April 7th, 2000

Hello Diary!

You need a name, you shall get one before I fill this whole book it. I mean, look at you, you’re a looooong book. Which means I can ramble a lot, hell yeah!

Anyway, I guess you want to know some stuff about me, eh Diary?

Well, my name’s Juliette Venice Covington. And no, I’m not joking, that’s seriously my name. Blame my mom and dad for that one.

They met in high school doing—what else?—the school play which just so happened to be Romeo and Juliet. Mom was Juliet and Dad was the lighting tech. They didn’t talk to each other at all until the dress rehearsal. They just were in different circles, that sort of thing. Anyway Mom had a question about the lighting—how much she needed, will it make her face look shiny, yadda yadda yadda—and Dad calmly told her that the light wouldn’t ruin her beautiful face. They started talking, lost touch after graduation, ran into each other when Mom visited home from college annnnnd INSTA SPARKS!

They got married, moved to L.A. for Mom’s job (she’s a hairdresser), Dad got a job as well (he’s a head chef at a popular restaurant, can you say FREE FOOD?) had my older sisters (Samantha, Isabella, Charlie, and Spencer) and then they had me, Juliette V. Covington.

Let me explain the name, Diary.

I was named Juliette after Juliet Capulet of course. They had to honor “the lost soul that brought them together”. Barf-o-rama. Their words, not mine. My middle name, Venice, is because they went to Italy on their honeymoon. It sounds really cool; I want to go there one day. I’ll add it to my Bucket List.

So, of course having a name like that I got teased in high school all the time. By the time I got to college I got tired of it so I just went by plain-ol’ Julie. But everyone else at UCLA gave me a more…colorful name.

They called me Skittles.

No, it wasn’t an insult; I actually learned to love the name.

I was called Skittles by my roommate, Loraine (aka Lolo) because I experimented with hair-dye. A LOT. My favorite and most-common look was a candy-apple red with bright orange bangs. My two favorite Skittles actually, haha!

So, after that introduction I need to get to the important news of my life, and, what I’m sure I’ll be talking to you about the most.

Ok, are you ready for it, Diary?

I, Juliette Venice Covington, officially start working on *NSYNC’S NO STRINGS ATTACHED TOUR WHICH KICKS OFF IN A MONTH!

(Insert fangirl scream here).

Yup, hours slaving away in UCLA’s theatre department finally paid off. I’m the head costume designer for the guys which means I get to travel around with them making sure their clothes fit right and such. That’s right bitches, be jealous. XP

How’d I get the job?

Through my mom, actually. She cut Johnny’s hair a few weeks ago (not knowing who he was. Come on Mother!) and bragged about me like she always does and the next thing I knew I had a meeting with him and then got offered the job of creating their costumes for their tour! Isn’t this cool or what?

I’ve only met the guys a few times, Diary, to get their measurements and this is what I have so far:

Justin = The baby (and it shows) but he’s cool, entertaining, hot and smooth (“like buttah” as he says)
Lance = The business man. Quiet and kind of reserved. Is pals with Joey. (The adorable baby-faced one)
JC = Quiet and mysterious (in a sexy way). Has that amazing voice that turns me into goo. Kick-ass blue eyes
Joey = The incredibly gorgeous (and flirtatious) Italian. Let’s just say he knows all the right things to say to a woman.
Chris = The handsome and crazy one. Is very spontaneous and loves to play tricks. Note to self: Don’t stand in the same room with him alone.

Hell, I wouldn’t mind being alone in a room with ANY of ‘em. Hey, don’t look at me like that, Diary. I’m 21, I have needs! And it just so happens I get to tour around with THE hottest five guys on the planet.

This tour shall be fun.

Until next time, Diary.

Juliette ‘I’m-on-fucking-cloud-nine!’ Covington

 

May 11th 2000

What’s crackin’, Diary?

I’m two days into tour and everything’s going great so far. On the first night the guys took a lot of us out to a large dinner and this fancy shmancy restaurant. These guys know how to make everyone feel welcome, I tell ya. Joey and Chris were practically glued by my side all night cracking jokes and trying to get me to feel more comfortable around them. It worked; I don’t jump in surprise when one of them talks to me now. I just flinch a little, but I’m working on it. I’ve been with them for two tour days but seven real days together and

We’re in Lexington, Kentucky today and I’m so stoked. Maybe I can get lucky and actually leave the arena and see the sights, but if Joey rips his pants again I’ll be stuck there forever. Oh well, I get five different types of eye candy. XD

Until next time,

Juliette ‘So-THIS-is-what-5-AM-looks-like’ Covington

 

“Joseph Anthony, you didn’t!” Juliette groaned, rubbing her temples. She had the discarded dark pants lying on her lap. She didn’t even need to ask where the tear was, she could see the gaping hole staring back at her. How he managed to rip a hole right down the seam on the seat of his pants was beyond her but somehow he managed to do it…for the second time.

Joey grinned sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck as *NSYNC’s PA, Riley, stood by his side, smiling good-naturedly. “I’m sorry, Julie,” Joey apologized. “It’s just—“

“Joey’s got a big ol’ butt,” Justin interrupted him, walking into the ‘Toy Room’ and lightly kicked Joey’s butt on the way in. He then grinned and continued the joke by singing, “Joey got a big ole butt, I know I told you I'd be true. But Joey got a big ole butt so I'm leavin' you.”

Juliette chuckled and shook her head as Joey grabbed Justin in a head lock and spun hi around in a circle, giving him a noogie. And it wasn’t like she was agreeing with Justin’s song, she totally thought that Joey’s butt should be immortalized in stone.

“Nooooo! Not the curls! What’d they do to you, man?”

“Joey, put J down. We don’t want a bunch of teenies on our hands trying to kill us for messing up Justin’s Famous Fro,” Riley called, waving her hands as if that were going to calm them down. Despite the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eye her voice was stern.

Juliette was amazed when Joey immediately let Justin go. Riley was about five feet tall—if you’re being generous—and they could easily have picked her up and tossed her over their shoulder but they reacted as if she were six feet tall.

“So, can you fix it by tonight?” Riley asked, clasping her hands together and widening her eyes. Juliette grinned. Riley looked like a little Chihuahua sometimes.

“I can get it fixed in the next few minutes if you give me some peace,” Juliette replied, pulling her red hair back into a ponytail, the signature sign that she was about to get to work. “Don’t you have a sound check to do?”

“Jace seems to have gone missing,” Riley replied.

Juliette cocked her eyebrow. “I thought I saw him earlier.”

“He’s probably talking to Bobbie again,” Joey offered.

“She’s got him on such a short leash,” Justin agreed and the made a remarkably good imitation of a whip cracking in the air. Juliette stood mesmerized as Joey cracked up and Justin continued making the sounds. She watched his lips move—his perfect, full lips—and couldn’t fathom how the sound could come out of them. Nor his beatboxing sounds.

Then she subtly shook her head at the dirty thoughts entering her mind. I’m twenty-one! He’s nineteen! I’m practically robbing the fucking cradle! She put on a smile and said, “Go find JC and get him to soundcheck. I don’t want Johnny on my ass for something I’m not even responsible for, got it?”

“Yes ma’am!” Justin saluted and he and Joey left the room.

Juliette let out a long sigh and pushed her orange bangs out of her green eyes before crossing the room to the table that was set up in the back corner. It was far away enough so when she was working she wouldn’t get the urge to “accidentally” stick Chris with a needle if he crossed the line but close enough so she could see every smile light up on their faces, every small tug of hair, every nose wrinkle… everything.

Juliette, arguably, had the best view in the Toy Room.

“You’re smitten,” Riley stated.

“No I’m not.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Right.”

“I haven’t gotten this much attention before. They’re making my head swell a bit.”

Riley shrugged. “You’re young and you’re new. Don’t worry; they’ll go back to normal soon.”

“All but Chris.”

Riley grinned. “You’ve done your research.”

Juliette shrugged. “I watch TV.”

“How intently?”

“Well, I’m not blind.”

“You knew Joey’s middle name.”

“So?”

“How many people know Joey’s middle name?”

“The entire female population probably.”

Riley clicked her tongue. “Don’t do it.”

Juliette threaded the needle and then placed her hands in her lap. “Don’t do what?” She questioned.

“You know what I’m talking about.” Juliette lifted her eyebrows. “Don’t fall for them. It’s bad news.”

“Riley, I may admire them—“

“Worship the ground they walk on.”

“—but I’m not going to go falling for one of them. Golden Rule: Don’t mix business with pleasure. And this”—she lifted the pants with the big hole in them—“is my business. I gotta make sure the boys look good.” Even if they don’t need much help in that area, God made them perfect. She stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and bit down on it as a smile formed on her lips. “Am I a fan? Yes, of their music, not for their bodies or whatever shallow reasons the teenies like ‘em for.”

“I can see drool come out of your mouth every time one of them looks at you, Julie.”

Juliette said calmly, “I have over active saliva glands.”

Riley laughed out loud at that one. “Julie—“

“Don’t make me stick you!” Juliette said in a warning tone.

“You crazy. Head-over-heels crazy.”

“Hey, I have a man.”

“Oh yeah, who?”

“George Clooney.”

“Does he know that yet?”

“Not yet, but he will.”

 

Juliette finished sewing the hole in record time and you could hardly tell there was one. Not that anyone in the audience would be able to see it anyway. She marched right into their soundcheck and showed the fixed hole to Joey. He was so excited that he jumped off of the stage and gave her a big hug. She almost died in his strong, muscular arms but made sure to keep her composure.

She couldn’t let them know how big of a fan she was. She didn’t want them to change her mind about their talents. After all, she did make every single costume (and doubles in case of those Chris accidents) for every single song in only three days of preparation. So she lost about a pint of blood out of her fingers and became Red Bull’s best friend? It was all worth it to be able to hear five angels sing every day.

She watched them carefully as they moved around stage, blocking out their movements, constantly adjusted their headmics until they were in the perfect position, sang every song until the note was perfect, and worked with their band on how to change up their songs a little bit.

Juliette had to admit she was taken aback at how much input they had. She didn’t live under a rock, she knew that they were respected in the business, but she didn’t expect this much. Hell, she was even shocked when she found out that JC wrote a few of the songs on the CD, including the title track which was her favorite. Her mind was still a little bit diluted and she figured that they were on a somewhat of a short leash with their management and with JIVE, after all they did have images to uphold.

Juliette slipped away as Joey and Lance started joking around with Chris on the moving sidewalks on the stage as JC talked to one of the Antunes about some music for the show. She moved through the maze of halls and corridors to try and find the hair and makeup area to see if Riley wanted to go somewhere for lunch.

Instead, once she opened the door, she found Justin’s nose practically pressed flat against the mirror as he tugged at his wild curls. His eyes were practically crossed as he tried looking at his hair in the mirror. Juliette knocked and he looked at her.

“Ooh, better watch that or you’ll get whiplash,” she commented, walking up behind him.

Justin cracked a smile. “I’m worth too much to get hurt.” He didn’t say it in a cocky way, but in a reluctant way. He sighed and stepped away from the mirror. “Skittles, can I ask you something?”

Juliette smiled. “Anything,  Poof.”

Justin stopped. “Poof?” He repeated. “That’s too prissy. If you’re going to diss my hair do it right and with conviction.”

Juliette didn’t know if he were joking or being serious. It was hard to tell with him sometimes. He had that way of telling a joke perfectly that he could sound like he was being completely serious and no one would know whether to laugh or not. “Oingo-Boingo,” she tried.

He looked to the ceiling and mouthed the words as if testing them out. “Hmm, a bit better, but too much cute, not enough malice.”

“I don’t know,” Juliette laughed, feeling a bit strange that they were having that conversation. “Poodle?”

“Huh, even the guys haven’t come up with that one,” he muttered, sounding awed.

“If not that, I think Little Sheep applies.” She rolled her eyes and changed the subject. “What were you going to ask?”

“Could you help me with this?” Justin waved his hand over his curly ‘fro. “You’re a girl”—thanks for noticing—“you know what to do with ahir, right?”

“Is it getting to hard to manage or something?” Juliette asked, walking around his head and lightly tugging on a curl here and there. Partially to get a gauge on it and partially to see how long the hair was once it unraveled the whole way. He nodded and his curls bounced in his face. “So…why don’t you just cut it?” She asked. Justin looked at her as if she had suggested he burned his mother’s arm. “Ok, sorry, bad idea. Well…” she hesitated and put her hands on her hips. “I have one solution…” she paused to run her fingers through his hair, grinning to herself at how much softer it felt than it looked, and it looked really soft, “but you’ll have to be open to it.”

 

May 11th 2000 part 2

I only have 3 things to say:

I love my job.

Cornrows rock and…

I. Love. Justin’s. Hair.

Until next time,

Juliette ‘Curls-Curls-Curls’ Covington

 

 

May 12th 2000

What’s shakin’?

We’re in Memphis today and Justin’s really excited. He couldn’t go to sleep last night so Chris and I had to threaten to sedate him to get to bed. I don’t blame him, I’ve always wanted to see what Memphis was like and now he offered to show me around the place.

But that’s not the best part. Tonight he’s graduating from high school! Yeah, it’s all planned that his mother and a few of his tutors are going to give him a graduation ceremony during the show tonight. Isn’t that sick or what? But don’t tell Justin, Diary, or else the surprise will be ruined.

Man, I can’t wait to see his face!

Later,

Juliette ‘I-could-really-use-some-coffee-about-now’ Covington

 

JC turned his head to look out the window. Trees and highway mile markers flashed past his view as they drove down the long stretch of highway. He prayed that they were closer to Memphis than he felt. Having to deal with Justin talking about the place for hours on end would wear any normal person out. He was more surprised that Justin wasn’t complaining about his hair like he was before.

Shocked was an understatement to describe the guys’ reactions once they saw Justin’s new hairdo. JC has sported some bad ones from time to time, he was willing to admit, but this one took that cake. Justin liked it at first because it kept his hair out of his face. JC was surprised at how well Juliette did but after a few hours they found out that she did too good a job as he was complaining about his head throbbing in time with his heartbeat.

Apparently the excitement of being home was enough to numb the pain because he was in a cheery mood that morning, and it was before his cereal had been eaten. Usually no one dared to look at Justin before he got the sugary breakfast down his throat in fear of being jumped on. It was amazing how the word ‘home’ changed their demeanors.

JC’s attention shifted from the window to the woman who was sitting at the ‘kitchen’ table. Her hair was piled high on top of her head in a reminiscent Pineapple style that Chris used to sport, a plain blue t-shirt and dark jeans. Thin wire-framed black glasses perched on her nose and every now and then a pink bubble would push out past her lips before exploding.

JC tilted his head slightly as he studied her. Juliette’s been on tour with them for a bit now and he still hasn’t said more than seven words to her. Not that he was shy or was trying to avoid her or anything but he didn’t have much to say to her. He said hi every morning, being polite as always or his mother would have his head if she heard about it.

It’s just…she was different, but in a good way. He didn’t know how to start talking to her and that’s the first time in his life he’s ever been tongue-tied. She isn’t as quiet or demanding of attention as Riley is…

“Skittles, it still hurts!” Justin whined, his fingers digging at the braids in his hair.

JC lifted an eyebrow at that. Since when did Justin know her well enough to give her a nickname all ready?

Juliette put down the magazine she was looking at and grinned at him across the table. “It’ll hurt like that for a bit. I had to make the braids tight to make sure they stayed in longer. Just take a few aspirins every few hours and you’ll be fine.”

“You think Momma’s going to hate it?” He questioned.

“She’s your mother, I’m sure she’ll support any look you try.”

“Hey, you didn’t answer the question!”

Juliette stuck out her tongue, the silver ball in the middle exposing itself. She then blinked and pulled her phone out of her pocket, and brought it up to her ear. “Hey hey!” She said cheerfully into the phone. “What’s up, bitch?”

“You didn’t answer my question!” Justin reminded her, poking her in the shoulder repeated. She merely smiled and swatted his hand away, making him try harder. JC’s eyebrow crinkled. Justin was acting like a little kid starving for attention. He wasn’t like that with Riley when she first joined them.

“We’re on our way to Memphis,” Juliette continued into the phone. “What?” She snatched out her hand and grabbed Justin’s finger, using one of hers to push down on his finger at the knuckle. Justin’s eyes widened and his face contorted into a silent scream of pain. “Yes. Why, what do you want?” Juliette’s eyes widened behind her frames. “Geeze, Spence, you’re married for God’s sakes! I’m sure he’d be happy if you bought it yourself!” JC looked over at Justin who stopped mimicking being hurt and the two exchanged a confused look but Justin’s eyes held a bit of curiosity. Hearing Juliette’s end of the conversation was interesting to say the least. “God, you’re such a buttnugget!” Justin laughed out loud. “Ok, I’m going now. Leave me alone.” She jabbed the END button on her phone and let out a long sigh.

“Who was that?” JC asked. Juliette lifted her eyes to look at him and she tilted her head slightly, like a curious dog wondering if he were actually talking to her. He smiled a little and she immediately lit up, causing him to chuckle at her reaction.

“That was one of my sisters, Spencer,” Juliette replied.

“One of? How many do you have?” Justin asked.

“Four, all older than me. There’s the grandma, Isabella, and then the librarian, Charlie, the angel, Samantha, and the crazy, Spencer,” Juliette replied, counting off on her fingers. It was then that JC noticed that she had a ring on every finger—except for her thumb—each one a different colored stone. “I mean, they’re all crazy but in different ways. I’m surprised Mom didn’t throw us out with how much we drove her crazy.” Then she threw her head back and laughed as if she had just made a joke. Justin smiled whereas JC shook his head. Then his vision was blocked by long dark hair before he felt a searing kiss being placed on his mouth.

“How’d you sleep, Baby?” A sleepy voice purred in his ear.

“Like JC,” Justin supplied for him as Bobbie curled up on JC’s side, looping her arm through his. “Didn’t you hear him snore like a fucking bear?”

“Huh, I thought that was Joey,” Juliette commented, tapping her chin.

“If you hear farts, that’s Joey,” Justin corrected her and then the two laughed as if they were little kids.

JC almost jumped when he felt Bobbie’s nails dig into his arms slightly. He looked at her, pressed a kiss on her forehead, and then looked in her eyes. She widened hers slightly and tilted her head in Juliette’s direction. “Oh, sorry. Juliette, this is my girlfriend Bobbie, Bobbie, our costume designer Juliette.”

“Nice to meetcha,” Juliette said as she leaned across the aisle and stuck her hand under Bobbie’s nose.

“You too,” Bobbie said politely, shaking her hand. “That’s an interesting hair do,” she added.

“Nah, you should’ve seen it when it was pink,” Juliette said with a wave of her hand. “Now that’s a do.” She looked at her watch. “Geeze, are they still asleep?”

“They were out partying late last night,” JC explained as Riley emerged from the bunks looking put-together as usual. “Which someone was supposed to stop them from doing,” he added, looking pointedly in her direction.

Riley sat down next to Justin and crossed a leg over the other. “Hey, my job is to get you guys anything whenever you need it, not to babysit. They’ll learn that it was a bad idea soon enough.” Then she added wagging a finger in his face, “And you need to stop being uptight. It’ll give you knots and you’re not pleasant when you have knots.”

“Ooh, Daddy C got scolded,” Justin said in a teasing voice. Juliette laughed. Justin was nineteen but he was still a kid, after all. She wondered how he hadn’t gone crazy living this crazy life and not wanting it all to slow down or stop. She had to hand it to him, he had great dedication and he really enjoyed what he was doing.  “Hey, how much longer?” Justin yelled to the driver.

“About an hour,” the driver replied with a grin. Justin’s happiness was obviously catching.

“Great!” Justin cheered then turned to Juliette. “You’ll love Memphis, Skittles, I’m sure of it.”

“Yes, but I don’t think they’d want to own you after seeing what you’re wearing,” Juliette teased, pointing at the blue tie-dyed shirt he was sporting. “Hell, I wouldn’t want to be seen with you.”

“Do you want to approve whatever I pick?” Justin asked.

“Mhm. And that’s a new rule, none of you are getting off this bus without a Skittles Seal of Approval,” Juliette added, following Justin to the bunk area.

“Well, they’re close,” Bobbie noted.

JC nodded. “He’s practically been up her butt since they met. I think he has a crush.”

“That’s cute.”

“It’s just ‘cause she’s new. He went through the same with Riley a few years ago, granted they are closer in age.”

“So…how long is she going to be around?” Bobbie asked, sliding her hand into his and giving it a squeeze.

JC groaned. Not this again. “Babe—“

“I’m just asking a question, Josh,” Bobbie interrupted him, her eyebrows knitting together. “You don’t need to use that tone.”

What tone? JC wanted to ask but he kept his mouth shut. “She’s our costume designer.”

“So? The costumes are all ready finished.”

“She needs to be around in case she has to fix something or make alterations. She’s the only one on the tour who knows how.”

Bobbie glared. “So how close to you does she get?”

“Not as close as I like getting to you,” JC replied, giving her a kiss. “Relax. There’s nothing to worry about. Justin will be with her all day showing her and the guys around so it’ll be just you and me until soundcheck.”

“Will she be there?”

“Babe—“

“I just want to spend as much time with you as possible. I’m not here long,” Bobbie whined, sticking out her bottom lip. She leaned forward and pressed her nose against his neck. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

JC sighed. “I’m not mad at you. I could never be mad at you.”

She grinned. “Good.”

“Are they always that sickening together?” Juliette commented from where she was leaning against the bunks.

“Unfortunately,” Justin replied, tugging off the shirt he was wearing. “But don’t worry; I know a bunch of ways to get the point across.”

“I think you have too much time on your hands,” Juliette muttered, glancing at him. She did a double take. Her eyes drifted down his perfectly sculpted chest to his Greek-God-envying abs. She could just hear her sisters chanting all ready.

Cradle robber. Cradle robber. Cradle robber.

“But what if it’s a cute cradle?” She whined.

“…What?” Justin asked,

“Nothing!”

 

 

“This is where you went to school?” Juliette asked, looking around the halls of the elementary school. Pictures drawn by students of friends, animals, weather, and the school were plastered on every wall within sight. Brightly colored flyers inviting the kids to a Field Day or a Family Movie night were begging to grab people’s attention.

She couldn’t imagine a little Justin running around the halls, laughing with friends and going to classes. She couldn’t imagine that it was the place that he and Trace reenacted NKOTB (she heard some things). It didn’t sight right with her at all.

“Yup,” Justin said proudly, adjusting the dark bandana that wrapped around the base of his cornrows. His long heavy footsteps harmonized with her quick, light ones, she couldn’t help but notice. Like a little concert for two with their feet. “Good ol’ E.E. Jeter Elementary.” He suddenly stopped in his tracks and squinted at a row of hooks and backpacks. He crouched and slowly moved to the side. “Ah ha!” He jabbed his finger at a hook and looked at Juliette in excitement. “This was my hook when I was in fourth grade.”

Juliette covered her giggle. Seeing him so excited to be back in his school was cute. Very cute. Now was the rare moment she hated her job and sticking by her Golden Rule. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop herself from jumping him in that hallway from that excited comment alone. Why was a kid having such an effect on her?

She was aware of his ways of getting her attention, and it worked he was great fun to be around.

Suddenly a door in the hallway opened. Juliette turned around as Justin rose to his full height. Then his eyes lit up and he rushed over to give the woman a hug. Juliette’s eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. Who does she think she is hugging MY Justin like that? Then she mentally kicked herself. He was attached to her, not the other way around.  She may idolize him and his group but that was for personal reasons, not hormonal.

“Skittles, c’mere. This is Mrs. Cartwright, she was my music teacher here,” Justin explained, his blue eyes shining.

Juliette’s cheeks gained a red hue as her stomach dropped. She suddenly felt like an idiot, being over protective of a guy like that. A guy she hardly knew. She could hear her sisters laughing in her head at mentally pouncing on the woman. She should’ve known there was nothing going on there. But it was Justin…

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said as she shook the woman’s hand. For a gentle looking woman she had a strong grip. “So I guess you’re the reason behind Justin’s talent,” Juliette commented once she dropped her hand from the handshake.

Mrs. Cartwright laughed. “I barely had to do anything to get Justin as talented as he is now. That was all natural. It just so happens that my music class was the only one he paid attention in. He was the biggest ball of energy while attending E. E. Jeter.” Justin blushed at her words. Juliette reached over and pinched his cheek, grinning. “What brings you here? You didn’t come just to see little ol’ me, right?”

Justin scoffed. “Who’re you calling old? I see nothing but beauty here.” Then he flashed her his should-be-patented Timberlake Smile. No one could resist it.

“Justin, stop,” Mrs. Cartwright laughed as her cheeks flushed. “Your tour is in town, right?” She put a hand on her cheek and shook her head. “I can’t believe how far you’ve come.”

“Thank you Mrs. Cartwright, I really appreciate it,” Justin said. Juliette could feel to her core that those words were genuine. She put a hand to her chest and slowly shook her head. She hardly knew the kid but she felt so proud of him. “The reason I came was because I heard that the music program was in trouble.”

“Yes, I’m afraid so. We’re suffering from some budget cuts and they felt like the music program and the art program were to be cut.” Mrs. Cartwright sadly shook her head and looked into the classroom which was filled with shiny brass instruments, a few dingy string instruments, and a large piano.

Juliette hated seeing the crushed look in Justin’s eyes. She could feel her own heart hurting. She brought a hand up to her chest and starting rubbing near her collar bone, as if that would help the pain go away. She knew it wouldn’t help.

It never did.

“I want to help,” Justin said softly. “My mom and I…we started this foundation…the Justin Timberlake Foundation…” he suddenly looked shy while announcing the name, “it’s for music programs, such as this, that are being cut. We want to save them and we want to start here. We want to donate ten thousand dollars to E. E. Jeter’s music program.”

Tears collected in the corners of Mrs. Cartwright’s eyes. “Oh, Justin…”

“You don’t have to say anything.” Justin smiled as she placed a hand over her heart. “I’d do anything for this school.” He took a look around the halls and smiled fondly. Juliette could practically see the sadness in his eyes as he took everything in. It must be hard for him to be back in school. It must’ve been the first time in a while he stepped foot in any sort of school.

Juliette blinked and was surprised when she felt tears fall down her cheeks as well. She knew there was a reason she liked these guys. She hastily wiped at her eyes as Mrs. Cartwright pulled Justin into a hug and thanked him repeatedly. The ache in Juliette’s chest got a little bit sharper but she ignored it.

It was a happy ache.

“You’re an angel,” Mrs. Cartwright told him.

He shrugged modestly. “I have to give back. Thank you for giving me your time, Mrs. Cartwright.”

“Anytime, Justin. You’re welcome back anytime.”

Suddenly Justin started rocking back and forth on his feet. “So…does that mean I can…?”

Mrs. Cartwright laughed. “Go ahead; you know where you left it.”

“Sweet! C’mon Skittles, let’s go!”

“Go where?”

But Justin was all ready taking off down the hall. Juliette groaned and followed him. She could all ready hear Riley’s scolding voice in the back of her head demanding why she let Justin walk all over her. But…he was just so damn cute.

Finally Justin pushed the handle to a door and they stepped into a large gym. Juliette’s nose was immediately met with the stale smell of sneakers, rubber, and dust. Justin grabbed a basketball off of the rack and bounced it on the ground, the sound echoing in the large, empty area. “Do you play?” He asked her eagerly.

She shook her head. “Sorry.”

“Bummer.” But he didn’t sound too bummed. He walked across the court, bouncing the ball every now and then. Then he started moving around swiftly, faking, ducking, and sprinting as if he were playing an actual game. There was a fire in his eyes that she’s only seen on the stage.

Huh, maybe there’s more to these guys than I thought.

 

Juliette loved being around the boys. They were funny and very entertaining at times. But when they weren’t, Juliette wanted to pull her hair out. She didn’t know if it was because all they had to do was look at her and she was sold or if it was because they knew what they were doing.

“Lance!” She called, spinning his ‘No Strings’ hat on her finger. She strained to hear him coming down the hall but there was no sound at all. “Lance!” She called louder. She was about to yell again when he finally came in through the doors of the Toy Room. “What is this?” She demanded, shoving the hat into his hands.

He turned his green eyes to her in confusion, turning the hat around in his hands. “My…hat?” He replied slowly.

Smart ass. Juliette let out a little breath. “I realize it’s your hat but what is this?” She demanded, tugging at the band that was on the bottom of the hat. She held it close to his face so he could study where the little threads were straining with every pull. It was close enough for her to see every inch of his beautiful forest green eyes. She blinked and took in a deep breath.

Golden Rule. Golden Rule. Golden Rule.

“A…tear?”

“Exactly! And why, pray tell, didn’t you tell me that this was tearing?” Juliette demanded. “Do you realize what could’ve happened, James? Do you?” She clenched the hat in her hands and started on one of her famous ‘rampages’. “You’d go through your little marionette opening number perfectly fine, like always. Then BAM!” Lance jumped at her emphasis. “Your hat goes flying. You can’t stop the show in the middle to go get it. It hits Chris, blinding him for a few seconds. He misses a step, runs into Joey. Joey loses his balance and crashes into JC. JC hits Justin who’s sent flying into the crowd and he’s torn limb from limb by the hormone crazed teenies all because you never told me that strap to your hat is broken. Isthatwhwatyouwant?”

Lance’s eyebrows were raised so high at this point they almost disappeared into his hair. Juliette was quirky; he could tell that from the first few days of knowing her. She was the one who likes to read upside-down and eat her Trix cereal one colored puff at a time. But he didn’t peg her as being one who would overreact over something so little.

“Um, don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions a bit?” He asked, watching as her shoulders heaved and her face slowly backing off from the red hue it acquired before. She closed her eyes and sucked in air. As she let it out she held her hand in front of her face and then closed her hand as she let it out. She dropped her hand and closed her eyes.

“Lance, you take your job seriously, right?” She asked, smiling brightly at him. He nodded. “And I take my job very seriously. You see, James, fashion is my life. I eat, sleep, breath clothes and fabrics and thread. When I see that my handiwork is failing, I need to know so I can make it better. Clothes are like my children.” She offered a smile and said softly, “Just let me know next time, ok?”

Lance nodded and smiled in return. “Of course. And I wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For doing this. You kind of jumped on this crazy train at the last minute and I can’t thank you enough for doing this for us.”

Holy schnikies, that smile… “It’s no problem. Really. I love doing this.”

“I can tell, it seems like you always have your hands on a sewing needle and thread.”

“Mom always jokes I was born with them in my hand. Kinda like—“

“John Henry,” they said at the same time. Juliette smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“How long have you been into fashion?” He asked as she took out a needled and thread. She held the needle and thread close to her eye to make sure the thread went in perfectly before responding.

“Since I was four. I remembered looking in magazines and saying ‘I’m going to do that someday’.” Juliette chuckled and pulled the thread. “Mom thought I meant being a model. She went ballistic.” At the questioning look on Lance’s face she supplied, “She thought being a model was bad news. You don’t eat, you don’t sleep, basically you sign your life away. I meant the designing part, taking scraps of different things and turning it into something else. I loved that part, the creative freedom. No one could tell you no. No one could say it was right or wrong. No rules.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Lance commented. Juliette let a smile tug at the corner of her mouth.

She suddenly put the needle down, tugged at the strap, leaned forward and placed the hat on Lance’s head. She then kissed her finger tips. “Magnifique!” She cheered then looked at her watch. “You should get going, Popstar. You have teenies—I mean fans to please.”

“Thank you again,” Lance called over his shoulder as he walked away.

Juliette rubbed her chest as the ache returned. All of a sudden an arm was looped with hers and she was yanked down the hallway at high speed. “Whoa, Riles, where’s the fire?” Juliette asked, following her.

“You’re not missing this show. You’re going to watch it this time,” she replied. “I don’t care what excuse you have. This is a special night for Justin and he’d want you to see it.”

Juliette’s ears picked up the last few words. “What do you mean by that?”

Riley rolled her eyes. “Don’t start dissecting my words. You’re twenty-one! Get over him!”

“I’m not even under him!”

But Riley ended up being right. From the time the lights went down to the time the pyro and smoke went off at the end of the concert Juliette’s eyes were glued to the stage. She watched every crowd-pleasing move with wide eyes, trying to take everything in. She sang along with every song, feeling like they were singing to her which she suspected every other girl in the audience was imagining. She and Riley went nuts, calling out random things to the boys while they were doing their costume changes that they were sure died in the crowd of hungry little girls.

Juliette almost found herself falling out of their position in the box as she watched Justin’s graduation moment on the large screen. The shock on his face was magnified about ten times and it struck Juliette right in the heart. The kid has worked so hard to reach where he was and she was sure that day would be the best one of his life, especially since his mother was there.

Juliette talked to Lynn before the concert and she was a sweet woman like she expected all along. Lynn practically burst into tears every time she talked about Justin and his accomplishments in his young life. It was obvious she was very proud of her son.

And she had every reason to be. Justin’s moves onstage were electrifying, he was hitting every move hard, with JC’s precision and intensity but with Justin’s own flair. They were all hitting their marks that night, more so than ever and Juliette was more than impressed.

She was blown away.

As soon as they hit their final ‘Bye Bye Bye’s Riley and Juliette rushed back to the backstage area to congratulate the boys on a job well done. They were bouncing off the walls whooping and hollering, laughing with each other about their mistakes and goofs.

“—And Lance almost forgot to get off his stand at the end of ‘God Must Have Spent’—“

“—but JC almost missed his cue on Bye Bye Bye—“

“—that was not as bad as Joey’s near-face plant!”

“Blame Chris for that one.”

“So how’s it feel, Mr. Graduate?” Riley asked as Justin wiped sweat off of his face. She let out a shriek when he wrapped his arms around her waist, picked her up, and spun her around.

“It feels great!” Justin replied.

“And what are you going to do next?” Juliette dropped her voice, held an imaginary microphone to his mouth, and put her free hand to her ear.

“I’m going to Disney World!” He cheered.

“How about a club instead?” Joey offered. He turned to the others and got nods of agreement, Juliette included. It was about time she was able to let her hair down and have some non-committed fun. He then turned to Justin whose face immediately took on a sour tone as if waiting to be told he was too young to go. “I think the graduate deserves it.”

Justin’s lips parted slightly and then he grinned. “Aw, yeah, I totally do!”

“Great, now I can show you how I really move,” Joey directed towards Juliette, a mischievous gleam in his big brown eyes.

Lord, help me.

 

Juliette could hardly hear herself think, but that was the way she liked her clubs. The floor was packed with sweaty men and women, drinks held high, bodies rubbing together. You couldn’t be shy at a club, that’s for sure.

“Drinks all around,” Joey said as he put a tray on the table. Juliette immediately reached for a shot and downed it in one gulp. She smiled at the fiery feeling that slid down her throat. A few more and she’d be able to loosen up and have some fun for once.

“Oh come on!” Justin whined once JC slapped his hand away. “Just this once.” JC stood firm and glared at Justin. “Why not?”

“Lynn would have my ass if she knew I let you,” JC replied. “I love her to death but when she’s scolding me she’s scary. I don’t want to deal with it.”

“I’ve had a drink before,” Justin told him.

“Oh yeah? When?” Chris demanded and then threw his head back, downing his shot. “In your dreams?” He questioned and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Juliette chuckled at the glare that Justin shot Chris’s way. The two were always at each other’s throats but she knew that they never meant it. They were best friends from what she could see.

“Shut up,” Justin grumbled, elbowing Chris. He wasn’t helping his cause at all, only running it.

“Either let him drink or let him sulk, I don’t care. I just want to hit the dance floor,” Juliette said impatiently, snapping her fingers.

“Atta girl, let’s hit it,” Joey said as he held out his hand. Juliette placed her hand in his hand he gave it a kiss. She laughed and allowed him to pull her down the stairs of the VIP area and onto the dance floor right as Will Smith’s “Getting’ Jiggy Wit It” started blasting over the speakers. A loud roar filled the club and bodies stormed the dance floor, getting as close to others as possible, raising their arms in the air and moving in time to the music.

Joey placed his hands on her hips and pulled her back against him, easily falling into time with the music. She lifted her hands above her head and flipped her hair, getting lost in the bass beats and the music. Her senses were amplified because of the alcohol swimming through her veins. She was aware of everything and everyone, even when Joey pulled her closer to him, if that were possible. They were practically welded together.

Juliette tilted her head back and smiled up at Joey who gave her a smirk in response, rolling his hips against her harder. She bit her tongue when she felt his bulge rub against her ass. The bright lights and the sounds wrapped around her and knocked every inhibition out of her mind.

Her night moved in a blur. She remembered drinking a lot of shots and dancing with all of the guys, mainly with Justin and Joey. Justin had a great sense of rhythm and matched every pace of the songs that they danced through while Joey put more energy into his dancing. She didn’t dance with JC much, her girlfriend seemed to be hovering around the club and staring any girl down who wanted to dance with him.

“Isn’t this club the best?” Riley asked, dancing over to the table that Juliette had crashed at, her arms above her head and snapping in time with the music. “We have to come back here whenever the tour rolls around.”

“Oh, no doubt,” Juliette agreed with a small giggle. The alcohol was starting to effect her but not enough that it impaired her judgment.

“So, you were getting pretty cozy with Joey,” Riley said with a grin, poking Juliette’s shoulder.

“We were just having fun,” Juliette said with a wave of her hand.

“Well, I happen to know for a fact that he and his girlfriend are in an off stage right now.”

“Weren’t you the one who just told me that I shouldn’t go after one of the guys?” Juliette asked, playing with a napkin that was in her reach. She started to make a cootie-catcher out of it.

“Right, but I never said you can’t have fun with him,” Riley replied, spinning a strand of her wavy hair around her finger.

Juliette laughed. “You’re wasted.”

“No I’m not,” Riley pouted.

“Then you’re almost there.”

“So?” Riley collapsed into a fit of giggles. “Hey, hey. I met this very cute guy on the dance floor. We traded numbers. Should I call him?”

“We haven’t even left the club yet!”

“But he was really cute.”

“At least wait until tomorrow when the night comes crashing back to you, OK?” Juliette crumpled her napkin and tossed it at Riley. It harmlessly bounced off of her nose and the two girls cracked up.

“Another round, milady?” Joey asked, holding a glass out to Juliette.

“Thanks so much,” Juliette said with a wink, taking a glass from her. He sat down in the chair next to her and draped an arm over the back of her chair. Riley lifted her eyebrows and leaned back in her chair, resting her palms on her stomach, just watching the two. “You mind blinking? You’re starting to scare me,” Juliette commented as she put her glass down.

“You two are just so fascinating,” Riley replied, looking back and forth between them.

“Skittles here is the interesting one,” Joey said, nudging her arm and flashed a big smile. “So, I have a date with a bottle of hair dye tomorrow. Want to make it a threesome?”

Juliette pulled at her hair. She had noticed that the dye was starting to fade and she did need a touch up. She shrugged. Why not? “Sure, sounds like fun. We can do it before your rehearsal tomorrow.”

“Great.” Joey winked at her. “I’m going to cruise the floor. Save me another dance?”

“Of course.” The girls watched as Joey got up and bounded down the stairs of the VIP section. Riley turned to Juliette and raised her eyebrows. “What?” Juliette demanded. Riley’s eyebrows rose a bit higher. “Riles, you were the one who told me to have fun with the guys and that’s what I plan on doing. It might be with them individually but I’m getting to know them better this way, right?”

“Right, but….” Riley’s voice trailed off.

“Hey, don’t worry. Most of ‘em have girlfriends so I’m not going to step over boundaries,” Juliette said with a wave of her hand. “I’m just hanging out with them. What could go wrong?”

If only Juliette knew that in the *NSYNC world plenty could go wrong.

 

 

Juliette’s head pounded. She tried to open her eyes but everything around her started spinning. She squeezed them shut and focused on keeping the food in her stomach down. Note to self: Never drink that much again. She grinned lazily and ran a hand through her hangover-styled hair. It was worth it, though. She hasn’t had that much fun in a while and it was about time she was able to let her hair down. She had her fair share of jealous looks from female and male onlookers while she danced with one of the *NSYNC men.

She blindly reached out for her watch which she vaguely remembered putting down on the dresser next to her bed. 7:39. Juliette pulled a face and rubbed her eyes. Who would be up at such an ungodly hour? Voluntarily? Juliette tried to think of just what it was she was allowed to kill for waking her up early when she heard a snore.

It didn’t bother her as much as the fact that she just looked down and realized she was nude. That wasn’t surprising to her, she slept in the nude on rare occasions, but it was the fact that she was nude in the bed with someone else.

Juliette grabbed at her sheets and held it to her chest as it heaved while she struggled to catch her breath. Her heat pounded in time with her heartbeat. What if she managed to get in bed with serial killer. Or worse, some meathead. Juliette quickly moved her hands in the motion of a cross before slowly turning her head.

She made out a tuft of brown hair, spiky hair, and a beard. That could be basically any hairy gorilla in the entire state! As if the guy knew what he was thinking his eyes blinked open. Juliette noticed that they were brown. What a common eye color. Juliette wanted to roll her eyes at how generic the guy was. You’d think there would be something about him that was different. The eyes shifted back and locked on Juliette and then a smile formed on the guy’s lips. As soon as he turned and sat up all the way Juliette relaxed and let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Happy to see me?” Joey joked. His voice was rough and light, obviously from massive consumption of alcohol the night before. His voice was sexy as hell at this hour. He had beaten Juliette shot wise; she didn’t know how many he had. She felt a smile creep onto her face. Of course she was happy to see that it was him and not some greasy worm.

“At least you’re not some sicko perv,” Juliette said with a little laugh and pushed her candy red hair out of her eyes. Her eyes closed briefly and she let out a breath. She could feel her body going back to sleep but something stopped her.

A sudden thought.

Why the hell were they in bed, nude, together?

“Joey…” Juliette said slowly, looking at him. Her eyes drifted down to the tufts of hair that was on his sculpted chest before looking back up at him. Don’t let your eyes stray, Covington! “What did we do?” She asked.

Joey’s grin got a bit bigger. “You’re honestly telling me you don’t remember?” He asked. When she shook her head she chuckled. “Well, we had mind-blowing sex. Best I’ve ever had in a while, actually.”

Juliette’s eyes got as wide as saucers. “Wh…wh…what? You have a girlfriend!” She spluttered, gathering up the blankets and held it closer to her body. Then thought better of it and gave some of the blankets back when she noticed it revealed a little bit of his muscle clad tights. Oh fuck. I’m screwed! Hell, I’ve been screwed already, apparently. Oh geeze, I’m living up to my name. I’m as easy as the damn fictional character!

Joey winced at Juliette raising her voice but she didn’t care. She just slept with one of her bosses. Was she supposed to be calm and rational at the idea of the whole thing that just went down? Or up, depending on which way you looked at it.

“Just to clarify, our relationship is in an ‘off’ position right now so this”—Joey waved his finger between himself and Juliette—“doesn’t really matter.”

Juliette just gaped at him. Where she grew up sex wasn’t just something you did for the fun of it. Sex had emotions attached, the idea of intimacy bubbled at the surface. Not this. Not…alcohol-induced, lust-filled, empty sex. Juliette felt used and abused. The hickeys on her shoulders not only made her feel cheap but worse about what had happened.

“Something tells me you’ve done this before,” Juliette muttered.

“What was your first idea?” Joey asked, pushing back the blankets that covered his lower half. Juliette let out a little squeak and covered her eyes. She heard Joey’s throaty chuckle and then a ruffle of clothing. She peeked through her fingers and saw that he had pulled on his black boxers to cover himself.

Juliette didn’t know what to say. Joey hadn’t acted like this before. She knew he was a player but to this degree? She didn’t think anyone was this bad, ever. And Joey seemed like a big teddy bear when they first met. To say she was disgusted was an understatement.

“Do you want to shower or…?” He asked, turning to her. Oh now he wanted to be a gentleman. Juliette took a quick look around the room. She was going to have to wait until he left to be able to process everything. There was no way in hell she was going to let herself breakdown in front of him.

“No, you can go ahead,” she replied with a wave of his hand. He shrugged and gathered up his clothes and walked into the bathroom. As soon as the door shut she grabbed her bra and underwear and pulled them on, wincing as her sore body screamed at her. Then she grabbed her shirt and tugged it on over her head and dropped to the floor, looking for evidence. She found a condom wrapper but she didn’t find the condom itself. She gave up when she spied her diary laying open on the floor. In a panic she scrambled for it and flipped the pages rapidly, earning a paper cut before she found her place. She squinted and tried to make out her barely eligible alcohol-induced writing:

May 12th 2000

I like Jello.

Until next time,

Juliette ‘Woohoo’ Covington

What the fuck did that mean?