Chapter 8: Call Me
I press the phone closer to my ear and relax farther into the bed when I hear Mackenzie laugh whole-heartedly through the other line. I’ve been away on tour for almost a month now and she seems to be holding up well.
F**k that; she’s holding up better than I am.
I miss her like crazy. I don’t tell her this but I look forward to our phone calls all day. No matter how stressful or shitty my day has been she helps me forget all about it and I can just be silly with her.
“How can you not know where you are?” She giggles only broadening my smile.
“I’m on the bus and we’re in between places.” I explain.
“Well where are you headed?”
“Uh”I just left Houston and now I’m on my way to Vegas.”
“Viva Las Vegas!” She laughs excitedly. “Then you go to LA right?”
“Yep.” After LA I start making my way back around to NY and back to her. I love how she pretends she doesn’t realize it. I just know she’s counting down the days on her calendar, just kidding; I’m not that conceded.
“That’s cool. So how was Houston?”
I go on to tell her about the show and the fans and how crazy everything was. I basically tell her the same thing every time she asks me how a show went but she always acts like it’s the first time I’ve told her.
“You should hear Enrique Justin,” She laughs, “He is beside himself without you here. I swear every time I go to see him its ‘have you talked with Justin today, did he mention me, when is he coming back again?’ I think he misses you more than I do.”
I scoff, pretending to be offended. “You don’t miss me?”
“Nope.” I know she’s lying; I can practically feel her smiling through the phone. “Not one bit.”
“Liar.”
“I know.” There’s a brief silence between us changing our playful conversation into a much more serious one. “I miss you a lot.”
“I miss you a lot too.” I whisper just as quietly as she did. “I’ll be back soon though. Then I’ll be around you so much you’ll be begging me to go back on tour.”
“I highly doubt that.” This is the first time that I’ve talked to her since I left that she seems down; that worries me a little. I mean of course we tell each other that we miss each other but she doesn’t normally sound this sad.
“How’s your therapy going?” I ask trying to lighten the mood or at least change the subject.
I hear her sigh heavily and shift in her bed. “Same ol’ same ol’.”
I nod although I know she can’t see me. She hates doing her physical therapy. It’s painful both physically and psychologically; at least that’s what she tells me. Again, I wish I could be there with her to offer my support.
“I told Enrique to stop by and I would let him talk to you but you called much later than you normally do.”
“I don’t want to talk to him anyway,” I whine, “You know he makes me uncomfortable.”
“Why cause he has a crush on you?” She asks with a giggle.
“Shut-up.” She full on laughs this time, putting me at ease again. “How would you like it if some woman flirted with you every time you saw her?” Her giggles turn into a disgusted groan and I can’t help but add, “That would be hot.”
“You’re sick Justin.” I laugh and fold my right arm behind my head as I sink farther into my pillow. “What is it with men and their fantasy of two women together?”
“I don’t know,” I chuckle, “It’s just a turn on.”
“So two men together is gross, but two women is hot?”
“Damn straight.” I reply in a serious tone. “Don’t you have some fantasy like that that gets you horny just thinking about it?”
There’s a shocked silence on her side of the phone and I have to cover the phone to hide my laughter. I love how one minute she’s talkin’ like a truck driver, swearing every other word, and the next she’s too shy and embarrassed to say anything at all.
“If I did I sure at hell wouldn’t tell you.” She mutters. I’m sure her face is bright red; I wish I could see her.
“Why not? You afraid I would use it against you? Or does this erotic fantasy involve me?”
“I’m about this close to hanging up on you Timberlake.” She warns. I can just see her sitting in bed, red in embarrassment from head to toe, holding out her fingers to tell me how close she is to hanging up.
“You wouldn’t dare hang up on me.” I reply cockily.
“How much you wanna bet?”
“Everything I got babe.” She finally gives in and lets out a loud laugh I can’t help but mock.
“Justin.” I quiet my laughter and look up at Trace. “Your momma’s on the phone and she sounds quite pissed. She claims she’s been trying to call you on your cell for hours now and it’s busy.”
“Alright, man.” I sigh realizing I’ll have to end my conversation with Mackenzie early tonight. “Tell her I’ve got to finish this call and then I’ll call her back.”
Trace agrees and leaves and I turn back to my phone. I can hear her steady breathing and I’m sure she was straining to try to hear what I was speaking with Trace about; she’s so noisy sometimes.
“Sorry about that Zee.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She brushes off with a yawn.
“You tired?”
“No.” She answers with another yawn. She reminds me of my little brothers when I try to put them to bed and they insist they are wide awake. Then they pass out about two minutes later.
“I think you are and so am I.” I answer and she objects with a groan. “I gotta call my mom anyway, but I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay.” She relents and that sadness that worried me earlier is back. “I’ll guess I’ll talk to you later.”
“Stay strong Zee,” I say seriously, “If you need me call.”
~*~*~*~
This is getting f**king ridiculous. I slam my phone shut and bite back the urge to chuck it across my dressing room. I’ve been trying to call her all day and I just get her voice mail.
I look at my watch. It should be 11:47 at night there; where the hell could she be? She can’t really go anywhere. She should be sleeping.
Trace told me to let it go and stop bothering her; if she wanted to talk to me she would answer her phone or call me herself. Mackenzie isn’t like that. She wouldn’t just blow me off. Maybe she’s pissed off because I wasn’t able to call her the past two days. I don’t know but I’m starting to worry. I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that something is wrong.
“Hey baby,” My momma greets without so much as knocking. I love the woman but I hate the way she always barges in on me. What if I was naked or something? “Trace told me you were freakin’ out about some girl and I needed to come knock some sense into your head.”
Trace is such a dick sometimes. Why can’t he just mind his own damn business?
“I’m fine momma. Trace is just over exaggerating.”
She gives me that mom look. You know what I’m talking about; the one says ‘you’re full of crap, now spill it’.
She grabs my hand as she sits on the couch next to me. “Tell me bout this girl.”
I scratch my head and sigh heavily. “It’s this girl I’ve been visiting through that Make a Wish Foundation.”
“I thought you finished that a long while ago.”
“I sort of got close with her and didn’t want to stop seeing her.”
“Oh no.” She looks at me disapprovingly.
“It’s nothing bad ma.” I immediately defend. “She’s a really sweet girl, you would love her.”
“You’re just friends with her I hope.” She says stressing the word friends.
And what if I wasn’t? I want to ask but don’t. I confirm we’re only friends and she decides to squeeze in a lecture about me and my past relationship problems and how I need to focus on my career, blah, blah, blah….
“So, anyway, I haven’t talked with her in two days and she’s not answering her phone. I just got this sick feeling in my stomach mom. I’m scared.” Against my efforts, my emotions come to the surface as my voice cracks and tears start to form in my eyes.
“I’m sure she’s fine sweetheart,” She sooths running her hand over my back in a comforting manor. “Maybe she’s just busy with her family.”
I shake my head sadly. “There is so much you don’t know about her ma.” Before we either say another word my phone vibrates in my hand. I quickly flip it open and glance at the caller ID….it’s her. My chest tightens as I raise my phone to my ear.
“Mackenzie?” I ask hopefully.
“Uh”no”it’s Sandra,” The voice on the other line clarifies. “I’m her roommate.”
“Yeah, I remember,” I reply distractedly. Why is she using Mackenzie’s phone? And more importantly why is she calling me? “Can I talk to Mackenzie please?”
“Uh”she’s not really up to talking to anyone Justin.” My heart jumps to my throat. What’s wrong with her? I try to ask but I’m too scared of the answer I might get. “I just wanted to let you know that she’ll call you once she’s feeling better so you can stop calling.”
“What do you mean, once she’s feeling better?” I ask looking over at my mom with what I’m sure is a terrified expression. She offers a sympathetic smile.
“Well, I don’t really know all the details,” She begins, lowering her voice. “I just overheard some things.”
“Go on.” I urge.
“Well Mackenzie’s mom came to tell her that Dr. Jones said she could go home just as long as someone was there to take care of her and she came back for therapy. The next thing I know Mackenzie’s screaming at her mom and crying hysterically. She’s been crying on and off ever since it happened.”
“When did this happen?”
“Umm”not yesterday but the day before.”
I sigh and run my hand through my hair. This can’t be happening; she was doing so well. “Does she need me there?”
There’s a long pause as I wait for Sandra to answer my question. I’m becoming impatient with her.
“I don’t know.” She answers quietly. I can hear the unsure-ness in her voice. God, now I don’t know what to do. “She told me not to call you but….she’s a wreck.”
TBC.....(Thanks for all of you have left me great feedback and keep it coming!
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