“Brian, will you at least listen to my side of the story? I understand you’re angry, and you have every right to be. If any guy were to hurt one of my sisters like that, it’d be a miracle if he survived after I got through with him. Still, I don’t want this to destroy our friendship.”
Brian narrowed his eyes, but allowed Nick to come in. “So what’s your side of the story?”
Sitting down on the sofa, Nick told him all about the fight he had had with Madeleine. “I honestly thought she didn’t care about me. No other girlfriend of mine had been afraid to mention me to their parents. Somehow, I began to think that she was ashamed of me and she didn’t love me, and you know how I get when an idea gets into my head. It doesn’t leave.” He paused and took a deep breath, trying not to cry.
“Go on,” his ex-best friend encouraged, his expression remaining cold.
“When we got to Fort Lauderdale, I assumed the only way for me to forget about my troubles was going out and getting drunk with AJ, which obviously wasn’t a good idea. I was looking for someone, and Loryn just happened to be the first girl to pay any attention to me. I barely remember anything that happened. It was all a blur to me the next morning. I vaguely remember her comforting me at the club, and then we came back. The next thing I knew, I was next to her in bed in the morning with a hell of a hangover. I never would have done any of it if I hadn’t been drunk – or if I would have thought Mattie cared about me in the least bit. You know how much I loved her…how much I still love her.”
Brian sighed. “You really screwed up, Frack, but I guess I’ve done things just as bad. Besides, I don’t know how well the Backstreet Boys would do with us fighting, not to mention how anyone would get through the bus rides without our goofing off for entertainment.” They laughed.
“I really am sorry, Frick. I never meant to hurt your sister. I wish there were some way I could get her back, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”
“If it’s any consolation at all, she still loves you just as much as you love her.”
“I don’t think she could ever trust me again, though.”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to wait and see.”