Christy looked up. "I... can't. No."
"And why not?"
"You know, I just feel guilty about spying on them. I wouldn't want the guys to watch me, so what makes me think they'd like it if I did that to them?"
Candice gave her a confused look. "So this means you're not going up there?" she asked. Christy nodded. "Well, you don't know what you're missing." She walked out of Christy's room and headed up to the lighthouse. When she got up there, she saw Julie with her binoculars. "Hey, how long have you been up here?" she asked.
"Uhh... I dunno, a while, I guess."
The two girls continued their watching. The more Candice took in the "scenery", the more she thought about what Christy had said: I wouldn't want the guys to watch me, so what makes me think they'd like it if I did that to them. She sighed heavily. "Julie?"
"Yeah?"
"We are pathetic. Here we are, admiring the objects of our desire from afar. We came to this island to meet them, hang out with them, not to do what we've been doing for a long time: looking but never touching.
"Well, I..." Julie began, but she was interrupted by the sound of a male voice.
"What are you guys doin' up here?"
Julie and Candice jumped. "Oh! Joey, hi!" Candice said. "We're-um, just gettin' ready to-"
"Go," Julie added as she began to move toward the door.
"What were you doing up here?" Joey inquired. "And what do you have behind your back?"
"Umm..." Julie stuggled for an answer, then dropped her binoculars. "Oh crap."
Joey picked them up. "What were you using these for?" he asked sweetly.
"Bird watching," Candice said quickly. "We were bird watching." Julie nodded in agreement.
"Uh huh," Joey said skeptically. He walked to the railing and looked down. "Oh," he said, putting two and two together. "I don't call that birdwatching."
"If you tell anyone, your ass is ours," Candice said in a low voice.
"Alright!" Joey backed up. "I'm not tellin'. Your secret is safe with me."
Julie looked at him doubtfully. "Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah," Joey replied. As the girls walked pass him to get downstairs he called after them, "Hey, anyone in particular you were checking out?"
Candice turned around and gave him a dirty look. "That is for us to know and you to find out," she said coldly.
********
Dinner that night was turning out extremely well. Chris had decided to treat everyone to homemade tacos, which everyone seemed to be enjoying. "Personally, I'm surprised you're not a gormet chef, Chris," Candice said as she finished the last of her taco. "These are good."
Chris bowed. "Thank you, thank you."
"Great food, man," Justin said. He got up from the table, leaving his plate and silverware still sitting there.
"Hey, where do you think you're going without cleaning up your plate?" Christy called to him.
Justin turned to face her. "I'm going swimming."
"Hope you don't have anyone watching you," Joey muttered.
As soon as those words escaped his mouth, the kitchen went silent. All of the people in the room turned and stared at Joey. "What did you just say?" Justin asked as he walked back into the room.
"Nothing, I just... erm... damn." Joey looked at Candice and Julie helplessly. All eyes then averted to those two girls.
Candice laughed nervously, then looked at the nonexistant watch on her left wrist. "Will you look at the time!" she said. "TRL's on. Gotta jet." She quickly excused herself from the table and disapeared down the hallway.
Julie stood up. "I... um..." she stammered. "We... 'bye!" Then she ran off, leaving the remaning people at the table completely baffled. The guys then began to stare at Christy and Shiara.
"Whaaaaat?" Shiara said. "I don't know what's going on either!"
"Someone has to," JC said before giving Christy a deathly glance.
"Don't start lookin' at me, 'cause I have no idea..." Christy paused mid-sentence.
Justin crossed his arms and glared at her. "No idea what?" he asked.
"No idea why they're avoiding telling you." Christy mentally kicked herself for saying that. She knew Candice would be beyond pissed at her for telling her secret. But I could hook her up with D...
"Avoiding telling us what?" Brian asked.
"They're gay, right?" AJ inquired.
Christy shot him a dirty look. "No, AJ, they're not."
"Are you?" he asked as a slightly amused smirk spread across his face.
Christy's eyes grew huge. "WHAT?!" She turned to her left, where Lance was sitting, and gave him a quick, passionate kiss. "Am I a lesbian now?!" she yelled, after pulling away from a very stunned Lance.
AJ's mouth hung open in slight shock.
"That's what I thought."
"What're they hiding?" Kevin asked as he mentally cursed himself for not having his camcorder ready for that crucial moment.
"Nothing too major except for the fact that they're both hopelessly obsessed with two of you and they're also both too afraid to confess it."
"Oh-kay..." Chris said. "Now the question is who they're obsessed with."
"Julie likes Justin-" Christy looked over at Justin- "and Candice likes Howie. They were spying on you guys up at the lighthouse. There, I said it." She crossed her arms. "Do you two have anything to say now?
"Yeah," Howie said. "Do you know where they'd be?"
"Why? Knowing them, they're probably both hiding and too embarrased to show their faces."
Justin flashed his trademark smile. "We just want to talk to them, that's all."
"Really now... I'll be right back." Christy got up and headed toward the bathroom. She knocked on the door three times. "Candice? Ya dead?"
"Leave me alone, Christy."
"I got some news, you wanta hear it or not?"
"No, I don't."
"Not even if it involves-" Christy paused for an effect- "Howie?"
"Say what now?" Candice asked, her voice slightly rising.
"You heard me, now get your butt out here."
The door opened slightly and Candice stepped out. "Okay, what about Howie?" she said eagerly.
"He wants to, ahem, talk to you about something," Christy told her.
"About... what?"
"I dunno, but I think he likes you."
Candice rolled her eyes. "Yeah... right."
"Honest. When I told him why you guys bolted after Joey mentioned the lighthouse, he looked really interested...."
"You actually told them what... ohmidamn." Candice passed out before she could finish her statement.
Christy just stared at her for a moment. "That was not expected. Yo.... Candice? You can get up now...." She cleared her throat. "Uhh, Howie? I found her... she's right here."
She started to head upstairs. Before she was halfway up, she heard a female voice say, "Thank you God!" and a door slam. "That turned out well," she muttered. "Now to find Julie."
She walked down the hallway and knocked on the door to Julie's bedroom. "Julie? You in there?"
When there was no respose, she opened the door and walked into the room. "Julie?" She looked around for a minute, then stopped. "You're in the closet, aren't you?"
"No! No one's in here!" a voice shouted.
Christy sighed. "Julie, get out."
"Why?"
"'Cause Justin's looking for you, he wants to talk to you."
"Are you lying?"
"Is AJ a walking toothpick? Yes, he wants to talk to you! What is wrong with you people?! Can't you take good news?!"
Julie suddenly popped out of the closet. "Are you really..."
"Yes, REALLY!" Christy screamed. "Just go talk to the boy!"
Julie squealed with happiness. "Yay!" She ran out of the room and nearly knocked Christy over.
"Excited much?" Christy said to herself. She walked out of the room and down the stairs, to find Lance still sitting in the kitchen.
"Hey," she said, slightly uncomfortable.
"Hi. How'd it go with the girls?" he asked.
"I found them, now it's up to the guys. I think that Candice is doing just fine, and as for Julie... we'll find out later."
"Yeah."
An uncomfortable silence suddenly filled the room, as both of them tried to search for words to say. Christy spoke first. "Um, I'm sorry about..."
"The kiss?" Lance finished her sentence.
"Yeah. I only was trying to prove to AJ... ya know, that... I don't swing that way, ya know?" she said nervously.
Lance laughed. "Yeah. Nothing serious?"
"No, not really." Christy smiled. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go kick AJ's scrawny ass."
"Sure. 'Bye."
Lance watched Christy as she walked out. Of all the other guys at the table, she'd chosen to kiss him to show AJ up. A small smile worked its way across his face. It might have been just been Christy's way of proving AJ wrong, but he had definately liked it.