Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 17:22:05 GMT
From: J-dot M <catsfan1@hotmail.com>
Subject: Ride

Ride
Written by JM

--- I was inspired to write this interlude while riding in the car to go out
of town.  I wasn't sure if I was going to write it until I got an e-mail
last night from a reader named Marissa.  She told me that it was my story
that helped her like Innosense and that she got to meet them.  That, plus
letters from several of you, has made me continue to include Innosense in
the storylines.  For those of you who haven't done your research, Innosense
has a strong connection to Britney Spears, *NSYNC, and the Backstreet Boys.
So that's why I continue to write them into plots.  Anyway, this story will
go along with the next chapter.  It centers around the girls of Innosense,
except it will touch on ALMOST ALL of the little plots that have been going
on in the story.  It will give readers a chance to really get accustom to
Innosense and to see their view on choices and actions that have been going
on with their friends.  This will also include a HEFTY amount of Innosense
lyrics, so brush up on your music kids.  The lyrics for 'Go Baby Go' and
'Guilty' have been altered due to lack of proper multimedia.  I hope my
readers will at least give this minor interlude a chance and read it.  Let
me know what you think... ---

		A foot kept a steady beat with the floor by tapping on it.  Arms were
crossed and her body was stiff.  Her body was clothed in a black halter top
with baggy, orange flight pants.  Her hair was slicked by in a ponytail and
covered by a yellow bandanna.  Her olive-toned skin was shiny with baby oil
and her face was pale with little make-up.  Her Nike-covered feet tapped a
familiar beat in her head, but it did not ease her agitation.  She waited
for another woman to appear in the large warehouse that was set aside for
Innosense's rehearsal.  The woman's name was Danay Ferrer and she was the
eldest, and most disturbed, member of the all girl group.
		Mandy Ashford, another member of the group, skid her ankle-sock covered
feet across the polished, wooden floor.  "We should do some vocal warm-up's
while we're waiting.  Maybe we could work on that acapella of 'I Wish?'"
Mandy suggested in her healthy Southern intone.  Danay twitched her nose and
then briskly rolled her eyes at Mandy.  She wasn't in the mood for the
notion.  "Good idea Blondie." Veronica Finn, the youngest member, agreed.
She stretched on the floor near Mandy, trying to think of other things
besides the thick tension that lingered in the air of the warehouse.  "I
like the acapella ya'll do for 'Rain Rain.'  Do you think you'll do that one
at the House of Blues Showcase?" Lynn Harless, Innosense's manager and
mother to Justin Littrell, wondered.  Veronica contemplated the idea while
Mandy shrugged.  She tightened the ponytail she had on her blonde hair while
listening to Veronica count off her crunches.  "Isn't that set going to be
about five songs?  Or is it four?" Mandy questioned, lowering her arms and
shoving them into the pockets of her gray flight pants.  "I thought it was
six?" Veronica voiced her own concern.  "No, I heard it was three." Jenny
Morris, the newest member of Innosense, protested from a bench on the side
of the warehouse.
		"It's four songs and four songs only.  We'll pick the songs as soon as
Nikki decides to make her appearance here." Danay stated in a firm,
controlling voice.  The others became silent for a moment while Lynn refused
to involve herself in the girls' conflict.  Mandy soon turned to Veronica
and stuck her tongue out.  "I told ya it was four songs." she boasted in a
hushed voice, causing Veronica to fall back onto the floor with laughter.
"Hey, D, go easy on Nikki, will ya?  She probably had something that came up
and prevented her from being here right now." Jenny suggested a simple
answer.  Mandy nodded, hoping to win over Danay's softer side.  "She's had
something come up for the past two rehearsals Jenny.  We've been easy on her
the past few times." Danay disagreed.  "Yeah, JC, no doubt." Veronica
snickered quietly, causing Mandy's head to drift in her direction.  She shot
her friend a lonesome scowl, showing her disapproval in Veronica's comment.
"Guys, come on, they're just friends." Jenny griped.  "It's none of our
business anyway." Mandy disaffirmed.  Jenny nodded with her, crossing her
arms.  "The hell if it isn't." Danay charged, throwing her arms into the air
for emphasis.
		"The hell if it isn't what Danay?" Nikki's distinctive voice brushed
through the air, eyes searching for her.  She stood near a mirror covering
one of the warehouse's walls.  Pieces of her reddish-brown hair accented her
shoulders while the rest of it fell behind her back.  Her workout bag rested
near her feet while her hands were busy twisting the cap of her Asani water
back and forth.  A simple frown touched her lips while her green eyes peered
at her group mates.  Mandy took glances at both Danay and Nikki.  She did
not like the tension forming between two of the closest members.  She
cleared her throat lightly and then took a small step forward.  "Uh, hey
Nik', we were just talking about the songs we were going to do for the House
of Blues Showcase." Mandy spoke up in her captivating country accent.  Nikki
brought her eyes to Mandy with suspicion rounding them.  "Really?" Nikki
wondered with heavy doubt in her voice.  Mandy nodded quickly, hoping to
receive support from the others.  "Yeah, I think we should change up the
line-up.  You know?  Give the fans something new instead of that same show
we gave them on the *NSYNC tour." Veronica finally interjected with a bubbly
voice.  Nikki twisted her lips just as she did the cap.  She licked her lips
and then returned her eyes to Danay.  "Right D?" Veronica chimed, praying
Danay would not begin at argument.  Danay lowered her eyes with anger and
then finally nodded.
		Nikki tossed her head to one side, foldingher arms with disbelief.  "Okay,
ladies, shall we get started?" Robert Jacquez. the choreographer, called
out.  He received no disapproval from any of the girls from Innosense.  It
surprised him, but he took the silence in stride.  "Nikki, you're late and
that cost us some time.  So we have no time for a warm-up.  We've gotta get
right into the routines.  Let's start with 'Go Baby Go.'" Robert listed off
without a breath, clapping his hands as he finished.  The sound of his hands
slapping together caused the girls to quickly move to their designated
positions.  "Gee, he's so peppery today." Mandy joked, grabbing her
microphone from the ground.  Veronica snickered lightly, letting her arms
rest at her sides while awaiting the opening music to begin.  "Are we even
going to do this song for the Showcase ya'll?  It's been awhile since we've
done it." Jenny remarked, looking around to the others.  Veronica quickly
shrugged.  Mandy sucked in her lower lip, contemplating the idea.  "I think
we should bring it back for this performance.  Even though it's not on the
album, people still like it." Nikki commented.  She received a small nod
from Jenny.  "Hmmph, I don't know why you think that.  It's not like you
didn't tell JC to leave last night." Danay remarked quietly, but loud enough
for Nikki's ears to hear a few of the words.  Veronica turned her head in
shame, disappointed in her friend.  Nikki wrinkled her brow and scrunched up
her nose.  "Hold up, what does he..." Nikki did not get an opportunity to
finish her statement.  "Cue the music!" Mandy requested loudly, setting
everyone off balance.
		A thundering bass-beat entered the warehouse causing the women of
Innosense to hop into position.  Each thought of the beginning dance moves
for the song they had not performed or rehearsed in three months.  They all
followed Mandy's lead as she raised one arm to the air and began to wave it
around in a circle.  Nikki swallowed hard, engulfing the hateful words she
prepared to hurl at Danay.  She lifted her microphone to sing the chorus to
the song with the others while preparing to lead on the first verse.  She
merely threw her hair back and danced to the front of the group, hoping she
could keep her mind on the rehearsal and not the anxiety building between
Danay and herself.

	Go baby go baby go
	If you just wanna spend the night
	(You can go, baby, go)
	Go baby go baby go
	If you don't see you our future bright
	(You can go, baby, go)

	[Nikki]
	Midnight is comin' on
	We can't go on and on
	But I wanna talk until the sun comes up
	The way you're holding me
	It isn't hard to see
	Cause baby, I'm ready to begin
	To open up

		Danay sashayed her way to the front of the group, shooting Nikki an evil
stare.  She licked her lips and then stared at the mirror in front of her.
She needed to keep a focus and thinking of Nikki and her current actions
were not helping.  She lifted her microphone to croon the bridge of the
song, watching from the corner of her eye as Nikki dance nearby.

	[Danay]
	But if you just wanna have some fun
	You know I'm not the one
	You better go

	Go baby go baby go
	If you just wanna spend the night
	Go baby go baby go
	If you don't see our future bright
	Cause if you believe this is love
	And you're willing to stay
	Then stay, then stay baby stay

		The others danced around madly as Nikki and Danay continued to have a war
with stares.  Nikki flounced her way to the middle of the group, her
microphone near her side.  She took a quick glance back at Danay before
sliding to one side with Mandy.  She permitted Danay to march to the front,
following the routine that was fashioned for the song almost nine months
prior.  She bobbed her head to the urban beat, anticipating Danay's vocals
to take control of the second verse.

	[Danay]
	I could get lost in you
	That's what I wanna do
	But that'd be crazy to risk that chance
	This girl's not insecure
	But I got to know for sure
	Your heart, your mind, your soul understands
	That baby I'm so into you

		Danay skipped over to one side of the performance area as the others
danced i the background.  She shook her head and tapped her foot, listening
for Nikki's vocals.
		Nikki stood stiff in one position, her curiosity and anger getting the
best of her.  She did not bother to sing the next bridge.  "What do you mean
I didn't tell JC to leave last night?  How would you know?" Nikki asked
loudly with her animosity lacing through her voice.  Danay sucked air
through her teeth, returning to a standing position.  Mandy sighed
arrogantly, lowering her microphone before walking to one side of the
warehouse.  "What?  What's going on?" Jenny wondered, her dancing ceasing as
she glanced at Danay and Nikki.
		Nikki crossed her arms, still awaiting a response from Danay.  Danay
tipped her head back, raising her chin.  She rolled her eyes before sighing.
  "Man, I didn't even get to do my rap." Veronica complained as the music
was stripped from the speakers.  "Well, go on Danay.  You started this, so
answer the girl." Mandy insisted, placing her microphone down on one of the
speakers.  Danay nibbled on her lower lip while feeling the stares of the
others on her.  "I called your apartment last night... around midnight or
close to one o'clock.  JC answered the phone." Danay finally replied.  Nikki
raised her right eyebrow.  "And so you assumed that JC and I were sleeping
together because you called my place late at night and he was there?" Nikki
shot back.  Danay grumbled.  "No, but the fact that he was there at one
o'clock in the morning and you had to rehearse with us at nine in the
morning does leave some to wonder if you planned on kicking him out so you
could get some sleep or if you two were already sleep." Danay briskly
snapped back with a valid argument.  Jenny wrinkled her lips, the statement
too strong for her to go against.  'Oh, Nik', you're on your own girl.' she
stated mentally, drawing back from the group.
		"It's none of your business." Nikki gave a short and simple reply, turning
her back on Danay.  Veronica shook her head a little, unsatiated by the
response that was given.  "Like I said earlier Nikki, the hell if it isn't.
If it's starting to disturb the way this group works, then it is our
business." Danay hissed back.  "Danay, let it go.  Who cares if she's
sleeping with JC?" Veronica groaned, tossing her hands up.  Nikki spun on
her heels when hearing Veronica speak.  "We all do and you know it Veronica.
  It's not the fact that we don't know what's going on between them, but
it's the fact that she's late for rehearsals when she's with him.  She's got
her mind on him during rehearsals.  Hell, she's calling him when we have
breaks in rehearsals.    Let's not count the endless times on this recent
tour where she hung around *NSYNC's dressing room with him." Danay ranted
with hostility running through her voice.
		Mandy groaned softly, pressing her fingertips against her temples.  She
did not enjoy watching her friends battle and she knew the war was
inevitable.  "Danay, they dated for four years, what do you expect?  Do you
want her to give up her friendship with JC?  That's like asking Mandy to end
hers with Lance or Veronica's with Justin.  It's senseless." Jenny finally
stood up in defense of her friend.  "But this same thing happened when she
was with Kevin, remember?  The only difference is that she admitted that
something was going on between Kevin and her." Danay disagreed in a calmer
voice.
		"Whatever happened to you and Kev', Nikki?  I thought you two were working
it out?" Veronica wondered, bringing her soft brown eyes to Nikki.  Nikki
allowed silence to linger between her friends and herself.  She waited for
another outburst or assumption to cross Danay's lips.  "And like I said,
it's not our business." Mandy jested, returning to her position in the
group.  "No, it's your business if you want it to be, right D?  If you want
to know so bad that is." Nikki retorted, defeating Mandy's attempt to bring
unity back to the group.  Danay exhaled hard, stiffening in her stance.
"I'm just looking out for the good of the group and you.  And JC is not good
for you." Danay stated with her own fiaxted belief.  "Well, for the benefit
of the group, maybe you should wait until I'm ready to tell you what's going
on.  And to answer the question on your minds, I have not slept with JC.
Whenever he does stay at my apartment, which he has, he has slept on the
couch.  For God's sake, he's engaged to Nick.  I wouldn't go anywhere he did
not suggest and anywhere that would hurt me." Nikki declared rigidly with
hopes of destroying all untrue thoughts in her friends' minds.
		"Being engaged doesn't always mean someone is going to be faithful."
Veronica remarked, trailing off as she stepped toward one of the walls.
Nikki shot her a questionable stare.  Veronica ignored any looks that came
from the others.  She was wrapped in her own thoughts and her own struggles.
  "Let's just move on to the next song." Mandy suggested, pacing near Jenny.
  Jenny reluctantly nodded with faith that song would bring a unity back to
Innosense.  There were no objections from the others on the idea.  "Let's do
'A Real Good Man.'" Nikki suggested, hesitatiing in the idea of leaving the
subject with unresolved feelings.  "Yeah, come on, let's do something
lively." Jenny consented.  The othersd agreed in a more quiet fashion,
gradually moving to their positions for the routine.
		As soon as the classically hip-hop song came flowing into the speakers,
all five women became engrossed with the routine to the song.  They danced
freely, putting forth a large percent of their focus on the tune.  They
permitted the argument to die down as they interacted with the melody and
each other.

	Where ya at?
	Where ya at?

	I'm looking for a real good man
	I'm looking for a real good man

	[Nikki]
	I need, a good man, a good man, hey
	(I'm looking for a real good man)
	Come on, where ya at boy?
	Where ya at?
	Uh, come on ya'll

		As Nikki ad-libbed her way through the beginning of the song, she thought
over the harsh words spoken to her.  She felt singled-out for crimes she had
committed while the others escaped without any scars.  She didn't know why
she was the one who suffered because of the way her heart directed her.
Revenge was not her choice of drink, but it called on her.  She felt a voice
telling her to fight back against the things that were slung at her.

	[Nikki]
	I've been hurt so many times
	For all the men that's done me wrong
	I wish I had a dime
	Why can't they appreciate me
	For who I am and not who they want me to be

	[Mandy]
	(All I want is) Ooh, uh, yeah
	Someone who makes me feel like I'm his only girl
	(Can you hear me) Can ya'll hear me?
	Well if you're out there raise your hands
	Help me if you can
	Cause I need

	Someone who'll stay true
	And knows just what to do
	I need a good man (Where ya at?)
	I need a real good man (Where ya at?)
	I need a man
	Who makes love to my mind
	And gives me quality time
	I need a good man (Where ya at?)
	I need a real good man (Where ya at?)

		The others put forth much of their energy into the tune while Nikki took a
more laidback stance.  They chanted the hook while she thought over other
musings.  She watched herself and the others in the mirror in front of them.
  She flipped back her hair and let the heat of the room surround her.
'It's not my fault.  I didn't mean to fall in love with him... especially
not twice.  But he's so good to me, he treats me the way Kevin couldn't.
He's there for me, but yet... he belongs to Nick and part of him is still
with Justin.  How can I fight this?' Nikki contemplated as Jenny danced to
the front of the group.
		Danay glanced at Nikki with sadness running through her deep brown eyes.
'Nikki, you're doing it again.  You're letting him get to you.  You need
someone good girl, but... you can't ever find one.' Danay thought to
herself, considering the qualities Kevin and JC possessed.

	[Jenny]
	All the heartbreak in my life
	Has been caused by men who insist on acting trite
	Why must they always play these games
	Just respect me and for you I'll do the same

	[Danay]
	(All I want is) Oh yeah ladies, give it up
	Someone who's not afraid to show some sensitivity
	(Can you hear me) Can you, ooh
	Well if you're out there, let me know it
	Don't be afraid to show it
	Cause I need

		The girls ripped through the chorus as Mandy took glimpses at Nikki and
then herself.  'I wish you could have what I have.  Damn, Nikki, I know
what's going to happen.  JC can't lie to himself.  He's either going to pick
Justin or Nick and you're going to be left with the aftermath again.  Shit,
why does he do this to you?  This is just like last time.' Mandy said to
herself, her guilt overwhelming her.  She missed a few steps as she thought.
  She could feel herself lagging behind as the others tepped to the left and
allowed Veronica to strut to the middle for her rap.

	[Veronica]
	I'm lookin' for a real good man
	Understand?
	He gotta be rollin' with his heart in hand
	Here I am
	Ain't no shame in my game
	You better come correct with respect

		"Hold it!  Hold it!  Mandy, what's up girl?" Nikki called out, talking
into her microphone.  Veronica let her voice drop and end her rap.  She
glanced behind herself to see Mandy standing with a dumbfounded expression
on her face.  Veronica titled her head to the side, a curious expression
flickering on her face.
		Mandy shook her head, trying to clear her mind of her previous thoughts.
She turned her head in Nikki's direction, her ivory-green eyes questioning
her friend.  Nikki lowered her mic, confused by Mandy's glare.  "Nikki, why
can't you see?  He's not a good man, he can't be.  I don't want to see you
hurt by him." Mandy declared without a hint of hesitance.  A gasp expelled
from Danay's mouth.  Veronica shot Mandy a look of disbelief while Jenny
leaned back on her heels with uncertainty.
		Nikki felt her heart jump back and her mouth slid open.  She never
expected such a statement from Mandy.  She was unprepared for it.  She
swallowed lightly and then sighed.  Her heart fluttered.  "You can't judge
Josh like that Mandy.  Since I've known him, he's done a lot for me.  We've
hurt each other, but he's a good person.  Ya'll know that." Nikki protested
lividly.  Danay shook her head, crossing her arms and taking a few steps
back.  She did not wish to enter the conversation, but she felt words
bubbling inside of her.  "Sure, he can be a goo friend and very supportive
of us, but relationship-wise, he's been through more boyfriends than I
have." Mandy objected freely.  She was beginning to see Danay's view, but
she refused to concede so easily.
		"Why does my relationship with Josh have to be questioned because of our
past?  What about Veronica and Justin?  Mandy and Lance?  How about the
hours Jenny spent with Trace before most of our shows?  Or the times
Veronica showed up late to a recording session because she was on the phone
with Nick?  Why does it have to be about me?" Nikki sent out a demand in her
questions.  She searched for an answer in all of her friends' faces.  The
expressions were vague and uncertain.
		Jenny cleared her throat softly, sensing it was her moment to speak.
"It's different with me and Trace.  We're in love, Nik'.  We spend together,
quality time together because we're a couple... you know?  Boyfriend and
girlfriend?  It's not the same with JC.  You don't love him like I love
Trace." Jenny declared with a shaky voice.  "Oh Jenny, please, you've only
been with Trace for a year.  I've been friends with Josh since I was
thirteen.  I was his girlfriend for four years and now..." Nikki could not
find the proper words to finish her statement.  She, herself, was unsure how
to classify her relationship with JC.  "And now what Nikki?  Are you his
girlfriend?  That would be going against what you said earlier." Veronica
boasted, challenging Nikki's statement.  Nikki peered her eyes at Veronica,
angered by her outburst.
		Danay took a glance over her shoulder to where Lynn was.  She sat silent
in a corner while others continued with their work around the warehouse.  No
one intervened.  No one stopped their bickering.  Danay knew why.  She knew
Lynn ordered it.  Lynn was allowing the girls to vent after months of
built-up aggression.  Danay trusted that Lynn's technique would end the
tension between the five, but she was not certain that the method would
carry through.
		"She does bring up a point.  All of us have let the men in our lives
distract us from our duties to Innosense and to each other." Danay debated.
Nikki remained silent, flabbergasted by Danay's sudden support of her.
"Heh, you could say that about Veronica when Justin gets around." Jenny
remarked slyly.  Veronica's eyes widened with fury.  "Excuse me?  I don't
change when Justin gets around." Veronica disputed.  "V, you do.  Just like
I do when Josh gets around." Nikki contested.  "Roni, you do." Mandy agreed
openly, leaving Veronica speechless.  She tried to empathize with Nikki, but
now, she was Nikki.
		"That is some real bullshit.  I'm not hugging all on Justin or giving him
a kiss in the hallway when he leaves." Veronica retorted, her sharp words
directed toward Nikki.  Nikki crossed her arms and puckered her lips, her
disappointment evident.  Veronica, then, turned her eyes on Mandy.  Spite
circled Veronica's eyes when looking at the woman she felt closest to.
"Should we even question you and Lance's relationship, Blondie?  You two
seem rather close all the time.  You hug on him, lean on him, hold his hand
whenever.  Yet I never hop down your throat and ask you what's going on
there." Veronica hissed.  Mandy shook her head immediately.  She would not
permit herself to agree with Veronica's short analysis.  "Get real!  Me and
Lance?  He's my best friend, Veronica.  I'm sorry, but unlike you, I keep a
proper distance between my best friend and myself.  Lance and I never dated,
we never had anything but a platonic relationship.  Shit, Bryan and I just
had dinner with Lance and Bryce the other night.  I have a boyfriend and so
does Lance." Mandy refuted without hesitance, standing in complete defense
of a man she loved, but only as a friend.  Mandy yanked her hair from the
ponytail she wore and then rolled her eyes.  She took several steps away
from the group with a belief that she had proven herself completely.  "Can
you say that about you and Justin?" Danay added with a slick tongue.
Veronica twisted her head in another direction, furious by betrayel.
		"Okay, can we get back to the rehearsal now?  There's no use in us fussing
over our men like this." Jenny suggested, raising her voice so that the
arguing would cease.  The others did not seem as eager as she did.  "Maybe
that would be best." Veronica agreed, skating to the center of the group
with a sullen expression.  Nikki and Danay shrugged.  Mandy turned her back
on the others, her disappointment in their behavior evident.  "Let's do
'Rain Rain.'  All of us need something that we can relate to right about
now." Nikki advised, placing her hand on Danay's shoulder.  Danay gave her
an indifferent glare before smiling lightly.  "Sure, why not?" Danay agreed
with a small shrug.
		Jenny did not know the impact her choice of song would have on the others.
  She swiveled to the front of the group with a small smile, looking to the
others for support as she prepared to croon the second verse of 'Rain Rain.'
  A deft silence lingered between the five women as they performed the song.
  They knew all of the choreography too wel, yet, it became too mechanical.
There was no interaction between the five due to the mid-tempo ballad.  Only
dancing and singing, nothing else.

	[Jenny]
	The sun is strong when you're near
	But when you're gone it disappears
	Behind an ocean of blue
	The telephone's not good enough
	It can't reach out
	It can't touch me like the way you do, ooh

	I wish you would knock at my door
	Cause only you can stop this pouring

	Rain rain in the sky
	Everywhere I look my eyes see
	Rain rain falling down
	Cryin' as it hits the ground
	Rain rain in my heart
	Every day that we're apart
	Rain rain, falling (Falling to the ground)
	Rain rain (Splashin' on the ground)
	Rain rain (Let it trickle down)
	Only rain rain

		Jenny danced to the back of the group, her ad-libs following her.  She
glanced at Mandy and could feel the heat that grew between Mandy and
herself.  She frowned slightly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the
others.  She slid a few strands of her brown hair behind her ear and sighed,
watching as Nikki strolled to the front of the group.  She pursed her lips a
little, frustrated by her band mates' actions.

	[Nikki]
	Maybe I'll go outside
	And walk beneath the clouds
	Pretend it's you that's washing over me (Over me)
	Distance is the only thing that comes between us now
	Baby, soon we'll be together
	Ooh, ooh

	[Veronica]
	Rain fallin' from the sky
	All I do is cry and think of you
	Can't dry my eyes
	Rise above, the clouds
	All my love is not allowed
	You're not here to share the showers, all my powers
	Taken over, can't find no cover (Everywhere I look I see rain)
	Taken over the rain, rain
	Comin' at me like a train, train
	Driving me insane-sane
	Wanna run to the sun (Rain)

		Nikki moved to one side, a goofy grin finally grasping her lips.  She had
cease dancing and merely lingered in the stillness of her own aura.  She
tapped on Mandy's shoulder, hoping to draw her attention away from dancing.
Mandy glanced over her shoulder, her mind befuddled by a sudden touch.  She
glared at Nikki with astonishment running through her eyes and face.  She
stumbled a little as her dancing came to a stop.  Nikki giggled lightly
before giving Mandy a raspberry.  The abruptness of Nikki's action caused
Mandy to fall into a fit of laughter.  It was unexpected and something Mandy
truly needed.  It was humor.
		Danay took a quick glimpse to her left when hearing the laughter.  She had
wondered where Nikki's ad-libs had disappeared to when the girls sang the
hook of the song.  She could now view the mystery behind the difference in
the song.  She slowed her dancing, watching as Nikki and Mandy laughed to
one side while the others danced and sang.  "Eh, what's up with that ya'll?"
Veronica called into her microphone, causing Jenny to halt her dancing.
Nikki was too caught up in laughter to respond to Veronica, her face flushed
a brand new shade of red.  Jenny giggled under her breath while observing
the two.  "Don't ask me.  Nikki's the one who came over here and started
making faces." Mandy snickered, giving Nikki a light shove.  Nikki shrugged,
proceeding to laugh as the others glanced at her.  Her infectious laughter
soon caught wind and Veronica and Danay were joining Mandy and Nikki.  Jenny
furrowed her brow and stared at the other four.  "What's so funny guys?" she
pondered with a squeeky voice.
		As the music died down, another sound filled the warehouse.  A pounding
began to thud against the roof of the warehouse.  The sound caused the girls
of Innosense to lower the volume of their laughter and glance around
curiously.  "What's that?" Mandy wondered, moving her eyes all around the
warehouse.  Several shrugs followed her words.  "Thanks to your rain
dancing, it's raining outside ladies." Lynn answered Mandy's inquiry.
Innosense brightened with smiles.  "Yeah, we're bound for the number one
spot if we can make it rain for real at all of our shows." Veronica chimed,
taking a minute to listen to the soothing sounds of the rain pounding
against the roof.  The others laughed gleefully at her.  "Sure 'Roni." Mandy
giggled with a coy tone.
		"Aaww, me and Trace kissed for the first time in the rain.  It rained on
our first date." Jenny cooed, closing her eyes and grinning uncontrollably.
Her expression resembled that of a high school girl, forcing Nikki to roll
her eyes and laugh quietly.  "Oh, not one of these stories again Jen."
Veronica pleaded sarcastically.  Jenny's eyes flipped open and a sour
expression spread over her peach-toned lips.  "I'm sorry if you don't want
to hear 'em because they aren't as interesting as the struggles Brian and
Justin went through or the drama AJ and Amanda had, but they are my
stories." Jenny prattled sourly.  Veronica bit lightly on her tongue,
holding in argumentative words.
		"Gosh, Jenny, you act like you have a problem with the fact that Brian and
Justin fought hard to stay together or something." Nikki stated defensively.
  "Well... uh... I, uhm... I..." Jenny was at a loss for words, striving to
stay reasonable in her friends' eyes.  Mandy arched her eyebrow, suspicious
of Jenny's stuttering.  "You don't have a problem with Brian and Justin do
you?  After all, Justin is Trace's best friend." Mandy stated vindictively.
Jenny lowered her head, her hooded eyes answering Mandy's question
automatically.  "Oh, come on!" Veronica boasted, stomping away from Jenny.
Jenny took quick glances at all of her friends.  She could see judgment in
their peering eyes.  "No, no, no... I don't have a problem with them being
together... anymore." Jenny confessed with a guilty tone.  "Anymore?" Danay
repeated loudly, thrown by Jenny's words.  Jenny lowered her head again,
shifting her feet against the ground with shame.  "I had never been exposed
by... well, you know.  Guys like that before." Jenny said lowly.  "Guys like
what?  Guys in love?  For Christ's sake Jenny, it's the new millennium."
Veronica hissed.  She leaned against a wall with a spiteful look.  "Hey V,
give her a break.  If she was never raised around it, then she has a right
to be shaky toward the idea of her manager's son being married to another
man.  She didn't have time like you did." Nikki argued in Jenny's defense.
		Veronica sighed arrogantly, ignoring Nikki's statement.  "He's my
ex-boyfriend.  If I had to get over, so does she." Veronica grumbled.  "She
is over it V.  She just had to get used to it, that's all.  She's dating his
best friend and she's in a group managed by her mother.  How more over it
can she get?" Mandy retorted with a kinder tone.  Jenny nodded brashly.  "I
love Justin and his family to death.  Little Angel is like a nephew to me.
I'm fine with Justin being gay." Jenny asserted.  "He's not gay.  He's just
married to Brian, that's all." Veronica challenged her, leaving the others
perplexed.  Nikki sucked in her bottom lip, sensing Veronica's defensive
nature arising.  "But Veronica..." Danay began.  "Like I said, he's not gay.
  It's just a word and it has shit to do with Justin." Veronica insisted,
leaning off of the wall and walking further away from the others.  Danay
began to speak again but Nikki laid a hand on her shoulder.  She shook her
head, warning Danay.  'It's always Justin, isn't it V?  Always him.' Nikki
commented to herself while watching as Veronica slumped over in her walking.
		"Okay, now that you all have talked about my son and all of your thoughts
on his marriage to my son-in-law, can we please continue the rehearsal?  I
want to be out of here in the next three hours and that's not going to
happen until I feel you've gotten all of the songs together so that you can
pick which ones you're going to perform." Lynn declared in a firm and hard
tone.  The others quickly straightened up when hearing Lynn's voice.  Her
command was struck fear in hearts and Innosense followed it without protest.
  "Okay, right, uhm, let's do 'You Didn't Have To Hurt Me.'" Nikki
suggested, taking charge of the group.  "Ooh, I love that song!  Let's do
it.  It's about time we did a heavy ballad in our show." Danay cheered.
Mandy gave a shrug as a reply.  She had no complaints toward the idea.
"Okay, someone cue the music!" Nikki called out as the others grabbed
microphone stands.
		A thundering of drums blasted through the speakers before a dramatic
arrangement of guitars, keyboards, and an orchestra set the mood for the
Diane Warren-penned song.  The girls set up their microphone stands in a
straight line near the mirror.  Danay took the middle microphone stand, her
head bobbing to the beat that rung with the song.  It was infectious and it
was powerful, the power Danay was looking for to truly release her vocal
potential.

	[Danay]
	I only wanted what was best for you
	I only wanted to be there with the love you need
	I was the one who always loved you true
	So, why did you have to lie
	Why did I have to cry
	Why did you say those things
	If you did not mean anything
	Why did you have to go
	And turn my world so cold
	And take away that Heaven that I used to hold

	You didn't have to hurt me, hurt me
	You didn't have to make me, make me cry
	You didn't have to break my, break my
	Heart in a thousand pieces
	Why oh why
	Why oh why

	Oh why, oh why, oh why, oh why, oh why, why, why

		Danay put her trained voice into a haunting rendition of the ad-libs.  She
and the others danced from one stand to the next with Veronica and Danay on
the outside microphone stands, Jenny and Mandy on the middle ones, and Nikki
on the center microphone stand.  Nikki tapped her foot lightly to the
unchained melody, her heart calling out to the song.  She brushed a few
strands of her hair from her face and concentrated on the verse that was
assigned to her.  She snapped her fingers as Danay finished off the ad-libs.
  "Go Nikki." Veronica encouraged her.  Nikki took a small step forward and
allowed her well-developed voice soar through the microphone.

	[Nikki]
	I was the one who always stood by you
	I was the one who always gave so unselfishly
	There was not one thing that I would not do
	So, how could you be so cruel
	How could I be so fooled
	How could you take my trust
	And turn that trust right into dust
	How could you say you care
	Then leave me standing there
	So cold and all alone, you know it's just not fair

	You didn't have to hurt me, hurt me
	You didn't have to make me, make me cry
	You didn't have to break my, break my
	Heart in a thousand pieces
	Why oh why
	Why oh why

		Danay stepped away from her stand with her mic in her hand.  She allowed
Nikki to blast out the ad-libs to the second hook as she strolled toward the
front of the group.  Veronica watched her with envious eyes.  Danay was the
only one who did not have to suffer like the others.  Her connection to
*NSYNC was only through a high school sweetheart-relationship with Joey.  It
no longer existed and the two were merely close friends.  Danay did not
suffer the pain that Veronica did when she viewed her ex-boyfriend kissing
another man or when Nikki watched JC betray her trust by being with Nick.
Yet, Danay knew.  She was there when each of the girls' cried over their
boyfriends and lost love.  Danay felt for them, but she experienced her own
loss in Howie.  It was hidden, something she told no one.  Her deep love for
him was hidden in playful and childish behavior whenever she was around the
Backstreet Boy.  Danay was hurt when Howie pushed her to the side for other
women and she knew how it felt to taste her own tears at night.

	[Danay]
	Oh why did you treat me so bad
	When I gave you all I had in my heart (In my heart)
	Oh why did you take my love and throw my love away

	[Innosense]
	Gave my world
	Gave my soul
	Gave you everything

	[Danay]
	You didn't have to hurt me

		Danay held the last note as the others escaped from behind their
microphone stands.  They walked to the front where Danay stood, their vocals
warmed up to put their all into the song as Danay and Nikki did.  Mandy
leaned on Nikki with a smile, hoping that the song pulled Innosense together
and not apart.

	[Innosense] (Danay)
	Oh why, oh why, oh why, oh why, oh why, why why
	(You didn't have to hurt me)
	Oh why, oh why, oh why, oh why, oh why
	(Why oh why oh why)

	[Nikki]
	You didn't have to hurt me

		Nikki pressured her voice to new heights when holding her final note as
the others began to croon out the hook.  The emotion of the songs music
overcame Innosense as they all began to throw their full vocal potential
into the last renditions of the chorus.
		Danay stood out in the front, her eyes shut as she sang the hook.  She
could only feel the warmth of the others around her as she lamented over her
unjustified battles with Howie.  Jenny stood to the side with a shaky hand
raised.  She could only think of the trials she was put through with being
in Innosense and trying to make her role a permanent one with the group.
She took a glance to her right and spotted Nikki.  Nikki crooned the ad-libs
without release.  A few small tears clouded her eyes, but she refused to let
them fall.  She kept her head high even though she related the song to JC.
He was the one who could hurt Nikki without trying.  He was the one that
could make her cry so easily.  She hated it, but she loved him.

	[Nikki]
	Oh why, oh why, oh why

		Nikki sniffled lightly as she finished the song, turning her back on the
others so that she could wipe the tears from her eyes.  Mandy cleared her
throat lightly, taking a few steps away from the others.  She took a moment
to think of Bryan and how he pulled her out of the slump she had experienced
when dating men.  She was but a toy to them while she was sun to Bryan.  She
was thankful that Lance, the man so many thought she had a romantic
connection to, introduced the two.  She was free of burden and thankful for
the man she only wanted as a friend.  She could not connect to Veronica in
many ways anymore because Mandy accepted Lance's choice to be with men.  She
only wished for Lance's happiness as she did with Justin.  She could not see
how Veronica and Jenny could be so different, but yet they were the same.
		"Woo, that was different." Danay remarked, glancing at the others.  "Yeah,
it sure was.  It was nothing like that one time we practiced it with
Amanda." Veronica commented, walking over to the back of the studio to grab
a water.  Nikki followed her with flushed cheeks.  "This must have been
before I got in the group." Jenny commented lowly, disappointed in the
mentioning of the name.  "Of course." Veronica agreed before taking a sip
off of her water.  Jenny lowered her head.  She took small steps toward the
back of the warehouse.  Veronica shot her a perplexed expression.  "Jenny,
you know we have a few memories with 'Manda before you got in the group.
She was a part of the original group." Danay remarked to clarify things for
Jenny.  Jenny nodded without care.  "But we still love you Miss Jenny."
Nikki tried to giggle, patting Jenny on the back.  Jenny pursed her lips
with complete doubt.  "Not at first.  Ya'll had a problem with me coming in
and supposedly substituting the wonderful, sweet, and friendly Amanda."
Jenny retorted bitterly.
		Nikki raised her brow with surprise.  She did not expect a sour reponse
from Jenny.  "That's not true, we accepted you.  It's just that Amanda had
already been a part of the group for so long.  We had already recorded a
majority of songs with her and she was and still is family.  We still liked
you though because you were kind enough to come in and take her place while
she had Amaiya." Danay replied in a kinder voice.  Jenny rolled her eyes and
walked away from Nikki, a small towel wrapped around her neck and a water
bottle lingering in her right hand.
		"Well, Nikki and Danay... ya'll remember the hospital don't ya'll?  Ya'll
were so pro-Jenny then.  You were against making her a permanent member."
Veronica noted, strolling toward the microphone stands to remove her's from
the dance area.  Danay sighed with little patience.  "We were against just
kicking Amanda out of the group because she was pregnant.  We did not have a
problem with Jenny." Nikki corrected her immediately.  "Besides, not
everyone is accepted right away in groups.  I didn't accept Veronica when
she first joined Innosense.  It's a getting-used-to period." Mandy added.
		Veronica's head instinctively snapped in Mandy's direction.  She stared at
her with a hint of anger and hurt in her round, brown eyes.  "You didn't
accept me?  What?" Veronica wondered, her vocie stiff.  Mandy exhaled
softly, running her fingers through her soft blonde hair.  She licked her
lips, preparing to reply to Veronica's inquiry.  "No, I didn't V.  It was
just for the first few weeks.  You sort of came in and took Britney's place
because she went off on the solo thing.  It was just getting used to the
difference between you and Britney and the way you acted compared to her.
You were a rebel and she wasn't." Mandy explained herself further.
Veronica's jaw dropped a little.  She was dumbfounded by Mandy's revelation.
  "It was the same thing with Jenny and Amanda.  Amanda was wild and crazy
while Jenny is more subdued and sensitive." Danay noted.
		"Enough already.  Damn, since I've been in this group, I've had to deal
with Amanda-this and Amanda-that.  At our last show tih *NSYNC, Amanda
replaced me on stage.  Instead of going on without me, you put Amanda up
there in my place.  It's not fair.  I've had to fight to be accepted in this
group.  I've had to adjust to being a member in the group, but not really
being a member because it's all about Amanda.  She's not here anymore.  She
chose to go get pregnant and she chose to have that child.  She also chose
to leave ya'll and become a mother.  So don't keep putting me on the
backburner for her and her shit.  I'm here now." Jenny discharged loudly.
Her anger had finally come to full terms and she released it without
reservation.  She had to stake her claim to the group.  Jenny no longer
wanted to be compared or associated with the former member of Innosense.
She only wanted to be Jenny Morris of Innosense.
		The other four women looked at her with pale expressions.  'Whoa, did she
have some built-up animosty or what?' Mandy jested with herself, staring at
Jenny.  "Uhm, we're sorry Jenny... gosh, we never looked at it that way."
Veronica admitted first.  A nod from Nikki followed Veronica's statement.
Jenny hid her eyes, slightly embarrased by hrt outburst.  "Yeah, we're sorry
girl.  We won't throw you and Amanda in the same boat anymore.  You're
right, Amanda's gone and you're here." Danay agreed with Veronica, hoping to
make ammends with Jenny.  "And to prove it to ya D'Lou, we're gonna do the
remix to 'So Together.'" Mandy chimed, calling Jenny by her middle name as a
way of showing affection.  She slipped an arm around Jenny with a bright
smile.  Jenny responded with a smaller grin.  "Thanks Manny." Jenny said
with a gleam.  "Maestro, you heard the lady.  Cue the music." Danay called
out as the others huddled around Jenny.  "Come on ladies, let's get down to
business." Nikki giggled.  The others followed her and moved to the
formation they had set for the song.
		The guitar-driven song began to trickle into the speakers.  Nikki dropped
her water bottle to the side as the others stood with their backs turned.
Nikki pulled all of her hair back and let it fall behind her shoulders.  She
snapped her fingers with the melody that ran through the warehouse.  The
scratching and keyboard arrangements added to the new flavor given to the
title track of their album.

	[Nikki]
	Boy you've been away too long
	Funny, but our love's so strong
	When you're gone, it keeps me hangin' on
	I know, inside, hey

	Ain't no big thing, it's not a crime
	Cause you love me, I can see it in your eyes
	And that's the one thing that passes the time
	When you're gone, baby
	Oh it keeps me inspired

	And it's written in your face
	The way you feel everyday
	I hope it never changes
	Oh, I've got to say

	I can't stop missin' you
	Only meant to be kissin' you
	Can't you feel me wishin' were so
	So together baby
	I can't stop hopin' time will fly
	And we'll never say goodbye
	Cause forever, you and me
	So together baby
	So, so together

		The girls danced in precision with each other.  They rotated positions so
that Veronica, Danay, and Nikki danced in the back while Mandy and Jenny
held the front.  They sang the hook of the song with grins on their faces.
"Yeah, uh, come on." Veronica coached, putting a great deal of effort into
her dancing.  Nikki bobbed her head with the new beat.  She waited for Mandy
to skate to the front of the group and croon the second verse.

	[Mandy]
	Night and day, I say a prayer
	(I say a, say a prayer)
	That every morning, you'll be there
	(You're there)
	And you're never gonna go nowhere again
	For the rest of our lives, yeah baby

		Mandy strolled over to where Jenny danced.  She grinned at Jenny without
hestiation.  Jenny rolled her eyes at Mandy with laughter.  Mandy was asking
for forgiveness in a humorous way and Jenny was not one to deny her.  They
slapped hands before Mandy slinked her arm around Jenny's shoulder.  They
turned their heads to the mirror and ignored their choreography to sing the
bridge side-by-side.

	[Mandy & Jenny]
	There's a precious love
	And it's sent from above
	When I look in your eyes I know
	Oh, you know

	I can't stop missin' you
	Only meant to be kissin' you
	Can't you feel me wishin' were so
	So together baby
	I can't stop hopin' time will fly
	And we'll never say goodbye
	Cause forever, you and me
	So together baby
	So, so together

		As Nikki put her full talent into the ad-libs, the others danced to the
back of the group.  Danay stood in the front with Nikki, shuffling her feet
around as she waited to reach the next verse of the song.  "Woo!  Yeah, go
girl!" Veronica encouraged Nikki as she, Mandy, and Jenny grabbed chairs
from the back of the group.  Nikki snickered through her next set of ad-libs
after hearing Veronica.
		'Yeah, this reminds me so much of Brian and Just.' Nikki told herself
while humming out the final ad-libs.  She took a quick glance at Danay who
was clapping to the beat.  She grinned when thinking of the support her
group had given to the couple.  It was unquestioned.  It wasn't because the
girls were managed by Justin's mother and step-father.  It wasn't because
some of the girls had dated a few Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC members.  It had
nothing to do with the fact that the girls saw themselves as Justin's
step-sisters.  It was because the girls respected true love when they saw
it.  They never questioned it or the people who had it.  They sought it
themselves and inspiration such as Brian and Justin gave them faith.

	[Nikki] (Danay)
	(Like a burnin')
	Like a burnin' in my heart
	I'm callin' out your name (Your name)
	You made a fire start
	Now get into the flame
	You came into my life (My life)
	I'll never be the same
	But baby that's alright, 'right, 'right baby

		As Nikki and Danay finished the third verse, they pranced back to a
central position with the group.  They sat down in chairs that were pulled
out for them as Veronica sat in the middle chair.  "What?  What?  Let's go."
Jenny chanted, causing the others break out in the chair routine they
choreographed for the remix.  They all began to dance intimately with their
chairs as Veronica spit out the rap of the song.

	[Veronica]
	Me and you, so together
	And it'll last forever
	Can't no one take it away
	It's serious, just can't change
	Every night we say goodnight
	Our bodies close, hold ya tight
	And you know me so much better
	Cause baby, we're so together

	[Innosense]
	Sending out my love
	Get a message through
	I've got a heavy thing for you

	[Nikki]
	Oh you know I, baby you know I
	Can't you see that I...

		Nikki held her final note as the others took a moment to breathe.  The
work they put into dancing was shown with the light coating of sweat on
their bodies.  They panted quietly so that Nikki could tune her vocals
perfectly with the melody.  "All right, let's break it down for all the
lovers out there." Veronica insisted as Nikki came to a close with her
singing.  The others nodded while Nikki took a quick breath.  "She must be
talking about me and Bryan." Mandy commented quickly before causing the
girls to fell into a giggling fit during the final chorus.

	I can't stop missin' you
	Only meant to be kissin' you
	Can't you feel me wishin' were so
	So together baby
	I can't stop hopin' time will fly
	And we'll never say goodbye
	Cause forever, you and me
	So together baby
	So, so together

	So...
	So together, you and I

		"I think she meant me and Trace." Jenny snickered as when the song came to
a close.  "Nope, nope, she meant Brian and Justin." Danay argued with a
laugh.  Veronica shook her head at the girls, walking away to grab her
water.  "Uh, I think she was talking about Britney and Joey." Nikki jested,
strolling toward the set of chairs.  She found a seat, crossing her legs and
slouching in the seat.  "Ooh, that's a good one Nikki." Mandy cheered while
finding a seat on the floor of the warehouse.  "I just know they'll be the
next ones to get married." Jenny babbled with her bubbly voice.  Veronica
chewed on her lower lip with her own thought-out doubt.
		"Ah, good ol' Joey.  Looks like he lost that player profile." Danay gushed
before taking a swig of her water.  She reclined in one of the chairs while
Veronica sat in one backwards with her legs spread and her arms resting on
the back of the chair.  "Of course, he's got Britney keeping him in line.
And you know that girl will." Veronica boasted, stringing her fingers
through her curly blonde hair.  Danay laughed unconsciously when hearing
Veronica's decleration.  Veronica shot her a curious glance.  "Oh, you have
doubts D?" Veronica wondered with a grin.  Danay shook her head quickly
while smiling wildly.  "No, I believe that Britney is very capable of
keeping Joey tame.  After all, they've been together all of this time.  I
just can't see those two sitting down and having a family.  It's not Joey's
style." Danay stated casually.  She took another small sip of her water
while waiting for a protest from her friends.  "I see your point.  Joey just
doesn't seem like the type to get on one knee, at least not now." Mandy
noted.  "Plus Britney seems to want to keep things at a slow pace.  I doubt
she'll want marriage for the next five years." Veronica said shortly.
		Nikki leaned forward in her chair, disturbed by the skeptical remarks made
toward Britney and Joey.  "I don't agree with ya'll.  I think Britney and
Joey could get married any day now.  Joey seemed like he was ready to
propose when he thought Britney was pregnant." Nikki declared with a strong
voice.  She gasped quietly after she spoke.  She slumped over more as she
felt eyes falling on her with conviction.  "Britney thought she was
pregnant?!" Mandy was the first to squeal out.  She brushed her hair back as
it fell to her face.  She waited impatiently for Nikki to speak.
		Nikki chewed on the inside of her mouth, lifting her head.  She swallowed
hard, striving to hold a large percent of her information inside of her.
She did not know why she ahd mentioned Britney's false pregnancy, but she
knew it could only bring more problems.  "Wait, you knew about this Nikki?"
Jenny questioned with a heavy arrogance.
		Nikki cursed herself, rubbing her left temple while bearing the burden of
revealing a secret between Britney, Joey, Kevin, and herself.  "Around the
middle of March... around the time Amanda was getting married to A.J.,
Britney was late with her period.  She thought that she was pregnant and she
considered having an abortion.  She was really scared at the time and so was
Joey.  She found out she wasn't pregnant, but Joey really thought she was.
He was going to marry her, not just because she was pregnant, but because he
thought it was time that he owned up to his love for her." Nikki confessed.
She grew stiff, fearful of the reaction she would receive from the others.
"So Brit' was late and she could've been pregnant?" Veronica wondered,
leaning in Nikki's direction with a grand curiosity.  Nikki nodded, sucking
in her lower lip.  "Why didn't she tell us?" Mandy asked.  "The same reason
she almost didn't tell me.  She was ashamed.  Britney has never been secure
when it came to sex and to have possibly been pregnant out of wedlock would
have did some damage between her family and herself and her relationship
with Joey." Nikki stated with a vulnerable tone.  "So, she loevs Joey, but
she's fearful that a child would hurt their relationship just like she
feared sex would." Mandy observed with a confident voice.  "It would also be
a rather touchy thing when it came to her career." Veronica noted, resting
her chin on her arms.  "Just like with Brian and Justin." Jenny said softly.
		"Come on girls, let's just drop the subject.  I don't know if some of us
shouldn't be discussing this right now." Danay admonished, her eyes
flickering around at the others.  Veronica perked up immediately, confused
by Danay's statement.  "What do you mean D?" she speculated as she stood
from her chair.  Nikki peered at Danay, her own fear growing.  'She
wouldn't.' Nikki told herself.  She lifted her body from the chair, grasping
her microphone and water.  "Nothing.  Let's just do the next song... how
about 'Guilty'?" Danay suggested, heading for the dance area.  'She would.'
Nikki sighed to herself, following Danay's lead.  The others did as Nikki
and Danay and headed for their assigned arrangements for the older Innosense
song.

	[Danay]
	I tried to let you go the first time
	You broke my heart and that ain't right
	But I can't deny what I want
	For you to come inside of my heart
	Whoa, yeah, yeah

		Danay danced to the side, waving a hand around with a cocky smile.  She
took the far end of the group as the others stood in a straight line.  The
girls were only through with the first verse of the song and Danay could
already feel the song coming to an end.  She took a few glimpses toward the
end of the line and could see that Nikki and Veronica had lost all fire for
the song's choreography.  Their stiffness added to the lack of concentration
being placed into the song.  'Oh, great... now they're going to know what I
was talking about.' Danay said to herself, endeavoring to keep her full
focus on the Veit Renn-penned tune.

	[Innosense] (Danay)
	I just can't leave you alone
	(I just can't leave you alone)
	My heart has got a mind of its own
	(Its got a mind of its own)
	And I'll break the rules if that's what I have to do

	[Nikki]
	Ooh whoa, if I'm gonna plead guilty

	Guilty, guilty and I don't care
	Can't help the way I feel for you
	I'm guilty, guilty and I don't care
	You know I'm, you know I'm, you know I'm guilty

		Nikki took a few steps back, her heart jumping to her throat.  She pushed
her hair back and tried to remember the dance moevs that went along with the
uptempo song.  She spotted Veronica out of the corner of her eye and could
see what came next.  She strolled toward the middle to perform her verse,
letting her head shake back and forth to the racy beat.

	[Nikki]
	All my friends tell me that it's wrong
	I've heard it for so, so long
	I shouldn't fall in love with you
	But I promised to tell the whole truth
	Nothin' but the truth

	[Innosense] (Nikki)
	I just can't leave you alone
	(I can't leave, no, no)
	My heart has got a mind of its own
	(My heart's got a mind of its own)
	And I'll break the rules if that's what I have to do

	[Danay]
	You know my plead is...

	Guilty, guilty and I don't care
	Can't help the way I feel for you
	I'm guilty, guilty and I don't care
	You know I'm, you know I'm, you know I'm guilty

		Veronica slowed her dancing to the hook of the song.  She could not rid
her mind of the words Danay had spoken earlier.  Her curiosity was running
rampid and it prevented her from giving her full attention to the song they
performed.  She took steps backward while lowering her microphone.  The
others continued to huff out the words of the song while Veronica scratched
the top of her head.  She lifted her microphone and said, "What do you mean
some of us shouldn't be discussing Joey and Britney right now?  Are you
trying to say something about my pas with Justin and Britney?  Does it have
something to do with pregnancy?"
		The music was scratched from the speakers as Mandy dropped her microphone.
  She groaned loudly before stomping toward the back of the warehouse.  "I
fucking swear... ya'll never let shit go." Mandy grumbled, plopping down on
the ground and abruptly twisting the cap off of her water.  "What are you
talking about Veronica?  What I said had nothing to do with you or Justin.
It was about Nikki." Danay stated sternly.  Nikki let her head droop while
letting her arm sink to her side.  "God Danay lay off the girl.  This shit
is getting so out of hand." Mandy declared with a hiss.  She pulled her
blonde hair back up into a ponytail as Jenny took a seat next to her on the
floor.  Danay stared at Mandy with disbelief.  She had never heard Mandy
speak so vulgarly until that moment.
		"Go ahead Danay... tell them.  Tell them about how I thought I really was
pregnant back in December.  Tell them that I never told Kevin this and when
he proposed to me in Februray, I turned him down because I was so mad that I
could've been pregnant and he cheated on me with Leighanne at the time."
Nikki boasted with torment running through her voice.  Veronica felt the
microphone slip from her hand, but she felt no care.  She was thrown by
Nikki's words.
		A drizzling silence took over the warehouse as the girls stared at Nikki
again with more disbelief than they held through the whole day.  "You...
uh... it can't be true." Jenny stumbled over her words.  Mandy took a large
gulp of her water, hoping to drowned her distrust in Nikki.  She lowered her
bottle just as a Nikki slipped from Nikki's right eye.  Nikki sniffled
lightly, turning her face from the others.  "How could you not tell Kev'?
How could you not tell us Nikki?  We're supposed to be like sisters... there
for each other." Veronica chided her friend, enternally hurt by Nikki's
hesitancy with her friends.  Nikki did not answer her.  She emrely released
another quiet sniffle as a few more tears trickled down her face.  "She did
tell someone or else how the hell would Danay know?" Mandy admonished,
turning her eyes on Danay.
		Danay skid her feet along the ground, remaining soundless.  "D, how the
fuck could you do that?" Veronica hissed, edging closer to Danay with
animosity in her experssion.  Danay pressed her lips together, returning the
stare Veronica gave her.  "Oh, don't even try it Veronica.  How come you
never told anyone but me that you had feelings for Justin even when he got
married to Brian?" Mandy scolded.  Veronica's head snapped in Mandy's
direction, her face brightening with a red shade.  "And like the time you
tried to seduce Lance was any better?  What was the problem again Mandy?
Was it because your boyfriend ahd just broken up with you and you figured
that Lance would make a good lay?" Veronica wondered with heavy sarcasm.
Her spiteful words left Mandy momentarily speechless.
		Before Veronica could smile with a victory, Mandy hurled her water bottle
in Veronica's direction.  Veronica quickly dodged it, her face growing pale
with astonishment.  "What the fuck is your problem Blondie?" Veronica
shouted out as the others stared at Mandy.  "You and your complaints every
thirty seconds." Mandy spit out a reply, spinning on her butt so that she
faced away from her friends.  Veronica crossed her arms, disappointed in her
companion.
		"Nikki, is that why you still haven't gotten back with Kevin?" Jenny
wondered, giving her concentrtion back to Nikki.  Nikki left a hand to wipe
away her warm tears.  She sniffled once more.  "Why not just ask Danay...
she seems to know all the secrets Nikki wants to keep from us." Veronica
reproved.  Danay looked at her with hooded eyes.  The expression on her face
spoke all the words she did not.  "It's like saying you'll marry Trace when
you know he cheated on you with someone like Amanda and you thought you were
pregnant with his child." Danay offered support for Nikki in a kind voice.
Jenny lowered her head in shame.  She used her hands to pull her
blonde-streaked hair behind her ears.  "Sometimes, it's the only way to keep
someone." Jenny whispered, drawing attention from Mandy.  "How could I tell
someone that I almost had his baby when he cheated on me with the one woman
that almost broke up his cousin's marriage?  I was crushed.  I couldn't
marry a man like that.  I couldn't raise a child with someone like that."
Nikki stated with a shaky voice.  Mandy turned her hdead so that she could
glance over her shoulder.  She brushed her blonde hair aside and stared at
Nikki.  "Careful Nikki... you're sounding rather hypocritical." Mandy
remarked without reservation in her voice.
		Jenny did not give Nikki an opportunity to respond to Mandy's satement.
"I think we should practice 'You Can't Touch Me Now' next." Jenny said, her
shrill voice speaking reason to the others.  Mandy gradually stood to her
feet, refusing to offer up a protest to Jenny's idea.  "I suppose that's
rather fitting." Mandy huffed out, yanking her microphone from the ground.
Danay sighed, grabbing a towel from the side.  "Fine, fine." Veronica agreed
loftly.  Nikki rubbed the tip of her nose, endorsing the idea silently by
grabbing a microphone stand and leading it to the dance area.  Danay
followed her actions, a guilty cloud floating over her head.  She set her
stand up next to Nikki's, her eyes staring at the floor and not the friend
she once had confidence in.
		Mandy drug her stand to her position, carelessly placing it next to
Danay's.  She placed her bottled water on the floor as the stand began to
wobble.  "Come on ya'll so we can get started." Mandy requested in her
microphone before placing the mic in its holder.  Veronica and Jenny carried
their mic stands over to the designated area and set them up as the
mellowdramtic intrusmental chimed in the speakers.  Nikki lifted her head a
little, keeping a focus on the song.  She knew what the song meant to her.
It was a story that she knew too well, that she helped to write.  Her
experience helped to write the mid-tempo ballad that was loved by all the
members of Innosense.

	You can't touch me now like you did before
	You can't make me cry, baby anymore
	Now I'm feeling strong, no more cold dark cloud
	Oh you can try but
	Boy you can't touch me now

	[Nikki]
	Used to be the world to me
	Used to be the reason that I live
	And I give, oh baby
	Every day I trusted you
	And believed that you were on my side
	Guess I was blind, oh baby

	It was hard to deal but I knew
	It was time to let go
	And I think you know
	And I think you know

		The sounds of the strings arrangement ran through the speakers.  Nikki
could feel tears solidifying in her eyes as she sang the chorus with the
others.  She sniffled lightly, sucking in her lower lip to take a break from
singing.  She pulled her microphone from its holder and carried it in her
hands as the girls began their transition in the song.  Nikki crossed behind
Danay, wishing she could say something to change the tide between herself
and Danay.
		Danay kept her eyes forawrd as she changed positions with Nikki.  She had
no words to share with her longtime friend.  She could only think of the
pain she had placed Nikki through and the guilt that rained over her.  She
swallowed hard as the others ended the chorus, setting her up for the second
verse of the song.

	[Danay]
	You knew how to get to me
	How to really cut with a look
	You wrote the book, oh baby
	Now you say you've thought about
	Every thing that made us fall apart
	And drift so far, oh baby

	And you've had some time and you admit
	Ooh, you were wrong
	Too late, I'm gone (Too late, I'm gone)
	Baby, I'm gone

		Danay chewed on the inside of her lip while feeling a stare from Veronica
beat on her body.  She turned her head slightly to look in Nikki's direction
as a few more tears streaked her cheeks.  'Don't let her get to you Danay.
You did what you had to.' she told herself.  She shook her head and yanked
her microphone from its stand.  She kept her lips close to the microphone to
harmonize with the others on the chorus.  She bobbed to Jenny's side before
taking the microphone stand Jenny once held.
		Jenny positioned herself at the center mic stand.  She wanted to look in
Mandy's direction and see if there was a hint of friendship left, but she
knew not to.  She could not give in.  She could not pick the song she knew
would bring Nikki to tears and the song that would create uncertain feelings
inside of Mandy and Veronica.  She had to continue on as she did as she
prepared to sing the third verse of the song with Mandy.  She let one hand
rest on the microphone stand and took a few steps forward, lifting her
microphone fully as Mandy stepped out from behind her microphone stand.

	[Jenny & Mandy]
	Oh, you've got some nerve to think that I (Think that I)
	Run back to you, again and again
	When all you did was tear me down
	(It's tearin' me down)
	And you're not even my friend (Friend)
	You're not even my friend

	You can't touch me now like you did before
	You can't make me cry, baby anymore
	Now I'm feeling strong, no more cold dark cloud
	Oh you can try but
	Boy you can't touch me now

		Nikki placed both hands on her microphone, leaning on the microphone stand
as she poured her heart into the ad-libs to the chorus.  The tears froze in
her eyes as she clamped them shut and let the song connect with her soul.
'For myself, I have to let this go.' she told herself as she sang, letting
the others put their own emotions into the next chorus.
		Veronica observed Nikki with troubled eyes.  She tapped her foot to the
melody remembering the emotions expressed when the girls first recorded the
song in Sweden.  She could remember the tears shed as Nikki sang the first
verse and the heartache Mandy felt as she vocalized the third verse with
Jenny.  She swallowed her own pain to croon the B-section of the song.  It
rememinded her too much of her thoughts toward Justin.  It was a burden on
her heart, one she could not bear anymore.  She pulled her microphone from
its holder and joined Mandy and Jenny in front of her stand.  She scratched
at the tip of her nose, restraining feelings she felt when singing the song.

	[Veronica] (Nikki)
	You can't touch me, hold me, give me your love
	You can't make me cry
	(You can't touch me now)
	You can't touch me, hold me, give me your love

	[Innosense]
	Oh you can try but
	Boy you can't touch me now

		As the song ended, Nikki kicked over her microphone stand, tears lining
her eyelids.  She threw her hands over her face, hoping to force the tears
back in her eyes.  Veronica sighed and brought her microphone down to her
side.  "Damn it Jenny, why did you have to pick that song?  You know what it
does to her." Veronica chastised her friend with a bitter tone.  "Maybe she
felt that Nikki needed to hear that song to open up her eyes." Danay
responded defensively.  "Yeah, Nikki did need to hear that song." Mand
agreed without hesitance.  "Things don't always look so bad when the shoe's
on the other foot, huh Nikki?  You wouldn't marry Kevin because he cheated
on you with someone who nearly broke up Brian and Justin's marriage.  How's
it feel to be Kevin now?" Mandy asked rhetorically.
		Nikki lowered her hands before blinking her eyes free of tears.  Mandy's
statement was powerful and undeniable.  Nikki fought the idea, but inside of
her heart, she knew was doing the same as Kevin did to her.  "Like I said
earlier Mandy, I have not slept with Josh.  So don't you dare compare my
actions to the shit Kevin pulled last year." Nikki demanded, her voice
coarse.  Mandy folded her arms with little care toward Nikki's statement.
"But you can't deny that you and JC don't have something going on.  And you
can't deny that he nearly destroyed Brian and Justin's relationship.  That's
the real shit right there Nikki." Danay said.  Nikki exhaled heavily.  "I
won't deny that there's feelings between me and JC, but I haven't done
anything to cause a breakup between JC and Nick." Nikki argued.  "Whoa,
you're getting a little too confident Nikki.  You haven't done anything?
This man nearly fucked Justin and he's sleeping at your apartment.  He's dug
a deep enough hole for himself.  But you're giving him the shovel." Mandy
admonished, her conscience fading from her words.  "How could you want to be
with someone who would steal a man from his husband?  How could you want to
be with a guy that is willing to take a father from his child?  On top of
that, he's leading another guy on into thinking he's gonna marry him." Danay
added to their effective argument, leaving Nikki with thoughts to
contemplate.  "Josh isn't leading Nick on.  They'll probably be married
before Nick turns twenty-one." Nikki boasted.  "But that's not something you
want, is it Nik'?  You want him to be with you... to marry you." Danay
debated.  Nikki threw her hands up, frustrated by the argument.
		"Do you see what you have started?" Veronica hissed toward Jenny.  Jenny
curled her lip when seeing Veronica's eyes on her.  "What did I do?" Jenny
backlashed immediately.  Veronica rolled her eyes before placing her
microphone on one of the chairs.  "You and you're 'Let's do You Can't Touch
Me Now.'  You just had to pick something that would fuck us all over huh?"
Veronica groaned.  Jenny stared at Veronica indifferently.  "Shut up
Veronica.  Don't blame me for their petty arguments.  You're only mad
because I couldn't accept Brian and Justin being together back then.  Mandy
and Danay are right about this whole situation.  JC and Justin should've
kept their penises in their pants." Jenny said in a disapproving tone.
Veronica's jaw dropped instantly.  "You bitch!" she shrieked out.  Jenny
pressed her lips together tightly, their hue moving from red to white.  "Who
the hell are you calling a bitch?" Jenny barked.  "Like your friend Mandy
says, 'If the shoe fits, wear it.'" Veronica scolded her with a sizzling
country accent.
		Lynn observed as the girls bicker continuously.  She sighed with anger.
Her eyes drifted to her watch where she viewed the time.  'It's going on
seven o'clock and all these girls have praticed is seven songs and how to
backstab each other.  I have to visit my grandson, I don't have time for
this.' Lynn brooded in her mind, slumping over in her chair.  She did not
enjoy the others ganging up on Nikki, but she felt all the girls needed a
lesson about unity.  She could sense her method was having a negative
affect, but she refused to give in.  She knew how much built-up animosity
could hurt someone.  She lived it for so long and she declined to let her
group, the women she thought of as step-daughters, suffer through the same
torment.  She licked her lips and let more words fly into the air.  'It
reminds me so much of Justin and me.' she mused, sucking in her cheeks as
the girls fought on.
		"Okay, shut up!  That's enough from all of you!" Lynn finally interjected.
  Her towering voice sent the women of Innosense into an involuntary
muteness.  "You've had a chance to say your piece and now it's time to let
it go.  You've spent almost ten hours here and half of that time has been
spent arguing over what's wrong in your lives and what you don't like about
someone else.  Innosense is not about clawing each other's eyes out, but
about unity between you girls." Lynn declared, standing from her chair and
walking toward the women.  A fear struck each of their heart's as they
looked upon Lynn.  Anger raged through her blue eyes.  "Now get your acts
together, practice 'Ride,' and then get out of here.  We're calling it a
day.  No acapella warm-ups or nothing.  Just 'Ride' and then leave." Lynn
demanded, taking a moment to stare at each girl.  She did not receive any
protest from any of the girls, only silence.  "For God's sake, your album is
called 'So Together' and you can't even get along for an hour." Lynn
remarked as she walked back to her chair.
		Each girl moved to grab their microphones and move the stands from the
center of the dance floor.  Nikki cleared her throat softly, taking a stance
in the middle of the group.  Mandy and Jenny soon joined her, never a word
spoken.  Danay stumbled to her position and then Veronica finally joined the
others.  "Ya'll better smile and pretend like you want to do this." Lynn
commanded as the girls looked deftly at the mirror before them.  A mixture
of grins and anger touched Innosense's faces immediately following Lynn's
echoing voice.  "Cue the music!" Lynn yelled, causing the sounds of a car
starting up and the instrumental for 'Ride' to flood through the warehouse.

	Let's go!
	Woo!
	(Come on, get those hands movin')

	[Nikki]
	I'm gonna rock this place right out of space
	Give you something that you've never heard
	Sing it!

	[Veronica]
	I'm gonna paint my nails and dye my hair up
	Then take me champagne bubble bath (What? What?)

	[Danay]
	I'm gonna speak my mind any time
	I find that I've got something to say

	[Mandy]
	Uh, I'm gonna jump around and paint this town
	Now let me hear ya'll say (Hey!)

	Take me, take me down
	Take me down
	Don't you wanna ride
	Now follow, follow me now
	Follow me now
	Don't you wanna ride

	Turn it up, let me hear you say (Ride)
	Cause that's the way we like to play (Ride)

		The girls danced around in circles, hyping themselves up with the song
they enjoyed opening a show with.  They threw their hands up and danced
wildly around the warehouse.  They chanted the hook of the song while
attempting to interact with each other.  Smiles continued to dance on their
faces whenever they looked over at their manager.  They looked forward to
finishing the uptempo song more than their manager.

	[Mandy]
	I'm gonna let it go and feel that flow
	Gonna put you in a trance
	Yeah, ah

	[Veronica]
	I'm gonna take control cause I'm on a roll
	And smash that pebble from out your hand

	[Jenny]
	I'm gonna turn it out and scream and shout
	Until I get my way

	[Nikki]
	I'm gonna turn that key and set you free
	Anytime, anywhere, say hey! (Hey!)

	Take me, take me down
	Take me down
	Don't you wanna ride
	Now follow, follow me now
	Follow me now
	Don't you wanna ride

	Take me, take me down
	Take me down
	Don't you wanna ride
	Now show me, show me how
	Show me how
	Show me how you ride

		"Come on, come on..." Veronica said with little eagerness in her voice.
She jumped around maniacally as the others danced around the dance floor.
Their lack of enthusiasm showed in their little interaction and dull
choreography.  Danay sighed as she passed Nikki to get to the otherside of
the group.  She shook her hips a little with the funky, alternative beat.
'Can't we get this over with already.' she wished, lowering her microphone
some as the girls came to teh hook of the song.

	Turn it up, let me hear you say (Ride)
	Cause that's the way we like to play (Ride)
	Now turn it up, let me hear you say (Ride)
	Cause that's the way we like to play (Ride)

		Mandy whipped her ponytail back, strolling to one side of the floor with
the others.  She tapped her foot to the beat, glancing around as her band
mates gradually met her on the other side.  She nibbled on the corner of her
lower lip, bouncing her shoulders and preparing to form the backwards
V-formation that followed the choreography they were taught over a year ago.
  She let her eyes focus on Danay as she formed the center of the group.
Mandy's light green eyes stirred away from Danay with little care.

	[Danay]
	It's sunny outside (It's sunny outside)
	And I feel fine (I feel fine)
	No cares tonight (No cares tonight)
	Ooh, it's time to ride
	Ride, ride, yeah

	Now everybody say hey!

		The girls broke formation, running around to designated spots to complete
their party-anthem.  "Uhm, come on, come on..." Veronica attempted again to
become interested in performing her favorite song from their debut album.
Her lack of fanaticism swallowed her and left her without care for the song.
  Jenny rolled her eyes immediately when viewing Veronica's actions.  "Come
on, just ride." Jenny called out as the others crooned out the chorus once
more.

	Take me, take me down
	Take me down
	Don't you wanna ride
	Now follow me, follow me how
	Follow me how
	Don't you wanna to ride

	Take me, take me down
	Take me down
	Don't you wanna ride
	Now show me, show me how
	Show me how
	Show me how you ride

		The girls huddled in the middle of the dance floor, throwing their hands
up rabidly as the song began to come to a close.  "That's right, come on!"
Veronica shouted, challenging Jenny as the others strived to close the
uptempo song.  Nikki slipped her hair behind her ear, ignoring Jenny and
Veronica's battle so that she could chant the final hook of the song.  As
she did so, the girls of Innosense returned to their close formation in the
center of the dance floor.  They began reproducing the dance moves they
forced out at the beginning of the song.

	Turn it up, let me hear you say (Ride)
	Cause that's the way we like to play (Ride)
	Now turn it up, let me hear you say (Ride)
	Cause that's the way we like to play (Ride)

	Take me, take me down (Ride)
	Follow, follow me now (Ride)
	Show me, show me how (Ride)
	Show me how you ride

		It was indeed time to ride.  Nikki jiggled her car keys in her hands, her
workout bag on one shoulder and her water bottle cupped under the other arm.
  She could feel thin drops of rain coating her and the ground as she
stopped near her black Pathfinder.  She cleared her throat quietly, tracing
her eyes over the sleek coat of rain on the car.  She sighed, clicking off
the car alarm and yanking open the back door on the driver's side.  Nikki
threw her bag into the backseat.  Another sigh crossed her lips as she
glanced down to a picture on the floor of the backseat.  She fwelt a smirk
touch her lips as she reached down and lifted the picture from the carpeted
floor.  Her smirk grew as she admired the photograph of herself, Lynn, and
the other girls of Innosense in Hawaii.  The smiles coating each of their
lips struck a chord with Nikki's heart.  She sniffled in the misty drizzle,
rubbing a fimger over the picture as memories flooded her mind.
		"Oh man, look at my hair in that picture.  It's awful." Jenny's voice
interrupted Nikki from her reminiscing.  Nikki glanced over her shoulder and
spotted Jenny's vibrant smile behind her.  "I look so much better now that
I've got my streaks." she gushed, a giggle following her statement.  Nikki
joined her in the quiet laughter.  She leaned on the car door, staring at
Jenny with disbelief.  "But your smile was a lot more happier back then."
Jenny commented, resting a hand on Nikki's shoulder.  The hand offered the
support Nikki sought out throughout the day.  She nodded, a choked-up
feeling grabbing her.
		"Well, I don't know.  I always thought that my smile was the cutest, but
then again, I only say that because Bryan does." Mandy chimed, strolling to
where Jenny and Nikki stood.  Nikki laughed through small tears as Jenny
turned to glance at Mandy.  "I always knew Bryan wasn't too bright." Jenny
teased, shoving Mandy lightly.  Mandy covered her lips in
mock-disappointment.  "My baby has the best of taste.  After all, he did
snatch up this Southern Belle." Mandy boasted with a thick, Mississippi
accent.  Jenny shook her head with laughter, crossing her arms as the rain
became lighter.
		Mandy tugged on her own jacket, trying to cover herself from the falling
drops of dew.  She glanced up to the twilight-like sky.  She let a sigh
cross her thin, pink lips.  "Since when did O-Town get this chilly?" she
wondered, pulling her hair back while lowering her head.  Jenny shrugged,
glancing over to Nikki.  Nikki stared at the ground, her eyes lost in a
small puddle of water.  "Ever since I thought being a bitch was a
fashionable thing to do." Veronica cheered, entering the group in a silent
way.  Mandy smirked at Veronica, nudging her.  Veronica tugged a skully over
her thick, curly hair while twitching her nose.  "Boy, what was I thinking?"
Veronica snickered.  "I asked myself the same question when you dyed your
hair pink and purple and got that damn tongue-ring." Mandy laughed, leaning
against Veronica.  Veronica shrugged her off, smiling endlessly.  "Don't get
me started on you and your red streaks." Veronica jested.  Mandy bursted
into a laughter, leaning against Nikki's car.  "What's wrong with streaks?"
Jenny wondered, her innocent voice bringing Veronica and Mandy into another
drawn out laughter.  "Nothing Jen, nothing at all." Veronica tittered.
Mandy rolled her eyes, smirking.  "Nothing half as bad as Nikki and them
damn curls." Mandy snickered.  Nikki's head snapped up with surprise, a
humorous grin running across her face.  "Hey!  Don't knock my hair Blondie."
Nikki protested happily.
		"Listen to ya'll... you sound like a group of high school girls." Danay's
voice silenced all laughter between the girls.  Nikki lowered her head while
Jenny turned from Danay.  Mandy peered at Danay with subtle suspicion.
Danay glanced around, sighing quietly.  "I'm sorry." she said without
hesitation, hoping to make ammends with her friends.  Mandy chewed her lower
lip, bringing her eyes back to the others.  "Don't be sorry girl... we all
know that your ten-year high school reunion is coming up this year.  It
makes us all a bitch." Veronica joked, slinging an arm around Danay.  The
others chuckled carelessly.  "How long ago did you graduate Danay?" Mandy
continued to tease her, striving to end the animosity between the girls.
"Ha ha ha... very funny Mandy." Danay snorted, elbowing Mandy.
		Nikki stared at her friends with tears lining her eyes and an immense
smile coating her lips.  She sniffled, folding her arms as the women
continued to laugh.  Veronica glanced up, observing a tear trickle down
Nikki's face.  "Aaaww, don't cry Nickums." Veronica giggled, pulling away
from the others to hug Nikki.  Nikki wrapped her arms around Veronica,
laughing and crying simultaneously.  "Oh, I want a hug!" Jenny acclaimed,
throwing herself on the other two so that she could be accepted into the
embrace.  Mandy shook her head as Danay leaned forward.  "Don't leave Mama D
out." Danay chimed, slipping intot he hug.  "Mandy, get your ass in this
hug." Veronica demanded as she proceeded to hug the others.  Mandy sighed,
taking a few steps forward.  "Don't hurt my hair." Mandy requested
arrogantly, but a grin revealed her true nature.  She opened her arms and
accepted the hug as the others did.
		Danay was the first to pull from the embrace, causing it to slowly break
down.  Nikki sniffled lightly, removing the lidded tears from her eyelids as
the others pulled away.  She glanced at the others, unsure of where they
stood.  "See what yuo did Nikki.  Ooh, you're such a sentimental girl."
Mandy complained as she brushed tears away from her cheeks.  "It's the rain.
  It's gotta be the rain." Jenny sniffled out as tears brushed her cheeks.
"Oh, we love you Nik' and you know we want what's best for you." Mandy
stated, placing a hand on Nikki's arm.  Nikki nodded without any doubt
circulating through her mind.  "Yeah, so whatever happens between you and
Josh is your business.  Just as long as he doesn't hurt you." Danay added,
mending bridges that had been shattered.  Veronica strived to giggle through
her own tears, hiding her eyes as the others took in breaths of the sweet,
rain-soaked air.
		"We should get going girls." Jenny suggested, taking a quick look at her
watch.  Veronica glanced down to her pager with tear-soaked eyes.  "Oh,
yeah, we better roll.  I told Nick I'd meet him for dinner at nine."
Veronica agreed as a small crackle of thunder rumbled through the sky.
Mandy nodded, brushing strands of hair behind her ear.  "Uhm, yeah, I told
Lance I'd call him and Bryce tonight.  Plus I've gotta spend time with Bryan
and my puppies." Mandy agreed, tugging her jacket closed.  "I'm stopping by
Amanda's house to see Amaiya and taking a listen to a few of the Backstreet
Boys' new songs." Danay said.  "Trace said he'd meet me at my apartment
after he spent time with Justin and Angel." Jenny noted before sucking in
her lower lip.  "I told..." Nikki stopped herself, considering the words she
was going to speak.  The eyes of her band mates looked on her with
curiosity.  "Got plans?" Veronica wondered, saving Nikki from revealing
anything.  Nikki merely nodded, remaining quiet with the others.
		"Well, ladies, even though Ms. Lynn said that we couldn't, how about one
acapella for the road?" Danay requested.  Mandy shrugged her shoulders,
finding no complication in the idea.  "'So Together'?" Veronica pondered,
leaning on Nikki's car.  "No, let's do 'Rain Rain.'  It fits the occasion."
Jenny chimed.  The others gave up no form of protest.  Nikki cleared her
throat as the girls came together in a circle.  She smiled lightly before
snapping her fingers and saying, "Okay ya'll, 'Rain Rain' on three.  One,
two, three..."

	Rain rain in the sky
	Everywhere I look my eyes see
	Rain rain falling down
	Cryin' as it hits the ground
	Rain rain in my heart
	Every day that we're apart
	Rain rain, falling, rain rain
	Rain rain, only rain rain

		As the girls finished their beautiful harmony to the Guy Roche-produced
song, thick droplets of rain fell from the sky.  The water splashed against
the ground and their bodies.  "Oh great, thanks a lot Jenny!" Mandy
bellowed, throwing her arms over her head to protect herself from the rain.
Veronica laughed wildly, dashing from the car to head towards Danay's car.
"See ya'll tomorrow!" Veronica called out as she dashed away.  The water
trickled down, splattering everywhere.  Danay shrieked, running from the
thunderous drops.  "Have a nice night ladies." she said as she ran and
fumbled with her keys.  Mandy and Jenny followed in their run, skipping
through the puddles as they moved toward their own cars.  "It's raining!
It's pouring!  Soon I'll be snoring!" Jenny laughed as she jerked open her
car door.  "Shut up Jenny!" Mandy screamed as she pulled open her own car
door, the rain continuously pouring down.  Nikki giggled quietly, slamming
shut the back door before hoping into her Pathfinder.  She closed the door
and started her car, watching white lights flash all around as the other
members of Innosense pulled out of the parking lot.  Nikki followed them,
each taking a ride to a new chapter in their lives together.

					THE END

*** Hope you liked it and I hope it was a real ride for you.  Now onto the
next chapter, which will probably take me about three weeks to write.  Now
don't hold me to that!  LOL.  I know how some of you like to do that.  But
don't worry, I already have blazing ideas that I want to use.  It'll be
sorta laid-back with not much drama.  I'm still working on whether or not
those two characters will be making a return, so bare with me, okay?
Compliments or complaints are welcome concerning this story, but I warn you,
any direct attacks against Innosense are not good!  I love these girls, so
be careful.  Also, some of you are probably wondering why the hell did I
write this and not get to work o the next chapter.  Well, I hope I answered
that question in the intro, but if not, it's because each member of
Innosense is going to be valuable to several storylines.  As you can already
see, Nikki plays a role in the JC storyline and Mandy is important to the
Bryce/Lance storyline people have been requesting.  So bare with me ladies
and gentlemen.  The others are quite important too.  So just wait and see!
Until the next time, have a good few weeks and enjoy life to its fullest!
But be careful at the same time... ***