20. There's No Place Like Home

Three Weeks Later

Ending of June

LA, California

"Justin? Justin! Justin snap out of it!"

Jumping, I hit my arm on the car door, a soft groan escaping me when I notice Trace snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"What man what?" I ask aggravated and he groans with a roll of his eyes.

"Buckle your fucking seatbelt dude. I've been hearing that seatbelt alert dinging in my damn ears since we left LAX five minutes ago." Trace demands.

I shoot him a deep frown before doing as I'm told quietly.

"Seriously, how can you not be annoyed by that noise? Not to mention we'd get a fucking ticket if we got pulled over. Where's your head at dude?"  Trace inquires while keeping his focus on the road in front of us.

"Just drive Trace. I'm not in the mood, I'm jetlagged." I say flatly and he grunts but doesn't say anything else as silence engulfs us.

Well, it doesn't take much to figure out that I'm back home in California on my summer break. Trace just picked me up from the airport and since California is three hours behind New York, it's actually about ten pm here in Cali while it's one am in NY. In a way, it feels like I never left, then again, things aren't the same.

I should have been home over a week ago, but, because of certain events that took place in reference to Delilah, I postponed my trip for a week. Yes, at the time, she was more important than me running away from that prison of a boarding school we were attending.

I can't stop thinking about her though.

For my entire flight out here, she's been on my mind and I can't shake my thoughts of her.

I really fucking miss her already and I saw her up until I boarded my private jet and she left with her brother to head home to Boston after we told each other bye.

I can't stop thinking about how close I came to spilling my guts and telling her that I was actually, genuinely falling for her. I'm happy that I didn't now because the timing would have been terrible.

It was the night after the big game at the end of semester dance when Delilah and I were in the locker rooms sharing an important moment and her brother, Manny and Coach walked in on us...

--------------------------

Flashback

Three weeks ago...

Higher Heights Boarding School

NY

"Am I, interrupting something?" Lilah's brother inquires.

I gaze at Delilah and then the male version of her who almost looks like he wants to laugh. Ok, what the fuck is going on?

Panic and terror flashes over Delilah's face before she takes a few steps away from me.

"What are you...what are you doing here Demarco?" Delilah asks timidly and I nearly guffaw but I catch myself.

Delilah and Demarco? Are you fucking shitting me? What on earth were their parents thinking? I try to stifle back my chuckles since we're obviously in some serious trouble here but I can't let go of the humor tied to their name pairing.

"Demarco?" I question and Lilah looks at me perturbed.

"Uh, yes...this is my brother Justin, Demarco Leon Marshall. People know him as Leon but I call him Demarco, Marco for short." She explains and I nod, remembering that she indeed told me his name a while back when she was giving me her family history. Her dad is Howard and her mom is Linda if I remember correctly.

"Ah...I see." I state, my smile never leaving my face, that is, until coach clears his throat loudly.

"I'm sorry I..." Delilah bows her head in shame. "Marco, this is um..."

"Justin, yes, I know." He speaks up, finishing her sentence and I glare at him interestingly.

I can't seem to understand why Delilah seems afraid of him. He doesn't look angry or like he wants to kill us. Then again, she knows him better than anyone here. Maybe he's being subtle and she's the only one who can read the meaning behind his expressions. I know if I walked in on my sister and some guy the way ‘Marco' walked in on us, I'd act first and ask questions later. But, I don't have a sister so...

"Look, are we in trouble? Because this isn't what it looks like." Lilah cringes at the clichéd line but doesn't bother correcting herself. "I just came in here with Justin to get something. We were coming right back out."

"Something huh?" Coach finally speaks up, with his arms folded as he glares at us.

"Yup!" I speak up, showing them the box containing Lilah's gift still in my hand. "I forgot to take the gift from my locker I got for..." I hesitate, "My mom, to bring for her when I head back home on our summer break." I lie and Delilah releases a sigh of relief. "Lilah just came along with me to get it since we were already hanging out at the dance."

"So, the two of you didn't sneak off to make-out?" Coach supplies and I wince at him.

Damn, no one should have to hear someone like their coach say things like that. It's kind of disturbing "No coach." I utter, scrunching up my nose.

"Uh huh." He mutters, curving a brow. "Well, the locker rooms are off limits when there's no practice going on. Remember that from now on." Coach explains and I nod in response. "Well, Leon, you found your sister so I'll be leaving now. If anyone needs me, do me a favor...don't." Coach adds in before excusing himself to leave.

He calls out to Manny to follow him and Manny hesitates, shooting me a glare before he relents and exits as well, leaving Delilah and I alone with her brother.

"Well, that was awkward." Demarco jests whiles resting against one of the walls.

Still is dude...you're still here.

"So..." I begin but Lilah cuts me off.

"What's going on Marco? You haven't answered me. What on earth are you doing here? You should be home in Boston on your break." Delilah points out and he shakes his head in agreement.

"I should be sis, but I'm not. I'm here instead." He shrugs and, uh, ok no shit. When he sees the confused look on my face and the frustrated look on Delilah's, he decides to elaborate. "Dad called me. He told me that you contacted him a few days ago about something Ryan said in relation to Ethan. You know, this feud between dad and Mr. Landing is getting ridiculous, but you know how headstrong dad is." Demarco explains. Hmm, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all. "Nevertheless, dad asked that I swung by to check up on you and make sure that you were ok and Ethan wasn't harassing you. He wants me to stay with you until school lets out next week so we can come home together."

"But..." Delilah begins to protest.

"No buts sis. You know how I feel about this entire mess. You know if I even see Ethan while I'm here, I'll maybe be tempted to send him to the hospital. A police record won't look good with Yale, but fuck it. And Ryan is still not my favorite person. I know I'm not around much because of school, and I know we don't stay in touch nearly as often as we should, but when you need me I'm always here." Demarco explains.

Wow, I think I might actually like this guy. Hey, anyone who thinks Ethan deserves physical pain is alright by me.

"Gosh, I hate this. We're so dysfunctional." Delilah sighs helplessly.

"No, we just have a huge bug that we need to squash once and for all, namely Ethan. Without him in the picture, our family will be fine. It's just, we need to find a way to do it where it won't affect the family business because of Ethan's jackass father." Demarco shakes his head in disdain, his eyes drifting in my direction for a split second before they are back on his sister.

I find it uncanny that he and Lilah share the same strange eye color where their eyes are of a grayish-brown. I guess it comes with being mixed.

Clearly, this is a family issue. I'm not exactly looking to be in the middle of it, but I am. Still, I don't think it's wise to speak right now unless spoken to.

"And as much as I'm not ok with you getting involved with another guy who goes to this school, your boyfriend here doesn't exactly fit into that category does he? He's only here temporarily." Demarco states with a light chuckle, referring to me.

"Justin's not my boyfriend, quit teasing. We're only friends." Lilah defends and I gaze at her, biting the corner of my bottom lip.

That hurt...just a little...but it still hurt. And I don't get why since she told the truth.

"Of course not, he's a superstar...aren't you Justin? You'll be back to your old life in no time. By the way, I've seen the media segments on the whole, ‘Justin Timberlake - superstar goes back to school,' bit. It was pretty entertaining to watch." Demarco smirks and I narrow my eyes at him when he turns to face me. "Look, man, I should probably hate you because that's my job as Lili's older brother and all, and her getting mixed up with a celebrity might not be what's best for her right now...but, I know that you've been sticking up for her and looking out for her since you've been here so..." He drifts, a deep sigh escaping him. It almost seems like it's physically hurting him to be nice to me. "Thanks for looking out man. I appreciate it." He states, coming over and extending his hand for me to take.

I'm partially stunned, looking between him and Delilah before I give him a quick handshake. Delilah looks just as shocked as I am. "Uh, sure man it's nothing. Lilah and I are friends and I genuinely care about her." I voice honestly.

"That's good...hope it lasts." Demarco decides. "I'd like for us to catch up better and really get acquainted to clear up this little situation, but I've got to get off campus and to my hotel. So, I'll see you all tomorrow morning, or afternoon....whichever." He explains and I nod as he makes his way over to his sister.

"Lili, don't worry ok? At the end of this year, you'll be graduating and it'll all be over. I'm tired of this; we'll make sure Ethan leaves you alone for good this time like he's done for the past almost three years." Demarco reassures her, giving her a bear hug which she returns.

"Thanks Marco. Thanks for coming to check up on me even if it was a surprise. You could have called you know?" She voices sternly.

"What, and ruin the look of shock on your face? I think not." He chuckles, pulling away from her. "I'll see you all. It was cool meeting you Justin, ignoring the awkward timing." He chuckles and I smile unsurely. If only he knew, but I think he already knows what he walked in on. "Later." Demarco states before he excuses himself and leaves.

When Delilah and I are alone again, I heave a sigh and take a seat on one of the benches.

"You've got a lot of family drama girl." I tell her earnestly. "I had no idea Ethan weaved himself that deep into your family."

"It's not that Justin. It's the fact that whatever Ethan tells his dad could jeopardize my parents' business. That's what this is about. It's about Ethan getting his dad to abuse his political power to ruin my family's real estate business and reputation as a sign of revenge. My dad and Mr. Landing aren't making things any better for us. This shit switched from Ethan and me in our drama to a full out family feud that I don't want to be a part of. At least, I'm out here away from the direct chaos." She divulges and I actually feel for her.

I can't help but realize that I'm blessed that my mom's side of the family and my dad's side can get along. It would be utter chaos if things were different back home.

Damn, Lilah doesn't deserve this.

"It's always hard to get through to your parents about these things." I admit.

"It is, but Marco and I are trying to." She says, plopping down next to me.

"He doesn't like me does he? I know we just met, but I got this vibe..."

"Marco doesn't like any guy who shows interest in me. It's his thing. But he doesn't have a choice but to like you given the situation. It's a first for him. I have no idea how you do it Justin." She muses and I grin brightly.

"My Timberlake charm works on all genders, thank you very much." I say confidently.

"That didn't sound quite right."

"Uh yeah." I shrug before we erupt in laughter. "But you know what I mean." I add in and she agrees.

"Well, at least Ethan didn't show up at the dance so it's been a good night."

"Maybe he knew your bro was coming." I point out.

"I wouldn't be surprised. It would explain why Ryan was acting suspicious when I spoke to him. I'm sure he knew Marco was coming and decided not to tell me because he never ‘wants to get involved' even when he knows that he is.  His passiveness is very annoying."

Can't say I disagree.

"Well, you know, it's whatever. Don't even worry about it right now. We should focus on enjoying the rest of the night. You owe me a dance." I state and Lilah laughs lightly.

"You never cease to amaze me Justin. But, I'm glad you're here." She says honestly.

"Me too, I'm here now, I'll help how I can. If you'd like, I'll stay an extra week and postpone my flight since your brother seems to be out for blood." I decide, gripping her hand in mine and giving it a light squeeze.

She lifts her head and looks up at me with a soft smile. "Thanks. Because now that Marco's here, no matter what he says, I know we won't head home until he does something about my Ethan situation. I'm going to need help dissuading Marco from going after Ethan while he's here.  Hopefully, we'll be good." She pauses, letting out a laugh of disbelief. "Geez Justin, it's kind of scary how close you and I are becoming. I'm just waiting for something to be wrong with you." She jokes and I mock hurt.

"I'm the only person on this earth who was made perfect girl, don't get it twisted." I joke and a soft groan escapes her.

"Ugh! Please Justin! I swear, I need to carry a pin with me at all times so I can prick you when your ego gets inflated like this." She giggles before standing and I follow her lead.

"Don't hate because you know it's true Lilah." I say cockily only eliciting another loud groan from her which in turn makes me chortle.

"Whatever! Let's get out of here please before Manny comes back looking since he's like your personal stalker now." Delilah jokes as we make our way out of the locker rooms.

"Yeah that's not funny." I tell Lilah as she remains a few paces ahead of me.

"Sure it is!" She snickers. "Sometimes, I really think you dislike him more than anyone else here. Your mood switches drastically every time he's around."

"Hey, I can't help it! The kid's like an annoying buzzing mosquito I can't swat away!" I laugh even if I'm dead serious. "Besides, no one could claim your ‘stalker' title even if they tried Lilah!" I quip as I catch up to her and sling my arm around her shoulder to pull her next to me, her gift still in my other hand.

She titters, shaking her head in agreement. "I'm all up for defending my title then."

I grin while looking down at her as we make our way back out to the dance, the both of us putting the moment we shared in the locker rooms of all places behind us, at least for now.

"That's what I like to hear..." I shout over the loud music, getting carried away with the atmosphere around us...

End of Flashback

-----------------------------------

"I'd appreciate some help with your luggage fucker!" Trace barks at me, snapping me out of my deep thoughts.

When I look around I realize that we're parked at my place in the driveway. The driver's door is wide open which means Trace must be in the trunk removing my things. Wow, I missed the entire ride home. Damn, was I that spaced out?

I sigh, slowly opening my door and exiting the ride before slamming it shut behind me. I look up at my estate and a deep frown passes over my face.

This is what I've wanted since day one. I've been longing to be back home, back to my old life, doing what I do best, and spending time with the important people in my life.

So where's the enthusiasm? Where's the joy that should encompass me from being home? What the fuck is my problem?

"What's your problem Justin? Are you going to help me or not?"

It's like he read my mind.

"Yeah man, sorry about that."

I walk over to Trace and try to ignore the looks he's giving me. Clearly my standoffish behavior is irking the hell out of him.

"Ok, I have no clue what's going on with you, but, I really think you should get whatever it is off your mind and be happy because your mom is in there with Rachel." Trace voices and I groan in annoyance at his scolding. "Look Justin, I know Delilah in some way is the reason for your lousy mood, but you've refused to tell me what's going on so I can't help you and that's fine. I can respect that. You'll tell me when you're ready. But seriously dude, Lynn doesn't need the first sight of her son whom she hasn't seen for half a year to be one of you sulking."

"Yes dad." I mutter with a roll of my eyes before grabbing my biggest suitcase from his grasp.

I drop it on the pavement and pull up the handle to wheel it behind me before walking away from Trace and towards my front steps. I note that the living room lights are on so I take in a deep breath and try to get in a happier mood.

It doesn't help that I actually miss Lilah right now.

After that night of the dance, we went back to our normal selves with each other, joking, laughing and getting on each other's nerves but still loving every moment of it. There wasn't much else we could do since her brother was now in the picture. But, he was cool for the most part.

We hung out a lot and Demarco actually turned out to be a decent guy who's really just concerned about protecting his family. I can't say that I blame him. Delilah and I had a hell of a time swaying him away from Ethan though, especially when they ended up crossing paths in the hall the day exam results came out.

The look on Ethan's face when he strolled down the hall with his boys was priceless. Delilah, Demarco and I were walking right in their direction when Ethan made a beeline for the nearest exit.

I know for a fact, if I wasn't there to hold Marco back from going after Ethan that day, some serious shit would have gone down.

However, that moment is over and we steered clear of Landing for our remaining time at Higher Heights.

I'm home now which means Lilah must be home as well.

She made me promise to call her as soon as I got to my place so that's what I'm going to do before I enter and greet the portion of my family that's waiting for me.

I root out my cell from my pocket and switch it on, waiting for it to power-up before I hit one of the speed dial buttons where I have Lilah's number saved.

As I make it to the foot of the steps next to my garage, I gaze up realizing that my garage door is wide open. I smile when I see my Harley looking back at me and I make a mental note to head out and take a ride one of these days.

As I hit the call button on my phone and place it to my ears, a deep scowl forms over my face.

"T?" I call out, hearing his footsteps behind me.

"Yeah J, what's up?" He makes his way over with the rest of my things to stand next to me.

"Whose car is that?" I ask curiously, not remembering that I own a black Mercedes of the make and model I'm staring at.

"Uh...I don't know. That Henry kid you traded lives with went home to meet his family for summer since you were coming back." Trace voices, glaring at the car distractedly since he's trying to balance my side luggage on his shoulder. "It wasn't there when I left to pick you up..." But he drifts immediately, realization quickly floating over his face. "Oh shit, I think it's Jess's. It's hers. It's new, she bought it recently. Yea..."

My eyes widen and I blink rapidly a few times when Lilah's voicemail fills my eardrum.

I root my phone from my ear and quickly hit my text messages to send Lilah a quick text letting her know that I called and I reached safely, asking her to give me a call when she reads the message. Once I'm done, I stuff my phone back into my jeans pocket and turn to look at my best friend with questioning eyes.

"Well shit Trace. Why the fuck is Jess part of my welcome home committee?" Did I just say that? Wow, all these committees at Height Heights have me talking like them now.

"I don't know Justin." He rolls his eyes. "Like I said, she wasn't here when I left to pick you up. Which reminds me, first thing tomorrow, Mike is coming over to get you so we can head down to Johnny's office."

What the fuck? I just got here. I'm tempted to tell him hell fucking no am I doing shit tomorrow since I just want to chill, but Jess is my main concern right now, so I ignore him.

I'm not ready yet. I'm not ready yet to see her and face her and deal with whatever is going on between us.

"Unbelievable." I growl, gripping my luggage and giving it a harsh tug up the steps and towards my front door.

"Chill out Justin. You know she's Rachel's friend as well and they're really close. You need to accept that you're not going to get rid of her just because she's your ex, or whatever the fuck status you all are now. Remember, Jess is the one you came the closest to marrying in all of your girlfriends, including Brit. Don't forget that dude. Now cheer up, for your mom's sake at least."

"Yea, yea whatever." I mumble, feeling my phone buzz in my pocket. I quickly pull it out as Trace knocks on the front door so someone can answer.

"Guys! Open up we're here!" Trace yells and I flinch away from his loud yells, my attention swaying to the reply text I just received from Delilah which comes in three parts since it's long...

"Hey J! Got your text! Thanks for letting me know you're safe. I was worried and thinking about calling the airline to let them know they couldn't have any plane crashes or hijacks today since one of my best friends was on one of their flights, and it was important that he arrived to his destination safely. Then I would have cursed them out if they told me I was lying about knowing you, but you know me. Ok, I'm kidding, I'm sure your private jet flight was much better than commercial. :-p. I just can't get used to the fact that you're this big superstar living a double-life at Higher Heights...ok, joke again, I'm sorry.. Lol. But you're still preppy Justin to me who's a pain in my ass. ha! But aren't you glad to be home though? I hope you guys have fun. Can we trade? I can't call right now, I'm in the process of going through catching up with the parents which is very drawn out and dramatic. Ugh! Kill me now! haha but, I will call once I get a chance to and we'll discuss this whole 'visiting you' thing I'm  supposed to be doing later down this summer. Tell Trace and Rachel hi. Take care! Miss & Luv ya! :) xoxo Lilah."

A large smile makes its way onto my face as I finish reading her texts, just in time to see the front door fly open. Even in her texts she sounds just like the Delilah I know and miss terribly right now.

My head snaps up immediately and I feel all the tension in my body dissolve as my mood is instantly uplifted at the sight of my mom's warm smiling face.

"Ma!" I coo, grinning like an idiot.

It takes two seconds flat before she grips me and pulls me into a hug.

I laugh softly, wrapping my arms around her soft frame.

"Justin! Welcome home darling! I've missed you!" She gushes and I sigh, burying my face in her curls, inhaling her familiar sent.

"I've missed you more." I counter and she laughs softly.

My thoughts instantly clear and my body slumps forward in a relaxed state.

Shit, there really is nothing like a good ole hug from your mom to make you forget about all the worries and cares you have in this world.

And, because of her, now I can say, I'm genuinely happy to be back home...