Chapter 22

Inner Reflection | home

*~*The airing of the Disney Special*~*

"I can't believe my pants were unzipped."

"Did you hear that crowd? That was awesome!"

"I can't believe my pants were unzipped."

"We are gonna be BIG, you know that?" Lance commented.

"I can't believe my pants were unzipped!"

"Poor JC," they all said in unison.

"Shut up," he said, covering his face with his hands.

"Too bad Lou decided not to watch it with us," Chris said, slightly disappointed.

"He probably had something else on his mind," Lance said.

"What do you have against him?" Chris asked.

"I didn't say anything! All I said was that he probably had something else to do, so he couldn't watch it with us! Stop twisting my words!"

"Word Twister?" Chris asked, completely changing the direction of the conversation.

"No, tongue twister!"

"What? Head twister!"

"Those are owls. That doesn't fit!"

"Yes it does! The magic word is twister! Owls twist their heads around so they can see!"

"Thank you Naturalist Lance..."

"What the HELL are you two talking about?"

"I don't know!" they said simultaneously, then laughed. The other three laughed as well. They were used to this by now. Ever since that day JC and Lance had left the meeting, any time Chris and Lance started bickering about something, one of them would turn it around and they'd go off on nonsense tangents. It had confused the hell out of Justin, Joey, and JC at first, but now they understood it and laughed at someone else's confusion.

"Hey Lou," Chris said.

"Great job!" he said. Noting the disappointed faces, he continued. "I was going to watch it with you, but I got all these calls..."

Lou grinned. "Yes, Rosie, more MTV...you got it, guys!"

"All right!" JC cheered. He reached over and put an arm around the closest person and gave them a hug, which happened to be Lance.

"Told you he had important things to do," Lance said smugly from under JC's arm.

"Did not!" Chris retorted.

"Did too!" Chris stopped. "Dammit!"

Lance laughed, but then noticed that they were alone in the room. "Hey!" He ran over to the door. "They locked us in!"

Chris ran over and tried. "You're right!"

"Course I am," Lance snorted. "But let's not discuss facts now, let's try to get out of here." Chris opened his mouth, then closed it.

They looked at each other, then banged on the door. "LET US OUT!"

"NO! You guys are annoying!"

"Good! I LIKE seeing you annoyed!" Lance shot back.

"Let us out before we beat the door down," Chris said.

"I'd like to see you try, old man," Justin laughed. Chris and Lance looked at each other and nodded.

"We're game. Stand clear!" Chris called out. "One, two...three!" Suddenly, Lance held Chris back, and kicked the door with one foot. He purposely held back his strength, knowing that if he wanted to, he could break it down easily. But they didn't know that, and he had no intention of letting them know it.

"Shh!" Lance pointed to Chris' leg, then lifted his own. Chris nodded in understanding.

"That's the best you can do?"

"One, two....three!" They both kicked it, and it stayed shut.

"Haha!" That was Joey.

"Stand clear my ass," Justin said, and they heard his voice move back in front of the door. Lance grinned evilly. "You guys suck!"

"Now," Lance mouthed, and Chris grinned.

"One. Two. Three!" They both slammed their weight into the door. Lance twisted the doorknob off at the same time. They heard satisfying cracks of the wood, and a yelp of pain. Chris and Lance both crashed into the ground on top of Justin, who grunted. They both cracked up.

"Get off me," Lance grunted, pushing on Chris. Chris slowly stood up, and Lance started followed. JC and Joey were doubled over in laughter. Lou came back down the hall to see what the noise was.

"What's going...Oh no, my door!" He exclaimed, horrified.

Lance was still giggling and untangling himself from Justin. Finally succeeding, he walked over to Lou. He offered the doorknob. "Sorry Lou," he said, giggling.

Lou stared at the doorknob then looked at Lance. The look in his eyes was enough to make Lance shut up immediately, and the other guys glanced at him, worried.

"It was just a door, Lou," Lance said slowly. "I'll pay for it if you want."

'You do that," Lou said.

"All right." Lance took a step backwards, and cast a glance at JC, who looked upset about something. JC frowned when he saw the slightly fearful look in Lance's eyes. Lance walked over and put an arm around JC's shoulder.

"Come on, we need to talk." He cast a worried look over at the other three guys, who frowned in response, Justin standing up and rubbing his sore behind.

"What do we need to talk about?" JC asked Lance once they were out of earshot.

"You looked like you were about to cry, JC."

"Yes, you did. Don't try to lie, you can't," Lance said with a grin.

JC sighed. "You're right. I was just worried..."

"Worried about what? Thinking that you were gay? Or..."

"Well, besides that," JC said, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

"Well?" Lance asked, tilting his head and looking into JC's eyes.

"I was worried about you, okay?" JC blurted out.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I meant that...uh...well, Lou was looking at you like he wanted you dead..." JC paused at the grin on Lance's face but continued. "And it just worried me a little bit."

"A little bit? C, you looked about ready to cry."

"You said that before."

"Yes I did." The grin returned. "And don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

"But that's just the thing, Lance! You always say that! And you always do! And then somehow you find the time to make sure the four of us are okay too!"

"Are you really that dense, or are you just pretending?" JC snapped. He sighed at the slightly hurt look on Lance's face. "Sorry. But you have to see where I'm coming from. Let someone else in, Lance. Let someone else worry about the group too, you don't have to be the strong one taking care of us all the time. Because one day, it's going to be too much. And you'll end up hurting not only yourself, but me...and the rest of the guys too."


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 22 **~The airing of the Disney Special~** "That was GREAT." "I can't believe my pants were unzipped." "Did you hear that crowd? That was awesome!" "I can't believe my pants were unzipped." "We are gonna be BIG, you know that?" Lance commented. "Yeah!" "I can't believe my pants were unzipped!" "Poor JC," they all said in unison. "Shut up," he said, covering his face with his hands. "Too bad Lou decided not to watch it with us," Chris said, slightly disappointed. "He probably had something else on his mind," Lance said. "What do you have against him?" Chris asked. "I didn't say anything! All I said was that he probably had something else to do, so he couldn't watch it with us! Stop twisting my words!" "Word Twister?" Chris asked, completely changing the direction of the conversation. "No, tongue twister!" "Mouth twister!" "What? Head twister!" "Those are owls. That doesn't fit!" "Yes it does! The magic word is twister! Owls twist their heads around so they can see!" "Thank you Naturalist Lance..." "What the HELL are you two talking about?" "I don't know!" they said simultaneously, then laughed. The other three laughed as well. They were used to this by now. Ever since that day JC and Lance had left the meeting, any time Chris and Lance started bickering about something, one of them would turn it around and they'd go off on nonsense tangents. It had confused the hell out of Justin, Joey, and JC at first, but now they understood it and laughed at someone else's confusion. "Hey Lou," Chris said. "Great job!" he said. Noting the disappointed faces, he continued. "I was going to watch it with you, but I got all these calls..." "You did?" Lou grinned. "Yes, Rosie, more MTV...you got it, guys!" "All right!" JC cheered. He reached over and put an arm around the closest person and gave them a hug, which happened to be Lance. "Told you he had important things to do," Lance said smugly from under JC's arm. "Did not!" Chris retorted. "Did too!" "Did not!" "Did too!" "Did not!" "Did not!" "Did too!" Chris stopped. "Dammit!" Lance laughed, but then noticed that they were alone in the room. "Hey!" He ran over to the door. "They locked us in!" Chris ran over and tried. "You're right!" "Course I am," Lance snorted. "But let's not discuss facts now, let's try to get out of here." Chris opened his mouth, then closed it. They looked at each other, then banged on the door. "LET US OUT!" "NO! You guys are annoying!" "Good! I LIKE seeing you annoyed!" Lance shot back. "Let us out before we beat the door down," Chris said. "I'd like to see you try, old man," Justin laughed. Chris and Lance looked at each other and nodded. "We're game. Stand clear!" Chris called out. "One, two...three!" Suddenly, Lance held Chris back, and kicked the door with one foot. He purposely held back his strength, knowing that if he wanted to, he could break it down easily. But they didn't know that, and he had no intention of letting them know it. "What are you--" "Shh!" Lance pointed to Chris' leg, then lifted his own. Chris nodded in understanding. "That's the best you can do?" "One, two....three!" They both kicked it, and it stayed shut. "Haha!" That was Joey. "Stand clear my ass," Justin said, and they heard his voice move back in front of the door. Lance grinned evilly. "You guys suck!" "Now," Lance mouthed, and Chris grinned. "One. Two. Three!" They both slammed their weight into the door. Lance twisted the doorknob off at the same time. They heard satisfying cracks of the wood, and a yelp of pain. Chris and Lance both crashed into the ground on top of Justin, who grunted. They both cracked up. "Get off me," Lance grunted, pushing on Chris. Chris slowly stood up, and Lance started followed. JC and Joey were doubled over in laughter. Lou came back down the hall to see what the noise was. "What's going...Oh no, my door!" He exclaimed, horrified. Lance was still giggling and untangling himself from Justin. Finally succeeding, he walked over to Lou. He offered the doorknob. "Sorry Lou," he said, giggling. Lou stared at the doorknob then looked at Lance. The look in his eyes was enough to make Lance shut up immediately, and the other guys glanced at him, worried. "It was just a door, Lou," Lance said slowly. "I'll pay for it if you want." 'You do that," Lou said. "All right." Lance took a step backwards, and cast a glance at JC, who looked upset about something. JC frowned when he saw the slightly fearful look in Lance's eyes. Lance walked over and put an arm around JC's shoulder. "Come on, we need to talk." He cast a worried look over at the other three guys, who frowned in response, Justin standing up and rubbing his sore behind. "What do we need to talk about?" JC asked Lance once they were out of earshot. "You looked like you were about to cry, JC." "No I didn't..." "Yes, you did. Don't try to lie, you can't," Lance said with a grin. JC sighed. "You're right. I was just worried..." "Worried about what? Thinking that you were gay? Or..." "Well, besides that," JC said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "Well?" Lance asked, tilting his head and looking into JC's eyes. "I was worried about you, okay?" JC blurted out. "What?" "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I meant that...uh...well, Lou was looking at you like he wanted you dead..." JC paused at the grin on Lance's face but continued. "And it just worried me a little bit." "A little bit? C, you looked about ready to cry." "You said that before." "Yes I did." The grin returned. "And don't worry about me, I can take care of myself." "But that's just the thing, Lance! You always say that! And you always do! And then somehow you find the time to make sure the four of us are okay too!" "Wait...what?" "Are you really that dense, or are you just pretending?" JC snapped. He sighed at the slightly hurt look on Lance's face. "Sorry. But you have to see where I'm coming from. Let someone else in, Lance. Let someone else worry about the group too, you don't have to be the strong one taking care of us all the time. Because one day, it's going to be too much. And you'll end up hurting not only yourself, but me...and the rest of the guys too."