| Best Week Ever - Chapter 4 Thursday �So what�d she say?� �I didn�t ask her�� Justin said already aware of who JC was referring to. �What?!? Well hurry go find her.� �I can�t�� �No, what you can�t do is ask her the day of the party�� �Your right� it�s too late.� �No it�s not. We�ll get her number and-� �I don�t want to do it over the phone.� Justin whined. �Ugh! I give up.� JC groaned, throwing his hands up in the air as the two friends made their way down the empty halls. Justin shrugged as they walked down the steps of the school and into the parking lot. Justin squinted into the sun towards his teammates. It was a hot Memphis day, Chris, Joey, and Lance were talking by Lance�s black suburban. The 5 of them piled into the car. Joey sat up front next to Lance, Chris jumped in the very back, and JC and Justin sat next to each other in the middle seats. They rolled down the windows and blasted the radio as they pulled out of the parking lot and drove up the street next to the school. The guys were all singing along with the radio, with the exception of Justin, who was quietly looking out the open window, sulking in his own failure in asking out Britney. The suburban slowed to a stop when a red corvette convertible in front of them was nearly stopped in the middle of the street. It was a school zone but they were going ridiculously slow. �Ugh. Looks like Derek and his posse of goons are busy torturing some poor cheerleaders again.� Joey said and they all looked at the guys in the car in front of theirs. The car was crawling along alongside two blondes in mini skirts and tank tops walking on the sidewalk. Lance honked his horn, but the guys just ignored him. The two girls glanced back at the suburban when it honked and then continued to walk, trying to ignore the obnoxious comments being yelled from the convertible. �That�s her!� Justin yelled in the car. Chris stood up and stuck his head out the open sunroof. �Move it or loose it ass face!� He shouted to the car of football jocks. �Who?� JC asked Justin. �Britney.� Justin replied never taking his eyes on her. �C�mon baby just get in, we�ll have a little fun.� A guy continued to beg them as his friends snickered. Justin hopped out of the suburban, which was still moving as slowly as the car in front of them, walking pace, and approached Britney and Laura Lynn. �Would you two ladies like a ride home?� They jumped a bit when they heard his voice from behind them. �Keep walking Timberlake!� A guy in the car hooted. �Shut the hell up!� Chris yelled from the sunroof. Softness emerged when Britney looked into Justin�s blue eyes, they were warm with kindness, and she instantly felt comfortable and safe. The cries emerging from the convertible seemed to disappear. �Yes!� LL said gratefully. Britney couldn�t peel her eyes away from Justin�s, she just nodded her head slowly. �Aw� C�mon. You�re not getting in that piece of shit with those losers!� Another guy yelled. Justin glared at the car and protectively placed his hand on Britney�s back as he walked the girls to the suburban. His hand was burning through her skin, she subconsciously moved closer to him as they walked. Lance stopped the car and Justin opened the door for them and smiled cordially as they hopped in. JC moved into the back seat next to Chris so Laura Lynn, Britney, and Justin could have the middle seats. �Hey LL. Hey Brit!� Joey said as he turned around from the front seat to smile at them. �Hi Jo.� Britney flashed him a small smile. �Hey, thanks for the ride guys.� Laura Lynn said. �No prob.� Lance smiled at them through the rear view mirror before slamming on the accelerator and zooming around the convertible in front of them. The middle row of seats were a little cramped for three people so Justin lifted up his arm and rested it on the top of the backrest to give Britney more elbow room. Laura Lynn noticed this and pretended to shift in her seat, �accidentally� shoving Britney toward Justin. Britney�s head bumped his bicep and her arm was smashed into his side. She glared at her cousin as the blood rushed to her cheeks. Justin moved so that her arm is above his waste and not being crushed behind it. He shifted around until her head rested in the crook of his shoulder and chest comfortably. Britney smiled and laid her head back against him, absorbing the warmth of his body. Justin�s stomach flip-flopped as he inhaled the scent of her flowery shampoo. Justin struggled to keep his eyes open, he was so comfortable� until JC leaned forward in his seat from behind Justin, �Ask her.� he whispered so quietly that Justin could barely hear him. Justin tensed up, afraid Britney might have heard him. At the stoplight Laura Lynn spotted three of her friends, Jessica, Bobbie, and Christina walking up the hill. Jessica was on the team with Britney, and Bobbie and Christina were cheerleaders with Laura Lynn. Christina and Justin were pretty good friends, they�ve been neighbors for years, and he knew for a fact that she had a major crush on Lance. It was also pretty obvious that JC had a crush on Bobbie, and visa versa. The guys were feeling spontaneous that day so they decided to invite them along. Jessica slid the heavy door open and Joey stuck his head out the window. �Y�all wanna go to get some Frozen Yogurt with us?� Joey said glancing back at the girls. They looked at each other and peered into the SUV making sure they knew what they were getting into and then accepted. �Cool.� Lance said as they climbed in. Jessica and Bobbie squeezed in the very back next to JC and Chris. Bobbie ended up sitting on JC�s lap because there wasn�t enough room. Justin started to scoot over for Christina but it�s obvious they weren�t all going to fit. �Just sit on his lap.� Laura Lynn said out loud to Britney, motioning to Justin. �I� uh�� Britney glanced at Justin nervously as the color grew in her cheeks. �If you don�t wanna I can�� He trailed off when Britney stood up, hunched over in the suburban. He quickly slid over, filling the gap between Laura Lynn and himself, so that Christina could sit down. Britney sat down on Justin�s lap and he awkwardly held his hands out in front of them, a little unsure of where he should put them. Britney grabbed both his hands in hers and held them in her lap. They continue to chat throughout the ride there until a 50 Cent song started blasting� over the radio and Lance cranked it up. They all started singing along out loud, bouncing around in the car laughing and acting crazy. Britney of coarse wasn�t bouncing as she was on Justin�s lap, she wasn�t that big of a tease. People in cars next to theirs stared through their open windows at the big SUV of rowdy teenagers. By the time they pulled up to the parking lot by Frank�s Frozen Yogurt Britney had her head rested in the crook of Justin�s neck, half asleep. The rhythmic warm breaths of Britney�s tickling his throat were enough to make him fall asleep right then also. She was sitting on his lap sideways facing Christina, Justin had one hand wrapped around her back and the other interlaced with hers resting on her thighs. Everyone was chattering around them, but Britney and Justin were so lost in each other they had forgotten anyone else was even in the car with them. Lance pulled into a spot and accidentally drove the front left wheel up on the small cement island. Britney popped her off Justin�s shoulder. �Whoa dude�� Chris yelled. �Yea, you�re on the curb.� JC added as he looked out the passenger side window at the tire mounted at an angle about 3 feet off the ground. Lance just shrugged and got out of the car. Christina slid open the door and slowly leaped, literally, out of the car. Justin got out after her and waited by the door to help Britney down the big gap between the sidewalk and the bottom of the car. She gratefully accepted his hand and jumped down onto the cement next to him, never letting go of his hand. �Thank you sir.� She said in a goofy pseudo-British accent. Justin smirked. He waited to help Laura Lynn out next but Joey stepped up and pushed him along. Britney and Justin held hands as they walked across the parking with their friends towards Frank�s Frozen Yogurt. Lance held the door open for everyone and the guys marched over to their normal booth in the back corner of the small yogurt shop. They all slid around the large �U� shaped booth, Chris and Lance pulled up two chairs on the side of the booth�s table. �So what�re ya gettin�?� Justin asked Britney who was sitting next to him in the booth. �Hmmm� What�s good?� She scanned the small paper menu on the table. �The Pink Monkey.� He said automatically. �That�s what he gets every time.� JC informed Britney and shook his head sadly. Britney giggled. �Hey Frankie!� Joey smiled and slapped his hand as Frankie walked up to their table. Frankie and Mary were the old couple that owned the Yogurt shop, they had a daughter, Sue, who was about 40 and she often looked after the shop on weekends. �Hey Jo! Hey kids, how�s the team doing this season Timberlake?� �Pretty good Frank, our next home game�s this Friday you should stop by.� �I may just do that.� He nodded his head. �So what�ll it be?� He took out a pen and order pad. He went around the table scribbling down their orders. �Let me guess Pink Monkey for you?� Frank smirked at Justin and proceeded to write down his order. �Make that two.� Justin grinned, glancing quickly at Britney who smiled back. Frank left the table to get their food. Justin looped his arm through Britney�s and she leaned against his shoulder. �So why�s it called a Pink Monkey?� �B�cause there�s two bananas in a bowl with pink strawberry ice cream and sprinkles.� �Oooh, sprinkles.� She giggled. �They�re the best part.� Britney rested her chin on Justin�s shoulder, she watched quietly as he scraped his spoon over his strawberry ice cream and then broke off a piece of banana before sticking the spoon in his mouth. She noticed the way his jaw muscles contracted as he chewed, the way he diverted his attention to each person that spoke at the table, the way the corners of his mouth would curl up when someone said something funny. Justin looked at her angelic face and thought about how much he wanted to kiss her, she was so close it was killing him. He stared into her chocolate eyes, trying to read her, trying to learn something about her that was hidden from everyone else. Britney just stared back, lightly running her finger over his forearm. Laura Lynn nudged Joey and motioned towards the couple. Joey looked up from his bowl of ice cream and smiled. They looked so completely into each other, like nothing else mattered. After a lot of laughs, a lot of stories, and a lot of yogurt they decided they were ready to leave. �Who�s got the bill?� Lance asked as everyone started to slide out of the booth. �It�s covered broooo.� Justin slapped him on the back playfully only to have Lance jab him in the stomach, Justin pushed him away. While everyone was laughing at some gross, yet funny, trick Chris had performed with his bowl of yogurt and Justin and JC had slipped away from the table to pay. Joey grabbed Justin by the neck pulling him aside. �So, you and Ms. Brit over there were looking mighty cozy.� Justin rolled his eyes. �Yea, and?� �And what�s going on there? Are you like a couple or are you dating or are you F.W.B.s�� �Effdoubees?� �No, F.W.B.s. Friends with benefits.� Justin chuckled. �Um, no. We�re friends, but I don�t� think I really have any benefits besides just being her friend.� They all made they�re way into the parking lot and into Lance�s car. They took their original seats and headed towards the first stop, Jessica�s house. After they dropped her off, they took Christina, Bobbie, and Chris home. Next destination was Britney�s house. A block away JC tapped Justin on the shoulder. He turned around and JC mouthed, �Ask her�. Justin clenched his jaw and nodded his head. His fear had turned to determination, he was going to ask her out that night! When they pulled up to Britney�s house she flashed Justin a smile and hopped out. Justin surprised her when he followed her out and car drove off without him. She looked at him curiously. �I can walk home, it�s only a few blocks remember.� �I thought it was more like 5.� She smirked. �Uh, well yea� I�m a fast walker.� Justin silently walked her up to her door. Britney�s heart was pounding and her mind was racing. So far that day had turned out much better then she had ever expected it to, and it was about to get even better. They turned toward each other nervously as they stood on her porch and both began to speak at the same time. �Well thanks-� �I wanted-� Justin took a deep breath and started again. �Were you planning on going to Tod Miller�s party tomorrow?� He asked as he studied the wooden floorboards. �Yea, well Cammy wanted me to go so I said I would.� She wondered what he was getting at. �Would you like to go with me?� He focused his gaze on her. Britney�s eyes widened, she was not expecting that at all. Her pulse started racing, she opened her mouth to speak but couldn�t find the words. Justin started to grow apprehensive when she hesitated. �Sorry I didn�t give you more notice, I know that�s a crappy thing to do, and I didn�t know if you were planning on going, I wanted to ask you all week, but I thought it was too soon, and-� He babbled on until she interrupted him. �I�d love to!� She said with a smile, slightly amused that she had such an effect on him. A weight had been lifted from Justin�s heart. A smile spread across his lips as he breathed a sigh of relief. �Okay. That�s, that�s, yea. Okay.� He nodded, still a little flustered. �I�ll see you tomorrow then.� �Tomorrow.� She replied sweetly and smiled. He turned on his heals and walked down the steps, across her yard, and up the street. He had wanted to kiss her, he almost regretted not doing it, but he knew Britney was not one to be rushed. Besides he could wait, wait until the perfect moment, because she was perfect. |
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