*Disclaimer - I do not own any of the members of 'B Sync (nor would I ever really want to) they belong to their respective owners. I do, however, own all fictional characters such as Carli, Mike, Devon, Ashley, and Rachel. Plagiarism is still against the law. Thank you.

The tour bus lurched when it hit a bump, waking all of the members of 'N Sync from their light dozes in various chairs and couches. They had been touring for four months solid, only having a week break in that time in New York. Now they were on their way back to Orlando for a much needed rest. Justin had called Carli every night, even if it was only for five minutes and the two had become unusually close in that amount of time. They shared dreams, points of views and everything else that would come up in conversation. He was also teased practically nonstop from the other members, but that didn't stop him from calling every chance he got.

Lance groaned softly as he climbed to his feet. The movie they had been watching was over and snow was the only thing left on the screen for them to view. He took the movie out of the VCR and put it back in its case before searching for another movie to put on. Everyone was too tired to have the energy to do anything let alone move around the bus to look for something to do.

"Jurassic Park, Something About Mary, Mortal Combat or Top Gun?" Lance inquired suddenly.

"Something About Mary." everyone chorused as someone's cellular phone rang. The whole room let out a collective groan.

"Why is it that people call when we have no idea where our phones are at?" Justin mumbled more to himself than anyone else as he reluctantly climbed to his feet to search for the phone that had interrupted their nice, quiet, leisurely afternoon. He found the intruding object sitting on the kitchen counter, looking innocent and inviting. He picked it up and pressed a button before talking.

"Hello?"

"So I was thinking we could have this Disney thing next week. You'll be in Orlando."

"Do you always just launch into a conversation without saying hello first?"

"Hello."

"Smartass."

"I know, isn't it grand?"

"Something like that. Next week you think?"

"That's what I said."

"I think we might be able to pull that off."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You sound tired."

"I am. Its been a long couple of months."

"I can imagine. Oh, Nell wants you to tell Lance that she misses him."

"Okay, I'll deliver the message. What's going on with you, anyway?"

"Well, Dan got a new job since he graduated from his GED classes last month. Its a good job. They're going to pay for his college education as long as he works for their company for at least seven years. He took it without even thinking about it for too long. He figures its the only way he'll make it to college without having to take out thousands of dollars for loans. I think he's going to study law, which shocked me."

"That's great. You sound really happy about it."

"I am. It'll mean more work for me with Nell, but its well worth it. Dan's happy about it too. He never thought he would amount to anything, now he's been given the chance to prove himself wrong."

"Okay, you've told me about Dan. Now tell me about you. What's going on with you?"

"Not a whole lot. Just the same old stuff. I've been turning in college applications left and right hoping to find one that will give me full financial aid or a scholarship. Other than that and working nearly forty hours a week, nothing."

"One of these days I'm going to give you a crash course in how to be a teenager."

"Would you please? I have no idea how I'm supposed to act anymore."

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Nothing. Everything. People at school are starting to get to me. The prom is coming up next month and people are throwing barbs at me on how I don't have a boyfriend to take me and crap. Your usual teenage angst and all the hoopla."

"Prom, huh. When is that?"

"In six days. Dan says I should just go stag with his girlfriend and her friends cause all the guys have to work anyway."

"Sounds like a good plan. Why don't you do that?"

"Because I'd be mortified. I mean, I just couldn't do it without breaking. Contrary to what people believe, I'm not as strong as everyone thinks."

"Do me a favor, okay honey?"

"That depends on what it is."

"Go to the prom with the girls, remember that promise we made to each other? This counts as that."

"Don't tell me to do this, Justin. Please don't tell me to do this."

"I'm not telling you to do anything Lee, I'm just asking. For me?"

"Justin....fine. Alright, I'll go."

"That's my girl."

"Your girl, huh?"

"I thought the rules forbid you to date."

"I just rewrote the rules. Are you complaining?"

"Not at all. But I have to go. This phone call is going to cost me an arm and a leg."

"Alright. I'll talk to you soon."

"I know. Bye."

"Bye." Justin smiled secretly to himself as he pressed a button on the phone then hung up. He wondered if he could get away with his plan, or if he would get killed by management if he did it anyway. He leaned back against the counter, letting his mind wander and fully develop the plan that he had started moments earlier while talking with Carli. After a few moments, he walked back to where everyone else was lounging.

"Hey guys," Justin started as he walked in the room. "How badly do you think management would kill me if I disappeared for a couple of days later this week?"

"I don't know, J. It would depend on why you want to disappear." JC shrugged tiredly as he fought a losing battle with trying to sit into an upright position.

"Carli's friends are giving her crap about not having a date for the prom." Justin shrugged as he perched on the end of the couch.

"And you want to show up to surprise the heck out of her." Lance finished with a knowing smile.

"Yeah, something like that." Justin nodded, raking a hand through his hair.

"Aw, would you look at that? Our little Justin has grown up to be a bonafide romantic at heart. I'm so proud." Chris exclaimed with mock hysteria, wiping away an imaginary tear with his finger. Justin shook his head, his face turning three different shades of red.

"Chris, stop picking on Justin." JC admonished loudly with a smile before turning to the seriously embarrassed Justin. "I don't think they would kill you as long as they knew it wasn't all over one girl. I mean, if you told them that you really liked the city and wanted to go exploring there, I wouldn't see why they would turn you down. This is our vacation. We should be able to spend it anywhere we want."

"Thanks, man." Justin nodded as he leaned back against the cushions of the couch.

"But being that you're not eighteen yet, you might need a chaperone." JC stated with a devilish smile.

"I knew there had to be something." Justin groaned with a shake of his head.

"I'm sure any one of us would be more than happy to go along, right guys?" JC gave each person a meaningful look and they reluctantly agreed.

"And there's always Mike." Justin countered desperately. He knew that if one of the guys went with him, he wouldn't hear the end of it about the whole thing.

"Yeah, she could go too." JC sighed, a look of pain crossed his face and was gone within seconds.

"Are the two of you working things out?" Lance inquired as he rubbed his face from fatigue.

"Yeah, but she's slow on forgiving me for accusing her." JC nodded as he climbed to his feet.

"You can't really blame her, man." Joe stated, finally joining in the conversation.

"Look," JC sighed becoming aggravated with the route the conversation had taken. "I know I screwed up. I know I shouldn't have accused her of cheating just by hearsay, but I had a reason. You all know that reason, so just cut me some slack. I'm trying."

"JC, calm down, man. We were just trying to help." Lance held up his hands as if to ward off a blow.

"I know. Sorry." JC sighed as he left the room.

"For all our sakes, I hope they get back together soon. I'm not sure I like walking on eggshells around him." Lance sighed with a shake of his head.

Carli sighed and pivoted in front of the full length mirror in the bathroom, scrutinizing her reflection. She was too pale for her own good, she looked almost like Casper the friendly ghost. He eyes were much too big and forlorn looking, making her look younger than her seventeen years. He lips too full, her cheek bones too high, her hair too shiny. The dress fit too snugly in some areas and hung limply in others. She shook her head with a groan. Why did she ever agree to going to the prom stag with her brother's girlfriend and her friends. It was a stupid idea really, but she had promised Justin, so she would go. She gently applied a light coat of lavender sparkler lipstick then made a face at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't big on dances, and she had a feeling that this one wasn't going to be any better. A knock sounded on the bathroom door, startling her out of her musings.

"Yeah?" she called out none too happily.

"Carmen is here, you ready to go?" her brother called back through the door. She flipped off the light then opened the door, preparing herself for the worst. Dan stood there and gaped for a second before finding his manners.

"You look beautiful, kid." he sounded amazed. She laughed softly with a shake of her head, somewhat pleased that her brother thought so. The two walked downstairs to where Carmen was waiting and soon the pair were off to pick up the others. When they got to the high school gym, things were in full swing with people dancing and laughing and basically having the time of their lives. Carli stepped into the crowded area, folding her arms self-consciously over her chest. Everyone in the senior class was there. The theme this year was the ocean and beach. A huge yellow globe hung from the ceiling with white construction paper clouds taped to the walls.

Carli glanced about the room and saw the most popular ladies in the school looking in her direction and giggling softly among themselves. Most likely at my expense. She shook her head and turned her back to the clique to see who else had shown up.

Carli made her way to the refreshment table to get a glass of punch and to get a better view of the gym surrounding her. She sighed wishing that this evening would turn out like the fairytales she read to Nell at night, but in this day and age, that was unlikely to happy. Even if it did, it would likely not happen without Justin.

Lots of people were now dancing to the theme song of her graduating class, though they weren't scheduled to graduate until next month. She sighed with a wistful smile. If the car accident hadn't happened, she would have been just a regular teenager, having fun with her friends and talking about clothes and boys and all the other things that the people around her were talking about. But then, you would have Justin around, would you?

Carmen walked over to her with a smile, a young man in tow. Carli blanched at the sight, knowing full well that Carmen was going to set her up with this kid for a dance. Now she really wished she hadn't said yes to going to the stupid prom.

Carli heaved a sigh of relief when Carmen started dancing with the young man herself. She didn't know if she could deal with being that close to a complete stranger. She took a sip of her punch and gazed into the corner where the 'in' crowd was hanging out and dancing. They looked like her, talked like her, yet they were nothing like her. She shook her head ruefully. She was somewhat glad she didn't fit into that crowd, that she was able to hold her own.

Finally the song ended bringing cheers from everyone in the gym. The song really did fit the class. People her age tended to care too much what other people thought about them, or maybe it was everyone no matter of age or gender. She didn't know, but the song gave good advice, advice she intended to follow. After all, she had already done one thing today that scared her. She had come to the prom. Everyone started buzzing with activity and glancing at the door in wither awe or shock, Carli couldn't tell which. Her favorite Brian McKnight song started as she craned her neck to see what was going on to cause such a ruckus.

Someone made their way through the crowd and everyone turned to watch this person walk by, and for the life of her, Carli couldn't tell who it was. Certainly there was no one that popular here at her high school. Sure there were lots of beautiful people, but none that made everyone turn their heads.

Her heart stopped suddenly in her chest when she saw a familiar face, complete with blue eyes and a smile that could melt her heart. Justin glanced around the room, feeling a bit uncomfortable in the white suit he was wearing, trying to catch a glimpse of the woman he was looking for. He turned slightly, feeling someone's eyes on him, and smiled. Their eyes met and held.

He slowly made his way over to her, ignoring all the gapes the other girls gave him. She set her glass down, hands trembling slightly from the shock of seeing him there. He stopped in front of her and took her hand. Wordlessly, the pair strolled out onto the dance floor. Justin wrapped an arm around Carli's waist, bringing her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Carli whispered softly in his ear as her arms slipped around his neck.

"Dancing with the one girl who had the power to make me a romantic." Justin countered with a smile.

"Who me?" she squeaked pulling back far enough to look up into his eyes.

"No, the blond in the corner." he teased, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Of course you, silly nene."

"Uh, nene?" Carli raised an eyebrow.

"Its Hawaiian for goose." he laughed bringing her into a hug. They danced practically nonstop for two hours. Carli was finally the envy of every girl in the entire high school, and somehow, that made her feel better about herself. Soon, both were ready to leave. Justin escorted her out to his rental car, then held the door open for her so she could climb in.

"That was really sweet of you, you know that?" Carli sighed dreamily as she rested back in the seat, wishing the evening wouldn't end.

"I thought you might like the surprise." Justin nodded with a smile as he started the car. "I'm just going to stop off at the hotel for a few minutes to let Mike know I'm still alive. She was a bit weary that I would succumb to all the girls at the prom."

"Mike's here?" Carli giggled as she turned to look at him.

"Yeah. She's my chaperone so to speak. She about had a heart attack when I told her why I wanted her to come with me." Justin laughed as he turned onto the highway. Five minutes later, they climbed out of the car at the hotel and walked inside. Minutes later, they knocked loudly on a door. Mike pulled it open, looking very tired and on the sick side.

"I'm still alive." Justin stated as they couple walked into the room.

"Such a pity. What are you two doing here this early anyway? I wasn't expecting you to stop by until dawn, at least." Mike replied as she flopped down on the only bed in the room.

"Well, I thought I would be nice for once. Didn't want to give you any gray hair or anything." Justin shrugged as he took a seat on a chair.

"You sick, Mike?" Carli raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm the only dumbass that gets sick when the weather starts warming up. During the off season, I'm fine." Mike shook her head with a groan, causing laughter from Justin and Carli. "Sure, go ahead and laugh at my inability to stay healthy in warm weather. Make me feel like a total nincompoop."

"Okay, that's not hard to do." Justin smiled as another knock sounded at the door.

"Room service?" Justin raised an eyebrow. Mike shook her head miserably. "You expecting someone then?" Again Mike shook her head. Just shrugged his shoulders and pulled the door open. He nearly laughed out loud when he saw JC standing out in the hallway.

"She's sick." Justin warned softly.

"That's okay." JC muttered as he walked into the room.

"Oh no you didn't. I know you didn't come here to try and talk to me." Mike yelped loudly with a shake of her head.

"You're damn right I did." JC stated hotly.

"Uh, Justin, should we leave?" Carli whispered, taking Justin's hand.

"Nah, this should be interesting." Justin shook his head with an evil grin.

"Get out JC. I don't want to hear what you have to say." Mike shook her head as she climbed to her feet. She headed toward the bathroom, but JC stopped her short by grabbing her arm.

"Oh no you don't. We're going to talk this out, because I'm tired of playing this game!" he practically yelled out of frustration.

"Pray tell, Josh. What game?" Mike inquired icily with a raised eyebrow.

"The game of 'I'm going to pretend I don't love you anymore'. I'm tired of it." JC tossed a hand into the air.

"Never! Never have I once pretended that I didn't love you! Not once!" Mike stormed tossing a glare at Justin when he snickered loudly.

"Oh no? Then why are you avoiding me like the plague?" JC demanded hotly.

"Because I wanted you to feel one iota of the pain I felt when you told me you believe her over me!" Mike cried out shoving him away from her. Things had gotten rocky before, but not nearly as bad as this. Justin took a step forward, unsure if he should interfere.

"I'm sorry. How many times do I have to say it before you believe it? A hundred? A million. My God, Michaela, I love you. Isn't that enough?" JC sighed raking a hand through his hair.

"Do you trust me?" she whirled around to face him.

"What?" he made a face.

"I said, do you trust me?" she demanded again, halting Justin with a withering glance.

"I trust you enough to let you keep my heart." JC sighed with resignation, shoulders drooping visibly.

"That's all I needed to know. You could apologize to me until you're blue in the face, but I wouldn't believe you unless you trusted me." Mike shook her head, tears springing to her eyes.

"I love you." JC offered now, hoping that things would now get back to normal.

"I love you, too, Josh." Mike smiled softly, all the fight in her gone.

"Alright, now that we know the two of you aren't going to kill one another, I'm going to go help Carli pack. She, Janelle and Dan are flying out with us tomorrow morning. They want to go to Disney World." Justin stated taking Carli by the hand before JC or Mike could say anything. The new couple laughed as they walked down the hall.

"If we ever fight like that, shoot me." Carli stated somberly.

"Nah, if we fight like that, I'll know we're in love." Justin laughed, kissing her cheek soundly.

"You're crazy. Totally outta your tree. Off your rocker." she shook her head.

"And you're going out with me. What's that say about you?" Justin teased giving her a playful push. He never received an answer, because she stopped suddenly and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

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