Chapter 69
It was the day before Christmas Eve and Kristen and the rest of the gang on tour with Britney were finally on their way home to spend Christmas with their families. As much as everyone was looking forward to going home Kristen was dreading it. Christmas was only two days away and she wasn't going to be with her family nor would she be speaking to them. Not being with her family wasn't what was really bothering her though. She didn't know what she was going to say to AJ when she broke it off with him. She didn't want to hurt him or herself but she figured she would rather hurt herself them let him do it for her when he found out she was pregnant. Kristen was laying in her bunk looking at the promise ring AJ gave her before she left when TJ pulled the curtain open and sat down on the edge of the bunk leaning forward making sure not to bump his head. "The bus will be there in about ten minutes you have your stuff together?" TJ asked.
"Yeah," Kristen said still staring at her ring.
"You okay? You haven't been talking much ever since you talked to AJ a week ago."
"I'm fine. Just in the mood for thinking instead of talking."
"You haven't told him yet have you?" TJ asked as Kristen shook her head no. "You have to tell him. You can't break up with him because I know you still love him."
"How would you know?"
"Because if you didn't you wouldn't be laying in here staring at the ring he gave you," TJ said when the bus stopped. "Come on, let's go," TJ said taking Kristen's hand and helping her up. They grabbed their bags and got off the bus. TJ went walking towards his car when he turned around and saw that Kristen was sitting on the curb after everyone had left so he turned and walked back towards her. "Isn't anyone going to come pick you up?"
"I didn't call and tell anyone I was coming home tonight."
"Well, come on, I'll take you home," TJ said helping Kristen up and taking her bags from her and putting them in the trunk of his car. The whole way to Kristen's apartment she didn't say a word just stared out the window as if she were in a daze. When they reached the apartment complex TJ got out and took Kristen's bags out of the trunk and handed them to her. "You want me to walk you to your door?" he asked.
"No, I'll be fine. Thanks for the ride," Kristen said turning to walk inside.
"Hey Kristen wait a second," TJ called after her.
"Yeah?"
"It's Christmas Time. Try to cheer up a little. I miss that smile of yours that I haven't seen for a while," he said.
"I'll try, Merry Christmas TJ," Kristen said going up to him and giving him a hug and a friendly kiss on the cheek.
"Merry Christmas," TJ said as Kristen went inside. She unlocked her door and flicked the light on and noticed that Toni had already decorated the place for Christmas. She went into Toni's room to see if she was sleeping but saw she wasn't there and figured she was probably staying at Nick's house. She went into her room to put her bags up and grabbed a towel to go take a shower. She got in the shower and let the hot water run down her body as she thought about AJ and what she was going to tell him and what she was going to do with a baby. When she was washing herself she ran the wash cloth across her stomach and belly button ring. She looked at her belly button ring and then took it out.
"Guess I can't have this any more," she said to herself. She got out of the shower, brushed her hair out, put on a t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants then crawled into bed and fell asleep. Kristen woke up the next morning to hear Toni's voice in the living room. She got up and walked into the living to find Nick and Toni there.
"Hey girl! When did you get here?" Toni asked giving her a hug.
"Last night," Kristen said tiredly as she went into the kitchen to make herself a cappuchino. Toni followed her leaving Nick alone in the living room.
"How come you didn't call and tell anyone you were going to be home today?" Toni asked.
"I just didn't feel like calling. I didn't have time to," Kristen lied.
"You haven't called any of us since I came back home. What is going on with you?" Toni asked concerned.
"Nothing don't worry about it," Kristen said taking a sip of her cappuchino.
"You know I think you should stop drinking cappuchinos until after you have the baby."
"Why?"
"Because I heard some where that drinking coffee isn't good for the baby when you're pregnant and cappuchino's are a form of coffee so you should stop."
"Yeah, well, I have one every morning and I'm not going to change my life style because I'm pregnant," Kristen said with an additude walking out of the kitchen.
"Kristen that is ridiculus!" Toni yelled after. Kristen ignored her and went to her room slamming the door behind her.
"What was that all about?" Nick asked.
"She doesn't care anymore Nick! She doesn't care about AJ, the baby, or herself!"
"Listen, I'll go talk to her and see what's up."
"Like she'll listen to you. She won't even listen to me," Toni said as Nick walked to Kristen's room. When he knocked on the door and Kristen didn't say anything he just opened it closing the door behind him to find Kristen laying on her bed staring at the ring AJ gave her like before.
"Wanna talk?" Nick asked sitting down on the bed next to her.
"Not really."
"Well, I'm not going to give you a choice. You shouldn't break up with AJ because your pregnant espcially since the baby belongs to him."
"Toni told you!" Kristen yelled at him as she sat up on the bed. "She promised me she wouldn't say anything to anyone! I suppose AJ knows too then."
"No, AJ does not know," Nick lied. "And don't go and yell at her either. She had every right to tell me."
"No she didn't Nick. She had no right what-so-ever."
"She did Kristen. She has been going insane not knowing what to do about you. She's worried sick about you. Now you're not making the right decision about breaking up with him."
"You have no idea what I'm going through Nick," Kristen said as tears began coming out of her eyes. "I have no choice but to break up with him."
"Yes you do have a choice. I know you still love him otherwise you wouldn't be crying and staring at the promise ring he gave you. He won't leave you Kristen I promise. And besides, even if he did with the money he gets you'll get some pretty damn good child support," Nick said trying to crack a joke to make Kristen smile which he succeeded in. Nick wrapped his arms around Kristen and gave her a hug and a friendly kiss on the cheek. "Listen," he began when he and Kristen separated. "My house tomorrow night there is an annual Christmas party thing going on. All the guys will be there with their families and stuff. It's sort of a Carter tradition to have everyone over. Anyways, it's formal and you should come. You haven't seen AJ in a month so I'm sure when you see him again tomorrow you'll change your mind about all this. So promise me you'll come?" Nick asked with his puppy dog eyes.
"I promise."
"Great, I'll leave you alone now. See you tomorrow," Nick said as he gave Kristen another hug and left her room.
"What's that smile for?" Toni asked Nick when he came in the living room with a grin on his face.
"Nothing, just the fact that I think I talked some sense into her."
"I am so sure! I've been on her case forever and you talk to her once and she listens to you. That is so wrong. So she's not going to leave AJ?"
"I don't know. We'll just have to see what happens at the Christmas party tomorrow night," Nick said as inside his head he prayed that everything would turn out okay between two of his best friends.
Chapter 70
