Chapter 6: “What’s so special About Birthdays Anyway?”

Which is worse: waking up to someone prodding you in the side or waking up to music playing at top volume? Either way, Mack wanted to kill whoever it was who thought it was a bright idea to prod her awake and with thumping music.

The past couple of days have been hard on her, though she tried not to show it. She’s been in and out of the house rushing around for school, dance practice, helping the guys, helping her dad at work, and babysitting in short notices. The only thing she wanted to do was sleep in a bit, especially since it was her birthday and luckily it was a half day.

“Poke her harder!” Someone hissed, probably Joey, Mack was too sleepy to distinguish the voices.

“Touch me and die,” she groaned sleepily. She forced herself to roll onto her back and rubbed her eyes. Only when she sat up all the way did she open her eyes and looked suspiciously at the grinning boys who were standing around her bed. Before she could open her mouth to say something they broke out singing Happy Birthday, badly might she add, but she knew they were only doing it to make her laugh. Their acapella was jaw dropping. “Thanks,” she said, forcing a smile. She was still ticked about her rude awakening. As if sensing her discomfort Justin turned off the radio. There was a reason that he was her best friend.

“Here’s a smiley-face breakfast to start your day–hey! Where’d the smile go?” Justin stared down at the plate in his hands. Two eggs–prepared sunny-side up–were supposed to represent the eyes. The smile was gone. He squinted then glared at Joey who had taken a sudden interest in the ceiling.

“Sorry,” he sighed. “I got hungry on the way here.”

“A staring breakfast, how appetizing,” Mack muttered before taking the plate. “Now leave so I can change.”

The boys didn’t hesitate to leave. Once they were out of ear shot they began talking about plans for her party. They were convinced that she didn’t know a thing and they were pressed for time now that they knew that she only had a half day.

“As soon as she leaves we’ll hit the store and get her party stuff,” Justin told them. “We should be in and out as fast as possible so we can decorate the place. Lance, were you able to contact the water rec. sport people?”

Lance nodded. “We have jet skis, tubing, and a banana boat for our use for a few hours.”

“Good. Joey, JC, what about the cake?” Justin asked, turning to them.

“We can pick it up while we’re out,” Joey replied. Justin stared at him. “I won’t eat any of it, I promise,” he sighed with an eye roll as Justin beamed.

“Good. Chris, you’re going to wrap the presents, right? And get the ones from her parents here,” Justin added, looking at Chris.

“Yup. I got the wrapping paper picked out too,” he said as he pointed to the paper sitting on the kitchen table.

“Christmas trees?” Justin asked as the other guys laughed. “You want to use a Christmas themed wrapping paper in the middle of September?” Before Chris could reply they heard her footsteps coming in their direction. “Quick! Get rid of it!” he hissed, throwing it at Chris, who practically dropped them all. He quickly ran out of the room as Mack came in.

“Where are Lynn and Dianne?” She questioned, looking around.

“They went…shopping,” Lance said as he smiled a little.

“Uh huh,” she muttered, not believing him.

“Is that what you’re wearing today?” Justin questioned.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with it?” She asked, looking down. She was wearing a hooded t-shirt with the number 22 on the front in red. The rest of the shirt except for the hem, sleeves, and hood were white. She paired it with red shorts that stopped at her knees and black mid-cut vans. She decided to pull her jet black hair back into a ponytail although her bangs still fell into her eyes.

“Wouldn’t you want to wear something more…special?”

“Stop being a girl, you’re starting to scare me.” She shook her head. “I’m splitting early. I’m going to meet Heather and I won’t be back until, like, two, I have to help dad at work.”

“Have a good day,” the guys chorused before pulling her into a group hug. She stood in the center stiffly. She hated group hugs, they felt fake to her. She knew the boys only did it to bother her. They watched as she grabbed her bike and pedaled down the street.

“Ok, let’s go!” Joey said as he grabbed his keys. “Chris, you stay here.”

“Me? Why me? Why can’t I go with you?” He whined.

“We need someone to be here in case she comes back early so you can lie for us,” Joey explained impatiently. “You’re the best liar. We don’t believe half of the things you say now. You’re an expert.”

Joey closed the door in Chris’s face and ran down  to his car where the other guys were all ready sitting, fighting over what radio station to listen to. Joey declared that since it was his car, it was his rules so they had to listen to whatever he wanted to. That meant they were stuck listening to the Grease soundtrack.

They practically catapulted themselves out of his car once they pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store. JC grabbed a cart, ran a bit, and jumped onto it as the cart rolled across the parking lot. Justin and Lance grabbed the sides and pulled him along, running as fast as they could to help him pick up speed. JC quickly dropped to the ground, using his feet to stop moving. He turned and glared at Lance and Justin. “You did that on purpose,” he stated before pushing the cart though the automatic doors, the same doors which he would’ve crashed into since he was moving so fast.

“What is it that we need exactly?” Joey asked as they navigated the aisle.

“Umm, soda, chips, punch, streamers, lights, tiki torches, confetti, balloons, and the cake if I’m not forgetting anything else,” Justin listed off. “How about we split up so we can get this done faster? Lance and I will get the food stuff; you guys can get everything else.”

“Should we get the cake now?” Joey questioned.

“No, we should get it last. That way it won’t be crushed after we get everything else,” JC replied.

“What is a balloon going to do to a cake?” Joey asked in exasperation. “Come on, let’s just get it last. J conveniently forgot that we need burgers, hot dogs, and fries.”

“But that’s not on the list!” JC said as he followed Joey, pushing the cart as fast as he could to keep up with his friend.

“What kind of birthday party doesn’t have barbecue?” Joey questioned without turning around.

“But it’s not on the list!”

“Who cares about the dang list?” Joey cried, throwing his arms up into the air.

“I do,” JC replied. “If there isn’t any sort of organization this surprise party would flop and who do you think would get blamed for it?”

“Justin,” Joey replied without hesitation.

JC opened his mouth to say something but paused, pondering over his answer. “That’s true,” he admitted. “But we’d be pulled into it by default. Now, unless you want a pissed off girl on your hands, we’re following the list.”

“Why do you do that?” Joey questioned, following JC down an aisle.

“Do what?” JC questioned, annoyed.

“Whenever we have to do something you stick to it until you work it to death,” Joey replied. “Like…like our Pleasure Island audition? You wouldn’t let us take a break until we have every pitch perfect.”

“So sue me for growing up learning to finish one task before starting a new one.” JC paused in front of a selection of streamers, tapping his chin. “Which one is better?” He asked as he held up the two bags. “This one’s cheaper,” he said as he lifted the bag that was in his right hand. “But this one has more variety,” he said as he lifted the other.

“Get both!” Joey said as he grabbed them and threw it into the cart.

“But the budget–”

“You know what?” Joey interrupted him, grabbing the cart out of JC’s hands. “Let me deal with this, man. You go and get the cake. I’ll meet you at the cash registers.” Joey then took off running down the aisle before JC could do anything.

JC grumbled under his breath as he navigated to the desert section of the store. He waited patiently in line for his turn. A few young girls came up to him, recognizing him from MMC, and asked for his autograph. He was pleasantly shocked but signed the autographs with a smile and a thank you.

“Next!” The lady behind the counter called.

“Hi. I’m here to pick up a cake, under the name Timberlake,” JC informed the man. The man went to a refrigerator nearby and took out the cake. JC peered at the cake through the plastic cover and his mouth fell open. “Uh oh.”

--*--*--

“I’m so glad we only had a half day of school,” Heather commented as she threw her arms into the air and tilted her head back so the warm Florida sun rays beat down on her face. “So, birthday girl, you have any plans?”

“Nah, I’m just going to hang at the house,” Mack replied as they reached the bike rack.

“I still don’t get how you can deal with living with all those guys 24/7,” Heather said as she unlocked her bike and pulled it out of the rack. “I mean, Lance is really nice, he can’t really get on your nerves. But everyone else and Josh? I’d be tearing out of there in a millisecond.”

“They’re all fine by themselves. It’s when they’re together is when I have to have a lot of patience,” Mack said as she swung her leg over her bike. Heather followed suit and soon they were leisurely pedaling into the city to get to Philippe’s studio. “I mean, I like their energy but sometimes I want to kill them. I’m glad that they use some of their energy for dancing and singing–you should see them, they’ve improved a lot–but it’s like they never run out of it.”

“That should be a good thing,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, is great that they always try to get on my nerves. The worst part is that it works…all the time!”

Heather laughed as Mack fought the smile that was coming to her face. She’s been living with the boys for about two weeks now. She’s gotten used to their high jinks and their habits, but there was something about them that still irked her, she just couldn’t put her finger on it. It was either that they always wanted to do something with her, as if they were clingy, or that they always wanted to know what she was up to, when what she really wanted was to be left alone at times. She understood that they were just looking out for her, or spying on her for her parents’ sake, but she still needed time by herself.

“This is it,” Mack announced as she parked her bike right outside of the photo studio. She waved to her Dad through the window who waved back and motioned the two inside. “You’ll get used to the smell,” she added once they stepped inside. “Dad!” She called. He held up a finger to a woman before crossing the room and pulling her into a hug. “Dad, this is Heather. JC’s sister, she’s in my class,” she said pointing to Heather who waved.

“It’s nice to meet you Heather,” Philippe greeted her with a big smile. “It’s a nice change to see her hanging out with other girls instead of guys all of the time.”

“It’s only ‘cause girls are high maintenance and I’m not,” Mack said with an eye roll. Heather shot her an offended look. “Except her,” Mack quickly added. “What do you need help with?”

“Getting the orders ready for pick up, that’s all I need today, sweetie,” he replied before going back over to the woman who stood by waiting.

“’Kay, Dad. You want to help? It doesn’t take long to get the orders ready,” Mack said as she moved into the back room. “All we have to do is check the list,” she picked up a clipboard, “and take the ready photos and put them in the right frames and envelopes so they’re ready to be picked up.”

“Wow! Your dad took these? These are amazing!” Heather commented as she picked up a random family picture that was sitting on the counter.

“The best ones are the water side shots with the natural light,” Mack said in a distracted tone as she gently framed a separate picture. “Can’t beat natural light, but artificial light works well too, only if you have the right exposure.”

Heather couldn’t help but notice the tone of pride that was in her voice. Usually she stayed away from talking about her parents but when she does it’s as if they were the best thing on the planet. She idolizes them, she’s the only person that Heather knew who would actually want to hang out with her parents if she ever go the chance. But lately it’s been a somewhat touchy subject with her, as if she was ashamed of them or something.

Heather hasn’t known Mack long–only about two years only ‘cause they met through JC and Justin during MMC–but she considered Mack her best friend, especially since the two girls always hung out during school, passing notes and talking about the other girls and ignoring the immature boys. She would even go as far as saying that they were close, she knew what got on Mack’s nerves, she knew her secret dream of being a star, whether by dancing or singing, which no one knew that she does, she also knew that Mack had a thing for singers. The only thing that she couldn’t figure out is why Mack was keeping something from her and acting so down, especially when it was her birthday.

“So, uh, what’re you going to do for your birthday?” Heather asked, breaking the silence. She all ready knew that the boys were planning a party; she just needed to make sure that Mack was still clueless about it.

“Stay home. I’m not really big on doing huge stuff for my birthday,” she replied with a shrug, gently sliding a few pictures into an envelope before sealing it and writing on the front.

“You don’t ever go out for dinner? Or go see a play or something?” Heather asked while raising her eyebrows.

“Nope. I’d rather stay home and do some intimate stuff with my Mom and Dad. I could go to a restaurant or to a play any other time,” she replied with a small smile. It seemed forced but Heather couldn’t tell. “Hmm, I finished early today. We can head out now. You want to come back to my place or should we go to yours?”

‘It’s way too early for her to go back to her place.’ “Mine!” Heather blurted out. “My Mom wants to give you your present anyway.”

“She didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Yeah, well she sees you as a second daughter so she couldn’t resist.”

“Hey Dad, we’re done,” Mack called as the two girls went to the front of the store. “The ready photos are labeled and laid out on the counter ready for pick up. If there’s nothing else you need me to do, Heather and I are going to split.”

“No dear, you can go,” he said with a smile. “Hug first.” He held out his arms and Mack eagerly rushed to give him a hug. He easily picked her up off of the ground and held her tight as she laughed.

“Don’t squish me, Dad!” She laughed as he put her back down on the ground. “I’ll see you later. Have a good day.”

The two girls left the store and grabbed their bikes, pedaling towards the Chasez home as they talked about which teachers they liked and didn’t like. By the time they reached the Chasez home they were in a debate over which teacher was better to get away with anything.

“Mom! I’m home and Mack’s here too,” Heather shouted as she pushed open the door to the home. Mack slipped in behind Heather and quickly took off her shoes, remembering the house rule. A smile came to her face as she took in her surroundings. The house had signs of people living in it, not like the other homes she went to that were so neat that it looked like no one lived there. Pictures were hung up on almost every inch of the walls, showing the growth of the Chasez children over the years. “Mom?” She shouted again.

“I’m in the kitchen!” Karen shouted back.

Mack followed Heather slowly, studying every picture as she walked towards the kitchen. She tried to ignore the pang that was beating at her heart but it got harder the longer she looked at the pictures of the children. She was with Justin so much that she rarely ever felt the effects of being an only child but when she did it hit her hard, like now. She envied her friends so much sometimes it scared her. She felt as if they were her brothers, but it wasn’t the same. They had siblings to go home to, she didn’t. She shook her head. ‘It’s in the past now, get over it.’

“Hi Karen. Hey Tyler,” Mack greeted the two with a smile.

“Hi!” Tyler greeted back with enthusiasm. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Last minute thing.” She shrugged and sat down on a stool. “How’ve you been, Ty?”

“Good, I guess. School’s boring, but that’s not surprising,” he said with a shrug. “History is getting a little tough though,” he added, dropping his gaze. “Do you think you could help me? I mean, if you ever have time.” He blushed in embarrassment as Mack chuckled.

“Sure. Whenever you need help, just ask.” Heather shared a smile with Karen who chuckled and shook her head. It was obvious that Tyler liked her; he just wouldn’t admit it even though he went out of his way to try and be around her. “You said something about a gift? I have to get it and go before the guys destroy the house.”

“I’ll get it,” Heather offered.

“How are the boys doing, anyway?” Karen asked.

“They’ve improved so much in only a week, it’s amazing,” Mack replied. “By the time the showcase rolls around they’re going to knock everyone off of their feet. The choreography is still a little shaky, but that’s only because I still haven’t gotten a full idea on what I want them to do for a specific song. I’m still working it out in my head. Their vocals are perfect, it can’t get any better. I’m telling you, their acapella is amazing it’ll make a crowded room fall silent at the first note. Once everything is put together they’re going to be a hit.”

“How is Josh doing about the performing aspect?” Karen questioned. “I realize that he did the MMC show for a while but as soon as that was over he reverted back to his old ways.”

“Basically he’s a wuss,” Tyler filled in.

“Tyler!” Karen scolded as Tyler shrugged and turned his attention back to his homework.

“He’s fine now, it’s when the fact that they’re going to do the showcase dawns on him is when I’ll be worried,” Mack admitted. “His perfectionist ways will end up being his downfall and I’m trying to get him to realize that he’s human but that’s a challenge in itself but I can break him one way or another.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Karen said with a laugh.

“Here you go,” Heather said as she held out the wrapped box. “Call me once you open it.”

“Ok, see you later and thanks.”

--*--*--

“This is bad. This is so bad,” JC muttered as he stared down at the cake on the table.

“Relax. We can’t panic in this situation,” Lance replied. “So they got the flavor wrong, big deal. It’s not like it’s a disaster.” He rubbed his chin. “We could always make a new one. She wouldn’t know the difference.”

“Ok, that’s the only thing we can do I guess,” Justin sighed. “How much time until she gets here?”

Joey opened his mouth but stopped when he heard the sound of a key in the lock. “None,” he announced with a smile.

“Now you can panic,” Lance told JC, who nodded and started taking deep breaths. “It could be my mom,” he suggested lamely.

“Guys? Where are you?” Mack shouted.

“You wish she were your mom,” Chris commented.

“Hide the cake!” Justin whispered. JC grabbed the cake and ran out of the room right as Mack came in.

“Hey. How was your day?” She asked and immediately went over to Justin to give him a hug, like she always did when she got home.

“It was all right. But now that you’re here we can go out. We have a surprise for you,” he replied as he pushed her towards the door.

“Thanks, but I have to study for Geometry and–” she started to protest.

“Do it later. Come on, you’ll have fun. Trust us.” Despite her protests Justin managed to direct her out the door and to the cars right as Lynn and Dianne pulled into the driveway. “We’ll be back later,” he told the two mothers. He gently shoved Mack away from him before lowering his voice. “We’ll be gone long enough to get everyone here but we have a small problem. The cake is chocolate and we need a vanilla one. Do you think you could…?”

“Sure, sweetie. Be back about…six?”

“All right.”

Justin jumped into the car and squished in the backseat with Chris, Mack, and Lance. He waved to his mother as they backed out of the driveway and drove towards their destination. The guys smiled to themselves as Mack kept asking questions, trying to guess where they were going, but they wouldn’t budge, which frustrated her. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, causing them to laugh.

“Come ooooon,” she whined. “Tell me.”

“That’ll ruin the surprise,” JC pointed out.

“So? For all I know you could be kidnapping me,” she pointed out.

“This would be too easy, though,” Joey pointed out without taking his eyes off of the road. “Kidnappers usually go through an even more elaborate plan then letting Lynn and Dianne know that we’re just taking you somewhere.”

“That’s comforting,” she muttered sarcastically.

The rest of the way to the unknown destination Justin and Chris kept complaining about the other elbowing them in the face. Eventually they got into a fight and started elbowing each other in the ribs whenever they had the chance. That, eventually, turned into them trying to hurt the other as much as possible in the cramped space, which meant that Lance ended up being on the receiving end of most blows.

Finally they reached their destination, which was the marina. Spending a few hours at the marina was part one of her present, which made her slightly afraid to know what part two was. After getting briefed on how to run the wave runners they pulled on their wetsuits and took off. Soon they made a game to see who could splash the others the most.

They spent most of the time having races on the waveruners and riding on the inner tubes. They decided to take one long ride on the banana boat before heading back to the house. They got Lance and JC to sit in the front, Mack and Justin in the middle, and Joey and Chris in the back to balance out the weight.

“Everyone ready?” Lance asked as he gripped the handle in front of him. They nodded and he waved to the boat driver, signaling to get the ride started. The boat quickly picked up speed and pulled them across the top of the water. It only took one sharp turn for Chris to lose his balance and grab onto the handle in front of him to stay on.

“Guys! We have a dangler!” Joey shouted as he glanced over his shoulder. Everyone else turned around to see Chris half on the banana and half dangling in the water.

“Figures Chris would find a way to do something stupid,” Justin commented.

“It is Chris you’re talking about,” JC pointed out. “I say leave him. If he wants to have a thrill, I say let him.”

“I say we get him back on,” Mack spoke up.

“What’s going to happen to him? His skin turns wrinkly?” JC questioned with an eye roll.

“He could get hurt!”

“From water?”

“JC, she has a point,” Lance said as he turned around.

“Guys! Come on! I’m slipping!” Chris shouted from the back of the banana. He coughed and spluttered from the spray that constantly hit him in the face.

“Ok. Lance, you get the drive to stop. JC, you, Justin, and Joey turn around,” Mack instructed as she turned around herself. Justin, Joey, and JC did as they were told, grasping the handle in front of them. “Ok, Joey grab Chris’s hands. Justin you grab the belt strap on the back of his life vest, I’ll grab yours, JC will grab mine, and we can all pull Chris back onto the banana. On three! One…two…three!” Almost automatically Joey, JC, Mack, and Justin were pulled towards the water from Chris being pulled across the water surface.

“Joey! Pull him up!” Justin shouted.

“Lance, stop the freakin’ boat!” JC yelled, pulling hard on Mack’s life jacket to keep her from sliding off the banana. “God, what’d you eat today?”

“Are you insinuating something?” Mack yelled back, turning her head to glare at him properly.

“Yeah, you gotta lay off the Oreos!” He grunted as he struggled to pull them all back onto the banana.

“We have bigger problems than Mack’s Oreo addiction!” Justin groaned, trying to pull Joey.

“It is not an addiction!”

“Sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night constitutes as an addiction!” JC added.

“How’d you find out about that?” Mack questioned.

“I can hear the bag crinkling all the way down the hall!”

“Hey you two! Stop flirting and help us!” Joey shouted. They took another sharp turn and everyone, except Lance, was sent flying off of the banana and landed in the water with a splash. “Never mind,” he groaned once his head broke the surface.

“I got the boat to stop,” Lance called from the banana. The wet teens glared at him and splashed him as best as they could.

--*--*--

“My lady,” Lance said with a deep bow before straightening up and holding out his hand to Mack. She laughed a little and took his hand, allowing him to help her out of the car. She had to hold in her excitement of getting out of the cramped car. Being stuck next to Chris on the way back wasn’t good for her anger management. The fact that he wouldn’t drop Joey’s flirt comment was reason enough for her to want to knock his lights out, but the guys needed him so she refrained.

“What’re you doing?” Mack demanded as Lance placed his hands over her eyes.

“Trust me,” was his only reply as he led her around the back of the house as the guys rushed in through the front door. “I won’t let you trip and this isn’t a trick.” His smooth bass voice instantly calmed her. Her tense shoulders dropped and she allowed him to lead her wherever he was taking her.

‘They’ve proven time and time again that you can trust them. Relax,’ Mack told herself. Despite repeating that to herself her heart was racing a mile a minute. She was ready to jump up and race out of there in case it actually was a trick, it wasn’t beneath them. Pranks are their form of entertainment when they were bored and she was usually the target.

And they got bored very easily, unfortunately for her.

“Almost there,” Lance told her as he placed his hands on her shoulders, stopping her from walking. He checked to make sure her eyes were still closed before taking her hand. “Ok, you can look now.”

She opened her eyes and blinked rapidly, as if not believing what she was seeing. The backyard was decorated with different colored streamers, balloons hung off of chairs that were moved into the backyard, and it was filled with people, some from MMC, some were friends from Memphis, some were family from Canada, some from school, and the others were the family of the guys, whom she also considered family.

“You…but…I…when…?” She stuttered.

“You’re welcome,” Lance said simply before hugging her as everyone burst into cheers.

“I thought I told you guys I hated parties,” Mack mumbled.

“Like we’d believe that. Everyone loves parties,” he replied, giving her hand a squeeze. “But this isn’t it.”

“It’s not?” She questioned. “What else could there be?”

“Go to your room,” Joey replied suddenly, causing Mack to jump. “Go to your room,” he repeated when she didn’t budge. She sighed and did as he said, going into the house. “Wait for it,” he said as he held up his finger. “Three…two…one.” As soon as he said ‘one’ girls screams filled the air and the two broke into a smile. “Ok. Chris, go get the last thing,” he called across the yard as he kept his eyes on the door.

“I’m on it,” he said before running towards the front yard, JC and Justin followed close behind. As soon as they left the backyard Mack came back into the backyard with Christina and Britney at her hells, laughing about something that girls would find funny.

“Ok, we have one more present for you…kinda. This is part two,” Lance announced. “Please sit in this chair,” he said as he took Mack’s hand and pulled her to the middle of the backyard where a solitary chair sat in the middle of the yard. “Close your eyes.”

“I’m beginning to not trust you, ya know,” she replied instead of closing her eyes. “First I say I don’t want a party and then you do all this. What’s next, you’re going to shove me off a cliff?” The guests chuckled although Lance knew that she was being serious with her accusations.

“Just do it,” Joey sighed, wanting to get this over with. She had a record of being stubborn until she got her way, which almost always happened in her case. Joey thought it was only because she was a girl and the youngest that she got her way a lot whereas she says that it’s only because she works for what she gets.

She let out a heavy breath and closed her eyes. Once they made sure her eyes were closed Lance and Joey waved their hands. JC, Chris, and Joey came back into the backyard, each carrying something. Smiles immediately came onto the guests’ faces and they pressed their lips together to make sure they didn’t give away the guys’ present.

Mack waited impatiently on her chair, tapping her toes against the ground and drumming her fingers against the bottom of the chair. She bit her bottom lip doing everything she could to stop herself from jumping out of the chair. She was getting antsy and paranoid, which wasn’t a good combination for her. The slightest sound would cause her to go rocketing out of the chair at any moment.

‘This could be a trick,’ she told herself then instantly squashed the idea. ‘What could they do in front of all the people without getting in trouble? You have to stop jumping to conclusions.’ She let out a breath. ‘So what could it be? The boys are very unpredictable. What if it’s a snake? Or a lizard? Or…what the heck?’ She opened her eyes and looked down, only to have her eyes locked with the bright brown eyes of the white Maltese puppy that was sitting on her lap.

“Awww,” the guests cooed before applauding and started singing Happy Birthday. Mack’s smile was so big her cheeks started to hurt. She couldn’t remember the last time she was ever that happy and the fact that the guys were the cause for it made the day even better.

After the song was finished everyone started talking, music started pouring out of speakers that was brought in, and the air was filled with the cries of little kids as they ran around the older guests. The night was filled with laughter of stories told from her past, some of which included Justin and their friend Trace Ayala, which caused bigger laughs to come from Lance, Joey, Chris, and JC while Justin blushed in embarrassment. Someone came up with the idea of karaoke so people got up and started singing random songs, come caused them all to laugh while others got them up to dance.

“What’re you going to name it?” Britney asked as she scratched the dog’s head. She, Mack, and Christina had taken a break from dancing and were sitting at one of the tables. Ryan Gosling and T.J. Fantini had joined them and were helping her think of names.

“How about Fluffy?” Ryan suggested.

“That’s too cliché,” Mack said as she shook her head. “I want it to be unique or clever.”

“How about Salt?” T.J. questioned.

“Vanilla,” Christina suggested.

“Ghost,” Britney suggested. “The guys are very sweet to do this for you.”

“By ‘guys’ do you mean Justin?” Mack asked with a teasing grin as Britney hit her on the arm. “Ow! What? I’m only asking a question here. You don’t have to get defensive…unless you like him.”

“Shut up, I do not,” Britney protested.

“I never said you did, I’m just suggesting you are.”

“Your reaction practically confirmed it though,” Christina added, grinning as Britney grew frustrated. “You can’t hide it, Brit.”

“Yeah. You made it so obvious on set,” Ryan spoke up. “I’m surprised he hasn’t caught on.”

“Well, he is a boy,” Christina pointed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” T.J. questioned an edge to his voice although the girls knew that his anger was false.

“She means that you’re very oblivious when it comes to girls liking one of you,” Mack replied.

“Like you and Tony?” Britney spoke up.

“Hey!” Mack cried out as they laughed and she tightened her grip on her puppy as he tried to climb out of her arms. “Excuse me, Ms. Spears, but I never had a crush on Tony,” she declared, causing the others to laugh again.

“Really? ‘Cause I seem to remember someone following him around every time they visited the set,” Ryan said with a teasing grin.

“Coming from the guy that had a crush on a different girl every week.”

“You were the longest, just so you know.”

Mack’s lip twitched as she fought a smile. Ryan was known for flirting with any and almost every girl he met, so it never surprised her when he said something like that. He was like another Joey, but more naïve and able to bounce back after a rejection. She opened her mouth to reply when the screeching sound of feedback filled the air.

“Sorry,” Justin apologized as he tilted the mic down to his mouth. “The guys and I have one more present for Mack. It’s a song we’ve been working on and we’ve spent hours recording it and getting the dance moves right. I hope you all enjoy it.” He backed up a bit and nodded at the guys who were waiting. Suddenly a beach-feeling song started to play in the background. Once the intro played a bit JC stepped up to his mic.

Oh oh ooh oh ooh...

She stood out just like a diamond baby
Amongst the tourists in a crowded room
I took a walk along the sandy beaches
Under a silver Caribbean moon
That's when she...

Justin, Joey, Lance, and Chris joined in once it hit the pre-chorus.

She promised that (I promised this)
And I promised this
And 'til this day I can still picture it

She took my hand (I took her kiss)
And I took her kiss
So temporary these moments of bliss

Some dreams just fade away
Like yesterday's sunset
Some dreams are made to stay
She's one dream I'll never forget

Oh oh ooh oh ooh...

Justin and JC pulled their mics off of the stand and smiled at each other before singing.

Everyday just seemed to go too quickly
And every night just passed us in a blur
I never noticed the blue skies and water
Because I only had eyes for her
And so when...

Joey, Lance, and Chris came back in.

She promised that (I promised this)
And I promised this
And 'til this day I can still picture it
She took my hand (I took her kiss)
And I took her kiss
So temporary these moments of bliss

Some dreams just fade away
Like yesterday's sunset
Some dreams are made to stay
She's one dream I'll never forget

Stroll back, those crazy summer days (Oh yeah)
Stroll back
I'll find you through the haze

 Some dreams just fade away
Like yesterday's sunset
Some dreams are made to stay (Some dreams will stay)
She's one dream I'll never forget

Some dreams just fade away
Like yesterday's sunset
Some dreams are made to stay (Some dreams will stay)
She's one dream I'll never forget

--*--*--

“So, did you have fun?” Justin asked Mack that night. She looked at him in the mirror of the bathroom she was standing in front of. Having her mouth filled with toothpaste foam she nodded as she continued to brush her teeth. “I think I outdid myself this time,” he said with a grin as he rubbed his knuckles on his shirt and she rolled her eyes. “How am I going to top myself next year?”

Mack pushed her hair out of her face and spat into the sink before wiping foam off of her mouth and looking at him. “I don’t want any parties next year. I say that every year and you don’t listen.”

“That’s because every year you don’t mean it,” he responded.

“How’d you manage to get all my MMC friends here anyway?” She asked, not being able to hide her curiosity as she ran water over her toothbrush and put it back in the holder with the five others.

“Ah, now that’s going to be my little secret,” he replied as he lifted a finger in the air. He looked down when he felt something cold touch his ankle. “What’re you naming him anyway?” He asked, scratching the puppy’s head.

“I don’t know,” Mack said with a shrug. “For now I’m calling him Little J.”

“Why?”

“’Cause he follows you around and he’s hyper all the time,” she replied with a laugh. He looked at her in surprise. “Yes, I’m naming him after you. It’s the least I could do.” She paused. “You should be glad I’m not punishing you for that chocolate thing.”

“Hey, that wasn’t my fault!” he said as he brought his hands up as if to shield him. “Blame the cake people at the store.” He put down his hands and opened his arms for a hug, which she instantly gave him. “Sorry about your parents not making it,” he mumbled into her hair.

“They had to work late. It happens,” she said with a shrug.

“You going to bed?”

“Not yet. I’m going to talk to Brit and Christina for a while. We’ll probably crash around 3 AM if we’re lucky,” she replied, turning back to the sink.

“Ok. See you in the morning.” He kissed her cheek and left the bathroom. His words stayed with him. She was actually really annoyed that her parents couldn’t show, for her birthday of all days. Her parents just don’t forget, even if they were going to be late getting home they’d call her. They wouldn’t leave her thinking something had happened to them.

‘They didn’t call at all to tell me they had to stay at work late,’ she thought as she brushed her hair. ‘Mom staying late makes sense, but Dad? He’d at least be home for my birthday. But both of them missing it? Something must be up.’ Her smile faded a little. ‘What’s so special about birthdays anyway?’