Chapter 1
(August 1987)
“Sarah, will you marry me?”
“Justin, we’re only 6, that’s disgusting”
“So what? Will you?”
“Why do you wanna marry me?”
“Cause then I could kiss you anytime I wanted” Justin said as a huge grin covered his face. He started laughing as Sarah gave him a dirty look and Trace popped out of the bushes laughing hysterically
“Told you she wouldn’t” Trace laughed
“You’re stupid… I hate you guys” Sarah said as she ran into Justin’s house
“Sarah, hunny, what’s wrong?” Justin’s mother asked as Sarah stormed into the room crying
“Boys…” she sniffled, “Justin said he was gonna marry me and I didn’t want to and then Trace said he was and then they laughed at me and I wanna go home. Auntie Lynne I hate them! I’m going home!” Sarah said as she began to walk to the door in the midst of tears
“Sarah, sweetie” Lynne said as she stood in front of the door, “You can’t go home your mommy’s not home yet. But she’s going to come and get you soon. Why don’t you sit down and watch some TV, and I’ll get you some ice cream. Deal?” Lynne reached out her hand and with a smile on her face. She always knew how to make Sarah feel better, especially when the boys were picking on her
“Deal” Sarah said as she grabbed her hand and nodded as she shook it. Sarah plopped down in front of the TV to watch Fraggle Rock as Lynne handed her an ice cream cone. “Thank you Auntie Lynne”
“Sure sweetie, I’ll be back in a little bit” she said as she walked out to the porch. “Boys!” she yelled, there was no answer. She looked out in the yard and could see Justin’s hair sticking up from the bushes. “Justin, I see you in the bushes, Trace, I see you too, now you two get your butts over here and don’t make me call your father” At the sound of his mother’s angry voice Justin walked slowly out of the bushes and Trace followed closely behind. “Now you two come up here, sit down, and tell me what happened”
“Nothing Mommy we was just playin” Justin began
“It’s true Auntie Lynne” Trace added
“I said I wanted to know the truth. Now I’ll ask you again. Why did you tell Sarah you wanted to marry her?”
Both of the boys started laughing hysterically. They then looked up and saw the angry look on Lynne’s face and both shut up automatically and looked at the ground
Justin was the first to speak, “Cause I do”
“You do?” Trace asked confused
Lynne tried to hide the smile that covered her face, “Keep talking”
“Trace said she wouldn’t and I said she would” Justin started laughing as did Trace
“Why are you boys laughing?”
“Cause it’s funny” Trace laughed
“Ok boys, you listen up. Ya’ll know Sarah loves y’all, but sometimes she hates ya’ll when ya’ll so mean to her. Don’t pick on her so much cause she’s a girl. Ya’ll know one day, if ya’ll keep it up she’s not going to hang around with ya’ll so much”
“We’re sorry” Justin and Trace said at the same time
“Well boys, don’t apologize to me, she’s watching TV” Lynne said as the boys walked quietly into the room. She smiled at them and watched carefully from the kitchen. Justin and Trace sat down on the couch next to Sarah. Sarah looked up at them, then folded her hands and huffed as she turned her head away.
“We’re sorry” they said together
“No suh” Sarah said
“Yeah huh”
“No huh”
“We are Sarah, we really are” Trace said
“Mommy said that you weren’t gonna play with us anymore and we want u to play with us anymore”
“I will” Sarah said
“Play with us?” Justin asked
“No, she said she won’t play with us” Trace answered
“No! I will, after this show though” Sarah said as they all turned their attention to the TV.
~~~Hours Later~~~
“Trace hunny, you’re mother’s here” Lynne yelled from the porch.
“Bye” Trace said as he ran to see his mother. Sarah started climbing a tree and Justin followed.
“You know” Justin began, “I wasn’t kiddin when I said I wanted to marry you”
“Shut up!” she said as she continued climbing
“No really, we’re gonna get married”
“We are not! I would never marry you”
“Are too” Justin said as he climbed up to the same branch as Sarah.
“Are NOT!” Sarah yelled
“Are too” Justin said as he moved in and kissed Sarah on the lips. Sarah squished her eyes shut and pushed him away.
“Stop it!” She said as Justin smiled “I hate you Justin Timberlake!” she said as she punched him in the nose. She climbed down the tree and hid in the bushes while Justin started crying and ran, with a bloody nose to his mother
“Justin, what happened?” Lynne asked as she grabbed paper towels.
“Sarah punched me”
Lynne looked shocked, “What did you do?”
“Nothing”
“Justin I doubt she just ran up to you and punched you” Justin was quiet except for the sniffling of his nose and he looked down at the ground. “Justin” she repeated “What did you do?”
“I… kissed her” he said not looking up from the ground
Lynne laughed slightly and Justin looked up at her and she stopped. She tried to hide the smile on her face, “Well why did you do that?”
“Cause I wanted to”
“Justin, I know you like Sarah, but you can’t just go up to Sarah, or any girl for that matter, and just kiss her. Girls don’t like that” she smiled as he continued looking at the ground, “I’m going to go get Sarah” she said as she walked to the porch smiling, “Sarah, come inside” Sarah walked slowly inside and sat down on the couch next to Justin. “Now Justin I think you owe Sarah an apology”
“I’m sorry” Justin said
“Now, Sarah, you owe Justin an apology”
“Auntie Lynne he kissed me” Sarah said
“I know hunny, and he shouldn’t have done that, but you shouldn’t have punched him, so say you’re sorry”
“I’m sorry”
“There now was that hard? Sarah go get cleaned up your mother will be here any minute”
(Weeks later)
(First day of Kindergarten)
“But Mommy, I don’t wanna go!”
“Sarah hunny, you’re going to have a lot of fun. Trace and Justin are going to be there, and you’re going to play all day”
“But I don’t wanna!” Sarah said as tears filled her eyes.
“Sarah, please don’t cry, come on now we’re going to go over to Justin’s and take some pictures, this is exciting, you’re a big girl now”
“I don’t wanna be a big girl, I wanna stay at Auntie Lynne’s and play” Sarah said as they walked next door to see Justin’s house. When the got outside they noticed Justin and Trace were both attached to their mother’s legs.
“Come on kids, go stand together so we can take a picture” Lynne said as the three kids walked slowly to the tree in front of Justin’s house. They stood together with sad looks on their faces. The three mothers laughed slightly, “Smile you three Stooges, you’re going to have fun” They wouldn’t smile, but the mothers took the picture anyway and then they all went to the school.
“Now Sarah, you’re going to have a lot of fun, don’t be nervous, and you’re going to make a lot of new friends” her mother began, “And you better behave, I don’t want to hear anything about the three of you picking on any kids or being bad for the teachers, do you understand?”
“Yes ma’am” Sarah said as she hugged her mother tightly.
~~
“Justin, don’t cry” his mother laughed slightly, “you three are going to have so much fun. It’s just going to be the same as before, Sarah, Trace and you are going to play all day, and then you’re going to make new friends. You’re going to have so much fun”
“So… we’re gonna play all day?”
“Yes hunny, that’s all you’re going to do is play, but you three better be on your best behavior, I know I don’t have to tell you that” she paused to see a slight smile on Justin’s face “Now come over here and give me a kiss”
~~
“Hunny, ya’ll are going to have a ball”
“But I wanna play with Justin and Sarah”
“Well that’s what ya’ll are gonna do, play all day”
“All of us?”
“Yeah hunny, the three of you are going to be in the same class and play all day, and of course meet other kids just like you to play with too”
“Promise?”
“Of course” she smiled, “Now come here”
“You guys be good” their mothers said as they waved and walked into the school with the teachers.
“What’s your name sweetheart?” a teacher asked
“Justin”
The teacher looked through the list, “Do you know your last name?”
“Yeah” Justin answered smartly, “Timberlake”
“OK, you can go on in this room here” she said as she pointed to a room
“I’m waiting for my friends” Justin answered
“That’s fine, what’s your name?”
“My name is Trace… Ayala” he paused “see I know my last name too, we’re not babies” he said sternly
“I never said you were babies sweetie, a lot of the other kids don’t know their last names”
“That’s cause they’re stupid… we’re smart” Trace answered as he moved aside for Sarah to speak.
“Sarah Walters is my name,” she said
“Ok great hunny, you can go into this room over here” she said pointing to another room. Justin, Trace and Sarah all walked into the second room. “No, no, Justin and Trace are in this room, and Sarah you’re in the other class”
“No, mommy said that we were in the same class” Trace said
“Well it says here that Sarah’s in Miss. Smith’s class and you and Justin are in Miss. Huckleberries class”
“But my Mom said we was in the same class!” Justin said
“You will see each other in a little bit. You have recess in a little while, and ya’ll can play together then”
“NO!” Sarah yelled, “We have to be in he same class”
“That’s not an option, now go on in your classroom”
“NO” the three of them yelled together as they formed a human chain, Justin and Trace each surrounded Sarah. They stood with their arms interlocked in each other so there was no separating the three of them.
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