Justin pointed out.

“Well, I brought it up,” Chris replied with a hint of exasperation, and Justin couldn’t help but smile. It aggravated Chris when he was difficult, which provided some amusement. “So what do you wanna do?”

“Doesn’t matter. You guys probably want to go clubbing,” Justin mumbled.

Chris stopped dribbling and looked over at him. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“No,” Justin admitted.

“Then what’s the problem?” Chris asked.

“Nothing.”

“Something,” Chris insisted, staring expectantly at Justin. “You always get pissy when I talk about going out.”

Justin glanced up at the sun as he wiped the sweat on his face onto his t-shirt and sighed. “It’s just…I don’t understand why you guys have to go out all the time.”

“We go out two…maybe three nights a week, J. That’s not a lot,” Chris said.

“It is when we don’t get a lot of time off,” Justin replied.

At most they got four or five hours to themselves a night once they got home from rehearsal and had dinner. Was wanting to spend some time with his friends too much to ask? Justin didn’t think so, especially since it allowed them to be open and get to know each other better. The difficulty of what they were doing was tolerable because of the friendship they shared, and Justin didn’t want to lose that.

“But it’s not like we stay out all night,” Chris said.

“No,” Justin agreed. “But that’s time that the five of us could spend hanging out together.”

“We’re together all day,” Chris pointed out.

Justin shook his head. “Not when it counts. It’s different when we don’t have to be at rehearsal or worry about behaving for Lou.”

“So…what? You’re upset that we don’t spend every second together?” Chris asked.

“No. I just…I feel like you’re trying to get away from me. Like you don’t like hanging out with me.”

Chris stared at him in disbelief. “You know that’s not true.”

“Then why do you go out?” Justin asked.

“To relax and unwind,” Chris said.

“You could do that here or at an arcade or something.”

“It’s different at a club. I can’t really explain it, but it’s one of those things you’ll understand when you’re older,” Chris told him.

Justin growled in frustration. “Do you know how tired I am of hearing that? It’s just an excuse for adults to do what they want, and I’m sick of it.” He paused. “I’m stranded here while you’re off drinking and partying.”

“You’re not alone though,” Chris pointed out. “Lance is underage too.”

“Yeah, but only for a few years. Then he’ll be old enough to go clubbing with you guys and what’ll that leave me? Basketball?”

If there was one thing Justin dreaded, it was being alone. There was no denying that he was a people person. His mother had always been surprised at how quickly he made friends, and that was something Justin prided himself on. But a lot of people saw him as just a kid. Something that he desperately fought because he didn’t want to feel left out.

“Don’t worry about it, J. Like you said, that’s still a few years down the road. And maybe we’ll be able to sneak you in.” Chris winked at him before he turned serious. “But in the meantime, hang out with Lance.”

“I’m trying, but it’s easier with JC,” Justin said.

“Of course it is. You’ve known him the longest. Lance will come out of his shell. Just give him some time.”

“I am,” Justin assured. “It’s just…JC and I clicked right away, you know? We always hung out.”

“And that’s great, but you need to learn to let him go a little.” Justin opened his mouth to protest and Chris continued, “All I’m saying is that you need to let him go out and have some fun every once in a while. Try not to make him feel bad about going out.”

“I don’t,” Justin objected.

“He barely did anything the night we went out. Probably was thinking about how he disappointed you.”

“I never asked him to,” Justin said, feeling the need to defend himself. He didn’t want to be held responsible for JC having a miserable time when he went out. And Justin only really complained about them going out without him because he was afraid JC wouldn’t want him as a best friend anymore.

“I know,” Chris agreed, nodding. “It comes with the territory of being friends, especially when you and JC are so close. But you should work on getting that with Joey and Lance because if we make it big, we’ll be together for a long time.”

Chris was right. Justin wasn’t as close with the rest of them as he was with JC, but it wasn’t like they were complete strangers either. They all got along well enough for not having known each other that long. And they were just going to get closer as time went on, so Justin wasn’t worried.

It was then that Justin realized those nights spent clubbing were just another opportunity for them to spend time getting to know each other. He wasn’t going to lose JC as a best friend, but gain three others. That was going to play a huge part in the group dynamic and make this whole experience more enjoyable.

“You’re right,” Justin said finally, meeting Chris’s gaze.

Chris smirked and passed the ball to him. “Of course I am.”

Justin easily caught the ball and tossed the ball at the net, glad that he’d talked to Chris. He felt like every little thing brought them closer, and that was one of those things.

JC scribbled down a line to add to the first verse. He started from the beginning and read it to see how it worked with the previous lines. Not very well, so he scratched the unacceptable line out. That was the third line that he’d tried to end the first verse with, and so far no luck.

It wasn’t that he was blocked. More like he was distracted. JC tried to focus on the song in front of him, but his thoughts kept wandering to yesterday. Even though that was the last thing he wanted to think about.

When Lou had first touched him two days ago, JC had been unsettled by the inappropriateness of it. But that was nothing compared to what’d happened yesterday. Both in the bedroom and in the car.

On the way back to the warehouse, Lou had taken advantage of JC riding shotgun. JC’d had to keep himself from jumping out of his skin when Lou had first placed a hand on his thigh. He’d tried to slowly inch towards the door, hoping to stop Lou from going any further. But Lou’s hand had just slid further up his leg and into his crotch, squeezing the denim clad muscle.

It’d been a toned down version of what’d happened earlier that morning, but that hadn’t made it any better. And it’d been in front of the guys even if they hadn’t noticed what’d been going on in the front. That’d just added to the discomfort because JC had been afraid that one of them would see.

But at the same time, he’d almost wanted someone to notice because that would ensure that Lou couldn’t continue touching him like that. Part of JC was surprised that Lou had even done it in the car with the others there in the first place. It was risky considering that he couldn’t have banked on no one realizing that something was going on in the front. And it made JC wonder just how far Lou would go since he hadn’t had any qualms about doing it with the possibility of getting caught.

One thing JC knew for sure was that what Lou was doing to him was wrong, and he needed to tell someone about it. He glanced over at Joey, who was sitting at the other end of the couch watching TV, and considered bringing it up now. It was just them in the living room because Lance was in the bedroom he shared with Joey talking to his mom, and Chris and Justin were outside playing basketball.

That was when Lou’s words from last night came rushing back. They’d gotten back to the warehouse for Lou to pick up his car, and it’d gone unspoken that JC was going to drive home since he was already up front. So he’d gotten out of the car to grab the keys off Lou, and that was when Lou had warned him not tell anyone about what’d happened or that’d be the end of their careers.

Heaving a deep sigh, JC closed his notebook and tossed it onto the coffee table in front of him. He wasn’t going to get any further on the song, so there was no point in trying anymore. It would just have to wait until he could actually think straight and focus.

“It’s just as well,” Joey said, briefly looking at him before returning his attention to flipping through the channels. “We have to leave soon.”

“Yeah, but I still would’ve liked to have gotten something done,” JC replied.

“Writer’s block?” Joey asked.

JC hesitated. “Sort of, but not really. It’s kind of hard to explain.”

Joey didn’t say anything, but nodded. A comfortable silence fell between them as JC turned his attention towards the TV screen. The channels continued to change and Joey said, “I’m surprised Lou hasn’t shown up yet.”

“Why?” JC asked.

“He just always seems to be around,” Joey said.

A multitude of sounds filled the room as Joey kept going through all the channels. JC was sure that he had to have gone through all of them at least twice, but figured Joey was doing it more out of boredom than anything. And now would be the perfect time for him to tell Joey about what’d happened yesterday. Lou had already been brought up, so it wasn’t like it’d be coming from nowhere.

“What do you think about him?” JC asked, trying to sound casual about it.

Joey paused in channel surfing and looked over at him. “Who? Lou?” JC nodded and Joey shrugged as he said, “He seems nice enough. Why?”

“It’s just…” JC paused. “Don’t you think there’s something kind of…off with him?”

“What do you mean?” Joey asked, frowning slightly in confusion.

JC had to ease into telling Joey. What he had to say wasn’t going to be easy to say, so he wanted to try to explain his feelings about Lou and see if Joey felt something similar. Probably not, but it would make JC feel better if he did.

“He’s polite, but it’s almost excessive, you know? And the way he’s always watching us…”

“He’s just making sure that everything’s coming together. Making sure that we’ll be ready for the demo,” Joey said.

JC nodded, not surprised by Joey’s reaction to his discomfort with Lou. There was no reason for Joey to feel the same way as him. Lou hadn’t touched him in such a sexual way or stared at him with lust. But if JC was going to tell Joey about what’d happened, he was going to have to push through.

“There’s just something about him I can’t quite put my finger on,” JC insisted.

“You may be right, but he seems alright. I mean, it’s not like he’s suckering us, telling us what we want to hear. He seems to know what he’s doing and what’s best for our careers,” Joey said. “I couldn’t imagine doing this without his help because it’s not like we have the resources to make a demo and get heard.”

JC averted his eyes from Joey, knowing that he was right. Like it or not, they needed Lou to make it in the music business. And JC didn’t want to be responsible for crushing all of their hopes of getting signed.

It didn’t escape his attention what that meant. No one could know about what’d happened. But that also meant that if JC didn’t say anything now, then he would never say anything. Even if Lou did something else.

JC knew it should be exposed that Lou was less than professional, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. So much was riding on them getting signed and becoming successful that he wasn’t going to do anything to ruin their chances. Hoping that nothing else would happen was all he could do at the moment.

“You’re right,” JC agreed quietly, watching as Chris and Justin walked in from the backyard.

“What the hell are you watching?” Chris asked as he sat down between JC and Joey.

“I just stopped on it,” Joey said.

“Well, then change it. Unless you have some secret desire to find out what happens on General Hospital,” Chris replied.

“Maybe you have a secret desire to watch General Hospital. I mean, you knew what it was,” Justin said.

“Or maybe I can read,” Chris shot back, pointing at the screen where the title sequence was shown.

Justin opened his mouth to retort, but forgot all about it when Lance walked into the room saying, “Do you guys know anything about this recording session?”

All eyes landed on Lance who was holding up the schedule that was normally posted on the fridge. “What?” Joey asked.

“Tomorrow we have a block of time that’s marked as ‘studio time,’” Lance said and handed the paper to JC.

“Not only tomorrow, but for the next few days,” JC added as he examined the schedule. It didn’t surprise him that they were only finding out about this now because they usually only looked at the schedule for the day. Taking it one day at a time was the best way to keep all of them from stressing out too much.

“Why do you think we’re recording?” Joey asked.

“Probably to have something professionally recorded in addition to the live concert,” Chris said.

“This is so exciting! It’ll be our first time in a studio together. It’s like we’ve already made it,” Justin rambled as he bounced on the edge of the armchair he was sitting in.

“Calm down, kid. We haven’t made it yet,” Chris told him.

“Yeah, but I don’t see any reason why we won’t. Why else would Lou book us studio time?” Justin replied.

“I wonder why Lou hasn’t said anything about it,” Joey said.

“Well, we can ask him when we see him. But right now we have to go,” Lance said and gestured to the clock that hung on the wall.

Almost immediately the five of them dispersed to put on shoes and grab water bottles. They all met in the driveway like they normally did before they piled into the van. Once they were in the car, it only took ten minutes to reach the warehouse.

Chris followed Justin, who was moving at a faster pace than normal. The excitement of recording making him even more energetic than usual. Not that Chris could blame him. It was pretty exciting, and it gave them even more hope that they’d be picked up by a record company. And that thought allowed all of them to walk into rehearsal with a smile on their face.

They waved at the choreographer as they set their stuff off to the side. Then they started stretching for all the dancing they’d be doing. Normally not many words were said from now until rehearsal was over because they needed all their concentration on the dance routines. But as Chris looked up from stretching his calf muscles to see Lou walk in, he knew today was going to be an exception.

“How are you boys doing today?” Lou asked, coming closer.

“Great,” Justin said with a smile.

Lou returned the smile. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Chris exchanged glances with the other guys. It was obvious that if they wanted to ask about the recording sessions they were booked for, now was the time to do it. No one seemed willing to volunteer to do it though. So Chris took it into his own hands.

“Hey, Lou,” he said, trying to focus Lou’s attention back on them since he was occupied with looking at something on his pager.

Lou looked at him and pocketed the device. “Yes?”

“We noticed that starting tomorrow we’re going to be spending a few days in a recording studio,” Chris said.

“Yes, that’s right,” Lou agreed, nodding.

“Why didn’t you mention it to us before?” Chris asked.

“I didn’t want to distract you boys. You had enough to worry about with learning the songs and the choreography that I felt it would be better to hold off for a while,” Lou explained.

“So is this going out with the demo that we’ll be filming?” Justin asked.

Lou chuckled slightly. “No. It’s going to be the audio for the demo.”

As soon as the words left Lou’s mouth, the excitement that’d lain between the five of them was zapped. None of them had been expecting that. But surely he didn’t mean what they thought he meant.

“What do you mean?” Joey asked warily.

“The audience is only going to hear the studio tracks,” Lou said.

“So we’re going to lip sync?” Lance asked.

Lou nodded. “That’s right.”

Chris frowned. “But don’t musicians who lip sync have bad reputations?”

“Those musicians don’t have the talent to back it up like you boys do,” Lou said.

“Then why do we have to lip sync?” Chris asked. None of this was making sense to him. Why would they lip sync when they could really sing? Wasn’t singing live part of the whole concert experience?

“It’s just to ensure that nothing goes wrong. It has nothing to do with your talent,” Lou tried to pacify.

“That’s what we did on the Mickey Mouse Club,” Justin spoke up, and Lou smiled at him.

The mention of Mickey Mouse Club made Chris realize that JC hadn’t said anything since they’d started this conversation. JC was normally very vocal about anything that involved music, so it registered as weird that he hadn’t contributed his opinion. Looking over at him revealed that he was sitting Indian style and was staring at the floor.

“What do you think about this, JC? You OK with lip syncing?” Chris asked.

JC’s head snapped up and he met Chris’s gaze. After a second he glanced at Lou before lowering it to the floor again. “Yeah. I think it’s a good idea.”

Chris’s frown deepened. He had been confident that JC would agree with him because he was the one who always went on about how real musicians didn’t hide behind a studio recording. But then he went and agreed with Lou, despite his feelings on the subject.

It made Chris wonder why JC wouldn’t stand up to Lou. Normally if JC disagreed with something he’d say so without any hesitation. So what made now different than when the five of them would get on bizarre conversations?

That was when Chris realized that while JC probably disagreed with the idea of lip syncing, he wasn’t going to say anything before rehearsal. JC was always intent on making them focus and fighting about this would definitely cause them to be even more distracted. But Chris hoped that JC would say something to Lou after rehearsal because he just knew that JC was as against lip syncing as he was.

“Well, can’t we still practice it like we’re going to do it live?” Joey asked.

“Look.” Lou sighed. “I appreciate that you guys want to do it live. It shows that you’re really serious about this. But the most important thing to me is your performance. I’m more concerned about how you appear onstage and interact with the audience than your vocals.”

“Aren’t they the most important thing though?” Chris asked.

“Yes, but you’ve already proven that you boys can sing. And the audience will still be able to hear that. I just want your stage presence to be perfect, and by not actually singing I’m giving you one less thing to worry about,” Lou explained.

“But—” Chris tried to protest when Lou cut him off.

“We can talk about this more later if you want, but right now you have some choreography to learn,” Lou said with a hint of impatience.

Chris sighed, but nodded. It didn’t escape his attention that Lou’s tone implied the discussion was closed. There would be no more talk about it, especially since they started recording tomorrow. But that didn’t change how Chris felt about it. He’d never lip synced before and didn’t want to start, especially since every little thing made a difference between getting a record deal and not.