Chapter 4c

Inner Reflection | home

*This is my last chance,* Lance thought the next morning. After the movie, the group had gone straight back to the hotel and collapsed in their beds. Even JC had gone straight to bed, so Lance didn't get a chance to talk to him. *Last day. PLEASE let something happen!* A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.

"Morning, Chris," Lance said to the man standing on the other side of his door.

"Lance, what's going on?" Chris demanded.

"Why are you acting so weird?"

"How am I acting weird?" Lance asked, trying to keep his voice steady. Could Chris know about... no, there was no way he could know. Lance had been too careful. Chris wasn't observant enough to have noticed anything, anyway. Then again, he *was* the only one observant enough to notice Lance was acting strangely. Lance started to get a funny feeling in his stomach.

"You're pulling away from us," Chris started, pushing his way into the room and closing the door behind him. "You used to go out with us all the time, but now it seems that the only person you can stand to be around is JC. Have we done something wrong?"

"No, Chris!" Lance exclaimed, shocked that his friends felt this way. "I honestly don't mean to shut you guys out..."

"Don't ask me that," Lance pleaded. "I don't want to talk about this." Lance sighed in relief as Chris paused, appearing to think. His relief was shattered moments later.

"Just answer the question."

"Please don't make me."

"You are, aren't you? You're scared we'll reject you." Realizing that Chris already knew the truth, Lance could only nod miserably. Chris surprised him by pulling him into a hug.

"We could never hate you, Scoop. We all love you."

"Thanks, Chris," Lance said softly.

"What else is bothering you?"

"Can we just leave it there, please? I'm not ready to talk about the rest," Lance pleaded. Chris made a face, but he nodded in understanding.

"Whatever you want. I'm always here for you to talk to though, you realize that?"

"You really should tell the others, Lance."

"NO!" Even Lance was shocked at the tone of his voice. He wasn't usually so forceful! However, telling your five best friend that you're gay isn't your every-day, run-of-the-mill conversation. Chris hugged Lance once again.

"K, Take your time on this. You'll have to tell them sooner or later, anyway. Now, get dressed. You and me are going to do some bonding." Lance grinned and headed for his suitcase. Chris wasn't JC, but he was a lot more fun sometimes! He and Chris decided to go rollerblading in a nearby park. JC *never* would have thought to go rollerblading! Lance grinned to himself and allowed Chris to lead him out of their hotel room.

Three hours later, Chris and Lance came back from their impromptu bonding time to find a roomful of angry band members.

"Uh-oh," Chris said, echoing Lance's thoughts.

"Where have you guys been?" Justin demanded, his face furious.

"We went out for a while," Lance replied.

"Why didn't you leave a note? We've been worried SICK!"

"Justin!" JC suddenly yelled. "That's enough!"

"Sorry," Justin said, not sounding sorry at all.

"We honestly forgot to leave a note," Chris told them. "We were kinda... preoccupied when we left this morning."

"Why?" Joey wanted to know.

"Never mind," Lance said, causing Chris to give him a strange look. Lance returned the look, silently begging Chris to keep his mouth shut.

"Lance, this is getting old," Justin sighed. "Why are you running away from us?"

"I'm not running away!" Lance protested. "I'm not very open at the best of times, so why are you all on my case for this?"

"You're quieter than normal," JC started.

"You don't tease us like you used to," Joey continued.

"You went out with *Chris*," Justin said.

"And you really need to talk to us," Chris finished, joining in the ganging-up-on-Lance-fest.

"Chris, you KNOW why," Lance said, looking at the floor. "Please just leave me alone."

"Wait a minute!" JC called. "Why does Chris know something the rest of us don't?"

"Shit," Chris muttered under his breath. Lance glared at both Chris and JC.

"Because he was *there*, OK? NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" Lance ran into his own room and locked the door behind him, fighting tears. There was no way he was going to win Josh's love now! Especially since he had about twelve hours left to do so. So he lay on his bed and cried, and cried, and cried, until he finally fell asleep.

"Lance?" Joey called as he knocked on Lance's door. It was almost eleven o'clock at night, and the others were planning on going to a club. Lance had been locked in his room all day, refusing to answer the door for any of them. The others were really getting worried, and Chris wasn't talking about what was bugging Lance.

"What?" Lance called back groggily. Joey's knocking had woken him up from his tear-induced sleep.

"You wanna come clubbing with us?"

"No, thanks. I'm really tired right now."

"I'm worried about you, Scoop," Joey said slowly. "Is anything wrong?"

"No, I just need some alone time."

"K. See you when we get back." Joey's footsteps receeded down the hall and Lance cursed himself, realizing what he had just done.

"SHIT!" he screamed. Tonight was his final night to get JC to admit his love, and he had just blown it because he was depressed. He hurridly got up and showered. Ten minutes later, he was ready. He ran out of the room and knocked on Joey's door. No answer. One of the bodyguards spotted him and came over.

"They left about two minutes ago," he said. Lance's heart fell.

"Where did they go?"

"Clubbing, I think."

"WHICH CLUB?" Lance was yelling, but he needed to know!

"They didn't tell me," the bodyguard said, looking at Lance oddly. "Why?"

"I need to find them!" Lance ran for the stairs and charged down them as fast as he could, but when he reached the lobby, all he saw was an old couple checking for messages at the desk.

"Can I help you?" a hotel worker asked.

"Did the rest of my group come by here?" Lance gasped out. The worker nodded.

"About a minute ago. I think they were going to a club."

"Thank you!" Lance's bodyguard caught up to him before he could take off.

"Woah! You're not going anywhere, James."

"I *need* to get to them," Lance pleaded. "Come on, I know where they went!"

"Fine," the large black man sighed. "I'm putting my job on the line for you here."

"I appreciate it, really! LET'S GO!" The two of them reached Le Rendezvous in record time, and Lance quickly spotted Justin's curly hair on the dance floor, cutting it up with a cute redhead. "Thank God," Lance muttered.

"Lance!" Joey called as he saw Lance approach the table where he and JC sat, watching Chris and Justin tear up the dance floor. "You changed your mind?"

"How are you feeling?" JC asked, putting a hand on Lance's back. Lance closed his eyes and sighed.

"Not as tired as I was."

"Want something?" JC leaned in closer and for a moment, Lance thought that JC would kiss him, but JC didn't. Lance sighed again, this time in disappointment. How on earth was he going to do this? He discreetly checked his watch-- 11:30. He had half an hour to go. He watched Justin and Chris for a while before finally working up his nerve.

"Josh, can I talk to you?" Lance asked. JC nodded and stood up. The two of them walked outside to where they would have a little more privacy.

"Josh, please say something other than 'oh'," Lance pleaded.

"What do you want me to say?"

"That you still love me?"

"I *do* love you, Scoop," JC said slowly. "I just never expected you to tell me that you're gay."

"It's not important."

"JC, you're not making any sense."

"You love somebody else."

"I've seen the way you look at Chris. And then when you two went out this morning..."

"Don't lie to me, Lance."

"Joshua, I swear! There is *nothing* going on between me and Chris. Have I ever lied to you before?" Lance asked, seeing JC was unconvinced.

"Then please believe me! I don't love Chris."

"Then who *do* you love?" JC asked. Lance opened his mouth to answer, but his attention was caught by the figure of a woman who stood about five feet away-- the Voodoo Queen. Lance checked his watch again. 11:59.

"You, Josh. I love you." JC's mouth dropped open and his face lit up.

"It's always been you."

"Time's up," the Voodoo Queen interrupted. Lance checked his watch again. 12:00:01. His heart sank. His three days were now up.


	Inner Reflection \| home back to The Eyes of the Cat Chapter 4c Day Three ******************* This is my last chance, Lance thought the next morning. After the movie, the group had gone straight back to the hotel and collapsed in their beds. Even JC had gone straight to bed, so Lance didn't get a chance to talk to him. Last day. PLEASE let something happen! A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. "Morning, Chris," Lance said to the man standing on the other side of his door. "Lance, what's going on?" Chris demanded. "What?" "Why are you acting so weird?" "How am I acting weird?" Lance asked, trying to keep his voice steady. Could Chris know about... no, there was no way he could know. Lance had been too careful. Chris wasn't observant enough to have noticed anything, anyway. Then again, he was the only one observant enough to notice Lance was acting strangely. Lance started to get a funny feeling in his stomach. "You're pulling away from us," Chris started, pushing his way into the room and closing the door behind him. "You used to go out with us all the time, but now it seems that the only person you can stand to be around is JC. Have we done something wrong?" "No, Chris!" Lance exclaimed, shocked that his friends felt this way. "I honestly don't mean to shut you guys out..." "Why are you?" "Don't ask me that," Lance pleaded. "I don't want to talk about this." Lance sighed in relief as Chris paused, appearing to think. His relief was shattered moments later. "Are you gay?" "WHAT?" "Just answer the question." "Please don't make me." "You are, aren't you? You're scared we'll reject you." Realizing that Chris already knew the truth, Lance could only nod miserably. Chris surprised him by pulling him into a hug. "We could never hate you, Scoop. We all love you." "Thanks, Chris," Lance said softly. "What else is bothering you?" "Can we just leave it there, please? I'm not ready to talk about the rest," Lance pleaded. Chris made a face, but he nodded in understanding. "Whatever you want. I'm always here for you to talk to though, you realize that?" "Thanks." "You really should tell the others, Lance." "NO!" Even Lance was shocked at the tone of his voice. He wasn't usually so forceful! However, telling your five best friend that you're gay isn't your every-day, run-of-the-mill conversation. Chris hugged Lance once again. "K, Take your time on this. You'll have to tell them sooner or later, anyway. Now, get dressed. You and me are going to do some bonding." Lance grinned and headed for his suitcase. Chris wasn't JC, but he was a lot more fun sometimes! He and Chris decided to go rollerblading in a nearby park. JC never would have thought to go rollerblading! Lance grinned to himself and allowed Chris to lead him out of their hotel room. ***** Three hours later, Chris and Lance came back from their impromptu bonding time to find a roomful of angry band members. "Uh-oh," Chris said, echoing Lance's thoughts. "Where have you guys been?" Justin demanded, his face furious. "We went out for a while," Lance replied. "Why didn't you leave a note? We've been worried SICK!" "We forgot." "FORGOT!" "Justin!" JC suddenly yelled. "That's enough!" "Sorry," Justin said, not sounding sorry at all. "We honestly forgot to leave a note," Chris told them. "We were kinda... preoccupied when we left this morning." "Why?" Joey wanted to know. "Never mind," Lance said, causing Chris to give him a strange look. Lance returned the look, silently begging Chris to keep his mouth shut. "Lance, this is getting old," Justin sighed. "Why are you running away from us?" "I'm not running away!" Lance protested. "I'm not very open at the best of times, so why are you all on my case for this?" "You're quieter than normal," JC started. "You don't tease us like you used to," Joey continued. "You went out with Chris," Justin said. "And you really need to talk to us," Chris finished, joining in the ganging-up-on-Lance-fest. "Chris, you KNOW why," Lance said, looking at the floor. "Please just leave me alone." "Wait a minute!" JC called. "Why does Chris know something the rest of us don't?" "Shit," Chris muttered under his breath. Lance glared at both Chris and JC. "Because he was there, OK? NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" Lance ran into his own room and locked the door behind him, fighting tears. There was no way he was going to win Josh's love now! Especially since he had about twelve hours left to do so. So he lay on his bed and cried, and cried, and cried, until he finally fell asleep. ***** "Lance?" Joey called as he knocked on Lance's door. It was almost eleven o'clock at night, and the others were planning on going to a club. Lance had been locked in his room all day, refusing to answer the door for any of them. The others were really getting worried, and Chris wasn't talking about what was bugging Lance. "What?" Lance called back groggily. Joey's knocking had woken him up from his tear-induced sleep. "You wanna come clubbing with us?" "No, thanks. I'm really tired right now." "I'm worried about you, Scoop," Joey said slowly. "Is anything wrong?" "No, I just need some alone time." "K. See you when we get back." Joey's footsteps receeded down the hall and Lance cursed himself, realizing what he had just done. "SHIT!" he screamed. Tonight was his final night to get JC to admit his love, and he had just blown it because he was depressed. He hurridly got up and showered. Ten minutes later, he was ready. He ran out of the room and knocked on Joey's door. No answer. One of the bodyguards spotted him and came over. "They left about two minutes ago," he said. Lance's heart fell. "Where did they go?" "Clubbing, I think." "WHICH CLUB?" Lance was yelling, but he needed to know! "They didn't tell me," the bodyguard said, looking at Lance oddly. "Why?" "I need to find them!" Lance ran for the stairs and charged down them as fast as he could, but when he reached the lobby, all he saw was an old couple checking for messages at the desk. "Can I help you?" a hotel worker asked. "Did the rest of my group come by here?" Lance gasped out. The worker nodded. "About a minute ago. I think they were going to a club." "Which one?" "Le Rendezvous?" "Thank you!" Lance's bodyguard caught up to him before he could take off. "Woah! You're not going anywhere, James." "I need to get to them," Lance pleaded. "Come on, I know where they went!" "Fine," the large black man sighed. "I'm putting my job on the line for you here." "I appreciate it, really! LET'S GO!" The two of them reached Le Rendezvous in record time, and Lance quickly spotted Justin's curly hair on the dance floor, cutting it up with a cute redhead. "Thank God," Lance muttered. "Lance!" Joey called as he saw Lance approach the table where he and JC sat, watching Chris and Justin tear up the dance floor. "You changed your mind?" "Yeah." "How are you feeling?" JC asked, putting a hand on Lance's back. Lance closed his eyes and sighed. "Not as tired as I was." "Want something?" JC leaned in closer and for a moment, Lance thought that JC would kiss him, but JC didn't. Lance sighed again, this time in disappointment. How on earth was he going to do this? He discreetly checked his watch-- 11:30. He had half an hour to go. He watched Justin and Chris for a while before finally working up his nerve. "Josh, can I talk to you?" Lance asked. JC nodded and stood up. The two of them walked outside to where they would have a little more privacy. "What's up?" "I'm gay." "You're what?" "Gay." "Oh." "Josh, please say something other than 'oh'," Lance pleaded. "What do you want me to say?" "That you still love me?" "I do love you, Scoop," JC said slowly. "I just never expected you to tell me that you're gay." "Why not?" "It's not important." "JC, you're not making any sense." "You love somebody else." "Excuse me?" "I've seen the way you look at Chris. And then when you two went out this morning..." "WHAT?" "Don't lie to me, Lance." "Joshua, I swear! There is nothing going on between me and Chris. Have I ever lied to you before?" Lance asked, seeing JC was unconvinced. "Well, no..." "Then please believe me! I don't love Chris." "Then who do you love?" JC asked. Lance opened his mouth to answer, but his attention was caught by the figure of a woman who stood about five feet away-- the Voodoo Queen. Lance checked his watch again. 11:59. "You, Josh. I love you." JC's mouth dropped open and his face lit up. "Lance..." "It's always been you." "Lance, I lo-" "Time's up," the Voodoo Queen interrupted. Lance checked his watch again. 12:00:01. His heart sank. His three days were now up.