That Afternoon...
“Justin, I wanna do something today.” Jonathan says to his older brother. Brooklyn was sitting next to Justin, folding clothes, and Carlos was watching TV in the back.
“Do something like what, Jon?” Justin asks.
“Something out of this house.” Justin looks over at Brooklyn with worried eyes.
“Like go out for pizza.” The seven-year-old says.
“But we can just get the pizza delivered.” Justin says.
“We never get to leave the house when you come home...unless you have bodyguard.” Jonathan says as his eyes lower. Brooklyn watched the two with sad eyes, and that’s when an idea hit her.
“I...have a suggestion.” She says. Jonathan and Justin look her way. “Why don’t we get a pizza or something to eat or whatever, and go to a park or somewhere where there’s not a lot of people around and have a little picnic, you know. I mean, if there aren’t a lot of people around then we won’t get bothered or noticed very easily.” Jonathan’s eyes light up.
“Can we Justin?” He asks excitedly. Justin looks at Jonathan, then at Brooklyn, and back at Jonathan again. “Please?” He looks over at Brooklyn who gives him a reassuring smile and a wink. Justin smiles, and looks at Jonathan.
“Yeah, we should do that. Lemme call the pizza place.” Justin says, standing up.
“Uh, Justin, I don’t want pizza. How about you hook me up with some fried chicken?” Brooklyn says, standing up along with him.
“You have money. How about you hook yourself up?” Justin says, and Brooklyn’s jaw drops. “Don’t do that, you’ll catch flies.” Justin says, lifting up her chin. “I’m just kidding, I’ll get you your precious chicken.”
“Precious chicken? When you say it like that it almost makes me not want chicken anymore.” Brooklyn says as they walk towards the kitchen.
“Good, then you’ll settle for pizza.” Justin jokes.
“Justin!” Brooklyn says, punching him in the arm.
“Jeez, girl! I’m just joking!”
“No, no, no! Don’t worry Justin, you don’t have to get chicken for me.”
“Really?” Justin asks.
“Yeah, really. Besides it’ll save you tons of money.”
“Um, okay.” Justin says, looking at her suspiciously.
“I’ll just, you know, fry my own chicken.” Brooklyn says, cocking an eyebrow and starting towards the refrigerator.
“No! Please don’t do that!” Justin says, running up behind Brooklyn and grabbing her around her waist. He turns her around and their bodies slam together. Brooklyn gasps out of shock, and Justin looks at her with embarrassment, letting go of her. Brooklyn looks at his red face and giggles a little.
“Yeah Justin, I have developed. Girls usually do that. You should be old enough to know that.” She jokes.
He clears his throat, “We’ll stop and get chicken on the way there.” Brooklyn gives him the thumbs up sign and winks at him.
She walks out of the kitchen and yells, “Carlos, get your shoes on!”
At the Park...
“Oh my gosh, Justin, I know you aren’t still tripping over what happened earlier. It’s not that crucial. It hurt a little, but it’s not that crucial.” Brooklyn says, pulling the petals off of a flower she had picked earlier. She looks over at Carlos and Jonathan who were playing with Pokemon cards at another table. “Man, I hate those things.” She says. They were located a top of a hill where no one was. Justin didn’t say anything to her. Brooklyn looks at him. “Justin?”
“Huh?” He asks, looking up from his hands.
“Don’t play dumb now. We’re going to figure out why you’re acting like this over one little thing.”
“Do we have to?” Justin whines.
“Yes, we do. Now,” Brooklyn says, standing up and walking around the table. She sits down next to Justin, “Come on, Justin, I know that you’ve seen all the things possible that have to do with women’s breasts, okay? I mean, the websites, even your fans for God’s sake. But when all you do is simply bump into your best friend you get all uneasy like this. Honestly, I don’t get it. I want an explanation, and I want one now.” She demands. Justin looks at her strangely. “Sorry about that. But seriously, Justin, this is kinda awkward. You developed too, and I’m not all trippy over that.”
“Guys change differently.”
“At least you’re saying something along the subject we’re on. C’mon, as soon as I get a straight answer out of you I’ll leave it alone. But before you say anything can I say one quick thing?” Justin nods. “You didn’t act like this when we hugged, Justin! That’s some body contact right there. Okay, now continue with what you’re about to say.”
“It’s just that...that...” Justin looks up at Brooklyn.
“Go on...”
“It’s just the fact that you are my best friend. I didn’t expect...um...hmm....”
“You’re saying basically that I’m still little Brooklyn out of Alabama, right? And that you weren’t expecting that kind of thing, right?” Justin nods. “Well, if you hadn’t missed all those years, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“You know why I missed all those years!”
“I know, I know. I’m just teasing ya. See, now aren’t you glad you got that out? It wasn’t so bad as you were making it seem. I’m just sorry that I missed your first wet dream.”
“I’m not.” Justin says. “The guys wouldn’t let me live that down. So, um, do me a favor and never mention it around them.” He says in a sort of low voice.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
“Justin!” A young voice yells. Justin’s eyes rise in shock.
“Isn’t that Jon?” Brooklyn asks. She looks over to where the boys had been, and sees that they are gone. “Oh my God, the boys.”
“Jonathan, come back!” Justin and Brooklyn hear two girls who were at least thirteen, yelling Jonathan’s name.
“Justin, take the stuff and head for the car. Here are the keys. I’ll come with the boys.”
“Why can’t I get the boys?”
“Hello? Have you totally forgotten your status?” Brooklyn didn’t know how right she was. Spending that little time with her actually did make him forget that he was Justin Timberlake of *N Sync for a few minutes. He didn’t respond to her comment at all. Justin grabbed their things and hurried to the car.
“Carlos! Jonathan!” Brooklyn calls to the boys. They frantically look her way.
“Jonathan! Where’s your brother?” The two girls yell, still chasing the boys as they run towards Brooklyn. Jonathan and Carlos make it to Brooklyn far ahead of the girls.
“Hurry up to the car.” Brooklyn quickly says to them. Carlos and Jonathan run full speed back up the hill. The teenage girls try to follow them back up the hill. “HEY!” Brooklyn yells at them. The girls stop and turn to her, a little shocked. “Why are you chasing them?”
“Do you even KNOW who that little boy is?” One of the girls says.
“He’s only the little brother of one of the HOTTEST guys on the planet.” The other girl says.
“Yeah, I know exactly who he is. He’s the little boy I’m babysitting.”
“You know him?!” They exclaim excitedly, almost bouncing up and down.
“Well, I am babysitting him so- -”
“Do you know Justin?” A girl interrupts.
“You mean, his brother? I’ve met him, but it’s not like we’re friends, you know?” She says. “We’re best friends actually so I’m not exactly lying.” She thinks.
“Oh my gosh, can you get us an autograph?” One girl asks.
“Um, I don’t think that’s really possible. I don’t see Justin all too much. I’m just the babysitter.”
“Oh. What’s your name?”
“Brooklyn.” Brooklyn turns around towards the hill. “Well, look, I really need to be going. So...it was nice talking- -”
“Wait!” One of the girls shouts. “I have one more question.”
“Okay...” Brooklyn says.
“Is Justin here?”
“No, sorry, he’s not. He’s on tour right now.”
“Oh.” They say simultaneously.
“Well, I gotta run. So...see you later maybe.”
“Bye.” The two girls say. They stand there as Brooklyn hurries to make her way up the hill. Justin and the boys had made themselves comfortable in the car by the time Brooklyn got in.
“What took you so long?” Carlos asks as Brooklyn leaves the park.
“Those girls were asking me a whole bunch of questions.” Brooklyn says and that caught Justin’s attention.
“What’d they ask you?”
“Ah, um, if you were in Orlando, did I know you, what’s my name, could I get them an autograph.” Brooklyn says.
“And?” Justin asks. Brooklyn looks over at him.
“Oh! Don’t worry. I didn’t say anything that would incriminate you...much.” She says, raising an eyebrow at him. Justin looks at her in shock. "Boy, I’m just playing. I told them you weren’t in town and that I was just a babysitter. I had to hurry to the car before they decided they wanted Jonathan’s autograph.” She says, checking the rearview mirror.
Justin relaxes into the seat then turns around to Carlos and Jonathan. “We told you not to leave from our sight." Jonathan looks down.
“Sorry.” Carlos says.
“Why’d you leave?” Brooklyn asks.
“We were having a race.” Jonathan says.
“Who won?” Justin asks excitedly.
“Justin! You’re not helping.” Brooklyn exclaims.
“Sorry. Next time, don’t leave. We didn’t know you were gone until we heard you yelling.” Justin explains.
“Okay.” The two boys say. Justin turns back around in his seat. He looks over at Brooklyn with a proud smile.
“Don’t look at me like that. You wanted to know who won the race. That wasn’t helping anything.” Brooklyn says, turning a corner. All of a sudden, she slams on the brakes really hard.
“Holy crap!” Justin exclaims. Brooklyn brushed her hair away from her face, breathing quick breaths, her heart pounding.
“Wha-what happened?” Jonathan asks. A dog walks from in front of the car.
“A dog was in the road. Are you okay back there?” Brooklyn asks, turning around to the boys in the back seat. They nod quickly. She turns to Justin. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He manages to croak out.
“That’s good.” Brooklyn puts her hands back onto the steering wheel, but they’re shaking way too much. “Justin?” She asks, looking over at him.
“Yeah?”
“Can you drive?” Justin nods. Brooklyn quickly gets out of the car, and Justin moves over to the driver’s side. “Thanks.” Brooklyn says, getting into the passenger side. “I got a little shaken up from the dog.”
“It’s okay, Brooklyn.” Justin says. “The dog is fine.”
“You two go ahead inside.” Justin says, handing Jonathan the keys. As soon as he sees them go in through the front door, he turns to Brooklyn. “Brooke...” He says, touching her arm. She had been silent the rest of the way home. Brooklyn turns to Justin with a pained expression on her face. “You didn’t hurt the dog, Brooklyn.”
“I know I didn’t hurt the dog, Justin. The point is that I could have.”
“But you didn’t.”
“Justin, I could’ve killed the dog!” Brooklyn exclaims. Justin could’ve sworn he saw tears coming to her eyes. “A car in twenty times stronger than a dog...” She says. “Just like my dad was twenty times stronger than my mom.” She says in a low voice. Justin was taken back by that comment. Two silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Oh, no...” Justin hugs Brooklyn to him tightly, rubbing her back soothingly.
“I could’ve killed the dog...just like he killed her.” Brooklyn buries her face into his chest. She starts to shake against him.
“Shh...” Justin says. “It’s okay...” He whispers. Justin thought that the death of her mother didn’t affect her as much now compared to the day it happened. He couldn’t say that he understood because his mother was still alive. It might take her a little longer for her to get over it than he expected it to.