| Chapter 34 |
| Mackenzie was feeling even more miserable than before when she came out from the shower. She went to her suitcase to grab some clothes but noticed the answering machine was blinking. She figured it was Justin but something was telling her to listen to it. She quickly changed and walked over to the closet as the message began to play. "Kenzie? It's Justin. I know you're there. Please don't delete this. You HAVE to listen to me...Please Mackenzie. I love you...I can't lose you...I didn't know it was her! I swear Mackenzie...I was thinking about you and...and she came from behind me, I didn't turn around because I was thinking so deeply about you and how much I love being with you...I was stupid...I even told Cara how much I hated her thinking it was you. She didn't talk...I didn't know...Please Mackenzie...Please. I can't lose you...I love you..." the message ended and Mackenzie stooped searching through her closet for a sweatshirt as the last words were said. She opened her eyes quickly when she heard something move. She was about to push all the clothes aside when there was a knock on her door. She left the closet occasionally looking back at it and went to the door with no intention of answering it. "Mackenzie?" Justin called as he banged on the door. "Please...I know you're in there. We need to talk." he banged his fists against the door another time but Mackenzie just leaned her back to it and slid down on the floor listening to his voice. "Mackenzie...please...this is our last show in Boston and then we have a 10 hour drive to Virginia...I can't last that long with out talking to you. There is no way that I can do the show tonight knowing that you hate me." there was a long silence, "I don't hh...hate you." her voice was weak as she spoke. "Mackenzie!" Justin said excited to hear her voice, "Please..." "Justin, I listened to the message. I believe you...but that won't erase the picture of you two from my mind. I hate that, I hate her for that but I don't hate you." she didn't want to let him know her feelings but everything was flowing "Mackenzie, I would do anything to turn back time..." Justin started "But you can't, so you have to understand how much it hurts me...it's not the same anymore, Justin." she sobbed, "Please just go away." tears flooded her eyes as she stood up to see if he had gone. "I'll go," he said softly, "for now." She waited until she heard his footsteps and returned to the closet. All was forgotten about the noise she had heard as she pushed the clothes aside looking for that sweatshirt. She pushed as few dresses aside when her hand brushed across something hard, "What the..." she said as she made out the image of someone standing in her closet with their arms raised, holding something over their head. "Sam? What the hell are you doing?" she asked before a painful sensation was felt in the back of her head and everything went black. |
"J?" Nick said as he slowly opened the door to Justin's room. "It's time to leave for sound check." Justin sighed as he looked at his watch. Every since his talk with Mackenzie he had been sitting alone in his room watching the rain fall and that was nearly 3 hours ago. "I'll be out in a minute." he sighed, "Nick?" he said remembering something, "Did Mackenzie leave yet? I'll go get her?" he asked "No, Justin, she didn't leave but her sound check isn't for another 2 hours. You can get her then. Justin, she needs time. You have to have patience." he said sympathetically "I know...but I can't..."Justin sighed as he rubbed a hand through his curly hair and followed Nick outside. Sound check that day was horrible. Justin wasn't hitting the right notes and everyone knew it was because his mind was on Mackenzie. The guys even tried calling her but she never answered her phone. "She probably turned it off." JC said as he slammed his phone down while Justin was still onstage trying to work on a note. "She's not answering any of the phone lines." Lance said, "Do you think she's ok?" "I think she just needs time. She probably doesn't want to talk to anyone except Jenna." JC said "Yeah, thank God for Jenna." Chris said, "Hey, here she comes now. What is she doing here so early? Maybe Mackenzie's already here!" Chris said as he jumped off the side of the stage and ran toward Jenna. Everyone ran after him including Justin, as they got closer they noticed the look of worry on Jenna's face. "Where's Mackenzie? Is she here already? In her dressing room?" Justin asked "What are you talking about?" Jenna said, "I thought she was here with you?" "No, isn't she in her room at the hotel?" JC asked looking around "No...I've been worried about her...I went to her room but there was no answer, so I figured she came here. Then Jeff said he saw here with Sam and she said that they were on their way to sound check. Are you sure she's not here?" "I've been checking for her every ten minutes. If she was here we'd know." Nick said as he approached them. "Where are Jeremy and her other security? Where ever they are Mackenzie should be." he said as he picked up his cell phone and dialed Jeremy's number. "Jeremy? Where are you?" he asked, "What do you mean at the hotel? Is Mackenzie with you?" he asked quickly Fear was growing on Jenna's face as Chris put his arm around her. "Is she in the room?" he continued, "Well you've got a key. CHECK!" Nick yelled getting frustrated, "Are you sure?...Search the whole hotel...send the others over here...Yeah...call me if you get any word." Nick quickly hung up his phone and looked at the eager faces around him, "She's not in the room." he said "What!" Justin yelled, "Where is she then?" "They aren't sure yet, Justin. Just calm down. They'll find her. You know how she wonders off a lot..." Nick said trying to calm him down. But that wasn't enough he quickly ran backstage and continued to run until he was outside of the arena. He looked behind him and saw everyone else running after him...he needed a car or something to get him back to the hotel. He knew that Nick would never let him leave so he had to think quick. He looked around and saw that a cab had just pulled up to the restaurant that was across from the arena. He yelled at the driver to wait and ran across the parking lot and quickly jumped in the car. "Just go!" He said and the driver speed quickly away. After about a 5 minute drive they pulled up to hotel and Justin quickly threw some money to the driver. He ran into the lobby of the hotel where a fans where waiting and started screaming his name. He quickly pressed the button for the elevator hoping that the doors would open immediately but they didn't. At that point he knew he was in danger. There was no security making sure that the fans stayed behind the barriers, all it took was for one fan to step under the barricade and they all would come after him. His adrenaline was rushing through him when he saw the doors to the steps...Mackenzie's room was on the 6th floor. He could make it. He quickly ran up the 6 flights of stairs and down the hall passing Jeremy wh was practically running himself in the opposite direction. "What the hell are you doing here, Justin? Justin! Justin!" He asked as Justin continued to run and Jeremy began to follow him. "J, she's not in there...slow down...where's Nick?" Justin stopped running suddenly, "Where is she?" he asked "I...I don't know." Jeremy said ashamed, "The police are on the way, I've searched everywhere. She couldn't have gone far." "What do you mean the police are on the way? She has to be here. Where would she go?" "I don't know, man. She probably just needed time to think about things. We just want the police to be on the look out before. They've dealt with run-aways before and someone will see her especially with all the media attention that has been on her." "What do you mean run-aways? She didn't run away!" Justin said in disbelief and he ran into her room. He searched for her even though he knew she wasn't in there, a part of him needed to know for sure. Part 2 |