Justin Fan Fiction
Never Again
By Ashley
Chapter 5
For Alyssa, Monday seemed to be as never ending to her as it was to her students. She had a cold that was making her miserable, and she just wanted to go home and crawl into bed.
But thoughts of Justin were making her more miserable. She just couldn't get him out of her mind. After their kiss on Saturday, he had taken Alyssa home at her request.
To his credit, he had left her alone Sunday. Alyssa sensed that he knew she needed to be left alone, but Alyssa still couldn't keep him out her mind, and for that matter, she didn't know if she wanted to keep him out of her mind.
How can he say he THINKS he's going to fall in love with me? He hardly even knows me. Alyssa had tried to tell herself that he was just playing with her, and she should forget about him. But she knew she could never convince herself of that now that she knew the real Justin Timberlake.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn't hear the final bell ring. Her students filed out of the classroom, most watching their usually enthusiastic teacher act like one of their romantic story characters. Like Ashley.
Alyssa frowned at that thought, she had stopped comparing herself to Ashley a long time ago; until Justin came along. He ruins EVERYTHING. I was fine until I met him, and he has to go and change everything.
Alyssa's frown deepened when her cell phone rang and her first hope was that it was Justin.
"Hello?" She managed before sneezing.
"Alyssa?" It was Justin.
"Yes." She managed.
"Are you sick?" Justin asked at her stuffed voice, and sneezing.
"I've had better days." Alyssa told him.
"I'm sorry, It's probably my fault. Sitting in the cold snow and all."
"Probably." Alyssa agreed.
"Hey!" Justin protested, "Your supposed to say that had nothing to do with it."
Alyssa had to smile, she knew he was trying to cheer her up. It was working. Alyssa picked up a pencil and started writing as she listened to Justin talk on the other end of the phone.
"What?" She asked when she realized he had asked her a question.
Justin gave an exaggerated sigh, "I asked if you would like to go out with me tonight; You could say no, because I know your sick, but I had to ask."
Alyssa wanted to tell him no; that she didn't feel good, and she never would when it came to going out with him; at least that's what her brain told her to tell him. But her heart told her something else. She looked down at the paper she had been scribbling on, and she realized what the words were. 'Nothing Else', The song she had once titled 'Justin's song'. One phrase caught her eye:
Justin had told her what Britney had done, he told her everything; including that he was falling in love with her. He deserved one more chance. And that's what her heart told her.
"Yes, I'll go out with you." She paused, "What did you have in mind? Ice skating?" She teased, remembering his falling on the ice.
"Ha ha." Justin said sarcastically. "Your just so funny when your sick. But no, not ice skating. I'll be nice to you since you are sick, we'll have dinner."
"Where?"
"I was thinking that I would cook."
"Justin, I'm already sick, I don't want to get any sicker."
"Ha, I'll say it again, NOT funny, Ashley. I'm a very good cook. How about I pick you up at your house at 6:30, and then we'll eat at my place."
"Okay." Alyssa agreed sounding reluctant, but knowing she was anything
but that.
Justin held the door for Alyssa as she walked out of her apartment building, "I thought you were off duty?" she asked innocently.
Justin glared at her, "I don't think I like you when you are sick."
Alyssa laughed, "Neither does Skye, she'll love you forever for getting me out of her way." She told him as she got into his car. "I don't even know where you live." Alyssa shrugged.
Justin laughed, "Then it will be a surprise."
"Why did you move here? To Boston, I mean." Alyssa asked him.
"Why can't I live here?" Justin asked as he turned the car into the street.
Alyssa gave a slight shrug, "You can. But I'd expect to find you in the big city. Like New York, Orlando. Maybe Tennessee. But not here."
Justin smiled, but Alyssa thought she saw sadness there. "And that's why I'm here. No one expects me to be here, so I can live my life the way I want to without people looking for me."
"Who would be looking for you?"
"Well thanks a lot!" Justin laughed at her remark.
"That's not what I meant."
"I know what you meant." Justin stopped her before she could continue, he paused, and Alyssa wondered if he was going to answer her question. "There are people, who would like to find me. But I would rather that they didn't know where I was."
"Britney?" Alyssa guessed.
"Britney...is one of them." Justin sighed, "My family and my friends know where I am, but Britney is someone who I want to be done with. I don't know." He shrugged, "She is kind of just a pain to keep avoiding."
"To keep avoiding?" Alyssa questioned his choice of words.
"Britney has been trying to track me down, so I moved out of Orlando, then New York, LA, I didn't want to bother my family with dealing with her again, so I just picked a state."
"And you ended up in Boston."
"Yes, I ended up in Boston." Justin smiled at her, "But I'm not too upset about that at the moment." He pulled his car into the parking garage of an apartment building, and helped Alyssa out of the car.
She shivered at his touch, "Are you cold?" He asked, "I probably shouldn't have asked you to come tonight knowing you were sick. I was being selfish."
Alyssa could have told him that she didn't care that he was the one being selfish, but she chose to remain quite. She stopped when he reached the door that was apparently his, and he pulled out a key to unlock the door. When it was opened he let her inside first, and Alyssa was surprised to find that she was not the only person there when she saw two people sitting on his couch.
"Uh...Justin." She asked, since he apparently saw his other guests, and was closing the door.
"Yeah?" He asked facing her.
"I think you have some company."
"What? Who"
"Justin! It's been so long!" Came Britney Spears' sugared southern voice.
Justin went completely rigid as he stared at Britney, just hoping it was all a bad dream. More like a nightmare. But he knew he was awake.
If Justin hadn't just told Alyssa in the car that Britney didn't know where he was, she would have wondered about his earlier story. But instead, she wondered what Britney was doing here. She didn't have to wonder long when she looked at the other person in Justin's house. JC Chasez.
"WHAT are you doing here Britney!?" Alyssa jumped when Justin yelled, and at the angry tone in his voice. Britney, on the other hand, appeared unaffected by his tone.
"What's the matter J?" She asked him.
"Don't, DON'T you even DARE ask that Britney." Justin yelled again.
Britney turned her sad face to JC, who stood up from the couch where he had been seated. "Britney asked to see you, so I offered to bring her." He told Justin.
Justin put his hands over his eyes, and took a deep breath. Alyssa watched all of this, and felt utter confusion. Her eyes went to Britney Spears, who had tears making black trails down her cheeks. Britney had been her ideal for so long, and when she finally met her, she wasn't sure if she should ask her for her autograph, of hate her because of what Justin said she had done.
Alyssa let her eyes go back to Justin, he slid his hands down his face, and looked at her with miserable, and scared eyes. Alyssa knew that he could see that she didn't know who to believe.
"Justin," Britney spoke up again, no doubt noticing that Justin was only looking at Alyssa and not her. "Justin, I think that you and I should talk."
"No." Justin insisted, "Alyssa and I were going to have dinner, and we WILL. So JC, THANK YOU for bringing Britney by, but now it's time to say Bye, Bye, Bye to the both of you."
Britney's crocodile tears started again, and Alyssa was almost sure that they were real, not the 'on call' tears she had expected, "Please Justin, We need to talk. I'm so sor..."
Justin shook his head fiercely, "You are FAR from sorry, Britney. Now leave."
"J!" JC spoke up, "I agree with Britney, the two of you need to talk. And since it seems you have dinner all planed, you could talk out things over dinner. I'll take Alyssa home."
Before Justin, Alyssa or Britney could say anything, JC had a tight hold on Alyssa's wrist that made her wince, as he led her out the door. "Let me go!" She told him as he closed the door behind them.
He let go of her, but stayed close.
"So your Alyssa."
"That's my name." Alyssa glared him in the eye.
"You need to stay away from Justin. Do you understand?"
Alyssa didn't say anything, and JC continued. "The only time Justin has ever been happy, is with Britney, and he deserves to be happy. Only Justin can't see Britney if your around, so just leave him alone. Do you understand me?"
Alyssa's gaze faltered, and she looked at the ground, Justin himself had told her that he had loved Britney. She knew he had been happy then. She swallowed, then spoke quietly to JC, "If that's what will make Justin happy, then I will stay away from him." Then before JC could respond, she turned and left him.
Once out on the street, she found a Taxi just letting someone off, and got inside. She leaned her head against the cold window where raindrops were just beginning to splatter; trying to put the picture out of her head of Justin eating dinner with Britney. The dinner that he was supposed to eat with HER.
Alyssa opened the door to her apartment, only to find everything dark except for the glowing of the Christmas tree lights. She found herself sitting on the couch, watching the lights. She saw them reflect off of the shiny coffee table, where the stack of ungraded school papers sat. She pulled the papers onto her lap and glanced at the top one, she realized it was the lyrics to 'Never Again' she had scribbled out when she had been talking to Justin.
She looked at the last line she had written, Forgiveness says that I should give you one more chance. In her mind she heard the next line repeat itself, she picked the pen up off of the table, and wrote it in the next line.
Alyssa put the rest of the papers on the table, as she held the paper close.
She knew what she had told JC was true, she wouldn't do anything that would hurt Justin. But she knew she had fallen for him.
She had fallen hard.
At that thought, he was brought back to reality where Britney was standing close to his side, her fingers intertwined with his, a smug smile on her face.
She leaned her head on his shoulder, ignored the fact that he tried to pull away from her. "I've missed you, J. I admit, more than I thought I would."
"Leave Britney." Justin told her in a fierce tone, pulling his fingers free of hers.
"Is this about THAT girl?" Britney asked with indignation; and with no intention of leaving anytime soon.
"THAT girl's name is Alyssa, Britney."
Britney gave a careless shrug, "What do I care what her name is? Besides, there is no reason for me to know her name; or you." She instantly became serious and moved a step closer, Justin could see the tears glistening in her eyes, as she carefully took both of his hands and leaned into him. "I love you Justin. You know that. And I know you love me." She blinked at him innocently, "You told me so; Remember?"
Justin gave a bitter laugh, She was completely oblivious to his hateful stare and angry face as he forcefully pulled his hands free of hers. "I don't think I will ever forget that Britney."
Britney took a step away, and she raised her tear filled eyes to meet his. "Justin, sweetie; I just don't know how to make you understand that I'm sorry for everything that happened between us. I would never do anything to hurt you Justin...I just want you back in my life."
Justin watched her, his eyes searching for sincerity, which he wasn't surprised not to find. But Britney was about to get what was coming to her.
He started walking forward until her back was up against the wall and he was hovered over her with a hand on either side of her head. "So you're saying that you'd like to give this another try? You and me?"
Britney's eyes widened, and a smile started on her lips, "We could make it work Justin. I know we could."
He watched her eyes, and saw them focused in on his lips, he gave a small sardonic smile as he looked down at her, "You really want me to kiss you right now, don't you Brit?" He asked her.
Britney smiled, and slinked her arms around his neck, "Yes."
Justin smiled again as he leaned closer to her, he put his lips next to his ears, "Honestly Britney, I would rather clean a toilet with my tongue than to put my lips anywhere near yours again sweetheart." He pushed away from the wall, and pulled her arms from around his neck.
"The games are going to end here and now; I'm only going to say this once...stay away form me...stay away from Alyssa, and stay out of MY life. Am I making this clear Britney? Do you need me to say it more slowly? If you come near me...Alyssa...or anyone that means anything to me...I'll make your miserable existence completely unbearable."
Britney gave a smile, maybe with not as much confidence as before, but it would still be deadly to most. "You don't scare me Justin. You don't have anything on me and you know it."
Justin shrugged, "Maybe I do, Maybe I don't." He said nonchalantly. "And because you don't know Brit, that gives me more power over you. You'll never know when I'm going to get you. When you least expect it..." He left his sentence unfinished, and he could see he had finally got to her.
"But Justin..." She looked like she was about to cry; possible for real this time.
"No." Justin stopped her, "We're through sweetheart. Can I show you the door?" Justin grabbed her wrist, and dragged her to the door.
"I'm not the monster you make me out to be." Justin stopped at her words, they were said in a completely truthful and vulnerable tone of voice that he had never heard from Britney before; Justin turned around to face her and released her wrist from his grip. As soon as he let go of her, she crumpled completely on the floor at his feet.
"What did you say?" He asked her.
Britney didn't look at him as her tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm not the monster you make me out to be." She paused, "I'm sorry Justin." She said in a final sob.
Justin knew her acting skills weren't that good, but he wasn't going to make the same mistakes he had before, he moved to the door and opened it, and met JC's eyes in the hall. "JC, take Britney home. She doesn't belong here."
Justin leaned down to Britney, and whispered his words so JC couldn't hear, "I never thought you were a monster Britney, I loved you; But I guess we both lost our chance at that."
"Thank you Holly!" Skye exclaimed gratefully from the back seat.
"If they don't have it, we HAVE to keep looking." Alyssa insisted as she and Skye opened their doors.
"Just go look for it, I'm waiting in the car. Do you know how embarrassing it is asking people for 'Stages' an autobiography by Britney Spears?"
"YES!" Skye yelled in frustration.
"Come on Skye." Alyssa dragged her friend into Media Play.
"Your fifteen Alyssa, you should have outgrown your 'Britney Stage' by now." Skye insisted. "Oh look! It's JC's first single!"
"PLEASE! That song is so weird!"
"Justin's was weirder!" Skye challenged her.
"So?" Alyssa shrugged, "That's Justin."
Skye rolled her eyes, "Come on, lets get this over with." She motioned to the salesperson standing near them. "Ask him."
"Excuse me," Alyssa asked walking towards the man, "Do you have 'Stages'?"
"Stages?" The man repeated and Alyssa nodded.
"It's a book and a DVD." She clarified.
"I'm not sure, let's go look it up on the computer." Both girls followed him over to a computer where he typed 'Stages' in.
After a few seconds, the man looked up at them. "The computer only comes up with one thing, and we don't carry it. You say it's a book AND a DVD?"
"Yes." Alyssa nodded again.
"What's it about?"
"It's an Autobiography of Britney Spears." She said proudly, while Skye refused to met the mans eyes as she traced imaginary shapes on the counter top.
"Oh." The man answered, "Then if we have it, it will be this way." The two girls followed him over to a wall that had books about music artists. "Hmm...I don't"
"There it is!!" Alyssa exclaimed, seeing one copy of the book, half-way hidden behind some other books. She hurried to pick it up. "I HAVE to get this Skye!!"
"Then get it!" Skye told her in exasperation, "We have been searching EVERY store for it. How much is it?"
Alyssa turned the book over and her face fell, "Thirty Dollars."
"THIRTY dollars? For a BRITNEY SPEARS book? That is INSANE!"
"I'm going to get it." Alyssa told her, and carried the book carefully to the checkout stand.
She handed it to the cashier, who gave her a strange look, "Do you like Britney Spears?"
"Yes." Alyssa told him without the embarrassment that Skye felt as she stood next to her.
Once out of the store, Alyssa ran to the car, "I got it Holly!!"
"Yay!" Holly rolled her eyes as she commented sarcastically. "Now we can go on with our lives?"
Alyssa slid in the back seat, letting Skye sit up front as she tore the plastic off of the book, and pulled the DVD off of the inside of the back cover.
"Skye, will you get the lap top out from under your seat she asked?"
"You brought MY lap top!" Holly turned a serious face on her little sister.
"Yes." Alyssa said, only slightly guilty as she let Skye put the DVD in the computer.
"Hurry Skye! Play it." Holly sighed, and she pulled her car out of the parking lot. Some things just never change.
"I'm working on it." Skye told her as she pushed a few keys.
Alyssa leaned over the front seat to better see the lap top on her friends lap as the DVD started to play.
A few minutes into it, they showed Britney Spears in a limo, talking on her cell phone. "Turn it up! I can't hear it."
Skye did as Alyssa asked as Britney spoke again.
"Mama, I'm SO happy...like, so, so happy. Words cannot described how happy I feel right now."
Alyssa spoke up in a quite voice as Britney paused, "She's lying. She's lying. She's not happy."
"How can you tell?" Both Skye and Holly asked her.
"Listen. She's lying." Alyssa told them, almost with tears in her voice.
Britney continued. "It's just that I'm tired; 'cause I stayed out a little too late last night; that's all."
As she spoke the words the camera man moved the camera out the window, just in time to see a billboard with Britney's picture plastered on it. The camera went back to Britney, where a tear slid slowly down her cheek.
"She's crying." Alyssa stated softly, "She's crying! Turn it off. TURN IT OFF NOW!!" She yelled to Skye hysterically.
"Alyssa!" Holly tried to calm her but the girl was beyond hope.
"I told you, she's lying, she's not fine! She is crying." Alyssa sobbed as Skye tried to figure out how to turn off the DVD.
"Please, turn it off." She sobbed hysterically once more.
"It was just a dream." Alyssa insisted, sitting up on the couch where she had fallen asleep earlier. "Where were you earlier?"
"I was out with Nick. What happened in your dream?" Skye asked as she arranged Alyssa's papers on the table, she shot a questioning glance at the paper Alyssa held tightly in her hand.
"Do you remember when Holly drove us around all day so that I cold find 'Stages'?"
"How could I forget that?"
"That's what it was about." she paused, "She was crying. I saw her."
Skye sighed, "I've watched that DVD over and over, and I've never seen how she was crying. I just don't see it. How can you?"
"She was crying."
Skye shook her head, but decided to humor her friend. "Why was she crying?"
Alyssa looked away, "Because of Justin."
Skye understood now, something had happened tonight. This wasn't really about Britney, or even Justin, it was about Alyssa. But she knew that Alyssa would never admit that, she knew this conversation was going to have to be about Britney to find our what Alyssa was trying to say.
"Maybe she's just scared;" Skye started, and she saw that Alyssa was listening intently to her words. "She's scared what might happen if she tells him that she loves him. Scared that she could never be good enough for him. And maybe she's not." Skye finished.
Alyssa's head shot up to look at Skye, a small smile twisted at her lips. Then She continued, "You and Britney are a lot alike, I think. But I don't think that Britney's good enough for Justin; I think you are."
"But he chose her." Alyssa said softly.
"What do you mean? What happened tonight?"
Alyssa hesitated, but she finally spoke.
"Britney...she came back. She was at Justin's apartment when we got there tonight."
"And why are you here?" Skye asked.
"JC told me"
"JC is here!!!" Skye shouted excitedly, but at the look on her friends face she tried to stay calm, "Sorry...Back to the issue, what did he say?"
"That Justin has only been happy with Britney, and to stay away from him." Alyssa said softly.
"I'm so sorry Lyssa." Skye said softly. "But as much as I hate to admit it, what if JC was wrong?"
"Justin told me he loved her."
"Well, I guess than I was wrong, your not good enough for him. Your too good for him." She tried to keep most of her anger out of her voice. But what Alyssa told her made her angry, Justin had no right to do that to her. If he was happy with Britney, then why had he gone out with Alyssa? But Skye was also mad at Alyssa, she knew that her friend would give up someone she loved for Britney. It was something that Skye had never understood.
Britney Spears had never appealed to Skye, she didn't like her songs, she didn't like the girl as a person even. Then a thought came to Skye; was there anyone that thought of Britney as their friend besides Alyssa? Skye wondered why she had even thought that, there were millions of Britney Fans out there. Weren't there?
Britney's fame had declined in the past years, just as most pop artists from that time. But that wasn't all, maybe Alyssa was right, maybe there was something more that no one else seemed to see.
From Alyssa, Skye had learned lots of things about Britney; and she wondered how she might react giving the same situations. Britney's parents had long ago divorced, her dad had gotten deep into illegal drugs and was spending time in prison for that, her mom was often reported being found in the big cities, each time with someone new. Brian Spears had just seemed to disappear, without any trace of him every living. Jamie Lynn Spears was supposed to have been the next big star, and Britney had taken over the young girl's guardianship when she had turned 20. But the young girl had needed a mother and a home, not a tour bus with her older sister. Jamie Lynn and her sister had supposedly stopped speaking, and the now sixteen year old, was sometime's heard to be with her mother, but more often that not, getting into bigger trouble than she probably knew how to handle alone.
Skye realized that maybe her friend had been right; Britney was sad. At this thought, she made a face, she didn't want to feel bad for the girl. It was Britney Spears.
"Look Alyssa, this is something that I think you and Justin should work out."
"No." Alyssa shook her head fiercely, "I don't want to ever see him or talk to him again." And she didn't...For a week anyway.
