Conflicts of Interest: A Justin Fanfiction Saga

Chapter Nine: One of Them

"Are you busy right now, Lance?"

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Lance settled into the back of his hotel-lounge chair and looked at Madeline's tortured expression.

"It didn't start off as a big deal," Madeline began. "It wasn't supposed to be. Only for me, because I wanted a shot to prove myself. Even if it's just a college paper, you know, every bit counts.

"The staff heard about an open call for extras for this music video, and I jumped at the chance because I had acting experience, but also because I wanted to pitch it as a feature for the paper. So they let me run with it, and it's supposed to be printed Monday – the day after tomorrow.

"All I needed to do was observe everything that went on – spy, pretty much, on you guys. How you really live, how you really act ... since we're all slumming college kids here and you guys are all college-age, I wanted to see how money and fame affect day-to-day things, like what you end up eating and how you treat people."

She finally felt relief as she spoke. Lance didn't jump up and start yelling, so she continued.

"And I was just supposed to walk in, be an extra, walk around in the background of everything, leave and write my story. Then I ran into you outside the bathroom, and the rest is history."

He had a thoughtful expression on his face. She couldn't tell if he was angry or not.

"Lance, I didn't plan on becoming close to you or Emma. And I tried especially hard not to get close to Justin. And now ..."

"...You haven't told him," came his deep voice.

"I keep trying," Madeline whispered. "I'm just so afraid of what it will set off."

Lance shook his head firmly. "If you wait any longer, I guarantee you will set him off. He likes you a lot, Madeline. He's gonna feel like he got taken advantage of for a story, regardless of your motives."

"I swear, Lance," Madeline said with authority. "I never planned to get close to him for the story. Anything we talked about ... it's not going in."

"And J.C. and Emma? I assume that could be pretty big news, since no one else knows," Lance questioned.

She shook her head again. "Definitely not."

"Then what will you write about?"

"I don't know just yet. All I know is if I don't, I'm letting down a lot of people."

"And if you don't tell Justin, you might lose something bigger," Lance countered.

Madeline raised her head and looked at him.

"Have I lost you as a friend?" she said quietly.

Lance was silent for a minute, mind quickly processing his instincts and emotions. A bolt of anger had initially coursed through him, but her forlorn figure made him feel sorry for her more than anything else. She seemed genuinely upset at her circumstance. He sighed and looked at her steadily.

"I can't say I'm jumping for joy at this news," he said finally. "I feel like it's partly my fault for finding you doing impersonations in front of a mirror."

Madeline lowered her head again, ashamed.

"I guess there's a sense of betrayal," Lance went on in a calm voice. "They tell us in this business to be careful, especially with our personal lives. It's hard to believe someone you became friends with actually is a 'penetration,' you know, one of the invasive ones. One of them.