"So Justin what can you tell us about the new album? Where did your inspiration come from?"

The man holding the clipboard clicked his pen closed and looked up at Justin expectantly. It was an interview for a morning talk show, set-up in a hotel room. Justin was on a promotional tour for his upcoming release, and rather than run all over the country, everyone came to him at a hotel in Beverly Hill.

"Well, the new album is going to be a bit more futuristic, kinda of techno influenced. My past solo albums have had more of a R&B vibe, and even R&B is taking more of a turn towards upbeat, techno, almost two-step influenced sounds. But, my inspiration always comes from my life, from what's going on with me personally, what's going on with people around me. I get a lot of ideas from friends."

"Speaking of friends and your personal life, that reality show, ‘Senior Year' was a huge hit for MTV. Millions of people turned in for the first episode and kept coming back every Monday night after that to watch it. How do you feel about the show?"

His management had decided on letting the show run it's coarse while Justin finished recording and perfecting his latest release, letting MTV do all the work of generating a buzz for him.

"Doing the show was great. I had a lot of fun, met a lot of great people. I didn't have the chance to go to a high school like that, I was busy with Nsync. So it was cool to get to have some of the experiences. And I realize now how hard it is. Teenagers have it tough, and it's not easy sticking to it everyday. But Judy made it easy, and fun. She was very focused and motivated."

"And you got to copy her homework whenever you were too tired to do it yourself."

Justin let out a laugh.

"Yeah, I had it a lot easier than most in that respect. I was rooming with a brainiac."

"Do you and Judy still keep in touch?"

"Of course."

That was a lie. He and Judy had tried to keep in touch. But with Justin thrown right back into his normal life, full of travel and events, it was hard for him to find time to call her. And Judy was thrust into adulthood. She began working full-time at a daycare facility, chasing babies in diapers all day. She took classes at the local community college, trying to save some money on the tuition before she had to transfer to a University. And of course, there was Ben, who demanded a great deal of her attention. He had never been fond of Justin, and was even less fond of them keeping in contact after the show ended.

The last time he had really talked to her was about 6 months ago.

"Hello?"

"Juicy fruit."

"Justin!!"

"Hey."

"Ahh!! Oh my gosh, how are you?"

"Well, I'm great now that you've blown my ear drum out." Justin switched the cell phone to his other ear.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just excited. I haven't talked to you in so long."

"It's been a week and a half."

"I know. That's a long time. We used to live together, remember?"

"I remember," he smiled. "So, how are things?"

"Things are crazy, Justin! Since the last episode people have started calling me, trying to get me to do interviews and stuff. People even recognize me on the street. I was walking to class the other day and this girl came up to me and she goes, ‘can I touch you? I just wanna touch someone who touched Justin Timberlake.'"

"I had a guy come up to me saying the same thing about you!"

"Liar," she quipped.

He smiled to himself. There really had been a guy who wanted to meet someone who knew Judy, but that didn't really matter.

"But you're getting a lot of calls from shows and magazines and stuff?"

"Tons."

"Why don't you just do a couple? If you pick the right ones, your college education will be covered."

"No, thanks. I had enough of people knowing my personal life. I just want to go back to normal. Besides, I already know what they want to talk about."

"What's that?"

"What you said to me the day you left, when we were in your room and you locked Steve out and took off our mics. Everyone wants to know what happened."

"We made out."

Judy let out a giggle.

"See, you shouldn't be doing any interviews either. You're spreading lies."

"Only good ones. So what else is new? How's school? How's work?"

"Ugh! Both are fine. School is going really well actually. I love the history classes. And my teacher makes it so simple. She said on the first day, ‘this is one of the hardest classes on campus. If you can't handle that then leave.'"

"Damn."

"I know. But then a couple weeks later we had our first test, and it was an essay. I basically just wrote everything I could ever remember her saying. Like even her own stories about things she did while on vacation in historic sites, and I got an A."

"So if you have the ability to be a human tape recorder, like you do, than you'll do fine in her class."

"I know that was an underhanded insult to me, but it's actually true."

They were silent for a moment, Justin smiling to himself as he thought of her sitting on her bed holding a pink cell phone to her ear. He really did miss her.

"Oh! But I do have news about Ben."

His favorite person to talk about.

"Yeah? What happened? He got shipped to Germany and you guys decided to take a break until he comes back?"

"No," she scoffed. "No, actually it's kind of the opposite. Ben and I recently decided to... be... together."

Justin's brow furrowed.

"Huh?"

"You know," she prompted. "Be together. In a couples way."

Justin's brow furrowed even more, and then a look of realization came over his face.

"Wait, you guys had sex?"

"Duh! God, it took you forever to get that."

Justin moved the phone from his ear, setting it in his lap for a moment while he ran a hand over his face. He did not want to think about this. Ew! Not ew for her, but ew for who it was with. Ben was a jerk, Judy could do better. And now she'd given her virginity to that idiot.

"Well most people just call it ‘sex', not ‘being together,'" he said.

"I know, but I couldn't exactly say that right then."

This time she spoke in a hushed tone. Diane must have been close by.

"So, you guys slept together?"

"Yeah. Oh, Justin, it was so-."

"Stop right there." He didn't need the details.

"I wasn't going to say anything gross," she giggled. "It's just, I really like him Justin. He could be the one. Wouldn't that be crazy? The first one could be THE one?"

Justin nodded. He was happy for her, really. Okay, not really, but he was making a big effort to be.

"That's great Juicy," he said.

But there was a question probing his mind, and he wasn't sure how to ask it. In fact, he wasn't even sure why he wanted to ask it.

"So, um," he cleared his throat. "When you guys were together, he didn't like, hurt you or anything like that did he?"

"You mean like, because it was the first time for me?"

"No. I know it was your first time so that would be normal if he did." He couldn't believe he was talking about this. "I mean like, you did that because you wanted too right. Not because of something he said or did, right?"

"What? No, Justin, he didn't force me or anything. I wanted too. It was nice, you know. Ben wouldn't ever do something like that."

"I'm just making sure," he said. "You know if you ever need me, you can call me, right? I may not be there now, but planes fly 24/7."

"I know. And I will call you if I need something. But you can stop worrying, Dad. I'm a big girl."

Justin nodded to himself. She was a big girl, all grown-up and beginning to branch out on her own.

"So, how are things in Timberlake land? Hey, are you still in Switzerland?"

"No, I'm back in the states."

"How did recording go?"

"It was cool. We got like, 4 or 5 tracks done the week I was there."

"Wow, that sounds so fast."

"It was fast."

"You must have a lot of inspiration going on in that brain of yours."

He did.

"Can you spill any secret insider information to me?"

"Hmmm... pigs really can fly, they just chose not too."

"Yeah okay. Because last time I checked they totally had wings."

"When was the last time you saw a pig, in person?"

"I don't know. I don't usually hang out at farms."

"Exactly. There's all kinds of shit you don't know. Flying pigs. Cows with pre-made steaks hanging off their backs."

"Okay Justin. Don't tell me anything about the album. I don't care. It won't hurt my feelings that you don't trust me."

"I just want it to be a surprise, for everyone. But I promise you'll like it."

After that night, Justin had tried to call her once or twice, but was never able to get through. He usually got her voice mail, and once Ben had answered.

"Leave her alone Timberlake. We both know you're back to your celebrity life, stop pretending like you give a shit about her. Let her get on with her life with the people that are really here for her."

After that he didn't hear from Judy, though he had a feeling it had more to do with Ben's wants than Judy's wants. He'd talked to Diane once or twice while trying to track Judy down. Apparently she'd moved to Travis Air Force Base with Ben when he'd been transferred there after boot camp. She'd told Diane they'd be moving in two weeks, but just 4 days later Diane came home to a note and Judy's empty bedroom. Since then, she hadn't heard from her daughter much either.

"Judy and I will always keep in touch," he told the reporter. "She's a very good, dear friend of mine."

"How has she been lately? The public hasn't seen or heard much from her since the taping of the show ended."

"She's doing great. She's working, going to school. She's great."

Judy Bucklass stood in the bathroom of her one bedroom apartment near Travis AFB. The dry blotchy skin on her face was a far cry from the youthful radiant glow she'd had just a year ago. But then, life was very different than it had been a year ago. Now she was 18 going on 19 and she had lived a lifetime since graduation and the last time she had seen Justin Timberlake. He had faded to a distant memory now.

They'd tried to keep in touch, phone calls and emails. But Justin's busy schedule didn't make things easy. Not to mention she and Ben had gotten into an argument about Justin one night. Ben had accused her of emotional cheating. He was jealous of Justin's close relationship with her. He always felt like Justin was allowed into parts of her mind that he could never get access too. So he'd given Judy an ultimatum: Justin or him. And in a desperate attempt to save her failing relationship, Judy made her decision, letting Justin go. It wasn't like they were really going to be able to keep their friendship going anyways. He was a pop star, and she was no one.

But ever since then, things had never been the same.

Her love for Ben had changed her, making her into someone she had never wanted to be. She was depressed, and dependant. She followed his example, and orders, and her days were spent playing live-in maid for him. He was successful in the Air Force. Their structure and system of hierarchy fit him perfectly and he was able to excel. But the respect he demanded on the base was the same respect that he demanded at home. And if he felt that wasn't being given, there were consequences. He took away her schooling, not allowing her to attend college the last semester, and not allowing her to work outside the home so she could put herself in classes. She didn't have friends, she didn't have resources, she had no way out.

Picking up an orange medicine bottle, Judy poured two white pills into her hand. She tossed them into her mouth, tilting her head back, and washed them down with a gulp from a Corona bottle.

"Judy!" Came his voice.

Her body shuddered and she blinked, straightening her clothes.

"Judy! Get out here."

She jerked open the door, and stepped out into the hallway. It was a short walk to the living room where Ben stood with his hands on his hips.

"Didn't you hear me calling you?"

"Yes," she muttered. "Sorry."

She moved past him and into the kitchen where she continued preparing dinner. She'd already put the meat in the oven, so she set to work cutting the vegetables.

"Next time don't make me call you again. The bathroom is only right there."

"Alright," she said, pressing the knife through a carrot.

Ben moved past her, to the fridge. He yanked the door open, sending a blast of cold air across the room. She heard him shift things around before the door slammed closed. Then a moment later she heard a bottle cap pop open, followed by a clinking in the garbage can.

"We're almost out of beer," he said. "I thought you were going to go to the store today."

"I got busy," was her reply.

"Doing what?"

‘Sleeping off that shit you gave me,' was the thought that ran through her head. But she didn't dare say that.

"Taking care of things around here. This place was a mess from the guys last night."

"You're home all day. It shouldn't take you that long to pick up a couple things around the living room."

"And do the laundry, start dinner-."

"All shit you should be used to doing by now."

"Well maybe if I had some help instead of you just coming home and watching TV."

She knew the moment the words left her lips that it was the wrong thing to say. The beer bottle in his hand slammed down onto the beige counter top, echoing loudly through the room. Judy jumped, her head towards him, her body paralyzed with fear. She only had a moment to note the look in his eyes before his hand soared through the air, leaving a stinging slap on her cheek. The momentum hit her so hard that her body spun in a circle, and she braced herself on the stove, the metal hot under her hand.

"God dammit Judy!! Why do you make me do shit like that?!" He yelled, slamming his hand onto the counter.

"If you could just keep your mouth shut sometimes. Do you think I like doing that to you?"

Judy's reply was a sniff as she rubbed her cheek. It was tender to the touch, but no where near as bad as previous times.

"Come here," he said.

She felt hands on her forearms, turning her to face him. Then he put his arms around her, hugging her close.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. It's just, I work hard all day, you know? I don't need to get off at the end of the day and come home to nagging. I get up every morning, I go out and make a living, and you stay home and take care of the house. That's how it's supposed to be, right?"

"Right," Judy nodded, her eyes focusing on the wall behind him.

"Right. So just, do your job. Okay?"

She nodded again.

"Sorry."

Ben put a hand to her cheek, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"Dinner smells great," he said.

Then he picked up his beer and headed into the living room, where he sat on the sofa and turned on the TV.

"Welcome to the Hotel California... such a lovely place."

Justin dropped his bags onto the floor while Trace headed off into the kitchen, continuing on with his song. They'd been traveling for the past week, doing radio interviews and photo shoots. The album was dropping in less than month and his management had kicked things into overdrive to prepare.

"‘Scuse me," Trace breezed past Justin, a turkey sandwich in his mouth.

"How the hell did you make that so fast?" Justin questioned.

"Don't you know? Your Mama's in the kitchen making sandwiches."

Justin turned and headed into the kitchen. No one was there, but the fridge was wide open.

"Asshole," he sounded, walking into the family room.

Trace was sprawled across the sofa, watching a Tivo-ed Eagles game.

"I was wondering where you went. You actually fell for it? Haha, loser."

Justin sat down on the sofa opposite him and leaned back against the arm rest. A moment later he shifted, turning on his side to stare at the carpet. He chewed his bottom lip, deep in contemplation.

"What's up Timberlake?"

"Huh?" He looked up at Trace.

"What's going on with you? You were distracted all week, and now you're not ragging on the Eagles while I'm watching the game."

Justin looked at the TV.

"Eagles suck," he supplied.

"The line was right, but there was no feeling behind it."

Trace turned down the volume on the TV and sat up, setting the remaining half of his sandwich on the table.

"Remember Judy?"

Justin sat up as well, swinging his long legs down onto the floor.

"The chick from the show? Yeah. What about her?"

"What do you think she's doing?"

Trace gave him a look.

"How should I know?"

Justin rolled his eyes. That question hadn't come out exactly as he'd meant it.

"What's on your mind Timberlake? I mean, is this really because you wanna know what TV show she's watching right at this moment?"

"No. Ding-bat. I just mean, I haven't talked to her in so long. We promised we'd keep in touch, but when I try to reach her I don't get an answer."

"Isn't she still at her Mom's?"

"Naw. I talk to her Mom, she doesn't really talk to her anymore either. She took off with that Ben guy to God-knows-where."

"Well, maybe she's just busy living her life you know. She's got work and school and that Brian guy-."

"Ben."

"Whatever. Point is, she's got her own shit to worry about. And it's not like you're sitting home by the phone. Maybe she's tried to get a hold of you and you didn't get the message."

Justin shook his head.

"I haven't gotten any missed calls from her, and you know I always check my voice mail."

Trace shrugged.

"Maybe she lost her phone. It's not like you're listed in the yellow pages."

"She would email me if she lost her phone to let me know she lost her phone."

Trace rolled his eyes.

"Here's and idea. Why don't you call her again then?"

Justin leaned forward, grabbing the sandwich off the table.

"I will," he said, leaning back on the sofa and taking a bite.

"And the Eagles suck fucking ass."

A soft crackling noise filled the air around her as she drew in a deep breath. She watched the small bowl in front of her turn red as the cherry grew, then die down when she pulled the pipe from her lips. A thick cloud of smoke sailed into the air as she exhaled.

"Good stuff, huh?"

She nodded at Michael, Ben's friend, and passed the pipe back to him.

"Good ‘ole California cannabis."

"Ain't nothing like it in the world," Ben interjected. "Look at her, she's fuckin' blown."

The two men smiled at her, taking in her sleepy smirk.

"Well if you think that's good, you need to try some of this."

Michael reached into his backpack, pulling out a long slender leather case. He set it on the coffee table and unzipped it, opening it to reveal an assortment of needles and glass bottles. He picked up two, and handed them to Ben.

"What is it?" He asked.

"The best."

Ben smiled, setting the needles on the table. Michael handed him a piece of plastic tubing and Ben wrapped it around one of his biceps, tying it into a knot. Then he slid the needle into his arm, undoing the knot once the needle was empty. Almost instantly his eyes slid closed, his mouth falling open.

"Ooooh my God."

"Told you," Michael smiled proudly. "Good shit, huh?"

"Oh yeah."

Ben stood from his seat, and moved to the sofa next to Judy.

"Baby, try this."

He held up the needle.

"No, I don't want any." She sat up and attempted to scoot away from him.

Smoking marijuana was one thing, but anything that needed to be injected never turned out to be a good idea.

"You'll love it."

"Ben, come on. You don't like doing stuff like that. You don't even know what's in it."

He sucked in a hiss through his teeth, jerking his head to the side to crack his neck.

"Judy," he said forcefully, gripping her upper arm and yanking her towards him. "Just try it."

Judy looked into his eyes. Whatever was in there, it'd already turned him into another person. His eyes were dark and determined, the needle sparkling in the light from the television. She looked to Michael, and he was just as interested as Ben, his mouth practically drooling as he envisioned the liquid being pushed into her system. He wasn't going to be any help.

Finally relenting, Ben straightened her arm, tying the plastic tube around her bicep as he'd done to his. The needle entered her vein with a sharp sting, and she watched as a little of her blood was pulled into the syringe. Then he pressed down on the plunger, forcing the mixture back into her body. She sucked in a breath at the burning sensation it left. Then he pulled off the tie and all at once she felt it run over her. Her eyes rolled and her head lolled back. She faintly made out the sound of Ben's laughter as she fell back against the sofa in a daze.

Justin shot straight up, his heart beating a million miles a minute. He looked around, his eyes dancing wildly. He was home, in the livingroom. The TV was off, but there was a soft lamp on in the corner, dimly lighting the room. He remembered now. He'd laid down in the livingroom after Trace left. He was going to listening to the final mixes of the songs for the album. He looked down on the floor and there laid his blue CD player with the burned CD inside.

He ran a hand over his head, wiping away the sweat that had piled there. What the hell had he been dreaming about? What woke him up? He couldn't even remember. But something had startled him out of his slumber.

Picking up his CD player and the notepad it'd been sitting on, he turned off the lamp and headed for the stairs, and his own room. The clock on the microwave as he passed the kitchen read 4:19pm. He had no business sleeping anyway.

Once in his room he tossed the items onto the bed, and then into the closet to change out of his jeans. He pulled on baggy sweat pants and a white tee shirt, and then settled onto the bed. He knew he needed to get back to previewing the CD, but he wasn't interested at the moment. He'd just taken a nap, so he would probably be up for awhile. He could do it later.

Turning on the TV, it was already on MTV, and an episode of Senior Year was on. He and Judy were in their Math class, in the middle of a test. The teacher was walking up and down the isles, checking over students shoulders. As soon as he'd passed them, Justin and Judy switched scantrons, correcting each other's answers. The teacher made his rounds again, and once again when he passed them, they switched scantrons again. Justin smirked at the memory. He'd gotten her a 98 percent score on that test.

Apparently there was some kind of marathon going on, because when the episode ended, another came on, followed by another. Justin sat and watched them all, reminiscing to himself of all the moments the camera hadn't caught, or the scenes left on the editing room floor. Like their late-night chats in bed once Steve had left, those had always been his favorite parts of the show. But of course, there was never any footage of those, except the night-vision from the hall cameras showing him sneaking in and out of her room, or Judy sneaking in and out of his.

All of this got him thinking, Trace was right. He should call her.

Justin picked up his cell phone, opening his contacts and scrolling down to her name. For some reason, at the sight of her name –Juicy B.– his heart started to beat a little faster. He hesitated a moment, then pressed send.

It rang once.

Then twice.

Three.

Four.

Five.

"Hi, this is Judy B. and you missed me. Leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you."

The service beeped, and Justin cleared his throat.

"Hey Judy it's me, Justin. I was just calling to check in and see how you were doing. I talked to Diane, she said she hasn't heard from you lately either. I hope everything is okay and you're safe and... okay, and everything. Well, give me a call when you get this. My number is the same." He paused. "I miss you, you know. I miss talking with you. Alright, call me. Bye."

His heart sank a little as he pressed the end button. Plugging his phone into the charger on the night stand, he turned his attention back to the TV, and the Judy he used to know.

"I have to pee," she announced.

Quickly standing to her feet, she headed for the bathroom. Once there, the door securely locked, she pulled her phone from her pocket. She'd seen his name flashing on the caller ID and put it away before Ben had a chance to notice. She stared at his flashing name.

Justin T.

Justin T.

Justin T.

She wanted to answer so badly. But Ben would be so upset. She'd already sworn off all contact with him, and so far she'd kept her promise. But so far, that hadn't gone her anywhere good.

When she looked down at the phone again, Justin was gone.

One missed call.

But almost immediately it lit up again.

New voice mail message.

Her heart began to bound so loud she could hear the echo in her ears. She sat on the edge of the bath tub and pressed the green button, calling her voice mail.

"Hey Judy it's me, Justin."

Her eyes closed at the mere sound of his voice.

"I hope everything is okay and you're safe and... okay and everything."

"No," she said quietly. "Why, Justin? Why don't you already know I'm not okay?"

"I miss you, you know. I miss talking with you. Alright, call me. Bye."

A tear rolled down her cheek as she listened to his message again. There was so much she had to say, some many events she wanted to tell him about. About Ben, about the drugs, about the abuse. About how she'd given up on her dreams for school and future career to be someone's future military wife. How her friends had gone off and left her and she had no where to run too. Things only Justin would understand.

She listened to his message four more times, memorizing every syllable he breathed. Then she deleted it, and his call from her call log. Ben regularly checked her phone. When she exited the bathroom, Ben and Michael were still in the living room, drinking beers and passing a bong back and forth.

Judy retired to their room instead. She sat in a chair by the window, over looking the military base not far away. The walls and barbed wire. Planes taking off and landing in the distance. She wished she knew how to fly one. She'd run to the base so fast, climb aboard and take off to anywhere but here. Maybe back to Central Valley where her Mom was. Maybe to LA where Justin was.

Anywhere.

No where.

The next few hours flew by, and the next she knew, the once gray sky outside was pitch black. The planes had all landed. She turned to look behind herself. Ben was in the bed, his back to her. But by his breathing she could tell he was soundly sleeping. She looked back out the window. The walls and wire were still there, still the same.

Suddenly it became too much. Her chest tightened and he breathing became labored. It was too much. This place, this apartment. Her body ached as if it were being crushed by the pressure of it all. She had to get out.

Standing, she slowly crossed the room to the closet, grabbing the first few items of her clothing she saw. Then she slithered over to where Ben's clothes were slung across a chair in the corner by the bathroom door. She slipped a hand into the pocket, feeling around for his wallet. When she found it, she pulled it from his jeans and headed into the living room. He had about two-hundred dollars in cash. She took that, and his credit card. Her name was on it, he'd used her credit to get it. She could use that to gas up the car, and the cash for anything else she'd need to get wherever she was going. She picked up the keys to their car off of the coffee table and headed out the door.

Justin groaned, pulling the pillow from the other side of the bed over his face. Someone was ringing the doorbell, and they refused to leave.

"Dammit," he muttered, sitting up.

The clock on the night stand read 5:48am. Who the hell had the nerve to show up here this early, on his first day back home no less?

Grumbling to himself he climbed out of bed and headed down the stairs, tripping a few times along the way.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" He yelled when the bell rang again.

When he finally reached the door, he angrily yanked it open, prepared to rant at whomever was there. The visitor however, was heading back down the steps.

"Hey!" He called.

They'd already woken him up, they'd better get back up here and explain. But when the visitor turned around to face him, his mind became so clouded with thoughts, his want for an explanation was nearly forgotten. A girl began to walk towards him, her hair a shoulder length bob with a platinum blonde chuck in the front. Her make-up was dark and heavy, with too much eyeliner. Although she looked insanely different, he was as sure of her identity as he was sure that the sun hung in the sky during the day.