The next afternoon Dani bounced around in the studio as the music played in the background. She was the only one there because she was supposed to meet up with the guys to hang out. She came extra early because she knew that the place would be deserted and she could have it all to herself. Jessica Simpson’s ‘A little bit’ was playing and she sang at the top of her lungs as she made up a dance to go along with it.
She had done this for as long as she could remember. She had spent hours in her room doing this exact thing, singing and making up dance routines. Besides painting, it was one of her favorite things to do. It was a rush and an outlet for everything she was feeling.
The song ended and she heard someone clapping behind her. She whipped her head up to see JC clapping and walking towards her.
“Dani that was awesome!” Her face became bright red because she had been caught.
“Yeah, well, I was just playing around.” She said quickly and ran over to the stereo to stop her CD. JC followed her,
“Well that playing around looked pretty damn professional. Where’d you pick that stuff up?”
“Here and there.” She shrugged walking over to her bag and sitting down as she packed it. JC once again followed her and sat down across from her. She looked up at him, “Are we playing follow the leader?” She teased and he smiled coyly at her,
“I don’t know where do you want to lead me?” He asked and she rolled her eyes at him,
“Off a cliff.” She replied and he chuckled.
“How ya feeling today?”
“I feel just fine, thanks for taking care of me.”
“No problem Dani. I think it’s funny that you always end up in my bed when you’ve been drinking. I’m beginning to think that you really have a secret crush on me.” He smirked and she rolled her eyes,
“You found me out Chip, damn you’re a regular old Sherlock.” She teased.
“Thanks.” He laughed, “You were really good last night too, at the bar I mean. How come I’ve never heard you sing before last night? You have a great voice.” She shrugged,
“It’s really not my thing.” She said and he didn’t reply, he just sat there looking at her as he thought, “What?” She exclaimed when she couldn’t take his staring anymore,
“Why didn’t you ever get into the music business? I mean you obviously have the talent, at least from what I saw.”
“What you saw is a routine and a song I’ve sang a million times. I could do it in my sleep.” She lied; she had made it up on the spot. “Anyone who practices something enough can do something well.”
“Aw come on, I mean Tony’s in the business, your parent’s, your uncle, I’m in the business, Justin’s-”
“And I am all so freakin deliriously happy for y’all, really.” She snapped and JC was quiet for a few moments,
“Looks like someone’s harboring a jealousy list of her own.”
“Of what penis envy?” She shot back and he rolled his eyes,
“You know I’m not talking about that.”
“Then what JC, am I jealous of?” She said and he eyed her for a minute,
“That Tony’s a performer and you’re not.”
“I am not jealous of that.”
“Yes you are, you’ve always been jealous ever since Tony made the Mickey Mouse club and you didn’t. You haven’t even given performing a chance since then.” He paused, “You’re afraid of rejection.”
“Look who’s getting all Sigmund Freud on me. Thanks for the psychoanalysis, but really I just don’t like to perform.” She said getting up from her spot on the floor and JC followed her up,
“Bull shit, I watched you today, I saw you last night, you love it! Just because you didn’t make the Mickey Mouse Club doesn’t mean that you don’t have talent.” She got into JC’s face,
“JC, I, DON’T, LIKE, PERFORMING. That’s all there is to it.”
“Oh come on, Dani. I see you on this tour; you thrive on this lifestyle, you were meant for it. Don’t let getting rejected from the Mickey Mouse-”
“I DIDN’T GET REJECTED FROM THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB!” She shouted at him and JC pulled back a bit,
“Wait a minute, you didn’t get rejected from the Mickey Mouse Club? Then why weren’t you on the show?” He asked and she shrugged her shoulders,
“Because Tony wanted it more.” She looked away from JC,
“Huh, I don’t understand.” Dani sighed,
“I was their first choice, they didn’t want Tony originally.” She looked back to him, “He wanted it so badly, and he practiced so hard for it, Jace. You should have seen him at the audition and when he got called back. I only did it because he didn’t want to try out by himself.” She took a deep breath, “I happened to get the call from the studio. I told them that they had messed up our names and that he was the one that they wanted. So he got the spot. That’s why I stopped performing; I couldn’t do that to Tony. I beat him without even trying.” She paused and then looked up at him, “I was scared to do it again, so I gave it up and concentrated on other things.” She shrugged her shoulders again, “I may have had the talent and yeah maybe I love it, but Tony had the heart, the drive and he wanted it more than I ever could.”
JC stood there speechless as Dani continued,
“So, you see, you’re not the amazing psychologist that you think you are. You don’t know everything, so don’t go assuming and acting that you do.” She said coldly and stalked out of the studio.
“Dani…” JC whispered after her but it fell on deaf ears. He was in complete awe of that woman. She had committed such a selfless act because she loved her brother. That just blew him away that she could just give up something she loved so much. It was the best example of unconditional love he had ever seen.
“JC what the hell did you do to Dani?” Justin barked as he entered the room,
“Huh?” JC snapped out of his thoughts,
“She was swearing you up and down as she walked down the hall.”
“She was?”
“Um, yeah. What happened?”
“Nothing.” He said shaking his head and began to stretch for rehearsal. He was really into discussing what had happened. His mind was still reeling from it. Everything he had thought about Dani, being a bratty, immature, little sister was totally backwards. He realized that she had been mature well beyond her years at a young age.
They wrapped up and began to pack up their stuff,
“Dani baby! What are we doing today?!” Joey called to her as he walked up to her, “Please let it include nakedness and honey.” She rolled her eyes with a groan,
“My gosh Joe, it’s too early to deal with you.”
“Early? It’s like seven in the evening!”
“Like I said, it’s too early. I need to go out and have a couple beers before dealing with you, a couple, meaning ten.” She teased and Chris walked by singing,
“Burned, baby, burned by Dani’s inferno!”
“So, I get you when you’re nice and drunk? Heh, heh, heh, the possibilities.” Joey laughed,
“You are a very dirty, old man Joey.”
“Naw, Jace is the old man, he peaked when he was fifteen. I’m an Italian stallion.”
“You should be neutered.” She muttered and Justin came up to her,
“So what DO you want to do?” He slung his arm around her shoulders. Joey closed his eyes and crossed his fingers,
“Nakedness and honey, nakedness and honey, nakedness and honey…” He repeated and she smacked him upside the head,
“Never will there be nakedness, honey, you and me, Joey. So get it out of your sick mind, right now.” She said playfully and turned to Justin, “Can we tie him up and pray that he doesn’t pee on the couch while we’re out?”
“I don’t think so.” He chuckled,
“How about dinner? I’m starving.” She suggested,
“Mmm, perfect.” He smiled. “I wanna shower though.”
“Kay, go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you later at the hotel.” She glanced up at JC who was still practicing a little. Justin caught her glance,
“Kay.” He leaned in closely, “You owe me a talk at dinner.” He whispered,
“Okay.” She said and Justin left leaving Dani alone with JC. She waited for him to finish and he began to pack up his bag.
“What’s up Dani?” He asked casually,
“It looks good Chip.”
“Thanks, it’s really coming together. I just hope it’ll perform well at the Grammy’s.”
“You guys always pull it off.” She said quietly and JC looked up at her,
“Dani you didn’t come in here to tell me that you like the dance. What’s up?” She sighed,
“I just, please don’t tell Tony about the Mickey Mouse thing. He’d be so crushed and think that his whole music career was based on a lie.”
“It was.” JC said crossing his arms,
“He deserved it. I knew he could do it and I knew that he flaked on the audition. He wanted it.” She stated,
“What about you, did you want it?” She turned away and shrugged her shoulders,
“Doesn’t matter now does it?” JC turned her back around,
“Yes, it does. You wanted it didn’t you?” She looked up into his eyes,
“I didn’t deserve it, he did. I was just going along for company.”
“Did you want it?” He repeated,
“Maybe a little bit.” She lied, “But only after I auditioned. He wanted it the entire time.” She justified.
“Why would you do something like that?”
“Because he wanted it more, he deserved it, he worked for it. That’s why.” She said and JC was quiet for a moment.
“I won’t tell Tony.” She let out a deep breath,
“Thank you, I really appreciate it.”
“Well your heart was in the right place. Not many people would have done what you did.” She shrugged,
“It was the right thing to do, nothing more, nothing less.”
“It was a very selfless act, Dani. You’re a great sister.” She looked up at him and didn’t know what to say,
“I, uh, should get back to the hotel. Thanks again for not telling Tony.” She reached over, giving JC a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before leaving.
“Grab your coat and come on.” She said walking into the room and he followed her in,
“Where are we going? We just had dinner.” Dani scooped up his jacket and threw it at him,
“For a drink, let’s go.”
“We have to get Lonnie or something.” He said as he pulled on his jacket and walked with her out the door,
“Yeah, they’re already waiting in the lobby.” She said and looked down the hall as she walked to the stairs,
“Why are we taking the stairs?”
“Shh, the guys are sleeping. I want the exercise.” She said and began to go down the stairs,
“Dani, it’s like thirty floors down.” He said following her,
“Why do you always question everything I do?” She asked with a smirk,
“Because you do weird things like this.”
“It’s not weird to take the stairs.” She shrugged,
“Yeah, okay.”
“Shut up Timberlake.” She teased hopping down more stairs,
“Where are we going?”
“To a place I know nearby.”
“What’s it called?”
“Margie’s.” She replied,
“Where is it?”
“Why is it important?”
“I just want to know what’s going on.”
“All of you guys are too into schedules, you know that?”
“I am not. It’s just that if I’m dragged out my room in the middle of the night, I want to know where I’m being dragged to.”
“I dragged you kicking and screaming.” She said rolling her eyes, “And it’s only like ten-thirty, not the middle of the night. Please, you’re starting to sound like JC.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Then shut up and just follow me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He said and Dani stopped, poked her head out of the door and then went through. Justin quickly followed her and found himself in the parking garage.
“Dani…”
“Shh, come on, shorty.” She said walking over to a car and hopped into the driver’s side.
“Dani, where’s one of the guards?”
“Get in the car before someone notices you.” She said opening his door for him and he hopped in.
“What are you doing?”
“Showing you a good time.” She said pulling out of the space and driving away from the hotel.
“If we go out in public, I need to have a guard.” Dani turned on the radio to a good dance station as she drove,
“Justin weren’t you just telling me at dinner how you wished, if only for a little while, that you could be normal and NOT have to be tailed by guards everywhere you go?”
“Yeah, but-”
“Then shut up and enjoy the time I’m giving you. Trust me, where we’re going I doubt anyone will recognize you.”
“You doubt?”
“Don’t freak out, my God, then people WILL realize who you are.”
“Okay.” He said sitting back in his seat and staring out the window as Dani wove her way down streets. She turned into a neighborhood and then pulled into a driveway.
“We’re here.”
“Uh, Dani?”
“Trust me Justin.” She smiled and got out of the car. Justin quickly followed and heard the faint music coming from inside the house.
“Margie’s, huh?”
“This is Margie’s place.” She shrugged and walked into the front door. The music was slightly louder and there were only a few people milling around. Justin felt slightly uncomfortable with the situation that Dani was placing his in. If anyone recognized him and they mobbed him, he’d have no way of getting out. Dani glanced back at him, “Stop thinking about that and have a good time. You’re not THAT popular, shorty.” She smiled and walked downstairs where the dance music hit them full force. Dani led him down the stairs where a huge party was going on. There was a DJ and about fifty people dancing in the open space.
“D-GIRL!” Someone yelled and hugged Dani, “I didn’t think that you would make it!”
“Please, Margie, like I would miss one of your parties when I’m in town.” She laughed and Margie looked past her at Justin. A sexy smile, crept across her lips and Justin thought he was done for.
“Who’s your friend, he’s cute.” Dani pulled Justin up next to her,
“This is my friend Jay and he’s taken.”
“Ooo, that’s a damn shame.” She said winking at him and holding out her hand, “Nice to meet you Jay.”
“Same here Margie.”
“Well, I’ve got to go check around up stairs and make sure everything’s cool. Grab a beer and have fun.”
“Good deal.” Dani said dragging Justin through the crowd. No one even took a second look at him. Dani handed him a beer and he looked at it,
“Milwaukee’s Best?”
“Hey, you wanted anonymity and you’re getting it.” She smirked and took a drink,
“Taste’s like water.” She shrugged, “You don’t have to drink it if you don’t want to.”
“No it’s cool.” He said taking a sip and bouncing a little to the beat. She glanced at him,
“Wanna dance?”
“Oh yeah.” He said pulling her onto the dance floor. They danced around having a great time. Dani knew quite a few people at the party, but none of them knew who Justin was, nor did they care. He was Dani’s friend and that was good enough for them. They didn’t really drink after the first beer they had, they were having too much fun tearing up the dance floor together.
Dani pulled Justin off to the side of the party, laughing,
“Wow, that was insane! I love that song!” She said and Justin shook his head,
“Yeah, I know. This has been a great night, thanks for taking me out for a drink.”
“And to think you were flipping out about not coming with one of your buddies.”
“Force of habit.” He shrugged and a girl came up to him,
“Oh my God, I can’t believe that you’re here!” She practically yelled and people began to stare at them. Dani jumped in,
“Um, do we know you?” The girl looked Dani up and down,
“No, but I’m his biggest fan.” She turned to Justin, “Can I have your autograph?”
“Why do you want HIS autograph?” Dani asked and the girl gave her an annoyed look,
“Because he’s Justin Timberlake!” She yelled and Dani saw the panic flicker in Justin's eyes.
“Are you kidding me? This isn’t Justin Timberlake.”
“Yes, it is, I would know him anywhere.” The girl argued with Dani. Dani burst out laughing,
“Well I’m pretty sure it’s not. This is my friend Jay Jones. Please, like Justin Timberlake would come to something like this? It’s a little below his standards, don’t you think?” Dani asked the girl and Justin jumped in,
“Yeah, I’m not Justin Timberlake, please I don’t look a thing like him.” Dani looked at him,
“It’s the hair, I think that’s what gives it away. I can see some resemblance.” She started to laugh even harder, “I’m gonna tease you so bad about this!” Justin groaned,
“God, please don’t call me that lip syncing wanna be!” He said covering his eyes and the girl looked between them,
“Come on, you really aren’t him?” She asked and Justin shook his head,
“Nope, sorry.”
“Oh, well sorry for troubling you.” She said slinking away. Justin leaned into Dani,
“That was ingenious.”
“I know.” She smiled with a slight shrug. Justin just laughed at Dani glad that she had taken him out that night. He really needed this time away from all the stress of his busy life.