The Rock Failure ( Justin Timberlake Fanfiction)

Chapter 15- "She's dead,"

 Chapter 15

Christina stalked along the corridor, glaring at Kayleigh as she left. Kayleigh took a deep breath, re-entering Britney’s room. Justin was sitting beside Britney, holding her hand lightly. Britney was blinking up at Justin, her chocolate brown eyes wide.

“You okay, Britney?” Kayleigh sidled into the room. Britney’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of Kayleigh, turning away from her.

“Justin?” Kayleigh’s eyes were pleading him.

Justin shook his head, nodding at Britney. It was clear he couldn’t talk in front of her.

“Leave, Kayleigh.” Britney’s voice was hoarse and red-raw, like she had a cold, “Just leave. Haven’t you done enough? Did you tear yourself away from Daniel long enough to come here and rub it in? I never thought you would stoop that low.”

“I didn’t!” protested Kayleigh, “Daniel and I, we were never for real.”

But Britney had buried her head in her pillow, and awful, rasping sobs were emerging from her. “Britney…” Kayleigh said helplessly.

Justin looked at Britney regretfully, but took Kayleigh’s hand.

“I didn’t do it!” she said immediately at his glance.

Justin put a finger gently against Kayleigh’s lips. His face was calm, though there was a hint of worry behind his sky blue eyes. “Kayleigh, sweetheart. I know it was an accident, a misunderstanding. Emmy told me.”

“Emmy told you?” Kayleigh asked, amazed.

Justin nodded, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “She could tell there was no chemistry whatsoever between you two.”

Kayleigh’s mouth hung open. How many eight year olds even knew what chemistry was?

“Will Britney be okay? What happened?” Kayleigh asked, coming to her senses. Her best friend was in hospital, for God’s sake.

For once, Justin avoided Kayleigh’s gaze.

“Tell me!” demanded Kayleigh, panic seizing her heart.

Justin hesitated. “Well, she saw you two kissing on that magazine cover. Apparently, she lost it. Just fell to the ground, crying and cutting at her wrists with a pin she was holding. She started shouting all sorts of stuff about how she is a useless performer, a useless lover, friend and a useless  mom.” Justin checked himself when he saw Kayleigh’s horrified expression, “At least, that’s what her manager told Christina. But Brit’s OK now. They sedated her, and brought her here.”

“Poor Britney…” Kayleigh covered her mouth with her hand, “It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t say that,” Justin took hold of her shoulders, turning her so she was facing him, “It’s not your fault. It’s whoever made you fake date Daniel’s fault. I suspect it was Dawn.”

“It was,” muttered Kayleigh, almost to herself. The latticed pattern on the ground swirled before her eyes as she attempted to the digest the last forty minutes of information.

“Look, Kayleigh. Can you come with me to my house? I’ll tell Britney, then maybe I can explain everything to you,”

Kayleigh picked the purple nail varnish off her thumb and index finger as she waited for Justin to finish talking to Britney. Seeing Britney like that… so pale, so lifeless, her eyes so dead. Kayleigh’s heart felt like it had been ground up in an electric mixer, mixed with burning coals and stuck back together clumsily by a toddler with a stick of Pritt.

“All done,” Justin smiled at Kayleigh as he came out Britney’s room, but it was a thin, strained smile that didn’t light up his worry-ridden blue eyes.

Kayleigh followed Justin to his car, pulling on her sunglasses as she walked through the waiting room, before any of the depressed looking patients recognized her and Justin.

Her hand found Justin’s as they walked, and the simple clasp of his palm made a surge of warmth run through her body.

“Calm down,” Justin whispered as Kayleigh’s hand trembled within his own.

“I can’t.”

************

“So, what happened?” Kayleigh sat on the sofa, cross-legged like a schoolgirl.

Justin sighed as he sat down next to her. “Well, what I told you, but there’s more. Britney got an e-mail from you, apparently.”

“I didn’t send her an e-mail!” interrupted Kayleigh, but Justin shushed her.

“I know you didn’t,” continued Justin, “but Britney thought it was.”

“What did it say?” Kayleigh asked, her anxiety growing.

“Horrible stuff, I gather. Britney was in not state to tell me, and Christina didn’t know. But Britney thinks it’s you because less than eight people know her private e-mail.”

“Me, you, Christina, her mom, dad, sister, brother and her manager, Quinn.”

“Yep,” Justin nodded.

“Oh my God, she’ll hate me forever!” tears began to spill from Kayleigh’s eyes.

Justin put an arm around her, squeezing her shoulders, “Of course she won’t, Kayleigh.” But his voice wasn’t 100% sure.

Kayleigh slid out of his grasp, lying, curled up on the sofa, her tears staining the pillow.

“Don’t cry,” Justin said gently. He kissed all her tears, caressed her hair, her face. The shattered look in Kayleigh’s eyes hit him hard. He wanted to be close to her.

He moved closer to Kayleigh, kissing her lips, “Kayleigh, sweetheart,” he murmured, lying next to her, “Don’t cry. I’ll get Britney to understand somehow.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. I swear on my life.

Justin picked her up. Her body was like a doll’s in his arms. She came to rest on his chest, her eyes shut, her long brown eyelashes (cried free of mascara) rested on her pale face. A stubborn pasty colour that no amount of California sun would ever truly tan.

“That’s it, sleep.” Justin said, as Kayleigh dissolved into terrifying dreams.

***************************************

Kayleigh awoke to a shaking beneath her. “Justin…?” she asked groggily, blinking.

“It’s only Emmy,” Justin replied, his voice equally sleep-ridden.

Emmy blinked at them both. “Kayleigh, what’re you doing here?”

Kayleigh exchanged glances with Justin, “Umm, I’m, you see, it’s just that…”

“Are you going to marry daddy?” Emmy asked Kayleigh fiercely.

“Um…no?” Kayleigh was startled by the intensity of Emmy’s glare.

“You’d better not,” Emmy said. Her voice was like a million hot flames, “Because nobody can be my mother. Nobody can take her place.”

“Why not?”

When Emmy replied, the anger was still there, though her eyes were sad, “Because my mother’s dead.”

aUthOr’s NotE:

VOTE, COMMENT FAN!

Sorry, thought I’d get that out the way first. So yes, do that, but also tell me what you think of TRF. You like? What did Justin tell Emmy to make her think that? DUN, DUN, DUN!

Share, vote, comment or fan and you might be next chapter’s dedication! J

~Mariam Saphia xxx