It was two weeks later and I was back at work. I hadn’t had too many run ins with Nick except for the few days that he came over to pick up Aaron. I came home from work one afternoon to Krystal waiting for me in the living room. I put my purse down and looked at her curiously:
“Hey! You look nervous. Something wrong?” She cleared her throat:
“Actually, I have something to tell you and I’m not sure if you’re going to like it.” I sat down:
“What is it?” Krystal glanced down at her hands:
“Howie asked me to move in with him and I think that I’m going to.” I looked away from her:
“Oh.”
“I’m really sorry, Katelin.” I shrugged:
“No biggie. I can find some other place to live. There’s no way I can afford this place on my own.” She swallowed hard:
“You could always move back in with-“
“Don’t even say what I think you’re going to say," I interrupted. "There is no way in hell that I’m moving in with Nick.” With that, I stood up and stomped up the stairs.
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Krystal walked into AJ’s and slammed the door. Nick, Brian, Howie, Kevin, Leigh, Amanda, and Jess (Kevin’s girlfriend) all looked up at her. She sat down next to Howie. He put his arm around her:
“I’m taking it didn’t go too well.” Krystal sighed:
“At first she acted like she didn’t care and then I brought up some…some..alternatives to getting her own place and she flipped out and stomped up the stairs and now she won’t talk to me.” Nick glanced up from his conversation with Brian:
“What are you talking about?” Howie answered:
“I asked Krystal to move in with me and she told Katelin and Katelin didn’t take it too well.” Krystal looked at him:
“Nick, would you be willing to let her move in with you?”
“Would I be willing?" Nick asked, laughing. "Are you kidding me? I’ve only tried to do everything I can think of to get her back. But no, I don’t want her to live with me again.” Krystal rolled her eyes and giggled:
“Just asking there, buddy. Why don’t you ask her?” Nick laughed again:
“Because she’d slam the door in my face or something worse.” AJ joined the conversation:
“I think it would be best if you girls tried to convince her. She probably won’t listen to me, Kev, or Howie. She definitely won’t listen to Brian. And there’s no way in hell she’d even let it get out of Nick’s mouth.” Everyone giggled at AJ’s last comment. Leigh stood up:
“Come on girls. We’re going to talk to her.” Amanda, Krystal, and Jess followed her out the door. Nick sighed:
“I sure hope this works. I need to get her to trust me again. I overheard her tell Krystal that she’s afraid of me leaving again and that’s why she doesn’t want to let herself get close to me again.” Brian went and sat down next to him:
“Is that why she’s being like this? I just thought she was being a bitch.” Everyone laughed again. “I hope it works out for you, Kaos,” AJ said.
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I heard the front door open and I put Aaron on my hip and walked into the living room. I saw Leighanne, Krystal, Amanda, and Jess walk in:
“Oh great, Aaron. They’re going to ambush me now.” Krystal took Aaron from me and Leighanne walked me over to the couch:
“Now, you’re going to sit there and listen to reason.” Krystal put Aaron in his swing and came over and sat with the rest of us:
“I know this is not what you want to hear but you need to listen to us. I think that you should consider moving in with Nick again, Kate. He obviously doesn’t mind. It’ll save you a lot of money. Aaron will have his daddy around and there are a million other reasons I could name.” I stood up but both Amanda and Leighanne pulled me back down.
“You’re not getting up from here until you agree to it,” Amanda said, sternly. I glared at all of them:
“How do you know Nick even wants me there? He’s probably shacking up with Mandy. And I will NOT subject Aaron to that stupid bitch!” Leighanne rolled her eyes:
“Will you stop being so god damn stubborn?” I smirked at her:
“Taking notes from Brian, I see.” She was not amused:
“Shut up, Katelin. You know as well as anyone else in this room that the whole Mandy thing was just to make you jealous and, with the way that you've been acting, it definitely worked. Nick doesn’t like her anymore than you do.”
“Fine. I’ll do it,” I mumbled. Jess’s eyes widened:
“Wow! I never actually thought that she’d agree to it.” Amanda agreed:
“Yeah, I thought we’d be here for hours.” I stood up and stomped over to Aaron’s swing:
“Well if it will get everyone off my back than I have no choice. I may be living with him but that doesn’t mean I have to talk to him!” Leighanne rolled her eyes:
“Well at least she agreed. Let’s go tell the guys.” The girls left and I looked at Aaron:
“See what I have to put up with?”
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Nick glanced up from his video game with Brian as the girls all walked back into AJ’s house:
“How’d it go?” he asked. Amanda sank down into the nearest chair:
“She surprisingly agreed. Pretty quickly, too, I might add.” Nick’s eyes widened:
“She did? Wow! I never thought she would.” Brian smiled:
“I guess she’s not that stubborn after all.” Leighanne looked at him: “You had better stop it with that before she beats the shit out of you. She about bit my head off when I said it to her and then went on to say how perfect you and I are for each other.” Everyone laughed. Jess sighed:
“Well, don't get too excited, Nick. She only agreed to it just because she wanted everyone off of her back.” Nick sighed:
“Well, at least she and Aaron will be close to me. It’s a start.” Krystal giggled:
“She said that she might be living with you but that she didn’t have to talk to you.” Brian smiled:
“Alright so she is still stubborn.”