Chapter 15
“This is MTV’s TRL for Monday, November 22nd. We’re here talking to ‘N Sync,” Carson Daily began as the audience of girls screamed. Justin, Lance, JC, Chris, and Joey were situated on the stage in chairs. Sam was backstage away from the girls to stay safe. She was afraid that one of them would go after her if she showed her face and told everyone she was Lance’s girlfriend.
“So, guys, the tour’s over. What are your plans now?”
“Well, most of us are going back home to spend some time with
family,” Chris answered. “Except for maybe Lance. He’s taking his
girlfriend out to the
Some people clapped while some girls fainted and screamed. One yelled, “NO!”
“How about you, Justin. I heard you had a girlfriend. What are you
planning to do?”
“Well, I had a girl, Vicky, but she’s gone,” he sadly told everyone.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did she die?”
“No, I just can’t find her. I left her after we came back from the island because of reasons that I’m not gonna say. I was such a fool for leaving her. I feel so stupid because I lost the love of my life,” Justin answered.
“Poor Justin,” JC said with sarcastic sympathy. “He’s been heartbroken ever since. His scene in the new video totally describes what happened between him and Vicky.”
“Really? Let’s cut to it now and we’ll see exactly what he’s been
through,”
Justin was dazed. He really didn’t want to talk about Vicky because the night before, he wasn’t able to get any information on where she could possible be. It was as if she left without a trace. A girl came up to him and began talking, but he didn’t listen. All he did was nod whenever she said something.
From the other side of the room, a technician ran up to Justin and said, “There’s a girl on the phone. She says her name is Vicky, and she wants to talk to you.”
Justin didn’t reply. He ran into the control room and looked for a phone. A guy at one of the desks handed him one and pressed line one. “Hello?” Justin eagerly answered.
“Justin?” It was clearly Vicky. He could never mistake her angelic voice.
“Oh, Vicky,” he said. Justin leaned against the wall to steady himself from falling. “I can’t believe it.”
“Justin, I missed you so much,” she replied, ready to burst into tears.
“I missed you too. It’s been so long. Your voice is so wonderful to hear.”
“So is yours.” Vicky paused for a moment. “Justin, I haven’t been able to tell you this in so long, but I love you so much, and I never stopped loving you.”
“I’ve been waiting so long to hear those words,” Justin replied. “I was wondering if I’d ever hear them again. I thought you were going to marry Chad.”
“Well, I didn’t. What made you think that?” Vicky asked. “I told you I was going to break up with him.”
“Well, I was coming to your room, but stopped when I reached the door because I saw Chad on his knee with a box in his hand. Then I looked at you and saw this look in your eyes. I thought it meant that I was going to lose you to him, so I left,” Justin explained.
“Justin, it’s all in the past now. All that matters is that we found each other.”
“But where are you? It’s like you dropped off the face of the earth. Nobody knows where you got off too.”
“I’m here in New York about two blocks down in an alley,” Vicky burst into tears. “I’ve been kicked out of medical school, and I have no place to go.”
“I’m coming to find you. Stay right where you are.” Vicky told him on what street she was on, then they hung up. Justin ran onto the stage and to the others. They looked stunned, and he didn’t know what was going on.
“I found Vicky!” he told Chris.
“I know, we all do. They put it on speaker,” he answered.
“What?” Justin nearly yelled in discontent.
“I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know how people could stoop so low,” JC replied.
“Oh, fuck,” Justin said under his breath. He went running straight to the elevator. Two cameramen were sent after him.
Justin saw them and halted. He turned and said, “No cameras! I’m not having my girlfriend exploited!” He began to run again, faster this time. The cameramen had a hard time trying to catch up giving Justin the opportunity to hide. He swerved into another hallway and hid behind a door. As soon as the cameramen were gone, he turned to the other direction and ran to the back stairwell.
Two flights down, Justin was faced with another problem. The thousands of screaming girls outside would be even harder to allude. He looked around to see if there was anything he could use to disguise himself with. A coat rack was at the corner with four coats hanging on it. Justin took the first one. To his surprise, it fit him perfectly. In the pockets he found a wool scarf and hat. He put them on, then slowly opened the door.
Behind the door was a dark ally. Justin made his way through the trashcans and other things back there. He reached the corner and stared to go in the direction of the street. He easily fit in with the crowd going his direction. Justin was able to run down the street past the screaming girls. He kept running until he reached the street Vicky was supposed to be on. He looked in the direction of the ally and began to walk into it. It was dark like the one he had been through before. In the shadows, he could see trash and other things scattered all over. He kept his gaze in the shadows hoping to find Vicky.
A thin, wasted figure appeared under a street lamp towards the end. Justin walked up to the person and kneeled down. “Vicky,” he whispered, pulling away the layers of trash around her.
“Justin,” a tiny voice came from the pile of garbage.
Justin began to dig his way deeper into the pile until finally he reached Vicky. She was filthy and covered in mud. He face was as pale as a ghost while blood ran from the side of her left cheek and forehead. She looked extremely weak. It was as if she hadn’t had food in days, maybe weeks. The only clothes she had to keep her warm in the winter cold was a crumpled tee-shirt and ragged old jeans.
“Oh, God. Vicky, what happened to you?” Justin asked in amazement. He gently lifted her up from the trash pile.
“After I hung up with you, these guys came up behind me and grabbed me. I thought they were gonna kill me. They threw me into the ally and beat me up,” Vicky sobbed. She held onto Justin as he carried her to the main street. He sensed there was something more that she wasn’t telling him, but didn’t have the time to ask.
“I’m taking you to my hotel. Then I can clean you up. Afterwards, we’re leaving for Orlando. The flight’s for 6:00 p.m.,” Justin said as they walked down the busy streets. They were heading for the Plaza Hotel.
By now it was already 5:30, and everyone should have been at the hotel. As he opened the door to his room, Justin saw everyone standing there waiting for him. Sam was on the verge of tears as she held onto Lance, his fingers entwined in her hair.
“Vicky!” she cried. “Oh, my God!”
“Lance, get her out of here,” Justin said as he took Vicky into the bathroom. “And get Vicky some clothes,” he yelled back. He gently slid her onto the floor where he could take off her filthy clothing.
“Vicky, wake up,” Justin coaxed as he softly stroked her cheeks.
Vicky moaned and opened her eyes. “Justin, I’m tired,” she whispered.
“I know you are, but I have to clean you up. Then you can go back to sleep,” he replied, slipping off her tattered shirt to reveal her bruised body. ‘This is worse than I though,’ Justin told himself.
After taking off her pants, Justin picked her up again and slipped her into the tub. To Vicky, this was a strange experience. Justin rinsed her off with warm water, then took her out. He was rushing so they wouldn’t miss their flight. Lance brought some of Sam’s clothes and Justin helped Vicky dress herself in them. Soon after, they were off to the airport.