Around 1
Justin and Liz had lost Lonnie. Not on purpose, they just decided they wouldn't need him any more because Elizabeth was taking Justin home. To her home. She couldn't help it, but she felt a bit nervous. Thank God both of her parents were working that day. Usually they both just worked 5 days a week but for some reason they both hd to work this saturday. She was so grateful; she would hate for Justin to have to face her father. And she really didn't know what to expect from Mr. popstar himself. She was just an average girl, with an average life, and an average family. Why was Justin Timberlake himself even spending his DAY with her?
She tried to keep reminding herself that he was normal just like her. But whether he was normal or not didn't mean he was average. Because he was definitely above average, the cream of the crop, the top dog, the best of the best, the...
"I think its kinda funny that you didn't buy a thing at the mall. I thought girls loved to shop."
"I HATE to shop." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, as she neared her house.
"So you are saying you are a boy." He replied smugly.
"Well you are a boy, I think, and you love to shop. So what does that say about you?"
"Um, well...I just like to look good."
"It's really too bad that Jamie's favorite is Lance. And we know Lance isn't gay. He has Patty. Now we got to figure out, is Britney just a cover up or is she the real deal."
He shook his head. "You are obsessed with me and Britney aren't you."
"Not really, I just think its funny. The pop princess and prince. It's like the perfect match."
"Yeah I guess. I mean, we are I guess technically going out. But I don't know, its not like we exclude other people, it's too hard. I barely get to see her."
"She's going to open for yall later on right?" She turned and looked at him.
"How did you know?"
"Patty told me during the concert last night."
He nodded and looked outside. "Oh...wow, we're here."
"Yeah, we've been parked for a while now." She smiled and opened her car door.
"Oh, sorry I didn't realize it past your beauty." He stepped out and smiled at her.
"Flattery...wrong. Cash...right." She walked towards her front door with him on her trail.
"So, The parents aren't home and we are all alone. MMhmmm..WHERE'S YOUR ROOM!"
"Oh god. We are NOT going in my room." She opened the door and let him in.
"Why not? You know you want to tell all your little friend that THE Justin Timberlake went in your room. Or are you afraid that I will see all your posters of me on the wall."
She cleared her throat and threw her keys on the table beside the door, stomping up the steps. "Ok, I was really starting to think you were an ok person. Now you are going to have to start from scratch again. I don't like egotistical people. Don't be cocky Justin. I find it VERY annoying."
"Good. I like annoying you." He followed her like a dog.
"Wanna see my room? There's my room." She pushed her door open and watched as he slowly walked in.
"Ohhh cool. I thought it would be like bare walls like a prison cell. It's actually really cool." HE looked around her room and she stayed leaning on the doorframe.
"Yeah, its not too girly but not like a lesbian either so. Whatever."
He smiled and sat down in her computer chair, spinning in it. "And here is where my Lizzie sits every night and waits for her boy CurlyJay to get online. This is kinda cool."
"Yeah, ok. So you wanna play some hoops or something." She changed the subject and walked in her room and picked up the basketball that was on the floor beside her soccer ball.
"I thought you didn't like to play."
She walked out of her room and jogged down the steps. "No, I like it. Not as much as soccer, but I still like it. I suck though."
"Well I'll teach ya." He smiled, coming in step beside her as they exited the house.
"Whatever..."
-----
"How did you learn how to play like this?" Liz watched as he caught the ball he had just sent through the net.
He shrugged and dribbled. "I don't know. I just always played around when I was little and stuff and never stopped."
"Well so did I, but..uh, I suck."
He stopped dribbling and tilted his head to the side looking at her. "You aren't bad, you just need to stop giving up so much."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, like whenever I make a move for the ball you don't fight for it. You just give up. If you actually fought for it you might keep the ball and end up making a basket." HE turned and shot the ball, sinking it in the net.
"Oh, well...I just don't want to make a fool outta myself..." She mumbled.
"You're not going to. Just from here on out actually care and fight for what you are doing."
She stole the ball from him and began dribbling. "Ok, lets just play."
After a few moments of trying to get around Justin and actually doing as he said, she worked her way around him and made a perfect lay-up. "See. I told ya."
He smiled but it faded at her voice. "Ohhh great."
"What? It was a awesome shot."
"No, that." She pointed to the end of her driveway where her dad was driving up and finally parking behind where they were playing.
"Who's that?" Justin asked, standing beside her, staring at the car as the man stepped.
"My dad." She mumbled.
"Hey. Always good to see my Lizzie shooting some hoops. Who's your friend?"
Elizabeth sighed looked at Justin and then at her dad who was walking closer to them. "Dad, this is Justin a friend of mine. Justin, this is my dad."
"Nice to meet you Mister Meyers." Justin stuck his hand out and her father nodded and shook his hand in return.
"Mmmhmmm."
"What are you doin home?" Liz asked.
"I'm just picking up something I left here before I go back to the office."
"Oh." She mumbled, obviously uninterested.
"I don't have much time to chat, but it was nice meeting you Justin. Keep my girl out on the court. She needs to learn how to play." He smiled and walked on the brick walkway to the front door.
"It was nice meeting you too." Justin called after him. He glanced at Elizabeth and caught her as she flipped her father off behind his back. "Be nice."
"Did you hear that! "She needs to learn how to play." I mean DAMN, he JUST met you and here he is already saying how awful at b-ball he thinks I am."
"He didn't seem that way to me." Justin took the ball and eyed her as she cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah but you don't have to live with him."
He dribbled a bit and shot the ball. "Yeah, I guess so. But don't give him such a hard time. If he is doing something you don't like why not confront him."
"You don't know my dad, Justin. You don't try to rise above him. Especially me. Every time I've tried to he just...makes me feel worthless." Liz caught the ball and passed it back over to him.
Justin got in position to shoot it again. "He doesn't - nevermind." He shook his head and sent the ball flying.
"No what, say it."
"It's not my place."
"Go ahead."
He paused and asked cautiously. "Well, I just. He doesn't like hurt you...does he?"
Elizabeth stopped and looked over at Justin, before bending down and picking up the basketball. "No. No. He just. I don't know. He never has really yelled at me, never hit me. HE just says things and maybe I'm just taking them the wrong way, but after the 50th time of him saying them you kinda start to wonder if he is right. Ya know? What if you are just letting him down."
"HE tells you that? HE tells you that you've let him down."
"No. But I can tell it. I can sense it. Like so far this soccer season we've lost 2 games. When I would get home he would just sit in a chair and stare at me and if I asked him what was wrong he would grumble something about the game. Even if we DO win but I don't play very well he gets that way. It's..complicated." She shot the ball and pouted when it bricked.
"I don't understand why you feel this way Lizzie. I mean, just tell him that you want his support and just tell him that you are trying your best to do this for him."
"And then he would tell me I should be doing it for myself and that I do have his support that's why he is at all my games..whatever." She mumbled seeing her father coming down the front steps.
"All right, well I'll see you later on tonight Liz. Bye guys." He waved and jogged over to his car.
"Bye." Justin waved as he backed out and then turned to Elizabeth. "You said he would freak if he saw you with a boy."
"He would, but since we are playing a sport its cool. Now if we were inside on the couch watching Sesame Street he would automatically think you are trying to get in my pants. So be glad we were playing, or he might have given you the "I'll rip your body to shreds if you touch her" look."
Justin nodded at her as she shot the ball and missed yet again. "Yeah, most girls I know, if their dad found them at home alone with a guy they've never met, no matter WHAT they were doing, they would flip."
"Well all my dad cares about with me is basketball. So seeing me with a basketball in my hands is major points for him."
"But what about soccer and tennis?" He swiped the ball up and tossed it to her.
"Nope. He likes them, but basketball is his thing. He wants me to be perfect at every sport. But basketball is what he wants me to thrive in. It's all he cares about with me. It's all he cares about."
She shot the basketball and smiled distantly as it swooshed through the net. "Too bad I'm not good enough at it for him to care."