January 30th, 1999
Justin tilted his head back, finishing off the last of his soft drink and looking over his shoulder and successfully tossing it in the trash can. He smiled and turned back around in his chair.
CurlyJay23: My birthday is tomorrow, my birthday is tomorrow.
DMBluvr81: So you are going to be 19?
CurlyJay23: 18
DMBluvr81: Hmmm, so he lies yet again. You told me when we first started talking you were 18, but you were really 17. And then the whole Jay/Justin fiasco.
CurlyJay23: Hey, the name thing just...shut up!
DMBluvr81: I'm kidding, jeez.
CurlyJay23: So when's your birthday?
DMBluvr81: April Fools Day
CurlyJay23: Are you serious?!?!
DMBluvr81: Nope. Told you I was a mistake.
CurlyJay23: You keep saying that. You need to stop. You are making me think you have low self esteem problems.
DMBluvr81: Oh no. I know I'm the sexiest woman alive, I just know the truth. I was a mistake and the fact that I was born on April fools day just proves it even more. But now I'm here, and my parents are STUCK with me. Bawahahahaha
CurlyJay23: Oh my gosh, I forgot to tell you that girl in the chat room last night that we convinced we were Dave Matthews roadies emailed me and asked if there was any way we could hook her up with tickets the next time we were in Little Rock.
DMBluvr81: Tell her we will work something out :) That was funny. She was so excited. But with my knowledge of DMB and your great imagination of what touring must be like, man we sure did pull that one off smoothly.
CurlyJay23: Who are we going to pretend to be next time around?
DMBluvr81: Hmmmm, I kinda want to be BRITNAYYYYY!! LOL Cause sometimes I run...sometimes I hide...Sometimes I'm scared of you..
Justin licked his lips and looked over at the picture frame that was on his dresser. There was one of him and guys. One of him and his brothers and one of him and britney. He turned back to the computer screen and looked at her name before typing.
CurlyJay23: Well I know a lot about Britney. I could pretend to be Justin Timberlake.
Justin read over, deleted the last line, took his mouse to send, then went back and typed it over and pressed send.
DMBluvr81: Who?
CurlyJay23: Ya know. The guy everyone thinks that she is dating.
DMBluvr81: That name it clicking in my head. Where is he from?
CurlyJay23: Ever heard of NSYNC?
DMBluvr81: Oh my god!!! My niece adores them!! He's the cheesy blonde one with the big ass smile!
CurlyJay23: yeah.
DMBluvr81: Why do you know all this stuff? You are strange Justin. Ohhh, you both have the same name. How cool is that..lol
CurlyJay23: Well I'm just a big Britney fan. And I'm from Florida, Nsync is too, so I kinda know about them.
DMBluvr81: You have a Britney poster on your wall down ya?
CurlyJay23: Yeah, I got her picture in my room.
DMBluvr81: So do you know a lot about this Justin dude because you are going to have to if you are going to pose as him. I could always call up my niece and ask her. She knows everything about them.
CurlyJay23: Yeah, I know enough I guess. Can I ask you something?
DMBluvr81: Of course, shoot. I think after last nights convo on why guys are obsessed with getting it on with lesbians that our little relationship is pretty WIDE OPEN!
He waited a second and he thought about not asking, but he HAD to know. For some reason he HAD to know what she thought of him.
CurlyJay23: hehe, yeah. Well, do you think that Justin Timberlake is hot?
DMBluvr81: Random. Can I ask you something? Why does it matter?
CurlyJay23: Ohh just a lot of my friends that are girls say that he is cute. I'm just wondering what a cynical non boyband loving person thinks.
DMBluvr81: Well, the last time I actually paid attention to him was Christmas when my niece got their Christmas CD and was telling me all about who was who. Umm, He had a big smile :) thats all I remembered. Ohh and he had this weird hand thing. What is it with boybands getting all up in the camera? Like in the backstreet boy video the other day that came on MTV (I don't know why I was watching THAT) they were like pointing to the camera and I don't know...
CurlyJay23: It's what they are trained to do.
DMBluvr81: Oh, ok? Curly you a weird.
CurlyJay23: Never said I wasn't.
DMBluvr81: brb
CurlyJay23: k
A few minutes later the bling of an IM sounded in his ears.
DMBluvr81: CRAP! Listen, Clay just came over I gotta go deal with him.
CurlyJay23: Has he made any more moves on the Lizzie?
DMBluvr81: No but things are really weird between us. I'll be back later on ok?
CurlyJay23: Ok. Bye chick. Don't be too hard on the guy.
DMBluvr81: I'll try not to...
Liz sighed and signed off, then walked back to her bedroom door. But before she got there Clay's sandy brown head blocked her.
"So what's up?"
"Nothing I was just talking to some people on IM."
"Anyone I know?" Clay walked over and laid back on her bed, like he had done so many times before.
"No. No one you know."
"Can I ask you something kinda personal Lizzie?" He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her, his blue eyes piercing into her own.
"Sure." She squeaked out. The truth was, ever since Clay had made the moves on her she felt awkward. She had been on dates before, but never really had a serious relationship with any guy, except for him. But he was her buddy, her brother almost, her neighbor. Not someone to go sneak around the bushes between their house trying to get away from their parents nosey eyes.
"Why don't you like me?"
Liz sighed and turned around so he couldn't see her rolled her eyes. "I do like you Clay. But, just not like that."
"Why not? I mean, we get along together. Everyone tells us we need to hook up. Why not just give it a chance."
She busied herself with picking up dirty clothes off her floor and putting them in her laundry basket. She couldn't look him in the face. "Maybe because I don't like you like that. I'm not attracted to you in any other way than that of my friend. I mean, why do you all of a sudden decide that I'm...I don't know..your JOEY!"
"Excuse me?"
"Nothin."
Before she knew it, someone's hand was on hers, swinging her around and she was a foot away from him. "Elizabeth. You know I think you have some issues you need to work out with yourself. You are always talking about how you aren't perfect, how you are just average, how you were a mistake, how you cant play sports. You get so down on yourself and then the next minute you bounce back and talk about how you are the sexiest beast in the world."
She tried to suffocate the giggle in her throat, but she couldn't. She covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed.
Clay smiled and continued on. "You are laughing because you KNOW its true. Lizzie, you are...beautiful and smart and funny. And this isn't something that just crept on me at the last minute. Me and some of the other guys have been, noticing you ever since the beginning of junior year."
"Why are you telling me this. Just STOP! I don't wanna hear it." She pushed herself away from him and picked up her laundry basket and headed out of her room.
He followed her of course. "You need to hear some compliments every now and then."
"Just shut up Clay!" She yelled stomping down the steps with her basket.
"No, listen to me Liz. You compare yourself, and I know damn well your parents compare you to your sisters. But..."
"Clay just leave." She dropped her basket on the floor and it tipped over, clothes spilling all on the hard wood floor in front of her front door.
"No, I want you to hear what I have to say." He stood like a statue, not moving, arms over his chest.
"Fine, I'll leave." Liz grabbed her keys on the table beside the door and opened the front door.
"Liz, no..wait.." He was met with a door slam.
"delusional. that's all it is. He's delusional." Liz mumbled to herself running to her car. She got in and sped out of the driveway. "Now where the hell am I going?"
She turned up her radio and flipped through the stations searching for a song to listen to. DMB's "crash" was just ending and she left it there, pouting that she didn't get to hear the rest of her song.
"All right. Here's one for the ladies. It's Nsync with 'Tearin up my heart'." The DJ's voice blared as Liz turned up her radio almost as loud as possible.
She wanted to drown her thoughts out with music. She didn't care what kind. She just didn't want to think about her life and that exactly was what this Nsync song was doing for her right then. Because now her mind was working on her conversation with CurlyJay tonight, where he will pose as one of these members.
All she needed now was for them to play a Britney Spears song and she would be ready to chat the night away.