The gang grew quiet, wide eyes shifting to each friend.

"JOEY!?" Jaime screeched, looking more shocked than anyone else.

The man in question looked positively terrified. Not at his own outburst, but at the petite woman before him. Jaime's eyes, which normally reflected the calmness of the sky on a mild day, now blazed like a blue flame.

The young man squeezed his eyes shut, wishing for his own disappearance, but when he opened he was met with the same scene: the same band of shifty eyed friends, and the same seething Jaime.

"I am so so sorry. I-I I panicked! Jaime, I really am so sorry!" He pleaded. He swear he saw her expression soften, but in a second she had turned on her heel in a huff.

A wave of awkward silence passed before Joe Walker began to whistle nervously, and Darren tentatively patted Joey on the shoulder.

"Well, erm- I think you won… Buddy." He spoke slowly.

Julia, Meredith, and Charlene went to go check on Jaime as Lauren walked with Joey in the opposite direction that the girls had gone.

"How's the arm?" She asked, swatting ungracefully at a fly near her head.

"It hurts like Hell, but I can survive it. .. Bit I think That might be the death of me." He replied tilting his head back to where his 'great idea' had transpired.

The friends walked along, avoiding the subject: choosing to gossip about their other friends and the tour, rather than what Lauren was dying to find out more about. Eventually, the easy conversation slowed and Lauren got her answers, which were as follows; When? "For the past few months". How? "Because we are just so darn sneaky". Why? Silence.

"Joey?"

He coughed, bumping his own two fists together a few times, he looked over his shoulder nervously before looking back at the familiar face.

"Oh…" Her voice softened and she patted his forearm gently, "I think you need to talk to her, Honey." His jaw tightened and he nodded. Lauren turned and began walking back, leaving the lanky young man to thoughts about his impending doom.

After the truth was spilled, the friends decided not to seek the company of each other, and chose rather to spend the evening in quiet reflection.

The morning of March sixth was a hot one. One of the hottest any of the StarKids had ever encountered.

"I swear we are all gonna dieeeeeeee"

"Shut up, Liam."

"You shut up!"

"Darren, I wasn't even talking to you." Julia whipped her head around.

"I know." He shrugged with a lazy smile that earned him an eye roll.

Besides the 105(F) degree heat, the group of twenty-somethings had generally gone back to normal, despite the eventful day before and despite the nearly visible tension between two certain StarKids.

"You are going to have to talking to him eventually."

"You think I don't know that, Lauren?!" The small brunette held both hands up in surrender at the women's outburst.

"I'm sorry.. I'm just hot." Jaime mumbled a split second later. The pair filled their waters, and began the trek back to their tent, they arrived only to see that everyone had gone, save a sweaty Brian, looking guilty with Darren's guitar and a scrap paper riddled with lyrics.

"Hey guys," He laughed nervously, " I-I was just.."

"Where is everyone?" And unusually irritable Jaime responded.

"I don't actually know."

"Ugh, I'm going for a swim." The blue-eyed girl pushed herself off the sand once more and started making her way back into the jungle, in the direction of the waterfall. Leaving a slightly dejected Brian and an uncomfortable Lauren behind her.

"So, Whatcha doin'? Lo asked, smiling cheekily.

"I, uh, I found Darren's music. You know, his new song… Which is beautiful, by the way, and I just happened to stumble on the lyrics he started, and he mentioned yesterday he had hit a creative wall, and I was feeling inspired so I thought I'd help him out." He grinned.

"Great! Can I-"

"No." He smiled again, "Now, run along, little Lopez, run along."

Feigning hurt, she scoffed and dragged herself away from creative genius, Brian Holden.

She was called back soon after only to be told "Joey is swimming at the waterfall too", with a smirk and a wink, he returned to his scribbles and humming; Lauren, with the all-to-familiar spark of mischief in her eyes, walked purposefully towards the jungle path on a mission.