A Face In The Hall (Justin Timberlake fan fiction)

Chapter 10

After a little more coaxing from Kathy, Justin reluctantly agreed to stop by Ryan's.  When he pulled up in front of the house, he noticed all the cars and debated with himself for the fifth time whether he should even be there. He hadn't been back to Boone in ten years and didn't know if he'd be welcomed back into the fold. 

He nervously made his way up onto the porch and rang the doorbell and was greeted by Kathy.  "JT! Come on in!" She smiled brightly.

Justin handed her a bag containing two bottles of wine and two bottles of Whiskey. "I wasn't sure what to bring so…"

"You didn't have to bring anything! Thank you!"

Kathy walked Justin through the house, stopping off in the living room to say hello and reacquaint himself with friends he'd grown up with and be introduced to those he'd never met. Kathy ushered him out to the backyard wherethe guys were sitting around in lawn chairs, drinking and talking to each other about times gone by.  Ryan was hard at work on the grill cooking up hamburgers, hotdogs and bbq ribs for his guests, joking that he thought Justin wasn't going to show up. Justin walked around hugging old friends and teammates and felt a sense of calm wash over him as he realized people from back home were actually happy to see him. A polar opposite of the treatment he had received from Cherish when he first got to town.

He quietly sat in his chair drinking beer and listening to Ryan spout off story after story of the shenanigans they used to pull in high school. He looked around at everyone observing most of the people he'd grown up with still lived in town or neighboring towns. They now had jobs or owned businesses, living in homes of their very own or their inherited childhood homes.  Not many of them seemed too down on their luck like he'd expected. Most of them even had families, yet here he was, single with no love to speak of, and a career that was weighing in the balance by a thin thread.  As they all continued to reminisce about the past, Justin became more and more absent from their stories.

More people arrived, making their way out into the backyard to see him. Justin smiled and was humbled by the congratulations he received for accomplishing everything he set out to do so many years ago. Some would talk about envying his lifestyle but on the inside Justin was the one who was slightly envious of the lives they'd built for themselves in the town he tried half his life to escape.  He began to drink more while they reminisced about the past to hide his own pain and loneliness.  Although he'd gone off and in most respects made his dreams come true, he felt empty inside.  He didn't have the comradery or the love that this group of people shared for one another.  All the money and fame in the world couldn't come close to touching that.

When it grew darker, Ryan and Kathy walked around the yard lighting torches. More and more people flocked from inside the house into the backyard to chat. The more he talked with everyone the more relaxed he finally became, realizing that no one there held any real animosity towards him. They were happy for him, but most of all they were happy to see him and catch up after all those years.  And when Ryan started passing around a bong and a handful of joints he'd confiscated from some of the local teenagers, Justin began to relax even more.

Cherish pulled up to Ryan's and noticed the house was more crowded than usual. She maneuvered her truck up the side of the driveway and carefully hopped out, trying not to hit the car next to her with the door. She made her way down the long path past the garage towards the backyard, fishing her phone which had been buzzing non-stop out of her pocket to read her messages. She could smell a hint of marijuana in the air and could hear the guys arguing about sports as she feverishly typed a message on her phone. When she looked up to find Ryan, her heart skipped a beat when she spotted Justin sitting next to him. Was this why everyone was here? To see the prodigal's son return?  Was this excitement she was feeling?