Ch. 43
Last Call
One Month Later
“All of these boys, got em standing in a line
So many boys, keep on begging for my time
All of these boys, I just can’t make up my mind
Everywhere I go, somebody’s tryna be my boyfriend.”
Allie’s heart was beating furiously as adrenaline rushed through her, pushing her to her limits and giving her the energy and drive she needed as she performed with Jasmine, Kristen, Meaghan, Jason, and Matt for the last time.
Their choreography and set was the best it had ever been, perhaps due to the fact that they all knew that this was it. Once this show was over, they’d all be going their separate ways, and the North American leg of the My World tour would officially be over.
Jasmine sang out the very last note of the song, grinning as the thousands of fans in the audience burst into tumultuous applause, screaming and cheering at the top of their lungs.
“Thank you, Madison Square Garden!” Jasmine’s voice called out, resulting in even more cheers. “You’ve been amazing, and we all love you!”
Grinning excitedly, all six dancers clasped hands and walked forward towards the center of the stage, taking a bow in unison. Lights were flashing, people were screaming, a thunderous rumble was sweeping the arena.
They each took individual bows, before Jasmine took one last bow, blowing kisses to the audience. All six began waving, smiling at the audience happily, and slowly backing up to prepare to run backstage so the crew could begin setting up the stage for Sean.
And then, suddenly, it was over.
The six had their arms linked and they were gasping in disbelief, laughing loudly and walking backstage together towards Jasmine’s dressing room. Each person felt unbelievably carefree and happy, as if nothing and no one could bring them down.
As they continued their way towards the dressing room, they passed by Sean, who was hurriedly heading to the stage to prepare to begin his set. He yelled congratulations at them, and they shot good luck wishes in return. They encountered several more crew members, who all nodded at them and high-fived them, praising them on an amazing run, before they finally made it to the dressing room.
Jasmine, Kristen, Meaghan, Matt, and Jason filed into the room, talking loudly and grinning, each still on an adrenaline high from the show.
Right as she was about to follow after them, Allie was distracted by the sound of her name being yelled across the hall.
“Allie!”
Allie turned her head and was immediately greeted by the sight of Justin, decked out in his opening-number outfit, walking towards her.
She grinned at him and turned to go meet him, immediately enveloping him in a tight hug.
“You did amazing.” Justin stated.
“Thanks,” Allie replied, breaking apart from him and grinning. “Break a leg tonight, okay? It’s the last show, and we’re in freaking New York City. It can’t get much better than that.”
He laughed. “That’s true.”
“Bieber! Come on, you gotta get over here so we can double check your monitor and mics!” A crew member called.
Justin nodded to indicate he’d heard, before he turned back to fully face Allie.
She leaned up and kissed him quickly, wishing him luck one last time, before he hurried off down the hall.
Smiling to herself, Allie turned and entered the dressing room, rejoining her friends.
*******
“Oh my God, this is awesome!” Meaghan exclaimed, looking around in wonder at the cavernous ballroom they were standing in. She, Jasmine, Kristen, and Allie had all just arrived at this portion of the hotel, where a huge after-party for everyone in the entire tour was currently taking place. Just like the party that occurred after the kick-off of the tour, music was blasting, people were everywhere, and tables were stacked to the ceiling with food and drinks.
Chaz and Ryan had been flown out to hang with everyone one last time before they went their separate ways, and several other famous friends of Justin’s, like Selena Gomez, Akon, Taylor Swift, Usher, Jessica Jarrell (who was also extremely good friends with Jasmine), Chris Brown, Nelly, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, and Nicki Minaj were there to show their support as well. Furthermore, Sherrie had flown out to join the celebration, along with Jeremy, Erin, Jazmyn, and Jaxon.
The girls were immediately joined by Ryan and Chaz, who hugged them all happily in greeting (Chaz and Meaghan were sure to do a bit more than hug), and exclaimed how excited they were to be there. The group spent several minutes discussing how amazing the show had gone and how awesome the party was sure to be, all the while searching for other friends of theirs, like Justin, Sean, and SugarCoated.
It didn’t take long for them to find Justin. He had, in fact, been searching for them, and so they found one another within moments.
Justin was wearing black jeans, black Supras, a white shirt, and a black leather jacket, and a huge grin lit up his face.
Allie turned and beamed at him right as he bent down, picked her up, and spun her around, hugging her tightly.
“Congratulations, Superstar.” She commented once he had set her down.
He flicked his hair. “Thanks, shawty. Congrats to you, too.”
She grinned. “Thanks.”
At that moment, Meaghan, Kristen, Jasmine, Ryan, and Chaz stepped forward to congratulate him as well; the girls hugged him, and the guys clapped him on the back.
Once everyone had finished exchanging greetings, they all stepped back to grin at one another.
Justin’s eyes wandered over to the four girls, and he examined them with slight interest for a moment.
Jasmine smirked. “Like our shirts, Bieber?”
Justin laughed. “Very much so.”
The six friends grinned, laughing.
Jasmine, Meaghan, Kristen, and Allie were each wearing matching “Justin Bieber - My World Tour” concert t-shirts. His face was plastered on the front, and all of the tour dates were listed on the back.
The group was soon joined by SugarCoated, and everyone set to work congratulating each other on an amazing final show. Their time in New York marked the very last concert of the My World Tour in North America; in about a month, Justin would be jetting off to Europe to begin the international segment of the tour, but unfortunately, neither Sean Kingston, nor Jasmine, nor SugarCoated would be joining him.
As everyone began talking and laughing loudly with one another, Justin walked over to Allie and swung an arm around around her shoulders, grinning at her.
“This reminds me of that huge party we had opening night of the tour, back in Dallas.” He commented.
Allie laughed. “Yeah, back when I hated you. I think we were in this exact same position then, too.”
He nodded. “Yup. And that’s where we saw those fangirls with that poster that gave me the idea for how I should put my name in your phone.”
Allie snorted. “Yeah, ‘GrindMeJustin’.” She rolled her eyes, grinning. “I still have your number in my phone like that, too.”
He grinned. “It’s an irresistible phrase, babe, everyone says it.”
She nudged him gently in the ribs. “Hey now.”
His arm dropped from around her shoulders to around her waist, and he squeezed her lightly. “I’m kidding.” He stated.
She grinned.
“By the way, I’m changing my number in a few days.” Justin commented. “Some fans got ahold of it, and I’ve gotten like fifty text messages from all different people today, so Scooter says I need to change it.”
“Okay.” Allie replied. She’d gotten used to this by now. Justin had changed his number quite a few times over the course of the tour, due to the fact that people he didn’t know were constantly getting ahold of his real number. At first, it had been extremely irksome having to reprogram his number every few weeks, but eventually it had occurred so frequently that it felt almost natural.
“I’ll text you when I change it, so you’ll know it’s me.” Justin stated.
Allie nodded. “Alright.” She stated.
At that moment, someone who worked for the hotel passed them balancing a tray full of tall glasses of a sparkling beverage. Justin reached forward and grabbed a glass, handing it to Allie, before he grabbed another for himself.
Allie raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. “Champagne?” She asked.
Justin shrugged. “Hey, tonight’s a night to celebrate, we can both have a glass.”
At that moment, Ryan Good noticed Justin, and he called out, “Okay, everyone, Justin’s gotten himself a glass of champagne! Time for the toasts!”
Justin shot Ryan a weird glance.
Ryan shrugged, before leaning down towards Justin, “We all agreed we need to have toasts since it’s the last night of the tour. And Scooter and I came up with the idea to wait until you got yourself a glass until we started the toasts.” He explained in a low voice.
Justin glanced warily across the room at where Pattie was standing, staring at him with a slightly disapproving look. Truthfully, Justin had been hoping he’d get away with drinking the champagne without his mom noticing, but now that Ryan had just announced to the entire world that he’d just grabbed a glass of alcohol, there was no way she hadn’t noticed. Sure enough, she made her way over to him at that moment, giving him a maternal glare.
“I told Scooter I’d let you have some champagne tonight, but you’re only allowed to have one glass.” She said sternly. “And it’s only because it’s a special occasion.”
“Okay.” Justin replied slowly.
Pattie stared at him for a moment more, before she stated, “I’m serious, Justin. If I see you with another glass of champagne or any other alcoholic drink after this, you’ll be grounded.”
“Alright, I won’t have any more.” Justin said defensively.
“Good.”
“Alright, guys, get into a circle! And everyone grab a glass of champagne! We need to have some toasts!” Scooter called.
There was a loud increase of chattering as everyone shuffled around to form a circle and get drinks. The music that had been pounding through the room quieted down, and all that could be heard was the loud volume of babble.
Finally, after a few moments, everyone was arranged into what slightly resembled a circle, and Scooter cleared his throat loudly, silencing the crowd and calling for attention.
“Alright, so...you all know that this was a huge night for everyone here.” Scooter began. “Tonight was the last show of the North American portion of the tour, meaning it was also the last show for a lot of people.” He nodded at Jasmine, Sean, and SugarCoated. “I know that personally, for me, these last few months with all of you have been amazing, and I think now is a really great time to go around and make some toasts to people and events that have occurred on the tour that have meant something to you.”
Several people nodded and murmured in agreement.
Scooter cleared his throat again. “Uh, I guess I’ll start.” Immediate silence met his words. “I guess I just want to start off first and foremost by thanking each and every one of you for what you’ve done for the tour. None of this would have been possible without all of you, and I think we can all agree that this tour has most certainly been a very worthwhile and amazing experience for us all. I have loved being on this tour, and working with all of you, and getting to travel through the country like we have. I don’t consider this work, I consider it fun, and...I just really appreciate what you’ve all done. In particular, I really want to thank someone who I consider to be like my little brother.”
Scooter’s eyes turned to gaze at Justin at the same time that practically everyone else in the room turned to stare at him.
“Justin...obviously, this is your tour. It wouldn’t have even happened if it weren’t for you, and I just really gotta thank you. I’ve been working in this business for over ten years, and you’re honestly one of the hardest working people that I know. You work your ass off, and we all really appreciate it so much. You’re extremely talented, you know how to charm an audience, and you’re a great entertainer, and I think we can all say you’ve made some sort of impact in all of our lives. So...I’d like to make a toast firstly, to all of you,” Scooter held his glass out to the room in general, his eyes sweeping over each person’s face. “And then, to the headliner himself.” He held his glass out to Justin, who grinned.
“Cheers.” Scooter stated.
Everyone replied with a unanimous echo of “Cheers!” before each person turned to clink glasses with those people standing nearby. Then, as if in unison, everyone lifted the glass to their lips and took a sip of champagne.
Dan Kanter went next, followed by Pattie, who was followed by Ryan Good. Gradually, everyone in the room went around and made some sort of toast to someone or something that meant a lot to them.
When it got to be Allie’s turn, she felt herself go slightly pink at having everyone in the room staring at her. She cleared her throat quietly, and began a small speech, “I think that this tour has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I’d really just like to thank one of my best friends for making it a reality for me. Jasmine, I’ve known you for years, and you’re honestly one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and I appreciate you inviting me to be one of the dancers in your set so much. Traveling the country with you and everyone has been so crazy, but I’ve loved every minute, and I really do owe this all to you. So, I’d like to make a toast to you, Jasmine, for being an amazing friend, for always being there for me, for working so hard everyday, and for allowing me to share part of your dream with you. I love you, girl.”
Jasmine couldn’t stop smiling. Her cheeks were a bright red, and she was grinning at Allie with the utmost sincerity. She mouthed ‘Thank you’ to her, before forming her hands into a heart, as if to express how much she loved Allie, too.
Everyone raised their glasses, uttered “Cheers!” and clinked the glasses with those of their neighbors, before taking another sip.
Finally, it was Justin’s turn. Everyone else had made some form of toast, even if they were just friends visiting the tour. The champagne was dangerously low in every single glass, so it seemed to have worked perfectly that Justin was the last person to go. He grinned, staring down at his feet for a moment, before he looked back up at where every person was looking at him.
“Alright, so...I guess I’ll start off by saying that a lot of you have pretty much said it all. This tour wouldn’t have been possible if even one of you guys hadn’t been here, so I really wanna thank every person in this room for being amazing and helping me live my dream. You know...this really is a dream come true for me, I am constantly telling everyone how I’m just this kid from a small town in Canada. I never thought this would happen to me in a million years, and the fact that I have all of you here to make it happen and allow me to go on tour and travel the world is really, really amazing to me. I wanna thank the crew for all of the hard work they do on every show. I wanna thank Brent for being an awesome light technician and for not telling my mom or Scooter where I went that day in Sacramento, even though I wasn’t supposed to be there.”
Brent chuckled, raising his glass to Justin at the same time that Pattie and Scooter shot alarmed glares at him. Brent merely shrugged at them, not bothering to explain how Justin had gone up where all of the lights were with Allie that one day, regardless of the fact that he wasn’t supposed to.
Allie laughed. ‘I forgot about that.’ She thought. ‘I’m surprised Brent didn’t tell anyone, since he was chasing after Justin and I. He was the reason we got locked out of that venue in the first place...’
Justin cleared his throat, preparing to continue his speech. “I want to thank all of my friends for coming out to my shows to support me, and for being here tonight. Selena, Jessica, Rihanna, Nicki, all of you. I want to thank Usher for being my mentor and always giving me the best advice. You’re one of my best friends, and you always know the right thing to say. Thanks to Ryan and Chaz. You guys are my best friends, and I’m really happy you’ve been able to come on tour with me and experience some of the life I’m now living. And thanks for keeping me grounded and not treating me any different than you used to.”
Ryan and Chaz grinned at him in unison.
“Thanks to all of the extremely talented entertainers we have on this tour for working so hard and making the show as amazing as it was.” Justin stated, his raspy voice ringing out. “SugarCoated, I love you, you’re my girls. You’re all beautiful, and so amazing at what you do, and I’m really glad I was able to meet you. Sean, you’re my big bro, you know how to rock an audience, and you always kick ass. Jasmine, you’re gorgeous, and one of my best friends. Thanks for keeping me in line and not beating my ass a few weeks ago. I know you wanted to, and I know I deserved it. You kinda made me realize something that night that made a huge effect on me later on, so thanks for that.”
Jasmine grinned at him, knowing he meant the time she had nearly kicked his ass when she was yelling at him for being such a jerk to Allie.
“I’d like to thank Meaghan, Kristen, Jason, and Matt for being really cool people and for working really hard every day. You’re all so talented at what you do, and I love hanging out with you guys, so thanks.
“I wanna thank Kim for being like a little sister to me, and for being the most fashionable person I know.”
Kim laughed, smiling at Justin.
“I’d like to thank Sherrie for being an amazing friend. I’ve known you for several years, and you mean a lot to me, and I’m so glad we’ve been able to get back in touch.”
Sherrie beamed at him.
“Scooter, you know you’re like my big brother. I know we don’t always see things the same way, and we have our fights, but I know you’re just looking out for me, and I really appreciate everything you do. Thanks for always being there, and for not giving up on me. Thanks for discovering me and allowing me to do this in the first place, and thanks for keeping me grounded. Love you, bro.”
Scooter nodded at him, grinning.
“I want to thank my stunning mother for doing everything she’s done for me and for sacrificing so much to allow me to be doing what I love every day. Mom, I appreciate everything you do, and I honestly do all of this for you. You mean the world to me, and I’ll never forget all of the things you’ve done for me.”
Pattie positively beamed at him.
“Dad, Erin, Jazzy, Jax...I love you guys so much, and I appreciate you coming out here and supporting me. I wish I could see you more often, and I always find myself missing you, because you all mean a lot to me. Thanks for always being there.” Justin smiled at them, as other people grinned.
Justin turned and placed an arm around Allie’s waist.
“And finally...I want to thank my beautiful and amazing girlfriend who’s standing right next to me.” Justin grinned at her. “At the very beginning of this tour, way back in November, at the after-party we had after opening night, I made a joke to everyone that she was my girlfriend, and now, a couple months later, I am extremely lucky to say she really is my girlfriend. Allie, you’ve been there to support me through everything, and I won’t ever forget the times we’ve had together on this tour. I know that things haven’t always been easy for us, and fame tends to like to get in the way, but ever since I’ve been with you, I’ve felt happier than ever before. You mean everything to me, and I am so thankful to have you in my life. Thanks for being my girl.”
Allie smiled at him in wonder and amazement, extremely touched by what he was saying.
Quite a number of people said, “Awww!” extremely loudly after Justin had finished his statement.
Grinning, Justin leaned down and kissed Allie full on the mouth. Everyone burst into applause, cheering happily.
When Allie and Justin broke apart, Allie grinned embarrassedly, and Justin turned to face the rest of the circle, holding his glass out. “To everyone!” He called.
“To everyone!” The rest echoed.
Justin drained the remnants of champagne at the same time that everyone else did, and pretty soon, the room was filled with applause again. Everyone was screaming and cheering loudly, congratulating each other on a successful tour and an amazing couple of months.
The music was turned back up to full volume then, and everyone returned to the party, talking, dancing, eating, and having an overall good time.
At that moment, Justin turned to Allie and grabbed her hand, leaning down to whisper into her ear, “Come with me, I wanna show you something.”
Allie nodded and let him lead her across the room to the exit. They slipped through the crowds, passing by several people who hailed them in greeting, before they quietly left the room. Justin was still clasping her hand firmly, and he led her through a maze of hallways and up several floors until they emerged on the top floor. They made their way down the hall to a room at the very end. Justin pulled a key out of his back pocket and swiped it through the slot, opening the door and leading Allie into the room that was obviously his for the night.
“You have to see this.” Justin murmured, and he took her across the room and onto the balcony. Allie gasped as she stepped out onto the large balcony, which contained several tables and chairs. Justin closed the door behind her, before walking over to stand next to her, re-entwining his fingers with hers. “Isn’t it beautiful?” He asked.
Allie nodded, speechless. The towering buildings of New York City, and twinkling spiderweb of lights could be seen down below; loud, drawn-out car horns blared in distant streets, and police sirens would occasionally sound. But when one looked straight up and took their mind off of the urban aspect of New York, they could see a dark blue, velvety sky blanketing overheard, dotted with millions of twinkling stars. It was a rare sight in the heart of New York City, and Allie was breath-taken by it.
“It’s amazing.” She said quietly. She turned to look at Justin. “How do you find all of these places?”
He shrugged. “Lucky, I guess. I dunno...like I told you a while ago, I like to find places to chill out by myself every once in a while. Right after the show, when everyone was getting ready to go to the after-party, I came out here to check out the balcony, and that’s when I saw that.” He pointed to the sky above. “I thought you might like it.”
She nodded. “I love it.” She replied.
Together, the two walked over to an open space on the balcony and laid down, resting next to one another and staring up at the multitude of stars stretched before them. It was as if the stars were silver sequins painted onto a dark blue canvas.
“Thanks for what you said about me during the toasts, by the way.” Allie commented quietly. Her hand was absentmindedly fiddling with the necklace Justin had given her for Valentine’s Day.
“You’re welcome.” He replied, placing his hands behind his head.
Allie sighed, biting her lip slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Justin asked, looking at her with concern.
She shrugged slightly, still staring straight ahead at the sky. “I dunno, I’m just...I guess I’m just sad.”
Justin sighed and leaned his head back against his hands again. “Yeah, me too.” He replied glumly.
“I mean...we’re all kind of...going our separate ways tomorrow. A lot of people are going home, I’m going back to Denver. You’re going to Spain for a press conference.” Allie’s voice suddenly dropped to a very quiet tone. “I don’t even know when the next time I’ll see you will be.”
“I know.” Justin replied. “It sucks.”
“I guess I’m just so used to being around you 24/7 for the past few months, that it’s gonna be really hard. Whenever I used to go back to Denver, I was always comforted by the fact that I would be returning to all of you guys on tour within a week or two. Now...there is no coming back. The tour’s over.”
Justin nodded, remaining quiet for a few long moments. “I guess the only good thing is that pretty soon, you’ll be off school for summer break, and I’ll hopefully be able to see you a lot more then. Maybe you can come visit me on the international tour or something.”
“I’d love that.” Allie replied.
“I mean...I know that’s not for almost two months, but...still. And...it’s not like we won’t see each other at all between now and the summer.” Justin said reassuringly.
Allie gave a small laugh. “Yeah, I hope so.”
“But it is going to be weird going on tour without having all of you guys.” Justin stated after a few moments of silence.
Allie sighed. “Oh well. We’ve had a lot of good times, and that’s all that matters.”
Justin grinned. “Exactly.”
There was a very long pause, during which the two stared up at the night sky with contentment.
Finally, Justin spoke. “Thanks for giving me a chance, Allie.” He said.
Allie turned her head ever so slightly to give him a slightly curious look.
“I know I’ve messed up a lot and done some stupid things, and I know that the reason I was initially going after you wasn’t a respectable one, but...I’m just really happy that you gave me a chance at all, and that you trusted me enough to tell me some of the things that you did. Like about your parents and stuff. You didn’t even really know me, but you trusted me anyway, and you didn’t just blow me off.”
“I tried to.” Allie admitted.
Justin laughed. “I know you did. But you still gave me a chance, and...I just can’t even describe how lucky I feel that you did.”
Allie smiled.
“I really meant everything I said back at the party. Something about you is different than anyone I’ve ever known, and...I dunno. I just have never felt the way I feel about you towards anyone else. You really do mean everything to me, and I hope you know that I’d do anything for you.”
Allie turned her head to look at him, a huge smile on her face. “I’d do anything for you, too.” She replied quietly.
Justin smiled back, before he took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. For months, actually. I can never get you off of my mind, and I think I’ve finally figured out why. Like I said, I’ve had a feeling for a while now, but...I feel like now is the time for me to tell you.”
Allie furrowed her eyebrows slightly, her smile fading to a curious expression.
Justin took another deep breath.
“Allie...I think I lo-”
“There you guys are! We’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Chaz exclaimed, pushing open the glass door with more force than was necessary. He was panting; evidently, he had been running around searching for them. “What are you guys doing, there’s a freaking party going on! Get your asses back to the party, we’ve all been looking for you! They’re about to start a corny tribute video to the tour! Come on!”
Allie and Justin, who had whipped their heads up in alarm upon hearing Chaz’s loud and slightly obnoxious interruption, sat up.
“Come on, don’t make me come back up here! I’ll bring Kenny if I have to!” Chaz’s voice could be heard calling over his shoulder as he exited the balcony. “Ryan, I found them!”
There was a pause.
Allie glanced over at Justin, whose expression was unreadable. “What were you about to say?” She asked.
Justin opened his mouth as if to say something, before he shut it, and fervently shook his head. “Uh...nothing. Never mind.” He muttered. He stood up from off of the ground and held his hand out to help her up. “Come on, let’s go back to the party.”
Allie looked at him for a moment before she allowed him to help her stand up, and together the two headed back down to the ballroom.
The party was still in full swing when they arrived, and the moment they were spotted, everyone was rounded up to gather around a giant screen that had been lowered into the ballroom. The lights dimmed further and a hush fell over the room as someone began playing a video that showed reminiscent aspects of the tour. There were video clips of memorable nights and funny moments, pictures of various combinations of tour members hanging out, performing, and just having fun, descriptions of achievements of the tour, and more. By the end of the video, Allie, Jasmine, Meaghan, and Kristen were all in tears, and they had their arms around one another for support. Everyone felt extremely proud, but there was also a very somber air to the room as the video finished playing.
Because the video proved only one thing.
As amazing of a time that the tour had been for everyone in that room, the time for it had reached its end.
The My World tour was officially over.
*******
Allie and Jasmine wouldn’t let go of one another. They had their arms wrapped tightly around each other, and they could feel tears welling up in their eyes. Their luggage was cast next to them on the ground in the midst of the busy airport, and people everywhere were hurriedly passing them, in search of their various gates and hastily trying to make sure they didn’t miss their flights.
But neither Allie nor Jasmine paid them any attention. All they could focus on was the fact that this was the last time either one would see the other for quite some time. Jasmine was heading home to California to spend some time with her family and to focus on finishing recording her album. Allie, on the other hand, was heading back to Denver to finish up her junior year at school.
The two best friends finally broke apart after what seemed like ages, and quickly wiped away tears.
“I’m going to miss you so much.” Jasmine stated.
“I’m gonna miss you, too, Jas.” Allie replied.
“We’ll see each other soon.” Jasmine said. “Before long, it’ll be summer, and you can come out and visit me in Cali.”
Allie nodded. “Oh my God, yes.”
Jasmine laughed. “And who knows? I might drop by Denver sometime before summer if I happen to be in the area.” She giggled.
Allie grinned. “Do it.” She stated.
Jasmine beamed and leaned forward to hug her again. “Love you, chica.”
“Love you too, bebeh.” Allie replied.
Jasmine sniffed, before she took a step back and grabbed ahold of her suitcase, hoisting her backpack more fully onto her back. “Gotta go before I miss my flight.” She stated, nodding her head towards the gate closest to them on the right.
“Get outta here.” Allie replied, grinning in a teasing fashion.
Jasmine laughed, before she turned to start walking towards the gate. “Bye, luvie!” She called, turning so that she was walking backwards and waving at Allie.
Allie waved back. “Bye.” She called.
Jasmine waved to a few people who were standing behind Allie’s shoulder right as Allie felt someone come up behind her and slide their arms around her waist. It was Justin. He placed his head on her shoulder.
Allie sighed, placing her hands over where his hands were clasped across her stomach. “I can’t believe that almost everyone’s gone.”
“I know.” He murmured quietly.
It was true. Allie and Justin were some of the very last people from the tour to leave. Everyone else’s flights had already taken off, and sad and tearful good-byes had already taken place.
Meaghan left first to head back to Ireland. She and Chaz had disappeared for a while before rejoining the group, where Meaghan had made the rounds, hugging everyone sadly and exclaiming she’d be back in the States before they knew it.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily!” She’d exclaimed, laughing musically.
Ryan, Chaz, Jeremy, Erin, Jaxon, and Jazmyn were next, boarding a mid-morning flight back to Toronto, where Ryan and Chaz were going to get a ride back to Stratford with Justin’s family. Justin was upset by this departure as much as the others, but he watched them board their flight with the reassuring thought that he’d be seeing all of them sooner than probably anyone else; after the week-long press conference in Spain that he had to go to, he’d be returning home to Canada for a little bit.
Kristen and Kim had left after the Canada-bound group, both girls decked out in high-fashion couture they’d bought during their stay in New York. They had hugged Allie and Jasmine extra tightly, promising to keep in touch and proclaiming that the four needed to get together as soon as possible. After Kim had finished hugging everyone, she burst into tears, waving and blowing kisses to everyone there. She and Kristen had then clasped hands, and together, the two sisters headed towards the gate to prepare to board their flight to Minneapolis.
Next after Kristen and Kim was SugarCoated and Dan Kanter, who were all flying together to Los Angeles. Dan was off to visit some friends and look at some real estate out there (he was considering moving to LA), while Courtney, Kailey, Michelle, Jayley, and Emily were going for some press, photoshoots, and interviews. This was, like the others, a very heartfelt good-bye, and even more tears fell. The five girls of SugarCoated told the others how thankful they were for the opportunity to be on the tour, and expressed their desire to keep in touch and get together as soon as possible.
Sherrie returned to Saint Louis around the same time SugarCoated and Dan left for LA, so she said her good-byes with them. She was sure to tell Allie how happy she was to meet her, and that if Allie ever came out to St. Louis, she should look her up and come stay with her. When she got to Justin, Sherrie hugged him tightly and told him that they needed to hang out again as soon as humanly possible.
Jason, Matt, and Sean were next, each leaving on separate flights that all traveled to Miami. They made the rounds just like the others, hugging the gradually diminishing group of people and stating they’d see them all soon.
Jasmine had left after Jason, Matt, and Sean, and now it was just Allie, Justin, Scooter, Pattie and Kenny left. Allie would be traveling alone home to Denver, and Justin, Pattie, Scooter, and Kenny would be heading to Atlanta for a mere eleven hours; they were due to head out to Madrid early the next day.
Allie sighed, glancing down at the boarding pass in her hand. “1:38.” She stated quietly. That was the time her flight was due to take off. “Gate C6.”
She glanced up at the clock. It was now exactly 1:26. Her eyes traveled down the length of the terminal, landing on a large blue sign that proclaimed that it was Gate C6.
She sighed again. “Bet my flight’s already boarding.” She said glumly.
Justin nodded. “You’d better get going.” He said quietly.
Allie bit her lip for a moment, feeling a rollercoaster of emotions erupt within her. All at once, she was utterly exhausted, and excited to be returning home, but terrified at the prospect of leaving Justin, and upset that the tour was over, and depressed that she wouldn’t see everyone again for a very long time. It seemed like nothing could make her feel just right at that moment.
Turning to gaze into Justin’s eyes, Allie leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her and hugging him tightly.
They were both wearing sunglasses and neutral clothes, which had so far helped with allowing them to remain as seemingly normal and completely unrecognizable as possible. Thus, she didn’t feel so worried about showing this affection towards him in public.
Justin hugged her back, just as tightly, and Allie felt herself break down into tears again. She felt as if she had been a human hosepipe the entire day, but at the moment, she honestly didn’t care. All that mattered was the fact that she would soon be leaving Justin, traveling hundreds of miles away from him.
And who knew when she’d see him again?
Justin broke apart from her slightly, and leaned down to press his lips firmly against hers, kissing her with passion and holding her reassuringly.
They kissed each other for a very long time, neither one particularly keen to break apart.
Because breaking apart only meant one thing: good-bye.
At that moment, a crackling voice came over the loudspeaker in the noisy and bustling terminal. “Flight 735 to Denver, Colorado is now boarding at Gate C6. Please make your way now to the gate with your boarding pass ready and all carry-on luggage. Repeat: Flight 735 to Denver, Colorado is now boarding at Gate C6.”
Allie and Justin finally stopped kissing and looked at each other sadly.
“That’s you.” Justin said quietly.
Allie looked down at the ground, holding his hands in hers and feeling tears streaming down her cheeks.
Justin reached forward and lifted her chin up so that she was looking at him. He bent down and kissed her once. “Hey,” He said quietly. “Don’t cry. I’ll see you soon, I promise. Okay?”
“Yeah, I know.” Allie replied.
“If you need me at all, you know how to get ahold of me.” He grinned. “Just listen to the ‘U Smile’ lyrics, and you know what I’ll do.”
Allie smiled. “Thanks.” She replied.
“And don’t take any shit from that bitch Nina.” Justin laughed. “Now I sound like your dad, not your boyfriend.”
Allie giggled. “That’s okay.” She replied. She leaned up and kissed him one more time, pausing for a moment to bite her lip and stare at him. “I’ll...see you later, I guess?”
He nodded. “Text me when your flight gets in.”
“Okay. And call me when yours does.” She replied.
“Alright.” He stated.
Allie grinned at him, reaching out to grab ahold of the handle on her rolling suitcase.
Justin paused for a moment, watching her do this, before he started speaking again. “Okay, I know this isn’t really the most ideal time or place to tell you this, but I have to tell you now because I don’t know when the next time I’ll see you in person will be.” He was now speaking slightly hurried.
Allie gave him a questioning look.
“I wanted to tell you this last night over right now, but Chaz was an idiot and interrupted me.”
Allie nodded slowly, slightly confused as to where this was going.
Justin took a deep breath. “Like I told you on the roof that one time, you’re my world, Allie, and...You just...you mean everything to me. And like I was saying last night...I’ve been thinking about this constantly for the past few weeks, and I’ve finally decided that I need to tell you how I’ve been feeling.”
Allie nodded again, looking at him intently, her blue eyes shadowed with slight concern.
Justin closed his eyes slightly. “Allie, I...” He shook his head slightly. “I lo-”
“Last call for Flight 735 to Denver, Colorado. We are now boarding at Gate C6. Repeat: last call for Flight 735 to Denver, Colorado.” A pleasant-sounding voice rang throughout the terminal.
“Allie, you gotta go!” Scooter shrieked suddenly. “You’re gonna miss your flight!” He, Kenny, and Pattie looked immediately worried and urgent.
Allie immediately put on a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, I really gotta go. Tell me later!" Allie quickly leaned up and placed one last quick kiss on Justin’s lips. “Bye, Justin.” She said, giving him a final warm smile. She quickly readjusted her backpack, and got a firmer hold on her suitcase.
“Bye, Allie.” Justin stated in reply, a little in shock by the fact that he’d been interrupted during what he wanted to tell her twice in a row now, and also by the fact that she was now legitimately leaving.
She waved once, before she turned and hurriedly began heading down the length of the terminal towards Gate C6.
Justin stood glued to the spot in the middle of the hustling terminal, a slightly stunned expression on his face as he watched Allie’s retreating figure as she prepared to board a flight and head hundreds of miles away.
Allie wiped away a few tears that were streaming down her face, as she walked as quickly as she could towards her gate. She felt as if her heart had just been broken because of the fact that she was leaving Justin.
At that moment, she heard Justin’s raspy voice shouting out. “Allie!” He called. “Allie, wait!”
Allie turned to see him running after her, weaving through others in the airport, and trying to get to her as fast as he could.
She gave him a slightly questioning look as he caught up to her, out of breath.
“I...” He began.
“Yeah?” She asked.
Justin paused. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to say what he had wanted to say mere seconds previously. He didn’t know why, but he just couldn’t do it. “I, um...I’ll miss you.” He finally stated.
Allie’s face broke into a wide and warm smile. “I’ll miss you, too.” She replied.
He quickly bent down and enveloped her in a hug, picking her up and spinning her around slightly. He kissed her, not wanting to ever let her go again.
Allie broke apart after a few moments. “I gotta go, they’re literally about to close the door to the plane I’m supposed to be on.”
Justin nodded quickly. “Go.” He stated. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Bye.” She called, smiling at him happily and waving, before she broke into an all-out sprint towards where flight attendants at Gate C6 were about to prepare Flight 735 for take-off.
“Bye.” Justin said quietly, watching her as she hurriedly showed one of the attendants her boarding pass, and proceeded to head down the little hallway towards the entrance to the plane.
She stopped short at the mouth of the hallway and gave him one last wave.
Grinning, he waved back.
She then turned and started rolling her suitcase down the hallway.
Justin watched as she disappeared from view until finally, there was no time for her to turn back.
Just like the others from the tour, she was off to some distant corner of the world.
Like the others, she was gone.
Justin stared at Gate C6 for several very long and slow moments afterwards. Finally, he put his hands into his pockets, and turned towards where Scooter, Pattie, and Kenny were waiting for him.
Once he had reached them, he felt them pat his back reassuringly. Each one gave him sympathetic nods, acts that Justin responded to by merely shrugging slightly.
Scooter muttered a quiet “Let’s go”, and together, the four began walking in silence down the terminal in search of their gate.
Chapter end notes:
:) And there you have it: the last chapter of 'Trust Me'. I really hope you guys liked this one, I know it's kinda depressing. I spent a lot of time on it, so I hope it turned out decent!
I'd really just like to thank every single person who has ever read this story or left a comment or voted. The fact that you have taken time out of your day to read something I've written means so much to me. I can't express how grateful I am to you all! I don't think I would have been able to love writing this story like I have without your support, so really...THANK YOU. I appreciate every single one of you, and I really hope you've liked reading the story. I hope I didn't disappoint with the last chapter. Thank you again times a million!! You are all so inspirational. <3
On to exciting news...now that 'Trust Me' is over, I will be beginning work on its sequel, 'Save Me'! I am soo excited for this, I have a lot of twists and shockers in store for this one, and I think you guys are going to really love it. I will hopefully be able to get the first chapter of that up tomorrow or the next day!
Thanks again so much for reading my story! I hope you've all enjoyed it.
xo.
P.S. Who thinks they know what Justin wanted to tell Allie on the balcony and at the airport?!
Thanks again, everyone!