“I just thought of a great idea.” Katlyn said walking over to Jackie and sitting next to her on the back couch in the bus.
“What?” Jackie asked setting the drawings down.
“Ok. So we make these nice clothes for all the guys except for Justin. We could make all these weird clothes for him and embarrass him and then make a shirt that says like-“
“Great idea, Kate. Let’s embarrass the heartthrob of the group and turn all the fans against him.” Jackie said sarcastically.
“Ooh, now we’re going somewhere!”
Jackie smacked her. “I was joking.”
“I thought it was a good idea though.”
“Of course you would.” Jackie smirked. “Now stop thinking like you’re dressing your ex and a bunch of your friends and start thinking like you’re dressing N SYNC, the pop band.”
“That would be perfect except for the fact that my ex and a bunch of my friends ARE N SYNC!”
“Well stop thinking like that.”
The bus pulled to a stop and Katlyn looked at the clock with a groan. “Time to go.”
Jackie gathered the drawings and stood up. “Then let’s go.”
They walked out of the bus and walked into the hotel.
“Great, great, great.” Katlyn groaned again seeing Justin walking a few feet behind her. “Let’s hurry inside.”
“Just because he’s your ex doesn’t mean you have to be scarred of him.”
“I’m not scarred of him, I just don’t want to see him.” Katlyn hurried inside and quickly walked over to Johnny, who was giving out the room keys. She grabbed hers and ran through the lobby and into the elevator to find JC and Joey, who had just gotten on.
“Hey, you two.” Katlyn said standing next to JC.
“Hey, Kate.” Joey said holding the door opened as a few more people walked on.
“Hey...what’s wrong?” JC asked noticing the weird look on her face.
Katlyn opened her mouth to answer but saw Justin walking over to the elevator and was now starring at them. “That.” She whispered.
“Hey everyone.” Justin said forcing a smile.
Everyone replied a greeting except for Katlyn. JC elbowed her.
“What?” Katlyn hissed pushing his arm.
“You’re being rude.” JC said as the doors closed and they started moving up.
“Since when did you become my mom?”
Justin stood in the opposite corner watching them.
“Katlyn, stop.” JC whispered.
“You stop.”
JC turned so he was looking at her. “Are you ok?”
Katlyn smirked. “I wonder.”
“Jeez...even I know what’s wrong.” Joey cut in.
Katlyn smiled at him with a nod. “Thank you, Joe.”
“Anytime.” The elevator doors opened and they all walked out.
“Kate, you wanna continue with the drawings?” Jackie asked trying to get her attention off of Justin.
“I still like the other idea.”
“We’re not doing that.”
“Doing what?” JC asked curiously.
“You don’t want to know...it was just one of Katlyn’s evil ideas.” Jackie answered.
Katlyn stopped at their door and looked at Jackie, she snatched the folder out of her hands. “Let’s go.”
Jackie rolled her eyes and followed her inside. “It’s all fun and games until it turns on her...Bye, guys.”
Both JC and Joey turned to look at Justin.
Justin slumped back against the wall and rubbed his face with his hands. “I’m sorry...that was my fault…again.” He said mechanically.
JC laughed. “We weren’t going to blame anything on you. We were just seeing how you took all of that.”
“How am I supposed to take it? My ex-girlfriend hates me. She probably wanted to write ‘I’m a jerk’ on my shirt for the photo shoot.”
“Yeah, I was guessing that too.” Joey added.
“Have you tried talking to her again?” JC asked as the three walked down the hall to their rooms.
Justin shrugged. “It doesn’t help.”
“Hey.” Lance said joining them. They all looked up and greeted him.
“So I’m guessing I missed another Katlyn incident.”
They all nodded.
“How can I hate someone as much as I do him?”
“Katlyn, concentrate please.”
“I’m trying to!”
“We need to start making these clothes and they need to be finished in two weeks.”
“I know...I know.”
“So let’s finish these.”
“I can’t right now, I hate him! Can’t we just go talk to Johnny and my dad?”
“Ten more minutes.” Jackie said with a sigh. “Why don’t you just talk to him and try to at least work things out?”
“Because I can’t! I can’t even stand sitting in a room with him.”
“Fine. Why don’t we work on Chris’ outfits now?”
“I think I can handle that.” Katlyn sat down and they finished the drawings.
(December 20, 2001)
“Ok, so everyone have a nice week off and then we’ll meet in Chicago.” Johnny said as they all stood in the airport. “Merry Christmas!”
Everyone was going their separate ways. The only people going back to Orlando was Katlyn, her dad, Johnny and Justin.
Johnny and her dad were both talking together. Katlyn sat a few seats away from them while Justin sat across from her.
She quickly pulled out her CD player and put the head phones on and pushed play. She softly started to sing the song playing. “To think I’m so naive , how dare you play with me, I gave you heart and soul, yeah, tell me baby please, why you’re screwin’ with my head, I don’t think you understand, I won’t take your hhhaaa no more, don’t knock on my door, not this time, because I recognize, I’ve heard it all before, and I eh I eh I, I think of all the time that I’ve wasted, think of all the times that I took you back, ain’t no way I’ll be lonely, I don’t want to let you back in, let’s just face it, better off alone and I won’t turn back, thought that I would be lonely, I don’t want to let you back in...”
Justin looked up at her and closed the book that he had out. He stood up and walked across the aisle and sat next to her. Katlyn turned her head slightly to see why he had moved.
“Can I help you?”
Justin continued to stare at her. “I’m sorry, was this seat saved?”
Katlyn grabbed her journal and a pen out of her bag and curled up on the seat. “Nope, you just looked comfortable over there, I don’t see why you had to come over here into my space.”
“Your space? I’m sorry, I didn’t see your name on it.”
“So did you need something or not?”
“Why were you singing that song?”
Katlyn looked back up at him and took the earphones off. “Because I was listening to it, you don’t sing with songs you listen to?”
“You listen to Britney?”
“Well, that was her song right?”
“What is your problem? I just came over here to talk and try and pass the time but you’re going to be a bitch the entire time?”
“I didn’t invite you over here, I was perfectly content by myself.”
“Is this what JC has done to you?”
Katlyn closed her journal and looked up at him. “What ARE you talking about?”
“Dating JC has drove you crazy!”
“I’m NOT dating JC! How many times do we have to tell you that?! We are friends and that is it. NOTHING more!”
“Can you guys keep it down a little?” Johnny asked leaning over.
Katlyn stood up and walked over to where Justin had been sitting and sat down. Justin followed her.
“That was rude.” Justin smirked.
“Can’t you just leave me alone?”
“Why? I’m enjoying getting under your skin.”
“I can’t believe I dated him for over a year.” She softly said to herself. “Is this how you are trying to win me back?”
“Why, is it working?”
“What do you think?”
“Well, I got you to talk to me. Yeah, I would say it’s helping.” Justin smiled.
“You are SO lucky we are in a public place right now or I would-“
“Do what? Jump me? We can go back to my place as soon as we get home and I can give you whatever you want.”
“No, I was talking about this...” Katlyn grabbed Justin before he knew what was happening and threw him to the floor, pinning him down.
“Kate, I said to wait.” Justin laughed.
Katlyn punched his stomach. “You are a pain in the ass, do you know that? I am TIRED of your cocky smile, the way you walk around like you’re some huge superstar, and the fact that you have an ego the size of this ENTIRE airport! It’s not attractive!”
Justin flipped them over so he was on top and pinned her arms above her head. “I like to be on top.”
Katlyn struggled with getting her arms free. She wiggled around, kicked her legs, but she was getting nowhere.
“Give up yet?” Justin asked.
Katlyn laid completely still and relaxed. “Yes.” She pouted.
Justin smirked and let go of her hands, sitting up so he was straddling her.
“Justin?”
“Yes?”
Katlyn lunged up and grabbed his hair. “You should know me better...I don’t give up that easy.” She pushed with all her might until he fell off of her and she jumped on him, continuing to pull at his curls that had finally started growing back.
“Ow. Will you let go?!” Justin grabbed her arms and tried to pull her hands away, but he only succeeded in having his hair pulled harder.
“You are such a baby! At least I knocked that cocky smile off of your face.” Katlyn continued to pull at his hair and then started hitting him.
“Ok, I’m sorry!” Justin pleaded trying to grab her hands to keep her from hitting him.
“It’s going to take a LOT more then that!”
They continued to roll around for a few more minutes until Johnny and Chris finally came over and started pulling them apart from each other.
“Will you two STOP?! You’re causing a scene!” Johnny said trying to untangle Katlyn’s fingers from Justin’s hair.
“I don’t care right now, he needs a good beat down!” Katlyn screamed.
“Katlyn Marie, let go of him right now!” Chris said grabbing his daughter trying to pull her away.
They were finally able to pull them away from each other.
“What the hell has gotten into you two?” Johnny said sitting Justin down, away from Katlyn.
“I hate him!”
Justin’s heart broke. “Hate?”
“Yes! I HATE you!”
“Ok, quiet. I don’t want to hear anything else from you until we get back.” Chris scolded.
Katlyn huffed and leaned back in her chair. Their flight was soon called and they boarded the plane.
(December 22, 2001)
Katlyn turned off the road and drove down the street. She parked outside of her parent’s house and walked to the door, pulling out her key and opened it. “Anyone home?”
“Hey Kate!” Tyler said sitting on the couch watching TV.
“Hey Ty, how are you doing?”
“I’m bored...Jon is coming over soon though.”
Katlyn nodded. “And what are the two of you going to do?”
“We’re going to plan what we’re going to do tomorrow.”
“Two days before Christmas...you two better be good or Santa won’t come by.” Katlyn ruffled his hair and walked towards the kitchen.
“Kate?” Tyler asked following her.
“Yes Ty?” She opened the fridge and grabbed a water bottle.
“Can you take Jon and I out?”
“When?”
“Tomorrow!” Tyler said rolling his eyes dramatically.
“I guess. What about mom or Michelle?”
“Mom doesn’t want to...she said she was busy, and Michelle is going out with her friends.”
“I’ll take you two then.”
“Yes!!” Tyler went running from the room.
Katlyn walked up the stairs looking for her mom. “Hey mom, what are you doing?”
“I’m just trying to organize this mess.” Tracey said sorting papers out.
“Ty said you were too busy to take him and Jon out tomorrow.”
Tracey looked up. “No, he told me he wanted you to take him.”
“But then why did he tell me something different?”
“It’s too hard to understand what goes through that boys mind.” Tracey laughed. “It sounds like someone is being set up though.”
“Set up for what though?”
