“Carson, this is Chelsea. A good friend of the girls, she came to visit for a while.” Lance had his arm around Chelsea’s shoulders as she was being introduced to Carson.
She shook his hand and sat comfortably in her chair in between two bottle blondes; JC and Lance. She couldn’t help but start laughing under her breath at the sight of JC.
I can’t believe they went and did it with out me. Just as long as they get Justin while I’m out here, I’ll be fine.
“May I ask what’s so funny Chelsea?”
“Sorry Carson, it’s just, well, just look at him!” She sat pointing a finger at JC as the camera got a zoom in headshot of him. More of his hair than anything else but it was still him.
“Dude, JC I didn’t want to be rude about your new hairstyle or anything, but what the hell were you thinking!?”
“I wasn’t awake when this happened.”
“You did it while you were sleep walking?” Chris asked with pure amusement in his voice. JC hadn’t told any one what happened, so Chris was eager to find out.
“No.” JC dropped his head as he spoke like a shamed two-year-old.
“Tell us what happened, JC.”
“I don’t wanna.”
“JC...”
"While I was sleeping, Rachel, Liz, and Erika snuck into my room on the bus and bleached my hair. From what they told me, they handcuffed my to the bed to make sure I wouldn’t move around. The worse part is...” JC stopped talking when he realized what he was about to say.
“Go on.” Chelsea urged him to continue. She didn’t want to miss any of the details, especially sense they were coming from his mouth.
“They taped it.”
Every one broke out into fits of hysterical laughter.
When Chelsea finally regained her composure, she began to speak. “They taped it?”
“Uh huh.”
“Hehehe, I didn’t tell them to do THAT part.”
“You knew about this?!”
“Oops.” Her eyes darted around the room searching helplessly for someone that would be able to help her out of this uncomfortable situation.
“Um, well, Carson it was very nice meeting you, but I think I will be going now.” She got out of her chair, gave him a quick hug, and ran like hell.
After Chelsea left her seat with Carson, they boys continued to talk. Carson kept looking out into the crowd, hoping he would be able to find one of the girls he was introduced to earlier.
Bingo
“Gimp! Cripple! Whatever the hell your name is...!” Erika’s head shot up and she realized Carson was calling her over.
“Get the blonde one too!” Liz, not one of her favorite people right now even though they were best friends.
The two got to the interview area and sat down with mics.
“You girls are best friends, what is it like going across the country with each other?”
“It’s great!” Erika lied through her teeth was a giant fake grin she picked up from Justin.
“Yea, but Erika can be a real bitch sometimes.” Liz placed an arm around her ‘friends’ shoulders and dug her nails in.
“Don’t touch me, whore!”
“Slut!”
“Britney wannabe!”
“O, that’s it!”
The two girls had looks on their faces that showed that they could kill the other one at any moment. They were inches away from each other when JC came between them.
“I hate you!”
“I never wanna see you face again!”
“Don’t even talk to me!”
“If you so even as look at me!”
JC grabbed Erika around the waist and had to physically pull her away with all of his strength. She was kicking and screaming all while continually yelling obscenities at Liz. He pulled her back stage and into a small dressing room. He had to make his way around electrical equipment, security guards and press, all while carrying a small screaming girl with an injured leg.
Still out on the floor was Liz being held up by Lance. If it weren’t for him she would have hit the floor a long time ago. Her sobs shook through out her entire body, making it difficult for Lance to hold her up. He couldn’t any longer so he slowly slid to the floor, never letting go of his small friend.
“Shhh, it’s going to be okay. Shhh.” Rocking her back and forth in his arms, she sobbed into his chest.
Justin quickly apologized to Carson and waved to the camera. He ran off stage to where Lance, Rachel, and Liz went. He leaned down face to face with Liz and pushed back her blonde hair exposing her red face and swollen eyes.
In a calm voice, Justin began to speak to her, “Sweetie, I know you’re upset right now but I want you to go into the bathroom and wash your face off. We’re gonna go to the club and have a good time. It’s a New Year; we can start everything over.”
He was responded with a slow and shaky nod. Liz stood up and began towards the bathroom followed by Rachel.
“Go with her.” Lance followed directions and followed Liz to make sure she was okay.
Justin stood there alone in the back hallway. He took a deep breath and started towards the dressing rooms where JC and Chelsea were trying to calm Erika down.
(In The Dressing Room)
“Erika, you have a right to hate her. She has the straight blonde hair, perfectly straight teeth, she eats and eats and eats and never gains weight.” Chelsea began listing off reasons as to why Erika should loathe Liz.
“Oh I know! That girls eats more than I do!” Came a sudden realization from JC.
“Exactly. She’s skinny.”
Erika’s head shot up at the implication that she was fat.
“You’re not making it any better, ya know.” JC just pointed to the door and Chelsea took that as her cue to leave the room.
(In The Hallway)
Justin turned the corner just in time to Chelsea walk out of the room and towards the other end of the hallway. He was about to call after her but he figured she needed time to herself as well.
As he neared closer and closer to the slightly ajar door, he could begin to hear the faint voices coming from the other side.
“She’s....supposed to...be...my best....friend.” Erika managed to get out that short sentence between giant gasps of breath and tears.
JC layed Erika down on his lap and soothingly caressed her hair.
“Close your eyes.” As she closed her eyes, he began to quietly sing to her.
Whenever I'm weary
From the battles that raged in my head
You made sense of madness
When my sanity hangs by a thread
I lose my way, but still you
Seem to understand
Now and Forever,
I will be your man
Erika’s breathing evened out and began to calm down.
Justin continued to stand outside of the doorway with tears threatening the surface.
As she listened to JC's husky voice sing to her, she could tell how passionate he was about his music, even if he was just singing to her. Music had stirred him like that. Music had troubled him many times. But music was not articulate. It was not a new world, but rather another chaos, that it created in us. Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle magic there was in them! They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viol or of lute. Mere words! Was there anything so real as words?
Sometimes I just hold you
Too caught up in me to see
I'm holding a fortune
That Heaven has given to me
I'll try to show you
Each and every way I can
Now and Forever,
Justin grabbed the cold silver doorknob and carefully closed it shut, making sure not to disturb the resting figure inside. “I will be your man.” He stared at the door for a moment but to him it seemed like an eternity. He turned on his heel and slowly walked to the limousine that waited for them outside.
Twenty minutes later, everyone was in the limo and ready to go. There was an awkward silence between the group and everyone could sense that something had changed. When they arrived at the club, they plastered on their practiced smiles and walked out onto the red carpet hand in hand looking like the freaking Brady Bunch. Always happy. Not a problem in the world. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Whoop da friggin do.
Flashes of light everywhere and their names being called from every direction.
When they stepped into the club they were all consumed by the neon lights and techno beats.
Chelsea and Rachel ran straight to the bar. They were going to end up being drunk off their asses. It seems as though they were the only ones that were still talking to each other and the other girls.
Everyone was somewhere different in the club. Almost as if they wanted to stay away from each other intentionally. If no one was together, another fight like the one on live TV. can’t happen again, right?
Liz was seated quietly in a both by herself, not aware of the figure that was looming closer to where she sat. Her attention was drawn to the dance floor.
Justin was dancing with some tramp. It was obvious she was, and it was even more so obvious the Justin didn’t give a rat’s ass. He hadn’t looked at her. Not even once. His eyes were locked on one person and one person only.
Erika asked JC to dance, hoping she didn’t look TOO desperate. “Aww, c’mon JC. Please dance with me, no one else will.”
“O I see, I was your last option.”
“No, you were just the last person I saw. Please, please, please dance with me. If I hurt my leg, it’ll be my fault, not yours.”
He finally gave in and led her to the dance floor. They were both enjoying themselves and feeling the music.
Liz laughed under her breath; “People can be so blind!” She yelled to know one on particular. Her line of vision never leaving the dance floor.
“I know what you’re talking about.” Lance seeming to come out of nowhere sat across from her in the booth.
“So you see it too?”
“How can you not?”
Liz quickly drank the rest of her daiquiri and watched the scene before her. Erika was so caught up in her lust for JC, she never even noticed Justin always there by her side with nothing but love in his eyes.
NOW AND FOREVER by Richard Marx