Story Notes:
This is an AU so, things are different. Big events or dates and such will get mixed up in the beginning stages to fit in with the story.
But as things progress, I'll try to be more accurate so it feels a little bit more plausible. Thanks for those who have read and reviewed, as well as those of you who've just read. This one is really fun for me to write, so I hope you all enjoy.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I started writing this purely for myself and my own entertainment....so I'm still a bit shy about sharing, but here goes.
I was only 12 years old. I was young. I was stupid. I was in love. A trip to Orlando for three weeks changed my entire life. I went from being a child to a pre-teen girl. All because of that show. The show that introduced me to.....them.
Mickey Mouse Club. MGM studio. October 14, 1993.
I lucked my way into meeting a kid who stayed at my hotel, Celeste, and she invited me to go along. I never really watched the show back home in LA, we didn't have cable, so I was skeptical. Looking back, I'm glad I decided to go with Celeste. Even though she had just turned 15 at the time, I'm glad that she chose me. I wasn't as excited as she was, she was telling me (over and damn over) about how hot Tony Lucca was and wanting to marry Ryan Gosling. None of which I cared about since I had no idea who the hell she was talking about.
1993: Mickey Mouse Club....MMC...Whatever.
We sat down in the very front row, great view of the entire stage. That music kicked in, the kids went wild, and that's when my life changed. I saw him. I saw no one else, but him. He was a creamy complexion, the curliest blonde hair atop his head, and a smile that caused eruption of butterflies, and that's an understatement. Needless to say, he was amazing to look at.
"Cel, who is HE?" I asked.
"Oh, thats Justin Timberlake," she replied.
"He's really cute," I said quietly. Celeste smiled at me widely. It didn't take a genius to read the look she was giving me.
"I didn't know you were into white boys, Zahra," she teased.
"But Cel you like those Tony Lucci and Ryan Gross guys and they're white. I'm into boys, race doesn't matter. Especially when he's that cute."
She nudged me as the show began. I could barely follow everything that was going on. The show was fast paced, things moved so quickly. I always found Justin though. No matter where he was, I always found him. When I lost him, I always found him tip-toeing behind this older guy. He had dark, wavy hair, and a beautiful set of eyes. I became entranced by the structure of his face and body. This guy was gorgeous.
"Cel, who is HE?!" I whispered.
"That's JC Cha-something, can't pronounce his last name. Why, you think he's hot, too?" she asked.
"Excuse my language, but hell yeah." Celeste chuckled quietly, shaking her head.
"He is hot, wait until you hear him sing, though. You'll feel things you never felt before," she teased.
I wonder how old he is. He looked about 16 or 17. Either way, my 12-year old self is totally not on the list of potential dates. I stopped paying attention to the show and became focused entirely on finding Justin and JC so I could state at them like I had no sense. With no surprise to me, I had no luck.
I began to ask Celeste if she saw them, when she quickly and tightly grasped onto my hand. It scared the living daylights out of me.
"What are y--"
"Shh! JC's about to get on stage and sing," she interrupted.
I shot my eyes to the stage as the noise came to a complete silence. The music played and the performance began. I dodged my head all around looking for Justin, to soon find out he wasn't on stage. Once I stopped being a pre-pubescent stalker, I focused my eyes onto JC. He was singing some song, a wild guess at the title would be "Let's Get Together" since that's what was being repeated. The sound of his voice on my ears was almost therapeutic. I was in awe of a teenager singing with so much passion and soul. Bottom line this guy could SANG, he was a great dancer, and......he's looking right at me.....Oh God. I put my head down, pretending I dropped something.
"Zahra, what are you doing?" Celeste whispered violently.
"That JC guy just looked at me. I panicked!" I whispered back.
"Then look back, doofus," she chuckled.
I finally lifted my head back up and before I knew it, this catchy song started playing, and all of the audience were standing up, dancing with the cast. I was thrown for a loop. Was this some sort of dance break?
"What's going on?" I asked.
"End of the show! Come on, let's get on the stage quick!" Celeste grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the stage. We were smack dab in the middle, Justin and JC weren't too far away on each side. Celeste began to dance and I was stuck. What the hell?
"Move your ass!" she whispered.
"This isn't Soul Train, I don't want to."
"Do something, damn it." She pinched my arm and I jumped so high in the air, the only way to play it off was to dance. Ugh. 15-year olds and their bossiness. "That's the spirit, now you're getting the right attention."
I didn't bother to look around, once I started dancing, I became consumed with it. Nothing else began to matter. On the other hand, once I did touch down to reality, that Ryan Gross kid was near Celeste and I. He's younger than she is but the smile on her face almost made me
want to hit the floor and laugh uncontrollably. A reaction that would've been beyond great right now.
"You're a great dancer." I heard behind me.
I turned around to easily thank the person for the compliment, until I saw who it was that gave it to me. It was him. It was Justin, a smiling Justin. That boy was blessed with the greatest set of teeth I've ever seen. My reaction to being that close to him wasn't what I expected. Almost like I'd lost my voice, I didn't know what to say. I felt an elbow jam into my side. Of course it was Cel, and apparently she got the memo that elbows don't feel pleasant. I smiled, nodding my head in appreciation. I was having so much fun, more fun than the actual vacation I was on. I let my eyes wander around the room, I wanted to get a close look at the people I just watched. I immediately caught sight of Justin was talking to a girl who looked about my age. She was pretty and it was obvious they liked each other. Great. He has a girlfriend. I mean of COURSE he has a girlfriend, he's on TV!
All of the audience was round up by security and led out, in a fashionable manner, to the side of the studio. There were a few tables set up with beverages and snacks and a few more with chairs. The cast came out and there was an uproar of applause. Didn't know what was going on, but I joined in on the applause anyway. The crowd dispersed, moving in all directions to different cast members. Even Celeste disappeared. I went over to the snacks and beverages and found something to munch on. I knew zip zero about the show, so I wasn't about to go mingle like I knew who any of these people were. I was fine being by myself.
"Care for some company?"
I looked up to see who matched the voice I heard. I saw the familiar dark and wavy hair, the defined facial structure, and the beautiful eyes that looked like pools of water. I......I smiled. I didn't know what else to do.
"Uh, s-sure," I finally said. He sat down next to me, eating his Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
"I'm JC, what's your name?" he asked.
"Zahra," I replied.
JC politely reached out his hand to shake mine. "Nice to meet you, Zahra."
"Nice to meet you, too." I shook his hand. Truth be told, on the inside I died twice. You'd think he was Joey McIntyre or something with the way I was feeling.
"I saw you in the front row today, right?" he asked before taking another bite of his peanut butter cup.
I nodded, more viciously than I intended to. I hope I don't scare him away. I mean, at least before I tell him how old I am. "Yeah, you were great. Your voice is amazing."
"Thank you. Don't take this the wrong way or anything but, you're about 12 or 13, right?"
Shot down dead before I could even lie.
"I'm 13, yeah. Why?" I was really hoping he'd say "age doesn't matter, I'm madly in love with you", but I can guarantee that pigs would fly before that's ever true.
"My buddy Justin is the same age as you and I figured you wouldn't mind hanging out with us," he said.
What?
"I'm sorry, let me get this straight. You're inviting me to hang out with you and your friend Justin?" He nodded. I'm gonna hate myself for asking this. "Out of all these other candidates, how come I'm the lucky girl?"
"Well, he spoke to you earlier and wanted to speak to you again. I’m just helping out some cute kids," he replied.
Cute kid. Cute kid? Cute kid?! If he had a G.I. Joe, I'd make Ken doll beat him up. That'll show him how cute of a kid I am.
"Cute kid, huh? I won't be a cute kid forever," I said.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean someday when I’m older......you'll think of me differently."
Story Tags: friendsturnedlovers mmcera firsttime tourj nsasync tour jealous triangles roommates hotel otherwoman debutsync presync tourjc jc justin friendswithbenefits cheaterjc
