Chapter 3
As the doctor opened the door, Justin held his breath. He was so scared to see what he feared the most.
I sat up in the hospital bed. No machines, no tubes, just me. I saw Justin look at me and close his eyes for a moment and then opened them quickly and rushed over to my side.
"Are you okay?" he said.
"I'm fine, Justin......really..." I said.
"She had collapsed as a result of stress. Is there anything causing you to be stressed out?" the doctor said as he looked at me.
I looked over at Justin. I knew exactly what caused it.
"No, Doctor. I just got in from South Carolina yesterday to come see Justin. I haven't been stressing or anything at all...." I said calmly.
"Hmm......well, stress isn't the only factor. It could've been caused by other things. You'll have to stay overnight and we'll release you tomorrow.......we'll I'll leave you guys alone...." he said.
As I looked back at Justin, he stared painfully at me.
"Well, we'll see you later, Jayme. Gotta leave you and Justin alone for a sec..." JC said as he winked at me.
"Okay, bye guys.....thanks for coming...." I said as they walked out the door.
"So......." I said hoping that he would say something...anything.
"It's all my fault...." he said as he looked at the floor.
"What?" I asked.
"It's all my fault. You shouldn't be here, Jayme. You should be enjoying your visit......and my selfish ways put you in the freaking hospital..."
"It's not your fault, Justin....instead of talking this out like the mature people we are, we acted like children and acted awkwardly around each other until we had to know what was going on between us..."
He walked up to my bedside and took my hand.
"I just want to know how you feel......" he said.
I smiled. "Justin, I do have feelings for you. But, I want to get to know you first as a person.....take it slow, to make sure that it's real this time......."
"To make sure that it's real..." he replied.
I nodded. He bent down and gave me a sweet kiss. "Okay, we'll take all the time you need...." he said as he smiled.
"Thank you, Justin....."
JC walked down the halls of the hospital alone.
He and Jayme had been friends for a long time and he worried about her. He was thinking so hard that he didn't even realize where he was going. He bumped into a girl and the forms in her hands went flying.
"Oh gosh, I am so sorry....." he said as he knelt down to pick up the papers.
"It's okay....." the girl said as she helped.
"Hey, I know you. You're in that group, N Sync, right?" she said.
"Yeah....please don't start screaming......" he pleaded.
This made her laugh. "Don't worry....I saw you on MTV this morning, that's the only reason I know you. My name's Gaby Presscott.......what's yours?" she said as she extended her hand.
"Um, JC.....JC Chasez..." he said.
JC was mesmerized by her. Everything little thing she did amazed him, and he had only known her for about 2 minutes.
"Well, I have to get going, but I'll see you around, JC....." she said.
"Ok, bye...Gaby...." he said as she walked away.
JC smiled as he walked back up to Jayme's room.
Gaby stepped off the elevator and walked into Jayme's room.
"Gaby! Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?" she said.
"I heard you were in the hospital......I had to see my best friend...."
"Justin, this is Gaby Presscott. We've been best friends since junior high..." she said.
"Hey, I just met this really cute guy outside....his name was JC or something. And, get this....he's in a band...." she said.
"JC? Oh my gosh, do you mean JC Chasez?" Justin asked.
"Yeah, I think that's his name. How do you know...?" she said as her brown eyes widened she brought her hand to her mouth.
"You're another member of the band, aren't you?" she said.
"That would be correct...." Justin said as he smiled.
Just then, JC walked into the room with a teddy bear.
"Hey, Jayme.....I got this for you..." he said as he handed it to her.
"Uh, hey....JC...." Gaby said.
"Gaby! What are you doing here?" he said as he smiled.
"Uh, Jayme's kind of my best friend......I just found out the whole story..." she said.
"Oh, well....hi, again....." he said as he laughed.
"So, Jayme....what happened?" Gaby asked.
"Uh, nothing......just something that should have been taken care of before..." she said as she smiled at Justin.
"Wait a minute....how come you never told me that your boyfriend was in a band?" Gaby said.
"You never asked...." Jayme said as she laughed.
"Well, I have to go....but I'll see y'all later....." she said as she gave Jayme a hug.
"I'll call you tonight....." Jayme said.
"Okay......bye, Justin.....and JC...." she said as she gave JC another smile.
"Bye, I'll see you later, Gaby...." JC said.
Then, she walked out the door.
"Jc likes Gaby, Jc likes Gaby..." Justin began to say.
"Whatever.....we are just friends..." JC said.
"Uh, yeah, sure...." Justin said.
JC thought about it. So what if he liked her? Was it such a bad thing? =)
Since I had to stay at the hospital, that day, I flipped on the TV.
"Ok, and welcome back to TRL on MTV. I am your host, Carson Daly, and I'm bringing you the top 10 videos that you chose. Now, before we get into our number 1 video, let's check in with our MTV newsman, John Norris, because he has some info on our #1 artists."
"Yes, thank you, Carson. If you don't know by now, it's the group N Sync. And, some speculation arose today when the 5 went to an Orlando hospital to check on a friend. But, some people are saying that it's more than friends..." he said as he faced the monitor.
A girl appeared on the screen. "Justin seemed devastated......a little bit too devastated for a 'friend'........I think it's his girlfriend..."
I rolled my eyes.
"Well, we have the guys, VIA satellite from Orlando right now, to clear up the commotion." John said as he again faced the monitor.
"Hey guys......" Chris said.
"Hey, Chris....everyone wants to know about the Mysterious person at the hospital that you visited today....."
"Well, Jayme has been a friend of ours ever since the band got started. I know what you're thinking, no, we aren't dating.....she's a very good friend and we care a lot about her....." Justin said.
I turned the TV off. Something just automatically made me mad. I had every right to be dating Justin. Why should they have to hide it? The worst part was, they're good at it.
Later that night, the phone rang.
"Hello?" I said.
"Hey, Jaymes...how are you?" Justin asked.
"I've been better...." I said through clenched teeth.
"You saw it too, huh?"
"Yeah, I did....."
"Don't worry about it....it's all okay...."
"No, Justin....it's not okay. This is exactly why I broke up with you before....because of the fans, we couldn't have a decent relationship...."
"Jayme, please....you know I love you....."
"Justin, I need time to think about this......I have to go, goodbye..." I said as I hung the phone up.
***Flashback to 1998***
"Justin, I want you to tell your fans about us..." I said.
"What? I can't do that....we signed a contract..."
"I don't care about some stupid contract, Justin. I care about us....."
"Jayme, I care about you so much.....I love you."
"Justin, I love you too, but I can't keep pretending that you mean nothing to me..."
***End of Flashback***
A single tear trickled down my cheek. I know that if anything happened between me and Justin, I would have to be the one doing it.
The next day, I went home from the hospital. Justin and Gaby helped with everything. But, I still felt bad about last night. I really cared for Justin, and I didn't want to cause any problems this time.
Maria, was coming to stay with me, too. She is my twin sister, and we are really close.
I asked Lance to pick her up at the airport. Let's just say it's a good thing I did. By the time they got back, they were laughing and talking as if they had known each other forever.
As the doorbell rang, I jumped in delight. I ran to answer it. As soon as I opened it, tears filled my eyes.
"Maria!" I yelled.
"Jayme!" she screamed back. We gave each other hugs and came in to sit down.
"I had no idea that your boyfriend was a member of one of the hottest groups in America!" she said.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang again. As I ran to answer it, I saw Gaby at the door.
"Gaby! What are you doing here?" Maria asked.
"I had to come check on my best friends!" she said.
"Ugh, all of this happiness is making me sick...." Chris said.
"Sho' Nuff..." Joey said as he and Chris walked out.
"Maria, this is JC and Justin...and I'm sure you know Lance..." I said.
"Yeah, we met. He is so cute and funny..." Maria said as she smiled at him.
"OH........go on...." he said as we all laughed.
"Well, we should go somewhere tonight....just the...1..2....3...4.....5, 6 of us..." I said.
"We can go see a movie...." Justin suggested.
"Okay...." I said.
So, we set off for a very interesting night. =)
Gaby, Maria, and I all walked into the mall theater with the guys close behind.
We decided we were going to see "Stigmata". We had no idea what it was going to be about, so we were in for quite a surprise.
We all walked in, Me next to Justin, Gaby next to JC, and Maria next to Lance. When the movie started, I looked over at Justin and held his hand. Although I couldn't see real well, I could have swore that Lance had his arm around Maria. We must have something in our family that the guys find appealing. =) (Note: Maria isn't my twin sister, and I've never met Gaby, but we all talk on the internet, and they always send me such positive feedback, so I just had to put them in the story!)
(One more thing, thanks to my best friend, Alex McDaniel, for giving me her personal experience with the movie to put in here.)
About half way through the movie, Gaby began feeling really bad. "Jayme, I don't feel so good...." she said to me.
"Are you okay?" I asked her, concerned.
"No..." she said.
"C'mon...." I said as I grabbed her hand. We began to walk out of the movie. As soon as we reached the hall, I was walking in front of her.
"Do you need something to drink? Gaby? GABY?" I said as I turned around.
She must have passed out, because she was lying on the ground.
I immediately ran to her.
"Oh my god, Gaby? Are you okay?"
I ran into the theater.
"Guys, Gaby passed out..." I said.
A group of teenagers turned around.
"Excuse me, but we are trying to watch the movie...."
"Uh, Mind your own business...."JC said as we all ran out.
"Hey, aren't you.....?" she began to say, but we ran out too fast.
Gaby was still lying on the ground.
JC dropped to his knees to help her.
"Gaby, Gaby....it's JC. C'mon....wake up, please...."
Her eyes fluttered as they opened wearily.
"Wh-What happened?" she said as she sat up.
"You passed out cold...." I said.
"Oh. Gosh, I feel like an idiot...."
"Just focus on standing up for now..." I said as I extended my arm to help her up.
"I think I'm okay now...." she said.
"You want to go home?" Maria said as she examined her eyes.
"Uh, nah....let's just get outta here..." she said.
So, we all walked into the mall to do some shopping.
The girls seperated into one group and the guys in another.
As we browsed the clothes of A&F, I had to fill myself in on the gossip.
"So, Maria....what is up with you and Lance?" I said as I examined a shirt.
"Nothing....he's really sweet...."
"How sweet? Like, "he's a really great friend sweet", or "he's totally dateable sweet"?"
She laughed. "Jayme! Don't be prying in on my lovelife..."
"Fine, Gaby...what about you and JC?" I asked.
"Well....I won't tell you everything, but he is really caring....and REALLY cute..."
"Ugh! That's all.....you 2 are no fun...." I said as I looked at a cute pair of jeans.
They looked at each other before Maria said, "What about you and Justin? Lovers once again?? I mean, am I mistaken, or was that you checking out his butt at the movies?"
I scoffed. "I happened to be looking out for where I was walking. It's dangerous in those theaters!!"
They burst out laughing as we walked out of the store.
Bed, Bath, And Body Works......
"Jc, can we please leave? Can't we go to Foot Locker, or something?" Justin whined.
"Yall, I want to get something for Gaby. I want to make sure she's okay..."
Lance frowned as he looked at a price on a candle.
"This stuff won't cure anything but a money overload..."
"You guys, Gaby is really special to me...." he said.
Lance gasped. "I do believe the man who says he wants to really get to know a person before they have a relationship has a case of love at first sight..."
"Well, what about you and Maria?" JC said.
"That's different.....I ALWAYS believe in love at first sight...." Lance said as he smiled.
They all laughed before paying for the stuff and leaving the store.
As we caught up with the guys, we noticed they all carried brown bags.
"Hey..." I said as I gave Justin a hug and he handed me the bag. I looked inside to see candles, perfume, all that kind of stuff.
They all bought us the same stuff which we loved.
When the night was over, me, Gaby, and Maria all slept on the floor in my room.
There was a knock on the door. I opened it and saw it was Justin. I closed it behind me as Maria and Gaby gave me funny looks.
"Jayme, I just wanted to say that I'm glad that you're part of my life again."
"Thanks, Justin.....you're lots of fun to be around..." I said.
He leaned in and gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek.
"Well, I probably better get to sleep....." I said as I walked back in the room.
Gaby and Maria both looked at me expecting me to say something.
"Okay...." I said as I dished the whole story.
The next day, Gaby, Maria, and I all went to a press conference the guys were having. It was all about me in the hospital. How stupid is that? A whole conference making sure that America's hottest guys didn't have girlfriends? No, I don't think so.=)
I sat down next to Gaby and Maria in the back room watching the TV that broadcasted the press conference. The room was filled with reporters asking questions and snapping cameras.
"Mr. Timberlake, what is your relationship to Jayme?" one asked.
"I'd prefer if you called her Ms. Phillips, and nothing. We are just good friends. Next question.."
"Mr. Timberlake! How do you respond to allegations that you 2 are dating?"
"As I said before, we aren't dating. We are just friends..next question....."
"Is it true that Ms. Phillips had caused multiple disputes with the band?"
"No, no, NO! She is our friend. No disputes, nothing. She has been a friend of ours since before the band started...next question, please..." he said in a distinguishing tone.
"Did you break up with Ms. Spears because of her?"
Justin walked off into the back room in disgust.
I held my head down as I rubbed my temples.
He stormed in. "Can you believe that? I clear up one allegation and they move on to another.."
"Yeah, Justin....I can believe it. Why can't you just tell them?"
"Tell them what?"
"About us, Justin! God, are you just going to hide me forever?"
"No, but you know that I can't tell them...."
Gaby and Maria snuck out as they noticed a fight was in the mix.
"Why, Justin? Because a damn contract says you can't? Or because you don't want to...." I said as I jumped up.
"Of course I want to...."
"No you don't, Justin....don't you see? I am SICK of living in your shadows....I'm outta here...." I said as I grabbed my bag and left.
"Jayme...." he called but I had already walked out the door.
I sat outside and cried.
"Jayme? Gaby! She's over here......" Maria said as she sat down beside me.
"What's wrong sweetie?"
"Nothing. Justin just wants to hide me from everybody, and that's okay with me. I guess....."
Gaby ran over and sat on the opposite side.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Justin's making an ass out of himself...." Maria said.
"OH....I see..." Gaby said.
I laughed quietly.
"Thanks guys. You can always make me laugh......"
"Hey, what are friends and sisters for?" Gaby said.
"Thanks. I guess I'll have to take care of this myself....." I said.
"Sis, please don't do anything to the band......they are SO cute...." Maria said.
"Oh, I won't bother the band.....just 1/5 of it...." I said as we all laughed.
(Ok, Jayme isn't a pathological person, I just couldn't think of an ending for the chapter. She's not gonna do anything bad to Justin. =)
I avoided Justin for much of the day, but one night, about 2 weeks later, I put on my cutest dress and headed out of my room.
We went into the living room and saw the guys sitting there.
"I hope this works......" Gaby whispered.
"Hey, Jayme....can I talk to you?"
"Uh, no.....but you CAN listen....." I said.
"Here's the deal. You either tell the world about our relationship or I'm gone....for good this time......" I said as the pain in my voice became noticable.
"Jayme.....we've been over this...."
"Is that a no?" I said.
"Jayme....."
"Justin, I'm giving you 2 days to give me an answer....on friday, it's either tell the fans, or I go again........forever....." I said as tears welled up in my eyes.
He sighed and looked down. "2 days?" he said.
"2 days...." I replied.
"Okay....." he replied. His band members stared at him. He wasn't actually considering it, was he?
"Justin. No way are you going to think about this!" JC said.
"Yeah, you know the contract guidelines. I mean, no offense, Jayme, but we have to go by the rules, or we are no longer N Sync...." Lance said.
"You guys.....just, I need to get outta here....." Justin said as he walked out the door.
"Well, Jayme. I hope you're happy...." JC said coldly.
"What?"
"You don't understand how hard it is on us. And, if he chooses you....well, that could very well be the end of us....." he said.
"I'm sorry.....I mean....." I said.
"Whatever....I'm leaving...." Jc said.
They all left and it was only me, Gaby, and Maria.
"I seem to be screwing this up really bad......" I said.
"No, it's okay........JC's just mad. Justin will make the right decision...." Maria said.
"I hope so....." I said.
Justin sat in the park alone.
"How could she do this to me? She knows I love her, just why?" he pondered.
Joey came running to the bench where Justin was sitting.
"Oh, hey....." Justin said.
"Justin, we have to talk...." he said as he took a seat next to us.
"Okay...what about?" he said.
"I'll just come right out and say it, Justin. There is no way you can tell the fans about you and Jayme...."
"I know....." Justin replied.
"No, you don't, Justin. Do you realize that everything we've worked our asses off for can disappear in a matter of minutes?"
"Our fans wouldn't do that to us..."
"Reality check, Justin. They're teenage girls......and they expect to marry us someday!"
Justin gave him this sarcastic look.
"Justin, don't look at me like that. You KNOW it's true. Now, you have a choice. You either tell the fans and ruin everything we've accomplished. Or, you sit down and explain to Jayme the circumstances..."
"And, if she refuses to listen?"
"Well, then....you're going to have to make a choice. The band....or Jayme..."
Justin thought long and hard about that. Hopefully, it would all work out in some way.
Hopefully.
"Guys, did I do the right thing?" I said as I sat on the couch worried.
"I mean, it doesn't really matter if he tells the fans....we'll still be us, won't we?"
"Hmm-mmm..." Gaby said as she nodded her head.
"What do you think?" I said as I looked at Maria.
"Who, me? I am not saying anything..."
I sighed in frustration. I reached for the phone and walked into my room.
I dialed Justin's number slowly.
"Hello?" he said..
"Justin?" I said as my voice was a little shaky.
"Jayme? Yeah, it's me..."
"Um, you know what? Don't worry about it......."
"When you say 'it', you mean....."
"Yeah. It really doesn't matter....."
"Are you sure? I mean..."
"Justin? Just come home, okay? Just come home..." I said.
Chapter 4