Los Angeles

"Now, your hair, is well, different then it used to be. Take a look at this picture we found," 

The audience laughed hysterically as Conan O'Brien flashed a picture of a 17-year-old Justin Timberlake with his hair a golden shade of curly blonde.

Justin shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Yeah," he cleared his throat, trying to smile sheepishly. "Yeah, that's due to the weirdness of the band I was in...."

JC didn't hear the rest of the interview. He rolled his eyes and clucked his tongue. "That's right, Justin. You're just so wonderful on your own you would have gotten famous without us, I guess?" JC had listened to interviews of his former friend and band mate before where he would slyly insult his years with Nsync as if they'd been ridiculous and painful. From what JC remembered, Justin had gotten along just fine in the limelight with the band. 

He flipped off the television and was about to go to sleep when his phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw a text from his cousin, Chad, who lived in Georgia. They hadn't talked in a few weeks and JC had meant to text him yesterday but rehearsals for America's Best Dance Crew were about to begin and he'd been preoccupied with that. He touched the screen and the text lit up:

You should come back to the east side, C. Lots of stuff going on. Things going well with new boyfriend.

JC sighed and wished he could take a few weeks or even a few months off. Lately, L.A. had been driving him crazy for some reason. Maybe he was outgrowing it or maybe he was just sick of the traffic. The only thing that was keeping him there was the job with MTV and a the occasional producing gig. But no, L.A. had been his home for the good part of 10 years now and he knew if he left, he might regret what he missed. 

He typed back:

Maybe in a few weeks. Got lots going on with show. Def want to meet your boyfriend. Did you get a roommate or did he move in?

JC yawned and leaned against his pillow, waiting for Chad's response. He was going to give his cousin 3 minutes and then shut his phone off. He had a meeting early the next morning and it was already past 12:30. His phone buzzed again:

He's a great guy. His name is Lane. Mom actually approves. Got new roommate. My good friend James from high school. Really a cutie.

JC quickly typed back a goodnight and then shut off his phone. He double-checked to make sure his alarm was set and then fell asleep.

Grayson, Georgia

James Ryan was the first to the coffee shop every morning without fail. Five a.m. was rough on some people, but never for her. She'd always been a "go getter" as he mother had said and when she'd decided to open her own coffee shop three years ago, no one was surprised. Of course, James never expected her dream of owning her own business to move her right back to the town she despised as a teenager, but after moving to Atlanta and then Orlando and then a nasty break-up with her ex-boyfriend, James had decided going home might be the best thing for her and her five-year-old daughter, Sutton. Sutton had been the product of a reluctant night spent with Clay, her ex, when he'd come to see her in Orlando right after she'd moved there. She shuddered ever having to think of Clay and was at least thankful that Sutton looked more like her mother than her despicable father. 

James was the last person anyone expected to have a child. She'd been that girl in high school that her classmates figured would go on to either become the President of the United States or at least run for Congress. James had done neither and had gone to Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, gotten a Bachelors' in English and then gone on to get a Masters in Business at Georgia State. She moved to Orlando to work with an advertising firm shortly after, but not before breaking up with Clay, who, as most of her friends figured, deserved it.

Orlando had been short lived and after she discovered she was pregnant, James knew it best to return to the little town that had raised her, move into her parents' basement and raise her baby as best as she could. It was during her pregnancy with Sutton that she had started researching business options. Grayson didn't have much in their downtown, which had been restored in the last few years, but was still lackluster. Most people just went into Savannah if they wanted anything to do, but James wanted her town to have more. That was when the idea of the coffee shop had struck her and after a few weeks of researching, she had a name - Brewsters - and a location right in the middle of the main drag of town. Next to Sutton, Brewstershad been her proudest accomplishment.

The basement had started to get cramped in the last few months, which James figured it would sooner or later. She wanted Sutton to have her own space but wasn't sure she wanted a whole house for them just yet. That's when her best friend, Chad Chasez, had called her up and told her he'd just bought a house on the water and would she consider moving in to help out with mortgage payments. James didn't even have to think twice about that. Chad had bought an old plantation house on the marsh and had completely gutted and revamped it in just under a year. It was a huge, sprawling mansion that looked like something out of Better Homes and Gardens. Sutton wouldn't just have her own space, she would have an entire two rooms just for her. 

James smiled to herself as she unlocked the door to go into the shop. She was finally starting to feel a sense of belonging in the town that she had loathed so many years ago, but for some reason now, she couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

Of course, she'd secretly wished for someone romantically and had been on a few dates here and there, but most men in Grayson were already married or not too keen on becoming a father right away. It was a bummer sometimes, but at the end of the day, Sutton was the only thing that mattered and she was always excited to pick her daughter up from her mother's house and loved every minute of being a mother.

James went behind the counter and began to brew the coffee, checking the schedule to see who she'd put on to work today. Since it was summer, there were a slew of teenagers from the local high school that had applied to work and it gave her other employees the mornings off. Today three of them, Kaylie, Madison, and Hunter were coming in at six. James went to the back and began to prepare muffins and crossaints to bring out to the display up front. She could hear the coffee finishing as she brought out the first batch of morning pastries. Her favorite part of the day was right now. It was quiet, the sun was just starting to come up, and for about a half hour, she could have time all to herself. She sat down in a cushioned chair by the window with a cup of fresh coffee, a warm bagel, and the latest issue of People magazine, occasionally watching outside as the rest of Grayson woke up.

Los Angeles

JC was awakened at 7:30 the next morning by a noisy alarm. He groaned and thought about hitting snooze, but he knew he needed to get up or else he'd hit traffic and never get to the first meeting of America's Best Dance Crew. He turned on his phone and immediately four text messages popped up, all from his agent. 

Call as soon as you get this.

ABDC possibly canceled. Call me.

Are you awake? 

ABDC done. Call asap.

JC reread all four texts over again before he called Gail, his agent for the last seven years. 

"Gail, what the hell is going on?" he asked, as soon as she'd picked up.

"God, Jace, I dunno. Someone higher up from MTV thinks that they should be focused more on reality shows and so they've picked up some new show all about Christina Aguilera,"

"Christina?! She's doing The Voice for crying out loud. What the hell does she need a reality show for?"

"That's why they want to do it. Because of her work on The Voice. Anyway, that's not the only reason. Something else about doing game shows again, like they did in the 90s,"

"But, what -"

"I'm sorry, Jace. That's all I know. They're having a meeting at the regular time today and want all the judges and producers and everyone there to tell them formally,"

JC hung up the phone and sat back down on the bed, wondering if he should've even bothered getting up at all. He knew the show had been losing some popularity in the last season, but he never thought it would be canceled. 

He got up and went into his bathroom, turning the shower on hot and stripping down to step inside. He let the water run down his back and closed his eyes, thinking about what to do next. He didn't know why it was taking him by surprise this hard. Wasn't it just last night he'd thought about leaving L.A. anyway? Maybe this was his answer. He quickly showered and then dressed, grabbing a breakfast bar and Diet Coke on his way out. As he stalled in traffic on his way to the MTV studios, his mind was racing. There was really nothing left in L.A. right now. He could produce from anywhere in the world, he didn't have to stay here. The show was done and over and it would be official in a few minutes. Traffic was horrendous and even now he'd been cursing people cutting in front of him. 

He got off the exit and had started thinking about where to go. There was always Orlando. Joey was there and he hadn't seen his friend in a long time. Possibly DC. Maybe Miami. 

And then it hit him. He was going to go to Grayson and see his favorite cousin.
By the time he got to the meeting, the news that America's Best Dance Crew had been canceled wasn't that detrimental anymore. He had a trip to plan.