I'm the first one to arrive at Johnny's house and that's unusual. ButI guess it's just proves how much I've learned in the past weeks. I can't believe it's been almost a month since this whole ordeal began. I can finally find my way around.

But we haven't spent much of the last month in Orlando. We have been all over the place. New York, Chicago, LA, Vegas, Detroit, Miami, Seattle... I don't know. I can't remember all the places. We've been flying, going on TV shows and doing mini-performances, singing the hell out Bye Bye Bye. Sometimes that song is the last thing I think of when I go to sleep and the first thing I think of when I wake up. I've ridden more planes in these past couple of weeks than I have my whole life. Lift off and touch down. It seems it's never ending. And I've met tons of girls, written thousands of autographs. I spent hours perfecting Justin's signature and nobody has had any complaints.



I've also spent hours hooking up with groupies in my private hotelroom. Well, it's private when I kick whoever is my roommate out of the room. And we smoke and drink or whatever and mess around and it's really fun. It is, I can't deny that. But I never forget all of myproblems.


Things between Lance and I are okay, but he's mostly polite towards me. We talk, but he doesn't go out of his way to hang out. I feel bad about that for a variety of reasons. I shouldn't have been running my mouth. But then again, Lance has nothing to be ashamed of.


At least I did one thing right. I'm sure keeping Sasha the hell away from Justin. I haven't seen her much at all since we started traveling and when I do see her she keeps her distance and only extends me professional courtesy. There's no way they'll fall in love now.


So it seems like I've solved the problem. Then why isn't everything back to the way it's supposed to be?


Sometimes, I just give up trying to figure it out. Sometimes I forget about the whole situation, just for a moment. But those times are few and far between.



"Hey Johnny," I say, finding him in his main office.



"Justin, how's it going." He points at the chair on the other side of the desk. "Have a seat."


I sit down in the comfortable leather chair. No Strings Attached has been on sale since midnight and it's 4pm now but we're about to get the projected first week sales during this meeting.

"How have you been doing, Justin?" Johnny asks.


"I've been fine. What can I say? It's great." I lean back in the chair and shrug. I wish I could tell him the truth. Johnny is such an even-tempered, intelligent man. He might even believe me.


"I've just been thinking about the group." Johnny says. "Thinking about you in particular. Just about how you boys have grown. How far we've come. It's pretty amazing, don't you think?"


"Yeah," I say and I mean it. Even being my dad for just a couple ofweeks has show me how hard he worked when he was younger. I wish he told me more about his life because it really shows me a lot about
him. He had a good work ethic and he was kind to his bandmates and the fans. At least, from what I've learned about him. He wasn't perfect, that was for sure. But for the most part her was pretty cool.

"I've noticed something about you," Johnny says and I hold my breath.I always go back and forth about wanting to fit in. On the one hand, I don't owe Dad anything. But on the other hand, there's something about this group. I want so bad to be apart of it.

"What about me?" I ask.



"You were struggling at the beginning of the month. I don't know why.Maybe some kind of mental road block. But you've really overcome it and you're standing out. Justin, I don't really like to say it, but you're a cornerstone of this group. You keep us going. You're essential to our success. So thank you for getting it together andworking so hard. I really think NSA is going to surprise us. We're going to show the music world just exactly what our group can do."



Johnny's praise makes me feel wonderful and warm, even if it is forJustin. I just don't get a lot of people complimenting me. It might be Justin that's getting the gratitude but I've been doing the work.



"Thanks, Johnny," I say, not sure what I should say.



"I'm serious, Justin. You have potential. You're going to be a real huge star. I won't let it end anytime soon. You and me, we're together on this."



Johnny hadn't been to the future, yet. I don't think. So he didn't know. But Dad does go on to be a huge star. Eight albums, all number one and one of the top producer/songwriters in the nations. Everyone always expected big things from him.


"Definitely," I say, feeling guilty for some reason. "That's the plan."


"Hang out until the others get here," Johnny suggests. "I've got acouple of phone calls to make."


I jump up, happy to be dismissed. Johnny's house is just incredible.It's like an amusement park. I could go play some of those old fashioned video games. This is before an Xbox even, I think. But instead I stop in this room full of instruments.


I see a saxophone case. I'm drawn towards it. I can't remember the last time I played, even before this whole thing started. I was always being kicked out of different private high schools. I didn't have time to join all the different bands.


But, damn, do I love to play the sax. I open the case and look at the gleaming instrument inside, just calling my name. I would love a moment to relax. Just a moment to be myself. Jez.



I could be great at it. If I hadn't messed up my life. Maybe I could be a legend like Dad. I pull the sax out of the case and find the reed. I don't care who played it last. I wet the reed in my mouth and the position it on the sax. I secure the strap firmly around my body and then bring the mouthpiece to my mouth. It feels as comforting between my lips as cotton candy. I take a deep breath and blow.


Beautiful music. A different level than Nsync. A different challenge. It reverberates through my whole body. I just love it.


I don't know how long I've been playing, just song after song, when I heard JC say, "Whoa!" behind me. I turn around quickly.

"I didn't know you could play the sax."



Shit. I lower the instrument from my lips. "Something I picked up off the Internet." I lie.


"That's so awesome." JC is grinning, obviously impressed. "Who wrote that song you were playing? I really like it."


I swallow, trying to think of a lie. Then I decide just to go with thetruth. "A young cat named Jez."

"It was great! I should get one of his CDs. I love that kind of music.Let's have a jam session." JC walks into the room and sits at the piano. It's very random, but we do have a jam session and soon, Lance and Joey and Chris and Johnny and a couple of other people are watching us.



We end at the same time. It's like JC and I have a psychic connection. Everyone claps.

"You guys need to write something together, immediately!" Chris exclaims. "For the next album."

"Let's focus on the current one for now, guys." Johnny suggests and we get up to follow him to the conference room.

"We'll write songs together," JC says to me as we leave the room, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "Wouldn't it blow everyone's mind if you played a sax solo at the concert?"



That wasn't going to happen. Hopefully, I wouldn't be around that long. "Don't be surprised if I suddenly lose the ability to play the saxophone," I say casually. "I just picked it up off the Internet today. Those things don't stick."

JC gives me a funny look and laughs. "You're ridiculous sometimes, Justin."

"Wait a second," Chris says, right outside the door to the conference room. Johnny and whoever else is listening in is already inside. "Let's take bets. How many CD sales this week?"



"What's the bet?" Lance asks.



"100 dollars, okay?" Chris says.



"Let's do 20," Joey says. "I'm going with 1.2 million."



"I'll say an even million," Lance says.



"You're all going to lose!" Chris smiles brightly. "1.5."



"Is this for the projected sales or for the final sales?" I askcarefully, running a hand through all that hair on my head.


"Final sales, I guess," Chris decides.



"800 k," JC puts in. I scoff at him.



"Have a little faith, JC," I say.



"What? CD sales are down, no matter who you are," JC defends himself."I'm being realistic."


"2.4 million," I say. "That's my guess."



The other guys stare at me.



"I need some of this crack you are constantly on, Justin," Chris says after a moment.

"Gotta dream big," I say with a shrug.



"No, seriously, I want your drugs!" Chris exclaims with a laugh and we all walk into the room and take various seats around the conference table.



"So, first day sales," Johnny says. "They are projected to be aroundone million."

"Wait a minute," JC says. "For one day? One million?"



"What!" Lance echoes.



"You're serious," Joey says quietly.



"Well, that's amazing!" Chris says. "I for one am excited. We should have a celebration right now. We need chips and dip and soda pop, Johnny. What kind of a manager are you?"



"We're looking at around 2 million for the week, if everything goes asexpected." Johnny goes on evenly.


"I'm floored!" JC exclaims. Only JC would say something as weird as 'I'm floored'.


"This is amazing," Lance says. There's really only so much you can say about these kind of numbers. This CD record will never be broken. I know that for sure.



"We have to strike while we're hot. We're going to be putting the tourdates on sale in the next couple of weeks as we get the venues finalized. Boys, we're on to something big and I want to thank you all for your hard work. You can definitely celebrate this one. It's pretty unbelievable."



We clap for outselves. Nobody seems to notice that I'm pretty quiet,which is what I'm looking for. I'm having trouble mustering up a lot of enthusiasm right now for some reason.



The rest of the meeting is full with technicalities. Winning the bet doesn't feel so fun anymore. It's just cheating. Maybe if I keep predicting the future like this, I might get a window of opportunity to tell someone the truth.


"You're going to win, Justin," JC says as we all exit the meeting. "I thought you were just being facetious with a number like that. Two million... wow. I can't even imagine."



"I was being facetious," I mumble. "I just got lucky, I guess."



"Now we'll really have something to celebrate at the party tonight," Joey says walking past us. "See you there!"


We were having a party at some club in New York. I don't know why we were still in Orlando at 4pm and the party started at like nine or ten. It was our official release party.



"What are you doing now?" JC asks me.



"Going home and putting something in a bag, then going up to the airport."



"Call me when you're about to leave, we can take the same plane. See you," JC turns to go out the back door to his car. He almost runs into someone coming out of a room. "Oh hey, Sasha."



I turn to look at her. She smiles at JC and steps aside for him. "Hey JC," She says cheerfully. "Congratulations." Then she notices me and smiles a little less. "You too, Justin."

"Thanks!" JC waves and he's on his way out. Sasha and I look at each other for a moment. She has her hair in dozens of small braids that cascade over her shoulders. It's very beautiful.



"How's it going?" I ask after a moment.



"Oh, it's fine," She says. "I've just got two months before my graduation."



"Congratulations," I say, wondering if she looks down on Justin for not going to college. Would she look down on me for the same thing? "That's great."



"Johnny offered me a full time position here. So I'm just breezing through the semester." Sasha shrugs. She is holding a couple of folders. "So... have fun at the party." She turns to head down the hallway but all of a sudden I can't let her leave.


"Wait!" I say. She stops in her tracks. "Uh, Sasha. I want to apologize. For being rude to you. I'm really not like that."


Sasha turns around slowly to give me a skeptical look. "No, Justin, I think that's exactly what you're like. I don't blame you. You're young, you're hot, you're rich, you're famous. Don't worry about it."



"No, really!" I insist. "That doesn't describe me." And I really don't want that to be all my father is. That's just so shallow. I know he's got more going on in his brain, in his life. Especially with me behind the wheels. I really don't want Sasha to hate my dad and think he's a loser. That's the last thing I want. Because, by association, she'd be thinking I'm a loser too.

Sasha doesn't say anything. She turns to leave again. I step forward and grab her arm.

"Hey, what are you doing tonight?" I ask impulsively. Sasha doesn't say anything but she looks at me strangely and looks at my hand. I let her go.



"You could come to the party," I say quickly. "With me. My guest."



"The party in New York?" Sasha says incredulously. "Justin, it's aTuesday night."

"Do you have class tomorrow?"



"Well... no. But that's just strange."



"No, it's not! It's not that strange," I insist. "Everyone's going.And you're part of the team now. You should go. You helped make this happen."



Sasha looks over to the side. I can tell that she's considering this crazy proposition.


"Not as a date or anything," I clarify. "But... I don't know. I just don't think you should be excluded. I owe you something. For that ride you gave me. You really didn't have to do that."



"Did you ever find your car?" Sasha asks, looking back at me. Her gaze has softened a little.

"Yeah, they found it, but it was stripped. I got insurance money for a new one."



"What about all your girls, Justin?" Sasha asks slyly. That's a goodquestion. I could have a lot of girls tonight. But I take a deep breath.



"I don't do thing I don't have to do," I say, looking at her honestly."I don't have to ask you to go to the party. That's not my job. But I want to. So I am. And I'll be polite, you can believe that. I'll be nice. I might even be a lot of fun. You might even have a good time. Give me a chance." I smile my most charming smile. Justin's charming smile. I practice it in the mirror sometimes. It really works wonders.

"So you really play the saxophone?" Sasha asks. Her question takes me aback. Then I remember I was just playing it about an hour ago.

"Yeah, sometimes. I was just messing around really."



"It's my favorite instrument," Sasha says with a beautiful smile. I want to drop to the floor, hug her knees and confess the truth. I feel strongly about this. If anyone could help me, it would be my mother.It would be Sasha.


Suddenly, this seems like a plan. The urge for confession is making my heart beat wildly. But I have to wait for the right moment.

I have to earn her trust.



"I like the sax too. It's beautiful." I pause for a moment. "So will you come to the party? With me. Just as friends because... well, I want to get to know you." That's probably the most truthful thing I've said since this whole thing started.


"I'd like that," Sasha agrees with a firm nod. "You know what? Why not. It's my last semester. I'm not really doing homework anyway."


"This time I'll pick you up," I say. "Where do you live?"



Sasha writes down her address on a scrap of paper and hands it to me. I've gotten a pretty good feel for Orlando and I know about where she lives so I'll have minimal problems picking her up.



"I think a plane is going to be leaving around eight. Is that good for you?"



"Sure, Justin." Sasha agrees. Then she puts a hand to her face and laughs nervously. "This is so strange. I never do things like this. Spontaneous trips to New York. That's crazy."



"Get used to it," I say, giving her arm a playful squeeze. "You're rolling with me now."


"See you tonight," Sasha says. Then she turns and heads off to do what she was about to do.


I watch her leaving. Even in her gray professional slacks, you can see that she has a nice ass.


Is it possible to have a crush on your own mother? Okay, it's possible. But I'm pretty sure it's wrong.



But she's not my mom. She's Sasha, this is the year 2000 and I'm Justin Timberlake. Even with all those factors, I cannot have a crush on her. Sasha and Justin will not have a romantic relationship. That'snot part of the plan. I don't want to ruin their lives completely, especially not Sasha's. But I want to get to know her. I think I should take that opportunity while I'm here.


"Sasha's cute," Chris says from behind me. I think I jump about a mile.



"Where did you come from?" I ask, turning around quickly and putting a hand on my chest. Jeez, Chris can be creepy sometimes.


"You should hit that." Chris is smirking.



"No way," I say, staring him down.



"Let's have another bet," Chris challenges. "One you won't win."



"Bring it on."



"I bet that you can't go two weeks without you trying to kiss Sasha or Sasha trying to kiss you. And you gotta keep talking to her."


Piece of cake. "You're on, Chris."



"If I win, I get to hawk your gaudy necklace," Chris says, leaningforward and grabbing that JRT necklace that is around my neck sometimes, when I think about it.



"And when I win," I say with a bit of attitude. "You have to give me your motorcycle for a month."


"It's on." Chris declares. And we shake on it.