Chapter 32

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"JC's back," Chris commented.

"I'll get started on the funeral arrangements, you order the plot," Justin muttered to Chris.

JC stormed into the room. He'd thought the drive might calm him down, but he was wrong. It only made him angrier. "Where's Joey?" he asked, eyes practically on fire.

Justin shrunk away. "He's...upstairs," he said.

JC, in the corner of his mind, knew he was scaring the hell out of his friends, but he couldn't stop. He ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. "Joey, where the hell are you?"

"What the hell were you thinking?" JC asked, throwing the door open.

"Christ, JC, you're not going to give me the 3rd degree here too, are you? Chris and Justin have already asked--"

"They don't know what I do," JC said, abruptly cutting Joey off.

Joey looked at JC, eyes wide. "What do you know?"

"You betrayed Lance, dammit! You told Lou that you knew something about Lance. And you do, he told me that much. Now, let's see. Now Lou can force Lance to do whatever he wants, because he can go to you if something doesn't go his God damned way. And I don't know what that thing is, because Lance didn't tell me, he wouldn't, and I won't try to get it out of you, but for some reason, you know and I don't. But if Lance goes against Lou, you're going to have to tell. Because if I know Lou, you signed a contract SAYING that you would, am I right?"

Joey looked at the floor and nodded.

"Shit. You're such an ASSHOLE, you know that?"

Joey looked up, pissed at that. "What? It'll help the group if Lance cooperates more."

"What the hell?" JC stepped closer to Joey. "That's bullshit. We were getting along just fine without you going and betraying Lance. He TRUSTED you, dammit."

"Well, then maybe he shouldn't have."

JC's eyes widened and he forgot what he'd said to Lance. He saw red. He lunged for Joey, fully intending to kick the crap out of him. "You fucking bastard..."

He found himself restrained. "Calm down, man," he heard Chris whisper in his ear.

"No, let him go, if he wants to hit me, let him."

"Yeah right," Chris said, struggling against JC. "Justin, help me, dammit!"

Justin grabbed JC's other arm. "Calm down," he said. "Fighting him won't help anything!" JC ignored him and lunged towards Joey one more time. Chris and Justin were now straining against him.

"JC, please," Chris pleaded softly. "Just let it go for now." JC sighed and let his body relax. The two cautiously let go of him. He turned to go. Then, suddenly and without warning, he turned and ran towards Joey, who was sitting on the bed. He tackled him and the two started fighting.

"JC! STOP!" Justin yelled as he and Chris ran to JC and pulled him off. Joey's nose was bleeding.

"Jesus, JC!" he said, wiping it.

JC glared at him and Justin dragged him out of the room. "JC, what happened?"

Chris came in. "Maybe you should tell both of us."

JC got up and started pacing. "Joey knows something about Lance."

"What does he know?"

"I don't know. Lance wouldn't tell me. But it's something important. Because somehow, Joey managed to find out what it was. And we all know that Lou doesn't like Lance. There's the whole Danielle issue..." He was jumping all over the place, and it was hard for Chris and Justin to follow what he was saying.

"JC, wait. Start from the beginning," Chris said.

"Okay," he sighed, still pacing. "Lou doesn't like Lance. Lance is supposed to pretend he's dating Danielle Fishel, even though he's gay, therefore, he's not. So, Lance doesn't want to pretend, you follow?"

"Yeah," Justin said, nodding.

"Okay. Now, Joey found out something important about Lance. I think it was by accident, because Lance didn't want to tell me."

"Now wait a second," Chris began.

"Wait, let me finish," JC said, holding up a hand. "Joey went and told Lou that he knew something big about Lance, something no one is supposed to know. And now, they're using it against him, because Joey signed a contract saying that if Lance didn't do what Lou wanted, Joey would tell Lou whatever this big thing about him is."

Justin's eyes widened. "Isn't that blackmail?"

"Yeah, kinda," JC snapped.

"Wait, why wouldn't Lance tell you?" Chris asked.

"He said he couldn't," JC said, chewing on his lip.

Chris stood up and put his hands on his hips. "And you believed him?"

JC stopped pacing and faced Chris. "Why shouldn't I? He almost started crying when I tried to ask what it was. You didn't see the look in his eyes, Chris. You didn't see. I couldn't make him tell me."

"You should've! We don't have secrets, remember?"

"Well, Lance has one, Joey found out, and Joey freaking betrayed him. Too much for you to understand?"

Lance was lying on his bed, deep in thought. He kept thinking back to JC. JC, who followed him when no one else did. JC, who didn't push him to tell his secret, even though he wanted it. JC, who trusted him enough not to push. And the JC who was mad at Joey, doing Lord only knows what over at Justin's. He wondered how the others would take it. He figured that he probably should've gone over there, but he really wasn't up to it. He had felt sick to his stomach when he found out what Joey had done. Something about it didn't feel right though, something was off.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the phone. "Hello?"

"What aren't you telling us here?"

"What ever happened to not having any secrets, Lance? Seems to me like you have one."

"I can't...I can't tell you, Chris." Lance could hear someone in the background calling for the phone.

"You have to! It's tearing us apart!"

"I can't, Chris, you have to believe me, I just CAN'T tell you. Please, don't ask me to."

"CHRIS! HANG UP THE PHONE!" Lance recognized the voice. It was Justin.

"Chris, I'm hanging up now, but please believe when I say it's nothing bad, and I can't tell you. Please." Lance hung up the phone with a soft click. He collapsed on his bed. Joey betrayed him. JC was running around in circles in his brain. Lou had him in the palm of his hand. JC was running around in circles in his brain. Chris was mad at him for not telling. JC was running around in circles in his brain. Justin was...well, Lance wasn't sure about Justin. And JC was running around in circles in his brain.

Lance counted it all off again. Joey. Chris. Lou. Betrayal. Anger. Blackmail. Justin. Lance still wasn't sure. JC. Stuck in his brain. Joey and Chris. Lou. Justin. JC. Chris. Betrayal. Circles. Anger. Blackmail. Circles. JC. Joey. Chris. Justin. Lou. Thoughts were spinning around Lance's head so fast that he couldn't keep track of them. They were making him dizzy. Dizzy. Like the circles JC was making in his brain. What did they all mean? He'd never thought about another person that much. Lance fell backwards on the bed. Everything was falling apart around him.

And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 32 "JOEY!" "JC's back," Chris commented. "I'll get started on the funeral arrangements, you order the plot," Justin muttered to Chris. JC stormed into the room. He'd thought the drive might calm him down, but he was wrong. It only made him angrier. "Where's Joey?" he asked, eyes practically on fire. Justin shrunk away. "He's...upstairs," he said. JC, in the corner of his mind, knew he was scaring the hell out of his friends, but he couldn't stop. He ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. "Joey, where the hell are you?" "In my room." "What the hell were you thinking?" JC asked, throwing the door open. "Christ, JC, you're not going to give me the 3rd degree here too, are you? Chris and Justin have already asked--" "They don't know what I do," JC said, abruptly cutting Joey off. Joey looked at JC, eyes wide. "What do you know?" "You betrayed Lance, dammit! You told Lou that you knew something about Lance. And you do, he told me that much. Now, let's see. Now Lou can force Lance to do whatever he wants, because he can go to you if something doesn't go his God damned way. And I don't know what that thing is, because Lance didn't tell me, he wouldn't, and I won't try to get it out of you, but for some reason, you know and I don't. But if Lance goes against Lou, you're going to have to tell. Because if I know Lou, you signed a contract SAYING that you would, am I right?" Joey looked at the floor and nodded. "Shit. You're such an ASSHOLE, you know that?" Joey looked up, pissed at that. "What? It'll help the group if Lance cooperates more." "What the hell?" JC stepped closer to Joey. "That's bullshit. We were getting along just fine without you going and betraying Lance. He TRUSTED you, dammit." "Well, then maybe he shouldn't have." JC's eyes widened and he forgot what he'd said to Lance. He saw red. He lunged for Joey, fully intending to kick the crap out of him. "You fucking bastard..." He found himself restrained. "Calm down, man," he heard Chris whisper in his ear. "No, let him go, if he wants to hit me, let him." "Yeah right," Chris said, struggling against JC. "Justin, help me, dammit!" Justin grabbed JC's other arm. "Calm down," he said. "Fighting him won't help anything!" JC ignored him and lunged towards Joey one more time. Chris and Justin were now straining against him. "JC, please," Chris pleaded softly. "Just let it go for now." JC sighed and let his body relax. The two cautiously let go of him. He turned to go. Then, suddenly and without warning, he turned and ran towards Joey, who was sitting on the bed. He tackled him and the two started fighting. "JC! STOP!" Justin yelled as he and Chris ran to JC and pulled him off. Joey's nose was bleeding. "Jesus, JC!" he said, wiping it. JC glared at him and Justin dragged him out of the room. "JC, what happened?" Chris came in. "Maybe you should tell both of us." JC got up and started pacing. "Joey knows something about Lance." "What does he know?" "I don't know. Lance wouldn't tell me. But it's something important. Because somehow, Joey managed to find out what it was. And we all know that Lou doesn't like Lance. There's the whole Danielle issue..." He was jumping all over the place, and it was hard for Chris and Justin to follow what he was saying. "JC, wait. Start from the beginning," Chris said. "Okay," he sighed, still pacing. "Lou doesn't like Lance. Lance is supposed to pretend he's dating Danielle Fishel, even though he's gay, therefore, he's not. So, Lance doesn't want to pretend, you follow?" "Yeah," Justin said, nodding. "Okay. Now, Joey found out something important about Lance. I think it was by accident, because Lance didn't want to tell me." "Now wait a second," Chris began. "Wait, let me finish," JC said, holding up a hand. "Joey went and told Lou that he knew something big about Lance, something no one is supposed to know. And now, they're using it against him, because Joey signed a contract saying that if Lance didn't do what Lou wanted, Joey would tell Lou whatever this big thing about him is." Justin's eyes widened. "Isn't that blackmail?" "Yeah, kinda," JC snapped. "Wait, why wouldn't Lance tell you?" Chris asked. "He said he couldn't," JC said, chewing on his lip. Chris stood up and put his hands on his hips. "And you believed him?" JC stopped pacing and faced Chris. "Why shouldn't I? He almost started crying when I tried to ask what it was. You didn't see the look in his eyes, Chris. You didn't see. I couldn't make him tell me." "You should've! We don't have secrets, remember?" "Well, Lance has one, Joey found out, and Joey freaking betrayed him. Too much for you to understand?" * Lance was lying on his bed, deep in thought. He kept thinking back to JC. JC, who followed him when no one else did. JC, who didn't push him to tell his secret, even though he wanted it. JC, who trusted him enough not to push. And the JC who was mad at Joey, doing Lord only knows what over at Justin's. He wondered how the others would take it. He figured that he probably should've gone over there, but he really wasn't up to it. He had felt sick to his stomach when he found out what Joey had done. Something about it didn't feel right though, something was off. His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the phone. "Hello?" "What aren't you telling us here?" Chris. "What?" "What ever happened to not having any secrets, Lance? Seems to me like you have one." "I can't...I can't tell you, Chris." Lance could hear someone in the background calling for the phone. "You have to! It's tearing us apart!" "I can't, Chris, you have to believe me, I just CAN'T tell you. Please, don't ask me to." "CHRIS! HANG UP THE PHONE!" Lance recognized the voice. It was Justin. "Chris, I'm hanging up now, but please believe when I say it's nothing bad, and I can't tell you. Please." Lance hung up the phone with a soft click. He collapsed on his bed. Joey betrayed him. JC was running around in circles in his brain. Lou had him in the palm of his hand. JC was running around in circles in his brain. Chris was mad at him for not telling. JC was running around in circles in his brain. Justin was...well, Lance wasn't sure about Justin. And JC was running around in circles in his brain. Lance counted it all off again. Joey. Chris. Lou. Betrayal. Anger. Blackmail. Justin. Lance still wasn't sure. JC. Stuck in his brain. Joey and Chris. Lou. Justin. JC. Chris. Betrayal. Circles. Anger. Blackmail. Circles. JC. Joey. Chris. Justin. Lou. Thoughts were spinning around Lance's head so fast that he couldn't keep track of them. They were making him dizzy. Dizzy. Like the circles JC was making in his brain. What did they all mean? He'd never thought about another person that much. Lance fell backwards on the bed. Everything was falling apart around him. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.