Chapter Fifty-seven

The next day while the guys were busy doing whatever it is they do, Britney and Jess went shopping, because they're girls and that's what they like to do. When they got back to the bus they hear Joey in his bunk talking on the phone.

Joey - "I don't understand I thought we had something special... well yeah I knew we weren't exclusive but I thought... okay fine I won't bother you again... yeah whatever bye."

The girls just look at each other. Jess opens and closes the door again so he knows they're there.

Joey - "Who is it?"

Jess - "Just me and Brit. Where you at?"

Joey - "My bunk." Britney pulls the curtain back. He is just lying there staring at the ceiling.

Britney - "What's up buckaroo?"

Joey - "I hate it when you call me that."

Britney - "Sorry."

Jess - "Seriously Joey what's wrong?"

Joey - "Nothing I guess I'm just bored. I'm stuck here by myself while everyone else is able to go out."

Britney - "Well we don't have plans for the rest of the evening. We'll hang out with ya."

Joey - "I don't think I'm going to be much fun."

Jess - "Oh come on Joey you're a ton of fun. Besides you're not actually passing up the opportunity to have me and Britney to your self all night are you." She winks at him.

Joey - "hell no. Come help me up we'll find something in this stupid bus to do."

So they help him to the kitchen area.

Jess - "Let me see if I can find something to fix us for dinner." She starts rummaging through the cabinets. On a bottom shelf she found a bottle of Vodka. "Well if all else fails we can get drunk." She puts it up in the counter and then kept looking. "Well there's nothing really except JC's frozen pizzas."

Joey - "Sounds good to me."

Britney - "Go ahead and put it in I'll make us some drinks."

Now they are in no way a bunch of alcoholics but they do enjoy drinking every now and then. By the time they had finished the pizza no one was feeling any pain. Joey gets up and walks over to the fridge.

Jess - "Hey how's your ankle feeling?"

Joey - "Pretty good now."

Brit - "Good lets get out of here."

Jess - "And go where?"

Brit - "Well I don't know but its hot in this bus."

Joey - "You could always take off some clothes."

Brit - "I don't think so." She's putting her sneakers on. "Come on before everyone gets back and we have to take them with us."

Joey - "You mean you guys are actually having fun just us."

Jess - "Hell yeah. Come on Fatone lets go."

Joey - "All right."

They leave and take a cab in to the city's business district. They get out and start walking down the main street. Well kind of walk, they seem to have magnets in them that keep attracting them to each other and they are always running in to each other.

Brit - "Oh lets go in here." She points a wig shop.

Jess - "Why?"

Joey - "yeah lets do that." They go in and come out wear these really awful wigs. "What do you think is it me?" He's got on this red spiky punk wig.

Brit - "Definitely." They keep walking. Some people give them a second glance but its only cause they are really really loud.

Jess - "Hey there's an idea." She points to the tattoo parlor.

Brit - "I don't know."

Joey - "Yeah come on it'll be fun." They go in and start looking at the walls.

Brit - "Oh this is cute." She points to the little fairy.

Jess - "Oh Brit that is so you. You should get it."

Brit - "Where?"

Joey - "On your back. Right here." He touches her back.

Brit - "You think so."

Joey - "Yeah that would be very sexy." She looks at Jess.

Jess - "You should so do it."

Brit - "Okay but you guys are getting one too."

Joey - "I've already got mine picked out." He shows them.

Brit - "The Superman symbol."

Jess - "How did I know it was going to be something like that. Where you getting it?"

Joey - "I'm thinking about my ankle. How about you Jess? What are you going to get?"

Jess - "I don't know I was thinking about this little bunny."

Joey - "No get this one."

Jess - "A dragon I don't think so. Hey how about this one?" She points to this little hummingbird.

Brit - "No. Oh this one is perfect for you." Its a simple little ladybug sitting on a flower.

Jess - "That is cute. What do you think on my hip?"

Joey - "Oh god yes. That would be hot!"

So they put their names on the list. Joey goes first and then Jess and then Brit. After they're done they walk around a little more until someone recognizes Joey. Then they head back to the bus but not until someone gets a picture of them for the tabloids over there. After Jess got home Lance sent her a copy of it. She called Loren up. Kevin was there.

Kevin - "hello?"

Jess - "Kevin what are you doing there?"

Kevin - "I had time so I made a quick visit."

Jess - "Oh well let me talk to Loren please."

Kevin - "Hang on. Hey Loren. Its Jess."

Loren - "Hey whats up?"

Jess - "Guess what. You are not the only one that made the cover of the tabloids."

Loren - "What are you talking about?"

Jess - "I was over in Amsterdam visiting Lance and well Britney, Joey and I were out one night and we got a little drunk, got tattoos."

Loren - "You got a tattoo!"

Jess - "Just a little one. Anyway some one took a picture of us out and then sold it to their tabloids over there."

Loren - "Oh won't your dad be so proud."

Jess - "I know he's going to flip."

Loren - "Well at least he met them and he knows that theres nothing going on between you and Joey. Right you didn't switch guys on me did you?"

Jess - "NO! I'm still with Lance. Joey was just kind of depressed so Brit and I took him out with us."

Loren - "Okay, just checking. Well I was in the middle of helping Tristan with his homework so I should go."

Jess - "Alright I'll talk to you later. How long's Kevin in town for?"

Loren - "Not long just tonight. He was to leave at like one tomorrow."

Jess - "Oh okay well bye."

Loren - "See ya." They hang up and Loren joins Kevin and Tristan in at the dining room table.

Kevin - "And how is Jessica?"

Loren - "Good she called to tell me that she made the cover of a tabloid over in Europe. Don't ask you don't want to know. How's it going?"

Kevin - "Are you sure that this is his homework?"

Loren - "Yeap. Did you pick a castle yet baby?" Tristan's assignment was to build a model castle and then to write a report on what it takes to run a castle.

Tristan - "Yeap I'm building pop-pops castle."

Loren - "Are you sure thats the one you want." He nods. "Okay I'll get the Popsicle sticks you get newspaper and put it on the table."

Kevin - "What can I do?"

Loren - "Sit there and look handsome."

Kevin - "Well besides that." She kisses him quick.

Loren - "Can you get the glue down. I keep it above the fridge. Otherwise everything in the house would be glued together."

She and Kevin help Tristan start his castle. They were able to get the first floor done but then its time for him to go to bed. Loren gives him a bath and then Kevin helps him put on his pajamas and tucks him.

Loren - "You want my to read you a story honey?"

Tristan - "No I want Kevin to read to me."

Kevin - "What story you want big guy?"

Tristan - "I want the one about the little prince that saves his mommy from the dragon." Loren and Tristan were visiting Kevin once and they stayed on the bus but there wasn't any books to read him a story so Kevin made this one up and its been his favorite ever since.

Kevin - "Okay buddy." He pulls the blanket up over him. "Once upon a time..." Loren closes the door and goes out the clean up the dishes from dinner.

She had just shut the dishwasher when Kevin came out. "Is he asleep?"

Kevin - "Yeap."

Loren - "Good. Want some wine?"

Kevin - "yeah that would be great." She hands him a glass and the two of them go sit on the couch. He has his arm across the back of the couch and she is leaning up against him. "This is nice."

Loren - "Yeah. I miss you when you're gone."

Kevin - "I miss you too." She sits up and turns to face him.

Loren - "I want you to think about moving in with us."

Kevin - "Up here?"

Loren - "Yeah. I know that you brought it up at New Years about us moving down to Florida. And I did think about it but with Tristan's school and then my work I was thinking it might be easier if you moved up here with us."

Kevin - "Oh you do, do you. I was actually thinking about that myself."

Loren - "You were?"

Kevin - "Yeah. I guess I could always just go down when we have to work. And we hardly record in Florida anymore so there is no real reason that I have to live there."

Loren - "So you will."

Kevin - "When the tour's over we'll talk about it again. But I think it would be a very good idea."

Loren - "Good. So are you ready to go to bed?" She wiggles her eyebrows at him. He takes her glass of wine and sits it on the table next to his. Then he stands up and picks her up. She giggles as he kicks the bedroom door shut with his foot.