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When Wishes Come True by BrandyRae
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When Wishes Come True
by BrandyRae
Chapter 1 – The Assault
Tiny beads of sweat formed on his brow as he stood completely motionless. His heart thumped inside his chest as the unsettled feeling in his stomach continued to gnaw away at his insides.
“All I want is a fucking autograph for my girlfriend.” The crazed assailant pleaded.
Justin stood frozen, covered by his enormous bodyguard, Lonnie. For the first time in his well-traveled life, he feared for his safety.
“Just calm down, man.” Lonnie spoke, his deep voice as calm as possible. He had been trained for these situations, but still he had to fight off the panic that was overwhelming him. “If you put the gun down, he’ll be more than happy to sign an autograph for your girl.”
“No.” The angry man took another step towards them, waving the gun flagrantly in their direction. “No, I won’t. If he would have just signed it in the first place we could have avoided all this.”
Justin held his breath, waiting for the police. Surely they’d be there any minute. Why did I insist on going out this morning? He thought, his fists clenching tighter by the second.
“I can’t let you do this, son.” Lonnie tried reasoning with the young man. “You don’t want to do this.”
“Why?” The bitterness in the gunman’s voice was strong as he spoke. “Because he’s Justin fucking Timberlake? What makes him so fucking special? Huh?” The dark haired man’s tone grew louder as he rambled on.
Suddenly the police emerged and a terrified Justin sighed with relief as they surrounded and seized the hostile fan. As real as it was, he couldn’t believe what had just happened.
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“Hey man, you want to get out and stretch your legs with us?” The eldest member of the group couldn’t help but be concerned for his friend. Not his friend, his brother, as they liked to refer to one another. Nearly forty-eight hours had passed since the incident and still Justin was avoiding public places.
“I’m cool.” Justin turned down the offer, returning his gaze to the laptop screen in front of him.
“You think he’ll be alright for the show tomorrow night?” JC asked as he stood behind Chris and Joey at the check-out line in the convenience store.
“I hope so.” Joey shrugged.
“He’ll be okay.” Chris answered. “This is Justin Timberlake we’re talking about. He won’t let his fans down.”
The peaceful sound of the open road was all Justin heard as he laid restless in his bunk on the tour bus. For the second night in a row, sleep didn’t seem to come so easy. Instead, the event replayed in his head over and over again.
~*FLASHBACK*~
“Lonnie, wake up. I want to go to the bookstore before we hit the road.” Justin spoke chipperly into the hotel phone. As usual, he was wide awake at nine a.m. and ready to head towards the next city.
Twenty minutes later the 250 pound bodyguard was at the door, waiting to escort him to the nearby Barnes & Noble.
“J, you ready? I need to get you back.” Lonnie informed. They had spent a good thirty minutes in the store as it was.
“Yeah, I’m ready.” The dark blond headed heart throb responded. As he turned casually to walk towards the checkstand, the man appeared. First impression gave no threat. He was average looking, dressed casual in dark blue jeans and a gray and black hooded sweatshirt.
“Justin. Hey man, can I get your autograph?”
“I’m sorry sir.” Lonnie stepped in. “Mr. Timberlake has a schedule to keep.”
“Look,” the young man explained. “I followed you all the way from the hotel. My girlfriend loves you. She’ll kill me if I don’t get an autograph.”
Instantly something clicked in Justin’s mind as the words rang in his ears. I followed you all the way from the hotel.
“I’m sorry-” Lonnie began, before being cut short.
“If you were sorry he’d sign an autograph for me. I don’t think you’re sorry at all.” He spoke irrationally. Quicker than a blink of an eye, he grabbed the handgun from underneath his bulky sweatshirt and pointed it in Justin’s direction. Without a second of hesitation Lonnie covered Justin with his body, standing in between him and the attacker. Justin’s breathing became irregular as he stood frozen with shock. Was this really happening?
~*END FLASHBACK*~
In a cold sweat, Justin sprung up quickly, smacking his head on the bunk above him.
“Hey man, you alright?” Lance asked groggily from his bed above.
“I’m fine.” Justin answered, gradually returning his head to the warmth of his pillow. He breathed deeply, filling his lungs with air and slowly exhaling, trying hard to calm himself down. If only I was just a regular guy. He thought. I’d kill to be able to go somewhere without one autograph to sign or one picture to take. People don’t know how lucky they are to have a normal life. I wish I could have a normal life…
Chapter 2 – Where the heck?
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
Gradually his vision came to focus as he stretched and yawned. “What the-”
His body shot straight up, his heart racing in a panic. The familiar surroundings he normally woke to, weren’t familiar at all. In fact, he didn’t know where the hell he was.
Frantically he hopped out of the twin-sized bed he had been sleeping in, nearly tripping over the blue and white striped sheets that were tangled around his limbs. “Shit! Where the hell am I?” He placed himself in front of the mirror on the black marbled-looking dresser. “This has gotta be a dream.” He pinched his cheek for reassurance. “Shit.” He gasped again before screaming uncontrollably. “JC! Lance! Joey! Chris!”
“Thank god.” He gasped as the door handle began to turn. “Fuck, where the hell are-” He bit his tongue, frozen stiff as a teenage girl popped in the doorway.
“My brother is a freak.” She announced, rolling her eyes and turning to leave Justin standing speechless. Not a muscle moved in his body as he watched her do a complete 180 to glare at him once more. “Don’t you have class this morning?” She asked snottily before making her exit.
A panicked Justin cursed under his breath, reaching for the phone that sat on the nightstand beside the bed. He dialed the first phone number that came to his head, JC’s cell phone. “Answer your phone.” He breathed heavily as it rang and rang.
“Hello?”
“Shit, JC. What the hell is going on? Where are you guys?” Justin asked in a panic.
“Who is this?”
“It’s me, Justin. Who do you think it is?”
“I don’t know any Justin.”
His heart sank as he listened to the dial tone sounding in his ear. “What the fuck is going on!”
Plopping down on the edge of the unmade bed, he buried his face in his hands. “This is not funny.” He gasped. “This is not fucking funny.”
A soft knock on the room door notified him to another entry, this time it was an older woman who looked to be in her mid-forties. Her blond curls cascaded gently around her shoulders. A look of pure sincerity across her face as she walked towards him and tenderly sat beside him. “Honey, is something wrong? Are you feeling okay?”
Justin sat bewildered as she placed a hand on his forehead checking for a temperature. “Where am I?” He asked softly.
“You’re at home, silly. Are you sure you’re not feeling sick?”
“No.” He sighed. “I feel fine.”
“Well, you better get in the shower. Doesn’t your class start at 8:00?”
Justin noticed the stack of hardbound books sitting beside a desktop computer in the corner of the room. On the floor, a black backpack sat perched against the wall.
“I’ll leave you alone to get dressed.” Softly she patted his knee before standing to leave. “I made some breakfast if you’re hungry.”
As she shut the door behind her, he realized the urgency in his bladder and wondered where in the hell the bathroom was. He hopped up and opened the bedroom door, scanning each direction of the hallway in front of him.
The blond headed girl who had barged in on him only minutes before stepped out of what looked to be a bathroom. He headed towards it walking briskly, shut the door and locked it. As he stood there, doing his duty, he noticed the collage of pictures on the wall above the toilet. Amazed to find that they were of him! Him at all ages. Him at basketball practice. Him with a girl at a high school formal. Him at what looked like high school graduation.
“What the hell is going on?” He muttered softly to himself, studying his image in the mirror. Completely and utterly confused, he turned the brass knob on the sink and began splashing cold water on his face. “Snap out of it Timberlake. This has got to be some kind of fucked up dream.”
A loud knock on the bathroom door startled him as he turned the water off quickly. “What?” He yelled.
“Cyn is on the phone and wants to know what time you’re picking her up for class.”
“Who?”
“Cynthia. Duh, what is wrong with you.” The voice shouted through the door.
“Tell her I’m in the shower.” He answered.
Justin stood with his ear glued to the door, listening. “He’s in the shower. You know how he is, it’ll be at least a half an hour.” He overheard her say. Cynthia? He thought. Who is Cynthia? Who are all these people? And why are my pictures on the wall? What the fuck is going on??????
Chapter 3 – The Realization
As he stood in the tiled shower letting the warm water run down his body hoping for some sort clue of what was happening to him, it hit. His wish had come true. He had wished for a normal life and somehow, something had granted it and dropped him right smack in the middle of a completely normal life.
Turning off the water, he reached for the beige towel on the rack. The one clearly embroidered with his name, Justin. Beside it hung another labeled Tracy. That little brat must be my sister. He thought.
Wrapping the oversized towel around his waist, he strolled back to the only other room he was familiar with. The one he assumed was his bedroom. Once safely inside, he searched for something to wear.
After slipping into a pair of light blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt he headed back towards the bathroom to do his hair. He gazed into the open door across the hall, stunned to see posters of his band mates plastered on the walls, but with one small change. The fifth one wasn’t him! In a daze he wondered inside, staring blankly at the blond guy who looked similar to him, but definitely was not him.
“What are you looking at?” Tracy asked, obviously annoyed.
“Who is that?” Justin asked curiously, pointing at the fifth member of *NSYNC.
“Stop making fun of me.” She retorted. “It’s Jacob from *NSYNC, duh.”
“Jacob?” He asked, a bit taken aback.
“That’s what I said. Now get out of my room.” She demanded.
Bemused, he wandered into the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet to find the exact styling products he needed for his daily routine. “Jacob?” He whispered softly to himself.
Chapter 4 – This Ain’t So Bad
Schedule, there must be a schedule around here somewhere. Shit, I don’t even know what city I’m in. How am I supposed to know how to get anywhere? Do I even have my own car?
A million thoughts ran through his mind as he began shoving books in the black backpack. Opening the zipper pocket in front, he hit the jackpot. Or so it felt anyway, he found a cell phone, car keys and his wallet. Thank God!
Not two seconds after he powered on the phone, it rang.
“Hello?” He answered.
“Babe, where are you? We are going to be so late for class.” The female voice on the other end sounded just a bit irritated.
“Cynthia?” Justin guessed.
“Yes, of course. Your sister was right, you are acting weird. Just hurry up, okay?”
“Okay.” He answered and hung up the phone.
Standing up, he flung the heavy backpack over his shoulders and jogged downstairs, his car keys in hand. Luckily there was an alarm remote so he’d be able to figure out which one was his without trying the key in every door. “Where are you going sweetie?” His mom asked. “Your car’s in the garage, remember?”
“Oh yeah.” He replied, turning around and heading through the kitchen. As he began to head out the door, he stopped and turned towards her, a puzzled look across his face. “I’m supposed to pick up Cynthia.” He said questionably.
“Okay.” She replied, a bit confused.
“She lives where?” He asked hesitantly.
“Two houses down across the street.” She answered with a look of bewilderment.
“To the right or to the left?”
“Left. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“I was just checking.” He replied quickly and fled out the door.
Two cars sat in the tidy garage. One was a dark blue Chevy Suburban, maybe one to two years old. On the other side was a sparkling silver convertible Mustang GT, it couldn’t have been more than a year old.
With a press of the button the chirp led him to the shiny sports car, he opened the door with a smile and sat down in the plush leather seat.
As he pulled on to the street he noticed a pretty girl standing in her front yard two houses down, across the street on the left. “That must be her.” He thought out loud. He pulled up to the curb, and without hesitation she climbed in, throwing her backpack in the backseat.
With a grin she leaned towards him and pecked him on the cheek. Justin stared at her, making a mental picture of her image. Her hair fell past her shoulders and was a golden brown color. There was a slight wave to it as she tucked one side behind her ear. Her eyes were a light green and her complexion was smooth and flawless. She was a small girl, maybe a little taller than five foot and very petite.
“Hey, I’ve got a pounding headache, you feel like driving?” He asked her.
“You want me to drive your car?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” She answered eagerly. Quickly they hopped out and switched places. Justin took a sigh of relief, thankfully getting out of trying to find his way to their school.
He stared blankly out the window while she drove, trying his best to figure out where he was. I’ve seen the whole world. He thought. Surely, I’ve been to this place before too.
Cynthia scanned through the radio stations. A sharp pain stuck him right in the chest as she flipped past “This I Promise You.”
“Turn it back.” He told her.
“Huh?”
“Turn it back.” He repeated. “There. Leave it there.” He demanded and reached for the knob to turn it up. Something inside him ached as he listened, the voice that sang his part, wasn’t his. Frustrated, he turned it off.
“What is wrong with you?” Cynthia asked.
“What?”
“Since when did you start liking *NSYNC? Is your sister starting to rub off on you?”
“What’s wrong with *NSYNC?” He asked defensively.
“Nothing, except for the fact that you’ve always made it a point to stress how much you hate all boy bands, suddenly you’re listening to their songs on the radio.”
“Maybe I’ve changed.” He said softly.
The uncontrollable urge to tuck his head down and avoid eye contact with strangers stuck with him as he followed Cynthia through the college campus. When he passed by several girls and no one even second glanced at him, he felt very odd. And then, he felt relieved. This isn’t so bad after all. He thought. I kinda like being a normal guy.
Chapter 5 – Brothers Torn
A week had passed and Justin had settled quite nicely into his new life. The memories of his previous life were slowly fading. In fact, he could barely remember their faces unless he looked at the pictures in his sisters room.
He surfed the web on his computer, looking for nothing in particular. It was Sunday and he had spent the day playing basketball with his buddies. Guys he was becoming more and more familiar with as the days passed.
An ear shattering scream caused him to rise to his feet. He threw open his bedroom door and jogged to his sisters room. The two had found a common ground over the last few days and he was happy with the progress he had made on being her brother.
“Ohmigod! Ohmigod! Ohmigod!” She repeated it several times.
“What? What’s the matter?.” He asked, concerned.
“*NSYNC broke up. They broke up. Ohmigod! Ohmigod!” She ranted.
“They what?” Justin sighed in shock.
“Yes, it’s all over the news. Jacob left for a solo career and Chris is getting married. Ohmigod!” She threw her arms around her brother, hugging on for dear life. He wished desperately there was something he could do to make her feel better. He wished he could tell her that he was a member of *NSYNC. But he wasn’t, not anymore anyway. He had given up that life for this one.
Chapter 6 – The Missing Link
“Justin, what is the matter?” Cynthia asked as she curled beside him on his bed.
“What do you mean?” He asked her.
“You’re acting so distant tonight? Did I do something?”
“No, of course not.” He assured her. Over the course of the week he had grown very fond of Cynthia. She was a sweet girl who he apparently shared many memories with. From what he had gathered, he had known her pretty much his entire life and they had been dating for over two years.
Tenderly she ran her fingertips down the center of the red t-shirt that covered his chest. His mind was somewhere else, he knew he didn’t belong with her. He knew this wasn’t his life. As much as he was enjoying it, he wanted the old one back. He missed his friends, he missed his real mom, he missed everything and he couldn’t stand it much longer.
“I have something I have to do.” He told her. “I’ll call you later?”
“Sure.” She sighed, sitting up straight. “Walk me out?”
“Of course.”
After saying goodbye to Cynthia, Justin got in his car and pulled out of the garage. He didn’t have a clue where he was going, he drove aimlessly. He had hijacked Tracy’s “No Strings Attached” CD the day before and listened to it over and over again.
It was after midnight when he returned home. He knew he had promised Cynthia he’d call, but he couldn’t do it. Instead he curled up in his bed and pretended that he was back on that bus. He racked his brain, searching for lost memories. He imagined Lance snoring above him and JC talking quietly on his cell phone.
“God, I’d give anything to have that back.” He said softly. Sadly he closed his eyes, blinking a few stray tears that had welled up in his eyes. I want my life back. He wished. I miss my mom, I miss JC and Lance and Chris, and even Joey. I miss my fans. I want to be mobbed when I go to the mall. God, I never thought I’d hear myself say that! But it’s so true. Please, just put me back on that bus.
Chapter 7 – Thank God, I’m home!
“Wake up!” JC had been shaking Justin for two minutes and the boy was still sawing logs. He could not get him to wake up for anything. “Wake up!” He shouted.
Slowly Justin came to. “Tracy, go away.” He whined.
“Tracy?” JC asked. “Who the hell is Tracy?”
In an instant Justin regained his clarity. “JC?” He asked in shock. “Oh my God, it’s you!” Excitedly he hopped out of his bunk and threw his arms around his long-time friend.
“Dude.” JC groaned, pushing his friend away. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
By this time, Lance had heard the commotion from the bathroom and stood behind JC with a curious smirk on his face. “You okay man?” He asked.
“You guys don’t even know.” Justin breathed heavily. “What day is it?”
“It’s Tuesday. Yesterday was Monday Tomorrow is Wednesday. You alright?” JC asked.
“Thank God, it was all a dream. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“He is totally trippin’.” JC muttered under his breath, turning his back walking towards the front of the bus.
“No kidding.” Lance followed.
Justin looked upwards and smiled. Thank you. He thought. Thank you so much.
Chapter 8 – The Aftermath
Happily Justin signed autographs for fans backstage at the meet and greet before that nights show. He had never been so thankful and appreciative of his life as he was at that very moment.
Grinning from ear-to-ear he posed for pictures and hugged as many fans as possible. Feeding off of their excitement. He couldn’t wait until the show, he was so ready to be back on stage.
Something clicked as he saw two familiar faces heading his direction. An older girl about his age, and a younger girl maybe fourteen or fifteen.
“Hi.” The older one smiled, her golden brown hair falling around her shoulders. The younger girl stared with amazement.
“Hi.” Justin smiled.
The younger girl with the curly blond hair handed him her CD to sign.
“What’s your name?” He asked with a twinge of hope.
“Tracy.” She grinned shyly.
His eyes widened, almost disbelieving of what she had said. He looked at the older girl beside her.
“I’m Cynthia.” She smiled.
Justin placed a hand on his chest, taking a deep breath. “Be still my heart.” He grinned, trying to keep his composure. He signed the CD case and then handed it to her before opening his arms for a hug. He gripped on to the girl tight and then whispered into her ear. “Be nice to your brother now, okay?”
Tracy looked at him with a twinkle in her blue eyes. “How do you know I have a brother?”
“Just a good guess.” He answered, returning his stare to Cynthia.
“Jacob.” Cynthia smirked. “That’s my boyfriend and her brother. I tried to drag him here, he wouldn’t come.”
Justin chuckled, “We can’t all be fans I guess.”
“Thank you.” Tracy smiled, staring down at the autograph he had signed.
“Thank you.” He told her with a wink.
The two girls turned and faded into the crowd. If only they knew. He thought. If only they knew.
©2000 BrandyRae
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