Chapter 7 Come clean
Walking up to the door was the easy part, knocking on it was another story. Paige stood frozen at the doorstep of JC Chasez’s home, wondering if this was a mistake. Justin had seemed very convincing when he warned her of the dangers that seeing JC would bring. It all was muddled in Paige’s brain, leaving her wondering if this was just a cover so Paige wouldn’t find out the truth. She wanted so badly to believe Justin, but logic pushed her away from fully acknowledging it.
“Are you going to knock already?” Lorena huffed suddenly; Paige almost jumped out of her skin.
“Yeah…”
“Then stop standing their and knock or I’m going to.”
Inhaling sharply, the young reporter pulled her hand into a fist and knocked on the door. Almost immediately, her arms wrapped around her lower torso, acting as a security blanket. She inwardly laughed at herself, how silly could she have been to think that would protect her from the man who was supposedly “the big bad wolf”. Well one of them at least.
Paige almost felt like she was Little Red Riding Hood sometimes, specifically at the times when she walked into the room where Justin was being held. He always made her so afraid, mostly because he saw right through her. It was so hard to keep herself locked up so tight when someone was constantly trying to prod at her.
God, that was probably the exact way he felt.
“Hey… you’re the chick from earlier right?” JC stared right at Paige, knocking her out of her pensive state. Slightly embarrassed from being caught spaced off, she offered a fake smile.
“Y-yes… I’m Paige Harper… and this is Lorena Velez.” Paige motioned to Lorena who stood about a foot behind her.
“Oh…. So you brought the friend like I asked? Great! Come on in. Let’s get to work.” JC stepped to the side, allowing Paige and Lorena to enter. Not shortly after did his hand come into contact with Paige’s ass, causing her to become frightened for the third time that night.
Paige turned around and stared right at JC in absolutely shock. His hand was NOT touching her. Oh God. Justin really was right.
“Excuse me, can you please remove your hand from me.” The reporter quietly spoke up, while JC complied, but seemingly made no facial response to the request. He merely went about heading to the bar which was conveniently located in his living room.
His house was like a palace, something that you would see in the pages of Better Homes and Gardens. It was almost disgusting to see how beautiful he lived. Someone living alone did not need an 8 bedroom home.
“He’s cracking out liquor? Oh boy…” Lorena whispered to Paige who nervously shrugged it off.
Her mind was already racing with a million thoughts. She was mapping out each way she could exit the house, the doorways, the windows. Each way was a way to her freedom and if it was absolutely necessary she would fight for that undeniable right.
“You ladies like Cristal right?” JC sauntered over to the couch, carrying a tray with 3 glasses and a bottle of champagne. Confused, Paige silently wondered if he gave every reporter Cristal. Nervously, she glanced over at Lorena who took the glass with a smile.
Paige reasoned that if she didn’t seem nervous then why should she? Lorena was a cop after all and knew when a situation was to be feared. Taking her cue from Lorena would probably be the best bet in the end.
“No thank you, I’m driving.”
“Not even a little bit? Come on, Ma… it’ll relax you.”
“I’m relaxed enough… but thanks.” Paige folded her hands in her lap, trying to gain her composure. She knew she was overreacting, the extent of the fear that she had was unnatural. JC could not hurt her, no matter what she knew.
She was becoming so lost in what she wanted to be real.
“Oh so you’re ready to go then?” A smirk grew on JC’s face. He stared at Paige like a cat hunting its prey, ready to pounce on her and devour her completely. A few seconds later, he finally struck.
He squeezed onto the couch, right in between Paige and Lorena. His focus was mostly on Paige while Lorena greedily drank her Cristal. Lorena thought it as her reward for not running straight to the door.
“Ready for what?” Paige looked up uncomfortably.
“For this….” Warm lips crashed down upon Paige’s and before she knew it, he was kissing her. Dizzying her to an extent beyond reason. How was this happening, how was she kissing someone she barely knew when she was engaged to another man? When she was lusting over JC’s fucking ex band mate?
Falling practically on top of her, Paige struggled to get JC off her. As hot as he was, this was wrong no matter how right it felt. Paige was engaged and this was supposed to be a strictly business meeting, not to make out with him. His hand started to travel down her hips; she knew this had to stop while she still was able to think semi-clearly.
“WHAT THE HELL?! I came here for business! Not to be the fucking wingman!” Lorena’s high heels were clicking on JC’s beautiful parquet floor. This was Paige’s chance to stop this before it even started.
“This is!!” Paige was finally out of JC’s grasp and now standing next to Lorena, looking slightly disheveled and shocked. “Mr. Chasez, this is highly inappropriate!”
“Highly inappropriate? I paid top fucking dollar for you two and I expect to be reimbursed!”
“What the hell are you talking about?!” Lorena crossed her arms and vaguely stared at JC Chasez who was looking angrily at the two of us.
‘Please God, tell me this isn’t happening.’ Paige thought to herself. She shrank behind Lorena, hoping for some kind of protection. If he hit her, that wouldn’t exactly be the proof she needed to free Justin, but in her own mind he would be vindicated.
“I’m talking about paying good money for my girls. I’ve never had a problem where girls grow a conscience, so why don’t YOU fucking tell ME what’s going on?!”
Silence. That was all Paige or Lorena were capable of reciprocating for JC’s comment. It was inconceivable, unbelievable that JC had in fact mistaken Paige and Lorena for two prostitutes. Paige a prostitute? She was quite the opposite.
“I came here to interview you for the biography I’m writing about Justin Timberlake.” Paige grew a little more daring; her hands were on her hips and her tone rose slightly higher. She no longer sounded like a startled mouse, which slightly shocked her. Was it possible that she was growing a backbone?
“Oh.”
“That’s all you’re going to say? No apology? Nothing?” Lorena hissed. “I’m very, very offended.”
“I apologize… I really truly do… I just had no idea that anyone was going to be coming to interview me so soon. Please… have a seat.” His entire demeanor softened quickly. It was like another person had taken his place and the incredible asshole that was present before had disappeared.
Was he really hiding who he was now because Paige’s true identity was revealed? Nothing was left to do but listen to what JC was saying and what he wasn’t.
“You and Justin were great friends for a long time… correct?”
“Yeah… over 10 years… and then one day… it just ended. I don’t know if it was fame that got to him, his new found success, or the lifestyle choices he was pertaining in. But Justin became a different person…” JC explained.
His hands were clasped together tightly and his beautiful blue eyes were glued to the floor. The brunette girl silently wondered what was going on in his mind. What was hurting him so much; was it guilt or possibly memories that were haunting him.
Paige doubted it was possible to get Justin and JC talking again. Healing the rift between them would probably ease a lot of the animosity, but the situation was so deep and obviously still ongoing. There was no need for someone to act as the referee between them; maybe they just did need to argue it out?
“How did he become a different person?”
“Justin always had a temper… even back on MMC he wouldn’t get his way and things would just turn gray. I don’t know… it just got progressively worse as the years went by and our fame skyrocketed.”
“I’ve heard Justin had some anger issues.” Paige stated softly. “Was there any anger towards him when his solo success increased and yours did not?”
For the first time since Paige had begun questioning JC about Justin, his head tilted upwards and he stared at Paige straight in the face. His face showed sadness, while his eyes betrayed that emotion and focused solely on anger.
“My solo success was overshadowed because of the extent of his… how would you feel?” JC began softly. “The album I worked so hard on was barely promoted because my record label was too busy with Justin’s album, the sure shot *NSync member. Yes, it hurt me, and yes I was angry and bitter with Justin for a long time, but I still love him like he was my brother.”
“I know he loves you too, JC. He’s just a lost soul right now… trying to find the right path in so much darkness. I’m not sure what happened just yet, but Justin needs support and guidance from everyone who loves him. Don’t harbor something that happened in the past…”
“Easy for you to say… you weren’t told by your record label that your album was junk. That hurts, Paige.”
“I’m sure it does… but how was that Justin’s fault?”
“How wasn’t it Justin’s fault? He was the one that told the label to choose between him and I. He was the one that wanted to end the group. How was I not supposed to harbor anything towards him?” JC stood up suddenly from his chair and began to rummage through the closest desk drawer.
The way he was moving was maddening. A silent rage in his actions perfectly described his general attitude. JC was angry at everyone, not only Justin. His way to vent his frustrations was to indulge in a lifestyle with an entourage he didn’t even care for.
“When Justin offered to help me with my second solo album, I was psyched, not because I knew he’d give me a sure fire hit, but because he was my friend. Little did I know, he wanted my album to tank… so I could get kicked off of my label. What kind of fucking friend is that?”
Lorena glanced over at Paige uneasily. This situation was getting extremely out of hand. JC was obviously still very upset with everything that happened; there was almost a glimmer of truth in Justin’s story due to JC’s break down. Paige wanted to know more, but she wasn’t sure if JC was ready to speak just yet.
“Justin was just as lost, JC. I don’t understand why Justin would just do this out of the blue… Justin didn’t need more fame… he had enough. There has to be more of a reason.”
“Justin’s a fucking asshole… is that reason enough? He can’t hold his temper, he can’t keep a friend, and he can’t keep a girlfriend… not that he deserves any of that.” JC turned around suddenly and dropped a piece of paper straight into Paige’s lap. “Take that, maybe it’ll give you a better impression of who Justin Timberlake really is.”
Paige was unable to pick up the paper for fear of what it might contain. Would all her secret hopes of Justin as a nice guy be killed with one glance at this paper? A small sigh overtook her as she tightly clutched to the paper. She wouldn’t let go of it, even if her life depended on it.
“This is all I can say for tonight… I’m sorry. You ladies know where the door is… please show yourselves out.”
“Alright… thank you for your time.” Lorena was the first one up, immediately she grabbed Paige, wanting nothing more but to get into her car as quickly as possible.
These celebrities were all insane in one way or another. If it wasn’t drugs or drinking, it was sex or just plain insanity from the pressures of the lime light. JC obviously was suffering from one or all of these, according to Lorena’s thoughts.
“Goodbye JC… I’ll be in touch…” Paige stated softly.
The Cuban reporter knew that both JC and Justin had to come clean about everything that happened. In the end, it was all a matter of how she would get them to talk, because inevitably they would. They had to.
