The car ride had been pretty much silent between the three. Nothing had been said. The only sounds were that of breathing, the radio, and the highway. Scott stared out the window thinking and thinking of how his sister could be so taken and enchanted by a guy like Justin. He liked Justin, but then again hated him for confusing and upsetting his sister like he had a gift for. But Scott knew he KNEW that Justin was just as upset and confused as Alex was.

Danielle tried to think of something to say, but everytime something would come to her mind she would force it back down. She knew that there was something happening between Justin and Alex but she didn't want to call anything before it blew up. And she had a feeling it was going to blow up.

Alex sighed and tried to relax in the driver's seat of her Jeep as she drove back towards her apartment. Chris and Justin along with Mike and Dre were in Justin's Mercedes. She was following them.

She was trying not to get confused by Justin's looks and comments that had occurred while she was at Bebe. She tried not to read into them and she tried not to smile. But she had too.

Because even though, he looked away and pretended not to care, he did.

She had seen the way he was literally, checking her out. She knew that she looked pretty hot in her new outfit. Justin had proved that. From the way his jaw dropped, to the way he shifted uncomfortably in the chair he was perched in when she modeled for them.

He had acted like a jerk. But it was just a cover up. And she knew it.

Sure she was upset about his actions, but he had ever right to try and cover up his feelings. He had a girlfriend already.

Alex turned down the radio and picked up her cell phone and dialed the number Justin gave her to his cell. Dani and Scott both looked at her a little odd.

The phone rang about 3 times before Chris answered. "Yeah, Chris. I'm starving and I'm stopping at Micky Dees. Yall tagging along?"

She heard Chris speak to the other guys. "Yeah, we will lead."

"Umm, no. I'll lead. I got know a short cut from here. Let me lead OK?"

She heard talking again and then Justin's voice. "Listen, Lexia. I need to lead OK. We don't want you getting lost. The Orlando freeway can be quite tricky. Plus short cut? There is a McDonalds at every exit between here and Miami. So let me lead OK? OK? Lexia? OK?" Justin heard the phone line go dead and looked to his right to see a Silver Jeep pass him speeding wildly. Dani was hanging out of the window pointing, laughing, and sticking her tongue out at the guy's car.

Justin just stared in belief for a while as the Jeep got farther and farther ahead of them. He turned to Chris in the driver's seat. "No she just didn't." Justin turned back and pressed on the gas as the two bulky men in the back seat, groaned.

-------

"Welcome to McDonalds how may I help you?"

"I'd like a number three without cheese, super sized. Oh and a caramel Sunday without nuts."

"Dang girl that is a lot of food." Justin said from behind her

Scott giggled. "Yeah, you should see her at Thanksgiving."

"Shut up and order." She commanded her younger brother. He ordered and Alex paid for their food. The lady behind the counter placed two cups and two orders of fries on the tray. The fries were perfectly golden, hot and salty. Alex reached for a fry and brought it to her face. Before it got too close a hand grabbed her wrist and brought her hand to his face. Justin bit into the fry.

"Did you just eat my fry?" She glared.

"Uhh ohh. I'm going to go get our drinks Lex. Its just a fry don't kill him." With that Scott walked off.

"That's for passing me and making me drive like a maniac here." Justin smiled smugly.

Alex smiled back. "Well this..." She slapped his shoulder, hard. "Was for stealing my fry."

"This.." Justin pulled her hair, hard. "Was for hitting me."

"WELL THIS..." Alex took his wrist and twisted it. He had to contort his body so she wouldn't break it. She brought her mouth down to his ear and whispered. "This is for checking me out in Bebe. Let me ask you something Justin, did you like that slinky top and TIGHT pants, hummm?"

She giggled, releasing Justin and picked up her tray of food and walked away with a triumphant smile on her face.

Alex sat down and shortly after Scott sat down next to her. He handed her drink and she gave him his food. Justin sat down across from them in the booth with a smirk just as Alex took a sip of her drink and cringed.

"What the hell is this, Scott?"

"Your drink." He spoke innocently.

"It's a suicide. Man, Scott why do you have to be so immature." Alex rolled her eyes and grabbed her small container of ketchup. She looked up at Justin who was eyeing her suspiciously. She smiled secretively and squished the sides of the container so that the ketchup oozed over Scott's fries.

"ALEX!! You KNOW I hate ketchup!!" Scott looked at his fries and whimpered. "They're ruined."

Justin giggled slightly until two pairs of ice blue eyes glared at him. He cleared his throat and stuffed his burger in his mouth to keep from laughing.

"You know there is only one way to solve this." Scott spoke trying to salvage a clean fry.

Alex took a huge bite out of her Quarter Pounder. "You're right Scott. This calls for a competition." She spoke with her mouth full.

"What do you suggest?" He unwrapped his Big Mac and looked at Alex.

"OK. I got a plan. First to finish food, drink and everything. FRIES included."

Scott groaned at the thought of eating ketchup and added a part. "Then you have to throw all your trash away and go out to the playplace."

"Take off shoes and go through the course."

"First one down the slide and in the ball pit wins."

"Deal." Alex said and her and her brother shook on it.

"You guys are nuts." Justin looked at them crazy.

"No FAIR! You've eaten half your burger and I haven't started." Scott whined.

"SHUT UP. I got a sundae and you don't. You are such a baby." Alex groaned and looked up at Justin. "Will you do the honors?"

"Huh?" He asked.

"Count us down." The Smith siblings spoke simultaneously.

"Uhh OK." Justin put down his hamburger and cleared his throat. "Ready...set...." He paused and smiled at Alex, then winked. "GO!"

And the race started.

They were both stuffing their faces with food. Justin laughed when Scott squeezed his eyes tight as he ate the fries. He turned his attention to Alex and she was spooning her sundae into her mouth. She threw the spoon. It whirled past Justin and hit Dre on the head. Alex held the cup up to her mouth and banged on the bottom of the cup to get all the ice cream in her mouth. Before he knew it two tall black haired siblings were jumping out of the booth and over each other to make a beeline to the trashcans. They fought each other furiously.

Chris turned from the booth behind Justin. "What are they doing?"

Justin shook his head laughing. "Being brother and sister I guess."

Justin stood up to go see the finishing of the "race."

He went outside the to the play place and could hear the brother and sister fighting and cursing each other through the jungle gym. He looked down and saw the pile of their shoes at his feet. Scott came down the slide first but Alex pushed him and he landed on the ground. She ran ahead but Scott grabbed her pants leg and she almost toppled over. Somehow she managed to get free and jumped into the ball pit with Scott on her trail.

"I WON!" She exclaimed throwing the balls in the air.

Scott dove in after her and they started fighting and laughing.

"Uhh guys?" Justin asked. They didn't hear him. "HEY LEXIA! SCOTT!"

They still didn't answer him. Justin just shook his head at them. He looked into the ball pit and was about to say something else when he was hit in the forehead by a red rubber ball, hard.

Scott and Alex immediately stopped laughing. They stared at him in shock. Then Alex started to giggle. "Sorry."

"It's OK. But I thought I would tell you that the manager is looking out here suspiciously."

Alex giggled and threw another red ball, hitting Justin in the chest. "Lexia..." He warned.

"What are you going to do about it?" She threw another ball hitting his stomach.

"Hey man, I'd watch out if I were you. Alex has expert aim at umm, THAT area." Scott said cautiously.

"Scott I would NEVER do that!" Alex sarcastically said picking up a ball and tossing it at Justin. Before it hit him in THAT area, he dove him the pit and tackled Alex.

"Don't think about it, girl." He laughed.

Scott jumped on Alex as well. "AHHH, I'm being attacked by my brother and a popstar. HELPPP." Alex laughed as they tickled her and covered her in the pit.

A voice cleared and they all looked up to see a steaming nasty, greasy, 40 year old lady with the tag "manager" on her shirt, staring at them with her hands on her hips.

-----

"Thanks a lot Justin, I wasn't done with my sundae yet."

Justin rolled his eyes as Mike ushered him to the car. "For a 250 lb. 28 year old you act like a newborn." He turned his attention to the siblings behind him "What are you laughing at??"

"That was number 16!!!!" Alexandria yelled loudly in the air. She was holding on to Scott who was laughing just as hard.

"16?" Danielle questioned.

"That's the 16th McDonalds we've been kicked out of." Scott finally composed himself until Alex whispered something in his ear. He burst into laughter. "That's 24???? OHHHH we are awesome!!"

The slapped hands and Alex looked up at Justin who was giving them the strangest look. "That's the 24th restaurant the Smith's have ever been kicked out of. Gosh, we are awesome."

Alex and Scott turned around and admired the McDonalds they just got kicked out of and even waved to the manager who was staring at them.

"Justin, why can't we hang out with FUN people like Alex and Scott instead of those other losers part of Nsync?" Chris giggled and Justin shrugged.

"I don't know man. Hey, Mike why don't you take my car and you guys can just drop Chris and Dani off since they didn't drive to Lexia's and ME and Dre will go with them. K?" Justin threw his keys at Mike who caught them.

"That made NO sense Justin." Danielle giggled. Chris nudged her and made her get in Justin's car. "Wait a second!" Dani ran out and up to Alex whom she gave a hug. "It was great meeting you girl, you got my number right?"

"Oh yeah, you are now my official shopping buddy." Alex laughed.

"All right, later guys. Nice meeting you Scott." She waved and got into Justin's car and it soon pulled out of the McDonalds parking lot.

The 4 remaining piled into Alex's Jeep. Scott being in the front as usual. The car cranked and the sounds of Lionel Richie and Alabama came through the car. "DEEEEEEEPPPP RIVER WOMANNNN." Scott and Alex sang/yelled/giggled.

"Are they listening to what I THINK they are listening to?" Justin asked Dre trying not to laugh.

Dre nodded. "What a great song, hey turn it up Lex!"

"My pleasure." She smiled in the rear view mirror and caught Justin's crazy expression. "Come on, Justy Wusty, SING! You are the only professional in the car. Go for it. DEEEEPP RIVER WOMAN!!"

Before he knew it, Justin was quietly singing along with them as Dre laughed and laughed and Scott and Alex sang the song a little TOO loud, with all their heart and soul.

------

"Now you expect me to drive YOU home?" Dre asked as Alex pulled up to her apartment complex.

"Duh, how else am I supposed to get home. Mike has my car."

"Why did you do that? I mean, you could have drove." Dre rolled his eyes and Justin just smiled as Alex put her car in park.

"Well guys, I had fun today." Alex glowed stepping out of her car and shutting the door. While everyone else piled out she went to the back of the jeep and got out all of her and Scott's bags.

There were too many for only 2 people to carry and Justin smiled at the opportunity. "Here, let me help you guys. Dre you go ahead I'll be back in a minute."

Dre nodded knowingly and waved goodbye to them and went to his car.

"You didn't have to do that Justin." Alex smiled, speaking directly to Justin for the first time since the "Lionel Richie" incident.

"I wanted to." He grinned at Lexia. Scott groaned, "OK, middle-schoolers, can we please make it up the steps without you two DROOLING over each other, thank you."

Alex smiled at Justin not really hearing what Scott had to say. They were both just slowly sauntering their way up the steps to her apartment. Scott rolled his eyes. It was making him mad that Alex could seem hurt and confused by Justin then the next second stare at him like he was the gates of heaven.

"I had so much fun with you today, Lexia." Justin blushed slightly. They were now at her apartment door.

Scott grabbed her purse and found the keys and let himself into her apartment with a sigh. "FINALLY!" He yelled stomping through the door and plopping himself on the couch and flipping on Alex's CD player.

Justin and Alexandria remained outside the doorway.

"Well, here we are." He said shyly, not being able to think of anything to say.

"Yeah, here we are." She repeated in a whisper.

He began to stutter. "Umm, so..."

She blurted out. "Do you want to come to a party with me tonight. Scott will be there and its not many people. I think we are just watching movies or something."

He smiled the famous half smile. "I'd love to. I'll give you a call when I get back home."

"All right." She smiled and a familiar song came through the speakers of the stereo in her room.

Justin laughed slightly and looked her in the eyes. "You know, I use to hate this song, but I love it now."

"Huh?" Alex listened and could hear "Strong Enough" coming through her speakers. She smiled. "Oh yeah."

"And I can't help but remember that night, the coffee shop, your truck breaking down. I remember you cried when I was playing Brian McKnight. I remember walking you up here. I remember what happened right here..."

She saw the look in his eyes and was frightened by it. She cut him off. "Don't. Please, just don't make it any harder."

"I'm sorry." He bowed his head.

"It's OK." She smiled at him softly and he looked up and stepped closer. She couldn't move, couldn't breath. She didn't know what he was doing. And she didn't know how to respond.

Justin noticed her tense up and smiled to himself. He wasn't on a mission to try and make her feel awkward, but he knew what she was thinking. And while their bodies were reacting differently to it, they were thinking the same thing.

-I'm falling for him. -

-I'm falling for her. -

Alex sighed loudly, a little too loud when his soft lips came in contact with the naturally tan, smooth skin of her cheek. He rested his forehead on her temple. "I wish I could explain all this, Lexia. But I cant. I'll, uhh, give you a call when I get back." Justin pulled away slightly and looked back into her apartment. "By the way. You might not want to go back in there, Scott is about to get up and jump me I think."

Alex giggled slightly, trying to come out of her daze. Justin pulled away and looked at her before mouthing "bye" and walking down the hallway and disappearing down the steps.

She sighed with a childish smile on her face, before stepping backwards into her apartment, closing the door, and resting her forehead on it.

A voice from the couch finally yelled out. "WHAT WAS ALL THAT ABOUT?!"