I stared out the window at the land below. I was still pouting about having to go, but I hadn't been a bitch when telling my mom good-bye, cause I knew I was going to miss her tons. I sighed, closed my eyes and waited for the flight to be over. I opened one eye as I heard the flight attendant telling everyone to put their seats and tray-tables upright. After the decent and painful popping ears part was over, and the plane was to the gate I stood. I pulled my backpack out of the overhead compartment, and made my way out of the plane. I wondered if I'd know my grandma, and if she'd know me. Mom told me she was sure Grandma would spot me instantly, but I wasn't too sure.
	I've been told I look exactly like my father, but everyone mistakes me for my mom. My parents divorced when I was about seven, and my father had basically disappeared, resurfacing for birthdays and Christmas. Sometimes he even forgot those times. My father and I are now trying to patch up our relationship, especially since he remarried. I love my step-mom, she's done a lot, making my dad grow up quite a bit. I used to think I hated my dad, but now I know it was only hurt, cause I always loved him, no matter how many times he forgot me. I still love him as a matter of fact, for the sole reason that he is my dad, and it is my job to love him, unconditionally. I was coming all the way to Florida for my mother and father, mostly my father, because it was his mother I was visiting. I hadn't seen my father's half of the family since I was three, and I was to meet them all eventually, starting with my grandma. 
	"Mandy! Over here sweetpea!" I heard a voice calling to me. I turned and saw a woman with long wavy auburn hair, bright green eyes, and a cheery smile. She was thin, but not overly so. She didn't look frail, or old at all. She looked fairly youthful. 
	"Grandma?" I asked, walking to her.
	"Yes, it's me. Come over here and let me get a look at you. My how you've grown! You're gorgeous sweetheart! That hair," she put a hand to my straight deep red hair "just like your father's when he was a boy. Course yours is dyed huh?" She asked with a smile, her eyes twinkling. I laughed.
	"Yea," I said, "I fell in love with the color."
    "Well anyhow, where's your things?" She asked, looking about me for my bags.
	"Checked in. We have to go pick them up." I answered. "There are four of them, do you think we can manage?" I asked, making my way to the luggage pickup area.
	"I brought an extra set of hands. He'll be here shortly. He's eagerly parking my car." She said with a smile. Not too much later a blonde head popped up behind her.
	"Okay Gran, car's parked. Where's-?" He began, but stopped short once he saw me. "Mandy?" He asked. I looked at him. He had white-blonde hair, and twinkling blue-green eyes, and a great body- I mean smile. I knew this person though. There was an odd familiarity about him.
	"Justin?" I asked, suddenly wondering.
	"Wow. Mandy, you've grown," He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Really grown." he repeated.
	"Justin! My gosh! You too, I mean, you were such a little- but I mean, not now, you've.. matured." I faltered nervously. I didn't know why I was so uncomfortable around my own cousin! I mean, he was Justin, the little five year-old ragamuffin who followed me around like a lost puppy when we were kids. This was the kid I had picked on; and who had picked on me, when we were little. He was like my best friend, but now- it was weird. He was all grown-up, and so was I. He had grown up cute! Very cute in fact. I hugged him. "So how's life? Doing anything cool I should know about? Got a job yet?" I asked him.
	Justin glanced at Grandma. "Life's really good, I'm not doing anything too cool right now, yeah I've got a job, a good one. Where's your stuff?" He asked, changing the subject.
	I looked at the luggage rolling around on the conveyor belt. I snatched up my bags as they rolled around handing the heaviest one to Justin saying, "Be a man. Carry the heavy bag for your poor old coz." He smiled and took the bag, his eyebrows raising at the weight. "It's my rock collection," I joked. "No, just kiddin'. Mom packed it, so I dunno what's in it." We carried my stuff out to Gran's car. My eyes grew wide as I spotted Gran's car. My grandma drove a fiery red convertible! I tossed my bags into the trunk and looked at Gran pleadingly before Justin got a chance to figure out what I was up to.
	"Oh Gran! Can I drive? Pleeeeease?!" I asked, putting on my best pleading puppy-dog face. Gran laughed, eyeing me. But eventually she reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys. I snatched them from her and climbed into the drivers seat.
	"Not fair! I wanted to drive!" Justin whined.
	"You drove over here, let the girl have some fun." Gran said, "But you can sit in the passenger seat okay? Would that make you at least a little happier?" Justin nodded, giving her a winning smile. Gran climbed into the back and I turned on the car, which purred happily at me.
	I asked Gran for directions and she told me to get on the highway, and get off three exits down, at the Tampa exit. I nodded and clicked on the radio. A song came on. It had a jumpy hip-hop type beat and it sounded like four or five guys harmonizing. Then one guy, a guy with a great voice might I add, broke off and began to sing.
	"It's hard to say I'm sorry. It's hard to make the things I did undone. A lesson I've learned too well, for sure. So don't hang up the phone now, I'm tryin' to figure out just what to do. I'm goin crazy without you."
	"You're all I ever wanted, you're all I ever needed. So tell me what to do now, when I want you back." Soon another guy, with an equally great voice broke off and began to sing.
	"Baby I remember the way you used to-" But Justin leaned in and clicked off the radio.
	"Hey! Who were they? I liked them!" I asked, shooting a look over at my cousin.
	"They're called *N SYNC. You've never heard of them?" Justin asked suspiciously.
	I shook my head, "Nope. They sound good though. Turn it back on." I looked at Justin and he nodded, flipping the dial. I listened to the song and took the exit. I then got further directions from Gran and Justin, and we made it to the cul-de-sac in front of Gran's house. I mean, if you could call a place that big a house, that is. It was more like a mansion! It was HUGE! I climbed out of the car, sliding my sunglasses on top of my head. I glanced over at Justin who flashed me a smile and helped Gran out of the car. I climbed the stairs to the large double doors that served as the opening to the mansion. Before I had a chance to ask Gram if it was locked, a large thin man opened the door. "Miss Amanda I presume." He said formally in a deep voice.
	Gran appeared behind me saying, "Ah Conrad, I see you've met Mandy. Mandy, this is Conrad, my butler. He runs things around here."
	"Conrad, the 'Miss' is appreciated, but not needed." I told him with a smile.
	"Oh you can tell him that," Gran cut in, "But Conrad believes in formality."
	I nodded. "Alright then."
	"Gran," Justin started, "Can the guys come over? For dinner I mean. You know how they love Estelle's cooking. Besides, we get bored at our places." He smiled, glancing at me a moment.
	"I don't see why not. Why don't you go inform Estelle, and Conrad will show Mandy to her room. I've got a bridge game with the ladies today. I won't be home till after supper. But you kids have fun, its what you're here for. Justin, after talking to Estelle I want you to go up and get Mandy, that way she doesn't get lost, alright?" Gran eyed Justin uncertainly.
	"Okay, can do." Justin handed Conrad two of my bags while I picked up my two others, and started down a hall. I kissed Gran bye and followed Conrad down some hallways, my feet sinking into the plush carpet. We made so many twists and turns by the time we got to the staircase I had lost my bearings. We went up a few flights of stairs, I huffed and puffed under my luggage's weight. Conrad seemed to have no trouble at all.
	He opened my door, set my bags on the floor and shut it behind him as he left. I looked around the huge room. In one corner there was a TV, and oddly enough, a Nintendo64. Some creamy-colored chairs crowded around the TV. In another corner there was a make-up table, with lights traveling around it's frame. All sorts of perfumes and make-up sat on top of it, as well as a gorgeous silver-handled brush and hand mirror. Against another wall was a tall wardrobe and a dresser. I opened the wardrobe to find it stuffed with gorgeous formal dresses. I gently closed it, opening the empty dresser. I unpacked my clothes, carefully laying them in the wonderful-smelling cedar dresser. I began to look for a closet, so I could hang me dresses and a few other wrinkly articles up. I opened one door, only to find it led to a fully stocked bathroom, with a huge whirlpool tub and a large shower. I closed the door gently on the cheery blue bathroom and turned to survey the colors of the bedroom. The bed was done in a warm blue gingham and a cheery buttermilk-yellow. The sheets were blue gingham, with a flowery print comforter piled on top, the flower print held the buttermilk color, as well as the blue, and a pretty rose color. What looked like a thousand pillows, were piled on top of the bed. I eventually found the closet, which was ingeniously covered by a set of fake drapes, which could be pulled aside by a cute yellow-tasseled rope.
	I hung up my wrinkled things and my dress, and then proceeded to flop on the bed tiredly. I sighed. I wasn't happy about being here yet, but all of this would at the very least make my stay a little more bearable. I perked up as a knock came upon my door. "Come on in." I called, not moving from my comfy spot on the bed.
	Justin poked his head in the door. "Come on lazy. My friends are here, and I want you to meet them."
	For a moment I began to consider if his friends were as cute as he was but I stopped myself, angry I would even think about Justin of all people as a hottie. He was my COUSIN for godsakes! But I could wonder if his pals were hot. I got up of the bed and followed Justin down some stairs and some hallways until we ended up in a living-room/den-type area. There were couches and chairs scattered around the large room, and a huge TV in one corner, with a Nintendo64, as well as a few other gaming systems near by, hooked up to it. I glanced at the male-filled room. Two guys were battling out some unknown anger toward each other at the Nintendo, while the other two were watching and laughing.
	"Hey guys," Justin blurted, "This is Mandy, she's my coz, the one from New York, remember? I told you guys bout her Wednesday, when we were-" he stopped short, glancing at his friends.
	"Oh yea!" Said one, who had funky dred locks in his hair. "Wednesday, when we were doing that, that thing, at that one place, yea."
	"Oh yea, the thing, at the place." Piped up another, with white-blonde hair.
	"I remember! Mandy, great to meet you. How do you like Florida so far?" asked another guy with dark hair and sparkling eyes. I blinked, wondering if a guy this cute actually existed. He existed, and he was talking to me actually. I found my voice and said,
	"It's great to meet you too- Erm.." I flailed, waiting for him to fill me in on his name.
	"JC." He said.
	"JC," I repeated. "Florida is great actually, nice and warm." God, I felt like an idiot! How boring could I be!?
	"Well," Justin said, "Lemme introduce you to them all."
	He pointed to Mr. Dredlocks. "That's Chris." He then pointed to the one with white-blonde hair. "Lance." Then to the one who hadn't spoken yet. "Joey." "Oh, and of course, JC, whom you already know. Sorta." I nodded and smiled.
	"Hiya."
	Joey glanced at Justin. "Does she-?" He trailed off. Justin shook his head.
	"Do I what?" I asked, looking at the two of them.
	"Do you.." Justin started, trailing off.
	"Oh come on. Tell me. What's up?" I asked, sitting down on a huge overstuffed couch.
	JC took a deep breath and said, "Well, ya see Mandy..."