January 28, 2000
"What time are we heading over to Bri's?" Brooke asked Alyssa, Howie, and Kevin as the three of them sat around the living room at the beach house.
"I think Brian wants us there around seven," Kevin answered. "Nick should be coming over around eight."
"I hope this works," Alyssa commented. "He's been a mess since Kate left. Something needs to cheer him up."
"Yeah really," Brooke agreed. "We should find him a girl."
"I don't think that's what he wants or needs right now," Howie chimed in. "He doesn't need someone so soon after they broke up." Everyone glanced at him, surprised. Even Alyssa. Isn't that what he was doing with her? There was no way he could deny being in love with Christine still. Everyone knew that. Even Alyssa knew. She understood though. What they were doing was completely casual. She just hoped that these feelings she was starting to have for him wouldn't turn into something more. Neither she nor Howie could handle that right now.
"Has anyone talked to her?" Kevin asked.
Brooke shook her head. "I don't think so. You heard her father. No contact. I know Ang has tried. She told me that her phone numbers must be changed."
"That sucks," Alyssa said. "I mean, how could he do something like that? And Becca. Where the hell does she get off?" No one said anything, although all of them were thinking the same thing: none of this would've happened if Becca had never come into their lives.
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AJ walked into his house quietly, not wanting to be heard. He was hoping he could just sneak out on his deck and relax, not having to see Krista. He didn't have to go through another round with her. It seemed that all she did lately was pick fights with him. He knew she was upset, still. Hell, he was too. But didn't she understand that he was hurting too? I mean, this baby was a part of him also. Not just Krista.
He set his keys down on the table in the front hallway and listened for a minute. The house was way too quiet. What the hell was she doing? He quietly walked up the stairs and down the hall towards their bedroom. Well, actually his bedroom as of late. She wouldn't sleep in there anymore. He knew she couldn't bear for him to touch her but she didn't understand how much that hurt him. Entering the bedroom, he stared in shock.
"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.
Krista looked up from packing her suitcase with tears in her eyes. "I'm leaving," she stated, just as quietly.
"Why?" He asked, his eyes wide.
"Because I can't do this anymore, AJ," she answered, breaking down. "I'm going home. I talked to my mom earlier."
"The same mother who swore you out of her life last summer?" AJ questioned. "Why would you want to go back to her? How could she possibly understand what you're going through?"
"Don't fight me on this, AJ," Krista whispered, sitting down on the bed. "Please. I can't be here anymore. I mean, you're going out on tour again in a week. What the hell am I supposed to do? Sit here an be absolutely miserable?"
"I told you I wanted you to come with me," he told her, kneeling down in front of her. "We can get through this together."
"I don't want to go with you!" Krista exclaimed, jumping up. "Don't you understand? Following you around on tour is not my idea of a good time. It's not going to help me get over this! I'm going home and there's nothing you can do about it." She frantically went back to throwing all of her clothes in suitcases.
"Fine," AJ gave in. "But don't expect me to follow you and beg you to stay anymore. Once you walk out that door, then that's it. I'm not going to come after you. It's over." Krista didn't offer a response and quickly finished packing her stuff. AJ, not being able to watch anymore, walked downstairs to the living room and turned on the television, trying to stop the tears that wanted to spill from his eyes.
A little while later, he heard a horn honk outside. He got up and looked out the window and saw a taxi cab waiting in the driveway. He turned around and noticed Krista lugging all of her bags down the stairs. He just stared at her as she and the cab driver put them in the trunk of the car. Right before she got in, she locked eyes with him. But before he could say anything, she slid into the cab and closed the door. AJ watched, tears streaming down his face, as the best thing that had ever happened to him, walked out of his life forever.
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"Hey Bri!" Brooke announced, cheerfully, as she walked into the house with Kevin in tow.
"Hi Brooke," Brian responded, kissing her on the cheek. "You guys are the last ones here."
"Blame slowpoke behind me," Brooke said, pointing to Kevin.
"Me?!" Kevin exclaimed in mock horror. "I'm always on time."
"Whatever Kev," Brian laughed. "Come on in. Everyone's in the living room. Nick's family got here a little while ago." Brian pulled Kevin aside. "I need to talk to you for a minute."
Brooke walked into the living room and Kevin followed Brian into the kitchen. "What's up?" he asked.
"Krista left," Brian told him.
Kevin's eyes widened. "What?"
"She left," Brian repeated. "Said she couldn't handle this anymore and went home. For good. AJ's not doing too hot. Just don't do anything to set him off. I don't want this to ruin Nick's party. Nick needs cheering up. I can't stand seeing him like this anymore."
"Sounds like AJ's going to need it just as much as Nick," Kevin pointed out.
"Yeah," Brian agreed. "But AJ knows how to deal with something like this. He doesn't keep it inside. Nick, on the other hand, does. And I don't know how to help him anymore. It's Nick's birthday. Let's help make it a good one for him."
"I got ya, man," Kevin stated. "Now let me go say hello the Carter's."
"He's here!" BJ yelled about half an hour later. "Turn the lights off!" Everyone was quiet as they heard the sound of a car door slam. A minute later, the doorbell rang and Brian went to answer the door.
"What's up, Frack?" he questioned as nick walked in the house. "You're the first one here."
"We're not doing anything crazy, are we?" Nick asked. "I don't think I'm really in the mood."
"Don't worry about it," Brian said, leading Nick into the living room. "We'll just hang out." Brian switched on the light and everyone jumped out.
"Surprise!" Nick stood there with his mouth hanging open. He finally spotted his family and looked like he was about to cry.
"Nick!" Aaron shrieked, running over to his older brother.
Nick bent down and pulled his brother into a hug. "I can't believe you guys are here."
"Of course we'd be here, honey," Jane stated, wrapping her arm around her son's shoulder. "It's your birthday. And anyway, Brian told us you haven't been doing too well."
"I'm fine, mom," Nick groaned, walking towards the kitchen to get a drink.
"It's okay to be upset, sweetie," Jane said, following him. "We all know how you felt about her."
"Feel about her," Nick corrected. "And I just wish that she'd get in touch with me somehow."
"She can't Nick," Jane pointed out. "I know it hurts but you're just going to have to live without her. She's doing this for you." Nick nodded, understanding, but not necessarily agreeing. "It'll get easier," Jane told him. "You'll see. You'll start to move on."
"But I don't want to move on," Nick whispered as his mother walked away.
"Well girls," Ang began, sitting down with Brooke and Alyssa. "Looks like it's just the three of us."
"I can't believe Krista is gone," Brooke commented, sipping her margarita. "I knew things weren't going too well but I never though she'd leave."
"Yeah but none of us can really understand what she's going through," Alyssa pointed out. "We've never lost a child."
"I just feel bad for AJ," Brooke said. "No one seems to get that this hurts him too." They were all quiet for a minute before Brooke decided to change the subject. "So, how are you doing Ang?" She asked. "Everything okay with you and Brian?"
"Yeah, everything's great," Ang replied. "We had our rough spots there for a bit but we're better now." She wasn't being completely truthful. She and Brian were doing fine but Ang was still keeping secrets from him. She neglected to tell him about the package she received int eh mail the other day. The one that confirmed the fact that someone knew about what happened in that hotel room in Los Angeles.
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Krista laid down in her bed in the room that he had grown up in. Her mother had been surprisingly understanding about the loss of the baby, despite her original feelings. Krista rolled over and stared out the window, wondering what AJ was doing at that moment. When did everything get so messed up? Not just with them, but with everyone? Howie was a mess. He tried to put up a good front with Alyssa but everyone could tell that he was still hurting over the loss of Christine. Krista had spoken to Christine on the phone a few weeks ago and could tell that she was hiding something. Ang was definitely hiding something but Brian either refused to see it or was just plain blind. Brooke and Kevin seemed to be the only genuinely happy ones out of the group. Nick was a wreck over the loss of Katelin. And Katelin? God only knows what the hell was going on with her at this point.