The rain pelted furiously against the maroon and sliver bus as it drove along the highway. The sky was so overcast with ominous clouds that it was hardly apparent to the observer's eye that the time was just after noon. The dismal mood outside seemed to affect the goings-on inside.
"Will you PLEASE stop complaining and let me sleep?" JC whined, his head buried under a mound of pillows in his bunk.
"Dude, I can't help it! The rain made the satellite get all screwed up and now I can't watch my show!" Joey flung himself on the couch to continue his sulking.
"Joey, its DAYS OF OUR LIVES! I can tell you what's gonna happen…someone is going to have sex with someone they aren't supposed to, because that person is married to their brother, sister, best friend, ect. Then someone is going to come back from the dead, and someone else is going to get amnesia. Now, shut the hell up so I can get some sleep!"
"But I will be bored!" Joey continued.
Lance's deep voice broke through from the front of the bus. "Watch porn or something Joe! Just be quiet!"
Joey whined again, "But they don't MAKE porn on DVD yet!"
Justin looked up from the floor where he was reading a magazine. "Why don't you go call Cordelia? I am sure she will keep you occupied until we stop."
"Ohh, good idea!" Joey grabbed his phone off the small shelf behind him and ran to his bunk, stepping on JC in the process of climbing up.
"Dammit Joey!" he yelled, before dozing off again.
Justin continued to read his magazine, but his attention kept wandering out the window. The drops that chased their way down the tinted glass and the soothing sounds they made against the aluminum siding fascinated him. He got caught up in his thoughts, not even noticing when the bus jerked to a stop. It was only Chris' voice that broke into his reverie.
"Huh?" Justin replied.
"Do you want to get out and get some food?" Chris repeated slowly, as if he were talking to a small child.
Justin's stomach growled in response. "You heard the man, let's go!"
The pair made their way to the front quickly, pausing only to pick up their hats and glasses from their bunks. JC was still snoring lightly and Joey's voice could be heard, softly sweet-talking his girlfriend of 3 months. They passed Lance on their way out, hunched over some papers at the table. Once they were at the door, with their hats and glasses in place and secured, they opened it and made a mad dash through the rain and into the shelter of the store.
"You go get the sodas and I will take care of the chips and stuff," Chris said, pointing Justin to the back of the store.
Justin grabbed two Big Gulp cups and stood at the soda fountain, filling one with Coke and one with Mountain Dew. He put the caps gingerly on top, and zigzagged through the aisles picking up things he was certain Chris would have forgotten. When at last he had two bags of sunflower seeds, a few packages of Soft Batch cookies and three of Haribo gummi bears, Justin started to approach the counter, where he could see what he assumed was Chris' newly shorn hair waiting for him. He assumed this because his pile of goodies was all but blocking the little view he had through his tinted glasses in the poorly lit store. The next few seconds seemed like they were in slow motion. His quick movements caused him to slam into something in front of him-hard. His grasp on the items in his hands was lost, and the sodas splashed into a puddle. From the surprised gasp that was heard, Justin realized that it was not something that he ran into, but someone. A female someone.
Justin squeezed his eyes shut, to block out the reality of the situation, then opened them again. The young girl in front of him was undeniably attractive; that was the first thing that he noticed about her. She had extremely light blonde hair that fell just past her shoulders, and her skin was a milky white that didn't require a tan. Her light purple tank top and white jeans were now stained with streaks of bright yellow and brown. She seemed to be about 17 years old, which was perfect in Justin's eyes. He would flash her one of his famous smiles and help her up and she could go home bragging to all of her friends that she touched Justin Timberlake.
"Let me help you up," he said smoothly, offering his hand.
The girl's head shot up from where it had been focused on the dingy tiles she had been pushed onto. Her large bright blue eyes were full of anger and contempt. "Don't you think you've done enough?" Her voice was harsh, but softened by the accent that complimented it beautifully. It sounded to Justin like it was from somewhere in Scandinavia, but now was not the time to ask. The girl pushed herself to her feet, and stood looking pointedly at Justin. He smiled at her, and stuck out his hand to shake hers. "I don't need a handshake. I want an apology."
"I'm sorry sweetheart, but I didn't see you." Justin continued to flash his smile, hoping that it would start to soften the pretty girl's expression. Seeing that it had no effect, he started to take off his glasses, thinking that maybe she just didn't recognize him.
"That was the most pathetic apology I think I have ever heard," she replied, her thick accent forcing Justin to hang on her every word.
"Ex-excuse me?" he asked, slightly shocked that she hadn't recognized him and then either freaked out or started flirting. No, her face was still fixed in the same angry expression that she had worn from the second he saw first saw her. "I said I was sorry, what more do you want?"
"You said it hoping I would fall at your feet and worship you, and totally forget that knocked me on my ass and ruined my clothes," she said, surveying the damage that the soda had caused.
Again, he was shocked, but this time at how accurately she had pegged him. "Um, no…I didn't," Justin replied lamely.
The girl rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Justin."
Third shock of the conversation. "You…you know who I am?"
"When will you silly Americans learn that hat does not equal disguise," she retorted, shaking her head. "And to answer your question, no, I don't know you. I know your name, there's a difference."
Justin was starting to get fed up with this girl's attitude. "Listen, I said I was sorry, and I offered to help you up. There isn't much more I can say, so I am just gonna pay for this stuff and leave, is that all right with you princess?"
She laughed haughtily. "If only you knew how often I heard that. I have to go to a class and it looks like I am going to be late seeing as I have to go to the dorms and change now. If you are ever in Seattle again, do me a favor, and find some other damsel in distress to fall all over you, OK?" The girl flipped her back over her shoulder and proceeded to walk toward the door.
"What's your name?" Justin called out suddenly.
"Why do you want to know my name Mr. Heartthrob? If you were planning on writing home and telling mommy that you found the mother of her grandchildren, you better pinch yourself," she said, without turning around.
Justin let out a disgusted laugh. "More like I needed a name to write down on my shit list."
"Oh my god! I am on THE Justin Timberlake's shit list. I think I may faint."
Her impersonation of one of the pre-teens that frequented Nsync shows was dead on, and in different circumstances, he would have laughed. But in this instance, he just gritted his teeth together and said, "Nevermind."
"Use your imagine-ation, Mr. Heartthrob," she said, and left, the jingling bell on the door and Justin's angry stare the only testaments that she was there to begin with.
"What a bitch!" Justin muttered, before once again starting toward the counter, leaving his mess behind.
Chris tried to stop laughing as Justin approached, but it was impossible. "Justin, man, I have never seen you get shot down so hard in my life!"
"I'm not in the mood for this Chris."
"I mean, she told you off! I have never seen a teenage girl do that to you."
"Shut up Chris."
"She was HOT though. Man, if she didn't hate you so much I would've gone over and asked for her number or something. For Lance of course, not for me, because well, I like my freed..."
"THAT'S ENOUGH CHRIS!"
Chris started to laugh again. "Sorry."
"Let's just go before they leave us and we have to chase the bus again." They looked at each other and then out to the parking lot where the bus was pulling away from the gas pump.
"SHIT!" they both screamed as they grabbed their purchases, minus the things that Justin had dropped, and ran through the rain to the bus.
