Alexia watched with a bored expression as a large white house stopped in front of her. Rather, the limo she was in stopped in front of the house. The way too cheerful driver hopped out and opened her door, ranting about how lucky she was to be able to live here. She rolled her eyes and slid a pair of sunglasses over her eyes. Alexia was tall, slender, and tan. She had mid-back length, chocolate brown hair, which was currently hanging loose. She wore denim capris and a blank tank top. She had been mistaken for someone as old as twenty-five, even though she was only nineteen. Her baby blue flip-flops slapped against the pavement as she walked to the front door, one small tote bag in hand.
�Oh, Mr. Chasez is so nice. You�ll just love it here!� The limo driver continued to gush as Alexia rang the doorbell and waited. Some stomping was heard before the door swung open and a tall man with shaggy looking brown hair jetting out in every direction appeared. Alexia took this time to study his appearance. He was wearing a dark blue short sleeved t-shirt and a pair of nike jogging pants. His blue eyes seemed to laugh at her, and she frowned.
�Hey, My name�s Joshua, but you can call me JC.� He offered her his hand. Alexia looked at it for a moment before pushing past him.
�Alexia.� She muttered, turning around to face him. He let his hand fall down to his side and thanked the limo driver before shutting the door and turning to her.
�So�umm�� JC honestly didn�t know what to say. He didn�t even know about Alexia until a little earlier that week when he got a call from his aunt. She said she was fed up with putting up with her, and practically begged him to take her. He agreed happily, figuring she could fill in a spot as a dancer for their tour, which was coming up in a few months.
�Look, I know I�m not a pleasure to be around, so if you could just show me to my room�� She slipped off her glasses, revealing her light blue eyes.
�Y-yea, sure, do you want me to get the rest of your bags?�
�This is the only bag I got.� She snapped and kept her grip on the bag. JC nodded, silently seething. He didn�t even know her and already she was acting like�well, a bitch.
�Follow me.� He sighed and began the walk up the stairs. They stopped in front of a closed door and he turned the handle, opening it.
�Here, this is your room. Feel free to do whatever you want. I�m going to wait downstairs for the guys.�
�Guys?� Alexia�s features lit up with alarm, and JC noticed. He raised an eyebrow and nodded, carefully watching her strange behavior.
�Yea�I�m in this vocal group, Nsync, and the guys were coming to hang out today.� He explained. She nodded slowly and walked deeper into the room.
�Okay, can you please shut the door when you leave?� She looked over her shoulder at him. He nodded and left, closing it tightly behind him.
The room was spacious, far bigger than any room she had ever had before. There was a walk in closet in one corner, and even a small bathroom. There was also a king size bed and a night stand in the middle of the room.
�Wow, this place is�.wow.� Alexia couldn�t contain her excitement. She walked over to the large windows and gasped in delight. She even had a small balcony, overlooking a pool. She smiled happily, something she rarely ever did, and walked over to her bag, and unzipped it. She pulled out a couple pairs of pants and shorts, and a few shirts and headed over to the closet. After hanging them up, she went back over to her bag and pulled out a few posters she brought with her and two cartons of cigarettes. She quickly hid the cigarettes in the bottom dresser drawer, under some towels, and then unrolled her posters. After that task was accomplished, she pulled out some cds and her Walkman. She smiled happily as she hung the �Meatloaf� posters near her bed. Meatloaf was her favorite band ever. She had only been to a concert once, but only because she snuck in.
�That was one of the best days of my life.� She sighed wistfully and made her way to the bathroom to check it out. Her eyes widened as she saw the rather large basket sitting on the sink. It was filled with various bath gels, shampoos, and beauty products, including expensive perfume with the �98.99� price tag still attached. She slowly removed the card and opened it.
�Alexia~ Hope your stay here is pleasant. I also hope you enjoy the gift basket. Love, JC�
She immediately felt guilty. After he provided her with a place to stay and even went out of his way to get her a gift basket, she treated him like crap. She frowned, knowing what she had to do.
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�JC?� Alexia swore she had walked past that statue twice already. She groaned in frustration and flung herself back onto the plush leather sofa in what she assumed was the living room. She had closed her eyes so she didn�t notice the man standing before her until he spoke.
�Alexia? You okay?�
Alexia shrieked and her eyes shot open. When she saw it was JC, she breathed an audible sigh of relief.
�JC! You scared the shit out of me!� She hissed angrily. He chuckled and gave her a lopsided smile, still a little unsure on how to act around her.
�So��
�Oh, ummm�thanks for the basket.� Alexia mumbled and looked down at her hands. JC smiled, getting the idea she wasn�t as bad as he had first thought.
�No problem��
The doorbell rang and JC began to walk towards the door.
�That would be the guys.�
�Oh, I have to go�.unpack.� Alexia blurted and jumped form the couch and raced up the stairs. JC watched her, puzzled by her strange behavior, as she disappeared into her room. Shrugging, he opened the door.
�Hey guys.� He greeted and moved to the side, letting them in. Four guys piled in and after their greetings, they all moved on to the living room.
�So�is she here?� Justin asked, looking eagerly at JC. The older man laughed and nodded. All the guys had been anxious to meet JC�s cousin.
�Yea, she�s upstairs unpacking. C�mon.� JC didn�t know why Alexia was acting so weird, but he figures she had to meet the guys sooner or later. He ushered them up the stairs and he knocked on the door.
�Alexia?�
silence. He pounded harder, but no one answered. Sighing, he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. Alexia was lying on her back on the bed, her headphones over her ears. Her eyes were closed and she was humming to the music. The guys chuckled as they crept in. JC motioned for them to keep quiet as he snuck up on her. Slowly, he leaned over so his face was a few inches away from hers�. Alexia, feeling something was different, opened her eyes�.and screamed.
�Jesus Christ! What the fuck are you doing!?�
The guys broke off into fits of laughter as she yanked off her headphones and glared at JC. He smiled through laughter and then pointed to the guys.
�They wanted to meet you.� He explained. Alexia nodded slowly and watched carefully as he gave introductions.
�This is Lance, Joey, Justin, and Chris.� He pointed to them respectively.
�Guys, this is my cousin Alexia.� JC pointed to the unnerved girl still seething on her bed. Lance approached her first.
�Hey, nice to meet you.� He put his hand out. Alexia felt the same nervousness build in her that was there when she first met JC. She forced a smile and stuck her hand in his, giving it a short shake before withdrawing.
�Yea, same here.� She muttered, pushing herself off the bed. She shook hands, somewhat reluctantly, with each guy before she went back to her spot on the bed.
�Well, we�re going to go get something to eat. Is pizza okay with everyone?� JC asked, Justin, Joey, and Lance trailing behind him. They all nodded.
�Chris, man, you coming?�
�Yea, I�ll met you down there in a second.� He waved Joey off and fell back onto the bed next to Alexia. She was startled, to say the least. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was short, maybe even a few inches shorter than her. He had dark brown hair with some strips dyed red and a goatee. Alexia found his eyes fascinating. They were a deep brown and they were scanning her room. His eyes landed on the posters she had hung up earlier and he chuckled.
�What? What�s so funny?� She demanded, folding her arms across her chest. He looked over at her, then pointed at one of the posters.
�You like Meatloaf a lot, huh?� He grinned as she nodded.
�And what were you listening to?� He snatched the cd player off the bed before she could stop him. He pressed the release button and the lid popped open. His grin widened.
�Bat Out of Hell. Awesome cd.� He commented before closing it and handing it back to her. She nodded and placed it on the bedside table.
�Yea, I saw them in concert once. It was great, but I had to�� She stopped and cursed herself mentally. She had almost slipped and told him she had snuck in.
�You had to what?�
�Nothing.� She waved it off and stood, walking to her closet. It was later than she realized. The sun had begun to set and the chilly night air was picking up.
�So, you finally have enough room for all your clothes?� He teased as she yanked it open. His jaw dropped when he noticed that only six or seven hangers were in use. Alexia thought nothing of it and grabbed a baggy t-shirt she had.
�Is that seriously all you have?� He asked in disbelief. All his past girlfriends had closets and dressers full, and they still didn�t have enough room. Alexia shrugged and nodded.
�All I need.� She replied as she walked to the bathroom. She walked out a few minutes later, her dirty clothes in a small bundle. Chris was still sitting on her bed, and he seemed to be thinking.
�I still can�t believe you can live with that little clothes.� He shook his head. Alexia glared at him.
�Some of us aren�t as rich as you are.� She snapped angrily. He jumped up and held his hands up in a defensive position.
�Woah, woah, that�s not what I said.�
�Just go. Tell them I�m not hungry anymore.� She pushed him out the door and slammed it, then locked it. Chris winced. This did not look good.
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