Love Goes Through Many Faces
It starts in Georgia; El is living with her brother Tyler. Its a few days before her birthday and she gets a very special phone call from her other brother in Orlando.
"Hello" El answers
"Hiya Ellie!!!" the caller cries happily.
"Joshy!!! Ohmigosh!! Joshy I haven't talked to you for almost ever!! How are you, how's everybody else?!!" she says in one breath.
" I'm fine and so are all the guys, how are you soon-to-be-birthday… well woman I guess you're gonna be 21." Josh laughs
"UGH!! I Hate it here Tyler is a horrible parent!!! He gets rid of all my boyfriends, hell; he hardly lets me have friends. He doesn't trust me. He sucks; I so wish I coulda moved with you but ya the living on a bus or plane or in hotels touring around the planet constantly wouldn't be any better, now would it?
"Well you get used to it I guess, but it would be harder for you, since you still have school and everything."
"Ya but I'm going to be moving out soon, so imma move far away from here and I'll have my own place and tons of friends and tons of boyfriends." They both laugh.
"Where do you wanna move to Ellie?"
"Hmm… lets see since I miss my oldest brother so much I do think I will move to Orlando." She laughs "You wouldn't mind that would you?"
"Hell no, Ellie!! I'd love it in fact I'd love it so much that I'm inviting you out here for a while as one of your many birthday presents!" Josh exclaimed.
"Omigosh!!! You're so kidding me right?!! AHHH I love you so much Joshy!!! You're the best brother in the world!!! But, umm do you think I could bring a friend?"
"Ya sure of course, but you might want to warn her of Joe, coz soon as he finds out another girl is coming the first thing into his head will be 'fresh meat'."
"I will don't worry." She laughs
"Okay so you go tell Tyler I'm taking you away from him forever, call your friend and tell her to pack, and then you go pack, and then tomorrow a limo will pick you up, the tickets will be in the back, and you will be here tomorrow night."
"TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!" she squeals into the phone. "Geez' Joshy you sure don't waste anytime now do ya?"
"Not when it comes to my baby sister I don't"
"Hey Joshy! We're here." El calls from the front step.
"Hey!!! Come in the door's open!" Josh calls from inside.
"Umm ya my hands are kinda full right now!"
"Then put something down."
"No! Get off your lazy ass and open the door for us girls! Damn boy! I though momma and daddy taught you how to be a gentleman! Am I wrong or…" the door opens "what?" she finishes. "Joshy! Omigosh you look so different I missed you so much!!" they hug.
"Hey Ellie I missed you too! Are you going to introduce me to your friend??" he nods his head to the star struck girl behind El.
"Oh Ya Joshy meet Andie, Andie meet Josh, or JC as he's more widely know." Andie extends her hand, JC takes it and kisses it gently.
"Welcome, Andie, to our beautiful home." He smirks. He steps back so they can enter.
"Andie," El whispers to her "I forgot to tell you that my brother Joshy is in N Sync. Oops…my bad, eh?" El laughs.
"Uh huh.." Andie squeaks.
They walk into the living room and set their bags down. The rest of the guys are sitting around watching TV.
"So, I haven't seen y'all since forever ago, and no one even gets up to give me a hug. I'm kinda disappointed." El pouts. The guys finally notice her presence and jump up to hug her.
"Damn!" Justin says to himself "Lil Ellie sure grew up." Justin shakes his head to rid him of the nasty thoughts that just popped into his head. "C'mon man! She's your best friends baby sister, don't be thinkin that shit!"
"Hey Justy? Ya gonna give me a hug or what?" El says snapping him back into the real world.
"Oh, ya Baby Girl, What's up with you?" he walks over to give her a hug.
"Not much Justy Bear." She smiles. Justin goes into a daze.
"Okay people's how about we play Truth Or Dare just to break the ice and get to know each other a little better." Chris suggests. The guys all groan.
"Man you just want an excuse to play." JC says.
"Oh c'mon y'all it'll be fun." Says El, sitting down on the floor. Everyone reluctantly follows her lead.
"Okay, I'll go first." Says Chris "Okay El's friends truth or dare?" he asks Andie
"Umm t-t-truth." She stutters.
"Okay truth it is. Hmm" he thinks. " okay since you're new I'll go easy on you, what your full name?" Andie laughs quietly.
"Andrea Pamela Lynnburgh, but you can call me Andie." She replies confidently, feeling a little more at ease with the guys.
"Okay, Andie, your turn to ask someone."
"Okay." Andie turns to J.C. " Okay J.C. Truth or Dare?"
"Umm truth." He says
"Okay. Do you honestly have a girlfriend." She pauses "Or boyfriend." All the guys cry out.
"Ouch J.C ! Burned by your little sisters best friend, that's sad man, real sad." Lance says. JC sneers, and smacks Lance upside the head.
"No I do not have a girlfriend OR boyfriend." He says. Everyone laughs. "Okay my turn. Ellie… Truth or Dare." He says devilishly.
"Truth."
"Okay, who is your favourite N Sync member, aside from your wonderful brother of course." He lifts his eyebrow cockily.
"Haha, but no I don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings. So give me a dare."
"Okay you have to, run outside naked singing Pop." He laughs. The guys join in.
"No Joshy I am not doing that change one of the questions." El pleads.
"No way, little one ya gotta take one or the other."
"Choose the lesser of two evils Baby Girl, just tell us who ya like most it won't hurt us, we promise." Justin tells her. "Please be me, Please be me, Please be Me…"
"Okay y'all my fave N Stink member is…. Can I get a drum roll someone?" Chris imitates a drum roll. "Okay my fave member is…" she mutters her answer.
"Hey! We gotta hear ya, El!" Joey cries.
"Okay, okay. Joey." She bows her head in embarrassment. The guys start giving catcalls, and hooting.
"Wait to go Joey!"
"Ya baby!"
"Mmm mmm good!" Everyone laughs.
"Okay y'all my turn now. Lance truth or Dare?"
"Hmm…Dare."
"Okay I dare you to… sing Baby One More Time!" Everyone cracks up. Lance starts the song in his deep voice.
"Okay it's my turn now, Joey, Truth or Dare?"
"Dare." Joe sits back
"This is an easy one, I dare you to go give El a kiss…on the lips, open mouth. Tongue is optional." Joey smiles, and crawls over to El. She blushes a bright pink. They lean in to kiss. No one notices, but El slips her tongue just inside Joey's lips. They pull back, El winks at him, and he crawls back to his original spot.
"Okay I think I've had enough of this game!!" JC cries. "Out of all the things I've seen in my life, my baby sister making out with the biggest pimp in the world is the most disturbing!" He says as he leaves the room.
"Ya y'all I agree." Justin says standing up. Everyone shrugs, and go their own way. Andie and El head to their room to unpack.
"Ohmigosh!! Is he a good kisser? Did he give tongue? Does he kiss hard or soft? Damn could you tell if he… y'know liked it? Did you like it? Does he have soft lips, coz they look really soft. Did he take charge or did you? OHMIGOSH!! You have to tell me NOW!" Andie practically screamed once they shut the door.
"Calm down gurl. Damn! Could you ask anymore questions?" El laughs and falls back on the bed. "Oh GOD he is an amazing kisser!! It was real soft but had lots of pressure at the same time, and his lips!! Oh his lips are so soft. I loved it, and no I couldn't tell if he liked it. And yes he was in charge." She sighs closing her eyes to go back to the moment their lips touched.
"And… WELL?? Ya gonna tell me or what?!" Andie presses
"Tell You what?"
"Was there tongue, and if so, who's was it?"
"Well," El smiles, "There was a little tongue, and… it was mine." She smiles devilishly. Andie squeals in delight.
"Okay, gurl, you gotta calm down. Now which bed do you wanna sleep in?" El asks
"Your brother's…" Andie sighs dreamily.
"EW!! ANDIE!!! THAT'S MY BROTHER!!!"
"Yes I am, El, we've established that, you can get over it now!" JC calls from somewhere in the house. The girls erupt in giggles.
"Should I ask her out?" Joe says to himself back in his room. "Or shouldn't I? I mean she's JC's baby sister, and I mean she'll probably be leaving in like two weeks. But on the other hand I know she likes me, I know I like her, and she's the one who used her tongue, not me." Joey weighed his choices and consequences in his head. "I'm going to ask her out tomorrow."
"Morning boys!" El says cheerfully, sitting down at the table for breakfast. "What's for breakfast?"
"Well having it be your birthday, we decided that we should get your favourite breakfast." J.C says giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday Ellie." He says uncovering the platters laid out on the table to reveal French toast, chocolate milk, chocolate chip muffins, and bacon.
"Oh yummy thank y'all so much!!" El says digging in.
"Hey Baby Girl, when'd you get an accent?" Justin says from beside her
"Ya I don't remember any accent last time I saw ya." Lance chimes in
"Well y'know I was still pretty young last I saw y'all saw me, and didn't talk much so that would explain why y'all don't remember the accent. Why does it like irritate ya'll?? Would ya rather I talk like this?" She says turning hard core New Yorker.
"Hey New York accents aren't that bad, El." Joey says pointing his fork at her. She laughs.
"I suppose not, I mean Andie has a small accent." Andie walks down the stairs. "Speak of the devil, mornin' Andie." El says
"Happy Birthday Sunshine." Andie says yawning.
"Thank ya Doll." El says back. The guys pass quizzical looks around the table; the girls don't seem to notice.
"So, presents after breakfast sound good to you?" JC asks.
"Oohh!! Yupp!!" El smiles happily."
After breakfast, everyone piles into the already filled with presents living room.
"Oh, lordy, look at all these presents!!" El cries out plopping down in the middle of them all, and starts shaking boxes gently.
"You've gotta open mine first!" Andie says thrusting a box in her face.
"If you insist gurl." El laughs. She rips the paper of and opens the box excitedly. "Oh… gurl you didn't have to." She says holding up the slinky, shiny, knee length dress up. It was strapless, with a long slit up the front.
"Okay now you have to open my second gift!" Andie says thrusting another box at her.
"Oh, these have gotta be matching shoes! I can tell by the shape of the box!!" she cries tearing the box open. She holds up her brand new sparkling black shoes that will look perfect with the dress. "Omigosh! They're Steve Madden too! Thank you so much Andie!!!" El cries jumping up to give her a hug.
"Ha well I knew I had to get ya something good, after what you bought me for my birthday."
El finishes opening the rest of her presents, squealing every time a new object was revealed. She got a silver charm bracelet from Lance, a silver and ruby studded picture frame from Chris, a Hermese scarf from Justin, a heart shaped ruby pendant necklace from Joey, and bunch of GAP, Steve Madden, Bootlegger, Garage Clothing, Bluenotes, Stitches, Le Chateau, Suzy Sheer Gift Certificates, Diamond earrings, Diamond bracelet, Diamond necklace from Tyler her mom and her dad, and a set of keys from J.C.
"Hey Joshy, what are these for?" El asks holding up the keys.
"Come out side with me." JC smiles widely, obviously excited. El squeals and jumps up to catch up to him. The rest follow.
"OHMIGOSH!!! Joshy!! You didn't!!" El screams. Outside in the driveway sits a brand new ruby red Mercedes Benz SLK. "It's my dream car!! I can't believe it!!!" El runs over and Jumps on JC nearly knocking him over. "Thank You! Thank You so much!!! I love you! You're the best brother in the world!!" JC laughs.
"Well you're welcome Ellie, I knew you'd love it."
"Oh I do Joshy I do!!!!!!"
El continues squealing over her new car.
"Hmm…When should I ask her?" Joe asks himself.
"Ask who what?" Lance asks as he walks into the kitchen.
"Oh um…well I was thinkin bout askin' El out." Joe admits.
"Are you sure that's a good idea I mean she JC's little sister, he might freak out a bit."
"Ya maybe I should ask him if it's okay first, thanx Lansten."
"No prob."
"Hey Jace, can I ask you something." Joe asks knockin' on JC's bedroom door.
"Sure man, Come in"
"Ya okay this could be a little…well hard. Ya see I was thinkin maybe, if it's alright with you, maybe, just maybe, I could ask El out?"
"Well," JC sighs, "You are the biggest pimp I've ever met and you wanna date my sister? Man I've seen what you've done to girls, and you can be pretty bad. But it's her life and I can't tell her who she can and can't see but you can ask her. But respect her, and don't hurt her if things get deep."
"Thanks man, you're the coolest brother in the world." Joey laughs
"Ya I know."
"Andie man this car is amazing it has tan leather interior, a killer stereo system and damn! It is just gorgeous man we gotta go for a ride tomorrow. And-" someone knocks on the bedroom door.
"Can I come in?" Joe asks
"Yupp!" Says El
"Hi umm El could we talk?"
"Ya sure"
"Umm alone?"
"Oh right!" Andie says jumping out of the chair she was sitting in. "I'll just go and umm…do something. Bye." Andie silently squeals at El as she leaves the room.
"So, Joey what did you want to talk about?"
"Well, I know I don't know you that well anymore, and you're Jace's little sister and everything, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out? Like tonight maybe?"
"Wow...I mean like umm… wow." She blushes and looks down. "Umm hey sit down."
"Oohh, man you probably have a boyfriend, don't you? You're to gorgeous not to, man I'm sorry…" Joey starts to leave.
"Hey, No! Don't leave, I don't have a boyfriend, it's just like wow. One of the most famous guy's in the world is asking me out on a date and like wow… lordy I sound like a teenybopper…" Joey laughs
"No not by a long shot, they scream, a lot, very loudly." He smiles "So does that mean yes?"
"Oh yes, definitely a yes. But umm Joe?"
"Ya?"
"I take it you liked kissing me?"
"Ya I did."
"Well, would you mind doing it again?"
"El you're my kind of girl…"
"Chicky dish!" Andie begs once she's back in the room.
"Oh-my-GOD!" El cries flinging herself backwards on her bed.
"What happened!"
"Okay well…He Asked Me Out! Can you Believe That! Me! It's Amazing!"
"I take it you said yes?"
"Of Course I said yes! But Oh-My-GOD! He's AMAZING!"
"Why what'd he do!? Get down on one knee and ask you out!?"
"No way better!"
"Oh-my-GOD! You didn't! Did You?!"
"We just made out on my bed for awhile." She says squealing into a pillow.
"For how long!!?"
"Not a long time. Just like 10 minutes after you left to a minute before you came back."
"El, I've been downstairs for an HOUR!"
"You're Kidding! God! Time just flew by SO fast!"
"So what base?"
"Andie I don't kiss and tell!"
"Yes you do." El throws a pillow at her.
"Shut up!"
"So what are you going to wear?"
"Oh Shit…"
"Oh god Joey, this is like a dream come true. It's so beautiful here. It's breathtaking, it's so…
"Amazing?"
"Yes."
"It's nothing compared to you." Joey gently strokes El's cheek. They are lying on the beach. It's midnight and the sky is clear, every star is twinkling. Music from the stereo of Joey's car is lightly floating around them.
"You know exactly what to say and when to say it, don't you?" she smiles cuddling close into him.
"No, I guess I'm just lucky." El sighs and shivers. "Hey are you cold? We could leave if you want?
"I'm just a little cold, and I love it here to much to leave yet."
"Okay."
"You know, you could keep me warm." El whispers in his ear, lightly biting it.
"Oh Really, well I think I will."
"Morning people's." El yawns walkin downstairs
"Good Afternoon El." Lance says.
"Oh man, what time is it?
"Quarter after one, sunshine." Andie tells her
"Wow, man I was really tired."
"Ya I was too. Morning El." Joey whispers in her ear
"Morning." El kisses him
"So what are we doing today everyone?"
"Well it's so nice outside I was thinkin we can go out and lounge by the pool all day and have our servants bring us drinks." Andie giggles
"Hey, but we don't have any servants." Chris says.
"Well of course you don't silly," says El "You are the servants!"
"Oh well that's just BS!" exclaims Joey.
"Are you guys ever gonna jump in the pool? It's so nice in here!" Justin asks from the ledge of the pool.
"Justin we're trying to tan not get wet. We'll come in another time." Says El from a lounge chair. Her and Andie are tanning while the boys are swimming.
"Well fine then, to good to swim with N Sync are ya? Well I can fix that!" Justin climbs out of the pool.
"Justy Bear, what are you doing?" Justin starts walkin towards El. "Just, what are you doing?" he grins mischievously. "Justin no you are not! Justin get away from me!" He picks her up.
"What's wrong Baby Girl? Can't swim?" he laughs
"Justin Randall Timberlake you put me down right now!" she cries angrily
"If you say so." He drops her in the water.
"Justin I'mma kill you for that!" she says emerging from the water.
"Damn Baby Girl you're heavy!" he jokes
"Oh no now that's pushing it, get your white ass over here!"
"Oh you know you want me!" He taunts
"Whateva White Boy! You want me!" she giggles
"Oh ya?"
"Ya." Justin jumps in the pool and swims over to El.
"And if I do?" he asks softly, his nose just barely brushing hers.
"I'm a rub it in yo face!" she dunks him under water. He comes up.
"Aw now that hurts Girl." He puts a hand over his heart. "That hurts right here."
"Awe my poor Justy Bear, I was just kiddin'." She swims to him.
"Sucker!" he dunks her underwater. She comes up laughing.
"C'mere Justy, Truce?"
"Ya truce, I Love my Baby Girl." They hug.
"Well now wasn't that heart warming." Comments Chris. "Man I'm hungry, DINNER TIME!" everyone goes into the house while Joey and El stay behind.
"Well that was entertaining, if I didn't know any better I'd think you've got a crush on Justin." Joey says jokingly.
"No we're just real close friends, I mean I've known him almost as long as Joshy has. It was just some friendly flirting, just so I know I still got my skills." She jokes. Joey nods his head. "You're not mad are you sweetie? I doesn't mean anything, I swear." Joey smiles at her.
"What did you call me?" he asks
"Oh um sorry I just… like y'know it just kinda slipped out sorry, I won't say it again." She apologizes.
"No don't be sorry, I like it its sweet." He embraces her.
"Oh okay." She smiles snuggling into him.
"J.C! Wake up!" Andie cries bursting into his room the next morning.
"No." J.C says.
"J.C, it's El she not in our room, and there's no note, and her cell is still in our room, and I don't know where she is!"
"Did you check downstairs?"
"Ya and no one else is up yet and she's not there!"
"Maybe she's outside?"
"It's pouring rain out there!" J.C sits up.
"Are all the doors and windows locked?"
"All except the patio door! J.C where is she?!"
" Shit… umm just a minute I'll get dressed and find Lonnie."
"Hey Lon!" J.C calls across the yard to the big security guard at the end of the drive. "Have you seen my sister this morning?"
"No Why?"
"Well she's not in her room no note her cell is still here and we don't know where she is."
"Sorry man haven't seen her. Want me to get some of the guys to go check things out and look around?"
"Ya please man, thanks." J.C and Andie Head back to the house.
" Hey , what's with all the yelling?" the guys ask coming downstairs.
"El is gone." Andie says.
"What? Gone Where?" Justin asks alertly.
"We don't know, we got some of the guys out looking for her right now though." JC answers.
"Shouldn't we like be calling the police?" Justin asks.
"Only if she's been missing for 24 hours."
"Well isn't this different? I mean it could be some psycho fan who kidnapped her." Joe says.
"Well we'll find out, if there's no sign of her by noon we'll call them."
"Hey J.C Come here!" Lonnie calls through the intercom. Everyone jumps up from where they're sitting and runs out the door into the rain.
"El!" J. C Cries running to her." Oh God El get in the house come on." Everyone rushes her into the house and Andie helps her change into dry clothes. She is soaked completely through shivering and sneezing. Her lips have a purplish tint, and she is a ghostly white.
"God El what happened where were you!" Andie exclaims wrapping a blanket around her shoulders.
"Well I got up real early, so I decided I'd go for a jog, and I meant to leave a note I really did, but I guess I just forgot. But anyways I went jogging, and I guess I kinda got lost, and I was starting for the direction I figured home must be but it started pouring and there was no shelter anywhere and I had left my cell at home, so I couldn't call anyone. So I just started heading back here, and then Slim found me and took me back here."
"Oh El, You scared me." JC says pulling her into a bear hug.
"Ya you scared all of us El. " Lance says
"Oh guys I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to, I'll never do it again."
"Awe Baby Girl It's oky c'mere." Justin walks over to her and gives her a hug. "Damn she feels so good in my arms!" He thinks.
"Thanks Justy Bear." El smiles "Man he's so soft and warm and cuddly!" she thinks
"El I don't wanna leave you alone when you're sick." Joey says to El the next morning.
"Ya Ellie you're pretty sick, maybe we should cancel." J.C says to her
"Y'all (sneeze) worry way (sneeze) to much." El sneezes again.
"But listen to you you're all stuffy and you're sneezing and no offence Ellie but you look kinda bad."
"Listen I feel fine, I'll be fine I mean Justin's going to be home and y'all really have to go and I know how to take care of myself. So I have Justin and I have both your cell and pager numbers. So go and have fun, I'll talk to both of you when you get home."
"Bye Ellie." J.C hugs her.
"Bye El, and call me if you need anything, and I mean anything ok?" he kisses her forehead.
"Okay sweetie I will bye." Joey kisses her once again then walks out the door. El sneezes.
"Bless you." Justin walks in.
"Thanks." She smiles.
"So how are you feeling?"
"Oh terrible." She sighs leaning against the door.
"So, I take it 'oh I feel fine' was all an act?" he asks going to her side.
"Ya, well I had to get them out of the house somehow, and this way they shouldn't worry too much."
"Well ya J.C might worry a bit, but Joe was never one to worry specially about a girlfriend." Justin laughs then realizes what he said. "Oh um El sorry I didn't mean that, it was just a joke, and …sorry."
"Oh it's okay, don't worry about it. So what are you doing today?"
"Well my mom might stop by, but other than that I'm just gonna sit and watch T.V."
"Cool."
"Ya c'mon lets go sit down you look tired." Justin helps El to the couch. "Hey ya hungry Baby Girl?"
"Ya sure."
"What Would You Like?"
"A Bottle of cold pills."
"Funny." He comes out with a plate of Oreo's and two glasses of milk.
"Thanks." They eat in silence for a while.
"Justin is Joey really the player that the media makes him out to be?"
"Oh um El, I don't know what to say…"
"Well that's a yes…"
"Why are you asking?"
"Well it just seems that all we have is a…a physical attraction, we don't really talk a lot. Everything I know about him I learned through books and TV and magazines. And he only knows the stuff about me he's heard from you and J.C. I really don't think this relationship is going to go anywhere."
"Well um...El, I know Joey, and I don't want you to get hurt but you have to do what you think is right, and I can't tell you what that is, because that's what it sounds like you're asking me to do."
"Oh sorry." They eat in silence
"Could you turn the radio on, it's to quiet."
"Ya sure." O-Town's 'All or Nothing' is playing.
"Man too bad Lance wasn't here I'm sure he'd be singing along." El Laughs (NTR: Lance has made it well known that he looks down upon O-Town and Bands like them who have been put together by record companies.)
"Ya I'm sure he knows all the words." Justin scoffs
"Oh they're not that bad, I have their CD, some of they're songs are real good, kinda sounds like your early work." El teases. Justin sticks out his tongue and turns the station.
"Now this is good music." 'Back at One' by Brian McKnight is on.
"Wanna dance? I haven't danced with you in forever, I think last time was at JC's 18th birthday, right?"
"Ya," El nods, "And I'd love to dance with you." She stands up and he walks over to her. "Y'know Justin it'd be easier to dance if I could get closer." She points out.
"Oh well, um okay." He pulls her closer.
"See a lot better isn't it?"
"You have no idea." Justin thinks 'man she's real warm.'
"Hey Justin, do you think we could've ever, y'know gotten more serious?"
"What?"
"Well you know we got pretty close way back then, I was just wonderin' if we would have ever made it further? What do you think?"
"Well maybe but my travelling and you going to school, that would have been a major strain, I guess we were just better off having a long distance friendship instead of a long distance relationship."
"Ya." She sighs and snuggles into his Shoulder. "Justin, do you think it's kinda cold in here?"
"No why?" then he realizes she shivering a little.
"Cause I'm real cold."
"Come here sit down, I'll get you a blanket." he gets a blanket and wraps it around her then feels her forehead. "El you're burning up. I'll be back in a minute." Justin jogs into the kitchen and calls his mom.
"Hi Mama, it's Justin."
"Hi honey, what's up?"
"Mama you remember JC's little sister El right?"
"Little Ellie? Of course, why."
"Well she's staying with us for awhile and she's got a bad cold I guess and she's really burning up and I don't really know what to do."
"Ok well you just wait there hon and I'll be over in a couple of minutes."
"Kay, thanks mom talk to you soon."
"Hey El how are you doing?" he asks her returning to the living room.
"Cold, real cold and real tired."
"Okay well I called my mom and she'll be here soon and she'll know what to do okay?" El nods. "No wonder she was so warm when we were dancing she's got a fever." He thinks. There's a knock at the door.
"Justin I'm here." Lynn, his mom, calls.
"We're in the living room mom."
"Hi honey." She says to Justin. "Oh Ellie honey how are you feeling?"
"Cold and tired"
"Okay. Justin do you have a thermometer?"
"Ya just a minute I'll go get it." He runs up stairs and returns with a thermometer and hands it to his mom, who takes El's temperature.
"Oh my, 101 degrees. We have to get you cooled down. Do you have any rubbing alcohol?"
"Um ya why?" Justin's confused
"Just go get some and bring down a cloth or some cotton balls or something okay." Justin heads back upstairs once again and returns with the requested materials.
"Okay ma, what's this for?"
"Well you know how when you put rubbing alcohol on a cut? Well aside from the stinging it feels cool right? So we can use it to cool her down."
"Why wouldn't you just use ice?"
"The cool feeling doesn't last as long because she's so warm it evaporates quickly, so this is more effective now help me."
"Okay Justin if her temperature goes back up or if it's not back to normal by dinner time take her to the hospital okay?"
"I will thanks mom. Love you."
"Love you too dear, bye."
"Bye mom" Lynn, leaves
"Hey El." He sits down beside her. "Feeling any better?"
"Ya, thanks Justin." She sighs. "I'm still a little cold but not as much."
"Ya well if your still cold at dinner, come and tell me and I'll take your temperature. Cause if your temp goes back up or it won't go down I'll have to take you to the hospital. So you keep that temp down Baby Girl, okay?" she nods. "So where's Andie today?"
"We were supposed to go apartment hunting today, but I'm sick so I told her to go without me."
"Cool, so you're moving here."
"Ya we hope to, it's so nice here." Justin nods
"Well El how bout I help you upstairs and you can go sleep?"
"Thanks Justin you're so nice to be doing this for me."
"Well I can't just sit here and watch you be sick. I need you to get better."
"Why?"
"So I can teach you how to dance, coz Baby Girl you suck." He jokes
"I do not," she laughs and yawns.
"I know I'm just jokin c'mon let's get you upstairs."
"Hey people I'm home and I brought food!" JC calls. Andie, Chris, and Lance are already home but Joey was having dinner with some friends and wouldn't be back until tomorrow.
"Hey man!" Justin calls "Come here." JC walks into the living room where everyone except for El and Joey is.
"What's up?"
"Man El's pretty sick." Everyone else had already heard about it. "She had a fever of 101 earlier today, my mom came over though and we got it down a bit but gotta go check on her pretty soon, and if it's not normal we gotta take her to the hospital." Justin explains
"101? Man she didn't seem that sick this morning. I'll go check on her, is she in her room?"
"Ya last I checked she was sleeping." JC nods and heads upstairs to her room. He knocks softly, and walks in quietly.
"Hey are you awake Ellie?"
"Joshy?"
"Ya its me." He sits on her bed beside her. "How are you feeling?"
"Cold tired and hungry."
"Okay, well I'm going to take your temperature okay?" He takes her temperature. "Oh Ellie honey I'm going to get your jacket okay? I gotta take you to the hospital." He jogs downstairs, into the kitchen where everyone is eating. "Hey guys I gotta take El to the hospital her fever's back up to 101. Andie can you get her jacket and someone get my car."
"I will." Justin says. JC tosses his keys to him.
"You two, "he points to Chris and Lance who look worried" if Joey calls tell him we took El to the hospital, but don't mess with him and tell him some stupid lie okay? No jokes. We'll be back soon." JC Goes back upstairs, where Andie is helping El into her jacket.
'Okay kid, Justin's got the car waiting." Andie and JC help her down stairs and into JC's car.
"Hey Baby Girl thought you said you were gonna keep that temp down." El smiles
"Oops, my bad eh?" she says sleepily
When they get home it's already nine o'clock."
"Man I'm tired." El says
"Ya well then you go to bed okay, oh and don't forget to take your medicine." JC hugs her. The doctor had prescribed her some antibiotics after they finally got her temperature down to normal.
"Night, Joshy."
"Hey you need help upstairs?" Justin asks
"No but thanks for asking. Night Justin." She kisses his cheek "Thanks for makin me all better though." She smiles.
"Any time Baby Girl, sweet dreams." He hugs her.
"Justin." JC pulls him into a corner. "Man you still like her don't you?" he asks
"No man we, we're just friends that's all. I lost her heart back when she was in high school." He says sadly
"Ya man she was heartbroken, but that doesn't mean that you still don't like her."
"So what if I do? What's wrong with that, no offence man but she's gorgeous, and she's so nice she has a great personality, and-" JC cuts him off.
"Okay man I get it, but be careful."
"Hey you should know best that I would never ever hurt El." He says angrily
"I know man, calm down, I know, but she's with Joe right now, and as much as I'd rather it be you, don't do anything to break them up. That could cause a real war in this house, okay? So just wait and see what happens man."
"Ya, okay man, thanks." They do the 'homeboy' hug.
"Hey stop makin out in the corner you two!" Chris yells. Lance and Andie laugh.
"Funny, man real funny." JC sneers.
"Ya, ya, retard." Justin mutters and goes and sits down in the chair closest to the stairs. Andie gets up.
"Hey JC come with me." She whispers walking into the kitchen. JC trails behind her.
"Hey Andie what's up?"
"JC, I'm just going to get to the point. You're hot, smart, funny, sweet, nice, sincere, and caring. You are the perfect guy. Lets go out on a date sometime. I know I'm El's friend but y'know I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind. She's always telling me I can do better; I think you are the best thing in the world. What do you say?" she leans on the table
"Wow, you definitely know how to get to the point, and that is a wonderful quality in a women." Andie smiles. "And I think you're right. El won't mind a bit." He smiles. Andie approaches him.
"Come with me."
"Andie wake up." El says while making her bed "I had the coolest dream last night and I wanna tell you about it before I forget." There's no answer. "Hey Andie since when do you like sleepin' in" El goes over to her bed. She tosses the covers aside, but Andie's not there. "Oh so you're already downstairs, and I thought I was up early." She laughs to herself. She walks down stairs.
"Mornin Justin where's Andie."
"Morning El, she's not down here. How are you feeling?"
"I feel fine, I little stuffy, but I'll be better by the end of the week. What do you mean she's not down here? She's awake and I know she doesn't run in the morning, so she has to be down here."
"Well I've been down here since 6." He says "Worrying about you." He thinks "No one's been down here except for J.C."
"Oh okay Joshy's up this early? That's amazing. Well I'll go ask him if he's seen her. Thanks Justin."
"No prob Baby Girl." El walks upstairs and knocks on JC's door. There's no answer so she walks in.
"HOLY SHIT!" she cries and runs out in the hall. "God I Did Not Need To See That!" she yells.
"What are you yelling about?" Lance asks as him and Chris step out of their rooms into the hall.
"My Brother! Naked! With My Best Friend! Naked! Ewwey!!!!" Chris and Lance laugh as El freaks out Jumping around the hall, and Justin runs up the stairs.
"Hey what's wrong? Are you Ok?" He asks her.
"Man go into JC's Room." Chris tells him between laughs.
"Why? What the-" JC and Andie are getting dressed as quickly as they can. "JC man! Nice work." JC shoots him the bird. Justin goes back out in the hall.
"El, c'mon talk to me." He helps her off the floor where she was sitting with her head in her hands. They go into his room. "So are you mad because she's you friend or because he's you brother." He asks
"I'm not mad at them Justy Bear. I think it's wonderful that's she's finally found a good guy, unlike some of the dumbass' she's dated before. I'm just really grossed out that had to be the most disturbing thing I have ever seen. I'm gonna need therapy to get rid of that mental picture." Justin laughs
"Hey guys I'm home!" Joey calls from the door.
"Hey Joe." Chris walks out of the kitchen followed by Lance.
"Man you missed a whole lotta action." Lance says
"Ya? What happened?"
"Well first El got real sick and she had a fever of 101 so she had to go to the hospital for like three hours." Joey looks horrified
"Is she okay? Where is she?"
"Hey man we're not finished. Then this morning just like 10 minutes ago She walked in on Jace and Andie having sex." Chris tells. Joe laughs.
"Where is she?"
"Upstairs, with Justin. He's trying to calm her, I guess."
"Cool." Joe heads upstairs
"Hey Justin do you know if Joey called last night while we were gone?"
"Um ya, he didn't call." Justin says carefully.
"Oh okay." she says sadly.
"I'm sure he just didn't wanna be impolite and ignore his friends or maybe he couldn't get a signal."
"Ya you're probably right." She sounds unsure though.
"Hey El, there you are been lookin for ya." Joe says stepping in Justin's room. "Hey J." Justin waves. "C'mon babe." El half smiles.
"I'll talk to ya later Justy." El says
"Okay." El and Joey walk to his room.
"So how was your night?" El asks
"Oh man it was so much fun we partied till like 3 in the morning. We went to this crazy club and this wonderful Italian restaurant, I'm gonna have to take you there sometime." As Joey goes on about his night El just kinda sits on his bed and daydreams. "Hey El are you listening?" she snaps out of it.
"Oh sorry no, what were you saying? She smiles fakely.
"I was just saying this place has the best garlic bread, and that-" El cuts him off
"Hey Joe did you try calling last night at all?" she asks
"Oh no sorry I just kinda forgot, I was having such a good time. But hey that reminds me. The guys told me you had to go to the hospital?"
"Oh ya, I had a fever of 101. I'm on antibiotics right now. But what do you mean you just kinda forgot? You just kinda forgot about you girlfriend who was sitting at home in agony with a fever that could have caused some serious damage if Justin hadn't have been here. You just kinda forgot about me?" She asks angrily.
"Hey honey, come on." El looks away. "Hey I love you." El looks up
"You love me? How many girls have you said that to? Huh? All of them is my guess, what's yours? Y'know what I don't even want you to answer, coz you'll probably lie to me." She starts to walk out but he grabs her arm.
"Hey El come on I'm sorry I'm a terrible boyfriend, I know, but don't be distant lets work it out."
"Distant? You want Distant? I'LL GIVE YOU DISTANT!" she yells she runs down the stairs through the living room past the looks of wonder from Andie and the guys, down the driveway and across the street. Joey runs out side behind her and stops on the front porch. "DISTANT ENOUGH FOR YOU? YOU KNOW WHAT HOW BOUT I GO EVEN FARTHER? WILL THAT BE DISTANT ENOUGH FOR YOU?" she starts running down the street. "HOW'S THAT HUH?"
"El get back here!" he calls "Fine whatever I don't care I can find way better than you!" he yells.
"BY THE WAY I FAKED IT EVERYTIME!!!" she yells faintly in the distance. Joey walks in the house.
"Man what'd you do to her?" JC asks him angrily
"She's all pissed off about me not calling her last night"
"Well ya she should be man she was real sick you saw her before you left, you heard how she sounded. You should've at least checked in once to see how she was." Justin says angrily. Everyone else mumbles their agreement.
"Oh come on! Sorry if I forgot, I was just out having fun! Whatever she'll get over it."
"Joey you so don't know El." Andie says disgustedly.
"Man where'd she go?" Justin asks
"I don't know, she just started running down the street, she'll come back later."
"Man don't you remember what happened last time she went running? She still doesn't know her way around yet. She's only been here like 3 weeks." Justin stalks out the door in search of El.
"Oh he's such an asshole! What nerve he has to say he loves me, god he doesn't care about me one bit he just wanted a piece of ass. How stupid am I. I thought oh no it's just a media image he's so not like that for real. Man I shoulda known it was true." El raves to herself
"Known what was true?"
"Justin! Ohmigosh you scared me!"
"You mean you couldn't hear me on this thing? That's a first." He smiles acknowledging his motorcycle
"I was talking to myself, I kinda tune everything out when I do that."
"Okay, well hop on and I'll take you home, don't want you to get lost again."
"I don't want to go home just yet, I'm still venting."
"Okay well where would you like to go."
"Hmm I don't know, do you have any money on ya?"
"I got some cash and my plastic, why?"
"Well ya wanna go shopping? I mean if I buy anything I'll pay you back I promise, I don't have any cash on me it's all at home and I really don't wanna go back there until I've cooled off."
"Baby Girl don't worry about it, now hop on. We are going shopping!" El laughs and hops on behind Justin
"Girl, should I be getting scared?"
"Why?" El asks picking up another movie
"Well you're buying all these horror movies, are you trying to get ideas or something?" Justin asks. El laughs.
"No I just like these movies, they're fun to watch with a big group of people, specially when they're drunk." She laughs.
"And how would you know? You just turned twenty one."
"Oh come on we all know you were drinkin before you were of age, and besides I can party if I want to." She smiles
"Okay then." He laughs
"You know what Justy? I'm ready to go home."
"Hi, can I come in?" El says after knockin on Joey's door.
"If you promise not to yell at me then run away sure." He says not even looking away from his television.
"Um ya I promise."
"So what's up?" he turns off his TV
"Well we need to talk."
"Ya."
"Joey this isn't going to work."
"Ya think?"
"You know this would be a lot easier if you'd take it seriously."
"Sorry it's just my way of dealing with things I'll be serious."
"Okay so this isn't going to work, we don't have any connection, well except for a physical one, and we don't know anything really about each other. This relationship was based only on a physical attraction. And that's not what I want."
"Well what do you want El? You never know maybe I can give it to you."
"I really don't think so Joe. I want someone who will be serious but not like marriage serious, I don't want a playa. And let's face it Hon you're a playa." Joey nods "So ya see we can never work."
"Ya, but you know it was good while it lasted. But umm, El? Were you telling the truth when you said you faked it?" El laughs.
"Well sorta, I mean sometimes it was good , but uh your style just isn't for me." She replies walking out of his room
"Oh Man! You're kidding! What did I do wrong!?" he calls after her
"Ohmigosh it's movie time c'mon everyone we all have to watch the movie!" El calls everyone into the living room where she's turned off all the lights.
"El c'mon You know you can't watch horror movies in the dark." Andie tells her.
"Who said it's a horror?"
"Hell, you can't even watch comedies in the dark El c'mon turn on a light someone." JC says.
"Oh c'mon you can't watch a scary movie with a light on it just doesn't feel right." She whines
"Come on guys it's only a movie let her do what she wants or she'll just whine and complain about it for the rest of her life." Andie sighs, "Besides we can find a quiet place, and have some fun." She whispers in JC's ear. He kisses her cheek.
"Okay people who's gonna sit beside me?" El asks. Joey, Justin and Chris all groan. "Lance how bout you, since all these guys are buttheads." She sticks her tongue out at them.
"Wow that was mature." Chris teases. El wrinkles her nose at him
"Ya you should be talkin', so Lance you gonna sit with me?"
"Ya sure no reason not to." He sits beside her on the couch.
"Don't do it man ten minutes into the movie you're gonna wanna move but she's not gonna let you." Justin warns
"Well I don't wanna be alone I'll get scared." She pouts
"I'll stay here don't worry." Lance laughs.
"Yay!"
"Psst! Hey Chris." Lance whispers ten minutes later.
"What man I'm watching the movie?"
"Trade me spots please?"
"Hey man we warned you."
"Come on man, I umm I just have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."
"Fine man whatever."
"Hey, where'd Lance go?" El asks
"He went to the bathroom."
"Oh okay. Oh no! Chris is he gonna die?"
"I don't know El watch the movie."
"But it's too scary." she says snuggling into his shoulder and closing her eyes.
"Fine I'll tell you if he died when the movies over okay?"
"Mm Hmm." She mumbles sleepily.
"El hey El! Wake up the movie's over." Chris says gently shaking her awake.
"Wha-?" she mumbles waking up. "Oh Hi Chris where'd everyone go?"
"They all went to bed after they found out you were asleep."
"I was asleep?"
"Ya, you slept through most the movie."
"Oh, Chris did he die?"
"Who?" Chris laughs
"The guy."
"No he didn't die El. Hey how bout you go to bed it's pretty late."
"Are you going to bed?"
"Nah, I'm not real tired yet."
"Oh well, do you think you could walk me up to my room?"
"Why?"
"Well I'm kinda scared." She says bashfully.
"Of what? The killer? There is no killer El, now go to bed."
"I know but my imagination plays tricks on me, but please just walk me to my door then I'll be fine coz Andie will be there."
"Okay then. C'mon" they walk upstairs Chris going first. They get to her door.
"Thanks Chris."
"No problem El, good night."
"Night." she walks in her room and turns on the light. Andie's not there. She opens her door and goes back into the hall. "Chris!" she whispers loudly
"What!?" he whispers back.
"Andie's not in our room I think she's with JC.
"El come on you're twenty one years old you can sleep by yourself."
"But I'm real scared, please just stay for awhile. Please, pretty please with a peach on top?"
"It's supposed to be cherry."
"I know but I say a peach coz they're sweeter, like me." She smiles coyly
"I don't know why I'm doing this. Okay 'Peach' come on back to your room, but I'll stay no more then ten minutes."
"Oh thank you Chris you're so nice!" she hugs him
"So El what's been going on for the past" he thinks about it " six years of your life."
"Well that's quite a story."
"Well I got the time if you wanna tell it."
"Well it started when I was fourteen or fifteen, I kinda started to rebel. Drinking sex, bad crowds y'know. But then things got real bad, I got pregnant, my boyfriend skipped town as though nothing had happened, and I was left with my unborn baby. My parents said they'd help me through the pregnancy and would get me a tutor since I got kicked out of school for 'setting a bad example for the other students' they told me, and I if decided to keep the baby they'd help me out with baby sitting and teaching me how to take care of him or her. But I uh I miscarried. I was devastated. The doctors had said the drinking I had done had caused some minor liver damage but with having a baby it just put to much stress on me and my body couldn't take it. I tried to kill myself after that, so my parents decided that I should leave for awhile so I could get away from my so called friends, and I could go to school. There was a real good school for kids who had had a troubled past in Georgia. It wasn't a boot camp or anything like that, it was kinda like school / therapy thing. That's where I met Andie, she had come from New York; we became best friends. We were the odd ones out in the school we were the youngest. And most the kids there had only done minor stuff, y'know drinking, running away, nothing real serious. Andie and me were the baddest kids there. I had been pregnant, and she had done drugs. So once that ended me and Andie just planned to move somewhere where we could have fun. And then JC called a couple a days before my birthday and invited us out here and we decided that it would be our chance. A reason to get away, to get out of there and make it on our own. So now I'm here, having the best time of my life, and I mean that literally."
"Wow, that was… " Chris is speechless. El wipes a tear off her cheek. "Oh El I'm sorry." He pulls her into a hug. "You are such an amazing person, you have gone through a lot for your age and you have gotten on with your life and want to make something of yourself, that is a true inspiration." He rocks her while she cries on his shoulder.
"Oh Chris, when I lost my baby I cried for days and days. I tried to overdose on painkillers, but after I took them I freaked out and just started smashing stuff. It was late at night, and my parents had to rush me to the hospital and get my stomach pumped. It was terrible, I hated myself, I hated my boyfriend I hated my friends. But then I realized I just had to deal with it I had to forget all my so called friends, because they were never real friends anyway, I had to find a way to love myself again, so I wasn't hurt or angry when my parents told me that I was going to go away I was happy, I was relieved. After I graduated from there I felt so much better about myself. I learned from my mistakes and I got past them." El is silent for a while. "So do you still think I'm a peach?" she asks looking up at him.
"Of course I do." He smiles. El smiles back.
"Chris, would you think bad of me if I kissed you?"
"No not at all." El kisses him "Good."
"Morning Sun- oh my gosh…" Andie says walking into her and El's room the next morning and finding Chris and El in bed together.
"Mmm what?" El mumbles waking up "Oh hi Doll."
"El what's going on?"
"Oh um…" El wakes up fully "It's not what it looks like trust me, see my clothes are still on." She says getting out of bed.
"Hey peach what's going on?" Chris says rolling over "Oh umm Andie it's not what it looks like."
"So I've heard. El come on lets go talk." El and Andie go into JC's room.
"Is JC already up?" El asks
"Ya he went to get some breakfast, what's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? It's only been two weeks since you and Joey broke up and I find you in bed with Chris."
"Hey come on I was scared last night after the movie, and you know how I get, so I asked him to walk me to my room, I never planned on him staying, but I got there and you weren't there and I was scared to be alone so I asked Chris to stay and talk to me for awhile. So we got talking and he asked me about the past six years and you know how long a story that is, so I told that and I cried and stuff and then we just kinda fell asleep."
"Okay what else?"
"What do you mean what else?"
"Oh come on El, you know what I mean. Did anything else happen?"
"Well we kissed, just once or twice, and then we fell asleep."
"What's with this peach thing?"
"That's an inside joke."
"Okay then."
"Ya."
"Well girl you go shower, coz you smell."
"Ya okay but Andie?"
"Ya?"
"Just keep it on the down low for now, I don't know if anything is gonna happen okay?"
"Sure Sunshine anything for my girl."
"Thanks you're a doll."
"Hey who's up for some basketball?" Justin calls from out side.
"Oh me I haven't played you in forever!" El cries jumping up from the couch "Come on Chris let's play."
"Sure why not."
"Andie, Josh, Joey, Lance wanna play?" El asks
"No, I suck at basket ball. I'll watch." Lance says
"Hey we'll play." JC says
"Ya me too." Joey says. They walk out side.
"Okay Me Justin Joey, against Andie Josh, and Chris." El says taking the ball from Justin.
"Since when do you pick teams?" Justin asks taking the ball back
"Since I got the ball." El says grabbing it outta his hand.
"Man this has gotta be good." Lance says from the side referring to the fact that El chose to play against Chris, who as of two weeks ago is her boyfriend.
"Oh ya it will be I'mma play against my boy and I'mma kick his ass!" El says confidently.
"Oh don't be too sure, little girl." Chris challenges
"Actually Chris my Baby Girl got skills. "Justin says high fiving El.
"Oh ya. Let's get it ON!"
"El I can't believe you beat me! That so shoulda been a foul!" Chris exclaims
"Oh come on if you hadda grabbed me you would have won." She says grabbing a bottle of water for the both of them from the fridge.
"Well sorry for being a gentleman, I mean your brother was like right there." El laughs
"Well sometimes you just gotta be forward baby." she grins seductively.
"Really?"
"Hey wow! Not in the living room please!" JC says walking in on El and Chris making out on the couch.
"Sorry Joshy. So what's going on tonight?" El asks
"What do you mean what's going on?" he asks
"Well I've been here for almost 4 months an' I haven't gone clubbing once."
"So you want to go clubbing?"
"Ya how's bout it people." El asks everyone
"Meredith's got a concert tonight, I want to be there. Sorry" Lance says
"I'd Love to." Says Justin
"I got plans sorry." Says Joe
"Well we're free." Says JC about him and Andie
"Great, how bout it Baby? Wanna go clubbing with me?" she asks Chris
"I got a meeting real early tomorrow. Sorry Peachy I'll go another time." Chris says
"It's okay, don't worry about it." She kisses him on the cheek. "I'll just have fun without you." She teases.
"Damn, Joshy This Club Is Slammin!" El says over the blaring music.
"Ya we come here all the time." JC says. Nelly's Hot In Herre comes on.
"Oh Justin you have to come and dance with me I love this song." El says pulling him out of the booth.
"As if I had a choice." He laughs
"Are you going to be able to keep up with me?" El asks
"I think you need to be askin yourself that Baby Girl, I am a skilled dancer." El laughs
"Whateva you say darlin"
"Damn Girl where'd you learn to dance like that!." Justin cries walking back to their table with El.
"I don't know music videos I guess." She laughs
"Damn I wonder what Chris would think seeing you dance like that with me?"
"Well, he shouldn't mind I mean we're only friends."
"Ya, just friends." He agrees half-heartedly
"But y'know what would make us better friends?" she grins
"What?"
"If ya got me a drink at the bar."
"What would you like?" he asks
"Umm I don't know choose something you think I'd like, surprise me."
"Sure I'll be right back."
"Hey Ellie, I saw some of those moves you were pulling out there." JC says as him and Andie walk over to the table.
"Ya good aren't they?" she laughs
"Where the hell would you learn those kinda moves?"
"Same place I learned them." Andie laughs
"Oh so you can do that to?" JC asks. Andie nods. "Well then lets get dancin'!" he pulls her back onto the floor.
"Okay I'm Back." Justin says returning with two drinks in his hand.
"Oohh yay, what'd ya get me?" she says excitedly
"Calm down girl you sound like a brat on her birthday. Sides these are both for Me." he says taking a drink
"Oh Justy, c'mon hon please gimme a drink." She says sweetly
"Okay, I got you the house drink. It's a Baileys milk shake, I've heard they're real good. Thought you might like it."
"Oohh sounds yummy." She tries some "Oh Justin this is so yummy you have to try some." She hands him back the drink.
"Girl this is good." El takes another drink.
"Oh Jussy is jussa notha drink, I's not drunk yet." El giggles
"The key word there being 'yet', come on El I'm going to find JC and we're going to go home."
"Oohh car ride!" she claps excitedly
"Don't do that." He says grabbing her hands
"Hey Jace, man we gotta head out."
"Why?" JC asks walking over to Justin with Andie
"El's drunk."
"Oh Okay." JC laughs "We'll go get our jackets you take El to the car."
"El sit down in the back. There okay" Justin says helping El into the car
"Oh Justin." She says pulling him on top of her and kissing him.
"El…God El what are you doing?" he asks angrily getting off of her
"I was kissing you."
"Why?"
"Because I love you." She giggles
"Jesus Christ El!" he kicks a tire "Then why the hell aren't you going out with me and not those other guys?"
"Coz I was tryin to believe I didn't love you coz you don't love me coz you left me." She pouts happily
"But El I love you, I just didn't want to hurt you, you agreed that we should just be friends too." He waits for her to answer, but she doesn't. "El what are you-?" he looks in the back seat and sees that El is asleep. "Dammit El." He whispers
It starts in Georgia; El is living with her brother Tyler. Its a few days before her birthday and she gets a very special phone call from her other brother in Orlando.
"Hello" El answers
"Hiya Ellie!!!" the caller cries happily.
"Joshy!!! Ohmigosh!! Joshy I haven't talked to you for almost ever!! How are you, how's everybody else?!!" she says in one breath.
" I'm fine and so are all the guys, how are you soon-to-be-birthday… well woman I guess you're gonna be 21." Josh laughs
"UGH!! I Hate it here Tyler is a horrible parent!!! He gets rid of all my boyfriends, hell; he hardly lets me have friends. He doesn't trust me. He sucks; I so wish I coulda moved with you but ya the living on a bus or plane or in hotels touring around the planet constantly wouldn't be any better, now would it?
"Well you get used to it I guess, but it would be harder for you, since you still have school and everything."
"Ya but I'm going to be moving out soon, so imma move far away from here and I'll have my own place and tons of friends and tons of boyfriends." They both laugh.
"Where do you wanna move to Ellie?"
"Hmm… lets see since I miss my oldest brother so much I do think I will move to Orlando." She laughs "You wouldn't mind that would you?"
"Hell no, Ellie!! I'd love it in fact I'd love it so much that I'm inviting you out here for a while as one of your many birthday presents!" Josh exclaimed.
"Omigosh!!! You're so kidding me right?!! AHHH I love you so much Joshy!!! You're the best brother in the world!!! But, umm do you think I could bring a friend?"
"Ya sure of course, but you might want to warn her of Joe, coz soon as he finds out another girl is coming the first thing into his head will be 'fresh meat'."
"I will don't worry." She laughs
"Okay so you go tell Tyler I'm taking you away from him forever, call your friend and tell her to pack, and then you go pack, and then tomorrow a limo will pick you up, the tickets will be in the back, and you will be here tomorrow night."
"TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!" she squeals into the phone. "Geez' Joshy you sure don't waste anytime now do ya?"
"Not when it comes to my baby sister I don't"
"Hey Joshy! We're here." El calls from the front step.
"Hey!!! Come in the door's open!" Josh calls from inside.
"Umm ya my hands are kinda full right now!"
"Then put something down."
"No! Get off your lazy ass and open the door for us girls! Damn boy! I though momma and daddy taught you how to be a gentleman! Am I wrong or…" the door opens "what?" she finishes. "Joshy! Omigosh you look so different I missed you so much!!" they hug.
"Hey Ellie I missed you too! Are you going to introduce me to your friend??" he nods his head to the star struck girl behind El.
"Oh Ya Joshy meet Andie, Andie meet Josh, or JC as he's more widely know." Andie extends her hand, JC takes it and kisses it gently.
"Welcome, Andie, to our beautiful home." He smirks. He steps back so they can enter.
"Andie," El whispers to her "I forgot to tell you that my brother Joshy is in N Sync. Oops…my bad, eh?" El laughs.
"Uh huh.." Andie squeaks.
They walk into the living room and set their bags down. The rest of the guys are sitting around watching TV.
"So, I haven't seen y'all since forever ago, and no one even gets up to give me a hug. I'm kinda disappointed." El pouts. The guys finally notice her presence and jump up to hug her.
"Damn!" Justin says to himself "Lil Ellie sure grew up." Justin shakes his head to rid him of the nasty thoughts that just popped into his head. "C'mon man! She's your best friends baby sister, don't be thinkin that shit!"
"Hey Justy? Ya gonna give me a hug or what?" El says snapping him back into the real world.
"Oh, ya Baby Girl, What's up with you?" he walks over to give her a hug.
"Not much Justy Bear." She smiles. Justin goes into a daze.
"Okay people's how about we play Truth Or Dare just to break the ice and get to know each other a little better." Chris suggests. The guys all groan.
"Man you just want an excuse to play." JC says.
"Oh c'mon y'all it'll be fun." Says El, sitting down on the floor. Everyone reluctantly follows her lead.
"Okay, I'll go first." Says Chris "Okay El's friends truth or dare?" he asks Andie
"Umm t-t-truth." She stutters.
"Okay truth it is. Hmm" he thinks. " okay since you're new I'll go easy on you, what your full name?" Andie laughs quietly.
"Andrea Pamela Lynnburgh, but you can call me Andie." She replies confidently, feeling a little more at ease with the guys.
"Okay, Andie, your turn to ask someone."
"Okay." Andie turns to J.C. " Okay J.C. Truth or Dare?"
"Umm truth." He says
"Okay. Do you honestly have a girlfriend." She pauses "Or boyfriend." All the guys cry out.
"Ouch J.C ! Burned by your little sisters best friend, that's sad man, real sad." Lance says. JC sneers, and smacks Lance upside the head.
"No I do not have a girlfriend OR boyfriend." He says. Everyone laughs. "Okay my turn. Ellie… Truth or Dare." He says devilishly.
"Truth."
"Okay, who is your favourite N Sync member, aside from your wonderful brother of course." He lifts his eyebrow cockily.
"Haha, but no I don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings. So give me a dare."
"Okay you have to, run outside naked singing Pop." He laughs. The guys join in.
"No Joshy I am not doing that change one of the questions." El pleads.
"No way, little one ya gotta take one or the other."
"Choose the lesser of two evils Baby Girl, just tell us who ya like most it won't hurt us, we promise." Justin tells her. "Please be me, Please be me, Please be Me…"
"Okay y'all my fave N Stink member is…. Can I get a drum roll someone?" Chris imitates a drum roll. "Okay my fave member is…" she mutters her answer.
"Hey! We gotta hear ya, El!" Joey cries.
"Okay, okay. Joey." She bows her head in embarrassment. The guys start giving catcalls, and hooting.
"Wait to go Joey!"
"Ya baby!"
"Mmm mmm good!" Everyone laughs.
"Okay y'all my turn now. Lance truth or Dare?"
"Hmm…Dare."
"Okay I dare you to… sing Baby One More Time!" Everyone cracks up. Lance starts the song in his deep voice.
"Okay it's my turn now, Joey, Truth or Dare?"
"Dare." Joe sits back
"This is an easy one, I dare you to go give El a kiss…on the lips, open mouth. Tongue is optional." Joey smiles, and crawls over to El. She blushes a bright pink. They lean in to kiss. No one notices, but El slips her tongue just inside Joey's lips. They pull back, El winks at him, and he crawls back to his original spot.
"Okay I think I've had enough of this game!!" JC cries. "Out of all the things I've seen in my life, my baby sister making out with the biggest pimp in the world is the most disturbing!" He says as he leaves the room.
"Ya y'all I agree." Justin says standing up. Everyone shrugs, and go their own way. Andie and El head to their room to unpack.
"Ohmigosh!! Is he a good kisser? Did he give tongue? Does he kiss hard or soft? Damn could you tell if he… y'know liked it? Did you like it? Does he have soft lips, coz they look really soft. Did he take charge or did you? OHMIGOSH!! You have to tell me NOW!" Andie practically screamed once they shut the door.
"Calm down gurl. Damn! Could you ask anymore questions?" El laughs and falls back on the bed. "Oh GOD he is an amazing kisser!! It was real soft but had lots of pressure at the same time, and his lips!! Oh his lips are so soft. I loved it, and no I couldn't tell if he liked it. And yes he was in charge." She sighs closing her eyes to go back to the moment their lips touched.
"And… WELL?? Ya gonna tell me or what?!" Andie presses
"Tell You what?"
"Was there tongue, and if so, who's was it?"
"Well," El smiles, "There was a little tongue, and… it was mine." She smiles devilishly. Andie squeals in delight.
"Okay, gurl, you gotta calm down. Now which bed do you wanna sleep in?" El asks
"Your brother's…" Andie sighs dreamily.
"EW!! ANDIE!!! THAT'S MY BROTHER!!!"
"Yes I am, El, we've established that, you can get over it now!" JC calls from somewhere in the house. The girls erupt in giggles.
"Should I ask her out?" Joe says to himself back in his room. "Or shouldn't I? I mean she's JC's baby sister, and I mean she'll probably be leaving in like two weeks. But on the other hand I know she likes me, I know I like her, and she's the one who used her tongue, not me." Joey weighed his choices and consequences in his head. "I'm going to ask her out tomorrow."
"Morning boys!" El says cheerfully, sitting down at the table for breakfast. "What's for breakfast?"
"Well having it be your birthday, we decided that we should get your favourite breakfast." J.C says giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday Ellie." He says uncovering the platters laid out on the table to reveal French toast, chocolate milk, chocolate chip muffins, and bacon.
"Oh yummy thank y'all so much!!" El says digging in.
"Hey Baby Girl, when'd you get an accent?" Justin says from beside her
"Ya I don't remember any accent last time I saw ya." Lance chimes in
"Well y'know I was still pretty young last I saw y'all saw me, and didn't talk much so that would explain why y'all don't remember the accent. Why does it like irritate ya'll?? Would ya rather I talk like this?" She says turning hard core New Yorker.
"Hey New York accents aren't that bad, El." Joey says pointing his fork at her. She laughs.
"I suppose not, I mean Andie has a small accent." Andie walks down the stairs. "Speak of the devil, mornin' Andie." El says
"Happy Birthday Sunshine." Andie says yawning.
"Thank ya Doll." El says back. The guys pass quizzical looks around the table; the girls don't seem to notice.
"So, presents after breakfast sound good to you?" JC asks.
"Oohh!! Yupp!!" El smiles happily."
After breakfast, everyone piles into the already filled with presents living room.
"Oh, lordy, look at all these presents!!" El cries out plopping down in the middle of them all, and starts shaking boxes gently.
"You've gotta open mine first!" Andie says thrusting a box in her face.
"If you insist gurl." El laughs. She rips the paper of and opens the box excitedly. "Oh… gurl you didn't have to." She says holding up the slinky, shiny, knee length dress up. It was strapless, with a long slit up the front.
"Okay now you have to open my second gift!" Andie says thrusting another box at her.
"Oh, these have gotta be matching shoes! I can tell by the shape of the box!!" she cries tearing the box open. She holds up her brand new sparkling black shoes that will look perfect with the dress. "Omigosh! They're Steve Madden too! Thank you so much Andie!!!" El cries jumping up to give her a hug.
"Ha well I knew I had to get ya something good, after what you bought me for my birthday."
El finishes opening the rest of her presents, squealing every time a new object was revealed. She got a silver charm bracelet from Lance, a silver and ruby studded picture frame from Chris, a Hermese scarf from Justin, a heart shaped ruby pendant necklace from Joey, and bunch of GAP, Steve Madden, Bootlegger, Garage Clothing, Bluenotes, Stitches, Le Chateau, Suzy Sheer Gift Certificates, Diamond earrings, Diamond bracelet, Diamond necklace from Tyler her mom and her dad, and a set of keys from J.C.
"Hey Joshy, what are these for?" El asks holding up the keys.
"Come out side with me." JC smiles widely, obviously excited. El squeals and jumps up to catch up to him. The rest follow.
"OHMIGOSH!!! Joshy!! You didn't!!" El screams. Outside in the driveway sits a brand new ruby red Mercedes Benz SLK. "It's my dream car!! I can't believe it!!!" El runs over and Jumps on JC nearly knocking him over. "Thank You! Thank You so much!!! I love you! You're the best brother in the world!!" JC laughs.
"Well you're welcome Ellie, I knew you'd love it."
"Oh I do Joshy I do!!!!!!"
El continues squealing over her new car.
"Hmm…When should I ask her?" Joe asks himself.
"Ask who what?" Lance asks as he walks into the kitchen.
"Oh um…well I was thinkin bout askin' El out." Joe admits.
"Are you sure that's a good idea I mean she JC's little sister, he might freak out a bit."
"Ya maybe I should ask him if it's okay first, thanx Lansten."
"No prob."
"Hey Jace, can I ask you something." Joe asks knockin' on JC's bedroom door.
"Sure man, Come in"
"Ya okay this could be a little…well hard. Ya see I was thinkin maybe, if it's alright with you, maybe, just maybe, I could ask El out?"
"Well," JC sighs, "You are the biggest pimp I've ever met and you wanna date my sister? Man I've seen what you've done to girls, and you can be pretty bad. But it's her life and I can't tell her who she can and can't see but you can ask her. But respect her, and don't hurt her if things get deep."
"Thanks man, you're the coolest brother in the world." Joey laughs
"Ya I know."
"Andie man this car is amazing it has tan leather interior, a killer stereo system and damn! It is just gorgeous man we gotta go for a ride tomorrow. And-" someone knocks on the bedroom door.
"Can I come in?" Joe asks
"Yupp!" Says El
"Hi umm El could we talk?"
"Ya sure"
"Umm alone?"
"Oh right!" Andie says jumping out of the chair she was sitting in. "I'll just go and umm…do something. Bye." Andie silently squeals at El as she leaves the room.
"So, Joey what did you want to talk about?"
"Well, I know I don't know you that well anymore, and you're Jace's little sister and everything, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out? Like tonight maybe?"
"Wow...I mean like umm… wow." She blushes and looks down. "Umm hey sit down."
"Oohh, man you probably have a boyfriend, don't you? You're to gorgeous not to, man I'm sorry…" Joey starts to leave.
"Hey, No! Don't leave, I don't have a boyfriend, it's just like wow. One of the most famous guy's in the world is asking me out on a date and like wow… lordy I sound like a teenybopper…" Joey laughs
"No not by a long shot, they scream, a lot, very loudly." He smiles "So does that mean yes?"
"Oh yes, definitely a yes. But umm Joe?"
"Ya?"
"I take it you liked kissing me?"
"Ya I did."
"Well, would you mind doing it again?"
"El you're my kind of girl…"
"Chicky dish!" Andie begs once she's back in the room.
"Oh-my-GOD!" El cries flinging herself backwards on her bed.
"What happened!"
"Okay well…He Asked Me Out! Can you Believe That! Me! It's Amazing!"
"I take it you said yes?"
"Of Course I said yes! But Oh-My-GOD! He's AMAZING!"
"Why what'd he do!? Get down on one knee and ask you out!?"
"No way better!"
"Oh-my-GOD! You didn't! Did You?!"
"We just made out on my bed for awhile." She says squealing into a pillow.
"For how long!!?"
"Not a long time. Just like 10 minutes after you left to a minute before you came back."
"El, I've been downstairs for an HOUR!"
"You're Kidding! God! Time just flew by SO fast!"
"So what base?"
"Andie I don't kiss and tell!"
"Yes you do." El throws a pillow at her.
"Shut up!"
"So what are you going to wear?"
"Oh Shit…"
"Oh god Joey, this is like a dream come true. It's so beautiful here. It's breathtaking, it's so…
"Amazing?"
"Yes."
"It's nothing compared to you." Joey gently strokes El's cheek. They are lying on the beach. It's midnight and the sky is clear, every star is twinkling. Music from the stereo of Joey's car is lightly floating around them.
"You know exactly what to say and when to say it, don't you?" she smiles cuddling close into him.
"No, I guess I'm just lucky." El sighs and shivers. "Hey are you cold? We could leave if you want?
"I'm just a little cold, and I love it here to much to leave yet."
"Okay."
"You know, you could keep me warm." El whispers in his ear, lightly biting it.
"Oh Really, well I think I will."
"Morning people's." El yawns walkin downstairs
"Good Afternoon El." Lance says.
"Oh man, what time is it?
"Quarter after one, sunshine." Andie tells her
"Wow, man I was really tired."
"Ya I was too. Morning El." Joey whispers in her ear
"Morning." El kisses him
"So what are we doing today everyone?"
"Well it's so nice outside I was thinkin we can go out and lounge by the pool all day and have our servants bring us drinks." Andie giggles
"Hey, but we don't have any servants." Chris says.
"Well of course you don't silly," says El "You are the servants!"
"Oh well that's just BS!" exclaims Joey.
"Are you guys ever gonna jump in the pool? It's so nice in here!" Justin asks from the ledge of the pool.
"Justin we're trying to tan not get wet. We'll come in another time." Says El from a lounge chair. Her and Andie are tanning while the boys are swimming.
"Well fine then, to good to swim with N Sync are ya? Well I can fix that!" Justin climbs out of the pool.
"Justy Bear, what are you doing?" Justin starts walkin towards El. "Just, what are you doing?" he grins mischievously. "Justin no you are not! Justin get away from me!" He picks her up.
"What's wrong Baby Girl? Can't swim?" he laughs
"Justin Randall Timberlake you put me down right now!" she cries angrily
"If you say so." He drops her in the water.
"Justin I'mma kill you for that!" she says emerging from the water.
"Damn Baby Girl you're heavy!" he jokes
"Oh no now that's pushing it, get your white ass over here!"
"Oh you know you want me!" He taunts
"Whateva White Boy! You want me!" she giggles
"Oh ya?"
"Ya." Justin jumps in the pool and swims over to El.
"And if I do?" he asks softly, his nose just barely brushing hers.
"I'm a rub it in yo face!" she dunks him under water. He comes up.
"Aw now that hurts Girl." He puts a hand over his heart. "That hurts right here."
"Awe my poor Justy Bear, I was just kiddin'." She swims to him.
"Sucker!" he dunks her underwater. She comes up laughing.
"C'mere Justy, Truce?"
"Ya truce, I Love my Baby Girl." They hug.
"Well now wasn't that heart warming." Comments Chris. "Man I'm hungry, DINNER TIME!" everyone goes into the house while Joey and El stay behind.
"Well that was entertaining, if I didn't know any better I'd think you've got a crush on Justin." Joey says jokingly.
"No we're just real close friends, I mean I've known him almost as long as Joshy has. It was just some friendly flirting, just so I know I still got my skills." She jokes. Joey nods his head. "You're not mad are you sweetie? I doesn't mean anything, I swear." Joey smiles at her.
"What did you call me?" he asks
"Oh um sorry I just… like y'know it just kinda slipped out sorry, I won't say it again." She apologizes.
"No don't be sorry, I like it its sweet." He embraces her.
"Oh okay." She smiles snuggling into him.
"J.C! Wake up!" Andie cries bursting into his room the next morning.
"No." J.C says.
"J.C, it's El she not in our room, and there's no note, and her cell is still in our room, and I don't know where she is!"
"Did you check downstairs?"
"Ya and no one else is up yet and she's not there!"
"Maybe she's outside?"
"It's pouring rain out there!" J.C sits up.
"Are all the doors and windows locked?"
"All except the patio door! J.C where is she?!"
" Shit… umm just a minute I'll get dressed and find Lonnie."
"Hey Lon!" J.C calls across the yard to the big security guard at the end of the drive. "Have you seen my sister this morning?"
"No Why?"
"Well she's not in her room no note her cell is still here and we don't know where she is."
"Sorry man haven't seen her. Want me to get some of the guys to go check things out and look around?"
"Ya please man, thanks." J.C and Andie Head back to the house.
" Hey , what's with all the yelling?" the guys ask coming downstairs.
"El is gone." Andie says.
"What? Gone Where?" Justin asks alertly.
"We don't know, we got some of the guys out looking for her right now though." JC answers.
"Shouldn't we like be calling the police?" Justin asks.
"Only if she's been missing for 24 hours."
"Well isn't this different? I mean it could be some psycho fan who kidnapped her." Joe says.
"Well we'll find out, if there's no sign of her by noon we'll call them."
"Hey J.C Come here!" Lonnie calls through the intercom. Everyone jumps up from where they're sitting and runs out the door into the rain.
"El!" J. C Cries running to her." Oh God El get in the house come on." Everyone rushes her into the house and Andie helps her change into dry clothes. She is soaked completely through shivering and sneezing. Her lips have a purplish tint, and she is a ghostly white.
"God El what happened where were you!" Andie exclaims wrapping a blanket around her shoulders.
"Well I got up real early, so I decided I'd go for a jog, and I meant to leave a note I really did, but I guess I just forgot. But anyways I went jogging, and I guess I kinda got lost, and I was starting for the direction I figured home must be but it started pouring and there was no shelter anywhere and I had left my cell at home, so I couldn't call anyone. So I just started heading back here, and then Slim found me and took me back here."
"Oh El, You scared me." JC says pulling her into a bear hug.
"Ya you scared all of us El. " Lance says
"Oh guys I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to, I'll never do it again."
"Awe Baby Girl It's oky c'mere." Justin walks over to her and gives her a hug. "Damn she feels so good in my arms!" He thinks.
"Thanks Justy Bear." El smiles "Man he's so soft and warm and cuddly!" she thinks
"El I don't wanna leave you alone when you're sick." Joey says to El the next morning.
"Ya Ellie you're pretty sick, maybe we should cancel." J.C says to her
"Y'all (sneeze) worry way (sneeze) to much." El sneezes again.
"But listen to you you're all stuffy and you're sneezing and no offence Ellie but you look kinda bad."
"Listen I feel fine, I'll be fine I mean Justin's going to be home and y'all really have to go and I know how to take care of myself. So I have Justin and I have both your cell and pager numbers. So go and have fun, I'll talk to both of you when you get home."
"Bye Ellie." J.C hugs her.
"Bye El, and call me if you need anything, and I mean anything ok?" he kisses her forehead.
"Okay sweetie I will bye." Joey kisses her once again then walks out the door. El sneezes.
"Bless you." Justin walks in.
"Thanks." She smiles.
"So how are you feeling?"
"Oh terrible." She sighs leaning against the door.
"So, I take it 'oh I feel fine' was all an act?" he asks going to her side.
"Ya, well I had to get them out of the house somehow, and this way they shouldn't worry too much."
"Well ya J.C might worry a bit, but Joe was never one to worry specially about a girlfriend." Justin laughs then realizes what he said. "Oh um El sorry I didn't mean that, it was just a joke, and …sorry."
"Oh it's okay, don't worry about it. So what are you doing today?"
"Well my mom might stop by, but other than that I'm just gonna sit and watch T.V."
"Cool."
"Ya c'mon lets go sit down you look tired." Justin helps El to the couch. "Hey ya hungry Baby Girl?"
"Ya sure."
"What Would You Like?"
"A Bottle of cold pills."
"Funny." He comes out with a plate of Oreo's and two glasses of milk.
"Thanks." They eat in silence for a while.
"Justin is Joey really the player that the media makes him out to be?"
"Oh um El, I don't know what to say…"
"Well that's a yes…"
"Why are you asking?"
"Well it just seems that all we have is a…a physical attraction, we don't really talk a lot. Everything I know about him I learned through books and TV and magazines. And he only knows the stuff about me he's heard from you and J.C. I really don't think this relationship is going to go anywhere."
"Well um...El, I know Joey, and I don't want you to get hurt but you have to do what you think is right, and I can't tell you what that is, because that's what it sounds like you're asking me to do."
"Oh sorry." They eat in silence
"Could you turn the radio on, it's to quiet."
"Ya sure." O-Town's 'All or Nothing' is playing.
"Man too bad Lance wasn't here I'm sure he'd be singing along." El Laughs (NTR: Lance has made it well known that he looks down upon O-Town and Bands like them who have been put together by record companies.)
"Ya I'm sure he knows all the words." Justin scoffs
"Oh they're not that bad, I have their CD, some of they're songs are real good, kinda sounds like your early work." El teases. Justin sticks out his tongue and turns the station.
"Now this is good music." 'Back at One' by Brian McKnight is on.
"Wanna dance? I haven't danced with you in forever, I think last time was at JC's 18th birthday, right?"
"Ya," El nods, "And I'd love to dance with you." She stands up and he walks over to her. "Y'know Justin it'd be easier to dance if I could get closer." She points out.
"Oh well, um okay." He pulls her closer.
"See a lot better isn't it?"
"You have no idea." Justin thinks 'man she's real warm.'
"Hey Justin, do you think we could've ever, y'know gotten more serious?"
"What?"
"Well you know we got pretty close way back then, I was just wonderin' if we would have ever made it further? What do you think?"
"Well maybe but my travelling and you going to school, that would have been a major strain, I guess we were just better off having a long distance friendship instead of a long distance relationship."
"Ya." She sighs and snuggles into his Shoulder. "Justin, do you think it's kinda cold in here?"
"No why?" then he realizes she shivering a little.
"Cause I'm real cold."
"Come here sit down, I'll get you a blanket." he gets a blanket and wraps it around her then feels her forehead. "El you're burning up. I'll be back in a minute." Justin jogs into the kitchen and calls his mom.
"Hi Mama, it's Justin."
"Hi honey, what's up?"
"Mama you remember JC's little sister El right?"
"Little Ellie? Of course, why."
"Well she's staying with us for awhile and she's got a bad cold I guess and she's really burning up and I don't really know what to do."
"Ok well you just wait there hon and I'll be over in a couple of minutes."
"Kay, thanks mom talk to you soon."
"Hey El how are you doing?" he asks her returning to the living room.
"Cold, real cold and real tired."
"Okay well I called my mom and she'll be here soon and she'll know what to do okay?" El nods. "No wonder she was so warm when we were dancing she's got a fever." He thinks. There's a knock at the door.
"Justin I'm here." Lynn, his mom, calls.
"We're in the living room mom."
"Hi honey." She says to Justin. "Oh Ellie honey how are you feeling?"
"Cold and tired"
"Okay. Justin do you have a thermometer?"
"Ya just a minute I'll go get it." He runs up stairs and returns with a thermometer and hands it to his mom, who takes El's temperature.
"Oh my, 101 degrees. We have to get you cooled down. Do you have any rubbing alcohol?"
"Um ya why?" Justin's confused
"Just go get some and bring down a cloth or some cotton balls or something okay." Justin heads back upstairs once again and returns with the requested materials.
"Okay ma, what's this for?"
"Well you know how when you put rubbing alcohol on a cut? Well aside from the stinging it feels cool right? So we can use it to cool her down."
"Why wouldn't you just use ice?"
"The cool feeling doesn't last as long because she's so warm it evaporates quickly, so this is more effective now help me."
"Okay Justin if her temperature goes back up or if it's not back to normal by dinner time take her to the hospital okay?"
"I will thanks mom. Love you."
"Love you too dear, bye."
"Bye mom" Lynn, leaves
"Hey El." He sits down beside her. "Feeling any better?"
"Ya, thanks Justin." She sighs. "I'm still a little cold but not as much."
"Ya well if your still cold at dinner, come and tell me and I'll take your temperature. Cause if your temp goes back up or it won't go down I'll have to take you to the hospital. So you keep that temp down Baby Girl, okay?" she nods. "So where's Andie today?"
"We were supposed to go apartment hunting today, but I'm sick so I told her to go without me."
"Cool, so you're moving here."
"Ya we hope to, it's so nice here." Justin nods
"Well El how bout I help you upstairs and you can go sleep?"
"Thanks Justin you're so nice to be doing this for me."
"Well I can't just sit here and watch you be sick. I need you to get better."
"Why?"
"So I can teach you how to dance, coz Baby Girl you suck." He jokes
"I do not," she laughs and yawns.
"I know I'm just jokin c'mon let's get you upstairs."
"Hey people I'm home and I brought food!" JC calls. Andie, Chris, and Lance are already home but Joey was having dinner with some friends and wouldn't be back until tomorrow.
"Hey man!" Justin calls "Come here." JC walks into the living room where everyone except for El and Joey is.
"What's up?"
"Man El's pretty sick." Everyone else had already heard about it. "She had a fever of 101 earlier today, my mom came over though and we got it down a bit but gotta go check on her pretty soon, and if it's not normal we gotta take her to the hospital." Justin explains
"101? Man she didn't seem that sick this morning. I'll go check on her, is she in her room?"
"Ya last I checked she was sleeping." JC nods and heads upstairs to her room. He knocks softly, and walks in quietly.
"Hey are you awake Ellie?"
"Joshy?"
"Ya its me." He sits on her bed beside her. "How are you feeling?"
"Cold tired and hungry."
"Okay, well I'm going to take your temperature okay?" He takes her temperature. "Oh Ellie honey I'm going to get your jacket okay? I gotta take you to the hospital." He jogs downstairs, into the kitchen where everyone is eating. "Hey guys I gotta take El to the hospital her fever's back up to 101. Andie can you get her jacket and someone get my car."
"I will." Justin says. JC tosses his keys to him.
"You two, "he points to Chris and Lance who look worried" if Joey calls tell him we took El to the hospital, but don't mess with him and tell him some stupid lie okay? No jokes. We'll be back soon." JC Goes back upstairs, where Andie is helping El into her jacket.
'Okay kid, Justin's got the car waiting." Andie and JC help her down stairs and into JC's car.
"Hey Baby Girl thought you said you were gonna keep that temp down." El smiles
"Oops, my bad eh?" she says sleepily
When they get home it's already nine o'clock."
"Man I'm tired." El says
"Ya well then you go to bed okay, oh and don't forget to take your medicine." JC hugs her. The doctor had prescribed her some antibiotics after they finally got her temperature down to normal.
"Night, Joshy."
"Hey you need help upstairs?" Justin asks
"No but thanks for asking. Night Justin." She kisses his cheek "Thanks for makin me all better though." She smiles.
"Any time Baby Girl, sweet dreams." He hugs her.
"Justin." JC pulls him into a corner. "Man you still like her don't you?" he asks
"No man we, we're just friends that's all. I lost her heart back when she was in high school." He says sadly
"Ya man she was heartbroken, but that doesn't mean that you still don't like her."
"So what if I do? What's wrong with that, no offence man but she's gorgeous, and she's so nice she has a great personality, and-" JC cuts him off.
"Okay man I get it, but be careful."
"Hey you should know best that I would never ever hurt El." He says angrily
"I know man, calm down, I know, but she's with Joe right now, and as much as I'd rather it be you, don't do anything to break them up. That could cause a real war in this house, okay? So just wait and see what happens man."
"Ya, okay man, thanks." They do the 'homeboy' hug.
"Hey stop makin out in the corner you two!" Chris yells. Lance and Andie laugh.
"Funny, man real funny." JC sneers.
"Ya, ya, retard." Justin mutters and goes and sits down in the chair closest to the stairs. Andie gets up.
"Hey JC come with me." She whispers walking into the kitchen. JC trails behind her.
"Hey Andie what's up?"
"JC, I'm just going to get to the point. You're hot, smart, funny, sweet, nice, sincere, and caring. You are the perfect guy. Lets go out on a date sometime. I know I'm El's friend but y'know I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind. She's always telling me I can do better; I think you are the best thing in the world. What do you say?" she leans on the table
"Wow, you definitely know how to get to the point, and that is a wonderful quality in a women." Andie smiles. "And I think you're right. El won't mind a bit." He smiles. Andie approaches him.
"Come with me."
"Andie wake up." El says while making her bed "I had the coolest dream last night and I wanna tell you about it before I forget." There's no answer. "Hey Andie since when do you like sleepin' in" El goes over to her bed. She tosses the covers aside, but Andie's not there. "Oh so you're already downstairs, and I thought I was up early." She laughs to herself. She walks down stairs.
"Mornin Justin where's Andie."
"Morning El, she's not down here. How are you feeling?"
"I feel fine, I little stuffy, but I'll be better by the end of the week. What do you mean she's not down here? She's awake and I know she doesn't run in the morning, so she has to be down here."
"Well I've been down here since 6." He says "Worrying about you." He thinks "No one's been down here except for J.C."
"Oh okay Joshy's up this early? That's amazing. Well I'll go ask him if he's seen her. Thanks Justin."
"No prob Baby Girl." El walks upstairs and knocks on JC's door. There's no answer so she walks in.
"HOLY SHIT!" she cries and runs out in the hall. "God I Did Not Need To See That!" she yells.
"What are you yelling about?" Lance asks as him and Chris step out of their rooms into the hall.
"My Brother! Naked! With My Best Friend! Naked! Ewwey!!!!" Chris and Lance laugh as El freaks out Jumping around the hall, and Justin runs up the stairs.
"Hey what's wrong? Are you Ok?" He asks her.
"Man go into JC's Room." Chris tells him between laughs.
"Why? What the-" JC and Andie are getting dressed as quickly as they can. "JC man! Nice work." JC shoots him the bird. Justin goes back out in the hall.
"El, c'mon talk to me." He helps her off the floor where she was sitting with her head in her hands. They go into his room. "So are you mad because she's you friend or because he's you brother." He asks
"I'm not mad at them Justy Bear. I think it's wonderful that's she's finally found a good guy, unlike some of the dumbass' she's dated before. I'm just really grossed out that had to be the most disturbing thing I have ever seen. I'm gonna need therapy to get rid of that mental picture." Justin laughs
"Hey guys I'm home!" Joey calls from the door.
"Hey Joe." Chris walks out of the kitchen followed by Lance.
"Man you missed a whole lotta action." Lance says
"Ya? What happened?"
"Well first El got real sick and she had a fever of 101 so she had to go to the hospital for like three hours." Joey looks horrified
"Is she okay? Where is she?"
"Hey man we're not finished. Then this morning just like 10 minutes ago She walked in on Jace and Andie having sex." Chris tells. Joe laughs.
"Where is she?"
"Upstairs, with Justin. He's trying to calm her, I guess."
"Cool." Joe heads upstairs
"Hey Justin do you know if Joey called last night while we were gone?"
"Um ya, he didn't call." Justin says carefully.
"Oh okay." she says sadly.
"I'm sure he just didn't wanna be impolite and ignore his friends or maybe he couldn't get a signal."
"Ya you're probably right." She sounds unsure though.
"Hey El, there you are been lookin for ya." Joe says stepping in Justin's room. "Hey J." Justin waves. "C'mon babe." El half smiles.
"I'll talk to ya later Justy." El says
"Okay." El and Joey walk to his room.
"So how was your night?" El asks
"Oh man it was so much fun we partied till like 3 in the morning. We went to this crazy club and this wonderful Italian restaurant, I'm gonna have to take you there sometime." As Joey goes on about his night El just kinda sits on his bed and daydreams. "Hey El are you listening?" she snaps out of it.
"Oh sorry no, what were you saying? She smiles fakely.
"I was just saying this place has the best garlic bread, and that-" El cuts him off
"Hey Joe did you try calling last night at all?" she asks
"Oh no sorry I just kinda forgot, I was having such a good time. But hey that reminds me. The guys told me you had to go to the hospital?"
"Oh ya, I had a fever of 101. I'm on antibiotics right now. But what do you mean you just kinda forgot? You just kinda forgot about you girlfriend who was sitting at home in agony with a fever that could have caused some serious damage if Justin hadn't have been here. You just kinda forgot about me?" She asks angrily.
"Hey honey, come on." El looks away. "Hey I love you." El looks up
"You love me? How many girls have you said that to? Huh? All of them is my guess, what's yours? Y'know what I don't even want you to answer, coz you'll probably lie to me." She starts to walk out but he grabs her arm.
"Hey El come on I'm sorry I'm a terrible boyfriend, I know, but don't be distant lets work it out."
"Distant? You want Distant? I'LL GIVE YOU DISTANT!" she yells she runs down the stairs through the living room past the looks of wonder from Andie and the guys, down the driveway and across the street. Joey runs out side behind her and stops on the front porch. "DISTANT ENOUGH FOR YOU? YOU KNOW WHAT HOW BOUT I GO EVEN FARTHER? WILL THAT BE DISTANT ENOUGH FOR YOU?" she starts running down the street. "HOW'S THAT HUH?"
"El get back here!" he calls "Fine whatever I don't care I can find way better than you!" he yells.
"BY THE WAY I FAKED IT EVERYTIME!!!" she yells faintly in the distance. Joey walks in the house.
"Man what'd you do to her?" JC asks him angrily
"She's all pissed off about me not calling her last night"
"Well ya she should be man she was real sick you saw her before you left, you heard how she sounded. You should've at least checked in once to see how she was." Justin says angrily. Everyone else mumbles their agreement.
"Oh come on! Sorry if I forgot, I was just out having fun! Whatever she'll get over it."
"Joey you so don't know El." Andie says disgustedly.
"Man where'd she go?" Justin asks
"I don't know, she just started running down the street, she'll come back later."
"Man don't you remember what happened last time she went running? She still doesn't know her way around yet. She's only been here like 3 weeks." Justin stalks out the door in search of El.
"Oh he's such an asshole! What nerve he has to say he loves me, god he doesn't care about me one bit he just wanted a piece of ass. How stupid am I. I thought oh no it's just a media image he's so not like that for real. Man I shoulda known it was true." El raves to herself
"Known what was true?"
"Justin! Ohmigosh you scared me!"
"You mean you couldn't hear me on this thing? That's a first." He smiles acknowledging his motorcycle
"I was talking to myself, I kinda tune everything out when I do that."
"Okay, well hop on and I'll take you home, don't want you to get lost again."
"I don't want to go home just yet, I'm still venting."
"Okay well where would you like to go."
"Hmm I don't know, do you have any money on ya?"
"I got some cash and my plastic, why?"
"Well ya wanna go shopping? I mean if I buy anything I'll pay you back I promise, I don't have any cash on me it's all at home and I really don't wanna go back there until I've cooled off."
"Baby Girl don't worry about it, now hop on. We are going shopping!" El laughs and hops on behind Justin
"Girl, should I be getting scared?"
"Why?" El asks picking up another movie
"Well you're buying all these horror movies, are you trying to get ideas or something?" Justin asks. El laughs.
"No I just like these movies, they're fun to watch with a big group of people, specially when they're drunk." She laughs.
"And how would you know? You just turned twenty one."
"Oh come on we all know you were drinkin before you were of age, and besides I can party if I want to." She smiles
"Okay then." He laughs
"You know what Justy? I'm ready to go home."
"Hi, can I come in?" El says after knockin on Joey's door.
"If you promise not to yell at me then run away sure." He says not even looking away from his television.
"Um ya I promise."
"So what's up?" he turns off his TV
"Well we need to talk."
"Ya."
"Joey this isn't going to work."
"Ya think?"
"You know this would be a lot easier if you'd take it seriously."
"Sorry it's just my way of dealing with things I'll be serious."
"Okay so this isn't going to work, we don't have any connection, well except for a physical one, and we don't know anything really about each other. This relationship was based only on a physical attraction. And that's not what I want."
"Well what do you want El? You never know maybe I can give it to you."
"I really don't think so Joe. I want someone who will be serious but not like marriage serious, I don't want a playa. And let's face it Hon you're a playa." Joey nods "So ya see we can never work."
"Ya, but you know it was good while it lasted. But umm, El? Were you telling the truth when you said you faked it?" El laughs.
"Well sorta, I mean sometimes it was good , but uh your style just isn't for me." She replies walking out of his room
"Oh Man! You're kidding! What did I do wrong!?" he calls after her
"Ohmigosh it's movie time c'mon everyone we all have to watch the movie!" El calls everyone into the living room where she's turned off all the lights.
"El c'mon You know you can't watch horror movies in the dark." Andie tells her.
"Who said it's a horror?"
"Hell, you can't even watch comedies in the dark El c'mon turn on a light someone." JC says.
"Oh c'mon you can't watch a scary movie with a light on it just doesn't feel right." She whines
"Come on guys it's only a movie let her do what she wants or she'll just whine and complain about it for the rest of her life." Andie sighs, "Besides we can find a quiet place, and have some fun." She whispers in JC's ear. He kisses her cheek.
"Okay people who's gonna sit beside me?" El asks. Joey, Justin and Chris all groan. "Lance how bout you, since all these guys are buttheads." She sticks her tongue out at them.
"Wow that was mature." Chris teases. El wrinkles her nose at him
"Ya you should be talkin', so Lance you gonna sit with me?"
"Ya sure no reason not to." He sits beside her on the couch.
"Don't do it man ten minutes into the movie you're gonna wanna move but she's not gonna let you." Justin warns
"Well I don't wanna be alone I'll get scared." She pouts
"I'll stay here don't worry." Lance laughs.
"Yay!"
"Psst! Hey Chris." Lance whispers ten minutes later.
"What man I'm watching the movie?"
"Trade me spots please?"
"Hey man we warned you."
"Come on man, I umm I just have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."
"Fine man whatever."
"Hey, where'd Lance go?" El asks
"He went to the bathroom."
"Oh okay. Oh no! Chris is he gonna die?"
"I don't know El watch the movie."
"But it's too scary." she says snuggling into his shoulder and closing her eyes.
"Fine I'll tell you if he died when the movies over okay?"
"Mm Hmm." She mumbles sleepily.
"El hey El! Wake up the movie's over." Chris says gently shaking her awake.
"Wha-?" she mumbles waking up. "Oh Hi Chris where'd everyone go?"
"They all went to bed after they found out you were asleep."
"I was asleep?"
"Ya, you slept through most the movie."
"Oh, Chris did he die?"
"Who?" Chris laughs
"The guy."
"No he didn't die El. Hey how bout you go to bed it's pretty late."
"Are you going to bed?"
"Nah, I'm not real tired yet."
"Oh well, do you think you could walk me up to my room?"
"Why?"
"Well I'm kinda scared." She says bashfully.
"Of what? The killer? There is no killer El, now go to bed."
"I know but my imagination plays tricks on me, but please just walk me to my door then I'll be fine coz Andie will be there."
"Okay then. C'mon" they walk upstairs Chris going first. They get to her door.
"Thanks Chris."
"No problem El, good night."
"Night." she walks in her room and turns on the light. Andie's not there. She opens her door and goes back into the hall. "Chris!" she whispers loudly
"What!?" he whispers back.
"Andie's not in our room I think she's with JC.
"El come on you're twenty one years old you can sleep by yourself."
"But I'm real scared, please just stay for awhile. Please, pretty please with a peach on top?"
"It's supposed to be cherry."
"I know but I say a peach coz they're sweeter, like me." She smiles coyly
"I don't know why I'm doing this. Okay 'Peach' come on back to your room, but I'll stay no more then ten minutes."
"Oh thank you Chris you're so nice!" she hugs him
"So El what's been going on for the past" he thinks about it " six years of your life."
"Well that's quite a story."
"Well I got the time if you wanna tell it."
"Well it started when I was fourteen or fifteen, I kinda started to rebel. Drinking sex, bad crowds y'know. But then things got real bad, I got pregnant, my boyfriend skipped town as though nothing had happened, and I was left with my unborn baby. My parents said they'd help me through the pregnancy and would get me a tutor since I got kicked out of school for 'setting a bad example for the other students' they told me, and I if decided to keep the baby they'd help me out with baby sitting and teaching me how to take care of him or her. But I uh I miscarried. I was devastated. The doctors had said the drinking I had done had caused some minor liver damage but with having a baby it just put to much stress on me and my body couldn't take it. I tried to kill myself after that, so my parents decided that I should leave for awhile so I could get away from my so called friends, and I could go to school. There was a real good school for kids who had had a troubled past in Georgia. It wasn't a boot camp or anything like that, it was kinda like school / therapy thing. That's where I met Andie, she had come from New York; we became best friends. We were the odd ones out in the school we were the youngest. And most the kids there had only done minor stuff, y'know drinking, running away, nothing real serious. Andie and me were the baddest kids there. I had been pregnant, and she had done drugs. So once that ended me and Andie just planned to move somewhere where we could have fun. And then JC called a couple a days before my birthday and invited us out here and we decided that it would be our chance. A reason to get away, to get out of there and make it on our own. So now I'm here, having the best time of my life, and I mean that literally."
"Wow, that was… " Chris is speechless. El wipes a tear off her cheek. "Oh El I'm sorry." He pulls her into a hug. "You are such an amazing person, you have gone through a lot for your age and you have gotten on with your life and want to make something of yourself, that is a true inspiration." He rocks her while she cries on his shoulder.
"Oh Chris, when I lost my baby I cried for days and days. I tried to overdose on painkillers, but after I took them I freaked out and just started smashing stuff. It was late at night, and my parents had to rush me to the hospital and get my stomach pumped. It was terrible, I hated myself, I hated my boyfriend I hated my friends. But then I realized I just had to deal with it I had to forget all my so called friends, because they were never real friends anyway, I had to find a way to love myself again, so I wasn't hurt or angry when my parents told me that I was going to go away I was happy, I was relieved. After I graduated from there I felt so much better about myself. I learned from my mistakes and I got past them." El is silent for a while. "So do you still think I'm a peach?" she asks looking up at him.
"Of course I do." He smiles. El smiles back.
"Chris, would you think bad of me if I kissed you?"
"No not at all." El kisses him "Good."
"Morning Sun- oh my gosh…" Andie says walking into her and El's room the next morning and finding Chris and El in bed together.
"Mmm what?" El mumbles waking up "Oh hi Doll."
"El what's going on?"
"Oh um…" El wakes up fully "It's not what it looks like trust me, see my clothes are still on." She says getting out of bed.
"Hey peach what's going on?" Chris says rolling over "Oh umm Andie it's not what it looks like."
"So I've heard. El come on lets go talk." El and Andie go into JC's room.
"Is JC already up?" El asks
"Ya he went to get some breakfast, what's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? It's only been two weeks since you and Joey broke up and I find you in bed with Chris."
"Hey come on I was scared last night after the movie, and you know how I get, so I asked him to walk me to my room, I never planned on him staying, but I got there and you weren't there and I was scared to be alone so I asked Chris to stay and talk to me for awhile. So we got talking and he asked me about the past six years and you know how long a story that is, so I told that and I cried and stuff and then we just kinda fell asleep."
"Okay what else?"
"What do you mean what else?"
"Oh come on El, you know what I mean. Did anything else happen?"
"Well we kissed, just once or twice, and then we fell asleep."
"What's with this peach thing?"
"That's an inside joke."
"Okay then."
"Ya."
"Well girl you go shower, coz you smell."
"Ya okay but Andie?"
"Ya?"
"Just keep it on the down low for now, I don't know if anything is gonna happen okay?"
"Sure Sunshine anything for my girl."
"Thanks you're a doll."
"Hey who's up for some basketball?" Justin calls from out side.
"Oh me I haven't played you in forever!" El cries jumping up from the couch "Come on Chris let's play."
"Sure why not."
"Andie, Josh, Joey, Lance wanna play?" El asks
"No, I suck at basket ball. I'll watch." Lance says
"Hey we'll play." JC says
"Ya me too." Joey says. They walk out side.
"Okay Me Justin Joey, against Andie Josh, and Chris." El says taking the ball from Justin.
"Since when do you pick teams?" Justin asks taking the ball back
"Since I got the ball." El says grabbing it outta his hand.
"Man this has gotta be good." Lance says from the side referring to the fact that El chose to play against Chris, who as of two weeks ago is her boyfriend.
"Oh ya it will be I'mma play against my boy and I'mma kick his ass!" El says confidently.
"Oh don't be too sure, little girl." Chris challenges
"Actually Chris my Baby Girl got skills. "Justin says high fiving El.
"Oh ya. Let's get it ON!"
"El I can't believe you beat me! That so shoulda been a foul!" Chris exclaims
"Oh come on if you hadda grabbed me you would have won." She says grabbing a bottle of water for the both of them from the fridge.
"Well sorry for being a gentleman, I mean your brother was like right there." El laughs
"Well sometimes you just gotta be forward baby." she grins seductively.
"Really?"
"Hey wow! Not in the living room please!" JC says walking in on El and Chris making out on the couch.
"Sorry Joshy. So what's going on tonight?" El asks
"What do you mean what's going on?" he asks
"Well I've been here for almost 4 months an' I haven't gone clubbing once."
"So you want to go clubbing?"
"Ya how's bout it people." El asks everyone
"Meredith's got a concert tonight, I want to be there. Sorry" Lance says
"I'd Love to." Says Justin
"I got plans sorry." Says Joe
"Well we're free." Says JC about him and Andie
"Great, how bout it Baby? Wanna go clubbing with me?" she asks Chris
"I got a meeting real early tomorrow. Sorry Peachy I'll go another time." Chris says
"It's okay, don't worry about it." She kisses him on the cheek. "I'll just have fun without you." She teases.
"Damn, Joshy This Club Is Slammin!" El says over the blaring music.
"Ya we come here all the time." JC says. Nelly's Hot In Herre comes on.
"Oh Justin you have to come and dance with me I love this song." El says pulling him out of the booth.
"As if I had a choice." He laughs
"Are you going to be able to keep up with me?" El asks
"I think you need to be askin yourself that Baby Girl, I am a skilled dancer." El laughs
"Whateva you say darlin"
"Damn Girl where'd you learn to dance like that!." Justin cries walking back to their table with El.
"I don't know music videos I guess." She laughs
"Damn I wonder what Chris would think seeing you dance like that with me?"
"Well, he shouldn't mind I mean we're only friends."
"Ya, just friends." He agrees half-heartedly
"But y'know what would make us better friends?" she grins
"What?"
"If ya got me a drink at the bar."
"What would you like?" he asks
"Umm I don't know choose something you think I'd like, surprise me."
"Sure I'll be right back."
"Hey Ellie, I saw some of those moves you were pulling out there." JC says as him and Andie walk over to the table.
"Ya good aren't they?" she laughs
"Where the hell would you learn those kinda moves?"
"Same place I learned them." Andie laughs
"Oh so you can do that to?" JC asks. Andie nods. "Well then lets get dancin'!" he pulls her back onto the floor.
"Okay I'm Back." Justin says returning with two drinks in his hand.
"Oohh yay, what'd ya get me?" she says excitedly
"Calm down girl you sound like a brat on her birthday. Sides these are both for Me." he says taking a drink
"Oh Justy, c'mon hon please gimme a drink." She says sweetly
"Okay, I got you the house drink. It's a Baileys milk shake, I've heard they're real good. Thought you might like it."
"Oohh sounds yummy." She tries some "Oh Justin this is so yummy you have to try some." She hands him back the drink.
"Girl this is good." El takes another drink.
"Oh Jussy is jussa notha drink, I's not drunk yet." El giggles
"The key word there being 'yet', come on El I'm going to find JC and we're going to go home."
"Oohh car ride!" she claps excitedly
"Don't do that." He says grabbing her hands
"Hey Jace, man we gotta head out."
"Why?" JC asks walking over to Justin with Andie
"El's drunk."
"Oh Okay." JC laughs "We'll go get our jackets you take El to the car."
"El sit down in the back. There okay" Justin says helping El into the car
"Oh Justin." She says pulling him on top of her and kissing him.
"El…God El what are you doing?" he asks angrily getting off of her
"I was kissing you."
"Why?"
"Because I love you." She giggles
"Jesus Christ El!" he kicks a tire "Then why the hell aren't you going out with me and not those other guys?"
"Coz I was tryin to believe I didn't love you coz you don't love me coz you left me." She pouts happily
"But El I love you, I just didn't want to hurt you, you agreed that we should just be friends too." He waits for her to answer, but she doesn't. "El what are you-?" he looks in the back seat and sees that El is asleep. "Dammit El." He whispers