Just A Memory

Chapter Two

Spring 1997

Riley was sitting out on the front porch, the cordless phone between her shoulder and ear. Her hands tied up with black fingernail polish still wet, her curls hidden under a black beanie.

“Riley please!” Randall’s voice whined over the phone causing Riley to roll her eyes. She not only hated it when he whined, but she hated it when she gave him what he wanted. “I’ll be home in three weeks. That is 21 days, please.” He was begging now, which caused Riley to snicker, he was the only 16 year old she knew who would whine and beg like a dog.

“Randall, I already have a date. And for the past two years you’ve been telling me you’ll be home in three weeks.” Riley stated what was the obvious to him, he’d been gone for the past two years, they talked on the phone at least once a week. In the two years he would tell her he’d be home in three weeks.

Riley couldn’t count on both hands how many times she heard that line come out of his mouth. But she also knew if he whined enough she would give in to him.

“I’m telling the truth this time. I have to come home, my cousin is graduating, and my grams threatened me with no peach cobbler if I didn’t come.” He giggled slightly

Riley started to paint her toe nails black, she got into the punk phase around the time Randall had left. Going to parties, staying out all night not going to school, she knew better but she didn’t care, she just wanted to have a little fun before her father made her go to an ivy league college.

“I’ll tell my date I can’t go with him as long as you stop whining. You are 16 years old and living in England. Stop being such a pansy, I can’t believe those freaks you live with haven’t turned you into a man!” She giggled hearing him groan.

She always brought that up.

“Riley…I…lo…” Randall’s word ended with laughter and playful banter from the guys in the back ground.

Riley rolled her eyes, every phone called this happened. He would get to mushy, or he would whine too much and the guys would start harassing him, not caring that he was still in fact on the phone. She giggled slightly hearing them call him a whipped bitch; he of course would fire back with something more immature and random. But she loved it, she loved hearing the way they teased him the way they tried to make him more grown up.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” He was out of breath, which was something they both became used to when ever he was on the phone with her. The guys always seemed to pick on him.

Riley sighed as she moved the plastic ring around the string that held it around her neck. She stood up and walked around the porch stretching her legs out. She pulled her beanie off her head showing her very short, bright red curly hair. She had gotten bored one afternoon while she was skipping school, so she cut almost all her hair off and died it a bright red color. Her father wasn’t to pleased but figured if he laid into her about it she’d color it black, and he’d rather her color it bright colors instead of deathly colors.

“Riley…” Randall sighed into the phone stiffing a yawn.

“Randall… I’m gonna let ya go… I gotta date…” Riley trailed off as she messed with the bottom of her worn Korn T-shirt.

The line was quiet.

Madison laughed loudly at the antics of her co-worker, Jayne Jones. Jayne slipped on her black high heals and ruffled the back of her head. Her short black hair was styled to look messed up. She was wearing a black skirt and pink belly baring, barley there shirt. The two of them had to wear suits to work, and on casual Fridays, they had they couldn’t wear anything that showed their shoulders or stomachs. They both got hired at a local news paper; they both were in their senior year of college, both wanting to become famous writers.

Madison wore a pair of tight blue jeans, and a yellow shirt that hung low, showing cleavage. Her curly hair was tamed and pulled up with yellow butterfly clips. She still wasn’t sure what they would be doing, but she liked the fact they were going to be dressed nicely.

“Mad let’s get going.” Jayne tapped her foot as she stood by the door.

“Where are we going anyway?” Madison questioned grabbing her purse and walking out of her apartment with Jayne leading the way to Jayne’s car.

Jayne smiled as they headed towards down town L.A. It was a warm Saturday afternoon, which wasn’t odd for the middle of April. Madison smiled over at Jayne; it was the first time in few months she got to go and do something other than be with her daughter.

“You see I know someone at work who knows someone that got us this job today. We’ll be getting paid one-hundred dollars an hour.” Jayne shrugged her shoulders pulling into the Hilton parking garage.

Madison gave Jayne another questionable look as they got out of the car and walked to the elevator. Jayne shrugged her shoulders and smiled pressing a floor number.

“So we are working for someone who is staying in the Hilton, and who has enough money to pay us 100 dollars an hour?” Madison raised an eyebrow causing Jayne to laugh. “Something isn’t clicking, I’ve known you for almost five years, and you don’t just accept jobs unless they have a way of getting you close to being famous.” Madison added making Jayne laugh some more.

“You know me so well Mad.” Jayne smirked as they got off on the 19th floor.

There were two people standing just a few feet away from the elevator. The first one was a man holding a walking talky; the second was a female holding a clip board. Madison and Jayne stopped at the two of them; the two of them had all access badges around her neck.

“Your names…” The man asked looking down at the two ladies.

“I’m Jayne Jones, and this is Madison Anderson.” Jayne smiled sticking her arm out in a hand shake. The man shook her hand and looked at the woman standing next to him. She gave him a nod and he called over his walky-talky for someone to come and get the two.

“It’ll just be a moment.” The lady smiled turning her head to see a tall black man walking down the hall towards them. “Mike, Ms. Jones, and Ms. Anderson from the LA Daily News Paper...” The lady said over her shoulder gesturing towards Madison and Jayne.

Madison watched as a few more people walked towards them, behind the man named Mike. Her eyes focused on the lanyard around all their necks and the name that adored them. She closed her eyes and grabbed Jayne’s arm causing Jayne to look at her with confusion all over her face.

“I… I have to go.” Madison whispered to Jayne who gave her a wide eyed smile and grabbed her hand.

“Amanda is with your family, you have 20 pages left and two weeks to do them in, and I drove here. So where do you have to go, and why?” Jayne asked as they were handed all access badges to put around their necks and lead down the hall way.

Madison sighed and shrugged her shoulders; she knew Jayne didn’t know about her past she didn’t get to read her story so she wasn’t doing this on purpose. It wasn’t like they were going to actually see the guys, and if they did there would be another people constantly around them.

“Never… mind” She mumbled over to a giddy looking Jayne. “I just didn’t know work had the two of us come here. Making us walk the teen beat.” She added with a slight roll of her eyes.

“So I lied a little, but I knew If I mentioned anything *NSYNC you would tell me to go fuck a dog backwards.” Jayne smiled an evil smile at Madison.

They were lead into a large room where many people were laughing and eating lunch. They were the only ‘reporter’ type people there, everyone else belonged there and were always there. Of course Jayne didn’t know why Madison hated *NSYNC and didn’t allow Amanda to listen to their music or watch anything with them. No one knew except for her self. They were lead around the room by the big black man named Mike; he introduced them to most of the people. A few of the band members were there; Chris, Lance and Joey as were their parents.

They made their way around the room and were stopped where JC was with a few friends.

“Have we met?” JC asked causing Madison and step back slightly.

“I’m sure you’ve met a lot of fake curly haired girls in your life time Mr. Chasez, but I’m almost one-hundred percent positive we’ve never met.” Madison gave a toothy grin; JC looked at her for a few more seconds before he shrugged it off to what she said.

“I’m sure you’re…” And his words were lost to her, her eyes landed on a shaved headed blue eye wonder and his mother.

Randall

“Justin… comes over here” JC hollered causing Justin to give him a bored look before the slowly made his way towards his best friend. “J, this is Ms. Jo…”

“Jayne Jones and this is Madison A…”

“Simpson.” Madison cut Jayne off who cut JC off. They both stuck their hands out, and Justin shook them.

Justin looked the two over for a few seconds as JC started talking about the tour and the fans. There was something oddly familiar about Madison, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Do I know you?” Justin asked interrupting JC’s boring speech about how much he really did love all the fans, which was almost the truth.

Madison rolled her eyes and pulled at a lose curl that fell in her face. This was going to be a long day of lying to the very man she wanted more than anything to tell the truth to. Jayne giggled next to her, snapping her out of her thoughts. She pulled her hand away from her lose curl.

“Nah J, we just went through this. You know how many girls want your curls, so they get perms, and they want the blue eyes as well.” JC slapped Justin on the back

“Mine are real, I wish they weren’t but they are.” Madison gave a half ass smile over towards the two men about to walk away and talk with someone else.

“Can I get an autograph for my niece?” Jayne asked Justin causing Madison to turn around and grab Jayne’s arm.

“What are you doing?” she asked through clinched teeth, “You don’t have a niece.” She added causing Justin and JC to give them weird looks. JC raised an eyebrow and patted Justin on the back walking away leaving him between the two girls.

Jayne sighed knowing she had to spill the beans. “Fine, I was getting it for Amanda, she once told me Justin was her favorite *NSYNC member because as she put it, he looks like her.” Jayne gave an unsure smile to Madison, “I know you forbid her to see, or listen to them…” She stopped when Justin interrupted them.

“Wait, whose Amanda, and why would you have the authority to forbid her to listen to *NSYNC?” Justin asked causing Madison to roll her eyes, and Jayne to smile.

“Amanda is Madison’s 6 year old daughter. For some reason Madison won’t allow her to listen to your music.” Jayne giggled not paying attention to how pissed off Madison was becoming. She grabbed her wallet out of her purse and pulled at a picture of Madison and Amanda handing it to Justin.

Madison grabbed it out of their hands and shoved it in her purse. “I’m sorry Mr. Timberlake, but just like you, my private life is mine, and not yours.” She commented turning on her heal and walking away from the two of them. The truth be known, Amanda looked just like her father, except she had her mothers nose.

Madison knew she was being rude, but she worked years to make him her past and she didn’t want Jayne to ruin everything with one little photo.