Now I’m sure that you’d all like to know precisely what was running through Justin’s mind at the time. I mean seriously, is Trace really all that reliable? No offense buddy.
I’ll be honest with you though, Trace actually hit the nail on the head. I swear, nothing could cheer Justin up; not even the mention of the famed peach cobbler his grandmother makes when he visits. No, the pop star was down in the dumps and for all intents and purposes, planned on staying that way.
Of course, Chris and Cameron let it slip that Lance and Piper were dating, which, to tell you the truth, I wasn’t expecting to have any effect on Justin. Boy was I wrong. I seriously though Justin was going to commit mass-murder by the way he was going. Then again, we never did mention the fact that Lance and Piper only went on one date…as friends…
California – three weeks later
“JC!” Justin hollered as he stomped into his friend’s house early that morning; he received no answer, “JC!”
“What on earth are you yelling about?” JC demanded as he came down the stairs, clothed only in a robe, “I was just about to go take a shower. Now what is so important that you had to interrupt that?”
“Why is Lance dating Piper?” the younger man whined as he got comfortable on JC’s couch; the older man glared at him.
“Is that what this is all about?” JC asked, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance, “I was on the verge of taking a nice, long shower with Genny…”
“Eww, stop right there, I don’t want to hear anymore,” Justin protested with a grimace, “That’s a visual I definitely don’t want.”
“If I keep going will that make you leave?” JC hopefully questioned, secretly elated at how upset his younger friend seemed to be at the news of Lance and Piper’s date.
“Don’t worry, I’m leaving right now,” Justin said, scrambling to his feet in the process, “But…”
“What is it?” JC demanded as he lounged against the wall.
“Why do I feel like I’ve just been punched in the gut?” the younger softly whispered as he stared at the floor.
“Maybe because you still care about her,” JC suggested, rolling his eyes, “I mean seriously J, how stupid are you? Your mama always went on and on about how smart you were…”
“Shut up,” Justin mumbled as he shoved his hands deep in his pockets.
“Josh? What’s going on?” Genevieve suddenly interrupted as she came into the room, thankfully, in Justin’s opinion, fully clothed.
“Justin is finally seeing the light,” JC told his girlfriend as he wrapped her up in a hug.
“Geeze C, just shout it to the entire world, why don’t ya?” Justin grumbled, then paused, “Well, what should I do?”
“Why are you looking at me? Ask Genny, she’s the therapist,” JC teased with a grin. Justin rolled his eyes.
“Have a seat J,” Genevieve invited as she patted to the seat next to her on the couch, where she had migrated to a few moments earlier.
“Is this going to take long?” JC whined as he pouted, “You promised me a shower.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get your shower,” Genevieve said, grinning as Justin mad a face once again, “Why don’t you go upstairs and I’ll be up as soon as I can.”
“You mean I’m supposed to be able to amuse myself?” JC joked.
“I’m sure you can manage baby,” Genevieve teased right back before her boyfriend disappeared back up the stairs to wait for her, “Alright J, tell me what the problem is.”
“Chris and Cameron just told me that Piper is dating Lance and I…well I’m not really comfortable with that,” the younger man began as he ran a hand through his hair in agitation, “Actually, I’ll be blunt. I would seriously like to punch Lance in the face for moving in on my girl.”
“But Justin…” Genevieve began.
“I know, I know, she’s technically not my girl. Hell, I haven’t given her any reason to want to be in a relationship,” Justin interrupted, frowning.
“Yeah, I heard something about you telling Piper that you couldn’t be in a relationship with her and then she told you off,” Genevieve mentioned. Justin winced at the memory.
“Yes, I was a complete jackass. But to tell you the truth, I was scared. No, I was terrified. I…I think I’m in love with Piper and that scares the shit out of me,” Justin said as he stood up and began to pace, “You know what I’ve been through with Britney, and then Cameron. My heart can’t take being broken a third time.”
“Justin, this is Piper we’re talking about. The girl couldn’t hurt a fly even if she tried,” Genevieve reminded the young man.
“I know. And that’s what scares me even more. More than being in love, more than having my heart broken, is the fact that she may be the woman I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with,” Justin rambled, “That’s…that’s a big step for me to take.”
“I know it is,” Genevieve said, smiling as she gazed down at her ring finger where a brand-new engagement ring lay, “But Justin, you can’t keep pushing Piper away; eventually she’ll find somebody else and be swept off her feet. And you know where that’ll leave you? Alone.”
“I know,” Justin said, sighing as he collapsed back on couch, “But how the hell am I supposed to make it up to her? Even if I knew where she was staying in New York, I doubt she’d want to see me.”
“I’m afraid I can’t really help you out there J. This is between the two of you; not me and you two, not JC and you two, not Cameron and you two, just the two of you,” Genevieve replied.
“But Genevieve…” Justin whined, panicking.
“Justin, you’re twenty-four years old. You don’t need me holding your hand through everything,” Genevieve interrupted as she stood, “Besides, the fastest way to a woman’s heart is a sincere apology.”
“But…” Justin began, then grinned, “Oh, okay.”
“Now, can I go take a shower before JC breaks something?” Genevieve questioned as the two walked out of the family room.
“Yeah, alright,” Justin agreed, and then stopped, “How the hell am I supposed to find Piper? I have no idea where she’s…”
The ringing of the phone quickly interrupted the end of Justin’s sentence. Genevieve immediately picked up the ringing contraption from the hall table and pushed the send button.
“Hello?” the young woman answered, then smiled, “Hi Mrs. Saunders, it’s so good to hear from you. How’s Piper doing?” Justin immediately paled. “Have I seen Justin? Why, he’s standing right here as we speak, would you like to talk to him? Okay, here he is.”
Without further ado, Genevieve handed Justin the phone. He stood there, mouth hanging open, as he stared at her. Mutely, he lifted the contraption to his ear, willing words to come out of his mouth.
“Hello?” he finally managed.
“Hi Justin, how are you doing?” Julia Saunders cheerily quipped.
“Not bad,” the pop star croaked out.
“Listen, I know this phone call may seem a little strange, what with you and Piper at odds with each other and everything,” Julia continued; Justin wanted to die from embarrassment, “But I was just wondering if you got Andrea’s wedding invitation.”
“Wedding invitation?” Justin questioned, confused.
“You remember Andrea, don’t you?” Julia asked.
“Yeah, I remember meeting her. But why would she want to invite me to her wedding? I only met her once,” Justin said, finally able to manage more than one short sentence.
“Well she had the wedding invitations made up before you and Piper had your falling out,” Julia explained, “Of course, despite that, she would still love for you to be there.”
“Oh.”
“Andrea asked me to call you because she wasn’t sure if you were coming or not; she said you didn’t RSVP,” Piper’s mother continued as if this was a normal everyday conversation. Justin, on the other hand, was stunned.
“Well I guess I can make it,” Justin said, “The invitation is probably waiting in the mailbox for me right now.”
“Great. The date and time are on it, so I guess we’ll see you then,” Julia concluded, “You take care young man, you hear me?”
“Yes ma’am,” Justin agreed, and paused, “But what about Piper?”
By that time, however, Julia Saunders had disconnected the call, leaving the pop star with no answers to his questions pertaining to her daughter. He looked helplessly up at Genevieve.
“What’s going on?” the young woman questioned, knowing full well what exactly what had been said during the phone conversation.
“I guess I’m going to Piper’s cousin’s wedding,” Justin weakly stated as he replaced the phone in its proper place, “Piper’s going to be there…”
“That’s great. It gives you the perfect opportunity to talk one on one with her,” Genevieve stated with a smile.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Justin admitted, his face pale, “What if she just laughs at me? What if she doesn’t want anything to do with me? And what about Lance? Damnit, this is never going to work.”
“Trust me Justin, everything will work out,” Genevieve said as she gave him a friendly hug.
“I hope you’re right,” the pop star trailed off, lost in thought.
“Do you think this is actually going to work?” JC asked his girlfriend as they stood at their bedroom window, watching the younger man get into his car and drive away.
“I think so,” Genevieve said as she cuddled into JC’s embrace, “They both have their pride, but I think, in the end, it’s all going to work out. I mean, I’m a therapist, I’ve seen it all happen before.”
“True love conquers all, eh?” JC questioned as he turned her around so they were facing each other, “Kind of like us, wouldn’t you say?”
“Something like that,” Genevieve agreed in a soft voice as she gazed up into her fiancé’s eyes.
“You know how much I love you, right?” JC asked, stroking her hair as he leaned closer so their noses touched, despite the height difference.
“As much as I love you,” Genevieve replied before their lips met in a sweet kiss.
“Now how about that shower?” JC said, his eyes growing passionate at the thought of getting naked with his fiancée.
“Sounds like a good idea,” Genevieve agreed.
The two were headed towards their large bathroom when the phone rang again. JC groaned.
“I swear, the next person who interrupts my shower with my fiancée is going to be dead,” JC snapped as he picked up the phone, “What to you want?”
“Woah there C, calm down,” Chris soothed the younger man, snorting with laughter, “I was just calling to make sure everything is working out alright.”
“Just peachy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with the shower and my fiancée,” JC growled as he glanced longingly at Genevieve, who stood a few feet away from in nothing but her underwear and an old t-shirt of his.
“You’re what…” Chris began, but JC slammed the phone down before he could finish.
“Josh, you really shouldn’t have done that,” Genevieve said with a giggle, “Now Chris knows that we’re engaged.”
“I don’t care if the whole world knows as long as I get my shower,” the pop star stated as he picked her up and threw her over her shoulder, “Now, we’re going into the bathroom and I’m locking the door.”
“Josh,” Genevieve protested, giggling from her perch over his shoulder.
The bathroom door slammed and the sound of it locking echoed through the large master bedroom. JC definitely wasn’t kidding.
New York City, New York – two days later
“Hey Piper?” Rae questioned as she entered their dorm room that Monday afternoon after her class.
“Hmm?” the young woman responded from her desk, where she was poring over a photography book.
“Um, I think you need to read this,” Rae stated as she set a newspaper on Piper’s book. The headline immediately caught the young woman’s attention.
“What…” Piper trailed off, her eyes widening at the article that practically covered the entire first page.
“Just read it,” Rae instructed as she pulled her desk chair close to her friend and took a seat. Piper immediately began to do so, not really needing any further prompting.
Cameron Comes Clean: The Hospital Visit, Justin, and Her New SqueezeIn response to an earlier publication about her and then boyfriend Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz granted us the privilege of a one on one interview. Diaz, 33, you may recall, was admitted to the hospital three months ago for unknown causes, while Timberlake, 24, was across the country with another woman. Of course, at the time, we couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that the singer’s intentions were anything but honorable towards the lovely actress.
Diaz, however, set us straight.
The couple, as many may know, met in 2003 at an awards show and went public shortly thereafter. However, it is widely unknown that the two actually called it quits in late 2004, a little less than a year ago. The break-up itself was mutual due to the fact that both wanted something different out of their relationship, however, the emotional stress was still present.
Timberlake, as many of his closest friends commented, became somewhat of a party animal. He was spotted at many hip night clubs and bars, picking up girls and getting roaring drunk every night. Not exactly Emerald City if you know what I mean.
Diaz, on the other hand, had found a new man, which didn’t help Timberlake’s case in the least. However, as the actress solemnly told us, it was the worst decision she had ever made. The man, who shall remain nameless at Diaz’s request, had quite a temper, which cost the actress the hospital visit.
At the time of her admittance to the hospital, Diaz was already engaged to Timberlake (who knew nothing of the other man), in an effort to try and get away from her fist-flying boyfriend. “I’ll tell you right now that I’m not proud of what I did to Justin,” she bluntly admitted to us, “He’s a wonderful guy, and I’m ashamed at my behavior towards him. But at the time, involving him had seemed like the only option I had.”
Of course, we all know that the engagement between Diaz and Timberlake was called off a few months ago, right before the actress was released from the hospital. Her boyfriend was caught, she pressed charges, and she and Justin became good friends. Now that’s all good and dandy, but where does Piper Saunders come into the picture?
“She and Justin met back in March when she was on Spring Break,” Cameron explained, grinning as she gushed about the 19-year old, who is a current student at NYC’s Tisch University, “She’s a real sweetheart and helped me through a rough time with my ex.”
But the question is, just how close are the pretty brunette and the lanky pop singer? “Head over heels in love,” Diaz promptly told us when asked the question, “Of course, I don’t think Justin’s exactly ready to come forward with that information just yet, but I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of Piper very soon.” I guess, then, we can only wish Timberlake and his new squeeze all the best.
And on another note, though all you single guys may be itching at the chance to get Diaz’s number, I have to disappoint you with the news that she’s already taken. “We’ve been friends ever since I met Justin in 2003. He visited me every day in the hospital and we just clicked. He’s off the wall and a little bit crazy, but that’s what I like about him,” Cameron gushes about new boyfriend, Chris Kirkpatrick. Yep, you heard that right. Diaz is dating none other than Justin’s friend and fellow ex-bandmate, Chris Kirkpatrick.
Does that all seem a bit like a soap opera? Well, you can’t exactly argue when love comes a-knocking on your door, right? Exactly.
Piper sat there in shock. She hadn’t talked to Cameron in over a month, and now this? What kind of bullshit was that – she was Justin’s new squeeze? Uh huh, and Joey really could fly like superman.
If Justin cared for her like Cameron said he did, they wouldn’t be a thousand miles apart, physically and emotionally. God, just when she thought she was getting over the pop star.
“Piper? Are you alright?” Rae suddenly piped up as her friend set the paper down, “You look like you’re going to be sick.”
“I think I am going to be sick,” Piper faintly agreed as she settled her pounding head down on the desk in an effort to relieve the pain.
“Here, drink some water,” Rae quickly said as she grabbed a bottle of water and shoved it in the young woman’s direction, “It should make you feel better.”
“Are you a doctor now?” Piper weakly joked after she had taken a sip of the refreshing beverage.
“Did that story really shake you up? I mean, it’s not like it’s anything bad; not like the last one,” Rae commented as if she had never heard Piper speak.
“It’s just…there is nothing between Justin and I,” Piper argued as she went and laid herself down on the couch, “God, I care for him so much but he just doesn’t feel the same way. And now this article…he’s going to be so angry, I just know it.”
“Are you sure he doesn’t feel the same way about you?” Rae asked as she rolled her chair over near the couch, “I mean, what if Cameron is actually right? What if he’s on a plane right this minute and is going to show up at your cousin’s wedding next week?”
“It’s not going to happen,” Piper deadpanned, “We haven’t talked in over three months, that doesn’t exactly constitute the makings of a relationship. Besides, what kind of person has a change of heart and doesn’t say anything?”
“It was just a suggestion,” Rae defended, “Though you never know. I mean, you both have so much pride that it’s a wonder that you started a relationship at all.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Piper asked, narrowing her eyes at her friend.
“All I’m saying is that maybe Justin really does care for you, but he’s got too much pride to see if you still care for him,” Rae explained, sighing, “I mean, a lot does happen in three and a half months.”
“This is so frustrating, damn it!” Piper began, then sighed, “All I want to do is be able to walk up to him one last time and ask him straight to his face how he feels about me. I want to know if there is any hope or if I’m just dreaming.”
“Maybe you’ll get your chance,” Rae suggested, keeping the grin from her face.
“Oh who am I kidding? If Justin wanted to talk things out, he would have called me months ago,” Piper moaned as she buried her face in a pillow.
“Maybe you’re wrong,” Rae suggested. Piper glared at her. “Hey, you never know. It’s happened before.”
“No, I’m not going to let myself hope anymore,” Piper concluded with a sigh as she rolled onto her stomach, “What’s the use?”
“Hey, you can’t ever stop believing, not when your heart is at stake,” Rae cajoled her friend, “Just you wait and see Piper Saunders. Love is going to come a-knocking on your door and you’re going to open it and find Justin Timberlake standing there.”
