August 07, 2000

It was the summer of 2000, and Nsync was hard at work on their sold out No Strings Attached Tour. Fresh off the stage, and onto the bus, the group was headed back to Orlando, for a short break and to celebrate JC Chasez's twenty-fourth birthday. As hard as the guys had been working, the break had been much deserved and JC couldn't wait to see his girlfriend from back home, Aubree.

JC and Aubree had been together for three years, and he loved her dearly. They first met at the movie theater in the mall in downtown Orlando, where Aubree worked during her senior year of high school, and she would get JC and the guys into movies for free. The two started talking over the phone, and really connected, and the rest is history. They were a match made in heaven. Not too long after, the group blew up, and Aubree had gotten accepted into the University of Central Florida, where she decided to major in Art History.

Although they knew it would be difficult, JC and Aubree decided to make the whole long distance thing work. And it was worth it, because Aubree was everything that JC could ever want in a girl. She was intelligent, confident, caring, independent, goal oriented, family oriented, had a good personality, and great sense of humor. and very, very beautiful! Aubree was amazing, but there was a downside; Sometimes, long distance could take its toll on the couple. They hadn't seen each other in four months, and haven't talked, texted, or emailed each other in nearly a week, the longest, that the two have ever gone without communicating, and it began to worry JC.

The last time they talked, Aubree had seemed really distant, not her warm and usually bubbly self. She seemed bored and very uninterested with everything he had to say, like she hadn't been happy to hear from him at all. What was worse, was that JC had had a particularly hard week- he hadn't been feeling good, and he was emotionally strained- and he couldn't get a hold of her at all. Every single time he'd call her on her home phone or cell phone it would go straight to voicemail.

JC turned on his phone, and tried to reach her again, but to no avail.

"Still not answering?" Joey asked, taking a seat next to JC on the couch.

"Nope." JC replied.

"Well, maybe she's just really busy." Justin suggested, opening a Sprite can, and sitting on the other side of JC.

"Or, maybe she's cheating on me." JC blurted out. Lance's eyes grew wide.

"C'mon man, don't be crazy Aubree would never cheat on you."

"Who knows?" Chris chimed in. "Maybe she found some Florida Frat Boy Hottie, and decided to hook up with him." The bus went silent, and JC, Justin, Lance, and Joey's eyes all on Chris.

"Dude. Not helping." Justin said.

"Well, it is college." Chris shrugged, defending himself and taking a seat across from the others.

"So what makes you think Bree's cheating on you?" Joey asked, referring to Aubree by her nickname.

"Well, she's not picking up my calls, and she seemed very distant and uninterested the last time we talked."

"Dude, maybe she's PMSing!" Chris said.

"Chris!" Justin exclaimed, throwing a pillow at him.

"Dude, stop bitching at me! You know how chicks get!" Chris replied, throwing the pillow back at Justin, the pillow hitting his soft curls, bouncing off his head, and onto the floor.

"And what's worse is that she hasn't even mentioned my birthday, when she used to talk about it weeks in advance." JC huffed. "I'm so confused, it's like she hates me now."

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you, maybe she's just stressed out about something." Chris said.

"If she were, I'm sure she'd tell me about whatever was bothering her. It's like she just keeps pushing me away, and I don't even know what I did."

"Sounds like she's just being a girl. They get so pissed off at us, and we don't even know why." Chris stated.

"I know right?!" Justin exclaimed. "One time Britney totally bitched out at me, for eating the rest of the peanut butter, and made me go out and buy more. At one o'clock in the morning! I mean, c'mon, who eats peanut butter at one o'clock in the fucking morning?"

"Or like the time when Danielle totally bitched because I squeezed the toothpaste from the top of the tube, instead of from the bottom." Chris said.

"One time, Kelly stopped talking to me, because I kept leaving the toilet seat up." Joey said confused.

"Well 'C, it sounds like Aubree's just being a girl, and no matter how hard we try, we'll never understand how they work." Chris said.

"So what do I do?" JC asked.

"Apologize." The four guys all said in unison.

"For what?" JC asked, exasperated. "I didn't even do anything."

"You don't have to." Chris said. "You don't have to do anything to piss a woman off, but when she is, man you just gotta beg for forgiveness. Do anything to get back into her good graces."

"So why do we put up with this shit again?" JC asked.

"Because we're dumb asses." Joey answered, before getting up, and heading towards his bunk.

"Just sleep on it man, and don't over think it, I'm sure everything will be alright." Lance said reassuring him. He was the next one to leave the couch. Then Joey then Justin, leaving JC to sit and think things over a bit.

As Justin headed to his bunk, he tied his du-rag around his head and climbed in his bunk. Just as he was about to pull the covers up over himself, his 2-way started ringing. He picked it up to see who it was.

Aubree: How's Jace holding up? Aubree had texted.

Justin: Not so good. Justin texted back.

Aubree: Did you tell him? Aubree asked.

Justin: No. He texted.

Aubree: Good.

Justin: I don't know how long I can keep this a secret Bree, JC's freaking out over here. Justin let out a long sigh. He never kept anything from JC.

***************

August 08, 2000

JC was officially twenty-four years old, and back in Orlando. The quintet had split up, each going back to their houses to rest up, before meeting later that night for JC's birthday dinner.

"If you check your phone one more time, so help me God, I will throw it in the fountain." This was Tyler, JC's younger brother, the two had decided to go downtown, and hit up the mall. So far, JC had been back in Orlando for over four hours, and hadn't heard from Aubree yet. "If she truly cared about you, then she would've called you."

"Harsh much?" JC asked.

"What's it's the truth. It's your birthday, don't worry about her, this is your day, so don't let her spoil it."

"I guess your right Ty." JC sighed. So far this was the worst birthday ever. What kind of girlfriend wouldn't call or come to see her boyfriend on his birthday? "Anyway, enough about me and my phone, what about you and yours?" JC asked.

"What about me?" Tyler asked.

"Who the hell do you keep texting?" JC asked.

"Nobody." Tyler answered.

"A girl?" JC inquired.

"Maybe." Tyler replied.

"Whatever." JC said, tired of trying to solve Tyler's romance riddle. "C'mon man, let's go back home."

"But it's only four o'clock!" Tyler exclaimed. "Don't you want to stay out a while?" Tyler asked. "There's plenty to do."

"I'm just not in the fun-loving mood right now." JC sighed, heading towards the parking lot.

"You don't wanna go home and sit around and mope right now do you Jace?" Tyler asked, trying to catch up with him. "C'mon, it's Florida! The place is filled with honeys!" Tyler tried to stop his brother from leaving, but to no avail.

"Listen Tyler, I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but I'm just not in the mood." JC said, once and for all.

Tyler grabbed his phone again, and shot back another text, to whoever he had been texting. "Fine!" Tyler huffed, hopping into the passenger seat.

***************

Pulling into the driveway, JC parked his car, and got his shopping bags out of the trunk, and Tyler raced passed him, and beat him to the front door. "Ty, what the hell are you doing?" JC asked, growing irritated.

"C'mon Jace, it's your birthday, let me at least take you to Hooters or something, my treat!" Tyler offered.

"No thank you Tyler, I really just want to go to my room, and sleep."

"As if you don't do that everyday." Tyler shot back.

"Tyler move." JC commanded.

Taking a shaky breath, Tyler slid from in front of the door. Well, here goes nothing. Tyler thought.

As JC unlocked door, Tyler was unsure about what would be on the other side of it.

"SURPRISE!" Was all JC heard, before being greeted by the blinding light of a flashing camera. JC blinked a few times before fully opening his eyes and blue eyes met green.

"Aubree?" JC asked confused. "What are you doing here?" JC looked around his living room, and saw that it had been decorated with a Happy Birthday JC! banner, balloons, and a ton of decorations. Whoever decorated the house had put a lot of effort into it.

"Um, it's your birthday Goofball!" Aubree said before their lips met. It felt so good to kiss his girlfriend again. But nothing made sense. Before JC could for a proper sentence, he was engulfed in hugs by his mother, Karen, his father, Roy, his younger sister, Heather, and the rest of his friends and family. Joey, Lance, Chris, and Justin were there, as well as the guys parents, as well as Johnny Wright, the bands manager, their band, and plenty of people from around Orlando were all in attendance.

Sensing his confusion, Aubree giggled to herself, and grabbed her man by the hand. "C'mon babe,let's get this party started, and I'll explain everything later!"

***************

It was well after midnight, and all of the guest were just now leaving, the party had gone off without a hitch and JC had a blast with Aubree by his side. Now, JC, Aubree, Karen, Roy, Heather, and Tyler were cleaning up the mess, that fun had created.

"So, let me get this straight, you thought I was cheating on you?" Aubree asked, laughing. The very idea that Aubree would ever be unfaithful to JC was hilarious.

"Well, you weren't answering my calls." JC replied, putting away some food that Karen had cooked.

"That's because I was super busy helping to plan your party!" Aubree said. "And that explains why Tyler was acting like a hyper idiot trying to keep you out of the house!" Aubree teased Tyler, who had became almost like a brother to her over the years.

"I was not acting like an idiot!" Tyler said, defending himself.

"Oh, yes you were!" JC laughed. "But I am really grateful you guys, thanks."

"Don't thank us, thank Aubree." Karen said, walking up to her son and his girlfriend, who now sat at the island in the kitchen. JC looked at Aubree who ducked her head, blushing.

"You did all of this?" JC asked her.

"Yeah, this whole party was her idea." Heather said, taking a seat at the island.

"It's really not that big of a deal, anyone would've done it." Aubree said.

"Oh sweetie, don't be modest. If you'd known this Rock Head as long as we have, you wouldn't have even bothered!"" Roy joked.

"Hey!" JC said. "I'm sitting right here!"

"I know." Roy said. He then winked at JC.

***************

A few hours later, JC and Aubree were sitting out on his deck, watching the sun rise, and sharing a tub of Butter Pecan ice cream.

"This looks so beautiful." Aubree stated, taking a bite of ice cream. There was no where in the world that she would rather be, than right here, watching the sun rise, right next to her man.

"It really does top everything off doesn't it?" JC asked.

"Yeah it does." Aubree agreed. "So, how was your birthday?" She asked.

"Well, it was pretty much a roller coaster of emotions, but all in all, this has been the best birthday I've ever had. Thank you for everything."

"It's the least I can do JC, you're amazing." Aubree smiled, before leaning in to kiss him.

"So, that leaves three-hundred and sixty-four more days until my twenty-fifth birthday, so what have you got in store for next year? JC asked, teasing.

"Oh boy Chasez, I have no idea how I'm gonna top this one!" Aubree said, before planting another kiss on his lips.