Crazy

Subject Crazy Part 4

Hey guys. Well I managed to pump out another chapter instead of doing homework like I should be. Oh well... You'll have to figure me for inventing facts in this chapter. I tried to find the truth, but there just isn't enough time to search absolutely everything, and it's not like I can just call up the guys and ask them stuff, right? Again thanks to everyone who's written me. It means a lot. If you have something to say to me, don't be afraid to send it to me at crazystar@canoemail.com, because criticism is the only way I'm going to get any better at this. Anyways, all the legal weenie stuff still applies. Have fun.

Crazy Chapter 4

He closed the door and I could hear him walk down the hall. I got undressed and crawled into the bed. Man has this ever been one incredible day. It's been almost like a dream. I didn't have much time to think about it, because pretty soon I really was dreaming.

I WAS IN A LARGE ROOM. It was some kinda hall that was extremely chic. Marble floors and pillars, huge pieces of art on the walls, and this massive fountain in the centre of the room that looked like it had to be made out of crystal. An orchestra was playing what sounded like Mozart or maybe Bach in the background. There were a lot of people in the room. We were all dressed formally: Men in White Tie, and Women in Formal Gowns. Some of the faces I vaguely recognized, others I had never seen before. However, none of the faces had any expression on them. Just completely blank. People were talking, but I couldn't hear what any one person was saying. Just a jumble of voices; they had no coherence to me whatsoever.

I was just standing near the middle of the room. I watched people move around me, drink their drinks, and talk their talk, but it almost seemed like I was being completely ignored. People walked past me as if I wasn't there; they looked through me as if I couldn't be seen. It was totally weird, and even a little scary.

Finally, someone turned around and looked at me, and then other people did the same thing. It continued until everyone in the room was standing there pointing at me. There was expression on these people's faces now. Some people had their hands over their mouths as if they were gasping. Others were laughing. Some were just staring with pure hatred in their eyes.

I turned around and ran for a large, oak door. Just as I reached it a tall, older man with white hair grabbed me by the arm. It hurt. I tried to break free, but his hold on me was extremely strong. He stared at me intensely before opening his mouth.

"You're not like us." He spat at me. "Get out!" He shoved me towards the now open door and I fell through it. But I didn't hit the floor I just kept falling, and falling, and falling...

"SHIT!" I was awake now and sitting up in Lance's bed. I was soaked in sweat and was trembling. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. There were goosebumps all over my arms, and the room felt icy cold. After taking a few minutes to calm myself down, I laid back down and noticed that it was light outside. I rolled over onto my left side and looked at the clock on the bedside table.

"Fuck! Eight-thirty." I whispered to myself. I knew from experience that there was no way I was going to fall back asleep after waking up like that- I had dreams like this before, where I was somewhere and was being ignored. But then someone would notice me and everyone would treat me like a was a plague or something. I wish I knew why I was having them-, so I figured I might as well get up. I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. As I stood up I felt a sharp pain in my neck and lower back.

"Ow!" I stretched and tried to get the knots out. My back still hadn't recovered one-hundred percent from the car accident I was in a few months ago. Mind you, all the dancing from last night probably didn't help either. I shuffled into the bathroom and decided to take a hot shower to try and loosen things up a bit. I shut the door and took off my blue boxers.

"Crap! I don't have any clean clothes here." Hmmm... I've really gotta stop mumbling to myself. Isn't that the first sign of insanity? Naw, it's all good; well as long as I don't pose questions to myself and then answer them, right? Oh yeah, Lance said that I could borrow whatever I needed, well... I don't exactly feel cool about borrowing someone else's boxers though. So I picked up my boxers and hung them on the towel rack before stepping into the shower and turning the hot water on. I just let the water cascade over my body. I swear every muscle in my body was contracted. Eventually I was able to loosen up enough to be rewarding with a series of loud cracks when I flexed my back and neck. The tension just kinda flowed out of me after that. After a few more minutes I turned the water off and got out of the shower. When I grabbed one of the towels there I noticed how incredibly soft it was. It just felt so warm. I almost wanted to just wrap myself up in it and go back to bed, but I figured that'd be a totally bad idea. I dried off, wrapped the towel around my waist and rinsed my mouth out with the mouthwash that was on the counter. It's not that I had to worry about anyone else smelling my breath, I just totally hated the taste of morning mouth. I grabbed my boxers on the way into the bedroom.

I felt a little weird about going through someone else's drawers for clothes, but I figured I couldn't go out wearing the same thing, and I couldn't go out there naked, so I just went with it. I opened the second drawer from the top, since I figured the top drawer would be underwear and socks, and pulled out a white t-shirt and a pair of baby blue, Nike soccer shorts. Sweet. I threw my boxers on and then put on the shorts before putting the towel in the laundry basket in the bathroom and then making the bed. After that, I pulled on the shirt and walked out of the room and down the hall to see if Lance was awake.

I could smell coffee and knew he must be up. I wasn't really a hot coffee drinker, but the smell was pretty unmistakable. I followed the smell until I found the kitchen and Lance sitting outside with his back to me on a balcony over-looking the ocean. He was reading a newspaper and drinking a really big cup of coffee. It didn't seem like he had noticed me, so I figured I give him a little payback for what he did to me last night in the Jeep. I walked outside and gently tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped a little bit when he turned around, but it was no where near the reaction I was hoping for. He didn't even spill his coffee!

"Good Morning Ry. I didn't think that you were going to be up this early." He just smiled. How could anyone be happy this early in the morning? It was too early for big smiles! I just shrugged.

"Morning Lance. You know? I didn't think that I was going to be up this early either. But here I am. Ugh!" I plopped down in a chair beside him.

"You didn't sleep well?"

"No, my back is pretty sore. I was in a car accident a few months ago and it's still not better yet." It was at least half-true. I really didn't feel like divulging all my secrets to Lance right away. Even though I had done it with Justin, but that was only because he insisted and I really did need to talk about it with someone. I don't even know what the stupid dream was about, so there was no way I was going to tell any of the guys about it. Besides I really didn't want to think about it.

"Ouch! What happened?"

"A friend and I were merging into a lane when some asshole cut us off and forced my friend to swerve back into the original lane. We ended up rear-ending some stupid lady in front of us who wasn't paying attention, and we most had pretty bad whiplash. But it's slowly getting better."

"That totally sucks, but it's cool to hear you're getting better."

"For sure, I can't wait to get back on my bike again!"

"What kinda bike?" Lance always seemed so interested in what you had to say. He was just great to talk to.

"Mountain Bike, it's the adrenaline that keeps me going."

"Cool." He downed the last of his cup and gestured to me with it. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Naw it's cool, thanks Lance, I don't drink coffee."

"Oh, well do you want something else? I've got juice or herbal tea if ya want?"

"Actually, some tea would be totally kick ass right about now."

"K, I've got this totally funky Zen tea. It's kinda minty, but not really. I'm sure you'll like it."

"Coolio, just show me where it is and it'll all be good."

"Screw that! This is my place and you're a guest, so there's no way I'm gonna make you make your own tea." Crap. Are all the guys this stubborn? I mean, it's kinda cool that they all wanna be nice and stuff, but I hate feeling like I'm imposing on anyone.

"Uh, thanks... but will you at least let me help you?"

"Nope! But you can watch!" He had this huge grin on his face. You'd think he'd just won a Gold medal at the Olympics or something. Well, he did win yet another victory, but like he said it was his place. I'll get him back if they ever come to visit me!

I followed him into the kitchen where he pulled out a kettle, filled it, and then plugged it in.

"So what's your story Ry?"

"Huh?"

"Your story. You know, who you are and stuff?"

"Oh yeah, well I guess I'm me!" I started to laugh. Lance giggled a little bit, but then turned serious again.

"Come on, I really want to know you. And when you're done I'll tell you."

"K..." I told Lance about growing up in British Columbia. I told him what the climate was like there. I talked about how I wasn't really all that athletic as a kid, but when I started to get older my body changed and so did my attitude towards sports. I told him about how I had wanted to become a doctor since I was a little kid, and that hopefully I would go into a specialist surgery field somewhere in pediatrics. And then I couldn't figure out what else to say, so he started to ask me questions.

"What about your family?"

"Well my Dad works in some sort of huge Financial Corporation. You know, the massive buy it, cut it, make it better and stuff. I rarely ever saw him when I was living at home, and it was probably better that way because we don't really get along that well and he's got a drinking problem. I guess that's partly why I'm so careful with alcohol and stuff. I don't really get along that well with my brother Jack either. This sounds like a really bad excuse, but we're nothing alike and it takes a lot of effort on both of our parts just to get along. Sometimes we do, but most of the time we don't." Lance looked kinda sad, but he didn't say anything as he passed me my tea. I took a sip and carried on.

"My mom and I are a lot closer though. I can actually feel that she loves me, so it just works out better. You know what I mean?" I took another sip of my tea and Lance nodded. He seemed to be thinking for a few minutes and I just watched him. It was actually kinda funny, because his eyebrows were moving up and down. Finally he opened his mouth.

"Do you believe in God Ryan?" He was dead serious. More serious than he's been since I've met him. I took another sip of my tea and then took in a nice deep breath. "Yes, but... well it's hard to explain. I know He's there and stuff, but I don't go to church anymore. It's kinda a different way of doing things." His serious face disappeared and he smiled.

"Cool. You just do it in your own way, and in a way it means more that way because you're not just going through the motions." His head bobbed up and down as he spoke and I gave in and started to giggle. "What???"

"Lance, you were just bobbing your head up and down when you were talking and it looked totally funny!"

"Oh! Yeah, I do that sometimes. Sorry."

"Naw it's cool. Anything else you wanna ask?"

"Yeah... have you ever been in love?"

"Nope. Once I thought I might be, but then she was ripped from my life."

"That sucks. What happened?"

"I, uh... had to move suddenly and then I couldn't find her phone number. She couldn't reach me either because there was no way she could have known where I went." I looked down into my cup and stared at the greenish tea inside. "I tried to find her, but her parents had different last names, and I didn't have her address either."

"You didn't know where she lived?"

"Well yes and no. She lived in Calgary, which is about 12 hours from Vancouver, and she always came to see me. So I had her address on paper, but I'd never been to her house."

"So it was a long distance relationship?" I was still staring at the tea.

"Yeah, but I saw her at least every other weekend. Her family had a lot of money- well so did mine, but I didn't live at home and my Dad controlled my cash at that point. He didn't think it was cool for me to be flying back and forth to sustain a relationship- so she just hopped a plane whenever she got the chance." "Wasn't it tough? I know I tried a long distance relationship once; it was really hard."

"It was, but it was only going to last like that for at most another year. She was eventually going to come to Vancouver for school, but now," I paused for a minute thinking about all the great times we had. "I guess it's for the better." I put down my cup and looked up. "So what's your story Lance?"

"James."

"Huh?" Ok, I was always getting confused with these guys.

"Well if you're going to know my story you have to know that my legal first name is James. The name on the birth certificate says James Lansten Bass."

"Oh, cool! So... how come you use Lance?"

"Well to be honest, I just like it better. It's more who I am than a James, so I just use it. Besides, we wouldn't want to have to call the group N'SYJC!"

"What???"

"Oh, well at least I know for sure that you're not a crazed fan because you don't know how we got our name."

"Yeah! Ok... so how did you guys get N'SYNC?"

"Well we were always N'Sync, we just weren't called that!" We both laughed at his lame joke as he refilled his coffee cup again and he poured me another cup of tea. I thanked him and then just waited patiently for him to tell me. We got into this weird staring game until he finally gave up. "Geez Ry, you're just like Justin! Are you sure you two aren't related?"

"I'm sure dude! Now tell me how you guys came up with the name."

"Oh, k... well it was actually Lynn who came up with it. She took the last letters of our names... JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, LansteN, JC."

"Coolio. So what about you? As much as I want to hear about the rest of the guys, I want to get to know you."

"A'ight! That's cool." He told me about his parents and his sister Stacy and his brother Ford.They were a pretty close family, although Lance admitted that he had kinda drifted away from everyone except his Mom over the past few years. He talked about how religious his family was, but mentioned that he had started to back off on the church going too. But his reason was mostly lack of time in the schedule, which I could totally understand. He talked about growing up in Mississippi, and about how cool he thought horses were. Lance also said that he wished he could be taller.

"What are you talking about? You're not short dude!"

"I know, but I'm shorter than Justin and JC. I always feel really short around them."

"Lance. Height doesn't matter dude. You should know that. Besides your personality totally makes up for it. I'm glad that I met the three of you guys. I don't think I've ever hit it off so easily with anyone... well except..." The smile drained from my face. Why couldn't I get over this? I mean, Kevin was my best friend but nothing I'll ever do will bring him back. I just have to be happy that he lived an awesome life. And go on... but I'm not ready yet. Lance was really worried. He had stood up and walked over to me. He crouched down in front of me so that I could see him.

"Except who Ry?" He looked into my eyes and saw the tears. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I, uh... Kev... he was..." I started to cry again. What kind of wimp was I. First these weird thoughts in my head and then I can't stop myself from crying! Lance got up a little bit and gave me a hug. It felt good, so I took a deep breath and calmed down. He let go after a couple of minutes.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" "Yeah, sure." Someone had once told me that the more that you talk about something, the easier it is to get over it, so I figured that it was worth another shot. Besides, I had already told Justin, right? "But can we go sit somewhere a little more comfortable? My back's starting to hurt again."

"Of course! Do you want anything for the pain? I have some Ibuprofen."

"Sure."

"OK, well just go into the livingroom through the sliding door there," he pointed to it " and I'll be right in k?"

"A'ight Lance. Thanks."

"No worries." Lance slowly got up and left the room, but he turned around to look at me one more time before leaving. I got up and walked into the livingroom through the doors as I was told. It was painted with the same Forest Green that was in Lance's bedroom and it had a lot of wooden furniture in it. In one corner of the room there was a massive Entertainment System with at least five-hundred CDs. There was also a huge couch along the wall facing the window that looked out on to the beach. It looked like it was really comfortable so I figured I plant myself there.

*** In the hall:

Man, Ryan has really had a tough time with stuff. I hope I can make him feel better.' I walked into my room to get the Ibuprofen. Noah, he made the bed. That's awesome! The last time I let JC use my bed he left the sheets all over the place.' I walked into my bathroom and grabbed the pills out of the medicine cabinet and walked out. On my way down the hall the door to Chris' room opened and JC walked out half asleep.

"Hey Lansten. `Sup?"

"I'm just grabbing an ibuprofen for Ry. His back's a little sore."

"Yeah? That sucks. Where is he?"

"Uh.. he's in the living room." Shit. I don't know if he's going to want to talk if JC's around. What am I going to do. I can't say anything to JC cuz then he'll wonder, and I have to let Ry tell me. He needs my help. No, you're just thinking that because you think that he's cute Lance. Why do you always have to rationalize stuff when in fact, you're just doing stuff for someone because you think they're cute. NO! He needs me to be a friend, and just a friend. I have to help him.

"K, is there any coffee left?" Maybe he won't budge in.

"Yeah, it was just me drinking it cuz Ryan doesn't drink coffee, he only drinks tea."

"Oh. Hey can I one of those?" Pointing to the bottle. "I have a pretty nasty headache."

"No wonder. You and Just sure drank a lot last night. Here."

"Thanks. Ryan probably thinks Justin and I are a couple of alcoholics or something" JC took two pills as Lance handed them to him and they entered the kitchen. JC grabbed a cup of coffee, and refilled Lance's for him.

"Nope. At least he didn't say anything like that. He seems really happy that he met us, and I think it's really cool that he can be so honest with us." "See I told you he was cool." JC took a sip of his coffee and decided that it wasn't hot enough so he put it in the microwave for half a minute. The smile slipped from his face. I knew that we were going to get into something deep. "Lance?"

"You're not falling for him are you? Cuz he's not gay, and I don't think you should tell him that you are; well bi or whatever."

"Shhh! He's in the next room and might be able to hear us." I gave Josh the evil eye. "And to answer your question, no, at least I don't think so. I mean, he is really cute, but I really don't think he's into guys either. And I'm not going to tell him unless he asks and I'm pretty sure he won't, ok?" Man, he's so overprotective of people sometimes.

"K, I'm sorry Lance. I just didn't want to see you make things awkward. I think he's a really cool guy and will make a totally awesome friend, just like we talked about last night." With that he walked into the living room, and I followed him. I was afraid that Ryan would freak out and not trust me.

"Hey Ry. `Sup?" Ryan stood up and smiled. He went to shake JC's hand but JC pulled him into a quick hug.

"Hey Josh." Ryan looked a little shocked, and then again so did JC.

"Woah, I'm sorry Ry. Didn't mean to scare you there, it's just that if we're going to be friends you just have to get used to the fact that we like our hugs. It's kinda a way to prove that we'll always be there for one another, you know?"

"No worries Josh. Sit down and chill." Ryan sat down on the couch and looked out towards the beach. JC sat down in a big, blue chair beside Ry. I threw myself down on the other side of the couch Ry was on. I handed two Ibuprofen's to him with a glass of water and mouthed the words `Is it ok?' and pointed to Josh. JC didn't notice and I was glad because I didn't want him to think that I was trying to keep something from him. Which I actually was, but it wasn't my place to tell him anything. That was completely up to Ry.

"Don't worry about it Lance, it's cool." Ry turned towards JC.

"I was just going to tell Lance about Kevin before he got up to get me something for my back."

"What?" Josh was concerned. He saw the look in Ryan's face and immediately knew that something was up. "Are you ok? What did this guy do to you?" JC was totally on the offensive. It was funny, he had just met Ryan and he was almost as protective of him as he was of Justin.

"No Josh, it's nothing like that." I took another deep breath. "Kevin was my best friend." A tear slipped out of my eye and both JC and Lance moved closer to me. JC put his hand on one shoulder, and Lance on the other. I tried to smile, but it ended up being more like a twitch.

"What happened?" The genuine concern from both of them was just totally cool. Every time that I think that these guys couldn't do something to make me feel any better, they do. I must of been right about Kev watching over me; otherwise I wouldn't have met the guys, right?

I told them pretty much the same story that I had told Justin yesterday. They both looked sad when I was done and each got up to give me another hug. First Lance, and then JC. JC's hug lasted a little longer than it probably should of, but it felt good. Somewhere deep inside I wished he'd never let go, but he did eventually. "Are you ok Ry? Is there anything else? If you want to talk, we're here to listen ok?" Lance was almost pushing too hard. There was one other thing, but I wasn't ready to tell them about it yet. It was just too horrible. I was glad that JC rescued me.

"Lance. Chill! If he's got something to say he'll say it on his own time, don't force it out of him."

"Thanks guys, for everything. I know it might not seem like a lot to sit here and listen to me babble about my problems..."

"Ryan. Lance, Justin and I are your friends. We don't care if you want to say something that you think is stupid."

"JC's right. We're here to listen, so when you need us, we'll be there. No questions asked. And your problems are not stupid. They're just what they're called: problems." They were both smiling at me and there was no way that I could stay upset with the two of them beaming at me. This was just all so cool.

"Well thanks guys. You're the best." I paused and looked at my watch and realized that it was eleven-thirty. Then I thought about the last time I had eaten. "Hey Lance?"

"Yeah Ry?"

"Have you got any cereal here?"

"With the chance that Justin might show up at any time... I've got a whole crapload of cereal. What kind do you want?"

"What kind do you have Lance?" We were playing a little game of "reverse-and-relay." I asked him a question, and then he asked me a question back. It was kinda funny.

"JC, why don't you take him out to the garage?" Lance had an evil smirk on his face. There was a similar one plastered on JC's as well.

"Sure, come on Ry." I got up and followed JC out of the living room. We went into the hall that you come in once you walk through the front door. There was a door that I hadn't noticed last night. JC opened it for me and stood back.

There was a ton of cereal in here. Cap'n Crunch, Apple Jacks, Count Chocula, Lucky Charms... every kind of kids cereal that you could think of was in there. I just stood there staring at it with my mouth hanging open. Lance appeared and snapped a picture of me before rolling on the floor in laughter. It didn't take JC long to follow either.

"Holy Shit! You've got a friggin' supermarket in here."

"Yeah, Justin had it sent over one day. He eats so much cereal that they have to buy it directly from the suppliers." Even though the joke had originally been on me, I started to laugh too. I grabbed a box of Cap'n Crunch and headed back to the kitchen with JC and Lance in tow.

Justin was in a deep sleep in his room. There was nothing like alcohol to put you in a deep sleep. The only thing was that whenever Justin drank he always dreamed a lot. This time wasn't any exception.

Ryan and him were hanging out on the beach, but it wasn't just any beach, it was the beach in front of Lance's place. They were just fooling around in the water. It seemed like it had been like ten minutes, when in reality it had been almost four hours. He was chasing Ryan on the beach when Ryan tripped. Justin yelled out his name and run up to him to see if he was ok.

"Are you all right dude?" Justin plopped down on the sand beside him. He couldn't help but look at him. He had really cool eyes. They were this funky colour that matched the ocean perfectly.

"Yeah I think so, I just need a breather for a sec." Ryan flipped over onto his back and shut his eyes. Justin found himself staring at Ryan's face, and then his eyes moved down to look at his whole body. Ryan was definitely in shape. His body was just about as perfect as Justin's was. The cool hair, defined upper body, nearly washboard abs. Justin though that the only thing that wasn't perfect was Ry's left ear that stuck out a little bit from his head. Justin then thought about how close they had become as friends and that they were like brothers. He was thinking so intently about how great it was that he had met Ryan that he had even tuned out the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

Justin looked at his face one more time, and the next thing he knew he leant in to kiss him. It was a quick kiss, but something he had wanted to do for the past day or so. Ryan's lips were so soft. Ryan opened his eyes and looked at Justin. Just suddenly felt extremely afraid and he let a tear slip out of the corner of his eye. He thought Ryan was going to hit him, but Ryan didn't move. The only thing that moved were his lips and they formed another one of what Justin thought was the best smile in the world.

Seeing that Ryan didn't react badly, Justin leaned in for another kiss. This time they stayed locked together in a more passionate kiss. Justin didn't feel any lust in the kiss just love, and he wished that the two of them could stay like this forever...

HAHAHAHA! "Holy Shit! You've got a friggin' supermarket in here."

"Fuck!" Justin shot up out of bed when he startled by the laughter out in the hall. He laid his head back on the pillow and thought about the dream he had just had. What am I thinking? I'm not gay am I? Oh man...' Justin started to cry softly Fuck. What's happening to me? How am I ever going to look at Ryan again? Do I really love him?' He sat up and moved so that his back was against the headboard, and he grabbed onto a pillow and hugged it for comfort. I have to tell him. Just like I was going to ask him last night what he thought about people who were gay, cept now I'm glad I didn't ask him... or am I? I just need to tell him the truth, and if he's a real friend then he'll accept it whether or not he likes me that way. Yeah! Ryan's a great guy, even if he doesn't love me like that, he'll just stay so and then we can go back to being friends.

Ugh! But I don't even know if this is love. I've never been in love before. I can't say anything until I get this all figured out. But what if he doesn't...' Justin's crying developed into sobs and he buried his face in the pillow so that he wouldn't be heard by someone walking down the hall. After a few minutes he started to calm down and decided that it was time to get up before someone came in and woke him up. I'll just talk with JC and he'll know what to do. Even if it means that I have to tell him that I might be interested in other guys. I mean, he took it ok when Lance told him and I that he was bi, right?' Deciding that Josh would be able to help him he stood up.

Either he must of drank a lot last night or all that crying had made him loose his balance. Justin had to grab onto one of the bedposts to stay standing. He waited for the room to stop spinning before letting go and slowly walking into the bathroom. After relieving himself of the copious amounts of liquid in his bladder, Justin splashed some water on his face and wandered out into the hall in search of his morning dose of cereal.

I heard the shuffling of feet and looked up. Justin looked like he was dragging himself into the kitchen. He didn't look very well. His eyes were all red and he was really pale. He must have had way more to drink last night than I had thought.

"Just, are you feeling ok?"

"Hmmm... yeah." His eyes were partially closed. If he hadn't been walking I would have sworn that he was on his death bed.

"Ry..." I turned to look at JC "just let Just get some cereal into him. He never wakes up until he eats."

"Oh, k." I turned back to Justin as he slumped into the chair across from me. He didn't look at any of us.

"Coffee Just?"

"Mmm-hmmm" Lance put down a cup of coffee in front of him and Justin picked it up and started to drink. Next came the bowl, which Justin quickly filled with the Cap'n Crunch that was on the table. He snatched the milk from in front of me and succeeded in getting about half of what he was pouring in the bowl. The rest went on the table. I jumped up and grabbed a cloth out of Lance's sink.

"Is he always like this in the morning?"

"Well, he's not usually this bad, but pretty close. I guess he had more to drink than I thought." JC was kinda giggling at him, so I figured that Just probably was ok, he just looked really sick.

"I guess I should give him some Ibuprofen, huh?" Lance was almost mocking him. The tone in his voice was like "haha, I didn't drink but you did, and now who feels sick," but I knew better. Part of why the guys get along so well is that they joke around so much. I'm not saying it was fair, but it was kinda funny.

"Yeah, and a big tall glass of ice water." I turned to Just "Next time try and stay awake long enough to down something that'll make you feel better when you wake up Just!" I laughed a little and Josh and Lance joined me.

"Thanks Ry." He shoveled a really big spoonful into his mouth. "I'll try and remember that next time before I pass out." He still wouldn't look at me. I thought that was kinda weird, but neither JC nor Lance seemed concerned, so I just brushed it off. I saw the huge spoonfuls that Justin was trying to fit in his mouth and I started to imitate him with mine. The guys saw this and they just went nuts.

"You guys... are... so... like... little kids!" Lance could barely breath let alone talk. I started to crack up and even Justin let out a smile, but then he went back to eating. Still not looking at me. He had looked at Lance, but he wouldn't look at me. I was definitely worried now. I started to wonder what I could have done. Everything was fine last night. Oh my God. Maybe he heard me crying or something. No, that's stupid. If he had, he would've come in to check on me, right? Besides, he was passed out when we got to Lance's and I don't think there was any way he could've woken up until now.

To be honest, I was even suprised he was up this early. I mean, I know I wouldn't have been up now if it weren't for my back. Maybe I should've drank more last night. At least I would've gotten a decent sleep. Anyways, there must be a reason he's up.

But I'll just have to let it go. He'll tell me when he's ready. Just like with that thing last night. I'm not going to press, no matter how much I am worried about him. He'll tell me when he's ready. I know how much I hate it when people try to pressure me into doing something I don't want to. I was finally broken free from my own little word when JC started to shake me.

"Ryan?! Uh dude, aren't you listening? Are you ok?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, no, I'm fine. I was just thinking. Sometimes I do that, sorry." Lance broke in.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I mean, if you didn't think I'd be kinda worried."

"Or he'd be a lot like Joey!" The three of us started to laugh again, but Justin just ignored us and finished his cereal. When he was done he got up.

"I'm going to take a shower, k Scoop?" Lance handed Justin a couple of the Ibuprofen's and Justin nodded before walking away.

"No prob." As soon as Justin was out of earshot. "JC, I've never seen him this bad."

"I know, but he probably just didn't know when to stop last night. Give him a couple hours and he'll be back to normal." He turned back to me. I was perfectly happy sitting there eating my cereal, but I got dragged back into the conversation kicking and screaming.

"What's that Josh?"

"What do you want to do today? I mean, this is your first time to Orlando right?"

"Yup. I dunno. I mean. I really didn't get much sleep last night. I'd kinda like to get back to the hotel and grab a nap. How `bout you guys figure something out when Justin gets back to being himself, and then give me a call at the hotel."

"A'ight sounds like a plan."

"K." I pulled out my cell phone and dialed directory assistance. "Orlando. No. Uh... anything with Taxi in it." The next thing I knew JC had grabbed my phone out of my hand and canceled the call. "'Sup Josh?"

"There's no way I'm letting you take a taxi back to your hotel. I'll give you a lift."

"But what about Justin? How's he going to get home guys?" Lance's turn to gang up on me. Man, I really needed Justin around right now to even the score a little. But, somehow, I didn't think he'd be all that useful right now.

"Don't worry about it Ry. Once he's done I'll give him a lift back home. I'll just chill out there until we ready to do whatever we're going to do this afternoon."

"Ok, well, do you have a piece of paper Lance?"

"Sure. Here" He handed me something to write on with a pencil. I scribbled down my cell phone number and the name of my hotel with the room number.

"How bout you give me a call around four? That'll give me enough time to get in a decent nap and stuff."

"Cool."

"Ry, why don't you go grab your stuff from Lance's room and then we'll go. I think I'll catch a nap before we go out too."

"Sure." I got up from the table and walked down the hall to Lance's room. I picked up the clothes from the floor and threw on my Nikes without any socks. It felt kinda weird, but it was better than wearing dirty socks.

I dunno. I'm not all that happy with this chapter. It just didn't really come out the way I wanted it to, but I didn't really feel like completely rewriting it, so here it is. Anyways, if you want to tell me how much it stinks and how much you hope the next one will be better, it's all good. `Til next time, laterz.