January15th, 1998

New York City

“Oreo, no!” I yelled as I ran over to him. He yelped and dropped the object he’d been chewing on. I made a face and pinched the shoe I was looking for between my fingers and lifting it to inspect for damage. “Awww, man,” I groaned when I saw that I couldn’t wear it now. “Didn’t I tell you not to chew my shoes? Huh?” I asked, rubbing his stomach as he rolled over and licked my nose. “Aww, don’t you suck up now. You’re just like your uncle Justin.” I dropped a kiss on his head and turned to my suitcase that was in the corner of the room.

I had just gotten off the plane when I got a call from Blake, the main manager of my management team, telling me that as soon as I got off the plane I had to go straight to the Jive recording studio to talk to them and some A&R people. Being jet lagged and barely having any energy wasn’t the problem, actually it was the least of my worries. What I didn’t expect, and cursed about a bit, was that it was snowing when I got there which meant I was stuck in traffic forever which then meant I didn’t have time to get to Danni’s apartment where I would be staying for a few days which is why I now looked like I lived in the studio.

Sighing, I dug through my suitcase to find my other pair of converses; they were red instead of blue. I know, I know, owning something that’s not blue, a shock right? I’m entitled to wear different colors; I don’t want to be only known as a smurf.

I stared hard at the red converses that were in my bag and the left blue converse that was still on my foot. Shrugging, I grabbed the right red converse and pulled it onto my feet. I then leaned back and looked at my feet making a face but shrugging again. They’re just shoes, it doesn’t really matter. Besides, I’m sure the Jive people are more interested in my voice than what I wear and how I dress.

To say that 1998 began with a bang would be an understatement. 1998 came whirling at me like a hurricane. Ever since it hit January 1st I was whisked up and down the East Coast. On New Year’s Eve the guys jumped on a plane to head to Europe to perform two different New Year’s shows while Momma and Mike went back to Memphis and Dad and I went to Orlando. After staying there for a couple of days I had to fly back to New York to do talk some more about my CD. Thankfully whenever I was in New York Danni let me stay in the extra room in her apartment. I didn’t want to have to deal with checking in and out of hotels all of the time. Anyway, somehow we managed to get two full songs done, one of which might be used in the movie somehow.

Ben and I did a radio interview at Z100 and then we held a press conference where they asked us question after question about the movie, how well we worked with each other, what we learned, what we’re doing now, etc. I went back and forth between New York and Orlando to check up on my dad and to relax whenever I had the time if I wasn’t doing homework. The guys I haven’t seen much because they’ve been going around promoting their album which was going to be released in March.

Now I was back in New York to talk with my management and the A&R guys about my CD one more time and see where it was going as well as taping an appearance on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, some more appearances, and then going with the guys to Planet Hollywood for the launch of the new Teen People magazine. I couldn’t wait for any of that stuff, the party mostly because I haven’t seen the guys for weeks and I couldn’t wait to tell them everything that’s been going on.

I picked up Oreo and petted his head as I spun around in the swivel chair as I waited. I watched as the snow fell to the ground as if the flakes were doing a little dance for me because I was the only one in the audience. No one on the streets would’ve paid that close attention, those New Yorkers; they don’t take the time to take a good look at the beauty.

“Penny for them.”

I smiled. “You can keep the penny, I’m not thinking of anything.”

“That’s not new.”

I laughed and turned around in my chair. “You’re horrible!”

“I’m no saint,” Ben replied, shrugging.

“What’re you doing here?” I put Oreo down on the ground and he ran over to Ben, running around his feet.

“Keeping my favorite lady company,” he replied.

“Ohhh, so I’m a lady now? I’m not ‘Kid’, ‘Shrimp’, ‘Missy’, or any other put downs that describe my age, height, or gender?”

“They’re terms of endearment.”

“I feel loved, dear.” I rolled my eyes as he chuckled. “Real reason?”

“That is the real reason. The show’s not taped until one and it’s only ten. I figured I’d wait with you until they get here.”

“If they ever get here,” I pointed out.

“What’s this meeting for anyway?” He asked, sitting down in one of the other chairs.

“I think it’s about the little tiff we’re in,” I replied. He tilted his head, urging me to continue. “See, Pop is coming back to the airwaves, right? So, naturally, they want me to follow the trend and sing Pop music. It’s good for dancing and all but I don’t want to be like the others and be a Pop singer. Props to them but I want to sing more guitar pushed stuff with riffs and amazing leads and stuff. I don’t want to compromise who I am just to make music that they’ll be happy with. You know what my Dad says? If you’re not happy you’re not doing it right, and I won’t be happy doing Pop music which is what this meeting is about. My manager, Liam, is trying to get them to actually listen to my rock stuff and give me a chance but I don’t think it’ll go my way.”

“Is there some common ground you could meet on? You know, showcase both sides?” Ben asked after a few minutes of thinking.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what are they pushing that makes you unique? Everyone has a voice, that’s not new. What’s special about you, what did they like about you?”

“They said my voice was different whatever that meant,” I said as I made a face. “Could be a good or bad thing, I don’t know, it must be good since I’m here. Um, I showed them some of my guitar playing and they liked that, they said it was different that a girl played guitar, not that girls can’t. And um…” I paused and wracked my brain. “I told them about my dancing experiences and stuff. I think that’s what pushed them  towards the Pop route.”

“But dancing and rocking out is both sides of you,” Ben said as he rubbed his chin. “Why not…do both? Pop and Rock.”

“You mean for one song?”

“Well, no. Do you know what an EP is?”

“Isn’t it a CD but with less tracks and with remixes and stuff?”

Ben nodded. “Exactly. The Beatles had an EP called Twist and Shout that had four songs, two on each side. Each song ended up on their Twist and Shout album so it was like the EP was a…sample of sorts. So, why don’t you have one side of Pop songs and the other of Rock songs and release that? You can get the feedback from your audience and whichever gets more feedback than the other you’ll base your CD around.”

I nodded slowly as I listened to him. “That actually makes a lot of sense. And here I thought you were just a pretty face.”

“I need a brain to back this face up.”

I shook my head and rolled m eyes as I thought over his idea. It could work, the label people might buy it since they were so anxious to get my stuff out as soon as possible. In one week I got two songs recorded because I was so anxious but the process might slow down a bit because I had to check on my Dad from time to time when Momma and Mike were in between visits. “That’s a really good idea. I’ll suggest it, maybe they’ll actually listen to me.”

“And if they don’t command their attention. That shouldn’t be too hard for you.” He smiled sweetly.

“It’s what got me my part, don’t diss it,” I said in a warning tone. I looked up as the door opened. “You should go.”

“Ok, I’ll send a car back later. Good luck.” He gave me a small wave. I waved back as he slipped out the door and Liam and Greg, the A&R guy, came into the room. They stopped when Oreo started sniffing at their feet.

“Sorry, I didn’t have a place to put them. I just got here,” I quickly apologized, whistling at Oreo and calling a command in French. Oreo dashed over to my suitcase, jumped on top of my clothes, and settled down. Little J was a sleep on the floor by the suitcase. I stood and shook both their hands before sitting down again. “So, I’m pretty sure I know why I’m here. The Pop vs Rock debate.”

“Yes,” Greg said with a nod. “What I want you to understand is that you’re sure to be a hit if you jump on the Pop wagon, especially with your connections to the Backstreet Boys. Once people know you’ve helped them they’ll pay attention to your dancing and your singing. You’ll be an instant hit.”

“Yes, but there’s a good chance I’d hate it at the same time,” I said as politely as I could.

“What she means is, sure she is a dancer, but that’s a different part of her. She doesn’t feel…happy to be mixing the two parts of her,” Liam said, searching for the right words. “She wants the dancer part to be separate for now and let her singing be the main focus.”

“Exactly,” I agreed nodding. “Um, a friend of mine gave me a suggestion. I really want to push for Rock but you want to push for Pop. Well, why don’t we just work on an EP, half of it would be Rock, and the other half would be Pop. We can release a single from each side and then base a CD around the genre that’s the most popular.” I sank low in my seat and played with my fingers. “But…that’s just a suggestion.”

Liam’s eyebrows rose. “It is an easier way to see where she excels. We could go back and forth on this issue for days and I know you want her on your label but I won’t hesitate to take her somewhere else if we don’t reach a compromise soon. I think this is our compromise. Just to get a feel of where she is with the world.”

Greg leaned back in his head. Liam and I held out breaths. I crossed everything that I could as I waited for him to make his decision. Greg sighed and leaned forward again. “The one song we need to have on this EP is that pressure song.”

“Why?” I questioned.

“That’s the song they’ve decided to use in the movie. You’re going to perform it today at Rosie,” Liam replied.

“What!?” I cried out. They just dropped the atomic bomb of news on me. Today!? “Can we get the band out here in time? I don’t want to lip sync.”

“Relax, everything is taken care of.”

“When were you planning on telling me this?”

“I was going to tell you once I found out but I wanted to keep it a surprise to see your reaction,” Liam replied. “So the song is going on the soundtrack that these guys are putting together. You’re going to perform the song on Rosie not only to promote the movie but to promote your CD as well.”

“Ok, no pressure there,” I muttered rolling my eyes. “I’ll admit, I didn’t think you’d take me up on this idea.”

“Whatever makes you happy,” Greg replied.

“More like as long as you keep me in a good mood I’ll stay here,” I laughed as Greg smiled. I leaned back and yawned. “Ok, so am I going to get some recording done today or no?”

“Yes, we have a treatment for that The Reason song you showed us. Everything on it is done except for your vocals.”

“Fantabulous, let’s hit it.” I got up and went into the cozy little recording room and pulled the big headphones down over my ears before taking off my shoes. You know how people have traditions or superstitions? Like, Lance always picks up his feet when we drive over railroad tracks? In the studio mine is that I have to take off my shoes before I record. I don’t know why, I just have to, I feel more comfortable I guess.

“We’re starting from the beginning, Mini,” Greg called as Liam took a sip of his coffee. My mouth watered at the smell. How I would die for some coffee right now and I don’t even like coffee. I started jogging in place and doing some jumping jacks to help wake me up. I held up my thumb, signaling that I was good to go. I grinned when I heard the heavy bass-filled beats fill my ears as well as some stick-slapping sounds. The song was filled with synths, which worked for it, surprisingly. I waited until the right cue then let loose.

I don't wanna make a scene. I don't wanna let you down
Tryin' to do my own thing, and I'm starting to figure it out
That it's alright keep it together where ever we go
And it's alright oh well whatever
Everybody needs to know

You might be crazy
Have I told you lately
That I love you
You're the only reason that I'm not afraid to fly
And it's crazy
That someone could change me
Now no matter what it is I have to do
I'm not afraid to try
And you need to know that you're the reason, why…

You’re the Reason or The Reason as Greg calls it, I wrote after my little tiff with Justin back during Christmas. He hasn’t heard it yet but I can’t wait to play it for him to see what his reaction would be. Greg nodded, his silent signal to me to tell me to keep going until he told me to stop. I went over the song a billion times until he thought it was good but I knew that meant I had to come back and do it again. He’d hate it by tomorrow morning, I’ll bet. We worked a bit more on another song of the rock variety, Emergency, before he called me out again. Who knew that two hours had passed in that short span of time? Well, it felt short to me.

“Do you want me to do more?” I asked, pulling my shoes on.

“No, you’re done for the day and there’s someone here who’d like to see you.”

I scrunched up my eyebrows as I watched Liam and Greg grin at each other. You know those smiles where you know that they’re trying to keep something a surprise but they’re doing a crappy job of holding back their excitement. Now, take that smile and make it so bright I feel like I’m standing in front of a car’s headlights. Since they didn’t move I got up to open the door of the studio myself. Geeze, some people. I pulled open the door and stared at the figure in front of me. Is he real? I’m still suffering from jetlag, for all I knew I could be hallucinating. I reached out a finger and poked him in the stomach.

He laughed. “I’m real,” he stated as if reading my mind. “Don’t just stand there, give me a hug.”

“I can’t believe you’re here!” I squealed in happiness. (Yes, squealed, I think I’m entitled to at least one unquestionable girly moment per day). I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist as he hugged me back. As I hugged him I noticed something odd about JC, something that was different. Then it hit me. I could actually feel the muscles in his back moving. Holy hell and hot sauce, since when did he get muscles?

“Wow, it’s only been two weeks and you missed me this much?”

“Yeah, well you better hold onto this happiness,” I said, dropping down to the ground before punching him hard on the arm.

“Oww! What the heck—? Why’d you hit me? I thought you were happy to see me,” JC cried out, rubbing his arm.

“Becauuuseeee you didn’t bother to call me the last two weeks,” I replied, crossing my arms across my chest and tapping my foot.

“It’s not my fault our schedules are different,” he groaned. “I think you left a bruise.”

“You’re a baby.” I rolled my eyes. “Where are the others?”

“Sleeping at the hotel.”

I blinked. “Are we in a parallel universe? Aren’t you usually the one who likes to stay at the hotel and go to sleep?”

“Well, I figured since you hadn’t had breakfast yet I could take you somewhere and you can take the chance to get to know Bobbie,” JC replied, rocking back and forth on his feet. I let out a breath. “Please? You’re the only one she hasn’t gotten a chance to talk to and I want you to like her.”

“Why does my opinion matter? You’re going to date her anyway,” I pointed out.

“Well…I…just…please? Please?”

“JC…”

“Do me this one favor. I’ll owe you.”

“Ok, fine! Stop begging. But I need to take my stuff and Little J and Oreo to the hotel first.”

“Lonnie can do it,” JC said eagerly. “He’s waiting downstairs. Hurry, I can’t wait to hear your experiences and everything.”

“At least you’re excited about this,” I mumbled.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

By the time we got to the little diner in the area I wanted to throw myself out of the taxi. Being trapped in that small car sitting next to the Snuggle Twins would make anyone want to throw themselves out of a moving car into congested traffic, I bet. I don’t know which part was worse: the fact that JC kept talking to her in a baby voice or that she giggled every time he said something in that baby voice. Being stuck with them on the way to the hotel I could deal with, I just needed to get in and make sure my pups were put in the kennel and I didn’t have to deal with them for a while. Being stuck with them on the way to the diner was the worst part. Now, let’s just say when I don’t get my sleep I grow horns.

“Please, baby? Just one kiss,” JC begged.

Bobbie giggled and gently pushed him away by his shoulder. “No, baby, not while she’s here.”

“Just one quick one. Please? Please?”

I made a face and scooted closer to the window, fogging it up with my breath. What is with couples nowadays? They don’t even know how to be apart for five freaking minutes. There’s no way I’ll ever act that stupid when, no if, I ever fall for someone, which is high unlikely. Every guy out there is a jerk or a jackass or selfish in one way or another and I don’t want to deal with it. Not to mention that fact that Ben and my manager says if my career ever takes off jerks and jackasses will be fighting for my attention left and right.

What if my careers take off, then what?  Acting was something I wanted to do while I was little, same as singing, but I’ve kept both of those aspirations hidden as I focused on dancing, not only for myself but for my mom as well, although after a while she did push me to try and do the others as well. After all, there can never be too many kid actors or singers. But what if I had to put my dancing career on the backburner? Choreography was something I’ve always wanted to do first and foremost. I was good at organizing, but what if I was in over my head this time? I shook my head. Multi-tasking is your middle name, I told myself, nodding my head. I flinched and cursed that it had to be so damn cold in January in New York. I don’t think I’d feel as shitty if I actually had some sleep and some time to think and prepare for my upcoming interview. I tried to tell myself that Ben would be right there next to me…but not when I was going to sing. Oh my gosh, what if my voice went out or I forget the lyrics? Well, they’re there for Ben, really since he’s a better and better known actor and I’m just a nobody, but they had to listen to me and watch me as well.

I turned my attention to the tall buildings and the flashing lights as we drove by. Of all of the times I’ve been to New York I hadn’t had a real chance to go sightseeing. I haven’t even seen the Statue of Liberty yet. Ben was going to take me but I got sick so we hung around the hotel instead. It’s funny, I grew up having a crush on him and now he’s like my own dad, if not like another person.

Suddenly, after seeing many woman carrying shopping bags, I had the urge to check out a mall and see if there was anything I wanted. I mean, it was New York but still, I was super picky. I searched for my phone to dial Joey. Maybe he and Lance would want to go to the mall with me. I pressed a button on my speed dial and waited for him to pick up as I listened to the radio. Recognizing a song I asked for the driver to turn it up. “Jam on ‘cause Backstreet’s got it, come on now everybody, we’ve got it goin’ on for years…” I sang under my breath as I waited.

“Hey girly, how was your flight? Did you sleep well?” Joey’s tired voice came on the line.

“Yes I did and thanks,” I said, rubbing my eyes. Yes, I lied, so what, I didn’t want him to worry about me. “Do you want to go to the mall later? I still need to get some dresses for some premieres.”

“Of course! I can’t let you go to a premiere jacked up.”

I clicked my tongue. “Are you insinuating that my fashion sense is bad?”

“No, but you need to be dolled up. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. When and where, babe?”

I laughed and suggested a time before telling him to go back to sleep and I hung up. The cab finally pulled up in front of a diner. JC pushed open the door and held his hand out to Bobbie, helping her out. I slid to the edge of the seat and was about to get out myself when he held out his hand. I squinted at it. He’s just being nice, relax. I grasped his hand and he pulled me out of the cab easily, leaning back in to pay the driver. “I could’ve paid,” I said.

“I asked you out, it’s my treat,” he replied, putting his wallet into his back pocket before taking Bobbie’s hand.

“He asked me out,” I muttered. Don’t look too much into it, he has a girlfriend. I shoved my hands into my pockets and walked with the happy couple into the diner. JC, being the gentleman as always, held open the door for us and chose a place to sit. He chose a booth, which made me happy. I love booths. Something about the cushy seats and how…homey they were made me happy. What can I say, I’m easy to please.

“So what’s been going on?” JC asked as he took a look at the menu. I didn’t need to look at it to know what I wanted: apple cider, a bacon, egg and cheese wrap and some hashbrowns.

“A lot,” I replied, slumping in my seat slightly and adjusting the beanie that was on my head. “Going back and forth between Orlando and New York is a bitch. I flew out today, didn’t get any sleep because of a freaking brat kept kicking my chair and then I went straight to the studio to argue some more.”

“About that genre thing?” JC questioned. I nodded. “What’d they eventually decide?”

“We’re making an EP that’s going to promote the movie and myself,” I replied. “Four songs will go on it, half of them will be pop the other rock so then we can get the audience’s opinion on which genre is better. Whatever has better feedback is the one we’ll go with.”

“So it’s like a contest of sorts?” Bobbie asked, looking up from the menu.

I shrugged. “I guess you can say that.”

“Ok, what’s going on movie wise?” JC asked, draping his arm on the back of the booth, effectively getting Bobbie to snuggle closer to him.

“Ben and I have been doing a lot of interviews, some radio, some by phone, some by press conferences,” I replied, tapping my fingers against the table. “Actually, today we’re going on The Rosie O’Donnell Show  to promote.”

JC’s eyes widened. “Wow, congrats. You must be really excited.”

“The excitement hasn’t set in yet. I’m still in the dream state,” I replied honestly. I knew by the time I set foot in the studio I’d be a blithering mess. “What about you guys? How’s your US promo going? Have you followed the workout regime I set for you guys?”

JC scratched behind his ear. “J and I have, the others not so much.”

“Doesn’t surprise me, they’re probably taking a vacation away from my hard ass.”

“Well, you can be demanding and loud and aggressive and–”

“This is the part where you’re supposed to say despite all that you missed me,” I interrupted him.

He smiled. “You must’ve missed me if you’re trying to get me to admit that I missed you.”

“Gotcha,” I smirked. “And I missed all of your guys. How’d J survive?”

“Pretty well seeing as he called you every day.”

“Annoyed?”

“Let’s just say no one wants to be in the same room as him if he’s missing you.”

I laughed and shook my head as the waitress came over and took our drink orders. I glanced at Bobbie to see that she was looking out the window, bored I guess. Unfortunately the good side of my came out and I reluctantly asked, “What have you been up to, Bobbie?”

“Well, I’ve been with JC for the past couple of days,” she replied, smiling at him. He smiled in return and kissed her cheek. She let out a sigh of content. “Otherwise I’ve been shadowing some people at different magazines to see how they work. I’m lined up to get a pretty big job at a new teen magazine that’s in the works.”

“Oh. What’s it called?”

“J-14,” she replied. “It’s short for Just For Teens. Get it?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “That’s pretty clever. Did you come up with the title?”

“I helped, but it wasn’t necessarily my idea.”

“How long have you been into journalism?”

“A few years, I was a journalism major back in college.” I nodded again and silence fell across the table. JC excused himself to use the bathroom, which didn’t help the silence all that well. “So, um, how do you know the guys?”

I raised an eyebrow. I was sure JC would’ve mentioned that by now. “Well, Justin’s my best friend, I grew up down the street from him. He landed a gig on The Mickey Mouse Club so he moved to Orlando and I moved with him. He met JC there and I met JC through Justin. Throughout the show we met Chris and Joey because we hung out in Disney World at lot and we saw each other through auditions and stuff. When they formed their group they brought Lance in and the rest is history.”

“And Justin got you your choreography job,” Bobbie supplied.

“Preactly,” I replied. She gave me a confused look. “Precisely and exactly. Sorry, I like using portmanteaus.”

“That’s ok.” She laughed a little. “So, you’ve known Josh for a while, huh?” I nodded slowly. Didn’t I just say that? “Did you ever, uh, like-like him?”

“JC!? No.” I shook my head and laughed at the thought. “If anything in the beginning he got on my nerves. He’s so serious all the time and I like to live in the moment and have fun. After a while I got used to it but…no, I never like-liked him.”

“What about Justin?” She looked up and thanked the waitress who put down out drinks.

I paused to take a big gulp of my apple cider. I loved the spicy taste mixed in with the taste of apples. I could feel the drink warming me from my toes up to my head. Now that’s the real way to get warm. “Justin’s my best friend, well more like my brother. We’re too close for me to consider dating him. It’d just be too weird.”

“Or any of them?” I shook my head. “You have to admit they’re good looking.”

“I never really noticed.” Liar. Well, I was starting to notice. I couldn’t help but notice. JC was handsome, Justin was a charmer, Lance had that adorable baby-face, Chris was…mysterious, and Joey had a funny charm to him. It seemed to me that I just started noticing them when I turned sixteen.

Stupid hormones, they bring nothing but trouble.

JC finally came back after complaining about Justin calling him while he was on the toilet and the waitress came to take our orders. Bobbie must’ve finally noticed the flirtatious winks the waitress was throwing at JC because she hooked her arm with his. I yawned and rubbed my eyes in the short time it took for them to make our food and come back. Not many people were in the diner, which didn’t surprise me. I was glad, I’d rather it be empty than full. If I had to pick between going to a fancy restaurant on a date or go to a diner like this I’d pick the diner.

“Have you had to sign any autographs yet?” JC asked between bites of his breakfast which he shared with Bobbie. Geeze, they’re really flaunting their coupleness.

“No. I’ve had to deal with a bunch of girls giving me the stink eye because I’m with Ben, though,” I replied. “I feel it’s close enough, at least people actually acknowledge me as I threat.” I laughed a bit. “All five foot two smallness of me. Yeah, I’m such a threat.”

“You have this confidence about you that makes people threatened, trust me, I’d know,” JC said teasingly.

“JC said you were having trouble deciding on your name. What’s the hard part?” Bobbie asked.

“Well, I don’t know if I want to be known as my full name like Whitney Houston or Michael Jackson or Mariah Carey, you know? People have a hard time pronouncing my last name. I mean, it’s not that hard,” I replied. “Then Liam, my manager, suggested I just go by my first name, kinda like Madonna, but he said it would have to be my full name but I hate my full name. No, I don’t hate it, I just associate it with when I’m in trouble.”

“Why not stage name?” JC asked.

“That’s the other problem, they want to go off of one of my many nicknames but some don’t sound right. We’ve narrowed it down to Mini, Mini D, Smurf, Shorty, and, for some reason, they want me to consider Oreo.” JC laughed and quickly turned it into a cough. “I don’t have to worry about it yet, only when it goes into mastering.”

“Mini D has a ring to it,” Bobbie said. “Let me guess, the ‘mini’ is because you’re small and the d from your last name?”

“Yeah, Justin wasn’t original,” I replied with an eye roll.

“Have you met with any rumors yet? Been in any magazines?”

“One up in Canada,” I replied and then faltered. I forgot that JC had asked her to leave all because of me. Bobbie waved her hand dismissing my thought as if reading my mind. “Remember the day my appendix ruptured?” I asked JC.

“Do I. Chris called the house all frantic. We just thought they didn’t have his favorite candy there or something,” JC replied.

I laughed at the image. Chris wasn’t one to care about the important things. “Anyway, two days later I picked up this daily teen newspaper thing that Momma brought home. On page…four, their version of Page Six, there was this thing saying that Nick and I were shopping for groceries for our house or something.” I rolled my eyes. “See, they were fans of the Backstreet Boys before the US really so they noticed big time when he was there. Naturally they thought we were dating.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why aren’t you dating?” Bobbie asked. “I mean, you’re cute and you’re fun so…” Was she being honest or was she trying to get on my good side?

“I’ve been wondering that myself. I mean I know some guys who would–” JC started.

“Hold the phone, Operator,” I interrupted him. “For one, I don’t like blind dates. Been on a couple, each ended in disaster. But they were people Trace knew so I should’ve seen that coming. And another, I have too much to deal with right now to even consider dating.”

“We just want to see you happy,” JC said.

“I am happy.” And maybe if I say that enough I’ll believe myself.