Weekdays had rolled by quickly. It's a bright Saturday spring morning and Georgia and her family went out for some brunch, and some errands at The Bon Marche for some grocery shopping for essentials. Her Mom and Amir were at the crackers and biscuits aisle, her father was roaming around the hardware section looking for some of his tools while she and her two sisters were at the girls' toys' section, her two sisters enjoyingly picking some stuff for their Barbie dolls and baby alive. Stuff like this doesn't bore Georgia, at her age she still enjoys going with her sisters while they buy their toys.
She was looking through the display of different tiny clothes and shoes for Barbie dolls when her Nokia 3210 chimed and a text notification from Jovie appeared:
"Hey, where you at?"
She fidgeted on the keypad and sent a reply, "Out here at Bon Marche's"
"I'm outside your house, shall I wait for you? Let's go to Jive Time"
"Okay," she sent a quick reply. She looked around for her parents so she could ask them to come home already. She's really not in the mood to go out after but she needed bestie time with her best friend, it will at least, take her mind off that MrSmoothguy from the chatroom.
She found Jovie slumped against the cushion at their porch as they pulled up in the parking lot of their Dutch Colonial House. She looked as though she had fallen asleep while waiting for Georgia. "About time!", she joked Georgia. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Saunders", she greeted Georgia's parents.
"Where you girls up to?" Georgia's mother asked while opening the front door.
"Jive's. We'll just be quick. Frank will drive us home." Jovie answered politely.
"Okay. Be home by 7. Take care and ring us up if you need a ride home" Mr. Saunders reminded the girls. Both girls nodded their heads, bid goodbye, and started walking to get a cab. It's just a ten-minute drive to Jive's store.
Jovie kept on talking for at least three to five minutes about buying the new album and how is it that the tickets are still not on sale, blah blah blah. She just listened to half of what she said and told her she might be buying the album as well later. They rode in silence for the next five minutes until they reached Jive's. But thoughts came running inside her mind again. The reason she prefers staying after their errand is so she can check her AOL messenger if there's a chat coming from MrSmoothguy. She also does not understand herself, how invested she is in a guy whom she hasn't met yet and talked to personally. In spite of the distance and being strangers to both, they share a lot of stories, she feels really comfortable talking to him about everything under the sun, stuff she also shares with her best friend, but, this one feels different. She can also talk to him about her 'major-crush/minor-obsession' thing with Justin Timberlake, most guys would definitely laugh at her but, MrSmoothguy never did.
If he still won't chat me up this week, I WILL NEVER! she screamed inside her mind while strolling inside Jive's. Little did she know, her frustration registered on her face and it had not gone unnoticed by her best friend.
"Hey, you don't look okay." Jovie stated.
Georgia came to her senses. "I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" she mumbled, hoping that she sounded convincing. She felt a twinge of guilt for not telling her best friend about this guy. She's dying to tell her but a part of her also knows that her best friend will disapprove of her chatting with some strangers online. Jovie is at times as protective as her mother, it's like she has found an elder sister in her. But sometimes, Georgia, as stubborn as she is, just wants to have her way.
"Not sure."Jovie shrugged her shoulders and then turned to pull out two discs from the rack. "But I'm certain these will lighten you up," she said while holding two No Strings Attached album. "And some posters, perhaps?" she said with excitement in her voice.
"YESS!" they both squealed giddily then quieted down after noticing they caught some people's attention inside the store once again.
Frank, Jovie's older brother picked them up outside Jive's at 5:30 and started driving them home. The moment Frank saw what their paper bags had inside, he started making a face, "Oh here they are again. Another songs I'll be hearing inside your room non-stop!" he mocked Jovie, Georgia just laughed at Frank's whining. The Ong's house is a Victorian style and is a picturesque of a mansion, with its six bedrooms and high ceilings. Jovie's bedroom is just adjacent to her brother Frank's bedroom, so he can definitely hear whenever Jovie's having a blast inside her room. Marco, the eldest, stays on the far end of the second floor, so he probably doesn't have problems with it.
"Suit yourself, 'cause you'll definitely will!" Jovie snapped back. One thing about her best friend Jovie, you can trust her to fighting with words, she can ruin her enemy in a snap. Georgia just sat in the backseat listening and laughing at the two. The only time the two stopped bickering with each other was when they were ordering foods at the drive-thru.
Finally, SILENCE, Georgia whispered at herself while grinning.
They got home an hour early for their curfew, well, not really a curfew. Her parents were always lenient when it came to curfews and schedules, she never had a hard time asking for their permission and was always free to go to bed at any time so long as she would be able to wake up and be at school on time the next day. She stayed for dinner even though she brought home take-out foods for all of them. Her Mom instructed them to partake of what was on the table first and just have those fries and burgers afterward as a snack. Of course, Amir was allowed to indulge on small portions of fries while having dinner. Oh to be the youngest!
"Who is MrSmoothguy?", her sister Genevieve asked with an inquisitive look on her face, her thick eyebrows crossed and her deep black eyes stared at her without a blink.
Georgia turned to her sister with a slight shock on her face as they were hanging out in her sisters' bedroom, Gia and Genevieve share a bedroom. She glared at her sister, "WHAT??" she asked in a firm voice, although at the back of her mind, she already knew. Her 6-year-old sister, Genevieve is at times sneaky and likes to go through her things, which irritates Georgia but what can she do to a toddler?
Gia's eyes widened and covered her mouth then burst while giggling, "She went inside your room while you were out."
"No, YOU didn't!" Georgia snarled at the little Genevieve who showed neither sign of fear nor guilt. She walked out of her sister's room stomping her feet towards her room at the middle of their second floor. Truth is, as piqued as she was at her sister being nosey, she was galvanized to check her AOL messages at that moment.
"Gia. I just said HI", Georgia heard Genevieve's low voice halfway through the hall.
Oh, Myy!! Georgia thought.
And voila! There it was. The chat popped up as soon as she turned on her computer.
MrSmoothguy: "Hey, I'm back."
Justinsgirl (Georgia, who, by the way, was Genevieve at that time): "Hi"
MrSmoothguy: "What's up? what did I miss?"
"Hey, you there?"
"Are you busy?"
"I'm sorry for the past three weeks, I've been very busy. Talk to me"
"I'll wait, baby"
Huh? 'baby', huh? Georgia thought, She felt relieved of her sister's short reply, making it look like she was uninterested. Good job then, Genevieve, she Congratulated her little brat of a sister inside her mind. She then began typing.
Justinsgirl: "Hello, sorry I just got back home again.".
MrSmoothguy: "Finally, haha!"
WOW! That was fast!, Georgia thought happily as the guy's reply did not take not even thirty seconds.
Justinsgirl: "Finally? Well, it was you, who have been missing lately. Your status says AWAY all the time"
MrSmoothguy: "Yeah, There's a lot that needs to be done here. I'm just having my downtime right now 'till tomorrow."
Justinsgirl: "Busy with what? School?"
MrSmoothguy: "Kinda. and some other stuff too."
Justinsgirl: "Stuff like what? You wanna tell me about it?"
MrSmoothguy: "Yeah, I wish I could."
Justinsgirl: "Why can't you?" Then she remembered it's his right to not share it though and doesn't want him to get the impression that she's crossing the line.
"Never mind, it's totally fine if you don't want to talk about it. By the way, Do you already have the album? I just got mine today!" Georgia asked, quickly changing the topic.
MrSmoothguy: "Thanks. And it's just some basic stuff that we normally do, so nothing much to talk about. The new album? Yeah, have it rrrrrright here! still unopened and crisp. haha."
Jutinsgirl: "Haha! I bet it's your brother who made you buy it." Georgia typed while laughing, knowing that it was MrSmoothguy's younger brother who was the original NSYNC fan and the one who made his account to join the AOL chat so he could poke fun at him.
"Nathan, right?"
MrSmoothguy: "Yeah, silly Nathan! Well, thanks to him, I'm enjoying this here! haha, the joke's on him."
Justinsgirl: "You bet! Those silly younger siblings and the things they do and make us do! haha!." Georgia typed while laughing. Actually, both of them were smiling or laughing in front of their computers. Georgia felt like a heavy feeling was lifted deep within her, she suddenly felt lighter. MrSmoothguy felt relaxed after weeks of rehearsals and guesting in between, to which of course, is unknown to Georgia.
MrSmoothguy: "So you have any plans? are you going to the tour- I mean, concert?"
Justinsgirl: "Of course. Both me and my best friend would not miss it for the world! Are you coming to see it with your brother?"
MrSmoothguy:" Us too, will definitely not miss it!"
Justinsgirl: "Thought you're not a fan?! hahahaha"
MrSmoothguy: "I am also certain that I'm not. Urgh! Those boy bands! Who likes them?"
Justinsgirl:" You might want to take those words back hahaha"
MrSmoothguy: "Schkiddin"
Justinsgirl: "Not funny, though"
MrSmoothguy: "Come on, I was just teasing you."
"Hey"
"You mad?"
Moment of silence, no chat alarm, and an air of awkwardness as Georgia slumped in her cozy chair, holding her laughter. Ha-Ha! Gotcha! , she thought.
Justinsgirl:" Haha. No, I'm not. Was just getting back at you!"
MrSmoothguy: "It's tearin' up my heart"
Justinsgirl: "Huh??"
"........when I'm with you. But when we are apart, I feel it too. And no matter what I do, I feel the pain", she went along the moment she got it.
Both laughing, Georgia suddenly remembered about the tickets.
Justinsgirl: "Hey, I wonder why the tickets haven't been out on sale yet. When do you think can we get it?"
MrSmoothguy: "It should have been out this week but, there's just some stuff that needs to be ironed out, I think."
Justinsgirl: "You think so?"
MrSmoothguy: "Yeah. I have a very reliable source from here. Kiddin'."
Justinsgirl: "Where do you plan on going? You're from Memphis, right? Is there a scheduled show there?"
Mr.Smoothguy: "Yup. They have. But, we're currently In Florida right now. How about you? There's a scheduled show also in Washington."
Justinsgirl: "Yeah, so we heard. We're leaning into watching them in Madison Square."
MrSmoothguy: "What?? That's one long hell of a plane ride! Why is that?"
Justinsgirl: "Well, I will be with my best friend. I don't wanna go see the concert alone. They'll be having a visit to their Father's firm at that time, so we figured we'll just watch from there."
MrSmoothguy: "Okay. Guess, I'll just see you there."
Justinsgirl: "Haha! Yeah, see you when I see you. Let's call it a night. Chat me tomorrow or shall I be rejoicing from your absence again? JK"
MrSmoothguy: "Haha. Hopefully, I still have time tomorrow. Do you mind giving me your personal deets? Like name, address, and number? Just in case I wanna ring you up?"
Justinsgirl: "My digits? Sure. Though I'm not sure as to why you'll be needing my address for? Haha!"
MrSmoothguy: "Never mind the address, I know it's not safe. You might think I'm a weirdo. I just thought of sending you something, maybe before we meet or before the concert."
Justinsgirl: "Hmmmm, reasonable enough. Okay, I'll send you my digits first. Night?"
MrSmoothguy: "Night. Don't think about me too much. JK"
"Or I might be the one to lie awake. I drive myself crazy. Drive myself crazy. Thinking of you."
Justinsgirl: "Haha! Not so smooth, MrSmooth! Nightiee"
With that, Georgia crashed into her bed, and tucked herself to sleep with a smile pasted on her pretty face. Well, both of them did.
