About an hour later, Austin, Howie, Kevin, and Anthony had joined Nicole, Brian, Mercedes, Angel and Linden at the girls' house and were swimming, except for Austin and Nicole who were talking on the grass.
"I wonder where they had to go?" Austin said.
"I don't know, but why did they have to take my boyfriend with them?" Nicole asked.
"You're boyfriend? They took my fianceé!"
"Yeah I know, but they said that they would be back later on today, so it's probably not that important."
"Oh yeah? Later today?"
Nicole nodded her head. "Hey, I'm gonna go swimming. You coming?"
Austin shook his head. "No, I think I'm just gonna go back to the house."
"Oh, see ya later, Austin."
"Yeah, same here." Austin got up and left.
Nicole jumped into the pool.
"Hey, have you guys seen A.J. around lately?" she asked the group. They all shook their heads. Nicole shrugged and started to splash Angel and Howie who were kissing.
"They haven't seen A.J. around lately? Hmm-" said Austin to himself as he walked out the front door, and into the guys' house. As he walked into the house, he saw a familiar person sitting on the couch.
"Oh Austin! I knew that I'd find you here," she said.
"Lucy! What are you doing here? Who's baby is that with you? Who are you babysitting this time?" he asked mad at her for showing her face around here.
"How's Isabella?" Lucy asked looking down at the ground.
"She's fine, and as a matter of fact, we're getting married next week."
"Oh."
"You didn't answer my question," he said going over to the baby. "Who's this little guy? He's so cute!"
"Austin, he's yours." Austin quickly looked up at her.
"He's what?"
The plane pulled into it's place and stopped. The stewardesses opened the doors and people pilled into the aisles trying to get off the plane. Nick was the first one of the four to stand up. He held out his hand to Cassandra, she took it and stood up. Isabella left her seat followed by Jonathan and they walked towards the exit of the plane. Cassandra gripped Nick's hand tighter as she walked close to him and they walked off the plane to.
When Cassandra spotted Jared, she let go of Nick's hand, and ran up to him and hugged him.
"Haven't seen you in a long time!" she said to him.
"I know, same here," Jared said to her. Cassandra called Isabella, Jonathan and Nick over to her and Jared.
"Jared, this is my husband, Nick, my sister, Isabella, and mine and Andrew's best friend, Jonathan. Guys this is Jared." They all greeted each other, and headed to Jared's car.
In the car, Isabella asked, "So why Colorado?"
"Well," Jared explained, "it was always Andrew's dream to live in Colorado. So we decided to bury him out here, and besides, we bought a winter home out here."
"Oh," said Isabella.
"So how far is it, from here?" Cassandra asked.
"Not very far, only about ten minutes," said Jared.
"Oh," said Cassandra.
Nick put his arm around her. "You okay?" he asked her.
"For now," she replied.
Mercedes had gotten out of the pool to get something to drink. She was about to open the fridge, when the phone rang.
"I wonder who that could be?" she asked herself as she picked up the phone. "Hello?" she asked. There was no response. "Hello?" she said again. Still no response. "Look, I'm gonna hang up now."
"Wait," said the deep voice.
"Who is this?"
"Just a person who wants to know something."
"And that would be?"
"I just wanted to know if you still had a bump on your head from the night you hit the metal pole at the beach house."
"What? How did you know about that?"
"Did Nick's little girlfriend take care of his cut? Oh and how is Emalia?"
"Who is this?"
"Remember this. To you, I am nobody. To another, I am everything." With that, the mysterious caller hung up.
"Oh gosh," said Mercedes. "I hate riddles! This person knows something. This may be the person that was there that night and maybe who hurt Emalia! I have to find out who it was."
"Find who what was?" Brian asked her entering the kitchen.
"Um someone just called."
"Who?"
"I dunno," she said shaky.
"What'd they say?" Brian asked getting a little worried.
"First they asked me if I still had a bump on my head from when I hit the metal pole in Andrew's beach house." Brian gasped. "Wait. Then he asked if Nick's little girlfriend took care of his cut, and how Emalia was!"
"Who do you-"
"I'm not done yet. The last thing that they said was, remember this. To you I am nobody. To another, I am everything. I think that this person has information on that night at the beach house, where we live now, and who beat Emalia. I think that all we have to do is follow that riddle. To me, he is nobody, but to another, he is everything. Who could that be?"
"Okay sweetie, calm down. I think that you're taking this a little too seriously. It may be nothing-"
"Yes but it may be something!" Mercedes interrupted reaching for the phone. "I'm gonna call Cass on her cell phone. Maybe she-"
"No Mercedes," Brian said and grabbed the phone from her hands. "Leave her alone for a while. Didn't she say that she'd be back later on tonight?" Mercedes nodded her head. "Don't worry about it. Until then, why don't we go home."
"Brian, I don't-"
"I'll make a romantic dinner on the beach tonight?" he questioned her with a sly grin on his face.
"Oh Brian, all right!" she said and kissed him and they went outside to tell the others that they were leaving.
"What do you mean he's mine?" Austin asked.
"I mean, that you're his father," Lucy stated. Austin began to get worried.
"Oh great," he thought to himself. "This is gonna ruin everything! Unless-" He smiled, a plan entering his mind. "Lucy, you don't like Isabella very much do you?"
"Of course I don't!"
"And you want A.J. right?"
"Of course I do!"
"Well then I have the perfect plan. How good are you at lying to get what you want?"
"Depends on what I'm getting."
"Let's say, A.J., for the rest of your life."
"Then I'm very good at it. Why? I see plan written across your face."
"Oh Lucy, you know me too well. Here's what we're going to do. Do you have a name for your, um, our, baby?"
"Trey."
"Well, from this point on, his name is Adrian-James. Your gonna call him A.J. for short. You named him after his father."
Jared turned onto a highway, but then soon turned off at the next exit. It seemed like they were in the middle of nowhere. Everything looked the same for miles. Cassandra and Nick were quietly talking, but looked up when Isabella gasped slightly. Cassandra's eyes widened as they turned into a cemetery.
When Jared finally stopped the car, everyone was speechless. The five of them got out of the car, and stood there in the fall sun.
"There," Jared said pointing to a head stone. Nick, Cassandra, Isabella and Jonathan grabbed each other's hands and walked forward, while Jared stayed behind, leaning against the car.
They stopped at about six feet away from the head stone. Jonathan and Nick went first. They went up to the head stone and kneeled.
"Andrew, buddy, it didn't have to be this way," Jonathan said.
"I should have done more. I'm sorry Andrew," Nick said. The two of them got up and walked back. Then Isabella and Cassandra took hands and walked toward the head stone. The two of them dropped to their knees before it. Cassandra ran her fingers along the name, and whispered,
"Andrew Allan-" she stopped. She couldn't finish the name. Isabella put her hands over her mouth and tried to hold back tears, but the realisation of what they were doing hit them so hard. They were actually saying good bye to one of their best friends. Isabella and Cassandra hugged each other, and they started crying hysterically. They just sat there for a while, not knowing what to say to each other, nor to Andrew.
Nick and Jonathan went over to the two of them and helped them up from the ground. There the four of them stood. Not realising that the time was just flying by. Not realising that an hour had gone by. They all stood there in a daze, until Jonathan turned around and headed back towards the car.
"Cass, Bella?" Nick asked.
"Yeah, I think we should go," said Isabella. Isabella and Nick turned around and headed back toward the car, but Cassandra took a step forward and kneeled once again before the head stone. She brought her fingers up to her lips, kissed them, and then placed them against the head stone.
"Good bye," she whispered. She got up and walked to the car, not looking back.
On the car ride home, Isabella drove, Jonathan sat next to her in the passanger's seat, and Nick and Cassandra sat in the back.
"You guys, you know what?" Cassandra finally said.
"Hmm?" everyone asked.
"If we just went to say good bye to Andrew, then who is staying with Jonathan right now?"
"You know Cass, I thought the same thing on the way up, but I didn't want to say anything," said Isabella.
"Me too," said Nick.
"Me three," said Jonathan.
"So do you to think I'm insane now?" Cassandra asked Nick and Isabella, with a hint of triumph in her voice.
"I'm sorry that I doubted you," said Isabella. Nick only looked at her and she knew what he was thinking.
"Brian! It's eleven o'clock, can I please call Cass now?" Mercedes begged.
"Fine, go ahead," he gave in.
"Thank you!"
She ran over to the phone and dialed Cassandra's number, her old number.
"Hello?" she heard Nicole.
"Hey, Nikki, is Andy home yet?"
"Who? Oh no. They're not back yet."
"Oh, okay. Just tell her that I called okay?"
"Okay."
"Don't forget? Are you listening to me? Don't forget."
"All right, Mercedes! Good bye!"
"Bye."
Mercedes hung up the phone, and went back and joined Brian on the couch. "She's not home."
"Told ya. Why don't you just call her in the morning. They may be getting in late, and you don't know that Nicole will tell her."
"I guess you're right."
"I know that I'm right," Brian said smiling.
"Oh yeah? Whatever," Mercedes said laughing.
It was around eleven thirty when Isabella pulled into their driveway, she was half asleep. When she looked around, she noticed that Jonathan was asleep, and in the back Cassandra was asleep, but Nick wasn't. Isabella woke up Jonathan, and Nick woke up Cassandra.
"Oh, we're back. I want to go talk to Andrew, or whoever that person is!" Cassandra said jumping out of her car.
"Cassie wait!" Nick said grabbing her arm.
"What Nick?"
"It's late. Maybe you should wait until tomorrow morning."
"Nick's right," Isabella said.
"No, I'm not gonna wait until tomorrow! This can't wait! Jonathan has to go back to his house anyway. You coming Isabella, Nick?"
"Cassie, we shouldn't-"
"Fine, Nick?" He didn't respond. "Fine, I'm going with or without you." She turned around and headed towards the road.
Nick ran after her. "Wait, I'm going with you."
She stopped and faced him. "Why the change of heart?"
"You've said that line to me before. I don't want to hear it again. I'm with you."
"Thank you, Nick. It means a lot to have you with me when I go scream at a stranger." They walked across the street and walked into Jonathan's house. Isabella and Jonathan weren't far behind. Cassandra walked down the hallway and into Andrew's room. She went over to his bed and shook him until he woke up.
"What? What's wrong?" Andrew asked and sat up. Cassandra hit the light switch turning on the lights, and half blinding Andrew.
"All right. Who are you?" she said calmly.
"What do you mean?" he asked seeing Jonathan, Isabella and Nick were there as well.
"I said who are you? The truth."
"Um, hi. My name is Andrew Allan-"
"Stop lying!" Cassandra screamed. Nick stood behind her and grabbed both of her arms, just in case she should freak out at Andrew.
"What do you-"
"No more games! We know that you're not my Andrew! You're name may be Andrew, I don't know, but you're not my best friend! I'll ask you once more! Who are you really?" Andrew took a deep breath. He knew that he couldn't hide anymore.
"Okay, let's go into the kitchen-"
"No, tell me here. Now."
"All right, you may not like what you're gonna hear."
"We're gonna take that risk," said Isabella.
"Well-" started Andrew.
Nicole couldn't sleep. She looked out the window and saw Cassandra's car.
"Oh, they must be back! I think I should go see Jonathan," she said to herself, not noticing that Isabella wasn't in her bed. She slowly got out of bed, threw on some clothes, and walked down stairs.
"Well what?" Cassandra said, now angry.
"Cass, give him some time. Just calm down," said Nick, still holding her arms, now getting a tighter grip on her.
"Okay, here goes. I was sent here to watch you, Cass. I was sent here to make sure that you and Nick were never together. I was hired to break you two up, and it worked when he turned to Julie, but I-I just couldn't. Cass, I fell in love with you, and I didn't want to hurt you like that. You seemed so happy with Nick, and I didn't want to get in the way of that. That's where Mariah comes in. Yes she is your sister, but she was also blackmailed into coming here and helping me break you two up. She didn't want to hurt you either, and that is why she left to go back to L.A."
"Who sent you?" Isabella asked.
"I can't say. But I can tell you something that I'm not supposed to."
"What? What is it?" Cassandra asked.
"You'll have to ask Mariah the next time that you see her. Ask her about her past. If you convince her enough, you'll find out what she's hiding, but I must warn you about what you will hear. You must promise me that you won't blame her for any of it."
"Any of what?"
"Her past! You can't blame her. Just remember, it was an accident."
"What was an accident? Just tell me! Please!" Cassandra begged.
"I'm not at liberty to tell you, I just can't. I will go now. If I were you, I would just make up some story as to why I left. Good bye Cass, good bye everyone. The real Andrew had very good friends."
Ten minutes later, Nicole was running across the street, but she stopped when she saw Andrew getting into a car, and Nick, Cassandra, Jonathan, and Isabella waving good bye to him. She watched him drive off and the four of them walk into Jonathan's house. She ran the rest of the way across the street, and let herself in his house.
"Hey, Jonathan, where'd Andrew have to go?" Nicole asked walking in.
The four of them who were sitting on a couch, looked up. The question took them by surprise. They expected to be faced with this question, but not so soon. They hadn't thought over a good enough response.
"I said, where'd Andrew go? You guys look like you've just seen a ghost!" She laughed, but they didn't find that very amusing. They felt like they had seen a ghost. "Guys, what's wrong?"
"Andrew had to leave," Cassandra answered, staring blankly at the floor.
"Where'd he have to go?"
Nick started to explain this time. "He, uh, went because, uh-"
Cassandra interrupted him. "His father died, and he went back out to Colorado to be with the rest of his family." Isabella, Nick, and Jonathan looked at Cassandra. This was to be the story that they would all have to follow.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I wish I had gotten a chance to say good bye to him!"
"It's okay Nicole," said Jonathan, "he had to leave right away anyway."
"I think that we should go home and get some rest," Isabella suggested.
"Good idea," said Cassandra nodding her head. Nick, Cassandra, and Isabella all stood up. Cassandra gave Jonathan a hug and whispered in his ear, "It'll be okay."
"I hope so," he whispered back. Isabella gave him a hug, and him and Nick shook hands. The three of them walked out of the door, not even realising that Nicole had stayed behind.
"Okay, what's up Jonathan? What was that all about?" Nicole asked.
"Nothing's up. What are you talking about?" he said walking into the kitchen.
"The hugs, the teary good byes-"
"Nothing. Can't good friends say good bye to each other? We haven't hung out in a while. I'm going to bed. You coming?"
"You bet!" said Nicole smiling, but Jonathan didn't smile back.
"No, I'm really going to sleep this time."
"Oh," said Nicole looking down.
"I'll make it up to you, I'm just really tired."