Justin stared out the window of the taxi, the buildings and people flying past in a continuous blur. His hair ruffled slightly as the wind blew in from the open drivers window, gently making its way to the back of the cab and to where he sat nervously.
He was in Cleveland.
He had flown out that morning, without a thought in his head.
He had told Erin that he was going to Memphis to see his little brothers, and that he would be back the next day. She offered to go with him, but he quickly declined, explaining that he didn't get much time with them alone, and he wanted the chance for some normalcy and solitude. Thankfully, she understood, and didn't question him at all.
His conversation with Madison the day before had been one that he hadn't expected. He explained to her the reasons for him knowing Trystan. The night in New York. It was something he had never wanted to hear himself have to explain. Or even say out loud, but it wasn't an option. He knew he needed to be as honest with her as possible if he expected any kind of help from her at all. He didn't get into detail, mostly for his own sake than anything else, but she understood and didn't require any of the nitty gritty.
When he had explained about her meeting up with him in Cleveland, Madison had told him something that he hadn't expected. Trystan had told him that she had gone to Cleveland with the sole purpose of visiting Madison at school. Whereas Madison explained to him that Trystan had only called her an hour before the concert, explaining that she was in town and had gotten tickets to the show from 'a friend'.
This new information almost made Justin throw up. She had been stalking him from the start. Her main reason for going to Cleveland in the first place, was for him. To see him.
After explaining in more detail about the photo in his car, the phone calls, and the meeting with Trystan at her home, Madisons voice had changed.
At the beginning of the conversation, she seemed wary. As if trying to figure out why in the world Justin Timberlake would be calling her.
But by the end, it was completely different. No longer was she curious as to why he seeked her out. Instead, she was afraid. Her voice laced with nervous anxiety and fear.
Her reaction had caused the same feelings in Justin.
After confiding in Madison everything he had been thinking and feeling, he asked her for her help. She said that she understood completely, and that she would help him. The moment she said that, Justin breathed his first sigh of relief in months. Then, she said that he had to come to Cleveland. She explained that there was more to Trystan than what he seemed to see, and that he needed to know a few things. She said that she couldn't talk about it over the phone, and requested that he come to Cleveland as soon as possible.
He was on a flight the next morning.
Pulling up outside her dormitory, Justin stared up at the looming building in front of him. He wasn't sure what to expect or what was to come, but he knew that either way he was going to get answers he desperately needed. Whether they turned out to be his savior, or to his own detriment, he would know what he was up against.
Stepping out of the cab, he closed the door as he continued to stare at the building. A cool breeze chilled his skin, and Justin tightened his jacket around himself protectively.
"Hey!" a voice called behind him.
Turning, Justin saw the cab driver staring at him.
"That will be $15.20"
Snapping himself out of his trance, Justin handed the driver a twenty, before turning back to the building as the cab pulled away.
Slowly, he made his way inside the dorm. Pulling his hat further down onto his head, he kept his head low as he made his way down the hall. Glancing to each side, he looked at the numbers on the doors.
Chattering voices filled the halls, as students continued to pass by him. Completely unaware that they were walking past Justin Timberlake, no one seemed to give him a second glance. Music filtered from some of the rooms, and Justin grinned when he heard Celebrity playing as he passed one of the rooms.
Climbing the stairs to the third floor, he quickly made his way towards the end of the hall. More students passed, several of the dorm doors open. As he glanced in, he could see people sitting around, doing homework, or talking on the phone.
So this was college life? He grinned to himself.
Stepping up to the door near the end of the hall, he stared at it. It was closed, no sound coming from within the small room.
Sighing to himself, he raised his hand to knock gently on its surface.
Sliding his hands in his pockets, Justin kept his eyes on the door in front of him. Listening intently, he waited for any sign of life from inside.
Moments later, the door slid open and a nervous young woman greeted him.
Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her clear skin kissed by the sun. Wearing an oversized sweatshirt with jeans, she looked just as he thought she would. The typical college student.
"Madison?"
"Hi, Justin." she greeted, her voice thick with nervousness. "Com'on in." Stepping back, she opened the door further to allow him inside.
Stepping in to the small room, he took a look around.
A desk sat immediately inside the door to his right, a computer, books and papers scattered across its surface. Two beds lined the far wall and the wall to his left, both made neatly. Two dressers sat in each corner of the room, a closet immediately to his left.
Stepping further inside, Justin removed his hat.
Madison closed the door, and she turned to face him. Her hands slid nervously up and down her legs as she looked at him.
She was living out every teenage girls fantasy. Justin Timberlake was in her room!
"Please, sit." she said, extending her hand to the bed to his left.
Sitting down, Justin removed his jacket and folded it neatly at his side. Placing his hat on top, his eyes scanned the room nervously before finally settling on Madison.
Sitting on the bed against the far wall, she folded her legs beneath herself. Looking at the floor, she sighed deeply before raising her green eyes to Justins.
"I'm sorry if coming here was a problem for you, but I didn't feel safe talking about this over the phone." she began. "I know what Trystan is like, and more importantly, I know what she is capable of."
Her blunt words brought Justins full attention to the girl across from him. Turning his body to face her completely, he tucked a leg beneath himself as he leaned forward.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean you're right to be wary of her. She's not just some typical fan who has become a little too interested in a pop singer. But I'm sure you've figured that out already, or you wouldn't be here."
Justin didn't respond. He just continued to stare at her, her words penetrating his brain.
"Ive been thinking a lot about what we talked about yesterday, Justin. And I am going to be honest with you." Pausing for a moment, Madison looked at Justin hard. "She's dangerous." she blurted out. "Ive known her for more than six years, and I probably know her better than anyone."
"Wait, wait." Justin said, raising a hand to stop her. "What do you mean she's dangerous?"
"I mean it just as it sounds. She's dangerous."
"How? I mean, what is she capable of?"
Madison stood quickly from the bed, the action causing Justin to jump. Kneeling down at her bed, Madison reached underneath, pulling out a small box. Standing, she turned and sat on the bed beside Justin, the box in her hands.
Justin stared at it, his mind racing. It was a plain box; no design decorated its surface. No label or significance.
Pulling the top from the box, Madison removed several pieces of paper. Looking them over, Justin saw them to be photos and newspaper clippings.
"These were from a few years ago." Madison explained as she handed Justin a photograph. Looking at it, Justin recognized Trystan immediately. Her hair was longer, a light shade of brown. She was at the beach, the blue water shining in the background. Madison stood beside her, both girls smiling at the camera.
"That was taken at a beach party a few summers ago. We were in high school, sophomore year, and Trystan had developed a crush on a senior. Johnny Wilson. He was the quarterback, typical high school jock that every girl adored. He was the one who took that picture," she said, motioning to the photo in Justins hand. "Trystan would talk about him constantly. Saying how perfect he was, and how perfect she would be for him. She was convinced that they were meant to be together. She even had me come with her a few times to watch him at football practice. I thought it was no big deal. Just a crush. But then it got worse. She was constantly following him around. We were friends with his younger sister, and Trystan would always go over there to hang out with her, but really to be near Johnny. Finally, one day she told me that she was going to tell him how she felt. That she was sure he felt the same way, because he was always talking with her and tickling her. I knew it was just because he was a nice guy, and he was being nice to his little sisters friend, but there was no convincing Trystan." Taking the photo from Justins hand, Madisons eyes darkened as she continued. "That was the day of the homecoming beach party. We were all going together in one big group, and Trystan was at his side most of the night. Finally, they took a walk down the beach. A few hours later, Johnny came back, but Trystan wasn't with him. He looked upset, his face bruised. He walked passed us all and to his car, leaving. I waited for Trystan for hours, even going out with some friends to look for her. But we couldn't find her. I just figured that when she told him how she felt, he didn't feel the same way and she got upset, going home. I called, but her mom said she wasn't home. I was worried, but I didn't know what to do. I knew that if she needed me, she could call."
Madison paused, her finger grazing the photo in her hands.
"The next morning, I called again. Her mom said that I better come over, but she wouldn't tell me why. So I go over, and Trystan is in her room. Her face is bruised, and she has scratches on her arms. I asked her what happened, and she tells me that Johnny had tried to rape her."
Justins eyes widened, but he didn't make a sound. He pictured each event in his mind as Madison took her walk down memory lane.
"I got so upset, and I started crying. I hugged her, but when I pulled back, I saw that she wasn't crying. She just had this.....this strange look on her face. Not what I expected at all. I mean, if something like that happened to me, I know I would be freaking out. But she wasn't. She had this completely calm look on her face. Almost as if she was faking."
"He was arrested. He said over and over that he didn't do it. That he didn't lay a hand on her. He said that she told him that she loved him, and when he said he liked her only as a friend, that she started flipping out on him. She was screaming and hitting him, yelling that she knew he loved her. He said he tried to calm her down, but she just got more and more crazy." A tear slid down Madisons cheek, but she continued. "He was charged with aggravated assault and attempted rape. He was eighteen, and got charged as an adult. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He's still in jail now."
"The day after the trial, after he was sent away, he saw Trystan. She was laughing and carrying on as if nothing had happened. And that is when I knew. I knew that she was faking it. I knew I had no proof, and there was nothing I could do. But I know that she was faking it, and that he really didn't do it."
Justins mind was reeling with the images and information given to him. He was hardly able to process any of it.
Madison reached into the box, pulling out a few articles that outlined the details of the events she had explained to him. Justin looked them over, his eyes not focusing on the words.
Madison watched the pages in his hands as he stared at them, before turning her attention back to the box.
"She moved after that. Her parents said that there were too many bad memories there. That they needed to get away. We kept in touch, but we were never quite as close. I could never look at her the same way knowing what she had done."
Looking into the box, Justin noticed another photo. "Who is that?"
"That's Ashley Parker." Madison said, reaching in to pull the photo out. "She was Trystans roommate in college the year before last. They were really close during their freshman year. They even both liked the same guy. Mike Rogers. Turns out that Mike liked Ashley, and that was unacceptable to Trystan."
Justins eyes rose to Madisons, and he was frightened at the look on her face. She looked terrified.
"What happened?" he asked, speaking for the first time in a long while.
Looking over at Justin, Madison frowned. "Ashley had an accident." she said. Justin knew exactly what she meant by the word accident. Meaning, it was not that at all. "Ashley was a bike rider. She would always go on these long rides around town and through the country. One day, she was riding through the woods, and her brakes on her bike failed. She couldn't stop, cause she was going down hill, and she lost control. She hit a tree, and hit her head pretty bad and broke her hip. She was in the hospital for a few weeks. The police said it was just an accident. A one in a million occurrence. But I knew better. I knew it was Trystan who had done it. She wanted Ashley out of the way. Since Ashley was in the hospital, she was spending more and more time with Mike. Comforting him and all. Then she got what she wanted. They dated for a while, before he transferred schools. Ashleys still in school. She has to walk with a cane sometimes cause of her hip."
Wiping the tears from her face, Madison turned to Justin. "I knew this was going to happen." she said.
"What?"
"I knew it. I saw it in her eyes the day of the concert. I could see that look on her face as she watched you, and it was like seeing it all over again. The same look she had with Johnny. With Mike." Rubbing her hands over her face, she sighed. "When she called me and told me that she got tickets to the meet and greet, I was worried. I tried to convince her not to go, but she was determined. I went because I didn't want her to go alone. I wanted to see how she would act with you, just in case I was wrong about before."
"Wait a minute," Justin said, stopping her. "She said that your brother got the passes for you. That he worked for the venue."
Madisons eyes narrowed. "Justin, I don't have a brother."
His heart skipped a beat.
"When you had her meet you backstage, she had me wait in the car. I was nervous, but I had to be there. I had to see what she would do. When she came out, she was frantic. She was yelling, screaming that you had pushed her aside after everything you two had been through together. She hadn't told me anything about the night in New York, and when I tried to ask her what she was talking about, she just kept yelling. She said that you weren't going to use her like this, and that she wasn't going to let you go. The next day, she seemed completely different. It was as if none of it had even happened. She was laughing, saying how good it was to see you again. We went to the airport, and were going to go home. Her flight was later than mine, so she saw me off. I thought she had returned home. I had no idea she was still in Orlando."
Turning to him, she placed her hand on his.
"Justin, you have to go to the police." she urged. "I know you think you can handle this on your own, but believe me. If she is obsessed with you, then there is no escaping her. She will do whatever it takes to get what she wants."
"I cant go to the police, Madison. I just cant do that." he said, his eyes falling to his hands.
"She will go after Erin." she said plainly. Justins eyes shot to hers. "If she feels Erin is a threat to her, or a barricade stopping her from getting what she wants, she will go after her. She's crazy, Justin. When she feels this strongly about something, there is no escaping her. She will continue to follow you, until she is sick of hiding in the shadows. Then she will do whatever it takes to get you."
Justin didn't know what to do. He couldn't go to the police for so many reasons. If he did, then chances were that the media would get involved. A Justin Timberlake stalker was what those people thrived on, and he wasn't about to have his life, or the details of his situation, broadcast to the world.
"There has to be another way." he said, his eyes lowering to the bed. "There has to be something we can do to stop her."
Madison sighed, rubbing her eyes with a hand. "I don't know how to help you, Justin. I mean, I don't know what she is going to do. But if she really does think she's in love with you, then please be careful. Please, don't take her for granted. She is smart. Really smart, and she's capable of things that we would never think of."
"Is there any way you could talk to her?" Justin asked, his eyes pleading with her. "I mean, you guys are close. Maybe you can convince her to come home. Somehow, make her see that she is wasting her time." Justins eyes fell again. "I know its a lot to ask, but I don't know what else to do."
"I don't know if she would listen to me, Justin. To be perfectly honest, I don't think she would. With Trystan, an obsession is blinding. No one can tell her differently, or that what she wants is unobtainable."
"Please, Madison. You're my only hope. Would you at least try?"
Madisons eyes fell as she struggled with the request he made. Justin sat still, nervously watching her as she thought.
Finally, looking up at him, she sighed.
"Okay." she said quietly. "I will try."
"Thank you," he said, squeezing her hand. "Thank you so much."
Talking a few moments longer, Justin stood to leave. Madison was scared for him, that was obvious, and that only increased his wariness.
She said she could call Trystan that night, and see what she could do. Justin said he would come back to her dorm in the morning and see her again, since his flight wasn't until the afternoon.
Pulling back on his jacket, and returning his hat to his head, Justin stepped out into the hall. It felt as if he had been in that room for years, but life outside had carried on. Students continued to walk up and down the halls, continuing on their way.
Turning back to Madison, he reached out and hugged her gently. "Thank you," he said. "I honestly cant thank you enough for what you're doing."
"Its okay." she said. "To be honest, its partly for me." When he looked at her questioningly, she sighed. "I still feel as if I could have done something to change what happened with Johnny. Like if I had said something it would have turned out differently. This way, its a chance for me to stop her before it happens again."
Justin smiled at her, before squeezing her hand. Giving her one last reassuring smile, he turned and walked down the hall.
Madison watched him for a moment, before he turned and smiled at her before jogging down the stairs and out of sight as she returned to her room, closing the door behind her.
Neither of them were aware that a pair of watchful eyes were focused on them, or that their secret meeting wasn't so secret.
