“WHAT THE HELL!”
The shout was heard throughout the small area where other occupants of the hotel were eating breakfast. Several eyes turned to notice the overheated young lady as she threw her jelly-spread toast on her plate and quickly stood up. She grabbed the newspaper, from which she had been reading, placed a couple of quarters on the table to tip the teenage girl who had brought her drink, and rushed passed the on-lookers as she exited the lounge.
She was on a mission and could barely see straight from the fire that burned in her eyes. She didn’t apologize to the elderly couple when she bumped into them on her way to the elevators. She didn’t notice the stares from the people who rode up with her to the forth floor when she said a few choice words out loud. She was merely preparing herself to let loose on the person she was searching for.
As the elevator door opened with a ‘DING’, Liz felt she was starting a boxing match. But the person she sought as her sparing partner had no idea that she was able to go ten rounds without breaking a sweat.
She had softened her rough exterior for only a short time but was now back in full and she was ready to take on her next victim…and rip her head off in the process.
“Hey Lizzy, what’s going on?” Veronica asked as her and Nikki shut the door to their hotel room and headed down the hall. They were met with two fiery eyes that told them to ‘back off’.
Liz merely walked passed them and marched towards the large man who stood in front of room #436.
Veronica and Nikki knew who’s room Liz was heading for, quickly got the attention of the other three girls in their group by knocking on their doors, and scurried behind Liz to see what was going to happen.
Liz had remained far too quiet the past week and the girls worried about her but now they saw the anger in her eyes and knew they were about to see her in action.
Liz began banging on the door only to have the man standing to her left grab her hand to make her stop. She glanced up at the much larger man, gave him a raised brow then snatched her hand away from his hold.
“Look, I don’t give a rat’s ass who you are, I WILL see that bitch now or later - it’s your choice.” She said glaring back at him.
The girls looked at each other when they heard her say ‘bitch’. They knew Britney was in for it now.
“Ms. Matthews, I don’t know who you think YOU are but no one talks to me or Ms. Spears that way. Now, please just go to your room and cool off before you do or say something you might regret.”
Liz’s eyes flew open with that last statement. “Regret something I’LL say? How about what Britney will regret after I get through with her.” She yelled, getting right up in the bodyguard’s face.
The girls became very concerned by Liz’s outburst and Nikki was just about to step in front of her but was stopped short when Britney opened the door to her room.
“Damn, what’s all the shouting about?” She asked trying to wipe the sleep out of her eyes. “I can hear you out here yelling and….oh, hey Liz.” She said as she obtained a better view for who was outside her door.
The girls thought Liz would jump her right there. Something had definitely made Liz mad and Britney was going to get the blunt of her anger but she surprised them all by turning a 180 on them.
“Hey yourself Brit. I was wondering if I could speak to you for just a minute, please.” Liz asked, eyeing the large bodyguard who could merely shake his head at the calm nature of Liz now.
Britney looked around the hallway at the faces of her friends and felt the strange urge to run back in her room and bolt the door but decided that she would listen to whatever Liz had to say.
“Yeah, um do you want to come in now?”
“Now would be great.” Liz said as Britney held the door open for her to enter. As Liz passed the bodyguard, she tapped him on the shoulder and smiled innocently at him. She also glanced back at the girls and smiled just as sweet to them too. “See you guys in a bit.” She said as the door closed behind her to leave her alone with Britney.
Once inside, Liz looked around the room. She noticed the slue of clothes that were scattered all over the floor, the bed and the dresser.
“I can’t ever decide what I want to wear.” Britney replied when she saw what Liz was looking at. She started laughing and picked up a couple of shirts and pants that lay on the chairs by the small table in the corner. She motioned Liz to sit in the freshly cleaned seat.
Britney soon joined and propped her elbows up on the table. She rested her head in her hands and smiled at Liz. “So, what’s this all about? I don’t think you came here to have a friendly chat because I know you were yelling outside a minute ago. So, spill it.”
Liz’s upset demeanor came back full strength. She opened up the newspaper that she had gently tucked under her arm, folded it neatly so Britney would be able to see what she was talking about, handed it to her and told her to read the article out loud.
Britney gave her a questioning look but turned her eyes to the paper in front of her. “Spears’ Show Proves To Be More Than Expected…Oh, great they liked the show…” She started but only got a grunt from Liz.
“Keep reading.” She ordered.
Britney didn’t like the evil tone in her voice, shrugged her shoulders but continued to read. “Tuesday night’s show at the Waldorf Arena brought together moms, daughters, dads, sons and even a few grandparents to see one of today’s hottest tickets of the summer: Britney Spears. The show was packed full of…”
Liz interrupted again. “Not that part, read this.” She said as she grabbed the paper away from Britney. She folded it again then handed it back to her to read the right part.
Britney quickly looked over the words but when she didn’t read it out loud, Liz snatched it back. “If you won’t read it than I will.”
She started to read the middle of the article and to Britney’s dismay, Liz became madder by the second.
“If you were expecting to see your favorite boy band pop star member with his pop princess, then you’re in for a rude awakening. Speculation has risen recently when ‘Nsync front man Justin Timberlake was spotted at Britney’s hotel after several of her shows in the past week. It seemed that the couple couldn’t stand being separated for long but sources close to the singers and even Ms. Spears herself claim that he wasn’t there for her. In fact, he was visiting someone a little closer to home…”
Britney sat up straight and looked Liz in the eye. “Well, what’s wrong with that? We both know that he hasn’t come here so why are you spitting fire over that? It’s just some dumb rumor.” She replied but got no relief from Liz.
Liz just rolled her eyes and continued. “Yeah, WE know it’s just a rumor but the press seemed to think otherwise.” She started before reading more of the article.
“It appears that Timberlake has had his eye on someone that is associated with his mother’s company and was seen holding hands with her at Ms. Spears’ opening show in Virginia. When asked by the press where Timberlake was, Ms. Spears replied, ‘how should I know. He’s probably off with his mother’s assistant Liz, making out or something.’ So there you have it, for all those who thought Mr. Teen Heartthrob himself was attending the shows for a little celebration with his singing girlfriend, he has been in fact getting cozy with another woman.”
Liz slowly put the paper down and glared at Britney. “And there’s so much more but I’m sure you already know what it says seeing as YOU said it.”
Britney stood quickly when she felt threatened by Liz. She tried to make it to her door to call for her bodyguard to help but Liz stopped her. She grabbed her arm and held on tight. “Listen, I don’t know what little game you have going on but I don’t want any part of it. Why the hell would you say something like that…and to the press. You knew they would print it and now Justin’s going to have to deal with the questions about me. Did you do this to get back at him for liking me like you think he does?”
Britney began to see the same fire Liz had in her eyes. She snatched her arm away and readied herself for the battle that was to come. “How dare you speak to me like that. You don’t know what kind of relationship we have and you never will. Yeah, he may want you now but he ALWAYS comes back to me in the end. When his heart gets broken, and it always does, he knows who to turn to and it’s ME. I told you that if you wanted to make this a competition, then bring it on. Well, you’ve got yourself a battle, so whatcha gonna do about it?””
When she finished, Liz stepped forward until she was nose-to-nose with Britney. “I don’t give a damn what you or Justin have anymore. For all I care, the two of you can elope and have fifteen little pop star kids. And as far as a battle - little girl, you don’t want to mess with me. I’ve let myself grow soft because of Justin but not anymore. Its just started, believe me, its just started.”
She finished and backed away from Britney. She turned around to head towards the door but stopped to say a few more things to her.
“Now, I have to go out there, explain to Lynn - MY BOSS - that nothing is going on with her son and me then hope she can find a way to repair the damage you have caused - not to mention what you have done to Justin. When Johnny finds out what you said, he’s gonna kill you and…well, now that I’ve said that - it might be fun to watch you squirm under him. I just may pop some popcorn and catch the matinee that will certainly occur when - as they say - the shit hits the fan.”
Liz finished and smiled evilly at Britney. She tapped her on the shoulder as she scooped up the paper and walked off. She opened the door slowly, turning back to look at Britney one last time then headed out of the room and into the hallway where eight people were now waiting on her.
She smiled to the girls, Lynn, and Brit’s bodyguard but became ecstatic when she saw the anger in Johnny Wright’s face. She knew Britney was gonna hear about her big mouth now. “She’s all yours.” Liz said as she passed the manager and headed towards her room.
Lynn was right on her tail, as were the rest of the girls. Liz made no effort to acknowledge their presence but merely opened her door and then held it for the rest to follow. She knew they were there anyway.
She walked over to the dresser and turned her body to rest her backside on the wooden furniture. She crossed her arms over her chest and awaited the group to file in. One by one they made their way inside the small room and sat on the two beds.
Lynn was the first to speak. “I assume you read the article in the paper this morning?” Liz simply nodded her head and smiled. “And there’s NO truth to what Britney said?” Again, Liz nodded with a fading smile but a smile none the less. “So, you and Justin aren’t together?” Lynn asked her final question.
For the first time since reading those lies in the paper, Liz felt sad. True she was beyond livid that Britney would be so bold as to tell a reporter that Liz and Justin were together but when she finally realized just how far apart they truly were, she felt a tug at her heart.
“Um, no we’re not together. Listen…” She started as her whole demeanor softened and she approached the group. She put one knee on the bed that Lynn and Danay sat on and lend on it for support.
“I’m really sorry for my behavior out there. I don’t know if you could hear me yelling or not but I shouldn’t have exploded like that. I just got so upset that Britney would come right out and lie about something she knows absolutely nothing about. Justin and I are barely on speaking terms but for some reason, she felt the need to tell the world that we were a couple. I just wasn’t going to sit around and watch as Justin’s life got any harder. Can you imagine what its going to be like for him to go to interviews now? That every question won’t involve Britney but his link with me. I can’t even begin to think about what he’ll go through now.”
When Liz finished, the shocked looks that adorned the faces of the six ladies in the room, softened as well. Jenny tapped Mandy on the leg. Mandy nudged Nikki in the arm. Nikki jabbed Veronica in the side. Veronica gave Nikki an evil look but then caught on to what was going on and picked up a piece of paper to throw towards Danay. Danay caught wind of what she meant by the act as the paper hit her in the head then she smiled to the group of girls. She leaned up and put her arms around Lynn’s shoulders and they all smiled at Liz.
Liz saw the mischievous grins on their faces and had to ask what was up with them. “Um, guys, why are you all smiling? Do you not care what this will do to Justin? Come on, Lynn, you of all people should be on the phone trying to console him. Make him feel better when this gets out. What, do you people not care?” She asked, upset that no one in the room other than her had any feelings left.
Lynn looked over her shoulder at Danay and motioned her to fill Liz in on why they were smiling. “Well, we could be asking you that same question Lizzy.”
Liz merged her eyebrows together wondering what in the world she was talking about.
Danay continued. “For someone who obviously can’t stand Justin, you seem to be on the bandwagon to save his reputation. Now, what we want to know is why YOU seem to care so much for someone you have repeatedly denied having feelings for anymore?” She said with an evil grin on her face. The others merely followed suit.
Liz’s mouth opened and a look of shock ran across her face. “Well, I um…I uh, never said…I um hated him but…guys come on. I’m not that mean. We may not be on speaking terms right now but I don’t hold any bad feelings towards him…well maybe a few upset feelings but not really bad ones…well…I…oh, you know what I mean.” She stuttered out.
The girls and Lynn could only laugh at her. She had been trying her hardest to NOT like Justin but it was so obvious to everyone in that room that Liz was beyond lost to him.
‘Phase One - Complete!’ - the girls said to themselves as they mentally ‘high-fived’ each other.
“YOU DID WHAT?” Justin yelled at the five gentlemen in his hotel room.
The guys looked around nervously at one another due to the tone in their friend’s voice. They each shrugged their shoulders, not a one of them wanting to repeat what JC had just said.
Justin looked at them and wanted to smack them all. “Someone please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did?” He pleaded but the look on their faces showed that he was wrong.
“Guys, that was cruel and you know it. How could you do that?” He asked, hoping that ONE of his friends would have the balls to say something to him and explain why they had done the unthinkable.
Chris was the first to clear his throat and speak. “Um, APRIL FOOL’S!” He yelled.
Lance and Joey snickered at his joke but Justin didn’t seem amused.
JC shot a look at the others that it was time to come clean with him. They all agreed by nodding their heads.
JC nervously stood and approached a very upset and confused young man. “Justin, look…” He started as he tried to put his arm around his friend’s shoulder but was met with two dark blue eyes that were full of anger.
“Ahem, well, yeah. Anyway, just listen to why we did it okay?” He hesitantly asked as he stepped backwards, afraid of what Justin would do.
He just stared at the five pairs of wry eyes looking back at him. He folded his arms across his chest and sighed. “Go for it. This better be good.” He said as he leaned against the dresser that was in the middle of the room.
The guys all looked at one another to see which one would tell him the truth. Three sets of eyes glanced at Lance and pointed for him to explain.
“Why me?” He asked as the stares were getting to him and making him even more nervous than before.
“Because it was YOUR idea.” Joey chimed in from across the room.
Lance rolled his eyes at him and stood from the bed he sat on. He straightened out his shirt and smoothed his pants down before walking casually over to Justin. He smiled brightly when he reached the younger man.
“You’re really gonna find this humorous.” He started but didn’t get a smile from Justin.
“Yeah, well so far, I don’t think messing with Ebby’s mind is very funny.” He said as Lance took a deep breath and simultaneously, the guys did the same thing. They were preparing themselves for the backlash that was to follow when Lance finished telling Justin about what they had planned for her.
Lance shook his head to clear his thoughts then began to inform Justin what they were doing and why. When he was done, he backed up from the youngest member in the group and flinched when Justin raised his hands in the air.
He was merely trying to stretch his tired body out then looked at the others. His face showed no signs of forgiveness for the dastardly things they had planned for Liz but then they saw a slight smile break across his mouth and spread slowly over his face and all the way up to his eyes.
The others let out the breath they all held and smiled with him. Justin started laughing hysterically and had to double over and clutch his stomach from the pain that took him over.
The others soon joined in and they all cracked up for the next few minutes.
When Chris’ sides hurt from laughing, he stopped long enough to ask Justin a question. “So does this mean you’re not mad at us?”
Justin continued to chuckle to himself but calmed a little. “Oh, no, I’m mad as hell at you guys for doing this but…” He started as the other stopped laughing. “I can’t wait to see Ebby kick all your asses when she finds out what you did behind her back.”
That image made him begin his laughing session all over again but he heard the groans of the others when they realized how true that statement really was.
They had no idea what Liz was capable of but soon would - for the girls were to return to the tour in a few weeks.
‘What have we done?’ they all asked themselves. ‘What have we done?’