Natalie and Jc had only shared one dance, because his mother had cut in, which was totally understandable. She'd simply thanked Jc for the dance and stood off in the corner, watching the couples on the dance floor, envying each of them.

A deep sigh arose in Natalie's throat and it escaped her lips, loudly. She turned quickly toward the bathrooms but was instead met with the body of someone.

After the initial shock of running into somebody, she looked up and began apologizing. "I'm sorry. I wasn't even looking where I was going." She was shocked, afterward, to see that it was Justin whom she'd been so clumsy toward.

He chuckled. "You can make it up to me by dancing with me. I saw you and Jc dancing and it seems you're pretty good."

Natalie had been hoping he'd ask her since she'd gotten there to see what the big deal about Justin Timberlake really was, and as quickly as the moment came, it was taken from her grasp.

A pretty blonde girl poked Justin's shoulder, and he turned around in response.

"Hey. Um, this is like my favorite song, so do you maybe want to dance with me?" She asked him, flipping her hair and batting her eyelashes. Natalie became immediately jealous of this beauty and wished she were a 17 year old beauty queen. It wasn't that Natalie hadn't been popular in high school. In fact, she'd been senior class president and she'd been nominated for homecoming queen, but hadn't won. It was just, all her life, every time she found someone she liked, or was attracted to, someone stole him from her, and she was sick of it.

Justin turned around, smiling at Natalie apologetically. "Maybe I'll catch you later?"

She gave him a tiny smile and nodded her head. "Yeah, sure. Have fun."

Before grabbing the girl’s hand, Justin leaned in closely. His breath warm on her ear, he whispered. "Meet me at 10 by the door and I'll make sure we get a dance in." Pulling away, he flashed her one of his dreamy smiles, making her heart melt immediately.

She smiled again, turning the opposite way which Justin was walking, heading back to the table where Lance, Chris, Wade, and Laura were sitting.

Lance stood at Natalie's arrival and smiled. "Hey. Just the person I was looking for."

"Me?" She asked.

He nodded in reassurance. "Yup. I already asked Laura here to dance with me, but she's limited herself to only Wade. Or should I say Wade has limited her to only him." He threw a grin at Wade quickly before looking back at Natalie. "So what do you say?"

She shrugged, and then nodded her head. "Sure I'll dance with you." The music was now faster, and up-tempo, something Natalie could actually dance to. "Just a second." She slipped her tall shoes off her panty-hosed feet and smiled up at him. "Okay."

"Wow, you're short." Laura exclaimed.

Natalie stuck her tongue out. "I don't need reminded."

"Just thought I'd let you know, incase you didn't know already."

Lance pulled Natalie away before she could say anything and Laura laughed. "So.. What now boys?"

Chris was clueless. "I already answered like a million questions from reporters. I’m ready to go, but I have to stay until most of the guests leave."

"Prissy Chrissy, you haven't danced once. Wadey, can I take him?"

Wade laughed. "I don't see any harm in dancing with Chris. He's no competition."

Laura raised her eyebrows. "And what would he be competing for anyways?"

Wade flashed her a toothy grin and patted her shoulder. "Nothing. Go have fun."

"Thank you!"

Wade shook his head as he watched Laura go off with Chris to go dancing. JC then sat down at the table and sighed. "You know, these parties are alright and all, but not exactly something I like to do as much as we do, I'd rather be sleeping at this time of night."

Wade raised an eyebrow. "It's not that late JC."

"I know, but you know me."

"I know, I know, sleep sleep sleep."

JC smiled and looked at Natalie in the middle of the dance floor with Lance. "She's really in for it, isn't she?"

Wade tilted his head slightly. "Who?"

"Oh, you know, Natalie..."

Wade nodded his head slowly. "OOOOHHH, yah man, she's in for it... " He paused for a second. "In for what?"

JC shook his head. "Come on, you have to admit, she's attractive, she's young, she's going on tour with us, she's doing our hair, there are some single people on board, don't you get it?"

"Uh. Not really, the only people that are really available are Lance, Justin and you."

JC rolled his eyes. "You're single, you forgot that, but anyways--"

"Huh?"

"You are, aren't you?"

Wade shook his head quickly to try to get a grasp of reality. "Oh, yeah, yeah, sorry, anyways.."

JC gave Wade a curious look. "Um, right, unless you are thinking about taking--"

Wade interrupted quickly. "I'm single."

JC sighed quietly. "Alright, well, we'll just count you out of this part since someone seems undecided."

"I'm not undecided, I'm available and looking, sort of, I don't know if I want a girlfriend, she wouldn't be able to see me much."

JC smiled and said to himself. "Which is exactly why Laura would be perfect in these circumstances."

Wade leaned in closer. "What did you say? I couldn't hear you with the crowd and all."

"I didn't say a word."

"Sure.."

JC hmphed quietly. "Alright, anyways, you know Justin, he's eager for women, he thinks she's cute, I know he does, I'm not stupid, and Chris, well, he just needs someone like him, and I don't think him and Natalie are much a like."

"Why are we talking about Natalie's so called future relationship with one of the guys?"

"Cuz it will happen."

"How do you know?"

"I just do, I'm smart like that..."

Wade mumbled under his breath. "You're smarter when you're sleeping and can't talk to anyone."

"Huh?"

"Not a word." Wade stood up. "I'm going to go get a drink or something, have fun by your lonesome."

"I always do."

Laura came back to the table after only one dance with Chris and she sat down by JC. "Has he ever danced before?"

JC's forehead furrowed. "Uh, yah."

"Man, he was stepping on my feet like crazy." She reached down under the table to her feet and smiled. "Don't mind if I take my shoes off for a minute."

"Um, sure thing."

After removing her shoes, Laura sat back up and yawned. "Where's Wade?"

"He said he was going to go get a drink or something, and he'll be back soon."

"Oh."

JC cracked his neck and then sat up straight. "I've been meaning to do that, oh well, so, tell me about what you’ve been up to lately, since Wade is finally going to be gone for a long enough time that you can actually talk to me."

"But."

"No buts in this one sweetie, there are no excuses this time."

Laura snapped her fingers. "Damn. I don’t know. You probably know more of what I’v been up to than myself.."

“All right, I’ll leave you alone there. So, you're coming with us on tour?"

Laura sighed and nodded her head. "Yah, I guess, if that's ok and all."

JC nodded his head up and down slowly. "Of course it is, Wade asked a long time ago and he's been telling us how much he wants you to come."

"I don't get him sometimes."

"Do you have school or a boyfriend at home that you might want to stay home for?"

Laura shook her head. "Well, as you know, I'm out of high school, finally, the damn hell hole, pardon my language, but college is a thing that I definitely want to do."

"So what are you going to do?"

Laura turned so she was looking straight into JC's eyes. "Here's the thing, I plan on going to school somewhere up north, I want to go to a good school, and there are plenty around here, but not quite what I'm looking for right now. I talked to some colleges, and they accepted me, but I'd be away from home for a while, because I really wasn't fond of the idea of constantly flying, so I wanted to stay home one year, save up some money possibly and just relax with family and so on, but lately I've been looking at the schools in Orlando and around this area, and I think I might just stay."

"So, is there any one around here worth staying here for?"

Laura shrugged slightly. "You’re being nosey.I don't know, with staying here for the year, I lost some high school friends, well, a lot of them, considering the stuff I've been doing lately, but I've gained a few, my family lives here now, I don’t' know why they moved here, but that was their decision, but most of my stuff is still in California."

JC nodded his head in an understanding manner. "It's kind of hard to believe you and Wade are still best friends."

"Why is that?"

"Well, he’s been real busy lately, and he obviously hasn’t had that much time lately.?"

Laura sighed. “Oh well, I’ll get over it, no big deal, if he wants to get rid of me, then he will.”

JC grinned. Why weren’t she and Wade together? Laura seemed to be fine with every question. “So any relationships?”

“You’ve asked that a million times now JC.”

JC took a sip of the drink he had and then set it down. "I know, and you still didn’t answer me. I'm sorry, I'm just nosey, my next target is Natalie, find out as much as I can like I do with everyone."

"Well, I'm not with anyone anymore, it was a nasty relationship, but that's nothing out of the usual. We were together for a while, but about a month ago, we broke up due to something’s that just aren't even worth talking about anymore these days, I tell ya, me and my wonderful luck with guys, when I actually care to be with one, I screw up. I never really told you guys about that."

JC coughed and said a few words under his breath. "Ahem, there's a nice choice named Wade..."

Laura looked at JC and raised an eyebrow. "What about Wade?"

"Nothing, other than maybe you and well, him should get together--"

"Don't even bother, several people have said that and quite frankly, I don't really understand why, we aren't anything a like, nothing like that would work and I know for sure that neither of us want that."

"You know what they say, opposites attract..."

Laura shook her head. "Well, ok, we're a lot a like in some ways, so I guess we wouldn't be good for each other anyways..."

JC grinned. "Well, since you are a like a lot, you will have a lot of things to do and to talk about and also, even though since you're a like, there will be fights, and so on, you never know, the differences may pull you out, and there are other aspects that could pull you out."

"Ok match maker, or Miss Cleo, or WHOEVER you are, I don't appreciate you trying to do this to me..."

"Why not?"

When Laura didn't say a word, JC knew. He knew he was right, there really wasn't a reason for them to have a relationship more than friends going on, and that was what JC wanted, to be right. He almost always was right, and when he wasn't, it wasn't a big deal.

Laura shrugged. "Well, just drop it... that would be the safest thing to do..."

JC sat in silence for a moment before coming out with an idea of his that he'd been thinking about all day. "You know what?"

"What?"

"Natalie..."

Laura shook her head and moved her hand as a signal for him to continue with whatever he was going to say to her. "And...?"

JC rolled his eyes. "She is gonna hook up with someone on this tour, and I know it, I can see it right now, I just don't know who."

Laura grinned evilly. "Want to make a bet?"

"Ugh, sure... what kind of bet first."

Laura cleared her throat, sat up straight and started to lie out everything. "Ahem, ok, it's not that big of a thing, but do you want to make a bet that Natalie will definitely hook up with someone?"

"I guess, there's no harm in that."

Laura put a finger up. "Wait, there's a little more, like, you think she is going to hook up with so and so, and I think she will hook up with someone else, you know, that type of thing."

JC put a finger to his lips. "I don't know."

"Think about it, look at how Lance and Natalie have been lately, I know Lance just got out of a relationship and all, well, I think that's what Wade said, but any who, he's free, you're free, and so is Justin. Well, unless Justin is having a secret thing going on with Britney the--"

"Don't say anything about her."

Laura giggled a little. "No, that's alright, Britney is a nice girl, I think.. but anyways, what do you say?"

"This is going to be a lot of trouble."

"It was your idea..."

JC gave Laura a shocked look. "Huh? I don’t' think so."

"Ok, so it was MY brilliant idea, but you get the point, so who do you think?"

JC pondered the question for a while and analyzed everything. There was no way he'd hook up with her, he felt that would be too much conflict, considering he dated the lady who worked with their clothing and such a while ago. He felt that Justin was too much of an all around partially lady's man. JC knew that Justin wouldn't be good enough for Natalie, she didn't seem dumb enough to fall for Justin. Then there was Lance. They already hit it off great and seemed to get along, but of course, Natalie was knew around the gang, and she probably wasn't being herself around everyone yet. "Lance, I pick him."

Laura grinned evilly. "I pick..."

JC closed his eyes thinking 'don't pick me, don't pick me' He thought Natalie was very attractive, but he knew that if Laura picked him, she would try to hook them up and that would screw up everything.

"I pick Justin."

For once in his life, Justin's name being mentioned was a sign of relief. JC sighed happily and shook her hand. "It's on girl, you're going down."

"Sure I am.."

JC looked at the dance floor almost everyone was on and he smiled at Laura. "Want to dance?"

"Ugh sure, Wade will get over it... I should probably tell him first why no one would be at the table."

Chris started walking towards the pair with a few people and JC smiled at Laura. "Well, Chris will be here, no need to fear. Come on, let's go."

"Oh that's comforting. You know how we all trust Chris SO much."

"Let's just go, I've been waiting to dance for a while..."

Laura let JC help her up and drag her onto the dance floor. When they found a spot, Laura grinned evilly. "You know, I'm going to win that damn bet."

"Sure you are..."

"Don’t count your chickens before they hatch JC. I never lose when I’m determined, and when I’m determined, I never lose."

JC looked at Natalie who was dancing with Joey and then he looked back at Laura. "You know, we made the bet and all, but what's the winner gonna get and what's the loser going to have to do?"

Laura smiled and nodded her head. "True, true, ok, you have to sleep with a fan that you've only known for a minute.."

JC's eyes widened. "For one, NO, and for two, how would you know I would have done it?"

"I have my ways."

"Only if you sleep with a bum... or Wade."

Laura shook her head. "I have some morals you know, I'm not completely insane."

"Come on, it would be fun..."

Laura nodded. "Which is why I wouldn't lose, but any who, what should we do about this bet? What would you do if you lost?"

JC shrugged as they continued to dance. "I don't know, I'll get back to you on it soon."

"This'll be fun."

Then there was a tap on Laura's shoulder. She let go of JC and turned around. She grinned brightly. "Hey Wade..."

Wade shook his head slowly. "What will be fun?"

Chapter Four

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