“Justin, man what is up with you today? You’ve been spaced out since we got on the plane.” JC asked as he came up to his friend as they entered their dressing room. The others were finishing up their dinner but again, Justin wasn’t that hungry.
Justin sat down on the leather couch that was in the middle of the room. He looked around and saw the rows of clothing for their multiple wardrobe changes that occurred throughout the show later that night.
He started thumbing through a magazine that lay on top of the coffee table that his legs were now spread out on. “Nothings wrong. I’m just tired.”
JC didn’t buy that excuse at all. He came around the table and sat beside Justin on the couch. He grabbed the magazine and threw it on the floor. “Don’t give me that crap. You look like someone ran over your dog or something. And I know you stayed up with Britney for most of the night but you left to go after Liz. Something happened, didn’t it?”
Justin looked at the magazine on the floor and went to grab it but JC kicked it out of his reach. He gave his friend an evil look and rolled his eyes before he grunted and threw himself against the back of the couch. “Fine, you want to know what happened?” Justin asked and JC merely nodded.
“Well, I went to find her and we talked a few minutes…well, we yelled a little but then she came up to me and told me that she wanted to be with me. She made the moves on me and I thought that things were going to work out but when Brit called, Ebby told me not to leave. I tried to tell her that I’d be back but she wouldn’t listen. She doesn’t want me anywhere near Britney and I just can’t do that to my friend so I left.”
JC hit Justin in the head with his palm. “Are you that stupid?”
“WHAT? I’m not about to leave what I have with Britney because Ebby suddenly has feelings for me. That’s not fair for her to ask me to stop seeing my friend.” Justin protested while rubbing the spot on his head where he was hit.
JC just rolled his eyes at him. “Justin, did Liz ever say that you have to stop being friends with Britney or did she want you to stop being ‘friends’ with her?”
“Um, okay, I’m confused now. What are you talking about?”
JC turned his body to face his friend and pulled both legs up on the couch. “What I’m saying is that Liz doesn’t want you to stop being friends with Britney but this is the second time you’ve run off to go talk to her when you’ve had Liz with you. How is she suppose to react when you run to Britney every chance you get?”
“JC, I’d do the same thing if one of you guys needed me.”
“No you wouldn’t. You’d tell us to sleep on because you were busy with a girl but when Brit calls, you come running. Now, I know you told Liz about your get togethers with Britney so she knows something is up when you go after her but has anything happened between you two since Liz came into the picture?”
That was a fair enough question for JC to be asking but Justin didn’t like it. “Man, I don’t have to go into that with you. Yeah, Brit and me have shared a few kisses here or there but nothing serious. I just wish Ebby would see that. She totally freaked when she saw me this morning.”
JC looked at him strangely after he said that. “Um, when did you see Lizzy? They left before we even got up.”
Justin looked down at his feet where his heels were tapping on the table. “Oh, well, when I was coming out of Britney’s room...at three this morning” He said with a nervous shake in his voice.
JC hit himself in the head with his hand. “Were you doing anything that would have made Liz upset?” He asked, afraid of the answer.
Again, Justin looked to be quite nervous. “Well would you call hugging her and…kissing her - doing something?” He asked barely in a whisper.
JC smacked Justin again but in the arm this time. “Are you crazy? You tell Lizzy that you are just friends with Britney but you’re seen coming out of her room early in the morning and kissing her!”
“Hey, it was just on the forehead. It wasn’t like we were making out or anything.” Justin said defending himself yet again.
“Yeah well I’m sure by the look of it, that Liz thought you had finished up doing just that.”
Justin turned his head violently towards his friend. “JC NOTHING HAPPENED! We talked that’s all!” Justin yelled at him.
JC gave him a disgusted look and stood from the couch. “Man, you don’t have to yell at me because you have the problem. You need to figure out what it is you want and go for it. Just leave me out of it if you’re gonna get mad at me.” He said as he began walking away and out the door. He wasn’t about to take the abuse Justin was dishing out since he didn’t deserve it.
Justin sighed heavily and shook his head. “JC wait.” He spoke softly as his friend turned back around and crossed his arms over his chest. “Man, I’m sorry. I’m just tired of all this crap and want it to end.”
JC nodded his head and slowly made his way back to the couch to sit down. “Look, how do you feel about Liz anyway?”
Justin sat up and put his head in his hands as his elbows connected with his knees. “I don’t know. It’s just that…”
“No, you do know. Don’t think about anything else but what you feel for Liz. Take out the group, your mom, even Britney. What are you feeling for only Liz?” He asked again.
Justin looked to the ceiling, hoping to find the words to describe what was inside. “JC, I am completely intrigued by her. She is beautiful, not only because of the way she looks on the outside but what comes from within her, just makes her shine in my eyes. She knows how to handle herself and is determined to do what she wants. I know she’s stubborn but I tell you when she more or less grabbed me and kissed me last night that was all I needed. If I ever doubted what I was feeling for her, it was shattered last night. Simply put, I want her.”
JC shook his head and sat up next to Justin. “So, add Britney in the mix and now how do you feel?”
Justin knew that was the question of the century. “I love Britney. She is my lifeline, my rock, the one person other than you guys, that knows what I’m going through and is there for me. She’s going through it all with me and I can’t imagine having someone else in my life that would ever take her place. But Liz just doesn’t understand that I can have them both. I need Britney’s friendship but I want Liz’s…well, you know.” He said and JC started laughing.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s what you want. Listen, Britney will always be there for you, you know that. She is the type of friend that will stick with you through it all but sometimes you cross that line between friendship and…well, you know. Then it’s no longer about the friendship, its something much more. Can you, or do you even want to, have that with Liz? Can you go on with Britney and keep it on a friendly level while giving Liz your all, or will there always be something holding you back?”
Justin thought about what JC was saying. “If you’re asking me if I’m gonna marry Britney, then NO. We will be friends but I don’t think it will ever come to that so I do see what you’re saying. I’m just afraid to let myself go like that, and for someone that I only meet a short time ago. Ebby’s great and all but do I really want to risk it by giving her a chance? And how do I make her see that Britney can be just a friend and nothing more?”
“If you want a relationship with Liz, then you’re gonna have to figure out how to make her trust you. It all comes down to that. You don’t fully trust her - and I’m not saying that to be mean. In our line of work, it takes a lot to trust someone and put your faith in them, but I think Lizzy is someone you can have that with.”
JC looked at Justin to see if he was understanding what he was talking about.
“Your mom trusts her and she has a great eye for those things. The other girls trust her too, so maybe you should as well. Now, as far as Britney is concerned, if you want Liz, then keep Brit as a friend and only a friend. No more late night chats with little make out sessions in between topics. You’re gonna have to watch that because Liz needs someone to trust as well. You’ve already said you wanted her so now you have to figure out how to get her.”
Justin slowly shook his head but wasn’t sure how to go about completely the task at hand - or if he could. “I wouldn’t know where to start. She probably wouldn’t even talk to me right now.”
JC smiled evilly. This was what he had hoped for. Now Lance could come in on this and their plan could take form - with the help of a few of their friends. They would get the two of them together if it was the last thing they did. All they needed was to make sure that Justin and Liz wanted to be together, then they would do the rest.
“Justin, don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll think of something.” He said as he patted his friend on the back. “Look, we need to get ready for the show. The others will be here soon so let’s go.” He said as he leapt off the couch, soon followed by Justin.
They had a lot to do before tonight and even more for JC to do before Liz and the others joined them in a month.
If all went according to plan, Liz would be thanking him and the others in the end. But if things went wrong, then they could lose it all. They were going to be taking a BIG risk and investing in a few counterparts that would surely tick Liz off but maybe make her mad enough to see Justin in a new light.
Time would only tell if they could make it work.
(10 Days later)
Well, for the last week or so, the girls had worn themselves out, going from show to show and interview to interview. They were very excited about what they had accomplished but were running down. They only had a few more days left with Britney and then were heading back to Orlando to rest up and get ready for the end of ‘Nsync’s tour.
As far as Liz was concerned, she had done a convincing job at making the others think she was okay. She had explained to the girls that her and Justin just didn’t work out, without going in to much detail. They never pushed because after JC filled Lance and the other guys in on what Justin said to him, he called the girls and they formulated a plan of getting the two of them together when they joined the tour in a few weeks.
The girls couldn’t wait because they could tell Liz was still hung up on Justin but dove into work to hid from it.
She had truly made a 180 in that department. After talking things over with Molly and thinking about what she was really wanting out of life, she decided that worrying about Justin when he wasn’t even around, was dumb on her part.
As far as she knew, he hadn’t even stopped by Brit’s tour since opening night. Oh, she heard some talk about him flying in and staying the night, only to leave before anyone woke up, but Liz didn’t believe it. Lynn would have confirmed that fact if it were true but she hadn’t.
Liz had tried to remain quiet about the possible job offer she was waiting on from Lynn as well. Although she hadn’t really thought about staying for Justin, the idea of actually being around him if she stayed was what bothered her. Could she face him when he would come to see his mom, if the two weren’t together? She wasn’t sure of that yet. She put those thoughts behind her and chose to wait to see him in a few weeks before she flipped out…AGAIN.
As far as Britney was concerned, Liz stayed away from her. She didn’t have anything against her, per say, but seeing her reminded Liz that Britney had Justin’s heart and not her. She had seen her around but tried to go the other way so she wouldn’t have to talk to her but unfortunately for Liz, today she wasn’t so lucky.
“Ebby?”
Liz turned around with a clipboard in her hand and had to adjust the glasses on her head before registering who was calling on her. There were two people that had called her Ebby and Trace was one of them but had said it only one time when they first met. The other person wasn’t a female but that was the voice that called her this time.
She had to wipe the shocked look off her face when she realized Britney was standing right in front of her. “Um, please don’t call me that. My name is Liz.” She said, trying not to sound bitchy but it came out that way.
Britney apologized to her and continued. “I’m sorry. It’s just that Justin talks about you all the time and that’s what he calls you.”
Liz looked back at the papers in her hands and wrote a few things on them while answering her. “Yeah, well he talks about you too so I guess I should call you Brit then, huh?” She said, bringing her eyes up to meet the younger woman in front of her. She smiled sarcastically at her then tapped her pen loudly on the metal tip of her clipboard.
Britney tried to ignore the smug look Liz was giving her and continued on with what she was trying to say. “Okay, if you want to call me that, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
Liz had to interrupt. She was getting tired of this and wanted to cut to the chase. “Listen, Britney, I’m really busy and I’m sure you are too so why don’t you just tell me what it is that you want so we can both get back to work.” She said as she put down the papers and tucked them tightly under her arm. She pushed her glassed back up the bridge of the nose and awaited Britney’s response.
She had to swallow hard so she could control her temper. She didn’t know Liz that well but from this display, she wondered why Justin would find her appealing in the least. “Well, I can see that you don’t really want to talk to me so I’ll just put it like this: I know you have a thing for Justin and he obviously has feelings for you too, but you think that I am a threat to whatever it is that is going on. I came here to talk to you and let you know that we are just friends. We do get together every once…”
Liz held up her hands to make her stop. “Britney, first off, I have heard all that about a million times. Second, yes I had a thing for Justin but its over. We don’t belong together, I know that now. So, please if that’s all you wanted to talk about, then turn this way and say it to the wall cause I’m out of here.” She finished and began walking away.
Britney was beyond angry now. She wanted to convince Liz that she really wasn’t a threat to her and Justin but Liz wasn’t hearing any of it. “Liz wait.” She said as she caught up with her a few steps away.
Liz turned around and gave Britney a bored look. “What is it? I really need to get back.”
Britney took a deep breath to calm herself down before she snapped and slapped Liz. “Listen, I don’t know what the hell Justin sees when he looks at you but I can tell you what I see. I see a stubborn woman who won’t get off her high horse long enough to see what’s right in front of her face. You’ve got Justin if you want him. He’s waiting but instead you through me into all this and make him feel bad for what we have. I’m not saying that what’s going on with the two of us is right but that’s what we do. He needs someone to love him for him and treat him good but all I hear out of your mouth is ME, ME, ME. This isn’t about you, Liz, it’s about him and what makes him happy.”
Liz was on fire now. She didn’t appreciate Britney telling her what she should. “Britney, what I do or don’t about Justin is none of your damn business. I told you we have nothing but you don’t seem to listen. He doesn’t want me, I’ve accepted that and will confront him about it when I see him again but as for you, I really don’t want to talk anymore. Can’t you just be happy that you’ve won. You have Justin and no other girl in his life will ever measure up to you. You are perfect to him. I don’t even come close.” She said as she could feel a tear fighting to escape but she willed it away. She wouldn’t give Britney the satisfaction of seeing her cry over Justin.
Britney saw it though and merely shook her head. This woman was crazy about him, that was so obvious and she knew Justin felt the same. It sickened Britney to know that Justin wanted this stubborn as hell woman in front of her. ‘What does he see in her anyway?’ She asked herself as she shrugged her shoulders.
“That’s bull and you know it. Justin may love me as a friend but it’s you that he wants for more. I haven’t won anything but if you want to make a competition out of this, then bring it on.” She said as she turned and walked off with her bodyguard back to her dressing room. She had had enough of Liz and needed to make a phone call to someone who would listen to her grip and complain.
Liz shook in anger while Britney walked off. She was beside herself at that moment. She had been trained all her life to fight tooth and nail for what she wanted but here she was afraid to make a move. She didn’t know how to use what she had to win a man - knock one down a few blocks, yeah - but win his heart, that wasn’t something her mother had taught her.
She sighed loudly and hit herself in the head with the clipboard. ‘Why can’t you just keep your mouth shut and not start someone you can’t finish? I won’t win against Britney, she has what I don’t have: a past with Justin. I can’t compete.’
She finished her personal pity party then snapped out of it to continue her task and get back to work. She had a lot to do for the night and wanted it done and over with so she could go back to the hotel and sleep. Tomorrow HAD to be better, right?