13 year-old Justin Timberlake walked around the Mickey Mouse Club set. MMC as it was known to the younger cast. It was the beginning of season 7, his 2nd year on the show. Already within the last year his talent had grown. He loved to entertain & make people laugh. He did all of his favorite things – sing, act & be a goofball! He also made a ton of friends including JC, Matt, Ryan, Christina, Tony, & Dale. Of course, he didn’t get to go to normal school anymore but tutoring wasn’t so bad. Other than being on Disney Channel, he was still a normal kid. Once in a while, his friend Trace was able to come to Orlando but he couldn’t stay long due to going to school in Memphis.
Justin laughed as JC ran by him in the hall, stopping only to smile, nudge his shoulder & keep running after Tony with a can of cheese whiz. They acted younger than him sometimes! It was like his mom said, sometimes it was hard having two teenage boys because they always goofed off. But when it came down to things, Justin & JC were wise beyond their years.
Justin walked back to the spot where the sets were, waiting for JC’s scene to finish & his to start. He watched as the teen got to throw pies at the other kids. The buzzer rang throughout the studio, signaling the end of the scene. JC ran up to the younger boy, acting like he was going to get him.
“Don’t you dare, C! I have a scene to do next,” Justin warned.
“I know, I was just joking,” he laughed. He then saw one of Justin’s other friends walk up. “Hey, Nic,” he smiled.
“Hey, JC.” The teen ran to his dressing room, leaving the kids alone.
“Hi, girl. Are you done for today?” Justin asked referring to her tutoring.
FLASHBACK 9 year-old Justin walked into the park nearby the apartment complex. His mom and he had just moved to Orlando and while she unpacked, he was sent out to play as long as he didn’t go too far. He loved to explore his surroundings and was hoping there was something fun to do. They had moved there for a fresh start after his parents divorced.
So here he was, staring at the playground that was in a corner of the park. Humming as he walked, something caught his eye. He turned and saw the sun glinting off a little girl’s wheelchair. She was sitting by herself watching as the other kids played. One of the 10 year-olds threw a rock and watched as it bounced off the wheel. Then the kids ran away laughing. Justin frowned wondering what this small girl did that they would do that to her. He saw her jump and drop her container of bubbles as the rock hit.
Coming up to her, he offered the fallen bottle and she took it cautiously. “T-thanks,” she whispered quietly.
“I’m Justin, I’m 9. What's your name?” he asked.
Nicole looked up at him. He looked friendly, wearing a green stripped shirt and blue overalls. He had a bit of a southern accent and she wondered where he was from. His floppy curls fell in his eyes as he smiled at her. “I’m Nicole, I’m 8 years-old,” she answered.
“Cool! My mama and I just moved here. Want to be my friend?”
He saw her shift in her seat and look at the kids running around. “Y-you should be friends with them. You can run with them.”
He looked at the kids who were laughing at her, then turned back. “Well, no...I’d rather play with you. You're nice and they aren’t. I don’t play with mean people because I’m not mean.”
The smile she gave him lit up her face and he knew he just made a friend.
“Want to play catch?” he asked shyly, holding up a small ball.
“O-ok, Justin.”
“Cool!” END FLASHBACK
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Since then the kids were inseparable. They became fast friends and over the next two years, Justin worked on his dream of being an entertainer. He loved to sing and jumped at the chance when his mom Lynn told him that The New Mickey Mouse Club was holding auditions. Nicole and Lynn encouraged him and he got the role! Soon they gained another friend, JC.
When Justin first joined the cast, JC was 16 & looking for a place to live near the studio. Lynn insisted he live with them to save his money for the future. Him & Justin were best friends now so it was like she had a 17 year-old & a 13 year old son. Justin, Nicole, and JC hung out constantly when the boys weren’t working & Nicole was happy she had friends she could play with because she was pretty much alone. JC would make sure they kept out of trouble when the parents weren’t home. Nicole was mostly over at Justin’s place because her dad worked so much & Lynn made sure the little girl got a hot meal.
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Nicole’s dad Alan worked on set and in general construction so he was hardly ever home. And when he was, it was not good at all. It was the one part of her life the little girl didn’t want anyone to know. See, when she was born, her mom died due to complications and Alan always blamed Nicole. Those complications were also why Nicole had Cerebral Palsy. She used a wheelchair and sometimes a walker. Alan would go to a bar after work most times or just drink right at home. When he did, he’d take his anger out on his daughter. She was surprised no one saw him drunk or asked about the bruises. But then again, they knew how Alan felt when his wife died. And Nicole did fall a lot due to her disability. It was such a big secret for a little girl to keep but she had to.
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“Yup,” Nicole answered to Justin's question of tutoring. “Got a B on the math test.”
“That’s AWESOME, Nicole!” Justin cheered excitedly. He hugged her, careful not to knock her off her walker.
“Eh, I could’ve done better,” she said glumly.
“Oh come on, Mr Grey said you're doing really good. Did you show your dad?”
She looked around quickly, Justin missing the brief look of panic, before she shook her head no.
“Well, I saw him around here somewhere. You're coming over for dinner, right? My mom’s making chicken.”
She laughed at the way his mouth practically watered.
“Yup, I’ll try.”
“Ok, cool. Listen, I have to run for my scene, I’ll see you later.” He hugged her once more before dashing off.
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Alan stormed around the small apartment furiously. It was obvious he was drunk & it wasn't even 8pm. “Do you know how much I pay for you to get that tutoring?! And all you get is a damn B?!”
“I-I did the best I c-could, daddy,” the little girl sniffled while tears gathered in her eyes.
She hated when he got drunk, he always got nasty & mean. Lately, it seemed he was like that more & Nicole thought it was the long work hours. But now, he always took it out on her & she thought it was her fault. She flinched as he threw the beer bottle against the wall. “Your best?” he scoffed. “If it was your best you would’ve gotten an A+. Now, do you want to explain [i]why[/i] your teacher wants to speak with me? You haven’t been goofing off with that punk Jason again have you?”
“H-his name is Justin & n-no he doesn’t have it the s-same time a-as I-I do.”
At her crying, the rage in her father’s eyes grew. “Oh, I’ll give you something to cry about.” He then raised his hand & backhanded the 12 year-old. He grabbed her arm & hit her again.
When he was done, Nicole cowered in the corner of the room as her father stumbled into his room. She waited until it was silent before she pulled herself to stand on her walker & limped to her bedroom.
