~A Week later~
After the photo shoot last week Brittany had a hard time talking to Justin. The only conversations were concerning business or her telling him what kinds of clothes to put on.
"Brittany, are you ready to go?" Justine sat on her bed waiting for her to finish her makeup in the bathroom.
Something had been different since the day of the shoot. Brittany wasn't the same. She hardly talked to her, and when she did she couldn't look her in the eyes and acted nervous. To anyone that knew Brittany, that wasn't her. Justine knew something was up. She just wasn't sure what.
"Yeah I'm coming." Brittany grabbed her towel and her beach bag.
"I'm so excited we are going to the beach, I wish that the guys could come even though I know they can't. I remember when me and Justin used to go." She smiled a little remembering all the fun times they used to have.
"Yeah, uh huh." Brittany pushed past her rudely not wanting to hear about how Justine and Justin used to have so much fun together. Because now she knew the real Justin. It's been a week since Brittany found out and Justin still had made no attempt to tell her. This frustrated her even more. She didn't want to hurt her friend but she deserved to know her best friend was a lying asshole.
"Earth to Brittany! Come in!" Justine waved her hand in front of her face.
"Sorry, are we ready now?"
"Yeah, duh I have only been saying let's go for the past five minutes." She laughed but stopped when she didn't hear the familiar laugh of Brittany that always came with funny moments.
"Brittany, what has been wrong with you this week?"
"Um...Nothing. Why?" She quickly got ahead of Justine. Justine ran up after her as Brittany cursed her for being on track and cross-country teams all those years.
"Brittany, don't lie. I know something is the matter. Even I can see it." Brittany knew it must be written all over her face if even Justine had noticed something was up.
"Really...I...I'm just tired that's all. And I think a day sleeping in the sun at the beach will be just the thing I need."
The girls walked past the rest of the guys who were sitting in the main TV room waiting for Wade to arrive for rehearsals.
"Morning, boys!" Justine waved and smiled to all of them. All five guys looked up and smiled back including Justin. Justine's smile grew even bigger when she saw Justin. Maybe he was forgiving her. This day was turning out to be better than she had planned.
"You girls have fun today while we sweat our asses off." Joey laughed.
"Brittany, don't sleep too much in the sun...because I'm jealous already you are going, and then to add sleeping in. I just envy you!" JC turned in his spot smiling at the two, a smile was brought to Brittany's face right away.
"Oh I know, you wish you were me, JC. I always knew you wanted to be a girl." All the guys laughed, a little relieved to see Brittany cracking a joke after hardly speaking all week.
"Are we ready? The sun isn't going to wait for us if we sit here all day." Justine grabbed her keys out of her purse and smiled at Brittany.
"Alright I'm coming." All the guys turned back to the TV program they were watching except Justin whose eyes locked with Brittany's.
"One week." She mouthed.
He twitched in pain and all hopes that she had forgotten about it vanished from his mind. He shook his head and tried to smile. Just before Justine looked back again for her lagging friend, Brittany shot him an evil glare causing him quickly to turn around. Brittany hurried up and shut the door before anything else could be said.
In the car on the way to the beach both girls sang along with the songs they knew. Everything was fine for those 15 minutes in the car. Nothing was brought up about the guys. Justin's name was far from either of their minds. But it all came crashing down as they walked up to the water where already masses of people had laid out on towels and sunbathing. Kids were already splashing in the waves. Justine and Brittany found a spot in the sand and set up their towels.
"Want some sun block, Britt?" Justine added more goo to her body.
"No way, it's dark tanning oil for me. I don't do sun block." Brittany giggled pulling her bottle out of her bag.
"Brittany, why are those girls staring at us?"
Brittany looked around trying to find the girls Justine was talking about. "Where?"
Justine pointed in the direction of the beverage stand.
"Who knows. They wouldn't know you. Because Justin has never mentioned you." Brittany shrugged as the girls slowly approached them.
"Hi sorry to bug you but um..." The first girl asked a bit shy.
"Are you Brittany, NSYNC's stylist?" Another girl blurted out.
"Yes that's me." Justine looked shocked at Brittany who was actually being somewhat nice to them.
"Oh my god! How are Justin and Britney?" Brittany's head whipped over to Justine to see her fuming.
"They are fine." Justine said through clenched teeth.
"How do you know?" The girl asked snobbishly.
"Maybe because..." Brittany's hand covered Justine's mouth.
"We saw them yesterday, she is my best friend she sees the guys sometimes. But it has been great talking but we have to go." Brittany grabbed her friend's arm pulling her up with her.
The girls looked at them both like they had lost their minds. Brittany grabbed their bags and kept pulling Justine with her. Once the girls got to the car Justine turned to Brittany.
"What the hell was that for?" She put the key in the ignition and turned it.
"You want to be in the public eye? Plus I saw the look you gave them, you wanted to mutilate them."
Justine turned to her friend. "I did not..." She looked back at the road. "I just wanted to hurt them a little bit."
Brittany laughed. "Sure you did, Justine. I really believe that one." The girls road back to the Jive house after deciding that they had nothing else to do. Once they arrived they found all the guys in the rehearsal room. "Thank god they are still in there they won't bug us now." Brittany smiled.
"Break!" Wade called.
"Damn it!" Brittany grumbled.
"Hey girls, why are you back so soon did you miss me already?" Joey flirtatiously sauntered up to them.
"Oh yeah, damn, that sexy body of yours." Justine shocked everyone including Justin who started to choke on his water that he was drinking.
"Aww Justine you are so sweet. Me and you later?" He put his arm around her shoulders.
"Damn straight, big boy!" She slapped his butt.
"Oh feisty, I like that!" He walked away smiling. Justin lagged behind jealous of the scene in front of him. He used to be the one Justine would joke around with. And now she had moved on to...Joey? He shook his head trying to get the thoughts out.
"I need to talk to her." He said to himself. "Tonight." He walked up to Brittany and grabbed her arm pulling her with him.
"Justin! What are you doing don't touch me!" Brittany yelled trying to break free.
"I need to talk to you please." He gave her a puppy dog face.
"Fine you have five minutes." She followed him. "And that's all, and your time starts..." She looked at her watch "Right now."
"Hey that's not fair we aren't even to the study yet." He whined.
"Well maybe you should start walking a little faster then huh? Four minutes and 30 second lefts." She walked after him into the study.
"Ok I know now shut up."
"If you are going to be rude to me I refuse to talk to you." Brittany crossed her arms over her chest as Justin pulled her over to sit in one of the plush chairs.
"I think...no I know, that I am going to tell her tonight." He paused waiting for Brittany to add her two cents. When she didn't he continued asking for her to say something. "Well what do you think?"
"I wouldn't be surprised if she won't talk to you. Right now she wishes for anything that will make you forgive her for what she did. But after she finds out, I don't know what she will do. She isn't the same Justine that used to forgive and forget when you left her to play baseball with the guys instead of playing dolls with her. She is 18 and she has feelings far past that, ones you don't even know about."
"What do you mean I don't know about, I know everything about her." He shook his head not understanding. "So you think that when I tell her I slept with Britney she will look at me differently?"
"What was that?" Brittany heard a noise outside the door.
"Huh? What are you talking about I know my five minutes are up but you don't have to think of a lame excuse to get out of talking to me. I know we really haven't been the nicest since you found out at the shoot."
"Justin would you shut up! I really did hear something."
Brittany pushed off her chair and ran to the wood door that stood between the study and the hallway. Opening it she found Justine slumped up against the wall crying with her hands over her face.
"Oh my god Justine!" Brittany gasped running to aid her friend.