***In The Bus***
"Nina Get up! We're going to check into the hotel, they already took all of our bags in." Nikki blurted quickly as she peered into Nina's Bunk.
"Uhh huh what'd you say?" Nina said finally waking up. She had been up almost all night because Nikki was so excited to finally get back to Washington. Nina had been raised in Washington and knew she didn't really like it. But all of her family was here and her youngest brother will be turning 16 while she was there so she was glad she wouldn't have to disappoint him and miss it.
***Later In The Hotel***
"Nick Carter!! Give That Back!!" Nikki demanded as he held her shoe high above his head. She had no chance of reaching it at all. "NICK!!! Don't Make Me Call Kevin!!" she said knowing he was the only one tall enough to reach her shoe.
"Ahh come on just tell me where you are going and I'll give you your shoe!" Nick said bribing her.
"I told you I am going to see David! Now give me My Shoe!!!" she huffed, now he was really getting her mad.
"Who is David??" he said joking with Nikki. He liked having arguments with his girlfriends, he always thought that it showed the girl wasn't just taking everything. He didn't want a girl that just sat back and didn't ever have her own opinion.
"I Told you that too! And Because you decided not to listen I'm not saying it again!!" she hissed now really mad at him.
"Don't you want your shoe back?" he said being a smart-ass.
"NO! I'll get a Different Damn pair of fucking shoes because you decided to be a stupid fucker today!" she said as she kicked the shoe that she had on her right foot off. She walked over to her closet and picked up a pair of Black and white Nikes and slipped them on her feet.
"Nikki I was kidding!!" he said putting her shoes in her closet. "I didn't mean to get you mad!" he said sorry he had started this fight.
"Nick! Stop ok! You got what you wanted! Ok! You Got me mad! You know that is exactly what you were trying to do so don't Bull Shit and say you weren't because I know you were!" she said as she grabbed her black Nike jacket and stormed out of the room. Leaving Nick sorry, sad and alone.
***Later At Practice***
"Argh!! Nick Bugs me!!" Nikki said as she stared across the stage at him.
"Oh come on Nikki you know you love him to death!! It's not even funny how much you wanna go and give him a big hug." Nina said knowing what her friend was thinking was not anything like what she was saying.
"No I don't Nina! I am still mad at him!! He was being an ass this morning trying to bug me!!!"
"Ok! Ok! You know if he comes over lookin you in your eyes and apologizes, You'll forget he's done anything wrong and take him right back. But Anyways when is David, Cella, And Mom getting here?" Nina said referring to Nikki's Mother who was like a 'second' mother to Nina for over 8 years and her two siblings.
"Oh they said they'll be in time for the concert." She paused and thought for a second and as she did Nick slowly and qutiely tiptoed over to them. Then stopped right behind Nikki about 5 feet away but slowly inching toward her, planning to surprise her. "Mom is pretty bad off with her MS, I feel so bad about leaving her…I might end up staying to take care of her." Nick stopped dead in his tracks as he heard her say she was thinking about staying. He suddenly felt weak in the knees and figured this must have been what A.J. felt like when he thought he had lost Andi.
"You mean You're not going to finish the tour??" Nina said surprised with the sudden news of leaving.
"I don't know. My mom needs help and you know about how helpful Dave and Cella are. I don't know what I'm going to do but if my mother needs help then that's where I belong." She said proving family came first in her life.
"Nikki, would this happen to be something you'd want Nick to know now?" Nina said suddenly seeing Nick standing about 3 feet diagonal from Nikki.
"No, I don't need him all worked up about it until I know if I'm going to, I love him and I don't want him to flip out right now before I'm even sure because if he knows now we won't last at all."
"Nikki, sorry to tell you this Hun but you just might want to turn around." Nina said pointing at Nick who was still standing there in shock. Slowly Nikki turned to face him.
"Nick! Oh my gosh!" she said wishing he hadn't heard anything that she had just said. He had tears welling up in his eyes and he looked like he had just seen a ghost with a look of sheer horror in his eyes. "Nick, I am sorry!! You weren't suppose to hear that!!" she said trying to make things right. But seeing the sadness in his eyes she said "Nick, we need to talk." She said as she walked over to him. She took a hold of his arm and led him over to a corner where she could explain without any interruption from the band or anybody else.
"Nikki you can't leave!! Please don't leave this tour!! I really want to be with you." He said looking her in the eyes as he had always done but this time it was a serious problem, he couldn't charm her into staying with him.
"Nick, you need to understand something. My mother needs me here…" she started and was going to continue until Nick cut her off saying, "What about us Nikki?? What about me?? I need you too."
"Nick you do not realize how selfish you are being right now! I've done this all of my life…There are just some things that have to be done! My mother has MS…She needs some help and until she and my grandparents have enough money to get a house or some place where she can stay in Ohio, I am the one that has to help her."
"Nikki I could give you guys some money so she could get there sooner…hire someone to take care of her. Anything just please don't leave me!!"
"Nick you don't understand!! And I don't think I can explain it so you can because the only thing that matters to you is that I stay with you even if my mother needs help!" she said tearing flowing down her cheeks uncontrollably. She slowly turned and walked away and Nick let her because he knew that she was not happy and needed some time alone. Suddenly he felt someone tap his shoulder and turned around to see Nina.
"Nina, hi." He said wondering if maybe she was there on Nikki's behalf.
"You've got Nikki really upset and no, I know you probably think she sent me to apologize to you but she didn't. She was crying too much to say anything. You need to understand where she is coming from and this has been a big thing in her life forever."
"Ok. I do want to know what she is going through." He said as he sat down Nina sat across from him knowing this would be hard for her to explain because she had been through a lot with Nikki and her mother too. She also knew how much harder it must have been on Nikki when Nick didn't understand her as well as he thought he did.
"Well her mother had been in the Navy for about 12 years before they let her out on a medical which was her MS. A disease that weakness her muscles until she can not move. She was fine up until when Nikki was about 11… from there on out she got very slow and On Nikki's 12th birthday her mother had the flu and could not come to her party which was at my grandparents lake cabin. Well then she tired to call her mother to check on her and when she did she heard something hit the ground and a loud scream. She didn't know what had happened but it shook her up bad. It took hours to get a hold of her mother again and when we did she said she was calling an ambulance. We ended up driving back into town and called one for her. Nikki, my mother, my youngest sister and me went to the hospital and waited about 5 hours. So Nikki has been through hard times all of her life, since her mother couldn't do everything. Nikki had a lot of responsibilities at an early age. Which is why she feels she must do this. She and I were best friends and whenever she needed help I was there for her. But then her stepfather was stationed in Florida and they moved to Orlando. Which is where your teasing and cruel jokes came in. And the fact that you made her feel like she was betraying you by even THINKING of leaving the tour probably made her feel like shit. Even if it was to help her mother as she always has and spend what may be her mother's last year with her. So I hope you are very happy Mr. Carter. You win the award of biggest asshole ever!" Nina said trying her hardest to hold back tears as she explained Nikki's 12th birthday and also trying her hardest not to exploded on Nick as she explained the roles he had played in Nikki's life.
"Whoa, I need to go talk to Nikki. I didn't know…Jeez I am sorry I said anything." He said as he stood up. He felt terrible about what he had just done. Nikki had been trying to explain something that must have been very hard and he only made it harder. When he found her she was still crying. He lowered himself down and sat next to her. Slowly wrapping his arms around her. "Nikki I am sorry for everything I just said. If you have to stay in Washington then that's what you have to do. You've always got a spot on this tour whenever you need it. And you'll always have me to support you." Slowly she wrapped her arms around him her sobs slowly fading.
"Thank you Nick, that means a lot to me…you supporting me."
"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you before. Nina explained it to me and I realize how thankful I should be." He said pulling her closer and tightening the hold.
"Why are you thankful?" she ask, her voice still at a whisper.
"Because I have you. I don't deserve you but I got you so I thank the lord that I have you and we're together. After everything I did and said..." he started but this time he was cut off.
"It's ok Nick! Like you said it was a long time ago." She said as she raised her head to kiss his cheek then sunk back into Nick's warm loving arms.
My Favorite Web sites
Home
Chapter 22
Index
Chapter 24