Chapter 2

Amanda was stunned. How could THAT be her sister? How could someone so completely different be her half sibling? She was completely in shock. This was not what she’d expected at all.

Tensely gripping on the telephone receiver, stuck on hold and waiting to order take-out for lunch, Samantha’s image continuously ran through her mind. Her dyed jet-black hair, her all-black clothing, her black fingernails, her black lipstick, her bold, black eye make-up, her strange black and white striped stockings and her big black boots that laced all the way up to her shins, and, as if it could get any better, her pierced lip and eyebrow.

This could not have been Samantha! What kind of mother would let her daughter look that way!

Amanda was expecting someone very similar to herself. Someone dainty and girly and sweet. Not this! How would she ever be able to

relate? She’d never understand her sister now. The girl was completely different in every way possible.

Amanda was doomed. This whole idea was doomed. They’d never make it. Never!

Taking in a deep sigh she searched her cousin’s face for reassurance as the thick-Chinese-accented man finally came on the line to take her order. Softly Terra smirked as Amanda read to him her list. After a minute she hung up the phone and frustratingly let her head fall to the granite countertop.

“Manda, don’t hurt yourself,” Terra remarked.

“I can’t do this,” Amanda groaned quietly, her voice muffled by her arms, which had automatically wrapped around her head. If it were at all possible to turn into an Ostrich and stick her head into the sand, she would.

“Yes, you can,” Terra rebutted, pulling Amanda’s arms from the counter and forcing her cousin to stand up straight.

“You sound just like JC.”

“Well, he’s a smart guy. He knows the truth just like I do. You CAN do this.”

“I don’t want to,” Amanda clarified, “I want to live my life for me.” Her voice turned down to a whisper as she continued, “not some troubled fifteen year old who can’t even dress herself properly.”

“Amanda Marie Ballard, do you realize how superficial and shallow you sound right now?” Terra huffed, quietly. “Now I know this is not something you asked for, but this girl has been through a lot. She has no where else to go and just because she dresses a little differently than you does not mean she’s a bad person. Believe it or not she needs you right now.”

Amanda leaned one hip against the counter, shooting Terra an icy glare. She hated it when her cousin was right. “Okay, so maybe that wasn’t a very nice thing to say,” she whispered in response.

“No, it wasn’t nice at all. She really is a nice girl once you get to know her.”

“Because you know her so well after that thirty minute car trip?” Amanda asked incredulously.

“I’ve talked to her for more than two minutes before sending her off to her bedroom!” Terra countered in a low voice.

“I did not send her to her bedroom! I just showed her where it was so she could put her stuff away!”

Both women froze as the doorbell interrupted their argument.

“Who is that?” Amanda asked.

“It’s Chris. He’s meeting me for lunch,” Terra announced, turning her back and strutting out of the kitchen.

“Wait!” Amanda shouted desperately, scurrying after her cousin and meeting her in the entry way before Terra had a chance to open the front door. “You can’t leave me,” she pleaded quietly, “I’m not ready yet.”

“Amanda, you’re going to have to be alone with her sometime. I can’t stay with you every second.”

“I know. But please, not yet. You guys can eat lunch here. I mean, it’s not like it’s a date, you’re just friends.”

Rolling her eyes, Terra nudged Amanda out of the way of the front door and finally opened it for Chris.

“You two alright?” he asked, stepping inside.

“We’re fine,” Amanda answered almost convincingly. “You’re right in time, I just ordered take-out.”

“Oh.” He directed a look of question at Terra before saying another word.

“Hope you don’t mind, my cousin’s in the middle of a crisis and I told her we’d eat here.”

“No problem,” Chris agreed.

With that, Amanda took in a deep sigh. JC would be over later and then it would be okay for Terra to leave. She just wasn’t ready to be alone with this complete stranger, even if it was her sister. Things were just too awkward and uncomfortable.

She had no clue what she was going to do when she actually had to carry on a conversation with the girl.

“Samantha?” Wearily Amanda knocked on her new sister’s bedroom door. The food had arrived and it was time to eat.

“Just a minute!” Samantha called from the other side.

Uneasily Amanda swayed in the hallway, waiting for her strange looking sibling to appear. Finally after a minute the door opened. “Lunch is here,” Amanda announced.

“Okay.”

Discreetly peering around Samantha’s shoulder, Amanda tried her best to get a glimpse of what the child had done with her bedroom. So far, nothing too out of the ordinary for a fifteen year old.

As the two walked towards the kitchen, the tension between them was undeniably thick. Honestly, Amanda didn’t know what the heck she was supposed to say to the girl. “Did you want to wait a couple of days until you get settled before we register you at the high school?” Amanda finally asked. It was the only thing she could think of to make conversation.

“It doesn’t matter,” Samantha answered.

For such an intimidating look, she didn’t sound intimidating at all. In fact, her voice was very quiet and meek. But Amanda had to wonder if her father had any idea of the image his youngest daughter portrayed. Surely he wouldn’t approve. He had been so hard on Amanda growing up, he couldn’t possibly condone this sort of behavior.

“Well, you don’t have to decide right now. We can talk about it later,” Amanda decided, having an awfully difficult time keeping that confident tone to her voice. It took every ounce of concentration to push back that shaky, unsureness that lurked just beneath the surface.

The two finally made way into the kitchen, where Chris and Terra sat patiently waiting, chit chatting about something to do with Chris’ clothing line. It was a strange relationship those two had developed. Terra had sworn it was strictly platonic, but they sure did spend an awful lot of time together. Of course, Amanda understood that Terra needed to have friends beside herself, and Chris was definitely a fun guy to be around. That much Amanda could understand.

“Chris, this is my, uh – “ she paused, thinking of the right words, “this is Samantha,” Amanda introduced, “Samantha this is a good friend of ours, Chris.”

Immediately he stood and outstretched a hand to greet her properly. “Nice to meet you, Sam. Welcome to Orlando.”

“Thanks,” she remarked shyly.

“Samantha, did you want something to drink? We’ve got soda, water, milk, juice –“ Amanda asked, stepping towards the dual door, stainless steel refrigerator.

“Pretty much ever beverage possible, “ Terra interjected.

“A soda is fine, thanks.”

Lunch turned out to be the most awkward, tension-filled meal Amanda had ever sat through. Neither sister said a word the entire time. If it weren’t for the conversation Terra and Chris had been carrying on, the table would have been absolutely silent. Of course, Chris tried his best to stir up some emotion from Amanda’s little sister, cracking a stupid joke every now and then. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be working. And will all the stress in the house, Amanda didn’t find any of it too amusing herself.

As soon as Samantha finished she rose from the table. “Amanda, is it okay if I use the phone?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure. I think the cordless is on the kitchen counter.”

“Thanks,” she replied, sweeping up the phone and scurrying back to her bedroom.

As soon as her sister was gone, Amanda sighed deeply, trying her best to not let her head fall into her plate of Chinese food.

“I would be a little shy too if I suddenly had to move in with some stranger and had just lost my mother,” Chris commented after a minute.

“Yeah. Me too,” Terra agreed.

Amanda glanced at them both from the top of her lids and smiled wryly. No matter what the reasoning, it was definitely not the ideal situation. That fact was never going to change.

But nevertheless, Amanda did feel somewhat guilty for not making Samantha feel more comfortable. Standing from the table, she grabbed her paper plate and tossed it in the garbage can. Maybe it was time to actually talk to her new sister.

As she strode down the hall towards the bedroom that had been designated to Samantha, the one farthest away from Amanda’s in the spacious five-bedroom home, she stopped just before arriving in front of the partly open door. She could hear every word of Samantha’s conversation and her curiosity was too strong to ignore. She stopped just outside to listen.

“…She’s such a square. You should’ve seen the look on her face when she saw me Trish! She still looks at me funny. I’m not a monster, I swear!”

Immediately Amanda’s stomach turned, had she made her sister feel that unwelcome?

“I know it’s weird for her, but she didn’t just lose her mom. I did!”

Quietly Amanda switcher her stance, continuing to eavesdrop discreetly.

“You know she doesn’t even work? She just lives off my dad’s money.”

Now that comment made Amanda’s blood boil. That was not true! She lived off her own money!

“Oh, and guess who was here for lunch,” Samantha continued, “one of the guys from NSYNC. What kind of shit is that? I hope I don’t have to suffer through more encounters with members of sucky boy bands. I don’t think I can stay here Trish. I’m gonna go insane.”

With that Amanda had to step away before she barged in and tackled the girl. Those were horrible things to say. Just horrible! Why would she say those things? And god, if she was fussing over Chris, what was she going to do when she found out about JC?

Amanda had known this was going to be a bad idea. Now her hunch was confirmed. There was no way they’d ever get along. No way.

Slowly Amanda walked back down stairs to the kitchen. The look of hurt must have been written all over her face because both of her friends immediately noticed. “Something wrong?” Terra asked.

“You look like you just lost your dog or something,” Chris commented.

“I’ve never had a dog, Chris.” Amanda replied solemnly.

“Did you talk to Sam?”

“No, I just overheard her phone call and she had some not very nice things to say about me.” Amanda explained, deciding it would be best not to mention what Samantha had said about Chris or his “sucky” boy band. No need for him to get involved.

“It’s gonna take her a little while to adjust, Manda. I know it’s hard for you, and this may sound a little harsh, but of course she not gonna like you.” Terra reasoned.

Amanda only shrugged, noticing both had thrown their plates away and Terra was now sitting with her purse in front of her. “You guys are leaving, aren’t you?” Amanda asked with a sour tone.

“I told Chris I’d look over some documents for him.”

“Don’t you have your own attorney for that?” Amanda asked. She knew she was sounding incredibly selfish, but being alone with Samantha was the last thing in the world she wanted at the moment.

“Yes, but I wanted a second opinion.” Chris answered.

“Whatever,” Amanda shrugged.

“Isn’t JC coming over soon?” Terra asked.

“Soon, hopefully.”

“See. You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

Both Chris and Terra stood from the table and headed towards Amanda on their way out. “If she tries anything funny, don’t hesitate to call,” Chris told her in a quiet voice.

Amanda wasn’t quite sure if he met it as a joke or if he was serious, but either way she told him “thanks.”

Barely a minute later, they were out the door and Amanda was left alone in her big house with her new sister. Now she didn’t know what to do.

Letting her back fall against the wall in the entry way, she smoothed her palms over her face. Nothing she seemed to say came out right these days and apparently it was starting to catch up with her.

Taking in a deep breath, she paused, realizing that her cell phone was chirping from her purse in the closet only a few steps away. Quickly she pulled open the door and grabbed her leather hand bag, searching frantically so she could make it shut up.

Finally she answered, “hello?”

“How come you’re not answering the home phone?” JC asked.

“Oh, Samantha must be on the phone still. She probably didn’t want to answer the other line.”

“I called twice,” he informed.

“Sorry.”

“How are things going?” he asked curiously.

Amanda had a hard time hiding the anguish in her voice, things weren’t going good at all. “Terrible,” she sighed.

“Come on, it can’t be that bad.”

“It is THAT bad. We have absolutely nothing in common. Plus, she already hates my guts,” Amanda grumbled.

“I’m sure she doesn’t hate you. Just give it some time.”

“I don’t know,” Amanda disagreed, “I think we’d both need about five or ten years and then maybe we might get along.”

“Why? Did you get into a fight already?” he asked with surprise.

“No, it’s just – well, we can talk about it later. I don’t really want to get into it right now.”

“Okay, sweetheart. Well, I’m meeting Justin at the studio in forty-five minutes so I better get going. I just wanted to see how you were doing,” he told her.

“Wait, I thought you were coming over?” Amanda asked desperately.

“Yeah, I’ll be over tonight.”

“Tonight?” she asked with worry. Suddenly the day seemed to be looking even worse. What was she going to do all day alone with Samantha.

“Babe, you’ll be fine.”

“But,”

“No buts, this is kind of important so I can’t cancel. I’m sorry, but I promise I’ll see you tonight,” he explained.

“Alright,” Amanda sighed hopelessly.

“Don’t sound so upset. I can’t help it. You know that.”

“I know,” Amanda whined.

“Maybe you can cook that chicken you do with that cream sauce that I like? You know, for me and your sister. Well, and Terra, too.”

“She’s out running around with Chris. I don’t know when she’s coming back,” Amanda said, her voice still sounding pathetic.

“Oh, no wonder why. You’re all by yourself with her.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I’ve gotta go, though. I’ll talk to you later.”

”Okay.”

”Love you.”

”Love you, too,” Amanda replied and switched off her phone.

Well, at least planning dinner would give Amanda something to do. Besides, then she’d have to go to the grocery store. Maybe Samantha would want to go with her. Maybe that would give them a chance to get used to each other a little bit better.

Trying to look at the bright side of things, or at least find the bright side, Amanda trotted up to her bedroom to freshen up just a little before her trip to the supermarket. It wasn’t long after, she was standing in front of Samantha’s bedroom door again, just dreading the moment her sister would open it.

Slowly it creaked open, Samantha looked just a tad bit more normal since the black eye make-up she’d been wearing earlier had been removed from her face. But the site gave Amanda a chill, because her younger sister had eyes just like her father and that was one stare Amanda could definitely do without.

Maybe she liked her better with the make-up on after all.

“I have to go to the store for dinner. Did you want to go? That way we can pick up any foods you might like that I don’t already have,” Amanda said.

“Um, okay,” she answered, “let me just turn off the TV.”

“I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in a sec.”

Amanda had tried her best to give Samantha everything a fifteen year old might want. Her bedroom was equipped with a television, a VCR, a CD player, a desk and a computer. She only hoped she hadn’t overdone it. Time would tell whether or not Samantha actually appreciated the trouble Amanda had went through to make her sister’s living arrangements more comfortable.

Of course, it would also take time to make the two sisters more comfortable with each other. No material item could do that.

Several minutes later both girls were seated in Amanda’s sporty new BMW and on their way to the grocery store a few minutes away. Samantha sat still in the passenger seat, almost as if she was afraid she might break something.

Using the controls on her steering wheel Amanda switched on the stereo. The radio was, naturally, tuned into the local pop music station. Amanda could immediately see the grimace on Samantha’s face from the corner of her eye.  Apparently BBMak wasn’t her favorite.

“I guess you don’t like this kind of music,” Amanda remarked.

“Not really.”

“You can turn it on something else if you want,” Amanda offered.

Instantly Samantha reached for the knob on the dashboard, scanning through the stations until she found something obnoxiously loud and fast. Amanda nearly jumped out of her seat as the thumping base guitar pounded from her speakers.

“Okay, just not that,” Amanda decided.

Samantha smirked predictably and flipped it back to the station it had been set on originally. “It’s your car, you can listen to whatever you want,” she shot back, her voice laced with typical teenage cynicism.

“Listen Samantha, I know this is really hard for you. It’s really hard for me, too. But somehow we’re going to have to figure out how to live together.”

“As soon as my dad gets out I’m gonna go live with him,” Samantha replied defensively.

“That’s not going to be anytime soon,” Amanda informed.

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“Samantha. Yes, I do.”

Amanda glanced over at her sister, noticing her arms folded over her chest and her eyebrows furrowed into the center of her forehead. It was obvious that it was neither the time nor the place for that particular discussion.

“I just don’t want you getting your hopes up, that’s all,” Amanda added, hoping to prevent the downhill spiral their conversation seemed to be headed.

“Why do you care? Up until today you never even met me before.”

“That’s true, but that doesn’t change the facts. The fact that you’re here now, living with me and regardless of whether either of us likes it or not, we’re both going to have to learn how to live together.”

Samantha exhaled loudly and slumped into her seat, but didn’t add another word to their discussion.

Amanda hoped that her words hadn’t been too harsh, but she only spoke of the truth. There was nothing either one of them could do to change it.

IT WAS ALMOST seven by the time JC pulled into Amanda’s driveway. He was almost afraid to knock, knowing that she’d been a stress case for the majority of the day. Hopefully things had calmed down somewhat by now. He knew it had been best for him to stay away, regardless of whether she liked it or not.

Taking in a deep breath of encouragement, he lifted his fist and knocked loudly on her front door. As he stood their patiently waiting, he noticed that the gardeners hadn’t done a very good job at pruning her front flower beds as there were various weeds popping up just underneath the shrubbery.

A second or two later she opened the door, looking to be at her wits end. She didn’t even say a word, only sighed and motioned for him to come inside.

“Your gardener’s not doing a very good job. You want me to talk to him for you?” he asked, stepping into the tiled entryway.

“No, I’ll do it tomorrow,” Amanda huffed, “I’ve been meaning to say something.”

Grabbing her hand, JC leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “You hangin’ in there?” he asked quietly.

“Just barely,” Amanda answered, “you hungry? Dinner’s almost ready.”

“I’m starving. You want some help?” he asked, following as she headed off towards the kitchen.

“Thanks, but we want to be able to eat it,” she smirked and looked back to give him a teasing smile.

“Whatever,” he remarked, playfully rolling his eyes.

Leaning against the center island in the kitchen, he watched as she lifted the lid of something on the stove and stirred whatever it was gently.

“So, where is she?” He finally asked.

“Same place she’s been all day,” Amanda answered, still fussing with the pots on the stove, “in her bedroom.”

“Oh, well should you go get her so we could meet?” he asked with enthusiasm.

Instantly Amanda turned, stepping towards the counter and leaning down on her elbows across from him. “I wouldn’t expect a very warm welcome,” she sighed.

“Not a fan?” he asked.

“Uh, no. Extremely opposite.”

Spotting a stray piece of hair across her cheek, he reached across the counter and tenderly brushed it from her face. “Don’t worry, okay?” he said softly, “I can see how stressed out you are. Just give it some time. You’ll see.”

He watched as her eyes fluttered closed and immediately jumped on the opportunity to plant a soft kiss on her lips, standing on the tips of his toes and reaching across the counter top.

A quiet moan released from her voice as his touch met hers. “I feel better already,” she said softly, a grin sliding across her lips as he backed away.

“And I haven’t even done anything yet,” he grinned devilishly.

“Yet?” she asked, obviously intrigued by his comment.

“That’s what I said.”

JC wasn’t expecting for her to stretch across the top of the counter and grab him by the back of his neck, kissing him passionately, but that’s what she did. He couldn’t say that he minded much, because he most certainly did not.

“You’re staying here tonight? Right?” she asked after a minute, still gripping on to him like he would vanish if she let go. “You’re not going home, are you?”

“If I did would you be upset?”

“No.” Her words said one thing, but her tone said another. He knew she’d be upset if he went home.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay. You know, since you twisted my arm and everything,” he grinned playfully.

Instantly she sighed with relief. “Good.” Her grip on him fell and in turn she returned her feet to the floor, still smiling at him girlishly before returning her attention to the food on the stove.

Casually JC crept around the center island until he was standing directly behind her. Softly he laid one hand against the side of her waist and leaned into the back of her shoulder. “Smells wonderful,” he said, taking in a big whiff.

Gracefully Amanda turned in his arms until her chest was pressed perfectly against his. Her arms slid around the small of his back and she pushed up on the tips of her toes to kiss him one more time.

“Did you miss me today?” he asked softly.

“You don’t even know,” she answered, settling her head against his chest and squeezing her arms around him so tight he could hardly move.

“You know, it really turns me on when you’re wearing your cooking apron.” He reached for the tie at her neck and yanked on the string that held it together.

Amanda recognized that teasing tone in his voice right away. It was a side of him she had grown to cherish and he literally made her feel as giddy as school girl when he teased her that way. “It does?” she asked, playing along.

“Yes, so much I could just throw you on the counter right now,” he continued, caressing his fingertips down her neck.

Her heart raced at the thought. Maybe if they’d have been at his house that would have been okay. But Terra and Chris were bound to walk in the door any minute and Samantha could have easily walked into the kitchen at anytime. Unfortunately, that idea was not a possibility.

“I so wish you could,” she sighed, reaching for his lips again, losing herself for just a moment in the sensual feeling of his touch.

“Why couldn’t I?” he asked, barely breaking away to speak.

Amanda groaned, “I don’t want to think about that. Just give me two more seconds,” she pleaded.

He didn’t answer, instead he complied by scooping her up in his arms and lifting her feet from the ground, kissing her passionately, just the way she had wanted.

She didn’t want it to end.

But then his phone started buzzing in his pocket, and not only could she hear it, she could feel it too.

Immediately he set her down. “Sorry,” he grinned, reaching into the front pockets of his dark blue jeans.

“I’ve got to get back to my sauce anyway,” Amanda remarked just before he answered his cell.

She listened to his conversation as she stirred her sauce and turned it down to simmer. She was guessing it was Justin. For some reason she could always tell when it was him on the phone. Mainly by the way JC spoke to him. Plus the conversation had something to do with the studio and she knew he had been at the studio with Justin earlier in the day so there was a good chance it was him.

A few minutes later he hung up the phone and made the announcement that Justin would be stopping by in a few minutes because he had to drop something off that JC had forgot.

“You should have asked if he wanted to stay for dinner. I’ve got plenty.” Amanda told him.

“Oh, I’ll call him back. Is it almost ready?”

“Pretty much,” Amanda informed, “I guess I should go get my sister,” she added with a sigh. It still felt so weird for her to say, but sooner or later she figured she’d have to get used to it. Anyway, with three out of five members of NSYNC possibly coming over for dinner, Amanda thought maybe she should warn the girl before it was too late.

She could only imagine what Samantha would think now. She’d probably want to run to her bedroom and hide. Oh well, she’d just have to get used to it. Amanda hadn’t asked for the situation, she definitely wasn’t going to change her life because of it. Regardless if Samantha liked “boy bands” or not.