11:15

The Library: Kareoke Bar

He couldn't believe this had happened. Not only had his life almost ended, but the tiny shred of it that was left was being torn away with embarrassment. He needed new friends, fast.

A high pitched, male, and slightly drunk voice belted into the microphone, reading along the screen. "I don't need to fall at your feet, just cause you cut me to the bone.." Chris pointed at him, and Justin thought that performing naked would be better than being sung to by Chris. "...and I wont miss the way you kiss me, we were never carved in stone."

He looked beside him and saw Trace was standing up, clapping. What had the world come to? His one, true confident had become retarded just like the rest of them. "If I don't listen to the talk of the town, then maybe I can fool myself. I'll get over you, I know I will, I'll pretend my ship's not sinking, and I'll tell myself I'm over you, cause I'm the king of wishful thinking."

Steve jumped up on stage with Chris and started singing along, pointing at Justin and dancing like they were kids on the Barney show. He looked up at the ceiling and called out to God, "Oh just shoot me in the head. Please."

He shouldn't have let them drag him out like that. He was emotional and all they wanted him to do was get drunk and finally tell them all his feelings, but he wasn't that stupid. And instead of drinking the shots and beers and other assorted drinks Chris has bought for him, he stuck with water. Bland. Cold. Tasteless.

Just like the bitch that dumped him.

But the truth was he loved that bitch and he wished she was there with them. But no, she was in Europe or Mexico or...Jupiter, doing what she did best.

Being away from him. Being Brit.

He turned to his best friend. "Hey Trace, I'll be back."

"Where you goin'?"

"I'm going to piss, nosy ass." Justin lied, punched him a little in the shoulder and slid off his chair and stood up. He nodded to Lonnie who was chillin' in the back of the bar, arms crossed, laughing at the spectacle Chris and Steve were making, and then moved towards the bathrooms.

He was a little cautious as he entered, hoping no one was in there that would recognize him and throw a fit. But it was the men's restroom and he figured he was in the clear.

He checked all the stalls, found them empty with the rest of the tiled room and walked to the far wall. He put his back against it and slid down to the floor. He sighed, closed his eyes and rested.

He missed her. It had been two weeks and he missed her so much. He thought she was his everything, his whole life, his soulmate. But he realized that wasn't true because he was still breathing, he was still functioning, and he had only cried twice about the whole breakup. But that didn't mean that it didn't hurt like hell.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, almost too small silver device and flipped it open. He only had 1 saved message, from his mother. Big surprise. He thought about calling her and just listening to her talk for a while to calm his nerves. But she probably wouldn't appreciate him calling her at 11 at night. And even though she would talk to him for as long as he wanted, it would be rude of him.

He stared at the phone for a while and then he pressed the number 2, pressed send and speed-dialed to a number he knew better than to call.

"Hello?"

He knew it was her right from the beginning and hoped that by using a nickname, his nickname for her, that she would be a little more sympathetic to him. "Hey Pinky."

But her voice was like stone. "Justin."

"I'm sorry, I just. I missed hearing you."

She sighed; he pictured her rolling her eyes. "Look, I don't mean to hurt you, and you know we'll be best friends forever-"

"BFF." He said, trying to make her laugh.

But instead she said the 3 words he had heard over and over again from all different people the past few weeks. It made his stomach hurt. "Justin it's over."

And the defense mechanism was switched on. "Why Britney!? I tried my damnedest to see you and spend time with you. You know I do. If I could be with you every moment I would, but that's not how our jobs work! You KNOW that!"

"Exactly. And I just cant be with you Justin. It hurts too much when you're not here. I get lonely."

Justin looked around the empty bathroom and brought his hand to his forehead and rubbed it. A migraine was setting in. "I'm lonely right now. I'm lonely without you. Please baby. Give me a second chance, just...I'll do whatever."

"Quit your job."

His hand dropped like a dead weight in shock. "What the-"

"See, it just not gonna work. I want someone that can be with me all the time or no one at all. And since you cant be with me all the time I'm picking choice number 2."

He thought about his next line, but before the part of his brain that was thinking rationally had a say, he blurted it out. "So you still love me?"

"Justin..."

"I sorry. I know that's not a fair question."

"It is. I just, I don't know anymore."

HE scoffed and rolled his eyes even though no one was there to see it. "Thanks Brit. Stab me in the chest, why don't ya."

"I hurting here too Justin."

"Well, you sure don't seem to give a flying fuck that you hurt me." The volume of his voice raised with each word and soon he was breathing heavily.

"Don't make me out to be the monster."

"You broke up with me Britney! What do you want me to do, praise you!? Get down on my hands and knees and bow to you like your some sort of fucking goddess. I don't think so."

"Justin..."

A groan sounded through the phone on his end and he narrowed his eyes at the black and white pattern the tiles made on the floor. "Ya know what? Just forget it. Maybe you're right. Maybe your just a fucking genius. Maybe this is better...for the both of us, as you say."

"You're being an asshole." She said in a motherly, calmly voice.

"Well you ARE a bitch."

And he hung up. He made a throwing motion with his arm, but didn't let go of his phone. He rested his arm, his hand with the phone on his lap and sighed letting the adrenaline from the argument wear off.

"shit.." He pressed 2 again and listened to the phone ring and when she didn't pick up and her voice mail did, he sighed. "Listen Brit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I'm just a little upset...to say the least. I date you for almost 3 years and then just like that, it ends. I fuckin' hurt. And It's gonna take me-"

"Maybe you should stop calling me for a while."

She had picked up the phone and he didn't know what to say. After a long pause he sighed. "Hey."

"Hey again. Justin why don't you just stop this. Stop trying to get me back or make me feel bad or whatever it is you are trying to do because its not cool. We need a break from each other. I'm not saying that we wont get back together and I'm not saying that we will. But right now, I just..."

He didn't need to hear anymore so he interrupted her. "I know what you are saying."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. The whole date other people, play the field, be single and ready to mingle bull shit."

"Exactly." Her tone turned much lighter, much more bubbly like the Britney that she showed on TV.

The door to the restroom swung open and a guy strolled in. The guy looked at Justin funny before strolling to the urinal to do his business. He figured the guy in the restroom didn't need to hear him fight, and he really didn't want him to, so he diverted the conversation. "So you doin' anything exciting tonight?"

"I actually went home for the weekend. Me and my sis are gonna watch Dirty Dancing."

"Oh god." He chuckled.

"What about you?"

"The guys took me out to a kareoke bar."

"Oh dear god. Yall in a karoke bar?!" Britney started to giggle and Justin wished that she would stop. It was the cute little things that she did that he was gonna miss, and having to hear one right now wasn't the best thing for his emotional state.

"Tell me about it. Some woman bout 30 years old got up there and did Stronger."

"Great, I'm already a kareoke favorite. But I gotta go. Jamie Lynn's here with the popcorn."

"tell her I said hey." The door swung open and the guy left the bathroom. Justin relaxed a little, feeling better now that he was alone again.

"Sure. Hey do me a favor?"

He looked down at his watch and saw he had been in the restroom for more than 10 minutes and the guys were probably worried about him. So he pushed himself off the floor and stood up and stretched. "what?"

"Sing "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gainer."

He snapped back into his regular stance and laughed. "You're such a dork."

"Doesn't say much about you now does it?" She said in a smart ass tone.

"Shut up."

She was still laughing when she said, "Go party Justin."

"Yes ma'am."

"Have fun."

He sighed and walked over to the sink to look at himself in the mirror. He looked tired and drained. Tonight, whenever he got home, he'd sleep, and sleep hard. "You too."

"Bye Stinky."

She had clicked off before he had been able to say goodbye, but at least she had used his nickname, and that gave him some sort of hope. HE flipped the device shut and slid it into his pocket and with one last look in the mirror, turned on his heel and strutted out into the bar. Someone else had taken the stage now, singing an old Journey tune. The guys made jokes to him when he sat down with Chris saying he had "fallen in."

Justin just rolled his eyes, motioned for the waitress and ordered himself a beer, the first of many that night, he thought.

He joked with the guys that night, relaxed, and had fun. At one point, after the 5th beer, he even went up on stage and took his ex's advice and blasted out "I will survive."

He was single. Free. His own man. A bachelor.

But when a group of young women came into the bar, dressed trendy and looking good, he didn't glance their way, he didn't comment, even though his companions were drooling and trying their best not to whistle outloud.

He was single, but the mingling part he wasn't sure he was quite ready for.

----

11:00 p.m

5 miles west at West Village Club and Bar

"I've got wheels of polished steel. I've got tires that grab the road. I've got seats that selflessly hold my friends, and a trunk that can carry the heaviest of loads." The band playing bobbed their heads along. The guitarist strummed, the drummer drummed, and the weird ass lead singer with his aviator glasses stood still behind the microphone, singing. The only emotion he showed was around his mouth as he sang. "But under my hood is internal combustion power...."

"And Satan is my motor! Hear my motor purrrrr...."

This was amazing.

The place was packed, she didn't know a soul, and she felt like the band was playing music that was inside of her. She danced, her arms raised above her and her head hanging down. Her dull hair shifted beside her face, blocking most of both sides from view. She sang as loud as she could, almost a scream, letting out everything she had inside.

She was free, finally. No one to live for but herself. She could do whatever the hell she wanted.

And she did.

The lead singer of her most favorite band ever-in-the-whole-intire-world, reached his hand out to her, and the next thing she knew, she and about 5 other people had been pulled on stage. It was the best moment of her life.

Usually she would be embarrassed in these situations. She was sort of shy and being up on stage was a phobia, but for some reason, dancing on stage with Cake, moving around freely in her sweaty olive colored tank top and ripped baggy jeans was the best feeling.

The song faded and she hoped off the stage and into the crowd just as her favorite Cake song began to play, one of her many favorites. She started to dance again when she heard her name being called. When she turned around, she smiled, her eyes widened and she brushed her hair a little outta her face.

"RICK! Bout time you got here!" She wrapped her arms around her the guy that was about 5 years older than her. He was painted with tattoos; had a goatee, earrings, eyebrow rings, was thinking about getting a tongue ring; and had a shaved head. He had a black t shirt on with a Nine Inch Nails logo on it and black baggy jeans. A chain dangling in a loop on one side of his leg and he smelled of cigarettes.

"Girl you are INSANE!" He screamed and let her go.

She smiled a smug little grin and took her two hands and made the "rock" symbol with both of them. "They just pulled me up there, I was like FUCK YEAH!"

"You want me to go buy you a drink or something?"

"You better, or I'm not helpin' yo lazy ass next week."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Oh you're gonna love it! You'll probably get a crush on one of the boys."

She started to gag in an immature way that 8 year olds would. "Gross. Go get me something."

"What chu want?"

"Somethin' hard. I need a buzz fast!" She said, dancing now more with her shoulders than anything.

"Aiight, I be back."

Her gray eyes watched him leave. The way her eyebrows were set on her face almost gave her this pissed-off look. But actually, for the first time in her life, it seemed, she wasn't pissed off. She was happy. And so she sang. "Nowwww, but I just want to play on my panpipes. I just wanna drink me some wine. As soon as your born you start dying, so you might as well have a good time. Aw no! Sheep go to heaven...Goats go to hell!"

-----------

late next morning

WEG complex

"Go to hell Lance." Justin groaned.

A deep rumble of a laugh echoed from the sofa across from Justin. Then that laugh turned into a singing voice, "Just go on, walk out the door, just turn around now, you're not welcome anymore..."

Chris started laugh a little as he told more of the things that had happened the night before. Justin didn't find it all that funny. His head was pounding and his eyes felt like he had been staring at the sun all day. The sunglasses help a little, but the Advil that he had taken that morning had yet to start to work. And with Chris reminiscing all the stupid drunken things they had done the night before, Justin thought that it wasn't fair that he was laying there, sprawled out on the couch in misery and Chris seemed to be chipper as a kid on Christmas.

He shut his eyes and groaned, realizing that Chris still probably had an excessive amount of alcohol in his system and was thankful that he had driven to the compound safely.

Soon there were 5 people lounging around the area, waiting on the last and always late member of the group.

"I say we get his watches and clocks and set them 30 minutes fast, that way he will always be on time." Johnny said, lazily sitting on a recliner beside one of the sofas.

Joey pulled his hat down over his eyes a little, slouched beside Lance and yawned, "While we wait, I'm gonna take Justin's lead and take a nap."

"I ain' seep."

The guys laughed at the muffled groaned that he made. He didn't find that funny either. He had had 3 hours of sleep and had a hangover. If they were in his position they'd be just like him.

"Well hidey ho!" Chris said in a mock voice of Mr. Hankey from South Park when they heard the door to the room open. "Bout time you showed up bitch."

"What the hell?" Justin heard a familiar gravely sounding voice and squinted open his eyes behind his sunglasses to see Rick, their toy guy.

"Oh, hey Rick." Johnny said.

"Hey, I brought those papers because they were in my car. I was driving near and I figured if I didn't give em to ya now I never would." The tattooed man strolled into the room and walked over to Johnny. He handed him a manila folder and yawned.

"Thanks, is this all of them."

"Yeah, I got em from her last night."

A hand was placed on Rick's shoulder and an even more familiar voice sounded in the room. "Weren't you at that concert last night?"

"Nice of you to join us JC," said Johnny.

"What?!" JC said as he sat down on the floor, setting his infamous starbucks coffee cup, that was always implanted in his hand, on the floor beside him.

Rick nodded. "Yeah, I was. I drove her home because she was a tad bit tipsy and she gave them to me then."

"Tipsy, eh? She give you anything else?" Lance joked. Justin wanted to cuss Lance out. He was being an ass that morning.

"Dude, she's 6 years younger than me and I've known her since she was 3. She's like my little sister."

Chris asked, "But aren't you from West Virginia?"

"Michigan." He deadpanned.

"I knew it was something like that."

Rick turned on his heel then and started to walk back towards the door. "Well I'm gonna go home and go back to bed."

"Later man." Johnny said.

Right as he was at the door, Rick turned and started to talk, making Justin jump at his raspy voice. He realized he needed to get home and go back to bed as well. His nerves were shot. "Oh and I'll be by sometime later in the week to post the final copy of the toy list. If you guys want anything else added you need to let me know because that shit is finalized and everything. I don't want you bitchin' to me that I ain't got your barbie dolls."

"Don't forget Ken." Chris said with a laugh.

"Ok, and don't worry Justin I've got your stock of Britney Spears dolls already packed and ready." Rick over-exaggerated a wink at him.

Justin wanted the couch to swallow him. He didn't want to talk about her this early in the day. He didn't want to talk about her at all. "We broke up."

"So he's admitting it now?" Joey asked.

Rick threw him a sympathetic look and shrugged. "I'm sorry man. I'll make sure to get some playboys for ya then."

"What about that girl that's gonna help you out on tour? Maybe Justin can use her." Lance joked, again. And Justin wanted to smack him, again.

Rick's voice got a little more stern. "Hell no. Kristen wont get used by any of you. She's 19."

"She's legal." JC giggled.

Rick stated as he walked out the door. "Plus, she's not any of yours' type."

"Justin's single. He doesn't have a type." Johnny said in a more fatherly manner than any of the other guys, but still proving he could joke around.

Justin rolled over and embedded his body in he corner where the back of the sofa met the seat. He groaned, "Wake me when its over."

The room was filled with chuckles for a while and then it faded out and he heard Johnny talking. Even though he had promised to always have a certain seriousness and strive about work, he couldn't help himself but to not think about anything that morning. Before he knew it, he had fallen into a peaceful much-needed sleep.