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A small, petite young girl bounced up and down nervously as she waited on line.
“Next. Hi, Honey...step up to the large man in gray and he’ll tell you when to go.”
Angela Baxter walked slowly up to the body-guard. He held out his hand to hold her back until the 18 year-old ‘slut girl’ (for lack of better name - she somehow thought that she would get five young males to like her by wearing a top that showed more than it covered and a skirt so short and tight she could hardly walk) moved past the end of the line.
“All right, step up to Justin.” He said, sounding almost bored.
Angie blushed deeply as Justin gave her a smile and started signing a group picture.
“Here ya go!” He said pleasantly as she nodded in thanks and moved onto Chris.
After going through Chris, Lance, and Joey...JC was last. She walked up to the spot in front of JC’s seat.
“Hi, Sweetheart. What’s you’re name?” JC said with that winning smile of his as he began signing for the sweet-looking young girl. She looked to be around 15 or 16.
‘Oh, NO!’ She thought to herself. ‘No, no, NO!! The other four guys didn’t make me say anything. Why, JC...why are you making me talk?!?’
“A-a-a-aaa...” She sighed and started again. “A-a-a-n-n-n-ng-g-g-ie...” She stuttered out with much difficulty.
JC began laughing heartily. “You a little nervous, Angie?” He said, smiling. “You don’t have to stutter...I won’t bite! So, are you looking forward to the concert?” He started laughing again, and looked her squarely in her chocolate brown eyes.
His face crumpled into confusion as he saw some frustrated tears starting to form in her eyes. “Angie? What did I...you all right?”
“N-n-n-n-ooOO!!” She turned on her heels and ran away, leaving her autographed picture on the table. JC just stared for a minute, too confused to move. Finally, he snapped out of his daze and got up to return her picture - AND, hopefully find out WHAT he said to make her cry.
“JC, Dude? Where you going?” Joey found himself suddenly looking at the back of JC’s head as he ran away.
“Be right back...” Was his trailing response.
He found her standing next to a fence by herself, facing the road, and sobbing gently. He reached out and touched her shoulder gently. “Angie? You forgot your picture, and...” His deep blue eyes searched her crimson ones after she turned slowly.
She just stared at him, looking hurt beyond belief. Finally, she reached into her bag and pulled out a pad and paper. ‘Thanks for the picture,’ she wrote.
JC nodded in response, but then continued to look completely baffled by her strange actions.
‘This way’s quicker...’ She continued after a hesitant sigh. ‘I can’t speak too well - I have a BIG-TIME stuttering handicap. It’s worse when I’m nervous, too.’ She hung her head in embarrassment as some more tears made their way out.
JC couldn’t believe his rudeness and insensitivity. He reached out and gently tilted her small face upward. “OMIGOD, Angie...I am SO sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed...I, I had no idea. I feel SO terribly!! Please...” He stopped when Angie abruptly began scribbling on her pad once again.
‘Don’t kill yourself - it’s all right. I’m pretty used to it. It’s OK.’ She tried her best to look convincing, but all she managed to produce was a pained half-grin.
“Man...I feel like and idiot! How could I make this up to you?” He asked.
Angie cracked a real smile, finally, and held out her hands in front of her. JC started laughing - for a good reason this time - she just wanted a hug! He wrapped his arms around her little frame and spun her around. She giggled uncontrollably as he finally placed her down on her feet.
“Yo, JC! Ever comin’ back?!?” Joey screamed from the table, about 30 feet away.
“Hold on, Joe! Just a sec...” He cried in response. He turned his focus back to Angie. “Well, I have to get back, but it was nice meeting you. Again, I am incredibly sorry. I really am...”
She nodded and smiled as she waved good-bye, her deep brown eyes sparkling. JC waved, too, as he started to walk away.
“W-w-w-w-w-w-ai-t-t-t-t...” Angie tried to get his attention one more time.
JC spun around and faced her. She was jogging up towards him, already scrawling something across the pad. She finished it, and then showed the page to JC.
“Of course. Why not...?” He grinned and said after a moment. “Why don’t you give me your address, Sweetie.”
She took a new page and wrote it out with a bubbly smile on her lips. ‘Thank you, JC.’ She mouthed.
JC gave her a kiss on the forehead. “You’re welcome, Ange. Now I really hafta go...”
She waved him on with an ecstatic beam plastered upon her 15 year-old face, and he ran back to the table to sign another picture.
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JC went through the concert as usual. It was a relatively good show - the crowd was really working with him. He couldn’t stop thinking about that young girl, though. During every break, her sweet face popped into his head. It was so unfortunate that such a pretty young girl couldn’t even say her own name. ‘Can’t they fix that?’ He thought often.
Even that night, he still kept thinking about her. An idea slowly formed in his head while he lay in his hotel bed that night. ‘NSync was doing a double show - they’d be at the same venue the next night. He fumbled the piece of paper with her address between his fingers as he drifted quickly off to sleep.
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JC stood on the front porch of 54 Patterson Lane wearing a simple pair of dark jeans, a fitted red shirt and a baseball cap. A few moments later, a 40-something woman appeared at the door.
“Hello. Can I help you? Wait! You’re the boy that’s all over my daughter’s walls, aren’t you?” She said, cheerfully.
JC blushed a little. (No matter how much attention you get, it’s still flattering to know that you have fans...) “Possibly! I’m JC Chasez from ‘NSync. Is Angie home?” He asked hopefully.
“Ummm, YEAH! Hold on....ANGIE!! THERE’S SOMEONE HERE TO SEE YOU!!” She screamed into to house.
Angie appeared a few minutes later. “J-j-j-j-j...” She just gave up and smiled with an embarrassed giggle.
“Hi, Angie. You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here, huh?”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“Honey, I hate to interrupt, but I’m leaving for the supermarket now. You gonna be all right?”
Angie nodded in response and JC concurred. “I’ll keep her out of trouble,” he said with a smile, putting his arm around her 5’1” frame.
Her mother laughed and walked out the front door. “Can I come in?” JC asked her.
She hurried him inside and into her kitchen. There was a pad on the table with words and phrases such as ‘Frosted Flakes’ and ‘I already brushed my teeth’ on it. He couldn’t believe she even had trouble speaking to her own mother...so sad...
‘What are you doing here?’ She wrote and looked up at him.
“I have an idea on how to help you, actually - it’s something that I heard about a while ago. First, though, have you ever tried curing your stuttering?” He asked.
She nodded a ‘yes’ with three fingers held up to indicate three times.
“And nothing ever helped at all?”
She nodded a sad ‘no’, but then shook her hand slightly to indicate ‘a little bit’.
“Has anyone ever tried music therapy for you?”
She looked at him, confused, and then nodded a slow ‘no’.
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“Well, let’s give it a shot...anything’s worth a try, right?” He reached into the backpack he had with him and pulled out a small tape player.
“You know the words to ‘I Drive Myself Crazy’?” He asked her.
She nodded, but then scribbled, quickly: ‘I can’t, JC...’
“Don’t say that yet, Ange. Just give it a try - concentrate on the music, and NOT forming the words. Don’t think about it too much, OK?”
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She nodded skeptically as the intro started softly. She felt herself lost in the beautiful melody as Chris’s voice began. She tried her hardest to form the words.
“L-l-l-l-l-l-l-y-i-n-n-g i-i-i-i-i-i-i...”
JC urged her on. “Don’t think about it - you know the words. Listen to the music, not the actual words...” He reached out and grabbed her hand supportively.
“D-d-d-idn’t kn-n-now j-just wh-what I h-h-had...” Her small voice started to ring a little clearer.
“Great!! Keep it up! Keep listening JUST to the music.” He excitedly sat on the edge of his seat.
“N-n-ow I t-toss and t-t-turn, ‘cause I-I’m w-witho-out y-you. H-how I’m m-missing you s-s-so bad.”
“Look at that, Angie! You can speak so much clearer this way!! This is great! Keep going...”
Angie went through the rest of the song, her voice getting clearer and clearer as she went along. By the end of the song, she was singing nearly without stuttering at all. She actually had a pretty little voice.
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JC looked at her with a HUGE grin on his face. His baby-blues were sparkling with excitement and a sense of accomplishment. “I can’t believe no one’s ever tried that with you before! This is great! Now, we have to try speaking regularly. Try to say your name REALLY slowly - concentrate not on the forming of the words, but on something else in the room...say maybe that picture on the wall...”
‘Or your beautiful eyes.’ She scribbled on the pad before trying to speak. She blushed a deep crimson.
JC flushed a little too, but then lifted her head. “Give it a try...say your name slowly - looking into my eyes...” He gave her a wink.
“A-a-ang-gela B-baxt-t-ter.” She rushed too much and then produced only a semi-satisfied grin.
“I KNOW you can do it...keep looking only into my eyes. DON’T think about the words at all. Imagine yourself somewhere else, maybe...give that a try.”
“A-angela Baxt-ter.” She spoke extremely slowly, but almost completely clearly. Her face radiated with an electrified expression.
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“Try something else,” he urged her.
She closed her eyes and “I-I l-live at f-f-f...” She sighed.
He spurred her on with his hands. “Don’t give up!”
“...f-fift-t-ty f-four P-pat-tters-s-son S-s-street. A-and I r-r-really like ‘NS-s-sync.” This time, she spoke a little too quickly.
JC scratched his head for a minute. “OK...maybe we can get rid of it completely. Try as slowly as possible, and don’t move on until you can say each word without stuttering. You can do it!!!”
“M-m...my name i-i...is Angela B-b...Baxter.” She spoke slowly, but deliberately. “I live a-a...at fifty-four P-P...P-Patterson S-s...Street.”
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“AHHHH!!! You DID it! Omigod, Angie! AHHHH!!!” He started jumping up and down and hugging her. “Angie...you’re crying...why?”
“B-because I’m s-so h-happy!” She said as she cried happy tears. “Why didn’t th-th-this work b-before?!?”
“I don’t know, Sweetheart - but don’t knock it!!”
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“N-now m-maybe I can g-g-get some friends...” She said, almost sadly.
He looked at her, stunned. “You don’t have any friends...just because of your stuttering?!?”
She nodded a slow ‘no’ and then a slow ‘yes’.
“Omigod...I am so sorry. Well, maybe you CAN find some friends now!” He said, trying not to get her upset over the past. He spoke cheerfully and optimistically.
“Y-yeah. M-maybe I can...” She said with a little smile.
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“How are you doing this? How can you speak so clearly all of the sudden? It’s still slow, but it’s so great...wow!”
She blushed a little. “Well, right b-before I say anything, I-I just k-keep imagining b-b-being on an s-sunny island w-with y-y-you. R-really...f-for some reason th-th-that works.” She gave him a little wink.
JC hung his head and laughed softly. “Whoa...well, I guess I can’t knock it! Whatever works for you! Now you KNOW, it’s not gonna just stay this way...you have to work at it. I still can’t believe that no one has ever been able to help you before. I’m no doctor! I mean...why me...?” She cut him off by placing her fingers over his lips.
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“Here’s w-w-why J-j...JC.” She ran to her room and came back with a small journal-type notebook. “R-read th-this.”
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JC finished reading the passage and touched the book gently. His face remained down-turned, but Angie saw him scrunch up his eyes tightly - in vain. A single tear drop landed right underneath the phrase ‘hold the key’ - almost like it was underlining it for emphasis. He pressed his thumb and forefinger into his sockets in another vain attempt to stop the flow of emotional tears. Finally, he looked up and stared right into Angie’s eyes - and saw right into her soul.
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“Y-yes, JC. Y-you r-really m-m-mean that m-much. I l-love you...” She squeezed his hand. “But n-not in TH-THAT s-sort of w-way...I-I...”
“I know exactly what you mean, Angie...and, in that case...I love you, too. Wow, you’ve taught me a lot, too. We all take too much for granted. Thank you.” He dried his eyes brashly.
“N-no, thank Y-YOU!” She reached out her arms for a hug. “Your time w-was wh-what I n-n-needed to give m-me the s-s-strength to f-find a way to d-d-do it.” She smiled proudly.
“Well, I don’t know how I did it...but I’m glad I did!”
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“It’s in h-here...th-that’s why.” She grabbed his hand and put it over her heart and then touched his own chest gently. He smiled again, a few more tears escaping his eyes. “C-could I-I g-get a picture with y-you before you g-go?” She asked hopefully.
“Of COURSE! But then I should go...I lost track of time - I have a dumb ‘ol photo shoot to go to.” He said reluctantly.
After taking the picture with the timer on Angie’s camera, she walked him to the front door. Turning to him, she looked up into his eyes. “G-God CAN w-w-work m-miracles. THIS is a m-miracle...Y-YOU are a miracle, JC. Thank you.” She hugged him once more.
“No, Angie. Well, maybe it’s by God’s love that He brought me to you...but, like you said, it’s in HERE...” He covered her heart. “...that you found the way to do it. I was mearly a tool. Simple caring is a powerful instrument when you’re fighting adversity. I knew you could do it all along. Best of luck to you. Remember to email me...”
Angie tapped her pocket where she had just placed the address he had given her. “I love y-y-you, JC.”
“And I love you, Angie. Take care and I hope to see you again sometime.” He kissed her forehead and walked out to his Jeep, a bounce in his step, and a genuine, accomplished smile across his lips.
Angie stood by the door until he was fully out of sight, waving like mad in response to his incessant beeping. A smile beamed off of her young face - a new confidence in her demeanor - a new spirit in her once tired body. JC had somehow heard her crying out and came to her in her time of need - through the simple gift of music, he gave HER a gift she could never repay him for; one that gave her the self-assuredness to be able to triumph...and that was the gift of his love.
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You’ll never know
What you’ve done for me -
What your faith in me
Has done for my soul.
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You’ll never know
The gift you’ve given me -
I’ll carry it with me.
Yeah...
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Through the days ahead I’ll think of days before.
You made me hope for something better -
You made me reach for something more.
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You taught me to run.
You taught me to fly.
Helped me to free the me inside.
Helped me hear the music of my heart.
Helped me hear the music of my heart.
You opened my eyes.
You opened the door
To something I’ve never known before.
And your love is the music of my heart.
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You were the one
Always on my side
(Always on my side)
Always standin’ by
(Always standin’ by)
Seein’ me through.
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You were the song
That always made me sing.
I’m singing this for you.
(I’m singing this for you, Babe.)
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Everywhere I go I’ll think of where I’ve been.
(Think of where I’ve been.)
And of the one who knew me better
Than anyone ever will again.
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You taught me to run.
You taught me to fly.
Helped me to free the me inside.
Helped me hear the music of my heart.
Helped me hear the music of my heart.
You opened my eyes.
You opened the door
To something I’ve never known before.
And your love is the music of my heart.
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Dear Diary~
I’m here this time to write about my hero - JC Chasez. I’ve loved him since the days of The Mickey Mouse Club when I was only seven years old. He was always so beautiful, so talented, so well spoken - something I cannot ever be. I wish I could be like him - have the ability to sing so angelically and to talk so impressively. To meet him would be a dream come true - I just know that he’d somehow bring out the true me from within this stuttering disguise. There’s someone in here, dying to be let out...I just don’t yet know how. No doctor can cure me anymore. Maybe JC won’t get rid of my stuttering, and I’d probably not even get him to understand how much he means to me...but just the simple gift of his time would be enough to carry me through all my friendless days. JC, the way you move me, the way you inspire me, through words and through song - it lifts me up when I am all alone - it is too wonderful for words. You hold the key to my soul...you are my true hero.
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What you taught me
Only your love could ever teach me.
You got through
Where no one could reach me before.
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‘Cause you always saw in me
All the best that I could be.
It was you who set me free.
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You taught me to run.
You taught me to fly.
Helped me to free the me inside.
Helped me hear the music of my heart.
Helped me hear the music of my heart.
You opened my eyes.
You opened the door
To something I’ve never known before.
And your love is the music of my heart.
You’re the music of my heart.
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Contact me: the_dance_fanfic@hotmail.com
Thanks!