Before they knew it their London trip was over and they were in Texas for the Super Bowl.  Justin had to miss many of the rehearsals because he was filming a video and had a few tour dates in Spain to finish.  They flew in the day before and Justin got to run through it two times before they had a full dress run through with all the artists performing.  Justin was to wait under the stage for his cue and then be lifted up and continue on.  He was performing “Rock Your Body” which was his new single and he was nervous.  Frankly, Johanna was nervous for him.  He was a great performer and she knew he’d be fine but he was sharing the stage with a legend and millions of people would be watching it live.

The rehearsal went fine and when it was all over, she watched him have a last minute discussion with Janet.  He looked uneasy and as they were swept back to the locker room area, Justin was ushered into a room with Janet and her people while Johanna was kept out.  She tapped her foot and texted on her phone to look like this was infringing on Justin’s time.  After about twenty minutes he came out and headed towards the exit.  She followed and when they got into the car, he let it out.

“They want to make a last minute change.  They want me to rip off part of her costume to reveal her bra when I sing the last line.  I’m uncomfortable about it.  They showed me it in the room and I pulled it off twice but whatever they’re using to hold it on there is tough to pull.”

“If you’re uncomfortable you don’t have to do it.” 

“How do you look one of your idols in the face and challenge their idea?”  Justin said, looking out the window.

“Justin, you have to think about yourself.  Just because she’s an amazing performer, it doesn’t mean she’s always right.  If you don’t want to do it, don’t.  You have to think about yourself and how this performance will affect you and your career.” 

“Janet’s done so much for my career, she was the first big artist to take Nsync on tour.”

“Just think about it.  You’ve got tonight to figure out what you want to do.”

They rode to the hotel in silence.  Justin was quiet for the rest of the night and went to bed early.  Johanna made sure he was up and in the car at the right time and gave him a hug and pep talk before they led him away to get in position.  Johanna stood near a huge monitor so she could watch the show.  She nervously tugged on her lanyard as she waited for Justin.  Janet looked great, her dancers were great and before long they played the opening notes of “Rock Your Body.”

Justin looked great and his game was on when he stepped out on stage.  He danced sexily and had a good vibe with Janet.  The song wasn’t the full version but people were still loving it and when the last line came, Johanna could see the hesitation for a moment before Justin reached for Janet’s costume and pulled.  To Johanna’s horror, Janet’s full top came off her one breast and it was out for the world to see.  She was watching the live television feed and the camera cut away to a shot of the stadium.  The group came barreling towards the chute and Johanna fell in next to Justin.  He muttered ‘car’ and she pushed her way through the media people backstage and got them into the car without fanfare. 

“I fucking knew it.  I knew it, I shouldn’t have done it.  She fucking planned this, she had to have.  God damn it!”  He threw his phone over the seat into the trunk of the SUV as it rang for the millionth time. 

Johanna’s phone rang too but she ignored it.  The work phone was already at max capacity with voicemails and her personal phone rang as well but nothing was important right now but be a reassuring person for Justin.  This was where the line between friend and assistant blurred.  She even ignored calls from Johnny Wright and that would probably come back to haunt her later.  She grabbed Justin’s hand and held it in her lap, though he did not reciprocate or turn to face her.  When they arrived at the hotel, she led the way, helping security to clear a path for him to walk.  When they got to the room, he shut the door to the bedroom and didn’t come out.  Johanna took a moment to handle the important business.  She listened to all messages and took notes on the few that were from credible news outlets.  Then she called Mollie.  After getting some sound advice from her best friend, Johanna took a deep breath and called Johnny.

“What the hell happened?”  The man answered. 

“Last minute yesterday after the last rehearsal, Janet and her people approached Justin with the idea to rip away the black part of the bra and expose the red underneath.  They had him try it a few times in the room, they wouldn’t let me in this is all from Justin’s mouth.  The top didn’t seem to be easy to pull, Justin thought it would be a risky move.  Janet’s people and MTV kept pushing it and he agreed.  Later that night he said he didn’t think it would work and he was nervous about it.  I told him, he didn’t have to do it if he got up on stage and had a bad feeling about it,” Johanna said.  She spoke in one big breath so he wouldn’t interrupt her.  “They went on, he did what they told him and the shit hit the fan.  Honestly, I think they knew it would happen and used the fact that Justin looks up to Janet to manipulate him into participating.”

“What are they saying now?” 

“Nothing.  I haven’t been able to reach a single person in her camp and they haven’t called me.”

“How do you get pushed out of a meeting?  You’re his extra set of eyes and ears everywhere you go.  You’re supposed to protect him.  God damn it!” 

“Johnny with all due respect, if your idol said perform with me and do this, wouldn’t you do it?”

“That’s not the point.  We need to get on damage control immediately.  Get him changed, looking presentable.  I spoke with the publicists and they’re arranging a press conference in a half hour…” 

“No.”

“Excuse me?” 

“No, Johnny.  I’m not going to force him to put on a fake front with reporters right now.”  Justin opened the door to his room when he heard Johanna yelling.  She got loud when someone riled her up and it seemed like her target this time was Johnny.  “He’s hurt, he’s upset and anything he said right now would seem fake and only make people think it was planned.  If I heard a statement had been prepared in an hour from the time it happened, I would say he had to know, how else would he have a response so quickly.  The fact is he didn’t know.”

“We have to say something.” 

“We’ll say something when the time is right.  Anything we say right now will be the thing they hold onto.  Tomorrow is a new day and will surely bring more challenges.  Right now he needs time to process this and sleep on it.  He needs to form his own opinion before your publicists give him one.  Take a minute and remember that he’s a person, not a product.”

She snapped her phone shut and chucked it across the room.  It hit the wall with a bang and she shrugged off her jacket, tossing it on the floor.  She was heated.  People forgot that Justin was a person.  After he got finished dancing and singing and being charming on stage, he went home and had a life and feelings like everyone else.  She started muttering in Spanish, the way her grandmother did when she was angry, and spun around, intent on taking a shower.  She stopped when she saw Justin, smiling.

“Thank you,” he said, shaking his head.  “Nobody has ever stood up for me like that before.”

“It’s not fair.  They treat you like a product.  You don’t have to say anything to anyone ever if you don’t want to.  It’s your life and they didn’t live that moment, you did.” 

“I knew hiring you would be the best decision ever,” he said, pulling her into a hug.  “Can we get out of here?  Like can we book a flight to Tennessee tomorrow?  I think I need to go home.”

“You’re supposed to have Grammy rehearsals.” 

“Well we’re going to switch up the performance, clearly we can’t do “Rock Your Body” anymore, because of this mess.  I say we do “Senorita” and do it like we do on tour.  I’ll play keys, people will see that I’m a musician, I’m for real.  The band already knows it all, they’ve done it every night for the last few months.  I’ll go to the Grammy required rehearsals but I need time to unwind.”

“Tennessee it is,” she said, shrugging. 

“You’re coming with me.  I really don’t think I can do this solo career thing without you.”

“Shut up.”

He kissed her forehead and went to change his clothes.  Johanna called the airlines and changed their tickets, getting them out on a flight tomorrow afternoon.  She made sure all of their stuff was packed and they went to bed.  In the morning, they got ready and Johanna made sure the security guards had everything ready to go and the car was waiting before they left the room.

“Just keep your head up, don’t smile too much, we don’t want them to think you’re cocky but don’t look mean either.  Just be even tempered and don’t answer any questions,” she said, rambling the whole time in the elevator.

Justin took her nervousness in stride and did as she asked, though cameras flashed at them.  The cameras were waiting at the airport also but they managed to get into the lounge area unscathed.  Johanna’s inbox was flooded with e-mails.  There were requests for interviews, statements, and all kind of stuff but none of it was going to happen yet.  They needed a moment to figure out the correct way to answer. She just tried to keep the fallout from affecting Justin as much as possible.  When they touched down in Tennessee, they rented a car and Justin took the wheel. 

It was strange to not have security with them but also to not be followed or photographed.  As they rolled along the streets lined with beautiful farms, Johanna could tell he grew up deep in the country and as they got closer, she knew this wasn’t a pretentious place.  The people here were lifers for the most part and they accepted everyone and didn’t care about fame.  She knew Justin was instantly more at ease here.  He waved at people as they rolled into his mom’s neighborhood.  When they pulled in the driveway, Johanna was surprised at its modesty.  It wasn’t small but it wasn’t a mansion.  She had figured with his fame, Justin would have bought his mom a huge house.

“Is this your childhood home?” 

“Yeah, I bought a bigger one closer to the city for when we want to be out there but most of the time my mom is here.  She doesn’t want to give it up.”

“That’s cute.  Oh the things we could do in your childhood bed…”  She was glad to hear him chuckle. 

“Hey, its momma’s house, momma’s rules.  And you’re not even my girlfriend because you don’t wanna be but if you were she’d be even stricter.”

“Hey!  I…” 

“I’m not having that conversation now.  I’ve had a rough 48 hours, don’t you think?  I don’t need to open that can of worms.”

He pulled their bags up the snowy driveway and into the foyer.  They shook off the cold as an adorable woman with a thick accent came running up to them.

“Oh baby, give me a hug,” she said, reaching her arms up to Justin.  “You must be so exhausted.  And you must be Johanna.  I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things from my son about you,” she said, hugging Johanna.

“Oh really?”  Johanna said, glancing over at Justin. 

“Play nice,” he said, smirking and shaking his head.

“I will if you will,” she said. 

“Look at you two. You’re here for thirty seconds and already bickering like an old married couple.  Come inside, I made dinner.  Y’all look like skin and bones and I’m gonna feed you while I got you.”

They were ushered inside and the smells hit them, making their stomachs instantly growl.  They were treated to dinner and dessert before being shown to their rooms.  Johanna threw her stuff down and went back downstairs for some coffee.  They all talked on the couch and before they knew it, it was pretty late.  Johanna yawned, scratched above her ear, making her hair fluff up and excused herself.  She climbed into bed and settled in.  About ten minutes later, her door opened and Justin snuck inside.

“What’s up?” Johanna asked.

“Scoot over,” he said, shooing her to the other side of the bed. 

“Why?”

“This is why,” he said, pulling his shirt over his head. 

“Justin, I’m tired,” she said, scrunching up her nose and stifling a laugh.

“But you ruffled your hair.” 

“When?”

“Downstairs, you yawned and ruffled your hair.” 

“So…?”

“You always ruffle your hair when you’re looking to get some.” 

“I do not!”

“You do, and you did.” 

“Well that’s not what I meant by it.  My head was probably itchy.  Don’t you want some sleep?  We’ve had a rough couple of days and I think sex would just be a distraction.”

“Fine, can I just lay with you then?” 

“For a little while then you have to go back to your room.  Mom’s rules.”

“You are no fun when you play by the rules,” he replied, shaking his head at her. 

“Shut up and turn out the lights.”