Why Your Love Went Away (Justin Timberlake/Britney Spears)

Chapter 4 Don't It Make You Sad About It

Justin ran past his mom and into his room, slamming the door shut. She kept banging on the door and asking him what was wrong, but he didn't bother answering.

Everything was wrong. Every freakin' thing.

He wasn't supposed to be home right now, not at all. He had a recording session in a few hours and here he was, sulking around at his mom's house. Locking himself in his room like a little kid.

He thought coming home would make him feel better, but it actually just made it so much worse. Every little thing in this room reminded him of her.

This was the room they spent half their preteen years growing up in together. This was where they sat on the floor watching MTV and talking about random shit for hours. This was where they had their first kiss. This was where...this was where his entire life with Britney began and subsequently unfolded. And it was just too much.

Justin walked over to his night stand to get an aspirin, and of course Britney's shit just happened to be there, out in the open. Her pink hair brush with silky blonde hair entangled in it. Justin remembered when he thought that blonde hair was the most stunning thing on earth. Hell, he still thought that. And her mirror. The little bedazzled mirror she carried around everywhere, constantly checking for flaws. Even when Justin assured her constantly, constantly that she looked amazing. Always telling her how goddamn perfect she was.

Perfect. Perfect, my ass...

Justin felt a surge of anger run through him and without thinking he picked up the mirror and threw it against his wall.

It didn't fucking break. That only pissed him off further as he picked up her hairbrush and threw it against the wall right next to it. It made a loud clang and he could hear his mother screaming from outside the door, but he didn't give a damn. He wished he could break every fucking thing she owned.

His mother finally barged into his room, ignoring his complaints as she walked over to his bed.

"What the Hell is going on here, Justin?" she said angrily. "You can't just storm in here like a nutcase and tear your room apart when you get angry. You know that-"

"Not in the mood, mom," Justin deadpanned.

"This isn't like you, Justin," she replied. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," he lied. "I just..I had a bad day. And I'm really tired. Just wanted to be alone, you know?"

She looked at him skeptically. "I know you, Justin," she said. "You wouldn't just fly off the handle like this unless something was really bothering you."

"I really don't want to talk about this now, mom," he sighed.

"Well, too bad," she said. "You can't expect to have a hissy fit and nearly destroy your room and just expect me to let it go-"

"It's Britney, okay?!" Justin shouted abruptly. He'd even surprised himself with how angry it sounded.

"What about Britney?" Lynn asked. "Is she alright?"

"Oh, she's just fine," Justin said bitterly.

"Than what's wrong?" she asked, her voice full of confusion.

Justin paused for a moment, absentmindedly playing with the elastic on his jacket sleeve. "We broke up," he said quietly. "We're... we're done. It's over."

Justin expected his mom to come over and give him a hug or a pat on the back or something, but instead he was met with a stinging slap on the arm.

"What the Hell, mom?" Justin whined. "What was that for?"

"You dumped that sweet little girl?" Lynne said angrily. "I just hope you were kind to her. I taught you to respect women, Justin Randall Timberlake..."

Justin reflected that he probably should've seen that coming. Her and Britney had become extremely close ever since they were on the Mickey Mouse Club together. She practically thought of her as a niece.

"Mom, it wasn't like that..."

"...Are you saying that she broke up with you?" she asked.

"... Well, no...not exactly..."

"Justin, if you broke that girl's heart, if you cheated on that poor girl, I will-"

"Oh God, mom," Justin said, tears beginning to sting his eyes. His mom thought he cheated on her. The irony was almost too much to bear. "Please, just stop for like five seconds."

Lynne's expression softened as she noticed her son's eyes getting glassy. "Justin, please, just tell me what happened. I can't read your mind, honey. And even if you did something- something really bad, I'm sure she'll eventually find it in her heart to forgive-"

"She cheated on me," Justin finally admitted through gritted teeth.

"...What?" Lynne asked. "Are you-"

"She cheated on me," Justin repeated. "She cheated. Okay? There. Are you happy now?"

"...She was always such a sweet girl," Lynne said absentmindedly. "I just...I never saw this coming."

"Yeah, well, that makes two of us," Justin snorted.

"Oh Justin, honey," Lynne said, walking over to sit next to him. "I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have to go through this."

"Yeah, well..." Justin sighed.

"Have you talked to her about all this?" Lynne asked.

"Hell no," Justin said. "I'm not talking to that girl ever again."

Lynne sighed. "And you know for sure that she did this?" She asked. "Magazines lie all the time, Justin..."

"I didn't read it in a damn tabloid," Justin said. "The guy she, you know...cheated with, he told me himself. In a goddamn note."

"He might've been lying," Lynne said. "You know Britney is a beautiful girl, any man would just love to make up stories of getting together with her-"

"He wasn't lying," Justin said. "I know he wasn't. When I accused Britney...I could tell by the look in her eyes. She was guilty, it was so obvious. I can tell when she's lying."

Lynne moved over to sit closer to Justin, putting her hand on his knee. "Listen to me, honey," she said softly. "Now I know Britney hurt you, but it was only a mistake, right?"

Justin looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you saying I should get back together with her?"

"I never said that," Lynne said defensively. "I just think you need to give her a chance to explain herself."

"I don't want to hear it," Justin muttered.

"Well, do you think this incident with Britney... do you think it happened more than once?" Lynne asked.

"I...I don't know. I don't think so," Justin replied.

"And do you know if she has feelings for this boy?"

"How should I know?"

"Well, maybe these are some questions you might want to answer before you decide to ignore this girl for the rest of your life. Am I right?"

Justin sighed. "I don't know. I'll think about it."

Lynne smiled. "Good," she said. "I know it seems bad now, but you'll get through this honey. Everything happens for a reason."

Justin just shook his head.

He wasn't just gonna 'get through this'.

His whole fucking life was falling apart.