A week had gone by since JC last saw Holly and he was starting to wonder if he would ever meet up with her again. He was glad though that they would be staying in town for a little while to do some recording for a new album. He hoped that it would give him enough time to get to know the real Holly O'Brien, the girl that everyone thought they knew but really didn't. Little did he know, he would learn alot more than he had planned on.

"So, you haven't heard from her yet?" Emily asked as everyone sat around in the break room at the studio.

JC took a sip of his water as Justin sat down across from him. "Nope. Probably won't either."

"Well don't worry. I'm sure she's probably busy with her new movie coming out and stuff." Emily tried to console him.

"Yeah, maybe." he bluntly replied.

"Do you want me to find her for ya?" Joey asked as he joined them.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that would be great." Justin snickered.

"I'm sure I'd win her over then." JC replied with sarcasm.

"What?" Joey shrugged his shoulders. "What could I possibly do wrong?"

"Oh let us count the ways." Chris laughed as he sat down beside JC.

Joey stopped smiling and stood up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ok, stop." JC took command. "Let's just talk about something else please."

"Like what?" Justin smiled. "How bout, how Joey got locked out of his room last night with just his towel on."

"What?" JC snickered.

"Hey I have a reasonable explaination for that." Joey grinned.

"Or how Chris fell down the last two steps in the hotel lobby this morning and hoped no one saw him." Lance added at the other end of the table.

"Jerk." Chris laughed. "I saw you unscrew the cap to the salt that Justin used last night."

"Is that who did it?" Justin exclaimed as everyone laughed.

"Since we're on to Justin," JC looked at Emily. "he is the one that put the plastic bug in your soup, not Chris."

"Thank you!" Chris sided.

"Justin!" Emily playfully smacked him in the arm.

"Thanks alot Mr. I sleep with my stuffed pig who oinks so that you can't tell it's me who is snoring." Justin retalliated.

"Smart ass." JC grinned.

"Oh, that was a good one." Chris laughed.

"Ok, I'm done." JC sighed.

Justin snickered. "Good 'cuz I have alot more where that came from."

Just then a woman from the front desk entered the room. "JC, you have a visitor out in the lobby."

JC looked back at everyone and they all smiled. "Go get 'er!" Joey grinned.

"I don't even know if it's her." JC said as he walked to the doorway.

"Well who else would it be dumbass? It's not like you have any friends." he joked.

JC ignored his comment and walked down the long hallway. He reached the lobby and looked around but didn't notice anyone in particular.

"Anna, who is here for me?" JC asked the secretary that came to get him.

She turned around and pointed to the other side of the desk. "Over there in the corner by the tree."

JC looked around the desk as Anna went back to her conversation on the phone. Holly was sitting there almost hidden by the fake tree.

"There you are sitting in the corner again. Or should I say, hiding from all of your fans?" he smiled as he walked up to her.

Holly smiled back as she stood up. "Oh yeah, people just fall at my feet when I walk down the street begging for an autograph."

JC laughed. "Are you always sarcastic?"

"Only when I don't have to smile at the paparazzi."

JC quickly changed the subject. "Well, I'm glad I got to see you again. I almost thought I wasn't going to hear from you."

"I've been around. Trying to promote my movie a little bit. Plus, I knew you were starting the new album so I didn't want to be a bother."

"Well, you're here now." he added as they walked towards a quieter place in the hallway.
"I wanted to bother you." she grinned.

"So, maybe we can go out sometime, like when I'm not around the kids."

Holly laughed lightly. "Yeah, maybe. There are alot of things you don't know about me."

JC shifted his weight and leaned back to the wall. "Well, how else am I gonna get to know you if we don't talk?"

Holly paused before she continued. "I just don't know how to tell you some things. You are just different than other people I've known."

JC wore a puzzled look as he replied. "Well everyone is different."

"Yeah, but most of the people I know, like my friends, are normal everyday people. They come from the street. They're not celebrities or have money. I think that's why I don't act like someone famous. I get done making a movie and I go change into my cruddy clothes, find my friends who live in some of the worst places in the city and we go to the darkest and dirtiest bars."

"Not many people do that. I mean of course we still stay in contact with friends but most of us have mansions and nice cars and go to the nice places. I think that's great that you stick to your roots and that you didn't become someone that you're not. It's not a bad thing." he finished as he looked into her eyes.

"Well, I was kinda afraid to get to know you. I figured you wouldnt want someone who goes home and plays in the mud."

JC snickered. "Nah. At least I'm getting to know you. That's all that's important. Just a chance."

"Ok. Well, I feel a little better now." she smiled and looked down to the floor.

"Jace! We're going back in." Justin yelled down the hall as the others walked back into the recording room.

"Well, I better get going." JC said as he turned back to her.

"Yeah, sure. I don't want to get in the way."

He smiled as he replied. "Nah, it's cool. I'm glad I got to talk to you for a bit though. Can I get your number or meet you again sometime?"

Holly slowly edged her way back out to the lobby. "Uh, I don't really want to give out my number right now but we can hang out sometime soon."

"Ok." JC smiled again. "I won't fight with you about your phone number as long as you let me give you my cell number."

Holly grinned. "Ok. Deal."

JC wrote down his number quickly as Justin yelled for him again. "Call me soon."

"I will. C-ya." she replied and walked back out into the sunshine.



Holly called JC the next day and then they met up at a cafe the day after. She continued to tell little tidbits about her life and he continued to be more attracted to her. The rest of the week he spent thinking about her. It was an attraction he didn't understand but he knew he needed to be with her. The guys kept pesting him about his uncooperation with the recording for he always seemed to be miles away. He didn't know what she held over him but he had to let her know or his heart would be broken in a million pieces.



"I haven't told him yet." Holly spoke into her cell phone. She was talking to one of her close friends as she drove to the park to meet JC.

"You mean to tell me that you've been getting closer to him and he doesn't know? You can't keep leading him on. What if Jared finds out?"

"Well I'm glad he didn't. But, explaining to JC about him will have far less consequences." she continued through a green light.

"I don't know what to tell you. I know you like JC because he's clean and cute. But, getting away from Jared will be like trying to break out of a gang."

"Jared is going to keep getting me in trouble. I'm trying to get a real life started here, ya know? I'm giving my money to help out my mom and to help out all the others that are out in the streets and then Jared sucks the rest out of me. I am like flat broke. I know thats hard to believe but I am."

"I believe ya." she agreed. "If you could get away from Jared then you would be way better off but you've tried that before and it only got you hurt."

"I think JC can help me." she replied as she had the park in sight.

"So you are gonna use him to protect you?"

"No, I'm not going to use him. I really like him. But, he is my one way ticket away from Jared."

"I hope you know what you're doing."

Holly pulled up along side of the park and spotted JC sitting on a bench. His security were standing a few feet away beside a black SUV. "Me too. I gotta go. I'm here."

"Ok. Talk to ya later."

Holly hung up and walked over to where JC was sitting. "Hey, you."

"Hey." he replied as he stood up and hugged her.

"So, how was you're day?" she asked as she sat down.

"Same ole. Magazine interview, telephone interview, group meeting..."

"Ok, I get it." she laughed.

"And you're day?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, I had a meeting with my agent today. I'm having lots of new offers for other movie roles. I'm kinda excited."

JC smiled. "Yeah, I bet. That's good though, to have other stuff lined up."

"Yeah, I can't wait til the movie comes out so everyone can see it."

JC laughed lightly. "Hey, I just saw the preview for that this morning. Sandcastle. Right?"

"Yeah. It's a romance drama. A little sappy and romantic. But, I don't wanna tell you about it cuz it'll give it away." she grinned.

"Okay." he paused. "Do you mind if I tell you something?"

She looked back at him. "Sure. Go ahead."

"Ok." he shifted nervously. "I know we just met and stuff and we are starting to get to know each other but..."

JC stopped for a second and Holly picked up. "But what?"

"Well, I dunno. I can't stop thinking about you. I mean I really like you. I don't know how to explain it. You infatuate me. I can't help it."

"Whoa, wait." she stopped him abruptly.

JC looked away from her and put his head down. "I'm sorry. I know that was probably pretty rude of me to just come out with that like that."

"No, I'm glad you can tell me how you feel but there is something you need to know." she breathed deeply before she confessed.

"Here I thought you told me everything." he replied with sarcasm.

"I doubt you will ever know everything about me, JC. But there is something that is really important that I haven't told you." she said as she turned towards him.

"Ok, what?" he said as he started to get concerned.

"Well, you know that I have friends and stuff that come from the city that you don't know."

JC shook his head. "Yeah?"

"And that my friends there are like a seperate world for me far from behind the cameras." she continued.

JC shook his head again. "Uh huh?"

"Let me just be straightforward here. I haven't told you and I'm sure you probably won't be happy but I have a..." she stopped abruptly as a quick downpour of freezing cold rain rushed down on them, almost drenching them completely.

"Ahh, that's cold!" JC exclaimed.

"You know what, I'll call you later!" she yelled as she ran to her car completely soaked.

"Wait! You need to tell me what you were going to say!" he said as he walked up to the car but she quickly pulled away.

JC stood in the rain, his white shirt dripping with water and sucked back to his chest. It was now see through and his finely tuned body was able to be seen. "Why wouldn't I be happy?" he said to himself as he slowly walked back to the SUV.

3: A Mistake

"A Thousand Daydreams" Lyrics by Tony Lucca a thousand daydreams call your name each one in a different way to me the sun don't set the same here without you one more day like a chest without its treasures wasted away, nothing left to do and if you knew the power of your pleasure you'd be there when i wake up when i reach for you a thousand daydreams set me free paintings of what we would do lazy days so silently just lying in this bed you i never felt this powerful emotion like some whirlwind i've come stumbling through spend my days just staring at this ocean staring right back at me, both of us so blue daydreams of you and every moment i might have you near me daydreams of you just to see my smile in your eyes this empty space beside me clearly made for two i think i see your face now on the pillow put there just for you a thousand daydreams scream your name so i'll just sleep my day away no fantasy could ever do the same guess i'll just miss you one more day.

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