Do What Feels Right
Chapter 4
Justin
*~*~*En route to Memphis*~*~*
�Are you sure you know where you�re going? Megan asked.
�You know, it�s really not that hard,� I retorted, �You just follow this interstate and it leads you right into Memphis. And there should be signs pointing to Graceland.�
�Okay,� she said, grabbing the video camera and turning it on, �We�re about an hour north of Jackson, MS. I think we still another couple hours or so till we hit Memphis. Thanks MTV for the nice car.�
�Was it necessary to get us a sports car?� I asked as Megan pointed the camera towards me, �Cops have been following us ever since we left Jackson. It would�ve been cheaper if you had just gotten us a four-door sedan.�
�Oh well, can�t do much about it now,� she said, �See ya MTV.�
*~*~*At a rest stop*~*~*
�Hey MTV,� I said into the camera, �I�m getting a little worried about our safety. We just ran into some crazy girls in the bathroom.�
�Yeah, they�ve been following our story thing on MTV,� Megan replied, sitting on a picnic table, �And some other teenage girls have been looking at us and whispering � I�m not liking it.�
�Me neither,� I said, �And we�ll definitely be the center of attention once we get into Memphis since we�re gonna see Justin. The e-mail messages have already increased to 100+ e-mails a day. And I have a feeling that we�re gonna get more.�
�Lynne, maybe we should talk to Sarah about this when we get into Memphis,� Megan said with concern.
�Good idea,� I said, and then looked into the camera, �Maybe it was a good idea to get a bodyguard for us. This is Lynne, signing out for now.�
*~*~*Graceland: Memphis, TN*~*~*
�I don�t believe we�re actually here,� Megan said, standing at the entrance of Graceland.
�You and me both,� I replied, then grabbing the camera, �Hello MTV, we�re here in Memphis, TN � standing at the entrance of Graceland. We were just informed at the ticket booth that the Platinum Tour is a combination of all possible tours here. Why do you put us through this?�
�And we can�t even skip the self-guided tours either,� Megan said to the camera, �Who�s this guy who�s supposedly gonna follow us to make sure we go to every place?�
�I don�t know,� I replied, �I guess we�ll have to see when we do the tour. Since we have to meet up at the �Sincerely Elvis� place, I say we hit that place last.�
�Sounds like a plan,� Megan said, �How long do we have to spend in the self-guided places?�
�I say at least 30 minutes.�
�Crap.�
�Let�s get going. I don�t want to spend any more time here than I have to.�
*~*~*3 � hours later*~*~*
�Oh� my� God� I don�t believe we just spent over three hours here,� I whined as I sat down at a nearby bench in front of the �Sincerely Elvis� museum.
�I don�t believe we actually bought some memorabilia at the gift shop!� Megan exclaimed as she sat down next to me.
�It was the least we could do, since we didn�t have to pay to get in,� I said, taking out the camera for one last time.
�We got some video footage at each place we were at � what more do you want?� she asked.
�I don�t think it�ll hurt us to buy something,� I said, turning on the camera, �Besides, I have an aunt who LOVES Elvis, so I can give the Elvis thing to her. MTV � that was so not worth the money to take a tour of Graceland.�
�Maybe if we were actually Elvis fans, then it might have been worth it,� Megan said, �But since we aren�t � it was a big waste of time!�
�How could you say that about The King?!� a nearby lady said, coming towards us with anger.
�Oh crap, we�re gonna have a rumble with the Elvis� fans, they�re almost as bad as the teenyboppers,� I said under my breath as Megan tries not to laugh.
�We were just saying that we were forced to go here,� Megan tried to explain, �We have the utmost respect for Elvis��
�You kids these days don�t have the appreciation for good music,� the lady started to rant as we rolled our eyes.
�We have the appreciation,� I said, �We�re just not big fans of Elvis.�
�Appreciation my��
�Ma�am, please leave these two young ladies alone,� a young man said behind the lady. Everyone gasps and parts around the man.
�Who are you?� the lady retorted as Megan and I tried to get a look of who the guy was.
�My name�s Justin Timberlake,� the guy said as our jaws dropped to the ground when we saw him with three enormous bodyguards behind him, �I�m sure these two ladies didn�t mean any disregard towards The King. On behalf of those two ladies, my sincere apologies.�
�Well,� the lady snorted, �Apologies accepted. At least some kids have respect for their elders.�
�What a snooty little lady,� I said quietly after the lady walked off.
�I don�t believe Justin�s here!� Megan excitedly said as girls crowded around Justin for autographs.
�Well, he didn�t have to apologized for us, I would have done it myself,� I said unimpressed.
�Oh come on Lynne � at least he got the lady to go away,� she pleaded.
�And by doing so, he made us look like incompetent fools by fighting our battle for us,� I snapped back.
�By doing what I did,� Justin said rather loudly towards us, �I got you out of a bad situation quickly. If I haven�t had stepped in when I had, you two would have been in serious trouble. You do not understand how vicious these people can get when it comes to defending Elvis.�
I let out a sigh and decided to let it go. �See you later MTV,� I said to the camera, then turning it off and putting it back into the case, then looked at Justin, �Okay whatever. These people are just as defensive about Elvis as the rabid fans are with you guys.�
The girls around Justin gave us evil looks as he just nodded and finished signing an autograph. The bodyguards started to turn away everyone else.
�Thank you,� I stiffly said.
�You�re welcome,� he said with a smile, and then walked towards us, �I�m Justin Timberlake.�
�Lynne Clark,� I replied, shaking his hand.
�M� Me� Me�� Megan stuttered.
�Geez,� I said with the roll of my eyes, �My friend, Megan Thomas.�
�Hi Megan,� he said while shaking her hands.
�H� hiiiii�.�
�In case you didn�t know, she�s a��
�Big fan of mine,� he finished, as I nodded in agreement, �You can always tell if you�re a favorite with a fan by how they react towards you.�
�Well, you�re the lucky one for her,� I said as she blushes, �So Justin, I�m surprised you�re actually here to pick us up. Out of all five guys, I would have figured someone else would be picking us up for you.�
�Well,� he said as we started walking out of Graceland, �I heard about what happened in Orlando and Jackson, and I felt bad about what you two went through just getting to the hotel. I wanted to just make it up to you two by actually showing up to take you to your hotel. That and to make it up to you for going through the entire Graceland tour.�
�Over three hours!� I said as Justin laughs, �I am never setting foot in Memphis ever again!�
When we got to our rental car, we grabbed our stuff and put it in Justin�s limo. It took about 45 minutes to get our hotel, and I admit, Justin was pretty cordial and down-to-earth. He even bought us dinner at this really nice steakhouse.
*~*~*Hampton Inn*~*~*
�Well I�m impressed,� I said as we entered our room, �Although his ego was apparent, it wasn�t as big as I thought it would be. He�s pretty laid-back.�
�He�s so much cuter in person,� Megan said, dreamy-eyed.
�Gimme a break!� I laughed as I hooked up the laptop, �Ah well � he�s pretty cool.�
About ten minutes later, Megan noticed that I became very quiet and had a solemn look on my face. �Lynne � what�s going on?�
�This e-mail � this chick says how much she hates us and how we don�t have the right to tell *N Sync what to do and to change their looks just because we don�t like it,� I said.
�So? We get those kinds of e-mails all the time,� she said.
�This is different,� I said, �The others didn�t threaten to hunt us down and beat us up!�
�What?!� she said, immediately coming next to me to read the e-mail.
�And she knows we�re in Memphis and staying at this hotel � Megan, I don�t know about this,� I said with concern, �I�m getting worried. This chick doesn�t sound like she�s just any teenybopper. The fact that this e-mail is very articulate makes me ill at ease.�
�Here, I�m gonna call Sarah. This is��
There was a knock on the door. Megan and I both snapped our heads towards the door. We started to sweat and wondered who it could be. Megan then grabbed my hand and we went towards the door.
�Who is it?� Megan said unsurely, while looking in the peephole.
�Uh� I�m Becky and this is my friend, Julie.�
�Who are you?�
�We�re fans of *N Sync��
Megan opened the door and there stood two girls who looked like they were around fourteen years old.
�So why are you knocking on doors in a hotel?� I asked.
�We heard that you two were staying somewhere around here, and we were hoping we would find you,� Becky said.
�What?� Megan said, �How do you know who we are?�
�MTV,� Julie replied, �Can we come in?�
�We�re a little busy right now��
�Please?�
�If we let you, then we have to let everyone else in. We don�t want to do that,� Megan explained.
�Can you meet us in the lobby then?� Becky asked.
�Why?�
�We wanna talk to you and about Justin. We heard that he was here not too long ago.�
Megan and I just looked at each other in astonishment. �Where did you hear that?�
�We have ways.�
�You know what, you two are too young to have ways,� I said.
�C�mon � just come to the lobby,� they both pleaded.
�You and how many of your friends?�
�Friends? What are you talking about?�
�I don�t believe that it�s just you two. There�s got to be some more downstairs or spread around this area � looking for us,� I said.
The two girls looked at each other with guilty looks, then looked back at us. �So I guess you won�t see us if there�s anyone else, right?� Becky asked.
�Right.�
�So you would see us if there weren�t anyone else?� Julie asked.
�I didn�t say that. But your chances of talking to us would greatly decrease if there were anyone else,� I said.
�Why are you guys so interested in talking to us anyway?� Megan asked.
�Because� you�re just SO lucky in meeting *N Sync and we just want to talk to you guys,� Becky said.
�Yeah,� Julie agreed, �And you might be able to hook us up with stuff.�
�No no, that�s where you guys get it all wrong,� Megan said, �We don�t do that kind of things for people.�
�Why not?�
�It�s a rule we have,� I said, �Now would you leave us alone? We have some business to take care of.�
�Can we at least give you a note to give to Justin?� Julie asked.
�No.�
�No? You did it to that one girl in Jackson��
�How did you know about that?�
�I��
�Well? Have you been stalking us?�
�Uh��
�C�mon � we don�t have all day. How did you know about that girl in Jackson?�
�She posted a message in one of the clubs in Yahoo sometime after she met you guys,� Julie explained.
�What?�
�You know, the Yahoo clubs that��
�I KNOW what it is,� I said, �Crap � now we�re gonna have girls giving us notes to give to the guys. Okay FINE. Give us the note � but you go post in the clubs that we�ll only accept ONE letter for EACH guy from this day forward. And it�ll be to our discretion on whose letter we�ll bring. Understood?�
�Yes,� both girls said as Becky gives us a letter.
�Thanks,� Becky said, �See ya.�
�Damn those fans,� I said after Megan shut the door, �We need to call Sarah NOW.�
Megan called Sarah within a few minutes and talked to her about the e-mail situation and the increase run-in with fans. I had to forward the e-mail to Sarah, which she said she would take care of, and she would contact Justin about the fans. She also told us that we would get a bodyguard for the rest of the trip when we see Justin the following day.
*~*~*The following day*~*~*
�Come on in, ladies,� Justin cheerfully said at his front door.
�Thanks for having us,� Megan said as we came inside.
�No problem,� he said, �It�s a nice day outside � do you mind if we sit outside near the pool?�
Megan and I looked at each other with smiles on our faces. �Sure!� we both exclaimed.
He led us to the immaculate pool area in the back of his house where we just gaze in awe.
�Wow � this is all yours?!� I exclaimed.
�Well � this isn�t actually my house, if that�s what you�re asking,� he said as we looked at him in confusion, �This is my mom�s house. I bought it for her.�
�Oh,� I said with a nod, �Got it.�
�We�ll go sit under the shade,� he said as he led us to an elegant outdoor table with a towering umbrella over it, �Anything to drink?�
�Sure,� we both said as he ran inside.
�Man, this is nice,� said Megan as she took out the camera, �Do you think he�ll mind if we tape the pool?�
�Go ahead,� Justin said, returning with the tray that contained a pitcher of lemonade and some tall glasses.
�You sure?� I asked.
�I don�t mind,� he said, setting the tray down and pouring us drinks.
�Aww, you�re such a gentleman!� I said as Megan began to film.
�Momma didn�t raise no fool,� he smiled as we laughed.
�Must be that southern charm we�re always hearing about,� Megan said.
�Aww thanks,� he said as his cheeks turned red, �Didn�t Lance treat you like this?�
�Uh�� Megan said, �He was pretty nice, but he definitely didn�t wait on us hand and foot.�
�Hmm� he must be caught up in stuff,� he said, sitting down, �Britney might stop on by later, do you two mind?�
Megan and I looked at each other with surprised. �Uh, sure,� I said, then trying to figure out how to work Britney into our interview.
�Are you sure?� he asked, �I could always tell her to come after��
�No, that�s okay,� I quickly said, �We don�t mind � it�ll be cool to actually meet her.� Megan just looked at me and bit her lip.
�Okay.�
�So � first thing�s first,� I said, �The hair.�
Justin laughs, �Somehow I knew you wanted to know about the hair.�
�We�re not trying to be superficial or anything,� Megan said, �But do you like your hair short?�
�It�s definitely easier to maintain now than it was before,� he replied, �And I needed the change.�
�Well, it�s human-nature to need change,� I said.
�Exactly,� he responded, �Which do you prefer? The short hair or the �fro?�
�Uh, I don�t know,� I said, �Somewhere in between, but whatever works. I definitely don�t want to tell you how to do your hair or anything.�
�Right,� Megan said, �As long as you keep coming out with good music, it doesn�t matter. Just look at Madonna � she keeps on reinventing herself and look how long she�s lasted.�
�I think we strive for that kind of longevity,� Justin said, �It�s hard though.�
�Well, I guess it doesn�t matter what anyone else thinks,� I said, �Do what feels right � but what do I know.�
�That�s all you can do sometimes,� he said, �Do what feels right. Good motto to live by.�
�So how�s Britney?� Megan asked.
�She�s good.�
�I guess we can ask her when she comes, can�t we?� she said, realizing her error.
�Don�t fret about it,� he said nonchalantly as his cell phone rings, �Excuse me for a moment.�
�I get the impression that he doesn�t want to talk about his relationship with her,� I said to Megan when Justin stepped into the house.
�Me too,� she replied, pointing the camera at me.
�For all you fans out there - sorry to disappoint, but we�re not going there with Justin & Britney.�
�Yeah, we�ll let it speak for itself when she comes,� Megan replied.
�Sorry about that, ladies,� Justin said, coming out of the house.
�No problem,� I said.
�That was Britney,� he said, sitting down, �She�ll be here in about ten minutes.�
�So tell us about your charity, Justin,� Megan said, pointing the camera at him.
�It�s �The Justin Timberlake Foundation,� and I work in conjunction with �The Giving Back Fund.� It�s to give schools money so that they can create a good music program,� he said.
�So it�s like that VH1 Save the Music charity,� I said.
�Yeah,� he said, �It�s sad that music education is getting cut back in so many schools.�
�I know,� I said, �Music has definitely been a big part in my life. I don�t know what would have happened if there wasn�t a band program at my high school.�
~*~*~*~*~
�Hi, I�m Britney,� she gleefully said as we stood up to shake her hand.
�I�m Lynne.�
�I�m Megan.�
�Nice to meet you both,� she said as we all sat down again.
�How are you?� I asked.
�I�m doing great,� she said, quickly giving Justin a kiss.
�So what are you up to now?�
For the next half hour, the interview was centered on Britney. We tried to steer around her, but it always went back to her. It�s not to say that she ego-centered, but it seemed like she always had to stick in her two cents when we talked to Justin about various things. It got annoying, but we kept our mouth shuts about it. We, of course, called into MTV studios to talk to Carson. Britney did her share to talking to him, as did Justin. Megan and I just rolled our eyes and went on.
�Well, I think that about finishes it,� I said when things seem to wind down a bit, �Thank you both for this.�
�No problem,� Justin said, standing up with Megan and I, then looking at Britney, �I�ll be back, I�m just going to escort these ladies to the front door.�
�Okay, hurry back,� she said, �Nice meeting you both.�
�Nice meeting you too,� Megan said as we headed back inside.
�I�m sorry that Britney kept on joining in the conversation,� Justin apologized.
�It�s alright,� I said, �She�s obviously an opinionated person.�
�You don�t like her, do you?� he asked.
�I didn�t say that,� I quickly said, trying to hide any animosity I had against her.
�But saying that she�s opinionated is the polite way of saying that you don�t like her,� he pointed out.
�We�re not trying to get on your bad side,� Megan chimed in, �Lynne�s just saying��
�That it would have been nice to talk without having someone always questioning me, that�s all,� I interrupted, �Please understand that it�s nothing against Britney.�
�Okay,� he said unconvincingly as he opened the front door for us, �One more thing � would you please talk to JC about Bobbee?�
Megan and I snapped our heads to look at each other. �What was that?� he asked, noticing our actions.
�Nothing,� I hastily said.
�It was definitely something,� he said, �What is it?�
�We�re� really� not at liberty to say,� I hesitantly said as Megan just nodded with the same amount of doubt.
�So� what about Bobbee� do you want us to talk about with JC?� Megan asked.
�Just see how he feels about her,� he said, �His whole persona has just went on a down-turn in the past year. I don�t know if it�s totally her or not, but she�s definitely contributing to it.�
�We� can�t promise you anything� but we�ll� try our best�� I said with lack-luster confidence.
�Yo, what�s going on?� he asked, �You guys are turning weird on me as soon as I brought up Bobbee.�
�It�s nothing,� Megan said, �It�s just strange that you would ask us to talk to JC about her.�
�You don�t think I�ve tried myself?� he responded, �Believe me, I have. It�s worth a shot, isn�t it?�
Strange, I thought, That�s what Chris said too. �We�ll see, okay?�
�Justin!� Britney yelled from the opposite end of the house.
�Ladies, I��
�We�ll get going,� I said, �Thanks for having us over.�
�You�re very welcome,� he said, �See you ladies later.�
*~*~*Back at the hotel*~*~*
�Damn it, who the hell do we listen to about JC & Bobbee?!� I said as I plopped down on my bed.
�I really don�t know,� Megan said as she goes to recharge the camera battery.
�Aargh,� I said, getting up and setting up the laptop, �Too many mix messages! And I saw you biting your lip when I said that I was looking forward to seeing Britney!�
Megan laughs, �You were lying so bad, Lynne! Especially at the end there when you were trying to tell Justin that you actually liked her!�
�How am I supposed to tell him how I really feel about her?� I asked.
�Oh you could�ve done it!�
�And what? Risk seeing the disappointment on his face that yet another person disapproves of his girlfriend? I definitely couldn�t tell him that after I just told him at the beginning to �go with what feels right,�� I said, mocking myself.
�Oh, but it�s okay for us to tell JC how everyone hates his girlfriend?� Megan countered.
�Hey � I said we�ll think about it,� I said, �I didn�t say we�ll actually do it. You know what � we didn�t give Justin that girl�s note.�
�So? We didn�t give that other note to Lance,� she replied, �Besides, Sarah said to just keep the notes and give it to the management when we get back to NYC.�
�Oh yeah,� I said as I started to check e-mail, �Oh DUDE � you know what?!�
�What?�
�Weren�t we suppose to get a bodyguard when we went to Justin�s?�
�Oh crap � yeah we were!�
�What the hell do we do now?� I said, �Look � we got another threatening e-mail from the SAME chick!�
�I don�t like this,� Megan said, �Forward it to Sarah. Has she replied yet?�
�Let me see,� I said, starting to panic, �Here it is� crap, what the hell?!�
�What�s it say?!�
� �Sorry we couldn�t get a bodyguard to you in time for Justin�s interview, but we�ll send one ASAP, we�ll let you know. Call us when you get back from the interview,� � I read.
�Call her up!�
I called Sarah up on my cell phone as I checked the rest of the e-mail.
~*~*~*~*~
�What do you mean you�re having problems?!� I sternly asked Sarah over the phone.
�Lynne, calm down,� Sarah said on the other end, �There�s been some miscommunication between us and *N Sync�s management, but we�re working on it.�
�Sarah, you don�t understand � we got another e-mail from the same girl, and we�re getting more hate mail!� I exclaimed as I read the e-mails, �And we�re having more run-ins with fans on the road.�
�Are they giving you trouble?�
�The fans we�ve met so far?�
�Yeah.�
�Not really, but I�m getting worried. Two of them came to our hotel room last night,� I frantically said, �Don�t tell me this is a good thing, because it�s NOT��
�Lynne, breathe��
�What?�
�Breathe,� she said, and then went on as soon as she heard me take a deep breath, �You need to stay level-headed through this, it�ll be alright. Now I�m sorry we couldn�t get a bodyguard to you at Justin�s, but we�re trying to get one to you by tonight.�
�What exactly is the problem?� I asked, �We just saw three of them yesterday when we were at Graceland.�
�What? You did? When?�
�When Justin came to pick us up,� I innocently said, �There were three of them with him.� There was an uncomfortable silence over the phone. �Hello?�
�He wasn�t suppose to be there�� was all I heard in the background.
�What�s going on?� Megan silently said to me as I shrugged.
�I don�t think Justin was suppose to pick us up yesterday,� I silently said back.
�Lynne � change of plans. It�s more serious than we thought,� Sarah said, �I need to make some calls � I�ll call you back in 15 minutes.�
�Oh�okay,� I said right before Sarah hung up. �It�s more serious than you thought?!� I retorted into the dead line as I hung up the phone, �What was it before � just another day at the office?!�
�Lynne��
�It�s only our lives!�
�Lynne��
�I�ll call you back in 15 minutes, she says��
�Lynne��
�He wasn�t suppose to be there, she says��
�Lynne��
�What?!�
�Are we going to be okay?� Megan timidly asked.
I just look at my friend and sigh. �Megan, I hope so,� I said as I turned off the computer, �I hope so.�
[chapter 5] [Do What Feels Right]
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