(Two weeks later. Video rehearsals. Jive Studios. Orlando, Florida.)
The tour had finally ended and Carly didn’t know how she had survived the final few weeks of it but she had managed to scrape her way through it. She credited a lot of her sanity to the fact that Adrienne had been around for her to turn to and vent at. Adrienne was her rock, and she was always there for her unquestioningly. That came in handy several times when Britney attempted to play with her or tried her tricks.
For the last two weeks of the tour, it was almost as if Britney was trying her best to get under her skin. At every turn she was there with something nasty to say, or she would do things that would irritate her to some degree. For example, the next to last city they performed in Britney liked Carly’s dressing room better so she made everyone switch. Now there was nothing wrong with her dressing room. In fact, all the dressing rooms were the same, but she just had to cause problems and wreck havoc in Carly’s life to prove a point. The point that she was in charge and was, for the millionth time, the headliner on the tour.
Even though it was early, Carly already felt a little more at ease, and more sane, and it had only been three days since the tour had ended. Anything to get her away from Britney was a good thing. It was just so sad and so angering to see. Britney had hurt Justin so deeply and so selfishly that she still had no idea why he was so cold to her. In her self focused little world it was inconceivable to think that someone wouldn’t bow down and worship her and Carly found that rather disturbing.
The other thing she found disturbing were the letters she had gotten. After all the tricks and tactics Britney had pulled, she was pretty much positive that Britney was the one behind the letters. In the last two weeks of the tour she had received a total of four letters and all of them spoke of how someone could love her better than Justin could. They were all written in the same style, and in the same handwriting.
Of course each one seemed to pay tribute to Carly and each showed an undying love for Carly, and that pointed to someone OTHER than Britney. But Carly wasn’t fooled for a minute. She could understand Britney’s sick mentality a little too well by now after spending so much time around her. If she scared Carly away from Justin, then he would be available for Britney to step in and grab. Only over her dead body would she allow that to happen.
In fact, the more she thought about it lately, the more she knew it was just Britney messing with her head. She was desperate to do anything to get to Justin and she made it perfectly clear at every opportunity that Carly was standing in her way. She’d also made it painstakingly clear that games and ruthlessness weren’t tactics that were beneath her, and that made Carly all the more suspicious. All of the notes had been thrown away and that was mainly because Carly couldn’t bring herself to take them seriously anymore.
Her common sense told her it was Britney, but her heart chose to ignore the fact that two of the letters had popped up when Britney was nowhere around. There were two reasons why she was having a hard time believing anyone else would do it. There were only two other possible options and each one seemed completely ridiculous.
One: An obsessed fan was traveling all over the nation, was getting tickets to all the shows, stayed in the hotel when Justin was there to see what went on between them, and then started giving her notes. (Didn’t seem plausible)
OR Two: Someone on the crew was doing it. That equaled around twenty-five people, from the stage crew to security members, and all of which were possible suspects. Everyone on the tour besides her had experience with being on other tours and they had never been found guilty of stalking behavior or they wouldn’t still be working in this environment. So that option seemed even more ridiculous.
The number one reason why Carly believed Britney was behind it all was the fact that she had been home in Orlando for three days, and no letters had popped up anywhere. Each day she was home and each day no new letters appeared, the more Britney appeared to be the guilty party. It was too confusing for her to think about, and too depressing to worry about so she decided to just ignore it and worry about something worth her time and effort.
She had assumed that when you are gone on tour and then come home that you got some time to relax and veg. That was completely untrue. She actually felt more drained and tired now than she had on the tour. There were rehearsals every day for the video she was going to film starting tomorrow, recording sessions, personal promotional appearances, and interviews for teen and music magazines popping up every day on her schedule.
Some days she truly believed the world was spinning around her because it was dizzying to think about. Everything was moving too fast. Her single was only number thirty on the Billboard Chart but that feat was accomplished in a little over a month. That alone made her feel nauseous. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would ever be in the position she was in now.
In the dance studio was exactly where Carly was at the moment, alongside Dylan, Nick, and Jason. They had all been in the dance studio the entire day with Darren working on the dance sequences for the video. For the most part they were the same routines they had performed during the tour, but there were a few twists. This time Carly had a dance routine with a group of six girls, there was a dance routine with Carly and the guys, and then a last one with everyone combined. Since Darren choreographed it all, it was spectacular work, but Carly had to admit that she was having a hard time keeping up with the dancers around her. She was doing a hundred times better than she had done a few weeks ago, but even good dancers would look bad in front of people who knew what they were doing. Carly felt that sometimes she was completely clueless to the dancing going on around her, and her exhaustion only added to the problem.
The other exciting thing about the video, besides the fact that it was being filmed to begin with, was the fact that Justin had come up with the idea all on his own and it was being kept a surprise for Carly. She only knew what the dancing scenes looked like, but the rest of what was going into the video was a complete mystery to her. To tell the truth, that made it all the more special and fun to her.
“Earth to Carly…come in Carly.”
She came out of her trance and focused in on Nick who was standing in front of her in the dance studio. “Huh? What? I’m paying attention.”
The guys laughed and Jason jumped around beside her. “Sure you were. That’s why you’ve been standing there like a statue for the last five minutes or so. Are you ready to practice this so we can go home at a reasonable hour tonight?”
Dylan threw his sweat towel on the ground beside them and sighed. “Yeah…what’s up with you today anyway? Are you feeling ok? You look like you’re about to pass out right here in front of us.”
Her eyes slid over to the mirror and she took a long hard look at herself. They were right. She looked like a member of the raccoon family today. “Don’t worry about me guys. I’m just stressing out over that interview with Seventeen magazine.”
Jason’s eyes widened and he smiled brightly at her. “You’re doing an interview with Seventeen magazine? Well damn girl…you go!”
“It’s for the ‘up and coming’ music section. I guess they feel I’m up and coming.”
Dylan tried to hide his laugh, but it was impossible. “You know…if it hadn’t been Carly saying those words I would have thought someone was talking dirty.”
The three of them stared at him like he had lost his mind. Jason rolled his eyes and turned to Carly again. “Good luck with that. Just make sure you’re honest so you don’t have to worry about covering lies.”
She shook her head assertively. “Don’t worry. I’m going to say exactly what I need to say.”
Darren came up and put a hand on their shoulders. He looked around at the four of them huddled up and spoke. “I’m sorry to break up this group meeting but do you think we could do a little dancing today? It’s still early.”
Dylan groaned loudly. “It’s almost six o’clock at night. We’ve been dancing all day man.”
Darren waved his hand towards the ten people who were all sitting along the walls watching the action in awe. “If you’d like to stand here complaining, I’m sure any one of those people would gladly take your place.” They all moved into their spots and got ready for the music to start. “Uh huh…that’s what I thought.”
A little while later they were all completely exhausted and panting for breath. Darren watched them closely and even he had to grin when Dylan grumbled again. “This is almost the same thing as the tour performance of this song…only shorter.”
Jason raised an eyebrow and a sarcastic grin slid across his face. “Oh I beg to differ. Instead of shifting to the left on the three beat, we slide to the right. So there.”
Dylan’s jaw dropped. “OOOOOH! Now THAT makes all the difference.”
Darren still stood there by the stereo and pointed at them. “I can hear you.”
“Well I certainly hope so because if I got any louder I’d be shouting.”
Darren stood there staring at them for a second before he couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore. The crowd that sat along the walls watching them laughed at their antics as well. “Ok ok. You have all worked really hard and you have to be up early tomorrow. So go home, get some rest, and I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow at the filming. Make sure you are completely fitted for your costumes because there will be no time to create new ones tomorrow. Goodnight everyone.”
It was suddenly a room full of shuffling, grabbing of bags, and opening doors. Everyone was getting out of there as fast as they could and Carly stood in the same place she had been standing before, watching the action.
Jason paused at the door. “Are you comin’ Carly?”
Nick stopped right along beside him. “You need a ride girl?”
She shook her head and spun around while looking at herself in the mirror. “No thank you. I am going to practice this a little bit more and then head up for my interview.”
They all yelled good luck to her and walked out of the room. About five of the girls who were sitting along the wall walked up to her and smiled shyly. They all looked about fifteen years old but of course looks were deceiving in this case because all of them were actually older than she was.
The first girl who spoke up was one of the dancers that Carly had admired. She was confident, talented, and quick on every move. “Hi Carly. I know I speak for the rest of us when I say that it’s truly an honor to be working with you.”
It took a minute for her words to sink in, and Carly was still completely confused by them. “Wait a minute, you’re honored to be working with me? I should be the one saying that.”
A small blonde haired girl tilted her head to the side and giggled. “You know what? Everyone told us that you were really humble and down to earth. I guess they were right. You really are very modest aren’t you?”
Carly pushed her hair out of her face and smiled shyly. “I guess you could say that. I’m just a normal person…nothing special.”
They all held out paper and pens for Carly to sign her autograph and at this point it seemed almost automatic for her. She really didn’t think about it much anymore, but she had to admit that it was pretty shocking that people wanted HER autograph.
The first girl stood there after getting her autograph and smiled. “So how is Justin doing?”
Carly’s eyes immediately swung to the girl’s face. “Justin?”
She shook her head and her ponytail bobbed up and down. “Yeah…you know…Justin Timberlake? I was just wondering how he’s doing on the new tour and everything.”
It seemed like a pretty harmless question. “Actually he’s doing really great. I talked to him yesterday and he said that the tour was a lot of fun and it was going great. I’ll let him know that you asked.”
She thought the girl was going to faint right there. “Are you serious? Oh my God are you serious?”
One of the other girls stepped forward with her paper and pen. “What’s it like to have Justin as a close friend? I mean…he’s close enough to where he calls you and you can call him when you need him it seems. That must be really cool.”
Now for Carly this all seemed a little strange. These girls were professional dancers and they were acting very teenybopperish in her opinion. Weren’t they supposed to be beyond this behavior? “It’s very cool, but he’s a wonderful friend to have. I feel very blessed that he’s come into my life.”
“He’s your manager so does that mean he’s going to be there tomorrow? I’ll die…I’ll absolutely die!”
Carly turned to look at Darren. She looked over at him to ask a question, and also because she was trying to avoid laughing in the girl’s face. “Darren? Is Justin coming tomorrow?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Last time I checked he wasn’t coming. There’s no break in his touring schedule right now.”
The girls got their autographs from Carly, told her once again how much they were looking forward to being in the video with her, and left. Carly made her own way out of the dance studio and upstairs to take a shower before the interview. She was hoping that it would be quick and to the point. So far the experiences she’d had with interviews had been good, but they had also been rather embarrassing. She was just too private of a person to reveal everything to a stranger sitting in front of her. It was like the person was being nosey and was just prying into her life.
While she was in the shower she thought about the excitement the girls downstairs had had for Justin. They were glowing in their enthusiasm and desperation to see him. It was the first time Carly had actually seen girls be THAT anxious to have a part of him. That made her really curious to see what N SYNC’s tour life was like. She was also beyond curious to see what their performances were like.
The girls’ words had also saddened her. She didn’t want to think about the fact that Justin wouldn’t be there for the video shoot. She hadn’t seen him for almost three weeks and it was killing her. Every time she heard his voice on the phone she wanted to reach through and touch him. Every night she had a different dream about being with him and that made everything harder. She had all these feelings and confusing thoughts, and every time she had them she wanted to pull him close and tell him how she was thinking. But at the same time she had way too many hang-ups and things holding her back. That made for some pretty strong and angering feelings.
While she dried off and got changed she couldn’t help thinking about Justin and what he looked like fresh from the shower. In fact, ever since that night in the hotel room when he had come out of the shower, she had relived it every time she had taken one herself. She could still see his soft skin with a sheen of water still covering it, could see how his still dampened hair curled perfectly and practically begged to be touched, and she could still remember the way he smelled. He smelled fresh, clean, and completely male. He smelled like Justin, and that was quickly becoming an addiction for her…the whole package was.
She walked dreamily down the empty hallways to the conference room, and there a reporter from Seventeen magazine awaited her. The reporter looked to be in his early thirties and very kind. Carly really didn’t pay all that much attention to him because Justin had her mind with him and that was just a little too hard to stray away from. Any time she remembered what he looked like, smelled like, etc…she was right back with him and it was a place she didn’t want to leave.
The man stood up and held his hand out for her to shake. “Good evening Carly. Thank you so much for taking time out of your rehearsal schedule to talk with me. I only have a few questions for you because I got most of your information from Mr. Stephens or from files we have on you already.”
Carly felt a little uneasy about someone having files on her, but she was in a public business so that meant her birthday and information like that was fair game for anyone to look at. “Ok.”
“What does it feel like to be only eighteen years old and to have already toured around the United States performing on one of the biggest tours of the summer?”
Not a bad first question in her opinion. “It’s all been really exciting and things have moved really quickly for me. I feel really blessed for every opportunity I’ve had so far. As for the tour, well let’s just say that it was really a…learning experience. I learned a lot about myself, and about people in general.”
He typed on his laptop quickly and smiled at what she said. “How did you like touring with Britney Spears. She is your competition and naturally people are going to compare you to her. What do you think about that?”
Carly had to take a few deep breaths and calm herself before speaking so she wouldn’t say something she shouldn’t. “I don’t really listen to all the comparisons between pop artists and I think it’s only natural that people wonder if I’m like Britney because we’re on the same label. I’m too new to everything to say what I’ve got that she doesn’t, or vice versa, but she certainly has a lot to offer her fans.” Like a huge set of fake…
“And how did you two get along on the tour? Was it a sisterly relationship?”
Carly could have sworn that the mice from Cinderella were dancing behind her. If there was any kind of sisterly relationship going on between her and Britney, it was an evil stepsister kind of thing. “Oh Britney is…well she’s…she’s really something. That’s about all I can say. After all, it was HER tour and she was THE headliner.”
He chuckled but didn’t say anything about her response. “Justin Timberlake of N SYNC is your manager?”
She folded her hands in her lap and almost groaned when she heard Justin’s name. “That’s right.”
“Why do you think that he decided to try his hand at that aspect of the music business, and why do you think he chose you as his first artist to manage?”
Carly often ran that same question through her head and she hadn’t been able to come up with an answer to it yet. “I really don’t know. I know that Justin is someone who is very talented and very bright, but he gets bored easily when there’s nothing to do. He loves a challenge and I think this was a way for him to be challenged. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time and now I’m here.”
He finally asked the question she knew was coming. “Are you two more than friends? You know there’s rumors about him and Britney, and now he picks up a female artist to manage that’s his age so of course the rumors fly.”
Carly knew this was a very touchy subject with N SYNC fans, and if she answered this badly it could hurt Justin. “I know for a fact that he’s not dating Britney or even interested in her past friendship. As for me and Justin…he’s someone I owe a great deal to…but we’re just friends right now.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth either. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them right now.
That seemed to be a good answer because he finished typing it and told her that those were the only questions he had for her right then. It seemed like more of a gossip session about Justin and Britney than it was about her, but she was just happy it was over. All she wanted to do was get home, get her PJ’s on, and get some much needed rest. Tomorrow was going to be quite an experience and she couldn’t wait to see what had been planned for her.
Carly was up at the crack of dawn and that was because they expected her to be at a park across town by seven. Adrienne handed her keys over and allowed Carly to drive them over there.
She leaned her head against the window and pushed her sunglasses up on her nose. “Tell me again why I’m up this early.”
“You got up earlier than this when you were on tour with me.”
Adrienne groaned. “Yeah but that was a friendly duty. This is just insane. Do you realize that I haven’t opened my eyes before noon for the last three days?”
Carly was being really careful as she drove down the interstate across town in early morning traffic. “It must be nice. I haven’t had my eyes closed past six all this week. So stop your complaining.”
They rode in silence for a little while before Adrienne spoke up again. “So what’s the video going to be about?”
Carly shook her head. “I have absolutely no idea. I know we’re filming in the park today, and then we’re going to do a few scenes at a school somewhere, but other than that I know nothing. The costumes really don’t give much of a hint to anything. It looks like outfits you would wear on a normal day.”
“Are the dancers going to be there?”
Carly had to smile at that. Adrienne always had one thing on her mind, and one thing only. “The three musketeers are going to be there. There are also going to be more guys to fill in the background of some scenes. At least that’s what they told me.”
“They’re called extras my dear, and I hope they’re fine. I haven’t had a boyfriend in almost a month now. Can you imagine that? ME…without a boyfriend…huh.”
They made their way past security checks and Carly delicately parked the car in a spot that had been reserved for her. There seemed to be a lot of people there for such a simple thing as shooting a video.
About five small trailers were lined up near the parking lot and the entire park was fenced off so other people wouldn’t come in. Carly was amazed by the amount of camera equipment and by the way everyone was running around everywhere. At least SOMEONE knew what they were supposed to be doing.
An older man who was balding on top walked over to Carly and Adrienne. “Carly Hawkins? I’m Paul the director. It’s great to finally meet you. I’ve heard nothing but great things about you and that includes the wonderful song you have recorded. Are you ready to get this ball rolling?”
Adrienne lowered her sunglasses and looked the man over. If this was the type of men Carly was referring to, then her friend needed a lot of help. Carly knew that Adrienne was about to make some smartass comment so she put an arm around her shoulders and smiled at Paul. “We’re ready whenever you are I guess. Just tell me where I’m supposed to go and what I’m supposed to do.”
As they were walking towards the far trailers Paul filled them in on what was happening. “Right now we’re getting everything setup and you don’t really need to worry about any of it. What you need to be doing is getting your hair and makeup done, and get into costume. Has anyone told you what the video is about yet?”
“Well I know the words to my song so I’m assuming it has something to do with that message.”
He shook his head and motioned for them to continue following him. “The song is about a girl who is searching for a guy who will treat her right and she’s been through way too many bad relationships in the past to be fooled by a guy with the wrong motives. She’s headstrong and she knows exactly what she’s after. So we’re going to play with that a little. What we’re going to be needing from you is an attitude of someone who has been hurt in the past, but now knows what she wants. Think you could do that?”
It seemed almost too true to life for her NOT to be able to do it. If this was Justin’s idea completely then he was even more brilliant in her eyes. “Oh I think I can handle that.”
As they were walking up the steps to hair and makeup the door swung open and Jason strolled out. He smiled brightly at both of the girls. “Well good morning you two. Not getting into too much trouble are you?”
Adrienne lowered her sunglasses to look him up and down appreciatively. “I’m not in any trouble yet, but I’m willing to let you lead me down the path of no good.”
Jason blushed and laughed. “You know…I really missed your smart mouth these last few days Adrienne.”
She linked her arm with his and walked with him in the opposite direction. “Is that all you missed? Damn I’m losing my touch. See you later Carly…I have work to do of my own.”
Carly shook her head and rolled her eyes playfully as she entered the trailer. Adrienne always knew how to have fun and sometimes she wished that she had just an ounce of her playfulness and courage. When she walked inside, the room was empty. “Hello? Is anyone here?”
A bubbly lady came out of the back and startled her. “Oh hey there honey. Come on over and let’s get started. You must be really excited about making your first video.”
Carly sat down in the chair and was startled when the woman grabbed her hair and yanked. “Ow!”
“Oh I’m sorry sweetie. I’m not tender headed at all and sometimes I forget that other people are. So what we’re supposed to do with you today is give you a natural look to start off with. You’re going to be in the sunlight and the shade, so we don’t want to overdo it. Your hair is beautiful. I think we’ll leave it down so it can blow in the breeze. That will look great.”
The woman worked fast on Carly’s makeup and she was shocked when she looked in the mirror. The lady might be a complete ditz, but she could work some magic with makeup. She actually thought of herself as pretty when she looked at herself in the mirror this time.
While the stylist was working on her hair Carly closed her eyes and allowed herself time to rest. The weeks of hectic schedules and no rest were catching up to her. She needed about a week of nothing but sleep. Hopefully after the video was finished she would have time to spend on herself.
A shrilling noise broke her relaxed state of mind and the lady held up one finger to show Carly that she needed to take the call. That was ok with Carly, and it was even more ok when the woman walked outside to take the call. She was brilliant with makeup, and it looked like she knew what she was doing with hair, but the voice that came with it was annoying. Carly just wanted some time alone to collect her thoughts and relax some. For some reason she felt like there was something around her lately. Like there was a dark cloud hovering over her just waiting for the right time to strike. It was eerie.
A little while later she heard the door open again and felt the woman’s fingers gently massaging her scalp again. If the massaging continued, she honestly thought she might go to sleep right there. Never had she had someone touch her in such a delicate way…well…Justin had but that was a different story altogether. This was a hairdresser and normally they hurried up to get the style finished.
When the hands on her hair massaged deeper into her scalp the pleasure of it was so intense that she groaned and opened her eyes. “I can’t believe…” When she saw a tall figure standing over her she jumped out of the chair, screamed, and reached for something to throw as she looked back at it.
Justin folded his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. “Nice to see you too blossom.”
Carly couldn’t get anything out of her mouth…nothing intelligent anyway. “How…when…where did you…why did…but what about…”
He smiled for the first time and it was that heart-melting grin of his. “I know I’m not at my best in the morning, but I didn’t know I was THAT scary looking. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“You look wonderful Justin…um…well…” She rushed to cover her slip of the tongue. “I’ve missed you so much.” With that said she ran up to him and practically dove into his arms. It had been way too long since he had hugged her and what she needed right now was to feel his arms around her to give her strength. If she could have said what she wanted to say, she would have told him that he was the most beautiful sight she had seen in a very long time.
Justin was thinking the very same thing. Carly was definitely a sight for sore eyes right at that moment and he actually thought he was going to burn up when he walked into the trailer and found her sitting there peacefully with her eyes closed. The way the lights glowed on her skin made her seem almost angelic and that had been hard to resist.
He leaned his head down until his cheek was pressed against hers. “I talked to Johnny and he told Lou I was leaving to do some promotional work. I’m covered for the next two days.”
She breathed in deeply and smelled the cologne she had missed so badly. “You came all this way just to see me shoot my video?”
Justin pulled back his head and looked into her eyes. “I have a few other reasons for coming all this way to see you, but yes watching the video shoot was on my list of things to do.”
She could see the small green flakes in his stunning blue eyes and she noticed how those eyes moved quickly between her eyes and her mouth. “Thank you for coming Justin. That…that means a lot to me. More than you’ll ever know.”
They stood there staring at each other for a while. It seemed like forever to the two parties involved. Justin was praying that Carly would make the first move, and Carly was praying for a lapse in Justin’s restraint.
Neither one of them got their wish because the door opened behind them and Adrienne strolled in. “Well my God. THIS just makes my experience complete.”
Justin pulled away from Carly reluctantly to smile over at Adrienne. “Well if it isn’t Satan herself. How are things down under?”
“Oh you are just so witty. Did you get a coupon for some free fries when you bought that attitude of yours?”
The hairstylist came back into the trailer and her eyes widened when she saw all the people inside. “I need to finish Carly…so if you’re not Carly get out.”
Carly sat down and laughed at Adrienne and Justin as they argued their way out the door. She was completely amazed by Justin and it was the little things he did like this that made him even more special in her heart.
“That boy is a real cutie. He’s your boyfriend huh?”
Carly met the woman’s eyes in the mirror and shook her head. “No he’s not my boyfriend, but he’s someone I can’t get out of my mind. No matter how hard I try.”
When Carly walked out of the trailer a little while later she was decked out in black pants, a baby blue sleeveless shirt, and an off white sweater was tied around her shoulders. She had to admit that she looked pretty damn good. This was probably the first time that she felt completely normal and confident in herself around a group of people.
She stopped when she noticed Justin standing a few yards away. There were about ten girls surrounding him and with his height he was a little hard to miss. But to Carly she probably could find him in a room full of giants. It was almost as if her eyes gravitated to him lately.
Paul interrupted her thoughts by grabbing her hand and leading her over to a very good-looking guy who was about her age if she had to guess. “Carly, I’d like you to meet Brandon. He’s going to be the guy who ultimately gets your attention in the video. Brandon this is Carly Hawkins.”
Brandon clasped her hand in his larger one and smiled warmly at her. “Very nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
Paul clapped his hands and motioned to the tree. “Well let’s get this show on the road. This will be the beginning part of the song when you talk about knowing what kind of games guys play. The scene will look like this when we piece it together. Brandon and a few of the other guys are going to be over there playing football, you’re going to be under that tree singing and watching them, and a girl is going to walk by them. They’re going to flirt with her and you’re going to be completely onto them and wise to what they’re doing. Then you’re going to walk by them, they’re going to try to flirt with you…all except for Brandon. He’s just going to smile at you, and you smile at him before walking off. The scene in the park will end when you get to the chorus. The chorus will be the dance sequence you worked on with Darren and the girls. That will take place over at the playground equipment. Think you can handle that?”
It took Carly a moment to process the whole scene, but the more she thought about it, the more she liked it. “Ok…just tell me what to do and I’m there.”
Justin sat back in the crowd and watched Carly the entire morning as she filmed the opening scenes to her video. It was amazing to see her in action. He wasn’t sure what had happened to her on the tour, but there was a determination and a confidence in her that hadn’t been there before. She was performing for the cameras, and she was pulling off the attitude they were seeking. It was if she was coming to life right before his eyes and he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her.
When the shots were done in the park the entire group of people packed up and moved across town to a local high school. Once they were finished with this shot they were going to take a break until later that night. The way things were going Justin honestly believed that they would finish the video shoot in one day, which was pretty much unheard of for a beginner like Carly.
He finally managed to pull her aside when they were setting up the camera angles at the football field of the school. “So how are you feeling?”
She looked up at him so trustingly and so…lovingly. “This is so much fun Justin. It’s like I can be anyone I want to be right now when I’m doing this.”
He couldn’t help smiling at her enthusiasm. “I told you videos were a blast to make. You should be around when we film ours. Now THAT’S a madhouse.”
This scene took a lot of extras and since they were at a high school they got a lot of the people who attended the high school to come over and be the extras. Paul ushered all of them to the stadium and motioned to Carly. “You need to sit in the middle of them and sing the second bar of the song while looking at the camera, then we’ll do it again and you can look around at the people.”
She didn’t know what possessed her to do it, but for the first time Carly spoke up with ideas of her own. “Actually I have a better idea. The lyrics are talking about being lonely, and I think there’s another way to show that.”
When Paul heard her idea he laughed and patted Justin on the back. “This is one hell of a girl you’ve got here Justin. That’s one hell of an idea. Good job Carly.”
When Paul walked away Justin looked down at Carly and laughed. “One hell of a girl I’ve got here. Amen to that man.”
The shot at the high school was a very small one, so it took longer to setup than it actually did to film it. It mainly consisted of a section of Carly singing, and a dance sequence on the bleachers. The only thing left was the night scene and then they would be finished. Nobody could believe the speed at which this was all being finished.
The final scenes were being kept a huge secret and Carly could tell it was because Justin had told them to keep it that way. He had a huge, devilish grin on his face.
“You know exactly what’s going on don’t you.” She said to him as they were riding in the van to the next place.
“Oh I know exactly what’s about to happen. You’re about to finish your first video. It’s simple, but it’s going to be AWESOME Carly. Just you wait. By the way, has anyone told you how beautiful you look today?”
Adrienne kicked the back of his seat and chuckled. “Oh you really reached far for that one stud muffin.”
Justin craned his neck around the seat and blinked his eyelashes at her. “Would you shut up?”
“Maybe.”
The camera crew was ready and waiting for them to show up and Carly almost started crying when she saw where they were. It seemed a little different from the last time she had been there, but it was special to her all the same. They were at the carnival that Justin had taken her to that night of the graduation party.
He saw her stunned expression and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Surprise sweetheart.”
Carly chewed on her lip and looked up at him. “Are you serious? You did this? We’re going to film the last part here?”
He nodded his head. “I knew this place was special to you, and it’s special to me too. Why not save some of the memories on film?”
It was probably the sweetest thing she had ever been given. It seemed like for the most part, the things that she found special were deemed stupid in other people’s eyes. The fact that this magical and special place also held a deeper meaning for Justin was just completely heartwarming to her. She wanted to grab him and hug him right there but she knew it was impossible with all the people around.
“Thank you for this Justin. You’ve managed to surprise me once again.”
Paul called her over and just as Carly was about to walk away from Justin she noticed something in the corner of her eye. She couldn’t explain what made her turn to look, but something compelled her to. Absolutely nothing could have prepared her for who she saw.
Justin watched her face and leaned down to whisper to her when he saw her pale and frightened look. “Carly? What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Richard…that guy looks like Richard.”
“Huh? Richard who?”
She could feel tears of humiliation come to her eyes and it was almost like she was reliving every painful moment Richard had ever caused her. “Richard from school…the one who…Adrienne’s party…what is he doing here Justin?”
He took a deep breath and prayed for her understanding. “They needed extras who looked like athletes, and Richard was one of the ones chosen.”
Her eyes widened with disbelief. “WHAT? You knew about this and you didn’t stop them? I don’t understand this Justin. I thought you knew how I felt about that. I thought you were my friend! You’re supposed to understand!”
The crowd turned to look at them when her voice raised, and Justin pulled her aside. “I’m doing this for a reason Carly. You have to trust me and know that this is for the best.”
“I don’t want him in my video Justin. I don’t want him anywhere NEAR me.” Tears really were coming out of her eyes now. “You’re ruining this special place Justin. You’re ruining it by allowing him here.”
He pulled her towards the makeup artist so she could get her face fixed. “You’re going to thank me for this one later Carly. Right now you’re tired and you have no idea what’s going on, but trust me. He’ll get his…and you’ll be happy I made you face your fears.”
(Right now you’re thinking, where the hell is the video and this is confusing. In the next chapter you will have it unveiled to you with the lyrics and everything. So when MTV gets it in the story and Carly sees it for the first time, you’ll also be seeing it.)
By the end of the night Carly was exhausted, and she wanted to leave. Adrienne had already left for the night and now Carly was just waiting for Justin to finish his conversation with Paul so they could leave. He had asked to drive her home because he wanted to talk to her about Richard and about a few other things. So now she waited patiently in his car and thought about what had taken place in her busy day.
She had to admit that she should have trusted him. It wasn’t clear to her yet the full purpose of Richard’s appearance at the filming other than revenge, but Carly hoped to get the footage of what had happened to Richard during the video shoot. Never in her wildest dreams did she think Justin would have openly created a way for her to get revenge on Richard in a public setting. It was so yummy that she relived it over and over and over in her mind…from his shocked expression…to the crowds’ cheers and laughter. It was amazing…and the most healing experience she had ever had in her life.
A little while later Justin finally managed to break free from Paul and his ramblings, and made it over to the car. He jerked open the door and got in. “Carly you’re not going to believe what…” He stopped talking when he noticed that she was asleep. He could tell by her deep breathing that she was in an exhausted sleep. It was a sleep that he’d seen many times by JC or one of the other guys.
He continued to stare at her and the way the light touched her face. Never in a million years would he have guessed that a simple girl could touch his heart so completely. He turned, started the car, and left the video shoot behind.
A few hours later Carly slowly woke up and felt leather underneath her. She was quite scared at first because she didn’t remember falling asleep in the first place, and now she was in a strange place that was completely unknown to her. She did manage to figure out that it was someone’s house, and she was lying on a leather couch in what seemed to be the person’s living room.
She was just about to freak out when Justin came around the corner with two drinks in his hands. “You’re awake.”
Carly sat up and rubbed her tired eyes. “Where am I?”
“My house. Well…my mom and stepdad’s house. They’re away for the week or I’d introduce you to them.”
She took the glass of Pepsi from him and sipped it. “Why didn’t you just take me home?”
Justin leaned back on the couch and sighed. “I can still do that.”
“Oh no…I just didn’t want to be a bother.”
He chuckled nervously and cleared his throat. “I probably should have taken you home because you’re beat, but I was selfish instead. I didn’t want to be in this house alone, and I…I wanted to be near you Carly.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. The words were so honest and so heartfelt that she was taken aback by it. “I’m glad you didn’t take me home.”
Justin jumped up and held his hand down for her to take. “Hey I want to show you something.”
They walked around the backyard hand in hand while Justin showed her his mom’s new house. He explained how he had helped her pick this house out, and that he felt so proud to be able to buy this for her. Carly understood more than he probably knew. She couldn’t wait to make enough money where her father and Ariel could have a decent place to live.
Justin pulled her over to a nearby tree and rubbed the bark. “See this tree? This was a tree at our old house and my mom had it moved here. I’m not sure if you can see it because it’s dark, but there are engravings in it. There’s my name in there, and JC’s, and a few other people from the Mickey Mouse Club.”
Carly leaned forward and squinted her eyes to see. “They’re so low on the tree. How old were you when you did that?”
He laughed at her observation. “Well we were as short as the height of the engravings. So we were pretty young.”
The thought of a young Justin standing there looking at the same tree she was looking at and engraving a message that was priceless now, was precious. It was probably the most precious thing she had looked upon in a while.
They walked over to a swing set and sat down on the swings side by side. Justin straddled his swing so he could look at her. The lights from the stars, the moon, and the pool seemed to seek her face like Justin’s eyes did. It was as if they craved her touch as much as he did.
“I’ve missed you Carly.”
She was nervous, but that simple statement forced her to turn her head to look at him. She didn’t know if it was the tiredness, the words, or the moonlight, but this was the most romantic situation she had been in. And Justin had never looked better to her.
When she looked at him, he continued. “I knew I would miss you, but I never realized how much I needed you until I left you the last time. Carly…walking away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
She continued to stare into his eyes. It was like they were glued to him. “I didn’t want to let you go either.”
The pull of her was so strong that his head seemed to lower on it’s own towards her. It was all so simple. He was leaning towards her, she was closing her eyes in anticipation, and all he had to do was continue his path and his frustration would be eased. But the deal he made with her came back into his mind and he just couldn’t break his word. Not this time. “Oh yeah…right…sorry about that.” He pulled back and looked up at the stars. Anything was better than looking at her irresistible lips and face.
Carly wanted to cry right there. She knew that he would keep his word, and that was the problem. “It’s ok.”
The phone inside started ringing and he jumped up off the swing to run inside. While he was in there Carly looked up at the heavens and cursed herself for being so shy. For once she wanted to know what it was like to live for the moment. She wanted to take a chance and have it work for her.
She wanted to live.
With that thought she walked inside the house and sat down at the kitchen counter while she watched Justin talk on the phone. She could tell he was talking to Maitlyn because he always got a certain tone to his voice when he spoke to her. “Yes everything went great here today…I know you’re worried and I promise I’ll call you all at least twice a day…ok ok three times a day…take care of everything for me Spicy…goodnight.”
He turned and smiled tiredly at Carly. “That was Maitlyn. She says hi. They weren’t too happy that I left, but they’ll get over it.”
“Did I get you in trouble?”
Justin rubbed a hand over his face and yawned. “Not at all. I need to go back tomorrow night though.” He watched her for a few minutes and decided to ask. “Are you still mad over the Richard thing?”
“You were right. As scared as I was, I should have known that you were only trying to help me. It’s just that he reminds me of so many hurtful things, and I don’t want to relive those things. The whole time I was on tour with Britney, I expected someone to kick me out or laugh at me. But they were in awe of me Justin. Just like today, they looked at me like they couldn’t believe how wonderful I am. ME Justin.”
He understood then. For the first time he saw that she was begging for some kind of acceptance from everyone, because she’d never had it before. “They’re not the only ones in awe of you.” He walked up to her and stood inches away. “I think you’re…you’re…” His hand reached up to delicately touch her soft cheek and his voice lowered to a whisper. “You’re…amazing.”
Frustration raged inside her, and as she looked up at him a tear ran down her face. She wanted him to hold her so badly but it wouldn’t happen unless she took a chance. Taking a deep breath she stepped forward and put her cheek against his chest hesitantly. Her arms slid around his strong waist and she waited to see what his response would be.
Justin was shocked that she managed to make that big of a move. When it came to space, Carly owned a whole moving van. He took a deep breath of his own and put his arms around her. She felt so good in his arms. It was like she was made to fit in them because her small frame fit so perfectly against him.
They stood there holding each other and gently rocking back and forth for a little while before she sniffled and raised her head to look at him. “Justin?”
Her pleading look was the last straw. He stepped away from her before it was too late. “Carly…I can’t do this.”
She was frantic in her need to understand. “What? Can’t do what? Justin talk to me.”
He dug his fingers into his hair and paced around the room. “I can’t be close to you this way, and not be CLOSE to you. This is tearing me apart.”
Her biggest fear was coming true. She was causing him pain, and she couldn’t stand the hurt and lost look on his face. “What did I do?”
“Until you decide…until you’re sure…I can’t force this. I’ve gone that route and I…I just can’t do it again. I promised you…and I promised myself.”
Carly was numb to the tears running down her cheeks. He was pushing her away. Why couldn’t he understand that she just didn’t have it in her to make the first move? She thought he understood.
She ran over to him and held onto him with all her strength. Her arms tightened around his back and waist so he wouldn’t push her away. “I don’t want to hurt you Justin.”
He needed to find some way to get her away from him before he lost all control. “We both need to get up early in the morning to go edit the video. I think we need to say goodnight now so I can take you home.”
Carly started crying harder and she burrowed further into his chest.
Justin saw the world going blurry through the tears in his own eyes. “Don’t do this…please baby.”
She reached up with one hand and pulled his head down to where his forehead rested against hers. The move was a big one for her, and he understood just how much courage it had taken, but it just wasn’t enough.
“I don’t have much restraint left here sweetie. Don’t make this tougher than it already is.” His hands were fisted in her shirt, and his teeth were clinched.
Both of them were praying for something. One was praying for strength, the other for courage. Neither of them wanted to admit defeat.
Justin opened his eyes a little to look at her tear stained face. “All you have to do is give me a sign. Just one sign Carly.”
Her voice was so low and so soft that he almost missed it, but his heart picked up on her words loud and clear. “Kiss me Justin.”
He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second before making up his mind. “Good enough for me.”
His head swooped down and their lips touched in the most passionate and desperate embrace they had experienced so far. This time it was Carly who couldn’t get enough of Justin, and he was trying desperately to keep up with the pace she was setting. Her body, her lips, and her soul all spoke to him and for the first time in what seemed like ages…he was healed.