| Justin Randall Timberlake sat in the back of the bus, listening to his discman, drumming his fingers on the back of the seat in front of him. He closed his eyes, and tried to relax. The game they were on the way to was huge and it would be the first one of his college career. He contimplated his life quietly from time to time, but now, he just wanted his mind to shut down, and focus on the music. The bus ride would be a rather long one, not long enough to warrant a plane ride, but long all the same. "Yo, Timberlake!" Justin opened his eye to see one of his teammates standing over him. "Weren't you on that Mickey Mouse Club thingy?" Justin removed his headphones and sighed. It was something he tried to forget, the cheesy lines, the grueling schedule. Sure, he loved to perform, and singing, well, he would always do that, but to be constantly reminded he once wore the big black ears. It got old. "Yeah, I was," he admitted lightly. "Why?" "See? I told ya. Hey, what's Britney really like? Hot stuff huh?" Justin glared at the guy. "How the hell do I know? It was years ago, and she sure didn't look like that back then!" He placed the headphones back over his ears and thought briefly about his fellow mousketeer. She sure had changed, becoming a sexy superstar. She made it, Christina, Keri, even JC, his friend and partner in crime. It was years ago when JC had come to him, asking him to join N Sync, a new group he was in. He'd declined, wanting to try his hand a basketball. Now, he wondered if he'd done the right thing. N Sync was just huge, and he was sure that JC was a multi millionare by now. Sighing heavily, he leaned back and tried to calm the butterflies that zipped around inside his stomach. He knew he probably wouldn't see much play time, maybe no play time, but this was his very first chance to make a lasting impression if he wanted to make it to the pros someday. And so it would all begin the way scouts looked at him. The music filled his ears and he closed his eyes, just wanting to be left alone for the ride. It was the last few minutes of the game when Justin got the call from the coach to head in, subsitute for an injured teammate. He hopped off the bench, and jogged in, praying that his heart wouldn't explode right there, in front of national television, and all the fans. How the hell many of them were there anyway? Tiny beads of sweat formed on his head as he got focused and waited for the whistle. His body took control, and he engrossed himself in the sliver of game that was left. When the buzzer blew, he allowed himself to look up. The crowd was on it's feet, and he stared at the scoreboard. He'd done it, he'd actually scored the winning basket. Be cool, Timberlake, be cool. Justin pressed his lips together in an attempt to surpress a grin. "Nice shot, Timberlake, very sweet!" One of his teammates pulled him in for a quick hug. "Thanks man," he replied, feeling like he was on top of the world. It was a feeling he liked, and hoped would continue. Back on the bus, his cell phone rang. He dug around his gym bag for it, cursing as he threw his stuff to the side. "Hello?" he said. "Hey Justin, is that you?" Justin frowned. He hated when people called his cell and he didn't recognize the voice. It bugged him, a lot! "Who's this?" he snapped. "Dude, it's Josh, I mean JC." The voice on the other end sounded cheerful, and even a little breathless. Justin blinked. He couldn't believe JC was calling him after all these years. Why after all these years. He just assumed that JC had gotten to big, too popular to remember him. Still, he had to admit it was kind of nice to hear from someone so famous. "What's up JC? How the hell are you? "Good, good. Long time huh? Listen, we're here in Austin, TX and I just caught the last half of a basketball game and flipped out when I saw your ass on tv. You made it man, just like you said you would. That's great." A smile formed on Justin's lips as he digested what JC was actually saying. He had made it, he'd made his entrance into the world of basketball just like he'd set out to do. "Well," he said, modestly, "it's only the first game, so we'll see. Anyway, how about you? Big huge star now. How'd you get my number?" JC's laugh rang out over the connection. "Your mom. I called the house when I saw you. She gave it to me. Hope you don't mind." "No, no. Not at all. Hey, I've seen you on MTV more than once. That's so mad that you're doing what you wanted to." Justin had seen JC on tv with N Sync, that part was true. He left out the part where he and his friends made fun of the group, calling them N Suck, and laughing hysterically at their cheesy dance moves. He didn't feel it necessary to let his old friend in on that. He now felt extrememly guilty anyway. "Yeah, it's fun. For now at least. The guys in the group are great, and I get to produce things, and write for other artists. This has opened doors for me that wouldn't have otherwise." He paused. "Anyway, I want to invite you out to some shows this fall. The next part of our tour is coming up. What do you say?" Justin scratched his head and thought. Sure it would be really great to see JC again, but that kind of music was definately not his scene. And the image of all those hysterical, screaming teen agers, well, that kind of scared him. He sighed. "I don't know, man, the schedule here is kind of nuts, and I'll have a lot of papers due ontop of it." "Come on, Justin. Just a few days, when you have some time. Even on the weekend. It'll be so much fun. We can talk about old times." Justin felt as if JC were begging him for some reason and finally relented, hoping maybe he would introduce him to Britney. Now that girl had it going on these days. He could have kicked himself for not keeping in touch with her. JC gave him his cell number and hung up. Justin leaned back in his bus seat and chewed on a peice of gum, with interest. How would it be seeing JC again? He didn't know. Maybe JC turned into a snob, although, he sounded nice enough. Oh well, he would see soon. Closing his eyes, he replayed the last few minutes of the game, savoring it. The weeks flew by, keeping Justin busy with practice, games and schoolwork. He'd heard from JC once, confirming plans for him to meet him in Albany, NY for a series of three shows. Justin wasn't exactly sure where the hell Albany was, but three nights, fully paid, away from his real life, seemed like fun. He'd even started to catch episodes of TRL, much to his roommates dismay. He laughed it off, not wanting to meet N Sync and not have a clue exactly what they were all about. He soon discovered that however famous he thought JC was, he was all that, and more. The night before he was to leave, JC called, just to confirm things. "So, you'll meet us right at the hotel. A car will pick you up and bring you right there. Is that okay with you?" Justin laughed. "A car? Oh, that's priceless. I can take a cab." "No way! You're in my charge for three nights. A car will get you." JC was firm, and Justin relented. JC went over some security things with him, and Justin bit back a sarcastic comment, something like "it's not like you're not the president or anything" But he didn't want to start things off on the wrong foot. Soon, he was in Albany, at the cute, little, clean airport. It was chilly, and Justin was glad he brought his team jacket with him. He fought his way down to the baggage claim and saw a commotion going on in the corner. Straining to get a better look, he saw a hand wave. "Who the hell?" Justin asked, squinting a bit. He needed to remember to get his eyes checked, coach reprimanded him constantly about it. "Justin, hey man! Over here!" Justin grabbed his suitcase and pushed his way throught the small group, curious what was happening. JC reached into the crowd, and grabbed his friend's collar, pulling him hard. "What's up?" he smiled, removing his sunglasses, and pulling Justin in for a hug. "JC? Who are all these people?" he gasped, a little overwhelmed. Sure, basketball players had their share of groupies, but not like this, not all at once. He looked into his friend's eyes, finding some peace that he seemed to be remaining calm. Two huge, burly, bodyguards were on either side of the singer, and roughly escorted him out the doors, to the stretch limo awaiting him. They grabbed Justin, merely as an afterthought. Once in the safly of the limo, JC relaxed a bit. He lowered the privacy window to talk to the driver. "Please be careful," he requested. "There are girls everywhere." Justin stared in wonder at all the hoopla surrounding his friend. "Damn," he grinned, running his fingers through his blonde curls, "I never....." JC laughed, thinking about it. "I know, I know. It's a long way from Mickey Mouse huh? Back then, we couldn't even get a crowd half that size at a mall appearance." He nudged Justin playfully. "So, I have the night off. What do you wanna do?" Justin eyed the bodyguards, who were silent, and, well, just so big. He motioned to them. "Will they be coming along?" He waited for JC to nod before shrugging. "Whatever, I guess. What do you usually do?" "Nothing, usually. I had to plead to get them to let me come meet you." He rubbed his eyes. "That's why, what happened at the airport." Justin chuckled, a little nervously. The ride to the hotel was short, and they had to sneak in a service entrance. JC lead his friend to the elevators, and up to the floor N Sync had reserved for the next few nights. As the doors opened, and Justin stepped out, he was clocked in the head by a nerf football. He grabbed it, as it bounced off him, and looked over at the person who threw it. Shit, Joey or Chris? Damn, why didn't I pay more attention to that MTV interveiw. He smiled at the N Syncer and tossed the ball back. JC shook his head. "Justin, this is Joey. And the other idiot, that's Chris." Justin sighed, glad to have the names, thankful he didn't have to make an ass out of himself. "Nice to meet you both," he said, stepping forward to shake each of their hands. "We've been catching your games on the tube," Joey grinned, looking at JC. "He's a big fan!" JC rolled his eyes, as Justin blushed a bit. "Come on, let me take you to get settled in your room," he said, dragging him away from Joey and Chris. He spotted Lance exiting his room, chatting on his cell phone. "That's Lance," he said, pointing to the blonde. Justin nodded as Lance approached. "Hey, it's the basketball star," he smiled sincerley, holding his hand out. "Well, not really a star," Justin stammered, taking his hand. JC put the key into Justin's door. "Ah, don't let him fool ya' Lance. He kicks ass." Lance followed the two into the room. "Well, what do you expect? That damn Mickey Mouse Club produced a lot of talent." Justin felt uncomfortable with all this talk. He looked around the room and tried to be cool. It was enormous, with a king sized bed, and seperate living room. He really wanted to look at the bathroom, but held back, still trying to be cool. Lance plopped down in a chair and bit his nails. "So what are we doing tonight?" JC looked at Justin. "Your call." "Bar?" he asked. At school that was always what they did on Friday nights, head to a local bar, have some beers, dance. Lance and JC looked at each other in amusement, making Justin feel awkward. "What?" he questioned. "No, nothing. That's cool. Lance? You in?" JC looked at Lance, who held an amused smile on his face. "Yeah, great. I'll tell the guys." He stood up and walked out to the hallway. "Guys, bar tonight!" he screamed. Turning back into the room he nodded. "Okay, all set." Joey popped his head in. "Dude! Bar? You serious? You got us cleared to go?" Chris tumbled into the room, knocking Joey to the side. "For real?" JC glared at them. He knew that Justin wasn't used to the kind of fame he was, and going to a bar without security planning was not something that they were allowed to do, ever. It was tough, he wanted to make Justin feel at ease, and his overanxious friends were oblivious. Lance stepped in. "Justin is our visitor, and he's requested to go to a bar. They'll clear us." He sounded so confident that JC actually relaxed for a moment. "Guys, not a big deal." Justin sat on the corner of his bed. "I mean it. I go to bars all the time. If you want to just hang here......" "NO!" Joey and Chris yelled at the same time, diving onto the bed, causing Justin to flinch. He didn't understand what the hell was wrong with these four guys. It was freaky, like living in the Twilight Zone or something. "I want to go out," Joey whined, eyes pleading with JC. "Come on, you and Lance can get us out. Pleaaaaaase?" JC was a little embarassed at his friend's behavior, but was so glad to see Justin. Justin was so normal, which was something they all could use in their life. Just a regular person who didn't want to kiss their asses all the time. Justin could bring some sanity back to their panicked lives. They appointed Lance to go speak with security, since he was the best barginer of them all. He pulled up his pants, laughing, and tore off to get approval. Chris picked up Justin's jacket. "So, what's it like to be on tv every week?" he teased. JC swiped the coat back, pushing Chris from the bed, and onto the floor with a thud. "Ignore him. Want to get something to eat before we go? Alone?" He shot Joey and Chris a look, both of whom ignored him, engaged in a mock wrestling match on the floor. Justin nodded, stepping over the two singers. He was thinking maybe he'd made a mistake coming out here. These guys were strange, and he didn't know if he could stand three nights of them. JC shook his head at his friends, and pushed them out of Justin's room. "Have some respect," he growled at them. "I'm sorry," he said to Justin. "They're a bit mental." They all left the hotel room, Joey and Chris tearing off down to their own rooms, excited about going out that night. JC took Justin down to the elevators, where another bodyguard was awaiting them. Lance stood there, pleading his case at the huge man, who was shaking his head no over and over again. Justin stifled a laugh, this was just stupid. Here these guys made all this money, and should by all means and rights, be able to go to a bar if they wanted. Instead, they were begging for clearance from an oversized ox that they actually paid to be like that. He sighed and looked at Lance. "Hey, we can do something else. I mean if you're not allowed to go." JC stuffed his hands in his pockets, suddenly feeling very angry. He did make a hell of a lot of money, and didn't think one night out should be this hard. "Lance, nevermind. Look, we're going out," he stated to the bodyguard. "If you don't want to approve it, well, then take the night off. We'll be fine." He grabbed Lance's elbow. "You coming with us? We're going to get some eats." Lance tilted his head at JC, shocked at what he'd just suggested. He eyed the bodyguard, who was more than a bit annoyed at the little outburst. "Yeah," he said, confused, "I'll go with you." Once inside the elevator, Lance stared at JC. "You do know what going out alone means right?" JC nodded silently, still brooding over being continuously embarassed since Justin's arrival. Lance shrugged and looked at Justin. "I think you'll be seeing N Sync at it's craziest tonight." JC glared at him and leaned back. After an uneventful dinner at the hotel's resturaunt, JC, Lance and Justin headed back upstairs to prepare to go out. Justin had really taken a liking to Lance. The two soon talked about "southern" things, much to JC's disgust, and about the vocal coach they shared in the past. JC felt like an outsider, intruding upon some ancient intimate born in late 70's early 80's thing. He didn't like the way this was going at all. Justin was his friend, or used to be, and this was supposed to be his chance to show the kid just what he'd missed out on. Instead, Chris and Joey were acting like teen agers, Lance was fawning all over him, and his paid security was treating him like he was 6. No indeed, this wasn't what he had planned. "So, then we'll plan on going out at like ten?" Lance asked, looking at Justin. "Yeah, that's cool with me? JC, is that alright?" Justin looked over at JC, who had a stony look on his face. "You okay, man?" he asked. JC nodded, forcing a smile. "Yup, peachy. Ten is fine. I'll meet you at your room." He looked at Lance. "Can you tell Joey and Chris for me?" "Sure thing," Lance said cheerfully, exiting the stopped elevator. JC watched as Justin followed him down the hall to his room, the two entered it without even looking back. "Shit," JC hissed, slamming into his own room. He flopped down on the bed and tried to figure out just what had him so bent out of shape. It's not like he owned Justin, he just had hoped that they would re connect after all these years and hang out. Lance was interfering, whether he knew it or not, by just being his usual, friendly, southern self. JC just wanted someone to look at him, at where his life had gone, and admire him, envy him a little maybe. "That's dumb," he scolded himself. "I don't need anyone's approval. I don't need Justin's okay." He laughed at himself for being so immature. Ten arrived and Joey was running up and down the hall, pounding on doors. "Let's go!" he was screaming. JC poked his head out and headed down the hall to Justin's room. He found Lance already there with Justin, dressed and laughing about something. JC squinted a bit. "What's so funny?" Lance shook his head. "Nothing really. J was just telling me a story about a mutual friend." He laughed once more before walking away, leaving Justin and JC alone. "Having fun?" JC asked, as Justin locked the room door. "Yeah, Lance is a cut up. I thought he'd be different, but he's cool." He checked his back pocket for his wallet and headed down the hall where the other three were. "What about you? Big night out?" Justin laughed offhandedly at the comment, not realizing JC's fragile state. "Big night," JC repeated, sighing. They rode down the elevator to the limo and JC stayed silent the whole time, brooding silently, but not wanting to. The limo circled the city once, while the five of them veiwed their choices. Joey and Chris just wanted to get out, but JC was thinking about what would happen when N Sync climbed out with all those people out there. It wasn't like an after party, where they would be whisked into a VIP room, and security was aware of them. This was completely unexpected, and he had to admit, a bit stupid. Justin pointed out a club, and everyone agreed on it. The limo pulled up, and the line of people outside stared, wondering who was in it. JC's heart raced a bit. He suffered from a complex of one day being crushed to death by overeager fans. Justin climbed out first, and the people in line looked away, a bit disappointed that it wasn't someone famouse. Lance got out next, and those same people, some of whom recognized him immediately, gasped. He smiled and followed Justin to the back of the line. JC, Joey and Chris trailed closely. As soon as the bouncers saw what was going on, they hurried over to escort the four singers, and college basketball player inside, hoping to avoid a stampede. The club was hopping, loud dance music, plenty of college kids, the usual. Joey and Chris smiled at one another, tossed their coats at JC, and headed for the dance floor. JC scowled, throwing the coats to the floor. "Damn inconsiderate..." Lance laughed, picking the coats up, and depositing them in a corner booth. Justin looked around a bit. It seemed like everyone in the place was staring at them. "Does this ever bother you?" he asked, shaking his head in wonder. "Well, honestly, we're not allowed out like this usually." Lance grinned. "Want a drink?" Justin nodded and sat down next to JC. "Man, this is so weird," he said. "I mean being here with you after all these years." Lance returned with two beers and put one in front of Justin, sipping from the other. "Thanks for getting me one, dude," he complained. Lance shrugged and wandered off to the dance floor to check out the action. "Are you at least having some fun?" he asked Justin. Justin grinned, seeing a couple cute girls heading in their direction. "If they're coming for you, I think I'm about to have a lot more fun." JC looked up in time to notice them approach. He finally broke into a smile and started to relax. And so the night wore on, ladies, drinks, dancing. Justin was starting to think maybe, just maybe, he'd made a mistake by not joining N Sync. They seemed like they had so much fun, giving autographs, and meeting so many good looking girls. Back at the hotel later on, Justin laid in bed, thinking about his career choice. He flipped the television on, and caught a clip of him on ESPN. His heart jumped, he still wasn't used to seeing himself on sports shows all the time. He watched the clip critically, trying to focus on what he needed to work on. JC and the guys wanted to play some ball in the morning, much to his delight, and he had to admit, as much fun as being in N Sync seemed, he couldn't imagine his life without basketball. A knock on the door disturbed his thoughts, and he hopped off the bed. "Who's there?" he called. "It's me," JC answered. Justin opened the door. It was nearing 3am and he was curious why his friend would be up this late. "Everything okay?" he asked, stepping aside to let him in. JC nodded, rubbed his eyes, and flopped down on the couch. "I'm not disturbing you am I?" he questioned carefully. It had been a long day, but sleep wouldn't take him. He was busy thinking about his life choices, a rather heavy subject to conjur up when praying for sleep. Justin fell back onto his bed and laid on his side. "No, not at all. What's up?" JC sighed. "Ever wonder if you made the right decision? I mean with your life? You always knew what you wanted in life. Basketball was your life." "And singing was your life. Man, you love it. Don't you?" Justin was truly puzzled by the way the conversation was flowing. "Yes, I do. But N Sync, well, I'm not sure it's where I want to be as an artist." He leaned forward to stress his point. "You see what I go through! Asking permission to go out, being hounded by girls all night long. It's tiring. Being slammed in the press is hard too. They never take us seriously, and I know that in 5 years, when this ride is over, I still want to perform. I don't think they care, the other guys I mean." He stared at his friend, hoping for some kind of connection, some kind of understanding in his eyes, anything to let him know he wasn't alone. Justin listened quietly, digesting what was being said. He thought he was just coming out to visit an old friend, not be a shrink. Honestly, he wasn't that comfortable with giving advice on a situation he knew little about. "I don't know, Josh. I mean, it would appear you're doing what you want to do. I'm doing what I love. Sure, I was thinking that it may have been cool to be in your group, but it's not for me. Music, shit, since we were kids, it was what you were born to do." He sat up and glanced over at JC. "You have so much talent. You have time. You're still young. When N Sync is over, you won't be out of work." JC sighed heavily. He didn't like to think about N Sync being over at all. But Justin was right. There were a lot of options out there for him. Maybe his whole reason for touching base with his old mousketeer pal was for support. He seemed to be lacking that lately. "I guess you're right." He paused before getting up. "So hoops in the morning?" "You know it!" Justin grinned happily. "Bright and early. None of this 'i'm a rock star' crap! I already told Joey." JC laughed. "Guess you know him pretty well." Justin walked him to the door. "You know, I was listening to that song you have, you know. The party one." JC looked at him, confused at which one he was talking about. Justin rolled his eyes. "Damn, don't make me sing it." "Just sing a bit of it, so I know which one." "Oh for crying out loud, how the hell does it go? come on come on, let's raise the roof..." "Bringin Da Noise?" JC laughed. "Yeah, whatever. Anyway, we may be able to use it. I mean at our games. Would that be cool?" Justin had been thinking about asking him since he'd been invited to visit. The song was pop, but he could see the crowd getting pumped to it. And the cheerleaders dancing to it. JC's face lit up. "Cool! Yeah. That would be crazy!" Justin nodded, and made a mental note to call the publicist in the morning. "Okay then, we'll talk about it tomorrow, after hoops," he reminded him. "See ya in the morning then." JC headed out to his own room. "Oh, hey," he turned around to look at his friend. "Thanks for the talk. It helped. I owe you." Justin tilted his head, and scratched his chin. "Two words for ya! Britney's number!" JC chuckled. "You got it!" "I better get it!" Justin laughed under his breath. He went back into his room, and fell asleep, dreaming of his life had he joined JC's group. The fame, the money, the women, Britney on his arm.......ah, what are dreams for anyway? |
| ...loose your mind, let your body take control, you've got to feel in in your soul.. |