*Tuesday, July 25*
7:30 AM
“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” he chanted rhythmically to himself as he stumbled out of the bathroom, his alarm clock screaming at him to hurry up. Justin had overslept again and Vivian was going to have his ass on a silver platter for breakfast.
He grinned at that thought before he immediately pushed the thought from his mind. He had no time to be perverted this morning because they had to be across town in half an hour and it would take them at least forty-five minutes to get to the conference.
Justin had been on the phone late last night with Britney who was flying in that morning to spend time with him during his breaks from what he now dubbed Hell Week. The rest of his friends and Vivian had opted to go see a show on Broadway the night before and had turned in before two in the morning whereas Justin had been up until four o’clock chatting away with his overly talkative girlfriend.
And now he was late and Vivian was going to kill him.
As if on cue, his cell phone started to ring on his bedside table and he knew who it was before he even checked the caller ID.
“Hey Viv.”
“What the hellare you doing up there?” she snapped into the phone.
“I’m sorry I overslept, I’ll be downstairs in five minutes,” he explained as he jammed his toothbrush in his mouth.
“We don’t have five minutes Justin! Time is of the essence and you are not going to look good strolling into a MTV conference late!” she exclaimed and he could just imagine her pulling her hair out at the thought of being a second late.
“Dabe a Mibol Bibian. I’ll de bown in bibe minutes,” Justin muttered into his phone, mouth filled with toothpaste.
“I didn’t understand a word you just said Timberlake and if you don’t get your ass downstairs in two minutes your ass is mine.”
“I like the sound of that,” Justin joked into the phone after he spit out the contents in his mouth. He heard Vivian scoff before she hung up the phone. Chuckling to himself and feeling in somewhat better spirits, Justin finished his morning routine and a minute later, was heading out the door, hoping he would be on time by Vivian’s standards.
“Its about damn time,” Vivian snapped as Justin made his way into the lobby of the hotel. She and the rest of the guys had been ready to go by quarter after seven and waiting for Justin to haul his lazy butt out of bed wasn’t how she wanted to start Nightmare Week.
“You know how I get when I don’t sleep enough,” Justin explained but she disregarded his excuse by turning around and marching out of the hotel, the five men following her with quickened steps.
“Maybe if you didn’t spend hours on end talking to your girlfriend when you know she’s going to be here all week you’d be able to get to sleep at a reasonable hour,” Vivian said a few seconds later as they clamored into the SUV that would whisk them away to the hotel where the conference was held.
“You guys stayed out late last night, too!” Justin pointed out and Vivian rolled her eyes. It was obviously going to be one of those days where they just couldn’t see eye to eye on things. Great.
“But we were back in the hotel and in bed by two o’clock. You usually end up talking to Britney for hours and hours and it takes a negative effect on your work!”
“So I’m not allowed to talk to my girlfriend anymore, is that it? I hardly ever see her and talking to her late at night is the only time we can actually catch up, we’re so busy during the damn day!” he exclaimed and Vivian rolled her eyes yet again and took a deep breath.
“I didn’t mean it like that Justin and you know it. I’m just saying that you need to be more involved with what this band is doing and spend more time worrying about getting up on time for engagements you’ve already committed yourself to than worrying about when you can catch up with your girlfriend,” Vivian stated simply.
“But I’ve committed myself to my girlfriend!” he shouted and he blanched when Vivian held up a hand to silence him.
“I don’t want to argue with you about this. Just try to be a bit more conscientious about the schedule we’re keeping. You’ll have plenty of time to hang out with Britney during this week.”
And the car was drenched in silence. Vivian though she could hear the rest of the passengers breathe a collective sigh of relief that their argument hadn’t escalated into a full blown fight. Vivian took a deep breath and knew she would have to apologize for Justin later on in the day for her attitude, and she hated apologizing even when she was in the wrong.
Taking a deep breath again, Vivian went over her notes once more, hoping the conference would go smoothly.
*10:30 PM*
Madison Square Garden
Why did he talk me into doing this? I can’t believe he asked me to do this…I’m going to wring his scrawny little neck. Vivian thought to herself as she paced back and forth in the V.I.P. seating area of Madison Square Garden. The show had just ended and it couldn’t have gone any better in her opinion. She had opted to not watch the show that evening deciding to hole up in one of the buses and take a short nap, but that was after Justin had specifically asked her to find Britney after the show and take her back to the Toy Room so they could finally see each other after months of being apart.
Vivian had heard a lot about Justin’s girlfriend seeing as whenever they got to talking, he was always referring to her. It was always ‘Britney this,’ and ‘Britney that’ and ‘I love Britney so much.’ It would have been endearing if Justin didn’t talk about her every single damn moment of the day. The boy was addicted to an actual person and Vivian just didn’t like that.
But here she was, fully refreshed after a catnap and now she was waiting for Justin’s famous girlfriend to get out of the bathroom. She didn’t mind Britney at all. Actually by the way Justin went on and on about her she seemed like a very nice person. But Vivian hated the fact that he asked her to meet her and bring her backstage when she had never met Britney before in her life. And Vivian was never good at meeting new people on her own.
He owes me so big for this. He knows how much I hate playing hostess Vivian thought to herself bitterly as she waited for Britney appear.
Christ what was she doing in there, adding onto her weave? Vivian had never done well with patience and she was ready to charge into the bathroom and pull the girl out by her hair when the door opened and a petite, pretty blonde walked out, fluffing her hair and looking around the room.
“Are you Vivian?” she asked and Vivian looked around the room noting she was the only person there besides Britney. Are you kidding me?
“Yes, you must be Britney, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Vivian stated as she held out her hand stiffly, Britney accepting it warmly, her smile lighting up the whole room. “Well better not keep Justin waiting, I’m sure he’s chomping at the bit to see you,” Vivian said her voice stoic and cold.
And so they walked through the corridors of the venue, Britney talking a mile a minute about the show and her favorite parts, (“I loved it when Justin did his Beat box routine,” or, “Did you see when Justin was on the gurney during ‘It Makes Me Ill’?”) and thinking about her warm bed back at the hotel was all Vivian could do from turning around and slamming her hand against the girl’s mouth to shut her up.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like Britney, she was a sweet girl and seemed to love Justin a lot, but now Vivian could understand why Justin was up all night talking to her on the phone. The girl would not shut up for as second.
At long last, Vivian reached the salvation of the Toy Room and she opened the door for the starlet, allowing her to walk in first. She was glad she did because the reaction from the person in the room was deafening.
“BRIT!”
“J!”
She watched from her position at the door as Justin rushed from his seat and into the arms of his girlfriend. Vivian knew she was looking at the pair with a mixture of shock and disgust as they became permanently attached at the lips, sinking down on the couch without so much as a glance to the others in the room.
“You get used to it, I promise,” JC muttered to Vivian as he and the rest of the very sweaty band members exited the room, leaving the giggling and extremely touchy feely couple to themselves.
“You’d think they hadn’t seen each other for twenty years they way they’re going at it,” Chris muttered as he shook his head, “And they haven’t even been alive for that long.”
“I think I’m going to have to see a priest to get that image out of my head,” Vivian commented as they walked down through the corridors, “Does his tongue usually…”
“Yeah, it does.”
“And you’ve seen it enough times…”
“Yup, we have.”
“Ew,” Vivian said a look of distaste registering on her face before the rest of the guys laughed loudly and Joey clapped her on the shoulder.
“You’ve been fully initiated into the family once you’ve witnessed a Justney make out.”
“I guess it’s too late to back out now?” Vivian asked as she shook her head in mock misery.
“Nope, you’re stuck with us,” Lance said in a singsong voice as he slung a towel over his shoulders.
“Damn.”
*Wednesday, July 26*
10:30 AM
JC watched from his position on the couch as Justin stumbled into the Presidential Suite still brushing sleep from his eyes. JC had lucked out and drawn the shortest straw, meaning he would be able to wallow in the lap of luxury after all the shows and conferences at one of the most expensive rooms in all of Manhattan. So naturally his room became the central meeting place for everyone in the *NSYNC camp aside from the lobby of the Ritz Carlton.
“Late night?” JC asked as Justin plopped down next to him and sighed loudly. Justin nodded in response and JC watched as his friend zoned out in front of the television for a moment before he turned his attention towards the other man.
“I have the biggest fucking headache,” he mumbled, “Britney talked me into going to Lotus and it was insane.”
“I’ll bet,” JC commented as he grabbed a piece of fruit off of the coffee table and took a bite. He made a face; he wasn’t a fan of mangoes. “I hope you’ll be ready for tonight,” he added giving Justin what his band mates often called the ‘Daddy Face.’
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s what, only eleven-thirty? I’ll lay low until two and then I’ll be ready to go. You have to remember Jace, I’m young…I bounce back from things quickly,” Justin joked before he leaned forward and grabbed an apple.
“Well you aren’t going out tonight are you? HBO is tomorrow night, we have to be well rested,” JC explained as he muted the television without looking at the remote. He had done his late night television watching when the adrenaline from shows kept him up late and therefore he had the remote and its buttons memorized. Oh the joy of celebrity.
“No. Britney wants me to, but I’ve told her Wednesday night is my sleeping night. Besides, Vivian would kill me,” Justin added, “She’s really stressing herself out this week. I’m worried.”
“We all are,” JC replied. At the moment, Vivian was with Chris at yet another conference that announced him as a spokesperson for Child Watch. It was a very big deal and Vivian had been running herself ragged with releasing press statements to various magazines and online news journals. In fact, it was a miracle the girl didn’t drop dead from the pressure and high-end stress that came with her job and it created a newfound respect in not only Vivian, but Melinda as well. JC wouldn’t have been able to handle the press coverage for a rambunctious and sometimes out of line group and he was sure this weekend would result in a nervous breakdown for Vivian or her immediate withdrawal from her job.
“I don’t think she’s slowed down since she’s gotten here but she normally doesn’t let stress get to her as much as it is now,” Justin commented in between bites of his apple, “Something else is eating at her and I’m going to be extremely nosey and find out what it is.”
“Watch yourself there,” JC warned, “she’s a very guarded person. You know and I both know this. Don’t go trying to open any doors that should stay locked.”
“Thank you Obi-wan,” Justin quipped and JC smiled before playfully smacking Justin upside the head.
“So your night with Britney was good?” JC asked after a few moments of watching the silent pictures move across the television screen.
“Yeah it was great. Its good to see her again,” he stated a smile playing on his lips, “I’m glad she came out here this weekend.”
“Its interesting having her here when I’ve been so used to Vivian,” JC commented quietly as he grabbed his morning coffee.
“What do you mean?”
“Well I’m just saying that Britney and Vivian are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Britney is bright, bubbly, really outgoing and a goofy sense of humor. She’s a sweet girl and everyone loves her. Vivian, on the other hand, is introverted, extremely intelligent, a smart ass, and you either love her or you hate her when you first meet her.” Justin nodded in agreement before JC continued on; “I don’t know, its just weird having someone with a different spark around.”
In all actuality, JC much rather preferred Vivian’s company to Britney’s but he wouldn’t mention that to Justin. And it wasn’t that he didn’t like Britney “ he loved her like a sister. After all, she made Justin happy, and a happy Justin was a safe and functioning Justin but JC couldn’t help but feel that there was something…off about Britney. Her head was in all the wrong places and she seemed to be taking Justin along with her.
Vivian, however, had her head firmly screwed onto her shoulders and he knew it would take an enormous force to knock her off her well-maintained mountain. She was a good conversationalist and listener, plus she took care of all of them and made sure they stayed out of trouble. She was their mini mother and he liked knowing that there would always be someone there to take care of them.
“I see what you mean, but she’s changed a lot since she first started working for us,” Justin remarked, “She’s opened up a lot more and for some odd reason we’ve gotten closer over the last couple of weeks…”
“Closer how?” JC asked as his interest in the conversation suddenly peaked. He had never really spoken with Justin or Vivian about their strange relationship and he was chomping at the bit to figure out what was going on between the two.
“I don’t know…that’s what’s strange about it. I mean we’re only a year apart and she’s way too mature and serious but for some reason I feel comfortable with her. I feel safe. She’s like my surrogate mom but not. My mom is more of a goofball than she is.” JC chuckled at this statement and nodded in agreement. When it came to goofy mothers, Lynn was the goofiest of them all.
“Are you attracted to her?” JC blurted and Justin looked up at him with a shocked expression on his face.
“Christ, Jace,” he mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair, “I think she’s pretty but you know how I feel about Britney, man. I love her, she’s the only girl for me.”
“I know but that doesn’t mean you have to blind yourself to every girl that walks by. I mean I’ve been with Bobbie for a while now but that doesn’t stop me from checking out other girls. I don’t act on it but you know…it’s a guy thing,” JC admitted sheepishly. Ah, the curse of the male mind, sometimes he wondered how they could put up with it.
“Yeah, unfortunately,” Justin commented before he grabbed another apple from the table and began to eat it.
“Hey c’mon now, that’s my fruit…I’m sure you could go down to the lobby and get your own,” JC joked as he reached for the apple. Justin dodged his reach and looked back at him, the apple firmly lodged between his teeth.
“Whatever, part of my paycheck is paying to put your ass in this room, I’m entitled to something from it,” Justin joked before he threw the remainder of his food at JC’s head. He evaded it quickly and stuck his tongue out at his best friend before they erupted into peals of laughter, the stress from their busy week quickly evaporating.
