Survivor
Chapter 22
Bailey," Nick called, getting to his feet. "Bailey! Wait!"
Bailey staggered slightly in her retreat from Nick. She found her way to the waiting arms of Jakob.
"Bailey," Nick said again, reaching a hand out to grasp her arm.
"Listen, pretty boy," Jakob snarled, putting his hand on Nick's. "I don't know what she ever saw in you in the first place. I don't know how hard it is for you to understand this, but Bailey doesn't want you here. Furthermore, neither do I. If you can't get that through your obviously thick skull, perhaps my friends and I can show you."
Nick looked around to find the rest of the fraternity closing in. Shit, he thought, this is not what I need right now.
"If you'll just listen to me, Bailey," he pleaded, as the frat boys grew closer. "I want to explain to you what happened. You don't understand."
"I do understand," she told him, her eyes glassy and words slurring more noticeably. "I understand everything. I understand I never want to see you again. Get out of my life. You are the weakest link. Goodbye!"
She erupted into a fit of drunken giggles at her own comment. Nick took a deep breath, ready to try again. He suddenly felt hands grab his arms roughly. Attempting to shake some of the football players off, he felt a pull in his arm. Muttering curse words, he quit struggling.
"All right. Let me go," he demanded, smoothing out his shirt. "Bailey, I'm going to leave now. When you're sober enough, you will listen to me. I mean it."
He made his way out of the party into the cold night air. What a perfect way to end the year, he thought. How in the hell had he ended up like this? He stormed back to his car, slinging open the door only to slam it shut once he was inside. His arm was beginning to throb. He found the pain pills from the doctor and took a couple. Leaning his head forward, he rested his forehead against the steering wheel, contemplating his next move.
A slight tapping on the window made him jerk his head up. Quickly reaching around to rub his neck, he looked out at the bright morning. The glare from the sun shaded the figure outside his car. Squinting, he debated whether it was safe or not to lower the window. The figure tapped again.
"Nick!"
"Leslie?" He asked, lowering the window.
"My goodness, did you sleep in your car all night?" She asked him.
"All night? What do you mean?" He asked, looking at his watch. "Hell, is it really ten o'clock?"
"Yes. Come on inside. It's a wonder you didn't freeze to death out here," Leslie said, waiting for him. He walked beside her as they made their way into the sorority house.
"You forget, I've been in colder situations," he reminded her. "Although, none of those days and nights we spent in the mountains were as cold as Bailey last night."
"Yep, that's my Bailey. You really pissed her off. Big time. But now's the chance to make amends."
"Leslie, it's not going to happen. She won't even listen to me. You'd think that she would, given the fact that no one ever seems to listen to her," Nick told her as they entered the warm house. "Ahh, this is a lot better than the Jag."
"Nick, Bailey's hung over this morning. She won't fight so much now. Go on up and talk to her. She has no choice but to listen. I'll take care of Louise," Leslie said, referring to the disciplinarian housemother.
Without another word, Nick took the stairs two at a time and was standing outside Bailey's door. He banged on it, knowing how wonderful that would sound to her.
"Go 'way," a muffled voice called pitifully from the other side of the door.
"Bailey, it's Nick. Let me in."
"Go to hell."
"Already been there, sweetheart. Remember? That's where we met. Let me in."
"I said go 'way. I don't want to see you, let alone hear your voice again."
Nick turned to walk away, feeling more defeated by the second. He stopped dead in his tracks, facing Leslie. She quietly handed him a key with a wink and a nod. Looking at the key in his hand, he grinned a thank you at her. Sliding the key into the lock, he jiggled the knob as he opened the door.
Bailey was underneath a mound of covers and pillows. At least, Nick assumed she was. Hopefully, she was alone. He sat down on the edge of the bed, hands clasped in his lap. He felt as if he were about to go to confession. Sucking in a deep breath, he charged ahead.
"Bailey, I will not leave this room until I say what I want. I don't care how much you scream, throw a tantrum, or even if you call the police. I want you to hear me out."
No response from the bed. Taking that as a sign, he continued.
"I know that your father didn't believe you. I know that he wouldn't even listen to you. It's not fair to you that he wouldn't let you tell what you saw or even attempt to believe you. But it's not fair that you won't let me tell you my side of the story, either. You're being just as pig-headed as he is. Is that what you want to be thought of as?"
A movement from underneath the covers was followed by a red-eyed Bailey poking her head out into the air. Her hair was knotted and her mascara was severely smudged underneath her eyes. Nick thought she was beautiful.
"I know what I saw. You were having sex with Pam," she stated simply.
"You know what you thought you saw. I was not having sex with Pam," Nick explained. "I was awake when the door opened. I thought it was you sneaking in. Next thing I knew, Pam was on top of me. I swear on my love for you, Bailey, I did nothing to encourage her. Hell, I wasn't even naked. She just started...doing things with her body on me."
Bailey glared at him through one blood-shot eye.
"You sure looked you were enjoying it."
"I wasn't," he promised.
"Ha!" She spat. "If you weren't enjoying it, she wouldn't be able to get anything from you."
Nick rubbed his hands across his face, frustrated.
"Ugh! Bailey, it's not that simple. Guys tend to respond to stimulus like that sometimes, whether we want to or not. I swear, what ever rise she might have gotten out of me was not my fault." He actually felt himself blushing.
"But the look on your face...You bastard. You enjoyed it," she accused.
"No I didn't. Yeah, it might have felt good for like...I don't know...half a second...but it all happened so fast. You came into the room and that ruined whatever might have happened."
"OH!" Bailey snapped, sitting fully upright in bed. She was still wearing the clothes from the previous night. "Sorry I spoiled your little tryst! I should have been more considerate and knocked. 'Nick? If you're not too busy getting it on with my step-mother, can I come in?'"
"I didn't mean it like that," Nick spat back. "You're blowing this whole thing way out of proportion. What I meant was I'm glad you came in when you did. Pam was serious in her quest. Bailey, I would never do anything like that to hurt you. Ever. I love you. You've got to believe me. Nothing happened. Nothing was going to happen as far as I'm concerned."
Bailey lay back down, her hand on her head. It was throbbing so badly. She wanted to believe Nick so much. But knew what she had seen. It was just like it was with Christopher. Daddy wouldn't believe her, then, either. Pam obviously wouldn't tell the truth. And Christopher was just another vermin. A hazy idea was forming in Bailey's mind.
"If you're telling me the truth, Nick Carter, and you want me to believe it, tell my daddy what really happened. Pam twisted it so out of whack in her version."
"Fine."
She blinked her eyes, trying to erase the double vision of him. Did he just agree to tell Bob Townsend what he had told her? Even Christopher had said he would, but then changed his story when he came face to face with Bob. If Nick would say exactly what he had to her, then he had to be telling the truth and Bob had to believe him.
"Should I call him? Do you want to ride out to see him?" Nick asked her.
"Give me half an hour," Bailey told him, slinging back covers. She slid her feet, still clad in her shoes, onto the floor.
**********************************************
"Well, this is a fine surprise," Bob Townsend said as he ushered Nick and Bailey into his private home office.
"Mr. Townsend, I need to tell you something," Nick informed him as he took a seat on the leather sofa. Bailey sat in a straight back chair.
"Yes?"
"It's about what happened at Christmas. I want you to know that Pam, Mrs. Townsend, your wife, came into my room and tried to, um, have her way with me." Did that sound as strange to anyone else as it did to me, he wondered.
"I beg your pardon?" Bob asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
"That's right, Daddy. What Pam told you about Nick and I fighting because I wanted to have sex and he didn't was a lie. She was trying to do the same thing to him as she did with Christopher. Only this time, I walked in before it was too late," Bailey said. "So you see, it's all Pam's fault. This should prove that she's just a money-grubbing whore, like I've always said."
"Bailey," Bob glared at his daughter. "That kind of language about your mother is unnecessary."
"She's not my mother, Daddy."
"You know, I don't know what the problem you have with her is. She's been nothing but kind and loving to you from the very beginning. Pam's tried to be a mother to you, yet you keep pushing her away."
Bailey opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get the words out, Bob Townsend turned to Nick.
"Now, Nick. This whole nonsense business about Pam coming into your room is just ridiculous. First off, she told me how you had been flirting with her. I know she's a very attractive woman, but you were supposed to be involved with her daughter. That's just disgraceful for you to keep after her like you did. And she told me about being in your room with you that night. She said you invited her in after you and Bailey had that fight and that you started making very forward advances on her. I'm really shocked at that. I thought you were an upstanding young man, Nick."
"Wait a minute!" Nick exploded. "I didn't invite anyone into my room. She came into there on her own. And as far as anyone making forward advances, she did it!"
Bob shook his head, a vein beginning to throb on his forehead. "Nick, do you realize how unbelievable that is? Look at the size difference in the two of you. You could have easily overpowered her and removed her from your room. I think it's more like you used your size to force her in there."
Nick looked to Bailey for support. He could see from the look on her face that she was beginning to buy what her father was saying.
"I never," he began.
"He's right," Bailey said softly. "Nick, the idea that you couldn't fight her off is preposterous. How could you?"
"Bailey, are you listening to yourself? Are you listening to him? This is fucking ridiculous. I told you the truth. Why don't you believe me?"
"I don't know what to believe. I thought I knew the truth...But Nick, it's true. You could have easily pushed her off or moved her out of the room."
"But I didn't invite her in! I wasn't the one wearing a barely there bikini the other day, shaking my stuff in someone's face! I didn't play footises under the table at Christmas Eve! This is unbelievable!" Nick exclaimed.
"It doesn't matter now, Nick. Everyone was right about you from the very start, only I was too dumb to see it. I just can't believe I let you do those things to me," Bailey told him, hurt and embarrassment in her eyes.
"Damn it, Bailey. I told you and your father the truth. What is it? Are you so afraid of not being daddy's girl anymore that you can't go against him? You need to grow up."
"Nick, I think it would be best if you left this house and never had any contact with us or Bailey again,” Bob said, opening the door.
"Whatever," he snarled, storming out the door.
Pam was waiting in the hall, a Cheshire cat-grin on her face. She tossed back her flaming locks of auburn hair.
"Well, I guess that goes to show you that honesty isn't always the best policy, huh, tiger?"
"Get the fuck away from me," he hissed, pushing her to the side. "I should have said that to you a few weeks back. I hope you're happy."
"Oh, don't worry about me. You know," she said, stopping Nick and running a hand across the front of his sweater. "Bob and Bailey don't have to know if you and I meet again. In fact, I think I'd like that."
He roughly removed her hand. "You know what, Pam? I don't believe in being mean or rough with ladies, but in your case, I would be glad to make an exception. You are no lady and you can certainly give women a bad name. I hope you get what's coming to you."
"I do, too, tiger. A cool million when the old prune's gone. Look me up when it happens. Maybe we can finish what I started that night."
"Go to hell," Nick told her as he left the house.
**********************************************
"You've been moping around here for nearly two weeks, Nicky. It's time to snap out of it."
Kevin was sitting across from him in Brian's living room. He was still having some complications from the plane crash and subsequent pneumonia. Nick came by everyday. For what, he didn't know. Yes, he did. He kept waiting for Kevin to fix it. Kevin always fixed everything.
"Man, I don't know what to do," Nick whined, resting his head against the back of the chair. "She won't answer my phone calls. I leave messages and she won't return them. I can't believe she didn't believe me. Like I'd actually have sex with that skank."
Kevin shook his head. "Bro...Face it. She only has room for one man in her life. And if she believes you actually did something with Pam, then you're not that man."
"I know, Kev. But I love her."
"Come on," Kevin said, standing up slowly.
"What?" Nick asked, looking up at him.
"Grab your coat and come on. We're getting out of here for a while. We both need to."
"Where are we going?" Nick asked as Kevin backed out of the driveway.
"Somewhere we should have a long time ago," he answered as he waited for the security gate to open.
Kevin soon had the car on the highway. It felt good to be driving again without Brian beside him telling him to be careful. Maybe that was what was wrong with him. Too much care being given to him.
"Where the hell are we going?" Nick asked as they crossed the state line into Tennessee.
"Just shut up and enjoy the ride," Kevin ordered, reaching over to turn on the radio.
Nearly three hours later, they drove onto the university's campus. Nick looked at Kevin, eyes wide. What were they doing here?
"Which house is it?" He asked, heading to the Greek row.
"What do you mean?"
"Which house does Bailey stay in on campus?"
"Kevin..."
"Just tell me which house she lives in," Kevin said, his voice calm and even.
"That one on the left," Nick answered, not having heard that voice in a long time.
Kevin parked the car and got out. His tall frame made an impressive figure as he took long strides across the parking lot and up to the door. He rang the bell, waiting on someone to open it. Within a few minutes, he was standing outside Bailey's room upstairs.
He knocked forcefully. No answer. He knocked again. The door opened slightly. He found himself facing a red-haired girl.
"Oh, my God," she whispered. "You're Kevin Richardson."
"Yes, I am. I'm looking for Bailey Brooks Townsend. I was told this was her room."
"It is. Hang on a second." Leslie closed the door and Kevin heard her scream at Bailey.
The door flew open and Bailey found herself staring up into Kevin's green eyes. His handsome face was set in a determined look.
"Bailey, get your coat and come with me."
Too surprised to do anything else, she complied. Taking quick steps to keep up with him, she found herself outside at his car, staring in at Nick.
"Get in the car," Kevin told her, opening the door.
"I'm not getting in the car with vermin like him," she haughtily informed him.
"I said, get in the damn car," he calmly demanded, glaring at her.
She quickly slid into the back seat. Kevin got in the driver's seat and started the engine.
"What the hell are you doing?" Nick asked, wondering if Kevin had finally gone off the deep end.
"You can't just come up here and kidnap me. That's a felony, you know," Bailey told him.
"Both of you, shut up. I don't want to hear another sound out of either of you, except for breathing, for the rest of the trip."
Suddenly realizing he meant business, both Nick and Bailey remained silent. Finally, an hour later, Kevin pulled off of the main road and drove along a bumpy back road. He eventually pulled off that road as well and came to a stop, looking around. Secluded, still snow on the ground, they were both wearing warm enough clothes.
"Kevin, did you bring us out here to kill us?" Nick hesitantly asked.
"All right. Get out of the car," Kevin told them.
"Oh, Nick. He did bring us out here to kill us, didn't he?" Bailey whispered, sounding scared, her blue eyes round with fright.
"Just get out of the damn car," Kevin told them again, exasperated with them.
They exited and stood in the snow, looking in the car at Kevin.
"I'll be back in three hours. I want you two to have worked out whatever problems you have by then. When I get back, I expect to see you two back together. Do you understand?"
He put the car in reverse and turned around. Nick and Bailey looked at each other.
"I can't believe this," Nick muttered, watching the car disappear.
"What?" Bailey asked, fearing the worst.
"We're back where we started from. Alone and lost in snow covered mountains."
"Something is different," Bailey told him, beginning to see Kevin's plan.
"And what's that?"
"We have a different agenda this time. He knows where we are and won’t rescue us until we fix our problem.”
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