When Amber had stepped foot into the house later that night she said hello to Lynn and Lyzzie then told everyone she was going to go lie down for awhile. Which was where she was now, lying on her bed curled up in a ball. She hated that she felt so unhappy, when everything she ever wanted was at the tips of her fingers and all she had to do was reach out and grasp it. This was the one thing she had dreamed of for years and it was finally the time for it to be a reality and all she could do was sulk over seeing "him".

Softly she wiped at her eyes and moved into a sitting position. She let her eyes wander around the room and wondered if she would ever be rid of his memory or the thought of him lurking close by. It worried her that he was in the same state as she was. One of her many reasons for moving to Orlando was to escape him and to be as far away as she could get..

Sighing again, she swung her feet to the floor and stood up. Padding over to her closest she pulled open the door and stepped inside. Looking over her many choices, she pulled down a pair of sweats and a tank-top to go with them, then walked out closing the door with her foot. Laying the outfit down on the bed, she proceeded to toe off her shoes then grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it up and off her body.

Discarding the shirt, she then replaced it with the tank top. She wondered what the hell was up with Justin today. He wasn't always that pushy with stuff that she didn't want to talk about, he usually backed down and waited till she was ready. It had been so weird to see him that way. Once she was done changing she padded softly over to the door. Pulling it open she exited her room and quietly walked down the hallway.

Justin stared helplessly out the window thinking about the fight from earlier. The devastating look she gave him while he pressed her for answers remained on his mind. That look alone had told him so much, yet he kept on pressing when he knew it was wrong, but his own stubbornness had clouded his judgment..
Which had only put him right back at square one with very little answers. It was beginning to drive him insane not knowing what was causing his best friend and the woman he was in love with all this pain and the changes he saw in her today.

Sighing heavily he brought his hands up to his face and scrubbed them over his cheeks and jaw line. "I'm going to figure out what she is hiding from me and who exactly john is." He mumbled to himself

"I thought I broke you of that habit years ago." Lynn said walking into his room to make her presence known. She had been inside his doorway for the past couple minutes watching him as he looked outside. He had looked so deep in thought she hated to disturb him but when he had started to talk to himself she had her perfect opportunity to find out what was going on.

e jumped slightly at her voice then turned around to face her. "Yeah well so did I." he sighed then turned back around. "I was just thinking out loud."

"Mhm." She agreed walking up to him and placing her small hands on his broad shoulders. "What's wrong baby?"

"Amber and I got into a fight today."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Nodding his head, he turned around and looked down into his mom's eyes. She was the one person he could go to with any problem to get advice or just to make it better. They had always shared a special bond while he was growing up. She had been there through all of his hard times with the band and for all the good ones, she was his rock plain and simple. "I could probably use some of your advice to."

"Okay baby, let's sit down and you can tell me all about it." She smiled grabbing on to his hand and leading him over to his bed where she sat down. "Start from the beginning."

He sat down next to her then turned so he could face her. "Before I start I need to ask you a question?"

"Okay."

"Have you noticed any changes in Amber?"

"Well she's growing up of course there's some changes in her. But to answer your question yes, she's even more beautiful then I imagined her to be."

haking his head he sighed heavily and rephrased his question. "No I mean in her personality"

"I really haven't noticed a change in her sweetie, she acts the same. Why have you noticed something?"

I don't know, maybe it's just me. But I could have sworn she closed off when she met the guys. You should have heard her mom. She was scared to meet them, she asked me if I thought they would like her."

"That's typical baby, she knows they mean the world to you and wants to fit in with your friends. Just give her some time to adjust."

"True."

"So what was this fight about?"

"I started it with my big mouth. I'll tell you what happened so you can understand better." Justin said taking a deep breath. "After we recorded the demo we went to get something to eat at this little coffee shop down the street from the studio. Well once we order and sit down to eat this guy walks in. Well Amber notices him and immediately her faces turn white and her breathing pattern changes. Well I noticed her get quiet so I looked over at her and I swear there was fear written all over her face."

"Who was the guy?"

"Hold on a minute. Well they have this staring contest for about fifteen minutes then she finally gets up and leaves the table. So I look over towards the guy to see why she's so upset and he just stares at me with what I think was hatred in his eyes. Now I've never met this man before in my life mom so it shocked the hell out of me. Well about ten minutes later Amber comes walking back out and sits down...

"I watch her for a few minutes as she makes glances his way and finally when I can't stand it anymore. I ask her what was wrong and she tells me that she will tell me later, and I agree since it's not the place to get into it. Well we leave about ten minutes later" Justin explained pausing for a moment to take a breath then continue. "Well when we get to the studio she completely ignores me, and she's obvious about it to mom. It was like she was afraid to talk to me and it frustrated me so bad. So when we finally talked I laid it on her."

"Justin you didn't.." Lynn started to say but trailed off when she saw the all to serious look on his face.

"I did and I feel bad I do. But I was frustrated and hurt that she wasn't talking to me so sue me. All I got out of her was his name and what he meant to her. The guys name is John and he is her ex boyfriend. After that she wouldn't say anything else. So I bugged her and bugged her till finally she blew up at me and walked out. Mom I'm afraid this guy is the reason why I see the changes in her."

"Well you obviously asked her about it. I wont say anything about you're tactic to getting answers, but I will say this. She will tell you when she is ready, you know her better than anyone. When she is good and ready to share she will. You and I both know that she can't keep anything from you for long."

"True, but what do I do in the meantime? This is driving me insane."

"Be her friend that's all you can do." Lynn smiled softly watching as he hung his head and shook it back and forth. "For right now focus on helping her with the record contract. She's going to need all the support she can get." She continued hooking her fingers under his chin and bring his head level to hers.
She quietly searched his eyes for understanding and what she seen in them caused her to smile. "Baby how long have you been in love with her?"

His eyes widened while his mouth opened and closed repeatedly. After clearing his throat several times he attempted to reply. "I.. I.. I'm not in love with her." He stuttered diverting his eyes away from the disbelieving look he knew she was giving him.

"Justin, when are you going to get honest with yourself?" Lynn asked with a sigh, then turned his face so he was staring directly at her. "I know you are, so don't lie to me boy. It's plain as day in your eyes, I've always told you that your eyes give you away. An right now there saying I love her but I'm scared. What are you so scared of baby?"

"I don't know why." He muttered but deep down he knew why his track record spoke volumes. When he couldn't take his moms pleading eyes anymore he broke down and let his emotions go. "I'm scared of rejection, I'm scared that she doesn't feel the same way. But above all else I'm scared she'll turn out like Britney. Which would completely shatter what's left of my heart and sanity."

"Honey you can't let Britney hold you back from being happy. I know what went down wasn't pretty and if I ever get my hands on that girl, let's just say it wont be pretty. Ahem where was I.. Oh yeah, I know you're scared of rejection but have you thought maybe she is to and is just waiting for a sign that you feel the same way."

"What if she doesn't feel the same way?"

She clasped his hand in hers and smiled softly at him. "Trust me baby she does, you can tell when you look at her. Her eyes speak volumes when you're around, and she's probably just as scared as you are. I've always thought you two were perfect for each other. Now I'm going to leave you alone so you can think on what I said. But take this with you."

"What's that?" he asked

"When you can't stand the thought of her with anyone else, then you know it's time to make your move." Lynn said then stood up and smiled down at him. "An I know for a fact when you do, she wont be able to resist you."

"Thanks mom" Justin replied standing up and enveloping her in a hug.

"You're welcome baby." She said kissing his cheek then stepping back. "I'm going to go start dinner."

After walking all the way through the house Amber found herself sitting out back on the porch swing, swaying gently with the breeze. She knew she was isolating herself but it's what came natural to her, when she was hurt, depressed, angry, or just plain in the mood where she didn't want to speak with anyone she would go and find a quiet place where she could be alone.

Pulling her knees up to her chest she wrapped her arms around them, then laid her head down sideways to stare out across the pool. Sighing heavily she couldn't believe what a whirlwind of a week it'd been, she was mentally exhausted from it. But she knew there was no way in hell she'd be able to sleep off the exhaustion not with the excitement of her demo and the fear of being in the same state with "him".

God she really didn't want to think about him, but it was inevitable not to with the problems he'd already caused by just showing up in her life again. The sad part was he'd been on her mind since Justin a saw picture of the two of them. She couldn't believe how mad she was at him for showing up in her life again, one of the points to moving to Orlando was to hopefully to rid herself of the memory of him. That didn't happen, he either followed her or it was a coincidence they were in the same state.

It pissed her off to know that he'd already caused a fight between her and Justin. But it was expected given the reaction she'd shown earlier in the day. It would raise even her own suspicions. Yeah she was pissed at Justin for the way he handled himself but she couldn't blame him for doing so. Even though he should know, she wouldn't budge till she was good and ready to do so. Which hammered in the fact even more that she needed to tell him what happened.

But how could you open up about this kind of things? How did you look your best friend in the eye and tell him about the mistake you made, then paid for it in the cruelest way possible. It just was not something she had the strength to do, it would tear her to pieces to see the disgust, and disappointment register on his handsome face. She knew what his reaction would be and she just couldn't loose him.

"Penny for you're thoughts?" Lyzzie suggested softly as not to startle her. She watched Amber sigh and slowly turn to look at her. Almost instantly she recognized the sadness in her friends eyes and it worried her, especially when she should be riding high on life, with her demo just being recorded.

Chuckling softly more out of amusement than happiness she stared intently at her friend and took a deep breath. "I'd be a rich woman, especially since it feels like that's all my head is full of."

"Knowing you that's true." Lyz replied softly, wrapping an arm around her friends shoulder and giving her a half hug. "What's wrong honey?"

"Everything." Amber sighed for what felt like the thousandth time in an hour.

"Could you be anymore vague?"

"Justin and I got into a fight today."

"What about?"

Hesitating for a moment Amber weighed her options carefully, she could either tell Lyzzie about her encounter with john and deal with a very hot headed and violent friend from just the mere mention of his name. Or she could not tell her at all and feel like shit for lying to her best friend, but all in all she really needed her friend at the moment, she needed someone to reassure her she was safe and that he couldn't hurt her again. So she chose to come clean and pray for the best.

"I saw John today." She paused watching the reaction his name caused, it took a lot to really piss Lyzzie off but it seemed like with this particular person it only took the slight indication of his presence that made her madder than a hornet. "Now before you storm out of here and go off searching for the guy, please listen to what I have to say."

Amber watched as Lyzzie sat there staring straight ahead breathing deeply for a couple minutes before she turned to look at her. The fire burning in her eyes didn't shock her any, she'd seen it one to many times before, but what got her was the undeniable need to protect her best friend that she seen just underneath the fire.

When Lyzzie finally spoke her voice was calm a little to calm for Amber's liking. "Tell me everything, and Amber you better tell me every last thing, I mean every look, every emotion you felt etcetera, etcetera or so help me god I will beat the living shit out of you."

"Okay." She spoke hesitantly taking a deep breath, she began telling her everything that happened. Starting with how the recording went then gradually brought john into it. When she was done she felt like a the world had been lifted off her shoulders. By the time she was done, she could tell Lyzzie was about to breath fire if it was possible.

"Is that all? Why'd you and Justin fight?" Lyz asked while unclenching her fists.

"He wanted me to tell him who he was and why I reacted the way I did. He knows John is my ex-boyfriend but that is all. I can't bring myself to tell him everything that happened Lyz. I don't think I can handle the look of disgust that will be on his face, from one keeping this from him, and two from the mistake I made."

"Do you really think he will be disgusted with you? The victim in all of this?"

"Yes I do. I can't handle it, it would just tear me apart." Amber replied clasping her hands in front of her and ringing them. "Especially when I think I'm falling in love with my best friend." She said softly, so soft Lyz had to strain to hear her.
"First off, I'm just going to be blunt." Lyz replied taking a deep breath then spoke her mind. "Amber you're being stupid. Justin wont be disgusted with you, he'll probably think along the same lines as I do and want to hunt him down and murder him. Hell we could make a little club out of it." She smiled evilly thinking of all the things she'd like to do to him. Out of the corner of her eyes she caught the look Amber was giving her and cleared her throat.

"Sorry you know how I get when it comes to him. Ahem. Yeah he might be a little pissed you didn't tell him in the first place but I don't think he would throw away a lifetime friendship over something like that. Justin's not stupid." She explained then turned towards Amber and took her hand in hers. "An about the falling in love part. Honey you are in love you just haven't accepted it yet. Now I know you're going to ask me how I know, and I'll tell you. Whenever you're around him you beam with love, you are so completely wrapped up in that boy you can't think straight. My advice is to go after him and tell him how you feel, then when the time is right tell him about John."

"But what if he don't feel the same? What if he still thinks of me as the little girl he watched grow up. I don't think I can take the rejection."

Shaking her head Lyz chuckled softly, either she was completely blind or her self-esteem was so low she couldn't see past her own insecurities. She'd witnessed the sparks back in Utah they were in plain site. "Don't worry honey, I have a feeling he'd love to hear what you have to say and he might surprise you. You never know."

Amber thought about her friends words, the idea was just ludicrous, Justin couldn't be in love with her, she wasn't his type. He'd always gone for the big breasted bimbos in his teens and even his last girlfriend was in that same category it just wasn't possible for him to be in love with her. She shook her head. "Nah there's no way he could be in love with me. I'm plain old Amber nothing special." She said standing up and pacing across the deck. "And plus I can't tell him, I'll start to then get all tongue-tied and end up making a fool of myself. There's just no way. I've made up my mind I'm not going to tell him and that's final."

"Whatever Amber, I'm just going to be blunt about this, and then I'll leave you be." Lyz replied standing up and grabbing onto Amber's shoulders to keep her in place. " You're being stubborn and it's starting to tick me the fuck off. So listen up. You either tell him or not, but think about this. How are you going to feel when he starts to show interest in other girls huh? Yeah I know that look you're going to sink into your depression and be all pissed off and start hating men. But this time it will be your own damn fault. And when this does happen because I know it will, don't come crying to me."

She didn't mean to come off so mean but sometimes Amber needed a little push in the right direction especially when it came to relationships. She was tired of watching Amber throw away opportunities that were smacking her in the face but she was too stubborn to see them. She vowed to herself if she didn't see any improvement in the two of them in the next couple days she'd bring in the reinforcements.

Smiling to herself she walked into the living room only to be met with Chris and Lance's screams and hollers at the T.V., they were playing some game against each other and from the looks that Lance was shooting Chris he was loosing badly. She let an amused smile grace her lips while she walked over to the couch and wedged herself between Chris and the arm, then focused her attention on the screen.

"Hi Lyz" Chris said quickly shooting her a glance then turning his attention back to the game.

"Hi Chris." She said coyly casting a quick glance at his face.

"YES TAKE THAT BASS! WOO" Chris shouted then proceeded to stand up and do a victory dance causing Lyzzie to sit back and watch with a shocked look on her face. "You owe me ten dolla boy"

Lance batted away the hand that Chris stuck out then stood up and stretched. "I don't have it on me buddy. Just add it to the pot that I owe you."

"No way not this time, give me my money Poofoo." Chris demanded grabbing Lance's head and putting him in a headlock.

"I swear to god Chris if you don't let me go.." Lance trailed off trying to maneuver his arms so he could grab a hold of Chris but only being met with failure since Chris was moving around while he held onto Lance's head for dear life.

"What are you going to do about it huh?" Chris joked proceeding to run his knuckles over Lance's head. "Are you going to give me my money?"

With a growl and shout Lance finally got a hold of Chris and flipped him over his shoulder making Chris land on the floor with a THUD. Reaching into his back pocket he pulled out his wallet then opened it and grabbed a bill and threw it on Chris's chest. "There." He said stuffing his wallet back in his pocket. "How'd that feel buddy?"

Blinking open his eyes to get rid of the stars swirling around his head Chris let his eyes focus on Lance's smirk then growled. He snatched the money off his chest then rolled over so he could get off the floor. "Not fair man, not fair. Just because I'm short doesn't mean you can throw me around like a rag doll."

"Hmm that may be true." Lance thought about it for a second then smiled. "But it sure is fun."

"Uh huh just wait Poofoo I'll get you one of these days oh yes I will."

"Oh yeah I'm really scared." Lance retorted running a hand threw his spikes then let his eyes survey the room. When they landed on a giggling Lyzzie he blushed softly. "Oh hi Lyz, how are ya today?"

"I'm pretty good. And yourself?"

"Hmm I feel very satisfied. Did you enjoy the show?"

"Very much so. How are you Chris?" Lyz asked innocently which only received a glare in return. "Hmm someone's being a grouch." She pouted

"He doesn't take to people besting him well." Lance replied taking a quick glance out of the corner of his eye towards Chris. "Well I have a phone call to make. I'll catch ya later Lyz."

"Bye Lance." Lyz waved then directed her attention towards a brooding Chris. "Hey Chris did you notice he only gave you a dollar?" she asked taking a glance at the money in his hand.

"Why that little." He trailed off taking off after Lance. "Get back here you ingrate." He yelled as his feet slapped against the wood.

"Wow those two are just wow." Lyz giggled to herself.

"Do you usually talk to yourself Lyzzie?" Justin asked padding softly into the living room.

"Oh hi Justin. No I usually don't." she smiled perfect timing, he's just the person I want to talk to, she thought to herself.

"Okay, because I was going to say I could give you some good tips on how to break the habit."

"I'll take your word for it." She replied

"So what was all the commotion in here about?" Justin asked

"A bet that Lance wouldn't pay." She shrugged and let her eyes discreetly wander over Justin's lanky frame.

"Typical Lance."

"So what are you up to?"

He shrugged his shoulders then walked over to the arm chair next to the couch and sat down. "Just bumming around the house waiting for a phone call." He replied

"Cool, I heard about the incident earlier."

"Oh. And?"

"Justin, let me give you a little advice about this issue." Lyz paused and waited for him to nod then continued. "You're going about this all wrong. You and I both know you can't push her for answers she'll clam up and hide in her shell. You need to be discreet about it, throw in little comments here an there. I know you're not the type of person to beat around the bush, but with her you have to be. She's just so damn shy these days, and guarded that you have to break down her walls of self defense, to get in."

Justin nodded softly then stood up and paced around the room. "I talked to my mom earlier and she said about the same thing. She also said that she hasn't noticed any changes in Amber, like I have and I know you have just by the way your talking. Shit you've been around her 24/7 the past couple years so of course you have. All I want is to understand what caused these changes. It is driving me insane." He growled grabbing onto his curls and pulling roughly.

"Yes I have noticed the changes but they are expected with what she went through." Lyz replied really not knowing how to reply without giving to much away.

"I would agree if I knew what the hell happened to her." He growled letting his blue gaze settle on Lyzzie who was fidgeting in her seat. He could tell she wanted to say more but was bound by laws of friendship and her promise to Amber. "I guess I will have to wait for her to explain everything to me."

"I guess you will. I've told you once Justin, and I will tell you again. I can't say anything I wish I could but I wont. I made a promise to Amber and I intend to keep it."
"I understand." He sighed sinking down into the arm chair once again. He leaned over with his head in his hands and shook it. "Women I swear to god." He mumbled.

Sighing softly to herself she opened up the sliding glass door and slipped through then proceeded to walk through the kitchen into the living room. When her gaze landed on Justin and Lyzzie she scowled softly. "Great" she mumbled she knew with both of them in the room it wasn't good because they would probably grill her on the problems from before.

"Hey Ambs." Justin said hesitantly.

Frowning slightly she turned around and gave him a half smile. "Hi Justin." She said softly walking over to the couch and sitting down with a huff.

"What's wrong?" Justin asked raising an eyebrow in her direction.

"She just heard something she didn't quite agree with." Lyz smirked casting a quick glance at her friend.

"Naw that's not it at all Lyzzie." She said hotly making sure to pronounce her name slowly. "I'm just tired of being interrogated every ten seconds about specific issues that I would rather not talk about, but some people think it's a game to see who can crack me first."

Justin looked between the two friends and whistled softly, the daggers they were shooting each other were in plain site. "Okay did I miss something?"

"To make a long story short, I told Amber something she didn't quite want to hear." Lyz said with a shrug.

Justin held his hands up in defense and wondered which one would break first. From the looks of Amber he would guess it would be her. "Okay I'm just going to get out of here before a cat fight happens. I'll see ya'll later."

"Don't bother Justin. I'm going to go find Chris and see what he is up to." Lyz said standing up and walking swiftly out of the room.

"I'm going to go upstairs and call my mother. See ya around J." Amber said quickly getting up and running up the stairs.

"Women. Damn confusing if you ask me." Justin mumbled leaning back and turning on the TV.