“What’re you in such a rush for?” JC asked as he watched Justin trying to shove his arm through his shirt. He buttoned it up so fast he missed two buttons and had to undo it before re-buttoning them. “The show doesn’t even start for ten more minutes.”

“I know,” Justin replied, pulling on his white studded bandana and tying it over his unruly curly hair. “I just can’t wait for it to start.”

“No, you can’t wait to see that chick again,” Joey corrected, bending over to tie his shoes. Justin made a face at Joey as he stood and grinned. “That Mystery Chick.”

“What ‘Mystery Chick’?” JC asked, buttoning up his shirt.

“That chick?” Lance spoke up, buttoning the cuffs on his shirt. “What makes you sure she’s going to be here tonight?”

“Because she’s always at our shows,” Chris replied.

“What girl?” JC questioned.

“And she always has that smile on her face just for you,” Chris continued, ignoring JC as he applied the eye makeup underneath his eye while looking at Justin in the mirror. “She leaves you presents after every show. Come on, man. You have to at least get her name this time. I won’t let you leave until you get it.”

“Which will be hard. She always seems to disappear as soon as the show is over,” Joey pointed out.

“I’ll meet her this time,” Justin declared, reaching down to tie his shoes. “As soon as the show is over. You’ll see.”

“Am I invisible?” JC demanded.

“All right guys, let’s play some hacky before we start,” Chris said as he grabbed the ball off of the table near him. JC watched, dumbfounded, as the boys filed past him and out to the hall where there was more space to play hacky sack.

JC grabbed Justin’s arm before the young boy could leave the room. Justin stumbled back a couple of paces and looked up at JC in confusion. “What’re you doing?” he asked, glancing at the door where Lance stuck his head in. Justin lifted a finger and Lance nodded, closing the door behind him.

“Getting answers out of you since it seems to be Ignore-JC Day.” JC then pulled Justin over to the couch and practically shoved him to make him sit down. JC crossed his arms over his chest and stood over the younger boy, waiting for his response, but Justin stayed silent. “J, you know I hate it when you keep stuff from he,” he stated in a calm tone when what he really wanted to do was smack Justin in the face and shake him by his shoulders to get whatever it was out of him.

“I know,” Justin replied, finally looking up at the older boy.

“Then why didn’t you tell me about this Mystery Chick?” JC asked, raising an eyebrow, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. “Everyone else knew but me.” Justin looked away from JC. “You can still trust me you know,” he whispered. “I haven’t done anything to betray that trust, have I?” Justin shook his head. “Then what is it? Why didn’t you tell me? Better yet, why don’t you tell me anything anymore?”

“Because you blow stuff out of proportion!” Justin finally blurted out, jumping to his feet. JC took a step back and studied Justin’s face. His eyes were flashing, his jaw was clenched so hard a muscle by it was twitching, and his hands were clenched into fists.

“When have I ever–?” JC started.

“Remember when Chris and I left the hotel to go buy a CD?” Justin asked. JC nodded. He did remember. He also remembered having to go through a swarm of shrieking fans to get Chris and Justin back inside without having to lose a limb. “You blew up at us and we didn’t even do anything wrong. We just wanted a damn CD.”

“You snuck out of your hotel room, Justin!” JC replied. “In the middle of the night without telling anyone of us! Just because you needed to get a damn CD doesn’t mean you can just leave whenever you want!”

“Stop treating me like a fucking baby!” Justin shouted. JC’s lips parted slightly. In the many years he’s known Justin he has never ever raised his voice. “I am not a little kid anymore, Joshua! I’m nineteen-years-old! I’m a fucking adult!”

“You don’t act like one!” JC shot back, finally raising his voice at Justin in return. “You don’t act like an adult at all!”

“Really? Then what do I act like? Enlighten me!”

“You act like a spoiled selfish fucking brat!”

Justin’s mouth fell open and JC clenched his jaw. A brat? Is that what JC really thought of him? A spoiled, selfish brat? Justin couldn’t deny that he knew he could get anything he wanted when he wanted, whether it is a car, a house, a new phone, or a chick. But he was never selfish about it, he was always polite, always said please and thank you, always respected his elders. Well, until now.

“How dare you call me a brat!” Justin hissed.

“Can’t handle the truth?” JC asked with a harsh laugh. “Can’t handle the fact that someone is finally saying something that you need to hear?”

“Shut up!” Justin shouted, shoving JC. JC stumbled but easily regained his balance, glaring at Justin. “This is why I haven’t told you anything recently! Because you keep judging me. Because you keep seeing me as the little twelve-year-old you met back on set! I’m not little anymore!” Justin grabbed his head and let out a frustrated breath before looking at JC again. “I never told you about the girl because you’d overreact. You’d overreact to know that I want to meet you or that she’s given me flowers, or cards, or presents after every show.”

“I wouldn’t overreact if you’d just explain it to me,” JC mumbled.

Justin laughed. “Yes you would! That’s who you are.”

“Ok, maybe I would a bit,” JC admitted after a few seconds of silence. “But I have good reason.”

“Please, enlighten me Oh Great One.”

“You don’t know her!” JC pointed out.

“Which is exactly why I want to meet her,” Justin replied with an eye roll. “Man, I knew you were slow sometimes, C…”

“J, is there some part of your brain that’s been blocked of common sense since we got big?” JC demanded. “If there is it would make a lot of sense of why you sound so stupid lately. You know getting connected with a random chick is dangerous. Not only for you physically but for the band as a whole.”

“I don’t fuck every girl I meet,” Justin said with an eye roll. “I have morals you know.”

JC sighed and shook his head. There has to be another way to figure out why Justin would hurt him like this. “Why didn’t you tell me?” JC tried again.

“Because I knew you would–”

“Tell me the damn reason!” JC interrupted.

“The real reason?” Justin asked, raising his eyebrows.

“No, lie to me,” he replied sarcastically.

“I really dig this chick,” Justin replied. “I know I haven’t met her at all yet I feel as if I’ve known her for my entire life. I can tell by the poems she writes me.” He went over to his bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He crossed the room and silently held it out to JC. He took it and read it over, his eyebrows rising. “She sounds like a normal human being compared to the other letters I get where all they say is how much they want to have my kid or I’m hot or they want to marry me. She sounds real. So what if she’s a fan?  I can’t give up on something real.” JC didn’t reply.

“Guys, c’mon. We have to hacky before we’re late,” Lance said as he opened the door and hesitantly stuck his head in.

“Coming,” JC replied, giving the letter back to Justin. He shoved it into his pocket and pulled on his hat as JC did the same and joined the others into the hall. If they heard the two friends arguing they didn’t say anything. They just went on their hacky sack tradition, chiding each other when they missed. Finally, as they got the crew together, they said a quick prayer and moved down the halls to get to their positions on stage.

They moved, in the dark, to their positions as they quickly got strapped in at the screams of the crowd got louder. Justin closed his eyes and said another quick prayer. Then the concert started. Instantly Justin’s body was flooded with adrenaline and energy that the crowd was giving him. He moved through the opening song, No Strings Attached, as if he were asleep but with as much energy as he received whenever he ate a lot of sugar.

The concert became a blur as he sang and danced his way through the show. He scanned the crowds, looking for the girl, but didn’t spot her. At least, not until they started Just Got Paid. There she was. Instead of being at the center she was at the left of the stage, from his perspective. He smiled to himself. She was probably only over there tonight to see him shaking his hips as he rapped with Chris.

Her brown eyes stayed glued to him the entire night and it gave him a rush, making him work harder and sing better than he’s ever sung before. Finally the show came to a close and he made sure to give it his all during the encore finale, Bye Bye Bye. He made sure to put extra emphasis in his pelvic thrust to let her know what she was missing by not sticking around long enough after the show.

Finally, they hit the last note and screams filled the air. Justin held his pose but let his eyes drift over to the girl. She was grinning and clapping, keeping her eyes on his, causing an electric shock to move through his body. He had to meet her.

~*~*~*~

“J, cheer up!” Joey yelled over the bass beats of the club. Justin looked up from the beer he was sliding back and forth on the counter. “C’mon, there are some really hot chicks here that are dying to meet you.”

“I’m sure,” Justin replied. “But there’s only one girl I want to meet and she’s not here when she said she would.”

“Get over her, man,” Joey said, shaking his head. “You’re never going to meet her. She’s just a fan.”

“She’s not just a fan, though,” Justin replied. “She’s different.”

“Whatever, man. Just know that we’re splitting at twelve to get back on the bus and head out.” With that Joey left Justin alone at the bar and headed in the direction of a red-head.

Justin looked down at his watch. 11:30. He only had a half hour. ‘Come on, where are you?’ He scanned the floor for the girl before taking another sip of his drink. He started to get annoyed. He could have been dancing and having a great time like the other guys, yet here he was, sitting at the bar, waiting for a girl who wouldn’t show.

He turned back to the bar and was about to ask for another drink when he felt a feathery light hand on his shoulder and warm breath on his ear, “Sorry I’m late. I had a little bit of trouble moving through the crowd.” Justin swallowed, turned around and came face to face with the hottest girl he has ever met. Her brown hair was shiny and fell to her shoulders, lightly brushing her shoulders. Her brown eyes were bright against the colored lights in the club. Her simple black t-shirt and tight jeans hugged her body perfectly, but it was the crutches that were holding her up that gained his attention the most. “May I sit?” She tilted her head to the empty seat next to him. He nodded and watched her sit down, propping her crutches up against the counter. She giggled as he continued to stare.

“Sorry.” Her giggling broke Justin’s stare. “It’s just…you’re more beautiful up close.”

She giggled again. “You’re more tongue-tied up close,” she countered.

“So…tell me about yourself,” Justin said with a smile. “I mean, I feel like I know you all ready but I’d like to hear about you from your mouth.” He blushed as she smiled. ‘I must sound so lame!’

“Well, I’m in college right now majoring in English on a creative writing track,” she started.

“For poetry, right?” Justin asked.

“Bingo.”

“What do you write about?”

“Whatever I feel at the time. Usually I write about feeling trapped,” she replied.

I raised my eyebrows. “Really? Why?” She tilted her head towards her crutches and smiled a bit. “Oh. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize; you didn’t upset me or anything.” She turned towards the bar and motioned for the bartender to come over. “I’ll have whatever he’s having,” she said, smiling at him again. Justin smiled in return before looking back at the crutches. “I have Cerebral Palsy,” she answered the question that was on his mind. “I have limited use in my limbs. Well, it’s better than it was before but I still need to use crutches or a wheelchair form time to time.”

“How are you so calm about it?” Justin blurted out and then squeezed his eyes shut. ‘Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!’

“I learned to live with it. It makes me special and different. Why be normal? Being normal is so boring.”

“I know the feeling,” Justin replied.

“You should, Superstar.” Justin felt another electric shock at the nickname. “So tell me about yourself.”

“I’m really not that interesting.”

“Sure you are. There has to be some good travel stories up your sleeve.” Her eyes shone as she took a sip of her drink.

Justin shrugged and told the story of the time where they were in Germany and decided to do something stupid on air. JC was the only one who did it and he came out looking like a fool. She threw her head back and laughed. Justin grinned at her laugh, it was like the sound of tinkling wind chimes, but more beautiful.

“Why me?” Justin asked. She raised an eyebrow as she brought her glass to her lips. “You could’ve chosen any of the other guys to send stuff to. Why me?”

“You’re different,” she replied simply. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the other guys too. I’m not a teenie, I don’t just like you. But you have something they don’t.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“To me, you’re more approachable so I gave it a chance.”

“I wish I could write it back. It doesn’t seem fair that you give me so many things and–” she placed a finger on his lips to stop him from speaking.

“I don’t need anything in return. Just knowing that you take the time to acknowledge it is enough for me.” Justin smiled against her finger. “You make me feel like a real person.” She suddenly looked around and removed her finger from his lips. She opened the little purse that was hanging by her shoulder and dug around for something. She pulled out an envelope and held it out to him. With questioning eyes he took it and started to open it but her hand on his stopped him. He looked up at her only to catch a flash of her brown eyes. Before he knew it she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. His eyes widened in shock. No girl has ever been that bold, he was the one who usually had to initiate a kiss. Heart fluttering, he closed his eyes and kissed her back, squeezing her hand.

She pulled away and smiled coyly before slipping off her stool, grabbing her crutches, and hurrying away. Justin stared after her, dumbfounded. No one has left him hanging after a kiss. No one.

“You ready to go?” Joey asked suddenly, causing Justin to jump.

“It’s twelve all ready?” He asked in shock, searching the crowd, right as a bell rang.

“Yeah. Come on man. We gotta split.” Joey looked down at the envelope. “What’s this?”

Justin looked down at the envelope as well and rushed to rip it open. He pulled out the piece of paper and scanned the words, grinning.

Great show tonight. Can’t wait to see the one tomorrow.

~XOXO

P.S. The name’s Nicole.