"Umm..not to burst your bubble or anything..but exactly what am I helping you do?" Heather asked as she put down a magazine she had been browsing through and standing up, stretching her arms in the process.
"Just trust me on this..something today made me realize what a complete..bitch I've been," Zara said as she picked up a few of the magazines and sat down in the floor, holding them in her arms. "I want to make something and send it to them as an apology."
Heather looked at her for a split second before bursting out laughing, clutching her side as her body violently shook. After she had finally gotten herself composed she shook her head and cocked her hip to the side. "How do you expect to get this thing you're going to make to them? You know its not like mailing a letter or anything and I doubt that it will even make it to them."
"I thought about that..and I'm sure your genius mind can come up with a way that we can get it to them..as for making it stand out, I can do that."
"I don't know how you expect me to find a way to get this to them..if you ask me the best thing to do is forget about it," Heather insisted as she looked around the room for no reason.
"I can't just forget about it, Heather..today, the Professor lectured us on modern speech and it just hit home with me."
"I thought that class was an art class?"
Zara chuckled before nodding her head. "I did too, but it turns out that today's speech is a type of modern art and he commented on my comment and it just hit me that I should take other people's feelings into consideration before I speak."
"It took a damn professor to make you realize something you should have learned like when you were in kindergarten? Jesus Zara! You have to be one of the most dense people I have ever met!"
"I deserve that comment, Heather, but you're not helping the situation here..do you have any idea how you can get this to the guys so that they're the ones reading it? Not some people who are paid to read through letter and look at other things created by fans."
"I have an idea..you just worry about creating whatever it is you're going to create and I'll worry about getting it to them..even if it means sleeping with one of their bodyguards..I've always liked my men bulky," she joked before leaving the room.
Zara chuckled before opening the magazine and letting her attention fall on an article that had been written not too long ago. If she was going to make this special, she was going to have to know something about them and what better place to start than a teen magazine.
"I'm beat," Justin whined as he propped his feet up on the couch, watching as JC and Chris wandered around the bus looking for personal items. The other two, Joey and Lance, shared a bus so that the guys could have more "personal" space.
"But you still have to call Britney and listen to her whine about how much she misses you and how much she wishes that she could be in your arms right now," Chris said, imitating Britney's voice causing all of them to eventually laugh.
"Lay off making fun of my girl," Justin said as he picked up his duffel bag as the bus slowed down, signaling that they were getting close to the hotel that they would be staying at.
"I'm ready to hit the sack," JC said, sighing as three members of security made their way onto the bus, distributing room keys before escorting them to their rooms. Once JC was in the room alone, away from the constant presence of others, he laid down on the bed and closed his eyes as his tired muscles began to relax. He was almost asleep when the phone rang, bringing him wide awake again. "Damn it," he cursed as he reached over and answered it. "What do you want?"
"Baby don't you know that's not the best way to answer the phone?" his girlfriend Bobbie asked him.
He smiled as her voice floated into his brain. "Hey baby...I've missed you when are you going to get your pretty face out here to see me?"
"I wish it was tomorrow, but I have some things to do for the magazine," she somewhat whined into the phone. "I'm going to try and make it out there in about two weeks."
"Two weeks! I can't wait that long to see you, Bobbie! I've already been away for two weeks and you told me the other night that it would only be a few days!"
"I know I said that, JC, but I can't just up and leave work to come see you," she told him as her voice took on a slightly annoyed tone.
"Why can't you?" he questioned her in angered tone that was part way frustration and part way exhaustion. "I thought you loved me, Bobbie? Aren't I a little more important that some stupid magazine column?"
"Of course you are!"
"It doesn't seem like it..I guess you've put your priorities in order and I'm not on top..I'll talk to you later," he told her before hanging up the phone and rubbing his temples. He knew he was blowing that whole situation way out of perspective but he was tired of her making promises to him and not following through with them. In the beginning of their relationship, he had been weary about dating a reporter. He had been afraid that she'd turn her back on him and sell some story to a big magazine, in exchange for a higher position that she presently held. Luckily, that hadn't happened and he hoped that it never did.
He pushed himself off the bed before making his way into the bathroom so he could brush his teeth and change into some clothes that were a little more comfortable than the stage clothes that he still had on. Tomorrow morning, the same routine would take place that had been taking place for almost five years. Before they got on the bus, they'd give their outfits to Sarah, the wardrobe assistant, and then board the bus, only to repeat the same thing another night. He couldn't complain about the lifestyle that he was living right at that very moment because it brought him happiness. He loved music and he loved the feeling that he got from being up on the stage, seeing all the fans having a good time as the guy's performed.
He threw his toothbrush into his duffel bag before turning off the light and laying his head down on the soft pillow, his eyes immediately closing. As he drifted off into sleep, he couldn't get Zara's voice out of his head.
"Have you guys ever been to acting school" replayed over and over in his brain. Either it was a sign or he was being extremely weird, either way he knew that her voice was going to tie into his life.
"I don't know..maybe I should just go with a letter..I mean that wouldn't look so desperate."
"But you've already made this..this thing!" Heather said not knowing exactly what it was, only knowing that it was unique in shape decorated by pictures of the guys with "I'm Sorry" written in the middle.
"I think I'll go with the letter," Zara said before easily crushing the design. "I'll just make it something short and simple that way they'll know I'm truly sorry for being a bitch towards them."
"I think you should say 'Look, I'm sorry for being a bitch to you guys. Please don't hold any bad feelings towards me' but that's just my personal opinion."
"You so don't help the situation at hand, Heather," Zara said obviously not amused by her friend's choice of words. "I'm going to go write it and then you're going to tell me how to get it to them."
Heather shook her head before making her way into her bedroom. "Believe me, Zar..when you hear how I want you to give it to them, you're going to tell me to go to hell."
"That scares me," Zara replied in a sarcastic tone before shutting her door to her bedroom and sprawling across the bed. "Now what the hell should I say to them?" she mumbled to herself as her brain started to have doubts about what she was trying to do. Maybe Heather was right about just forgetting about all of this and let it fade from memory. The only problem with that was underneath the hard rock appearance that Zara put forth, there was an ordinary girl that did care about what people thought about her and that part was winning out at the moment.
She pushed herself off the bed and sat down at the desk that was located in the corner of her room. She could either type the letter, which would be the more modern thing to do, or she could write it, which would show that more effort and feeling went into it. "Screw writing it," she mumbled as she turned on her computer and waited as it came on. She pulled up a writing document and let her fingers move over the keys.
Dear NSYNC:
You may be wondering why I am writing a letter to you guys in the first place, since I was the one who insisted you were fake and attended acting school. I personally can't believe that I'm typing this out right now, but I've had a change of heart and I feel horrible for being so rude to you guys when I don't know a thing about you. Please don't hold any grudges and please forgive me for my ignorance.
Sincerely, Zara Sweet
She hit print on the computer before closing out of the document and looking at the brief letter in satisfaction. It wasn't the best that she could do, but it was just enough to let them know that she had been the one who was wrong.
"OK, Heather..I need to hear your brilliant plan on how I'm suppose to get this to them," Zara said as she barged into Heather's room to see her sitting on the floor looking at a Teen magazine.
"I'm telling you, Zar..I don't know how you should get it to them..send it in the mail."
"That would take forever and they would never read it."
"Then the only other option you have is to take it to them personally," Heather said, biting her lip as she waited for a smart comment from Zara.
"Did you hit your head on the bed this morning? Hunnie, there's no way I can get this to them..they're where? Hundreds of miles from here?"
"I don't hear you coming up with any brilliant suggestions, but for your information they're in Cleveland which is about six hours from here if you drive a little over the speed limit," Heather said as an innocent smile played on her lips.
"You're completely serious about this, aren't you?" Zara asked as she sat down on the plaid comforter that was spread across Heather's bed.
"We have three days off starting tomorrow..you'd have plenty of time to get down there and get back."
"Once we're down there..how exactly are we supposed to get this to them? Security will be over running the place and there has to be hundreds of hotels where they could be staying at."
"Luckily for you, I am a huge NSYNC fan, so I think I can figure out which hotel they're staying at..don't worry about that. We'll just have to think of a plan to get by security..they're guys..they can't be that smart."
"Heather..I'm going to trust you on this but I do have to say that you better not even get us put in jail or anything..I will swear up and down that you were blackmailing me to do this," Zara said as she stood up from the bed and went to leave the room, pausing in the doorway for a moment. "We'll leave in the morning, how does that sound?"
"Sounds fine with me..something tells me this is going to be one unique experience."
"Everything we do seems to turn out that way," Zara replied before leaving Heather's room and walking into her own bedroom. As she laid back on her bed, she starred up at the ceiling in wonder. Tomorrow morning was the beginning to a new side of Zara that hadn't had a chance to ever be shown, and it could prove to be one that brought her the happiness that she had always wanted, but never seemed to find.