October 29th, hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
The tour had been going extremely well; the venues were consistently sold out and the fans were going crazy over the double-headlining show. Now the tour was making its stop in the guys’ home state of Florida, and they were extremely excited. Playing in Florida always gave them an extra rush of adrenaline, and that’s why they placed it more in the middle of the tour instead of the beginning or end. They needed the boost of energy and it was the perfect time for it.
The buses came to a stop at the hotel they booked and everyone exited hastily. They had just traveled from Tennessee and were happy to spend the next two nights in a non-moving bed.
Eric checked the people on Gina’s bus into the hotel and got room keys for everyone, while Mike did the same for the *NSYNC members. The rest of the group hung out near the back entrance of the hotel, waiting for the signal that it was safe to enter.
“Man it’s awesome that we’re off the bus for a few days; I don’t think I could have taken another night in that bunk,” Lance said, rubbing his neck.
“I hear ya Lance. It’s good we’re someplace warm too. I’m so NOT a fan of the cold, snowy weather,” Gina added, trying to stifle a yawn.
“Someone is sleepy…did you have a long night there Gina Maria?” Joey asked, smiling evilly.
Gina rolled her eyes and pushed his shoulder. “Yeah, Sharlene and I were lying awake all night talking about what it would be like to hook up with a studly stallion like yourself.”
Before Joey could reply, the security members informed the group that their rooms were ready. The crew grabbed their suitcases and picked up their keys from their respective security member and headed toward the elevator.
People in the lobby stopped to stare; it wasn’t everyday that one saw a group of about 20 people, including large bodyguards. There was no way everyone would be able to make it on the elevator at once, so the guys piled onto it, shoving Justin out of the way. They basically volunteered Justin and Mike to go up with Gina, Rachel, Sharlene, Holly, and Eric.
“Figures. I’m with all the women,” Justin muttered under his breath.
Gina snorted and glanced over her shoulder at Justin. “Well there’s a first for everything now isn’t there?”
Justin’s head snapped in her direction quickly as the elevator dinged and the doors opened, allowing them access. Gina walked in, while Sharlene grabbed Eric’s arm quickly. Justin followed Gina and Holly grabbed Mike’s arm. Before anyone knew what was happening, the elevator doors shut and Gina and Justin were on the elevator together.
Alone.
Gina’s eyes widened as she looked at the closed doors in front of her, hoping it was just a joke and the doors would open with everyone laughing on the other side. After a few seconds, the elevator started moving up and she knew that it was no use; she was stuck. With Justin.
Justin’s thoughts were much of the same; he was going to kill someone for this. He guessed it was Mike’s bright idea, the man just thought he knew it all. He glanced over at Gina and positioned himself against the wall opposite from her, praying the ride would be quick.
“I can’t believe they did this. What, did they think we’d all of the sudden become best friends over the span of an elevator ride? LIKE that would ever happen. Ego’s the size of Alaska don’t shrink in a 30 second trip to a hotel room,” Gina said out loud, but really only talking to herself.
Justin’s eyes slammed into hers and his eyebrows practically reached his hairline. “Excuse me? This had to be your smarty best friend’s idea because Lord KNOWS my friends wouldn’t dream of sticking me some place with YOU of all people. How they are even FRIENDS with you is beyond me.”
“You SO did not go there.”
“I SO did.”
The two were practically nose-to-nose and were breathing heavily, extremely riled up.
“OK Mr. Tennessee ‘bling bling’ Timberlake, listen and listen GOOD. Your friends like me because unlike you, I am a quality person…who did NOT start this feud between us. I'm not the one that was badmouthing you; it was the other way around. GOT IT?!”
“So now we’re busting out nicknames eh? Ok Miss California Valley girl ‘I’m Italian so I am badass’ Corleone, why don’t you come down off that pedestal you’ve put YOURSELF on and recognize that they’re MY friends and I’ve known them a helluva lot longer than you have. You might be pulling some shit with them, but I see right through your act. You’re self-absorbed, you’re snobby, and you think you’re above everyone else. I’m not down with people that are like that!”
The elevator dinged, but neither of the two realized it. Gina was about ready to smack Justin, and Justin was trying to calm himself down before he did something he would regret.
“If you would have taken five seconds to actually talk to me rather than argue with me, you would have realized none of that is true. However, you’re shallow and obviously believe everything you read in the tabloids, so I don’t even want to ASSOCIATE with you. It’s people like you that keep those rumors alive,” Gina replied, trying to get her emotions in check before she wailed on him.
“Hey if the shoe fits…”
“Talk about insecure. You’re the one that hates me because I'm friends with your ex-girlfriend…” Gina replied, taking another approach.
Justin’s eyes narrowed and Gina almost jumped back in surprise. “If you’ve dated one female solo artist, you’ve dated them all. You two are one in the same I’m sure,” he said in a cold voice.
“You’ll never know Timberlake.”
“I’m heartbroken.”
Gina realized the elevator had stopped and she started to walk off of it and into the hall. “Go to hell Justin.”
“Now why would I want to go there? I want to be as far away from YOU as possible,” he quipped, walking in the other direction down the hall. He was too upset to realize he had given Gina plenty of information as to why he was so cold towards her.
“She’s gonna eat him alive in that elevator; he’s been nothing but a brat to her. I wish I could see it,” Mike said to the group as they got on the other elevator.
“I can’t believe you did that Sharlene. She’s going to maim you you know. Oh, to be a fly on the wall of THAT elevator!” Eric laughed.
Sharlene and Holly high-fived each other and giggled. Rachel chuckled along with them, but really didn’t see the comedy in the situation.
“They’re just going to argue and most likely kill each other. Then where will all of ya be? Out one boyband member and a reigning Godmother of popular music. Probably not the brightest of ideas Shar.”
“Please. We all see it. Its like the only reason they fight is because they don’t know what to say to each other. They’ll have to get over it eventually, right? Why not force them together so they get past it? Besides, if Gina gave Justin a black eye it would totally put him in his place,” Sharlene answered, shaking her head.
“Have I mentioned that I love the way you think?” Mike chimed in, hugging her and smiling widely.
“I just hope that they aren’t too scratched up from their squabble, I would feel so bad and I know Gina would get me back,” Holly said, ducking her head a bit.
“Nah Holl, she would never know it was you. It was all me, got it?” Sharlene answered.
“Have I ever told you that you ROCK?” Holly said hugging Sharlene tightly.
“Man, I’m all about getting the love!”
Sharlene entered the room she was sharing with Gina cautiously. Lately, it seemed as if every room she walked in to that Gina was already occupying was somewhat of a suicide mission. Her curiosity about what happened in the elevator caused her anxiousness, but at the same time she felt a bit bad for throwing Gina into something she didn’t want. However, Sharlene shook it off, knowing that it was best for Gina to have some one-on-one time with Justin, even if she thought she hated him.
“Geen?” Sharlene called, letting the door close behind her loudly.
“I don’t wish to talk to you right now Sharlene.”
Sharlene winced; it sounded like the elevator fiasco didn’t go as well as she had hoped it to.
“What happened?”
Gina came around the corner into Sharlene’s view and glared at her. “Well, would you like a newsflash on your best friend?”
“Is it something I don’t already know?”
“Oh yes. Did you know that I am snobby, self-absorbed…and that I put myself up on a pedestal? Oh, I am also fooling every member of *NSYNC except for the ever intelligent Timberlake.”
“Yikes. He said that to you?” Sharlene asked, sitting on a bed and staring at Gina with wide eyes.
“That’s not all. Did you also know that I, Gina Corleone, am ALSO Britney Spears?”
Sharlene shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows. “Come again with that one.”
“Well, since Justin has ‘dated one female solo artist, he’s dated them all’. Isn’t that a fantab outlook on life? What a jackass! God!” Gina cried out, throwing her hands in the air.
“Just because I’m friends with Britney doesn’t mean we are carbon copies! She’s cool and all, we chat, have had lunch a few times, but Shar! Where does that say we are exactly the same when it comes to well, our personal lives! How can he say that!”
Sharlene sighed and stood up. “He doesn’t know. He says it because he doesn’t know what else to say. Maybe he sees you hanging out, or talking, or whatever and is bitter. I really don’t have a clue dude.”
“I am so sick of this crap. I'm sick of HIM! I just don’t get him. At all. Is someone trying to punish me? What did I do to deserve this?”
“Ok, calm down. It’s not worth getting even more upset over dude. Just lay down for awhile, watch TV, write, do whatever but don’t think about it. It’s still the beginning of the tour. Give the guys a call, meet up for dinner and relax. Thank God you don’t have a show tonight.”
Gina nodded and laid down on the bed, grabbing the remote and flipping on the television. Sharlene picked up the phone and called JC, making dinner plans with him for later on. She had a lot to discuss with him, and he was going to help her form the ultimate plan.
About an hour later the phone started ringing, snapping her out of her Disney Channel trance. Chris and Joey had called to see if she wanted to join them for dinner, since JC, Justin, and Lance were nowhere to be found. She quickly agreed, happy to be getting out of the room and joining people she knew she could have a good time with.
After walking out of the elevator Justin went to his room immediately and did not leave. He was lucky that he was the odd man out with the room to himself at that hotel; it was just the way the rotation had fallen. He tried listening to music to distract him. When that didn’t work, he tried a hot shower. After the shower he attempted to watch some television but that didn’t work either. Gina’s words were plaguing his mind and there was nothing he could do to banish them. The only other thing he could do to distract himself was a last resort. He sighed, knowing he would do it just because he was going out of his mind.
Justin picked up the phone and called Lance, asking him to come to his room to chat.
“What up Justin?” Lance asked as he walked in a few minutes after the phone call.
“I…I need some advice. Well, I actually just need to talk…about Gina, and I figured you would be the only person that would be level-headed enough to listen and not bash me for being well…nevermind.”
Lance nodded and pulled a chair out from the desk. “Spill it.”
Justin explained what had occurred in the elevator in detail, not really looking at Lance, afraid of what his facial expressions would tell him. Lance didn’t say a word until Justin had finished, and even then the room was quiet. Justin stared at Lance, waiting for a response until he could no longer contain himself.
“Well?!? Jeez Lance, say something before I really lose it.”
“Sorry, I'm just thinking. You told her that she was just like Britney? Justin, first of all, that’s not fair. If you had taken the time to get to know Gina, you would know that they are NOT the same. Not even close. Yeah, they could be friends, but that doesn’t mean they are alike. Hell, look at all of us; we’re friends but there is no way that we are the same people.”
Justin nodded and sat on the bed. He looked at Lance, waiting for him to continue because he just KNEW there was more.
“Secondly…she’s very down-to-earth. She gets along with everyone…well, except you. Now, what she said to you wasn’t quite fair either, because she hasn’t taken the time to get to know you…but you haven't let her. I don’t know what your beef is Justin, but you have to get over it. She’s not a bitch, no matter how hard you try to make her out to be. I think you wish she were, because then hating her would be so easy. I don’t have the answers for you; only you know what you think and only you can decide how you want to proceed with her.”
With that said, Lance stood up from his seat. Justin stood up as well and nodded, letting his friend know that he understood what he was saying.
“Hey, do you wanna grab some grub? Order something up here? I just kinda need to chill tonight. If you don’t its cool, I’ll sit and watch Oprah or something,” Justin said, looking around the room like a caged animal.
“Sounds good, how does pizza sound?”
October 30th, 2000.
Gina was running around the hotel room, gathering some last minute things before heading to the venue for rehearsals. Her mind was still thinking about Justin, well, thinking about what went down between him and Britney.
“Gina, its so not any of your business,” she said aloud to herself, grabbing an extra tank top and shoving it into her backpack.
She couldn’t help it though, she had seen the look in Justin’s eyes when she mentioned Britney on the elevator. In fact, it was that look that had haunted her while she tried to sleep. It reminded her of how she looked when things started to go down with Charlie. She saw the same look in her eyes when she looked in the mirror that she had seen in Justin’s. In an odd way, she felt connected to him and wanted to know more about him.
That thought was quickly banished from her mind as she scolded herself for being so emotional. She DIDN’T want to get to know Justin, he was a straight up jerk to her and that was that. But maybe the reason he was being a jerk had to do with Britney, and since she was friends with Britney it brought back old feelings.
“Stop it Gina, for cryin’ out loud!” she yelled at herself, smacking her forehead.
“Good Lord child, you have officially lost it. Stop beating yourself up and lets go; you’re about to be late,” Eric said, entering her hotel room and shaking her from her inner battle.
As the two walked out of the room, Gina shook her head. “You’re absolutely right Eric, I HAVE lost my mind. Touring with these men has drove me insane.”
“Back up Miss Thang; you just said I was right about something? Now I KNOW you’re messed.”
Gina stopped and smacked his arm. “Stop it E. And I didn’t say you were right…you are so hearing things.”
“On that last beat Rachel, step a little further out to the right,” Wade instructed as Gina and the crew were running through rehearsals. Rachel nodded and the group made their way back to their starting positions. They made it through the song without any more problems and moved on to the next, where Gina danced by herself.
The members of *NSYNC had arrived at the venue earlier than they needed to be, and decided that it would be a perfect time to sit in on Gina’s rehearsals and sound check. They hadn’t really seen her perform outside of the actual concert, but during that time they were on the lookout for fans recognizing them in the crowd. Here, they could relax in the front row and take in her abilities.
The hip-hop beat started and Gina adjusted her headset before she began to dance. She sang and jumped into the difficult choreography as Wade watched her closely, making sure she hit each and every step.
Justin stared at her, trying to remember all the reasons why he didn’t like her so much. JC and Sharlene shared a quick glance and smirked to themselves, noticing Justin’s obvious entrancement. Joey was watching Gina’s body move and hitting Chris every so often, muttering some unintelligible phrases.
As the song ended and Gina struck her final pose, the four guys stood up and clapped loudly. Gina snapped out of her trance that she normally fell into when she performed and looked at them in surprise.
“Stop it guys,” she said, blushing.
“You rock Godfather!” Chris yelled, turning to stand on his chair and clap some more.
“Gina…you never told me your body moved like that. So when are we going clubbin’ next because you are SO my partner,” Joey called out and winked.
Justin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Sharlene giggled at his pose and when his angry eyes turned on her, she glanced away and pretended to be having a conversation with Lance.
Meanwhile, Gina was standing on stage with her hands on her hips, shaking her head. Wade made his way to the middle of the stage and touched her shoulder. “I have to say that was a pretty awesome routine.”
“Stop patting yourself on the back Wade J,” Gina teased, elbowing him in the stomach.
“Whatever y’all. That was nothing compared to what we do on stage.”
“I swear, you just can take getting beaten can you? I bet it irks you to DEATH that I’m a better dancer than you are,” Gina answered Justin, smiling widely.
“Excuse me? I did not just hear you right.”
“Great, round three, ding ding ding!” Chris said, flopping back into his chair and covering his head with his hands.
“This could get interesting though…” JC added, rubbing his hands together devilishly.
“Yeah, you’re not that bad of a dancer Justin…but you lack the…well, how do I put this nicely? You lack what Wade totally HAS.”
Justin made his way up onto the stage because he could not believe his ears. “Ok, is that a challenge?”
“You’re damn RIGHT it is. You and me Timber-tike. We’ll have Wade judge.”
“Nuh uh, I'm not doing that, hell NO,” Wade said, backing away with his hands held high in the air. Gina reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back towards her and Justin.
“Fine, the guys will,” Justin said, his eyes not leaving Gina’s.
“And Sharlene and my dancers. It’ll be fair; I know they wont pick you. We’ll dance to a song neither of us sings.”
“OK. Wade choreographs the first verse and a chorus to a song that everyone else agrees on.”
“Wait a minute…” Wade began to say, but neither Justin nor Gina heard him, they were too caught up in each other.
“He’ll do it tonight, and teach it to both of us tomorrow before my sound check. We’ll get a half hour to practice it after we know and then it’s show time. Be prepared to lose.”
Justin scoffed and shook his head. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with GiGi.”
“Hmm, a curly-haired-wannabe-pimp-daddy? I think that about sums it up…oh wait, I forgot to add second-in-dancing-to-Gina.”
The two were once again squared off, but by now the group was so used to it they weren’t even paying attention…anymore. They were too busy discussing what would go down between the two tomorrow when they actually squared off.
“I’ll bring the camera!” Sharlene said.
“I think it’ll be close.”
“Nah Joe, I think that Gina’ll take him,” Chris argued, pulling out five bucks.
“I agree with Chris, Gina will outdance him,” Lance said, going for his wallet.
“Ye of little faith. Justin will win or they’ll just be like, equal.”
“JC, only you would pull out the ‘equal’ vibe. So noble,” Sharlene teased. The group glanced up at the stage, hoping to catch the end of what was being said.
“Second to you? In your dreams girlie. In. Your. Dreams.”
“You’re on tomorrow baby. And you’re going down in a mess of dance moves.”
