The week had been treacherous for both Jen and the guys. As soon as she had gotten home she went straight to her mother and showed her the magazine and cried and cried. Her mom consoled her and tried to be her rock; her daughter was tearing herself apart over something some inconsiderate person decided to do either for kicks or because they were out to get Jen and Justin, or *NSYNC in general. Her daughter was sometimes too trusting of others, but no one deserved the pain she was going through right then.
*NSYNC was also having a hard time with what was going on, but they tried not to show it to Jive personnel. To everyone else, it was just another rumor. To them it was much more. They each dealt with the issue and their sister-like worry a bit differently, but knew that they could confide in each other. Chris was ever hyper and trying to get the guys to laugh, more so than usual. He was trying to be upbeat and attempted to keep things as normal as possible.
JC had thrown himself into the choreography and organization of the tour more than he usually did, which of course to the average Joe was ungodly. He also tried to keep things normal with the group, and strived to perfect the others actions involving the tour.
Lance was also concentrating immensely on his choreography and dance moves, believing if he focused his energy on that, he wouldn’t have to think about the paper. He also busied himself with his label, checking on his artists and where they stood; so when there was a free minute, he was busy with Free Lance Entertainment.
Joey had taken numerous times out of the day to call Jen just to check up on her, and to remind her that they were going to cook her dinner on Thursday night, a big Italian meal, hoping she would crack a smile. His heart went out to her, and he wished the days to go by faster so they could all meet up again and give her the support she needed.
The tabloid took its toll on Justin the most, for he had to deal with his feelings and Jen’s. As soon as the publicist caught the article, he went off on Justin, and then the rest of the guys for being careless. It was pretty much in one ear and out the other for Justin; he couldn’t understand how this got out in the first place. Jen’s feelings of responsibility were overwhelming, and she continuously poured her heart out to him, expressing the pent up fear and anxiety she was living. They talked on the phone at every break Justin had (which was not that often because they were leaving for tour on Saturday), and every night, no matter when Justin got home.
It was times like these Justin hated his status. He was never one to complain and voice his opinion about his life being an open book to the world because he was doing what he enjoyed. When he signed on the dotted line, he was well aware he signed away a private life. He knew people would kill to be where he was at today, but one can only be pushed so far so often before there comes a breaking point. This was one of those times that he wished he were a normal nineteen-year-old boy dating his normal nineteen-year-old best friend and living a regular nineteen-year-old lifestyle, if there was such a thing.
It was times like these he questioned what the business really was about, because the infamous line had been smudged by so many just to get juicy information. He knew it should be about the music, and he knew that he had just been burned again by the media. This time it hit too close to home, this time it was beyond personal.
He was pissed, and this time he was going to get even.
(Wednesday night.)
“I think I have everything, I mean, I only have to pack for a few days and its not like I need to pack tons of stuff. Whatever I forget, Justin has at home right?” Jen said, throwing a pair of khaki shorts into her tiny suitcase. Her plan was to pack light and just bring her suitcase as a carry-on so she could get out of the airport quickly just in case on the off chance someone was there with questions.
“Yes, that boy has everything under the sun, and then some. Now Lynn is picking you up, right?” Jen’s mom asked, wanting to make sure her daughter would be taken care of.
Jen’s eyes wandered to her mother’s and she nodded. “Yep, Lynn will be there, I think the guys are in massive rehearsal and what not, so I don’t know when I will get to see them.”
Her mother nodded and Jen tossed her bag onto the floor. She flopped down on her bed and sighed heavily, sprawling herself across it, her hair fanned out with worry lines etched on her face. She wished she was in Orlando right now and Justin was right next to her, telling her that it was all just a bad dream.
“You should get some sleep Jen. The flight is early, and we have to be at the airport by 6am. Please honey, try to rest,” her mom soothed, snapping Jen out of her wandering thoughts. She gently ran her hand down Jen’s hair, smoothing it out and trying to calm her nerves.
Jen closed her eyes and nodded, sliding around and into her bed. Her mom closed the light and placed a gentle kiss onto her forehead.
“Just think, this time tomorrow you’ll be with all of them, and you’ll feel a lot better about what has been going on. Everything will work out in the end, this is just a tiny bump in the road.”
“More like a mountain, mom,” Jen replied sarcastically. Her mom smiled a tiny bit. It was the first smart-ass reply her daughter had given her in a week, and she had missed it.
“Night Jen.”
“Night Mom,” she called back, rolling onto her side and closing her eyes, wishing that she could get some sleep tonight before she headed into Orlando to face publicists and angry fans.
(Early Thursday morning)
“Mom, I hope the press hasn’t gotten wind of Jen coming into town,” Justin told his mother while they were sitting at the kitchen table.
Justin had made his way to his mom’s house early that morning. He knew Jen’s flight was scheduled to come in at 9:30, but he needed to be in the studio with the rest of the guys at 8:30. He was tossing and turning in his bed at 7:00, so he drove over to his mother’s, knowing she would be up already.
“I don’t know how they would Justin, unless you have told people who would be in the position to alert the media. Granted they snoop and have been around a lot more lately, but who will suspect? You are going to rehearse; I’m picking up Jen. They won’t follow me sweetie,” Lynn reasoned.
Justin nodded as he played with his cereal. “But mom-“
“You need to be strong here hun. Put yourself in Jen’s shoes for just one second. She is the non-celebrity in this situation. People will be looking down at her and making snide comments to her face-and behind her back mind you-because they believe in the façade that they will have your heart, body, and soul. They think you are perfect, God only knows why but…” she trailed off, trying to lighten the situation. Justin stared at her and smirked a bit at the last comment, but his face became serious once again.
“I’m trying mom. I never asked for this. I never wanted her to get hurt, especially Jen. Especially Jen. I care about her so much, and of COURSE the press gets a hold of our relationship…”
“It’s not like you tried to hide it…”
“Why should I have to mom? I barely knew what was going on. I’m finally happy-“
“Justin you know your fans-“
“No. That’s not a good enough reason anymore. Mom, I’m nineteen years old. I’m an adult. I can make choices and I can fall in love. Just because I’m supposedly some big-shot heartthrob doesn’t mean I’m not human! I love my fans, but it’s a different kind of love than what I am experiencing now,” he exclaimed, infuriated with the situation and releasing his frustrations.
Lynn sat back and watched the emotion flicker across her son’s face, and just basked in the fact that he seemed like he was finally fighting for what he wanted. He was right; he is a man, he can make his own decisions, and there is no reason for people to discourage him from being happy.
“Don’t worry Justin, this is something that will be taken care of. Jen will be here soon, you’ll see her tonight-“
“Tonight? I thought she was coming to Jive once she got here?” he interrupted.
“Do you think that’s a good idea? The media has been outside that place since the article ran last Friday. How would it look if Jen comes waltzing into the studio two days before you leave? You and the other guys have to be careful. We don’t know who is taking the pictures, and that means that you all have to be cautious of what you do and what you say, even to people in the building.”
“I know, we are trying to figure out if anyone at work would do something like this. How am I supposed to just pretend she isn’t here yet mom? I was under the impression that she was coming in, and we would sit down and discuss what we were going to do in response to the article.”
“I don’t think that’s too wise, sweetie. I’ll bring her back here, make sure everything is ok, and then-“
“No way mom. She is coming to Jive!” Justin shouted, standing up.
“Don’t you raise your voice to me young man. I understand you are frustrated, but don’t you dare…” she trailed off in a warning tone. Justin took at deep breath and ran his fingers through his messy curls.
“I’m sorry mom, I-“
“It’s ok. It’s tough isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Well, I should get going. Maybe I will head over to Jive early and work on my choreography. Try to catch Darrin or something…” Justin said, carrying his cereal bowl to the sink. Lynn nodded and stood also.
“OK, well drive safe and we’ll call when we get back here ok?”
“OK, I’ll be waiting to hear from you. Oh and mom?” Justin asked.
“You are welcome hun,” she answered before he could speak. She kissed his cheek and gave him a hug, which he responded to by hugging her back and whispering “thanks” in her ear. He then grabbed his keys and sunglasses off of the counter and walked out to his car, heading to the studio. As he blazed through Orlando on his way, his mind wandered off.
“Who would do something like this?” he said aloud.
“Thank you for flying American Airlines, and have a wonderful stay in Orlando,” the pilot said over the intercom as the seat belt sign was turned off. Jen grabbed her carry on from under the seat in front of her and stood up. Justin had bought her a first class ticket for her two-and-a-half hour trip, and she was ever grateful. She quickly headed out of the plane, giving a small smile to the flight attendants as they waved to her in a cheerful fashion.
She walked into the terminal and immediately spotted Mrs. Harless, who was standing there with a pleasant look on her face. Jen quickly walked over to her and Lynn opened her arms and welcomed her with a much-needed hug. Jen wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and sighed, happy to see her.
“Hi Lynn, thank you for picking me up here,” she mumbled into her shoulder. Lynn smiled and rubbed the younger girl’s back.
“No problem sweetie,” she replied as she pulled back to look at Jen. “How was the flight?”
“Good, not too long and hey, I was sitting pretty in first class thanks to Justin,” Jen answered quietly as the two made their way out of the airport.
The car ride was pretty silent, Lynn was waiting for Jen to open up and talk to her, while Jen was spacing off, thinking about seeing the guys. A fear that was indescribable set in on Jen and it made her shiver, sending chills to her bones.
“Are you cold?” Lynn asked, automatically turning the air conditioning onto a lower setting. Jen shook her head ‘no’ and stared out the window, he thoughts flying a mile a minute.
What if they hate me? I mean, not HATE me but what if they dislike me because of this? What if I ruin their chances of staying big? This could bring down group popularity…this is all on my head. I am sure they would hide any resentful feelings towards me, but wouldn’t I be able to see it?
They pulled into the driveway and were soon in the house. Lynn brought Jen upstairs into their guest bedroom, where she had spent many a night with Justin and the rest of the family.
“Is it ok if I stay here with you instead of over by the guys?” Jen asked, setting her bag on the bed.
Lynn looked at her quizzically; why doesn’t she want to stay with the guys? She decided against asking, it would all come out in due time. “Sure Jen, you know you are always welcome here. Now lets get you settled in.”
“That’s it for tonight guys, it’s getting late and you should all go get some sleep because you all know that in a few days you’ll be wishing you did,” their manager, Johnny Wright said.
The whole crew had been brought in for one last group meeting before the tour began. Everyone at the table nodded their heads in agreement and started to shift in their seats, getting up and talking to each other. In a matter of minutes the room was buzzing with noise and talk of the tour and how everyone was excited to get back on the road.
“Guys, hang around for a few minutes ok?” Johnny leaned over and said to the five sitting closest to him. They nodded, still in their seats because they knew it was coming. The room cleared out quickly and all that was left were the five stars and their manager.
“We need to talk about one last thing-“
Justin interrupted Johnny before he could finish. “National Enquirer,” he deadpanned, glancing at his four friends. The guys had not talked about it as a group, but there was an unspoken vibe that had passed through all of them once the news broke.
“Yes, the tabloid. How do you want to take care of this? Do we know exactly what happened or who took them? There are people on it now trying to find the so called ‘insider’, but they haven’t gotten any leads,” Johnny explained, looking at each of the guys.
“I have some potential ideas…” a new voice said from the other side of the room. Six heads turned around to see Jen standing in the doorway, with a tired look on her face.
