She threw her arms around his neck, hugged him tight and closed her eyes.
He showed up…I cannot believe they showed up...
She savored the moment in her best friends arms. She then planted a quick kiss on his cheek and jumped out of his arms. Then she turned and gave a short little wave to the rest of the guys, and spun to a very shocked Ashlee.
"Shlee, these are my five best guy friends…" and Jen kind of trailed off, trying to gauge Ashlee's overall reaction.
"*NSYNC? J, your five friends that you talk about all the time are *NSYNC and you didn't tell me?" she continued to stare, eyes wandering and resting on each guy for a few seconds, and then back tracking to Jen.
"Well Ash, ya never really asked their real names…" Jen trailed off yet again and looked over at Justin. He smiled and just laughed, shooting her a wink. Then she continued.
"Well, this goofball right here who scared the crap outta me is Justin, obviously." She turned and smacked him in the arm, and looked back at Ashlee then said, "Over by the door we have JC, Chris, Lance, and last but not least Joey. Or, as you know of them, Poppa J, CK, Lancelot, and Giuseppe," The guys all stepped forward and into the room with smiles and waves.
Ashlee, getting over her initial shock and said, "Hello all, I am Ashlee, Jen's roommate. Sorry about my freak out!" she laughed and started to blush at her teenybopper reaction. She then realized that she was only in shorts and her bikini top in front of her favorite band, so she grabbed the nearest tank top and threw it on. The guys walked up to Ashlee and shook her hand politely, getting all of the unnecessary introductions out of the way. Jen on the other hand, was anything but modest. These guys were her buds, and she could care less if they saw her in her swimsuit. The guys walk up to Jen once by one and give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, mumbling welcoming words.
"Happy 19th Jenko, you wild child!!!" Chris started.
"Sup Babydoll? Sorry we weren't here earlier, Justin had to make sure his hair was PERFECT. The big one-nine! Congrats!" JC continued. Justin's head snapped up at the comment, and his eyes narrowed. JC just smiled at him and that brought a laugh to everyone in the room.
"Vinnie! Happy birthday!" Joey said, next in line.
"Happy Birthday Jenkins, we're glad you're out here by us!" Lance finished out the line of hugs Jen was all smiles, and the four guys noticed this.
Justin bounded up beside her and said, "My turn! My turn!" and Jen just laughed. Justin attacked her and tackled her to the ground, wrapping one arm around her bare waist and the other behind her head so she wouldn't bang it too hard on the floor.
"Owww Curlyhead!" Jen muffled from underneath him, "This is how you wish me happy birthday? Typical! Now kiddo, you are a big boy and you aren't the lightest stud on the block!"
Justin just rested on top of her, not moving. He then leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"Aww JJ, I have to be different! You know this sweets! Besides, I know you like it when I'm on top!" Before anyone knew it, Justin was thrown off Jen and was pinned by her in two seconds. She looked down at him triumphantly.
"Hey now, none of that! My poor roommate has to put up with the likes of you and your four psychotic friends, whom she has just met, and now you have to get all sexual on us? Poor girl must be havin' a heart attack! She's just gonna hafta learn that you guys are weirdo's I guess! By the way, HAHA! I got you pinned this time my bleached blonde bud!" she finished up by raising her arms in the air like a true champion. Justin took that to his advantage and began to tickle her. She squeaked and rolled off of him laughing hysterically.
Ashlee gasped and covered her mouth, observing the whole scene from the futon, along with everyone else. Then out loud to no one in particular she asked, "Are they ALWAYS like this?" JC looked at her face and just shook his head back and forth.
"No" he started, "it gets much, much worse!" The other guys started to laugh, remembering back to all of the moments they have witnessed.
Justin finally stopped tickling Jen and helped her up off the floor. Then he picked her up into his arms and said, "Happy 19th birthday mah JJ! Aren't you happy to see me?" he turned on the full puppy dog face, and Jen's heart just melted on the spot. He could always do that to her.
"Aww Stin, of course I am! My best friend and my four other best guy buds surprised me on my birthday and are gonna hang with me and my new totally wicked roomie! Of course I am happy!" she laughed.
The guys were looking around the room, checking out the decoration and the posters, along with the CD collection, making conversation with Ashlee so she wouldn't feel left out. Jen and Ashlee were pointing out all of the cool things they had bought for their room, from the lava lamp on the desk to the entertainment center in the middle of the room. Justin climbed up into Jen's bed and snuggled into the pillow.
"Jenzie! Come up here and lay with me!" he whined. She looked up to the loft and saw him resting on his side, staring at her. She turned her head towards the guys when she heard who she assumed to be Joey snicker, and then just shrugged it off. She smirked and climbed up the ladder and plopped down next to him.
"Whats up babyface?"
"Are you happy we came?" he asked seriously as he started rubbing her shoulder. Her features softened, they always did when it was just the two of them alone. Then she broke out into a huge smile and nodded.
"Of course I am J. Didn't I JUST tell you that?"
He nodded and said, "Yeah, well I wanted to make sure. I didn't wanna intrude or anything, especially with you just getting here and settling in, but girlie I have missed ya a LOT these past months. It was too long without seeing your face."
" I have missed you too," she started, and ran her hands through his massive blonde curls. "A lot Justin. Talkin' on tha phone just isn't the same as live surround sound eh?" she joked around with him, lightening the subject.
He laughed and then sighed heavily. "Yeah, you know it JJ. But now that we are all here, we are gonna have some MAD fun!"
"Sounds like a plan!" Someone shouted out loud. Jen and Justin leaned over the edge of the bed to see what was up. Of course, all of them were right there, listening in.
"I missed you sooo much!" Chris said in a high-pitched girlie voice to Joey.
He turned around and replied in the same high voice, "Oh Chrissy I missed you too! The surround sound!" and everyone busted up laughing.
"That's it you two!" Jen yelled, jokingly. "Outta my room!" she climbed down the ladder and walked up to them. JC and Lance were trying to hold in their laughter but were failing miserably. She noticed this and turned to them.
"Ahhh, so you think it is funny too eh? Well! You boys watch out. One word outta me and this campus will know where you guys live, and I will give all the guys on campus your phone number and tell them to prank you!" The room got quiet fast. Jen smiled triumphantly and turned to an amused Ashlee.
"Works every time!"
Justin climbed outta the bed and walked over to the futon. Everyone exchanged looks, confused. He then picked up the famed picture of himself and looked over to Jen.
"Excuse me…what is THIS? You have a framed picture of me BEHIND THE FUTON?!" He said, in mock shock. Ashlee blushed and Jen smiled playfully.
"Uh huh. I have to put it back there when the hotties come over. I don't want them to think I am teenybopper obsessed when we are…ahem…well, when they are here," Justin stared at her surprised.
"What was that? Boys in here that AREN'T us? Where are they…come on guys, let's kill 'em," The guys nodded and started snooping around the room for clues. Jen just sighed.
"Ugh you guys. The last thing I need is four big bad brothers and one loose cannon threatening innocent guys on campus. The guys will stay away from me! Haha, maybe not…they probably think you guys are just a sissy boy band…" she announced. The guys stopped and stared at her again.
"I am SO kidding people! Oh my God you guys need to loosen up! The tour has made you even nuttier than normal! Eeesh! That's what Shlee got me for my birthday. Oh and by the way, there have been no guys in here besides you and my dad, so get those worried looks off your face," Jen said. The guys sighed and looked relieved. Ashlee just watched in amusement.
Justin, still holding the picture, was examining it. "Hmmmm…I don't know…I think my lips look pink."
"Well J," Jen walked up to him and took the frame away from him. He then stood behind her and looked at it from over her shoulder, leaning down a bit to be eye level with her, "you should stay away from Lance's make-up!" That got a snicker from Chris, and a pout from Lance.
"Anyway," she said thoughtfully, "this is one of my favorite photo shoot pictures, so it is going up by my bed."
"JJ, you want me to sign it for ya? So then you can wake up every morning and drool over it while thinkin of me?" Justin said, standing up straight. Jen reached up behind her and pulled on one of his curls.
"You tool! No one drools over you besides thirteen year old girls!" Jen shouted and the rest of the guys started laughing hysterically.
Justin pouted, then laughed it off and said, "Well sweets, do ya want me to or what?"
Jen looked over at Ashlee, silently asking for her permission. Ashlee nodded her consent so Jen turned to Justin and said, "Yes, I do. I want my boyee to write me a slammin' message too! None of that 'thanks for your support and stay NSYNC' crap that you write to the fans either! I want a bonafide message from THE Justin Randall Timberlake," she said.
"Here she goes…" JC muttered.
"What? I don't get it…"Ashlee said. Everyone stopped and stared at JC, waiting for an explanation.
"Yeah JC, " Jen said slyly, "what don't'cha explain this?"
"Well, ya see, our friend over here, the one with the blonde highlights, she is like another member of the band to us. She is like our little sister; well, me and Joey and Chris and Lance," JC started, "we don't know about her and Justin; they have this relationship that cannot be defined. It's very…unique. They are best friends, I mean, he tells her everything…stuff he doesn't even tell us, ya know? But they aren't brother/sister friendly; they are something else," he looked over to Jen and Justin, who were listening intently, standing close together. Then turns back to Ashlee and continued.
"Anyway, back to my point. Well, you know how people like to give us nicknames right? Well, I am Sleepy Sync, and Joey is Happy Sync, Chris is Psycho Sync, Lance is Business Sync, and of course Justin is Sporty Sync. Well, we felt like we needed to give Jen a nickname, besides the millions we already have for her, so she could really be like family. Well, she would be Sporty Sync, but that's Justin, so we came up with tha next best. She is Nutty Sync…and to finally get to what I was trying to say, she is going into 'Nutty Sync' mode…and that means look out, we are in for some major laughs!" JC finally finished. Ashlee just stared at him, in awe.
Justin chuckled then took the picture from Jen and placed it on the floor, removing the frame.
"Nice pick girl…even though I was criticizing it, this is one of my faves," Justin said to Ashlee.
Ashlee smiled and said, "That's exactly what Jen said when she opened it up," Justin shot Jen one of his amazing smiles and winked at her. He turned around and started to write her a note. Justin was decked out in cargo khaki pants, a white wife beater and a baby blue dress shirt thrown over it.
JC took the opportunity to catch Jen without her partner in crime and walked up to her and asked, "Hey girl, what have ya been up to today?"
Jen replied, "Not much. Me and Shlee were out on the hill a lil earlier tanning, can you tell I got darker?" she pulled her bikini strap out of the way and turned her back to JC.
"Yea, you got a line already!" he remarked, shocked.
Justin whipped his head around to see if she really had one and said, "Nah, you do not. JC is just lyin' to ya cuz its your birthday!"
Jen turned around and responded back, "Whatever Stin. You can't even see from over there with those bug-like shades on. You're just tryin' to get a rise outta me and it ain't gonna happen!"
He got up and walked over to her and pulled off his sunglasses. Then he moved her strap out of the way himself and ran his hand down her back and was like, "OK, so you DO have one."
Jen smiled and said, "HA! I knew it! It's the end of the summer you goof, I have had a massive tan line for awhile!"
Chris mumbled, "Yeah, he just wanted to touch ya Jenk."
Jen's head turned around towards Chris and she said, "What was that CK?"
Chris looked up and realized he had said that out loud. He looked over at Justin who was shooting him a death look, then said to Jen, "Do ya wanna see what we gotcha?"
Justin's face looked relieved, Jen looked confused, and Ashlee, who had been silently observing by the futon standing next to Joey, was processing what just happened.
Jen glanced at Chris and said, "Sure thang baybee!!" Then she sneaked a peek at Justin who was shooting Chris a death glare.
Oh my God…he DID say what I thought he said! What is going on here?? Nothing seemed out of the ordinary…but is my best friend falling for me? More importantly…am I falling too?
