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Date Posted: 23:03:51 02/20/03 Thu
Author: Z
Subject: Looking Forward/Moving Back Chapter 4

Chapter 4
Saturday January 15, 2003

"Crap!" Hannah said under her breath as her eyes landed on the clock in the kitchen, well what constituted as a kitchen. JC was going to be there in 30 minutes and she had just finished drying her hair. Hannah still needed to get dressed and get her make-up done. It seemed as though she was always rushing around to get to once place or another. If she could just have two days where she didn't have to be anywhere or didn't have a pile of homework waiting for her, she would be a very happy person.

Hannah walked over to her closet and pulled out the only formal dress she owned. The only reason she had that outfit was because Lucy had dragged her to one of her family's dinner parties. At the time Hannah had grudgingly dished out the money, but now she was glad she had something for tonight. The dress was a deep purple color with a suede bodice and flowy skirt part that wrapped around at the hips to almost look like a wrap around dancers wore over their leotards. Her favorite part of the outfit was the shoes. Hannah loved the criss-crossing straps that came to mid-calf on her. Overall, the outfit had a modern, medieval ballerina feel to it.

Shedding her robe, Hannah slipped on the dress and pulled her hair out. She had wanted to put her hair up in a twist, but her hair wasn't cooperating. Instead, she had to settle for blow drying her hair stick straight. Not that it made much of a difference, but Hannah always felt a little more sexy with her hair up. Another glance at the clock re-lit the fire under Hannah's feet as she scurried to the bathroom for make-up.

This was something she didn't get to do too often. Usually Hannah had enough time to barely put on some eyeliner and some lip-gloss. Happily, Hannah pulled out the shades that matched her outfit and quickly applied the make-up. Just as Hannah finished putting on the second coat of mascara, her door buzzed. She made a beeline for the intercom with bare feet.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hannah? It's Josh."

"Okay, come on up. I'm on the 3rd floor, but the elevator's broken." Hannah cringed as she thought about JC walking up the stairs. This was why it would have been better to meet the guys at the restaurant. Hannah hit the buzzer that opened the front door downstairs. Now she had only 5 minutes before JC would be at her door. Once again Hannah made a mad dash. She grabbed her small, black purse, making sure to put her wallet, keys, powder and lipstick into it. She pulled out a black wrap to cover her shoulders and sat down on the bed to put on her shoes. Before she could put on the second shoe, there was a knock at the door.

"Ugh, that was fast!" Hannah moaned. So close, she thought as she hobbled over to the front door. She unlocked the door and walked to the sofa. "Come on in." As JC entered, Hannah finished putting on her shoe. Her hair fell all around her shoulders as she wrapped the straps around her leg, blocking her view. "Okay, I'm all ready." Hannah stood up and smoothed out her dress. She threw back her hair and straightened herself out. Hannah froze as her eyes landed on her guest. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Hanny, long time no see."

"Don't call me t hat and how did you get in?" Hannah tried to keep her voice even as her blood boiled inside.

"You never were good at talking to people about yourself. That old bat in 1C still thinks we're an item so she was more than happy to let me in."

"Nice job, Brandon, take advantage of an old lady's memory." Hannah crossed her arms and took on a defensive stance. "Now either tell me what you're doing here, or leave."

"No need to rush," Brandon said smoothly as he stepped closer to Hannah. "I've missed you, sweetie."

"I don't have time to deal with this, so cut the bullshit."

"Be nice, Hanny, I just wanted to see you again."

Brandon was barely a foot away from Hannah and she squirmed uncomfortably. Hannah took a sharp breath and the familiar smell of Brandon's cologne greeted her nostrils. For a split second, Hannah contemplated stepping forward and falling into his arms before rationality hit her.

"JC!" Hannah said loudly when she remembered that he was on his way up.

"What?" Brandon asked in a confused tone. He had felt Hannah weakening and was expecting her to give in.

"Just leave, I don't want to do this anymore." Hannah pulled away and tried to walk away from Brandon, but he reached out and grabbed her by the elbow.

"Hanny, please?" Brandon said softly. "Can't we just talk?" Brandon stared deeply into Hannah's eyes. Hannah felt immobilized once again as her mind screamed at her to run away. A knock at the door pulled Hannah out of her trance.

"Hey, Hannah?" JC peeked his head through the open door to find Hannah standing in the middle of the room with a guy. "Oh, I'm sorry am I interrupting?"

"No, it's fine, come on in," Hannah said to JC. She turned back to Brandon and yanked her arm away. "Don't call me Hanny," she said forcefully. "Good-bye, Brandon." Hannah walked over to JC and waited until Brandon left. As soon as he closed the door behind him, Hannah let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

JC stared at Hannah and could see that she was visibly upset. She looked intently at the front door as if she were waiting for it to open again.

"Are you okay?" JC asked after a couple of minutes.

"Yeah," Hannah said slowly. She shook her head and turned to JC. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry you had to see that. Anyway, shall we go? I don't want to make us late."

"Sure, let's go."

"Okay, let me just grab my purse." Hannah disappeared into her bedroom. JC stared after her with a puzzled look. It wasn't any of his business to pry, but he wondered what he had walked in on and he hoped Hannah would be okay.

"Okay, I'm set. Thanks again for picking me up," Hannah said, walking out with her purse and wrap in hand. For the first time JC noticed that Hannah was all dressed up.

"Wow, Hannah, you look amazing."

"Aww, thanks. I don't usually have an excuse to get all dressed up, but look at you. Suit and tie, impressive."

"Well, what can I say; when you got it, you got it," JC said with a grin.

"And boy have you got it, an ego that is," Hannah teased.

"Comes with the profession. After you," JC gallantly opened the door and bowed, allowing Hannah to pass through.

"Why thank you," Hannah said with a curtsey. She stepped out into the hallway, followed by JC. After quickly locking the door, the two set off towards the restaurant.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Hannah nervously stepped into the restaurant and gazed around. JC had warned her that it was fancy, but the décor and atmosphere were beyond what she had imagined. It was almost as if she was underdressed for the place despite her fancy dress. Unconsciously, Hannah clung to JC as the walked past the tables. JC could see fear on Hannah's face and despite completely understanding the intimidation, he found it amusing. He reassuringly patted the back of her hand as they approached their large table in a secluded corner of the restaurant. Everyone else was already seated and waited for them to arrive.

"Hey, you guys," JC greeted his friends. The sat around the circular table with two empty seats near the front. JC stepped forward to pull out the chair for Hannah. The other guys quickly got out of their seats and stood up to welcome Hannah.

"Wow, Hannah, you look really nice," Joey said politely. She looked very different from the normal dance clothes they were used to seeing her in.

"Thanks," Hannah said modestly, trying not to blush too horribly.

For the first time, Justin turned his head and realized that the rest of their party had arrived. He pushed back and chair and stood up before opening his mouth to greet JC and Hannah, but when his eyes fell on Hannah, he lost the ability to speak. Chris noticed the younger man sitting there with his mouth hanging open and he smiled. It wasn't hard to figure out the reason behind Justin's lack of vocal abilities. Hannah did look amazing, but Chris could also tell that Justin was seeing something more than the rest of them. From the first day that Justin had met Hannah, he couldn't help but think about her. Chris wasn't oblivious to the numerous times Justin brought Hannah into a conversation, claiming to wonder about why she acted cold to him. From Chris's perspective, the two of them seemed to be playing a game with each other, like junior high school kids.

"Justin, you better close your mouth before something flies in," Joey said with a snicker. Justin quickly shut his mouth and straightened himself out, trying not to make a bigger fool out of himself, but not before giving Joey an evil glare.

"Hey, Hannah," Justin said softly.

Hannah turned her face and realized that she was going to spend the entire dinner sitting next to the one person she didn't want to talk to. The evening hadn't even started and Hannah was already regretting being talked into it. It was going to be a long night, Hannah thought before putting on a smile.

"Hi."

Again, Justin sensed stiffness from Hannah that seemed to be related to him. He tried to explain it away by who he was, but he hadn't noticed the same reaction from one of the other guys. Since Hannah was sitting next to him, Justin figured he'd take the opportunity to talk to her and find out why she was so rigid and distant with him.

"So what are we having tonight?" Lance asked, picking up the menu. Everyone else followed his lead and started looking at their menus as well. JC leaned forward to pick up the wine list and read through it quickly.

"Good evening," the waiter said in a thick French accent. Hannah almost laughed out loud at how cliched he looked right down to the bored look on his face. "How may I serve you tonight?"

"We'll have a bottle of the Merlot with our meal," JC said authoritatively as he handed the waiter the wine list. With a quick bow, the waiter turned around and retreated into the back.

Justin leaned over behind Hannah's menu. "C's the resident wine expert," he explained with a smile.

"Ah, I see," Hannah replied, not taking her eyes off the menu in front of her.

"What was so funny about the waiter?" Justin had noticed the amusement in Hannah's eyes when he had first approached their table and he figured that was a good a topic as any to break the ice with.

"Huh?" Hannah asked, still not turning towards Justin. The question caught her off guard enough to make her gaze shift from the menu to Justin, which was a mistake. As soon as her eyes met his cobalt ones, she felt all sort of forgotten and unacknowledged emotions resurface. Hannah was totally thrown aback with her own reaction. She knew she didn't want to reacquaint herself with Justin, but for a brief second she wasn't sure about her reasons.

"Hello? Earth to Hannah."

Hannah realized she had been staring at Justin and quickly regained her exposure. "Oh sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was asking about the waiter, it looked like you were almost laughing at him."

Once again Hannah was amazed and unnerved at Justin's ability to read her so well. He used to do the same thing when they were younger, but now after all these years it felt weird.

"Oh, um, yeah, he just looked very bored and snooty." Even as she said it, it didn't sound funny to her.

"Oh, okay," Justin said with a smile before turning back to his own menu.

Wow, Hannah mouthed as she let out a sigh of relief. That was another very awkward experience. It seemed as though she had been having a lot of them lately; all of them centered on Justin.

"Um, so what's good in a place like this?" Hannah asked, clearing her throat.

The group proceeded to discuss a few entrees and figure out what to order. Hannah had no idea what French food would taste like so she relied heavily on everyone else's input. After a few minutes of deliberations, everyone decided on their meals for the evening. Hannah's eyes traveled over to Chris who seemed to be pouting in his seat. With a polite smile, Hannah pushed her chair back and excused herself. Again, all five guys stood up as she got up.

"Wow, such gentlemen," Hannah said with a smile before departing the table.

Carefully, Hannah made her way towards the maitre' d. She hoped that the restaurant hadn't dismissed her request from the previous day.

"Excuse me?"

"Oui, mademoiselle?"

"I'm a part of the Chasez party," Hannah said, introducing herself as JC had when they had first arrived.

"Oui, of curse," the man said enthusiastically as realization flickered across his face.

"Yes, well, yesterday I called in regards to a specific entrée, a couple of special delicatessies."

"Ah, yes, I remember. It has been taken care of."

"Wonderful. Could you let the waiter know that they are for Mr. Kirkpatrick at our table."

"Of course, mademoiselle."

"Thank you very much."

Hannah decided to powder her nose a bit before returning to the table. Luckily, the ladies room was empty so she could have a few minutes to herself. Walking over to the full-length mirror, Hannah looked at herself carefully for the first time that evening. She smoothed out her dress and spun around to see what it looked like from behind. Since she worked out so much for her dancing, Hannah never had to separately worry about maintaining a figure. At first Hannah had intentions of becoming a ballerina, but the way the women in her family were built, it was out of the question. Though it was disappointing at first, Hannah had learned to appreciate her curves, especially in high school.

Slowly, Hannah's gaze traveled up to her face. As always she saw her plain self staring back. It wasn't as though she hated a certain feature, she just saw what she always saw, a regular girl with no pizzazz. With a sigh, Hannah reached into her purse and pulled out her lipstick tube and compact. She quickly touched up her make-up and walked back towards the table.

Her mind wandered to the dish Chris would be eating. She knew it wasn't anything disgusting in taste, just in concept. Hannah smiled happily as she envisioned his reaction, it was definitely something to look forward to. Lately, there hadn't been too many opportunities to be having fun with this being her last semester and all. Hannah tried not to think about it, but the apprehension of finding a job out in the real world was growing inside of her by the day.

Hannah took a deep breath before walking the last few steps towards the table. It was just one dinner, she could manage through it; Hannah told herself. Just don't talk to Justin that much and he'll take the hint.

"Hey, welcome back," Lance said warmly as all the guys stood up.

"We were beginning to think you had ditched us," JC joked.

"Ditched the biggest names in music, I think not."

"She does know who we are!" Chris said, speaking up for the first time that evening.

"Of course I know who you guys are. It's not like I live under a rock, sheesh. Besides, I figured you had to be important to have Marc choreographing your songs," Hannah added with a smile.

"Well, we weren't sure cuz you didn't act like you knew or anything," Lance explained.

"You mean I didn't jump on one of you, screaming hysterically?" Hannah reached forward for her glass of water and took a few sips.

"Yeah, we figured you'd be all over Justin the second he stepped in," Chris said jokingly. Hannah choked on her water mid-swallow and began coughing forcefully.

"Whoa, girl, you okay?" Joey asked. JC leaned forward to offer his assistance if Hannah needed it.

"I'm…fine," Hannah managed to get out between coughs. Everyone relaxed in their seats when they heard her speak.

"Was it something I said?" Chris asked innocently.

Hannah's head shot up and she quickly ceased coughing. "No, no, it just went down the wrong tube." Hannah stole a quick glance at Justin to see him giving her a sympathetic look.

"Ignore Chris," Justin said soothingly. "He's probably nervous about his dinner." Justin stressed the word dinner with a direct stare at Chris. Chris took the hint and backed off. It was never a good idea to push Justin too much about any one thing.

"It's okay, I don't mind," Hannah said, forcing a laugh. She didn't want Justin looking out for her. Her throat was still irritated from before, but she suppressed her cough. "You probably get jumped on the most, being the youngest and all. The rest of y'all have older fans, I bet." Hannah took another sip of her water without choking this time. She set her glass carefully down on the table and looked up to see 5 pairs of eyes staring at her. "What?"

"Where are you from," Joey asked with an amused grin.

"Um, here?" Hannah replied slowly.

"No, but before here. I mean, you weren't born here were you?"

"Uh, no, I wasn't. I was born in Colorado and moved around a lot. Why do you ask?" Hannah was totally puzzled about the sudden interest in her past and she had no idea about its cause.

"Did you ever live in the South because you totally sounded like Justin just now."

"What? Nooo, I do not have a Southern accent," Hannah said animatedly.

"Even I have to admit it. You for sure said y'all. I know I don't rub off on people that quickly," Justin said with a laugh.

Hannah opened her mouth to respond, but the conversation was too eerily similar to the one she used to have with Justin all the time. She wasn't even sure what to say without going into her past.

"I have a friend who says y'all all the time. I'll have to go home and remember to thank her," Hannah lied. She was greeted with a round of laughter so she knew she was off the hook.

A wave of familiarity swept over Justin and blinked a few times. Staring around his surroundings, Justin tried to figure out if he had experienced a similar situation recently. "Whoa, I just had déjà vu," Justin said suddenly. Hannah tensed up, expecting forgotten memories to come rushing back any second. Instead Justin just shook his head to shrug off the feeling. "Weird. Anyway, what's taking that waiter so long?"

"Oh yeah, I hope you don't mind, but we told the waiter what you wanted while you were gone," JC said.

"Oh that's fine. I was wondering about that. Thanks."

As if on cue, the waiter returned with the bottle of wine and proceeded to pour it for everyone. Three other waiters came next with their food. One by one, the waters set the covered dishes in front of the appropriate person and lifted the cover to reveal the tasty entrees.

"Your dish, Mr. Kirkpatrick. Box Breaded Beef Rocky Mountain Oysters and Cocoa Vaughn," the waiter said, uncovering his dish last. "I hope you all enjoy." With that the waiters left the group to eat.

"What is this?" Chris asked, poking his fork at his dish, which jiggled around a little.

"Cow testicles and calf brain. Eat up!" Hannah said with a smile. Everyone except for Chris laughed before digging into his or her meals.

Some exquisite desserts, recommended by JC followed dinner. Hannah couldn't remember the last time she had eaten so much and she was afraid her dress would rip at the seams. Chris had been a good sport and only whined a little before reluctantly taking the first bite of his food. He had tried to get the others to taste his dish, but everyone refused.

"Thank you guy for inviting me," Hannah said as the group got up to leave. "I had a really good time."

"Don't mention it, we're glad you agreed," Lance said, speaking up for the whole group.

"And thank YOU for making Chris eat testicles," Joey said with a chuckle.

"My pleasure." Hannah grabbed her purse and wrap and followed the group out the restaurant. Dinner had gone smoothly. Once the food had arrived, it wasn't hard to avoid Justin and conversation was light. Overall, Hannah had enjoyed herself and even forgotten that Justin was sitting next to her.

As soon as the group stepped outside, a cold wind hit Hannah's bare shoulders and a chill went down her spine. She shuffled around her bag and tried to get the warp around her shoulders.

"Here, let me help you," Justin said, stepping behind Hannah. He reached his hands forward, but Hannah quickly wrapped herself up.

"Thanks, but I got it," Hannah said shortly. She moved to step forward and join the rest of the group, but Justin's hand kept her back.

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Do you have something against guys your own age or something?" Justin asked, trying to be humorous about it.

"No, just you." Hannah spun around and quickened her pace to join JC. Justin stared after her with his mouth open. He still hadn't fully comprehended Hannah's words. The outright dislike stunned him, but making him even more curious than before.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Monday January 17, 2003

Hannah stepped into the studio and put her keys into her bag before tossing it onto the couch. It was 8:30 in the morning and she had arrived at the studio a few minutes ago for another full week of dance rehearsals. Hannah had gotten up early and since she couldn't fall back asleep, she had decided to head on over to the studio to have some time to herself before the guys arrived. This way she could even work on some of her own dancing.

She had a routine for her jazz dancing class that needed some perfecting so Hannah took the CD out of her bag and popped it into the stereo. As the music came on over the speakers, Hannah started to move automatically, watching herself critically in the mirrors. When it came to dancing, Hannah was always her worst critic and probably more hard on herself than she should be The sounds of Miles Davis rang through the studio as Hannah gracefully moved her body. Sereneness swept over her and Hannah let her mind travel to wherever it wanted to go.

"Do you believe in angels," Justin asked, looking up at the sky. Hannah lay on the ground next to him. Although neither one of them would admit it, they both crept closer towards each other to get warmer in that chilly March evening. Hannah and Justin were in the Tennessee woods with the rest of the 8th grade for their class trip. Everyone else had tired themselves out after one too many games, but Justin and Hannah managed to lie awake and have time to themselves.

"I don’t know. I think so, kinda there to guide us, but I don't know if I have an angel," Hannah said thoughtfully.

"I do." Justin's gaze never faltered from the stars.

"How do you know?" Hannah propped herself up on one elbow and looked towards Justin. He seemed to be in a faraway world as he stared at the sky. From the short time that Hannah had known him, she became well aware of his lucid moments, times when he revealed parts of him that he would normally never talk about.

"Because it's my sister, Laura Katherine."

"I didn't know you had a sister."

"She was my twin, but God took her back after she was born. But she's always with me."

"Do you ever feel her presence?" Hannah asked softly. She watched Justin lay quietly as he thought about his lost twin. As soon as he started blinking his eyes, Hannah knew the trance had been lost and Justin had returned to reality. Slowly he turned his head and looked at Hannah.

"You believe me?" Justin asked astounded. The one previous time he had shared his thoughts on Laura Katherine, he had been laughed at.

"Yeah, of course," Hannah said eagerly. She wanted to know more about Justin's angel and wished that she had one of her own. "I really wish I had an angel. That way whenever I had to move to a different place, I'd know I wasn't alone; there'd always be someone there by my side."

"You have an angel, everyone has an angel," Justin said reassuringly. "And besides, you've got me and you're not going to move anywhere else, your mom said so. Now you don't have to worry about being alone." Justin got up and sat next to Hannah. The two of them sat in silence, reveling in their bond. It seemed as though in a short amount of time, the two had found a sanctuary within each other. No matter how many other friends they had, the two of them always found a way to be there for each other and knew that the other understood him or her.

"So do you sense her now?" Hannah asked after a long moment of silence.

"Yeah."

"What do you think she's thinking?"

"I think she's happy that I found a friend like you." At those words Hannah turned her face to look at Justin and she smiled brightly.


"Hey, Hannah," Chris said, waltzing into the dance studio. He thought he'd be the first on there that morning, but instead he found Hannah dancing to some jazz music. Hannah kept dancing even after Chris called out her name so he assumed that she hadn't heard him. Figuring that she was probably concentrating really hard, Chris decided to not bother her and let her continue with her dancing. To keep himself occupied, he made himself comfortable on the couch and sat back to watch Hannah. Chris couldn't believe the effortlessness with which Hannah moved about the room. There was no look of anguish on her face. Actually, Chris thought, that was probably the most relaxed he had ever seen Hannah. Even when she was joking around with them, there seemed to be some kind of strain in her face.

Hannah fell the floor in her final pose and stretched her left leg out in front of her with her right one curled behind her and her head throw back. She sat in the middle of the room, heaving her chest up and down and letting the sweat roll down her face. Her mind came back to the present by the sound of clapping and she quickly turned her head to see Chris getting up from the couch.

"Holy crap, you scared me," Hannah said with her hand over her chest. She quickly scrambled to stand up.

"I'm sorry. I called out your name before, but you were on some other planet."

"Yeah, my mind kind of wanders when I dance. How long have you been here?" Hannah asked curiously. She walked over to her bag and pulled out a towel to wipe her face.

"Just a few minutes. I hope you don't mind me watching you like that. I swear I'm not some creepy old man," Chris shot Hannah a childish grin and Hannah couldn't help but smile herself.

"It's cool. I just didn't know I had company. So what are you doing here this early?" Hannah proceeded to stretch her muscles as she talked to Chris. First she leaned to the right, then to the left, then down to touch her toes.

"I was hoping to come in here and destroy that tape of music so we wouldn't have to dance anymore." Chris watched avidly as Hannah stretched her lean muscles. He could see the basis for Justin's attraction.

"Uh huh, right." Hannah raised on leg onto a bar against the wall and stretched out her leg muscles. "We have multiple copies. Besides, I could just have you guys sing the song while we danced."

"Dammit, you're right." Chris said, pretending to be upset. "I could...turn the power off for the whole building and then we wouldn't be able to dance cuz it'd be dark."

Hannah switched legs and gave Chris and amused grin. "I'm not that horrible, am I?"

"Trust me, it's not you. I'm just a lost case when it comes to dancing."

"Nah, I just think you're too hard on yourself."

"I think you are too."

Hannah pulled back from her stretch to look at Chris. She gave him a puzzled look. "Excuse me?"

"No, don't get me wrong. I probably have no right to say anything, but it just seems like you put too much stress on yourself."

"You're right, you don't have a right to say anything," Hannah replied stiffly. She grabbed her water bottle and started chugging at it.

"Please, don't be upset. It was just an observation," Chris said in a pleading tone. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Hannah gave Chris a long look and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap like that. I just have a lot of stuff going on, its hard to not be stressed out."

"Anything you wanna talk about?" Chris asked supportively. "Sometimes it's good to talk to someone you barely know."

"Nothing totally out of the ordinary, just worried about school, paying the bills, finding a job after graduation. Just normal stuff, ya know?" Hannah said casually with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I'm sure you don't have to worry about finding a job. With the way Marc described you when he called to tell us about his leg. He went on and on, making you sound like the best dancer in the world."

"Sorry to disappoint," Hannah said with a grin.

"You didn't disappoint anyone!" Chris wagged his finger at Hannah, warningly. "Hell, you taught me the dance. Now that's good. You should put it on your resume: 'Taught Chris Kirkpatrick an entire dance in only two days.' After people read that, you'll be set with jobs for life."

Hannah couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks, I'll have to remember to do that."

Chris sensed there was a lot more going on Hannah's life that she wasn't mentioning and he knew better than to pry. If she had wanted to, she would have told him on her own. Chris found it amazing at how differently he was viewing Hannah that morning. Watching her dance had introduced him to a completely different side of Hannah, even though they had been working on dance routines all of last week. It was astounding how much you could learn about another person during a stolen moment.

"So graduation, huh?"

"Yeah, just this semester left and I'm out in the real world."

"Good morning!" a voice rang out from the door. Hannah and Chris turned their heads to see Joey walking into the studio. He looked well rested and energized.

"Mornin, Joe." Chris replied.

"Hey," Hannah called out.

"What's up?" Joey tossed his things to the side and joined Hannah and Chris in the middle of the room.

"Not much, just waiting for everyone else to get here. Do you either of you guys want something to drink? Coffee, I think we have juice too." Hannah asked, turning to head out the door.

"No, I'm good. Had breakfast on the way over here. Gotta love McDonalds," Joey said, rubbing his stomach.

"Chris?"

"Nope, I'm not allowed to have coffee."

"Aww, I guess that's for the greater good of everyone else's sanity," Hannah joked.

"You catch on quick," Joey said with a smile.

The three of them stood around chatting about small things as they waited for everyone else to arrive. By 9:55, the other three guys had arrived and Hannah started to get everything ready for the day's routine.

"Oh, I think you guys have a photo shoot today, right?" Hannah asked after putting the NSYNC CD into the player.

"Yeah at 2:30," JC said, stretching his muscles out before they began dancing.

"Okay, cool. I'm going to be heading out of here at around 2 because I have a test to get to. Since you all," Hannah stressed the separated words, "will be busy looking pretty, we won't lose any of our rehearsal time."

"Woo hoo, half day today!" Chris said happily as he pranced around the room.

Hannah smiled at Chris, but eyed Justin out of the corner of her eye. He hadn't said anything since he'd arrived and Hannah had a feeling it had to do with her behavior on Saturday night. Leaving Justin with those words probably hadn't been the best idea, but Hannah just wanted to not deal with him anymore. It might have been mean, but it was a highly effective way of shutting him up. Seeing Justin standing by himself did make Hannah feel slightly guilty, but she reminded herself why she had done it in the first place. Shrugging off her guilt, Hannah resumed her duty as the dance instructor and moved on to teaching the guys their third routine.

Before she knew it, 2 o'clock had arrived and it was time for Hannah to rush off to campus for her Music Therapy exam at 3. Everyone packed up their stuff and left the studio with quick good-byes.

Justin hopped in his car and followed JC to the location of the photo shoot. The guys still needed to shower and have their hair and make-up done before the actual photo shoot began at 3:30. As he drove, Justin replayed the short conversation he had had with Hannah two nights ago and, as always, he cringed at Hannah's words. There was a bitter sting in her voice that shook Justin to the core. He didn't even have the opportunity to ask what he had done, but he felt a strong desire to clear his name in her eyes. Again, Justin carefully examined his actions over the last week to see if there had been something he had said or done that would have triggered such hatred from Hannah. He could come up with nothing.

With Hannah still on his mind, Justin reached the location and sat in his car. Chris, Joey and Lance pulled in after him, but he didn't notice them. After Saturday night, Justin had closed himself off from the other guys as he tried to figure out Hannah's animosity towards him. He knew that if he had brought it up with one of the other guys, he would just have been teased about his 'crush'. The others didn't seem to understand it, he wouldn't call it a crush, nor did he believe that Hannah was attracted to him, but he still couldn't explain his own interest in her to himself. He had gotten crushes before and they never felt like this. Besides, of all the girls he could be in to, why would he pick a girl that couldn't stand him long enough to let him help her with her wrap.

He hadn't done a damn thing, Justin thought angrily as he slammed his hands into the steering wheel. Why the hell was Hannah upset with him and more importanty, why the hell did he care? A light rapping at his window brought Justin out of his trance and he turned to see Lance motioning to him to get out. With a sigh he got out of the car and headed towards the photo shoot.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"All of you look marvelous!" Marc beamed happily. He hobbled over to Hannah to engulf her in a hug to show his appreciation. "Hannah, I knew you wouldn't regret hiring you! I am amazed at the good form and crispness of the routines, each and everyone of them! Simply fantastic!"

Hannah couldn't help but smile broadly at Marc's compliments. The second week had flown by and for a split second, Hannah had been worried she wouldn't meet Marc's expecations, but as she listed to him go on and on about her work, she finally relaxed. It had been quite an experience, to say the least, and a new on, on a few different levels, but Hannah was actually proud of herself. This was going to be a big plus on her resume.

"Hannah, seriously, you did an awesome job," Lance said, walking up to Hannah. Everyone else was starting to gather up their things and head out. Tomorrow they would be flying up to New York to get ready for the performance.

"Thanks," Hannah said, blushing. "But you guys made this so much easier for me. It was definitely a good first gig to have."

"I'm gonna miss you, girl." Lance leaned forward and gave Hannah a big hug. "If you need anything, a raving reference or something, don't hesitate to ask. You still have my cell number, right?"

"Yeah, and I really appreciate it. If I have a hard time with getting a job, I'll just drop your name," Hannah said with silly grin.

"You have my permission. Good luck with the job thing and hopefully we'll get to work together again."

"Definitely." Hannah turned her head to see Joey standing a little behind Lance, waiting to say his good-bye. Lance and Hannah exchanged another quick hug before Lance left to gather up his things.

"My turn," Joey said shyly before stepping forward to give Hannah a hug. He squeezed her tightly and even lifted her off the ground, which made Hannah laugh.

"Joey, put me down!" Hannah said, smacking him playfully.

"Aww, come on, it's the last day," Joey said with a pout, but he set Hannah down. "Thanks for making this so much fun."

"You're welcome, but I don't know what I did."

"Hello? Testicles? I won't forget that for a while and I won't let Chris forget either!"

"Oh yeahhh, well that was totally my pleasure. You guys made it fun for me too, it hardly felt like work."

"You take care of yourself, okay?"

"Yes, sir!" Hannah saluted Joey with her right hand. Joey smiled at her and leaned forward to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Bye, girl, hope to see you soon!"

Hannah turned around to pick up her water bottle and towel when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She quickly spun around to see Chris and JC standing their with their arms crossed.

"Don't think you can bypass us," JC said sternly.

"Wouldn't dream of it. Besides, why would I want to?"

"I dunno, we migh accidentally do whatever it is Justin did," Chris said just before JC elbowed him in his side.

"We just wanted to wish you luck with everything and thank you for helping us out." JC was the first to lean forward and give Hannah a hug. "If you get the chance, don't forget to watch your handiwork on TV in a couple of weeks."

"I'll be sure to set my VCR."

"Great, take care, Hannah," JC said before walking over to talk to Marc. Hannah turned to Chris, not sure what to say. His remark about Justin hadn't gone unheard, but she wasn't sure if she should respond to it.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, but whatever the kid did, I'm sure it can't be that bad."

"I mean no harm towards him, I guess we just didn't click," Hannah said with a shrug. It was the best vague explanation she could come up with.

"Well, I certainly enjoyed having you around, even with the bet." Chris smiled devilishly at Hannah.

"You're the one that made it."

"And you're the one that made me pay. Hopefully, I'll get a chance at revenge!"

"We'll see, we'll see."

"Come here." Chris wrapped his arms around Hannah and hugged her tightly. "Don't work too hard and don't forget to have some fun," Chris whispered into Hannah's ears as he reassuringly rubbed her back. "You'll do great!"

"Thanks, Chris," Hannah said warmly. In the short encounters with Chris over the past two weeks, Hannah had begun to see in him an older brother she never had. She was the most sad about not talking with him again.

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