"I...um...well, see..." you stammered out shakily.

"You've been cheating on me with him, haven't you?" Tom asked.

"Well..Tom, see," you started, "Yes Tom, I have...I cheated on you with Nick."

You turned your head down so you were staring at the ground, and you began slowly scuffing your foot across the carpet.

"I can't believe this," Tom said, "2 years Molly...and you're willing to throw it away just like that? For some blonde-haired blue eyed stranger?"

"Tom, who says I want to end our relationship?" you asked.

"I think by doing this, you've pretty much communicated that to me. If our relationship meant enough to you, you would be able to resist temptation and remain loyal," he replied.

Just then the door swung open to reveal Sydney staring back at the 2 of you.

"Hey guys, what's all the yelling about?" she asked.

"Why don't you ask your best friend here?" Tom said sarcastically.

"Whats up Molls?" Sydney asked as she went to hang her purse on her bed post.

"I...its...oh gosh Syd, do we have to talk about this now?" you said looking at her and then quickly at Tom.

"I think it's the right thing to do," Tom said.

"Ok fine. Sydney, I lied to you. Me and Nick have been more than friends. We've been hooking up behind everyones' backs." you said.

"Oh man...wow Molls, sticky situation here and definitely not a good move on your part." she said back.

"Yeah, I know," you said. Tom stood up from your bed and grabbed his bag. He headed for the door.

"Tom, where are you going?" you asked.

"I don't know, a hotel or something I guess." he said.

"No, don't do that," you said, "Stay here, I'll sleep on the floor."

"No, I need some time to be by myself and think about this," he said, "I'll call you in the morning." He walked out the door.

"Damn, I screwed up," you said as you sat down on your bed.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Sydney replied.

"Geez, what am I gonna do?!?" you asked both yourself and Sydney.

"I don't know...you sure you wanna talk to me about this? Cause apparently you haven't wanted to talk to me very much lately." Sydney said.

"Syd, I'm so sorry that I lied to you about all of this," you said, "God I screwed up so bad...I mean, what was I thinking? Did I actually think I'd get away with all of this? I'm such a moron." you said.

"Well Molls, I have to admit, it was kind of a stupid thing to do." Sydney said.

"I know...and trust me, the only reason I didn't tell you was because I was afraid you'd tell Tom."

"If you had confided something in me that you wanted kept secret, I wouldn't have told anyone Molly. I would think you'd know that by now and be able to trust me." Sydney said as she laid down on her bed.

"I know...I"m really sorry Syd. Do you forgive me?" you asked.

"Of course I forgive you, just don't let it happen again." Sydney said somewhat jokingly. You smiled and then climbed back into your bed. You smelled Tom's cologne on your pillow and it made you feel nauseous.

"So what are you gonna do now? Break it off with Tom or leave the Backstreet Boy broken hearted?" Sydney asked from across the room.

"I'm not totally sure yet. I'm gonna sit them both down tomorrow and evaluate everything and see where I'm at. I just...gosh, I don't want to hurt Nick...I don't want to hurt Tom either, but especially not Nick...I mean, he's so upset already." you said as you pulled your sheet up around your neck.

"About what?" Sydney asked. You proceeded to tell her about AJ checking himself into rehab and how it seemed to really be affecting Nick.

"Oh wow," Sydney said, a bit shocked.

"Yeah, so I don't know what I'm gonna do." you said. A few moments of silence passed.

"So tell me something, Molls...is Nick Carter a good kisser?" Sydney asked.

"Oh man Syd," you said, propping yourself up on your elbow,"good doesn't even describe it...AMAZING is more like it." You then answered all the questions Sydney had about your "relationship" with Nick. Finally, you both grew tired and decided to go to sleep. As you were turning out the light you said, "I better pray for some guidance in this whole situation."

"Oh Molly, I think both you and I know what you're gonna end up doing," Sydney said smiling.

"What is that supposed to mean?" you asked.

"You figure it out. Goodnite!" she said. Confused by Sydney's comment, you lay awake in bed for a while, and then finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning you awoke to the sound of your phone ringing. You hurriedly threw your covers off and ran to pick up the phone. "Hello?" you said hoarsely into the phone.

"Hi." Tom said back shortly.

"Oh hey Tom." you said.

"Sorry to wake you," he said, still sounding cold.

"Oh, its ok," you said. "Listen Tom, we've gotta sort things out ok? I'm gonna have Nick come over too and we'll all 3 talk ok?"

"Fine." he said flatly.

"Ok...um...why don't you come over in like an hour?" you asked.

"Ok," he said,"bye."

"Bye." you said and hung up the phone. You flopped back down onto your bed, and laid there thinking about how disastrous this afternoon could end up being. Your thoughts were interrupted when your phone rang yet again. "Hello?" you said as you sat up from your reclined position on your bed.

"Hey," a voice said back.

"Hey Nick, how are you doing?" you asked.

"A bit better, thanks. I just wanted to call and apologize for coming over so late last night and waking you up and everything." he said.

"Oh gosh, don't worry about it! I'm glad you came and we talked about things." you said.

"Thank you so much Molly, you really helped me out."

"You're welcome," you said, "But Nick...?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Tom saw us kiss last night."

"Aw man, are you serious?!?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah...so we got in a big fight and he left and spent the night in a hotel and its just all messy now." you said.

"Gosh Molly, I'm sorry."

"Nick, its NOT your fault, it's mine. I mean, how did I think I was gonna pull all this off?" you said.

"But If I hadn't of come over he may not have found out." Nick said.

"No Nick, I"m glad you came. Besides, now this gives me the chance to evaluate everything and decide who I want to be with." you said.

"Oh, ok." Nick said kind of quietly.

"Listen, I was hoping both you and Tom could come over today and we could all 3 talk and stuff...would that be cool with you?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. What time?" Nick asked.

"Tom's coming in about an hour. Is that ok with you?"

"Yeah, sure. See ya then." Nick said.

"Ok, bye." you said.

"Bye." he said. You hung up the phone.

"Who keeps calling?" Sydney asked as she rolled over in bed.

"The first one was Tom and the second one was Nick. They're both coming over in like an hour." you said.

"Oh boy, I better find somewhere to go," Sydney said.

"Syd, you can stay if you want." you said.

"No, I was gonna maybe go to the mall anyway." she said as she rose from her bed and stretched.

"Oh ok, well don't worry, I'll tell you everything that happens." you said.

"Ok!" she said smiling. You grabbed a quick shower and put on a pair of jeans with a gray and white short sleeved baseball tshirt. You pulled your hair back in a low ponytail and put on some makeup. You sat down on your bed and turned on your TV. You flipped to MTV and saw that they were reporting some Breaking News on the Backstreet Boys. The reporter was talking about AJ and his decision to enter rehab. It felt weird to see all these pictures including one of Nick looking very upset and distraught, flashing across your TV screen. If this had happened a month ago, it would have had virtually no impact on you. Now, it was like you were a part of it. It had only been a few short days ago that you had been chilling with AJ at Nick's house. Now this figure nearly being exploited by the media actually meant something to you. 'It's strange how things happen' you thought to yourself. There was a short knock on your door. You rose and opened it to see Nick staring back at you.

"Hey," you said.

"Hi there," he said, flashing you a half-smile. You stood there staring at him blankly for a minute.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Oh, oh gosh, yeah, of course, I'm sorry," you said.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"No...it's just...I just saw you on TV and now it's strange to see you standing here in my doorway." you said.

"Oh...I gotcha." he responded. Just as you were about to close your door, Tom walked up to it.

"Knock, knock." he said.

"Hey Tom." you said, again opening the door and inviting him into your room. He walked in and immediately fixed his eyes on Nick, who had taken a seat on your bed.

"You must be Nick," Tom said in a very cruel tone of voice.

"Yeah, and I take it you're Tom." Nick said back, putting his right hand out in an effort to shake Tom's hand. Tom refused Nick's friendly gesture and quickly turned away. Nick returned his hand to his side, a bit upset.

"Oh boy....ok, this is gonna be difficult." you said as you shut the door. Tom pulled the chair out from your desk and sat down. You looked at him, then quickly at Nick. 'What the hell am I trying to do here?' you thought to yourself.

"Ok, so basically we're here to try to sort all this stuff out. Nick, as you know, Tom is and has been my boyfriend for the past 2 years. He means a lot to me and has always been a huge part of my life. Tom, as you know, I met Nick in my English class. For the past couple of weeks, we have been spending a lot of time together and we have hooked up. I really enjoy the time that I spend with Nick, and I wouldn't give it up for anything." you said. Nick smiled a bit, but Tom still looked incredibly furious. "I guess I should apologize to both of you, especially Tom, for lying. I just, Tom...I mean, don't you ever question our relationship? Don't you ever lay awake at night and wonder what life would be like if we weren't together? I mean, sometimes I think that we've stayed together for so long just because we're afraid of what life would be like if we weren't together. We've always been known as Molly and Tom, and it's like....what else is out there? What am I missing out on?" Tom looked up at you and you could see the rage in his blue eyes.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better Molly? Cause it doesn't. It hurts so bad to know that all this time you've been questioning our relationship. I can't believe you would do that. I don't question anything. I care for you and I love you. I love every minute I spend with you and every experience I have ever shared with you. You're my best friend."

You jumped up from your seated position on the floor "But that's just it Tom....it's like, we've been together for so long that it's almost like we've just become best friends. I mean, I know I can turn to you whenever I need to talk or need anything....but I don't know that I still have the same romantic feelings for you as I used to. And I believe that if you think about it you will realize that you feel the same way."

"No Molly, I still care about you the same way that I always have." Tom replied.

"Oh, whatever Tom. Don't sit there and lie, and tell me that over these past few weeks, you haven't at least been tempted to experience new people."

"I haven't, because unlike you, I know what it means to be faithful, and to trust and love someone." Nick, who had been silent the entire time, finally chimed into the conversation.

"You have a lot of nerve saying that to her. I know for a fact that she cares about you more than anything Tom. She talks about you all the time, and she would always say that she felt really guilty about what she was doing because she didn't want to hurt you, but maybe it's time for both of you to move on. Maybe I shouldn't be giving you my input in this situation, but I think you both owe it to each other to try new things out...a temporary break up or something. Being so far apart is rough, and its only gonna get worse if you keep trying to stay together. I know this from personal experience."

"God, I don't think I need relationship advice from you, ok, Mr. Backstreet Boy....you may win over the hearts of little girls, but you aren't convincing me one bit. Molly, how could you want to be with him when you know he's barely ever going to be around or barely have any time for you?"

"Oh, and you being in Cleveland and her being here in Florida means that you'll be around all the time right?" Nick rebutted.

"Whatever. That's different." Tom replied.

"Guys, stop it please, I didn't intend for you 2 to start arguing over me. That's the last thing that I want." you said. They glared at each other and then both turned to look at you. You didn't really have anything else to say. Then Tom suddenly rose to his feet and looked at you intently.

"Molly, I'm going to give you an ultimatum," he started, "You can either choose to be with Mr. Pretty Boy or choose to be with me. But if you choose me, you will not have any contact with him whatsoever!" he said as he pointed his index finger at Nick.

"Tom! How dare you tell me what I can and can't do! I'm 18 years old, and I can make my own decisions. You do not own me!" you said.

"You heard me Molly, it's basically him or me, but no more of having both of us. I won't be subjected to that game anymore." he said. Those words having been said, he walked toward the door. "I called last night and asked for an earlier flight out of here back to Cleveland. I'm leaving tonight. If you've made your decision before 5, call me and let me know. Otherwise, I'll call you when I get home." You just looked up at Tom with anger in your eyes. You were trying so hard to push them back, but you felt tears welling up in the corners of your eyes. You didn't want Tom to know that he had hurt you. You didn't want to give him that satisfaction. "Bye Molly." he said. He looked at you, then glared at Nick, who was still sitting on your bed. He then walked out and slammed the door. As soon as he had left, you broke down. You buried your head in your hands and began sobbing.

"Molly..." Nick said. You didn't respond to his voice. "Hey, listen, it's gonna be alright." he said as he came and sat next to you on the floor. You looked up at him and he wiped the tears from your cheeks.

"No, it's not Nick. How could he say that to me? Make me choose like that? And then say that if I choose him I can't even be friends with you? That's so unfair to me!"

"I know Molly, and I don't know what to tell you to do. All I know is, I'm gonna be real upset if we can't be friends anymore."

"So am I. God Nick, this is all so confusing. I thought this conversation was going to end on a constructive note, and it definitely didn't. This was such a mistake." you said.

"No, don't be so hard on yourself. This was pretty constructive. I mean, it broke everything down and now like you said, you can....ya know...decide who you want to...be with." he said, his voice trailing off to a whisper. You laid your head on Nick's shoulder and continued to cry, all the while trying to sort out all the thoughts that were racing through your brain. Who was it going to be: Tom or Nick???