Chapter 17

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A SENSE OF CURIOSITY IS NATURE'S ORIGINAL SCHOOL OF EDUCATION.

*SMILEY BLANTON, MD LOVE OR PERISH

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - CURIOSITY

“Hey Lance, truth or dare?”

Lance rolled his head to look at Justin. They were on the bus, pulling away from the venue, and Justin was sitting at the table, grinning. Lance groaned as he closed his eyes and turned away from him.

“Hey, that's JC's game,” Joey said from his place in the kitchen. He was standing in front of the refrigerator, looking for a bottle of water.

JC spoke up from his place on the other couch, where he was looking out the windows at the fans, “Yeah, and even I never play it unless we're drinking.”

“Look what happened last time we played that, Justin,” Chris said, coming out of the bathroom, “Joey outed Lance and nothing's been the same since.”

JC cursed under his breath and closed his eyes. Chris wasn't even being subtle with his digs anymore. JC opened his eyes and spotted Lance's reflection in the dark window of the bus. He was looking at him with a sad expression on his face. JC took that opportunity to watch Lance without being detected. His hair was spiky, but somewhat flat, a result of the show they just put on. He was wearing a white wifebeater, as they all were since that was underneath their costumes for the show. His arms were crossed over his chest, but as he looked at the back of JC's head, he sighed and moved one hand to play with the bottom of his shirt. JC felt a pang of remorse go through him as he watched.

But what was he going to do? He couldn't talk to Justin about his problem, he wasn't the type of person JC would go to about something like this. Yet Justin seemed to be the only one who noticed something was wrong with him. He was the only one who would constantly ask if everything was okay. Sure, Joey and Chris were concerned after his breakup with Bobbi, but that was natural. Neither one of them had noticed he had become slightly withdrawn, not speaking as much as he used to, spending more and more time in his bunk when they were stuck on the bus.

Lance knew, JC was sure. He would catch Lance watching him, glancing at him when he thought JC wasn't paying attention. Although, even JC had to admit, he was paying a lot more attention to Lance recently.

“Come on, guys,” Justin pleaded, “we don't have to drink to play!”

Lance turned his gaze away from JC to look at Justin. “Fine. Dare.”

Justin's face dropped. “You never say dare,” he accused, “you always say truth!”

The guys laughed, “You know Justin,” Lance said, “you can just ask me whatever you want to know. We don't have to play a game.”

Justin bit his lip as he thought about that. He played with a pen that was lying on the counter, rolling it between his fingers. “Okay,” he said. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at Lance. “What's it like to kiss a guy?”

JC whipped his head from the window to stare wide-eyed at Justin. Joey and Chris started laughing, and Lance blushed slightly.

“Is there something you want to tell us, Justin?” Chris teased him.

Moving next to him, Joey put an arm around his shoulders, “Thinking about playing for the other team?” he asked.

Justin angrily pushed Joey away and stood up, “Nevermind. I'm going to take a shower.”

“I don't know,” Lance said quietly.

Justin stopped in the doorway of the bathroom and turned to Lance. Chris and Joey's laughter died down and they stopped their antics to look at Lance. JC turned his eyes downward, not wanting to show how much he wanted to hear all about this subject.

“What?” Justin asked, coming back to sit next to Lance, “you don't know?”

Lance shrugged, “I never kissed a guy,” he admitted.

Justin's mouth dropped open, “But you're gay!”

Lance laughed, “I know that, Justin. But, I've never been with anyone.” He took a deep breath, “Look, I know you guys found out about this kind of suddenly, but so did I!” He ran a hand through his hair and met Justin's eyes. “Remember that night when you found out?” Justin nodded and Lance continued, “You accused me of keeping this from you, you were pissed that I didn't tell you sooner.” Lance shrugged, “I didn't know sooner, Justin. I just realized that I had these feelings not long before that.”

Justin didn't respond and Joey spoke to him, “We know you were pissed that night, Justin. We know you felt hurt that Lance didn't tell you, but if you want to know the truth, he didn't tell me, either.” Everyone looked at him in surprise, “I figured it out.”

Chris laughed, “Yeah right, Joe, you're a regular Dick Tracy.”

“He did,” Lance said. “Come on, do you really think I would have told Joey first?” His gaze flickered over and he briefly met JC's eyes before JC looked away.

“Well, how did you find out?” Justin asked Joey.

Lance looked at Joey and he could see the pleading look in his green eyes. Lance didn't want Joey to go into a lot of detail, and this time, Joey was going to respect his wishes. “We were at a club one night, and I just put the pieces together. Lance was miserable, and I saw him watching some guy, and I confronted him about it.”

Chris bounded over to the seat next to Lance, “Ooh, who were you watching? Was it me? Do I turn you on?” He sat in Lance's lap and played with his hair.

Lance laughed loudly and pushed him away, “No, it wasn't you.”

Justin held up his hands, “Wait a minute, here.” Chris stopped moving on Lance and Lance pushed him to the floor. “How do you know you're gay if you've never kissed a guy? Isn't that kind of a prerequisite?”

Lance blushed and looked at the ground, “Trust me, Justin, I know.”

“How?” he persisted.

Joey grinned, “Are you sure you want to hear about this, J? He may start telling you his fantasies, can you handle that?”

Justin rolled his eyes and turned back to Lance, “Okay, don't tell me any fantasies, just tell me how you're so damn sure you like guys.”

Lance looked down at his hands. He felt the weight of his friends' eyes on him, and he was afraid if he looked up, he'd look right into JC's big blue eyes, and everything would be over. He knew JC was paying attention to the conversation, even if he wasn't participating in it. He had stopped looking out the window and concentrated on the guys in the bus. He wasn't fidgeting, he was sitting perfectly still, pretending to be preoccupied with a lose thread on his pants, but Lance knew that was just a front. The real question was: why was JC so damn interested in this now when for the past few weeks, he couldn't have cared less?

“I just know, Justin. Trust me. I'm attracted to guys,” he looked down at Chris, “no, not you.” Chris pouted and he smiled at him. “Look, you don't want to hear about this, so I'm not going to go into details. Just believe me when I say that I find guys, one in particular, to be attractive. And even though I haven't kissed a guy, I just know that I want to. And I just know that it will be perfect.”

Joey glanced at JC who was sitting quietly on the couch, his gaze on Lance, his eyes slightly narrowed. He was biting his lower lip as if he was in deep thought. As Lance answered Justin, he smiled slightly and nodded. Joey felt his own mouth pull into a smile as he watched. Maybe there was hope after all.

“Okay, Justin,” Joey said, “your turn. Truth or dare?”

Justin groaned, “I thought we weren't playing that.”

Joey shrugged, “Fine. Then I have a question for you.” Justin opened his arms, telling Joey to go ahead. “Okay. So, we all know how you reacted when you found out Lance was gay.” He grinned slyly, “What if another one of us were gay? How would you deal with that?” He grinned at Lance, who looked at him sharply. Looking away, he met JC's gaze.

JC sucked in a breath when Joey asked his question. Does he know? He couldn't. But he figured out when Lance was gay, maybe he just knew certain things. He met Joey's gaze and was horrified when Joey gave him a slight nod and a wink.

JC turned to look out the window again, both dreading and anticipating Justin's response.

“You got something you want to tell us, Fatone?” Chris asked again, grinning.

Joey shook his head. “Nope. Not me.” He shrugged, “I'm just curious, that's all. I mean, sooner or later, Lance is going to have a boyfriend, and I was just wondering how Justin was going to react.”

Justin shrugged, “I don't know. I mean, I guess I would be okay. It would be weird to have two gay guys in the group, but hey, maybe then Lance could get some!”

Lance blushed and groaned, “God, Justin.”

Justin grinned, “You could! Then you can tell me what it's like to kiss a guy!”

Lance looked up at Justin, a sly grin on his face. “Well, Justin, how about this? How about me and you kiss, then both of us will know what it's like.”

Justin stopped his laughing to look at Lance. His eyes grew wide, “what? You want to kiss me?”

Lance shrugged, “Well, you wouldn't be my first choice, but I guess you wouldn't be so bad. You do have Britney coming back for more.”

Justin cocked his head and studied Lance, “Are you serious?”

Chris got up and moved next to Joey at the table, “He's considering it!” he laughed.

Joey's eyes flickered between Lance and Justin and JC. JC had once again turned back to the conversation in the bus and was staring at the two on the other couch.

Justin glared at Chris, “I'm not considering it, I'm just trying to find out if he's serious or not!”

Lance dropped his hand on Justin's knee. “Sure I am, J. What's the matter?”

Joey grinned at Lance, knowing he was teasing, and caught JC out of the corner of his eye. His jaw was clenched, the muscles moving tightly. His hands were in fists at his side and his blue eyes were hardened steel. He abruptly stood, “I'm taking a shower,” he said, moving past Justin and Lance on the couch, not bothering to acknowledge their little game.

Justin looked at the bathroom door as it slammed shut, “Jeez, what crawled up his ass?”

Joey grinned, feeling quite proud of himself for figuring out yet another secret. “Let's not talk about him, Justin. Are you gonna kiss Lance, or what?”

Justin moved from the seat next to Lance to the space JC had occupied. “No. I don't need to know that bad.”

Lance pouted, “Will my broken heart ever heal?” he sighed dramatically. “What's wrong with me, Justin? Am I not good enough for you?”

Justin rolled his eyes, “Actually, you stink. Talk to me after you've taken a shower.”

The guys were watching TV in the front of the bus when JC came out of the shower. Lance was closest to the bathroom door and caught a whiff of him as he stood in the doorway. He fought the urge not to turn around and drink in the sight of JC slightly wet and squeaky-clean.

“What are you guys watching?” JC asked.

Joey flipped through the channels, “Nothing's on.”

Chris groaned, “Joey, there's lots of stuff on, you just can't stop your damn finger long enough to watch anything.”

JC shook his head, “This is going to be a long ride,” he muttered. “I'll be in the back if you need me.” He turned and walked to the lounge at the back of the bus.

Lance stood, “I'm getting in the shower.” He gathered his stuff from his bunk and disappeared, closing the door behind him.

Joey immediately shut off the TV. “Hey,” Justin protested, “if you're not going to watch anything, give me the remote.”

“Shut up,” Joey said, “we have to talk.”

Justin's eyes grew wide, “You are gay!” he said.

Joey rolled his eyes, “Shut up, Justin. I am not.” He glanced at the bathroom door and the door to the back lounge, making sure they were both closed. “This think with Lance and JC has gone on long enough.”

Chris nodded, “I know. But what are we going to do about it? JC has to get his head out of his ass and talk to Lance.”

Justin agreed, “I don't know what's going on with him. I tried talking to him the other night, and he basically blew me off.” He looked in the direction of the lounge, “He really needs to talk to Lance. Lance was the one who really kept him together.”

Joey sighed, “Look, guys, I don't know if I should be telling you this or not, cause I don't know for sure.”

As his voice trailed off, Justin shook his head, “No way, Fatone, you've kept enough secrets. If you know something, spill.”

“Yeah,” Chris echoed, “especially if it can help JC and Lance. Things haven't been the same around here.”

Joey took a deep breath, “Don't tell Lance I told you this or he'll kill me. Lance has a thing for JC.”

Chris sucked in a breath and Justin's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. “Lance? Has a thing for JC? Like he wants him?”

Joey clamped his hand over Justin's mouth. “Will you shut up? That's how I found out about Lance. I saw him watching JC and Bobbi in a club one night. I thought he had a thing for Bobbi, but then I realized it was actually JC. He told me all about it,” Joey shook his head, “guys, he's really in love with him.”

Chris shook his head, “This must be killing him, then.” His gaze grew hard, “I'm gonna kill JC!”

Joey rolled his eyes, “Why did I tell the two of you this?” He sighed again, “Look, I think JC kind of feels the same.”

“What?” Justin practically shouted.

“Justin!” Joey hissed. Justin shut his mouth. “I was watching him tonight, and he was practically staring at Lance. And did you notice when he got pissed off and left? It was when Lance was joking around about kissing you,” he said to Justin. “It's just a feeling I have.”

Justin nodded, “You may be right. The other night, I was talking to him about breaking up with Bobbi, and he said he had feelings for someone else. I asked him why he didn't do anything about it, and he said something about not supposed to be having feelings for this person.” He looked between Joey and Chris, “It could be Lance.”

“What are we going to do?” Chris asked. “We can't force them to talk, they're not five.”

A sparkle appeared in Joey's eyes. “Who says?” Chris and Justin looked at him, “Who says we can't force them? This is a group thing, guys. It's hurting all of us.”

“How are we going to do that, Joey? Lance might be willing to talk, but you know JC. He's too damn pigheaded to admit he was wrong,” Justin shook his head, “I don't think it'll work.”

Joey sat forward on the seat, “Look, we're on this bus all night, right?” They nodded. They had to drive all night to get to the next city in time for their show. “It happens tonight.”

“How?” Justin asked.

Chris grinned, “Leave that to me.” He picked up the remote and turned the TV back on.

A few minutes later, Lance came out of the bathroom. “Shower's open, guys.”

Chris, Justin and Joey shared a look. Chris stood up, “I'm next.” He moved towards the bathroom. “Hey, Lance, can you do me a favor?” Lance looked at him expectantly, and nodded. “Can you go in the lounge and get me my backpack? I have a magazine in there I want.”

Lance turned to the lounge, opening the door and moving into the small room. He studiously avoided JC, who was lying on the couch, a notebook in his lap. “Chris,” he called, “I don't see it.”

As he turned, the door shut, and he could hear voices on the other side. Getting a sinking feeling in his stomach, he moved towards the door. He turned the knob and tried pushing open the door. “Chris!” he said. “Open the door!”

Joey's voice floated through the door. “Listen up, you two!” JC looked up from his notebook in confusion. “We are on this bus all night. You two are going to be stuck in there for as long as it takes to work out whatever problems you may have!”

JC stood and walked to the door, pounding his fists on it. “Let us out! You have no right to lock us in here!”

“Shut up, JC!” Justin yelled to him. “You are being a jerk, and it's about time someone told you that! You and Lance haven't spoken to each other in weeks, and we're sick of it!”

JC spoke through clenched teeth, “You have no idea what's going on,” he said, “let me out!”

Lance had moved away from the door and sat on the other couch in the small room. He knew there was no use arguing, they weren't going to let them out any time soon. He watched JC's back as he spoke through the door and sighed. This was going to be a long night.


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Secret Desires Chapter 17 A SENSE OF CURIOSITY IS NATURE'S ORIGINAL SCHOOL OF EDUCATION. SMILEY BLANTON, MD LOVE OR PERISH* CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - CURIOSITY “Hey Lance, truth or dare?” Lance rolled his head to look at Justin. They were on the bus, pulling away from the venue, and Justin was sitting at the table, grinning. Lance groaned as he closed his eyes and turned away from him. “Hey, that's JC's game,” Joey said from his place in the kitchen. He was standing in front of the refrigerator, looking for a bottle of water. JC spoke up from his place on the other couch, where he was looking out the windows at the fans, “Yeah, and even I never play it unless we're drinking.” “Look what happened last time we played that, Justin,” Chris said, coming out of the bathroom, “Joey outed Lance and nothing's been the same since.” JC cursed under his breath and closed his eyes. Chris wasn't even being subtle with his digs anymore. JC opened his eyes and spotted Lance's reflection in the dark window of the bus. He was looking at him with a sad expression on his face. JC took that opportunity to watch Lance without being detected. His hair was spiky, but somewhat flat, a result of the show they just put on. He was wearing a white wifebeater, as they all were since that was underneath their costumes for the show. His arms were crossed over his chest, but as he looked at the back of JC's head, he sighed and moved one hand to play with the bottom of his shirt. JC felt a pang of remorse go through him as he watched. But what was he going to do? He couldn't talk to Justin about his problem, he wasn't the type of person JC would go to about something like this. Yet Justin seemed to be the only one who noticed something was wrong with him. He was the only one who would constantly ask if everything was okay. Sure, Joey and Chris were concerned after his breakup with Bobbi, but that was natural. Neither one of them had noticed he had become slightly withdrawn, not speaking as much as he used to, spending more and more time in his bunk when they were stuck on the bus. Lance knew, JC was sure. He would catch Lance watching him, glancing at him when he thought JC wasn't paying attention. Although, even JC had to admit, he was paying a lot more attention to Lance recently. “Come on, guys,” Justin pleaded, “we don't have to drink to play!” Lance turned his gaze away from JC to look at Justin. “Fine. Dare.” Justin's face dropped. “You never say dare,” he accused, “you always say truth!” The guys laughed, “You know Justin,” Lance said, “you can just ask me whatever you want to know. We don't have to play a game.” Justin bit his lip as he thought about that. He played with a pen that was lying on the counter, rolling it between his fingers. “Okay,” he said. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at Lance. “What's it like to kiss a guy?” JC whipped his head from the window to stare wide-eyed at Justin. Joey and Chris started laughing, and Lance blushed slightly. “Is there something you want to tell us, Justin?” Chris teased him. Moving next to him, Joey put an arm around his shoulders, “Thinking about playing for the other team?” he asked. Justin angrily pushed Joey away and stood up, “Nevermind. I'm going to take a shower.” “I don't know,” Lance said quietly. Justin stopped in the doorway of the bathroom and turned to Lance. Chris and Joey's laughter died down and they stopped their antics to look at Lance. JC turned his eyes downward, not wanting to show how much he wanted to hear all about this subject. “What?” Justin asked, coming back to sit next to Lance, “you don't know?” Lance shrugged, “I never kissed a guy,” he admitted. Justin's mouth dropped open, “But you're gay!” Lance laughed, “I know that, Justin. But, I've never been with anyone.” He took a deep breath, “Look, I know you guys found out about this kind of suddenly, but so did I!” He ran a hand through his hair and met Justin's eyes. “Remember that night when you found out?” Justin nodded and Lance continued, “You accused me of keeping this from you, you were pissed that I didn't tell you sooner.” Lance shrugged, “I didn't know sooner, Justin. I just realized that I had these feelings not long before that.” Justin didn't respond and Joey spoke to him, “We know you were pissed that night, Justin. We know you felt hurt that Lance didn't tell you, but if you want to know the truth, he didn't tell me, either.” Everyone looked at him in surprise, “I figured it out.” Chris laughed, “Yeah right, Joe, you're a regular Dick Tracy.” “He did,” Lance said. “Come on, do you really think I would have told Joey first?” His gaze flickered over and he briefly met JC's eyes before JC looked away. “Well, how did you find out?” Justin asked Joey. Lance looked at Joey and he could see the pleading look in his green eyes. Lance didn't want Joey to go into a lot of detail, and this time, Joey was going to respect his wishes. “We were at a club one night, and I just put the pieces together. Lance was miserable, and I saw him watching some guy, and I confronted him about it.” Chris bounded over to the seat next to Lance, “Ooh, who were you watching? Was it me? Do I turn you on?” He sat in Lance's lap and played with his hair. Lance laughed loudly and pushed him away, “No, it wasn't you.” Justin held up his hands, “Wait a minute, here.” Chris stopped moving on Lance and Lance pushed him to the floor. “How do you know you're gay if you've never kissed a guy? Isn't that kind of a prerequisite?” Lance blushed and looked at the ground, “Trust me, Justin, I know.” “How?” he persisted. Joey grinned, “Are you sure you want to hear about this, J? He may start telling you his fantasies, can you handle that?” Justin rolled his eyes and turned back to Lance, “Okay, don't tell me any fantasies, just tell me how you're so damn sure you like guys.” Lance looked down at his hands. He felt the weight of his friends' eyes on him, and he was afraid if he looked up, he'd look right into JC's big blue eyes, and everything would be over. He knew JC was paying attention to the conversation, even if he wasn't participating in it. He had stopped looking out the window and concentrated on the guys in the bus. He wasn't fidgeting, he was sitting perfectly still, pretending to be preoccupied with a lose thread on his pants, but Lance knew that was just a front. The real question was: why was JC so damn interested in this now when for the past few weeks, he couldn't have cared less? “I just know, Justin. Trust me. I'm attracted to guys,” he looked down at Chris, “no, not you.” Chris pouted and he smiled at him. “Look, you don't want to hear about this, so I'm not going to go into details. Just believe me when I say that I find guys, one in particular, to be attractive. And even though I haven't kissed a guy, I just know that I want to. And I just know that it will be perfect.” Joey glanced at JC who was sitting quietly on the couch, his gaze on Lance, his eyes slightly narrowed. He was biting his lower lip as if he was in deep thought. As Lance answered Justin, he smiled slightly and nodded. Joey felt his own mouth pull into a smile as he watched. Maybe there was hope after all. “Okay, Justin,” Joey said, “your turn. Truth or dare?” Justin groaned, “I thought we weren't playing that.” Joey shrugged, “Fine. Then I have a question for you.” Justin opened his arms, telling Joey to go ahead. “Okay. So, we all know how you reacted when you found out Lance was gay.” He grinned slyly, “What if another one of us were gay? How would you deal with that?” He grinned at Lance, who looked at him sharply. Looking away, he met JC's gaze. JC sucked in a breath when Joey asked his question. Does he know? He couldn't. But he figured out when Lance was gay, maybe he just knew certain things. He met Joey's gaze and was horrified when Joey gave him a slight nod and a wink. JC turned to look out the window again, both dreading and anticipating Justin's response. “You got something you want to tell us, Fatone?” Chris asked again, grinning. Joey shook his head. “Nope. Not me.” He shrugged, “I'm just curious, that's all. I mean, sooner or later, Lance is going to have a boyfriend, and I was just wondering how Justin was going to react.” Justin shrugged, “I don't know. I mean, I guess I would be okay. It would be weird to have two gay guys in the group, but hey, maybe then Lance could get some!” Lance blushed and groaned, “God, Justin.” Justin grinned, “You could! Then you can tell me what it's like to kiss a guy!” Lance looked up at Justin, a sly grin on his face. “Well, Justin, how about this? How about me and you kiss, then both of us will know what it's like.” Justin stopped his laughing to look at Lance. His eyes grew wide, “what? You want to kiss me?” Lance shrugged, “Well, you wouldn't be my first choice, but I guess you wouldn't be so bad. You do have Britney coming back for more.” Justin cocked his head and studied Lance, “Are you serious?” Chris got up and moved next to Joey at the table, “He's considering it!” he laughed. Joey's eyes flickered between Lance and Justin and JC. JC had once again turned back to the conversation in the bus and was staring at the two on the other couch. Justin glared at Chris, “I'm not considering it, I'm just trying to find out if he's serious or not!” Lance dropped his hand on Justin's knee. “Sure I am, J. What's the matter?” Joey grinned at Lance, knowing he was teasing, and caught JC out of the corner of his eye. His jaw was clenched, the muscles moving tightly. His hands were in fists at his side and his blue eyes were hardened steel. He abruptly stood, “I'm taking a shower,” he said, moving past Justin and Lance on the couch, not bothering to acknowledge their little game. Justin looked at the bathroom door as it slammed shut, “Jeez, what crawled up his ass?” Joey grinned, feeling quite proud of himself for figuring out yet another secret. “Let's not talk about him, Justin. Are you gonna kiss Lance, or what?” Justin moved from the seat next to Lance to the space JC had occupied. “No. I don't need to know that bad.” Lance pouted, “Will my broken heart ever heal?” he sighed dramatically. “What's wrong with me, Justin? Am I not good enough for you?” Justin rolled his eyes, “Actually, you stink. Talk to me after you've taken a shower.” The guys were watching TV in the front of the bus when JC came out of the shower. Lance was closest to the bathroom door and caught a whiff of him as he stood in the doorway. He fought the urge not to turn around and drink in the sight of JC slightly wet and squeaky-clean. “What are you guys watching?” JC asked. Joey flipped through the channels, “Nothing's on.” Chris groaned, “Joey, there's lots of stuff on, you just can't stop your damn finger long enough to watch anything.” JC shook his head, “This is going to be a long ride,” he muttered. “I'll be in the back if you need me.” He turned and walked to the lounge at the back of the bus. Lance stood, “I'm getting in the shower.” He gathered his stuff from his bunk and disappeared, closing the door behind him. Joey immediately shut off the TV. “Hey,” Justin protested, “if you're not going to watch anything, give me the remote.” “Shut up,” Joey said, “we have to talk.” Justin's eyes grew wide, “You are gay!” he said. Joey rolled his eyes, “Shut up, Justin. I am not.” He glanced at the bathroom door and the door to the back lounge, making sure they were both closed. “This think with Lance and JC has gone on long enough.” Chris nodded, “I know. But what are we going to do about it? JC has to get his head out of his ass and talk to Lance.” Justin agreed, “I don't know what's going on with him. I tried talking to him the other night, and he basically blew me off.” He looked in the direction of the lounge, “He really needs to talk to Lance. Lance was the one who really kept him together.” Joey sighed, “Look, guys, I don't know if I should be telling you this or not, cause I don't know for sure.” As his voice trailed off, Justin shook his head, “No way, Fatone, you've kept enough secrets. If you know something, spill.” “Yeah,” Chris echoed, “especially if it can help JC and Lance. Things haven't been the same around here.” Joey took a deep breath, “Don't tell Lance I told you this or he'll kill me. Lance has a thing for JC.” Chris sucked in a breath and Justin's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. “Lance? Has a thing for JC? Like he wants him?” Joey clamped his hand over Justin's mouth. “Will you shut up? That's how I found out about Lance. I saw him watching JC and Bobbi in a club one night. I thought he had a thing for Bobbi, but then I realized it was actually JC. He told me all about it,” Joey shook his head, “guys, he's really in love with him.” Chris shook his head, “This must be killing him, then.” His gaze grew hard, “I'm gonna kill JC!” Joey rolled his eyes, “Why did I tell the two of you this?” He sighed again, “Look, I think JC kind of feels the same.” “What?” Justin practically shouted. “Justin!” Joey hissed. Justin shut his mouth. “I was watching him tonight, and he was practically staring at Lance. And did you notice when he got pissed off and left? It was when Lance was joking around about kissing you,” he said to Justin. “It's just a feeling I have.” Justin nodded, “You may be right. The other night, I was talking to him about breaking up with Bobbi, and he said he had feelings for someone else. I asked him why he didn't do anything about it, and he said something about not supposed to be having feelings for this person.” He looked between Joey and Chris, “It could be Lance.” “What are we going to do?” Chris asked. “We can't force them to talk, they're not five.” A sparkle appeared in Joey's eyes. “Who says?” Chris and Justin looked at him, “Who says we can't force them? This is a group thing, guys. It's hurting all of us.” “How are we going to do that, Joey? Lance might be willing to talk, but you know JC. He's too damn pigheaded to admit he was wrong,” Justin shook his head, “I don't think it'll work.” Joey sat forward on the seat, “Look, we're on this bus all night, right?” They nodded. They had to drive all night to get to the next city in time for their show. “It happens tonight.” “How?” Justin asked. Chris grinned, “Leave that to me.” He picked up the remote and turned the TV back on. A few minutes later, Lance came out of the bathroom. “Shower's open, guys.” Chris, Justin and Joey shared a look. Chris stood up, “I'm next.” He moved towards the bathroom. “Hey, Lance, can you do me a favor?” Lance looked at him expectantly, and nodded. “Can you go in the lounge and get me my backpack? I have a magazine in there I want.” Lance turned to the lounge, opening the door and moving into the small room. He studiously avoided JC, who was lying on the couch, a notebook in his lap. “Chris,” he called, “I don't see it.” As he turned, the door shut, and he could hear voices on the other side. Getting a sinking feeling in his stomach, he moved towards the door. He turned the knob and tried pushing open the door. “Chris!” he said. “Open the door!” Joey's voice floated through the door. “Listen up, you two!” JC looked up from his notebook in confusion. “We are on this bus all night. You two are going to be stuck in there for as long as it takes to work out whatever problems you may have!” JC stood and walked to the door, pounding his fists on it. “Let us out! You have no right to lock us in here!” “Shut up, JC!” Justin yelled to him. “You are being a jerk, and it's about time someone told you that! You and Lance haven't spoken to each other in weeks, and we're sick of it!” JC spoke through clenched teeth, “You have no idea what's going on,” he said, “let me out!” Lance had moved away from the door and sat on the other couch in the small room. He knew there was no use arguing, they weren't going to let them out any time soon. He watched JC's back as he spoke through the door and sighed. This was going to be a long night.