“Why am I doing this again?”

Kara looked up at the woman standing in front of her and smiled. Then she pushed her glasses further up on her nose before answering.

“You’re doing this charity event because you love children, and you think that every child should have the chance to improve their literacy.”

That was a total lie; her sister could give a damn about those kids and probably didn’t even know how to spell ‘literacy’.

“Right! That’s why you’re my personal assistant; you always keep me on top of things, and you’re so good at it.”

“Thanks Maritza,” Kara responded, pulling out her Blackjack phone and double checking the time her sister was supposed to be rehearsing.

“I don’t see why the kids actually have to be there. What if one of them touches me and gets me sick with their germs or something?”

See. Kara knew her sister like the back of her own hand, and charitable was something that Maritza was not. In fact, the only reason why her sister was doing this was for a publicity stunt. Maritza’s PR set this up to get everyone’s attention off of the incident that happened between her and Lindsay Lohan at a club in LA two weeks ago. Long story.

“Are you listening to me?”

Kara looked up from her phone with a smile and lied to her sister.

“I hear every word you’re saying.”

Well, technically she didn’t lie to her, she did hear every word Maritza was saying, she just wasn’t listening to her. That was a trick she’d learned over the years, and it came in handy during times like this.

“Alright. So what time do I rehearse today? Because you know I have a hair appointment.”

“I know about your hair appointment, I set it up, you silly goose.”

Both women laughed.

“And we’re gonna leave for the studio in twenty minutes.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you Kara.”

“I don’t know either girl,” Kara replied, smiling at Maritza.

It wasn’t that she didn’t love her sister, because she did, but they’ve always had a weird relationship. Even when they were kids it was always like she was her sister’s shadow, and when Maritza hit it big in the music industry it seemed natural for Kara to follow her once more, this time as her PA. She enjoyed the job, somewhat. But she didn’t decide to do it for pleasure, it was more like a duty to her. Maritza may not have been her favorite person in the world, but Kara didn’t trust anyone else with her sister like that. She was gonna be the one to take her sister’s orders, complaints, schedules, free gifts (on occasion), and verbal abuse. She was also gonna be there to clean up after Maritza’s mistakes, to make sure that people only saw the image the PRs wanted them to, and not see Maritza for who she really was.

Well I'mma freak you right, each and every night
I know how to do it insane girl
'Cause I can make it hot, make it stop

Justin paused in his movements and could hear Marty groan. A smirk spread across his face as the man started to chew him out.

“How many times do I have to tell you that this is for a children’s benefit concert? You can not do that.”

Justin couldn’t help but laugh. They were rehearsing for the ‘NBA Cares’ concert that was five days away. He didn’t even know why they were rehearsing. It wasn’t like they hadn’t been on the road for the past couple of months and hadn’t been doing the routine every night. It actually took them a while to figure out what song they could perform that would be appropriate for the kids. They’d finally decided on ‘Summer Love’ but figured out that they had to cut out the part in the song where they pause the music and Justin grinds on his dancer…which is what he’d conveniently forgot to do the past three times they’d gone through the dance routine.

“I don’t even know why we’re rehearsing this, man. I know this thing like the back of my hand.”

“So why do you keep messin’ up?” Marty demanded.

“To make you mad,” Justin stated plainly.

He watched Marty smirk, and grinned when he dismissed them for the day. Justin waited until everyone else filed out the room before he approached his friend.

“Marty, you know I was just messin’ with ya earlier, right?”

“Yeah. You know I’m just a perfectionist.”

“I know, me too. But you need to learn when to relax.”

“I know, I know.”

“In fact, we’re goin’ out tonight.”

“But –.“

“I don’t wanna hear it,” Justin cut him off. “When was the last time we went out?”

Marty was silent in thought.

“My point exactly,” Justin began. “We’re gonna paint the town tonight. We finally have a couple of days off and we’re gonna put it to good use.”

“Are you sure you won’t need me tonight?” Kara asked Maritza.

The two of them were sitting on the couch inside of home that they shared.

“Nope, why? Do you have plans?” Maritza asked, getting interested all of a sudden.

She pulled up her legs and wrapped her arms around them and turned around to face Kara.

“Not really. I’m just hanging out with a few of the girls.”

“Ooh! Sounds like fun! Where are ya’ll going?”

“I dunno,” Kara began. “Roxi just said that she wanted to go out with the girls before she heads back home.”

“Well, have fun,” Maritza said, a frown beginning to grow on her face. “I’ll just spend my evening here on the couch with my pint of Ben & Jerry’s and Pay-Per-View.”

Kara felt bad for her sister, but didn’t want to give up her night with her girlfriends for her sister. She loved the girl, but she didn’t want her life to become completely wrapped around her sister.

“Oh, well ok.” She smiled, happy that her sister understood.

She rose from the couch and made her way to her bedroom to change for the evening. She ended up deciding on a pair of dark Rock & Republic jeans and a black low cut top. She topped it off with silver jewelry and flat-ironed hair. By ten she was heading out the door and towards downtown to meet her best friends.

"So, okay," Roxi put a lemon to her lips to chase away the bitterness of the tequila shot. "Who are we picking up tonight?"

It was well after one in the morning and the three women sat at a table up in the balcony, overlooking the club and the rest of the party goers. The table top between them was littered with bead necklaces, shot glasses, and two empty champagne bottles.

"I call dibs on that one," Charita pointed out into the crowd.

The other two girls leaned over the edge of the railing and stared down into the crowd of gyrating bodies below them. They giggled when the man she'd picked out couldn't be seen. There were men everywhere, and it was dark, and they had reached the 'tipsy' phase hours ago.

"What about you Kara? Which one is your Mr. Someone tonight?"

"All of them," Kara tipped her head back with a grin. "I'm everyone's friend tonight."

Roxi and Charita exchanged a look before laughing loudly.

"Well don't say that too loudly, you'll catch a reputation!"

Kara rolled her eyes and pulled her purse over her shoulder.

"I don't have time to be anybody’s Ms. Someone. I've got an early wake-up call tomorrow. I should have been home an hour ago."

She stood, slightly stumbling against the stool behind her.

"Oh come on, just one dance for the road," Roxi reached for her hand. "One song and then I promise I'll yank you away and put you in a cab."

"Yeah, we promise," Charita batted her lashes.

Kara looked back and forth between the two girls before she tossed her hands into the air.

"One dance and then I have to get out of here."

The other two cheered and jumped from their seats, leading her toward the stairs.

"I knew it was a bad idea coming here with you guys."

Down on the floor there was hardly any room to breath. Bodies were jam-packed together, spilling over into the bar area. The bass was thumping so loud it was blinding, and it didn't mix well with all the alcohol Kara had consumed. But she didn't let the impending headache stop her. She headed onto the floor, squeezing in between moving bodies, eventually finding a place. Charita and Roxi were snatched up by partners almost immediately. It was always that way for them. They were beautiful, young, thin, confident. A guy would be crazy to see one of them dancing alone and not step in. Kara was always the one left for last, a role she'd become accustomed too. Raising her hands into the air, she focused on her own little space, swaying her hips to the music and enjoying the peace.

Not to long after she'd begun to lose her head in the song, a pair of hands gently rested on her hips. She looked down at them, eyeing the long fingers gripped the material of her jeans. Raising her head, she was met with a shoulder; obviously the stranger was much taller than she was. But if she lifted her head higher to see his face, she might vomit. But he might be cute, so she didn't want to risk it. So she lowered her arms, resting her hands on the sides of his legs and they moved together to the beat. They pressed closer and closer together, her back against his chest, her behind resting against his pelvic. It was sensual dancing at its finest. And all too soon the moment was over, and the song ended. The beat changed to something much faster, and Kara turned to face him.

"What's your name little one?" He asked.

His voice was smooth. Lascivious.

She smirked, but before she could open her mouth to answer a hand wrapped around her arm.

"She's got to go; she has an early call tomorrow."

Roxi smiled at the man and pulled on Kara.

"Wait, I-."

"No, you made us promise, remember? Time to go. Taxi!"

Kara pouted as Charita and Roxi drug her away, arm and arm. She didn't even get to see his face.

Wipe that smile off your fuckin’ face
Then I say to you
Wipe that smile off your face
To be despised
To be loved
To be dreamt of
To be sought
On the inside
I don’t care
Right in the middle
I’m right in the middle

Kara groaned and rolled over to silence her phone. It was entirely too soon for her alarm to be going off. She rubbed her eyes and climbed out of bed, heading towards her restroom. Today was going to be a long day, and her hangover wasn’t going to make matters any better. She popped to aspirin and jumped in the shower, mentally preparing herself for the day’s events. Kara had barely finished making breakfast when she heard the intercom buzz.

“KK,” her sister began, using the petname she only used when she wanted something. “Can you make me some toast and egg whites?”

Knowing her sister as well as she did, Kara had already made her eggs and toast, which were now sitting on the griddle to stay warm.

“They’ll be ready when you come down. And hurry up, we have to be on the road in an hour,” Kara said, holding down the conference button.

She ate her breakfast and scrolled through her sister’s entire schedule for the day on her Blackjack. She was joined half an hour later by her sister and the two made small talk over their meal while waiting for the car to get there. Kara usually drove them around town, but the record label didn’t want to risk anything when it came to big events like the NBA gig. They technically still had a few hours before they were supposed to go on, but Maritza still had to get dressed for the performance and do a few interviews and photo ops.

Nothing too out of the ordinary, right?

Wrong.

“You want me to wear that!?!” Maritza asked in disgust.

They'd arrived at the arena and she'd just seen the outfit her stylist had picked out for her.

“Yes. Is there a problem with it?” The woman asked meekly.

'Poor new girl,' was the first thing that went through Kara’s mind. 'She was doomed from the get go.'

“There’s no problem, I just don’t wear jerseys. Did you pick out anything else?”

“I’m sorry, but since it’s an NBA function all I picked out was jerseys. They’re all fitted though. And I have some really cute bottoms,” the stylist said proudly.

“That’s very nice, but like I said, I don’t do jerseys. Kara!”

“I’m right here Marz,” Kara said, getting her attention.

Maritza walked over to her sister with a pout on her face.

“I don’t like those clothes.”

“Well you better start liking them because that’s all you have to choose from,” Kara replied in a matter-of-factly tone.

Sometimes she wondered who was the older sibling, especially when Maritza was acting like a 5 year old.

“Put on the Nuggets outfit, that blue looks good against your skin tone.”

Maritza sighed heavily before walking over to the stylist and informing her of what outfit she was going to wear. Kara breathed a sigh of relief when her sister started to get dressed and left the room in search of refreshments.

You spotted the ocean
At the head of the trail
Where are we going?
So far away

Kara froze in her tracks. She recognized the song because she loved John Mayer, but the voice that was singing it wasn’t his.

Somebody told me
That this is the place
Where everything’s better
And everything’s safe

She peeked around the nearest open door and just sort of stared as the guy sang through the chorus before chugging a bottle of water. She watched him fidget with his iPod and change the song and hum along with Rihanna’s ‘Hate That I Love You’. She was completely enthralled by this man; this man in jeans and a t-shirt, singing and bobbing his head along with his iPod, oblivious to the fact that someone was else was in the room since his back was to her. Kara leaned against the doorway and watched him finish the song, getting chills when he hit a chord at the end of the song.

“Kara!”

She jumped when her sister yelled her name, thinking that she was caught. She quickly made her way back down the dressing room.

“Huh?”

“What were you doing down there? I’m about to go on.”

“I was looking for some waters.”

“Umm hmm,” Maritza replied sarcastically. “You were looking at Justin, weren’t you?”

“Who?” Kara asked, confused.

“Justin. Justin Timberlake. That’s whose dressing room you were looking into. Was he naked or something?”

Kara was shocked; she really didn’t know that that was his room.

“No, he wasn’t naked,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “He was singing John Mayer, and you know I love me some John Mayer.”

“That you do. So you were stalking Justin? You think he’s cute don’t you?” Maritza asked in a sing-song voice.

Once again Kara questioned who was the older sister.

“I wasn’t stalking him; I was just watching him sing. And it doesn’t matter if I think he’s cute or not, I’d never have a chance with him,” she said, looking down at her feet.

“You’re right,” Maritza replied, totally ignoring the sadness in her sister’s voice. “I’m more his type. Do you think I should say something to him tonight?”

Once again Kara tuned out her one of Maritza’s many rants. She took deep breaths and tried to forget the hurtful words that just came from her sister’s mouth. It wasn’t the first time she’d been put down by her and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Besides, by now she was used to them; they almost couldn’t complete a day with Maritza making her feel like she was a lesser person, and Kara just took it. She didn’t know what else to do.

Cause I can’t wait to fall in love with you
You can’t wait to fall in love with me
This just can’t be summer love, you’ll see
This just can’t be summer looovve

“Thank you!” Justin screamed, running off the stage with the rest of his dancers.

He grabbed the towel from Rachael’s hand and wiped his face while heading back to the interviewing room they had set up for the artists after they finished performing. He was just about to walk in when he was stopped by a woman who informed him that there was another interview going on that moment, but that it would be over in just a bit.

“Thanks. Who’s in there?” he asked, taking the bottle of water Rachael was offering him.

“Marz,” Kara said, using her sister’s stage name.

“That chick who sings ‘Promise’?”

“That’s her.”

“Damn, I didn’t even know she was gonna be here. Did she perform that?”

Kara was just about to answer when Justin cut her off.

“Wait, you probably don’t even know. Are you with the TV station?”

“No, actually I’m her PA, and she performed ‘Get up’,” Kara replied matter-of-factly.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s ok,” she said, turning her attention away from him.

“So, do you like your job?” Justin asked, trying to make small talk.

“It’s ok. It’s gotten harder over the years; she didn’t have this many gigs when she first started out.”

“So you’ve been with her from the start?” Rachael asked.

“Yeah,” Kara replied with a small smile.

“How did ya’ll meet?” Justin asked.

'What is this? Twenty questions? Damn!' was the thought that ran through Kara’s head.

“She’s my sister,” she stated plainly, just as Maritza was exiting the room.

“Oh hi!” Maritza said in one of her fake tones.

Kara was happy that her sister stepped in front of her because she didn’t want anyone to see her roll her eyes.

“I’m Marz.”

“Justin,” he said, extending his hand to shake hers.

Maritza went into ‘flirty’ mode and Kara saw the change immediately. She had to try not to gag while her sister and Justin made small talk about the charity and the afterparty that was happening that night at a local club.

“So you’ll be there?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you there,” Maritza responded with a smile.

“Alright; well I’ll see ya’ll later!” Justin said with a wave as he entered the interview room with Rachael not too far behind him.

“Ooh! I think I’m gonna wear my black backless dress!” Maritza exclaimed as they made their way to their awaiting car.