Well seeing Justin’s mother again was…. awkward. I guess awkward isn’t exactly the right word. I’d say embarrassing would fit better; don’t you agree? I mean I completely freaked out when I saw her. I was taken back to that horrible afternoon when we first met—you know, after the bite. It’s like I had some sort of a panic attack or something. All I know is that I had to get out of that booth and away from that situation. Of course I wouldn’t be me if I hadn’t tripped and fallen out of the booth. I seriously hurt my knee—I don’t know what I did to it, but it still hurts one day after.  

On a more positive note, I’ve been getting along pretty great with Justin. I know, I’m just as surprised as you. Like he’s said, we were friends before and to be honest I’ve really missed him. His sense of humor I missed especially. I had forgotten how much fun he is to be around. It’s still a bit uncomfortable at times, but our relationship has defiantly improved. I can stand to be around him now.  

Speak of the devil, here he comes now. I’ve been waiting for Justin, the rest of Nsync, and their choreographer Wade Robinson, to show up for my very first dance lesson. I’m so not excited about this. I’m actually quite terrified.  I just know I’m going to make a fool out of myself. I can’t even get out of a booth without falling, what makes my mother think that I can learn how to dance? 

“Hey,” Justin greets casually, coming to sit next to me at the edge of the stage. “Have you been waiting long?” 

“About ten minutes. Where is everybody else?” 

He shrugs his shoulders and answers, “On their way?” 

I nod and nervously fidget with my fingers. As well as Justin and I have been getting along lately, we haven’t spent any of that time alone. Its been in group settings where we’ve had minimal interaction, but enough to notice a difference in attitude toward one another.  

We don’t speak for several minutes before… 

“Not to butt in,” Justin prompts, turning to look at my profile. “but how are you handling your mom getting married?” 

Ugh, he just had to bring up that didn’t he—out of everything he could have asked me he had to ask me that. I don’t want to think about it, let alone talk about it. I’m so sick of everyone asking me that and even when I tell them I’m okay with they don’t believe me and just won’t let it go. Too bad that’s the only answer I’m giving.  

“I’m not.” I surprise myself with such an honest answer. So much for the I’m okay with it answer.  

“You wanna talk about it?” 

I shake my head lowered head at him, unable to speak due to the threat of the inevitable tears that will fall if I try to. Though right now, what I want more than anything is spill out all my emotion on him. I don ‘t know what it is about Justin, but being around him makes me want to let down that wall I worked so hard to put up. I just don’t get it, I mean he’s the reason I put it up in the first place and without any real effort on his part I’m ready to tear it down myself.  

“I keep on telling everyone that if my mom’s happy, then I’m happy.” I laugh bitterly, the words rolling off my tongue without any real thought on my part. “I tell everyone that I’m fine with it, but I’m not.” 

I look over at him with tears glistening in my eyes. He’s staring back at me intently with a look of…not pity, but concern.  

“I should be, but I’m not.” I whisper, “I hate that she’s going to marry him.”  

“Is this because you’re afraid Steve’s going to replace your dad?” He asks tentatively. I’m sure he’s just waiting for me to flip out on him. I’m an emotional wreck these days.  

“No. I know that that can only happen if I let it. I learned that a long time ago.” I answer, referring to the important life lesson I learned through him those three long years ago. Isn’t it pathetic how I’m still whining over the same stuff as I was three years prior.  

“What is it then?” 

“I just don’t like how she acts when he’s around. I had no problems with my mom until she met him.” I sound like I’m talking about my daughter and her rebellious boyfriend, don’t I? “She never spends any time with me anymore, she pressures me into everything—most the time stuff I don’t want to do—and it just seems like she acts a whole lot more like my manager than my mother nowadays.” 

“I’m guessing you haven’t spoken to her about this?” He asks, though it comes out more as a statement than a question. He really knows me too well. 

“I don’t really know how to bring it up.” I shrug.  

“How about something like, ‘Mom, can we talk about you and Steve getting married?’” He laughs and I roll my eyes at him with a small smile. “Speaking of mom’s….” 

I groan at the mention of his mother. This conversation just keeps on getting better and better doesn’t it? From one problem to the next.  

“Does yours hate me even more then she did to begin with?”  

“My mom never hated you.” He answers firmly as if the idea of Lynn disliking me is laughable. “She barely knows you.” 

“Oh.” 

“She hates me more for what I did to you.” He adds softly after a few moments of silence. I turn to look at him and find he’s staring directly back at me with sincerity glowing through his eyes. For a moment I think I see tears forming in his eyes, but that moment is quickly shattered when four overly routing guys come bouncing onto the stage behind us.  

Both Justin and I quickly stand and put some distance between us as though we’ve just been caught with out hands in the cookie jar. Justin wipes at his eyes with the back of his hand so that I still can’t tell if I really saw what I think I did.  

“Let’s get to work.”   

~*~*~*~ 

I think Elli and I had a moment. She opened up to me and completely confided in me. It was awesome! I apologize if sound like a total dork right now, but I just can’t get over it. I can’t stop smiling actually. It’s so wonderful to have Elli back in my life again, I mean really back in my life. I think our relationship is finally starting to become a honest to goodness friendship again.  

“You need to loosen up Elli.” Wade groans in frustration. Elli sighs heavily and steps back from the microphone with her shoulders slumped. She’s been trying so hard today to loosen up and try to add a bit more flavor to her set, but it just really hasn’t been working. She’s incapable of relaxing while on stage.  

“I am loose.” She mumbles, her voice just barely audible. 

We were planning to start off by just showing her how to better interact with the audience and slowly work up to the dancing, but I think we’re gonna have to nix the dancing all together. I personally don’t think she needs to add dance to her set; her voice is the show.  

“If this is loose then I’d hate to see tense.” Lance whispers to me.  

“I’m tired and I don’t want to do this anymore.” She complains with a cute pout.  

“We just started!” JC exclaims with a slightly annoyed, half amused laugh.  

“I never wanted to start,” She boldly states, well that’s bold for her….err the old her…you know what I mean. “So I’m done.” 

She begins to stalk off the enormous stage with her arms crossed firmly over her chest and a pout firmly planted o her face.  Wade throws his hands up in the air and follows her.  We watch from center stage as Wade catches up to her and begins giving her what I’m sure is a motivational speech—he’s known for those.  That’s the funny thing about Wade, he’s either completely supportive and motivating or he’s bitching at you to get ass in gear.  Most of the time he’s bitching—at least with us. 

Elli’s standing in font of him staring at her feet and wringing her hands as he goes on and on.  I wish I could hear what he’s saying to her.  After about a two minutes they both finally come back over to join all of us who are now sitting scattered on the stage.  

“Let’s go guys,” Wade waves his hands at us before moving down to the very front of the stage.  Elli follows him obediently.  I guess she’s done for the day.  “Let’s start from the top.” 

With that said the music cues and we take our places and prepare to run through our entire set until we get it perfect. 

(4 ½ hours later…) 

“Stop!” Wade yells into his microphone, rubbing his right hand over his forehead in frustration.  “You guys need to lift up your legs more.” 

“Like this,” He prompts before demonstrating for us. “Let’s start again from the B section.” 

“I’m gonna friggin pass out,” Joey whispers before moving back to his mark.  We’re all exhausted, which is probably the reason we’re messing up these steps--of course Wade doesn't pick up this, never did.   

“Joey come out to your right a little bit,” He instructs.  My eyes shift to Elli’s who’s now sitting on the floor at Wade’s feet looking bored out of her mind.  When we started rehearsal she was standing up watching our every move with a slight smile on her face—she was interested.  I can’t blame her for being bored, I’m even bored.   

“Listen Joey, you’ve got to be down here,” He continues to a very frustrated Joey, pointing to a spot on the stage, “by the sixteenth bar.” 

Joey nods and we all wait for the music to cue yet again.  Wade counts off as we move to the steps we’ve all committed to memory.  

“And bop, bop, pop, and around, round, round, bop.  Yeah, lets try that again.” 

“Man, can we please take a break.” Chris whines and playfully throws himself on the floor. 

Thankfully Wade nods and turns to say something to Elli before leaving the area.  With a nod of her head and roll of her eyes she walks back around to the stage and over to our tired bodies sprawled over the floor.  

“I’m tired from just watching you guys.”  She comments with a sympathetic smile as she stares down at JC.  We all respond with simultaneous groans.  “You guys are going to have to get off the stage.  It’s my turn to rehearse.”  

“Don’t do it Elli!” Chris cries dramatically.  “Don’t do it! He’ll kill you!” 

He then pretends to die which sends Elli into a fit of laughter.  We all start to stand up, which takes a few moments seeing as how tired and sore we are and begin making our way off the stage.  

“Are you alright?” Elli asks as I start to pass her with one hand supporting my lower back and the other working at the sore muscles of my neck.  

“You get used to it.” I chuckle, “Wade likes to work us until we can’t move anymore.” 

“How are you going to perform if you can’t move?” She asks in complete honestly. She really looks worried-that makes me smile just a little bit.

“We’ll be okay by tomorrow.” I grin.  She smiles back and tells me to get some rest and that she’ll check on all of us when she’s done. She’s actually concerned about my well-being, who would have guessed.  

“Alright Elli,” Wade says walking up to Elli as I walk away. “Lets get started.”  

The poor girl has no idea what she’s gotten herself into.

TBC.....(Please Review!!)