Chapter 35: Summer of Changes

April 6-16th, 1997

(Spring Break)

“Hey bro, are you ok?” Justin asked, tilting his head slightly, noticing JC’s hands clenching the armrests of the airplane. “The turbulence isn’t that bad. Think of it like a roller coaster, that’s what I do to help get over my fear.”

It’s not a fear of flying, JC wanted to tell Justin but he just smiled his thanks at the younger boy and took in a slow, deep breath. He was nervous for how his relationship was going to be on the way back home. There was only two different ways this trip could end for him: really well and he and Nikki are back together or really badly and he and Nikki split up for good.

He rubbed his face with his hand and let out the breath he had been holding. It was his idea to take a trip with Nikki to the Bahamas so it would be just them talking everything out so he knew where they stood but now he wanted to just hop on the next plane back to Orlando and hide under his covers. He just didn’t want to admit to himself that he could potentially be making a big mistake.

Justin’s nose was pressed against the window as they began their decent and JC’s heart started to work in over time. He was sure that he was going to pass out any second. Calm down, Jace, it’s just Nikki. You’re just using this time to talk to her and hang out with Justin like you used to. It’s not all about her. It’s about spending time with friends. He repeated that in his head so many times he almost didn’t notice that they had landed until Justin practically sat in his lap.

“Hey J, I love you and all, but I would appreciate it if you got your ass-less ass out of my face,” JC commented, shoving Justin back into his chair and he stood.

“I have an ass,” Justin pouted from behind JC.

JC rolled his eyes at the whinny tone, gathered his bags, and slowly walked down the crowded aisle. He glanced out the window and was marveled at how blue the ocean was. It wasn’t even that blue in Orlando. Just lightly shoved JC to keep him going forward. God, JC, this isn’t the time to be spacey. You have to focus. You’re going to make the biggest decision of your life soon.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

“Hey Jace, when are they getting here again?” Justin asked, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling.

“In three days,” JC replied in monotone. He couldn’t help it. Justin has asked him that question once they landed, once they got into the taxi, once they checked into the hotel, and once at dinner. “How many more times are you going to ask me that?”

“Am I bothering you?” Justin questioned.

“No, not at all,” JC replied in what he hoped was a sincere voice. It wasn’t Justin that was bothering him, it was Nikki. He had been calling her all day. Halfway through the flight he suddenly craved hearing her voice. His mind was still tied, he didn’t know which way the conversation would go, but he did know that he wanted to be around her again, to feel her arms wrap around him and to smell her floral scent.

“What do you have planned with Nikki? A walk on the beach? Taking a helicopter tour? Staying in the hot tub?” Justin wiggled his eyebrows at the last suggestion.

JC laughed. “I told you all ready, I asked her here to talk about where we are. To be honest I’m not entirely sure that I want to get back together with her.”

“What?” Justin jumped off his bed and landed on JC’s, jostling the older man slightly. “Why not? You guys were good together.”

“I know.” JC nodded. “She cheated on me, remember? There must’ve been something I did or something she didn’t like about me to drive her to cheating on me.”

“She made a mistake,” Justin said simply.

JC stared at him. “It was a mistake to hook up with another guy and hug him or kiss him or hold hands or did whatever she did? She accidentally cheated on me?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Justin said, shaking his head, brushing a few curls away from his forehead. “What I meant was–”

“You need a touchup,” JC said abruptly, looking at Justin’s golden brown hair.

“I know I need one and don’t change the subject,” Justin said with a hint of a smile. “What I meant was that maybe, in a feeling of loneliness she was just…comfortable with a friend?” Justin sighed at the look on JC’s face. “I know, very farfetched but I’m trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. It’s Peaches after all, she’s never done anything to hurt anyone on purpose. She’s a very sweet girl.”

“I know, that’s what I liked about her,” JC muttered.

“Like,” Justin corrected. “You still like her. I can see it in your eyes. Otherwise you wouldn’t have asked her here. I think you two are going to get back together. You’ll pick u where you left off. Do you–”

“Want anything to drink? I was getting ready to ask you that, actually,” JC said suddenly, jumping up and going over to the mini fridge.

“No, I’m fine,” Justin replied, shaking his head. “Anyway, do you think–”

“Are you sure? We have root beer and some fruit punch thing,” JC said with his head in the fridge.

“I’m fine, but thanks. So do you–”

“Want to order room service? I’m not in the mood to go anywhere, really.”

“What are you so afraid of that you keep changing the subject, Josh?” Justin demanded.

JC froze at the mention of his first name.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

“Don’t do anything stupid, I don’t want to have to hear from hotel staff about you two, got it?” JC asked, staring hard at Justin who nodded rapidly.

“You can trust us, C,” Justin said with a little eye roll before turning his bright smile to Veronica who stood by his side. “When have I ever done anything stupid?”

“I don’t have to the time to list it off for you,” JC said, feeling rather than seeing Nikki shifting her weight. “Don’t forget–”

“I’m not a kid! Gosh. C’mon, Ronnie.” Justin took Veronica’s hand and the two disappeared back into the hotel.

“Do you want to just take a walk or do you have something else planned?” Nikki asked, tucking some hair behind her ear.

“A walk is good,” JC replied with a small smile. Nikki brushed some hair out of her face, smiled in return, and the two started walking in the direction of the beach. The silence was awkward and hung heavy over them. There has never been an awkward silence between them before and for the first time in years JC struggled to find something to say.

“So, um, how’ve you been?” He finally asked as they descended the stairs that held the beach directly below them.

“Good,” Nikki replied with a nod. “I tried going back to high school and that didn’t really work out too well. I missed the rush of the lights and the stage and the crowds.” She chuckled. “Once you go into show biz I guess you can’t go back, right?”

“I know exactly what you mean,” JC said, letting out a slow breath, instantly calming down.

“How’s ‘N Sync going anyway?” She questioned, glancing at him before looking out at the ocean that was to her left.

“Really well, actually. We got a Gold single a few months ago and we’re touring around a lot. Our CD comes out in Europe next month,” JC said, trying not to sound like he was bragging. “We’re going to tour Europe the rest of the year, taking breaks every now and then, and we’re setting to bring our music to the US next year.”

“Well, when your CD comes out I’ll definitely buy many copies and send them to my friends and make them listen,” Nikki said. “Anything that has your voice on it is bound to do well.”

“Thanks,” JC said, blushing a little. It was an automatic reaction whenever he got praised for his singing voice. He didn’t think it was good. Well, he did, but he thought that it could be better. “I just…um, wanted you to know on the part where we included the people who we thank I, uh, mentioned you there under the name ‘Peaches’ but…that was back when we were dating.”

Nikki sighed. “It’s a good thing you brought that up because I didn’t know how much longer I could dodge around the subject,” she admitted. She glanced around to find a place to sit down and just plopped down on the sand, JC sat next to her.

“Yeah, I, uh, wanted to know…a lot of things, really,” JC said, scratching behind his ear, looking down at his feet. “Mainly…”

“Why I suddenly broke it off,” Nikki supplied. “Over the phone.” JC nodded. “And not to you.”

“You’re not making things better,” he pointed out.

“Right, sorry,” she sighed. “The truth is I was thinking long and hard about us. You were in Europe starting to live your dream and I guess I was a little jealous. It’s like, right after MMC you and Justin get this great opportunity while the rest of us were left in the dust trying to figure out what to do. Whenever you called and told me about what was happening a little part of me hurt each time because I knew I wasn’t living that life. And then after hearing of your success…I panicked. I was thinking about us in the long run. You going off months at a time, singing and meeting new people…meeting new girls and I’d be here wondering what you were doing all the time. Then I realized I wouldn’t be able to deal with the separation.”

“But Niks, we could’ve worked it out,” JC pointed out. “Set some ground rules or something. You should’ve known I’d want to make it work. And as for the other girls…how could you think I’d be unfaithful? I never cheated on you while we were dating at MMC, not once. Why would you think I would do that on the road?”

“I was scared, I told you that!” Nikki all but wailed. “I was afraid you’d trade me up for someone better or something. In hindsight that was the dumbest decision I made, I understand that now.”

“No, the dumbest part of that decision as calling me about it and when you didn’t get me you told my friend to tell me instead,” JC replied bitterly.

“In the back of my mind I convinced myself that it would be better if you were mad at her instead of mad at me.” Nikki sniffed. “She didn’t like me much anyway.”

“That’s not true,” JC denied.

“It is. She hated me. She didn’t even have to say it, I could tell by the way she looked at me, and she only did it when you weren’t around to say something about it. She was scared of you.”

JC shook his head. “Nikki, I just want to know one thing.”

“Who was it?” She questioned. He nodded, pressing his lips together. “You don’t want to know.”

“Yes I do. Tell me, who was it?” He demanded. She stayed silent. “Was it someone from MMC?” She nodded. “One of my friends?” She nodded again. “Dale?” She shook her head. “Don’t say Tony.”

“It wasn’t Tony, he’s with Kerri, remember?” She said with a sigh.

“So? If you can cheat on me you could easily make him cheat on her,” he said harshly.

“Josh, I can’t believe you said that!” She gasped.

“Nikki, just tell me!”

“It was Marc, ok?” She grabbed his hands. “And I regretted my decision as soon as it happened. I didn’t sleep with him or anything, we just kissed once but after it happened we talked and we said that it didn’t mean anything. And it didn’t, I didn’t feel anything like I felt with you.” She looked him dead in the eye. “I was glad when you called and asked for me to come with you here. I knew you were thinking the same thing: that you wanted to get back together. I do too, Josh, I do too. I’ve missed you so much.” She leaned into him but he leaned backwards, away from her.

He sighed and gently pulled her hands off of his. “Listen, Nikki, I’ll admit I did want to get together. But that was before I actually sat down and gave myself time to think about it and I heard your story.” He licked his dry lips. “I love you, Nikki, and I always will.” She sucked in her breath. “But…I can’t get back together with you. I wasn’t in Germany for long when you cheated on me. Who knows when you’ll do it again? When I’m at rehearsal? In an interview in the next room? The same day I leave? Who knows?” He shrugged. “And you said that you’re getting into the music business yourself. I’m extremely happy for you, it’s what you always wanted and you’re working with an amazing woman who I could call my second mother, but it’s the entertainment business that would make our relationship hard.

“If we stayed together we’d be playing touch and go all the time. I’d be back one day and you’d be gone the same day. We’d constantly miss each other. Telephone calls tie me over for so long, I’d rather you be there, waiting for me when I get back. To be honest, I think I want someone who’s not in the business, to keep me grounded.”

“I can do both,” Nikki said, wiping at her eyes.

JC smiled sadly and brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “It’s not what I want right now. Sure, I might change my mind in the future and if we’re meant to be together it’ll happen. But right now I either need a girl who’s not in the business or I’ll just focus on my work and on the guys. I hope you understand.”

Nikki nodded and smiled a little. “I understand perfectly. I just wish it wouldn’t end this way.”

“Me too,” JC replied. “Do you like me enough to give me a hug?”

“Always.” She buried her face in the crook of his neck and held onto him tight, afraid he’d disappear if she let go. Finally, after minutes past, she let him go and sat back. “Speaking of MMC, I talked to a few of ‘em. Guess who got a recording contract at Jive?”

JC wracked his brain. “Christina?”

“Close, Britney,” she replied.

JC’s eyebrows rose. “This early? Well, I guess that’s nothing new to me.” Nikki gave him a confused look. “You remember Mack, the girl who you claim hates you?” She nodded. “You know how she’s been our choreographer?”

“Yeah, I remember. That girl can dance,” Nikki replied.

“Well, she performed a few of her own songs in a pinch and our record lable is offering her a contract.”

Now Nikki’s eyebrows rose. “She sings?”

“And acts apparently,” he replied. “She’s trying for a movie audition as well.”

“That girl’s ambitious.”

“Always has been. Reminds me of you. Just more headstrong and loud.”

Nikki grinned. “If she’s anything like me you’ll end up falling for her as well.”

JC laughed. “Somehow I doubt that.”

“You never know.” She smiled then glanced at her watch. “Wow, it’s later than I thought. We should get back before they get worried.”

“You’re right.” JC got up and brushed off his pants, grasping her hand and pulling her to her feet. He didn’t let go of her hand as they walked back to the hotel. He wanted her to know that he would always be there for her, no matter what happened between them. He was sure she got the message because she didn’t want to let him go when she hugged him goodbye.

Finally he let her go and stepped into the elevator, giving her a small wave before the elevator doors closed. Leaning against the back wall he let out a breath and convinced himself that he had made the right decision. He waited a few minutes and found that he agreed with himself when his heart didn’t tell him to bust out of the elevator and find her.

He went back into his hotel room to see Justin walking out of the bathroom, his pajama pants on and a t-shirt in his hands. “You just get back? You guys must’ve made up for a while,” Justin commented as he rubbed at the few beads of water that was still stuck to his chest.

JC kicked off his shoes. “We broke up,” he responded. Justin looked at him in confusion. “It didn’t feel right to me and it wasn’t fair to make her wait. We split mutually, we’re not mad at each other or anything. What about you guys?” He dropped down on his bed and rested his hands underneath his head.

“We split too,” Justin replied. “Momma’s taking her into her group, the same one Nikki’s going to be in, and we agreed that the distance would be too much.”

“Sorry about that man,” JC said.

“I’m not upset.” Justin shrugged. “I’m young, I’ll bounce back.”

JC rolled his eyes. “Oh, by the way, Nikki told me some interesting news. Guess who’s getting a recording contract with Jive?”

“Uhhh, Christina,” Justin guessed.

“No, but I guess her as well. No, Britney.” Justin’s eyebrows rose. “I had the same reaction. She’ll be amazing, her voices is killer and so’s her dancing.”

“Christina hasn’t said anything about one but I know she’s gone after some deals,” Justin muttered. “Huh, isn’t that funny though? We have a CD out, in Europe but still, Britney’s getting a contract and Mack is getting one too. Once Christina gets one it’ll be like…we’ll be in a competition but not at the same time because we’ll be aiming to support each other.”

“That’s the way the music business should be,” JC agreed. He turned his head towards the ringing phone and lifted it to his ear. “Hullo…hey, what’s up? Yeah, hold on.” JC reached over and pushed a button on the telephone. “You there?” He asked.

“Yup, we’re all here,” Mack’s voice came in from the white box. “Me and Chris and Lance and Joey and Trace and Rachael.”

“Trace, how are you, you mother fucker?” Justin called as he pulled on his night shirt.

“Glad I’m all the way over here so you can’t come and kill me,” Trace’s southern drawl replied. “What’s eating you?”

“Long story, I’ll explain when we get home,” Justin replied, jumping onto his bed.

“Uh oh, he got dumped,” Rachael’s voice came over the line.

“Waddya know, Miss Nosey?”

“I know when you get all sulky.”

“I’m pretty sure there’s a reason you called,” JC jumped in.

“What, you didn’t want to hear my beautiful voice?” Chris asked in high falsetto.

“Not one that’ll haunt him at night,” Joey spoke up. “Go on, girl, tell ‘em about your decision.”

“Decision?” Justin’s ears perked up.

“Yeah, concerning my opportunities,” Mack’s voice came back over the line. “You two are aware of the opportunities I’ve been given, including the one that you guys gave me choreographing for you guys. I love it, you know I do, but I wanted to look at my other options.”

“You’re quitting on us, aren’t you?” Justin demanded.

“Let me finish.” He could practically see Mack rolling her eyes. “Before I was given some of these opportunities I’ve been taking the time to think about my school work. Before I was given these opportunities I was about 75% sure that I wanted to go back to school for my junior and sophomore year.”

“So you’re going back to school?” Justin interrupted again.

“If you don’t let me finish I swear…” Mack’s rant trailed off as she muttered something in French and then Lance’s laughter came over the line. “Ok, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted”–JC laughed as Justin rolled his eyes–“I’m going to choreograph for the Backstreet Boys, but it’s only for one song. I’ll see where I goes from there but right now it’ll be the one song. I need diversity and continuity so doing both will be good for me. As for the movie part, I’m talking with my mom about it and she’s helping me get an agent and all that stuff.” She took a breath. “For the recording contract, I decided to turn it down.”

“Are you freaking crazy!? You’re given an amazing deal here!” Justin practically shouted.

“I don’t want to sign to TransCon,” Mack replied.

“But why?” JC asked.

“I just don’t like the whole Pop thing. If I sign to them they’ll make me Pop, I just know it and I don’t want to do something I won’t have fun with.”

“So you’re just going to give up music altogether?” Justin asked. “With a voice like that?”

“Well, I didn’t say I’d give it up completely,” Mack said slowly. “I still want to do it, but under a label I want to be a part of when I feel I have time.”

“What about our tour and stuff?” Justin asked.

“Well, if I find a movie I hope it’ll only last over the summer. Once the fall rolls around I’ll come back as I look for more choreography opportunities. I can fly in and out easily, it won’t be that hard. There’s just two things standing in my way.”

“What’s that?” JC questioned.

“Mr. Yerger’s exam and Justin.” JC looked up and over at Justin who was giving the white box an odd look as if Mack were sitting there. “I know you want me on tour with you guys but I don’t want to only be there if it’s going to stand in my way of doing other things but I don’t want to do other things if I don’t have your support, J.”

Justin twisted his lips to the side of his mouth and sighed. “You know I always have your back. No matter what, Scrappy.”

He could practically see Mack’s illuminating smile on the other end of the line. “I appreciate it, Scooby.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Two months later…

“Why are you nervous? You’re not the one taking the test,” Lance commented as he watched Joey pace up and down the halls. He glanced at his watch briefly before continuing pacing. JC pulled his feet in slightly so Joey wouldn’t tread on them and continued to play with his yo-yo as Chris counted the numerous floor tiles.

“I just feel bad for Justin,” Joey replied. “I mean, he hasn’t been able to concentrate on anything at all since Laura Katherine died. He’s always wanted a little sister and she’s just…gone. I wouldn’t want to study if something like this happened to me.”

“He has a good support system though,” Chris commented, keeping his eyes glued to the floor as he slowly walked the hall.

“I don’t know how to talk to him lately,” Lance admitted with a small sigh. “What can you say to someone whose little sibling died right after childbirth?”

“You could ask Mack, she knows a little bit about that club,” Chris said.

“What do you mean by that?” JC asked, frowning at the knot in his yo-yo string.

“Well, those two are in the club that no one wants to be in,” Chris replied. They looked at him blankly. “The Death-of-a-Younger-Sibling Club. Mack wasn’t supposed to be an only child; she was going to have a little brother when she was four. He died the day after he was born. She didn’t like to talk about it; it took her a while to get over it but she has come to terms with it. It’s like, ya know? You can only control it to an extent.”

“Wait, how do you know about that?” JC questioned, part of the yo-yo string was lodged in between his two front teeth like floss.

“Justin told me,” he sighed. “We’re doing the only thing we can for those two.”

“It sucks, though. Knowing if Justin fails he can’t do ‘N Sync stuff with us over the summer and if Mack fails then she can’t work on her movie,” Joey commented. “She’s lucky, though, being only fifteen and having all of this stuff shoved into her face. It sucks she didn’t get the Titanic role.”

“The directors must’ve liked her audition anyway otherwise she wouldn’t have gotten this role. You are right about her being lucky though, and we’re lucky as well,” Lance agreed. “We get to experience our dreams at the same time she does, even if it doesn’t work out for any of us. At least we all tried, right?”

“Yeah, but it will work out, I know it will,” Chris replied.

The sound of the door creaking open grabbed their attention. They all moved towards the door as Justin and Mack backed out, thanking their tutor, Chuck Yerger, for their time.

“Well?” The four boys asked in unison.

“We have to wait a bit for him to grade the test,” Justin said, shoving his heads into his pockets. He sighed and kicked at the floor, his shoulders slumping under his baby blue North Carolina t-shirt.

“Don’t worry, J, I’m sure you did fine. We studied hard for this and failure is not an option,” Mack said as she reached up and gently gave his shoulder a squeeze. Absentmindedly, she moved the two long braids that were in her hair over either shoulder before looking at JC. “You having a little trouble there, Beaverface?” She lifted an eyebrow at the yo-yo hanging from his teeth.

“I was trying to get a knot out,” he replied, still working at it.

“Did you knock some marbles loose in the process?” She questioned, reaching up and tugging the string out of his mouth.’

“Ow,” he muttered, bringing a hand up to his mouth.

Justin cracked a smile. “How long have you guys been sitting here?” He questioned.

“Long enough for me to find out that there are exactly 2,962 tiles in this one hallway alone,” Chris replied, taking his cap off of his head and scratching at a spot behind his ear. “Do you always take this long to take tests?”

“Do you want to be responsible for ‘N Sync’s failure?” Justin shot back, lifting an eyebrow.

“You’re right. The German girls will start a riot if they don’t get a glimpse of you and that earring, Captain Timberlake,” Chris joked, flicking the unusually large gold earring in Justin’s left ear. Justin slapped Chris’s hand away but his smile was bigger than before. “Hey Tater-Tot,” Chris said with a grin, ruffling Mack’s hair.

“What’s up, Small-Fry?” She questioned, snatching his cap off of his head and placing it backwards on her own.

“Are we basing our put-downs around potatoes?” he questioned.

Mack shrugged and smiled. “You’re the one who brought it up, spud, I mean bud.” She suddenly started bouncing on her toes. “Lance! Lance! Did Stacey and Ford decide on a place to have the wedding yet?” her eyes were wide and shining as a grin split across her face.

“No, not yet, they haven’t found the right one,” he responded, watching her bounce up and down with his eyes. “Why?”

“’Cause I just had a brilliant idea!” She responded, excited.

“You might want to listen to her, those don’t come around often,” Justin teased.

Mack ignored him. “You can have the wedding at my house! In my backyard!”

“Uh, not to be mean, but I’ve seen your house, I don’t think it’ll work,” Lance said gently.

“No, not my Memphis house or my Orlando house. My Canada house! We rent it out to people all the time and we go up there for Christmas. The backyard has this archway thing at the end of it and it has a…um…what’s that thing wthat’s in a circle and it has fancy fencing around it?” She asked, snapping her fingers rapidly. The guys looked at each other and Mack suddenly shouted out the answer, causing them all to jum. “A gazebo! We have a gazebo and other cool outdoorsy stuff too! It’s perfect! Like a…a Winter Wonderland! My house can fit a lot of people and if there’s no room we can stay with my grandparents since they live down the street! They won’t care if I suddenly drop in, I need to visit them again any. And, and the best part is that the snow will create an awesome backdrop!” Mack rattled on as the guys continued to look at her as if she were crazy.

“You’ve been thinking about this for a while haven’t you?” JC questioned.

“What was your first clue?” Justin asked dryly.

“I like the idea, personally, I just gotta pitch it to Stace,” Lance said.

“She’s getting married in December and this is like a girl’s fantasy wedding. Trust me, she’ll go for it,” Mack said with a wave of her hand. “I’m a girl, I know these things. I know everything because I’m a girl.”

“Yet you have a distinct lack of knowledge of when to use tact,” JC pointed out.

“And you have a distinct lack of knowledge of when to shut up!” She shot back with a small head roll. He rolled his eyes as the door creaked open. Justin and Mack instantly jumped to attention and rushed over to Chuck Yerger as he walked out, their tests in either hand. She tried to read his face to see if he was giving out any hints to their grades but his face remained empty. He simply held their papers out to them, the backs facing up. “I can’t look!” She suddenly cried out, her eyes wide in fear.

“I’ll look,” Chris said, starting forward.

“And have you make up a score and give me a heart attack?” her fingers clenched the paper hard at the thought.

“Why don’t we d o this? We’ll hold our scores out to each other, so we each can see it, and then we turn it around so we can see our own scores. OK?” Justin suggested. Mack nodded and the air suddenly became thick with tension. They locked eyes and, with a small nod from Justin, turned their papers around. She fought the smile that was dying to come to her face when she saw Justin’s grade. He had done much better than they both thought. She stole a glance at Justin’s face and saw a very subtle twitch in the corner of his mouth. Oh man. Taking a deep breath the two looked at each other before turning their papers around.

“All right! I got a 93!” Justin cheered.

“Mack?” Lance asked.

“I got, uh, I got a 70,” she muttered before turning to Chuck. “Is this enough to pass? I know it’s not my best but…please give me good news.”

“You needed one point to pass,” Chuck replied. Mack looked crestfallen. Chuck smiled. “You got that point. Your average throughout the year was enough to help you get a passing grade. Congratulations, both of you.”

“We did it, Mack, we did it!” Justin cheered happily before wrapping his arm around her waist and started spinning her around. She laughed and held onto him tight incase he decided to let her go. “The best part is that we don’t have to deal with school for three months!”

“Congrats guys,” JC said, hugging them both at one time. “I knew you could do it.”

“We all did,” Chris said, lightly hitting JC on the arm.

“Thank you so much Mr. Yerger!” Mack said, turning to hug him.

He laughed and lightly patted her head. “You did most of the work, I just helped you along. Have a great summer.” He smiled and went back into the classroom, closing the door.

“Yaaaay!” Mack cheered happily before running down the hall. After gaining enough speed she did a couple of cartwheels, a few backhand springs, and finished with a right-handed k-kick out of happiness.

“I swear ever since you went to Memphis you’re a different person,” Justin commented as the boys walked in her direction. “Did you get hit on the head?” He joked.

“No, but I did get hit with southern hospitality,” Mack replied. “How much ‘N Sync stuff do you guys have to do?”

They all turned to Lance. “A few shows every now and then, a few interviews: radio, TV, and print, and a few appearances. The longest we have to stay in different places is three days but there’s a lot of time in between each appearance so we can still spend most of summer in Orlando and wherever we want to go.”

“So, little Miss Triple Threat which thing are you going to tackle first?” Joey asked, lightly nudging Mack.

“Uhm, the movie I think. They’re trying to get it all done in two months, three at the most and I want to do that before I have to worry about my time being compromised,” Mack replied. She skipped a little bit out of happiness. “Man, I still can’t believe it. I get to choreograph for the Backstreet Boys and I get to work on a movie and on a CD!” She sighed in content. “This is our summer, boys.”

“Don’t you think all those jobs will come with a lot of pressure?” JC asked in concern.

“I can handle it, Jace,” Mack said with a wave of her hand. “As long as I have everything organized and I have your support I’ll be fine. I’ll stay as cool and calm and collected as possible. And if I snap at any of you guys at all–”

Justin put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “We’ll know you’ve gone back to normal,” he quipped.