“WHY’D YOU DO THAT TO HER?!” Rachael shouted, walking into Justin’s kitchen. She slapped Trace upside the head, hard.

“Rach!” Justin exclaimed.

“Ow! Do what to who?” Trace asked, covering the spot that stung.

“Why’d you blow off Nicole?!”

“When?”

“The other day. She’s had it rough these last few weeks & needed to talk to Justin. He’s been working & you're the only 1 who’s been online.”

“I-I was working on WR, I didn’t mean to ignore her.” There was something in his tone but no one noticed.

“Oh, yeah? For TWO HOURS & you couldn’t even tell her J wasn't home?!”

“I’m sorry! Why’s it such a big deal?”

“I went to take her shopping, get her out for some fun & she’s in her room crying because she thinks Justin hates her!”

“Why’s she think that? Is she that obsessed & insecure?” Trace asked harshly. This time it was Justin’s hand upside his head, much harder than Rachael. “Ow! Stop that!”

“I will when you stop acting like an idiot! Do you even have the slightest idea why she likes talking to me?” Justin asked. “It’s because I’m her only friend. She’s been ditched by so many people. That’s why she got scared when you blew her off!”

“So, how do we fix this?” Rachael asked.

“I have to talk to her,” Justin answered, getting up.
---
He had only met Nicole face-to-face a few months ago when his new tour started but he’d been talking to her for just over a year. Her family had invited him to dinner when he was in town & that was when he had the chance.

Since then, Justin couldn’t get Nicole out of his mind. He didn’t get to spend as much time with her as he wanted but he tried.

He was on a 2 week break so he came to a little city outside of LA. That’s where Nicole’s house was.

Now, he had to fix whatever in the world Trace did. He reached her door & knocked. Standing there was a young black man, just a few years younger than Justin was. “Um, is Nicole home?”

“You're Justin?” It was more a statement than a question.

“Yes. You are?”

“I’m Nicole’s brother, Gabe. So, you're the reason my little sister hasn’t come out of her room for 2 days.”

She’d told Justin about her extended family when they met. Her best friend was called her little sister. Therefore, Gabe, Anita’s older brother was also Nicole’s brother.

“Look, I know my friend Trace was a little mean to Nicole. Honestly, I didn’t even know she needed to talk. I swear he didn’t tell me.”

Gabe let Justin in the house but wouldn’t let him see Nicole. Instead, he led him to the couch for 1 of the ‘protective older brother’ talks.

“Please, if I could just talk to her...,� Justin started.

“We’ll see. 1st – you & I talk.�

Justin shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't scared, he was just nervous because he needed to talk about this with Nicole. He felt it was something private they should deal with.

“Now, I know Nicole & Anita like you. Nicole especially with the way she turns to your music. I wish I could be around more to kick whosever butt hurts her; but given my job I can't. For that, I’m grateful she has you.� He paused to study the man in front of him.

He could tell Justin cared a great deal but being the older brother, he had to make sure Nicole wouldn’t get hurt anymore.

“Thank you,� Justin answered sincerely but was cut off again.

“But...you hurt her & that’s not ok by me.�

“Again, honestly, I didn’t know what Trace did. He never told me she was online.�

“Don’t tell me. Tell her,� Gabe answered, pointing to Nicole’s door at the back of the ranch style house.

Justin got up & slowly walked to the bedroom. He carefully opened the door & the sight in front of him broke his heart.

Nicole lay on her bed, sobbing. Music rang out from her stereo.

VERSE 1:Snow falls on the city
white on white
It's the color of hope
on an unforgiving night
you kissed me into ruins
sin on sin
now i've got all of your love letters
written on my skin
CHORUS: I can't tell the stars from
the downtown lights
If I said I was truly over you
my heart would say amen
but I'd give in to the
cold caress of 2 am.
If I admit I can't get used to this
will my heart break again?
as I fall into the
waiting arms of 2 AM
Verse 2: Someone's scratchy music
through the walls.
sirens weavin' thru the streets
I must have missed your call
I'm gathering up these nights
black on black
I know your voice like it's my own
and it makes my heart go slack
chorus repeat 2x

By the end of the song, Justin had tears in his own eyes. How could 1 missed conversation hurt her so bad? Was there something he didn’t know?

Nicole rolled over expecting to see Gabe at her door again. When she saw Justin, her eyes filled with tears once more. “Get out!” she cried.

“I just want to talk,” he tried to answer calmly.

“No, you don’t have the right to want to talk to me now. Not after the other day.”

“Nicole, please listen. Trace never told me you were online or needed help.”

“Oh yeah? Then why’d you say all those things?” she asked bitterly.

“What things?”

“Don’t act dumb, Justin. You're a smart man.”

“Sweetie, I honestly don’t know what you're talking about. I haven’t talked to you since dinner a few weeks ago,” he told her confused.

“Man, you are clueless. Why’d you say you didn’t care? Why’d you say I annoy you? That you...hate me?” he voice broke with another sob at the last part.

“What?” Justin whispered. “I never said that.”

“Just cut the act. You never wanted to be friends, you were just pitying me. Now get out!” With the strength left in her, Nicole threw something at him.

Tears blurred his vision as he picked up the item at his feet. It was the necklace he’d given her when they met face-to-face. In small, fancy letters it read: Angel. That’s what she was to him – an angel.

Stumbling out of the room, Justin made his way to the door. He didn’t look at Gabe as he left.
---
Justin didn’t know how he made it home without crashing. He barged in his front door, straight for the man who did all this damage. He grabbed Trace by the shirt & shoved him to the floor.

“What the - ?” he started but didn’t get a chance as Justin started yelling.

“WHY’D YOU DO IT?! WHY’D YOU TELL HER THOSE THINGS?!”

“Dude, what are you doing? What stuff?”

“YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID, JUST TELL ME WHY! WHY’D YOU HAVE TO RUIN EVERYTHING NICOLE & I HAD? WHY?!”

A smile that seemed twisted & cold formed on Trace’s face. “It was just a joke, man. I was just messing with her. Jeez, did she kill your sense of humor along with your reasoning?”

“A JOKE?! YOU THINK PRETENDING TO BE ME & TELLING NICOLE I HATE HER IS A JOKE? GOD, ARE YOU THAT JEALOUS OR THAT IMMATURE??”

Justin lifted the shorter man up & pinned him against the wall. Before he could hit him, Justin’s dad Paul & JC came running in.

They pulled the 2 apart, Justin still struggling. “What is this? I come to see my brother because he can't stop talking about some girl he met & I find this?”

JC called Justin his brother all the time. All the *NSYNC guys were brothers after being friends this long. It saddened him to see 1 of his best friends this upset.

“Trace told Nicole I hate her! He told her she was talking to me & said I didn’t want to be her friend anymore. She thinks I - that I abandoned her. Do you know what that does to her? She thinks she's nothing to me.” Justin had tears running freely & JC realized that this girl had a hold something fierce over his friend.

“It was a joke. Jeez. You are so wrapped in this girl that you can't see how messed up she is,” Trace laughed. “She’s whiny, she makes everything into a big dramatic & she’s basically stalking you. She ain’t even hot, J. She’s a retard!”

Justin & JC both lunged at Trace. JC hadn’t met Nicole yet but he knew enough that she had an effect on Justin. No one deserved to be called those names.

“Ok, boys. Enough!” Paul intervened after getting Lonnie from outside. “Trace, you need to leave. Now.”

The young man scoffed. “Fine, I’ll leave but don’t come running to me when you realize who your real friends are.”

He stormed out of the house.

Justin slumped on his couch, JC sitting next to him. “I can't believe he did that. I mean, yeah he’s a jerk sometimes, but to do that to someone who doesn’t deserve it?”

“He probably started teasing her & then ended up calling her that stuff when she needed comfort from you,” JC told him.

The 26 year old growled in frustration. “But she did nothing wrong! He had no right! She was finally happy all the time instead of feeling broken every other day. We were happy.”

He closed his eyes, resting his head on the back of the couch.

JC looked at Justin. He’d known this man half his life & never once saw him this worn down.

His shoulders sagged, hands fisted in his pockets. And JC thought he could see the faintest tracks of tears still on his face. His eyes widened as he said, “this isn't just being a friend to Nicole. You really love her.”

Justin opened his bloodshot eyes & looked sadly at his best friend. “Yeah, I do very much. At 1st I was just helping her through stuff but then we connected. We shared stuff that no one else knows. We hung out & i started to see the beautiful woman underneath the chipped exterior. She's really strong & just now started realizing it. Everything we gained is ruined 'cause Trace had to act like a stupid jerk. ” The tears once again started down his face. "I just want to hold her again."
---
“Thanks for coming guys,” JC told the other 3 former members of *NSYNC. “This is going to take all of us to pull off.”

“What’s going on with him?” Lance asked.

"He's getting his heart broken." JC explained what had happened between Nicole & Justin. As he finished, Lynn & Rachael walked in the door. They both wore a sad face & carried a box of stuff.

“What's that?” Chris asked.

“Stuff he gave her. We were trying to get her to open up & talk but she just gave us this,” Rachael answered.

“Gabe said Nicole’s been even worse than the last time Justin saw her.”

The group didn’t go through the stuff, knowing they were special keepsakes the 2 shared.

“So, what now?” Joey asked.

“Her birthday is in a few weeks. If we can get them in the same room, they’ll work it out,” Rachael told them.

“No, I don’t want to ruin her birthday too,” Justin said, coming down the stairs. They noticed that he looked like he hadn't slept in a month even though it had been only 2 days. “She deserves to have 1 happy day in all this.”

“Bounce, just listen. If you put all your feelings into a song for her, she’ll forgive you,” Lance explained. "You said music gets inside her."

"It's worth a shot," Joey added.

“I got the perfect song already done. I just don’t know how to get her to listen.”

“Don’t worry, everything’ll work out,” Lynn assured her son.

2 WEEKS LATER, Justin was at Shoes Dance Studio. He was practicing his performance for the Holts Indians vs. timberland Wolves baseball game. At the game tonight, he would be performing ‘I Love Sports’ & a special song he had planned if Nicole was there.

“No, J!� Marty hollered. “Dude, you've been doing this dance all year. How are you missing a step now?�

Justin looked up, clearly dazed from thoughts. He looked at Marty & then the dancers. He saw his mom in the corner. “I’m sorry, I need a break. I can't do this.�

As the young man ran out, Marty went up to Lynn with a questioning look.

“Just give him a while. He’ll have things straightened out if his plan works,� she said.

At the same time, Nicole wasn't feeling much better than Justin. She stood at the stove, hanging on to the counter with one hand. She stirred the spaghetti sauce with the other hand. She stared into the pot, not even paying attention.

“Hey, Nikaroo, how long til it’s ready?� Gabe called, just getting out of the shower. When she didn’t answer, he called louder knowing she had hearing problems. “Nic?�

She still didn’t answer her brother. Gabe slipped on jeans before walking into the kitchen. He came in just in time to catch her collapsing. “Nicole? Sis, come on, talk to me!�

“I HATE YOU, TRACE!� she cried while kicking a chair in front of them. “I H-HATE YOU!!�

“Shh...Shh..., Sweetie. Everything’s going to be ok,� Gabe soothed.

“Why’d he do it? Why?� she sobbed. “I liked him.�

“I know, I know...�
---
Justin walked into the garage where Gabe worked part time when he was home from the Marines.

“Hi, may I help you?" he asked, acting like he didn't know Justin was a celebrity. He didn't want anyone getting mobbed.

Justin leaned in & whispered to him.

"So there's a game tonight at the community field. You should try to take Nicole there."

"Why? She’s really upset & I don’t think she wants to go out."

“Because I have a song for her and I’m singing there tonight as well, And if she’s there I’ll sing it for her. And well, I’m hoping with all my heart that she forgives me," he answered and looked down.

"Hey man, it isn’t your fault." Gabe said back to Justin, and put a hand on his back. He guided him back to his office to have a seat and to conjure up the details of their plan.
---
“Gabe, I really don’t want to be here. Why’d you drag me out here?� Nicole asked annoyed.

“Because you need to get out of the house & I thought this would be fun. You used to come to my games.�

“Yeah, in Little League!�

Ok, so she was just a tad annoyed. But Gabe thanked God that no one at the game knew Justin was there because he didn’t want Nicole running (or wheeling in her case) out of there. They brought her chair for easier moving around the field.

No one knew Justin was there because it was supposed to be a surprise. Gabe had snuck a text to Justin saying they were there. So, Justin decided to play the special song first & then do ‘I Love Sports’.

As the siblings neared the front of the crowd, Nicole noticed a familiar quiet chatter among the staff.

“Ok, first up, we have a special surprise guest who’s going to sing for us before the game starts,� one of the coaches announced.

Nicole’s eyes widened as she saw a portable keyboard brought out. The quiet chatter she heard got louder. As the man stepped onto the field, it dawned on her why everything was familiar. It was part of the stage setup she’d heard at Justin’s concert!

She unlocked her brakes & tried to wheel away but her brother stopped her. “Ah, no. Just hear him out.�

“Uh the 1st song I want to play is 1 from my current record. It’s for 1 of my dear friends who I’d like to apologize for things that happened,� Justin said.

He sat down & began playing the slow ballad of ‘All Over Again.’ Every time he hit a high note, he tried to catch Nicole’s eyes.

When the song was over, Nicole once again wheeled away & Gabe sighed.

“Where are you going, hun?� Lynn asked Nicole.

“Home." She said blankly, “I didn’t know he was going to be here. Please just let me pass.�

“No, you should give him a chance. It wasn't his fault. He’s just as torn as you.� Lynn put an arm in her way.

Justin saw this action from the field and began to run off to the sidelines.

“No, please," Nicole pleaded and tried top push her way through. She got past and went over near the concession stands while Lynn caught up with her son.

“I tried to stop her for ya, Baby,� Lynn told Justin.

“It’s alright, I’ve have to do this myself.�

He ran up to Nicole, grabbed her handle bars & tipped her chair slightly backwards. She looked surprised but then anger flooded her face.

“I know you're angry but truth is, so am I. We need to work this out.�

She stared at him angrily for a minute but then nodded. All she wanted was to be in his life again.

“Now, if I put you down, promise you won’t leave & we’ll talk?� he asked & she nodded again.

They went somewhere quiet, guards keeping watch so the 2 had privacy. “Ok, I know you're mad but it’s not me you should be mad at. Trace did this to us, I’m not the 1 who said those things to you.�

Nicole looked down, playing with the keychain on her seatbelt. Justin knew she did this when she didn’t know how to word things the right way. He waited patiently, thankful she was given him a chance.

“Justin, I-I know it wasn't you but the fact that he’s your friend & did that – that’s what hurt.�

“You flipped out on me because he’s my friend?! I have no control over his actions!� Justin shouted in 1 breath. “I can't monitor what he does every minute! I shouldn’t have to.�

Nicole knew it was true & she nodded, it was all she could do to not cry. She didn’t want to cry in front of him, it’d be almost as embarrassing as freaking out on him.

Justin took a breath. He didn’t mean to blow up at her, this whole thing was just frustrating. “He told me what he called you. I’m sorry, I know it must’ve hurt. But it was HIM NOT ME.�

“I know you’d never do that to me but he’s your best friend & you're going to listen to him more than someone you just met. I don’t mean that to sound selfish but I’ve been hurt by people following what others say & I just don’t think I could take that anymore.�

“Sweetheart, look in my eyes. I wouldn’t have been talking to you this long, come out to meet you & fought to get you back if I was going to turn on you. I know you're scared & I completely understand that. But sometimes you just have to take a chance.�

Nicole looked at Justin wearily. She obviously felt more than friendship towards him but to establish trust, friends would be a good place to start. After all, Trace ruined that last time. Plus, she didn’t know if he felt the same. She highly doubted he did.

“Ok, but let’s work on being friends. If we want this to work, we can't let this happen again. If we have a problem, we tell each other. If someone else doesn’t like what we have, that’s their problem.�

“Deal.� He felt more than ‘just friends’ for her but he couldn’t tell her. It’d be way to soon. He’d have to gain her trust back. And he didn’t know if she’d love him. Hollywood life could be hard on a relationship & even though he wanted to tell her his feelings, he didn’t want things backfiring.

She looked down again, suddenly looking guilty. “I’m sorry,� She whispered.

“For what?�

“Messing things up with you & Trace. I mean, you guys have been friends for so long & you’ve known me a year.�

“No, Baby Girl. He messed things up on his own. That’s his fault for the way things are between him & I. there’s no reason he shouldn’t like you & if he doesn’t, it’s his loss on knowing such an amazing girl.�

She looked up & smiled, catching onto what he called her. He smiled back.

Lynn came up to them, finding them laughing & talking. “So, are you 2 good now?�

“If he doesn’t hurt me,� Nicole answered. Then she joked, “and if he keeps his friends in check.�

He laughed & walked around the back of her wheelchair. He wrapped his arms around her from behind & hugged her. He smiled as he saw his former bandmates come up also. “Yes, we’re very good.�

“We’re glad,� Joey said. “We were afraid we’d have to do something drastic. Now kiss already!’ 5 hands came at his head, including Lynn & Justin. “What?�

They shook their heads & Justin blushed like he was in junior high again. Nicole smiled shyly at him as he hugged her again.

THE END