Chapter 6


Tonya's POV


"What do you think you are doing?" I asked him as calmly as I can as I made sure Britney can�t hear us, "you are suppose to make her fall in love with you again, not to piss her off!"

"Would you just clam down?! I know Britney better than you do, I have planted these things in her head, and lets just say she is not that confident of herself," Reg said with a smile on his face.

"You better hope this works, otherwise both of our relationships would be over because Justin and Britney couldn�t let go of their childhood dream. It would ruin my and Justin�s lives, it could ruin the life Justin and I can have," I said as I thin what would happen if Justin broke up with me. I just can�t give up what my life could like with Justin in it.

"Why are you so worried? You and Justin are going public soon. Did you see them doing something naughty?" He asked me with that smirk on his face knowing my answer.

"No, but I saw all the flirty smiles and the look in both their eyes whenever the other one is in the same room." I said as I recall the things they would do for each other and say about each other.

"Well it�s all gonna stop when Britney realizes this is not for her, and then she is going home with me." He stood up and gives me a kiss on the lips as he walked out of the kitchen.

You see, Reg and I met in a club in New Orleans when Lynn send me to audition for a label, and we both went to the same club one night. I just found out that Britney was touring with *Nsync, so I was thinking how I would try and keep them apart. Then I met Reg; of course I knew who he is, because he was at Memphis with Britney when she auditioned for Innocence. We decided that in order to keep them apart, we have to work together. And ever since then Reg and I have been in contact.


Britney�s POV


I wish I could just go to sleep, and when I do wake up, all my problems would be gone. I know it is childish, but this is just too much for me to handle, I know I have feelings for Justin, but what about Reg and Tonya, they�ll get hurt. I was talking to mom earlier, I told her everything about Justin and asked her what should I do. All she would tell me is to follow my heart, but what if when what my heart is telling me is wrong? Justin and I had a fight today, he said that he would say no to going public with Tonya if I want him to, I wanted to tell him don�t go public so bad, but instead I told him that if he really wants to, then he would do it without me telling him to. So now we are not talking at all, I think everybody is aware of what�s going on, especially JC and Lance. I have a feeling this is gonna be a very long tour.

The Next Day�


Johnny�s POV


"Lynn, I am telling you this is for the best, if these reports keeps coming out, then the fans are going to put Britney through hell when the tour starts. And it would make things harder for Justin and Tonya when they want to come out." I have been sitting here all morning trying to convince Lynn that this is the right thing to do, but she seems to think that if Justin and Tonya came out in the open now may be too much of a commitment for the both of them.

"But Johnny, they are so young, they are not ready for this, the media is going to have a field day with this, especially with Tonya haven�t been signed onto any label." Lynn is not going to give up until I agree to this.

"Tell you what Lynn, since you are coming out to Orlando tomorrow, we�ll talk to Justin and Tonya, and see what they want, OK?" Maybe she is right; maybe they do need more time.

"OK, Johnny, I got to go, I have a meeting with the girls."

"OK, bye."

After Lynn arrived the next day, she and Tonya and Justin had a long talk, they decided that they are going to go out at Grammy�s, so they would have time to prepare for what is to come their way. However, I saw the look in Justin�s eyes, it is not the look of excitement or happiness, instead it is the look of dread and sadness. He won�t talk to anyone about it, I have a feeling the rest of the guys know what is going on, but they are good friends, so they won�t tell anyone until Justin is ready to talk about it. So now there is only one person who would know the truth, as I wait for her in my office, I keep trying to figure out what is wrong with Justin. He and his girlfriend are finally able to let the whole world know about their relationship, but he is not happy.

*Knock

"Come in," I said as I looked at the young girl just walked into my office, " Britney, have a seat, I need to ask you about some things."

"Ok, what about?" She asked as she tries to figure out what I am trying to ask her.

"I was wondering have you noticed that Justin has been distant from everybody lately, maybe you know what�s going on." I asked her.

"Umm� no, maybe he is just nervous about how will the fans react when he and Tonya come out in the open." I know she is not telling me the truth. That girl is like a daughter to me, I know when she is not telling the truth, she wouldn�t look you in the eyes, and she is not a very good liar.

"Britney, look at me, tell me what you know." I told her, and the look in her eyes instantly told me it was wrong to push her.

"Johnny, what makes you think that I would know, maybe I am just as clueless as you are," she said as tears started to fill her eyes, she is trying her hard to fight the tears, but it is not working. "I don�t even know when he is telling me the truth or just trying to play games anymore, so Johnny, I couldn�t possibly know about what is wrong with him more than you do." She ran out of my office after she said that. This is exactly what I was afraid of, I know they had feelings for each other when they were younger, but I didn�t expect them to have feelings for each other now, I mean they were only 12 and 13 when they were on MMC. I have to talk to Lynn and Larry about this; we have to find a solution ASAP.

That afternoon�

In Johnny�s office


Lynn�s POV


As I sit here, fully aware of why Johnny called this meeting, I begin to remember the things happened while Justin was on MMC, they are good and bad times, but when it comes to Britney, it is mostly good, except the last few days on the show. I remember one night out of blue, he asked me what love feels like, I was so shocked, my thirteen-year-old son is asking me about being in love, he is only thirteen, he doesn�t know what love is, he is not suppose to know until much later in life. All I told him was that he would know when he is in love, and that he is way too young to find true love. He didn�t say anything, but I know he doesn�t believe me. Over the two short years he was on the show, Lynne and I watched as our children become friends and then bf/gf.

The day when they had to leave the past two years of their lives behind, and go back to the one before, is still fresh on my mind. I remembered all the tears of the cast member, the hugs, and good wishes, but mostly I remember watching Justin and Britney saying good-bye, it killed me to watch them. I really thought that was the last time I would see Justin with Britney. I also believed that his life wouldn�t be full without her. The first few months after the show was hard, Justin rarely smiled or laughed, I know he is missing Britney terribly, and there is nothing that I can do about it. After a while, Justin just came out of his shell all on his own, he went back to being himself, he had a girlfriend, and he experienced school life. But after a while, he became restless, I guess music is what Justin and Britney have in common, and it is what reunited them. I am happy that they finally met each other again, and I have to say I am not surprised that they have such strong feelings for each other, stronger than Justin will ever have for Tonya�

"Lynn, Justin and Britney can�t be together, what if this is just a fling, and what are we gonna do after they got over it? Besides, Britney is a new artist, people haven�t got to know her music good enough yet, JIVE doesn�t want her to have a boyfriend," Johnny said as he tried to think of a way to deal with this situation.

"But Johnny, they feel what they feel, they are young, if they want to be together, we can�t stop them."

"Let�s not forget the fact that Tonya and Reg are still in the picture. JIVE has already put the pressure on me to get Reg out of Britney�s life, I don�t need to Justin to be there when that happens, because we both know that he will be there for Britney, and when she is available, there is no way to stop them." Larry finally voiced his opinion.

"If they want to be together, whether they one of them is available or not, they will be together sooner and later, and you don�t know about what Justin and Britney had on MMC, so don�t pretend like you do." I said as I feel like they are trying to assume what Justin had with Britney was just a childish crush.

"Ok, Lynne is coming to see Britney tomorrow, she will say what she thinks then, in the meantime, we have to keep out eyes on them." Johnny said as he started to collect the files on his desk, Larry and I got up and left the office.


Britney�s POV


As I sit here all alone, everything around me is so quiet, I am so confused. A few days ago, I was so sure this is what I wanted, I was sure that Reg was wrong. But the more I think about it, the more I think that maybe he is right.

"You know, quietly sitting here alone at night usually means you have a decision you are so torn about," I turned around as I saw him walking towards me.

"How do you know?" I asked without looking at him.

"I am in the exact same position as you are, and Chris told me." He said as he started to sit down next to me.

"Well you are wrong, I am not torn about anything, at least not anymore." I said as I continue to avoid his eyes.

"And what that decision might be?"

"My mom is coming to see me tomorrow, and she is leaving in a week, I will be leaving with her when she goes home." I said as a tear escaped from my eye.

He looked at me with disbelief and disappointment. He didn�t say anything, and neither did I.


Chapter 7