“I mean, I didn’t mean to be rude but I was done everyone asking if I was ok. I was just tired. And he wanted me to do his laundry when he could easily do it himself if he weren’t so lazy. But I feel bad for yelling at him ‘cause I’m sure he doesn’t know what he said wrong. But I finally stood up for myself. And that was the right thing to do, right?” My response was a big pink tongue licking my nose. I laughed and kissed Little J’s nose as Oreo padded over and brushed his nose against my cheek. “Thanks for listening anyway, guys. You always know how to cheer me up.”

Oreo yipped and ran around in a circle. He bowled into Little J’s side and the two dogs fell to the floor and started play fighting with each other. I chuckled and refilled their bowls. Good thing Liam booked a hotel with dog care. I would’ve died if I couldn’t bring my babies with me.

“Hey Babydoll,” Mom greeted me. Automatically Little J and Oreo stopped fighting and ran to get attention from her.

“Hey Momma. What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk,” she replied, rubbing dog hair off of her hands. “Do you have time?”

“Yeah, I just fed ‘em so they should be fine until the morning.” I scooped them up and managed to get the wiggling pups into the cages. I blew them a kissed and waved at the other dogs that were sitting quietly and left. “Hey, do you think they’d bring up poutine if I asked room service?” I asked Mom as we stepped into the elevator.

“I bet they’ve had stranger requests,” she said with a laugh and ran her fingers through my hair.

I looked up when the elevators opened. “We’re not going to the room?”

“Oh, we will, but Mike’s out here somewhere,” she replied. I looked around the lobby and stopped when I heard the haunting melody of the piano. I turned and walked in that direction, the song pulling me. I grinned when I saw that Mike was playing, I knew it’d be him. “Hey, I know that song,” I commented, sitting next to him on the bench.

“Oh yeah? Can you play it?” He questioned.

I shook my head. “I don’t know how to play the piano. Mom wanted me to but I said the only way I would is if she’d let me learn that song before lessons. I watched that scene about a billion times. It drove her crazy and I didn’t have to go to a lesson.”

Mike watched as he began to pluck the keys, his fingers moving effortlessly. I smiled remembering all the times Mom, Dad, and I were gathered around the piano and we would sing the song all the time before I went to bed.

Do mi sol do do sol mi do

Le vrai musician repèpete avec ardeur

de savantes gammes et des arpê-èges

Mais il faut qu’il sache que sa voix

doit sortir du cœur

en chantant ses gammes et ses arpê-èges

Mike chuckled and continued playing, gently leaning and rocking in time with the song. I picked up the song on the next part.

Si nous voulons chaque jour les pratiquer

nous verrons nos progrès vite encouragés

Do mi sol mi do mi sol mi fa la do la do

Répétons nos gammes et nos arpê-èges

I watched in awe as he easily played the next part. His fingers didn’t get tied up or anything. His eyes were closed and he looked absorbed in the music. I grinned at Mom who had joined us and she sang the last part with me.

Do mi sol do do sol mi do

Do mi sol do do sol mi do

Ce travail fastidieux qu’on fait sans effort

Un beau jour pourra valoir son pesant d’or

Et vous permettra de jouer de ravissants accords

Apprenons nos gammes et nos arpê-è-è-èges

“So, what’d you guys want to talk to me about?” I asked as I pressed random keys on the piano, emitting different sounds.

“We basically want to know how you feel about us getting married,” Mike replied.

“Honestly?”

“That’d be preferred.”

“I’m neutral I guess.” I shrugged, not taking my eyes off of the piano. “I mean, the way you went about it could’ve been better. Mom you could’ve told me that you and Dad were getting divorced instead of keeping it all hush-hush, which didn’t really work by the way. Kinda backfired really. I regret being a brat to you but you kinda deserved it.”

Mom nodded. “I understand but you were so young I couldn’t explain it to you.”

“I hardly count fourteen young and you know how mature I am,” I said, spinning around to look at her. She actually laughed. “How mature I can be, given the proper circumstances,” I corrected myself.

“That’s better.” She twisted her mouth to the side. Mike took her hand and pressed his mouth to it. “We all could’ve handled it better.”

“Divorce papers?” I asked.

Mom was used to me asking full questions with short ones. “In the process of being written out and signed. Everything is being split down the middle, except you of course.”

“So…what am I now?”

“You’re still my daughter .”

“I know that. I mean, am I a Desrosiers? Am I a Davenport? Am I a hyphen?”

They laughed. “You can decide that on your own,” Mike replied, patting me knee. It was kinda bugging me how…patient they were being with me with this whole thing. They’d probably accept a tantrum with open arms.

“How’d you two meet? You owe me that at least.”

“Starbucks,” Mike replied. I lifted my eyebrows and he continued. “She was short a dollar for her White Mocha Frappuccino.”

“That’s…cute,” I managed. They laughed. “I’m sorry, it’s just…odd. Starbucks? Really?” They nodded and I shook my head. “Ok, so what’re you planning on doing? Living? Do you have to change jobs, Mom? Am I going with you? What about custody?”

“Geeze, Mom, slow down with the questions,” Mom joked with an eye roll. “Your father and I still have joint-custody. Considering the tour and everything we figured you can choose where you want to stay and when. Mike and I will keep the home in Memphis while your father keeps the home in Orlando, that way you don’t have to move again.”

“Oh, good.” I pretended to wipe sweat off my forehead. “The last thing I wanted was to divide my stuff again.”

“And have you turn into your organizational dictator mode?” Mom rolled her eyes. “Perish the thought.”

“Nyah!” I stuck out my tongue.

~*~*~*~*~

“Ok, Mack, when were you born?” Lyric asked.

“September 16th,” I replied, looking over her shoulder at the horoscope book that was in her hands. Lyric, Codie, and Sevvie were sitting on the floor of my hotel room and I was on the bed, flipping through pages of the newest Seventeen magazine.

I had run back to the hotel suite I shared with the girls and told them the good news. Then we ran back to find Mom and Mike and I introduced them to Aiden, whom they immediately loved and fawned over. We finally left them when Mom said they needed to put Aiden to bed. It was late but we weren’t tired yet so now we were reading a bunch of magazines.

“Ok, so that means you’re…a…Virgo,” Lyric said, turning pages. “Ok, a characteristic and trait of people under this star sign is their lack of emotions in pretty much everything they do. Individuals of this group often tend to give you straight answers—”

“True,” Sevvie interrupted her.

“—and will not think twice about using euphemisms or beating around the bush when asked about something—“

“Yup,” Codie agreed.

“—This frank nature can be misconstrued to be rude and selfish, but this is never the intention of the individual. A Virgo is generally a charming, witty, realistic, down-to-earth, honest, dedicated, helpful, gentle, organized, systematic, and perfectionist type of person.”

“And y’all say those things about me like it’s a bad thing,” I said as I flicked Lyric’s ear.

“When you’re OCD about it…” Codie teased.

“Out of these characteristics come the not-so-good things about the Virgo which includes restless, anxious, worrisome, dogmatic, cranky, irritable, and very critical. It's in being irritable and overly critical at times that turns off most people,” Lyric continued. She lowered the book and looked at me. “It’s no wonder you don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Keep reading,” I grumbled.

“Ok, the love stuff. Virgos can be very affectionate, once they have established feelings for their partner. When a Virgo feels they are becoming too emotionally attached, they will run. Pure Virgos find it almost impossible to let themselves go fully. They keep a tight rein on their own emotions so they come off cold and detached. Virgos are very cautious in the matters of the heart; they have a hard time expressing their feelings to others, in fear of being hurt so they want to make sure the feelings are mutual before they let down their guard. All in all Virgos are very emotional people who know how to hide their feelings but, give them enough time and enough trust, and their shell will crack and you’ll befriend the best sign out there.” Lyric closed the horoscope book. “What a load of crap.”

I laughed and flicked her ear.  “And you were so into it before.”

“Yeah, when it was about me,” she replied, turning to look at me. “I don’t need a book filled with mumbo jumbo to tell me that I, as a Taurus, and you, as a Virgo, can be best friends. I think I know that by now.”

“Speaking of irritable…have you talked to Justin yet?” Codie asked.

“No,” I replied. “And I don’t plan on it until he apologizes.”

“What if he doesn’t apologize?”

“Well then, I won’t be talking to him for a while.”

“Mack, come on. He’s a boy he’s not going to know what he needs to apologize for,” Sevvie commented, sighing.

“That’s not my problem, now is it.”

“A stubborn Virgo straight down to a T,” Lyric sighed, shaking her head.

“I thought you didn’t believe that ‘mumbo jumbo’,” I mocked, making finger quotes.

“You can’t deny the truth.”

It was a good thing that there was a knock on the door or else I’d have Lyric’s red hair wrapped around my fists. I rolled off the bed and quickly moved to the door. I stopped in my tracks when I saw Justin standing there, his hands shoved into his pockets.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey,” I replied.

“You’re still awake?”

“It’s only one.”

“I figured you’d had a long day.”

“I have the day off tomorrow...er, today.”

“Oh.”

This short conversation was killing me! “Did you want to talk or…?” I prompted.

He nodded. “Is that ok? I don’t want to interrupt anything,” he added, looking past me. I turned around to see the girls leaning out the bedroom door.

“No, it’s all right. Come in.” I closed the door behind him and walked over to my bedroom door, pulling it shut (making sure to bang it on Lyric’s ankle for good measure). I chuckled evilly at her cry of pain and sat down on the couch next to Justin. “So what’s up?” Like I don’t all ready know.

“Something…feels off between us,” he said slowly. “I mean…I came all the way out here to support you and then you snap at me for no reason. I…I’m just confused.”

“Justin, you’ve known me long enough that I don’t go off on people for no reason,” I said as calmly as possible. Geeze, boys were really stupid!

“W-What did I do? I thought everything was going well.” He scratched his head and let out a little sigh.

“Do you remember what you said to me?”

He scrunched his eyebrows together. “I didn’t think there’d be some kind of test,” he said and let out a little smile. I immediately averted my eyes. Do not fall for the Timberlake smile! Stand strong! His smile faltered when I didn’t laugh. “Um…” he looked towards the ceiling. “I said…that I thought the party was getting boring?”

“Exactly,” I replied.

“I…I don’t get it.” He wrinkled his nose. “You’re mad about my opinion? You’ve been mad about a lot of things but never my opinion.”

“Just…that party wasn’t just for me, contrary to popular belief,” I said as patiently as possible. “The party was for Ben and the director and the producers as well and…saying that it was boring to you was insulting them. Not only them, but me as well. You basically said that it was a waste of your time and I got the feeling that you wouldn’t even have come if I didn’t ask you.”

His mouth fell open. “Of course I would have! Wh…what makes you think I wouldn’t?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe ‘cause you don’t like doing anything when it doesn’t go your way?” I asked as I stood and then started pacing. “Or if it wasn’t your idea you won’t go along with it. Or that you always twist people’s arms until things go your way. Gee, J, what could possibly lead me to that idea?”

“What’s your damage?” He demanded, getting to his feet.

Like he actually had a reason to be upset.

“No, what’s your malfunction?” I demanded. “The one time something is about me you still turn it around so it’s about you! You always do this to me, Justin! Why can’t you let me have one thing?”

He cocked his eyebrow and then his face was quickly replaced with a look of fury. “I knew it,” he muttered more to himself than to me. “I knew letting you go off with…with them for the summer would change you.”

“What?”

Now this boy has clearly lost his mind.

“Yeah, that whole working with the Backstreet Boys thing. I knew it was a bad idea. They probably planted you with these thoughts to sabotage us and then got rid of you when you weren’t needed.”

“When I wasn’t needed?” I snarled through clenched teeth. Well thanks for throwing that back in my face. “Justin, do you realize that I need to work with different people to get my name out  so I can actually be taken seriously around here? I can’t just follow you around for the rest of my life like a puppy. I have a life too, you know.”

“I know!” Justin yelled.”Is it a crime to want to be a part of it?” He clenched his hands into fists and looked like he was about to hit something. I backed away in case he decided to hit me. He let go of his fists and let out a long breath. “I always knew with you wanting to be a choreographer and all that I’d have to face you going off and doing your own thing but I was hoping that would happen when you were, like, twenty-five. Why do you think I asked Lou to get you your job in the first place?”

“Uh, because I’m good at what I do?” I asked.

Justin grumbled something under his breath and ran a hand through his unnaturally bright hair. Then he dropped down on the couch and held his head in his hands. It took him a few minutes to actually lift his head and speak. “Look, I figured if I got your name bound to us somehow that would mean that you wouldn’t have to eventually leave.” He shifted his weight. Justin wasn’t one to talk about his feelings and I knew that was hard for him but I stayed quiet. “You’re amazing at what you do, that’s the main reason why I got you this job.”

“And it should be the only reason,” I interjected, sitting down next to him. “Not because you need to use me as some security blanket that you can toss aside and bring back whenever you feel like it. I need to branch out and do my own thing and you can’t be responsible for all of it. I need to learn to do things on my own instead of having Big Brother watch over me.”

Silence settled over the room like a thick blanket. Our silences used to mean that we were so comfortable with each other we didn’t need to talk. Now it was…suffocating.

“What happened to us?” he whispered. For a second I didn’t know if he was asking himself.

“We’re growing up,” I replied. “Well, some more than others,” I added, ‘subtly’ pointing to myself. He let out a little laugh. I could tell instantly that it was fake. “What’s running through your mind?”

“I just…miss you coming to me for help,” he replied, looking at his hands.

“And your idea of me coming to you for help is wondering which detergent to use in your laundry?” I demanded, lifting my eyebrows.

 He actually blushed. “I thought you liked doing stuff for me.”

“Not when it has your friends all up my ass about how you’re a slave driver.” I sighed.

“Do you think I am?”

“What’s it matter what I think?”

“I don’t want people brainwashing you and making you think that I’m a bad friend.”

“But you’re not!” I grabbed his hand. “J, you’re my best friend in the entire world. While you do have some…questionable intentions they don’t know you like I do and the Justin I know is sweet and caring and very thoughtful. However he needs to learn to stop treating me like a little kid and let me grow up.” I jabbed him in the chest for emphasis and then pinched the bridge of my nose. “Honestly, you’re worse than Jace.”

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Justin said with a little laugh as he waved his hands. “I may be a lot of things but you cannot compare me to JC. For one I know how to take a joke and, unlike him, I know when a joke is being made instead of looking like—woosh!” He waved his hand over his head. I couldn’t stop the chuckle that came out of my mouth. “Why’d you freak out on me? I doubt it was ‘cause of me asking you to do laundry.”

“No, that was part of it,” I admitted. “I get that you don’t know how to do it but this is partially my vacation, too.” I squeezed his knee. “Tell ya what, I’ll do it this time but you’re going to learn how to do it. I won’t be around to do it while I’m on…on…”

“Tour,” he filled in for me with a chuckle. Then it looked like a light went off in his head. “That’s why you flipped out! Right? You’re nervous. Or scared. Which is unlike you.”

I managed to put on a smile and said, “Of course not. I’m excited. I get to see the world.”

“Without me.”

“It won’t be so bad. I’ll e-mail you every day and send pictures and videos chronicling everything,” I said, nudging his arm.

“It won’t be the same.”

I laughed. “Boy, I’m gonna be with you for about a week before I go. Let’s make the most of that before you freak out from separation anxiety.”

“I’m not the one who’s going to suffer separation anxiety, that’ll be you, my dear.”

I stood and stretched. “What makes you think that?” I demanded.

“’Cause you’ll suffer from withdrawal from not seeing this beautiful sight every day,” he commented, waving his fingers in front of his face.

“Somehow I’ll live,” I deadpanned.