Sliding out of the van, Kristen stood up and took a sip out of her Starbucks drink.  After a month of planning and meetings, it was time for the tour.  The guys have spent most of the nights the past month hanging with Brittney and Kristen and everyone’s friendship was getting stronger.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked at the scene ahead of her.  People running around like chickens with their heads cut off making sure everything was going right, bags and more bags being brought into the buses, Chris and Joey running around chasing each other, which she guessed, they were probably playing tag, or Chris pulled some prank on Joey.  She shook her head.  The guys were something else.  She doesn’t think she has met a crazier bunch.

 I don’t think it is even possible. She thought.

“…Did you even hear me?” Her thoughts were interrupted by her best friend.

“Huh?” Kristen turned around looking at her clueless.

Brittney rolled her eyes and sighed. “Yeah for the past 3 mins.  Wake up.  I ASKKEDD if you were ready to go put our shit in the bus; or are you just going to stand her and be a statue?  Don’t think Johnny ever thought of putting a statue of a woman with a Starbucks cup in her hand.”

“Ooo Bite me.  I zoned out.” Kristen reached for her bags and put them on her shoulders.

“Yeah.  What else is new.”

Kristen gave her a smirk.  “I’d watch out while you’re sleeping tonight.”

“Uhh huhh.  Sure.” Brittney replied while placing some of her bags on the bottom of the bus.

Kristen placed her bags under the bus with everyone else than tossed her cup into the garbage.  Before she could turn around, she heard someone scream her name, and next thing she knew she was on the ground with a Chris Kirkpatrick on top of her.

“ARE YOU EXCITED?! IT’S TIME FOR THE TOUR! HELL YAAA!!!”

Kristen moaned while trying to get out from under him. “I’d be more excited if your get your lardass off of me.  You’re killing me smalls.”

Chris got off of her and laughed at her line from the movie, “Yeah…Well..You throw like a girl!”

Justin rolled his eyes as he gave Kristen a hand and pulls her off the ground.

“Chris man, we haven’t even gotten on the bus and you are already trying to kill her?  Not cool man, not cool.”

Kristen dusted off her clothes and stood straight up and pointed a finger at Chris.

“Just like I told Brittney, I’d watch out while you’re sleeping tonight.”

Chris jumped on top of Justin’s back, “Ooo why, you’ll join me?” Chris winked

“You wish”

“Ugh God Chris, you weigh like 5 tons, get off my back.”

“I do not weigh 5 tons!  You’re just weak!”

“I give you a count of 5.  If you don’t get off I’ll drop you on the ground.”

“Ooo soooo scarreeddd!  Mommy save me!”

Kristen laughed.

“ONE!”

Chris rolled his eyes.

“TWO!”

Chris started humming to his own tune.

“THREE!...IM SERIOUS CHRIS!”

“I’m serious Chris!” Chris mocked.

“FOUR!”

Kristen covered her mouth with her hand trying to hold back her laughter

“FIVE! THAT’S IT! I WARNED YOU!”

Justin pushed Chris off his back as Chris fell to the ground.  Chris groaned as he rubbed his hip.  “I’m going to sue you!”

Kristen stepped over Chris while laughing, walking over to be Brittney, Joey; JC & Lance were standing while watching the commotion.

“What was that all about?”

“Well,” Kristen turned to look at Lance to answer his question.  “Retard number 1 decided to jump on Retard number 2.  Retard number 1 warned that on a count of 5, he’ll drop him if he didn’t get off.  Of course, Retard number 2 wasn’t threaten.  On the count of five, Retard number 1 dropped him and Retard number 2 was threatening to sue him if any injuries.

JC shook his head, than looked around him.  He couldn’t believe how lucky he was.  He was living the dream.  Of course, he love touring, but he always missed his family.  That was the down side of the whole “stardom”, but he knew what he was getting into when he first started.  He looked at each one of the guys on the group, his brothers.  He couldn’t be blessed with anyone better.  Of course there are days he wants to rip the hair out of his head and curse that he knew them, or rip the hair out of their heads, but he loved them and couldn’t think of living without them, than he looked at Brittney and Kristen and smiled thinking of everything that happen just the past month.  The guys have known Brittney for four months and loved her.  They thought of her as a sister, a best friend, than Kristen came along.  It seemed like they known each other for ever.  All seven got close over the past month and he couldn’t help but smile.  Every time he looked at Kristen he would smile.  She wasn’t just like every other girl.  She had spunk, she would make fun of them, and they could make fun of her and she wouldn’t get mad, she was easy to talk to, funny, cracked jokes all the time, laughed all the time, she loved sports, okay love wasn’t a good choice of words, was obsessive with sports, what guy couldn’t love that?  A girl, that watched ESPN every day, wouldn’t ever fight over the remote to watch a game, unless her team was planning and you wanted to watch your team.  He remembered the night Chris and her got into an argument on which football team was better,  Chris’s team; the Pittsburg Steelers, or Kristen’s team; the Chicago Bears.  He chuckled to himself remember that night.  He looked back up at Kristen and studied her carefully while she was talking to Brittney and Joey about, well he didn’t know he was in his own world thinking about her.  He smiled looking at her wearing just sweat pants that were scrunched up to her knees, her brown wavy curly hair up in a lose pony tail, flip flops, and a t-shirt, which he guessed was from when she played softball for her high school team, by the name on the front.  That was another thing that blew him away, not only did she love watching sports, she loved playing them.  She was cute.  No matter what she was wearing, her casual sweats and a t-shirt, jerseys, or in jeans and a cute top, he found her beautiful.

He got taken out of his thoughts when he felt someone poke his side.

“Earth to JC, earth to JC. Hellloooo?”

JC smacked Joey’s hand. “What?”

Joey chuckled.  “Dude man, you went off to space or what?  Johnny said its time to get on the bus.  Kristen and Brittney already went to theirs.”

JC wanted to hit himself in the head.  Way to go idiot, she probably thinks you’re a loser for totally zoning out.  You didn’t even get to say goodbye before getting on the bus, but of course he couldn’t say that to Joey, so he answered with the first word that came to mind. “Oh”

“Yep…” Joey continued while climbing up the bus steps, “By the way, Chris is going threw you bag.”

JC turned around and run up the bus’s steps.

“CHRIS IS YOU KNOW WHATS GOOD FOR YOU, YOU’LL STEP AWAY FROM MY BAG”

*** (On the girl’s bus) ***

Kristen stretched out on the couch while Brittney flipped though the channels on the TV.  Kristen tried to take a nap before, but was not even close to being successful with the bus movement.  Being a light sleeper has its bad points.  She yawned while looking at the clock reading 11:00am.  Great, she thought.  I’ve been on the bus for 3 hours and didn’t even get one wink.  Kristen stood up, stretched, and turned to head on to the back to get her laptop.  As she took her first step, the bus came to a stop and she fell down losing her balance.  Brittney burst out laughing catching the whole scene.  Kristen groaned and rubbed her hip.  “I hate buses…”  Kristen opened her eyes and looked up seeing her friend lying on her side on the couch, holding her stomach while cracking up.  Kristen rolled her eyes and sighed while pushing herself up from the ground.

“Thanks for asking if I was okay there and everything.  But don’t worry. I AM OKAY.”

Brittney rolled onto her back and wiped the tears that formed in her eyes from laughing so hard.  After catching her breath she rolled back to her side and sat up.

“Oh my god that just made my morning.”

“Well thanks Brittney for the concern.  Glad to make your day, anything for you, my friend.”  Kristen bowed than looked out the window while rubbing her sore hip.

 That’s going to leave a bruise, she thought.

 “Sooo…why did we stop?”

Brittney shrugged.  “I’m guessing for lunch”

“So means we’ll be stopped for a while? Oh my god.  Yes.  I’m not hungry I just want sleep.  While you all eat.. I’ll go sleeeeeeeep.”  Kristen turned on her heels and started to head back to the bunks, while stopped as Brittney got a hold of her arm.

“Nuh uh.  You didn’t have breakfast you need to eat.  Sleep later.”

Kristen whined. “Sleeeeep….Sleeeeeeep”

“O hush you baby.  Sleep when we get to the hotel.”

“I’m too tired to even eat.  You know I can’t sleep on the bus.  I’m going to crash.”

Brittney rolled her eyes and dragged Kristen behind her before she could come up with another excuse.  Brittney looked around for the guys.

“Alright, I’ll go get us food.  You go over to the guys and sit down at the table.  I swear if you are not there when I get back and hear you went back to the bus I’ll kick your ass.”

“Yes mommy”

As soon as Brittney grip let go of Kristen’s arm, Kristen turned around and was about to head back to the bus, but her plans were ruined as she felt the grip back to her arm.

“Nice try, should have waited till I was out of sight.”

“Damnit…” Kristen mumbled under her breath.

All the guys looked up as the heard Brittney laughing while walking towards them.  JC and Joey moved separate ways to make space for Kristen to sit down between them.  Brittney pointed to the spot.

“Sit.  Don’t even try to leave.”  Brittney looked up to the guys, “Do not let her get up and leave.”

Kristen plopped down in the spot, put her arms on the table and hid her face in her arms closing her eyes.

Chris snickered. “Ruff morning?”

Brittney shook her head laughing, “You don’t even know.”

Justin looked over at Kristen concerned. “Are you okay?”

Before Kristen could open her mouth, Brittney answered for her.

“She got 3-4 hours of sleep last night.  She can’t fall asleep on the bus.  Light sleeper.”

“Ahhh…I use to have that problem.  Don’t worry you’ll get use to it.  I did”

Brittney continued, “And than….she fell on the bus , hurting her hip, when the bus stopped.  O man it was so funny.”

“Haaaa haaaa.  Glad to know my pain is your enjoyment.”

The guys laughed and Chris chipped up, “That same thing happen to Joey on our first tour, O man he went rolling after.  I thought I was going to pee my pants I was laughing so hard.”

Joey chucked a couple of fries at Chris’s head.  “You have fallen out of your bunk bed.”

“Before a food fight happens, I’m going to get food.  Make sure Kristen doesn’t try to leave.”

Lance saluted. “Yes ma’am we will make sure.”

JC raised a brow looking at Lance, than started rubbing Kristen’s back, “Smartass.”

Soon Brittney appeared with food and they all just sat there cracking jokes and talking.  Brittney reached across the table and shoved a fry in Kristen’s mouth.  The guys chuckled at the two arguing about Kristen eating.  If they didn’t know them, they would have guessed they were more of sisters and not friends.  They kept talking while Lance got up and tossed the trash away.  Justin stretched and yawned as Chris chucked a fry in Justin’s hair.

“You are so dead Chris!” Justin grabbed the fry out of his hair and chucked it at Chris as he ducked to get out of the fry’s’ way.

Joey cleared his throat.  “Speaking of dead….” Joey placed his hand on top of Kristen’s head, “Are you alive there?  You haven’t moved your head since you sat down and haven’t said a word.”

Kristen mumbled and they all started laugh.

“I take that as a yes….Don’t worry dear we are about 2 hours away from the hotel and you can sleep forever.” Joey kissed her head and got up to stretch.

JC smiled as kept rubbing her back, “You think you can last 2 more hour’s sweetie?”

Before Kristen answered, Lance opened his mouth, “Dude can she even make it to the bus?”  Justin, Chris and Lance chuckled.

Brittney put her finger to her lips to quite everyone, she opened up her drink and reached for an ice cube, she leaned over to put it in Kristen’s shirt.

“Brittney Christine, I swear to god if you put that ice cube in my shirt I will seriously kick your ass to Hong Kong.”

Brittney dropped the ice and put her hands up in defense and tried to be innocent.  “What? Put an ice cube in your shirt?!  Why would I do that?”

Kristen lifted up her head and gave Brittney a look.

“Like I couldn’t hear you open the cup and dig in the ice?  Next time; try to be quite and you might win”

The guys started laughing while standing up and tossing their trash in the garbage as Kristen stayed sitting there with her head back on her arms with her eyes closed.  JC chuckled and shook his head, “I’ll carry Kristen to the bus.  We don’t want her to fall asleep while walking to the bus.”

Brittney picked up her stuff and looked up to watch the rest of the guys race to their bus and fighting to get on first, than looked back at JC and nodded.  JC picked up Kristen and started walking to the bus.  Brittney walked beside them and chatted with JC till they got to the bus.  Kristen closed her eyes and laid her head against JC shoulder while he carried her to the bus. 

Mmm he smells good.  Kristen thought. 

JC carefully walked up the bus and laid her on the couch and kissed her forehead.

“Alright see you two at the hotel.  Don’t kill each other now.” JC smirked and rubbed Brittney’s head than walked out of the bus.  Brittney moved Kristen’s feet out of the way and sat down on the couch and pulled out her book.

“This is going to be an interesting summer Kristen…one interesting summer.”

“Mmhmm.”

Brittney smiled and shook her head, opened her book and started reading.