| Chapter Eight |
| "Come on guys we don't have all day, we have to get inside, unpack and get ready to do the German Good Morning show at seven thirty." Kevin Richardson barked at the four younger men. "Yes drill sargent." Howie Dorough mumbled sleepily. Brian Littrell, AJ McLean, and Nick Carter groaned in unison. "I dont want to hear a peep from you three, you should have listened to me when I told you to sleep on the plane ride here, instead of sticking cheese doodles in each others noses." Kevin growled at the three youngest members of the group. "They werent cheese doodles, they were fritos." Nick Carter replied sarcastically. "Man, shut the fuck up." AJ grumbled sleepily at Nick. He glanced up at the hotel they were staying at this week. The Hamburg Hilton. He hoped the bathroom was big. He hated tiny bathrooms. "Coffee," Brian muttered. "Yes Brian, we'll get you you're coffee." Howie snickered. "Coffee," Brian repeated. Kevin shook his head, this was not going to be an easy morning. ************** Justin lay strewn across his bed staring up at the ceiling. He had been in that position for a couple of hours now, just thinking about the events of the past couple of days. He knew the way he was treating Crystal was wrong, but he just couldnt see any other way around it. He didnt want to have to deal with her now. He wanted to deal with her when he was good and ready to deal with her. But thanks to his "friends" he had to deal with her in about an hour. A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts for the moment and he rose reluctantly out of the comfortable bed to see who it was. He thrust open the door to find his best friend Trace standing there. He didnt look happy. "What?" Justin said confused as Trace brushed past him. "Level with me J." Trace plopped down on the bed, crossing his arms. "Alright, whats up man?" "Remember how you told me all that stuff about Crystal like a week ago?" "Yea, what about it?" Justin said flipping on the TV. "Well apparently it was all a big crock of shit." Trace snapped. "What are you talking about?" Justin said as he stared at the tv screen. "Well I talked to Crystal today and she apparently has the idea that you hate her." Trace smirked. "Well...well s-she doesnt know what shes talking about." Justin said not looking his friend in the face. "Oh so then you didn?t tell her that she was stupid to think you would ever want her here then right?" Trace shook his head. "Because that's what she told me." "Ugg. So what if I did?" Justin grimaced and pretended to concentrate on the sports broadcast he was watching. Trace rose off the bed and paced the room. "I just dont get you J...I mean you were all ranting and raving to me about how you guys must be meant to be and all that lovey dovey shit, and I was actually happy for you. But now she's here and you hate her? Make up your damn mind." Trace glared at him. Justin was his best friend and he hated arguing with him, but this was ridiculous. Crystal was a great girl and Justin had no right to treat her the way he was treating her. Especially with everything else that she had to deal with in her life. "I'm really stressed out about the tour and stuff thats all. Really, I'm fine." Justin replied. "Oh good thats a relief, you?re fine. I can sleep at night." Trace said sarcastically. "What about Crystal? Is she fine? I doubt it. You need to pull your head out of your ass and learn to get along with her." "Whatever Trace. Its my business, what are you gonna do about it?" Justin seethed. Trace stood back, in his whole life Justin had never talked to him so coldly. He didnt want to believe all the stuff the other guys would say about Justin. Trace would always defend him, saying thats not how he was, they just didnt see Justin the same way he did. But now he understood what they were saying. He really didnt care about anybody but himself. "I'll do something about it." Trace said coldly, now standing in front of Justin. "You better get your act together, before you lose all of your friends." Justin watched Trace's retreating backside as he exited the room without another word. He rubbed his face with his right hand. "Shit," he muttered miserably. ********************** One week later "And I want white...thats white towels. Yesterday at rehersal they were faded. You think you can get it right today Crystal?" Justin glared as she wrote down the last of his requests for his dressing room. "Bite me. You'll get what you get." Crystal snapped as they both stepped into the elevator that would take them down to the lobby. They were meeting the other guys for breakfast, but of course Justin had to have his little meeting with her first. It was the day before the first show of the tour and everything had to be in place. She was trying to get all the work done as fast as she could, but Justin wasn't making her job any easier. He always had something to say, something to add. Something to back her up, trying to mess up her schedule. "What did you just say?" Justin replied icily. "Oh be quiet Justin, I'm sick of your stupid act." Crystal grunted and leaned back against the wall of the elevator. "What act?" Justin glared at her. "Forget it. Just quit being on my case all the time. I have a job to do here and so do you, so let?s just be professional about this ok? In a couple of months this tour will be done and then you'll never have to see me again." Crystal smirked. "Fine!" Justin remarked like a child. Crystal would have burst out laughing, if the elevator hadnt started to shudder suddenly. They both gasped as the elevator came to a sudden hault. "What the hell?" Justin remarked. He pressed the intercom button. "Hello?? Helloooo?" "Yes, sir we're aware of the problem. All of the elevators are jammed. We have someone working on the situation. Just sit tight, the elevators are ventilated so there is plenty of air. Dont panic." A man with a thick German accent replied. "Oh this is great! Just fucking great!!" Justin said as he sat down on the floor. "Who the hell does he think he's dealing with?" "A stupid american." Crystal replied sarcastically smiling to herself. This was hilarious. The other guys were gonna get a kick out of it. "I didnt ask you for an opinion." Justin muttered in annoyance. "Oh shut up Justin." "Screw you." "Been there, could have been better," she replied nonchalantly opening up one of her binders of paper work. Justin was fuming. It was bad enough he was stuck in an elevator at seven in the morning, but he was stuck in an elevator with her and that made the situation ten times worse. Several minutes passed with only the sound of Crystal humming happily to herself.It was driving him crazy. Crystal was acting so nonchalant about the situation, sitting there humming, reviewing her paper work and her agendas like they were sitting downstairs with everybody else, not trapped in an elevator. "Could you stop that damn humming." Justin grumbled. Crystal grinned and kept on going, which only made Justin angrier. She was loving every minute of their ordeal. He was such a spoiled little baby and it was hilarious to see how he reacted when he didnt get his way. "Hello? Are you deaf?" Crystal stopped humming for a moment, and glanced at him. "Of course not." She smiled, and continued to hum again. "Stop fucking humming!" He screamed. She laughed, shrugged, and gave in, continuing to go through her papers in silence. She didn?t need to get a headache this early in the morning. Especially one caused by Justin?s childish hissy fit. "Stupid, dumb, freaking, loser..." He muttered to himself, tracing a pattern on the floor with his finger. "Stinkin, damn, fucking girl...damn girl...comin up in here...like she?s the shit or somethin..." He continued, knowing that she could hear him, but not really caring. In a way, he wanted her to hear him. He wanted her to know how much pain she was causing him. If he had to be going through all this pain, she should have to as well. That was his theory. "Why do you have to be such an asshole all the time?" She said, after several minutes of listening to him mumble obscenities to himself. "You?re a fucking baby." Justin reluctantly met her gaze. "Why do you have to be such a bitch?" He muttered. "I just don't get you Justin, you say one thing and then do another." Crystal shook her head, hinting at the information that Trace had told her. "What are you talking about?" Justin rolled his eyes. "Now you?re being ridiculous." "I?m not being ridiculous Justin, you should know exactly what I'm talking about." she rolled her eyes. "Well I dont ok? So kiss my ass," he scowled. Actually he had a pretty good idea what she was talking about, but he sure as hell wasn?t going to admit it. "God, you're such a selfish little prick! I'm so sick of your bullshit day in and day out, all you care about is your fucking self! Do you have any idea what I've been through Justin? Do you? Would you be happier if I were dead Justin? Would you have rather that Todd had shot me and left me to die in the woods?" Tears came streaming down her face as she screamed at him angrily. Justin said nothing, and continued to sit there with his chin resting on his knees. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? He didn't need all her dramatic bullshit right now. He had a show to put on tonight. "I was missing for a year Justin, and in that time I was raped, beaten, and nearly starved to death. But you know the one thing that gave me hope, the one thing that kept me from going completely out of my skull? It was you. I would always think of you and how I knew you wouldn't have wanted me to give up hope. That someday, somehow I would get out of this alive and you would be right there waiting for me. It was that one thing that kept me alive for so long, and now I don't even know why. I don't even know who you are. It's like someone came along and switched bodies with you. I made it a point to survive for you're sake Justin, because I thought you would still be in love with me when I came home." Tears began to roll down his face. He felt like he had just been hit by a train. He really was an asshole. The biggest asshole he had ever known. Why was he acting this way? He needed to be there for her, not push her away. He was putting all the pain and anger he had been hiding for over a year on her shoulders. She didnt deserve that. No one did. "Crystal...I..." he began. "Just answer me one simple question Justin, I'm just really confused about something here," she said in between sobs. "Yeah?" he replied, not meeting her gaze. "Why do you act like you cant stand me when you told Trace that you still had feelings towards me?" Crystal asked softly. Justin's face turned a shade of crimson. What was he supposed to tell her? He didnt have any idea. He wished he had never confided in Trace about this. He wished he could just learn to keep his mouth shut sometimes. "You want the truth Crystal?" Justin's voice began to soften suddenly and Crystal saw something in his eyes that she hadnt seen for over a year. It was Justin. Not JUSTIN. But Justin. Her Justin, trying to break through. "Yeah J...you owe me that much." She looked at him with sad eyes. "I dont have any clue why I said it ok? I dont fucking have a clue. I'm so confused. I hate that you're here and I love it at the same time. You were dead ok? Dead. All that time you were gone I worked so hard to push you out of my mind and when I had finally moved on and forgotten about you, they found you and I didnt know how to react ok? Thats the truth." He sobbed. "And...and I know I've been a really big jerk ok? I have been the biggest asshole in the world, I dont even know why the guys are still my friends. I have treated everyone around me like complete and total shit for the past year and a half. I'm sorry ok? Im so fucking sorry. And I can understand if you can't forgive me, hell I wouldnt forgive me." he sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes. Crystal didnt know how to react. Justin really wasnt as bad as everyone thought, her shrink had been right, he did have too many emotions bottled up inside of him that just needed to be released. It may have taken a broken elevator to do it, but he did it. She slid over next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I think he came back." Crystal said teary eyed. "Who?" Justin said putting his arm around her. It felt so good to talk to her. He didnt know why it had been so hard to open up to her before. It had been so easy. How could he have been so stupid? "Justin...he came back. JUSTIN left." Crystal spoke softly. Justin chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair gently. "I'm so sorry Crys'," he whispered. "Me too J...me too." Crystal smiled looking deep into his eyes. Justin looked into her eyes and gasped. He had forgotten those eyes. The way they could tear into his soul and capture his heart. She was beautiful. He wanted to think it now. She was incredibly without a doubt beautiful. She was more beautiful now than he had remembered her ever being. He leaned towards her slowly, his mind racing with a thousand emotions. Wanting to tase that beauty on his lips. The elevator jolted to a rumbling start and they both broke out of their daze, shocked as they realized they were looking straight into each others eyes. "A-are you going to kiss me Justin?" Crystal laughed nervously. "Sorry." Justin said quickly pulling himself off of her. They both sat in silence until the elevator doors opened onto the main floor. "Where were you guys?" Chris exclaimed, running up to them "Elevator got stuck." Crystal smiled nervously. "You sure you guys are ok?" Chris asked. Justin glanced at Crystal flashing her a small smile. "Never better." he said quietly. "Never better." |