"This sucks," I pouted.

"What sucks?" Josh asked.

"That we don’t get to see the girls open their tour."

"I know what you mean, but you’ll see the show enough times this summer I think you’ll be okay," he said.

"That’s not the point," I replied.

"Whatever babe," he laughed.

"I feel bad for Justice and Lance."

"Why?"

"Cause we’re gonna getta travel together and they aren’t," I shrugged.

"Lemme guess you think that means less time Justice will have to talk to you on the phone, huh?" Britney said.

"Yah so?"

"For some reason I don’t think Justice is gonna give up all you two’s phone time," Britney answered.

"She’s right," Josh said.

"You’re probably right," I nodded.

"Y’all seen Lance?" Meredith asked walking up to us.

"He’s over there talking to Justice," I said nodding toward them. "I was about to go talk to Benda, I can tell him you wanna talk to him," I added.

"Would you? Thanks," she smiled.

"No problem," I replied. "You two have a good openin night, okay?"

"Thanks," Britney and Meredith said together.

"Lance, dude, we need to go to rehearsal so we can get our stuff to Boston in time for the opening," I said walking over to Justice and him. "Besides I’d like a few minutes to tell my sister good-bye and I believe Meredith is looking for you."

"All right... Bye Justice," he said hugging her. "I’ll call you when we get a break," he said before kissing her.

"All right. Bye. I love you."

"Love you too."

"Excuse me while I puke," I said making gagging noises.

"Just cause we’re cuter than you and JC is no reason to make yourself sick, Justin," Justice said watching Lance walk over to Meredith.

"I wish we could be in New York to see your opening," I said after we teased each other for a bit.

"I do too but we meet up in Boston," she said wrapping an arm around me.

"We’re gettin ready to leave children, so you’re gonna hafta wrap it up," Christina said as she got on the bus.

"All right, Christina," Justice and I said concomitantly.

"Good luck and take care of yourself until we meet up in Boston," I said hugging her.

"You don’t need well wishes of good luck from me, you guys never suck, so don’t start now, ya hear me?" she said. "You take care too and take care of the others too."

"All right," I nodded.

"One more thing."

"What?"

"Punch Nick Carter in the face for me?" she joked.

"Not on your life or unless you and Jessica get into a fight first," I smiled.

"I don’t like fighting with people I don’t know," she shook her head.

We talked for a bit longer then Britney pulled Justice onto the bus while Joey pulled me to the car that was waiting for us.

==

"You two are so immature," Chris laughed as he watched Lance and me do rock, paper, scissors to see who got to call Justice first.

"You shut up," I replied. "Rock covers paper!" I exclaimed making a face at Lance.

"Whoever wins this next hand gets to talk to her, huh?" Joey said coming over to us.

"Yep," I nodded. "Ready?"

"Hold on," Lance replied looking behind me. "What are you doing, Chris?"

"Nothing," he grinned when I turned to look at him.

"Who are you calling?" I asked.

"Mind ya," he replied.

"You’re cheating!" I exclaimed getting up and walking over to him. "You can’t call Justice, that’s not fair!"

"Why can’t I? Maybe I’m in the mood to be made fun of," he smirked as he finished dialing. "Hey, Justice!... Yah it’s me... I did huh? You should split it with me then... Sounds fair... Oh just waiting for the other groups to show up... We were early for a change, it’s scary to tell you the truth..."

"Chris, bud, how’s about you let me talk to Justice?" Lance said.

"No doin. Y’all haven’t finished fighting for rights to talk to her," he replied. "She said she won’t talk to you until you do."

==

"Where are Hanson and the Moffatts?" Nick Lanchey asked an hour later when they still hadn’t showed up for rehearsals.

"I uh just got off the phone with both their managers and it seems that they won’t be joining us at all on this tour," Johnny answered after a moment.

"What? Why not?" I demanded.

"Seriously! It’s two days before the tour’s supposed to start!" exclaimed Nick Carter.

"The Moffatts are taking the summer off to rest before their world tour this fall," Johnny explained. "As for Hanson their manager declined to give the actual reason..."

"Why would he do that?" Joey asked.

"I’ve dealt with Chris before and he does that when he thinks it’s best for the group’s image... Hanson wasn’t raised in a very open minded world, you know."

"You aren’t saying they pulled out because of Justin and JC, are you?" Howie asked.

"No Howie, he’s saying it’s because you’re Hispanic," Brian Litterall rolled his eyes. "Of course he means because of them!"

"Now you don’t know that’s the reason," Jeff Timmons said.

"What other reason could there be?"

"Their ticket sells weren’t doing as good as the rest of us, maybe they decided it wasn’t worth it," he shrugged.

"Well whatever the reasons, it doesn’t matter. We’ve got to figure out how we’re going to handle their stage time."

"That’s eight songs, add another and each group gets three more," suggested 98 Degrees’ manager.

"All right, that’ll work," agreed BSB’s.

"So that means we need to get them choreographed or whatever," Johnny said.

"Lets get to work," Wade said.

==

"I can’t believe both Hanson and the Moffatts pulled out two days before the tour," I groaned laying down next to Josh on the stage while Wade and the other choreographers hurried to figure out how to choreograph nine new songs.

"It sucks I know, but we get more stage time now," Josh pointed out.

"That’s true but it still sucks."

"Well if your mama had raised you and that sister of yours right you wouldn’t be a fag and she wouldn’t be a witch and we’d have two more bands on this tour still!" Brian Litterall said.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL ME?" I yelled getting in his face. "More importantly what did you call my sister! I know you did not just call her a witch and me a fag!" I continued, my voice raising with each word.

"You heard damn well what I called you! Thanks to you and your boyfriend we lost two acts for this tour," Brian yelled.

"Jus, stop," Josh said pulling me back when I raised my hand to punch him. "He’s not worth it, Jus," he added as I struggled against him to get to Brian.

"He may not be worth it but I’ll damn sure feel better after I kick his fucking ass," I replied.

"Try me, fag," Brian said pushing Kevin off him.

Johnny caught me just as I lunged at him. "Lonnie, take Justin outside and do not let him back in until he’s cooled off," he ordered, pushing me into my bodyguard. "Everyone else, lets take a break and give the choreographers time to think."

"I can’t believe this," I fumed when Lonnie set me down outside. "I’m going to fucking kill that asshole next time I see him!"

"Just forget about it, Jus," Lonnie said, "he’s not worth it."

"Really, Jus," Josh said sitting down next to me. "What good is it going to do to let him get to you?"

"Because it gives me a reason to kick his ass."

"But it makes as much sense as letting Eminem get to you. You know neither of them know what they’re talking about so their opinions shouldn’t matter."

"I know they shouldn’t but I think it’s fucked up that bunch of closed

minded people can go around calling us fags when we aren’t doing anything but loving each other or calling Justice a witch because they don’t understand her religion," I sighed.

"That’s why we gotta keep it together and rather then fly off the handle at everyone who makes moronic statements like Brian did try and help it so that people understand."

"You’re right."

"So you promise you’ll keep your cool?"

"I’ll try," I nodded.

"That’s all I ask of you."

==

"I think you scared Carson, Randi, good job!" I heard Lance say while watching 98 Degrees run through their choreography. "Well Justin and Brian had to be separated at rehearsal but otherwise, yah it’s fine," he said after a pause. "Brian made some comments about you and Justin and JC. Justin got mad and got in his face," he said and I punched him in the arm because I hadn’t wanted Justice to know. "Justin, she was gonna find out about it anyways!"

"If I wanted her to know, I would’ve told her," I replied.

"Actually it was more about how Lynn raised you... How if she’d raised you right you’d both be ‘good Christian folk’ instead of a witch and a ::mumble::," he said to Justice and when I heard Justice begin to scream on the other side I gestured to his phone which he gave me willingly.

"What did you mumble? I swear to all that is holy if you mumbled fag or any other remark like that Brian better watch himself when he gets to Boston cause I will kick his ass! How he gonna like gonna on television and tellin people he got his ass kicked by a girl," Justice was screaming.

"Benda, girl, don’t worry about it. If he says anything else I will deal with it, you don’t need to get involved," I said when she finished.

"Justie-"

"I will handle it, Belinda Drew! Don’t worry about it."

"Just tell him I better not hear him saying anything cause I really don’t care. You don’t talk about my brother or me without paying for it."

"Girl you know I love the fact that you’ve got my back but it’s not a big deal. Brian got shitted on by everyone enough at practice, even by his band mates. He’s not gonna say anymore shit."

"He better not."

"Okay, I’m gonna put Lance back on the phone but you calm down and put this out of your mind. Remember Brian isn’t anything but a Backstreet Boy. Don’t let it bother you until someone big disses us or Eminem," I said trying to make her laugh.

"All right," she finally said.