Two weeks later:
Ang grabbed her water bottle as soon as she jumped off of the stage. The guys still had to perform I Want It That Way before they all could head back to the hotel. She felt someone jump on her back. “Hey Angie!” She heard Kate say.
“Kate,” Ang groaned. “The fact that you’re five inches taller than me should’ve clued you in to the fact that I can’t hold you.” She felt her jump down.
“Sorry,” Kate said, shrugging. The two best friends walked into the green room and collapsed on the couch. Ang sighed. “I can’t believe there’s only one more show left.”
“I know,” Katelin replied. “It’s going to be so weird to be back in New York.”
“I think I might stay in Florida with Brian. He asked me to move in with him,” Ang told her.
Katelin raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
Ang nodded. “What about you?”
Kate shrugged. “I think I might stay with Nick for a week or two and then go back to New York and spend some time with my dad before we need to leave again.”
“How’s everything going with the, uh, sex thing?” Ang asked.
Katelin spit her water out, not ready for that question. “It’s good,” she replied, chuckling. “Really good. I’m enjoying it!”
Ang laughed before becoming serious again. “You’re being careful, though. Right?”
“Of course,” Katelin nodded. “Don’t want any little Carters running around.”
“I’m really sorry, Kate!” Ang blurted out after a moment of silence.
“For what?” Katelin asked, confused.
“That we haven’t hung out that much on this tour. Just one on one,” Ang explained.
“It’s not your fault, Ang,” Katelin shrugged. “We’ve both been so caught up with Nick and Brian that we haven’t made time for the two of us. It’s as much my fault as it is yours.”
“Maybe, I’ll come back to New York with you when you go,” Ang said. “I need to pack up my stuff anyway. We’ll hang out like old times. Just the two of us.”
Kate smiled. “I’d like that.” The two friends hugged just as everyone else came into the room.
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
The Next Day:
“Yo! AJ!” Nick called as he knocked on AJ’s hotel room door. A second later, it opened. “What’s up man?” AJ asked as he let Nick in.
Nick looked around the room. “Where’s Krista?”
“With Ang and Katelin,” he answered.
Katelin got off the elevator and headed to her room. She had been able to convince Elise that she could share one with Nick again. She unlocked the door and noticed that Nick wasn’t around. Walking back out into the hallway, she decided to check if he was in Brian or AJ’s room.
“So, Nicky boy,” AJ began. “You fucked her yet?”
Katelin had just stepped out into the hallway when she heard AJ’s voice through the open hotel room door. She smiled and pressed herself against the wall, not wanting to be seen, curious as to how Nick would answer that question.
“AJ! I’m not talking about my sex life with you!” Nick exclaimed, defensively, nearly falling off the bed.
“Oh come on, Nicky,” AJ prodded. “It’s a yes or no question.”
“I’m not telling,” Nick said, pouting like a five year old. Out in the hallway, Katelin giggled softly to herself.
“I bet you haven’t,” AJ laughed. “What do you say, Nicky-boy? I’ll bet you fifty bucks that you guys don’t have sex before she goes back to New York.”
“No thanks, Bone,” Nick scoffed. “Why would you want to do that? Look how well the last one turned out for you. You know, you never paid me that two thousand dollars. I got the girlfriend before the end of the tour, just like you said. Kate fell in love with me. Therefore, I won the bet. You, technically, still owe me the money. And as for this bet, I already won it because, yes, AJ, I have fucked my girlfriend. You should start making bets that you can actually win.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” AJ shook his head, smiling. “You goin’ out after the show tonight with the rest of us?”
“Yeah,” Nick answered. “It’s the last show. Why wouldn’t I?”
He walked towards the door. “Later Bone!” Nick walked out into the hall and noticed Katelin leaning against the wall with tears rolling down her cheeks. He felt like his heart stopped beating. “Oh no, baby. No, no, no! That’s not what it sounded like.”
He took a step towards her but she pushed him away and ran towards her room. “Katelin!” He called as he took off after her. “I can explain!” AJ, hearing this, walked out into the hallway just as Krista, Ang, and Brian stepped out of the elevator. They all noticed Nick frantically unlock his door and run inside, not bothering to shut it. They all crowded around the doorway, interested to see what was going on.
“Get out!” Katelin screamed as soon as he walked in, crying hysterically. “Get the fuck out of here!”
He grabbed her around the waist. “No! Listen to me! That’s not what it sounded like!”
She ripped his hands off of her. “Don’t fucking touch me ever again, Carter!”
Krista leaned towards her boyfriend. “What’s going on?” AJ shook his head, sadly, knowing that this was partly his fault.
Katelin looked up at her boyfriend, her blue eyes bright with tears of hurt and betrayal. “A bet?” she asked, softly. “A fucking bet?!” This time, more loudly. Both Ang and Brian sucked in their breath. Krista looked at the three of them, confused, not knowing what was going on.
“How could you do this to me?!” Katelin exclaimed. “I trusted you!”
“Kate, baby,” Nick began, tearing up, himself. “This is all a misunderstanding. Just let me explain.”
“Fine,” She said, putting her hands on her hips. Explain.”
Nick took a deep breath. “Before we left Florida, AJ bet me that I couldn’t get a girlfriend by the time we got home from Europe. He got to pick the girl and he picked you, knowing that we didn’t get along.”
Katelin’s head shot up and she glared at AJ. “Why would you do this? I thought you were my friend!” Before AJ got a chance to reply, she turned to Nick. “And you! How could you do this to me? I fucking trusted you! God, Nick. I told you things that I’ve never told anyone. I trusted you enough that I even slept with you! But now I find out that this, all of this, was based on lies?!” Everyone was silent for a minute. Both Katelin and Nick were crying. Krista was glaring at AJ, who hung his head sadly.
“I knew I should’ve told her,” Ang said to Brian, quietly. But it wasn’t quiet enough. Katelin’s eyes widened and she slowly spun around to face her best friend.
“You knew?” she asked, softly. Ang opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. “You fucking knew and you didn’t tell me?” Kate screamed. “Who else knew? Did you, Krista?”
Krista shook her head, frantically. “I didn’t, Kate. I swear to God.”
“Who else knew?” Katelin demanded, turning around to face Nick. He didn’t answer her. Just stared at her with tears streaming down his cheeks. “Answer me, goddamnit!” She yelled.
“All of the guys,” he mumbled. “They were all in on it.”
“Get out,” she hissed. “Get the fuck out of here now! All of you!”
“Kate…” Ang began.
Katelin spun around, angrily. “You’re supposed to be my best friend. How could you not tell me, Ang? Why would you let me believe that we were really in love?”
“We are in love,” Nick cried.
“Shut up!” She yelled, spinning around. “I’m not talking to you.” She turned back to Ang. “Well?”
Ang glanced at Brian, helplessly, and then back at Kate. “I wanted to, Kate. I really did. But Brian made me promise not to.”
“And of course whatever Brian wants, Brian gets,” Kate muttered. She collapsed on the bed, sobbing. Nick went to put his arms around her to comfort her but she shoved him away. “I told you not to touch me, Carter, and I meant it. Get out of here. All of you.” Nick, sadly, stood up and followed the other four out into hallway. Katelin fell face down into her pillow and cried her eyes out.
Out in the hallway, Krista glared at the other four. “How could you guys do this? Are you insane? You don’t play with people’s feelings like that. God, Nick. That girl was head-over-heels in love with you!”
“I was…I am, too, Krista!” he cried. “I swear to god. I called it off because I was really falling for her. Right AJ?” AJ nodded.
“It doesn’t matter, Nick!” Krista yelled. “The fact is, you would’ve never even tried to get along with her in the first place if you weren’t going to get anything from it!” She looked around at their guilty faces. “You guys all disgust me!” She stomped down the hall and into her room, slamming the door behind her.
Brooke and Kevin walked off of the elevator and saw Nick, Ang, Brian, and AJ standing silently in the hallway. “What’s going on?” Brooke asked, looking at their sullen faces.
“Nothing,” AJ mumbled.
Kevin noticed Ang and Nick’s tear-stained faces. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” Nick muttered.
“I don’t think so, Carter,” Krista said as she walked out into the hallway. “Why don’t you explain it to them? I’m sure they’d be interested to know what you guys did. Oh wait. I forgot. Kevin already knows.”
Brooke glanced at her boyfriend, confused. “Know what?” Kevin shrugged, not having any idea what Krista was talking about.
“Why don’t you tell her about the bet?” Krista said to him. Kevin thought for a minute about what she was talking about. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. “She found out?” Nick nodded, numbly.
Brooke put her hands on her hips. “Found out about what? What bet?”
“My wonderful boyfriend bet Nick that he couldn’t get a girlfriend before the end of this tour,” Krista explained. “Part of it was that AJ got to pick the girl and he picked Katelin. So basically, Nick only started being civil towards her in order to win the bet. Tell me, Nick. Would you ever have tried to get along with her if there was nothing you could get from it?” Nick looked at his feet. Krista laughed, bitterly. “I thought so. I wouldn’t be surprised if she never talked to you again. You blew it big time buddy.”
“You knew about this?” Brooke asked, glaring at her boyfriend.
“We all did,” he answered. “I totally forgot about it, though. I never thought for a second that she’d find out.”
Krista walked towards Katelin’s door. “I’m going to check on her. Don’t even think for a second about following me, Carter. All of you, get out of my sight. Except for you, Brooke.”
“Krista,” AJ whined. “Come on. Don’t be mad at us.”
She spun around to face him. “Don’t be mad at you? Are you kidding me, AJ? She is fucking sixteen years old. You don’t fuck around with people’s emotions like that, especially someone as young as her. This was her first love and you guys destroyed it. She’s never going to trust anyone again and that’s all your fault.” She spun on her heel and knocked on the door.
“Go away!” They all heard Kate call from inside.
“Katelin,” Krista said. “It’s just me. I promise. Please let me in.” She turned around to the rest of them. “Leave. Now.” The rest of the group, besides Brooke, walked dejectedly down the hall into AJ and Krista’s room. The door opened a crack and Katelin peeked her head out, making sure that it was just Krista. She opened it further, satisfied that it was just Krista and Brooke. The two girls stepped inside the room. Krista pulled her into a hug, wanting to cry, herself, at the sight of the younger girl. “Aw, Katelin. I’m so sorry.” Katelin started sobbing in earnest as she collapsed against Krista. Brooke came around and started rubbing her back. “It’ll be alright, girl. Just let it out.”
“How..could…he…do …this…to me?” Katelin started hiccuping. “Why…would…any…of…them…do this?” The two older girls carefully walked her over to the bed and sat her down. They gently rocked her back and forth as her sobs started to subside. She wiped her eyes. “Am I being ridiculous? I mean, should I not make such a big deal about this?”
Krista shook her head, sadly. “No, Kate. They never should’ve done this. No one should have to go through it.”
“I want to go home,” Katelin whined. “I want my dad. I miss home. I don’t want to be here anymore. I can’t.”
“What do you want us to do, Kate?” Krista asked.
Katelin wiped the fresh tears from her eyes. “Talk to Elise. Get my flight changed to New York instead of Orlando. I don’t ever want to see him again.”
Krista glanced at Brooke. “What about the US leg of the tour?” She asked.
“I’m quitting,” Katelin explained. “I’m going to tell Fatima as soon as we get back so she can find a replacement. I just want to go back to school and my normal life. I don’t ever want to see Nick Carter again.” With that, she stood up and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.