Just Friends: Chapter 18
Just Friends: Chapter 18
***Mandy’s Point of View***
“How could he have done this to me?”, I sobbed into Brian’s shoulder.
I felt so betrayed, empty, hurt, and worst of all, it felt like someone had ripped out my heart. How could Nick have done that? I thought that we had something special. I had dreamed of us getting married, having kids, and growing old together. And just when that dream started, it was ruined. Not only did Nick betray me, but Kat did too. She had become my best friend since I stopped talking to Larissa, but now she had betrayed me, and become more of an enemy than Larissa.
“I trusted him so much. I never thought that anything like this would happen. And Kat too.”, I said, still sobbing into Brian’s shoulder.
I missed having Brian in my life as much as I did before, and even though I was in so much pain, it felt a little better knowing that I had Brian there with me.
“I dunno Mandy, I trusted him too. He promised me that he would never hurt you, and he usually keeps his promises.”, Brian said, as he wrapped his arm around me.
“Mandy?”, I heard AJ call from outside my bunk.
“Yeah?”, I answered quietly, as AJ opened the curtain and sat down next to me and Brian.
AJ also had tears in his eyes. Kat and AJ had said those three special words for the first time the night before, and the next day she had gone and betrayed him. I gave him a hug, and rested my head on his shoulder. Brian still had his arms wrapped around my shoulders.
“Why don’t you guys try to get some sleep?”, Brian suggested.
“Yeah, we have a show tomorrow and I don’t want to be sleeping through it.”, AJ said giving me a hug, and going off to his bunk.
“Goodnight Brian!”, I said as he tucked me into my bed and kissed me on the forehead.
“Goodnight.”, he said closing the curtain, and going to his bunk.
As soon as Brian left, I felt a sharp pain of lonliness. I wasn’t used to being alone since me and Nick had been together, longer than that, ever since we had become best friends. Not only was our relationship ruined by this, but our friendship was as well. I sighed, and turned over and tried to fall asleep. After a long two hours of tossing and turning, I finally fell into a light sleep.
The Next Day:
I woke up to a bad headache, sun shining in my face, and two arguements. It sounded like AJ and Kat, and Brian and Nick. I groaned and tried to go back to sleep, but after fifteen minutes I realized that was impossible. I got up and walked out to the kitchen where AJ and Kat were arguing. I smiled at AJ while I got myself some breakfast. I heard Brian and Nick arguing from the entertainment room, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I sat down next to AJ while eating my breakfast. The arguement between them seemed to have ended in AJ’s favor, but Kat was still sitting there sulking.
“How’d you sleep?”, I asked AJ.
“Okay, probably the same as you did.”, he answered.
“Yeah, well that was pretty shitty.”, I said cleaning off my plate.
I was heading back to my bunk, when Nick stormed out of the entertainment room, with tears streaked down his face. His frown turned to a look of confusion, sadness, and lonliness at the sight of me, and I’m sure mine did the same. Before he could start to talk to me I ran off the tour bus. I was in sweatpants and a tank top, and my hair was probably a mess, but the tour bus was too small for me with Nick on it.
I walked around aimlessly for about two hours, until I knew that Nick and everyone else would be at the venue. Leighanne would probably be watching and since Kat was Nick’s new dancer, I would have the tour bus to myself. With the exception of Candy, but she was always welcome to be around me. There was a note on the table from Nick. I debated whether or not to read it, and eventually decided on reading it. I took the note and Candy over to my bunk, and opened the note. It read:
Dear Mandy,
I’m not sure that you will even read this, but I hope that you do. First off, I would like to explain what happened. Me and Kat were dancing, and there was a silent moment and I was getting ready to leave when Kat pulled me back and started kissing me. I admit that I did not push her off, but I did not kiss back. I had my eyes open, and I felt no connection or passion for her. I know that I should have pushed her off of me, and believe me I would give anything to take it back, but that can’t happen. Second of all, I’m not even going to even bother to start apologizing in this note because we have to be at the venue in about one minute and it would take me much longer to write those words. I have those words, but I want to say them to you face to face, so please come to the concert tonight. If you ever do anything for me ever again, let coming to this concert be it. Make sure that you’re backstage ten minutes before the end of the show. I still love you and I hope that you will be there.
Love Always,
Nickolas Gene Carter
I took a deep breath when I finished reading the letter. Now I was even more confused than before. I knew that he wasn’t lying, and that was what actually happened. But could I forgive him even though it was just an accident? He was right that he should have pushed her off, but what would I have done if that same thing happened with me and AJ? I took another deep breath, and rushed all of these questions out of my head. I looked down at my watch and saw that the concert was just getting started. I changed out of my pajama’s into a pair of flared khaki’s and a dark green tank top. I brushed my hair and put it up into a messy bun. I grabbed Candy’s leash, and put it on her and we walked over to the venue together.
***Nick’s Point of View***
The last song that we had planned was just about to start and I was getting pretty nervous since Leighanne hadn’t signaled to me that Mandy was there yet. I had solved things with AJ, and I was hoping that things with Mandy could be solved after I dedicated the song that I had written for her, to her. Brian and me had an arguement this morning, and things still weren’t solved between us but you just have to give it time. About one minute into the song Leighanne gave me a thumbs up sign, signaling that Mandy was there. A smile appeared on my face as I looked over at AJ, who smiled back knowing that Mandy had gotten here. We finished the last song, and everyone exited the stage except for me. I stood center stage until the lighting person realized that I was still standing there and turned a spotlight on me. Screaming from fans erupted as they saw me standing there and I forced out a smile.
“I know the concert was supposed to end after that last song right there, but you see me and my girlfriend got into a fight last night and now she’s not talking to me.”, a lot of “aww’s” erupted from the crowd, “And I wrote this song for her so maybe she’ll talk to me again.”
The band started playing the music and I turned to face backstage and I saw Mandy standing there. I motioned for her to come on stage, but she wasn’t moving. So I started singing while facing her backstage. The song was called “Back to Your Heart” (Author’s Note: I know that Kevin wrote that song, not Nick, but for the sake of the story we’ll pretend that Nick did), and it was about a couple who had gotten into an arguement and the guy had screwed up and now he wanted to get her back.
I sang with passion and I didn’t care that there were tears running down my face, as long as I got my point across to Mandy. I couldn’t see her face during the song because it was dark, but I hoped that it was working. As the song finished and music faded out Mandy came out on stage and the audience cheered as we kissed.
As soon as our lips touched I felt safe again. I no longer had the feeling of emptiness and lonliness lingering through my body. As we pulled away my body ached for more, but now was not the time. We walked off the stage with our arms around each other and everyone was smiling at us, except for Brian who looked really upset. Then finally I knew why he was so upset. He was so mad at me before because he thought that we had lost our virginity and then this had happened, and he felt like he was losing her even more. And then when Mandy wasn’t talking to me, he had gotten her back and she was his little sister again, but now that we’re together again he’s lost her again.
I went to go talk to Brian, but he disappeared somehow. He must have went to the tour bus. I decided I would talk to him later, right now I wanted to be with Mandy.
“I love you so much. I’m so happy that you forgave me, it will never happen again.”, I said looking down at her and kissing her.
“It better not!”, she said back with a laugh.
Leighanne smiled at us and gave us a hug, but she nervously walked out to the tour bus. I guess I wasn’t the only one that had noticed Brian’s upset attitude. AJ just whispered something to Mandy which made her laugh, and left with Kat following behind him and trying to get his forgiveness. Howie and Kevin had already gone to the tour bus so it was just Mandy and me. I didn’t feel like going to the tour bus yet, so we walked over to a bench and sat there.
“Tomorrow is Larissa’s birthday.”, she said with no expression in her voice or face.
I knew she missed Larissa, but she would never admit it.
“Really? Are you ever going to talk to her?”, I asked.
“I dunno, I guess we should work things out.”, she said looking at me.
“I am really sorry about what happened. You know that it will never happen again. You’re the only one for me.”, I said, deciding to change the subject.
“I know that Nicky. You’re the only one for me too.”, she said as we leaned in for a kiss.
We talked for about an hour. Nothing imparticular. Mandy was going to start applying to colleges for next September, she had promised her parents that she would take no more than a year off, and it was now November so she had to start applying for next year. Just when she started talking about which ones she wanted to apply to, Kevin came and told us that we had to get on the bus so we could get going.
We got on the bus, and went directly to sleep. We were both really tired. I fell asleep thinking about what to do about Brian. Ever since I had gotten with Mandy, mine and Brian’s frienship had seemed to be falling apart, but I couldn’t end it with Mandy, I also couldn’t end my friendship with Brian. I sighed and turned over to my other side, causing Mandy to stir, but she quickly fell back into her deep sleep. I thought about what to do, and decided just to stop worrying about it, and talk to Brian tomorrow and take it from there. I fell into a light sleep, but slept through the night.
When I woke up the next morning, I was alone in my bed, so Mandy must have been awake already. I heard yelling, but couldn’t make out the voices, I figured it was just AJ and Kat, so I rolled over to my side and went back to sleep. When I couldn’t fall back asleep, I got up, and realized that it wasn’t AJ and Kat, but Brian and Leighanne who had been fighting. Just as I got up the arguing stopped, and I saw something I never thought that I would see....