Brian Littrell was sitting upstairs in his office when he heard the sharp squeal of tires in the driveway and looked out the window. He saw Nick's Durango take off at top speed, and his little sister sat on the lawn with her head in her hands, looking impossibly small in the vast lawn. Something obviously wasn't right. Brian walked downstairs and out the front door. "Panda Bear?" he asked softly.
Ananda looked up at her older brother with tears in her eyes. "Hey B-Rok," she managed through her sobs.
Brian dropped to his knees beside his little sister. "Are you okay?" he asked, pulling her into his arms.
"No," Ananda sobbed into his shoulder.
They just sat there for a minute, in the green expanse of their front yard, Ananda crying her heart out and Brian holding her tight in his arms, rocking her back and forth like he did when she was little.
*****
Ananda sat on the bed with the phone in her lap. She stared at it, silently willing it to ring. This had been going on for some time now.
Earlier she had spilled everything to Brian, right in the front yard. He had been very understanding, and suggested she call Nick. But Ananda had the distinct feeling he wouldn't want to hear her voice right now. The phone rang loudly, startling her. She picked it up quickly. "Hello?"
"Hey girl."
Ananda's heart sank. It was Craig. "Oh. Hi. Craig."
"Listen are you still mad about after school?"
Ananda didn't feel like dealing with him right now. "I gotta go Craig. Talk to ya later." And hung up.
Aggravated, she carried the phone back to her dresser where it belonged... then paused when she saw the picture of her and Nick.
They had been at a formal restaurant in Paris not too long ago. Ananda was wearing a Titanic-era yellow dress that enhanced the color of her hair. Nick was in his brand new tuxedo that he had bought just earlier that day.
Seeing the picture brought the day's harrowing events back in a rush of vivid memories. Ananda had never seen him so angry. And it was all her fault. Tears rose to her eyes again when she recalled the harshness of Nick's voice when he told her to get out of the car. She grabbed the picture from the dresser and stroked Nick's smiling face as her tears fell on the frame.
