The next morning......
"Morning sunshine!" Krista said when she saw Brian sitting at the kitchen table the next morning leaning over his coffee, trying to wake up. She had always been a morning person.
"Yeah, sure, if you say so." He looked up at her and smiled sleepily. "Your eye looks better. Is that why your so happy?"
"Not really, although that helps. I always love getting up in the morning!"
"You have to be kidding me! Light is evil."
"That's not the only thing evil around here." Nick said, coming down the stairs.
"Good morning to you too." Brian said.
"Well, well, if it isn't Sleeping Ugly Personality." Krista said under her breath as she sat down at the table next to Brian.
"What was that?" Nick said as her poured some cereal into a bowl.
"Nothing, never mind." Brian had heard her and laughed.
"So, what are you two up to today?" She asked after the room had been silent for about five minutes.
"Well,......." Brian started. He was cut off.
"Why do you care?"
"Look Nick. Like I said before, I know you aren't thrilled about having me here, but I didn't ask to be left here while my parents go live in France for a year. But this is the first time I've been in a house where the adults are here when I wake up in the morning. I'm sorry that you don't like it but this isn't exactly easy for me and you aren't making it any easier."
Nick was surprised, but he didn't show it. 'That's why she's here? Her parents moved to France for a year and left her here?' Brian didn't say anything. She had told him about it while they were talking the night before, after Nick got bored with the conversation and went upstairs to his room.
He didn't say anything, just looked down at his cereal. "Morning all!" BJ said cheerfully as she came down the stairs.
"My aren't we chipper. You are almost as bad as she is." Brian said pointing to Krista. Nick finished his cereal, rinsed out his bowl, and headed up the stairs, walking right past BJ without saying anything.
"What's eating him?" BJ said as she sat down with a cup of coffee.
"I think it's that time of the month again." Krista said.
"Yeah, well, anyway. Are you excited about tonight Krista?" BJ said, trying not to laugh at the comment made about her brother.
"Sorta. But I'm worried about two things."
"What would that be?" Brian asked.
"Well, I'm worried that Nick is going to get really pissed when he finds out and ruin everything. And I'm worried about my eye."
"Well, your eye is going to be fine and if you want I can keep Nick out of here until you are ready to go. That way he can't do anything." Brian said.
"Thank you!" Krista hugged him and went upstairs to pick out what she was going to wear. Brian laughed.
"Well, I better go up there and help her." BJ said as she got up and emptied the rest of the coffee out into the sink. Just as she was starting up the stairs the twins ran down, followed closely by Jane.
"Is it any better this morning?" She asked her daughter on the stairs.
"Nope, not as far as I can tell. But you might want to ask Brian. HE was down here with the to of them."
"OK" She watched as her daughter made her way up the rest of the stairs. Then she turned to Brian and asked him about it.
Later that night..... Just before Justin is supposed to pick Krista up...............
"You look nice." Brian said when he walked into the house later that night. Nick wasn't far behind him, but he didn't say anything about her appearance. Jane and Bob had taken the rest of the kids out to dinner and a movie.
"Where are you going?" He practically threw the comment in her face. Hey it wouldn't be the first thing he had thrown at her face.
"Out." She said simply.
"Who would want to take you out?"
"Actually, it is someone that you know." BJ said, coming down the stairs. She hadn't meant to say it. They had been trying to get her out the door without him finding out who it was that was taking her out. BJ looked at Krista apologetically.
"It is, is it?" knowing exactly who she was talking about.
"I'm sorry Krista." BJ said, realizing what she had done.
"That's OK. He was going to find out when I came home anyway." She tried to reassure her friend She turned to Nick. "Yes, it is. His name is Justin. Justin Timberlake. That's who wants to take me out tonight. Oh but don't worry Nick. He wont be coming over here. I told him to meet me at my house. That way you wont worry about him taking anything."
Nick looked at her surprised. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I think you know exactly what that is supposed to mean. Nick, I may have only met you yesterday, but I can still read you like a book. It's not hard. I saw the way you watched me while we were in the car yesterday night. You thought I was going to do something to your stupid car. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not like that."
With that she pushed past him and walked out of the front door. She could she Justin waiting for her by his car, in front of her house.
He was surprised to see her coming from the direction of the house next door. "Hey, Krista!" he called and walked to meet her.
"Hi, Justin." She said, trying to compose herself after her yelling spree. He noticed that she was upset and decided to ask her about it later.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked when they got to his car. She nodded. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why did you come from the direction of the house next door?" He asked while getting into the car, after opening her door for her.
"I'm staying there far a while. My parents are on a trip and didn't want me to be home alone so they asked the Car-" She stopped herself. "The neighbors if I could stay there."
"Can I ask one more question?" He started the car and pulled away from her house.
"Yeah."
"Does Nick know that we are going out?" Krista just looked at him. He smiled. "I saw his car in the driveway and I also saw BJ standing in the door after you left the house."
"Oh, OK. Yeah he knows. But I didn't let him anything. I told him off before he said anything."
"You told Nick Carter off?" Justin looked at her, surprised. She nodded. "Good for you!"
They pulled up to the Carters house and stopped outside of the gate. "Well, I had a great time tonight Justin. Thank you."
"I had fun too!" They had gone out to dinner and then gone to the fair that was in Ruskin for a while. "Ummmm....Krista? Can I ask you two things?"
"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." She smiled at him.
"Well, first of all, I saw that you were a little upset when you first came out here. What was wrong?"
"Well, lets just say that Nick and I don't get along very well. For some reason he just doesn't like me."
"DO you think that it could be because of me?"
"NO! Justin don't think that! He didn't know about that until right before I left. He just doesn't like me. I met him yesterday and I guess he didn't know that I was going to be staying because he didn't look to pleased when he found out I wasn't going home."
"OK. But that doesn't explain why you were upset."
"Well, like I told you, I told him off. He was being a jerk and I was sick of trying to tell him nicely that I didn't ask to live in the same house with him. He just doesn't get that I was only told two days before hand that I was moving with another family."
"Oh, Baby. I'm sorry." Justin hugged her and kissed the top of her head.
"And it doesn't help that when we were playing volley ball he spiked it right on my eye. I had a black eye. Brian says to give it time, but I only met him yesterday and he's being a hell of a lot nicer then Nick is." She said, hugging him back.
"Krista can I ask you that second question?" She nodded.
"Well, I'd like to take you out again, but I have concerts and all that stuff this week, so I was wondering if you would like to bring a friend and come watch us practice one day this week?"
"Justin I would love to!"
"OK. I guess I'll call you later." He got out of the car and ran around to open her door. She got out of the car and he reached into the back to grab the HUGE teddy bear that he had gotten her. (Hey, they went to a fair and this is Justin Timberlake we're talking about. Of course he's going to win something for her! LOL)
"Thanks Justin, I had a great night! I needed to get out of that house for a little while." She took the bear from him. "And thanks for listening to me."
"No problem, any time hon." He hugged her and she kissed him on the cheek before walking over to the security gate and punching in the code. Justin got back in his car, but watched to make sure that she was inside before driving away.
"How was your night?" BJ asked when she heard Krista come in. She, Nick and Brian were playing a game of Monopoly.
"Pretty good. I had fun." As she walked into the room she threw the teddy bear at BJ.
"HOLY CRAP! Did Justin win this for you?"
"Yeah, right, he probably bought it." Nick said. Krista picked up a pillow and threw it at him. It hit him in the head
"I don't need your crap tonight Nick. Yes, BJ he did."
Nick just looked at her and glared. "That's cool. That has to be the biggest teddy bear I've ever seen!" BJ exclaimed, ignoring her brother and his evil looks.
"Well, I'm tired. I'm going to bed." She got up and BJ handed her the bear.
As she walked towards the stairs Brian yelled "Good night, Sweet dreams@"
"I don;t think we are going to have to worry about that." BJ said.
"BJ, shut up. Brian, good night, and you too. Nick, quite glaring at me, and good night. You may not have enough maturity to act your age, but I'm not going to sink to your level. Oh, and BJ, is every one else home?"
"Yeah. They are all upstairs."
"OK thanks. Night all!"
"Krista, why do you and Nick always fight?" Aaron asked when she went to say good night to him.
"I'm not sure. He doesn't like me very much and I don't know why. But don't you worry about AC. We'll work everything out. I may end up killing him but we'll work it out. OK?"
"OK! Night Krista."
"Night Airboy." She shut off the light and shut the door.