* * * Chapter 7 * * *

"What a girl wants, what girl needs...Whatever makes me happy sets you free," I sang loud and obnoxiously as we walked down the hall towards the dance room.

I was in a VERY good mood today and I was determined that nothing would change that. Everyone that we had passed in the hall so far was all smiles, so I figured they were in good moods too.

"Hey Els," BoBo and Red called out at the same time.

"Jinx on you both!" Gilli exclaimed with a sly smile.

I laughed a little as I passed them. They were sitting on the floor so I playfully patted all three of them on the head before I walked to the dance room door. Nick was walking in front of me and when he opened the door and turned a little to look at me, he rolled his eyes and walked into the room.

"And I’m thanking you for knowing exactly what a girl wants, what a girls needs...whatever keeps me in your arms. And I’m thanking you for giving it to me," I continued singing as I made my way into the middle of the room and did a little CA dance move.

I laughed a little when Meg started singing too. She got up and started dancing with me in the middle of the room. Pretty soon all the girl dancers joined in on the fun. Nick walked out into the hall with an annoyed look on his face.

"There was a time I was blind, I was so confused. I ran away just to hide it all from you, but baby you knew me better than I knew myself. You say if you love something let it go. If it comes back it’s yours, that’s how you know it’s for keeps...yeah it’s for sure."

"And you’re ready and willing to give me more than what a girl wants, what a girl needs," Meg sang.

Curly stood up from where he was sitting and started dancing with Meg. Arti walked in and laughed when she saw and heard what was going on. I waved her to come join us so she did. Kev followed her and danced too.

"What a girl wants, what a girl needs...somebody sensitive, crazy, SEXY, cool like you," I sang loudly while pointing at AJ who had just walked in the door.

He gave me a sly grin and walked over to where I was dancing and singing.

"You let a girl know how much you care about her I swear you’re the one who always knew, ya know," I sang to him when he stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

By the time we were done singing the song, everyone was dancing and joking around except one person.

"NO MORE CHRISTINA WHATEVER-HER-NAME-IS...PLEASE..." Nick screamed as he walked in the door.

Everyone turned to look at him and gave him weird looks. He knew that I was the one that started it so he threw me a ‘crusty’. I couldn’t help but giggle at how funny his face looks when he ‘tries’ to give people ‘crusties’...frankly, he’s NOT very good at it! I looked back at him with my eyebrows raised and a challenging smile on my face.

"Don’t even think..." he started to say before Meg cut him off.

"I feel like I’ve been locked up tight for a century of lonely nights, waiting for someone to release me," she sang loudly and laughed when everyone joined her.

"About it," Nick finished while everyone sang.

Even AJ, Kev, Bri, Curly, and all the other male dancers were singing along which made it even more funny. Jane walked in with a Polaroid camera and started taking pictures of everyone being silly. AJ and I made faces at the camera and laughed when she took the picture. She handed me the film before she took off in the other direction. I waved the picture in the air as if it would help the picture develop faster while everyone was having a blast. Nick was sitting by himself leaning up against the wall on the floor with his head in his hands. He looked absolutely miserable and I felt bad so I told AJ to keep dancing while I went to talk to Nick.

"I’ll be right here when you get back," AJ said with a smile before he let me go.

"Ok. I’ll be back."

I walked over to Nick and when we didn’t look up when I called his name, I got a little worried. I crouched down to look at him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You ok?" I asked.

He lifted his head and gave me a weak smile.

"Come on...let’s talk," I said as I took his hand and helped him up.

I led him out into the hall and down to the lounge at the end of the hall. He followed me in and took a seat in one of the plush leather chairs.

"So, what’s up?" I asked.

I hoped that he’d tell me what was wrong, but I wasn’t so sure he would. I mean, I was only a friend...he’d probably rather talk to Bri ‘cause he’s his best friend.

"Just don’t like her music," he answered with a slight shrug as he stared at the ground.

‘Ok...so he won’t tell me...at least I tried’ I thought to myself as I looked at him.

"Well, we’re supposed to be starting in a few so let’s go back," I said as I stood up.

He followed me back to the dance room and he sat with the other dancers while the opening acts ran through their dances with the vocals.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~ AJ ~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"What’re ya going shopping for?" I asked my mom as we walked down the hall towards the dance room.

Liz and Meg were practicing their songs with the mics and dancers one last time before we headed to the arena the next day that we rented so they could practice a little on an actual stage.

"Girl stuff," she replied with a smile as we walked up to the door and stopped for a second.

"Do you think she’ll be ok on tour?" I asked honestly as I pointed to Liz through the glass window of the door.

"She’ll be fine! Don’t worry so much," she replied as she gave me a hug.

"Thanks mom."

"That’s what I’m here for," she joked before she pulled the door open and walked in.

Liz and Meg were singing one of their up-tempo songs as the dancers danced around them in the steps that Fatima had choreographed for them. They were having so much fun that I just knew they’d love it when they got to perform in front of a ‘real’ audience. I leaned against the wall right inside the door and watched them doing their routine. It was virtually flawless and they did it all with tons of energy. I couldn’t help but remember what she looked like when I picked her up the other night for dinner. The dress fit her body perfectly and her hair was only pulled back into a barrette, but it still looked very elegant. When I first saw her at the top of the stairs, my breath got caught in my throat and I forgot to breathe for a few seconds. Mmm, she looked good! But then again, she always does.

"Hey," Liz said in a low voice that brought me out of my little trance.

She leaned up against the wall beside me and turned her head to give me a smile.

"What’s up?" she asked.

"Not much...thinkin’," I replied with a sly smile.

"’Bout me?" she asked excitedly.

"Maybe."

"Goof," she said with a laugh as she tickled my stomach a little.

I place my hand over hers when she rested it on my tummy for a few seconds. She looked up at me and gave me a warm smile so I gave her one in return. Mom walked up a few minutes later with a content look on her face.

"Hi mom," I said when she stopped in front of us.

"Hi," she replied happily. "Sorry to bother you, but I’m taking her away from you for a few hours."

She grabbed Liz’s free hand and playfully took a few steps back.

"Come on hun...Arti’s waiting," she said to Liz with a sly smile.

Liz gave me an apologetic smile before she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"See ya later," I called out to the two most important women in my life as they made their way to the door.

They both turned back a little and waved at the same time. Liz giggled at how they did it simultaneously and at that moment I knew that they would love being in each other’s company. Just knowing that her and my mom were getting along so well soothed the lonely feeling that I felt when I watched them walk away.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~ Arti ~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"This is going to be such a blast!" I exclaimed when I saw Denise and Liz walking my way.

I gave Kev a warm hug before I rushed up to where the two ladies were walking. Liz gave me a friendly hug before we continued walking down the hall to the door. The ride to the local mall was full of interesting stories about the guys and a joke or two every so often.

"You and my mom would get along perfectly," Liz said happily after Denise told us a few embarrassing stories about AJ. "I think it’s one of her hobbies to embarrass at least one of us when she’s talking to someone new."

"That’s what the mother’s job is!" Denise replied with a sarcastic smile.

"Aaaaahhh! Whatever!" I exclaimed as I lightly hit Denise in the arm. "Admit it...you LOVE to embarrass the boy."

"Well, ok. I’ll only admit it to you girls...but you can’t tell anyone," she teased back.

Liz burst out into a fit of laughter that made us laugh too.

"So, how many people are in your family?" Denise asked out of the blue as we drove into the mall parking lot.

"Who...me?" Liz asked.

"Yeah you."

"A lot!" she replied with a laugh before she took a big breath. "Naw, I have three sisters, two brothers, one brother-in-law, two parents, one niece, one nephew, about 11 aunts and uncles not counting their spouses, and an endless number of cousins."

"Wow...big family," Denise said in reply.

"You’re telling me..." Liz said as she playfully rolled her eyes. "I have cousins that I’ve never met before...come to think of it, I have aunts and uncles that I’ve never met before either."

We hopped out of the car and excitedly headed for the nearest shop once we got inside. It was a rather hip clothing store. I nudged Liz in the side as Denise walked in behind us.

"We’ve got to find a cute outfit for her," I whispered as I nodded my head in Denise’s direction.

"Sounds like a plan, Stan," Liz replied with a knowing smile.

We walked around the store for a few minutes looking at racks of clothes. Liz picked out a navy blue leather sleeveless shirt that she wanted me to try on so I set out to find something for her to try on.

"Yes! Found it!" I said happily when I found a pair of leather pants for her to try on that matched the shirt she had picked out for me.

"Eeeewww! I like those!" Liz exclaimed after she walked up behind me and saw what I chose for her to take to the dressing rooms. "Now we just need something for Denise."

We both continued looking through the racks of clothes, but didn’t find much of anything that we thought she’d like. We continued on to the back of the store where they had backpacks and accessories decoratively adorning the walls and displays.

"Think she’d use this?" Liz asked as she picked up a navy blue bag that looked like a mix between a computer bag and something a teenager would carry books to school in.

"I like it! Do you?" I replied with a smile.

"Yeah. Very chic, yet classy," she replied with a satisfied look.

We walked to the middle of the store where Denise was looking through a rack of T-shirts. She looked up and smiled when she noticed that we were standing next to her.

"We’re going to try these on...they match!" Liz explained enthusiastically. "And we picked this out for ya so you would match us to!"

She handed the bag to Denise who smiled in return.

"You like?" I asked.

"Yeah, it’s nice," she replied with a smile.

"Good!" I said before she followed us to the dressing rooms.

Liz took the pants from my hands and I grabbed the sleeveless shirt from hers. We went into stalls that were side by side and when we were done changing, we walked out at the same time to model for Denise.

"I’m soooo good!" Liz exclaimed when she saw the shirt on me. "You look so cute!"

"And you don’t look so bad yourself Miss Foxy Lady," I replied as I gave her a sly smile.

She twirled around and stopped with a grin on her face.

"I’m going to get ‘em!" she exclaimed. "We should all get them...that way we can always remember this little ‘shopping spree’!"

"I’m with you," I said with a happy smile.

"Sounds fun," Denise finalized the deal.

Liz picked out a navy blue long sleeved leather shirt for Meg. We changed back into our normal clothes, paid for our selections, and went on to the next store. Just as we walked in the entrance of the accessories store, a cell phone went off. I chuckled at the site of Liz and Denise both reaching for their phones. I didn’t budge because I knew full well that it wasn’t mine.

"Mine!" Liz exclaimed as she pulled her purple phone from her backpack that she brought along. "Hello?"

She followed us towards the back of the store to where the hats and hair stuff was.

"Yeah...we’re shopping! Come on! You of all people should know that when it comes to women and shopping, there is to be NO rushing...that means no time limit whatsoever!!!" she said into the phone with a laugh.

I decided to tease AJ a little so I walked up next to Liz and gave her a sly smile before I said anything.

"Hey Liz...don’t ya think AJ’ll like this hat?" I said loud enough so that he could hear through the phone. "Maybe not...I can’t get something for someone that won’t leave us alone during our ‘girl’s only’ time..."

Liz slapped me five and then laughed at AJ’s reaction. I didn’t really have a hat and I wasn’t really going to get him anything.

"HEY! I heard that!" he said loudly.

I grabbed the phone from Liz’s hand.

"I know you heard it...so what’s up? What’d ya need?" I asked him.

"Nothin...just wanted to talk to my girl," he said.

‘How sweet!’ I thought to myself as I looked at Liz. She was looking at some earring studs that were her birthstones...purple alexandrite for the month of June.

"Eeeeewww! Are ya gonna get those?" I asked her excitedly.

"Get what?" AJ asked.

"I’m thinkin’ ‘bout it," she replied with a smile. "It’s about time for a few more holes."

She lifted her hair and pointed to her ear lobes. She already had one hole in each ear so I gave her the thumbs up before I turned my attention back to AJ. He was having a fit about what he’d just heard her say.

"Time for a few more HOLES?!? What’s she talking about...a few more holes?" he asked in a worried voice.

I laughed a little before I tried to explain to him what she meant without telling him exactly what it was she was talking about.

"Oh geez! Settle down! You’ve got more holes in one side than she does in both!!" I said with a little laugh.

I don’t think he understood what I’d said so I handed Liz her phone back.

"That boy’s a lunatic..." I told her before I went over to see what Denise was looking at.

"I know," she replied before she held the phone up to her ear.

She finished talking to him and then hung up her phone. I gave her a smile as she took the studs off the hook on the wall and walked up to the counter.

"I’d like to pay for these and have them put in my ears," she told the girl behind the counter.

She paid for them and Denise and I watched as the clerk put them in the stud-gun to ‘shoot’ her ears. Liz merely winced after they were in before she thanked the clerk and went about asking us if we were going to get anything. When we were done, we stopped in a few more shops (like Bath and Body for lotion and good smellin’ stuff) before we decided to head back. Everyone who was staying in one of the busses for the night had brought their stuff to the studio and everyone who wasn’t simply went home. Meg, Liz, and I would be joining in on the girl’s party on the dancer’s bus for the night. On our way back, we stopped at a corner store and stocked up on lots of ‘slumber party’ goodies to share with everyone.

"Tonight’s gonna be a blast!" Liz said right as we pulled into the parking lot at the studio.

"Yeah...yeah it is!" I agreed with a smile.