I get up and shower, thinking about yesterday. Why would Lance be happy for me? I thought he wanted-whatever, best not to dwell on it. I get to go shopping with the guys before rehearsal, where I get to either sit and watch or help Lance. My cell phone starts to ring loudly as I get dressed and I barely get to my phone before it goes to voicemail. "Hello?"
"Morning, beautiful."
I smile and hear JC get up. "Hey. You leaving later?"
"Johnny says we leave in 3 hours, you wanna hang out in the room and relax?"
"Lemme check with Daddy C." I go to the door that connects our rooms and stand in the doorway, leaning on the jamb. "Daddy C, when are we heading out?"
"In an hour." I frown and drop my eyes. "Spend it with him, go. 503. Go, go, go!" he commands me, shooing me out.
"JC, says we have an hour."
"Cool. Safe to assume I have to keep the door between my room and B-Rok's open?"
"Yes, you know his rules."
I can hear the happiness in his voice as he knocks on the door that makes his and Brian's adjoining. He informs Brian and tells me it's all set. We hang up as I knock on the door to his room. "Hello, beautiful," he greets me with a smile on his face.

"You're such a nerd, Nick," I tell him as I come into his room. We talk and plan our first day in Orlando together, laughing. "Then, my cousin's supposed to come visit for a week." I roll my eyes thinking of Darren.
"That's after we get home?"
"Yeah, he's stopping by the weekend after we get back. It's gonna be so mundane. I'm gonna look so forward to my weekends!"

Nick laughs, tossing his head back until he's hit on the head with a balled up sock. It's my turn to laugh as AJ stands in the doorway, smiling innocently. "You aren't half as innocent as you portray."
"Neither are you. What's up, girl?"
"Just hanging with Nick till I head out with the boys."
"We're the Boys, find something else to call them," he says, scowling as he defends the title.
"Ok, you're the Boys and they're the guys. Better, Alex?"
He smiles victoriously. "Yes, much better. Touring with you is going to be interesting."
I toss my head back and giggle. "Hopefully, not too interesting."
He shrugs and raises his eyebrows. "We'll find out soon enough."
"Yeah, we will." I nod at AJ and he walks away to talk to Brian. Turning my attention back to Nick, I smile. "Darren says he wants me to go back to his house for spring break."
"How far away are you going to be?"
"Bouncing between Ellisville and Clinton, Mississippi. I haven't been there since August. I miss James."
"I thought you were here with a James."
"That's Lance. I haven't spoken about Mississippi to anyone yet. Only Darren, Sherri and Dawn know about it. Dawn and Sherri's families moved to Massachusetts when I was seven. Dawn doesn't remember home. Sherri and I do."
"So, Mississippi is home to you?"
"Mississippi is my real home, where my heart will always be. I'm from there and it's where I belong. I've lived in Massachusetts since I was ten and Ma got a promotion to move to Orlando. She took it and that's how I met the guys. They came out here for a promo tour, JC's family went to the beach in Tampa and I met your family. Now two of your sisters are my best friends and your only brother terrorizes me with a video camera."
"Wow. Now we're friends."

"Yeah." My cell rings. "Hello?"
"Let's go."
"Has been an hour already?"
"In two minutes, yes."
"Alright, meet you by your door, JC," I say, feeling jipped and defeated. "I gotta go, it's been an hour."
Nick and I stand up and hug, knowing we'll see each other in a few days. He smiles at me. "I'll call you when we land."
"Alright," I answer, nodding. "I'm gonna miss you."
"I'm gonna miss you too." He smiles and hugs me one last time as I leave. I inhale his scent, letting the smell of Irish Springs and ocean breeze fill my nose. I let it become intoxicating to my senses. I wave bye to Nick and jog down the hall to JC's door. Just as I get to his door, I turn around and wave at Nick as he stands in the hallway. After walking a few steps backwards, I bump into someone. "You should be watching where you walk, Baby J."

I smile and spin around to give Lance a hug. "Hi, James."
"Morning. Ready to go?"
"As ready as can be expected."
"Just have to-"
JC opens the door. "Let's go."
"That makes it easier."
I hug JC, silently thanking him for letting me see Nick before we leave. Justin, Joey and Chris come over and I hug them, greeting them. "Timbs, can I get a piggy back ride, please?"
"Sure," he tells me as he turns around and crouches down so I can climb on his back. He bounces, placing me on his back a little better. "All set?"
"Nice and comfy."
"Lance says we're going to the museum, lunch and then rehearsals."
"Can we get pancakes to go?"
"Sure. We can stop by the restaurant downstairs. What do you want for them?"
"Strawberry preserves."
Lance and JC shrug, not caring as long as I eat something. "How many?"
"Five." The guys and security look at me like I'm crazy. "What? I'm hungry!" My Mississippi drawl slipping from my lips as I say 'hungry'.
"You're from Mississippi?" Lance questions.
"Yep," I announce proudly.
"So am I."
"Coolness."
Chris claps his hands together. "Two Mississippians for me to harass."
I give Chris the puppy dog eyes. "I'm having a good day, please don't," I request, making him sigh in defeat.

Once we get in the van, Lance hands me a booklet as he smiles and tells me to pick one. I flip through it and see Shakespeare's Globe Theatre museum. I lean over the seat in front of me, putting the brochure on his shoulder as I point to the museum. "This one, James. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. I love his work!"
He smiles as he quickly nods, telling Lonnie the address and showing him the brochure. He sits back as Lonnie and Derek look back at me. "You got it," Lonnie tells me.
We get there and my inner nerd appears, telling the guys about my knowledge of Shakespeare-from his life, to his work and back in his day ALL the actors were male, even for the female parts for the next three hours. We even acted out bits and pieces of his plays that we remembered off the top of our heads. Justin and I goofing off with the Romeo & Juliet scenes we could recall. JC even got involved, making the other guys and security laugh hysterically. The three of us even had the museum staff laughing. We leave the museum in fits of giggles and laughter to grab lunch on our way to rehearsal. Justin and JC can't look at me without laughing like hyenas, and I can't look at the two of them without bursting with giggles and uncontrollable laughter. We tried not to say anything or look at each other during the twenty minute ride to a pizza & pasta shop for lunch, but it was so fucking hard. We ordered our food and tried not to burst out laughing, probably annoying Lonnie or Mike. We didn't care and Darren (Henson) was irritated in the first ten minutes of us being at the arena, none of us blame him either because our incessant laughter over a simple look or what seemed to be nothing would annoy us if it were someone else. He finally snaps on us. "What is so damn funny that you have to burst into uncontrollable and unpredictable laughing fits?"
I stop laughing just long enough to explain. "We went to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre museum, my inner nerd made an appearance, and we goofed off. We reenacted some of the plays he wrote and performed, making them funny and just making everyone laugh."

He shakes his head. "I need to see one of these, I might understand why it's so funny."
JC, Justin and I huddle and choose to do the scenes where Romeo and Juliet almost get caught kissing by her cousin, the balcony scene and the suicides. Darren starts laughing in the middle of the balcony scene. "I do understand why and what's so funny," he manages to blurt out between laughing fits. 
"Now you see why the museum staff were holding their sides by the time we left. We even had Lonnie crying from laughing so hard."
"Mike and Derek were BEGGING us to stop because their sides hurt from laughing so much!"
"Can it, Curly, or I'll kick your ass. Screw that, I'll let the fans get you."
Justin smiles that evil ass smile. "You were hired to protect me!"
"You slipped past me."
"I will kill you in your sleep!"
"You're as sneaky as JC isn't the best sleeper of the five of you."
Justin growls and the rest of us laugh at his annoyance for lack of a comeback. Darren chuckles to himself. "Finish eating. 20 minutes before we start rehearsal."

We eat in silence, the guys finish and start rehearsal and I watch Lance to spot slip ups that he may need help with. I see a handful of them and step into my place next to him, helping him work out the kinks. Making him remember to have fun while he performs is what I'm good at.

They start getting ready to wind down before they perform and I start talking with Lance, my head on his thigh. "I was shocked to find out you're happy for me liking him."
"You're happy, I'm happy. You said you're from Mississippi. What part?"
"Ellisville and Clinton."
"Those are small towns. You look familiar."
"James." 
"I know, I might be going out of my mind."
"What? James, what are you talking about?" My curiosity has been sparked.
"Well, I remember this girl who is my best friend, Darren's, little cousin."
"I'd remember someone as sweet as you."
"Maybe we weren't in the same area at the same time, forget I brought it up. What about the school work? You almost done?"
"It's done."
"Wow, that's good."
"Yes. Finished my math work last night."
He nods. "Now you have a few days to have fun."

Justin comes up to us. "One of you has to play with me."
"Play what?" I'm curious, so I take the bait.
"A Sega game."
"Which one?"
"Mortal Kombat."
I roll off the couch, landing on my hands and knees with a mischievous smirk plastered on my face. "Alright, I'm game."
I take the other controller and pick Mileena from the line up. Lance sits back and casually voices his one concern, "He cheats."
I'm unfazed by this tidbit of information. "I'll still win. Ask Tyler. He cheats too and I still whooped his butt."
Soon enough, JC, Joey and Chris had also huddled around to watch me as I beat Justin's Tennessee ass with seven different characters. I beat him with Mileena, Sonya, Jade, Baraka, Reptile, Kitana and Sub-Zero, each time he whined that I was cheating because I could do the special moves and fatalities. I play this game with my cousin all the time and I had to learn to play to beat him at his own game. "Cheating doesn't ensure victory, practice or playing people who don't know a game as well as you does," I inform them as Lonnie and Mike come in to get them for wardrobe.
Lonnie speaks up after watching the last battle. "Come on, guys, you have to get ready."
"Aw, c'mon, Lonnie! Just one more time! Lemme kick his ass on the game one last time!"
He shakes his head. "Sorry, they have to get ready."
I cross my arms over my chest and sit back against Lance's legs, putting my head back to look at him.
Lance shrugs and smiles, patting my cheek. "We have to work."
"Can I crash the stage?" I ask security and the guys, knowing the majority rules answer. Security, JC, and Lance say no while Justin, Joey and Chris say yes. "It's fine, I'll just call my cousin back in Mississippi." Lance's eyebrow arches in curiosity as they head out of the game room. I wait a few minutes before pulling out my cell and dialing the number I've had painstakingly memorized by heart three years ago.

"Hello?" a smooth male voice said with a heavy down home drawl.
"Just me."
"Sam, how are you holding up?"
"Good. Miss me, 'Renny?"
"Meet anyone new since moving there?"
"Yeah, but one has the familiar vibe. I have the feeling like Lance knows me."
"I don't know anyone with such a ridiculous first name."
"Whatever. I met this boy, his name is Nick. I like him."
Immediately, he blurts out, "Don't do it," laughing afterwards.
"I'm not rushing it, 'Renny. I'm gonna wait till this summer if we do get together." I describe Nick and how he is.
"He sounds like he's good for you and you for him. You know I'm coming out to Orlando the weekend after you get back."
"Ma told you, huh?"
"You know Aunt Vikki can't keep that kind of thing from us, I pester her till she spills it."
"Yeah, I miss home."
"April break is soon and you'll be home. We miss you."
"You miss me, 'Renny?"
"Eh, a little, but don't tell anyone that may know me."
We laugh. "How long has it been since I've come home?"
"Six months as of the end of this month, it'll be seven and a week when you come out again."
I lay on the couch and close my eyes. "How's gran?"
"Gran is as good as can be. She just turned 67 and can still keep up the babies."
"I miss the babies. I miss gran. I miss everyone back home."
The only benefit of having a cousin in high school who has his car and license is he gets out at 1:30 and home by 1:50 in the afternoon. "I'mma letcha go. I've had a busy day and took a whole bunch of pictures for everyone to see."
"Ok, later, Sam."
We hang up and I start thinking about going back home. I go back to Orlando in six days... I doze off and sometime after that I feel someone move me and tell me it's ok, just sleep. Sounds like Justin or Lance. I trust them and do as they say, curling my body toward theirs.