*^*Chapter 12*^*
“Is Lauren there please?”
“Yeah, hold on...Lauren, phone?”
“Hello?”-Lauren
“Hey baby.”
“Why are you calling?”-Lauren
“...because I want us to work.”
“AJ, we’re through.”-Lauren
“Listen, I’m in town, please, please, come out to dinner with me?”-AJ
“...as friends.”-Lauren
“Fine, meet me at the Inn around 7, ok?”-AJ
“Yeah,ok. I’ll see ya then.” Lauren said as she hung up the phone.
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“Hello?”
“Hey Brian, it’s me, Lauren.”
“Hey, how’s it goin?”-Brian “Good, how’s it with you?”-Lauren
“I’m doin fine. How’s Ohio?”-Brian
“Florida’s better.”-Lauren
“I see...well I’ll get Lisa, cuz I bet that’s who you wanna talk to.”-Brian
“You’re so good. Well, I’ll be back down there soon so I guess I’ll see ya then.”-Lauren
“Ok, have fun in Ohio. Here’s Lisa,” Brian said handing the phone to Lisa.
“Hey!”-Lisa
“Hey, how is it goin?”-Lauren
“Good, how bout you?”-Lisa
“I’m doing good, me and Kate have just been hanging out.”-Lauren
“So how’s Ohio?”-Lisa
“Boring...as usual. You’ll never guess who called me like 20 minutes ago.”-Lauren
“Nick?”-Lisa
“No, AJ.”-Lauren
“Why would he call?”-Lisa
“He’s in town. God knows why, but he wants to take me out to dinner tonight.”-Lauren
“Are you gonna go?”-Lisa
“Yeah.”-Lauren
“Lauren!! Your boyfriend is Nick!”-Lisa
“I know, I’m going with him just as friends.”-Lauren v“You think AJ really cares if you’re going with him just as friends? He wants one thing, and one thing only, to get you back.”-Lisa
“Well that won’t happen, and it’s not like me and Nick are actually together right now anyway.”-Lauren
“Fine, whatever floats your boat,” Lisa said as they continued talking for a while and then said good-bye.
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“Hey,” AJ said as Lauren stepped out of her car and started walking towards him.
“Hi...how are you?”-Lauren
“I’m fine, and you?”-AJ
“Good.”-Lauren
“Well, let’s go in so we aren’t late for our reservation.”-AJ
“Ok then,” Lauren said as they walked towards the door which AJ was holding open for her.
“Thank you.”-Lauren
“No problem.”-AJ
“So, when are you coming back to Florida?” AJ asked once they were seated.
“Soon...why are you hear?”-Lauren
“To see you, I miss you. I messed up big.”-AJ
“Yeah, I know.”-Lauren
“I said I was sorry.”-AJ
“That’s all you do though AJ. You say sorry, but you don’t change. Have you ever shed your tough guy image, just once?”-Lauren
“I have before.”-AJ
“Yeah, but not now.”-Lauren
“I miss you,” AJ said brushing a piece of hair away from her eyes and tucking it behind her ear.
“I miss you too, and all those cute little romantic things you did.”-Lauren
“Can we get out of here and go somewhere else. I hate all nice and formal places like this.”-AJ
“Yeah,” Lauren said as she got up from her chair.
“Well, we can just take my car, and later I’ll bring you back here to pick yours up.”-AJ
“Fine with me,” Lauren said as they walked towards AJ’s car and got in. They drove to a look out point to watch the sunset.
“So, what have you been doing around here?”-AJ
“I’ve been getting together with some of my friends form high school.”-Lauren
“That’s cool.”-AJ
“So how’s Florida?”-Lauren
“Lonely,” AJ said as he placed his hand on Lauren’s face and leaned in to kiss her. They started to kiss, but Lauren pulled away.
“What’s wrong?”-AJ
“I can’t do this. I’m with Nick now, not you.”-Lauren
“You always back out of everything.”-AJ
“I do not! Take me back to my car please, NOW!!”-Lauren
“Fine!” AJ said as he drove Lauren back to the restaurant where she got out of his car and into her’s.
“AJ, pick up the 98 Degrees CD and listen to the song ‘The Hardest Thing.’ Bye.” Lauren said as she drove off. Later that night AJ went to a Sam Goody’s and bought the 98 Degrees CD and listened to “The Hardest Thing.”
We both know that we shouldn’t be here,
this is wrong.
and baby it’s killing me its killing you
Both of us tryin to be strong
I’ve got somewhere else to be
Promises to keep.
Someone else who loves me and trustin me fast asleep.
I’ve made up my mind
there is no turning back
She’s been good to me
and she deserves better than that
It’s the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do
to look you in the eye
and tell you I don’t love you
It’s the hardest thing I’ll ever have to lie
to show no emotion when you start to cry
I can’t let you see hwat you mean to me
When my hands are tied and my hearts not free
We’re not meant to be
It’s the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do
to turn around and walk away
pretending I don’t love you.
I know we’ll meet again
fate has a place and time
So you can get on with your life
You’ve got to be cruel to be kind.
Like Dr. Zhivago,
all my love I’ll be sending,
and you will never know
cuz there can be no happy ending................
“D*mn, she got me good this time,” AJ said to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Mom, my flight back to Florida is tonight! Are you and dad taking me to the airport?” Lauren yelled from her room where she was packing her bags.
“We’ll take you! What time do you need to go?” her mom yelled.
“Um..around 6. My flight leaves at 7:30 and I’ll get to Tampa around 10:30.”-Lauren
“Well, who’s picking you up from the airport?”
“I talked to Nick the other day, so he’s gonna pick me up, and I’m just gonna stay at his house ‘til I find a way back to Orlando because my car is at Brian’s.”-Lauren
“Ok,” her mom replied in surprise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Flight 2835 to Tampa, Florida, is now boarding.”
“That’s me.”-Lauren
“Well, call us when you get in. Good luck with school. Bye sweetie,” Lauren’s mom said hugging her.
“Bye, don’t party to much at school, you need to focus on your studies.” her dad said hugging her.
“Bye Taylor, be nice to Katie. Just don’t marry her,” Lauren said hugging her brother.
“Bye,” Taylor responded as Lauren walked down the terminal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“We are now landing at Tampa International Airport. Weather Conditions are clear with a temperature of 75 degrees and humidity at 80%.”
“I get to see Nick tonight. This will be weird.” Lauren thought to herself as she walked off the plane and up the terminal to see Nick waiting for her.
This page is copywritten to Lauren, 1999. 
All Rights Reserved.
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