We were in Munich for less than 24 hours. I actually slept the whole flight and felt great. I found out that we're actually a day ahead of what I think and I'm confused as Lance tries to explain the difference. "Am I going home in three days or two?"
"After we fly to Paris, a day and a half."
"I mean from when we got off that plane to when I get on the plane to go home." I'm getting a damn headache. Fucking stress.
"The flight to Paris from here is about an hour, hour fifteen minutes. About two days and 18 hours."
"Almost 3 days. Ok. So we just landed here and we're going straight to the arena so you can perform and then hop a flight about two hours after that to Paris?"
"We have enough time to run through the set once, maybe twice and that's only if we do the dance portion after the 3 interviews."
"About how long are we here, in Munich? It's Munich, right?"
"We're in Munich for about 7 hours."
"Holy insanity! Why don't you have time to rehearse more again?"
"Interviews."
"I love being normal, non-celebrity." We went to the interviews and I slept during them. Slept in the same room as the interviews and kept waking up when I heard a question about Orlando, Mississippi, or 'home'. They rehearsed and performed, somewhere in there finding time to eat. I barely got any sleep because they kept saying the three words I mentioned to keep me awake. We got in the van for the damn airport to fucking fly to Paris. At least we can sleep in a little bit, till maybe ten. Justin is on the other side of JC and I'm about ready to stand up and kick his ass if he doesn't quit with the retard shit! JC definitely noted the look I was giving Justin and quickly handed me his tape player with Boyz II Men in it. I must have fallen asleep less than 15 minutes into the flight.
Next thing I know there's an alarm going off in the adjoining room. I get the socks the guys must've taken off my feet last night, balled them up as tight as I could and threw them at JC. He jumped, awaken from a dead sleep. "Shut the fucking thing off. Or I do it for you, permanently. Sounds like Justin when he's being a damn retard, I don't give a shit to wanna remember that."
He hits the snooze button. "Better?"
"It goes off again and it learns to fly out the window."
"You wouldn't do it."
"I will, wanna bet?"
"No, but I'm up for the day now."
"As for me, it depends on what time it is."
He grabs the clock off the stand and looks at it for a few seconds. "Eight thirty," he informs me with a smirk on his face.
"I'm going back to bed till ten. I'm setting my phone. I'm getting up on my own."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, go back to bed, crank ass," he tells me, dismissing me with a wave of his hand.
I climb back into my bed, snatch my charging cell off the nightstand, set the alarm in it for ten with one eye open, put it back, roll over and take the hour and a half nap I wanted so bad.
A few damned forsaken minutes before the alarm was supposed to go off, I got back to back texts. The alarm goes off and the phone rings. If it's one of the guys, I'm gonna fucking deck them. "Yeah?"
"Morning, beautiful. What's wrong?" Did he seriously just sense something wrong because I didn't answer the phone like I usually do?
"I've been laying here getting texts for the past few minutes, JC's fucking alarm went off at eight thirty and I swear all the fucking texts are from the guys, that's what's wrong," I tell him.
"At least you're in Paris." He's always trying to find a damn positive in situations like this.
I look out the window and see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. I smile. "Ok, yeah, you have a point," I mumble.
"Not a morning person?" he asks, being as serious as he can.
"Oh, I'm such a morning person I wanna strangle Justin when he whines about being hungry after he ate after waking up," I deadpan.
Nick chuckles for a second. "I'm sorry."
"Meh. How's your day?"
"Boring. We finally have time between interviews and I thought I'd call you."
"How sweet. Thanks for thinking of me."
"I called my parents last night and they talked your mom into letting you stay at my parents' after your mom meets our security team and the five of us until Sunday. AJ will pick us up and drop you off at your house before we go to his house."
"Really? How'd they manage that? Where would I sleep?"
"In Leslie's room. She has a bunk bed. Where were you sleeping before?"
"Your bed," I quietly tell him.
"Then you can have my room and I'll crash in Aaron's. No biggie. They just don't want you in a room with me or him."
"Are you sure you don't mind?"
"As long as my pillows smell better than sweat, I'll never mind," he quickly explains.
I look at the ceiling with one eye closed as I yawn. "Sorry. Just as long as your pillows smell better than you after rehearsal and a show, you don't care?" I have to make sure I heard him right.
"Yeah, I won't care. It'll smell like the ocean and fruit. That's much better than sweat," he replies, probably including his smile that makes me smile instantly.
"Thanks for liking my smell," I say smiling. "I shower to achieve it."
He guffaws for a minute. "I know, it's strongest in the morning."
"At home, it's strongest in the morning and around seven at night."
"At home, you shower twice a day?"
"I'm not half as exhausted as I am while following you and the Boys or the guys around. I jump into rehearsals. So go figure," I explain.
"True. You're gonna have major jet lag for a couple days. It's gonna suck."
I groan. "Again? Does jet lag ever not happen?"
"I heard when you fly alot, it just stops affecting you," he informs me.
"Well, then we're eventually not gonna be tired after flights like these 20 hour ones."
"Exactly. Which 20 hour flight did you take?"
"Sydney to Munich."
"Yeah, try Japan to Sweden. That one sucks."
"All I wanna do is sleep."
"Get your teenage butt out of bed before I sic Justin and Chris on you again," JC tells me.
I flip the covers off my head to scowl and glare at him. I give him a one finger salute as I sit up, stretching and yawning. I sit cross legged against the headboard and let out a low whine. "Have we even spoken in the past three or four days?"
"Yeah, mainly consisting of me checking how you are and it being during their shows. You said tired and looking forward to Paris," he reminds me.
"Yeah, what are you doing today, besides interviews?"
"That's it. They end at 6 tonight. Howie's talking about flying to Paris tonight with the other three guys."
"That'd be nice."
"I know. It's been a few days since we saw each other."
"I've missed my good friends, mainly you," I tell him.
"I've missed you more than the other guys." Brian quickly yells 'censored' in the background, making Nick guffaw again. I hear someone hit the ground with a thud and curse at the wires or whatever they tripped on.
"Um, loud crazy chaos is about to erupt in T-minus two minutes-"
"Call or text me later, Nick."
"Sorry. We've been sitting all morning, since six. I really wanna talk to you," he tells me.
"I understand."
"Talk later?"
"Sure."
"Bye."
"Bye." I hang up with a smile on my face and look at the doorway that joins my room and JC's. Of course he's up and ready, now he's about to tease me.
"So, did you talk to Nick just now?"
"I only said his name how many times?" I quip.
"I wasn't paying that much attention."
I look at him like he's out of his mind. "I'm gonna shower and then I wanna see Paris!" I say with sheer excitement. I can't believe I'm in Paris, but I'm now acting like a small child when they see their parents.
JC laughs and nods, approving my request. "Nice to see you in a good mood after your sock ball throwing mood this morning."
"Nick reminded me that I'm in Paris. Of course I'm in a better mood. Now I'm taking my shower,"
"We can stop in at the café downstairs to get some breakfast," he calls after me.
"Works," I answer as I close the bathroom door. I shower and get dressed before I leave the bathroom, making sure to pull out pjs for tonight and clothes for tomorrow.
"All set, princess?" JC asks, obviously being sarcastic.
"I'm not a princess. Just gotta brush my hair, grab my gum and get my shoes on. What's the date, Daddy C?"
"February 16, you go home tomorrow. No rehearsal today. We did so well in Munich that Darren gave us the day off, other than the show. Which you watch and we come back here to crash. Then your ass has to be up at five tomorrow morning to get ready to catch a flight for nine."
I groan. "Why so damn early?"
"Our moms booked the tickets."
"Did I sleep through yesterday?"
"You slept a day and a half, not counting your bathroom excursions."
"Dammit. I wanted a whole day worth of sight seeing. Guess some is better than none," I say as I pull a brush through my long hair. Dirty blonde hair halfway down my back that I'm pulling into a fold over ponytail as high as I can. I grab my favorite hair clip and fold it over again before pinning it in place with the clip. "Let's get some grub. But as you'd say, 'we're goin ta eat, we're goin ta eat, we're goin ta eat'!" I chant imitating him while doing that ridiculous dance he did the other day.
He guffaws and we head out to the hall, where I put my shoes on. Gramma taught me not to put shoes on in a bedroom, and a room with a bed in it that you have to walk through is a bed room. Even when the bathroom door is less than ten steps from the outside of the door that exits your room, you still don't put them on until you're outside of the room. That would warrant a glare to beat all death glares. I may be the only granddaughter she has, but I try to avoid that glare at all costs. I swear it's an Irish superstition or something.
"I had a friend back home that had to do that when his great aunt visited and his little cousin did it out of habit. I think his aunt is her grandma, the cousin's."
"Oh, it's an Irish superstition, James."
"There's alot of Irish background in quite a few people's heritage."
"Did you repeatedly text me just before ten this morning?"
"Not me," he defends, putting hands up in a surrendering motion.
"I can't wait to see 'Renny next week!"
"Won't you be back in class by then?"
"Yeah, but so what?"
"Who's 'Renny?"
"My favorite cousin."
He chuckles and throws his arm around my shoulders, causing me to automatically put my arm across his back with my hand on his side. JC's looking at us funny. "You two ever figure out why you're so comfortable yet? I would like to know why you clicked right off the bat and are more comfortable with each other. He didn't click with us like that and he's just now getting comfortable enough to be around us 24/7."
"We'll let you know when we know what we know."
JC's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What?"
"You'll find out when we do about why James and I clicked like this and why we're so comfortable with each other," I tell him as slow as my mouth will let me. I'm used to talking so fast, especially with my friends and family.
"Oh, ok. You coming with us, Lance?"
"Where are you going?"
"To the café to get breakfast."
"I just got up, so yeah."
We head downstairs to the café with Lonnie and Derek trailing behind us for breakfast. I order two pancakes (flapjacks here) and sausage with wheat toast. Lance orders the same with a side of eggs. "Hungry much?" Damn that Mississippi accent!
"The drawl sounds better. Yes, I'm very hungry. We got in and instead eating like I usually do, I fell asleep."
I smile and the Mississippian accent just flow, like I would if I were back at my true home. "Thanks. You eat so much food, I wonder if you actually sustain anything," I look at the two of them.
JC just chuckles and Lance smiles. Lance looks at me. "Of course we sustain it, Jazz. If we didn't we wouldn't be as active as we need to be."
I roll my eyes. "Of course, makes sense."
"I'm getting kind of homesick."
"I know, me too."
"I miss Clinton so much-my friends, family and the feeling of normalcy."
"I miss 'Renny and the family. I miss his best friend he's had close to forever. We haven't seen him in a couple years."
"Wow, that's a long time. His friend has kept in touch, I hope."
"Yeah, he has. He's been super busy working and keeping up with school work, but somehow keeps in close contact."
"Sounds like a very good friend."
"Oh, he is," I answer honestly as the server puts our plates in front of us. "Merci." It's one of the five words I know in French.
"You know French?"
"All of five words."
"Oh." I pour syrup on my pancakes and dip the sausage in the excess. We talk about where we could go and what there was to do. "There's the Eiffel Tower, and they have some cool fountains."
"Lance, you find escalators cool."
"So? I find the science behind them cool."
"How about I decide?" I don't feel like being the cause of a silly argument.
"Ok." JC drops it and lists off different museums and things we could do, Lance interjects every now and again as we eat breakfast. I listen to them and say what I like. We settle on two museums near each other and the arena.
"I have revenge to dish out. Chris or Justin awake?"
"Of course not," Lance informs me.
"Who has the master key for our rooms?"
"JC does."
I look at JC inhaling his last bite of food. "You're helping me exact my revenge on those two."
"Hmm?"
"You let them do it to me the other day."
He smiles and shrugs before swallowing. He takes a sip of his juice and agrees to do it if I take the full blame. I nod and shake his hand to seal the deal.
We finish breakfast and head up to Joey's room to wake him, I want this shit taped. JC opens Chris' door first and I look at Joey with the creepiest grin I could muster up. I step back to the banister across from the door, JC quietly counts down from three, I haul ass across the floor, get within a couple feet of the bed, jump, land on my feet on the bed and jump repeatedly. Chris tried swatting me off the bed before I fell, using my deadweight, on him. "Morning, sunshine!" I chirp.
"Fuck you."
"You gonna jump on bed again like that?"
"I'll try to think first."
"Works for me. Get up, get dressed, we're going places before the show. MOVE IT!" I tell him, screaming the last two words in his face while I shake him violently.
"Alright, I'm up," he grumbles, wiping his eyes as he gets out of the bed to get in the shower.
I walk up to Joey's camera. "Now, it's Bounce's turn. Psycho got his payback. Mwahahahahahahaha!" JC opens Justin's door and I do everything the same except I land on his waist right away and grab his shoulders to violently shake him awake. Payback for waking me up and being the occasional retard. He looks at me like he wants to behead me as I smile as big as I possibly can. "Like oh my frickin gosh! It's Justin fucking Timberlake! WAKE UP SUNSHINE IT'S MORNING!!!"
His right eye starts to twitch before he knocks me onto my back on his bed, pinning me by my shoulders. "I fucking hate you right now," he tells me, seething.
"Maybe you won't wake me up this way again. Your face in mine first thing in the morning is worse. You don't do it to me and I'll have no reason to wake you up like this, capeche?" I reason with a very pissed off Justin. He grunts and heads for the shower. "Revenge is a dish best served cold and it felt great!" I say, looking into the camera.
Joey turns it off laughing. "I caught the eye twitch and everything."
"Good, now we wait in the hall for them," JC explains.
The three of us wait in the hall with security, playing war. About twenty minutes later, a pissy Chris comes out of his room and is closely followed by an overly pissed Justin. We go to the museums and the arena. They perform, take me to a club till almost one in the morning and we head to the hotel to crash (I had three shots which JC allowed-Goldschlagger, Jack Daniels and a shot of McGillicuddy). Nice buzz, but not enough to get me plastered. I had danced for two and a half hours, JC regulated my shots and made sure I drank water between them. I was straight enough to walk straight. I check my phone and see the time. I sit back against the headboard and my cell starts ringing. "Hello?"
"You're still awake, beautiful."
"Hi, Nick." Shit! I have to wake up JC, brush my teeth and-
"Do you feel up to hanging out?"
"Yeah, just give me 15 minutes to wake JC."
"Kev said he'd keep an eye on us."
"I have to tell him."
"Leave a note."
"Give me 5 minutes."
"Room 509."
"Uh, ok." We hang up, I brush my teeth and grab a washable Crayola marker and write a note on JC's palm. When he's dead he's fucking DEAD. 'With Nick. Kevin supervising. Rm 509. I have my cell. Get me at 5:45 to pack. Thanks. ~Baby J' is what I wrote on his palm and underside of his fingers. I texted Lance the same thing as I walked to Nick's room.
Just as I get to the door, Lance texts back. 'JC knows?'
'Wrote the same thing on his right hand.'
'I'll make sure he checks his hand.'
'Thanks.'
'You're welcome.'
I knock on Nick's door and he answers by flinging the door open before picking me up in a hug, backing into the room. I accidentally kick the door shut, essentially slamming it. "I take it Jazz made it?" AJ and sarcasm are like the best of friends at times.
"Yes!"
"Nick, you're a little overzealous about seeing her," Brian says, sounding weary.
I grab Nick's face in my hands so he looks at me. "I missed you too, but can you please put me down?"
"Sure. I just really missed you."
"I can tell, but like Brian said, you are a bit overzealous." He nods, carefully placing me on my feet. I walk over to Kevin, Brian, Howie and AJ, giving them hugs and smiles. "I've missed the five of you."
The other four men admit they've missed me too. Nick climbs on the bed to sit between Kevin and AJ. Brian and Howie are laying at the foot of the bed. Nick pats the bed in front of him, motioning that he wants me to sit in front of him. Sit like we always do together-my back against his chest and stomach, my head resting on his shoulder, and our hands on my stomach with our fingers laced together. AJ watches us settle into our position and smirks. "You two should just get together already."
I'm curious as to why he would say something like that. "Why?"
"You guys act like you're already dating."
"No, we don't."
"Uh, yeah, you do. Trust and believe."
"Um, no."
"Have you ever been in a relationship or had a date?"
I look away quickly. "By choice, not yet."
"You're both relationship virgins? This is classic!"
Brian looks at AJ. "Leave them alone. They're young and just met."
"It's fucking amazing. Nicky has never had so much as a kiss and she's never had a date!" I roll my eyes. "Have you had your first kiss yet?"
"Yes."
"Well, some experience is better than none."
"He's a friend of mine and we agreed to remain friends because it made things weird for awhile between us."
"Oh, damn. I got twenty bucks on them dating by the time we do the US promo tour!"
"Ten on the end of June," Brian chirps.
"Has to be twenty."
"Alright, twenty. Howie?"
"Hmm, I give it till the middle of September."
Everyone looks at Kevin. "July 27."
"No fair!" Nick and I chorus together.
"All is fair in love and war," AJ states, wearing a mischievous smile on his face. Kevin hands him an envelope, which the $80 goes into and is marked 'Nick & Jazz Relationship Start Date Bet' in AJ's lovely handwriting. "Movie," he tells us, pointing at the tv as he gives Kevin the envelope to be sealed and put away. We sit there and watch the movie. It turns out they had chosen 'Nightmare On Elm Street' series. I have seen the series of movies so many times, if I see one, I can remember all seven. They are watching 'New Nightmare' and my guess is I fell asleep half way through it. I could've sworn I was awake and in the damn movies. Marionettes, melting stairs, furnaces, a stuffed dinosaur, Freddy's infamous glove, waterbeds spewing blood, Freddy-worms, mirrors breaking, car graveyard, and an asylum.
I feel arms move around me and I flash to the night scene where Johnny Depp's character and his lover are murdered with the main character's boyfriend is put in jail, to be strangled. I've seen them too many times.
Then, I'm being shaken. "You ok, Jazz?"
"What time is it, Nick?"
"3:50."
"Why'd you shake me?" I look around to find the other four asleep around us.
"You were tossing and turning. Smacked me in the head."
I feel bad now. "I'm sorry. Freddy related dreams."
He quietly laughs and hugs me. "Scoot up and I'll keep him away."
That's gonna be an inside joke. "Ok," I agree with a smile on my face. I scoot up so I'm laying between him and AJ, facing Nick. He wraps his arms around me and I put my ear to his chest to listen to his heartbeat. I feel him roll onto his back, keeping my head on his chest and an arm around me, to keep my body close to his as a smile crosses my lips and a wave of feeling safe crashes into me.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Freddy Krueger makes a small cameo (movie/dream related).
*EDITED*
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