SENIOR YEAR
By: Sarah Wartman
PART ELEVEN
I screamed and picked up my phone and dialed Nicki’s number.
“Nicki, you won’t believe this,” I told her right after she said hello.
“No, me first! You won’t believe who called me tonight!”
“Who?” I asked, as I watched my five “big brothers” dance across my TV screen.
“Chris Kirkpatrick of *N SYNC.”
“Huh?”
“His name was on my caller ID. You know who *N SYNC is, don’t you?” she asked me.
“I do now,” I muttered. “No, Nicki, Chris didn’t call you, I did….” I told her.
“I don’t understand….” She said. I told her the whole story. About getting help on homework at Lance’s house, meeting them and watching ‘Billy Madison’ with them, going out to eat with them, them “adopting” me and how they were going to take me to DisneyWorld tomorrow. I finished telling her about it and there was silence on the other end. “Nicki?” I asked, not sure if she was still breathing.
“Are you sure?” she asked me.
“I got the pictures I took tonight to prove it, Nick,” I told her.
“And you didn’t know who they were?” she screamed at me.
“Hello! All I listen to is country! No, I didn’t know!” I yelled back. “I just got back from hanging with them and their video came on MTV. I feel like such a fool!” I told her, almost crying.
“Oh, Sarah, I’m so sorry,” Nicki said. “Which video was it?”
“You mean they have more than one?” I asked her.
“Yes! They have lots! They are pretty big and famous in the pop/rock scene girl!” she told me.
“Geez….” I said. “They must think I’m a complete idiot. I feel so ridiculous, man, what they must think of me…”
“Hey, it’ll be okay….I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for why they did this to you.” She said, trying to make me feel better.
“Did they honestly think I wouldn’t find out?” I screamed.
“I don’t know, babe….”
“What am I going to do, Nicki, I feel like such a fool!”
“I have an idea Sarah….” Nicki said after a long pause.
“You do?” I said, starting to cry.
“Yeah, act like you don’t know.”
“What? Are you crazy? And let them get away with what they did?”
“Trust me….” Is all she said.
PART TWELVE
I pulled into the driveway of Chris’s house and looked over at Nicki.
“You ready?” she asked me and I shook my head. She smiled and opened her door and got out.
My finger was shaking as I pushed the doorbell. I looked over at Nicki and she smiled at me. I didn’t know if I was more angry than nervous, but I knew I was something.
Lance and Justin opened the door and smiled. “Hey!” they said and I looked at Nicki. She was standing there with her mouth wide open.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. Just as she said that, Justin grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.
“I gotta show you something,” he told me as he pulled me in.
Lance looked at Nicki. “Nicki, right?” he asked her. She just nodded in amazement. “Well, come on in,” he told her. He led her into the living room where the rest of the guys were watching TV. She sat down next to JC, still in amazement and he smiled.
“We have a favor to ask you,” he told her, after being introduced and talking for a while.
“Okay,” Nicki barely whispered.
“Please don’t tell Sarah who we are. We really think she’s great and we’re afraid we might lose her if she knows.”
“You want me to lie to her?” Nicki finally asked.
“Not lie, necessarily,” Chris said. “Just leave out the fact we’re a famous singing group, that’s all.”
She smiled. “You mean lie?”
JC looked at her and smiled. “Please? It would mean a lot to us.”
Nicki looked at JC and couldn’t help but smile. “Okay,” she said.
*****
DisneyWorld was everything I thought it would be, I didn’t want to leave! Joey clung to me like a puppy all day long, I thought it was kind of cute, him opening doors for me and all. I didn’t mind, considering I was starting to develop a crush on him. I noticed Nicki and JC were awfully close too.
A little before leaving, I found a restroom and asked Nicki to come with me, I needed to talk to her. The guys all gave Nicki a look before we got up.
“What did Justin show you?” Nicki asked me, putting on some lipstick.
“How clean Chris’s kitchen was,” I said, laughing. I turned to her. “What did they say to you?”
“They asked me not to tell you about the whole *N SYNC thing.”
“Arghh….” I yelled, throwing my compact into my backpack.
“Shhh….” She told me. “They’ll hear you.”
I sighed. “I know, I’m just so mad….”
“I know,” she told me. “But, you know, we might as well have fun with this while we can,” she told me, getting this almost evil look in her eyes. I couldn’t help but smile.
“You ready?” she asked me and I smiled and nodded.
PART THIRTEEN
Weeks had passed and the seven of us became very close, we were like the seven amigos, we did everything together.
It was a Saturday afternoon and I was laying on my bed, watching MTV. Suddenly my bedroom door burst open and Nicki was standing there, wearing a huge grin, holding a cd in her hand. She noticed me looking at it and she tossed it to me.
I looked at it and screamed. I ripped off the plastic and opened it to look at the sleeve.
“Thought you need an *N SYNC cd of your own,” she told me. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at it and dancing around to the music.
Nicki looked at her watch. “ I gotta get going,” she told me. “JC’s supposed to call.”
I smiled. “Go you!”
“Yeah, we’re going to do something tonight, I think,” she told me.
“Cool.” I said, flipping on the TV.
“I bet Joey’s gonna call you,” she stated.
I laughed. “Why do you say that?”
“I think they want to double tonight.”
I smiled and Nicki noticed. “You’re so falling for him, aren’t you?” I nodded. “Good,” she stated and I looked up at her. “He likes you too,” she told me.
“How would you know?” I asked her.
“JC told me!”
I smiled. We told each other goodbye and I just layed down on my bed, thinking. The phone interrupted my thoughts.
“Hello?”
“Hey you.”
I smiled. “Hey, Joe, what’s up?”
“Well, just called to see if you wanted to go to a club toinght with JC, Nicki and I.”
I smiled to myself. “Are you asking me out on a date, Joseph?”
He grew quiet. “Yeah, I guess that’s what I’d be doing, yes,” he finally said, laughing.
“I’d love too,” I told him. He told me when he’d be there and we said goodbye. As soon as I hung up my phone, I screamed. My mother raced up the stairs.
“What is it?” she asked me, after bursting into my room.
I stood up and went over to my vanity and sat down. “I have a date tonight. A date with Joey Fatone,” I told her, smiling.
PART FOURTEEN
I looked in the mirror and smiled with satisfaction. I had chosen a short dark brown skirt and a plain, tight white shirt for the top with a dark brown jacket to match. I found my clunky Doc Martians and put them on. I left my hair down, but grabbed a clip and put it in my purse, just in case. I heard the doorbell and I shrieked. I put on some CKOne before heading downstairs.
I came down the stairs and I heard a “wow” come from behind me. I turned around to see Joey standing in the entryway with a smile and a white rose. He looked good in khaki pants and a white polo shirt.
I smiled. “You clean up pretty good,” I told him, taking the rose and kissing him on the cheek.
“You look amazing,” he said. We walked out to his car and he opened my door and bowed.
I smiled. “Why, thank you,” I said, getting in and he shut the door.
I turned around to see JC and Nicki cozy in the back. She looked awesome in a short black skirt with a white sweater. He looked just as good in a long sleeve, blue plaid shirt and cargos.
“Hey,” I told them as Joey got in the passenger side.
“Hey,” they said back.
*****
The club was hopping and I was having a ball. I was so glad I found some friends that loved to dance as much as I did.
After dancing for a while, Joey and I sat down at a table and I took my jacket off. A slow dance came on and I looked up to see JC and Nicki close on the dance floor and I smiled. ‘They look so cute,’ I thought. I leaned over to ask Joey to dance when a tall blonde ran over to our table. She had long hair and long legs and probably weighed 70 pounds.
“Ummm….hi! Would you like to dance?” she asked him, giggling and bouncing up and down. I rolled my eyes.
“Sure,” he said, getting up and my mouth dropped. I was shocked and looked at Nicki, who had seen the whole thing. I could almost feel the tears swelling when someone came up beside me.
“Would you care to dance?” I turned to see a tall, muscular guy with dark brown hair and a handsome face. I smiled and looked over at Joey, who was watching me.
“Yeah,” I said, standing up. We got to the dance floor and he put his arms around my waist and held me close. I looked over at Joey watching us, and I pulled him even closer.
I looked over at Nicki and JC, who were watching in shock.
PART FIFTEEN
The dance ended and I thanked the guy and went over to our table and sat down. JC and Nicki had beat me there and just looked at me with questioning eyes. Before I could say anything to them, an irritate Joey came over to the table.
“What the hell?” he yelled at me.
I looked at him. “Excuse me?”
“You were dancing with THAT guy?”
“His name is Ryan. And yes, I was,” I told him.
“Yeah, I know his name,” Joey said. “He’s got a reputation around here,” he yelled in disgust.
I stood up. “How is what I did any worse than what you did?”
“Because you were practically on top of him!” he yelled back. Suddenly, Ryan was by my side.
“Is there a problem here?”
“No, can you take me home?” I asked him.
“Sure,” he said. We turned to leave and Joey grabbed my arm to stop me.
“Let go!” I yelled and shook my arm free and ran out of the club.
*****
Ryan drove down Highway 6. We came to a beautiful look out point. We were talking for a while and then he leaned over and kissed me. I kissed him back and after a while it got pretty heavy and I pushed him off of me.
“What?” he asked, angrily.
“Hello! I barely know you,” I told him.
“So?” he said, coming back at me and I pushed him away. He came back over the car, yet again and I said no. He wouldn’t get off of me and I slapped him.
“You bitch!” he said and hit me in my jaw. I screamed as he grabbed me and tried to force himself on me. He was ripping at my skirt and shirt when I kicked him in his groin as hard as I could. I grabbed my purse and reached for the door handle, while Ryan attempted to regain his composure.
I ran from the car and down the road. I darted behind some bushes as Ryan’s car drove by, slowly, looking for me.
As soon as his car was out of sight, I reached inside my purse. I searched for my cell phone while I cried hysterically. I attempted to cover myself where my clothes were ripped and I dialed.
“Hello?”
“Chris?” I asked.
“Sarah? Where are you?” he asked me, hearing my hysterics.
“I don’t know,” I said between sobs, looking around. “We drove on Highway 6 and came to a look out point,” I managed to say.
“I’ll be right there,” he said.
TO BE CONTINUED