JC sat on the couch that was provided for them in the Green Room of MTV studios. He sat there, quietly observing his friends who were doing their normal thing, eating candy, talking, and laughing like nothing was going on. But JC wasn’t a fool, he was slow sometimes but he wasn’t oblivious.

The entire time they were at the hotel he went looking for them but they ran out of the room whenever they saw him like they were hiding something. That was the only conclusion that JC had, they were hiding something from him but he didn’t know what it was. Either way, it made him upset.

He hated being the last one to know about something but he hated not being told whatever it was more. It’s obvious that they wanted to say something to him or else they wouldn’t be acting like they committed a felony. Actually, JC couldn’t rule that thought out, especially when that thought was linked to Chris and Justin. The two kept looking at him as if he caught them with their hands in the cookie jar.

JC bit his lip and let out a slow breath through his nose trying to keep his anger down. He was madder at Justin than the rest of them. He and Justin told each other everything yet now he was acting like JC didn’t exist. Furthermore, Justin ruined JC’s only chance to getting Mack to be his. He was closer than he was before to kissing her when Johnny had called telling them of the room changes. After that Mack bolted as if she were being chased by a monster. And Justin was the reason behind it.

“Joshua, are you even listening to me?” JC tore his eyes away from Justin and looked up at Bobbie who was currently perched on his lap.

“Sorry, I was thinking about something,” JC mumbled, catching the look that Chris shot Joey who tried to hide his smile. “What was it that you wanted?”

“I said that there’s a big sale that’s going to start in…” –she paused to look at her watch– “fifteen minutes and if I don’t get there in time all the good boots will be gone so…” she put on her charming smile and hugged JC around the neck. “Can I borrow your credit card again?”

JC let out a loud sigh, one that seemed to silence every noise in the room. He could practically feel everyone’s eyes on him. Bobbie looked at him with wide eyes, waiting for his response. JC hesitated. He really wanted to tell Bobbie off and that it was over between them, heck they never really had a relationship in the first place. JC had a relationship with her beauty and she had a relationship with his money.

“I don’t know…” he lowered his voice so the other guys couldn’t hear him. “Why don’t you just use your own?”

“You have more credit on yours,” she replied as if it were obvious. “Besides, I thought you liked the stuff I bought for you.

“How can I? You only buy stuff for yourself,” JC hissed.

Bobbie’s eyebrows knitted together. “That’s not true. What about that red nightie I got last week? Hmm?” She nuzzled his neck. He shoved her to the ground in response. The boys were looking at him with raised eyebrows while Bobbie as looking at him from the ground, eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. She quickly regained her composure and scrambled to her feet. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She hissed.

“Thinking clearly for the first time since we started dating,” JC replied, bringing a hand up to his temple which he started to rub. “It’s against my morals to lay my hands on a woman unless they deserve it, and in this case you do!”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about this!” he replied, pointing at himself then at her then at himself again. “Us! As far as I’m concerned, there is no us anymore because the only thing you’ve done since we started dating was use and abuse me!”

“I never abused you,” Bobbie replied through clenched teeth.

JC scoffed. “Not physically but it sure feels like you did. Go home, Bobbie. Go back to your stupid teenie magazine because I’m done here.” When she didn’t move he walked over to the door, opened it, and pointed outside. Instead of huffing, cursing, or screaming at him like the others thought she merely crossed her arms over her chest and smiled.

“You can’t get rid of me like that,” Bobbie replied, slowly shaking her head. She walked over to where he was standing and whispered something in his ear. The look of anger slowly fell from his face and was replaced with a look of horror. She merely smiled and walked out of the room. JC lightly pushed the door and watched as it swung forward and closed.

“C?” Justin asked, walking over to him. “C?” He repeated. JC stared off into space as Justin waved a hand in front of his face. “JC?” He placed his hand on JC’s shoulder. JC blinked and looked at Justin as if seeing him for the first time. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” JC replied, his voice suddenly hoarse. “I just have to call someone."

“C! Wait!” Justin shouted as JC bolted out the door.

“We’re about to go on!” Joey added.

“I’ll be back in time!” JC shouted over his shoulder.

“What do you think she said to him?” Lance asked breaking the silence that followed.

“I don’t know but we sure as hell won’t get it out of him,” Justin replied. “We won’t get it out of Bobbie either.”

“So we just have to get it out of Wade,” Chris pointed out.

“Ok, how are we going to do that without accusing him of messing up our friends’ lives?” Justin asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Who said anything about accusing him? We can drag it out of him with torture.” A sadistic smile crossed his features that actually scared Joey, Lance, and Justin.

“I think we should leave that as Plan…elfor” Lance suggested making up a letter.

“That’s not a real letter,” Chris commented.

“Exactly.”

~*~*~

“Whoa. Bobbie, what’s up?” Wade asked, jumping out of the way of his hotel room door that she had just pushed open with so much force he probably would’ve gotten a broken nose if it hit him.

“What’s up is that JC tried to break up with me,” Bobbie replied practically foaming at the mouth.

“What? Why?” He demanded, following her over to the love-seat that was in front of the large sliding glass door that led to a balcony. “What happened?”

“All I was doing was talking to him and asked him if I could borrow his credit card because I was planning on surprising him. He went ballistic. He shoved me to the floor and yelled at me in front of his loser friends!”

“He all of a sudden said he wanted to break up with you?” Wade questioned. She nodded and tapped her fingers against the armrest of the couch rapidly. “Then it must’ve been something that you’ve been doing. JC usually doesn’t hold a grudge.”

“How would you know? You practically know them!” She spat, glaring at him.

“Yes, but I’ve worked with him long enough to know that he doesn’t hold grudges unless he thinks he can work something out by himself,” Wade replied calmly. “You said you wanted to borrow his credit card?” She nodded. “How often have you been asking for it? Maybe that’s why he’s mad, because you stuck him with the bill?”

“That can’t be it!” Bobbie said, waving away the thought. “Uh-uh, no way!” She mumbled as her mind set on something. “He went and fell in love with that Shrimp! I’m am not going to let him get away with this.”

“Isn’t your plan kinda…screwed?” Wade asked in confusion.

“No, there is no change in my plan; you’re still going to get your prude. I just have to work harder. I all ready have him afraid of me, he won’t stray. I’ll make sure of it.”

~*~*~

“JC!” Lance shouted, trying to grab the back of the older man’s shirt.

Their driver slammed on the brakes as JC catapulted himself out of the van. He ignored his friends shouting about waiting for their bodyguards to escort him into the hotel. His heart was beating against his chest at the fear of Bobbie going through with her threat.

“Excuse me!” He practically shouted at the receptionist as he slapped his hands on her desk. “Have you seen a girl walk by here recently?”

“Seeing as 60% of our staff is female I should say yes,” the man replied with a hint of a smile.

“The girl I’m talking about is 5’2” has blue eyes, black hair, the bangs are blue, she’s wearing a sling,” JC replied, getting more desperate with every word he said.

“Oh, her.” He smiled. “Yes, I saw her going to the restaurant about ten minutes ago. I think she’s still there.”

“Thank you!” JC ran a couple of paces before turning back around and running back to the desk. “Where is it exactly?”

The man laughed and gave him the directions. JC thanked him again and ran off in the direction he was told. He stopped outside the restaurant doors and looked in through the window. He spotted Mack through the window and rushed inside. She looked up and jumped a bit when JC stopped by her table, panting. “Whoa, Jace, where’s the fire?” She asked in concern.

“Need to…tell you something,” he panted.

“Ok, what’s–” she started but he slapped his hand over her mouth, stopping her from speaking.

“Don’t talk! Just listen!” he ordered. She nodded and he sucked in his breath. “This may sound really weird but I have to get it off of my chest before someone tells you and I can’t.” She knitted her eyebrows together, confusion shining through her eyes. “I love you. I have since…I don’t know how long, but I had to let you know. I couldn’t hide it from you any longer. It was slowly driving me insane. I just…fuck, I…” he stopped talking and pulled his hand away from her mouth. He sat looking at her, stunned at his confession. “Say something,” he begged. “Please.”