| Chapter Forty-Three: |
| "Well, don't I feel awkward," Brian commented as he looked through the limo windows at the crowd of teenagers waiting to get into the Garden, whose faces were covered with "Justin" and "JC" and "'NSYNC." "Bri, please stop it," Ali muttered, looking out her own window. She looked over at Brian. "Just rememvber that you're going to see Hallie." "I just hope she doesn't shove something through my nose," Brian muttered, looking back out the window. ~*~*~ "AJ, I have to talk to you," Cathy said, sitting down in front of him. "What's up?" he asked, looking through a magazine. Cathy took the magazine from him. "We can't see each other anymore." AJ blinked a few times. "You're joking." Cathy shook her head. "No, I'm not joking. AJ, this just isn't working out for me, you're smothering me." "I can change, just... don't do this." "I'm sorry AJ, I have to," Cathy said, standing up and exiting the room. "What did I do wrong?" AJ asked himself, looking at the closed door. ~*~*~ "Hallie, come on, we're gonna be late," JC said, sticking his head in her dressing room. "We're supposed to be onstage in like, less than ten minutes." "I know, I know," Hallie said, straining to reach her zipper. She looked at JC through the mirror. "Could you please zip this for me?" JC looked up and down the hall. He walked in the door and shut it halfway behind him. "Sure, watch your hair." "She's in dressing room number three, last time I checked," Ali said, pointing Brian down the hallway. "Okay, thanks," Brian said with a smile, heading toward the dressing room. "...Watch your hair..." Brian leaned closer to the half-open door and began listening in. Was that... No, it couldn't possibly be... Not after... "Just don't get it in the zipper, that would be bad," Hallie said, pulling her hair over her shoulder. The sound of a zipper zipping slowly filled Brian's ears. "There. Let's go before someone catches me in here," JC said, playing with the top of Hallie's zipper. Brian slammed open the door in a rage to find JC Chasez standing behind Hallie, his hands on her back. "What in the HELL is going on here?" Hallie turned around and shoved JC out of the way at the sound of Brian's voice. "Bri..." "Oh no," JC muttered, stepping back, realizing that Brian thought something was going on in the dressing room. Brian glared at JC. "Don't even start, I amd gonna rip your head off," he said, stepping toward JC. Ali ran into the room, followed by Justin. "What the hell is going on in here?" she shouted, getting everyone's attention before punches were thrown. Everyone started talking at once. "SHUT UP! Hallie, Brian, come here," Ali muttered, grabbing one of Brian's and Hallie's ear and dragging them out of the room. She walked down the hall, heading toward a closet. She opened the door and threw both of them in and locked it behind them. "Brian, Hallie is FRIENDS with JC, they were just dancing. Hallie, Brian is just being a jealous guy. GET THE HELL OVER YOURSELVES! I am NOT letting either of you out until you've kissed and made up, you're miserable without each other and it is driving me out of my mind," she muttered, walking away from the closet and into Justin's dressing room. The minute she got there, her cell phone rang. "Hello?" "Als, please talk to me," Kevin asked, knowing they had to talk. Ali rolled her eyes. "I don't wanna hear it. We both burned each other and we're both with new people. Can't we just drop it already?" "No, Ali, I still love you." Ali glared at her phone. "Bite me Kevin." With that, she turned off the phone and dropped it in Justin's gym bag. Justin opened the door quietly. "Ali..." She looked at him with a tired expression. "I can't stand this anymore," she muttered as Justin sat down next to her on the couch and pulled her onto his lap. "It's okay sweetie, everything's gonna be okay," Justin said, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. Suddenly a cell phone rang. Justin reached into his gym bag and pulled out Ali's baby blue Nokia. Ali grimaced when he held it up. "You want me to answer it?" "Tell them I'm in a coma," Ali murmered into Justin's shoulder. Justin shrugged slightly and pressed the Talk button. "Hello, Ali McLean's phone, Justin Timberlake speaking." "Get Ali," a female voice said loudly. Justin looked down at Ali, who still had her head buryed in his shoulder. "She told me to tell you she's in a coma." Ali looked up just as Cathy yelled at the top of her lungs, "PUT HER ON THE FREAKING PHONE!" "Gimme that ya dork," she muttered, taking the phone from Justin and standing up. "What?" "It's me," Cathy replied into her cell phone. "It's about AJ." Ali exited the room and sat down on the ground in the deserted hallway. "Tell me everything." Back to Index for Close Chapter 44 |