The following week Jess meets Britney for lunch.

Jess - "If I didn't know better I'd say you and Nick were conspiring against me."

Brit - "Nick?"

Jess - "Carter."

Brit - "No I haven't talked to any of them since the end of the tour. Come on it'll be fun."

Jess - "I've been on blind dates, they are not fun."

Brit - "But Justin and I will be there too so you won't be stuck by yourself if you don't like him."

Jess - "I don't know Brit."

Brit - "Please?" She sticks out her bottom lip in a pout and bats her eyes.

Jess - "Britney I'm not a guy that's not going to work."

Brit - "Well it's the only pathetic look I know." She does it again. "Please!"

Jess - "Alright stop before your face gets stuck that way."

Brit - "Thank you." She throws her arms around Jess. "You'll see its going to be sooo much fun! We'll pick you up at your place tomorrow night at seven. Thank God our food's here I'm starved." Jess looks at what Britney ordered. Barbecued Chicken with a backed potato and Cole slaw and at her Caesar salad.

Jess - "tell me again how you are not fat?"

Brit - "All that dancing. Oh I've got some concepts for videos that the record company gave me want to go over them with me later."

Jess - "Sure. I'll come over tonight" They talk for awhile and then Jess goes back to work.


The next night

Loren - "Hey Jess."

Jess - "Hey what's up?"

Loren - "Not much are you busy tonight?"

Jess - "Actually I have a blind date."

Loren - "You. Have a blind date. Is the world coming to an end?"

Jess - "No I just figured you guys were right. I need to get out more then I do. Britney's setting me up."

Loren - "Well that should be fun. Okay will let me call Goldie and see if she'll baby sit."

Jess - "I'm sorry."

Loren - "That's okay. Have fun." They hang up and Jess starts to get ready. Britney said to dress casually so she just threw on some jeans and a pull over knit shirt. She then sat and channel surfed waiting for them to show up. Britney gets there at 7:07.

Jess - "Hey."

Brit - "ready?"

Jess - "Yeap. Where are we going?"

Brit - "I'm not sure Justin wouldn't tell me he said it was a surprise. This going to be so much fun. He even rented a car so that way he won't drawl so much attention." Jess can see the car from the steps.

Jess - "You didn't tell me that Justin Timberlake was your boyfriend." She pauses for a second.

Brit - "I'm sorry I thought you knew."

Jess - "No I didn't who are you setting me up with." Then she saw Lance sitting in the backseat.

Brit - "Lance. I know he's a few years younger then you but he doesn't act young. Come on let's get going." She half drags Jess to the car. "Okay you sit in the back with Lance." They get in and Lance smiles at Jess.

Lance - "Hi, nice to see you again Jessica." He extends his hand for a shake.

Okay now there are sooo many things are going through Jessica's head right now. She hears her dad saying get out of the car with that musician. Loren is saying with a raised eyebrow, another boy band, and Stephen. Well Stephen is just laughing his ass off. "Nice to see you too. But please almost everyone calls me Jess." She
not going to be rude and jump out of the car. Besides she was looking forward to having a good time and he just might be that. "So where are we going?"

Justin - "It's a surprise." He merges back into traffic.

Lance - "So how's work going?"

Jess - "It gets crazier everyday. But at least it makes things interesting."

Lance - "That's true. Touring is just the same thing everyday. Wake up on the bus, have cereal watch cartoons with Joey. Try not to kill Chris. Keep yourself occupied so you don't go crazy then we get to the venue and play some basketball or ride around on the scooters. Then the show then back on the bus."

Jess - "Oh you poor thing it must be hard to have thousands of girls screaming your name."

Justin - "You have no idea. Oh here we are."

Jess - "That was quick. We could have walked from my place."

Brit - "This is a hotel."

Justin - "yeah they have a bowling alley in the basement for guests."

Brit - "Bowling?"

Justin - "You are the one who said you wanted a typical date so you've got bowling."

Jess - "Sounds fun."

Lance - "Are you any good?"

Jess - "Oh no, I suck but I've haven't been bowling in a long time. Come on Brit." This time Jess is dragging her and the boys are lagging behind. Inside you can see what a fancy place it is. There's an ironwork sign above the entrance to an in door garden that says, Alexander's Place. "Oh I've heard of this place I had no idea it was three blocks away from me."

Justin - "That's the whole point. When people don't want to be found the come to this place. I got the number from our manager. Well come on let's go." They take the elevator down to the alley. It's small it's got ten lanes and a little caf off to the side. The boy at the counter gives them their shoes without a big screaming fit of oh my gods. He did however seem to linger on Britney. She noticed and gave him a big smile.

"Here we are lane six." There are a few other couples bowling, they look familiar but no one can't place them. They start their game it's Justin, Jessica, Lance, and then Britney. They make small talk during the game. They were being a little loud because they kept getting looks from this older couple. Justin won, Britney came in second and Jessica beat Lance by two pins.

Lance - "that was luck."

Jess - "That was skill."

Lance - "want to place a bet on your skill."

Jess - "Sure."

Lance - "Second date."

Jess - "let's not push your luck how about a walk home."

Lance - "Okay if I win I get a second date if you win I walk you home."

Jess - "It sounds like you win in both cases."

Lance - "Yeah but one I win more."

Jess - "okay buddy you're on."

Brit - "Hey Justin, can you and Lance go get us a couple drinks and maybe some chicken fingers."

Justin - "Sure babe. Come on Lance it's time for girl talk." They leave.

Brit - "So how are things going?"

Jess - "You've been here the whole time." She gives her a look.

Brit - "You know what I mean. Any sparks."

Jess - "No sparks, but sparks can be scary. I like him he's a nice guy."

Brit - "So you're not mad at me."

Jess - "No I'm not mad at you. Let's just not rush things okay."

Brit - "Okay." She has a satisfied smile on her face.


Meanwhile

Justin - "So is she what you expected?"

Lance - "Yeah she's great. But then I knew she would be."

Justin - "She seems to be enjoying herself."

Lance - "Yeah I just hope she doesn't think I'm too young for her."

Justin - "what you're afraid of that whole he's like my brother thing huh."

Lance - "yeah." The girl gives them the food. "Thanks." They come back and the girls are talking about Britney's new video.

Brit - "I hate all the concepts they're coming up with."

Justin - "Here Hun." He hands her a drink. "You could always do a live performance and then mix in film clips."

Brit - "Do I look like Guns and Roses? That's been done so much it's not even funny."

Jess - "Well I've been thinking about it and I've got an idea."

Brit - "Really what?"

Jess - "Well I know how much you would just like to be normal sometimes and we could just do that. You could be getting home from school or your part-time job and being getting ready to go to a party and be thinking about the guy you've got a thing for."

Brit - "A part time job. Like what?"

Jess - "Well when I was in school some girls worked at diners as waitresses."

Brit - "A waitresses, I could be a waitress. I like this idea. Do me a favor, like write it down as like a proposal and I'll give it to Harriet tomorrow."

Jess - "Really."

Brit - "Yeah its better then anything they've come up with."

Justin - "Are we going to play another game or what?"

Jess - "Yeap. I've got to kick Lance's ass again."

Lance - "you better just start thinking about where we are going tomorrow night."

He beats her by 14 pins.

Jess - "I think you were hustling me."

Lance - "I'm just a good boy from Mississippi. I don't know how to hustle."

Justin - "you are so full of shit."

Lance - "Play again, double or nothing."

Jess - "No I know when to quit."

Lance - "Chicken. How about you guys want to play another game?"

Brit - "No. It's getting late and I've got to be on the Today show tomorrow so I better be getting back to my room."

Jess - "That sounds like a good idea."

Lance - "Okay I'll walk you home."

Jess - "But you won."

Lance - "Yeah so I get to do both." Jess laughs. "You guys don't have to wait for me I'll catch a cab from Jessica's."

Justin - "Alright just don't be too late." They leave them sitting there cuddling on a bench.

Jess - "they seemed like they get along well."

Lance - "Yeah, Justin's been crazy about her since she toured with us. They go back a ways thou."

Jess - "Yeah I know the Mickey Mouse club and everything." They get outside and start to Jess's house. It's around ten so there isn't anyone on the sidewalk.

Lance - "This is nice. "

Jess - "What is?"

Lance - "The sidewalk's empty I don't have to hide my face."

Me - "That's good I hate talking to the back of people's heads."

Lance - "I could even tango if I wanted to. Shall we?"

Jess - "What tango?"

Lance - "yeah." He doesn't wait for her to answer he grabs her and they dance down the street. He starts spinning her.

Jess - "Lance stop I'm getting dizzy." He stops and holds her while the sidewalk stops spinning. She looks up into his green eyes. "Thanks." Damn sparks go away, she thinks.

Lance - "No problem. We're here."

Jess - "Oh okay. Do you want to come up to call a cab? They don't come down this way at night."

Lance - "Sure." He follows her up the stairs. She unlocks the door and lets him go in first. "Nice place."

Jess - "Thanks. There's the phone, do you want something to drink?"

Lance - "yeah please." She grabs him a Pepsi while he calls a cab. "It'll be here in about 15 minute."

Jess - "okay. Have a seat." They sit on opposites sides of Jess's couch, and don't say anything. "So what are we doing tomorrow?"

Lance - "How's dinner sound?"

Jess - "Safe. Everyone has to eat."

Lance - "Recently going out to dinner has been a bit of an adventure for me."

They sit there for a few minutes in silence. He is just staring at his soda can.

Jess - "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Lance - "Nothing I'm just trying to think of something clever to say."

Jess - "You don't have to be clever Lance. I had a lot of fun tonight."

Lance - "You say that like you didn't expect to."

She turns towards him and draw her legs up underneath her. "Well I have some bad experiences with blind dates. And I had no idea that Brit was dating Justin. I mean I knew her boyfriend's name was Justin but I just didn't know it was that Justin. And I was a little nervous."

Lance - "I was afraid when you saw it was me you would just go back inside."

Jess - "Why would you think that?"

Lance - "Cause I'm younger then you."

Jess - "Lance, age isn't that big of an issue with me. I've got friends older then you that act like they are hormonal fourteen year olds."

Lance - "So you would have went out with me tomorrow night, even if I wouldn't have won?"

Jess - "Yeah I would have."

The cab honks from downstairs.

Lance - "Sounds like my ride."

Jess - "Yeah." Jess walks him to the door. He turns around. He doesn't seem sure if he should try to kiss or hug her or what. Jess gives him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye Lance."

Lance - "Bye."

Chapter Thrity-Three