Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 19:33:02 -0400
From: Kevin <themissingpeice@yahoo.com>
Subject: kevinsync4

	Okay, here it is, the next segment..finally!  I'm soo sorry that it
took so long for me to get this written.  Also, I am going out of town
Saturday for around 10 days, so it will be a while until I get the next
installment up, but it will also give me plenty of time to come up with
ideas.  Thanks so much for your comments, and I also noticed that I was
nominated for an award, and I want to thank Jayson and Joshua Vascardi and
everyone who is responsible for that.  I wanna thank everyone that has
mailed me with their comments, questions, suggestions.  If you read this
story, and you want to mail me, please do!  I love getting feedback!
themissingpeice@yahoo.com Thanks!  Please enjoy the story!



KeviN Sync4-


	Around 2 AM the lights were finally going off and everyone began to
make their way to bed.  Kevin lay in his bed, thinking about the day, as
Howie and AJ slowly got undressed, and ready for bed, in the room they were
sharing.

`Guys, we should do something for Kevin tomorrow.'  Kevin said, looking
over at Howie and AJ.

`Yeah, he is being really cool about letting us stay here and all.'  Howie
said, as he crawled under the covers with Kevin.

`Well, we have to include Karen and Ian.  It's their house too..you know?'
Kevin told them as he started at the ceiling.

`Plus Karen is finnnnneeee' AJ said as he slowly crawled on his air
mattress, to the left of the bed, and slid under his covers.

`Goodnight guys' Kevin said as he reached over and turned off the light.

`Goodnight.'  They all replied, with the only light in the room being from
the balcony, where a street light outside shinned brightly.


	Nick and Brian laid on the living room couches, Nick on the left
side of the room, and Brian on the right.  Brian slowly flipped through the
channels on TV.

`I can't believe your not bunking with Kevin' Nick said, as he watched the
TV, which was now on a new report.

`Why would I sleep with him?'  Brian asked as he rolled on his side, with
his back to nick, facing the back of the couch.

`Because its obvious that you like him..or are you just trying to get a
piece of ass?'  Nick snickered.

`We'll see.'  Brian said as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

`Man Brian, you're a slut.'  Nick whispered to himself in disgust before
closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.



	Justin and Lance were fast asleep in the bed they were sharing.
Both laid on their backs, but with about 4 feet in-between their peaceful
bodies.  Joey was already under his covers, on his air mattress as he
waited for Chris to turn off the lights.  Chris's mattress was right beside
Joey's.

`I can not believe I am sleeping on a floor' Chris grumbled as he took off
his shoes and socks.

`Be lucky you are alive' Joey said, as he rolled his eyes.

`Yeah, this is a really nice house' Chris said as he took off his jeans and
boxers with one pull, and stepped out of them.  All of the members of N
Sync knew Chris slept in the nude, and they all didn't have a problem with
it, as long as he stayed covered up.

`Will you turn that damn light off?  It's late!'  Joey exclaimed as he sat
there, looking at the wall.

	Chris took off his shirt as he walked over and hit the light
switch, causing total darkness in the room.  He slowly tried to find his
way back to bed without tripping over Joey.  He found his bed as he crawled
under the covers and snuggled them against his cold body.

`Goodnight' Chris said.

`Goodnight' Joey replied, as the both got comfortable.

	Ian was lying in bed, thinking about me.  He didn't know why, but
today really hurt him when I told him that it was over, and the most we
could be was friends.

`Why do I care so much?  He cheated on me, and yet, he never told me with
who' Ian thought to himself, and sighed out loud.

`I guess it doesn't matter' He thought again.

	He laid on the bed, his head propped up on a pile of pillows as he
watched videos on MTV.  Karen was walking around the house, gathering up
everything that everyone had left laying around.  She did everything that
our maid, Cindy, should have been doing.

`Why doesn't Kevin fire that girl?'  She thought out loud

	She slowly turned off the rest of the lights and went to bed.
Tired and drained after an emotionally trying day.


	As I woke up I realized that I was in the bed with another man.  I
tried to regain my thoughts about the day before, and slowly recognized JC
lying beside me.  He had his arms around me and was sleeping peacefully.
I'm sure that it was just a natural response, and I didn't want him to wake
up and be embarrassed that he was holding me.  I slowly and carefully moved
from his arms.  Each time I moved he stirred a little, but eventually I
made it to the bathroom.  I entered the bathroom and remembered that I
forgot to take my contacts out the night before.  I dropped a few eye drops
in my eyes and got into the shower.

	Nick began to stir as he slowly opened his eyes to the bright
sunlight pouring in the huge picture windows.  He squinted as he looked
around and noticed how quiet it was.  He got up and walked over and turned
off the muted TV.  Nick looked over and saw Brian lying there, as Nick
remembered his comment from last night, and frowned in disgust again.  He
made his way to the kitchen as he opened up a cupboard and pulled out a box
of Coca Puff cereal and poured it into his disk.  As he reached for the
refrigerator door, he noticed JC enter the room.

`Morning JC' Nick said as he pulled the refrigerator door open and grabbed
the milk.

`Good morning Nick.  How are you this morning?'  JC smiled brightly as he
turned on the coffee maker.

`Pretty tired.  But glad to see another day' Nick smiled as he but the milk
away and grabbed the spoon.

	JC watched Nick walk from the room as he sighed and turned his
attention back to the coffee maker.  Nick walked into the large dining room
beside the kitchen where he could eat in peace.  He slowly began munching
on his cereal as he noticed how big the room was.  It had a 21-foot
ceiling, with skylights all over it.  The walls were white and the table
was marble.  He continued eating his cereal as his thoughts drifted.

	JC poured 3 cups of coffee, a glass of milk and orange juice as he
slowly began walking up the stairs.  He knocked with his foot as he held on
to the tray.  Soon enough Chris groggily opened the door, still naked.

`What??'  He yelled at JC

`Brought you guys some drinks.  Ugh, put some clothes on Chris!'  JC said
as laughed and barged in beside Chris and set the drinks on a nightstand.

`Justin, wake up for a second, I have something for you' JC said and he
gently placed his hand on Justin's side, avoiding his hurt arm, and shook
him.

`Wha?'  Justin said, as he tried to peel his eyes open.

`Morning!'  JC smiled brightly, as he went over to the stand and grabbed
Justin's milk.

`Here, a little breakfast in bed' JC said, smiling at Justin's grumpy face.

	Justin sat up, even though he really didn't want to.  He slowly
took the milk, and began sipping on it.  JC walked over to the other side
of the bed, as he lightly pushed on the bed near Lance, avoiding touching
him because of the fear of hurting him, after yesterday.

`What?'  Lance asked as he opened his green eyes widely.

`I have some orange juice for you.  Do you want it?'  JC asked him, as he
glanced up at Justin who was still sipping on his milk.

`Sure..'  Lance replied as he sat up, and looked around the room, as JC
grabbed his orange juice and gave it to him.

`Joey!!  Get Up!!'  JC yelled as he kicked him, and Joey's eyes shot open.

`What?!  What's going on!?'  Joey asked as he sat straight up.

`Have some coffee' JC laughed, as he handed it to him.

`You ass!'  Joey laughed as he got out of his covers and stood up.

	Chris had already started drinking his coffee and JC took his as he
sat down on a nearby chair.

`What do you guys want to do today?'  Lance asked, as he sat beside Justin
in bed.

`Sleep' Justin said and groaned.  The guys laughed, knowing that Justin was
always grumpy in the morning, usually worse.

`What do you all think of Kevin?'  JC asked.

`He seems to be stuck up.  Did you notice how he went to bed last night
without saying goodnight to anyone?'  Chris asked.

`No, he came into the living room and said goodnight.  But he has a lot on
him.'  Joey said, defending me.

`Like what?'  Justin asked, perking up a little.

`Well, I'm sure you all know that he is gay.  Well, him and Ian used to
date' Joey said looking for reactions from them all.

`And?  I think we all already knew that from the phone call yesterday' JC
said.

`Kevin cheated on Ian.  He feels really bad, and then a few days ago, he
walked in on Ian with a different guy.'  Joey said, telling everything I
had told him.

`Wow, that's rough' Lance said.

`So we all need to be nice to him.  I think he was depressed yesterday
anyway' Joey said.

`How do you know?'  Justin questioned again

`Just the way he was acting.  Maybe its normal for him, I don't know.  I
don't know him well, but he seemed depressed' Joey said.

`Brian seemed to make up for it' Justin scowled.

`Kevin didn't seem to mind.  He is so flirty though.  He was flirting with
everyone yesterday' Chris said

`Yeah, I noticed that too.'  JC agreed with him.

`No one is perfect' Justin said

`You like him don't you?'  JC finally asked Justin.

`No!'  Justin said, quickly redirecting his glance to the floor.

`Yeah right Justin, you do too!'  JC laughed at him.

`Okay, what if I do?'  Justin asked defensively

`You could do better' Chris plainly said.

`Oh, like you would know!  You have had sex with half of the girls at the
shows, and you have the nerve to tell me that I deserve better?'  Justin
said, starting to get angry.

`It was a compliment, J!  Damn, don't bite my head off' Chris said.

`Oh, sorry.'  Justin pouted

`Wow, you really like him, don't you?'  Lance asked.

`Yeah, I do.  He is really cute, and funny.  But I don't think he is
interested' Justin sadly said.

	As I slowly slipped into my clothes, khakis, a wifebeater and a
pair of sandals.  I went into my bathroom, and decided to style my hair
down today.  I slowly separated the hair and put gel in it, to give it a
wet look as it lay flat on my head.  I made my way down the hall. I passed
Justin, Lance, Joey and Chris's room, I could hear them talking from
inside.  I put my hand on the door and turned it, peeking my head inside.

`Morning guys' I smiled as I saw shocked expressions from around the room.

`What?!'  I questioned their stares.

`How long have you been standing there??!'  Justin asked, his eyes wide.

`Uhh, about 2 seconds..why?'  I asked, as I stepped in and closed the door
behind me.

`Oh!  No reason' Justin let out a sigh of relief.

`Umm..Okay.  I will be downstairs if you guys need anything.  JC, the
bathroom is yours' I said as I turned around and left.

`I think you hurt his feelings' JC said to Justin.

`I know..  I didn't mean to..'  Justin commented, as he sat his empty glass
on the floor, sighed and flopped back down on the bed.

	As I made my way past Howie, AJ and Kevin's room, I peeked in, and
saw that they were all still sleeping, so I quietly closed the door and
continued walking down the hall way.  As I went down the steps I saw Karen
sitting at the bottom of them.

`What's the matter hunny?'  I asked Karen, as I sat down beside her.

`Oh my God!  Kevin you scared the shit out of me!'  She said, as she
jumped, her face full of surprise.

`Sorry' I snickered

`Nothing is wrong..  Well, okay, I have a crush on someone, and I don't
know how to tell him, or if he is gay for that matter' She said to me.

`Who?'  I asked.

`I knew you were going to ask that' She replied.

`Who?'  I repeated my question

`AJ' She said as she looked over at me.

`AJ?!  Are you crazy?'  I laughed, and poked fun at her.

`Yeah, maybe I am' She smiled

`Your really serious?'  I asked in disbelief

`Yeah, I am' She said, and looked me dead in the eye.

`Well, good luck!'  I said, laughing.

`Thanks for the pep talk!'  She yelled at me jokingly.

`Anytime!'  I joked back.

`So what should we do today?'  I asked her.

`I have to get down to the studio by one o'clock.  I have some things I
need to look over, and I have a conference with my manager.'  Karen told me
and sighed.

`Aww, poor baby' I said as I stood up and started down the next set of
stairs.

`See ya later Kev!'  Karen yelled after me.

`Yeah, later!'  I yelled back.

	I entered the empty kitchen and grabbed a bowl, filling it with
cereal, frosted mini wheats, and walked into the dining room.  As I
entered, I jumped to see someone sitting in there.  Nick was sitting at the
head of the table, sleeping, with his head in his arms, and an empty bowl
sitting near him.  I walked over and sat on the right of him, and he didn't
stir.  I got off of the chair I was sitting in, and went up to him and
started lightly blowing in his ear to wake him up.  Soon his eyes flashed
open and he quickly raised his head as it made contact with mine.

`Ouch!'  I yelled as he hit the side of my head.

`What the fuck were you doing?!'  Nick yelled at me.

`Just waking you up' I smiled innocently.

`Oo, sorry about hitting you' Nick said, sheepishly looking at the table.

`Aww, its okay.'  I smiled as I sat down and began eating my cereal.

`Is that where Ian hit you?'  Nick asked, pointing to the slice on the left
side of my face.

`Yeah, it is' I said as I lightly ran my hand over it.

`This is the first time I saw it without make up' Nick said

`Yeah, it hurts like hell' I said as I picked up my spoon and started
eating again.

`Awww, want uncle Nicky to kiss it all better?'  Nick laughed.

`Oh yeah!'  I laughed

	As I took another spoonful, I noticed Nick get up, out of the
corner of my eye.  When he got to me, he bent down towards my face.  I
turned my head and looked at him with a confused look as he took his hand
and turned my face back to where it was.  He leaned in and kissed it
lightly, and then slowly licked up the length of the bruise, and then back
down.

`Uhh..Nick?  What are you doing?'  I asked nervously

`Kissing it all better, just like you asked me to.'  He answered, and went
back to slowly sucking and licking on the left side of my face.

`No Nick, you need to stop' I said as I pulled away.

`Why?!  It's okay for Brian, but not for me?'  Nick asked frustrated.

`Well, yeah, I mean, I don't even know you' I said, and looked back over at
him as he took his seat.

`You know me as much as you know Brian' Nick complained.

`Well, what happened yesterday, may or may not happen again.  Its up to
Brian, but I'm not a slut.  I'm not going to go around kissing everyone in
this house!'  I said, frustrated that Nick even thought about it.

`You may not be a slut, but Brian is' Nick mumbled, standing up and walking
out the room

`What?!'  I yelled, as I couldn't make out his muffled mumbling.

`Nevermind' Nick said as he disappeared from the room.

	I signed and went back to eating my cereal.  The longer I sat
there, the more noise I heard coming from the kitchen and the floor above
me.  The bright sky showed signs of a beautiful day.

`Morning Kev' Lance said as he walked into the dining room

`Good morning Lance.  Your looking better today' I smiled and looked up
from my cereal bowl.

`Yeah, you too' He smiled as he pulled out the chair in front of me and sat
down.

`What are you guys doing today?'  I asked and took a bite of my cereal.

`Uhh, I'm just saying home.  I don't feel up to going out quite yet' Lance
said as he lightly patted the area where he had been shot the previous day.

`Yeah, I think I'm just going to lounge around too.  I have some scripts I
need to look over' I told him

`Really?  Can I help?'  He said as his eyes lit up.

`Sure, that would be great!'  I said, and flashed a warm smile at him.

`Cool!  Hey, whatever happened to the girls yesterday?'  Lance questioned.

`Uhh, I'm not sure.  I know they all made it out, but they must have gone
straight home, because I didn't see them after I got out' I told him

`They weren't hurt, where they?'  Lance asked, sounding concerned.

`No, not physically.  You have a crush on Megan, don't you?'  I asked,
causing Lance to giggle.

`Nooo!  I think she might like me, but I'm not that way' Lance said.

`What way?'  I asked, confused.

`Straight.  I'm not into girls at all!'  Lance confessed.

`Oh, that's cool.  I had no idea.  So its just you, me, Ian and Brian?'  I
asked

`Well, Justin is bi.  At least, that is what I would call it.  He isn't
interested in girls, but he is interested in love.  I guess if he could
find it in a girl, he would take it, but he would rather it be with a guy.
He would kill me if he knew I told you that.'  Lance said, as he stumbled
to find the right words.

`Why?'  I asked as I took my last bite of cereal

`Cause he has a crush on you.'  Lance said flatly.

`What?!  Are you serious?!'  I said, almost choking on my cereal

`Yeah, he said so this morning, and I need to apologize for him this
morning, he is grumpy in the morning.'  Lance replied, making direct eye
contact.

`Oh, that's okay, no big deal.  Wow, okay, so Me, you, Ian, Justin, AND
Brian.'  I said laughing at how many of us were gay.

`Yeah, I think that is it.  Chris is to crazy to ever settle down, but I'm
pretty sure he is interested in females, and a certain Karen that lives
here.  And Joey likes her too, and he is definitely straight, or a good
actor.  JC is to himself a lot.  I don't understand why, but he just sleeps
and thinks a lot, so I really don't know what goes through his mind a lot
of times.  But he does some really sweet things sometimes.'  Lance said and
took also his last bite of cereal.

`Wow, you guys are an interesting bunch' I joked.  I stood up and pushed my
chair in and he did the same.

`Well, I better get upstairs and make sure no one has killed Ian yet' I
laughed.

`You really don't like him, do you?'  Lance asked as we started up the
stairs.

`Yeah, I do like him.  I still love him, but he just needs to grow up at
times' I said as we made it to the top of the steps.

`I will see you later?'  Lance asked, and turned to go up the next set of
stairs.

`Yeah, sure will' I smiled and walked into the living room that was empty,
except where Brian lay asleep.  I sat down beside the couch and began to
shake Brian lightly.

`Brian, wake up' I lightly said

`Huh?'  Brian moaned, not opening his eyes.

`You need to wake up now hun, it's getting late' I said as he now opened
his eyes.

`Oh, hey Kevin' he said as he sat up in bed and I got up from the floor and
started walking towards the door.

`Where ya going?'  He asked, sitting there only wearing his boxers.

`I was going to see what everyone else was up to' I said, and turned
towards the door again.

`No, wait, have a seat' Brian smiled and patted the pillow next to him.  I
smiled and went over and sat to the right of him.

`That's better' He smiled as he put his arm around me.

`Wow, this is way to early to be up' I complained

`Yeah, I know what you mean.  How about a good morning kiss?'  Brian smiled
and turned to face me

`Sure!'  I said as I turned my attention away from the window to him.

	Brian slowly leaned in and placed his lips on mine, kissing them
tenderly before opening his mouth and sliding his tongue into my mouth.  I
played and wrestled with his tongue and I lightly ran my hands up and down
his unclothed back.  He slowly began to lie down, pulling me on top of him
as we continued to kiss very passionately.  I tried to breathe through my
nose as much as possible to make the kiss better for both of us.  I began
to run my fingers through his hair as he left out little moans.  Brian
reached up and slowly started running his hands on my ass, as I jumped a
little, startled.  I could feel Brian's erect penis beneath mine and I
moved my lips from his.

`Uhh, Brian, we have to stop, we can do this' I said in between kisses.

`You want to stop!?'  Brian asked me as if I was crazy.

`Yes..'  I said as he took his hands and lips off me

`Then get the fuck off me!'  Brian said as he pushed me off the couch and I
hit the floor with a thud.

`What?  What was that for?!'  I asked as I sat on the floor in shock and
searched for words.

`You have been teasing me since we first met!'  Brian said as he sat up on
the couch.

`I have not!  I was only flirting.  You are the one that made the first
move!'  I said in disbelief

`Oh man Kevin, I'm sorry.  You're right, I overreacted' he said as he tried
to help me up, but I jerked my hand away.

`I can get up myself' I said coldly as I stood up and left the room.

`Kevin!?'  I heard Brian call from inside the room as I swiftly walked up
the stairs and to my room.  I could now hear noise from inside all the
guestrooms, as I passed them, and I knew everyone was finally awake.  I
went into my room, and laid down on the bed.  A few moments later I heard
the bathroom door open, and I looked over to see Nick coming out,
completely naked.

`Shit!'  he exclaimed when he noticed me lying there and he jumped back
inside the room, closing the door.

`Uhh, Kevin?  Can you bring me my towel?'  Nick said, making me grin at
what he just did.

`Nope, you have to come get it!'  I laughed

`Kevin!  Come on, bring it here' Nick whined.

`What if I don't?'  I joked and could hear him laughing.

`You are such a flirt!  Just bring me my towel!'  Nick laughed.

`Okay, hold on a second' I said as I grabbed his towel and opened the door,
sliding it in through the crack

`Thanks' Nick said, and he grabbed the towel and closed the door again, not
letting me see him at all.

`So, I take it since I don't get to see you naked, that we are never gonna
have sex?'  I joked again, lying back down on the bed.

`Dream on Kevin' Nick laughed and rolled his eyes as he emerged from the
bathroom with his towel around his waist.

`I do.  Every night' I laughed

`Yeah, about Brian' Nick pouted as he grabbed some clothes out of his
suitcase and walked back into the bathroom.

`Whatever Nick, you know that's not true' I sighed.

`Its not?'  Nick questioned, as I could hear the material sliding over his
skin as he got dressed.

`No, its not.'  I said flatly and I stared at the ceiling.

`So you are just using Brian?'  Nick asked me

`Using him for what?!'  I asked, sounding annoyed.

`For sex.'  Nick replied very openly.

`Yeah, I am Nick' I said sarcastically and rolled my eyes.

`I'm serious' Nick said as he opened the door and started walking towards
me.  I looked over at him and noticed that Nick was wearing a white Adidas
t-shirt, a pair of black Adidas shorts, and black sandals.

`I don't know what I feel for Brian.'  I said as I looked back up at the
ceiling again and felt Nick lay down beside me.

`Don't worry about it.  Brian is a big boy' Nick said as he stared directly
at me and I turned to make eye contact.

`Don't worry about what?'  I asked, confused.

`Don't worry about not knowing your feelings for him' Nick replied as we
kept eye contact.

`I'm not worried about it.  Trust me.'  I told him as I smiled and wrapped
my arm around his shoulder.

`Do you always flirt so much?'  Nick asked me, and laughed.

`Nope.  Only when the guy is really cute' I said grinning.

`Your pants are like mirrors, I see myself in them' Nick joked, as we broke
into laugher.

	Before long I saw that nick was drifting off to sleep as I pulled
him closer to me and put my arms around him for warmth.  I soon found
myself asleep with nick.

`Did anyone see Kevin?'  Howie asked as he entered the living room in which
Joey and Justin sat.

`Uhh, which Kevin?'  Joey asked, sitting on the couch that occupied Brian
earlier.

`Kevin Scott' Howie said.

`Nope, haven't seen him, or Brian..what a coincidence!'  Joey joked and
Justin just rolled his eyes.

`Well, we were hoping to take Kevin, Ian and Karen somewhere to thank them
for letting all of us stay here.

`That might not be a good idea, with Lance needing his rest still.'  Justin
commented.

`Well, it was Kevin's idea.  Uhh, Kevin Richardson's idea, that is' Howie
said.

`Well, Lance wouldn't like to be left out of it.  Plus Karen is a busy
girl, she probably wont be here all day' Joey said.

`Alright guys, thanks for nothing' Howie joked as he left the room.  One
the way out, he passed Brian.

`Hey Bri' Howie said `Have you seen Kevin?'  Howie added.

`I think he is in his room.  Have you guys seen Nick?'  Brian asked

`Nope.  Maybe they are both up there talking or something?'  Howie
suggested.

`Well, only one way to find out..huh?'  Brian said as the turned towards
the steps.

`How long are we saying here?'  Brian asked Howie as they climbed the
stairs.

`Uhh, probably a few days.  I think we have to be back on the road in a few
weeks.  So it's up to Kevin' Howie said as the entered the hallway, passing
the first guestroom.

`Today is going to be a long day' Brian complained out loud as the reached
my door.

	Howie slowly opened the door a crack and saw me and nick,
intertwined on the bed.

`Uhh, nope, they aren't in there' Howie said as he nervously slammed the
door so Brian couldn't see.

`Huh?  Let me see' Brian insisted as he turned the knob and looked in the
room.

`What the hell?!'  Brian thought out loud as he entered the room.

`Kevin!?  What are you doing?!'  Brian shouted as both Nick and I jumped.

`What Brian?'  I asked, not leaving go of Nick as he fearfully laid next to
me.

`What are you doing in bed with Nick?!?'  Brian yelled.

`Why does it matter to you?!  Its not like we are dating or anything close
to it' I threw at him.

`Oh, whatever!  I try to be there for you, and you stab me in the back.  As
for you Nick, you knew I liked him!'  Brian shouted as he tried to calm
himself down.

`No I didn't!  You said last night that you were just using him for sex!'
Nick yelled back as I felt my heart sink.

`Using me for sex?!'  I questioned.

`No Kevin, Nick is lying!'  Brian said

`What am I?  Some cheap slut to you guys?  God, I let you all stay here,
and you treat me like shit!'  I yelled, frustrated.

`Kevin, I'm-` Brian started as I cut him off

`Just get out of my room!  All of you!  I will be downstairs in a little
while!'  I yelled at them.

`Kevin, can I talk to you for a second first?'  Howie asked.

`No Howie, I will see you in a few minutes' I said as they all left and I
got up, slamming the still open door.

	I broke into tears as I realized that once again I was being used.
Once again, when I thought I had found something good in my life, it was
only an illusion.  I began to sob uncontrollably and I fell unto my bed,
covering my face.  I heard a knock on the door, but ignored it as I threw
my face into the pillows.

`Kevin?  What's wrong?'  Justin asked as he quickly closed the door and
rushed over to me.

`Nothing' I replied, keeping my head buried in the pillow.

`Something is wrong.'  Justin said as he kneeled at the side of the bed and
looked at me.

`Justin, please.  You wouldn't understand' I said as I slowly looked over
at him.  His concerned eyes, and loving facial expression.  He was wearing
a white Tommy Hilfiger t- shirt that covered his bandaged shoulder, a pair
of baggy blue jeans and Nike basketball shoes.  His hair was bright blonde
and accented his face perfectly, showing off his beautiful blue eyes.

`Kevin, we are the same age.  I have been through a lot of pain.  You can
trust in me' He said as he continued to look at me with care.

`Brian was using me for sex.  Something he didn't get anyway, but still, I
always get used.  People like me because I'm popular, or I'm cute, but no
one ever likes me for me.  I'm so sick of being judged as someone I'm not.
I wish I never got into this damn business in the first place' I being
whimpering again, as a tear slid down my face.

`Aww, please don't cry' Justin said as he reached up and gently whipped the
tear from my face before crawling up on the bed beside me and pulling me
into a hug, his arms around me.

`Thank you Justin.  This means a lot' I sighed as I laid my head on his
shoulder.

`Anytime Kevin' Justin said, as he began to rock me back and forth, humming
a light tune.

`What is it about me that makes you have a crush on me?'  I asked as I felt
Justin tense up.

`Who told you?'  Justin asked angrily.

`It isn't hard to figure out' I laughed lightly.

`I just like you, yourself.  I admit, you're cute, but I love your
personality.  And I'm very interested in getting to know you better' Justin
said with a gleam in his blue eyes.

`Aww, that's sweet Justin.  Thank you.'  I smiled to myself and felt very
comfortable in his arms.

`Now lets go downstairs, I'm starving.  I was actually coming to see if you
wanted to go get something to eat.  Maybe Wendy's?'  Justin suggested.

`Sure, why not?  Just me and you, or everyone else?'

`I was hoping for just me and you.'  he replied, as I slowly slipped out of
his arms and we sat up.

`Sounds good to me.'  I smiled brightly.

`Good.  Lets go.'  Justin said, also smiling as he extended his hand.  I
took it, caressing his soft, smooth skin and he smiled even more, as we
walked towards the door.

	We began walking down the hallway, hand in hand, as we passed the
guestroom in which Howie, Kevin and AJ stayed in last night, I could hear
nick inside arguing with Howie.  I stopped and asked Justin to hold on a
second.  I removed my hand from his and entered the room.  Howie and Nick
instantly stopped arguing and looked at me.  I walked over to Nick and gave
him a hug.

`Thanks Nick' I said as I pulled out of the hug.

`Thanks for what?'  He asked.

`Thanks for being there for me this morning' I replied, smiling.

`But I just ruined things for you and Brian.'  Nick pouted

`No, Brian messed up things for himself.'  I sighed.

`So you guys are through?'  Nick asked me.

`I don't know..'  I trailed off, thinking about Justin.

`Well, just be careful.  He may be a jerk, but we all still love him and
don't want him hurt' Howie warned me as I turned my head in his direction.

`Yeah, I am aware.  What did you want to see me about earlier?'  I asked,
now directing all my attention to Howie.

`Well, I was just curious as to what your plans for the rest of the day
were.  We were hoping that we could take you, Karen and Ian out somewhere
to thank you all for letting us stay here.'  Howie said.

`Uhh, well, I'm going out to lunch with Justin right now, and I promised
Lance I would look through scripts with him, and I really do need to get to
that.  Karen isn't going to be here, she has to go down to the studio
today, and who knows about Ian.'  I told Howie.

`Aww, okay.  Maybe tomorrow then?'  Howie asked.

`Sure, lets try it for tomorrow.'  I smiled and there was a short silence.

`Well, I better get going.  Justin is waiting on me.'  I said as I started
out of the room.

`Bye Kev.  Have fun' Nick said.

`Okay, I will.  See ya guys' I said and opened the door.  Justin was
patiently sitting on the floor, waiting for me.

`Ready?'  I asked, extending my hand to help him up.

`Yeah, where do you want to go?'  He asked as he grabbed my hand and stood.

`Lets just go to Wendy's' I said, as we held hands walking down the stairs.

`Hey Kevin!  Where are you going?'  I heard Lance yell as we were walking
out the door.

`Just going to grab a bite to eat.  When we get back, I will look over
those scripts with you.  Okay?'

`Cool!'  Lance said happily and walked out of the room.

`He is just a little to happy about looking through those.'  I laughed.

`Yeah, he loves working with business type situations' Justin told me as
left my house.

	The drive was a quiet one.  We listened to the radio, during which
a N Sync song played and the guy on the radio made a comment about JC being
in the hospital from yesterdays shooting spree, causing both Justin and I
to laugh.  We pulled up to Wendy's drive through and I turned to Justin.

`What do you want?'  I asked him.

`Uhh, I'll take a.  Okay, I want a chicken breast fillet sandwich, and a
vanilla shake' Justin said.

`Cool.'  I said as I pulled forward to the microphone.

`Welcome to Wendy's, may I take your order please?'  I heard a woman's
voice say.

`Yeah, uhh, I want a chicken breast fillet sandwich thing, a vanilla shake,
a 5 piece chicken nuggets and a chocolate shake' I said into the box as she
told me my total and asked me to pull to the first window.

`I bet you one of your chicken nuggets that we get recognized.'  Justin
teased.

`What do I get if I win?'  I asked.

`You'll see baby.'  Justin laughed and winked at me as I broke into
laugher.

	Soon the window opened and I handed her my money.  She took it and
looked at us both oddly.  She then handed out our food and my change.

`Kevin?  Justin?'  She questioned from the window as she handed out the
drinks.

`Well, you know us, what's your name?'  Justin said and smiled.

`My name is uh..  umm..'  She scrambled to try to remember her name.

`Your name is Erica.'  I said smiling heavily and pointing to her nametag.

`Oh!!  Yeah, you're right!'  She said, blushing heavily.

`Hey, you want autographs or something?'  Justin suggested.

`Sure!'  She exclaimed as she quickly found a pen and paper and Justin and
I scrawled our names on the paper.

`There ya go' I said as I handed it back to her.

`Thank you guys sooooo much' She said very enthusiastically.

`Anytime' I said to her as I pulled out.

`I love doing that' Justin said as he reached into the bag and pulled out
his sandwich.

`Me too' I smiled and pulled out onto the street.

`You owe me a chicken nugget!'  Justin laughed.

`Yeah, I know' I pouted.

`Aww, if you really want it, you can have it' Justin said.

`Nah, that's okay, you eat it.'  I said and giggled.

`Okay!'  Justin exclaimed as he grabbed out a chicken nugget and shoved it
into his mouth.

`A little hungry?'  I joked as I saw him scarfing down the food.

`Yeah, just a little' He said with a mouthful of food and laughed.

`Where do you want to go?'  I asked him.

`Well, is there a Gap nearby?  I haven't been to one in forever.'  Justin
said after swallowing the last of his food.

`Yeah, there is.  I go there way too much.'  I laughed.

`So, what's the deal with Ian?'  Justin asked me as I drove towards the
direction of the mall.

`Uhh, well, Ian and I were roommates for a while, and like 2 months ago or
something we were both drunk, and ended up sleeping together. I told him
that it bothered me when I sobered up because I wasn't in a relationship
with him, and so we started going out.  But I cheated on him a while back,
and he just recently found out.'  I told Justin while keeping my eyes on
the road.

`Who did you cheat on him with?'  Justin asked innocently

`Well, I didn't really even cheat on him.  He asked me not to see this
person, and I did.  And I went to Disney World with him. We kissed once at
the end of the night, but that was it.  And I understand why he is mad, and
I don't blame him.  At least I learned from this situation though.  But Ian
and I weren't made to be together.'  I replied as we pulled into the
parking lot of the mall.

`You still didn't say who you cheated on him with.'  Justin asked again.

`Does it matter?'  I asked him as I pulled into a parking spot.

`No, not really.  I am just curious' Justin said as I shut the engine off.

`It was with Devon Sawa.  He was my first boyfriend, but me and him only
kissed and cuddled, we never went any further, so I don't know what Ian was
worried about in the first place.'  I told Justin.

`Hmm, well, we need to stick together while in here incase we get
recognized.  I didn't bring glasses or anything.'  He told me.

`Yeah, I know.  Neither did I.  Lets just try to get in and out as quick as
we can.'  I suggested.

`Are we just going to Gap?'  Justin asked.

`Maybe Footlocker too?'  I said.

`Cool!  I love Footlocker' Justin said happily.

`Alright, lets go' I said as I opened my door and stepped out.

	We made our way silently into the mall.  The sky was now starting
to cloud up, and it looked like a thunderstorm was coming.  I pulled the
door open for Justin and let him pass through and we entered the lobby area
of the mall.  I caught up with Justin as we made our way into the mall.  We
walked silently, side by side through the long hall, surrounded by stores.
We glanced into the windows, and looked around at all the things in the
hallway to buy.

`Wow, this is a nice mall.'  Justin finally broke the silence.

`Its okay.  There it is.'  I said pointing at the gap sign.

	We walked into the store, and quickly found the men's clothes.
Justin eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas when he saw all the clothes.
I laughed as he quickly started looking through different types of clothes.
I looked around and found the pants.  I carefully picked a few pair out and
jumped felt someone tap me on the shoulder.

`Do you like these?'  Justin asked, grinning from scaring me.

	He laid the clothes on the shelf for me to examine.  I sorted
through them to see what all he had picked out.  He had a dark green cargo
vest, an dark blue windbreaker, a khaki colored cotton anorak, navy plaid
cargo pants, pumpkin orange colored lacrosse shorts, a kayak yellow gap
athletic reversible t-shirt, a plain white long sleeve shirt, a gray fleece
vest, and a pair of white boxer briefs.

`Hmm, do you think you got enough stuff?!'  I joked.

`Ahh, I don't know.  Maybe I should get some more' Justin teased back.

`I don't know about these though, maybe you should try them on for me' I
laughed as I picked up the boxer briefs and Justin smiled and blushed.

`So what are you getting?'  Justin asked me.

`I'm just going to get a pair of cargo pants.  What do you think of these?'
I asked Justin as I held up a pair of khaki colored cargo pants.

`Yeah, they are cool!  You ready to go?'  Justin asked.

`Yeah, lets get out of here' I said.

	We went to the register where there was an elderly lady standing.
She rang up our items and gave us a total.  I insisted that I would pay and
paid for both Justin's and my clothes.  We thanked the lady and walked back
out into the long hallway.

`You still want to go to footlocker?'  I asked Justin as we stood outside
of Gap.

`No, I have plenty after that store.  But we can go if you want to' Justin
said.

`Nah, lets just go.  My chicken nuggets are still in the car, and I'm
starving!'  I laughed

`Can you believe no one knows us?'  I commented as we neared the lobby area
again.

`I noticed that too.'  Justin said, as we continued walking.

`I guess I can do this then' I said and put my arm around his shoulder.
When I looked for a reaction, I noticed him cringe in pain.

`What?  What's wrong?'  I asked.

`Uh!  Bad shoulder!'  Justin shouted as I quickly moved my hand.

`Oh!  I'm soo sorry Justin.  I forgot all about you getting shot.'  I
pouted.

`Its okay, lets go home' Justin suggested as he put his good arm around my
shoulder this time, as we both smiled, and exited the mall.

For the first time in a while, I didn't care what anyone thought.  I didn't
care what problems awaited us when I got home, all I cared about what this
moment.  Justin removed his arm from around me when we got to the car, and
I opened the trunk, and we threw our stuff in.

`Wow, that's a lot of clothes' Justin said as he threw the bags in the
back.

	I opened the drivers side, and pushed the unlock button for him.
As he crawled in and closed his door, As I closed my door, I noticed a
piece of paper laying on the dash.  I picked it up and gasped in horror at
what it said.

`What?!?'  Justin asked quickly

`It says: So you thought I was dead?  However, the bullets missed my head.
Hold on to each other with fear.  The end of your lives is very near' I
read the note aloud to Justin as he looked at me with fear in his eyes.

`What's that?'  Justin frantically asked, pointing at a black object laying
on the dash.

	I looked at the object that Justin pointed to, and felt terror rush
through my veins as I saw my cell phone that I left in the NBC studios
yesterday, sitting on my dash.

To be continued...