"No"  Brittney repeated for the fourth time, shaking her head.  "You can not do anything to my sling."

"Come onnnn."  Kristen whined while plopping next to Brittney on the couch and placed her plate on her lap.  "You know you want me to.  I'll make it all pretty so it's not damn boring...blue."

"No.  N-O."  Brittney laughed, shoving a spoonful of food in her mouth.

"You're no fun."  Kristen pouted and pointed her fork towards Lance.  "You're girlfriend is no fun."

"She is your best friend."  Lance pointed out with a smirk.  Kristen rolled her eyes, placing her California Roll in her mouth with her fingers.  Lance raised a brow and pointed at her with his chopsticks.

"You know they made chopsticks for a reason..."

Brittney snickered.

"Have you seen her try to use chopsticks?  It's pathetic."

Kristen eyed Brittney out of the corner of her eye.

"Keep making fun of me and I'll smack your bad arm."

"And than I would just have to kick your ass."  Lance said, smiling.

"And...I would just shove your chopsticks up your ass."

Brittney laughed, holding her hand out.

"Before you two morons try to beat each other up, let me finish my sushi so it doesn't go to waste."

Kristen and Lance tried their best to hold onto their laughter while looking at each other.  Kristen pointed her index finger at him before picking up another roll off her plate.

"Just wait Lancey-Poo...Once your little girlfriend is out of the room, your ghetto ass is mine."

"Now that."  Brittney exclaimed, motioning her hand between the other two.  "I would love to watch that."

Kristen slowly moved her finger along her neck, hinting that she was going to cut his head off.  Lance gave her a look; a small smirk on his lips and act as if he was stabbing himself in the heart with his chopstick before pointing to her.  Brittney laughed, leaning back in couch, watching the two continue making silent death threats to each other.

"Seriously, you two act like your damn brother and sister."

"So do you and Joey!"  Kristen said; her mouth full of food.

"Those two are close just because of that dirty mind they both have."  Lance chuckled while rolling his eyes.  Brittney smiled widely as she set her empty plate on the table in front of her.

"Seriously," Lance started saying.  "You two know how to make anything sound dirty."

"And you love my dirty mind."

"Just think Lance, tomorrow MTV appears and starts their shooting....Joey and Brittney in the same room..."

"Oh god."  Lance groaned, throwing his head back against the chair he was sitting on.

"Oh gross...I'm going to be taped looking like this!" Brittney exclaimed.

"You look fine."  Kristen replied with an eye roll.

"You look beautiful."  Lance leaned over and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek.

"You two are just saying that."

Kristen let out a small laugh and shoved her plate on top of the table.

"Woman, you know I'm blunt and will tell you if you look like shit or not.  I have in the pass."

"Paa-leaaseee."  Brittney started to say until a cell phone started to go off.

"Hand me my phone."  Kristen held out her hand.

"Yes master."  Brittney leaned over and pulled Kristen's cell out of her purse.  Brittney looked back and forth between Kristen and her cell phone after reading the caller I.D.

"What?  Who is it?"

Brittney looked back at the caller I.D one more time before looking back at Kristen.

"JC is calling you?"

Kristen gave Brittney a questionable look before reaching over and gripping her cell out of Brittney's hand and looked down to see if it was true.

"Hello?"

"Uh-um...Hey Kristen....It's JC."  JC breathed into the phone.

"Yeah....Brittney told me when she saw the caller I.D on my cell."

"Oh...Yeah caller I.D.."  JC coughed and cleared his throat nervously.

"Mhm..."

"Thought you'd probably deleted my number or something."

"Nope.  Wouldn't make any sense to since I kind of work with and for you."

Brittney leaned over Kristen's side to try to hear the other end of the conversation.  Kristen slightly shoved Brittney away from her and stood up.

"Hold on..I have some..PEST that won't leave me alone."

"Okay..sure."  JC said softly.

Kristen made her way towards the back door, slowly pulled it open and closed it behind her before making herself comfortable in a chair on the porch.

"Sorry about that.."

"Brittney trying to pull something?"

"Of course."  Kristen smiled softly. "You know how she rolls."

JC chuckled into the phone.

"Yes I do."

Kristen chewed on her bottom lip as silence formed in the conversation.

"Sooo..." Kristen started after a couple of moments of silence.

"Um yeah so...um.. How is she doing?  Brittney.."

"She is doing alright.  We just ate some sushi, Lance and I made some death threats to each other and now Britt is flipping out because MTV starts the whole shooting thing tomorrow and she still kind of looks banged up.  I mean it has been a couple of days, what does she expect, to look normal?"

"Ahh, true."

"Yeahh..." Kristen drawled out, tracing the small scar on her hand with her eyes.  "Soo.."

"Umm...Do you think we can um talk?   Like face to face?"

Kristen sat up in her chair.

"Um what?"

"Listen...I know you are upset with me Kristen...but please, please can we get together so we can talk?  I have something to say and it would be better to say face to face, instead of over the phone."  JC plead.

Kristen nervously started to pick at her jeans, running her tongue along her teeth.

"Uhh.."

"Please..Just...just hear me out and than if you want me to leave, I'll leave."

"Sure..When?"

"Tonight?"

"Uh sure..." Kristen hesitantly said.  "Tom is picking up Richard at the airport around seven tonight and getting dinner after so I'll be alone for a bit."

"Is seven thirty good?"

"Yeah..seven thirty...good...You uh, know how to get to our house?"

"Yep...I'll see you tonight Kristen..thanks."

"Bye."

Kristen dropped her cell phone on her lap and tilted her head back, looking at the sky.  Closing her eyes, she rubbed her face with her hands and let out a deep sigh.  Kristen stood up and stretched her muscles before walking back into the house.

"Sooo?"

Kristen stopped midway of closing the sliding glass door and looked at Brittney, all laid out on the couch with her head on Lance's lap.

"Comfortable?"

Brittney laughed.

"Extremely, now..what did he want?"

"To talk."

Lance looked between the two girls.

"If this is girl talk, I'll leave if you want."

"Nah you can stay, Brittney will be telling you after I leave anyways so might as well hear it from my mouth."

"Ah, you know me to well."

"Hunny."  Lance chuckled, rubbing his hand up and down Brittney's arm.  "You are the gossip queen."

"Hey!"  Brittney shot back, looking up at Lance.  "What about Kristen!?"

Lance rolled his eyes while he sighed.

"Princess of gossip, seriously you two do you do anything else but gossip and read it?"

"Oh hush."  Brittney swatted Lance's leg and looked up at Kristen.  "Now, go on."

Lance groaned, ignoring another smack against his leg from Brittney.  Kristen closed the back door all the way than leaned her arms against the back of the couch and leaned over.

"Like I said before, to talk.  He said there is something he needs to say to me and it would be better to say it face to face than over the phone."

"Isn't Tom getting Richard tonight?..What time is Josh coming over?  Are you two going to be alone?"

"Well MOM..." Kristen started, rolling her eyes, "To answer the billion questions; yes Tom is picking up Richard from the airport tonight, he is coming over to my house around seven thirty and yes we will be alone."

"Do you want me to be there?"

"Brittney."  Lance wrapped his hand around Brittney's arm.  "I think she is a big girl and can do this by herself."

"Lance is right." Kristen pushed on her arms to push herself off the top of the couch.  "I am a big girl and can do this by myself."

"But."

Kristen leaned over the top of the couch and rested her hand on Brittney's leg.

"How about I call you after he leaves and tell you everything?"

"Fineeee."  Brittney sighed than pointed a finger at her.  "I want to know everything..EVERYTHING."

"What you going to do if I don't?"  Kristen smirked.  "Hit me with your sling?"

Lance laughed, holding Brittney down against the couch as she tried to wiggle free.

"Go before the beast is let lose."  Lance spat out in-between laughs.

Kristen laughed, grabbing her purse and wiggling her fingers at them.

"Bye cripple, I'll call you later.  Later."

"Later Kris."

Kristen shook her head in laughter, walking out of house and closing the door behind her.  Kristen climbed into her car, tossed her purse into the passenger seat, and backed out.  Running her hand through her hair, reality sunken in her head and opened her eyes wide.

"Oh my god...JC...and I..talking..oh my god..I .. I need to shower, change clothes, look presentable oh my god."

Turning the corner, Kristen reached over and grabbed her cell, quickly dialing a number she knew my heart and shoved the phone to her ear.

"Speak to me."

Kristen rolled her eyes, switching her phone to her other ear.

"Really?  Can't you answer the phone more warmly?"

"Is warmly even a word?"  Kara laughed over the phone.

"Whatever."

"Haha anyways, what's up?"

"Crisis."

"What kind?  Hair, clothes, shoes..boooyyssss??"

"All of the above.  It's a best friend needed crisis and I'm not using Brittney."

"Ahhh...the need of a best frie-WAITTT!! All of the above!?  So that counts the subject of boys!? EXPLAIN."

"I'm surprise Brittney hasn't already called you and told you."

"Yeah yeah yeah skip the ditto dottal."  Kara whined into the phone.

"Josh is coming over to my place to talk."  Kristen said, sighing while drumming her fingers over her steering wheel.

"Josh?  JC?  Your ex?"  Kara said slowly.

"No, the Pope Josh.."  Kristen rolled her eyes as she turned into the neighborhood.  "Yes that Josh; he called wanted to talk.  He said he has to day it face to face instead of over the phone."

"Hmmm.." Kara mumbled.  Kristen pulled up in the driveway and turned off her car.  She sat back in her seat and closed her eyes, swearing she could hear her best friends' wheels turning in her head.

"Interesting..."

Kristen rolled her eyes at the words for her best friend as she slid out of her Jeep Liberty.

"Kara, speechless?  I didn't think it was possible."

"Hardy har-har."  Kara said dryly in to the phone.  "So he is going to be over in an hour huh?"

Kristen paused looking for her keys at the front of her house.

"An hour?!  What time is it!?"

"Well Einstein...If I said he would be there in an hour, It must be six thirty."

"Oh my god."  Kristen breathed into the phone, digging through her purse to find her keys.  "I only have an hour to take a shower, find something to wear, do my hair, and do my make up..."

Kara laughed.  Kristen cheered to herself when he finally found her keys and shoved them into the door, unlocking it and making her way inside.

"Thought this whole thing was nothing?"

Kristen tossed her purse onto the counter and hurried her way up the stairs to her bedroom.

"It is nothing."

"Oh yeah...totally sounds like nothing."  Kara said sarcastically with a snort.  Kristen quickly kicked off her flip flops in her closet while she shuffled through her clothes.

"Kara I don't know what to wearrrr."

"Nothing important my ass."  Kara mumbled.  "Anyways um...clothes?"

"Really glad to know I can count on you for this."

"Ha ha shut up you know you love me."

"Right.  These past eleven years I'm positive I could have lived without you."

"Liar."  Kara replied laughing.  "So anyways clothes hmmm..Jean's are always good.  Casual, not looking like you're trying to hard and just wear your hair down and all wavy and shit."

"I'm not trying hard." Kristen cut in, pulling out a pair of jeans and throwing them on the bed.

"Right...." Kara coughed.  "Hmm..umm a t-shirt?"

"Karaaaa."  Kristen whined.  "Why did you have to move to another statteee."

"Shirt retard, shirt and you know I had no choice on the whole moving situation two years ago."

"I have like a billion shirts."

"Oh my Goddd."  Kara groaned into the phone.  "You're a pain in the ass.  I don't know every single pair of shirts that you own.  Wear a red shirt, red looks good on you."

"Red...Red...Red.." Kristen said softly aloud to herself as she rummaged through her shirts. "Ohh I think I found one!"  Kristen grabbed the shirt off the hanger and tossed it onto the bed.

"Hallelujah!"  Kara exclaimed sarcastically.   "Can I say something about this whole JC thing?"

Kristen paused by the sound of seriousness in Kara's tone.

"Uh...Do I have a choice?"

"Nope....Do you remember me saying that this year is going to be different?  That this year is going to be the last time you're going to foolishly give your heart away only to have it returned to you ripped to shreds.  This year, you're going to be strong. This year, you're not going to fall weak....Remember all that?"

Kristen pinched the bridge of her nose while nodding her head.

"Yeah...and?"

"I still believe that, I mean what he did was an asshole thing and I understand how you feel but really....I think he is sincere...and sorry about over all of this.  I mean he been trying to get on Brittney and I's good side for the past couple of weeks before he tried to do anything with you.  If a guy really doesn't care he wouldn't be going to the girls best friend to try and patch it up.  He knows so damn good that nothing would be fixed with you or even be able to really talk to you if he didn't fix it with us."

"Wait....he called you and Britt?"

"She didn't tell you?"

Kristen plopped down on the edge of her bed.

"No...and you didn't either."

"Yeahh umm about that.."  Kara coughed, causing Kristen to raise her eyebrows. "Yeah anyywayss go shower and get all dolled up in forty five minutes for pretty boy and call me tonight on letting how it goes."

"I only have forty five minutes?!" Kristen raised her voice an octave, jumping off the bed.

"If anyone ever had any doubts of you being a girl, this proves them wrong." Kara joked.

"Yeah well whatever.  Okay I'll call you tonight."

"You better.  Remember, just look normal, act normal..be yourself."

"Yep.  Got it."

Kara laughed.  Kristen placed her hand on her hip, picturing her best friend just shaking her head on the other line over how ridiculous she was being.

"Don't do something I wouldn't do."  Kara joked.

"Hate you.  Bye."

"Haha.  Love you too doll.  Peace."

Kristen tossed her cell onto her bed and hurried into her bathroom.  Quickly she took off her clothes and tossed them on top of the hamper before jumping into the shower.

"Okay, relax."  Kristen said to herself while washing her hair.  "It's just JC...JC....Only JC....Josh...your ex..the one that broke your heart."

Kristen groaned, smacking herself on the forehead.

"Re-fucking-lax.  He didn't mean to break your heart.  He isn't like any of your ex's he actually cares."

Kristen sighed, hurrying to wash off the soap of her body.  Turning off the water, she hurried out of the shower and dried herself off.  She quickly wrapped a towel around her head while scuffing into her bedroom and throwing on the clothes she laid on the bed.  Hopping into the bathroom pulling up her jeans, she softly cursed herself remembering why she hated putting clothes on after taking a shower, always harder to put on.

After finishing her make-up, she let down her hair out of the towel and ran a brush threw her wavy locks.  Putting some gel in her hands, she ran it threw her hair and washed her hands.  She picked up her lip-gloss and stared at in the palm of her hands.

"Nahh..." She tossed it to the side and ran her cheery chap stick along the top and bottom of her lip.  "Would look like I'm trying."

Spraying her perfume on her neck, and walked out of her bedroom, skipping down the stairs.  Putting her index finger in her mouth, chewing on it slightly, she looked around the living room area and the front door.  Realizing she didn't want it to look like she was waiting for him, she turned on the TV and tossed the remote onto the couch.

"God I'm such a loser."  Kristen said, speaking to no one.

Kristen jumped, startled by the sound of the doorbell chiming throughout the house.  Kristen pressed her hand over her heart, feeling it pounding in her chest.

"No, now I'm a huge loser."

Kristen walked nervously to the front door of the house, listening to the sound of her bare feet slapping against the wood floor beneath her.  She took a deep breath before feeling the cool contact of the door handle in her hand and pulled it open slowly.  Kristen looked up, her eyes traveling up from his white sneakers, jean pants resting on his waist, his t-shirt slightly showing off the muscles in his arms, noticing the slightly scuff on his face until her eyes locked in with his blue eyes.

"Uh.." JC squeaked out.  He cleared his throat while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.  "Hey."

"Hi..."  Kristen responding, watching his eyes wonder slowly down her body until he connected back with hers.

"Oh..sorry.  Come in."  Kristen stood a step back, opening the door wider for him to walk in.  JC stepped in, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Thanks..umm..How have you been?"

Kristen closed the door behind him and locked it.

"Alright.  Yourself?"

"Alright myself."  JC looked around while he follows Kristen into the living room.  "Nice place you got here."

"Thanks."  Kristen said.  "Mostly everything here is Richards and Tom's."

JC nodded.  He looked towards the TV than back at Kristen with a teasing look on his face, an eyebrow raised.

"The Soap Channel?"

Kristen turned toward the TV and felt her cheeks get warm.

"I uh..was flipping through the channels and stopped when like..you rang the doorbell."  JC chuckled while Kristen grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.  "You know how I feel about soap opera's."

JC nodded, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Oh yes I do, hint on why I found interesting that it was on your TV."

Kristen shoved her hands into her back pockets and looked up at him.

"Soo..."

JC coughed nervously and cleared his throat.  "Um yeah..soo the reason I'm here.."  JC looked down at the floor watching the toe of her right foot dug into the carpet beneath his feet.  "I'm sorry."

Kristen tucked a piece of her wavy hair behind her ear and looked up at him.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to just kill myself after reality kicked in over what I did.  I didn't even mean to do it.  You know how sometimes you think of one word, but you say another?  It was like that.  I was thinking of just throwing the remote on the floor by my feet, or even shove it onto the table but than next thing I know I see you walking out the door and the remote on the other side of the room, batteries and the back apart from the remote.  I couldn't believe myself.  I couldn't sleep, hell I didn't sleep at all that night.  I knew it was going to put a strain on the friendship with the guys and Brittney; I knew it was going to be hell with them since they look at you like a sister but the worst part of it all was knowing I lost you.  I deeply and truly love you Kristen."

Kristen's eyes jerked up, looking up into his and swallows the lump in her throat.  She went to open her mouth to say something, but stopped when JC laid a finger against her lips and silenced her.

"Before you say anything, hear me out.  It has been killing me that I no longer had you; and I mean killing me.  I cried.  God I sound like a pansy but I'll admit, I cried.  I cried over losing you, I cried on what I did to you, I cried that I was like your ex and I promised you that I would never be like him.  Like any of them."  JC reached out and took a hold of both of her hands in his.  "You did this to me."

Kristen blinked, slightly confused and angry over him claiming she did it to him.  She quickly pulled her hands out of his.

"No no no."  JC reached out and grabbed her hands, holding them tight.  "Let me explain.  I didn't mean it like that, I meant it as you made me crumble.  Losing you was like losing my world.  I was so use to having you in my life, every second of the day feeling your love and being with you that I don't know how to live without you.  Without you, I'm a mess.  A sad mess, like mush."  JC eyes searched her face before locking his eyes with hers again.  "I am so sorry for everything that I have ever done to hurt you.  It kills me inside to see you hurting.  I would do everything and I mean everything to put that beautiful smile on your face, anything to see your hazel eyes sparkle."  JC swallowed and licked his lips before continuing.  "Anything just to hear you laugh....and I mean anything.  I'll jump off a bridge for you, I'll take a bullet for you.  Kristen, when I say that I love you, I truly, deeply mean it.  I have never; ever fell hard like this over anyone in my life.  I have never loved and cared so much for someone as I have for you."

JC took a step closer.  Slowly he brought a hand to her face and cupped her cheek every so gently as his eyes never left hers.

"If you don't forgive me, fine; I'll understand.  I can't even forgive myself, but I have to tell you on how I feel before it eats me alive.  There is no one like you and no one besides you that I want to spend the rest of my life with....Kristen Nichole Miller, I love you more than anything in this world."

"I love you too."  She whispered.

JC froze, blinking a couple of times; not believing what just happen.  Kristen lips formed a soft, small smile while his thumb softly gazed over her cheek.  "I mean it.  I love you too.  I was surprise, I fell out of love with John after everything and I thought it would happen with you, but I didn't.  I should be so mad and scared of you, which part of me still slightly is, but reality I still love you and I don't think anything can stop it."

JC brushed his hand across her cheek as he tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"Will you give me another chance?"

Kristen tried her best to fight back the smile that was trying to break free.  Biting on her bottom lip, she nodded her head slowly and looked back up at him.

"Yes."

JC wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards his body.  JC smiled, closing his eyes as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Only..."  Kristen moved back a bit in his arms to look up at him.  "If you understand...that like you won't get mad or anything if I get scared over something you do."

"Baby.."  JC pressed his lips against her forehead.  "I understand and I'll do anything and everything to fix it till your not afraid of me anymore."  JC pulled her back against his body.  "You don't understand how long I've been waiting to feel you in my arms, to kiss you, feel your skin and to smell you."

"Smell me?"  Kristen said, amused.

"You know what I mean."  JC softly laughed.  "You smell soo good and I just love how you smell.  It's just so good and...."

Kristen looked up at him with amusement on her face and interrupted him rambling.

"Shut up and kiss me."

JC smiled.

"Love to."

Kristen wrapped her arms around his neck as soon as their lips made contact.

"I love you Kristen."  JC whispered against her lips, leaning his forehead against hers.  Kristen licked her lips, smiling when she tasted him.

"I love you too Josh...I love you too."