The van pulled into the driveway about one minute before the car...to Nick's dismay. He got out and tried to make an excuse that Lance sucked at driving and listening to directions, but AJ wouldn't hear any of it and proceeded to get the swelled head we thought Nick would get. The front door opened and Chin and Cathy ran out. We ran and did a group hug. The guys stood there and looked at us as if we were complete idiots. We began talking a mile a minute and almost forgot about them until Brian made an attempt to cough and get our attention.
        "Oh sorry!" I said. "Chin, this is--" I began introductions.
        "As if I didn't KNOW!" she grinned. She paused, "...Oh and Nick, sorry by the way..."
        "What?" Nick asked confused.
        "About hanging up on you..."
        "OH yeah...don't worry."
        "Bet that's the 1st time a girl hung up on little Nicky!" AJ laughed.
        "Oh shut up!" Nick said, shoving AJ. Chin got a little red.
        "K, I'll do introductions one way...guys, this is Chin and Cathy..." I started.
        "HI," they said...in unison.
        "Haha, you have a lotta practice with that group answer thing, doncha?" Cathy laughed. They sheepishly smiled.
        "DAMN this is a big house..." AJ muttered. "We gonna get a tour?" he raised an eyebrow.
        "C'mon let's get the guys' stuff first then yeah we can give you guys a...tour," Julie suggested with a satisfied grin. We emptied the car and van of the bags and went inside.
        "Upstairs or downstairs?" I asked.
        "What?" Howie asked.
        "The tour..." I began.
        "OH um...where ever..." he replied. I looked at the guys loaded down with their bags. "Um how's about you guys leave your stuff here and you can tour the upstairs then the downstairs..." I began.
        "Are you guys staying here?" Chin asked.
        "Yeah...unless that's a problem..." Howie replied.
        "No, it's not a problem," Cathy said, "You've seen how big the house is!"
        "Ummm...I don't have stuff..." Lance realized out loud.
        "IdiOt!" Hannah laughed.
        ‘"I know," he grinned for a moment, then continued, "...But um, what do I do?"
        "Well does the rest of *N Sync know you're here...?" Kevin asked.
        "Umm no...But," he said when the looks on our faces got worried, "It's not like I have to report to them! We have time off too...I could be in Alaska for all they know...We don't stay together on time off..." he said looking at the boys.
        "HEY! We all wanted to go to Disneyland, so what?" Nick got defensive.
        "Back to your dilemma about 'stuff'..." Julie cut in. "What are you going to do?"
        "Umm..."
        "Where IS your stuff?" Jenny asked.
        "Uh..."
        "Well...?" I asked.
        "Well..."
        "Spill it!" Hannah said.
        "It's in a hotel in L.A., okay?!"
        "And I thought I was absent minded..." I stated.
        "We'll just go get it, k?" Hannah said. Julie, Jenny, Cathy, Chin, and I looked at her in wonder. She gave us a just-agree-now-please look.
        "W-what?" Lance asked.
        "We can go drive up and get it...its not like it's across the country," she reasoned. "I mean, we're not crossing state lines or anything and it's less than a two hour drive away...B'sides, you NEED your stuff, dontcha?" It looked like the guys were about to object when we heard some barking. We ran in its direction to the back of the house; the guys followed us.
        "WOAH...you girls have dogs?!" Nick exclaimed.
        "Um yeah...your point?" Julie replied.
        "You never told us!"
        "Oh..."
        "Well now you know...see that Akita is Kezia, she's Cathy's dog...then there's Sarah's Beagle, his name is Darwin..." Chin pointed outside.
        "You guys have a pool?!" Nick commented.
        "You're an observant one, aren'tcha?" Julie laughed.
        "You know what fun pools bring..." Kevin said as he and Brian evilly grinned at Jenny and me.
        "OOOkay..." I said trying to change the subject while Jenny and I moved away form the sides of the pool, "...Let's have the tour, shall we?"
        "Sure, can't wait to get to the pool part," Brain grinned. Jenny and I tried to ignore him. I led the group upstairs.
        On the top floor, we first showed them the game room. It basically had a pool table, a couch, table, TV...and a punching bag. AJ commented on the bag...Cathy and I informed him that we did kickboxing...he kept quiet for awhile. As he stared into the ground contemplating, Jenny, who was behind him, hopped up and vigorously punched the air inches behind his back with a look of total concentration. She looked so cute next to a totally oblivious AJ, so we just had to laugh. When AJ looked up in confusion and whirled around to check out what was so funny (he figured it couldn't be him because he wasn't even TRYING to be funny...), Jenny was already readjusting her hair with her hands, dimples flashing ever so innocently. Next, was Cathy and Julie's room, followed by a bathroom, Chin and Hannah's room, followed by another bathroom, and then came the room that Jenny and I shared. We tried to shuttlethe boys past our rooms quickly, embarrassed by any posters that were up. After that there was our study...which was sort of a guestroom (I mean yeah, a bed was there, but so was a computer and shelves for books etc.) Finally, we showed them the guest bathroom. We headed downstairs. There was the living room, family room, and dining room, a bathroom, and den (with a computer but also a bed and shelves like upstairs) and the kitchen. The guys were speechless.
        "ALL THIS for a bunch of girls!?" AJ exclaimed. Chin raised an eyebrow at him and Jenny looked ready to strike.
        "I think AJ's mad that your house is bigger than his," Howie laughed.
        "Am not!" AJ retaliated.
        "Does anyone want anything to drink?" I broke in. I took the requests and asked the girls to come help me since everyone had wanted something. Once safely in the kitchen, we began to talk.
        "Hannah, what do you mean drive back up to L.A!?" Julie started.
        "Umm...about that...oh look! How cute! The guys are playing with the dogs!" she pointed averting our attention.  It WAS cute. Howie, Brian and Kevin were trying to amuse Darwin, and Nick, Lance, and AJ were attempting to tackle Kezia, though she could have easily knocked them over instead. Julie, Chin, Jenny, and Cathy went to the window to watch for a moment. I pulled Hannah aside.
        "Look, we want to have some birthday thing for Jenny...everyone knows except Lance, Brian, Chin, and Cathy. We talked about it in the morning. Cathy and Chin of course weren't there, Jenny was with Brian in the main room and you were on a walk with Lance..." I whispered. I noticed Hannah smiled when I spoke of her walk.
        "Hey, Lance and I can get some stuff for it if you want..."
        "You seriously want to drive up there again and back?"
        "Why not? We have a load of free time."
        "Um k..."
        "So what should we pick up? Will this be today?"
        "No, I think tomorrow, but just get..." I proceeded to give her a list verbally before the others returned from their job as silent spectators at the window.
        We went outside with the drinks. We cooed at the guys; they abruptly stopped playing with the animals when they noticed our presence. It was decided that Hannah and Lance would leave right away so they'd be back hopefully before dark, if not soon after. As soon as they left, the phone rang and it was for Jenny. When she went inside, I explained the party idea to Brian, Chin, and Cathy. They loved it. Everyone agreed it should be the next day.  Jenny then came back out and our discussion stopped. The guys seemed to be getting a bit restless so I suggested a basketball game.
        "You guys have a basketball hoop!?" Nick asked incredulously.
        "Um...didn't you see it outside in the driveway...?" Cathy asked laughing. We agreed to play...the numbers were perfect, a total of 10 people...5 on 5. At first, us girls wanted to have it girls against guys, but we could tell they were playing easy on us.
        "Let's redo these teams..." Cathy suggested after we had won a 3rd time in a row.
        "Why?" Howie asked.
        "Oh, c'mon, we know you're playing easy on us!" Jenny exclaimed. "I CAN'T play basketball. The only one here who REALLY can, at the level of you guys that is, is Sarah...and we're winning?...Um NO..." she placed her hands on her hips. She turned to the girls, "No offence to the rest of you though..." They smiled. Kevin wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.
        "Why only Sarah?" he asked.
        "Cuz she was her the high school varsity team."
        "Oh really now...?" AJ began.
        "NO wonder she IS the only one who can play!" Nick laughed.
        "HEY!" Julie hit him.
        "OW...oh no, Jen's taught you to HIT..." he exclaimed. Jenny hit him. "OW!!!"
        We continued to play after we switched teams over and over again, continually trading players. After awhile, Brian opted to take a rest, so Jenny did as well to keep even teams (they were on opposite teams at the time). At one point, Nick got mad that Julie had actually blocked him and as revenge picked her up and twirled her around screaming, then tackled her with tickles.  Brian looked away and sighed.
        "Why so glum, sugarplum?" Jenny asked.
        "Cute."
        "I try...So what's up?"
        "Nothing."
        "Deja-vu."
        "Hmmm?"
        "We've had this convo before."
        "True."
        "And last time..."
        "I almost got you," he finished her sentence and grinned.
        "Almost but not quite. Sarah saved me."
        "I can still get you. Sarah's playing basketball..."
        "Don't you dare." Jenny almost got up.
        "Well...not now," Brian laughed.
        "Good...So back to the subject."
        "We have one?"
        "Funny."
        "I try."
        "That's my line."
        "So?"
        "Hmph. Fine then...now back to the subject."
        "What subject?"
        "Stop that!"
        "Stop what?"
        "You are so impossible." Jenny was trying not to laugh.
        "Me? Impossible? Never!"
        "Hmph." Jenny crossed her arms.
        "Hmph." Brian mimicked her.
        "Copy cat."
        "Copy cat," he grinned back. She uncrossed her arms and turned to him. They heard another laughing cry of help from Julie. Brian sighed again.
        "Okay...now seriously, what's the matter? PLEASE don't try and act goofy, just tell me."
        "Fine..." Brian was silence for awhile. "How much do you know about Nick and Julie and me?"
        "Well...that you kissed her...and that he kissed her...and that she chose him..." Jenny tried to recall what she knew.
        "Nice and blunt, eh?"
        "Sorry."
        "Well yeah, that's basically it. But it bothers me. In the little time we've known y'all, I've come to really like her, I don't know why. I usually don't go kissing people I've just met. And she chose Nick. He's my best friend. It bugs me.  But it shouldn't..." he trailed off.
        "It's okay that it bugs you..." Jenny tried to comfort him.
        "But he's my best friend."
        "Have you talked to him about it?"
        "No...there's been no chance to anyway..."
        "So then why don't you find a chance?"
        "I can't."
        "You will have to...sometime."
        "Just not now."
        "But you will."
        "Yeah...somehow."
        "Don't worry...talking will help." She placed a hand on his back for comfort. He looked at her and smiled.
        "Thanks."
        "For...?"
        "Being a good friend."
        "You're welcome," she grinned.
        "Let's get back to this game, shall we?" He got up and put out a hand to help her up.
        "We shall," she smiled and accepted his help. They got up to see Nick pretend to die and fall on the ground in exhaustion, and attempted to take Julie with him.
        "Um I think that's a hint..." Cathy began.
        "...that we should stop playing," Howie finished. I heard Darwin and his signature Beagle howl.  We all ran through the side door. One of them, either Kezia or him, had knocked over a trash can. Both dogs were trying to play with the rubbish. We scrambled to get the animals in order. I bent down to hold my dog and Kevin bent down to help catch Kezia. His butt hit mine and I fell into the pool...with Darwin. I came up sputtering and everyone was laughing.
        "That's the second time you put me in a pool today!" I said, getting out after Darwin had dog-paddled to the side himself.
        "Sorry!" Kevin said.
        "Sure...Can you help me?"
        "Sure." I got out and in one motion pushed him backwards into the pool  He made a nice BIG splash. While Brian was laughing at his cousin, Jenny pushed him in. While Nick was laughing at his best friend Julie, pushed him in, liking Jenny's idea.  AJ and Howie helped the boys get their revenge by somehow getting us in the pool, but of course we retaliated. All of us ended up in the pool somehow in the end, the dogs probably thought we were just plain crazy.

*Chapter 20 ~ Arrangements And Arguments*
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