Ecstasy- The Story

Prologue: Never Again
“Okay, okay. I admit, the performance was okay.” Justin Timberlake said to me. Justin is my best friend in the world. For twenty years, we had a brother-sister relationship that we were convinced could never be broken. Next to him was, Matt LeBlanc. We’d been friends, just as long as Justin and we were so close that he knew all my personal stuff.
“Okay!” Matt and I exclaimed together. “Admit it, Jaye. You think this *Nsync performance was the best one yet!” I exclaimed. I picked up the doughnuts, from the kitchen table where, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick sat. They were also good friends of mine, as well as loyal members of *Nsync.
“Hey! We were still eating those!” Joey exclaimed.
“Not anymore,” I said shoving on in his mouth. He spit it back unto my shirt. “Oh, you’re gonna pay for that!” I said.
“‘So, you wanna go to the movies tonight?” Justin asked.
“I can’t. I’ve got a date!” I called out, as I started up the stairs.
“A date? With who?” Joshua said coming down the stairs. He’s, as you can see, another friend of mine, and yet another member of *Nsync. They call him J.C. As a matter of fact I was the only one in the house to call him, Joshua.
“This really cute guy, I met at work.” I said.
“Names?” Joshua asked.
“Collin Farrell. He’s really nice, and he’s a bit of a….”
“Bad boy?” Lance said coming down the stairs. He’s the last piece of the *Nsync puzzle, and the second to last of my best friends.
“Did you tape 21 Jumpstreet for me?” I asked.
“Of course. It was good too. Uh… I’m Okay, You Need Work.”
“Didn’t we see that already?” Joshua asked.
“Yeah. You know Collin Farrell? You’re dating Collin Farrell? “Jamie Kennedy asked.
“I live in a house full of boys, and they’re always in privacy.”
“Excuse me, correction, we’re men.” Justin said putting his hands on his hips. “I mean, c’mon girl. Give us the dirt. Is he the cutest man you ever seen?” He said.
“You sound so much like a girl, it’s unbelievable,” I gave him a fake smile. The doorbell rang. “Oh my God it’s him!” I yelled. I jumped down the stairs.
“Hi!” I said opening the door.
“Someone’s kind of testy.” Trace said. “Gee I’m sorry I’m late. It was too late to get roses from the 99cent store.” Oh yeah, I forget him. He’s like the annoying little brother, with his friend Gregory Quaiyum. Everybody but me calls him GQ.
“Shut up!” I exclaimed.
“No. Somebody’s got a date.” G said coming in after Trace.
“Yes, I do. So eat your heart out, losers.” I said pushing them. I closed the door behind them.
“What time are you gonna be home?” Justin asked me.
“I’ll be home by midnight, daddy.”
“Good, cause Christina Auguilera’s coming over tomorrow. You remember her, don’t you?” I looked at him with a smile.
“You never let me forget.”
The doorbell rang again. I opened the door, and gasped as Collin was standing directly in front of me. “Hi.” I said softly.
“You ready?” I nodded.
“Home by midnight.” I kissed Justin on the cheek. “Bye.” Collin took my hand, and helped me down the porch steps.
* * *
We sat in the restaurant, and listened to Liza Kudrow sing “We are the Champions.” Collin looked at me, and I smiled.
I looked at the guy sitting at the next table. He smiled. I was wearing a black sheer shirt, and black pants, with knee high boots, under them. Collin touched my knee, and I looked up.
“I uh… have to go. Important duty call.” I gasped at him. Before I could say anything else, he was gone. I looked down, and tried to keep from crying. There was a tap on my back from behind me. I turned around.
“Is everything alright?” He said in a Mexican- flavored accent.
“Yeah. My date, kind of just left. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.” I said.
“How could you? I have no date.” He looked at me. “Jose,” He kissed my fingers. “Antonio.” He kissed my wrist. “Dominguez.” He kissed my arm. “Banderas.” He kissed my shoulder. I smiled softly. He looked at me, and smiled at the sight of mine. “Just call me Antonio.”
“May I buy you drink?” He asked. I nodded. He slipped past me, and sat in Collin’s chair. “What’s your type?”
“Lemonade?” I said.
“Hmm…” Antonio stopped the nearest waiter. “Can you bring us two lemonades?” The waiter nodded, and slinked away. “So, did he tell you why he left?”
“Important duty call.” I smirked angrily. “I don’t think he liked me too much.”
“Hard to believe.” Antonio said. “My date stood me up.”
“This so great. It’s like you lose a boyfriend, you get a boyfriend.” I sighed.
“Well, you won’t have to cash me in.” He said and I smiled.
* * *
“Jasemine, you’ve done it, again.” I groaned trying to stick my key in the door. “You go home, with some guy you don’t know. You have a couple glasses of wine, and you wake up… by his side!” I yelled out in frustration. I couldn’t get the key in the door.
Then, it opened. Trace stood there. “You look… drunk.” He said.
“Less talk, more… letting me in.” I said impatiently. He held the door open. “I need to get upstairs before Justin…catches me.” I said as Justin walked into the room.
“Where’s Christina?”
“She just left.” He said. “We need to talk.” He pulled me into the kitchen. Joshua, Chris, Lance, and Joey sat at the table.
“What? If it’s about last night.”
“Yesterday was our last performance. *Nsync is breaking up… permanently.” I looked at him.
“I was with a guy. It wasn’t Collin, but he was very nice and we really have something here. He took me home on the first night.” I said.
“No, it’s not your fault. I just don’t think we should be together anymore. *Nsync, is no more. I’ve gotten over it, they’ve gotten over it, and we know you will too.”
I looked at all of them, and realized they were serious.
Joshua got up to hug me, but I pushed him away. “I don’t believe you guys! I mean, how could you? This isn’t like breaking up with a girl, you’re breaking up with each other. I ought to kill you! How could you…” I looked at them.
“I’m not gonna stay here, and wonder what’s gonna happen with you guys. I’m not gonna.”
“Jasemine,” They all said at the same time. I pushed the door open, and started packing my bags. “Don’t go.”
“Stay away from me. *Nsync was not just your life, it was mine too, and you just decide you wanna throw it all away. Well, you do that, but I’m not gonna be a part of it. You can just forget it.” I picked up my stuff.
Justin looked at Matt.
“Don’t look at me, brother. You’re fighting a girl, you’re gonna lose.”
I walked out of the house, and drove over to Antonio’s.
“Can I stay with you?” I asked. He looked at me, and I gasped as there was a girl standing behind him with a towel wrapped around her. “Oh my gosh. You too?” I asked angrily.
“Jasemine, it was one night, and just give me a minute to explain.
“Don’t bother.” I walked down the steps. “I’m never trusting men with my heart. Never again.”
Chapter One: Give Me That Chance… To Be Your Man
Three And A Half Years Later
I picked little Emily up from the floor. She was so smart, and cute, and she reminded me of her father. I saw more, and more each day. She smiled up at me with a sweet little eyes.
“Mom?” I looked back at her. “Where’s daddy?” She looked at me with so much sincerity.
“Antonio is….not coming home, sweetheart.”
“No daddy?” She asked looking at me.
“No daddy.” I said smiling down at the chili. She ran up, and hugged me from behind. I mixed in the pepper, because she and I liked our chili hot.
“Taste?” She asked. I nodded handing her the spoon. She dumped it in her mouth, and gasped when she realized it was hot. She began to cry. I gasped leaning down to hug her. The doorbell rang. I looked at her.
“Yes?” I called out halfway there.
“Kathy, I need you. You’re the piece to the puzzle of my heart. I haven’t eaten in days, can you just consider taking me back? Please.”
“Daddy?” Emily appeared in the kitchen doorway.
I opened the door. “Sir, I think you may be thinking of a former residence of this household. I just moved in about two weeks ago.”
“Oh, wow. I never thought she do it to me. She really left.” He looked down at the roses he held in his hands.
“Are you alright?” I asked as he just sat in agony staring at the flowers. Behind him, it was pouring down raining. “Are you gonna be okay?” I repeated. He broke out with a very hurt face. I gasped reaching out to hug him. He put his arms around me.
“I walked here.” He said.
“Alright, you can sleep here tonight.” I said letting him go.
“Thank you.” He said handing me the roses. “You can put them to better use than I can,” He said and I smiled.
“You like chili?” I asked. He nodded as I slipped the roses into a vase. “Then you’ll definitely like dinner.” I said smiling at him. “Lemonade?” I asked. He nodded.
“It’s been me and Emily for quite some time, so we know exactly how rejection feels.” I said. Emily brought in a bowl, a fork, and a spoon.
“Pick one,” She said flipping back her dark hair.
“She looks just like you,” He said smiling up at me.
“Not as much as she looks like her father. He left us some semi-two years ago. She waits on him every night. She never goes to sleep without hearing the story of me and her father met. 9 months later, I had a baby.” I smiled straightening out the flowers.
“Jacket?” Emily asked holding out her hands.
“Oh thank you. You have wonderful manners little miss…”
“Jessica Emily Miller. But you can just call me Emily.” He smiled up at me, and I nodded.
“Well, thank you, Emily.” He handed her his coat.
“I was always thinking about adopting a little boy so she wouldn’t be lonely, you know.”
“Why a boy?”
“Because, I’ve always been the type to make friends better with boys than girls. I mean, I have my share of girl friends, but I can maintain a steady male friend while I’m dating, do you have a permanent place to stay?” I asked trying to stay away from the subject of “dating.”
“I know a couple of friends if you’re interested.
“I don’t really trust dating since that incident. I’d rather be close friends.” I said.
“I respect that.” I smiled softly. The door bell rang.
“Again?” Emily smacked her head with the palm of her hand.
“It’s only five ‘o’ clock, and you just moved here. You should have a lot of neighbors.”
I opened the front door to a good, and I mean good-looking guy. If you think the guy in my kitchen was cute, which he was, then this guy was the king of cute.
He had a little boy by the shoulder. I smiled. “Uh… hi. I’m Johnny and I uh… live right across the street with my son, Jack here, and he’s seen you and your little girl around, and we thought we’d just drop in to say hello.”
“Hello.” I said.
Emily walked into the room, and came straight into my arms. “Mommy, it’s Sam!” She pointed at Johnny. He smiled at me.
“Honey, this is Johnny,” I said looking down.
“No, it’s Sam.”
“Sam, who?” Johnny said suddenly interested.
“I’ll show you.” She jumped down, and pulled my arm. Johnny followed with Jack not too far behind. She clicked on the television and the DVD player. Instantly, my favorite scene in Benny and Joon jumped into motion.
“Oh, I love this movie. I liked him in 21 Jumpstreet and Edward Scissorshands, and I was dead scared of Nightmare on Elm Street.” I smiled at Johnny. “He’s such a good actor.”
“That’s Sam!” Emily exclaimed.
“She’s right.” Johnny said looking at me.
“Johnny Depp?” I asked looking at him with uncertainty.
“Yeah,” He said nodding.
“Unbelievable.” I said. The other guy came out of the kitchen. “Oh uh… Johnny this is…” I stopped realizing I didn’t even know his name.
“Matthew, Perry.” He said. I nodded as if I knew it all along. Johnny came over and shook his hand.
“Are you her…” They both stopped. “Uh.. No. I thought you were.” They both doubled in. They both looked at me. I smiled.
“So, uh, Jack. Do you think your daddy could stay for dinner, and you?” She asked. Jack nodded with a smile. “You like chili?” I asked. He nodded again.