There was a voice that was seemingly trapped inside of the small speaker boxes. It was a beautiful voice, the most incredible sound she had ever heard in her sixteen years of life. With every press of that button, the voice sounded closer and even more wonderful. It was smooth and melodious, almost angelic. She was in love with that voice, and it was only a matter of minutes before she would get to hear it live and in person.
"Are we almost there?", one of her excited friends yelled from the backseat of the car. The driver replied with a yes as he pulled into a crowded parking lot. He dropped them off at the entrance to the concert arena and touched the girl's hand in comfort. "We're here. Have fun, sweetheart."
She smiled. "I will, dad." Hopping out of the car, she walked arm and arm with her friends into the arena which was swarming with teenage girls. She didn't care about the crowds or about the merchandise or even about how cool the pyrotechnics would be during the show. All she cared about was that voice. She had to hear that voice.
They made their way to their seats in the front of the arena, her friends gaping over how close they were to the stage and how hot the members of the group were. She sat down with a smile on her face, anxious for the show to start.
Slowly, he adjusted the bandanna over his thick curls and sighed. What made all those girls scream at him? Was it the face or the talent? What if he got in an accident... some kind of disfiguring accident, that distorted his facial features. Would his fans still be there for him or would they just disappear? What if he gained weight, shaved off his curls and grew a beard? Would they just vanish like they never liked him in the first place? Or would they stay and support him, not because of what he looked like, but because of the raw talent he possessed? That was the question that panged him night after night as he performed in front of the thousands upon thousands of yelling and screaming teenagers.
"Justin... "
He turned when he heard his name being called and his big, blue eyes rested on one of his best friends. He looked at him for a minute, the expressionless look still on his face.
"We're on in sixty seconds... let's go.", his bandmate informed him, taking note to the depressed glint in his eyes.
Justin trudged after him, smoothing out the vaudeville outfit he was wearing and grabbing his top hat on the way out the door. On in forty seconds... ready for thousands of girls to scream for the body. He sighed and followed the rest of the guys' lead in getting harnessed for the opening of the show.
Look at all your fans, Justin. They paid big bucks to see you shake and gyrate that body of yours... come on, now. Don't close up, show yourself off...
Justin grimaced against the voice haunting him and closed his eyes to belt out the last line of the song before they had a quick set change. He sighed as he quickly jumped out of his clothes, threw on a new outfit and jogged out on stage again... all in thirty seconds. The miseries of tour life, he thought.
"Are you guys having FUN yet?", he yelled, plastering the superstar smile on his face again, making it a point to show his fans that he was always happy. He was NEVER sad, or depressed. No way... not him. He couldn't show emotions; that would ruin his perfect image. His perfect image of the body of Justin Timberlake, that is. His soul was different...his soul was buried away deep in the depths of his mental state of mind. Oh no, no one could reach that. He would never let someone mess with that. It was too sacred to him.
Once the screaming decreased by a mili-decibal, he pulled himself back into superstar mode and spoke again into the microphone. "Ehh, that was okay. I know you guys can scream louder than that... come on, let's try that again. One...two... three! SCREAM!"
A deafening roar proved his point and he could've sworn that the arena shook from the rumble of the young girls ear-shattering yells of excitement. He smiled and nodded in approval, while his mind shook its head the other way. He glanced around at all the girls' faces and tried to hide his shudder when he saw most of them either crying or reaching their arms out towards him trying to grab him or get close to him. He involuntarily took a step back and swallowed, but still kept that smile on his face. He closed his eyes and thought... The price of superstardom.
One of her friends grabbed her arm and turned her towards the aisle, where a portion of the stage was making its way out to the audience slowly. She followed the voice and knew exactly where it was. Only a few inches away from her.
Justin's tired eyes grazed the new section of people the light was now shining on and one girl in particular caught his eye. She was young, maybe fifteen or sixteen and one of her friends was turning her towards the stage. She looked so happy to be there, so excited that it set a warmth off in his heart. He realized that he was staring at her, making eye contact with her, and it surprised him that there was not one reaction going off in her body. She was just standing there, clapping excitedly and smiling so brightly she could have lit up the entire city. His eyes wandered over her seating area, and his smile fell when he saw a small walking cane leaning against the chair.
His shocked eyes shot right back to her face, to her friend's guiding arm, and to the expanding grin on her face. It took a second for the actual fact to sink in, and when it did, a REAL smile grew on his lips and his heart started to pound with appreciation.
The young girl was blind. She had never seen what he looked like, she had never seen what his hips could do...all she knew was his voice, and she appreciated him for that, and that alone. She was there for the talent.
His smile stayed on not only his lips, but his heart, the rest of the night. She may not have known it, but she had just made his entire life.
