Chapter Six

This was the only restaurant in New York that let her use the bathroom. Well, they didn't really let her use it, so much as they didn't notice her when she snuck into it. It didn't matter, it only mattered that she had a place where she knew she could try and keep herself somewhat clean.

Keeping clean was hard when you were on the streets. Especially in New York, where there was so much dirt, and filth everywhere. She turned on the faucet and pumped some soap into her hand. She loved how the soap smelled, and wished she could smell like that all the time instead of smelling like the inside of a garbage can. Happy that she was finally able to clean up, she began humming to herself as if she hadn't a care in the world.

The toilet flushed. Dru froze. She hadn't been aware that there had been another person in the bathroom with her.

"You know...you're in the mens room."

Dru whirled around, mouth gaping, eyes filled with fear. She stared at the man that stood before her, not believing her luck. It was Justin...Justin Timberlake.

He laughed out loud. "Why are you in the mens room?" He shook his head and approached the sink counter, pumping some soap into his palm..

Dru slunk away from him. She never let anybody close enough to touch her. "I'm not...in the men's room."

After producing a rich, soapy lather, he ran the water. "Go read the sign."

Her expression became gloomy. "I read it." She lied.

He let out an annoyed sigh and after rinsing the remaining soap off of his hands, he turned the water off. He turned towards her, studying her closely for several moments. "Don't I know you?" He asked her finally.

She shook her head vigorously.

"Hmm." He stroked the hair on his chin in thought. "Yeah I do." He decided. "I know I do."

She chewed her bottom lip nervously. "How do you know? Look at me...I'm nobody. How would you...a celebrity, ever come across a nobody like me."

"Oh...so you know who I am do you?" He nodded, his eyes gleaming mischievously.

She shrugged. "So?"

There was something about her...something he couldn't put his finger on. But, he did know that he knew her...from somewhere. One thing he didn't ever forget, was a face. He stared at her some more. It was something...about her eyes, that wouldn't let him give in to her excuses..

Her eyes...

His eyes widened in disbelief. "You're that pick pocket!" He exclaimed with a smile. "Dang...I knew it! I knew I knew you from some place."

Dru snatched her bookbag off of the countertop. Without another word, or another glance she quickly headed for the exit. She couldn't get into a conversation with this guy...she couldn't trust him. She couldn't trust anybody.

He jumped in front of the door before she could escape him. "Hey." He said softly.

"What?" She wouldn't look at him. "Just...let me go."

"Where ya goin?"

"Away." She muttered.

He chuckled. "Where's away?"

"Just...let me go." She whined.

"Do you even have an "away" to go to?" He asked her, knowing the answer already.

"Of course." She lied.

"Well where it is then? I'll take you there." He smiled. "It's the least I can do...seeing as how you lent Trace a dollar and all."

"Are you always sarcastic?" She glared at him.

He raised his eyebrows. "I dunno. But, if you ask Trace he'll probably be able to give you an honest answer...and then some."

"I...have someplace to be." She persisted. "Please...can you move Justin?"

He cocked his head to the side. "You even know my name! I get it now...your one of those stalker chicks right?"

She wanted to slap the smirk off of his face. "I'm not a stalker." She grumbled.

"Would you at least tell me your name then?" He said, showing off his boyishly cute smile.

"If I tell you my name, will you let me leave?"

He shrugged. "Why not?"

"It's Dru." She mumbled.

"Dru?"

She nodded.

"Well..." He smiled, moving aside. "You have amazing eyes Dru."

She stared at him, and for a moment she thought she might smile. She quickly shrugged the feeling away. Just as she was about to make her way past him though, he hunched over, and began to gasp in pain. She stared at him, too shocked to know what to do. Slowly she backed away from him, not stopping until her back hit the wall.

"Sh *t." He groaned. He coughed violently. The beautiful white ceramic tiles, where now spattered with blood. He slid down the wall, finally settling on the floor. "Dru..." He gasped.

She was silent.

His breaths were heavy, ragged. "Dru...I need you...to get me a cup of water."

She didn't move. Her feet felt as if they had been nailed to the floor.

"Please." He pleaded, staring at her helplessly. "Please Dru."

Come on Dru... Her mind called out to her. He got you out of a bind once too... After a moment, she nodded, as if she were answering herself. Quickly, she turned back towards the sink, and filled one of the little plastic cups that sat on the counter with water. She rushed back to where he sat, and handed him the water with a trembling hand.

He sipped the water eagerly, and after regaining some strength, he looked at her. It was a thankful look, a greatful look. "You know," he whispered, "...you really do have amazing eyes."

She let the smile escape now. "What's wrong with you?"

"Oh...it's nothing." He shrugged. "Sometimes when I get real tired, it happens."

She shook her head. "I'm no expert. But when somebody gets sick, like you just got...it's usually not just because they're tired."

He looked at the floor. "Look...we've all got secrets...I'm sure you have plenty." He nodded.

She simply nodded. That was more than he needed to know as it was.

"Right." He chuckled nervously. "So that means...you're not gonna say anything about...all of this." He painfully pulled himself to his feet, not hesistating to brace himself against the wall.

"No." She whispered. "I have no reason to tell anybody."

"You sure?" He asked her, studying her ratty appearance. "You sure you wouldn't have a reason...even if somebody offered you a few thousand dollars?"

She looked at him with a confused expression. "Why in the world would somebody want to give me money, just so they could know that your...sick?"

He laughed. "Because I'm Justin Timberlake...that's why."

She nodded again, unsure of how to respond to his comment. Finally, she broke the awkward moment. "You gonna be ok by yourself?"

He shrugged. "Guess so."

"Bye." She murmured, and finally escaped out of the lavoratory.

Part of him trusted her, but other part...the cautious part...didn't want to. He pushed himself out the door. "Wait a sec." He called out to her.

She turned around.

He chewed his bottom lip nervously. "Have you ever...stayed in a hotel before?"

Now she was really, really confused.
***********************************
That evening...

The room overwhelmed her.

Dru thought she must have been crazy. Anybody else in her position would have been doing backflips if they had been in her position. The room had everything. Cable TV, a huge bed, a whirpool, this guy that came to the room every few hours to see if you wanted anything...it was like some sort of dream, that had come to life.

But Dru wasn't doing backflips. She wasn't soaking her aching body in the whirlpool. She wasn't flipping through the tv stations (partially because she couldn't figure out how to work the remote). She wasn't taking advantage of the comfortable bed. No, she was sitting against the wall, arms wrapped around her knees, still in the shabby clothes she had been wearing. She was too frightened to do anything else.

A light rapping on the door caused her to jump a mile high

Justin peeked around the door. "Hey, girl."

She folded her hands tighter around her knees and ducked her head. She felt, rather then heard him approach.

"Hey", he said again, softer this time.

She sobbed, still not showing her face. In a moment she felt his warm breath in her ear.

"There's nothin' to be afraid of."

Slowly she lifted her head and almost fell into those two blue pools that were his eyes. The room tilted slightly then righted itself. "I don't belong here, " she croaked.

He was silent for a moment. "Bet the food is good though," He waited for her to laugh, but it didn't happen. Obviously, the old Timberlake charm didn't work so well with this girl. He pulled the bag he had brought with him out from behind his back. "My stylist, Marissa, gave me these clothes for you. I don't know much about sizes and all...but she seemed to think they would fit." He chuckled.

"Why...are you everywhere?" She asked him, not bothering to look inside the bag.

He cocked his head to the side, and let out a small, confused laugh. "Huh?"

Dru pulled her backpack, that had been securely tucked underneath her, onto her lap. She unzipped it, and pulled out the well worn magazine. She put it on top of her backpack and attempted to smooth the crinkles out of it.

Justin studied the cover of the magazine a moment. "Teen People, God, I hate going there." He muttered. "You know, they won't feed you until you finish your photo session." He rolled his eyes.

"What's a Teen People?" Her eyes were filled with curiosity.

He laughed and caressed her cheek. "You're great."

Her body stiffened at his touch, and she shifted away from him.

"Hey...you...you wanna go out?" His eyes lit up with excitement. "It's not too late."

"I...don't think I want to." She shook her head, and looked down at the carpet.

He laughed. "Right. I should have figured. Being in this room is probably a big party for you as it is."

She didn't respond.

"Well..." He began nervously. "Maybe tomorrow then."

After a moment, she quickly looked up at him. "Why...aren't you out now?"

He pondered a moment. "Should I be?"

"Uh...well, no. I just thought..."

"That people like me always go out." He interrupted.

She nodded.

"I...do go out, most of the time. But tonight's different."

"Why?" She asked.

"Well...I have a guest. It would be rude of me to leave a guest and go out clubbin' by myself." He smiled.

She was confused. "Clubbin?"

He laughed. "You don't get around much do you?"

She shrugged. "When you're in my situation, its hard to do much of anything. Is it...fun?"

He smiled. "You can't describe clubbin'. We'll go...we'll go tomorrow, to Velvet. It's the best."

She was silent.

His expression turned sour. "Dru, I'm giving you everything you ever dreamed of here. The least you could do...is be a little bit excited about it."

"I've never been in a hotel before," Dru started slowly. "Nobody has ever...done stuff for me like you're doing. I don't understand this. I don't understand...you."

The excitement left his eyes. "Listen, I just...want to do you a favor. You look like you could use one."

"You shouldn't be doing me favors." She nodded. "You should go to the doctor."

He let out an annoyed laugh. "I'll worry about it. You just...have fun."

"Being confused isn't fun."

He sunk down to the floor, and folded his legs. "Tell what you're confused about."

She glanced around the magnificent room. "Why...you're doing this. It just isn't making sense to me. I mean just a few days ago I was trying to rob your friend, and now you want to give me everything."

"Trace needed it." Justin laughed. "He needed a kick in the a$$."

"You shouldn't talk that way." She shook her head.

"If it makes you feel any better, my management has been bugging about me taking someone less fortunate and doing stuff with them." He provided. "It's part of some new chairty. I think it's called Hand in Hand," he pondered for a moment, "Hell if I know."

She glared at him. "Oh, so now I'm some charity case? Listen, I've delt with a lot in my life, and I've survived it all. I don't need people feeling sorry for me, because it doesn't make me feel any better."

"Dru...you're not some charity case." His voice was soft, "You...helped me today. But, I need some sort of excuse to tell people when they ask me who you are."

She got up. "Justin, this has all been really great but I...I think I'm gonna go."

He shot up from the ground, a look of fear spread across his face. "You can't."

She laughed at him. "Yes I can."

Before she could take another step, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close to him. "No...you can't." His voice was soft, but stern.

Dru swallowed hard. His grip was strong, and his intense expression was scaring the hell out of her. "All right." She squeaked out after a moment.

Once he realized that he was frightening her, he released the grip he had on her. "I know this is all different and scary right now, but...just relax. It's time for you to get what you deserve." He half smiled. "You're eyes...they're too amazing for you to have to live like you are."

"My eyes?"

"Go take a shower." Justin said, nodding towards the bathroom. "Then I'm sure it won't just be your eyes that amaze me."

She folded her arms around herself protectively. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You have great potential." He walked toward the door and looked over his shoulder as he opened it. "With a little work...you could go far." Before she could respond, he was gone.

Her mouth hung open. Had she heard him correctly? Had he praised her? Now she knew she was losing it. She picked up the bag Justin had brought her and sluggishly walked into the bathroom. She pushed the door shut, not hesitating to lock it before she got undressed. She peered inside the plastic shopping bag and pulled out a pair of pink pajamas. She wasn't entirely sure, but she could have sworn they were made of silk. What kind of person would spend money on silk pajamas? Pajamas that they didn't really seem to want no less?
Rich people.

She had to chuckle.

She stepped into the shower and turned on the water. She moaned with pleasure as the warm water trickled down her skin. She didn't remember the last time she had been able to take a real shower. The feeling was something out of this world.

She must have been in the shower a good hour before she finally got out. She breathed in deeply. Being totally clean made her feel like a new person. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror, and half smiled. The dirt on her face was no longer there. Her hair no longer looked like a rats nest. She looked....

Like a person.

The pajamas were another story. They were so comfortable, she knew she could probably fall asleep in them while standing up.

Sleep...

She smiled.

She knew she could probably sleep in that bed for the next month and not wake up once. The very thought of lying in the comfortable bed, made her step towards the door.

Crack...

She looked down. She had stepped on the plastic bag, which until now, she had thought had been empty. She bent down and picked it up, reaching inside it to see what had caused the noise. She smiled, it was a CD, a CD that had Justin's face on the cover. It had a note attached to it, but of course she couldn't read it. She liked the picture on the front of it though. He looked...almost...sexy. She shrugged off the feeling. She wasn't about to get a crush on Justin. She didn't even know him. Although she knew that millions of girls probably fantasized about him, most probably hadn't even met him.

She eagerly unlocked the door and rushed out into the room. She knew that the man had pointed out a CD player in the room earlier. Once she spotted it, she spent the next half hour trying to figure out how to work it. Finally...success! She held her breath as the first song began to play.

Ladies and Gentleman...it's my pleasure to introduce to you...

He's a friend of mine...yes yes I am

And he goes by the name...Justin...

Dru sat down on the bed slowly.

A smile spread across her face...

It was the best thing she had ever heard.
**************************
"What the hell do you mean she's staying?"

"I want....hmmm....I want pancakes."

Trace snatched the menu out of Justin's hand. "She can't...stay!" He exclaimed.

"Pancakes and eggs." Justin nodded, not caring about Trace's ranting. "And a big ol' glass of OJ."

"Justin!" Trace seethed.

"Hmm?"

"Explanation."

He laughed. "You need to pull that stick out of your a$$."

"You need to kick that homeless girl out of here." Trace barked.

"You don't know her." Justin shook his head.

"She tried to rob me."

"She was hungry."

"Oh please." Trace rolled his eyes. "I don't know who's stupider. You for paying for some disgusting homeless freak to stay in our hotel, or me for not telling Lonnie about it."

His boyish charm took over. "What are friends for?"

Trace narrowed his eyes at his friend. "She leaves today." He whispered.

He chewed his bottom lip nervously, "No." He got out finally.

"You're Mom is landing in a few hours. If she finds out that you're harboring some dirty girl off the street, she'll never forgive me." He shook his head. "Come on J, think sensibly."

"I am." He nodded.

"No you're not."

"Trace, just listen to me." His expression became serious, and more adult looking than usual. "I have my reasons for doing this. I promise you, nothing is going to go wrong. I'm going to get her cleaned up. We can use her Trace."

"For Hand in Hand." Trace muttered. "I thought you were gonna get a little kid?"

"Well...I was, but then Dru happened to come along." He laughed.

"Oh...so you're on a first name basis now?" Trace raised and lowered his eyebrows, and put on his best look of seduction.

Justin gave him a cold look. "Bastard."

"You're nice."

"Call...I want pancakes." Justin whined.

"You call." Trace snickered. "I'm your personal assistant, not your butler."

"I don't wanna call."

"Well I'm not calling." Trace nodded.

"You suck. What am I paying you for?"

"Apparently not to be your advisor. Because you haven't listened to a thing I've told you since you hired me." Trace said, letting out a sarcastic laugh.

"That's why I hired you. You're the one person who I can have around me, that I don't have to take orders from. You have it so easy Trace, you don't even realize..."

"Easy?" He scoffed. "You think running your career is easy?"

"But you do it so well."

"You little kiss ass."

"I like to kiss..."

"Hold that thought," Trace cringed. "Please hold that thought."

"Order the pancakes."

He groaned. "All right, Christ."

Justin smiled.