Chapter 71
The next morning Kristen woke up in a guest bedroom at Howie's place. She was was wearing a pair of shorts and a shirt that Howie had given her the night before. She walked out of the room and found Howie in the kitchen making breakfast. "Morning," Howie said when he saw Kristen.
"You don't happen to have any cappuccino mixes do you?" Kristen asked tiredly.
"No, I can make you some coffee if you want though," Howie offered.
"No, that stuff is nasty, thanks anyway." Kristen sat down at the table and Howie placed a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon and a glass of orange juice in front of her. "No thanks, I'm not hungry."
"I wasn't giving you a choice of whether or not you wanted it. You're not going to starve yourself because your in a depressive state of mood. You have to start taking better care of yourself if you expect to give birth to a healthy baby," Howie lectured. Kristen decided that she wasn't in the mood to argue with Howie or anyone for that matter so she just started eating. After a couple of minutes she stopped eating and looked at Howie who was sitting across from her.
"Do you think I was wrong about last night?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean about breaking up with AJ and yelling at Toni. Do you think I was wrong about that?"
"I'm not going to tell you what I think," Howie said getting up to wash his dishes.
"Why not?"
"Because you know if you were right or wrong about it. I will tell you my opinion of what I think about this whole deal."
"And what's that?"
"That the only reason you did what you did last night was because you're scared. You've had so many problems in your life time but you've been able to make it though it and you can't find a way out of this one. You're trying to make it everyone else's problem because you think that way you won't have to deal with it. You are wrong about that though. And until you realize that you can stay here as long as you like to think things over."
"Okay," Kristen said as she looked at Howie weird after what he had said.
"I'm serious Kristen," Howie said when he saw the look she was giving him.
"Well thanks Howie. I really appreciate it."
"Anytime. There should be some outfits of Polly Anna's in the closet in the room you're staying in. You can wear something of her's and I'll take you to your place to get you some clothes."
"Thanks." Kristen got up and washed her dishes then hopped in the shower. When she got out she went through the closet and found a pair of jeans and t-shirt that fit her so she put it on. About half an hour later Howie knocked on the bedroom door and then entered.
"You ready to go?" he asked.
"Yeah, Toni should be gone for work by now. I don't want to have to deal with her if she's there when we get to our apartment," Kristen said walking out of the room. Howie followed Kristen out the door shaking his head disagreeing with the way she was acting. A few minutes later they got to the apartment and Kristen was thankful to find that Toni wasn't there. She packed some of her stuff up and put it in a duffel bag. She walked into the living room when she was done to see Howie sitting down writing on a piece of paper. "What are you doing?"
"Writing Toni a note saying you're staying at my house and you're not dead."
"Like she would even care if I was," Kristen said under her breath.
"I heard that and yes she would care and the only reason I'm not going to get on your case about your stubbornness is because you're in somewhat of a fragile state with you being pregnant."
"Howie, I'm far from fragile especially with me being pregnant," Kristen said as Howie grabbed her bag from her and they left the apartment.
Later that night Toni came home after Nick picked her up from work. Toni went into the kitchen and grabbed a surge out of the refrigerator while Nick went and sat down in the living room. "Hey there's a note in here from Howie!" Nick yelled at Toni so she could hear him in the kitchen.
"What does it say?" Toni asked sitting down next to him taking a drink of her surge.
"Kristen's staying with him for a while until she figures out what she's going to do and she's not dead."
"Boy that was awfully blunt. Nick, I should have never told AJ."
"You didn't have a choice."
"Yeah I did," Toni said when the phone rang so she got up and answered it. "Hello?"
"Kristen?" the voice on the other end asked.
"Um no, it's Toni, who's this?"
"It's TJ. Is Kristen there I need to talk to her."
"Oh hey TJ, no she's not here. She's staying with Howie for who knows how long."
"Can you give me the number because it's really important that I talk to her soon."
"Yeah sure," Toni said as she gave him Howie's number and then hung up with him.
"What was that about?" Nick asked.
"It was TJ looking for Kristen. He said it was important I wonder what's up, oh well. I'm going to go take a shower and get ready for bed. Are you staying here again tonight?"
"Yeah if you want me to."
"I do want you to," Toni said going into the bathroom as Nick watched TV. When Toni was done she went into her room through the door her bathroom and room were connecting and put on some pajama pants a spaghetti strapped shirt. After about an hour and Toni hadn't come into the living room Nick assumed that she had gone to bed so he turned the TV off and walked to Toni's room. He saw her sitting on the bed reading or looking at some kind of book so he sat down next to her.
"What are you looking at?" he asked.
"A photo album that I made for Kristen for Christmas, I didn't have the chance to give it to her though."
"What are all these pictures of?"
"You guys and her. She told me before I left Tennessee that she had always wished that she could meet the Backstreet Boys but now that she had she wished she could go back before she did and just have a fantasy of meeting you guys."
"Wow that's pretty cold."
"Don't take it personally. I mean think about it, she's had so much bad stuff going on in her life since she met you guys that she doesn't see that you guys have made her more happier than she has ever been."
"So what does this photo album have to do with anything?" Nick asked confused.
"I put a bunch of pictures together of hers that I found and some photos I've taken. There's pictures of her first BSB concert and the time she saw Howie at House of Blues. Then pictures of her second concert and her meeting you guys. Then pictures of ever since she's been here. A bunch of her and AJ together. I was hoping to remind her of how much her and AJ love each other and she shouldn't break up with him."
"Okay now I'm really confused. If this photo album is supposed to remind her of all the good stuff that happened to her then why is there a picture of me and her in here when we were dating?"
"Because after what happened you two became really good friends. In a way I guess it was a learning experience," Toni said putting the photo album away and taking out a small box that she handed to Nick.
"What's this?"
"Your Christmas present, open it." Nick opened the box and pulled out a silver chain with a silver treble clef charm on it. "Turn it around," Toni told him.
"Music and Toni for all eternity," Nick read.
"Very cute. I know my music is for all eternity but how do I know you are?" Nick asked with a smile.
"You ass!" Toni said as she smacked him in the arm.
"I'm kidding, it's very true, thank you," Nick said as he wrapped his arms around Toni and kissed her. "I have a present for you too, I didn't think last night was the right time to give it to you," Nick said as he pulled a box out from underneath the bed.
"You hid my present under my bed?"
"No, I put it there while you were at work, here," Nick said handing it to her. Toni went to unwrap it when Nick stopped her. "Don't unwrap it in here. Go in the bathroom and do it."
"You have got to be kidding me."
"No I'm serious, I won't let you open it unless you go to the bathroom and do it." Toni looked at him weird then grabbed the box and went into the bathroom. Toni unwrapped the box then opened it and pulled out a green skimpy piece of lingerie. When she pulled it out of the box a bunch of condoms that were wrapped up in the lingerie fell onto the floor. Toni picked one up and saw it was green vanilla flavored condom.
"You have got to be kidding me," Toni said again this time to herself. Toni got undressed and put the lingerie on that Nick had given her then looked at herself in the mirror. "I look like a slut," she said dissing herself. She picked a condom up off the floor then opened the bathroom door to see Nick sprawled out on her bed wearing only his boxers and a grin on his face. Toni took one look at him and started busting up laughing and shut the bathroom door as she laughed. When she finally stopped laughing she opened the bathroom door again and entered her bedroom. This time Nick was sitting up on the bed and was glaring at her. "I'm sorry Nick I didn't mean it," Toni said as she crawled up on the bed. She shoved Nick so that he was laying down and she sat down on his stomach.
"Uh...did you gain some weight or something?" Nick asked moaning when Toni sat on him.
"Oh fuck you!" Toni said going to get off of him when Nick grabbed her.
"That's what I'm trying to do," Nick said with a smile as he leaned up and kissed Toni. Nick took the lingerie off of Toni as they slid underneath the covers. "Have a condom?" Nick asked her.
"Yeah I have about fifty of them thanks to you," Toni said kissing him. She slid off his boxers and opened the condom package putting the condom on him. As soon as it was on Nick grabbed Toni and rolled her over on the bed so that he was on top.
"Boy aren't we fiesty tonight?"
"You like it that way don't you?" Nick asked as he kissed Toni again. Nick was about to enter himself inside of Toni when she stopped him.
"We can't do this Nick," Toni said.
"What? Why not?"
"Because this is how it started with Kristen and AJ and look where they are now."
"Yeah but we've had sex before and you haven't gotten pregnant. Besides we're using protection."
"They used protection too and Kristen still got pregnant. I'm sorry Nick. I may be the same age as Kristen but I'm still too young to be a mom," Toni said as Nick laid down beside her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Don't be, I'm not going to make you do something you don't want to," Nick said kissing her on the forehead.
"I'll get put on birth control or something before we have sex again, that way there's a better chance I won't get pregnant, okay?"
"Sounds like a plan," Nick said as he held Toni in his arms as they drifted off to sleep.
At Howie's house Kristen had gone to bed early and Howie stayed up watching TV when the phone rang. He answered the phone then went and knocked on Kristen's door and entered. He went over to her bed and sat on the edge and gently shook her until she woke up. "TJ is on the phone for you. He says it's important," Howie said when Kristen opened her eyes.
"Hello?" Kristen asked tiredly taking the phone.
"Hey sorry to wake you," TJ said.
"Don't worry about it, what's up?"
"I hate to be the one to tell you this but you've been cut."
"What do you mean cut? Cut from what?"
"You've been cut from being a back up dancer. Or in other words you've been fired."
"What! Why!" Kristen yelled sitting up in bed really fast almost knocking Howie off the bed.
"Well some how the management found out that I took you to the doctor since you were sick and they found out you weren't sick but you were pregnant. They don't want to have a pregnant dancer on stage."
"I am so sure! They can't do this to me!"
"I'm sorry Kristen. I know this is bad timing but it's true. They are going to allow you to do the performance for the Video Music Awards then they were planning on telling you but I figured I should tell you sooner."
"I can't believe they are doing this to me. God TJ, I've always wanted to be a dancer or a singer and when finally one of my dreams stupid management is ruining it for me. How did they find out?"
"I haven't a clue but I'm so sorry. Listen, I'm going to let you go and call me later on in the week and we can get together and do something okay?"
"Yeah sure, bye," Kristen said hanging up the phone.
"What's wrong?" Howie asked.
"I've been fired from being a back up dancer. Management found out about me being pregnant."
"I didn't know they could fire you for that."
"Well, apparently they can and they did," Kristen said as she held back tears. "I can't believe this."
"I'm so sorry Kristen," Howie said giving her a hug. "Get some sleep and I'll take you out tomorrow and cheer you up or something."
"Thanks, Howie," Kristen said as Howie left her room closing the door softly behind him. She layed in bed for hours that night silently crying thinking about how her life was slowly falling apart and wishing she could have someone else's life.
Chapter 72
