A Party, A Bet, and A Rebound Solution
Everyone was gathered at Justin's house. They weren't celebrating anything in particular, but somehow it changed into a celebration of Justin and JC going solo. It was kind of a going away party. This was probably going to be the last time, in a long time, that all five of the Nsync guys will be together.
Justin was in the kitchen, talking with JC and Trace. Trace sat on the counter in the center of the kitchen, JC was sitting on a stool, while Justin leaned against the counter by the fridge. They were just voicing their fears about going solo when Alonsha walked into the kitchen. Justin looked up and smiled at her. He had just read her tongue-in-cheek shirt. It read "Made You Look" across it in bold pink letters. The letters matched perfectly with her pink flip flops and the belt that held up her low riders.
"Is there anymore Alize?" she questioned to nobody in particular.
"Fridge." everyone answered in unison. Alonsha nodded in response before heading into the fridge.
"So anyways," Justin said as he tried to continue his story from before. But when he looked back at his friends, he realized that they were no longer playing attention to him. They were checking out Alonsha's ass as she bent over to grab the bottle of Alize. Justin laughed at his friends' knowing smiles.
"You look nice, Lonnie." Trace commented as Alonsha smiled his way.
"Thanks." she said happily as she grabbed three glasses out of the cabinet.
"Are those all for you?" Justin questioned with a smile.
"No asswipe." JC and Trace snickered as Alonsha smiled at him in a condescending fashion, "It's for Tiff and your mother too."
"Damn, it was just a question." Justin explained as Alonsha flipped him the bird as she walked out of the kitchen. He laughed before sipping the drink in his hand. When he looked at his two friend they were smiling at him.
"What?"
"Trying to call Alonsha an alcoholic is no way to get her." JC informed. Justin rolled his eyes.
"I'm not trying to get her, Josh."
"And we all know why that is." Trace huffed as Justin glared at him.
"What's the reason? Joshua knows nothing." JC said innocently.
"Justin here thinks that Alonsha's not good enough for him."
"What?" JC said in disbelief.
"Trace, stop being a dick," Justin put his drink on the counter behind him, "I don't feel that way, and you know it."
"Then why don't you like her?" JC countered.
"Because. . . I dunno, it's just not like that between us."
"Alonsha doesn't want him." Trace inquired as JC laughed. Little did Trace know.
"I could have Alonsha if I wanted to," Justin said cockily, "I choose not to."
"Is that so?" Trace challenged as Justin nodded in response, "Well, how about we put some money where your mouth is?" JC cut in.
"Let's not." He said dismissively, "Dude, bets always come back to bite you in the ass."
"Yeah, 'cause he always loses them." Trace badgered on.
"You know what man? Give me the terms and I'm in." Justin stated confidently. JC shook his head in shame.
"You guys, this is so immature."
"No, if Trace thinks I can't do something for once, I want to prove him wrong." Justin whined.
"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."
"Anyways," Trace said impatiently, "Nothing is out of bounds. You just got to get her to like you."
"Simple enough. What happens when I win?" Justin questioned.
"If you win," Trace corrected, "I'll have to. . . do whatever it is you tell me to do, for two months."
"You do that now." Justin and JC said in unison before laughing.
"Shut up, I mean embarrassing stuff like flashing an old lady or something."
"I don't know man, you might enjoy that." Justin commented as they laughed.
"But," Trace continued, "If you lose, you have to pose nude for a tabloid."
"What? Hell no, I'm not agreeing to that." Justin said defensively before Trace began to cluck like a chicken.
"What's the matter Timbo? Afraid that Ms. Daniels will be too much woman for you to handle?" Trace taunted as Justin fummed.
"No, but I think that my punishment is a little extreme."
"Fine, what do you think he should do JC?" Trace asked as JC put his hands up in surrender.
"JC nothing," he spoke with all seriousness, "I don't want anything to do with this, a-matter-of-fact, I'm leaving." He grabbed his Corona and walked out of the kitchen.
"Fine, screw him." Trace grumbled.
"No way, I'm definitely not doing that."
"Shut up man," Trace laughed, "I didn't mean that."
"Good, 'cause I was about say that you must've bumped your head."
"I got to think about your punishment." Trace said devilishly, "I want it to be good." Justin rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatic behavior.
"So, it's a bet?" Justin said unsure.
"Why, certainly" Trace said extending his hand. Justin shook it and it was done.
-*-*-*-
I don't know what happened after I exited the kitchen, but whatever it was, I don't like it.
I've been getting this weird vibe from Justin. He's been staring at me, and asking me to slow dance. He even held my hand for almost ten minutes, dragging me around like I was. . . Anyways, I wasn't really complaining, but it was weird. Now I'm sitting on the sofa next to him, my head resting on his shoulder. His arm is snaked around my waist and his hand is resting on my thigh. We've sat this close before, but for some reason it felt different.
I smiled at something, I wasn't really paying attention to the conversation everyone was having, but when I felt Justin shake from laughter I knew it was smile time.
"Well don't you two look cozy." Lynn commented as she smiled brightly at us. Justin's grip around my waist tightened.
"Feels cozy too." he said with a smile. I rolled my eyes and Lynn gave me a motherly grin.
"So, how's the center going for ya, honey?" she questioned, her voiced was laced with her southern accent.
"It's doing great," I answer, "The kids are nice to have around." She smiles, dismissing our conversation. I go to sit up and Justin holds me down.
"Where you going?" he questions.
"I'm gonna get something to drink."
"Oh no, I'll get it for you," he offers as he stands up from the chair, "What do you want?"
"Ice tea." He nods and heads towards the kitchen. Did I mention this was weird?
"What's the matter?" I hear Lynn ask.
"It's just. . . I don't know. Does Justin seem. . .off to you?" She raises a brow, her bottom lip pretruding in thought.
"No," Lynn says dismissively, "He's always a gentlemen, especially when he's with a girl he likes." Whoa. Hold up. Rewind. Does Lynn remember who she's talking to here?
"Oh." I croaked out as I got up from my seat, "I have to find Tiffany, I'll be right back." Lynn gives me the go ahead and I make my way across the house to the back where the pool is.
"Wassup girl? Where have you been?" I turn around to see Joey with a martini in his hand.
"I've been around, Joe." I answer with a smile as he hugs me briefly, "How's everybody?" He shrugs and smiles.
"I'm good, Kelly's good, Bri's good. It's all good." We laugh before he speaks again, "What about you? I heard the whole marriage thing didn't go over too well." I inhale deeply before exhaling.
"I'm good actually."
"Well, that's great. I just. . ."
"HEY JOEY!" I hear Justin shout as he walks towards his friend. They embrace one another briefly before Justin moves to my side, drink in hand.
"You abandoned me," he pouts, "Mom said you were out here."
I accept my ice tea and smile, "Sorry about that, I was looking for Tiff, when I ran into Joey." I gesture toward his figure, that was now chasing Chris up and down Justin's unpaved driveway. Me and Justin laugh and I sip my cold drink.
"Well I was just talking to Scott and Tiffany wasn't too far away, I can show you where she is." Before I can even respond, my hand is in his and he's guiding me to Tiffany's location. Despite the fact that I should be fighting this, I can't help but hold his hand tighter, loving the way it felt with mine. Justin turned and smiled at me briefly before a camera goes off right in our faces, blinding me temporarily.
"You guys are so cute together!" I hear Tiffany squeal with delight at her photographic accomplishment.
"We are not together." I protest as she raises a brow.
"And you're holding hands because?" I quickly yank my hand away from his. Justin looks at me confused and slightly hurt by my abrupt behavior.
"I need to talk to you." I turn to look at Justin who's looking at his empty hand, "I'll be back." I hand him my drink and scurry off with Tiffany upstairs. I pull her into one of the guest rooms and lock the door behind me.
"I thought you and Justin were just friends." she smiles as she plops on the bed.
"We are, " I say taking a seat next to her, "But he's been acting kinda weird."
"Justin's always weird."
"No, I mean like. . ." I sighed, "Him holding my hand!"
"You were holding back."
"Automatic reaction." I lied. Tiffany rolled her eyes.
"Look Alonsha, I know you too well for you to feed me that bullshit," Damn, she's always right, "You like him."
"I do not."
"Yeah, ya do."
"No I don't."
"Yes you do, and you know you do, so stop lying to yourself."
"I'm not lying to myself, it's just a ridiculous." I folded my arms across my chest.
"No it's not. You guys weren't meant to be friends."
"Why's that?"
"The first thing he did was ask you out Alonsha." I rolled my eyes.
"He was eighteen, I was seventeen. That was different."
"Look, all I'm saying is that Justin is trying to show you he likes you in his own way. Yes it was a different time back then, but the only reason why you didn't except his relationship offer was because you were with Kyle. Now there's no Kyle and there's no Britney. So, tell me Lonnie: What's holding you back now?"
"Lots of things! Like our friendship and the fact that we both just got out of relationships that ended horribly."
"You are so dramatic." She should talk.
"All I'm saying is that me and Justin were perfectly content with ourselves before you and Trace and Lynn started to pressure us to like one another."
"We didn't do jack butt nothin'"
"Oh yes you did," I stood up, "You and your 'Justin's so gorgeous, look at his eyes, his smile, his body.'" She burst into a fit of laughter. This bitch was not laughing at me.
"You like him so badly." she said inbetween her laughter.
"Shut up Tiffany." I whined, "I'm not suppose to feel this way." She stopped laughing and was wiping the tears from her eyes.
"You can feel any way that you want to, honey. There's no book that puts regulations on your heart."
"My heart?" I make a face, "I don't love him."
"Yet," she smiles, "You don't love him, yet."
"So, what am I suppose to do while I don't love him?"
"Get some." My eyes widen.
"What?"
"Rebound. You know? Get your cake and eat it too." I roll my eyes.
"I am not rebounding, especially with Justin."
"Oh come on!"
"No."
"Prude." I huff, completely insulted.
"I am not a prude!"
"Well you have to be a prude if you don't want to do the nasty with Mr. Timberlake." she states knowingly.
"What makes you think that he wants to have sex?"
"He's a guy? Duh."
"Justin doesn't rebound." she rolls her eyes.
"Everybody rebounds. It's natural, and it can't be helped."
"I don't want to be a rebound." I fall over onto the bed.
"Then make sure you make him never forget."
"How do you suppose I do that?"
"Do him, and make me proud." she laughs and I can't help but laugh along with her.
"Freak."
"Exactly." she concludes as she tosses a pillow at me.
Story Tags: Be the first to add a tag to this story
