Chapter 24"AJ had no right to yell at me like he did."
"Oh come on Toni. You know if it was Kristen and AJ walking in on the two of us we would be yelling at them too."
"You wouldn't be directly yelling at Kristen now would you?"
"You said yourself that this would be the second time you have barged in their house and walked in on the two of them in the middle of something."
"Why the hell are you siding with AJ!" Toni yelled at him.
"I'm not siding with anyone. I'm just saying that before you go to their house maybe next time you should call first."
"Oh yeah, it's all Toni's fault," Toni said sarcastically. "What about you Nick?"
"What about me?"
"What was the deal with Kristen?"
"There was no deal with Kristen."
"When you saw her without any clothes on you were in like complete awe. You never looked at me like that the first time or rather any time you saw me without clothes on. Why don't you just admit that you like the sight of her naked better than me? She's very petite and guys like that sort of thing, including you."
"What the fuck Toni! Is it that time of the month or something?" Nick asked and Toni glared at him for a second before raising her hand and slapping him across the face. "Okay, I'm not going to get pissed off about that," Nick said softly to himself. "What made this whole thing about walking in on Kristen and AJ turn around to me liking Kristen?"
"See you just admitted it!"
"I didn't admit shit! I was just saying!"
"Then why don't you admit it? The only reason you started dating me in the first place was because you thought by dating me you would be able to have another chance with Kristen. You just used me. And you clearly showed that when you saw her today."
"This is the second time you've brought me and Kristen up! Get over it! I am not, I repeat, am not in love with Kristen! I only want her as a friend and nothing more!"
"If you weren't in love with her then why would you have been so in awe to see her naked!"
"You about spazed out when you saw AJ! So stop being such a hypocrite! You don't see me getting on your case accusing you of being in love with AJ!" Nick yelled frustrated. "I think you need to get your head checked or something!" Nick yelled and Toni just stared at him with tears in her eyes.
"You know that was just really sweet Nick," Toni said sarcastically. "I'll just take my hypocritical self that needs to get my brain checked and leave you alone so you can just fuck yourself since you won't be getting shit from me," Toni said going into the room her and Nick shared slamming the door and locking it behind her. Nick was pissed off so he wasn't about to pick the lock on the door and try to talk to Toni. About an hour later Toni came out of the room with a backpack on her back and carrying a duffle bag. She walked by Nick and grabbed her car keys off the table.
"Where are you going?" Nick asked when she was about ready to walk out the door.
"It's none of your business. You know, I thought moving to Orlando and being with you when we started dating was the best decision that I ever made. But obviously I was wrong," Toni said walking out the door closing it behind her. She opened the trunk to her car and put her stuff in it then got in the driver's seat. She sat behind the wheel not starting the car hoping that Nick would try and stop her from leaving. After about five minutes passed she came to the conclusion that Nick wanted her to leave since he wasn't coming after her. She put the key in the ignition turning the car on and pulled out of the driveway and drove away as the tears fell from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She stopped by the nearest gas station to fill her gas tank up and get some snacks and a road map so she could find her way back home to Tennessee.
Nick stayed up all night waiting for Toni to come back home because he figured she was just bluffing to try and get a rise out of him and he didn't want to give her the satisfactory of that. When it was about one o'clock in the morning he began to get really worried since she hadn't come back yet. He picked up the phone and called AJ's to see if Toni was there or if him or Kristen knew where she was. AJ woke up to the phone ringing and looked at the clock and saw that it was one in the morning. The ringing didn't wake Kristen up who was still fast asleep on his chest. He couldn't reach the phone without moving her off him and he didn't want her to wake up so he just ignored the phone letting it ring until the person hung up. After about ten rings Nick finally hung up. He then grabbed his car keys and got in his car and drove to AJ's. A little while later he arrived and noticed that Toni's car wasn't there. He really began to get worried and went and rang the doorbell hoping that Toni was there and her car was just somewhere else. After a few minutes of standing there with no one coming to the door he began pounding on the door and ringing the doorbell like crazy trying to wake someone up so they would answer the door. AJ awoke to all the commotion. "Who the hell is that?" AJ asked himself. After it was apparent that the person wasn't going to go away he gently lifted Kristen off his chest and placed her head on a pillow. He knew that she must be really tired of she was being such a deep sleeper that night. AJ got out of bed grabbing his pants off the floor and putting them out. He went into the living room and turned a lamp on then answered the door to see a panicked Nick on the other side. "At least you knocked this time," AJ said sarcastically. "What are you doing here this early in the morning? The sun won't even be up for a few more hours."
"Have you seen Toni?" Nick asked walking into the house.
"Not since you two stopped by for your little visit earlier, why?"
"Because she's gone. She left and I don't know where she went."
"She didn't tell you?"
"No. When we got home we got into an argument and she left."
"Nick that was over twelve hours ago that you left here! You mean to tell me she left that long ago and you're only now looking for her?"
"I thought she was bluffing when she grabbed her stuff and left!"
"What the hell is wrong with you!" AJ yelled at him. "Don't you know that the whole point in a girl leaving is to see if you'll go after her to find out if you really want her or not and you just blew that whole thing right there!"
"Well I'm not exactly the expert on women here now am I."
"There's no need to state the obvious. What happened between you two to make her leave?"
"We got into a huge argument about me and Kristen. Don't ask because I'm not explaining it. I asked her if it was that time of the month and she smacked me. Then we argued some more and I told her she was a hypocrite and she needed her head checked," Nick said and AJ smacked him upside the head. "What was that for?"
"I'm trying to see if there is actually a brain in there that I can cause some damage to. I swear to God Nick you fucked up majorly."
"Okay I know I screwed up but so do she. Her and I are both at fault here."
"Not in a women's point of view. Nick no matter what you, the man, are always at fault. When are you going to learn that? You screwed up by not trying to stop her from leaving. I once told you when you were dating Kristen and things were getting messed up between the two of you that you would be the stupidest man alive for letting someone as precious as her go. Kristen is that precious in my mind and that is why I said that. So when me and her broke up I still didn't let her go. We both know that Toni is the most precious thing in your life and your being stupid for not trying to keep her."
"AJ you weren't there you don't know what happened! I couldn't exactly go after her and beg her to stay! I have morals you know!"
"Fuck that Nick! You love Toni and you're saying that you have morals that you have to with hold? What is wrong with you! I must be wrong about this whole thing! It's a good thing that you didn't go after Toni because she doesn' t deserve you!" AJ yelled at him and Nick didn't say anything back. Kristen woke up to all the yelling at shouting and she noticed that AJ wasn't there. She got out of bed and walked into the living room to see AJ and Nick standing there.
"What's going on?" Kristen asked tiredly. She went and stood sideways next to AJ leaning her head on his shoulder with her arms around his waist as he put his arm around her waist.
"Nick and Toni got in a fight and she left over twelve hours ago," AJ said.
"What?" Kristen asked taking her head off AJ's shoulder. "Where did she go?" she asked looking at Nick.
"I don't know, I didn't ask her. And I've already gotten enough lecturing from AJ so I don't want you to lecture me too. I'm not in the mood to hear it. I'm just worried sick about where Toni might be."
"There are physco people out this late in Orlando! If something happens to her on accident something will definitely happen to you and it won't be accidental!"
"Kristen calm down. Toni is a smart girl she won't fall into any trouble," AJ said.
"Alright! Enough with the yelling at me already! So I messed up! Now how am I supposed to figure out where the hell she went?" Nick asked. "Come on Kristen you are her best friend you know her better than any of us here."
"I don't know. Did she take anything with her?"
"Yeah a couple bags of clothes and her car."
"Then she probably drove back home to Tennessee. If she doesn't call tomorrow then call her parent's house tomorrow night and I'm sure that is where she will be."
"Are you sure?" Nick asked.
"No, I'm not sure. I'm not physic, Nick. If you want you can just stay here considering I'll probably be the first person she would plan on calling."
"Thanks Kristen," Nick said hugging her and giving her a kiss on the cheek. AJ and Kristen went back into their bedroom while Nick stayed in one of the guestrooms.
The next night Toni pulled into her parent's driveway in Clarksville. She walked up to the front door and tried the door handle and found it unlocked so she entered her parent's house closing the door behind her. "Mom?" Toni asked loudly. Toni's mom, Patty, came out of the kitchen surprised to see Toni standing there.
"Toni what are you doing here?" her mom asked giving her a hug.
"I decided I needed a vacation and I missed you so I figured I would come back home," Toni said faking a smile since she was still upset about Nick.
"You should have called and let me know that you were coming."
"Sorry, it was kind of a spur of the moment decision," Toni said and her mom gave her a weird look.
"Well go put your stuff in your room then come back in here and talk to me about what's been going on with you and Kristen." Toni obeyed and went into her old room and threw her bags on the floor and closed the door behind her when she entered. She looked around her room to see her walls and ceiling practically wall papered with Backstreet Boys posters. Tears came to her eyes when she thought about the argument Nick and her had and how he didn't even try to come after her and stop her from leaving. She hadn't called anyone in Orlando to tell them where she was because she didn't want Nick to know since he probably didn't care. After standing there thinking for about a minute or two Toni went up to one of her walls and began ripping down all the posters of Nick. "Toni?" her mom asked going into her room. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing, I just think that it's time for me to take down all the posters in my room," Toni lied.
"Did you get in a fight with Nick?" her mom asked and Toni just looked at her with tears in her eyes. "Does Nick know that you came back home?"
"No, I just left, he obviously doesn't care about me considering he didn't try and stop me from leaving."
"Toni you know that isn't true. He is probably worried sick about you trying to figure out where you are. You need to call him and let him know where you are."
"Forget it! He screwed up and if he wants to know where I am he can try and figure it out on his own!"
"You don't need to raise your voice to me and I know how you can get sometimes so whatever the argument was about I'm sure you both said some wrong things making it both of your faults. Now call him," her mom said handing her the phone.
"Fine," Toni said after a few seconds and took the phone. "Can you leave my room so I can talk to him in private?" Her mom agreed and left the room closing the door behind her. Toni dialed Kristen's cell phone number and on the third ring she picked up. "Hey sis, it's Toni."
"Toni where the hell are you! We have all been worried sick about you especially Nick!" Kristen yelled at her.
"You don't need to freak out. I'm at home in Clarksville. Please don't tell Nick where I am. If he wants to know bad enough he'll eventually figure it out."
"Toni this is stupid! Nick told me about the argument and you are both to blame so stop trying to turn this all around and make it all his fault because it's not!"
"Listen I'm sorry okay? But promise me you won't tell Nick that I'm back home."
"That is kind of hard considering he has been sitting on my couch just staring into outer space since yesterday morning. He's freaking me out."
"Kristen if you didn't want me to tell AJ something I wouldn't so just don't tell Nick where I am."
"Um, I do recall you telling AJ that I was pregnant after I asked you not to," Kristen said.
"That was completely different. AJ had a right to know that you were carrying his child."
"Yeah well Nick also has a right to know where his girlfriend, whom he happens to love very much, is at. Listen I'll talk to you later," Kristen said then hung up her cell phone. Toni laid down on her bed and looked at the ceiling to see Nick's blue eyes staring back at her from one of the posters. She pulled the blankets back on the bed and crawled under pulling them over her head so she didn't have to look at any picture of Nick as she fell asleep.
