Chapter seventeen.

After Tony left he gave me a long kiss and thanked me. He actually thanked me for accepting his date offer. I smiled as I placed my slices of toast on the side, I wonder what he would plan - probably a movie and dinner, typical cliché first date, right?

I dressed in my high top converse, short and a hot pink top that says 'Can't Be Tamed' - I loved it. I pulled a brush through my abused hair and put on my make up for the day. Today, I was planning on talking to Lance and going to Josh's parents asking if I can pay the bill - as his older sister.

I skipped across my front lawn towards the Johnsons residents, when I knocked I realized that Lance could have told them everything and how it was my fault that he has to pay. I started to hyperventilate, say they don't want me around anymore?! Say James never speaks to me again and Tony cancels our date? I went to walk away but I felt a pair of strong arms go around my waist.

"Hey, shh, what's wrong? I know you didn't come all the way over here to hyperventilate and not say 'hey'," I looked up a James, he was smiling down at me. I shook my head; I didn't want to tell him about Lance, not yet anyway.

James pulled me inside the house and led me to their family room, I always loved this room, and it was full of pictures and happy memories. He sat me down on the sofa and told me he was going to get me something to drink, not even a minute later; Lance came wandering in. At first I thought he was going to walk straight back out but he clearly hadn't noticed me. He flopped down on the one seater, picking up the remote control he started flicking through the channels, I looked at the wall, I didn't want to be caught looking at him.

"What are you doing here?" I looked back at Lance and saw he was surprised to see me sitting on his sofa without any of the brothers in sight.

"I thought I'd break in and sit down," I replied sarcastically, he narrowed his eyes and his lips tugged up at the side. I smiled a small smile, "sorry."

He shrugged his shoulders once. "Listen, about what I said the other day..."

I cut him off before he could continue. "I should be saying sorry for making you go to them and apologize, now you have to pay for the damages you didn't even make." I didn't look at him because little did he know I was going to pay for the damages since my father had so much money to go travelling whenever he wants to.

"What I said was rude, Mitchie. I'm sorry and I do actually feel better now that I've apologized, I just have to find the money to pay the people back," he sighed and turned the volume down. We didn't say anything more after that, we sat in silence - a comfortable silence. Lance got up and walked over to me, sitting down on my right side we began to watch TV together. James walked in a few minutes later, two glasses of drink in his hands; he stopped when he saw Lance next to me. He put the drinks on the side and slowly backed out the room. I looked at the now empty doorway then Lance who shrugged his shoulders and leant against my side. I smiled faintly, so I didn't appear kind of weird I looked back at the TV screen.

"See, I told you," I looked towards James; he was standing in the doorway with Phoebe, Rick, Tony and Robbie.

I raised my eyebrow and nudged Lance. "Are they talking about you?" I whispered to him.

He dragged his eyes away from the screen to look at me. "Probably, I haven't been out my room since I stormed away from you."

My mouth formed a silent oh; maybe that's why they were staring at the boy leaning on me...

"Lance, honey, are you alright?" Phoebe asked, slowly walking into the room. I bit my lip, this seemed like a personal family moment and I felt like I was intruding.

I stood up, "I have to go do something, but I'll be back later." I looked at Lance to make sure he was alright; he looked fine so I quickly exited the room.

Opening the front door someone grabbed my arm, "hey, I don't get a hello or goodbye?"

I turned to face Tony; he was smiling his famous smile, "I'm sorry, I thought you were going to be part of the family moment."

He raised his eyebrow. "You're leaving because you thought you were intruding on the 'family moment'?"

I shook my head, no. I looked at his face and quickly changed to my honest answer. "Well, yes but I have to go do something, anyway. I'll talk to you later, yeah?" I pecked his lips and quickly walked out the door before he could stop me and drag me back into the family room.

I knocked on Josh's front door three times before stepping back and looking around; I didn't have to wait long before the door swung open. I looked up at Josh's tall frame; he had his arms crossed and a smirk planted on his face. "Well, I have been blessed with your presence twice in such a short amount of time," his smirk slipped from his face when he heard someone calling his name. I looked around him and saw a half dressed Zac walking towards the door; I raised my eyebrow at Josh, whose cheeks went a soft shade of pink.

"Now, not that I have nothing against this but whoa, dude, I didn't know you was like that," I punched his arm and smirked. Zac realized I was at the door and ran back in to get a t-shirt, not that I wanted him to put it on, he looked hot.

"It's not like that, we were doing workouts," I laughed at Josh and his stuttering. Every denial made it sound more wrong than it already looked.

"Is your mom or dad in?" I asked Josh after wiping away a laughing tear - imagine if tears could laugh, that would be so cool. I smiled as I thought of that.

"Yeah, there in the study upstairs, go on up." He looked confused but pointed in the direction of the stairs. "Second door on the left." I nodded and walked inside.

After Josh's mom said I could enter I took a seat opposite his father's desk. "Hello, dear, are you a friend of Josh?"

"I guess you could say I am. But I'm here about the money Lance has to pay," I smiled a tight lipped smile.

She looked confused at first but her features flashed with realization, "Oh, the young boy who came and confessed?" I nodded my head once. "What about the payment, dear?"

"I have the money." I took out my checkbook. "I need to know how much to write and what your name is." She gave me the details and I wrote them down. "Thank you, you will be able to check it in later tonight." I smiled and stood up. "Goodbye, Josh can let me out."

I ended up paying her five hundred, at least this wouldn't set the Johnsons back any. I nearly skipped back to the Johnsons residents to tell Lance the good news, I stopped when I heard shouting coming from the house. What's going on?

I knocked on the door warily, this sounded bad...

"Hey Mitchie, now's not a good time, Lance told my mom something..." James looked at my face, "Lance told my mom about having to pay for something he did, you knew didn't you?" I nodded my head; he sighed and opened the door. "You might as well come in, then."

I walked into the dining area to see all the Johnson brothers sitting on the chairs while Phoebe was pacing back and forth angrily and Rick was shouting at Lance. Whoa, he never seems angry. "I mean, why would you even hang around with people three years older than you in the first place?!" Lance was cowering away from his father's voice but he tried to show a strong front. "Do you realize how much this will set us back? We have so much to pay for already!" Even the older brothers seemed scared at their father's tone of voice.

"Mitchie, darling, I don't think this is a good time," Phoebe whispered in my ear.

I looked at her and shook my head, "just give me a minute."

"Now we have to cut back on shopping and Trent will have to pay for most of his stuff for the next few months," Rick looked so angry that it was possible he would hit Lance. I tugged on Phoebe's arm; she saw it too and ran over to her husband, trying to calm him down.

Rick's anger looked like it was fizzling down; I quickly stepped in before it rose again. "Rick, Phoebe, I paid the money Lance owed Josh's parents," I didn't look at them as I told them this.

I felt someone hugging me; I turned to see Phoebe, "dear, why did you do that?"

"Because I didn't want Lance in too much trouble and I didn't want you guys to be set back because of something that wasn't his fault," I smiled at Lance who had tears streaming down his cheeks. I put my arm out and he came running over, Phoebe squeezed us both before letting go.

"Thank you so much," Lance breathed.

"It's no problem," I smiled at him.

"We will pay you back, don't worry," I looked at Rick.

I shook my head fast. "No way. I wouldn't accept the money, this wasn't Lance's fault it was his friends and since he was mature enough to own up to it, he shouldn't have paid."

His features visibly relaxed, he hugged me and thanked me again.

It went on like this for a little while, them thanking me and getting hugs. When I finally went to go home I was stopped by Tony.

"Hey." I smiled brightly at him.

"That's why you had to leave, huh?"

I nodded my head, "yeah, I would have told you but I knew you would have stopped me."

"I suppose I would have but thank you," he bent down and pressed his lips to mine. I smiled as I kissed him back, I could get use to this.

"Now, about that date of ours," his boyish smile was so cute I smiled back before he kissed my lips again. Yup, I could defiantly get use to this.

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