Chapter
4: Heartache.
Libby, Clare
and the guys of ‘N Sync walked into the club laughing about something Justin
had said about Chris’ hair.
The
club was the place where they’d all hang out together at least once a month.
It was the only place ‘N Sync weren’t likely to run into their fans. They
loved their fans, but everyone needed to have a break from work, and being
the biggest pop sensation since, New Kids On the Block, Backstreet Boys
and 98° didn’t make ‘N Sync an exception. They needed to kick loose
and have fun occasionally otherwise they’d go crazy.
As Libby
walked backwards, just ahead of everyone, she was unaware of the shock
she was about to be presented with. She laughed as she spun around to look
where she was walking; her face dropped as she saw Dan locked in a passionate
kiss with a dark haired girl. Her heart sank as she realised the relationship
she’d worked so hard for the past couple of months had turned out to be
another wasted part of her youth.
As her
friends looked on in amazement, Libby turned and ran through them making
her way back out of the building as a feeling of humiliation washed over
her body. All his friends knew they were a couple and they were stood watching
him with that woman.
I
bet they’re all laughing at how blind I've been, she thought to herself
as the fresh night air breezed past her. Suddenly she was aware of the
tears welling up in her eyes. She angrily wiped them away; he’s not
worth it. He’s done you a favour; you’re rid of him now.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
“I’d better
go after her.” Clare said turning to the group.
“No,”
Justin protested as he held Clare back by her arm, “let me go… please.”
“You
might be the last person she wants to see right now.”
“At
least give me a go.” Justin said before he walked the way that Libby had
gone.
When
he got outside he looked around and saw Libby sitting on the steps that
led down to the sidewalk, “what you doing out here?” he asked as he approached
her from behind, “you should be inside with your head high, laughing at
him.”
“At
least now I know why he accused me of cheating with you.” Libby said ignoring
Justin’s advice as he sat down beside her.
He looked
at her in amazement, us cheating?
“He’s
been trying to find excuses for what he has been doing.” She continued.
Inside
she felt a sense of relief, that she wouldn’t have to put up with Dan’s
constant accusations and fiery temper, but she was angry about all the
times she’d forgiven him for stunts he’d pulled in the past. The last six
months had been a lot of hard work, they’d had good days and bad days like
every relationship, but no matter how much she tried to make him happy
he always found something to moan about. Now she was out of it she wasn’t
sure how to feel, happiness for the relief of no longer needing to lower
herself to his level, or anger for the affair he’d accused her of having,
only to be doing it himself.
“Have
I got stupid written across my forehead?” Libby rambled.
Justin
gave her a brief smile as he shook his head silently in reply.
“Then
why didn’t I see this coming?” She asked almost in a whisper.
Justin
wasn’t sure how to respond, there was a silence as he watched Libby staring
across the street at a parked car, he knew she was torturing herself about
Dan, “he’s a fool,” he said finally, as he put his hand on her shoulder,
“you deserve better, a lot better.”
Libby
smiled modestly as Justin rubbed her shoulder with his thumb, “then why
do I feel like the fool?” she asked him as she slowly got up to her feet,
“after all the times I forgave him. After all the times I gave him ‘one
more chance’.”
Justin
sat silently, looking at Libby as she faced away from him, he wanted to
take away her pain, and he wanted to put his arms around her and tell her
everything was going to be okay but would she believe him?
He sighed
as he stood up, ”you coming back in?”
“I don’t
think I can face it right now.” Libby responded as she half turned toward
him, before turning away again.
“Come
back inside and show him it hasn’t bothered you.”
“I can’t,
because it has.”
“Well
I've resisted until now but seeing as your no longer dating, I can go tell
him exactly what I think of him.”
Libby
shot around to see Justin running up the steps, “c’mon Timberlake, don’t
try and be the hero… he’s twice your size,” she shouted to him. She realised
he wasn’t going to stop, “you’ll get hurt you stupid fool,” she said to
herself as she ran after him.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
As Justin
pushed past the people o the dance floor trying to find Dan, Clare spotted
him, “who is he looking for?” she questioned as she pointed in his direction.
The
group watched him curiously until they saw him walking up to Dan.
“Shit!”
Chris called out as he jumped out of the seat and made his way over to
Justin with the others following closely behind.
When
Justin got to Dan he pushed him in the chest with both of his hands, causing
the older man to fall backward onto his backside.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
As Libby
rushed toward them, she noticed Justin stood over Dan shouting at him,
she couldn’t hear what he was saying but she could see how angry her male
friend was.
“C’mon
man, he’s not worth it.” Chris said pulling Justin away from where Dan
was climbing to his feet.
As Libby
reached them, Dan jumped forward at Justin, “don’t you dare touch him,”
she warned as she stood between the two men, raising her hand to Dan’s
chest to stop him.
“You
protecting the new boyfriend?” Dan scolded at her as she moved her hand,
“I knew there was something going on between the two of you… I never thought
boys were your type.”
Libby
cut her eyes at him.
“Why’d
ya go from a man to a boy?” he continued sarcastically.
“You’re
a man, eh Dan?” Clare questioned with disbelief.
“Let
me tell you something,” Libby said, her face getting closer to Dan’s, “that
boy is more of a man than you could ever be.”
Libby
walked away from Dan.
“I’m
not done with you,” Dan said spinning Libby back around to look at him.
He reached back, his hand bunched into a fist, but Chris caught his arm.
“You
will never do that again!” Libby demanded glaring at Dan before she turned
and made her way to a spare table.
“You’ve
blown it. Go back to your girlfriend,” Chris ordered before he and JC dragged
Justin back to the table where Clare and lance had already joined Libby.
Joey loitered where he’d stood through the whole incident, watching as
Dan walked away before joining the others.
As Justin
sat down next to Libby, she slapped him on the arm continuously, “what
did you think you were playing at? You could have been hurt you fool!”
“Hey,
hey, hey, lay off me.” Justin said grabbing Libby’s hands to stop her.
“Well
in future, don’t try and be the hero that you’re not.”
Justin
was hurt, I was only trying to show you how much I care, he thought,
it wouldn’t have mattered if I’d got the crap beaten out of me. I love
you so much; I’d be willing to give my life to protect you. Why can’t you
see it?
He got
up from his seat and walked away from the table, making his way to the
bar.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
As Libby
walked toward the dance floor after Clare, she saw one of her university
friends, “Jenny!” she shouted to her as she pulled Clare to a stop.
Libby
had applied at the university in Orlando before she’d decided to move out
of the country with Clare. A week before the move, she was accepted. She
had taken a computer study course and a business management course and
only had two years left until she got her degree. Her fan club workload
was not as heavy as Clare’s simply because of all the studying she had
to do.
Jennifer
Piel was the same age as Libby, they shared a few classes, so Jenny had
shown her and Lisa around the building that was so big and unfamiliar in
the beginning. The three had become quite good friends and Jenny had spent
many nights over at the girls’ apartment, with Libby so they could study.
“Jen!”
Libby shouted again.
Jenny’s
head snapped around and once realising who it was, made her way over to
Libby and Clare. Her shoulder length dark hair bounced as she walked and
her green eyes shined to match her smile.
“Who
are you here with?” Libby asked her friend curiously.
“No-one.”
Jenny replied with a smile.
“You
didn’t come here alone?” Clare asked.
“Nah,
Cyndi came with me.”
“Where
is she?”
“She
disappeared with some guy an hour ago.”
“So,
you wanna come dance and hang out with us?” Libby asked.
Cyndi
Matthews was jenny’s best friend, she was five months younger than her,
meaning the two were inseparable. They shared a dorm at the university
and took vacations back to Missouri, where they were originally from, to
visit their families together.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Once the
three girls had danced to a few songs, they headed back to the table where
all the men were sat, and Libby introduced everyone to Jenny.
Jenny
said hello to each of them in turn.
When
she was introduced to Lance, she smiled sweetly, she’d been told a lot
about him by Libby and she knew by the shy smile he was giving her that
she’d like him and the two would get on well.
She
is beautiful! He thought to himself as his cheek’s blushed slightly.
Joey
nudged him in the side with his elbow causing Lance to realise he was smiling
at the young lady in front of him like a cheshire cat, he quickly looked
down at his hands.
I
can’t believe I've never had the pleasure of meeting this woman before.
Where has she been hiding?
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
As the end
of the night drew near and the love song’s began to play, Jenny asked Lance
to dance. He accepted shyly and stood up, took her hand in his and led
her onto the dancefloor.
“It
looks like Scoop has got himself an admirer.” Clare said to Libby with
a smile and raised eyebrows.
“Oh,
I don’t think he’ll have a problem with that.” Joey said indicating Lance
liked Jenny too.
JC looked
at Clare, she smiled sweetly back in his direction before he stood up,
grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her seat, “Come and dance with
me.” He said as he began to pull her toward the dancefloor.
“No.
I don’t want to dance.” Clare said trying to pull her hand free from his
grip.
“Just
dance with me.” JC pleaded as they stood on the dancefloor and he released
her hand, “Please!” he continued as he gave her his best ‘puppy dog’ eyes.
“I can’t
believe you’re making me do this.” Clare said taking a step toward him,
she could never say ‘no’ to him when he looked at her like that.
As Clare
wrapped her arms around JC’s waist and rested her head on his chest, JC
put his arms around her shoulder’s and remembered earlier that night…
~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~
Clare
was taking her time as usual. Everyone had gone down to the mini coach
to wait for her, everyone except him; he’d needed to use the rest room.
As
Clare had walked out of her bedroom he gave her a scare. She wore a short
white belly top, which showed off her tattoo, and black leather pants.
Her tattoo was the Chinese symbol for Wildcat and was positioned to the
left of her pierced navel.
Wow!
He had thought to himself as he watched her running around collecting her
bag, coat and keys. He’d never seen her in anything other than jeans and
a T-shirt before so, although she was always smartly dressed, to see her
‘making an effort’ left him breathless.
She
was a vision of beauty with little make-up on, emphasising her green eyes,
and her long auburn hair wrapped up on the top of her head.
~~~~~END
OF FLASHBACK~~~~~
As they
moved slowly in time with Aerosmith’s ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’, JC
closed his eyes, he was happy to be holding Clare in his arms. He had been
in love with her for the past twelve months and although he’d never told
anyone how he felt, it was obvious the rest of the band knew. He and Clare
had built a special friendship. They’d had many late nights through serious
conversations at the office and he’d come close to telling her once or
twice but had never been able to find the words.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Back at
the table Chris stood up and extended his hand to Joey, “Excuse me Joseph,
could I have this dance?” he asked playfully in a deep voice.
“Why
Christopher,” Joey said in a high voice as he played along putting his
hand to his own chest as though to show flattery, "I’d love to.”
Joey
stood up and took Chris’ hand before they headed out to the dancefloor.
Libby
laughed as she watched the two guys walking away from her hand in hand,
leaving her alone with Justin.
As Chris
and Joey proceeded to dance closely to the ballad that was playing as if
they were in love, Justin stood up and asked Libby to dance with him.
“I dunno
Curly,” she replied as she looked around the club for Dan.
“C’mon,
one dance… please” Justin pleaded as he looked down at her with sorrow
in his eyes, holding out his hand.
“Oh,
all right,” Libby replied as she stood up and took his hand, “But only
one dance!” she continued as he led her over to the floor where all their
friends were dancing.
Libby
stood dancing with Justin at a short distance and pleased she’d taken him
up on his offer. When she saw Dan leading his new woman onto the dancefloor
next to them, she began to head off back to her seat. Justin grabbed her
hand and pulled her closer to him. Libby didn’t resist, she was tired of
running she put her arms slowly around Justin’s neck and put her head on
his chest before closing her eyes. She took a deep breath as she thought
about some of the thing’s she’d been through with Dan in the last six months
that she’d been with him.
~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~
It was last Christmas, they were four months into their relationship, Libby
was staying over at Dan’s that night and he’d come in later than usual.
She had been sleeping but he’d woken her when he fell over the coffee table
in the sitting room.
She’d
gone down to see if he’d hurt himself only to discover he was drunk. When
she’d noticed the time and asked him where he’d been, he got aggressive
and lashed out at her. She had a split lip and a black eye for work the
next day but she defended him and stayed in the relationship, after everyone
had tried to get her to leave him.
~~~~~END
OF FLASHBACK ~~~~~
Had
he been with her that night? She asked herself.
As everything
whirled around in Libby’s head she didn’t realise she’d started to cry,
making Justin’s shirt wet from her tears.
“Hey…
my shirt’s wet.” Justin said softly in wonder.
Libby
looked up at him and he noticed she was crying.
“Hey…”
he said reaching to wipe the tears away.
Libby
pushed his hand away from her face before she ran from him, in the direction
of the ladies powder room. Justin was left standing alone as he watched
her before she disappeared through a crowd of people dancing in the middle
of the club. He rushed over to where Clare was still dancing with JC and
asked her to check on Libby.
Clare
smiled contentedly at her dancing partner before heading to the powder
room where she found Libby splashing her face with cold water from one
of the faucets.
“You
okay?” she questioned walking up behind her friend, looking at her reflection
in the mirror.
“No,”
Libby’s response was short and filled with no emotion as she wiped her
face dry with a towel; “I just want to go home.”
“’K,
I’ll come with you.”
“No.
You and JC looked like you were having fun, stay with him. You’ll only
regret it if you don’t.” Libby said knowing her friend all to well.
Libby
was always putting other people before herself. It was something she did
because she didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. Clare and Libby were
so alike in that way.
Clare
knew that was just Libby’s way of saying she wanted to be alone without
seeming ungrateful for her concern, so she decided to stay.
As the
girls walked out of the powder room, back into the main room of the club,
Clare spotted Justin walking toward her. “She’s goin’ home, she wants some
down time.” she said to him as Libby walked away from them and made her
way to the cloak area to collect her coat.
Clare
scanned the dancefloor and saw JC dancing with another woman, suddenly
a streak of jealousy hit her, she left Justin and made her way toward Libby
so she could collect her coat. She didn’t feel like hanging around to watch
how thing’s progressed between JC and the mysterious female.
“Libby
get my coat while you’re there?” she shouted to her friend.
Libby
looked back at her friend with a frown but didn’t get a response because
she’d been joined by Chris, I thought she was staying! She said to herself
before searching for Clare’s coat.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~~
“You goin’
too?” Chris asked Clare as he heard her call to Libby.
Clare
glanced toward the dancefloor at JC. She didn’t want to appear too obvious
but she couldn’t help it. She was jealous and couldn’t help looking back
just to glimpse at what the pair were up to, “As much fun as it is to see
JC’s arms wrapped around another woman,” she said sarcastically beginning
to answer Chris’ question, “I've just lost the appetite for partying. I’m
afraid that if I stand here for much longer I’ll have a strong urge to
go over and rip her head off. And the poor woman doesn’t deserve that,
does she?” she said as she took her coat from Libby and put it on being
sure to kiss Chris goodnight before walking out of the club, disappearing
from his sight.
Chapter
5: I Just Wanna Be With You.
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