“That’s a pleasant greeting. Rise and shine, Chris,” Sandra said loudly. She turned off the alarm and got out of bed.
“Someone is in a good mood this morning,” Christine grumbled. She dragged herself up and stumbled into the bathroom to shower.
After showering, Christine realized she didn’t know quite what to wear. She pulled on her bathrobe and stepped out of the bathroom. “Sandra, what do I wear? Should I wear dancing stuff or do we change at the studio?”
“Wear regular clothes and then you’ll get a leotard and tights to change into from Fatima,” Sandra replied. She was already dressed in a pair of wide legged khakis and a navy blue tank top.
Christine pulled a pair of dark blue denim flares and a black ribbed shell top out of her suitcase. She quickly changed, styled her hair, put on makeup, and went downstairs for breakfast.
“Hey, Chrissie,” Brian said. “I can call you that, right?”
“Yeah, sure,” Christine yawned. She rubbed her eyes for the sixtieth time that morning and stumbled to her chair. “Is there any orange juice?”
“Hangovers aren’t much fun, are they?” he asked, raising his eyebrows and handing her a glass of orange juice.
“Thanks. No, they’re not, and I’m never getting drunk again. It doesn’t help that I’m not much of a morning person in the first place, either,” Christine muttered. She grabbed a bagel and spread cream cheese on it.
Nick, who had also gotten pretty drunk the previous night, but not as drunk as Christine, came stumbling into the room, still wearing his khakis and black hoodie sweatshirt that he had worn to the clubs. He groaned when he saw the food. “I don’t think I can keep anything down,” he muttered to Brian. Christine looked away and rolled her eyes. If she could eat, so could he. How melodramatic could he be?
“That’s why you don’t get drunk on a Sunday night before dance rehearsal,” Brian chuckled. “Come on, Nick. You have to eat something. You’ll have no energy at rehearsal. Why don’t you at least try some toast?”
Knowing that Brian was right, Nick sat down and grabbed a piece of toast. He stopped suddenly when he realized that Christine was there. “You look like shit,” he mumbled.
Christine sighed. “You think you look much better? At least I’m showered and dressed.” That shut him up. She rested her chin on her hand after finishing her bagel and yawned.
“We have to be on the vans in ten minutes!” Fatima shouted. Granted, they had the studio all day, but first of all, she didn’t want to waste any time, and second, she didn’t want them to think they could be late for rehearsal every day. Dancers needed discipline. Fatima, of course, didn’t know that Nick and Christine had hangovers.
“Ten minutes?” Nick yelped, jumping out of his chair. He ran to the elevator and pressed the button impatiently.
Christine shook her head. After about five minutes, she looked at Brian and broke the silence. “So what’s up Nick’s ass now?” she muttered bitterly.
“Just ignore him, Chrissie. He’s obviously in a bad mood. Plus, he has ten minutes to shower and get ready. A girl should know how terrible that is,” Brian teased.
Laughing, Christine stood up. “Yeah, I suppose I feel bad for him on that point. It takes me an hour to shower and get ready.”
On her way up to her room, someone collided with her, sending them both to the floor. A familiar voice mumbled, “Sorry about that.” It belonged to Nick. As he realized who she was, a look of irritation came over his face. “You again? Why don’t you watch where you’re going?”
“Excuse me? That was totally not my fault. You knocked me down,” Christine reminded him. “I wasn’t the one running down the hallway. Oh my God!” She turned away.
“Well, that totally was not my fault, either,” Nick mimicked her. “Oh my God! Like, whatever! Someone has PMS today, huh?” He stood up and began to walk away without even bothering to help her up.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m all good until next week,” Christine called after him as she stood up, knowing it would gross him out.
Sure enough, he stopped and looked at her, disgusted. “Thanks for sharing. I really needed to know that.”
“You brought it on yourself! Little piece of advice: Never tell a girl she has PMS or she’ll tell you exactly when she gets it.”
He shrugged and stepped onto the elevator and Christine opened the door to her room. She grabbed her duffel bag, which contained all her dance things and her shower stuff, and slipped back out of the room.
Since she was the last person to get on the second van, there was only one seat left, and it was next to Nick. She plopped down and tried to ignore him, but he had different ideas.
“I suppose you’re going to be bothering me the whole ride, huh?” he muttered sourly.
Christine sighed unhappily. “Not unless you do the same to me. Keep in mind that I haven’t gotten into any fights with you that you haven’t started.”
“Yeah, right,” Nick grumbled. He sunk back into his seat and looked out the window.
Rehearsal didn’t go well at all. Andrea and Jessica, two of the other dancers, were nice, but Nick was not. Christine and Nick were paired for all the partner dances, and Nick was purposely stepping on her feet and insulting her and distracting her the whole time. Fatima had to tell them four times to pay attention and try to get along with each other.
To make matters worse, they all were going to a party at Nick’s house for dinner, and Samantha would be there. After Christine got showered and cleaned up, she climbed onto the first van and grabbed the seat next to Brian.
The ride to Nick’s giant house was long and peaceful, but as soon as they arrived, Christine could feel the hate. Samantha, who had crutches and a cast on her ankle, was immediately hanging all over Nick and glaring at Christine, and Nick didn’t bother to introduce the two girls.
Through most of the evening, Christine studied the happy couple, wondering if her name would ever come up. Finally, Samantha wanted to know who it was that replaced her. “Nick, baby, who took my place?” she asked ditzily.
Not realizing that Christine was listening, Nick answered, “That chick sitting over there. Her name’s Kristen or Christina or something. She’s a total bitch.”
Christine’s blood boiled, and she was about to go over to say something to him, but Brian noticed her anger and stopped her. “Let him be. I’ll talk to him about it later.”
“But-” she started, but Brian put his finger over her lips.
“Let him be,” he repeated.
About a half an hour later after Samantha and Nick had disappeared to somewhere, Brian noticed how bored Christine looked. “Hey, do you want to go outside? You don’t look like you particularly want to be here.”
“Sure,” Christine said, smiling gratefully. Brian pulled her off the couch and led her outside to the deck. She looked out at the beautiful ocean as Brian brushed a strand of hair off her face. “This is so pretty,” she breathed.
“Isn’t it? I love the ocean,” Brian said. He looked at her and lifted her chin.
“Brian-” she started, but he interrupted her.
“Don’t say anything. Just listen,” he whispered. “Christine, I know you’re only seventeen, but you’re so much more mature than that. I’ve only known you for a couple days, but I really like you. I’ve liked you from the first time I saw you on the plane.” He was hesitant at first, but then a look of determination came over his face, and he leaned forward and kissed her.
Christine began to return the kiss, but then panicked. Not only did she not have feelings for Brian, but also last time she was in a relationship… Quickly, she pulled away. “Brian, I-” she paused, not sure of break it to him. “I’m not ready for anything serious, and I’m only seventeen, and besides, you’re like a big brother to me. I…”
Brian’s face fell. “You don’t like me like that.”
Christine looked away, unable to see the hurt in his eyes. “No,” she whispered. “I don’t like you like that.”
“I understand,” he replied. “Thanks for being honest.” With that, he gave her a hug and went back inside.
She slipped her sandals on and stepped out onto the beach. All she needed right now was to clear her head. Everything was going crazy, with Brian, and Nick, and Samantha… She didn’t know what to do. As she walked farther and farther away from Nick’s house, a small figure sitting on the sand became clearer and clearer. Eventually, this figure became a man, a man who was crying. Maybe I can help, Christine thought to herself. This thought faded somewhat when she realized who this man was, but it remained in her head. Everyone deserved a second chance.
“Nick?” she called out softly when she got closer.
He looked up and immediately figured out who was calling him. “What do you want?” he muttered coldly.
She turned around and began to walk away. So much for his second chance. “Fine, I thought maybe you needed someone to talk to, but if you don’t…” she trailed off.
“No, wait. I’m-” he paused for several moments before completing his sentence. “I’m sorry. I actually do want to talk to someone.”
Christine sat down on the sand next to him and put her hand on his shoulder, trying to hide her amazement at his apology. “What’s wrong?”
“Samantha. She broke it off,” Nick said quietly. He looked away to stop Christine from seeing the tears sliding down his cheeks.
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Christine said. He didn’t reply in fear that she would hear him choke up. “Nick, it’s okay to cry. It hurts when something like this happens. Lord knows I’ve been through it enough.”
He looked at her and tried to smile, but it didn’t work very well. “I know I should get on with my life and forget about her, but it’s just that…I loved her so much and she doesn’t even seem to care that she broke my heart.”
“Oh, Nick, I’m sure she does,” Christine lied. Actually, she was sure that Samantha didn’t feel the least bit of guilt, but Nick didn’t need to know that right now.
“Christine, I’m sorry I’ve been such an asshole,” Nick said guiltily. “I’m sorry for all the things I said, and for all the things I did to you, and for all the terrible things I’ve thought about you without even bothering to get to know you. It was really, really, really awful of me. I hope you didn’t take any of it personally. I just wanted Samantha to be here still, and now it’s over, and I don’t know what to do.”
“That’s okay. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done, too,” Christine replied, brushing a tear away from his cheek. Here she was, comforting the man who had called her a total bitch less than an hour ago. This was unexpected.
“So what are you out here for?” he asked.
She hesitated, unsure of whether she should tell him about Brian’s feelings. After a few moments, she decided that since Nick poured his heart out to her, he deserved the same in return. “Brian tried to kiss me.”
Nick looked up, surprised. “And?”
“I pulled away. I just don’t feel that way for him, you know?” Christine replied, looking out into the ocean. “I feel terrible. I broke his heart.”
“Chris, you had to break his heart,” Nick said. “You couldn’t just lead him along. I, personally, would rather have had my feelings hurt than for a girl to string me along like Samantha did.”
Christine didn’t know quite what to say, so she just squeezed Nick’s shoulder. This was too much. All the pressure of being a dancer for the Backstreet Boys, Brian’s kiss, thoughts of her last relationship, and becoming friends with Nick had built up, and she was ready to explode. A tear slid silently down her cheek.
Nick noticed and brushed it away. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Brian will get over it.”
“No, that’s not it,” Christine admitted.
“Then what is it?” Nick asked.
“I-I’m afraid,” Christine replied.
Nick looked at her, confused. “Afraid of what?”
“Serious relationships. The last time I had a serious boyfriend was my junior year, and that didn’t end at all on good terms,” Christine said.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Nick asked. He didn’t want to make her feel like she had to tell him what was wrong.
Christine sighed. “No one knows about this except my best friends.”
“That’s okay, you don’t have to tell me,” Nick said quickly.
“Well, I need to tell someone besides myself because it’s driving me insane,” Christine exclaimed. “Do you promise to keep it a secret?”
“Sure,” Nick said, putting his arm around her.
She leaned into his shoulder. “My last boyfriend, Jeff Thomas, was a perfect guy, or so I thought. He was a senior at an all guys’ boarding school in our town. It was junior year, and I had wanted to go out with him since my first day as a freshman. So he asks me out, and we become an official couple, and then he asks me to prom. Of course, I say yes, and the evening goes well until we sneak back to his dorm. We had to sneak back because it’s all guys, you know.” She gulped and shook her head. “I was so naïve. I thought we were just going to watch a movie or something, but he wanted…he wanted more.” She stopped, unsure of how to continue.
“It’s okay, I’m here,” Nick soothed.
“He tried to pressure me into it, and I said no, so…he tried to rape me. I struggled too much, so finally he got angry and kicked me out, with no way to get home, no money, nothing. I went to a gas station and called my roommate, Lillian, and she called me a cab. I came home, and the only people I’ve ever told about it were Lillian and my best friend, Kate.”
Nick stroked her hair as she buried her face in his chest. He hesitated. “I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry.”
“I haven’t been in a relationship since then. I guess I’m afraid that all guys are like that,” Christine said.
Nick lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “All guys are not like that. Trust me. You just happened to pick the wrong one. That’s all. No guy should be able to treat you like that. You shouldn’t have had to go through that.”
“I’m sorry for dumping all my problems on you,” Christine said.
“Don’t be sorry. You listened to me,” Nick said. “Even after all the things I did to you.”
“Nick, what should I do about Brian?” Christine asked. “He’s a great guy, and even though I’ve only known him for a couple of days, he’s already one of my good friends. I don’t want to ruin that.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Nick said.
“You won’t tell him about…”
“No, of course not. That’s our secret.”
She looked up at him gratefully. “Thanks, Nick. Thanks for everything.”
“We should probably get back. It’s getting late,” Nick said, looking at his watch and pulling her off the sand.
They walked back to the house in comfortable silence, and when they returned, Brian, Kevin, Sandra, Jessica, and AJ had already left. Howie, Andrea, and Leah, the fifth dancer, who mainly kept to herself, were waiting for Nick and Christine.
“Where have you two been?” Andrea asked.
“We just went for a walk,” Nick replied.
“Wait, wait, wait. You two hate each other,” Howie said, confused. “You went for a walk?”
“Actually, we both left separately, and we ran into each other. We patched things up and walked back together,” Christine explained.
“Where’s Samantha?” Andrea asked.
“Hell if I know,” Nick replied bitterly. Howie looked at him quizzically. “She, uh, broke up with me. It’s over. That’s why I went for a walk. I needed to clear my head.”
“Sorry, man,” Howie said. “Y’all ready to go?” Everyone followed him out to the van and hopped in.
“Chris, why did you go for a walk?” Leah asked in her small, quiet voice.
“I just felt like being outside,” she lied. She didn’t need to tell everyone about Brian. Howie looked at her and raised his eyebrows, signaling that he knew the truth, but he didn’t say anything.
When they got back to the hotel, Nick walked Christine up to her room. “I really am sorry for everything,” he said softly.
“That’s okay. I’m sorry, too,” Christine replied as she opened her door. “Thanks for listening.”
“Not a problem,” Nick said. He gave her shoulder a firm squeeze and she slipped into her room. Sandra was not there. Quickly, she changed into her pajamas and stepped out of the bathroom.
Sandra had come back and was waiting for her. She had a puzzled look on her face. “I saw Nick walking away from here. Do I even want to know what’s up with all that?” she asked curiously.
“I don’t think you really do, but I’ll tell you anyway. Did you hear what happened with me and Brian?” Christine asked.
Sandra nodded. “About him trying to kiss you? I overheard him telling Howie, but I don’t think I’m supposed to know. So where did you go after that?”
“I just needed to sort things out, so I took a walk. I walked for awhile, then I saw Nick, and he was crying. I decided I would try to help him, even though he had been such a bastard to me, and he told me that Samantha broke up with him. I told him all about Brian, and we basically became friends. Then we walked back to his house and came back to the hotel.”
“He was actually nice to you?”
“Yeah, believe it or not. Once I said that I was trying to help him, he was actually pretty friendly.”
“So what are you going to do about Brian?” Sandra asked. “I don’t mean to make you feel bad, but he seemed pretty upset.”
“Ugh! I feel terrible! Brian is a really cool guy, but he’s just not my type. He’s so much older, and he’s looking for a serious relationship with me, and I don’t feel that way about him. I asked Nick what to do, and he said he would talk to Brian. I don’t know what he’s going to say, but hopefully it will let him down easily without ruining our friendship.”
“I’m sure it will work. Brian will get over it,” Sandra assured her. “I’m going to sleep. Good night!”
“Yeah, good night, Sandra,” Christine said. She turned off the light and stared into the blackness. There was so much on her mind, none of which she knew how to deal with. Brian was so wonderful. He was sweet, funny, cute, sexy…everything she could possibly want in a man, so why didn’t she want it? This was the opportunity of a lifetime, and for some reason unknown to her, she couldn’t take it. It wasn’t just her past relationships. It wasn’t just the fact that he seemed like a brother to her. Suddenly, an idea hit her. Something told her that someone was out there, someone even more right than Brian, and she would find him soon enough. On this pleasant thought, Christine drifted off to sleep.
“Hey, B, what’s wrong?” Nick asked, sitting down next to his friend.
Brian was sitting on the couch, but he wasn’t quite there. “Oh, nothing,” he sighed. Nick wouldn’t understand. He couldn’t stand Christine.
“You sure?” Nick said.
“I’m just thinking about stuff,” Brian replied unemotionally. “I’m fine.”
“Brian, give it up. I’m your best friend. I know these things,” Nick said. Brian looked at him doubtfully. “Besides, Christine told me everything.”
“Oh, she did?” Brian mumbled. Suddenly, what Nick said sunk in. “Wait, WHAT?! She talked to you?”
“Yeah, we ran into each other on the beach. Samantha broke up with me, so I had gone for a walk,” Nick answered. “Even after all the shit I did to her, she listened to me. Then she told me about what happened with you.”
“Okay,” Brian said. “She told you everything?”
More than you know, Nick thought. “Yeah, pretty much. She feels terrible, but she thinks of you more like a good friend.”
Brian looked away and sighed. “I wish there were some way I could make her feel more than that. She also said something about not wanting to get serious with anyone.” He looked back at Nick, and Nick avoided eye contact.
“Yeah, I get the feeling that she isn’t the type for serious relationships,” Nick said, accidentally implying that Christine was a slut.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Brian asked defensively.
“No, no, that didn’t come out right. She, well, uh…Howie. Howie doesn’t like to be in serious relationships. That doesn’t mean that he sleeps around or anything. Do you see what I mean?”
“Yeah, I guess. It just seemed like there was something else, some particular reason she didn’t want to be in a relationship,” Brian said.
Nick couldn’t watch his best friend suffer like this. “Brian, she told me not to tell you this, but I think you need to know. Her last boyfriend tried to rape her. She hasn’t had a boyfriend since.”
Brian’s eyes widened as he put the pieces together. “Oh, that would make sense. She thinks all guys are going to treat her like that. She’s scared.”
“Exactly. I feel really bad for her. One jerk makes her terrified of falling in love. She’s seventeen, and she had to go through that,” Nick said. “Just don’t tell her I told you.”
“No problem,” Brian replied. “Why do I like her so much? She’s just some seventeen-year-old girl dancer. She’s jail bait!”
“Some girls just have that power, Brian. Like Samantha,” Nick said wisely.