I'll Be Waiting
By Melody

Intro~

What do you do? What do you do when your feelings change? Justin didn't know what he should do. He had been best friends with Shannon for as long as he could remember. They had never been more than friends and now that's all Justin wanted. To hold Shannon, to tell her he loves her, to be there. What should he do?

~Part 1~
Ding dong. The doorbell rang and Shannon opened the door to find her best friend Justin standing there. "Hey Justin." She said. "Come on in."
"Thanks Shannon." Justin said softly. They walked into the den and sat down on the couch.
"So umm what's up?" Shannon asked. Justin took a deep breath.
"Shannon I gotta tell ya something." He was gonna do it. He was going to tell her how he felt.
"What is it Just? Something wrong with the rest of the guys?" Shannon said referring to the other members of *NSYNC.
"No the guys are cool. Shannon we've been best friends for so long I don't know what I'd do without you in my life."
"What are you talking about Justin?"
"I love you. You know that. But my feelings have changed." Shannon couldn't believe it.
"You don't want to be friends anymore?" she asked Justin.
"No, no! Shan, I'm trying to tell you I want to be more than friends."
"W-what? Justin what are you saying?" Justin sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought.
"Shannon I'm trying to tell you I love you and want to be with you. By your side always and forever." Shannon didn't know what to do. What was Justin trying to do to her?
"Justin I'm not ready for this. I don't want to be in a relationship right now. I'm sorry I just can't do it."
When you're in love and your heart is broken, it's the most painful experience of your life. Justin felt that pain. Shannon didn't want him the way he wanted her. His heart was broken. Without saying a word, Justin got up and left.

~Part 2~
'What just happened? Oh God what did I do? Did I just make a huge mistake?' Shannon thought as the tears began to fall. She picked up the phone and called her best girl friend Laura.
"Hello?" Laura asked when she answered.
"Hey Laur?" Shannon asked.
"Shannon hey! Girl is something wrong?" Laura could tell Shannon sounded upset.
"Can I come over?"
Sure Shan." Laur answered.
"Ok thanks."

~Part 3~
Justin drove and found himself sitting in his car outside a club. He didn't really care what happened to him so he went inside. Wanting to let go of the pain was all Justin needed. He could find solace inside that club. All he had to do was one thing. Get drunk.
~
"Hi Shannon." Laura said. Shannon was at Laura's house and she didn't
know what to do.
"Laura I think I made a huge mess of things between Justin and I."
"What happened?" Laura asked.
"Justin came over to my house and said he wanted to tell me something."
"What was it?"
"That he loved me."
"But you knew that already." Laura replied.
"No Laur. I mean loves me loves me." Laura gasped in shock.
"You mean, he wants you guys to be a couple?"
"Yeah and I told him I didn't want to be together." Shannon said.
"Shannon you guys are so perfect for each other. The way you are together. How you talk about him, the way he talks about you. It's the relationship I wish I had with someone."
"I don't know Laur. I me - "
"Shannon get off your butt and go find your man." Shannon gave Laura a look and said, "He's not my man."
Laura smiled and said, "Not yet."

~Part 4~
"Whoa Justin man! What's wrong with you?" JC Chasez of *NSYNC asked. Justin had found his way to his fellow bandmates house after going to the club.
"Yo JC, you think I could crash at your place?" Justin asked. He slurred when he spoke because he was drunk.
"Sure. Bobbee is her so I don't know if- "
"It's ok. I just wanna lay down and go to sleep." Justin said.
He walked past JC and past the living room where Bobbee was sitting and just plopped down on the bed in JC's spare room. Justin started thinking about when he first met Shannon.

~Part 5~Flashback~
"Quiet down class! I've got a new student to introduce to you. This is Justin Timberlake and he has come all the way from Tennessee to live here in Florida. Please make him feel welcome." The teacher said. It was second grade and Justin's family had moved to Florida so he could work on his singing and dancing.
"Would anyone like to volunteer to show Justin around school at
recess?" Shannon Dykes eyed the boy carefully. He had blue eyes and curly hair. Shannon raised her hand. "Shannon thank you for volunteering."
"No problem. I can show him all the cool places." Shannon said. Justin looked over at the girl that spoke. She had long brown hair and hazel eyes.

~at Recess~
"So umm what's your name again?" Justin asked.
"Shannon. My friends call me Shan or Shannie." Shannon answered.
"Oh well that's cool. So whom do I need to hang out with to be "in"?
Shannon smiled. "Timberlake, we're gonna be pals. I can tell."
"Good. At least I'll know one cool person." Justin said. And thus, a friendship was born.

~Part 6~
"Chris?" Shannon asked over the phone.
"Yeah that's me." Chris Kirkpatrick answered.
"This is Shannon. I was looking for Justin. I've called everywhere. Joey and Lance have no idea where he is either."
"Have you tried JC?" Chris asked.
"That's right! I didn't even think of him. Thanks Chris." Shannon said.
"No prob. Good to know I'm not last on your list." Chris joked. "Bye."
"Hello?" JC asked.
"Hi this is Shannon. Is Justin there?"
"Umm yeah he is Shannon but listen he isn't exactly- " JC once again was interrupted.
"Jayce? Sorry. I gotta talk to him before he does something stupid like get himself drunk."
"Too late." JC muttered under his breath.
"What?" Shannon asked.
"Nevermind."
"Ok. Just tell Justin that I'm coming over ok?"

~Part 7~
"Can I come in?" Shannon asked JC.
"Yeah. He's in the spare room."
"Ok thanks." She said.
"Be careful." JC said softly. Shannon opened the door to the bedroom and saw Justin on the bed. He didn't even look up at her when she walked in.
"Justin?" Shannon asked. Justin looked up at her coldly. His eyes were bloodshot and he had a pounding headache.
"I don't want to talk to you." He said.
"Look you may not want to listen but you have to."
"Do you really thing I care what you have to say right now bitch?" 'He's just drunk. He has no idea what's he saying. Don't worry about it.' Shannon tried to convince herself.
"Justin I know you're drunk an -"
"I am not drunk you fucking bitch!" Justin screamed at Shannon.
"I cannot believe you Justin Timberlake!" Shannon yelled back.
"What? That I fucking told you I loved you and I meant it?"
"If you gave shit about me you wouldn't have gone and gotten your stupid ass drunk!"
"Shannon get the hell out of this house and out of my life!" Justin looked at Shannon one last time before going into the bathroom. Shannon winced when he slammed the door.

~Part 8~
JC and Bobbee were finishing their movie when Shannon ran past them and out the door. JC started to get up when Bobbee stopped him and said, "Let me go. I think she could use a girl's help right now." Shannon was crying as she tried to unlock her car. She kept fumbling with the keys.
"Shannon, what's wrong?" Bobbee asked when she got outside.
"He, he, -h- said h-horrible things to m-mme" Shannon said between sobs. Bobbee hugged her and said, "It's ok. He'll realize what a jerk he was and that you're better than him,"
"I was going to tell him I was sorry and that I loved him and he had to go and ruin it."
"Do you want me to go with you?" Bobbee asked.
"No. I'll be ok. I just want to drown my sorrows in Ben and Jerry."
"Alright." And Bobbee reluctantly went back inside. JC noticed that Bobbee was quiet when she came back in.
"What happened with Shannon and J?" JC asked.
"I'm not sure what exactly but she was really upset and said he said some pretty bad things." Shannon was Justin's best friend and if he did anything to screw that up then JC would be pissed.

~Part 9~
"What the hell do you think you're doing." JC shouted at Justin as he burst in the room. Justin groaned and rolled over to face JC.
"Jayce, what the heck are you talking about?" he asked.
"What did you say to Shannon?"
"I didn't say anything to her." Justin said.
"Like hell you didn't. What did you say?" JC pressed on. Slowly Justin's drunkenness started to wear off and he remembered what he said to Shannon.
"Oh God…" Justin said in horror. "Shannon…"
"Yeah Shannon. Get your ass out of my house and you better start
apologizing to her while you still have a chance at being forgiven. Not that you deserve it." JC said angrily.

~

Justin called Shannon over and over but she ignored him. He didn't blame her for not wanting to listen. Shannon wasn't willing to forgive him. She wanted him to pay for what he said.

~Part 10~
*NSYNC went back on tour and soon Justin gave up until he one day got the urge to write a song and send it with a letter.

You were there
Always by my side
You were there
Through the day and night

And now I see
That you're gone
It's all my fault so
Just listen to this song

Dear Shannon,
I was sitting on the bus trying to think ok a way that I could try to apologize to you and I knew there was no way.

You were there
Always by my side
You were there
Through the day and night

I realize I made
A stupid mistake
When I let you
Out of my life

I wrote this song and I hope you umm get what I'm trying to say. I'm sure you will since you're so smart. I got to thinking how you started this relationship in a sense. You raised your hand to volunteer to show me around at recess and I ended it with some stupid and hurtful words.

If you will please
Forgive me though
I don't quite think
I deserve it who knows?

I only know I want you
By my side…

Everyday I regret what I said to you and pray that there is somewhere in your heart that you can find it to forgive me even though I don't deserve it at all. You or your love, which I'm sure I don't have. Anyway, I better get to rehearsal or Lance will kick my butt.

You were there
Always by my side
You were there
Through the day and night

I only know…
I want you you (you) you (you)
By
My side…
I'll be waiting from now on hoping for a letter from you. Bye Shannon.

Love, Justin
P.S. I love you so much. (More than you'll ever know) Make sure you play the tape.

SONG: By My Side written by me, Melody
~Part 11~
"Special delivery miss." The UPS man said.
"Oh thanks." Shannon signed for the small package and went to her room. "Oh my God." Shannon whispered. It was from Justin. Shannon read the letter and was crying by the end of it. 'I only know I want you. By my side' she thought. That was her favorite part of "By My Side". It was a gorgeous song.
Shannon wrote Justin a letter back.
Dear Justin,
We've both said and done things we regret. One thing I regret is not telling you sooner how much I loved you.. Maybe if I had we wouldn't have made all these stupid mistakes along the way. I read your letter and it made me cry. Thank you for the tape. You don't need to regret anything anymore. All I can say is I'm glad I raised my hand that day in second grade. If I hadn't who knows where we'd be or who we'd be there with. It's our fate. I only know I want you by my side. And really, that's all I need to know. I'll be waiting.
Waiting for you to get back home so I can tell you in person, that I love you.

In my heart always, Shannon.

They would both be waiting.