“You’re kidding right?” Joshua Chasez asked, looking up from the article his mother had handed him.

“I think this would be a great opportunity for you Josh.” Karen Chasez told him, setting a plate down in front of him.

“Yeah a great opportunity to make an ass of yourself.” Josh’s best friend Katy Morrison said, snatching the paper from his fingers.

“Oh please do that again, I just loved the paper cuts.”

“Quit bitching.”

“Katherine, your language!” Karen sighed.

Katy winced at the sound of her full name. Only Karen and Katy’s mother Pam ever used her full name, and that was usually when they were angry or upset with her.

“Sorry Aunty Karen.” Katy said.

“Why don’t you try out too?” Karen asked.

Josh burst out laughing, “Are you kidding, The Mickey Mouse Club requires acting and singing abilities. Katy can act, her singing however…ow!”

Katy glared at him as she tightened the grip she had on the skin of his thigh, “What was that princess?”

“Ow, quit pinching me.” Josh said, scratching at her hand, “Mom!”

“Don’t look at me; you deserve all the pain you’re getting.” Karen said, handing Katy a plate.

Katy smiled at Karen and released JC’s leg so that she could begin eating her dinner. “So he has to go to Orlando to try out?”

“Apparently so.” Karen sighed as she sat across from them, “I phoned today just to get some information. We can get into the tryouts in two weeks, but we have to be available for more auditions during that week.”

Katy studied Josh out of the corner of her eye. He was staring down at his plate, pushing his food from side to side. Karen climbed to her feet as the phone rang, moving into the hallway to take it.

“What’s up?” Katy asked softly, nudging Josh.

“Nothing.”

“Right, how about we try it again, and this time you tell me what’s going on.”

“Just drop it Katy, it’s nothing.”

Katy rolled her eyes but remained silent as Karen reappeared in the room. “Look Josh, I really want you to consider this. You love singing, and your drama teacher raves about you. This could take you so many places.”

“And if it doesn’t work, you’ll always end up on one of those Where are they now shows.” Katy pointed out.

“Katherine, try and be supportive.”

“I am being supportive.” Katy said, “I’m making sure that his ego doesn’t get to big before he gets anywhere.”

Karen rolled her eyes, “Think about it Josh, but don’t take too long on it alright?”

~ * ~

Josh looked up as his door banged open and Katy strolled in, dragging a large suitcase behind her.

“What are you doing?”

“Aunty Karen told me to drop my stuff in your room before Tyler tripped over it again.” Katy told him.

“Stuff?”

“Yeah, this monstrosity my mom calls a suitcase.” Katy said pointing to it, “Oh and your mom said I get your room and you’re bunking with Tyler, but she also said she is well aware that arrangement will last all of five seconds. So for her peace of mind you’re supposed to go to Tyler’s room when she tells us to go to bed and stay there for at least ten minutes before sneaking back in here.”

Josh sat staring at her, a look of confusion written on his face, “Stuff?”

“You’re really not going to impress Disney with your lack of vocabulary.” Katy told him, “And yes, stuff, I’m going with you.”

“I thought we agreed you weren’t going to try out.”

Katy shot Josh a look that clearly stated that she was unimpressed. “I’m not trying out; I’m going to support your sorry butt.”

Josh’s eyebrow arched, “How in the hell did you manage to swing that?”

“I didn’t,” Katy shrugged, “Your mom phoned my mom and they agreed that you would probably do and feel better if I was with you.”

“I don’t need a baby sitter.”

Katy rolled her eyes and decided to ignore the comment. Instead she climbed onto the bed to watch him pack.

“Are you nervous?” She asked.

“Terrified.” Josh admitted, running his hands over a shirt that he had just put into his suitcase.

“Why?”

“If I get this, everything is going to change.” Josh muttered, “I have to move, my family is going to have to make all of these sacrifices for me that they shouldn’t have to.”

“They’re your family Josh; they wouldn’t be encouraging you to go if they didn’t know what they’d have to do to make it work.” Katy interrupted.

“What about you?”

“Me?” Katy asked in shock, “What about me?”

“I don’t want to leave you.” Josh sighed, sitting on the bed and putting his head in his hands.

Katy leaned forward and grabbed his shoulder, “Come on Josh, it’s not like we’re going to be together forever.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Josh snapped at her.

"Think about it, we're going to be done school, we'll probably end up going to different colleges and eventually our careers will take us in different directions." Katy explained to him, "It's not exactly like we're going to be married or anything one day."

"We might be."
 

"Please, I've already put up with you this long, a lifetime I could not handle." Katy teased. "Don't make me be the one to hold you back from achieving something that most people would give their left arm to have."

"But what if I don't want all that?"

"Bullshit." Katy snapped, "You have a gift, you can act, you can sing and lord knows you can dance. Besides, it's only Orlando; it's not that far away. Since dad works for an airline I could fly down there every weekend for cheap if I wanted to."

"Think your parents would let you move with me?"

"Yeah right, it took three hours of sweet talking to get dad to agree to let me go with you for a week." Katy laughed, "You know how bad my dad gets when he's separated from me."

"You know how bad I get too." Josh pouted.

"I know." Katy laughed, "I remember when dad took us to Paris for a month, I thought you were going to suffocate me when I got back."

"I lost three months of allowance for the phone bill." Josh grinned. 

“At least now you'll be making the big bucks so you'll be able to afford racking up the bill."

"If I get it."

"You will." Katy told him firmly, "And if they don't take you, they'll have to deal with me."

"Glad one of us has faith in me." Josh muttered

Katy poked him, "I have faith in you, you have faith in me, it's how this deal we've got works."

JC sighed and stretched out on the bed, resting his head on her legs. "I'm actually kinda glad you're coming with me."

Katy shrugged and let her fingers stroke his hair, "The way I see it, I get off school for a week and I get to go to the beach."

"Thanks." Josh muttered, his lip sliding out into a pout.

"It's what I'm here for." Katy grinned, "So do you need any help with anything?"

"No, I'm just waiting for a couple of shirts and a pair of jeans to come out of the dryer before I zip up my suitcase."

"There's nothing else?"

"Not unless you want to give me a kiss for luck." Josh grinned at her.

"Keep dreaming mouse boy."

“I’m serious!” JC insisted, “Come on Katy.”

“Ewww, no!”

“What if I have to do a kissing scene?”

"I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Katy snapped, “It’s not like you don’t know how to kiss.”

“Actually, not really.”

“Bullshit, your first kiss was when you were seven!”

“Your point?”

“You mean to tell me that ‘Pimp Daddy Chasez’ is a make out virgin?”

“You’re one to talk.” Josh muttered, his cheeks pinking.

“We’re not talking about me here.”

“See, now you have to give me one.” Josh insisted, sitting up. “It’s your duty as my best friend.”

“If I do it, will you shut the hell up?” Katy snapped.

“Absolutely.”

“Fine.”

Katy leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek.

“That’s it?”

“What did you expect, full on tongue action?”

“I thought I’d at least get one on the mouth.”

Katy rolled her eyes and leaned in again, this time aiming for his mouth.

She was caught off guard when he grabbed her chin and angled her head to avoid bumping noses with her. Katy stiffened as his lips connected to hers and she melted against him as he increased the pressure. She gasped in shock as JC’s tongue tapped her bottom lip and he took the opportunity to take what he wanted.

This wasn’t exactly what she had pictured kissing her best friend would be like and when her tongue instinctively massaged his, he moaned and shifted slightly. Her head turned to follow his movement, not wanting to separate their lips.

Katy’s eyes snapped open as she felt herself being laid back. They fluttered shut again as his fingers ran lightly down her cheeks and he settled his weight on top of her, resting most of it on his elbows. She twisted her fingers into his hair as he separated their lips. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, biting her bottom lip as he stared down at her. Josh tilted his head to the other side and tried kissing her from a new angle.

"Josh, I have that laundry you were waiting for." Karen said as she opened the door to her son’s room.

Katy's hands immediately flew to Josh's shoulders and shoved as hard as she could, making him roll off not only her, but his bed as well. She could feel her face burning as she covered it with her hands.

"Thanks mom." Josh said as he picked himself up off the floor.

"I'll just set this stuff down on your desk and get out of your hair."

"Did you have to shove me so hard?" Josh asked sitting on the bed as his mother exited the room.

"I just know she's on the phone with my mom." Katy groaned, not moving her hands.

"Do you think your mom won't let you come now?"

"Are you kidding?" Katy snapped as she sat up, "They're probably going to start discussing China patterns for our wedding."

"What?" Josh exclaimed, putting his hands up as if to defend himself. "Isn't that a little extreme?"

"Our mothers have been planning our wedding since we could walk." Katy told him, "This is so going to add fuel to the fire."

"It'll be okay." Josh said with a laugh.

"Okay?" Katy shrieked, "Okay? Dude we just made out."

"I'm well aware of that."

"You better wipe that smirk off your face right now before I do it for you." Katy snapped, "First serious kiss my ass."

"It was!" Josh insisted.

"Well let me tell you this, you're a damn natural at it." Katy sighed.

Josh smirked at her, “So tell me, what color would you like the bridesmaids dresses to be.”

Katy rolled her eyes and grabbed the pillow from behind her head and smacked him with it. “Go ask your mother, I’m sure she’s already got the design in mind.”

Josh laughed and stretched out beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist as he rested his head on her shoulder. “Are you at all worried about what might happen with us if I do get this gig?”

Katy sighed and rolled her eyes, “Are we back on this again?”

“Come on Katy, take it seriously.”

Katy stroked his hair, “Don’t worry Josh, you just need to make sure that you remember who your real friends are.”

“Nothing’s going to change Katy, I promise.”