It had been a little over an hour since she first left her house, and the rain had yet to let up. Dale kept her head down, wishing she could empty the contents of the plastic bag she carried and wrap the material around her head. Only that would mean discarding the weeks groceries on the side of the road, for which Dale could suffer through a little downpour for. It was times like these when she wished she had a car, or at least enough heart tp ask Daddy Bomar to take her into town. He did all that he could for her and her mother, which was why Dale found it hard to explain why she had to once again restock her groceries after only a week since Daddy Bomar last drove her into town. Dale wasn't quite sure how to explain that her mother allowed her latest conquests to ransack that refidgerator, and the damn ghouls only left them with an empty fridge and half jar of peanut butter. She had intended to use her money to invest in a cute shirt for tomorrow when she headed out to the bonfire with Marissa, now all she was left to the wiles of her closet to create a half decent ensemble. Damn selfish bastards, Dale thought angrily as she trudged forward, so engrossed in her agitation that she nearly missed the groveling sound of tires that screeched to a halt behind her.

" Hey" Justin leaned out the side of his window and watched as Dale continued down the road. Her steps didn't even skip a beat at the sound of his voice, or his engine. Smirking to himself, he stepped outside of his car and decided to jog up beside her. It was interesting enough that she was out there walking on the dirt road by herself late in the evening, but even more so that she completely ignored his beckoning. He was a breath behind her when he reached his hand out and pulled at her elbow. He felt her tense beneath his touch, as her hands clung to the overstuffed plastic bag, and her eyes widened in shock. It took her a moment to recognize him, and when she did her body slowly relaxed.

" Didn't mean to scare you." he smiled noticing that her clothes were drenched and clung to her like a second skin. His eyes danced quickly over her and decided that he was better off focusing on less pressing issues than that of her chest to her shirt.

" But you ran up behind me anyway." she laughed, a crisp and hearty one that seemed like it didn't belong to a girl as young as she. Even with the overcast of the evening showers, her smile brighten the moment and Justin almost forgot about the thick droplets of rain that fell upon him. He hated the rain, hated the sticky uncomfortable feeling of it, but didn't seem to mind as he stood staring into her yellow brown eyes.

" It was more of a jog." he shrugged, reaching his hand out for her bag. It looked like it was on the brink of bursting, with several heads of various green vegetables poking out the sides. Her eyebrows gathered in suspicion at his action, but settled when she realized he was just offering to hold them for her.

" You must be out of shape then." she teased, handing him the bag. Justin didn't realize he was even breathing, and that hard for the matter, until she made mention of the fact. A little embarrassed, Justin assessed himself and wondered why it was that he was having such short breaths. He had only jogged a few short steps, and the energy he spent was nothing compared to the massive bundles he went through night after night, so why was it that he was so short of breath?

" Must be." he replied matter of factly and knodded towards the car he had left abandoned on the side of the road. She looked over his shoulder, and he could all but see the skeptimism that fell over her face.

" I'm almost home." she offered, her voice betraying her hesitance. The way her  eyes lowered and her bottom half of her lip tucked under her tongue, Justin could tell that she wasn't too thrilled with joining him in his car.

" Even so..it wouldn't be right for me to drive past you like this." Justin motioned to the down pour, and as if just realizing he was in the mist of it, frowned at the thick drops of rain that were now beginning to soak his shirt.

" A superstar and a savior." Dale smiled and  moved to follow him to his car. Even from the short distance she could tell the car was top of the line luxury. How she and her drenched clothes and groceries were going to fit in it, was only one of many strong concerns when it came to Justin Timberlake. It had been only a few days since he's shown up in town, and already Dale felt like the world that she was knew was turned upside down. Never before had she cared to take notice in any other human being more than she had taken to noticing him. Even when he wasn't within eyeshot, he was still in her radar. It was unnatural, even for her- the most unnatural thing about Shelby Forest.

" You ok?" Dale was brought back to attention when she realized Justin was leaning across his leather seats looking up at her. He had rolled down the window, and was now peering out at her through the passenger side. She figured he must have had time to place her groceries in his backseat and start the car while she floated away on her little mind trip. Embarrassed, she just bit her lip and bent down so that they were eye level.

" I'm really wet." She not only felt stupid stating the obvious, but now her cheeks were burning with a sudden rash embarrassment that sent her mind right to the gutter. The grin that spread across his face did nothing to sedate her. His eyes danced with mischief as he seemed to be enjoying her little silent break down still outside his car. " Please..don't comment on that." she closed her eyes and breathed out the words. She felt the laughter building in her throat, right beneath the surface of ridculousness.

" I wasn't going to sweetheart. I'm better with actions when it comes to that." he winked, and even with his obvious evasiveness , it made her knees weaken. He was really a force she was going to have to learn to reckon with. " But its not like your exactly drying while standing out there."

" I don't wanna mess up your seat." Dale peered at the smooth buttery complexion of the leather seat and wished that she had never ran into him. She didn't belong in a car like that, not even on her dry days. She knew she must look ridiculous hovering over the window as she was, still outside in the rain, but it wouldn't even touch ho she herself would look pulling into her trailer circle inside it. Before she could protest even further, Justin was climbing out of the car, heading to his trunk, and moving to stand beside her. Shaking out an oversized hoodie, he wrapped the warm material over her shoulders, and surprisingly enough it fell to the back of her knee caps.

" And i don't want you to catch a fever." With his hands held onto the small of her back he guided her into the car and ran to the other side. Dale tried to hide the astonishment in her eyes, but couldn't resist gaping at all the fine qualities of his vehicles. Certainly his house would send her into a seizure, if his car had her this shocked. It was like a mini mansion, adorned in fine leather, glass, and televisions. How did he ever find the time to pay attention to the road while inside, Dale thought breaking her neck to take in all the features.  Her eyes finally rested on his, and she would have believed his smirk was a mocking one, if she hadn't seen the gentleness in his eyes.

" So where too?" Justin watched as her eyes clouded over and she proceeded to take a huge gulp. She was the most striking creature he had ever laid eyes on and as far as he could tell everything about her was obviously complex. She wasn't very big on socializing from what he could tell those past few days that he had made her aquaitance at the shop. Yet, though she didn't speak much, whenever he found himself speaking to her, he found he loved her conversation. She talked about mundane things with the same amount of interest she gave important issues. It was like everything had some sort of value in her eyes, even things he wouldn't consider valuable- or even worthy of conversation. Like wood paneling. No one ever discussed wood paneling in common conversation, yet she could- and she did. What surprised him most was that he wasn't the least bit turned off from the conversation, and he knew it was more than her yellow brown eyes or unique features that kept his interest. She was definitely a breath of fresh air, even for a place like Shelby Forest.

" Really you don't..."

" I know I don't, but I am. So where too?" Justin wondered if she was always so stubborn, another quality that added to her complexity.

" Parkview." he barely heard the whisper that escaped her lips enough to hear that she needed to be dropped off at Parkview, Shelby Forest's Trailer camp. Justin turned the key in the ignition, turned up the voice of Brian McKnight croning through his speakers and headed in the direction of her home. He could feel her heavy gaze on him and knew without knowing that she was waiting for him to react, like any minute he was going to throw her out of his car because she happened to live in a trailer park. He ignored her gaze, and just began to softly sing along to the music, his eyes glancing through the rearview to see if any paparazzi had followed him. He hadn't seen one flash in the last twenty eight hours, but it didn't mean they weren't still out there. He definitely didn't need them hovering in on his private time any more now than he did then, since it was obvious Dale was wary of him taking her home in the first place.

" So how long have you lived here?" she was still staring at him, her eyes boring into his profile like they wished to catch even the slightest hesitation to give her reason to make good on her protests. Justin didn't budge, just kept his jaw relaxed, his demeanor light, and his voice in tune with the music.

" About six months." Dale couldn't figure whether she should be embarrassed or relieved to have finally been out of the rain and on her way home. Life would have sucked royally if she had to continue on through the rain carrying the lone bag that was sure to have given out on her. Justin was a life save, but it didn't mean she was entirely comfortable with him being the hero. She would have rather liked someone who owned a beat up car that she wasn't so afraid of dirtying or even someone she could stand to not look out. For she was becoming boderline freakish with the way she was always sneaking looks at him, and now she was so intent on noticing the moment he decided to react to the fact that she was in fact "trailer trash"- as most residents of Shelby Forest had so eloquently put it. Only he wasn't reacting, even seemed not to care, which was not at all what she expected since it was obivous he had an image to uphold- one that did not include her and her poor habitat.

" I used to come out here a lot...when I was younger. Right over there." She wasn't going to look, because maybe he was providing just the diversion he needed to finally display his disgust for her, but curiosity got the best of her. When she turned and noticed that it was the same peak she often found herself perched atop of, staring out into the wild, loving the beautiful forest trees and plant life that filled the space, she all but gasped. It was only a hop away from her home, and she couldn't even begin to imagine why someone of his caliber would have ever found themselves around here.

" That's where I go." she breathed, looking out the window as the place she called her "serenity" passed. She had just went there the night before, her excitement to wild with thoughts of the new life that would follow when she finally made her first appearance at the bonfire. Her mother was on the verge of another temper tantrum, and Dale just wasn't in the mood to stomach it. So she ran to the peak, and that was where she sat, that was where she decided that she would go into town and buy a new shirt- a subtle luxury for her. It wasn't until she returned home that night that she realized her plan was sabotaged before it could even take place.

" Maybe i'll catch you there sometime." Justin smirked, and Dale just rolled her eyes away from him. Maybe it was a place he went to before, but she doubted the star he was now could even fathom to step foot near that place again. She doubted she'd ever see him at her "serenity".

" Right...here is fine." They had barely made it through the dirt entrance before she beckoned for him to stop the car. " Thanks..really." she smiled, moving to drop the hoodie from her shoulders.

" No.." Justin stopped her, pushing the fabric back up. " It's still raining."

" But..."

" Your stubborn you know that." Justin saw the way her eyes widened at his tone, and smiled inwardly at her defiance to answer him. Without one word, she pulled her arms through the hooded sweatshirt and stepped out the car. Grabbing her groceries, she closed his door and scurried off into the night. Not once looking back.

 Marissa breezed through the entrance of Billy's Gas Shop, her eyes scanning the small area in search of any sign of life. It was a slow morning, regardless of the fact that it was Friday, and there wasn't a sole around. Not even Billy Bomar and his poker friends that usually staked out back could be found, which was a rarity for them. Deciding that she had nothing but time to waste, Marissa leaned against the end of the counter and waited too see if anyone would be emerging from the back. She had hoped to find Dale there, since today was the day that they would be hanging out for the first time. Part of her was dissappointed that Dale was nowhere in sight, while the other part was quite relieved. Marissa Ayala hadn't made a new friend in so many years that she just assumed she was born with the her best friend already attached at the hip- which in her case proved to be true. Christine Pinkerton, whom they called Pinky, was born in the same hospital room on the same day as Marissa. Maxine Ayala and Stacia Pinkerton had been best friends since elementary school and pretty much did everything together. They got married the same month of the same year, they both had two strapping boys and then they had Marissa and Christine. It was a given that the two would be inseparable, they never really had a choice. What marked Marissa as hilarious, was that her and Pinky where complete opposites. While Pinky gushed over the fact that Justin had grown up and turned into THE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, Marissa was annoyed by the fact. Marissa would have gladly welcomed all the discouragement in the world following his brief stint on Star Search, but couldn't find enough supporters to damper Justin's high hopes. While it may have turned out for the best for him at least, it turned into a nightmare for Marissa. Now everyone wanted a piece of her, just so they could have a piece of him. What made matters worse was that it seemed that more and more, especially during his impromptu visits home, Pinky was coming around for Justin. At first Marissa thought she was imagining Pinky's sudden change in demeanor and fashion whenever the teen icon was around, but it was becoming quite clear that it was an endearing fact. Pinky was a pimple faced, steel mouth, four eyed, mousy brown haired reject. Now, in what seemed like months, she had florished into this bleach blonde, perfect smile, clear skin noxema model. It made Marissa want to puke, because if the girl wasn't putting her wiles on Justin she was surely in the lap of Trace. The friendship she used to cherish and hold above all else had changed into nothing more than a mere aquaintance, since most of Pinky's time and energy now went into her appearance and Justin. Although Marissa was popular in her own right, she seemed to have elevated into the most popular girl in school all because of her relation to said pop star and her annoying older brother. While she enjoyed her life and friends before them, she found that there were very few people at the top of the "social ladder" that she could even consider having a true aquaintance with. There was no one she would call a friend. Which is why she she found herself staking out Billy's Gas Shop. She had seen Dale around before in school, and thought the girl was oddly striking- a profound beauty- and the only one, besides her mother of course, to have thick beautiful curly black hair. Marissa used to think she stood apart with her natural curly brown hair, but threw that notion away the day she laid eyes on Dale. The girl was like a sideshow freak to the town. No one could recall a time when someone of Dale's features had ever graced the town with their presence. In truth, Dale was the closest thing to a black person the town had ever seen outside watching television. Everything about her seemed to turn the town off from getting to know Dale, while the exact opposite was true for Marissa. Frankly, Marissa was tired of all the hypocritical, snot nosed, blonde haired girly girls who couldn't get enough of themselves. She was thirsty for real conversation, pure laughter, and someone who had an ounce of common sense. From what she could tell in their english class, Dale had a brain that deserved to be picked at. When she overheard Trace and Justin talking about the new girl in town that worked at the gas shop- Marissa never went to- she jumped on the chance to go and meet her. So now, there she was, pressed up against the counter waiting patiently for nothing.

" Reese?" Marissa nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Justin's voice boom from behind her.

" What are you doing here Weasel?" Marissa never understood why Justin called her Reese, and thus never came up with an adequate explanation as to why she called him Weasel. It was just apart of their history.

" Hiding from Trace." Justin smirked, coming around the counter and hopping on top of it. He patted the seat beside him so that she'd join him, and waited as she made several attempts to do so. It was a family trait that no one in the Ayala family stood taller than 5'5, and Marissa was a strong 5'1. Ignoring his chuckles, Marissa opened her arms as he swiftly picked her up and placed her on the counter beside him. " You should really try growing."

" And you should really try kissing my ass."

" You don't have one Reese." he stated simply taking a swig from his water bottle. Marissa rolled her eyes and didn't deny the truth, she was flat as a board in that area. However, she more than made up for it in the front. " So why are you here?"

" Weasel, we could talk about how you just ignored my question..."

" I'm hiding from Trace. He's on this high school girl kick. I'm fucking Britney Spears. I got enough on my hands." Justin sighed, scratching his chest and tossing the now empty bottle into the trash can across from him.

" Your both sick." Marissa didn't care for her brother's fondness of the ladies- especially her peers- and she especially didn't care for Britney. She was like a true Hollywood teen bimbo, America just wasn't hip to her game quite yet. Apparently neither was Justin, Marissa thought rolling her eyes.

" Gotta love us." Justin smiled, pulling Marissa to him and kissing her cheek. Pushing off of him, Marissa wiped her cheek and looked outside the window, she wondered if Dale was going to back out of going to the bonfire.

" I was looking for Dale."

" I haven't seen her today." Justin mentioned, jumping off the couner to grab a snack off the shelf. He himself had stopped by earlier to grab a snack, and possibly have a light conversation with her, but was surprised to find that she wasn't there.  He then got conjoled into staying when his grandfather went rushing out the door mumbling something about being right back. That was well over four hours ago, and every minute seemed to tick by slower.

" Yeah..we were suppose to go to the bonfire. Well I invited her." Marissa sighed swinging around on the counter and sliding off to sit in the stool Dale usually occupied. Reaching down she noticed a book stuffed underneath the counter. Pulling it out, she smiled to herself when she recognized that it was a romance novel from one of her favorite harlequinn romance novelists.

" People get invited to those things?" Justin opened a snickers bar and scrunched his nose up while chewing obnoxiously.

" No. She just never goes, so I was inviting her."

" Really, I thought someone like her would be into that." Justin shrugged, grabbing a watchamacallit and ripping it open. Marissa just watched him devour the chocolate and wondered how hot and sexy America would find him if they could see him in this cadid moment. Chocolate was smeared all over his face, his t shirt was accidentally tucked in on the one side of his ripped jeans, and his hair was growing out in a massive array of curls. He looked nothing like the Justin on camera, but every bit like the Justin she grew up with. Only now he had peach fuzz, or slightly more.

" Nope...she pretty much stays to herself. Quiet, real reserved."

" Yeah I got that impression." Marissa eyed the man she came to love as a big brother and wondered what other impressions he might have gotten from Dale that kept him so interested. Justin never asked about her friends, not that Dale was a friend-at least not yet- but for as long as shes known him he was never all that intersted in any girls she knew. They were always overly impressed with him, but Justin didn't pay them the slightest bit of attention. Instead he was often annoyed and very much turned off by them. He always said they wanted him for his image, not for who he was. Marissa couldn't agree more.

" Interested much." Marissa sang, a devilish look playing in her eye. Justin noticed and chose to ignore her insinuation. He was just merely interested in the new face in town, nothing more. Besides he was like twice her age, but not really.

" I think she's different. But that's quite obvious. Just intrigued." he shrugged, fingering a tabloid magazine that had his picture splattered across the front with Britney.

" What's the difference Webster?!"

" I don't know, I wrote a book about it. Look it up." Marissa rolled her eyes and moved off the stool. Smacking Justin upside his head, she laughed at him and hugged him from behind. Walking to the door, she turned and eyed Justin. He in turn winked and produced a toothy chocolate stained grin that touched her heart. She considered herself lucky to have known him and be apart of the very few that actually know the true him. Winking back, she walked out the door feeling sorry for those people who will never get to love the true Justin, the one behind the music.