Nick laughed quietly as he stood against the door frame of his girlfriend's house. She was sitting in her violet pajama's drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade, slouched down in her favorite chair. He stood watching her for a few more minutes until she finally looked up and saw him.
"What's so funny?" She asked, puzzled.
"Well, you are so cute, and you're not even allowed to drink yet." He kneeled infront of her and took a drink of her Hard Lemonade then gave it back.
Karen giggled, "Opps?"
"Hey we are goin-" Nick started but was interrupted by the phone.
"Hold that thought baby" Karen stood and put her alcohol down on the side table as she gave Nick a quick kiss and grabbed the phone. "'Lo?"
"Nickers!!!!" Britney, Karen's 17 year old sister came into the room as Karen walked away.
"Why do you have to call me that?!" Nick sat in the chair Karen was just in. Britney and Christa, Nick's best friend gave him that nick name at a picnic once. Nick was talking to Brian, Karen, Britney, and Christa while he was eating a snickers candy bar, so they started joking around and called him that. Of course they stuck to it.
"'Cause it's cute hunny" Karen came into the room. "Jazlyn and Veronica are comin' over soon, we are gonna go hit some stores, maybe even pick up some cute guys" She teased as she walked towards the steps. "I'm gonna go get outta these things, I'll be back" She pointed to her pajama's then disappeared.
"Nick you gotta do something" Britney whispered as she turned to Nick, who was taking a drink of Karen's lemonade.
"About..?" He gave her a confused look.
"She's not herself anymore, since Dad died. She drinks to much and is abusive to me" Britney started to cry. She didn't like seeing her sister like that, she was suppose to be her role model. Mr. Hoffman died in a serious car accident a couple months back, and since the girls' mother ran from them after Britney was born, Karen had to be responsible for her sister, since she wasn't 18 yet.
"Brit, I'll try to talk to her. Okay? But she seems fine, she acts like shes always acted. Hell I know you have known her longer than me but I've been dating her for a year now, she isn't different" Nick took another drink.
"Nick! Look!" Brit yelled and pulled up her shirt, revealing her stomach. It had bruises all over it.
"I'll talk to her" Nick tryed to convience Britney. A few minutes later Karen came back downstairs, her short red hair was pulled into to clips on the side of her head, her brown eyes sparkling with a lot of emotion. She was wearing a pair of jean overalls and a baby blue tank top.
"Karbear? I take it you decided not to meet up with me, Christa, and the guys today am I right?" Nick pulled Karen into his lap.
"Well, yeah I guess, sorry baby, but me and the girls are gonna go for a hike." She kissed his cheek.
"I thought you said you were goin' shoppin'?" Britney interrupted as she sat on the couch across from them.
"I did say that, because I was jokin' around with my baby about pickin' up guys' but I am goin' for a hike with my girls," She ran her hands threw Nick's hair.
~~~
"Howie?" Amanda called to her boyfriend. No answer. "Howie?!" She called again, in a sing-song voice. Again, no answer.
She looked around for a few minutes and finally saw Howie passed out on the kitchen floor. "OH MY GOD!!" She screamed as she ran over to him. She tried to shake him awake, no response, so she stood and got a cup of water, while she dialed Nick's phone number. She sat back down next to Howie and dipped her hand in the water and lightly splashed him in the face. Nick wasn't picking up his phone so she hung up and called AJ, while dialing his number she was still trying to get Howie up.
"Yeah?" AJ answered the phone.
"AJ, hurry up get over to mine and Howie's place, it's an emergancy" She screamed and then hung up the phone. By the time AJ actually did show up, Howie was awake, but he was still laying on the kitchen floor, Amanda next to him.
"What? What's the damn emergancy?" AJ yelled as he ran in their house.
"I got home and....and....he was laying here, passed out" Amanda stuttered.
"Howie, man, what happened?" AJ kneeled next to Amanda and Howie.
"Nothin' man, I.. I just got dizzy that's all, I'm okay now." He said quietly as he shoved something into his pant pocket.
~~~
Amy thought it was a nice day and decided she would go walk on the beach. She put on a pair of boot cut jeans and a red baby doll tee, she left her hair down. Once she was down at the beach, she stood looking at the ocean a minute and thought quietly to herself. 'God, just as I remember being here, with Nick. No Amy stop!! Don't think about him anymore,he broke your heart! Oh well, if he didn't like me for me and just for a good fuck then screw him! I don't need him!!' She started walking up the beach again but turned around slowly when she heard that oh-so-familiar voice call her name. Yup. It was him. Her ex-boyfriend just had to show back up in her life at a point like this.
"Nick?" Was all she managed to get out.
"Yup, so, uh...how are you?" Nick replied. 'Damn Nick, make her think you are stupid' He thought, wanting to beat himself up for being so corny.
"Well, not to great, I could be better, what, what about you?" She walked closer to him.
"Fine" He smiled. "So you live down here?"
"Yup, just recently moved back"
~~~
"Hold up guys" Karen said as she stopped and grabbed her ringing cell phone. Jazlyn and Veronica both sat on a rock as they waited patiently for their friend to end her call.
"Yeah, I...ok, uh, yeah..that's fine, alright.....thank you Mr. Henderson, I'll be there, bye" She hung up her cell and sighed. "Guy's, I gotta go on another business trip" She joined her best friends on the rock.
"Again?" Veronica asked, in disbelief. Karen looked up at her and nodded. "Damn!! You just got back!! Hell, if I were you I wouldn't go, I'd prolly either quiet or get fired. Where are you going now?" She brushed her blonde hair out of her face.
"Well, I'm leaving tonight, I'll be gone for three or four days, and I'm goin' to West Virgina" Karen stood up. "Well, we can finish our hike then I'll pack common!!" She pulled her two friends up and they continued on with their adventure.