"Hey Jen, you look great," Shayla said greeting them. "And whose this handsome stud with you?" Shayla teased Kevin. He was always an exceptional dresser and always looked good. He was wearing black pants and a gray thin sweater that was tight fitting in the chest and arms showing off his muscles.
"Hey Shay," Kevin said hugging her. "You look gorgeous yourself sweetheart," he said.
"She only changed five times," Brian said coming to greet them.
"Four times," Shayla corrected him laughing at his teasing.
"I see you ended up picking the one I said was the best," Brian said admiring her outfit again. She had on a light blue to turquoise blue colored leather tube top and matching pants that looked stunning with her tan. Her hair was part straight and part curled.
"She looks like a bag of cotton candy," AJ said as he and Kim walked through the door behind Kevin and Jen. "Good enough to eat to I might add," he said as he kissed her hello.
"Hey baby," Shayla said greeting him. "Hi Kimmy."
"Kimmy, you'll have to excuse these two. They're behavior is a little abnormal when they're together," Brian said. "We're glad you could come."
"Kimmy this is my cousin Jen, and this is Kevin," Shayla said introducing them. They all said hello to each other.
Nick and Brent came through as Nick was walking Brent out. "Hey Kevin," Brent said. "I'll see ya later Nick."
"Hi Brent, bye Brent," Kevin said.
"I'll call ya buddy," Nick said as Brent left.
"Kimmy this is Nick, the runt of the group," AJ said.
"Hey," Nick said to AJ. "He's just jealous cuz he's not the cute blond one," he said shaking Kimmy's hand.
"Nick this is Jen Reinhart, Shayla and McKenzie's cousin. I don't think you got to meet the other night," Kevin said.
"No, sorry about that. It's nice to meet both of you," Nick said. "Shay have you seen Kenz?"
"She's over at Brian's already with Howie, Hallie and Dennis and Tommy," Shayla said.
"What's up with Brent being here?" Kevin asked.
"We'll talk about it later. I need to go find my girl," Nick said.
"Ok?" Kevin said questioningly at his aloofness.
"That's the answer I got too Kev, so don't feel too bad," Shayla said.
"I'll fill ya in," Brian said as they walked off to go over to Brian's house where the party was.
"Come on Jen, I'll show ya my house," Shayla said. "Then we'll go over to Brian's."
"I love this place, Shayla. It's great," Jen said as Shayla finished showing her around.
"Thanks, I love being on the beach," Shayla said. "Well, you ready to go over to Brian's? It looks like there's beginning to be a crowd already."
"Yeah, I'm so nervous about being around all these people. I've never been around celebrities before," Jen said kinda shakily.
"Don't worry, I wasn't either at first. How'd it go with Kevin on the way over?" Shayla asked.
"Great, he's so sweet. And my god he's so hot!" Jen said.
Shayla laughed. "Yeah he is isn't he. He's as gentle as a puppy though even though he's so big. Just hang with me and Kev and we'll take care of ya., He's great, a real sweetheart. And the band and dancers, they're a little wild but they're just a bunch of goofballs, so you don't have to worry about them. The record label and management people won't stay long. They'll chat a bit and leave," Shayla said explaining some things as they walked over.
"What other artists are going to be here?" Jen asked.
"Well, let's see, the guys have started their own label and this girl, Crystal, she's their first client, she'll be here. And Nick manages a rock band, they'll be here. Um, Howie said Chris from Nsync might stop by cuz they're friends and he might have Lance with him. The rest of the guys don't really get along that well, and some other people is what Brian told me, so I'll probably be just as surprised as you," Shayla laughed.
"There you two are," Kevin said as Shayla and Jen finally got there. "Would you ladies like a drink?" he asked.
"Sounds great," Jen said.
"I'm gonna find Brian," Shayla said. "I'll see you two in a little bit."
"Ok," Kevin said. "He's over there with AJ and Kimmy talking to Mindi."
"Thanks," Shayla said leaving them.
"Now how about that drink?" Kevin said. Jen nodded and they went over to the bar set up and got their drinks. "So, how is your shop coming along?" Kevin asked as they sat down at a table.
"It's great. I've had so many customers I can't keep up with the orders. Of course Shayla came in the other day and bought almost everything she laid eyes on," Jen told him.
"Yeah," Kevin laughed. "Brian says she's a shopper. It's really dangerous when she goes shopping with AJ." They both laughed.
"I bet it is. Actually the outfit Shayla's wearing is one of my designs," Jen said.
"Really?" Well, now I'm really glad I complimented her on it earlier. It's great," Kevin said.
"Thanks. Shayla would look good in anything though," Jen said.
"So would you," Kevin said sweetly as Jen blushed. "Ya know the three of you look more like sisters than cousins."
Kevin and Jen talked almost all evening getting to know each other. They made the rounds and Kevin introduced her to everyone. As Shayla had said, the label and management people only made a brief appearance and then left. Then the party really began. The music got louder and everyone loosened up. They all started drinking a lot more and getting crazy. Jen was having a great time. Kevin was very sweet and Brian was a doll and funny and AJ and Nick were hilarious carrying on in the pool with some of the dancers and band. Eventually it was just the five guys and their girls left and they were all in the pool goofing around. Brian's pool was really cool. It had like a rock mountain formation with a waterfall at one end and Nick and Brian were jumping off of it doing flips and stuff.
It soon turned into a contest to see who could do the best stunts. Brian did a back flip off the mountain which everyone thought was really good. Kevin did a perfect dive, Nick just jumped in doing a cannon ball and making a huge splash and AJ did a belly flop, which made everyone say, ouch! Howie and Hallie were busy kissing under the watefall and weren't competing.
"Ok girls, you're up. Whatcha gonna do?" AJ challenged.
Kim got up and did a cartwheel off the side of the pool. "That's pretty impressive but I still think B-Rok has the lead with his back flip," Kevin said.
"What's it gonna be Shay?" Brian asked challenging her with a daring look in his eye. They did this all the time.
"I don't know Rok, I saw her working on that twisting flip the other day," Nick said. "If she can nail it she'd beat ya."
"Nah, I got a better idea," Shayla said looking a McKenzie and Jen with a mischievous look in her eye. "Remember what we used to do? The three of us together?" she asked them.
"OOOOHHH the three of you together?" AJ whistled.
"AJ get your mind out of the gutter. That's not what I meant," Shayla said splashing him.
"Let's do it," McKenzie said. "But from the mountain not the pool edge."
"What are you crazy?!" Jen asked her. "You wanna do that from up there?" she said looking up. She thought it was pretty high up.
"That's why it's fourteen feet deep here. So we can dive from there," Brian told her.
"Come on, whatever it is, let's see it," Kevin said. He had been holding onto Jen and now was pushing her out of the pool.
"Alright, ya'll wanna battle?" Shayla asked them teasing them with their own thing from their concert shows.
"Battle, battle, battle," they all chanted.
"Hey, this ain't no concert. Knock it off with your battle shit," McKenzie teased them.
"Ooohh nice mouth babe!" Nick said shoving her out of the pool. "Cut her off, she gets a potty mouth when she's been drinking," he teased her.
The girls climbed up to the top of the mountain posing at the top. "Like goddesses on the top of Mt. Olympus," Kevin said.
"Awwwww," everyone teased him.
The girls clasped hands and stood on the edge in a straight line. "OK Aje count it down," Shayla yelled.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!" AJ shouted.
At one the girls jumped together doing a front flip in perfect synchronization keeping their hands clasped together, coming out of the flip perfectly straight as they hit the water.
Kevin, Brian and Nick just stared with their mouths open. "Yeah! Alright!!" AJ, Howie, Kim and Hallie cheered.
"That was cool!" That definitely beats your back flip Rok," AJ said.
The girls swam up to each of their guys wrapping their arms around them, smiling triumphantly.
"Wow!" Kevin said. He pulled Jen in and held onto her. He was thinking of kissing her but didn't want their first kiss to be front of everyone.
"Holy shit!," Nick said.
"Amazing," Brian said.
"I guess that means we win," McKenzie said.
"I'd say so," Brian said kissing Shayla and admitting defeat.
McKenzie and Nick got out of the pool to go get another drink. "Anybody else want another drink?" Nick asked them.
"We're gonna take off I think," Howie said as he and Hallie got out of the pool.
"Ok, we'll see you guys later," Brian said as he chased swimming after Shayla playing shark with her.
"Ya'll wanna go over to Shayla's and shoot some pool?" AJ asked. "Is that ok Shay?"
"Yeah, it's ok," she answered dunking Brian.
"Sounds good to me. You wanna go?" Kevin asked Jen.
"Yeah sure," Jen said. Kevin got out of the pool and reached down to help Jen out. Brian and Shayla got out and they all went over to Shayla's.
b>*At Shayla's House*
"AJ you know where everything is at. You can show Kimmy where to change," Shayla said. "Come on Jen, I'll show you where to change and Kev you know where to go."
The guys were already shooting pool when the girls returned. Brian handed them each a drink and they watched as the guys finished their game, so they could play. Without thinking about the fact that everyone had been drinking a lot, Nick figured this was as good a time as any to bring up his and Brent's plan about Mandy with McKenzie and Shayla. Big Mistake!