CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
"No, no, stop Trent! Someone help me please!" you yelled. Trent was ready to rip your top off when you sat up in a cold sweat. "Baby, what is it?" Nick asked, placing his arms around you, trying to clam you down. "Trent...he...I...dream...real..." you blurted out between your sobs. "Shhhh sweetie, it's ok. Everything is gonna be ok. I am here and Trent is in jail. It's all over." Nick whispered consolingly. He tried to reassure you the best he could while you cried on his shoulder for a few minutes until the phone rang. Nick got up off of the bed and looked at you. "I'm gonna get that. I'll be right back, ok?" You nodded. "Yeah, ok." Nick went to get the phone while you got up and went over to the window, sitting on the ledge and brining your knees to your chest, resting your chin on them. Meanwhile, back with Nick and the phone. "Hello?" he finally answered on the fifth ring. "Nick?" the person on the other end asked. "Yeah. Leigh is that you? You sound like you are crying. What's wrong?" he questioned. "Nick, you and ****** need to get down here right now. It's Kris. She...she's not good. There is something wrong and we need you here." Leighanne explained sadly. "What? What's wrong Leigh?" Nick demanded. He was growing rather concerned for his friend. "Nick, just get down here, ok?...and hurry." she pleaded. "Yeah, ok. We're on our way." Nick said, hanging up the phone and running into the bedroom. "******, get dressed. We need to get to the hospital now!" he hurriedly told you all in one breath as he pulled his pants up. You just looked at him in confusion. "Why? What is it?" you asked nervously. "I'm not sure baby, but that was Leigh on the phone and she didn't sound too good, so hurry ok?" Nick answered. "Ok." You ran into the bathroom and got dressed in less than a minute, and you had never gotten dressed that fast in your life. When you were finished, you ran out and said "I'm ready. Let's go." Nick grabbed your hand and the two of you ran to his Durango. The trip to the hospital seemed to take forever. One thought kept going through your mind, and you couldn't help but to assume the worst. Finally, after what seemed like 100 years, the two of you got to the hospital. Nick hadn't even put the car in park yet when you had flung the door open and went running into the hospital. You didn't even bother to close the door behind you. Your feet carried you as fast as they could and you ran straight to the information desk. Nick was right behind you. "My friend, where is she? I need to know. Tell me damn it, tell me!" you yelled at the lady sitting behind the desk. "Ma'am, I need you to clam down." she stated patiently. "What is your friends name?" "Kristin Richardson" Nick said, a bit out of breath. He put his hand on your shoulder. "Ahhh yes, your friend, ummm, Leighanne I believe she said her name was, informed me you'd be coming. She is right over there." the lady said. You followed the woman's gaze to see a very sad Leighanne sitting with her feet up and her chin resting on her knees. "LEIGHANNE!" you called. Leigh looked up. "Oh ******, Nick...thank god you're here. Kris is on her last leg and she keeps asking for you." "Me?" you asked quietly when you saw Leighanne looking at you. "Yeah, come on." she replied. You and Nick followed her up the stairs to the third floor, where all the others sat waiting. "*******, please go see her. She needs you." Kevin begged, tears evident in his eyes. "Ok. Wh...." you began. "Third room on the right." Brian answered before you could get the rest of your sentence out. You walked to the door, taking a deep breath before you opened it. You felt a hand on your shoulder right as you started to walk in. "Her liver was slashed." Kevin said as you turned to face him. "Oh God Kev, I am so sorry. If I hadn't went to the bathroom...." He shook his head. "No ******. This is not your fault. You had no idea that Trent was going to be there. The doctor said she doesn't think Kris will make it through the night." "Kev, I am here for you." you whispered sadly as you gave him a hug. "Yes, I know, and I am here for you too." he said with a half smile. You just smiled back and held onto his hand. Giving your hand a tight squeeze, Kevin returned your smile and walked off. Once again, you took a deep breath and you walked in to Kristin's room.....CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:The sight you saw before you when you walked in seemed unreal. Kristin had a tube coming out of her throat that was helping her breathe and she had various other wires coming out of other parts of her body. You walked over and bent down, kissing her forehead. She opened her eyes and smiled at you the best she could. "Hey Kris." you greeted softly as you picked her hand up and held it. "*******, it was a baby and a party." Kristin whispered. You pulled up a chair and took a seat beside her bed. "What?" "I was pregnant and we were gonna throw you and Nick a party for your anniversary." she said. You continued to look at her in confusion. "At the club? Remember the two questions you never got answered?" she explained. "Ohhh! Thanks." you said. "Uh, Kev said you wanted to tell me something?" "Yes, I did. Make that asshole pay for what he has done, and please....", she began to cough, "...please...(more coughing)....take care of Kev for me and tell him that I love him. Promise me!" Kristin asked as she continued to cough. "But Kris, you can tell him..." you began, only to be cut off. "NO ******! Promise me, please!? You are my best friend and I love you. Please promise me." she pleaded as she coughed some more. Not wanting to get her worked up, you agreed to do what she asked. "Ok, I promise Kris." She smiled at you. "Thanks!" Suddenly, you heard all this beeping and then an eerie silence crept over the room as the grip Kristin had had on your hand loosened. "Kris?" When she didn't respond, you shook her gently. "KRIS!?" you screamed, but it was too late. She was gone. One of your best friends in the world had just died right in front of you. You kissed her hand and walked out of the room with a lost look on your face. You walked into the waiting room where all of your friends looked up at you when you entered. Kevin immediately noticed the look on your face and called out to you. "*******?" "Baby, what is it?" Nick asked nervously. You just began to cry uncontrollably as you fell to your knees. Nick was at your side in an instant, holding you and rocking you in an attempt to calm you down. "Kristin...is she ok?" Kevin questioned. Slowly and sadly, shook your head no. "I'm sorry! She's gone!" you replied as you looked down. You couldn't stand to look at Kevin, but still you could feel the expression of horror on his face. "She's what?" he asked in shock, unable to believe what he had just heard you say. "She...she is... gone, Kev! I am so sorry!" you repeated. "Oh my God!!" Kevin gasped and began to cry, as did Leighanne and Julie. Everyone was absolutely devastated. A week later, you all stood in front of many friends and family members and said your final goodbye to Kristin Willitts Richardson and her unborn child. The whole week preceeding this day was rough on everyone, especially Kevin. He just kept avoiding you. Every time you would try to talk to him, he would walk off. Now the funeral had come and gone. All of you guys gave Kevin and Kristin's family as much support as possible and you tried talking to Kevin every chance you got, but every time you tried, he would walk away from you without saying anything. A few months had went by since Kristin had passed away and you kept having this dream about her. All you see and hear is her standing there saying, 'remember your promise.' You remembered alright, and you damn well intended to keep it too. Trent's trial was still a month away and the guys were going back on the road in about a week. One day, Nick decided he was going to go shoot some hoops with Brian and AJ and he asked you if you wanted to come. You told him no because you already had other plans. After he left, you went to the key rack and grabbed the keys for Nick's Viper. You knew that he wouldn't mind you borrowing it because other than him, you were the only person he would ever allow to drive it. Carefully you pulled out of the driveway and sped off towards your destination....Kevin's house. When you got there, you pulled up in front of the house and walked to the door. You knocked, and a moment later he opened the door. "Hi. Can we talk?" you asked...CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:"Umm, yeah, I guess. Come in." Kevin replied, moving aside and letting you in the door. You walked in and waited for Kevin to shut the door. He shut it and you guys walked into the living room. "Have a seat." he said quietly. You gave him a small smile and took a seat on the couch."Thanks." "So...?" Kevin inquired, curious as to what you might want to talk to him about. "Yeah, so....well look Kev, we need to talk." you said. Kevin just looked at you blankly. "About?" "About the way you have been acting." you told him simply. "I am still not sure what you are talking about *******." he admitted, and you just looked at him in disbelief. He knew exactly how he had been acting, always blowing you off like everything that had happened was your fault. "You're not sure? Well, first of all," you said as you stood up, "you have been going around ignoring me, and secondly, everytime I try to talk to you, you walk away from me." You sat back down and continued to talk as the tears began to form in your eyes. "Kev, I need...I need to know something." "What? What is it *******?" Kevin asked, putting his arm around you as he took a seat beside you. "I need to know if...if...," you took a deep breath before finishing, "if you blame me for Kristin's death." "What? Oh my god, no. No ******! Why would you even think that?" he questioned. "Well, like I said, you have been ignoring me and avoiding me." you explained. "Oh, not intentionally sweetie, I swear! This has all just been really rough on me, and I...." he started, but you cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "Kev, I know this is tough on you but..." you countered, only to be interrupted by Kevin. "No buts ******! I am sorry if I have been ignoring you, but I am in pain. I lost someone that I love more than anything in the world and I need some time. You can't possibly know how I feel. I need time." he said. "Know how you feel?" you repeated, standing up yet again. "Oh Kevin, I do know how you feel. Believe me I do. I know that I've never told any of you guys this except Nick, but...but," again you are beginning to cry, "but I lost my parents and my boyfriend in a car accident two years ago. Do you know how that feels? Well you do now. It hurts Kev, I know, but you have got to move on with your life and not shut people out that care about you like you are right now. We all love you Kevin, and we are here for you. Just know that, and if somehow you do blame me for Kris's death, then I am so sorry, but please don't shut me out of your life! You are one of my best friends and, just like you, I lost someone I love. Kris was my friend too, and I can't help but think that if I never would have met you guys, then none of this would have happened and Kris would still be alive today. I am sorry Kevin, so very sorry!" By now you were sobbing, so you put your head down in your lap to try and calm yourself down a bit. Kevin was absorbing everything you had said to him. You were right, he had been shutting his friends out and he didn't blame you for Kris's death at all, so he had to tell you how he felt. "******, hun I don't blame you first of all, ok?" he said gently as he put put his hand under your chin and lifted your head up so that you were looking him in the eyes. "And secondly, you are right. I had no idea about your parents and boyfriend. I'm sorry. I never even thought that anyone else was, or could be hurting but me. I was wrong. You are one of my best friends too and, again, I am so sorry for what I've been putting you through, but hey, I don't want you to ever say again that you shouldn't have met us, because yes you should have. You are an awesome girl and just think of it this way. If you never would have met us, you wouldn't have Nick now. You two are lucky to have each other. I am sorry again. Can you forgive me? PLEASE?" He was almost pleading with you now, and you smiled at him. "Of course I can. Just promise not to shut me out anymore, ok? I am your friend and if you ever need to talk, I am here." "Ok." he agreed. "Feel better now?" "Yes, much. So what are you doing today?" you asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit and change the subject as well. "Nothing, why?" he replied. "Because Nick, Brian and AJ went to play some basketball. You wanna go join them?" you asked. He thought for a moment, and then said, "Sure. I need to get out of the house for a while." "Great! Let's go then. I'm driving." you said excitedly. "Ok, let us go then." he laughed. The two of you walked out to the car and Kevin just looked at you with a shocked expression on his face. "What?" you asked innocently, knowing full well what was about to come out of his mouth. "The Viper?? Girl, Nick is gonna flip! He won't let anyone touch that thing. It's his baby." he reminded you. "Yeah, no one but me. I'm his baby too, so get in." you said with a mischievious grin on your face. "Yes ma'am." You guys got in and you drove to the school where Nick and the rest of the guys were. As soon as Nick saw you walking towards them, he came running to you, picked you up, and spun you around. "Hey baby!" he greeted in a sexy voice. "Hey yourself." you said, smiling at him. You guys shared a kiss and heard some awwws coming from the guys as you did. "So you got Mr.Lonely out of the house I see." AJ commented once you and Nick finally separated from each other. "Yeah, and it wasn't easy either. I had to hog tie him and drag him here." you teased. "Ahhh, no surprise there." Brian said, and everyone laughed. "Well, I didn't come here to chit chat, I came to play some b-ball. Let's get to it!" Kevin protested. "Right on, Kev." AJ agreed. "Coming love birds?" he asked, looking towards you and Nick. "Not now. We'll be there in a little bit. Right now I want to talk to my man alone." you answered. Brian shrugged. "Suit yourselves. Let's go guys." The boys headed back to the court to play and you turned to Nick. "So, what happened at Kevin's?" he asked. "Where do I begin....?"CHAPTER NINETEEN: "How about from the beginning? That is where most people start from." he teased. "Smart ass!" you said as you smacked him playfully in the arm. "We talked and basically came to the realization that he had been ignoring me and he said he was sorry and now we are friends again, so all is well." "It is?" he asked. "Yep!" you replied with a smile. "Well, I am glad that you are ok with Kevin and all, but are you ok with yourself?" he questioned. You didn't know what to say to that. You thought you were ok, but deep down the things that had happened recently had a deeper impact than you could explain. "Yeah, yeah. I am perfect!" you lied, just to cover your real feelings up for now. You told yourself that you would figure out what was wrong later. "Ok, great. Let's go whip these three losers in some basketball then!" Nick yelled excitedly while running towards the others at the basketball court. You just laughed and ran after him. The rest of the week went by kind of fast for you. The guys left to go on tour and you decided to stay behind. You really needed to do some soul searching, and to do that you needed to be alone. Nick was reluctant to leave you because all the other girls were going, but you assured him that you would be fine. Three days after Nick had left, you went to the cemetery where Kristin, as well as your parents and old boyfriend were buried. The first grave you stopped to visit was your old boyfriend's. You took a seat on the grass next to his head stone and began to talk to him. "Hey Josh. I miss you so much. You must know that I have moved on with my life though. I have a wonderful new boyfriend now. His name is Nick." You proceeded to talk to Josh, and attempt to finally bring closure to that chapter of your life, and then you went to visit your parents' graves, and then you finally stopped at Kristin's grave. You sat down on the bench in front of it that everyone had chipped in to buy, then taking a deep breath, you began to talk to her, just as you always had before she died. "Oh Kris, I am so confused! I love Nick so much, but I am so scared to go to the next level with him. It's not like he has asked me to marry him yet, but I don't think I could even if he had, and I don't know that I would ever be able to. I love him, but I am scared of losing him just like I have lost everyone else important in my life...like you. You always made things easier on me. You were my shoulder to cry on and I miss you so much. Damn Trent! If only... Ugh, listen to me. I am talking to a grave, and now I'm talking to myself. ******, get a grip on yourself. It's not like Kristin is just going to appear and talk to you." Right about then, you heard someone call your name...The tour was going slow for Nick. He missed you, and what made it worse was that all the other guys had their girls with them. He was walking down the hall to the hotel where the guys were staying when he heard a noise come from behind him. He turned around to see a fan standing there. He smiled at her, but why? The girl approached him slowly but excitedly. "Hi, I am Kilee." she greeted. "Nice to meet you." Nick said with a smile. The two of them began talking and somehow they ended up back in Nick's room. "You know, you are so easy to talk to." Nick told her. "You too. I feel like I have known you forever." Kilee agreed happily. Nick didn't know how or why, but when she said that, he leaned in and kissed her. Something about it just felt right, so he continued. The next morning, Nick was awakened by a loud scream. He opened his eyes to see a very distraught Leighanne standing there. "Who is that!?" she demanded. Uh,..She...I...we..." Nick stammered, not knowing what to say, and it was then that the realization had hit him. He had just slept with another woman!You turned around to see Kristin. It was a ghostly looking Kristin, but none the less it was definitely her. "Kris?" you asked quietly in disbelief. "Yes, it is me. I am trapped here ******, and you are the only one who can help me." she said. You both sat down and she told you exactly why her soul was trapped...unfinished business. You heard all that she had to say and agreed to help her, but you couldn't do it on your own. The boys were going to be in California the next day, so you went home and packed then, booked the next flight there. You needed Nick and Kevin's help on this one."Well, who is this?" Leighanne repeated, growling at Nick. "Kilee, I think you should go." Nick said to the girl next to him, still avoiding Leighanne's question and her angry stare. "But...." Kilee began. "Did Nick tell you that he had a girlfriend?" Leighanne asked her, interrupting her before she had a chance to finish her sentence. "What? NO! Ughh!!" Without another word to Nick, Kilee grabbed her clothes and left. As soon as the door closed, Leighanne pounced on him again. "I can't believe you slept with her Nick! Don't you care about ****** at all?" "Yes I care about her!" Nick defended. "I am totally disgusted with you. And what is ****** gonna think when she finds out?" she questioned. "Nothing, because she is not going to find out about this. Please Leigh, no one needs to know." he pleaded. Reluctantly, Leighanne agreed to keep his secret. "Fine Nick, I won't tell her, but I think you should." "I will in time." he said. Leighanne just rolled her eyes. "Whatever!" she sighed, and then she left. The next day the plane landed and you caught the first taxi to the hotel. You got in with no problem because just by luck, you spotted Julie and AJ as they were walking in. AJ showed you to Nick's room and you knocked on the door. Nick was watching TV when he heard the knock. He got up and answered the door. "Hey babe!" you said cheerfully as he opened it. "******?"....CHAPTER TWENTY:"*******?" Nick asked, a bit shocked but happy none the less. You smiled at him, dropped your bags and hugged him as you replied, "I missed you!" "I missed you too baby, but what are you doing here?" he questioned nervously. "Well, you are not going to believe this but it is because of Kristin." you replied. Nick just looked at you, confusion and disbelief evident on his face. "Excuse me?" he said. "What room is Kev in because I need him to be here for this too? I will explain when he gets here." you told him as you walked over to the phone. "What room Nicky?" He didn't answer. "Hello!? Earth to Nick!" you teased as you hung the phone up and waved your arms in front of his face. "Oh, huh? I'm sorry, I was spacing for a second." he laughed, blushing slightly. He was still in shock over you showing up at his door just now, and considering the events of the night before, to say he was scared of what might happen would be an understatement. "I asked you what room Kevin was in?" you repeated. "Are you feeling ok?" "Ummm, yeah, I am great. Kev is in room 556." he lied, quickly changing the subject. "Ok, thanks." You smiled and gave him am kiss that was long, sweet, soft, and passionate. "There now, feel better? you asked, smirking up at him. " Yeah, I would say that definitely helped." he answered. You just smiled and went back to the phone to call Kevin's room. A few minutes later, he come up to Nick's room and you explained your situation to the two of them. They agreed to help in anyway they could. Later on that night, you were sitting backstage with all the guys just chatting when you noticed that Leighanne kept looking over at you and Nick and giving you guys weird looks. It was like she was trying to stare a hole through Nick or something. "Uh, Nicky, what is wrong with Leigh? She keeps staring at us like we have the plague or something." you whispered in Nick's ear. He shrugged. "It's hard to say." he said, lying to you once again as he silently cursed himself. Never, not once had he ever lied to you before. Never doubting his answer or thinking that he had anything to hide, you replied, "ok", but you made a mental note to talk to Leigh after the show to see what was up. When the guys went out on stage, you, Leigh and Julie all took your seats in the front row of the arena. The stage went black, one single spotlight came on, and it was then that you realized that Nick was the only one standing there. "Hi everyone!" he greeted. "I am going to do a new song tonight from my soon to come solo album. I really wanted to do this song tonight because there is someone special here tonight. ****** baby, I love you!" He pointed to you and smiled. "This is for you. It is called 'I Got You'. Enjoy!" Then the music started. People tell me, you stay where you belong But all my life I’ve tried to prove them wrong They say I’m looking for something that can’t be found They say I’m missing out when my feet don’t touch the ground But there are moments when you can’t deny what’s true Just an ordinary day, like when I met you It’s funny how life can take new meaning You came and changed what I believed in The world on the outside’s trying to pull me in But they can’t touch me ‘cause I got you I got you, oh yeah I want to thank you for all of the things you’ve done And most for choosing me to be the one It’s funny how life can take new meaning You came and changed what I believed in The world on the outside’s trying to pull me in But they can’t touch me ‘cause I got you I got you, oh yeah And it hits me when I reach for you That I’m afraid you won’t be there Maybe I am in too deep, but I don’t care (I’m right where I belong) I got you, yeah (and now we proved them wrong) I’ve got you, yeah (you can’t deny what’s true, no) And they can’t touch me baby (now that I got you) I got you, I got you (I’m right where I belong) oh yeah I’ve got you baby (and now we proved them wrong) (You can’t deny what’s true) Now they can’t touch me ‘cause I got you As he finished the song, he looked down at you and saw that you were crying. He then looked over at Leighanne who had a smug look on her face. Nick knew right then that he had to tell you, and soon, or the whole relationship would be over. The concert soon ended and you ran to catch up with Leighanne afterwards. "Hey Leigh, wait up a sec." you called after her. She stopped and spun around. "What?" "Dang girl! Are you ok? Did I do something?" you asked, surprised at the way she had been acting all evening and by the tone of her voice just now. "No, you didn't do anything, but that so called boyfriend of yours did." she replied. "What is that supposed to mean?" you asked, confused. "******, let's go sit in our dressing room. We need to talk." Leighanne said. "Ok..." you agreed, following her. "So what is it?" you asked once you were both inside the dressing room, sitting down, and sure that there was no one in the room but the two of you. Leighanne took a deep breath and then sighed. "What I am about to tell you is going to change your relationship with Nick forever, and you gotta promise that you're not to get mad at me for being the one to tell you." "I promise Leigh, just tell me." you pleaded, beginning to feel the butterflies in your stomach as you anticipated what she might have to say. Leighanne hesitated, and then took another deep breath. Was she doing the right thing?.......© Copyright 2002 All Rights Reserved. No part of this text may be copied or reprinted without the author's permission.
Chapters 21-25
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