Justin Timberlake doesn't snore. He doesn't stir in his sleep, either. I mean the man doesn't move. Not a haphazzard toss of the arm, not one twitch of the nose. What kind of freak of fucking nature doesn't move around in their sleep? Common. Worst of all, he was enjoying his perfect pop star sleep on the floor of my dorm room. Or at least he was the first time I'd woken up. Where the hell was he? He'd been sleeping down there next to my bed a couple of minutes ago. Or was it hours? Who cares? All that matter was that he was gone. Oh man, I felt like one of his little groupies.

Except that I hadn't slept with him. He'd abandoned me after I gave him a place to sleep and saved his life. That was ten times worse! At least if he'd left me after sex I would have gotten something out of it. That's assuming he's good in bed, of course.

Justin also had a talent for scaring the shit out of me. Maybe he went to some school where they specialized in stopping my heart on a daily basis. Wherever he was, he'd sure as fuck mastered that skill.

I sat up in the bed. If I wasn't so annoyed with him I would have cared about my appearance. Odds are I was in a close second with the Cookie Monster for slob of the year. Who looks good in the morning, anyway? Common. I'll tell you who. Justin Timberlake, that's who.

I sat up in bed and watched him with disgust. If you'd just met him today you would have never know that he'd slept in those clothes, hadn't seen a brush in twenty-four hours and basically mentally unstable. He looked like he was ready to jump on the cover of Teen Bop right at that second.

"You seem pretty preoccupied with the three pictures on my wall."

He looked at me, but didn't smile, I didn't expect him to. He was slightly hunched over, studying the pictures as if they were the answer to all of life's mysteries.

"No, I'm just in shock that you actually have other people in your life."

"Not as shocked as me."

"Is this your mom?"

"Unfortunately."

He watched me closely, as if he were surprised I would say such a thing, "I miss my mom. She's the only thing in my life I was ever sure of."

"You're lucky."

"No, you are. It must be nice to be alone. You don't have to worry about other people. They way you feel about them. The power they have over your every move."

"It's way too early for this shit."

"Oh, so you can't hold a decent conversation until midnight, I guess? You haven't cussed me out yet so I took that as a good sign."

"I'm delerious from exhaustion."

"I see."

"So, I guess you're gonna be finding a place to stay today. Then leaving. Right?"

"Yeah... I need a car first. I'm thinking about an Expedition."

"Yeah, let's just go out and buy a car today. It must be pretty over there in your world."

"Hey, I don't have anything. It would take forever for them to ship my Ford out here. Buying a new one is the best solution."

"You make me sick." I spat.

He shrugged and stood tall. His back pocket was vibrating to the tune of some Ludacris song I didn't recognize, but he ignored it.

"Are you going to answer that, Richy Rich?"

He immediatly cringed, "Don't call me that."

"You don't like that?"

"No."

"Good to know."

"So, are you going to get ready to go now? Or..."

This guy really did live in a land with pink clouds and skipping bunnies, "Actually, Justin, I live in a land called reality where people have to save up down payments for cars instead of just running out and buying them. We feel like God's when we find a dollar on the street and wouldn't lend that dollar to our own flesh and blood if they were starving in a corner."

He blinked, "What is WRONG with you?"

"Seeing how you've followed me all over the city for twenty four hours I think the question becomes... what the HELL is wrong with you, Justin?"

"Why does something have to be wrong with me for wanting to be around you?"

"Because I'm broke as a joke."

"So?"

"And you're not."

"Is that all you think about? Money? All you see is dollar signs when you look at me?"

"Would that bother you?"

"Yes."

"Then yes!"

"Can we go?"

"I have class."

"Oh... I can wait."

"Not in here you can't."

"Can I come sit in class with you? I've always wanted to know what this is like. This whole college thing."

"Come to class with me? You get funnier everyday."

"Thanks."

"That's not a compliment."

"I know, but the denial helps keep me from ringing your neck."

"Don't hold back."

He smiled and I felt my heart jump a little bit. Ew. For the first time that morning I noticed stubble when he reached up and touched the side of his face, "I'm just a little curious, that's all."

"Your curiousity is charming. Unfortunatley, I can't be charmed."

"That's a shame."

"Isn't it? Luckily I'm numb to shame."

"And every other emotion."

"It's a skill I've learned to master."

"Do you have a smart-ass comeback for everything?"

"Yes."

"Can't you ever be for real?"

"Who decides what's real and what's not? You? It's funny how you use your higher place in this world when you need it and look down your nose at the people who judge you for it."

"That makes no sense."

"Sure it does."

"Where's your family?"

"In hiding. Where's yours?"

"I'm not going to answer you seriously when you're not taking me seriously."

"Okay... so I guess we're done talking."

"What about your mother?"

What? I definitely didn't like where this was going.

"I mean... where is she? Where's your father?"

None of your fucking business?

"The same place that your Britney is, I suppose? Where is that, again?"

He was disgusted, but said nothing, "Okay, fine. Point taken."

I felt like stomping my foot against the ground and screaming.

"Why are you here, Justin?! What is wrong with you? I'm treating you like shit and you're still standing here."

"It's a refreshing change."

"I'm so glad you're feeling refreshed. I can sleep easy tonight."

"Trev..."

"Oh GOD, you did not just call me that."

"Don't you feel like we were meant to be together? You were on the roof that night."

Oh jeez, here comes to part where I'm supposed to get all teary eyed. He didn't know me, at all.

"And you did what you did, doesn't that mean something?"

"No."

He looked away, "You know what? This hard ass game you play lost it's appeal a long time ago."

"So I guess you don't approve?"

"Not really."

"Is that my cue to collapse into tears?"

"If you hate me so much why didn't you just let me die? Why did you have to save me?"

Whoa! I couldn't believe he'd just said that. God damn if he didn't know how to push my buttons.

"Look at you. You can only show some kind of emotion when I talk about that night, yet you treat me like shit."

"Saving your life wasn't an invitation to invade mine."

"Yes it was."

"NO... it wasn't."

"Maybe you invaded my life, did you ever think about that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'd better leave YOUR dorm room and make sure I don't leave my fucking cell phone in YOUR car on the way out."

When I saw his entire face shrink with sadness I cursed the day I'd ever met him. The fact that I'd finally pushed him enough to make him miserable made me kind of miserable. I was mirroring his actions. I was caring. Damn, I hope he doesn't notice that in me. I still couldn't believe I was in the position I was in. Staying down here and dealing with Kim looked like heaven compared to the door I'd just opened to Justin.

"That was my answer!" He screamed, standing tall and backing away from me. He held his hands out to me as if trying to help me understand, "Maybe you didn't understand it but I was ready! That was it! That would have made it all go away and you took that from me!"

He was seriously screaming. I'd never heard a man scream like that since my father and it made me feel five years old all over again.

"You fucked it up for me, Trevion! You reversed it. I don't have anyone! I don't know anyone! I can't go back and I have nobody in this city! I was about to end it all and you took that from me! So, yes, you invaded my fucking life just like I'm invading yours!"

"Am I supposed to be sorry that I didn't let you kill yourself, Justin? Is that what you're saying to me right now?"

"So it's better to save me from the ultimate release than it is to keep me here and make me feel like shit? Does it make you feel more noble? Are you even capable of feeling? Seriously."

"If I didn't have feelings I would have let you die."

"You'd have been doing me a favor."

"No."

"So you did your good deed and that makes you compassionate? You're anything but."

"I never said I was."

"You owe me. You do."

"I only treat you like this so you'll leave me alone."

"You didn't leave me alone!"

"You were going to die! What would you do?"

"I wouldn't be the heartless bitch you've been since the minute we met, I know that much."

Damn, that hurt. I looked away so he wouldn't think I gave a damn. For a moment I wondered if I was one of those people that dished out the shit like it was going out of style but couldn't take a damn bit of it. Did he think I cared just because I didn't know what to say? He better not have, because I DIDN'T care. I didn't.

"Is it because I know about... you? Is that why you're so nasty to me."

"No."

"You never talk about it."

"You don't talk about things, either, Justin! Is this going somewhere?"

"I think so since this is the most cordial conversation we've ever had."

"This isn't a conversation! This is an argument. This will rip us apart for good."

"Everything you hoped for."

"It's like you're reading my mind."

"You didn't even know me. You don't even like me. Why couldn't you just turn your back and let it happen? I wouldn't be in your hair right now and I wouldn't FEEL like this. We both would have won, right?"

"Wrong."

"Then WHAT?"

"I don't know! I couldn't just let you kill yourself! I'm a bitch but I'm not a fucking MONSTER, Justin!" I snapped my favorite red scarf from the bed and screamed in horror when it ripped against a broken edge of my dresser, "Fuck! This was my favorite scarf!" It was one of the few things my mother had ever given me but I held back the tears and threw it on the ground like it was trash.

"Yes you are. You're a monster for letting me live, because that's the last thing I want. That's the last thing I need. It's not worth it to feel like this. I can barely fucking breathe, every thought is consumed with my fucked up life."

"Well maybe if you talked to me about it..."

"When I'm with you I don't think about LA. I don't think about Britney or JC... "

JC? It was like he'd just handed me to last remaining section of a 7000 piece puzzle without even realizing it. It stored the name I didn't recognize into the back of my mind for later.

"It's easier with you. And I thought you cared about me since you cared enough to save me. Am I wrong for that?"

"You can't care about someone you don't know."

"Of course you can. You can love someone you don't know."

"How romantic."

"You just couldn't let me die."

"Stop saying that."

"No. That's the only thing that seems to be getting through to you! I just need you to care. Fuck! That's all!"

"I would have done that for anybody Justin."

"I would have tried it, again, last night. If I hadn't have been with you I would have tried it, again. Don't you see that?"

Oh god, let me wake up from this fucking nightmare. The second I felt a hint of a tear in my eye I turned away from him. I couldn't let him see me like this. Not now and not ever. I directed all of my attention on packing my backpack and when I had it around my shoulders I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I'm not the person, Justin." It surprised me how much it hurt to say the words.

I left without looking at him and if anybody was on my side, it would be the last time I ever saw his face.

--

I was an asshole. I wished I had someone to talk to about this. A friend or a family member, anybody. I couldn't talk to Burns about it because that would involve letting him know that Justin knew about me. I couldn't let that happen, lord only knows the backlash I would get from him and I wasn't in the mood for that. Bio 3 was hard enough as it was and it pissed me the fuck off that Justin was consuming my thoughts like this. That I actually felt BAD.

"Uh, hey?"

The guy that had sat next to me all year long pulled the thought of Justin's face out of my head. I would have been thankful to him if I hadn't been so busy feeling sorry for him and for myself. Annoyed couldn't begin to describe how I felt about anybody that even breathed on me, let alone disrupted me in the middle of my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I spat the words angrily on purpose. Just leave me the hell alone.

"I just wanted to let you know that you left your jacket on the roof. I know you're the only one that goes up there."

What the fuck? Did I have a stalker now?

"Well, obviously I'm not the only one that goes up there since YOU were up there, right? And it's not my jacket so there goes your entire point."

I could see the exact moment where any chance of a friendship I had with this guy had been diminished in that very second. I didn't care.

I really didn't. Gross, I think I actually did care. Try to put yourself in their position, I thought. How wouold I feel if someone treated me the way I treat EVERYBODY? Had I always been like this?

About halfway through the class I felt my entire body chill with worry. It had been two hours since Justin and I had blown up on each other. What was he doing right now? Where was he? Was he still angry at me? Was he still alive? Why, oh why, for the love of god, why did I care? The thought of what he might be trying to do to himself or what he had probably already done to himself scared the shit out of me and I did care. Fuck, I really, really, did.

God damn him. God damn him to fucking hell.

--

I actually opened the double doors in my dorm on my own and jetted up the stairs life I was a happy husband who's wife was giving birth on the top floor. Except I wasn't happy, I was eccentric with anxiety, about to lose my fucking MIND over this pop star.

He wasn't in my room. Panic mode. I actually had to laugh at myself when I started looking in the closet and under carpets.

"Justin come out come out wherever you are!"

Only I would make jokes when Justin could be dead out on the street. I surprised myself when, after looking through the bathroom, I saw Kim sitting cross legged on her bed. It still astounded me how good I'd gotten at ignoring her.

"Hey, do you know where Justin went?"

She stared at me like I was stupid and I wanted to reach out and slap the shit out of her, "Yeah... about that. Maybe next time you could give me a little fair warning when you want to bring a celebrity to our room?"

"Maybe you should kiss my ass. It's really important to me if you know where he is or where he went. Besides, you don't even like him."

"That doesn't matter. He's a superstar! I even have his album."

"I'm shocked."

"I mean... I don't listen to it or anything." She scoffed and rolled her eyes as if that re-justified her coolness. I was actually a little annoyed that she was judging him. Justin's album couldn't possibly get a fair trial under a girl who worshiped Trent Reznor like he was a god.

"Um... so he hasn't been back, yet?"

"Nope."

"Was he gone when you got here?"

"Yup."

"Okay."

I couldn't believe we'd actually held a normal conversation. Nothing in the world would ever shock me more.

Wrong.

My eyes felt riveted to my bed as I stood with my back to Kim. I blinked, not believing my eyes. When I turned back to Kim, she was smiling. Bitch.

"Oh, I forgot. He stopped by about half an hour ago."

Oh. I forgot something, too. Fuck you, Kim.

My annoyance was short lived as I approached my bed. Laid in a neatly folded bundle in the middle of my bed was a lavender scarf that was soft to the touch. Softer then anything I'd ever touched in my life. Was this some kind of joke? He couldn't be serious, right?

When I picked it up it fell open beautifully and a small peice of paper floated down and laded on my bed. Oh Jesus, this was right out of a fucking movie. All I needed were the red curls and big teeth and I'd be Julia Roberts.

I lost everything, somebody should have it

Oh man, looks like Mr. Timberlake is a fan of the vague note. I couldn't tell you if it was a love letter or a big "fuck off" to me and anyone that had anything to do with me. Didn't care in 7th grade Literature class and I didn't care now. I unfolded the two flaps of paper, though, and my curiosity was shattered. It was a check. A BIG check. The kind of money that normal girls like me never get to see. And when I say never... I mean fucking never.

Very slowly, as I realized he'd written his bank account number, and licsence number down on the paper my heart stopped. When I saw that he'd left his wallet and cell phone sitting on my desk I felt like throwing up.

He was giving me everything because he wouldn't need it anymore. He was really going to end it knowing I wouldn't be around to do anything about it this time.

I didn't realize I was screaming until I felt Kim shaking me. Then I was running. Even faster than I had the night before. Faster then I probably ever would. If there was one thing I'd learned from Justin, though, it was to never say never.

Damn him.

--

The door was open.

"Justin!"

The living room was empty. Just the way we'd left it.

"Justin, please! Oh fuck!"

The coffee pot had been shattered in the back corner of the room, as well as the mugs.

"Justin... hello?"

I could barely see the bedroom through my tear laced eyes, but the queen sized bed was still unmade, the television blasting Nickelodeon. No Justin.

"God, what did you do? What did you do?"

The bathroom. His clothes hung neatly over the shower. His pants, his shirts, his shocks. Every peice of jewelery he owned were neatly lined across the sink. For a moment they blinded me under the bright bathroom lights. I screamed as loud as I could at the realization that it was too late. I'd made an unstable man feel like complete shit and if Justin had taken his life this time I had no one to blame but myself. In my whole life I'd never felt this way, I'd never been responsible for other people and their emotions. I'd fucked up, and that fact made me feel like I was being ripped limb from limb.

My screaming shook the walls, Justin's rings and necklaces flew from the counter and crashed against the shower doors. When the mirror shattered I collapsed to the floor. Never in my life had I felt so terrified, so responsible for my own remorse and the remorse of an innocent man who's only sin was having the shit luck of ever meeting me.

I thought I would scream and cry myself to death until I felt a presense behind me. I'll be damned that even in times of strife he could scare the life out of me. None of that mattered when I turned around and saw him kneeling there. His entire body was wet and shaking, his eyes blood red from his own bouts of misery. I didn't even want to know what he'd done. I didn't ask. My eyes narrowed from his and I realized that all of the lights in the suite had blown out. Shards of the shattered mirror threatened us mere inches from our feet and his jewerly was lying in various places all over the floor. Over his shoulder all of the kitchen cabinets and doors were wide open. The refrigerator light blinked in the darkness and the dining room chairs were all overturned.

This is the part of Family Matters where Steve Urkel would squeak, "Did I do that?" Snort, snort.
"The building was shaking... I thought of you."

Aw, he had jokes too, see?

"You're not dead." I whispered the words stupidly and was surprised they were even understandable past my trembling body and horse voice.

"Couldn't do it."

Thank GOD.

"You're an asshole."

"Somebody told me it was lame to run away from my problems."

"Smart girl."

"Who said anything about a girl?"

"Oh, silly me, only men have intelligent things to say."

"No."

"So what's this genius girl's name?"

"Girl's have names?"

Whoa, I didn't know how to come back at him. I've never NOT had a retort. It felt like love.

When the humor subsided his blue eyes shook with tears and I wrapped my arms around him. He cried out and fell against the wall, holding me against him the entire time. This was all he'd needed since the minute we met. I didn't feel as scared as before, which is why I was actually letting him touch me. I felt our bodies shaking together and at that moment I realized I'd never been this close to a man. To anybody.

"I'm scared." He whispered the words against my ear and held me tighter as if to prove it.

I understood perfectly, because I was right there with him. I hated that I gave a damn, that I'd been reduced to tears over a guy I barely knew when I could hardly shed one for my own father or the mother I'd barely known. We were stuck, whether we liked it or not.

"Me too."

God DAMN him.

--

"I'm keeping the check, by the way."

Justin didn't say anything but the look on his face conveyed just how humorous my comment was to him. He looked away from me and straight forward and my eyes followed his.

Ugh. Men.

Burns was scratching his chin and he and Justin had some kind of a staring contest going on. If you could even call it that. I called it two cocky ass men that were way to stubborn and ridiculous to back down from a beef that didn't even exsist. They'd just met five minutes ago for the love of god! What could they possibly have against each other?

"I was under the impression that it was the female race's job to hate each other on sight."

My joke didn't go over well. I wondered if they were even listening. Yeah, stare one another down. That'll prove what big strong men you are, for sure.

"Maybe I should go. All this testosterone is suffocating me."

Burn's eyes were on mine and if looks were literal I'd be doused in flames right at that moment. He was the only man in the world that could shut me down with one flick of his pretty green eyes. They were so pretty. Too bad they were lethal.

"Trevion saved my life. She saw what I was trying to do and she did everything in her power to... to stop it." Justin looked at me and smiled. I looked away. Sure we'd shared a moment but he knew me well enough to know I didn't go looking for the sap.

"I can't believe you." Burns spat at me. Oh he was definitely pissed. I didn't know if he'd ever get over this one.

"I had to do it... could you not look at me like that, Burns? I just-- You know what? I don't even know why I try!"

"That makes two of us."

"What's the big deal?! I was going to kill myself, what the fuck else was she supposed to do? She's a human being for christs sake."

Aw, he was standing up for me. Too bad I had no room to be flattered since Burns looked about ready to choke him. Oh, god, Justin. Don't wake the beast.

"Her gift is not a gift it's a curse! I'll get her killed if she abuses it!"

Too late.

"A curse? How has she abused it?"

Burns rolled his eyes, "You're not a fast one are you?"

Oh god. Kill me. There's no way this could get any worse. His eyes were back on me and I'll be god damned if I wasn't frightened.

"There was an earthquake today. One of the biggest the city has ever seen."

Oh, here we go. Playing stupid seemed like the best option at this point in time.

"So?" I asked. All I needed was two blonde pigtails to twist around a perfectly manicured finger.

"So... we're not in Los Angeles, Trevion. Las Vegas has had one earthquake in the past ten years and that only lasted 10 seconds."

"Yeah..."

"Don't play stupid with me."

"I'm not! I'm wondering what you're getting at."

"You underestimate how well I know you..." After a minute he banged his hand against his desk and his skin was burning red, "You did it! Tell me!"

Holy shit. I'd never seen him scream before.

"...you're scaring me."

I could feel Justin's eyes on me so I did my damndest to hold back the tears in my eyes.

Burns sat back in his chair and looked at me as if he were so dissapointed. I hated that. "Well, Trev... you're scaring me."

I looked away from both of them, suddenly wondering what I was thinking to have ever brought Justin here, "I thought he'd died... I started screaming and the mirror shattered, doors were flying open. I didn't even realize... Justin told me that the building was shaking from outside."

"That's why I ran in." Justin jumped in as if he was my partner in crime or something. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't endearing.

Burns stared at us both quietly.

"God, man, why don't you just back off a little? It's obvious she's upset."

"Are you two fucking? Is that what this is about?"

Shock.

"Burns cusses?" I asked myself, looking around. Burns knows about sex? Burns has sex?

Ew.

"Well?"

Justin sighed, "We're not sleeping together. We're friends. We're there for each other."

"You've known each other for two days."

"Under very different circumstances then most."

"Well, maybe you can tell me this Mr. Timberlake--"

"Justin..."

Burns raised his eyebrow.

Uh oh.

"Justin." he practically growled, "Why did you try to kill yourself?"

Justin immediatly looked at me. After a while, so did Burns. Shit, I wasn't moving. If anybody deserved to know the answer to this question it was me. After a while, though, it was pretty obvious Justin didn't want me to know and when Burns motioned for me to leave the room, I did. LAst thing I wanted to do was piss him off even more. What the fuck had I gotten myself into? What was happening to my life?