"We look like morons." I mutter as I follow closely behind Madison.    

"No we don't. Just shut up so we can get this over with." She huffs and tugs awkwardly at the blonde wig on her head.    

I swear to God, I don't know how or why I let her talk me into this shit. It's exactly 12:05 on a very early Tuesday morning and what am I doing? Following my lunatic girlfriend through fucking Wal-Mart, both of us decked out in hooded sweatshirts, sunglasses and, in an attempt to draw even more unwanted attention to ourselves, she just had to go and wear that damn wig.    

We look like we're out of our fucking minds.    

"Why didn't you just have them send you a copy?"    

"Are you crazy?" She laughs bitterly. "No way in hell am I letting them think I care enough to read this piece of shit."    

"Yeah, this clearly shows just how much you don't care sweetheart." I mutter. I can't be sure if she actually heard me or not, but she doesn't respond.    

Jc's book officially hit stores at midnight and Madison was damn near chomping at the bit to run out and get it. But, she doesn't want anyone to know.     

Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. When RCA sends her back to work, people are going to ask her if she's read it, and even if she says no, they'll assume she's lying. I figure, she may as well have had Jace send her a copy.     

But, she's stubborn. Once she makes up her mind, you'll be hard pressed to change it.    

"Found it!" She yanks the book off the shelf and holds it up for me to see the cover.    

Call me an asshole, but I kind of want to laugh. The cover photo is the two of us, wasted out of our minds, leaving that stupid chapel the night we got married. But, the title, in bold red letters is the icing on the cake.    

"What Happens In Vegas..... Doesn't Always Stay There: The Truth Behind The Lies Of Madison Fox And Justin Timberlake."    

Oh yeah Jace, real fucking creative. Not.    

We quickly make our way to the check out and Madison pays for her book, cash of course... because she can't be enough of a paranoid freak. I love the girl, I really truly do, but sometimes... I have to question her sanity.     

"Oh my God... listen to this dedication." Madison giggles as I start the car and peel out of the parking lot. "To Madison: I apologize for the way things ended. I never intended for you to get hurt. The problems that arose were not about you, and I hope this book doesn't affect you negatively. All my best, Jace. Can you believe that shit? If he didn't want to hurt me, he should have thought of that before he decided to write a fucking book." She scoffs and begins flipping through the pages.    

If that's the dedication to her, I can't wait to see what mine says. If Jace knows what's good for him, he'll practically be down on his hands and knees begging my forgiveness.     

"What's mine say?" I ask and chuckle, just imaging the profound way Jc probably kisses my ass on paper.    

"Well...." She lets out a long sigh and closes the book. "There... there isn't one."    

"Cute Madison. Just read it."    

"There's nothing to read."    

"Seriously?" I pull the car over and rip the book from her hands, quickly thumbing through the pages, in search of my apology.   

 Just like she said, there isn't one.    

Not even so much as a "Fuck off and die, Justin."    

What the hell?    

This thing could screw with me just as much as it could her, I mean... let's say I try to make it on my own and nobody wants anything to do with me because of this. So, where the fuck is my apology?    

I've been through the same shitty year she has. Why does she get a sliver of an explanation, while I get nothing?    

"We're going over there." I seethe and toss the book into her lap before slamming my foot down on the gas.    

"What? Why?"    

"Because... if he can't apologize to me on paper, he's gonna do it to my God damn face. I deserve an apology just as much as you do."    

"Justin... come on. Let's just go home. We don't even know what's in here. We'll go home, read it, and go from there, ok?"    

"No. Fuck that. I'm dealing with this now."    

"Justin... please?" She begs, but my mind is made up.     

I'm going to beat an apology out of his ass if I have to.

*****************    

I stare up at the white door in front of me and crack my knuckles. Madison fidgets beside me as I slowly raise my hand to knock, and I have to fight the urge to tell her to stop acting like a freak.    

I know she's completely against us being here, but something has to be done. A small part of me is wondering just how genuine the apology in the book is, but I'm not about to tell her that.    

Although, if she's as smart as I think she is, she'll realize Jace probably threw that in there for some extra publicity.    

The door finally swings open and Jc appears in front of us, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. I'm kind of amazed he's got time to sleep in the middle of all the potential life ruining he's been doing lately.    

"Madison? What the hell are you doing here? What time is it?"    

"You gonna let us in or what?" I bark before she has a chance to answer him.     

"What do you want Justin?" Jc asks, his voice dripping with boredom and disdain.     

"We need to talk." I reply simply.     

He moves aside to let us in, and before he can utter a single word, I start in on him. Why did he sell us out? Why the book? What about my apology? Just... why?    

"Look man, I had my reasons, alright? Just let it go." He sighs and shakes his head. "Harping on it isn't going to change anything, just... just let it go."    

"Let it go?" I laugh bitterly and roll my eyes. Does he really think I'm that fucking stupid? "You tell me Jace... would you let it go? How about I go public with some of your not so squeaky clean shit, huh?"    

"Jace... just... just tell us why, that's all we want." Madison says calmly, keeping her gaze fixed on the tan carpet.    

Ya know, I kind of expected her to be the one freaking out. I mean, she doesn't handle pressure or confrontation all that well. I thought for sure she'd crack as soon as we got here, but she's putting on a brave face, ready to take whatever bullshit Jc's gonna throw at us.     

Sometimes, I really doubt Madison's strength, but in situations like these, she comes through. She's got that backbone when it really counts, and I guess that's all that really matters.     

"It wasn't about you Madison... I swear, none of it was about you."    

"Well, I'm the one paying for it." She finally looks up at Jace and there's no masking the venom in her voice or the fire in her eyes. "We deserve an explanation... you owe us that much."    

"Alright, look... I'm sorry, ok? Madison... I swear, I was just trying to help you."    

"Help her? How the fuck are you helping? Believe it or not Jace, people don't take too kindly to being lied to. The whole God damn world is gonna turn on her when they read that book. And me.. I'm already fucked. I walked away from my career because of the bullshit you've been putting us through."    

"It's always about you, isn't it Justin?" He chuckles humorlessly and shakes his head. "And you're one to talk about lying."    

"Excuse me?" I'm really trying to not deck him, but it's getting harder by the second, and unless he's got a damn good excuse for all of this shit, I just might do it.    

"She was set man... that second album would have been huge... I'd been busting my ass for four years, just to see her make it and... then you came along. When I got the call about the shit you two pulled in Vegas, I knew that was it. I knew it was going to over shadow every damn thing I'd done for her...and I was fucking right. She almost lost her record deal because of you, Justin. Every shitty thing that's happened to her this past year, was because of you. I tried to talk Johnny into the quiet annulment thing, but he just wouldn't fucking listen, I knew I had to do something, and that's where Beth came in."    

An awkward silence settles over the room, and I'm just itching to knock his lights out, but I'll atleast let him finish. I know there's more to his story, and I'm going to hear every bit of it before I send his ass to the hospital.    

"I knew all along who she really was, and I was just waiting for the right moment to get rid of her, but then... then I realized, I could use her to my advantage, and I did. Didn't you two ever notice that all the shit that got printed, was negative to you, Justin? Madison, all I wanted, was to push him out of the picture. He already fucked up my career, I wasn't about to let him ruin yours too."    

"Oh my god... you're joking right?" I can't help but laugh at him. Is he seriously still hung up on something that happened 6 fucking years ago? I mean, ok fine... I'm the one to blame for the groups "hiatus", but it's not my fault he couldn't succeed outside of that.     

"No I'm not... if you hadn't gone all fucking high and mighty on us, I wouldn't be stuck as a manager. I'd still be writing, performing..."    

"Jace... RCA offered you a deal!" Madison shrieks.     

"Yeah... to do a fucking cover album, they wanted to pick the material, and the ironic thing... they wanted me to do one of his songs."    

This guy has gone off the fucking deep end. There's no other way to explain it. He's certifiable.     

"So, what? You were trying to get even for something that wasn't my fault to begin with?"    

"You just don't get it, do you? The other shit doesn't even matter, I was trying to protect my client. I knew you'd ruin her, and I was going to do everything I could to stop it."    

"So you write a fucking book about all the lies I told?" She shakes her head sadly and stands from her seat. "I'm amazed Jace, I really am." She turns to leave and I follow her, not bothering to even give him a last glance. Just as I'm about to walk out the door, his voice stops me dead in my tracks.    

"Maybe you two should read the book before you start making assumptions. It just might surprise you."

*********************    

"Honestly Justin, I don't know what you want from me." Johnny sighs and leans back in his seat, folding his arms over his chest. "You're no longer my client. You fired me, in case you forgot. There isn't anything I can do for you. The legal team is already working on filing a suit against you. If I help you, that could be a major conflict of interest."    

"Yeah.. but I mean... isn't there a way you can get him and Beth on breach of contract or something? You had all of us sign that confidentiality shit."    

"Beth's going to get off scott-free, I'm afraid. The signature on those papers is Beth Preston's, and that person doesn't exist. As far as Jc is concerned... there isn't much to work with there either. He simply elaborated on a story that'd already been printed."    

"So you're not going to do anything?"    

"No, Justin... I'm not." There's a finality in his tone, and all I can do is nod.     

"Alright well... thanks for seeing me." I mutter and rise from my seat. "See you in court, I guess?"    

"It doesn't have to come down to that, you know. You're under contract for another album.. You could come back, do the album, and this could all go away."    

Deep down, I know he's right. But, my pride isn't going to let me do that. I made a decision, and now I'm going to suffer the consequences, no matter what they are.         

"Thanks, but no thanks." I call over my shoulder and head for the door.     

"If it's any consolation, I'm not really pushing the suit, Justin. Mostly, I was trying to give you the time to change your mind, but obviously, that isn't happening."    

"No, it's not." I smile sadly and sigh. "Thanks though."    

"I hope she's worth it, son. Because I can tell you, it's just going to get worse from here."    

I swallow the lump that's formed in my throat and nod. "She's worth it."    

I know she's worth it. She has to be. I can't look back on this in a few years, and think it was all for nothing.     

As long as I've still got her at the end of this, I know it will have all been worth the bullshit we had to go through.     

I know I could tuck my tail between my legs and come crawling back to Johnny and the label, and eliminate everything, but that'd just be too easy.     

Call me crazy, but I think Madison and I need to fight this battle, and win it.