**Jessica**
"I didn't mean to interrupt you guys."
"Oh, I'm-uh...we..." Kayci was studdering. She almost never studdered unless something was wrong.
"Are you guys okay?"
"Jess, I have to talk to you," Kayci said to me.
"Okay." She stood up and walked over to me. She didn't kiss Nick a couple of times. She didn't even look at him. We walked outside and onto the porch. "What's up?"
**Kayci**
How was I going to tell her? She's going to kill me! She's going to go through the roof! But I guess that I have to tell her about me and Brian.
"What is it? You know you can talk to me."
I started laughing. "It's funny actually. Um, Jess, I'm engaged to Brian."
She just looked at me and her mouth fell open. "What? Wait, what did you just say? What about Nick?"
"Things just got too hard for me. I can't handle him anymore. How can I help him if he's lying to me? I can't give anymore! I don't have anything left within me. Plus, sex was just sex. It was boring. Like we didn't care about each other anymore. There wasn't any love anymore." She slapped her forehead with her hand. Oh God. She was going to yell now.
"Kayci, oh my God! Did it possibly occur to you that when Nick was battling with a seriously major eating problem that he wasn't exactly focusing a lot on sex? Did it occur to you that maybe he didn't want to be in bed with you when he didn't think so highly of his body?" She was absolutely right. Why was I so stupid? Of course, it makes perfect sense! "You have to break it off with Brian. Kayci, this isn't right."
"I know, I just...I can't." She came up to me. I thought she was going to slap me but instead, she put her hands on my shoulders.
"Kayci, you are stronger than this. Do you hear me? You are stronger than this! You are a very strong woman. This isn't you. You don't belong with Brian."
Tears welled up in my eyes and I laughed to keep them back. "You know, Nick said the same thing." I just wanted to cry.
"You should listen to him this time. For once he's right." She laughed. I wanted her to talk to Brian. I just couldn't face him.
"I can't talk to Brian."
"Fine. Hey, the guys were on some special when I was gone. Can I watch it over here?"
"Um, I guess so-"
"Great! Come on."
We walked out of the house and over to her house. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to leave Nick and Brian in one house, alone.
**Jessica**
I sat her down on the couch. This was going to be a test for her. I stared at her intently throughout the entire time. Everytime Brian would come on the TV, she would sing. Whenever Nick would come on, she would turn away and play with her nails. God, she's in deep. As soon as 'As Long As You Love Me' started to come on and Nick started to sing, she jumped up. She grabbed the remote and turned it off.
"I don't want to watch this anymore!"
**Kayci**
Why was she torturing me?
She sighed. "Would you like me to tell him?"
"Tell who what?"
"Tell Brian."
I paused and then nodded. "Would you?"
"Of course. What are sisters for?" I hugged her. She was always there for me. She opened the sliding door and walked into the living room. I just stood in the door way. "Brian! Get in here!" she screamed. He came running in. "Sit down."
"What?"
Just then Nick came in also. "Hey Jess-"
"You sit down, too." He did as he was told. He knew when not to question Jess. "Now Brian-"
My heart raced. I was changing my mind. But I guess it was too late.
"Brian," she continued. "I need to tell you something. I...um...well, Kayci-"
"I can't marry you!" I blurted out. Jess, Brian and Nick looked up at me. I quickly looked at Nick. He was on the verge of smiling but then I looked at Brian. He face was growing steadily redder.
"What?" Brian asked, almost yelling.
Jessica started. "She can't because...because she is..."
"Is still in love with Nick," I blurted out again.
Brian stood up. "Jess, could you excuse us for a second?"
"Yeah. I gotta go unpack anyway." No Jess, please don't leave! You can't leave me now! But she walked out of my house. I bravely closed the porch door and stepped closer into the living room. I slipped the large ring off of my finger and handed it to Brian.
"I'm sorry Brian." I really am. I didn't mean for any of this to happen.
"Sure you are bitch." Whoa, I had never heard him swear before. His words cut like a knife within me. "Yeah, you're real fucking sorry. You're such a slut and you used me."
"You never loved me."
"I love you so much! This is how you treat the people you love? I mean, look what you did to Nick! You told me that you loved me!" I looked down at Nick. I was on the verge of crying. Brian was right. But I had no right to cry, especially in front of him, so I fought it back. "I have to leave anyway. Fuck you, too, Kayci." With that, he left my house, slamming the door.
I looked down at Nick...at his sweet face and his understanding eyes. After everything that had happened...everything we had gone through...he was still here. Right at this moment, I truly know that he is my soul mate but after what I've done to him, I didn't feel right around him. He stood up and tried to come near me, but I stopped him. A tear trickled down my face and with a shaky voice, I told him the truth. "Nick, I wanted to hurt you so deeply that you wouldn't want me back and I wouldn't have to deal with your problems...our problems. I am a selfish, heartless bitch, okay? I know that."
"No-"
"Yes! Please, I just need to be alone. Please?"
"Okay." Nick slowly made his way out of my house and I just watched him leave.
**Nick**
Wow, what had just happened? I figured that I should go talk to Brian. Even though I had been trying to get Kayci back the entire time that she was with Brian, his friendship was still extremely important to me. His car was still outside so I figured he was with Jess and A.J. I walked into their house and found them in the living room. "Hey guys."
"Hey," Jess said. I went and sat down next to Brian. "Hey, man, listen. I don't want you to be angry with me. You're still my best friend and I don't want this to effect our friendship."
I saw his face soften. "It's cool with us, Frack. I'm not mad at you, I'm pissed at her. At Kayci. If anything, you should be furious with me."
"I'm not. Everything's just so confusing right now." They all nodded and we just kinda sat there in silence.
**Kayci**
It had been hours since I had fought with Brian and I was still sitting on the couch. I couldn't move. I had been crying all day long and I didn't have any more left. Now I was just mad at myself. I was so selfish. How could I have done that to Nick? I just wanted him to hate me so badly that he wouldn't want me back and I wouldn't have to deal with any of the problems that we had been facing lately. How could I be so selfish? So cold? So heartless? So...oh just calling myself names was only making me feel worse.
It was dark out. I looked down at my watch. Oh my God. It wasn't ten after midnight, was it? I looked on the VCR. Eleven after. I was kinda hungry so I decided I would make...a sandwich. I turned on the TV and found some late show and then walked into the kitchen.
I had just finished making a turkey sandwich. I grabbed a steak knife and cut it in half. All of a sudden, a hand clamped over my mouth from behind. I clenched the the knife tightly and took a quick but deep slice into their hand. I heard a deep scream. I spun around and dropped the knife. I gasped. "Oh my God!"