Part Six
“Wow,” Mercedes said as she and Justin walked into the studio. “This is where you spend all your time?”
“This is it,” Justin smiled.
The two of them were in a huge room with off-white colored walls. In the middle of the room were five sound mics that hung from the ceiling and had a set of ear phones on each of them. There was a stack of stools lined up against the wall and a huge water tank just to the left of them. Off to the back right side of the room was another room. This room had a large window that looked out at them. Looking through the window you could see a few chairs, and a lot of buttons.
“What’s that?” she said and pointed to the back room.
“Oh,” Justin looked in that direction. “It’s the sound booth. That’s where the tracks get laid and all that jazz. Come here, I’ll show you,” he said and grabbed her hand. He pulled her into the room and Mercedes was in awe at all that surrounded her.
“This is amazing,” she gasped.
“Do you want to see how it works?”
“I’d love to,” she said back.
“Go out there and sing something,” he nonchalantly said.
“Me?” she pointed to herself.
“Yes you,” he laughed.
“But Justin,” she got nervous. She loved to sing, and she wasn’t bad, but she got nervous anytime she was in front of someone. And hello, this is Justin Timberlake. He sings for a living. She didn’t want to embarrass herself.
“I just want to mix some sounds. Go on,” he point to the mics in the other room. “Just sing something you’re comfortable with.
“Ok,” she softly sighed and then headed into the main room. “Which mic?” she yelled into the other room.
Justin flipped the switch, “number three,” came over the intercom.
Out of split reaction, Mercedes looked straight at the ceiling. “Ok,” she said and grabbed the third mic. ‘You can do this,’ she told herself. She stood tall and said, “I’m coming through right?”
“Yup,” Justin answered over the intercom. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Mercedes smiled at him and held up three fingers... two... one...
I don't know what it is that you've done to me
But it's caused me to act in such a crazy way
Justin’s eyes were wide open now. He couldn’t believe that that voice was coming out of Mercedes’s mouth. It was beautiful. Justin flipped a few switched and laid down a piano track behind her voice. Something soft, and with a little beat.
Whatever it is that you do when you do what you're doing
It's a feeling that I don't understand
Mercedes held her mouth close to the hanging mic. She cupped her hand and held it to her right ear and pushed the earphones closer. Her eyes were shut, and this amazing sound was escaping her soft lips.
'Cause my heart starts beating triple time
With thoughts of loving you on my mind
I can't figure out just what to do
When the cause and cure is you
Justin laid a soft echo behind her strong steady voice.
I get so weak in the knees, I can harldy speak
I lose all control and something takes over me
In a daze and it's so amazing
It's not a phase, I want you to stay with me
By my side, I swallow my pride
Your love is so sweet
It knocks me right off of my feet
Can't explain why your loving makes me weak
Justin watched as she licked her lips and took a deep breath to continue.
Time after time, after time I try to fight it
But your love is strong, it keeps on holding on
Resistance is down
When you're around, cries fading
In my condition, I don't want to be alone
'Cause my heart starts beating triple time
With thoughts of loving you on my mind
I can't figure out just what to do
When the cause and cure is you
I get so weak in the knees, I can harldy speak
I lose all control and something takes over me
In a daze and it's so amazing
It's not a phase, I want you to stay with me
By my side, I swallow my pride
Your love is so sweet
It knocks me right off of my feet
Can't explain why your loving makes me weak
Mercedes opened her eyes and looked at Justin. He answered her back with only a smile. Mercedes body began to bounce in the same beat count as the song she was nailing, and she closer her eyes again.
I try hard to fight it
No way can I deny it
You're love's so sweet, knocks me off my feet
I get so weak in the knees, I can harldy speak
I lose all control and something takes over me
In a daze and it's so amazing
It's not a phase, I want you to stay with me
By my side, I swallow my pride
Your love is so sweet
It knocks me right off of my feet
Can't explain why your loving makes me weak
I get so weak
Blood starts racing through my veins
Justin couldn’t believe the energy she was putting off.
I get so weak
Boy, it's something I can't explain
I get so weak
Something 'bout the way you do
The things you doo-ooo-ooo, it...
He got chills.
Knocks me right off of my feet
OHHHHHHH, off my feet
Can't explain why your lovin' makes me weak
I get so weak in the knees, I can harldy speak
I lose all control and something takes over me
In a daze and it's so amazing
It's not a phase, I want you to stay with me
By my side, I swallow my pride
Your love is so sweet
It knocks me right off of my feet
Can't explain why your loving makes me weak
Her voice slowly faded and she opens her eyes again. “Mercedes that was amazing,” Justin interrupted her daze.
She blushed. She took off the head phones and casually strolled into the sound booth. “Thanks,” she said back.
“I can’t believe you were afraid to sing. You are amazing. Why the hell are you a lawyer?” he teased, but he was really serious deep down.
“I could never hack it as a singer. I freeze.”
“You didn’t in here.”
“There was only one of you in here,” she laughed.
Justin smiled. “Well, do you wanna here what I did?”
“Definitely,” she smiled back and awaited his work.
“Okay, so I laid a soft piano sound behind it and an echo to your voice.” He played around with some buttons and then stopped what he was doing and looked at Mercedes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she laughed.
“Do you know how old that song is?”
“Weak?”
“Yeah.”
“Uhm, yeah... why?”
“Why did you choose that one?” he asked out of pure curiosity.
She shrugged. “I dunno.”
Justin leaned back in his chair. “You don’t?”
“Uhm, I like the song?”
“I’m not buying it,” Justin twiddled his thumbs.
Mercedes leaned against the side of the doorway to the sound room. “I used to sing that song a lot a few years ago.”
Justin just watched her and waited for more.
“You said sing something I am comfortable with. I am comfortable with that one. It was, uh, the first song I sang in front of anyone.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He was my boyfriend,” her voice trailed off slowly.
Justin got a weird feeling throughout his body. “I’m sorry Mer. I, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, it’s okay Justin. I... I don’t mind. His name was Marc. We had been dating since I was seventeen. I guess I was almost eighteen when we were sitting at his house one day and he heard me humming to the radio...”
“Uh huh...”
“Well he asked me to sing for him. I was scared out of my mind... even with him. But he put on SWV and said that “Weak” was how he felt when he was around me. So, he wanted me to sing it... I caved, and I did it.”
“Wow. So I guess the song just has sentimental meaning to you huh?”
Mercedes chewed on her lip and began to twirl her hair. These were things that she often did when she was nervous. “Yeah. Marc, uh... he died.”
“Mer, I’m sorry,” Justin really meant it too. He touched the side of her arm.
“We were walking home one night. Marc had taken me out on a date. It was our four year anniversary. I,” she rubbed up and down her arms. “I got cold and he gave me his jacket,” her voice was shaking. “I was putting it on when I heard a voice. It was a deep voice, scratchy,” her face cringed in the remembrance of the sound. “He told Marc to give him his wallet and his watch.” She stopped for a few seconds.
Justin sat there motionless.
“Marc did what he was asked and begged this guy not to hurt me. That he would do anything just as long as he stayed away from me. The guy tried to make a mockery out of it and he went to touch my shoulder. Marc freaked out and pounced this guy... This horrible guy... and then I saw his face. This look. Then the man took off running. Marc fell to the ground with his hands over his stomach. The blood was all over the sidewalk. There was no one around. I screamed,” a tear fell from her eye. “But by the time anyone heard me, it was too late. The last thing Marc said to me was that he loved me... and that I would always make him weak in the knees.”
Justin stood up and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry Mer. I...” he didn’t know what to say. “Here, let’s dedicate this one to Marc then. It’s beautiful. You sounded beautiful.”
Mercedes cracked a half smile and looked up into Justin’s crystal blue eyes. Marc had deep blue eyes, just a shade darker than Justin’s. A shade identical to JC’s actually. “I’d like to do that,” she said and then wiped her tears and sat next to Justin.
Sounds of Mercedes’s voice filled the room as Justin played the track he had just laid. Justin fiddled with a few things as they listened to it. It was the first verse and Justin and Mercedes lightly talked over the track; Saying what they should do to the song.
“How about this?” he would ask.
“Oh that sounds good,” she would smile back. She forced herself only to think of good thoughts.
It was during the chorus that JC showed up. He had came to the studio to mess around with a few things that he had been writing. When he heard the sound filling the room, he stood at the door. It wasn’t a familiar voice, so it surprised him. He walked in a little and saw Justin and Mercedes sitting in the sound booth fooling around with buttons and switches. ‘Mercedes?’ he thought. JC kept quiet, and well hidden. He listened a little more of the song and was impressed with what he heard. The song was nearing an end when JC gently knocked on the door. Justin and Mercedes both turned.
“Oh hey,” Justin said.
“What are you fooling with?” he asked, as if he didn’t know.
“Just something Mer and I were messing around with.”
“That was you?” he directed towards her.
She was awaiting a rude remark. “Yeah.”
“It was good,” he left it plain and simple.
“Thanks.” ‘Was he just nice to me?’ she asked herself.
“So what are you up to C?”
“Just wanted to come fool around. You guys gonna be here much longer? I don’t wanna interrupt or whatever.”
“We were just messing around. I was showing her what we do and all.”
“We can go if you need the place,” she was trying her best to be nice.
“Nah. It’s alright.”
“Could you two possibly stay in the same room for a little while? Maybe we can hook up some cool tracks.”
“I think if we don’t talk to one another we’ll be just fine,” Mercedes said. “We’ll just talk to you.”
“That works for me,” JC replied.
“Okay, let’s have some fun,” Justin said and then the three of them pulled out some old tracks, fooled with them and actually had a good time doing it.
Justin was laughing hysterically as he drove down the road before Chris’s. “I can’t believe you did that. It was priceless I tell ya.”
“And the look on his face!” she laughed out loud.
“He sounds like Alvin... big time!” he laughed again. “Girl I am so glad that you came with me.”
“I’m glad too. Thanks for inviting me.”
“Anytime. We’ll do it again someday."
“Totally.”
“And what was this? You and JC are still alive, and you spent like two hours together.”
“Ha, we’re alive yeah. And we did argue, so it’s all the same.”
“Yeah but you didn’t fight!”
“We argued over the count on one of the mixes. We argued over the level of the synthesizer. We argued over the..” she tried to continue.
“Okay okay. You argued like usual... but you aren’t dead. So it’s okay.”
“Yeah... well,” she laughed. “I was going to attempt to now fight with him as much... it just doesn’t work though. It was causing issues with Chris, but we talked it out, so I have permission to yell at JC whenever I feel the need.”
Justin laughed. “I still don’t get why you two don’t get along.”
“Cause he gets on my last living nerve. He always knows just what to say... to piss me off.”
“Ha, you are crazy girly,” he said and pulled into Chris’s driveway. “Here we are,” he said soundly.
“Thanks,” she said and stepped onto the driveway. “So, this thing tomorrow...”
“Yeah?”
“How do I dress?”
“Well it’s dinner at a nice restaurant.”
“So wear a dress.”
“Might be smart,” he chuckled.
Mercedes smiled. She leaned in and gave Justin a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for, uh, for today. I had a lot of fun.”
“So did I Mer. I’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Six?”
“Yeah. Dinner is at seven.”
“Sounds good.”
“Bye Mer,” Justin said and watched her walk towards the house.
“Later Justin,” she yelled back from the door and then disappeared within it.
“Hey, how was the studio trip?” Chris asked just as Mercedes walked in the door.
Mercedes jumped at the sound of his voice. “It was great,” she then said and took her shoes off by the door. She then walked towards Chris and leaned over the back of the couch. She ran her fingers through the top of his hair. “How was your day?” she asked and then found her way to the open spot on the couch.
“Eh,” he moaned. “Not too interesting.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “JC showed up.”
“He didn’t,” he hoped.
“Yes he did. And we were somewhat civil. Well,” she corrected herself. “We didn’t kill each other in the two hours we were together. We picked fights over little things, but it was overall a good day.”
“I’m impressed. I wish I could have seen it,” he laughed.
“Yeah cause I don’t know if it is going to happen again anytime soon,” she too laughed.
“Hey, uh,” Chris started. He had kind of arranged something, but wasn’t sure how Mercedes was going to act.
“Yes?” she dug for more.
“You liked Jessica right?”
“Lance’s girlfriend?”
“Yeah,” he smiled intently.
“I didn’t really get to know her, but she seems nice enough. Why?” she asked.
“Just curious.”
“Why?” she asked again. She knew better than that.
“She’ll be here at five.”
“Oh, what for?”
“To get you,” Chris turned his head away.
“What do you mean to get me?” her tone changed.
Chris turned and looked at her face to face. “Well, tomorrow... it’s a really nice event. And you just got here and haven’t really met anyone. I thought you two could go shopping or something. I don’t know.”
Mercedes smiled at his attempt. “Chris that was sweet. Did you think I’d be mad at you?”
“Well I kinda just told you, nonchalantly, that you have no friends. Yeah, I thought you’d be mad,” he smiled.
She laughed. “Well, other than your friends, I haven’t gotten any here. She doesn’t mind does she?” she asked referring to Jessica.
“Jessica? Mind shopping? Ha. That’s funny Mer.”
“But, me hanging around with her,” she really didn’t want to be a nuisance.
“No way. She was thrilled. A shopping buddy is almost as good as shopping itself when you ask Jessica.”
Mercedes look of worry faded into a smile. “Well I should go clean up some then first. I probably smell of Justin and JC funk. We were running all over that studio.”
“Ew, boy cooties,” Chris said sarcastically in a high tone.
“You are a goof,” she sneered and got up off of the cream colored couch. “Thanks Chris,” she said as she headed for the stairs.
“Anytime Mer,” he smiled and stretched out on the couch. Amazing how being lazy all day made a person more tired than working all day. That would be an issue that Chris would never be able to explain.
Five o’clock came fast. Mercedes and Jessica were on their way to the mall already. “So you’re sure that you don’t mind me tagging along right?” Mercedes wanted to make sure.
“Girl it is so not a problem. I wouldn’t want to go shopping by myself anyway.” She a little quieter and said, “I am happy anyhow because it gives me a reason to go out and buy something.”
Mercedes giggled. “I know the feeling.”
“So are you at all excited about this dinner thing tomorrow?” Jessica asked as she switched lanes.
“Yeah kind of I guess. I’m all for going out and meeting a few more people ya know? And Justin is being all too sweet about it all. We spent the day together at the studio today.”
“Ah,” she smiled. “Is that going to lead anywhere?” she questioned the possibility of them hooking up.
“No,” she smiled back. “We’re just friends. We’ve already talked about that. I guess I just don’t want a relationship right now. I mean Justin is great and all.”
“Yes he is,” she agreed whole-heartedly.
Jessica rounded the exit to the mall and then slowly drove through the parking lot looking for a place to park. “So you don’t like get hounded down when you go out in public do you? I mean, you are Lance’s girlfriend, and plenty of people know it.”
“Well,” she said. “If you noticed, my hair, yeah it looks like crap. I usually pull it back in a pony tail when I go out. Harder to recognize. I also have this here hat,” she pulled one out from between the seat.
Mercedes let out a small laugh. “I see,” she smiled. “Well it’s not like you need to find a man to pick up. Lance is man enough for, yeah,” she laughed. “Even though you’re still cute enough like that to get one.”
“Too kind,” she giggled and opened the driver side door. “Let’s go shop!” And with that, they took off.
“Oh my God Mer, this would look fantastic on you,” Jessica said as she held up a dress.
“You don’t think it’s too formal?” she asked with her finger in her mouth.
“No way. Girl you would look hot in this. Go try it on. Uhm,” she went through the rack. “This should be your size.”
Mercedes took the dress from Jessica and looked at the tag. She smiled. “How did you know?”
“I told you that I live to shop.” They both laughed.
Mercedes made her way through a few racks of dresses and then to the dressing room. She opened the door and placed the dress on a hook just on the other side of the door. Quickly she rid herself of her shirt and shorts, and then slid the dress up her legs. It was a tight fit, so she didn’t want to try pulling it over her arms. “Jes,” she softly yelled out the door.
“Yeah?” she said as she approached the door.
“Zip me?”
“Sure,” she raised her hand to the zipper and pulled it up. “Turn around.”
“Well,” she said. She held her arms out so that the full effect of the dress could be seen.
“It’s perfect,” she exclaimed. “Justin is going to wish that you wanted to be more than just friends. And that JC will wish that the two of you didn’t fight so much.”
Mercedes let out a soft giggle. “Thanks.”
“What do you think about this one for me?” she then held up another dress. It was a light lavender and tied around the back of the neck.
“I think it’s great. Here, let me get out of this, and you can use this room.”
“K,” she said and smacked her chewing gum.
Mercedes retreated back into the small dressing room and put her shirt and shorts back on. She glanced at the dress as it stayed hooked to the door. She sighed and then picked it up and turned the door handle. “There ya go.”
“Thanks,” Jessica said and then stepped into the room. A few minutes later she came out to show Mer the dress. “Well what do you think?”
“Wow Jes. That’s amazing on you,” she smiled.
Jessica did a little spin. “You sure?” she questioned.
“Most definitely. I think we have our winners.”
“Me too,” she smiled back.
“It only took us,” she glanced at her watch, “two hours.” Both girls laughed.
“Time well spent.”
“Totally.”
Mercedes and Jessica paid for their dresses and then hauled the bags out to the car. They couldn’t only buy the dress could they? Of course not. They also took their money to a few places where they bought some shirts, and a few pairs of shorts. Mercedes also picked up some jewelry so that she’d have something to wear with the dress.
Jessica slammed the trunk of the car shut. “There we go,” she huffed and then walked around the opposite side of the car. “You hungry?”
“Famished,” Mercedes laughed.
“Me too! Let’s go get something to eat girl.”
“No complaints here,” Mercedes said and then put on her seat belt. “Where to?”
“What are you in the mood for?” she asked as she readjusted her hat.
“I’d probably eat anything right about now.”
“You like Arby’s?”
“I adore Arby’s!” she exclaimed.
“Me too. There’s one down the road over here, so we’ll go there.”
“Sounds good to me.”
A few brief moments later they pulled into the small Arby’s parking lot. “You wanna go in or hit the drive through?”
“Whatever is fine with me.”
Jessica pulled the car into a parking place. “Let’s go in then,” she smiled.
Mercedes pushed open her door and stepped out of the car. She looked down the road and smiled. She was loving that city more and more every day. She put her hands on her hips and watched a few cars drive by.
“Come on slow poke,” Jessica laughed and pulled Mercedes’s arm.
“Sorry,” she laughed back and then followed Jessica into the little food joint.
Jessica leaned on the counter. “I want just a regular Arby sandwich. Oh and can I get a little thing of cheese sauce on the side. Oh and a soda too. Medium Sprite. What do you want Mer?” she turned away from the counter.
“Uhm, just a regular Arby sandwich too, but I want a couple things of Arby sauce. I also want a medium Sprite.”
The guy behind the register told them their total, handed them their food and then watched them as they walked around the corner to take a seat in the back. “So Mer, when do you go back home?” Jessica asked. She pulled open her sandwich wrapper and looked up to Mercedes.
“I leave the day after tomorrow actually. I’ll be back in about a month though. I need to start looking for a place.”
“Oh, I have this great friend who is a realtor. I can give you the number if you want,” she took a big bite of her sandwich.”
“I’d like that a lot,” she smiled and then squeezed the sauce on her meat.
“Cool. I’ll give it to you tomorrow. It’s at my place.”
“That’s cool.”
“So you’re like a lawyer right?”
“Yup,” she said between bites.
“That’s neat. Do you like it?”
Mercedes finished chewing and swallowing and then answered. “I love it. I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer. Ever since I was a little girl.”
“Well it’s great that you actually got what you wanted.”
“Yeah. My dad is great. He paid my way through all that stuff. I don’t know where I’d be without him.”
“I know the feeling. My dad is the best too. I had, notice the word had,” she laughed. “I had a few friends that thought that I would like drop my family when I started dating Lance. They knew that he had the money, and they didn’t think I would need it from my parents anymore. Wow were they wrong. I never take money from Lance. He goes out and buys me things of course, but I never expect him to give me any kind of money for things that I want. It hurt me to know that some of my friends thought I would do that.”
“Yeah that had to be hard. I would never ask Chris for anything like that either. I mean yeah, I did ask to stay with him, but I went out and did shopping for food because the goof had like nothing in his house that was edible AND healthy.”
Jessica laughed at the oh so true statement. “I know what you mean. I go out and do some of Lance’s shopping, otherwise he’d be eating the crap that Chris and Joey do.”
“So I take it that Justin and JC eat real food?”
“Oh they are wonderful with their eating habits. Both of them have a great variety of food at their places. They’ve got junk food yeah, but at least they have meats and veggies in the freezer!”
Mercedes couldn’t resist the small chuckle. “I figured Justin was too perfect like that. He probably has all his soups in alphabetical order.”
“Actually,” she laughed. “His cereal is like that.”
“You’re kidding me,” she said in disbelief.
“No way. See, he’s not a morning person. He’s almost nonfunctional in the morning actually. He doesn’t talk to anyone until he has had his cereal. He goes in spurts where he wants the same thing every day, but then sometimes he wants totally the opposite. So, since he isn’t functioning, he puts his boxes in order, so he just knows where to reach.”
“That is classic. I’ve never known anyone who does that.”
“Well now you do!”
“Yeah I guess so,” she laughed.
The two of them made small talk for the rest of their meal and then headed back to Chris’s place. “Thanks for coming with me,” Jessica said when they pulled into Chris’s driveway.
“Thanks for letting me come with you,” she said in return. “I kind of needed this girls day thing. I spent all morning with Justin and JC... I needed a real break,” she laughed.
“I totally understand. Look, whenever you want to get out, just call me up. I love to just get out of the house and chill.”
“I’d like that,” she said as the walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk. They took out all of Mercedes’s bags and then Jessica slammed the trunk again.
“I’ll see you tomorrow girl,” Jessica said as she sat back down in the car.
“Definitely. Thanks again girl,” she stammered off as she tried to keep a hold of all her bags.
“Bye,” she said and then started the car up. She stayed parked until she was sure that Mercedes made it into the house alright. As soon as she saw the door shut, she back out of the driveway and was on her way off.
“So did you find anything good?” Chris asked as Mercedes walked in the door.
“My God Chris. Don’t you do anything besides sit around waiting to scare me when I walk in the door?”
Chris held up his sketch book. “I am doing something, dork!”
Mercedes dropped a few of her bags on the floor and then walked over to Chris with the dress. She looked at what he was doing and complimented his work. “Those are nice Chris. New shirt designs huh?”
“Yup,” he said.
“Cool.”
Chris noticed the bag that she was holding. “Charlotte Russe? That’s a good story. Did you find a dress?”
“Of course! Jessica found it really. I just approved.”
“So I take it that you two had a good time.”
“She’s great. Thanks so much for setting that up. I guess I needed a little girl time.”
“Well, can I see what you got?” he was anxious to see what Jessica picked out. He knew her taste, and knowing that, he knew that Justin was going to flip out when he saw her tomorrow night.
“Sure,” she got a bright smile. “But you can’t tell Justin what it looks like. I want to surprise him,” she said as she pulled the dress out of the bag.
“Whoa,” Chris stammered immediately. “That’s uh...”
“You don’t like it?” she worried as she held it close to her.
“No I do. I think it will look great on you,” he said. ‘Justin is going to have a hard on all evening’ he thought to himself and then smiled up at Mercedes.
“Thanks,” she said in relief. His opinion really did matter to her. “Oh shit,” she exclaimed. “I hope I have shoes! I totally forgot about that!” she yelled and grabbed her bags and darted up the stairs.
Mercedes went thru the closet that she had set all her shoes in. Hard to believe that she brought so many. “Why the hell do I have these?” she said aloud to herself as she looked at hr cheetah flip-flops. “Oh thank God,” she said as she found shoes that would match perfect.
She hopped down the stairs and quickly leaned over the back of the couch. “So,” she said loudly into Chris’s ear.
“Did you have shoes?” he turn around to see her.
“Yes. Thank God! I bought jewelry to wear, but no shoes! What was I thinking?” she expressed. “So you wanna watch a movie or something?” she asked and twirled a piece of her hair. She caught herself in the act and stopped.
“Sure,” Chris patted the couch. “Have a seat. I’ll go find something.” Having said that, Chris got up and went to look for a movie for the two of them to watch.