�Laklynn, I cannot believe you talked me into this.�
The train quickly sped down the rail, run down buildings with graffiti transforming into office buildings and skyscrapers.
The young girl just rolled her eyes.
�Do not even give me that Rachel. I know you are just as excited as I am.�
This time it was the other girl who rolled her eyes.
�I�m sorry, but as much as I hate Social Issues, skipping the class isn�t exactly going to help me any.�
�Well I�m skipping three classes if it makes you feel better. But this will all be worth it, trust me,� she said with a knowing smile.
�Like going to that party last weekend was worth it,� Rachel said with a coy grin.
�How was I supposed to know it was going to get raided?� Laklynn replied as her cheeks grew crimson.
�And spending the night in jail was so much fun. It�s just a good thing that Julia and Dana didn�t get caught and came to bail us out in the morning.�
�Well this time we won�t get put in jail. Promise.�
�Not unless you go all psycho on me when we get there. I doubt the jails in the city are as nice as the ones by school,� Rachel replied sarcastically.
�Jeez, I make one mistake and you people will never let me live it down,� Laklynn said, crossing her arms over her chest.
�Oh you know we love you,� Rachel said as she put her arm around Laklynns shoulders.
�Yeah and after today I bet you�ll love me even more,� she said, her white teeth flashing as she smiled.
�The things I do for you girl,� Rachel sighed shaking her head, �the things I do.�
***********************
About forty-five minutes later the train pulled into Grand Central Station. The girls hopped out and wandered out into New York City. Both girls had been there many times, but the beauty and grandeur of it all still took their breaths away. The chilly October air nipped at their faces as they started walking to Times Square.
Laklynn studied the people that brushed past her in their hurry.
That�s going to be me one day, she thought. Her dream was to become an actress and the best place to start was New York City. She watched a few more people walk past her and shivered a little under her sweater. A light breeze played with her shoulder length, auburn hair. Casually she glanced down at her watch.
�Oh my goodness! Come on Rachel, we have to hurry!� she exclaimed, grabbing her roommates arm and pulling her down the street.
�What time does this thing start?� Rachel asked as she tried to shake her arm free of Laklynns grasp.
�Five,� she replied, now almost jogging down 42nd street.
Rachel lifted her free arm and checked her watch. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks, sending Laklynn stumbling backwards.
�Laklynn, it�s only 3:00!� she exclaimed.
�I know, but we don�t want to be stuck at the back of some huge line,� Laklynn sighed in exasperation. �Now lets go!�
After grabbing Rachels arm again, the two girls sprinted down the streets of New York City. The distance was covered shortly and they soon arrived in Times Square. Quickly crossing the busy intersection they found themselves standing in a small line that was starting to increase rapidly.
Girls of all ages filed into line at the entrance of the Planet Hollywood. Laklynn looked around in awe. It wasn�t really the fact that there were so many girls or that she was standing in one of the most famous places in the world as much as she was in awe of herself. She normally wasn�t one to skip classes and especially for something as trivial as this.
It�ll be worth it though, she thought.
Earlier that morning she had called her professors and told them that a family emergency had come up and she would not be attending class. Luckily it was a Tuesday and she wouldn�t have a cheerleading practice that she would have to miss. Things were going smoothly. She just had a feeling that this day would be one she would never forget.
�Laklynn? Earth to Layla. Are you still with us?�
Laklynn was pulled out of her thoughts by Rachels comments.
�I�m sorry. Did you say something?�
Rachel put her hands on Laklynns shoulders and turned her around to face the building.
�The line is moving. We can go in and get this over with.�
Laklynn smiled broadly at her roommate.
�You know you love this Rachel, don�t deny it.�
�As much as I love a root canal, now let�s go!�
The two girls linked arms and slowly made their way into the restaurant.
**********************
�Now what exactly are we doing today?�
The older man sighed in exasperation at the younger man in front of him.
�The same thing we did at the last three of these things. We just kind of stand around, take pictures, talk to people, blah, blah, blah. Typical,� he explained.
The young man looked around the empty restaurant. He had known what they were going to do today, he had just hoped it would be something different. The high pitched screams, the flashes of light, the fainting. He wanted something more. He wanted to have an actual conversation, not hear unintelligible babble. He loved what he did more than life, but it really got monotonous at times. Glancing over at the entrance, he noticed a steady stream of girls coming up the stairs. He nudged the older man next to him and pointed.
�They�re opening the doors already?�
�I guess so. Now turn that frown upside down, you have people that want to see you,� the older man replied in a sarcastic tone.
�Cute, real cute,� the young one replied through a forced smile.
A crowd quickly swarmed to the two men and they soon found themselves surrounded. The young one sighed as a camera went off in his face.
This is going to be a long day, he thought as he reached for the pen and paper a girl of about twelve shoved towards him. A really long day.
Laklynn and Rachel reached the top of the stairs and Laklynn craned her head over the crowd to get a better look. That proving to be unsuccessful she stood on her tip-toes.
�Why don�t you just go in there and look for them? Find the biggest group of hormonal, prepubescent girls and I�m sure one of them will be in the middle of it,� Rachel said.
Laklynn put her feet flat on the floor and thought about it for a second.
�That works, come on,� she grabbed Rachels hand and led her further into the restaurant.
The older man raised his head after signing a young girls notepad and scanned the restaurant. He noticed two girls who stood out considerably in the crowd of middle schoolers. He elbowed his young companion and nodded his head in their direction.
�Those two look like they are actually old enough to drive,� he commented.
The young man smiled at his friends comment as he watched the two girls make their way towards them. Both girls were attractive. One was shorter with shoulder length, curly, blonde hair. She was wearing jeans and an off-white sweater. The other girl caught his attention though. She wasn�t spectacularly good looking, but there was something about her. Her hair was a plain auburn color, straight, down to her shoulders. She was thin, wearing jeans and a pink, funnel neck sweater. Her friend made a comment and she laughed, her eyes sparkling. That was it. Her eyes. They were the most captivating things the young man had ever seen. His friend noticed where is attention was and he laughed.
�Don�t even consider it JuJu. Don�t.�
The young man pulled his eyes back to his friend, his cheeks a considerable shade darker.
�I wasn�t considering anything,� he defended.
�If I didn�t know any better I�d say you were Joey, checking out a girl like that.�
The young man just blushed even more and turned his attention back to the crowd in front of him. By now the two girls were a mere two feet away.
Laklynn reached down and grasped onto Rachels arm.
�Oh my god. They are right there. Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god I�m turning into a teeny bopper. Rachel slap me.�
�Believe me I would, but you�ve put the death grip on my arm.�
Laklynn looked down and noticed her arm firmly grasped around Rachels. Quickly, she dropped her hand and started fidgeting with her sweater.
�Layla, calm down. They are just people. Two really hot people, but people none the less,� Rachel said as she eyed JC.
The group of little girls that had been separating them from the guys finished getting their autographs and ran off squealing. This was it. Justin and JC stood in front of them expectantly. Suddenly, Laklynn froze.
Just take a deep breath, girl. Rachel�s right, they are just people.
Inhaling deeply, Laklynn closed her eyes and exhaled. She opened her eyes and turned to Rachel, but she had already gone up to JC.
And she said she didn�t want to come, Laklynn thought with a grin.
She looked over and noticed Justin staring at her expectantly. Cautiously she stepped up to him and presented her pen and notebook for him to sign.
�I know this must get tedious, but would you sign this for me?� she asked tentatively.
Justin reached for the pen and notebook and smiled warmly at her.
�Actually this really isn�t so bad,� he replied.
Laklynn just looked at him and giggled.
�What?� he asked, looking curiously at her.
�That is such a lie. If I had to sign my name over and over for about six hours, I�d cry,� she replied.
Justin smiled at her honesty. It was refreshing to actually be called out on something. Normally everyone just took what he said.
�Okay, it does get rather tedious, but it's part of the job description. So who do I make this out to?� he asked holding up her notebook.
�Oh, you can make it out to Laklynn,� she replied.
Justin looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
�Laklynn? I�ve never heard that before.�
She smiled at his bemused expression.
�I have no idea where it came from. My mother always liked interesting names. Most of my friends call me Layla though.�
Justin got a gleam in his eyes as he thought for awhile.
�Layla, huh?�
Laklynn nodded and looked at him curiously. He had the same look in his eyes that Rachel got whenever she was up to something. She was just about to question it when Justin started singing.
�Layla, got me on my knees. Layla, beggin� darlin� please. Layla, won�t you ease my worried mind.�
Laklynn smiled at his antics.
�Never pass up a chance to perform do you? Neither do I if I can help it.�
Justin stopped his singing and looked at her curiously.
�You perform?� he asked.
�Yeah. Well not like you. I don�t sing and dance. Well yes I do. I act. I sing and dance, but mostly I act. And apparently I like to ramble. I�ll shut up now,� she could feel the blush rising through her cheeks.
�So you�re an actress?� Justin asked, smiling at her blushing face.
�Aspiring. It�s my major.�
This perked up Justin�s interest. Being a pop star doesn�t leave much time for normal things like college. It was always something he wanted to do and was something that he was very curious about.
�So what college do you go to?�
Laklynn managed to finally look him in the eyes and when she did she was a little surprised. His eyes were firmly locked on hers, full of interest.
�Um, I go to SUNY New Paltz. It�s about an hour train ride north of here,� she explained.
�Do you like it?�
Laklynns eyes lit up at this question. All through her senior year of high school she could not wait to leave for college. When the time came she got so nervous she almost didn�t go. She was terrified that she would hate it or that she wouldn�t fit in or that she wouldn�t have any friends. The first day there totally proved her wrong.
�I absolutely love it there. The campus is beautiful, my classes and professors are great and I have the best roommate ever,� this last part she said loud enough for Rachel to hear, who was standing a few feet away looking anxious to go.
Justin smiled at her. She was genuine in everything she said. It was refreshing to have someone speak so freely around him. He was used to people giving him answers that he wanted to hear, not what was true. She was just your typical, normal college girl. And that was something Justin wanted more than anything, normalcy.
He glanced over to Rachel who was standing by the stairs, checking her watch.
�As great as your roommate is, I think she wants to leave.�
Laklynn followed his stare and pouted a little when she saw Rachel mouth the words �let�s go� to her.
�Yeah, I should be getting back. I�m sure there is something I should be studying.�
Justin laughed at her comment.
�Well, Laklynn, it was very nice talking with you,� Justin said as he picked up her hand and kissed the back of it.
Laklynn just stared at her hand for a second before she could answer.
�It...it was um, nice talking to you too.�
�Have a good trip back to SUNY New Paltz,� he called to her as she and Rachel headed down the steps.
�Justin! Justin! Can we have your autograph?�
His attention reverted back to the little girls that were nearly jumping up and down in front of him with their autograph books. He reached down and picked up a book, but he couldn�t help looking back at the stairs and smiling to himself.
