Twenty:
"You should have seen the look on your face." Sarah giggled as JC frowned at her comment. Then he shrugged and his frown was replaced by the soft smile she always managed to put on his face.
"Ive missed you."
"Ive missed you too. I never thought it would be so hard. Sometimes it scares me." She pulled away from him and walked to the window. She could see crowds milling about the parking lot, waiting for the doors to open. It was strange, knowing that only a few short months ago, she had been one of them. Arms closed around her from behind and a chin rested on her shoulder.
"It scares me too, but Im more excited than anything."
The subject was temporarily dropped when the door opened. "Oh, sorry, didnt mean to interrupt." Joeys voice was uncharacteristically quiet, which was explained by the sleeping baby in his arms. "I was looking for a place to put her down for a nap."
"Its OK. We were just talking," JC said. Sarah smiled and nodded, still a little uncomfortable around Joey. It wasnt that he made her nervous; she just hadnt talked to him the way she had the others. Stacy kept her informed on what made Chris tick, and Lance and Justin liked playing keep-away with JCs phone. She hadnt had a chance to get to know Joey the way she had Justin and Lance and Chris. A short brunette stepped in behind him, hovering closely and watching her baby carefully. It was obvious that she was a very doting mother.
"I didnt know you were in town, Kel."
"Yeah, Steve arranged it all so we could spend some family time together."
JC smiled and turned to Sarah. "Sarah, this is Joeys girlfriend Kelly. Kelly, meet Sarah, the most wonderful woman in the world." Kelly looked Sarah up and down then gave a short nod, making Sarah wonder what she was approving.
"Its nice to meet you Sarah." Her smile was warm and friendly, and Sarah immediately felt comfortable. Obviously, whatever Kelly had been thinking was good. Kelly was distracted by a sharp cry from her daughter and she and Joey immediately began cooing and patting and rocking and grinning. JC was watching them with a smile and Sarah found herself wondering what kind of father he would be. She shook her head, banishing the thought for the time being. It had only been a few months since she met him. Someone else stepped in the doorway and she was pulled from her thoughts by what she saw.
Gina seemed subdued and very unlike the girl standing with Britney and leading them in cat calls and wolf whistles as the guys struggled to complete their soundcheck. The change had started when Kelly arrived just afterwards with Briana. Sarah felt bad for getting so wrapped up in JC that she hadnt taken the time to notice what was going on. Gina stepped into the room and handed something to Kelly before rushing down the hall under pretense of helping Lance with something. Kelly looked up at Joey and smiled. "Lunch!" she said happily, holding up the wicker basket. He smiled and followed her to the table. Sarah mumbled something about needing to find the bathroom before giving JC a quick peck on the cheek and leaving the room.
She found Gina in a dark storage room. "Are you OK?" Gina looked up in shock and terror, swiping at the tears running down her face.
"Ill be fine."
"Thats not what I asked."
"Its nothing."
"Its something."
"It doesnt matter."
"Yes it does, or you wouldnt be this upset." Sarah crossed her arms and waited.
"Its a long, very complicated story."
"And you dont want to tell me. Look, I know we dont know each other all that well, but Id like to think were friends. You should know that you can talk to me if you need to, and I swear I wont tell anyone what you dont want me to."
"That means a lot. I dont think I can talk about it right now. It hurts too much."
"I guess I can accept that. Just tell me one thing. Does he know?"
"What?"
"Id like to think Im not completely stupid, and Im certainly not blind."
Gina laughed. It was hoarse and weary and dry, but it was definitely a laugh. "No, he doesnt know. He and Kelly are finally getting things right and I wont interfere."
"Theyre not married."
"They have a child together."
"So? Lots of people have kids but not each other."
"Those two have tried to get it right for a long time, and Kellys never been anything but nice to me. I cant do that to her."
"Well, yeah, she does seem really sweet. To tell the truth, she was the only girlfriend I ever liked before."
"Me too. And Britneys a real sweetheart. She and Justin are just very protective of their time together, and they have a right to be."
They fell silent for a while. Sarah debated on what to say, and finally decided to let things lie for a while. Things were too hectic right then to do much. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Yeah. Thank you, Sarah. You should get back to JC. Hes probably wondering if youve been kidnapped." Sarah laughed and agreed, but a small part of her wanted to stay and drag all the details out of Gina, and then fix everything. It was obvious she was hurting in a major way.
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