"Come here, sweetie. Come on, come here," Emerald said sweetly to Isaiah who had wondered off in the opposite direction.
He looked over his shoulder at her before running off the other way.
"Uh! You big brat," she muttered running after him.
She caught up with the little boy a few feet away and carried him back to the cart as he giggled and kicked his feet.
"Back in the cart for you buddy," she said setting him down and putting his feet through the slots.
"Ina cart?"
"Yes, you are staying in the cart Isaiah,"
"Why?"
"Because you are in your terrible twos and that makes you a very disobedient little boy," Emerald answered turning the corner and heading down another isle.
"I free," he said turning around trying to get something out of the cart behind him.
"It's three sweetie, and your not 3 till next weekend," she said taking a package of spaghetti noodles out of his hand and putting it back in the cart.
"Next week?"
"Yes next weekend,"
She quickly finished her shopping as she answered a question for Isaiah every five seconds and went to a checkout stand. She waited paciently in line as the woman ahead of her searched a large purse for her missing creditcard for a few minutes before she looked over a near-by rack and grabbed a few candybars, put back the ones Isaiah was trying to sneek into the cart and turned to the magazines on the other side of her. She picked up a copy of YM and Teen and smirked at the waste of space tabliods that were always full of lies and twisted facts just to make a dollar. Her slight smile faded as her eyes slide of a picture of Justin and Britney, smiling brightly as they celebrated their two year anniversary. He looked so young and carefree, he didn't know the weights of taking care of a child or the pressure of knowing that every desicion you make and everything you say is going to shape the person they'll become. She hated him for what had happened, she hated him for lying, for cheating, for walking out on them the first time. But the misery she was going through could only be blamed on one person, herself. She realised now that she had over-reacted that night, she never should've left. But at the same time she needed the space, and she was sure he would've ended up leaving eventually anyway.
Emerald pushed the cart up into the empty space infront of her and loaded all of her items onto the conveyer belt.
"Paper or plastic?"
"Isaiah hunny no, don't push those buttons. Plastic, thank you," she said with a sigh and forced smile.
Emerald turned when she felt eyes on her back and saw two teenaged girls whispering and pointing at Isaiah.
"Can I help you?" she asked placing a hand on her hip.
"Oh, it's nothing, we were just noticing how much your son looks like Justin Timberlake," one said.
"Justin Timberlake? Who's that?" Emerald played dumb.
"He's only like, the most popular guy in the world. He's in Nsync," she said.
"Oh, I'm not really into the pop scene. But if he's that popular he must be cute,"
"Oh my God he's gorgeous...he's soooo hot," the other girl gushed and giggled.
"Oh, well, if he's gorgeous and you say he looks like my son I'll take that as a compliment so thank you," she smiled.
"Your welcome,"
She paid for her groceries and quickly exited the store. She had been getting that alot lately. Shortly after she had started noticing the simularites so did everyone else in the world. Isaiah and Justin had the same thick curly hair, same intense blue gaze, same goofy smile that would one day be perfected into the famous Timberlake grin. People noticed her once in awhile too. They would call her the MIA girlfriend and ask for a picture or autograph before allowing her to turn back to her as normal as possible life in Clearwater. They had headed for Georgia that night, but passed this town on the way and decided to stay. Georgia was to large a place to be running from a popstar, they wouldn't stay a secret for long. Clearwater was even smaller than Riverside, if that was even possible and it was the type of town that knew everything about everyone, but kept quiet. Everyone there was running or hiding from something so if you didn't announce their position to the world they wouldn't annouce yours. She didn't have any friends, and she didn't want any. She couldn't talk about her past or her future without talking about Justin and he was a memory she was trying to forget, plus she spent all her time talking to a toddler, cleaning up messes and cooking, she had forgotten long ago how to hold an adult conversation or act maturely. She also hadn't had contact with anyone from her past for the 2 years she have been gone. She called her family when she first left, but once she found out Justin had called them looking for her, she changed her number and didn't call back.
"Home sweet home," she said softly pulling into the garage of her small two bedroom home.
"Mommy? Ina go watch TV,"
"Your gonna go watch TV? Who's gonna help me put away groceries?" she asked lifting him out of the carseat.
"Enivable friend,"
"My invisable friend? What if I want your help?"
"I wacha TV," he said running into the house and into the familyroom.
She heard the TV click on and flip through several channels before settling on the PowerRangers. She spent a few minutes putting things away before checking the time and walking into the familyroom to get Isaiah.
"Sweetie, time for bed,"
"No mommy, I wacha TV," he said not even bothering to tear his eyes from the screen.
"Nope, time for bed, now come on," she said picking him up and heading down the hall to his room.
She sniffed and whipped the tears from her eyes as the show came back on. It was Entertainment Tonight with an exclusive on Justin and Britney's party. She didn't know why she was putting herself through such torment, such tortue, but she did every night. She would record shows about him daily and watch them at night, long after Isaiah was asleep so he wouldn't see the tears that always came.
Emerald glared at the paused screen in front to her. Britney laughing hysterically, hanging off Justin. His arm tightly wrapped around her tiny waist. She remembered every moment she had spent with him that way, his arm protectively around her, her carefree laughing echoing though the room. She remembered the first time she had woken up next to him, his loving penetrating eyes staring down at her.
She wondered what he was like now. Had he changed? Had me matured? Had he immatured, if that was possible. Did he still have the same sense of humor? Was he just as charming as ever? Were the guys still as close? Were they just as silly and down to Earth or had they grown as people and in personality? Emerald didn't know where these questions were coming from or why she suddenly felt the need to go home. But she knew she didn't want home as in a house or town, she wanted home as in him.
"Alright Britney,"
"Justin, I just think that you and I having a house together would be the next step for us. We're in love, we're gonna get married someday, but we have no place to call ours," she explained.
"Yes Brit, you have explained your side 3 times and I said 'yes', I said 'okay', I said 'fine, we will get the house' so you can stop asking," Justin rubbed the bridge of his nose that always seemed the begin to hurt when he talked to his girlfriend lately.
"Well isn't someone cranky tonight?" she muttered.
"Listen Brit, it's like 2am, I gotta get some sleep sometime tonight so I will call you tomorrow aiight?"
"Fine Justin. I love you,"
"Same here. Bye,"
"Bye,"
Justin dropped his cellphone on the bed and walked over to the window. He had lied about going to bed, he'd been doing alot of that lately. He was fully dressed in jeans, a teeshirt and tennis shoes and though his body was sluggish with fatigue his mind was racing a mile a minute. He had been restless every night for 2 years. No matter what he had done during the day, he always spent his nights wide awake, thinking of her. His Emerald. She'd left him, walked out again, but this time she hadn't called JC, she hadn't called home. He knew she was somewhere, safe and sound, raising his son without him, but despite everything he tried he couldn't figure out where they were. It was as if she dropped off the planet or left the country from some small island in the Pacific.
He thought of his son, wondering what he looked like. Had he carried on his father hair and voice? Was he funny as well? Was he smart? Had he started school yet? Did his eyes ever become as expressive as his mothers? His mother, he thought about her the most. He missed the smell of her shampoo when she would lay acrossed him in her sleep. Or the safety that occumpanied her arms as she hugged him. Her carefree attitude and her ability to understand would make her an awesome popstar wife and her pacitence and nurturing attitude would make her an amazing mom. He had made her a mom, but he couldn't be there to be a father, he couldn't be around and he felt he had no one to blame but himself. One night, one damn night he had gone out of his mind and made the biggest mistake of his life. He still, 2 years later didn't know why he'd done it, what had possessed him to do what he did, but he would give his life to undo it. He'd finally gotten her back, after he'd hurt her and his son deeply by leaving them and signing away his rights he'd finally gotten them back. But one night in California he'd laid down with someone who wasn't her, he'd laid down with Britney. He'd regretted it the moment it was over, and tried like hell to keep a secret between the two.
But Britney was hell bent on having him to herself and sent Emerald the pictures, she'd walked out that night while he was asleep. He could still remember how he felt that morning. He'd gotten up and made a bottle, hoping to grab Isaiah before he cried long enough to wake his mother, when he realsied there was no crying, there was nothing but the sound of his own breathing. He rushed up the stairs and flung open the door, to find an empty crib and open dresser drawers with the contints gone. He'd run to Emeralds room, knowing she wasn't there but needed to check. Her room was empty, all of her things gone, he looked out the baywindow, seeing the empty spot where her SUV was supposed to be. He sank down into the bed, tears running down his face. She was gone, the love of his life, gone again.
He became more and more depressed daily, doing nothing but making calls to look for her and crying. And who was there for him to cry on, who was there telling him she'd left and he needed to move on? Britney. He realised now that this had been her plan all along, she never planned on keeping her secret, she never planned on letting the happy couple be, she'd wanted Emerald and Isaiah out of the picture completely, and she'd done it. But in the back of his mind he'd never given up hope. He thought that as the days passed it got easier and easier to live without her, without them both. But really he was only getting better and hiding it, from himself. The people around him, Britney included, knew he still loved her. They noticed the way he searched for her in every crowd he saw, and heard him mumble for her to stay in his sleep. They also, except Britney, knew that they would end up together, some where, some how, some day, some way.
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