Whitney awoke to the sudden opening of her bunk curtains.  “Whaaat?” she asked groggily as she stretched her arms.  Ashleigh poked her head in with a grin and extended a mug of coffee to her.   

“Alright, I want details,” she said, pulling Whitney over to the seating area on the bus.  “Casey and Rebecca are off working out and Laura is passed out.  So now that I finally have a moment alone with you I want the whole story from the other night!”

“The part about JC or the part about Justin storming in…?” she asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“Whaaat?  Justin was there, too!  All of it!  Now!” Ashleigh slammed her hands down on the table for emphasis as she leaned in expectantly. 

“Well, I went to JC’s room and he and I stood in silence staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity.  Turns out,” she said, leaning in, “He had no intention of, well anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“I guess Justin pushed him into having me there.  But, we just hung out and spent some time getting to know each other.”

“So you didn’t?”

“No, definitely not.  Well, not really...”

Ashleigh leaned in, “What does that mean?”

“Okay, well we ate room service and played cards and fell asleep watching a movie,” she smiled to herself.  “It was kind of sweet, actually.” 

“And then…?”

Whitney nodded, “Then, I ended up falling asleep.  Maybe he did, too.  Not sure about that.  Anyway, I woke up to Justin pounding on the door.  JC ran into the bedroom and we both undressed and slipped into bed together as Justin and Casey came into the room.”

“Whaaaat?”

“Yeah, kinda crazy.  Anyway, we were both basically just in our underwear and he pulled me up over him so that I was straddling him and we slid the bed sheets over so they wouldn’t be able to tell we weren’t full on naked…”

Ashleigh put her coffee mug down.  “That’s insane, Whit!”

“Yeah…actually it’s sounding even crazier now that I am repeating everything that happened out loud.  So, then Casey and Justin opened the bedroom door and just stared at us for a few moments in disbelief and then ended up leaving.”

“So…wow…that’s…wow.  In bed with almost-naked JC?  I’d sign up for that.  He’s such a sweetheart.  This little anecdote totally confirms what a gentleman he is.”

Whitney nodded, stirring her coffee lost in thought. 

“Now, the important question.  When are you going to see him again?” 

Whitney looked up at her, “Well, Justin told me he wants me to keep seeing JC.  So we’ll see when our next ‘appointment’ is supposed to take place…”

Ashleigh raised her eyebrow, “You know, in the time I have known Justin I have to say he has never been…well, a ‘sharer.’  I feel like he’s usually pretty possessive of his women…”

Whitney tapped her pointer finger to her chin.  “I don’t know…maybe he’s really concerned with making sure his wingman is attended to?”

Ashleigh laughed a little, “His wingman?  JC?  Hardly.  You’ll meet Justin’s main bro soon enough.  But, in the meantime, I would just make sure you don’t tell anyone else about this.  If Justin finds out you and JC were playing him, he’s going to…well, I think he’d probably react pretty aggressively.”  She stood up, taking Whitney’s empty mug with hers and placed them in the small sink in the kitchenette.  “Should we head out?  I could use a walk to stretch my legs.”  Whitney nodded, grabbing a sweatshirt and the two girls made their way off the bus.

 As soon as the door had shut behind them, Laura pulled back the curtain from her bed.  She couldn’t help the smile on her face that grew into a grin as she stretched her arms and headed over to the fridge.  She had stayed still in her bunk as she heard the girls gossiping about the goings on from the prior night.  Justin had all the control when it came to his relationships with the girls, but the one thing she could leverage that was valuable to him was information.  She spent the rest of the morning amusing herself as she ran through all the different ways in which this could all benefit her. 

**

The dancers arrived for a short rehearsal on-stage late afternoon.  They just needed a quick run-through sans Justin and then they would have some down-time before call time.  The girls were in the midst of dancing through their second number when Justin came in unannounced. 

“Casey, can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked, a serious expression on his face.  She nodded, leaving the group and the two stepped outside. 

“Should we keep dancing without her?” Rebecca asked.

“I guess we might as well,” Ashleigh said, walking over to the stereo.  “I’ll just restart the song and we can take it from the top.”

“What do you think he’s up to now?” Laura asked, her eyes staring at the doorway the two had disappeared through.

“Beats me,” Rebecca said, sighing.  “Let’s just keep going.”

The four girls made it through the end of the song and started the next before Casey finally returned. 

“Alright, what did lover boy want?” Laura asked, pursing her lips. 

Casey rested the palm of her right hand on the back of her neck, her nerves showing.  “He…,” she stopped.

“Well?” Rebecca leaned in, waiting.

“He…he said that he wanted me to take over Whitney’s solo’s with him.  For now anyway…sorry Whit,” she said, shooting her a look of sincere sympathy.

Whitney ran her teeth over her bottom lip, but said nothing.  She could feel tears starting to form, but fought against it.  Her eyes concentrated on the floor. 

“Did he say why?” Ashleigh asked.

“No…he didn’t…he just said that it was just for now…not sure how many shows…I know the choreography pretty well so we should be in smooth shape for tonight, but it is a bit strange…”

Whitney remained silent, walking off the dance floor for a moment to retrieve her water bottle.  She took a sip, feeling her jaw clench with frustration.  Was he doing this because he felt she was the weakest dancer?  Or was it because she didn’t want to sleep with him?  Or because he had found out that she and JC weren’t following his orders?  She wasn’t sure what was motivating Justin to make this last-minute decision, but she was determined to find out.

**

JC was backstage, watching part of the performance.  He tried to look casual as he waited for her solo, secretly excited to watch her dance.  As that part of the song started, he furrowed his brow when he noticed Casey was dancing in for her.  Maybe they had changed the choreography?  He watched the remainder of the song, noting that her solo had been completely removed.  There would be no reason; she was a fantastic dancer.  Casey was probably the strongest, but Whitney still did a strong job.  The weakest dancer was probably Rebecca, but not enough so that it would be noticeable to the audience.  His stomach dropped, wondering if his interactions with Whitney had been the reason for this sudden change in the lineup.

**

There had been a few minor missteps in the show with the quick change in choreography.  The girls were not used to Casey stepping into some of the solos that had belonged to Whitney, but for the most part they were able to recover quickly.  To onlookers, the show seemed to be running smoothly.  Whitney had tried to stay motivated to get through the performance.  She felt her smile growing wider and her movements growing sharper to compensate for how unsure of herself she was feeling on the inside.  The only thing that had kept her motivated and enthused during this rollercoaster ride had been her dancing and now he was taking it away from her.  Not completely, but he was certainly taking away her opportunity to shine in solo performances.  She needed to find a way to get them back.

**

As the girls left the stage, JC followed after Whitney.  They all watched as he moved towards her.  Rebecca whispered something to Laura as they pointed at him. 

“Whitney, wait up,” he said, reading the exhaustion and frustration on her face.  “What happened?”

“I don’t know, he just came to rehearsal and told Casey to pull my solos,” she said, throwing her arms down in exasperation.  “I might not be the best dancer, but I thought I was doing a good job…”

“You were doing a great job,” he said, touching her shoulder for reassurance. 

“Thanks,” she gave him a half-smile.  “I guess I am going to have to talk to him.  Not really looking forward to it.”

“I’m sure it will be fine – it is probably just a misunderstanding,” he said, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. 

“I hope so,” she said. 

“Let me know how it goes,” he said, letting go so that she could head back to the dressing room.  She nodded and gave him a small wave as she headed off to change. 

**

Whitney had changed quickly, hoping to catch Justin backstage before he retreated back to his hotel room.  She felt her nerves getting the best of her as she finished putting her things in her bag, before heading out to his dressing room. 

“Good luck,” Ashleigh said.

“Thanks,” she said, as she slipped out the door.  She headed down the venue hallway, pausing near his dressing room.  One of the security guards nodded as he let her through.  She stopped as she saw that Justin had his bag packed and was putting a jacket and baseball hat on.  Clearly he was ready to call it a night. 

His blue eyes stared hers down as he looked up at her.  “What can I do for you?”

“I…” she started, nervously shifting her weight from side to side.

“Use your words, Whitney,” he said, sounding disinterested as he started playing with his cell phone and handed his bags off to one of his assistants. 

“I want to know why you made…that change today…” she said, swallowing nervously. 

He looked at her with an amused expression on his face.  “Okay, we can talk about this.  Come along…” he said, heading out the door passed her.  She followed him down the hall and out the gate to a town car that was waiting for him.  As the door was opened for him, he stared at her.  “Well, come on.  Ladies first.”

She stared at the car apprehensively, but reluctantly slid into the car.  He slid in after her and the door was shut behind them.  She moved to the opposite side, sitting in the seat opposite him.  He stared at her, a smile coming to his lips. 

“Now, what is it that you wanted to know about?” he asked, pretending he hadn’t paid her attention.

“Why did you take away my solos?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“Well, Whitney, you said it made you uncomfortable when I touched you.  So I thought I was being considerate…” he said, a touch of sarcasm in his tone.

She sat silently, unsure of how to argue with him.  He had backed her into a corner and she wasn’t sure what kind of banter or negotiation was going to have to take place for her to get her rightful dances back.  She looked out the window, noting that they were now on the highway. 

“Justin, where are we headed?” she asked.

“We’re picking up someone,” he said, looking up from his phone. 

“Who?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he said, with satisfaction.  He stared at her again.  “Now, do me a favor.  Can you let your hair down?  Yes, untie that ponytail.  And take that sweatshirt off…I want you to make a nice impression,” he said. 

She stared at him expressionless, ignoring his words and turning her attention back out the window.

“Whitney,” he said quietly, “Don’t make me come over there and rip it off you myself…”

She sighed, pulling her sweatshirt over her head.  She shivered slightly and put it around her back for warmth as she was only wearing a camisole.  She slipped the elastic out of her hair, letting it fall free over her shoulders.  “What do I have to do to get my solos back?” she said, with such a defeated tone that the smile left his face.

“Whitney, I was trying to be a considerate guy.  I figured that it would make things easier for you if you didn’t have my hands on your hips every night.”  He leaned back, his eyes dancing across her body as he spoke.  “My breath on the back of your neck, my voice whispering in your ear…” 

She shuddered, wrapping the sweatshirt material over her shoulders. 

“I just didn’t want to put you through that every night, knowing it was getting to you,” he said, looking pensive.  Before she could react the car slowed to a stop.  “Ah, we’re here!”  He said, jumping and getting out of the car.  She stayed inside, eyes drifting out the window again. 

She heard him yelling and jumping up and down with excitement.  Who were they picking up?  A few moments later, she heard the trunk of the car popped and luggage being placed inside.  The voices grew closer and the car door slowly opened once again.  Justin slid back into position, another young man following suit.  He was shorter than him and was talking about a mile a minute in his Southern drawl.  Finally, his eyes shifted over to Whitney and he slid beside her, taking her by surprise. 

“You must be the infamous Whitney,” he said, extending his hand to her. 

She shyly shook hands with him.  “Infamous, hmm?” she said, glaring at Justin.  He just smiled back at her in response.  “And you are?”

“Oh, c’mon.  You know who I am…” he said, with a chuckle.

She stared at him blankly before sheepishly shaking her head.

“I’m the infamous Trace.”

**

JC yawned as he headed over to the hotel room door.  He quickly checked his hair in the hall mirror before swinging open the door with excitement.  He cocked his head with confusion when he saw Laura at the door. 

“Laura?  What are you doing here?” he asked, putting a hand on his hip.

“Change of plans,” she said, with a smirk as she sauntered into his room.