CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
Finally on the fifth ring, Kristin picked up the phone. "Hello?" she said, sounding a little out of breath. (U)- "Hey. What took you so long to pick up the phone?" (Kristin)- "Nice to hear from you too" she laughed, "and if you must know, I was in the shower and I didn't hear it ringing" (U)- "So why didn't Kevin get it then?" (Kristin)- "Well, he was in the shower with me" (U)- "Oh, too much information" (Kristin)- "You asked" (U)- "I know" (Kristin)- "What?s up?" (U)- "Alot actually, is Kevin busy?" (Kristin)- I'm not sure, why? Were you calling to tell me what AJ wanted to talk to you about?" (U)- I wish that was what I was calling about but no, that's not it, and you are the one who had something to tell me, remember?" (Kristin)- "Yes I remember. So what's going on?" (U)- "Nick and AJ just got arrested so I needed to know if Kevin would mind giving me a ride to the police station to get them. I would go myself but AJ has the keys to the truck in his pocket and Nick's house is locked so I can't get to his keys either." (Kristin)- "Ok, wait a minute. What happened? Why are you at Nick's and why did they get arrested?" (U)- "It's a really long story. I will tell you later. Right now I just want to get down there and get this whole mess straightened out." (Kristin)- "I understand. Hold on for a second ok?" (U)- "Sure." You waited for about a minute and then Kevin got on the phone. (Kevin)- "******, we'll be there in 20 minutes, ok? Just hang tight." (U)- "Alright, but I hate to make you guys run out again after you've already settled in for the night." (Kevin)- "It's cool. I'm glad you called. You shouldn't try to deal with this yourself. The police station is no place for a woman to go alone around those kind of guys, especially this time of the night." (U)- "You are probably right about that." (Kevin)- "I know I am. We're on our way." (U)- "Ok, thanks." You both hung up the phone and you sat down in one of the chairs on Nick's porch to wait. You looked over to the driveway to see what Mandy was doing but her car was gone. "Big surprise there" you thought. She probably set this whole thing up. You continued to sit there lost in your thoughts, pondering all that had happened this evening until finally Kevin and Kristin pulled up. You got in the back of Kevin's truck and explained to them about what had happened from the time AJ's cell phone had rung until the time you called them. By the time you had finished, Kevin was pulling into a parking space at the police station. The three of you got out and went inside. (Kevin)- "You two let me do the talking." he said as he approached the counter. (Cop)- "Can I help you folks with something?" (Kevin)- "Yes, I am here to find out what is going on with AJ McLean and Nick Carter. I believe they were arrested about an hour ago." (Cop)- "I'll have to check on that for you. Why don't you have a seat over there and I'll let you know what I find out." (Kevin)- "Ok." He and Kristin sat down on the bench and waited but you couldn't sit down. You paced the floor back and forth, going from the bench to the door to look out the window and back again. The thought of AJ being in this place was driving you crazy. (Kevin)- "******, will you please sit the hell down? You are wearing a hole in the floor and it isn't going to make that guy come back any faster." (U)- "I can't help it!" you said as you dropped down on the bench beside Kristin. You sat there for what seemed like forever before the officer finally returned. (Cop)- "Ok, here's the deal" he said, walking over to the bench where you all were sitting. "It seems a though there was a good bit of confusion surrounding what really happened at the residence earlier, but the arresting officer was finally able to get to the truth, once all the parties involved were questioned separately. It turns out that without Ms. Willaford around to speak for him, and due to the number of drinks that he's had tonight, Mr. Harris was unable to keep his story straight and the one he told in the interrogation room greatly differed from the one he gave both at the house and upon arrival. Therefore, Mr. Carter is free to go on his own recognisance since he had no apparent involvement in the dispute. Mr. McLean however has been charged with assault and is being held on a $1,500 bond. The same goes for Mr. Harris. Now, what that means is that if any of you have the money, you can post the bail or you can call a bondsman in to take care of it for you. Either way it will take 1- 3 hours for the paper work to be processed so they can leave." (U)- "For Nick too?" (Cop)- "No, he will be out in about a half an hour or so." (U)- "So why will it take so long for AJ then?" (Cop)- "Because since Mr. McLean would be getting out on bail, he needs to go in front of the commissioner, where Mr. Carter doesn't." (U)- "I see." (Cop)- "Well, you folks think it over and let me know what you want to do. The commissioner leaves at midnight and if there is no bail posted by then, we can't do anything until morning." he said, heading back to his desk. (Kevin)- "Do you want to call a bondsman? I don't have that kind of cash on me and I didn't bring my credit card" he said, turning to you. (U)- "No, I have mine in my purse. I'll pay for it. Just don't tell AJ or he'll have a fit." (Kevin)- "I won't." (Kristin)- "Won't that max out your card?" (U)- "No, my limit is $2,500, and even if it did, it wouldn't matter. I don't want him having to spend the night in this place" you said as you dug through your purse to find your wallet. (Kevin)- "Ok then, let's do it." Kristin waited on the bench while Kevin went with you up to the counter again and you told the cop that you wished to post AJ's bail. He took some information from you, ran your credit card through, and once it was approved, he had you sign a few forms. All was left to do now was wait. You and Kevin went back to sit with Kristin and shortly after that Nick came out and found you guys. He sat down by Kevin and began filling him in on all of the night's events, as well as his experience in jail so Kristin said to you, "Come on, let's go outside for a while so we can talk since these two seem to be occupied. I still have to tell you something and besides, we have to do something while we wait, right?" (U)- "Yeah, I guess so. Ok, lets go. I kind of wanted to talk to you about something too." (Kristin)- "Cool, but me first." (U)- "Ok." you said with a laugh. The two of you got up and went outside so you could be alone. There were no benches or chairs to sit on so you both just sat down on the curb. (Kristin)- "It's been quite a day for you today hasn't it?" (U)- "No kidding! Actually, it's been a hell of a weekend all together. So much has happened just since Friday that it isn't even funny. It must be hanging around with you guys because I never have this much excitement in my life." you said with a playful smile. (Kristin)- "Maybe not, but I bet it's not nearly as much fun either." (U)- "For sure. So, what did you want to tell me?" (Kristin)- "Oh, right. Well, when we were at dinner I noticed something and I thought that I should tell you about it." (U)- "Ok, what was it?" (Kristin)- "It was when Nick came over to the table as he was leaving and he gave you that envelope. When you pulled out that piece of paper that had his phone number on it, AJ gave Kevin this look that could have killed someone and then when you gave him your number, I thought that AJ was going to explode. It was like he was jealous or something!" (U)- "Please! What would he be jealous for?" (Kristin)- "Girl, open your eyes. AJ likes you. That is why he was acting so weird at dinner after you saw Nick." (U)- "Now that you mention it, he was rather quiet wasn't he? Come to think of it, when we left the restaurant and he took me down to the beach at Nick's, he was asking me alot of questions about how I knew Nick and why I didn't tell him about it. Then he started going on about how if Nick and I were to date that I would never have time to see him." (Kristin)- "Oh really?" (U)- "Yes, but I'm sure that there was another reason for it other than what you think." (Kristin)- "Maybe, but then again, maybe not. What did he take you there to talk about anyway? Besides Nick I mean." (U)- "I don't know. He was just about to tell me when Nick called him and all of this happened." (Kristin)- "That bites!" (U)- "Yeah, and I think it was important too." (Kristin)- "Sure it was. He wants you. I still say he was jealous too. I know that look." (U)- "Well, I still say you are crazy so let's just drop it, ok?" (Kristin)- "Sure, as soon as you admit that you like him." (U)- "Of course I like him Kris, he's my friend. A very good one at that." (Kristin)- "I know, but you guys could be so much more. Everyone can see that but the two of you." (U)- "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do but I really have enough to deal with right now, so please just drop this." (Kristin)- "Ok, I'm sorry." (U)- "Don't be. I'm lucky to have a friend like you. Just promise me that this little talk stays between us ok?" (Kristin)- "As always." she said as you shared a hug. Just then, a voice came from behind you and said "Awww...isn't that sweet? How come I never get any of that?" You both turned around to see AJ there in the doorway with Kevin and Nick standing behind him. (Kristin)- "Ugh! How long have you guys been standing there?" (Kevin)- "Only a minute but I was starting to think that you two had forgotten your way back since you had been out here so long." (U)- "No, we were just talking. You guys didn't happen to hear any of it, did you?" (Nick)- "Unfortunately not, why was it good?" (Kristin)- "Very" (AJ)- "Cool. Do tell." (Kristin)- "Not a chance! It was girl talk." she said as she smiled at you. (U)- "That's right, now can we get out of here and go home?" (Kevin)- "Yeah, really you guys. Lets go." (Nick)- "I'm riding shotgun." (Kristin)- "You better think again and get your ass in the back with ***** and AJ." (Nick)- "Fine." he said as he climbed in beside you, causing you to be in the middle of him and AJ. It was a pretty quiet ride and soon you were back at Nick's. Kevin dropped the three of you off, you thanked him and Kristin again for going with you, and then they headed home. (Nick)- "You guys wanna come in for a while or are you going back on the beach?" he asked as you were walking toward his house. (AJ)- "Actually, if it's ok with ******, I'm ready to go home." (U)- "That sounds like a plan to me. I am kind of tired and I'm sure that you guys are too." (Nick)- "Suit yourselves. I guess I'll catch ya later then." he said as he went inside. (AJ) "Yeah, later man." (U)- "Bye." Nick closed the door and you and AJ got in his truck and went back to his house. (U)- "Man, what a weekend this has been." you said to him as you both sat down on the couch. (AJ)- "I know. Two fights in two days." he laughed. (U)- "It's not really funny when you think about it. Just look at your face!" (AJ)- "It's not as bad as it looks and besides, Jake looks worse than I do." (U)- "That may be true, but he's never going to stop this. As long as I'm here he will keep coming around and causing trouble. What are you going to do, just keep beating him up all the time?" (AJ)- "If I have to." (U)- "That?s a bunch of crap. Look at what happened to you tonight. I don't want you to go to jail again. Maybe next time they won't let you out." (AJ)- "Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. Besides that, we are friends and we are not going to stop spending time together because of his stupid ass. We were friends before he came along and we will continue to be friends now that he is gone." (U)- "I know that and I'm not saying that we shouldn't be. I just don't want everyone to have to keep dealing with this all the time. Hell, I don't know how much more of this I can take." (AJ)- "Well, that is our choice to put up with it and it's not your fault that he acts the way he does." (U)- "I know, I am just tired of having to worry about it. I mean, every time I turn around and everywhere I go, there he is." (AJ)- "You know, I was thinking about that tonight while I was waiting since I didn't have anything else to do." he said with a little laugh. (U)- "So, what about it?" (AJ)- "I have an idea." he said as he stretched out on the couch, laying his head on your lap. (U)- "Oh really? And what is your idea?" (AJ)- "I thought that considering all that has happened in the last few days, and given the fact that Jake will probably get out tonight thanks to his good friend Mandy, that maybe we should go away for a few days and let things settle down a bit." (U)- "You know what? That's not a bad idea. Do you have somewhere in mind?" (AJ)- "Why thank you, and no, I didn't really have anywhere specific in mind. Just somewhere that we could relax and have some fun without having to worry about stuff." (U)- "Well, who is we? I mean, is that just you and I or what?" (AJ)- "It doesn't matter to me. You can invite everyone else to come along if you want and we can make it a group thing or just the two of us can go. Whatever you want. Brian and Howie should be back in town sometime tonight so we could call everyone in the morning and then head out tomorrow afternoon and stay for a few days. I mean, we don't start our tour for another week so it might do everyone some good to get away and spend some time together before then." (U)- "That sounds great. It should be lots of fun. We will call everyone in the morning and see if they want to go, but first we need to decide on where." (AJ)- "Yeah, that would help. Have you ever been to Hawaii?" (U)- "No, but I hear that it's really pretty there." (AJ)- "So let's go there then. You will love it there and I know Kristin has been after Kevin to take her there for a while." (U)- "Oh, that's right! I guess it's settled then." (AJ)- "Good, now let's find something to watch on this tv." He continued to flip through the channels until he finally settled on watching "Rush Hour". The movie hadn't been on for more than 15 minutes before he had fallen asleep. You sat there looking at his face as you ran your fingers through his hair, watching him as he slept. (his head was still on your lap) Then you took the tip of your finger and ran it over the many cuts and bruises that he now had on that beautiful face of his and you began to think of the conversation that you and Kristin had earlier. Could AJ really see you as more than a friend? Could there be any truth to what she thinks she sees? "I don't think so." you thought to yourself, all the while wondering if maybe this trip wouldn't make a difference in your relationship somehow. You laid your head back on the couch and continued to think about it and pretty soon, you were asleep too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
You woke up pretty early the next morning due to the fact that you had a tremendous cramp in your neck from the way you had fallen asleep. You looked down at AJ and saw that he was still asleep on your lap. "Well, atleast one of us was comfortable" you thought to yourself as you tried to get off the couch without waking him up. You slid yourself out from under AJ, laying his head on the couch where you had been sitting, then you went upstairs to take a shower and get some fresh clothes on so that you could begin making your phone calls and getting things ready for the trip. Packing really wouldn't take you that long though since almost everything you owned was still in a suitcase from the day before. You went to AJ's room to dig through the pile of your clothes that you had scattered all over the floor last night when you were getting ready for dinner so that you could find what you wanted to wear. You came across an old pair of white jean shorts that were perhaps just a little bit too tight and a little bit too short. "Well, since all I am going to do is hang around the house today I'll put these on so that I can pack my good clothes" you thought as you grabbed a green tank top to go along with them and went into the bathroom to take your shower. When you were finished, you got dressed, put your hair into a loose ponytail, and skipping the make-up you went back downstairs to get yourself something to eat. As you looked through the refrigerator, the cabinets, and even the pantry however, you soon came to the conclusion that AJ had absolutely nothing to eat in the whole house except for some of the left over food from the pool party. "Ugh...men. What would they do without women" you said out loud as you dug through your purse for your car keys. "I guess I will just have to go out and get something." You went into the living room to see if AJ was up yet so that you could ask him if he wanted anything, but he was still out so you decided to just leave him alone as you quietly went out the front door, making sure to leave it unlocked since you didn't have a key yet. About a half hour later, you returned with food from both Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's since you weren't sure what AJ would want. No sooner than you got the food in the house and to the kitchen on the table, the doorbell rang. "I wonder who that could be at 8:30 in the morning" you thought as you opened the door to find Brian and Leighanne on the other side. "Hey you guys. Getting an early start this morning aren't you?" you asked as they came in, each of them giving you a hug as they passed you. "Yeah, well I called Kevin last night to let him know that we were back and he filled us in on all that had happened since we left the pool party on Saturday night so Leigh wanted to come over and make sure that you were ok." Brian explained. "Oh, that was nice...but I'm fine, really." you told them as you noticed them looking intently at the cuts and bruises on your face. "Are you sure?" Leighanne asked. "Positive" you replied simply. "What about AJ?" she questioned. "He's fine too. We both look worse than what it really is." you told her. "Where is AJ anyway?" Brian asked. "He's asleep on the couch in the living room. Hey, have you guys eaten yet?" you said. "Not yet, why?" Brian inquired curiously. "Because I just got back with a ton of breakfast food. You wanna come in the kitchen and eat with me?" you asked. "Sure" Brian answered. "He never turns down food" Leighanne laughed as they followed you into the kitchen. The three of you sat down at the table and "caught up" while you ate. They told you about their trip and you filled them in on everything from your tattoos to AJ's idea for the trip, which they agreed to tag along for. About an hour later, they decided to go home and start packing, telling you to let them know later what time to be at the airport. You agreed and saw them out. Once they were gone, you decided that it was time for AJ to get up. After all, it was 10:00am now and he had alot of phone calls to make....hotels, airlines, etc. Before you got the pleasure of doing something to wake him up though, which gave you a great deal of enjoyment, he came stumbling into the hallway. "Who were you talking to?" he asked with a yawn. "Rok and Leigh. They stopped by to say hi and I told them about the trip." you said. "Cool. Are they coming?" he asked. "Yep. Now all I have to do is call everyone else and see if they are in." you explained. "Good. While you do that, I'm gonna go and get a shower." AJ said. "Ok, but don't you want to eat? I got McDonald's?" you asked. "I will when I'm done. Why did you go out though, you could have eaten my food." he replied. "And what food would that be exactly?" you teased. "I've got food." AJ objected. "Yeah, dog food" you said laughing. "Well, my babies have to eat too" he said as he went up the stairs making a face at you. You rolled your eyes at him and then you went into the living room to make your calls. First you called Kevin and Kristin and filled them in on AJ's idea....just as predicted, they were in. Next you called Nick. He of course wanted to go because he always wants to get into stuff and go places. Finally you called Howie and Claudia. Just like Brian and Leighanne, you hadn't seen them since Saturday at the pool party and you knew that there was alot that you had to tell them about but you didn't want to get into it over the phone so you just told them about AJ's idea for the trip. You figured that you could tell them about the rest of the stuff on the plane once they saw you....there would be no hiding it then anyway. They also agreed to go with you guys even though it was short notice. "Alright!" you thought as you hung up the phone. "This is so cool that we are all going on this trip together. As soon as AJ makes the airline reservations, I can call everyone back and tell them what time to meet us at the airport and then we'll be on our way and far away from Jake." you said, thinking out loud to yourself, totally unaware of the fact that AJ had come back downstairs and was standing behind you. "Do you always talk to yourself?" he asked, almost scaring you to death. "Geez, give me a heart attack why don't you?" you said as you turned around. "I could give you a heart attack, but it wouldn't be from scaring you." he grinned. "Yes, so you've told me. That is quite and ego you've got there, you know that?" you sighed. "Perhaps, but I guess that you need a big ego when you have a big..." he began. "STOP!!! I'm not listening to you" you interrupted as you put your fingers in your ears. "I did not need to know that" "Ok, but it's your loss" he laughed as he went into the kitchen to see what you had gotten to eat. You followed him to the kitchen, sitting down with him at the table. You informed him that everyone was in as far as the trip was concerned and that he would need to book 6 hotel rooms and 9 plane tickets. You also told him that everyone said for him to just put all of the reservations on his credit card and that they would give him the cash for their part of the bill when they saw him at the airport since it would be easier that way. He agreed and once he finished eating, he called the airport and got the plane tickets....they would be held at the counter for the 3:00 flight. He then got the phone number for a very nice hotel in Hawaii and he called and reserved the rooms. You then called everyone back and told them to meet at the airport around 2:00. When you and AJ were finally done with all of the phone calls, you looked at the clock and saw that it was now 11:45. You had just over two hours to pack, get things in order, and get to the airport. "We had better get packing" you said to AJ as you were going up the steps towards his room. "Right behind you" he said as he pinched your butt. "AJ!" you said as you turned around and slapped his arm. "Sorry, it was just right there in front of me and I couldn't help it. I mean, hello!? Have you looked in the mirror today? Those shorts could kill a man." he said. "Please! You are such a flirt." you giggled. "That's me!" he said proudly as he dug through his closet and dresser while you went through your suitcase and duffel bag to find what you wanted. You had dumped all of your stuff that was still packed onto the floor with the other stuff that was already there so that as you found something that you wanted to pack, you could put it in your suitcase. AJ just watched you in amusement in between getting his own things together. "So how long are we staying anyway so that I know how much stuff I need to pack?" you asked him as you went into the bathroom, grabbed all of your stuff that was in there, and then came back out and dropped it on the floor with all of your clothes. "I booked us for six days. I figured that way we would get back on Sunday and then we would have all day to get ready to hit the road on Tuesday. I mean, since we are starting the tour here in Florida, we won't have to worry about traveling for another couple of days after that" he said, laughing at the huge pile of stuff you now had on the floor in front of you. "Oh yeah, I forgot that it was that time for you guys again. I don't know what I'm going to do without you guys around to get me into trouble." you sighed. "Please girl, you do a good job of that on your own. Besides that, you know you are more than welcome to come with us. Kristin, Leigh, and Claudia are all going, and if Nick had a girl, I'm sure that she would be going too." What will you do with everyone gone, and for so long?" he asked. "I don't know but I'm due back at work on Monday. I only took vacation for this week since you guys had a break and I knew that it would be a chance for all of us to hang out together, which we don't get to do very often." you told him. "Well, you say that now, but I still have this whole week to change your mind, plus I will get everyone else to get on you about it too" he said as he closed his suitcase and came to sit on the floor beside you. "Need some help?" he asked. "No, I think I can manage, thanks" you said as you grabbed a pair of your underwear from his hands. "Ok, but if you miss the plane, don't blame me. It's gonna take you all day to go through this mess." he teased. "No it won't smart ass because I am done, so there!" you said as you stuck your tongue out at him and closed your suitcase. "Maybe so, but look how long it took" he said, sticking his tongue out at you in response to you doing it to him. You looked at the clock to see that it was now 1:30 and you had about a half an hour to get to the airport and meet up with everyone else. AJ grabbed both his suitcase and yours and carried them downstairs with you following behind him. You made sure that the doors were locked and the alarms on the house were set on your way out of the house as AJ loaded the suitcases into your car. You guys had decided to take your car so that AJ wouldn't have to leave his sitting at the airport seeing how his was much more expensive than yours was. Plus, you thought that if Jake saw that your car wasn't at AJ's, he might think that you were staying somewhere else and leave everyone alone. You threw AJ the keys to your car, you both got in, and you were on your way. About ten minutes later, you were at the airport. AJ parked the car, grabbed the suitcases, and the two of you went inside. When you got to the lobby, no one was there yet except for Howie and Claudia so you and AJ headed in their direction. When they saw you coming, they both came to greet you with a big smile. The smiles quickly faded though as they got closer and saw the cuts and bruises that both you and AJ now had on your faces due to the events of the last couple of days. "Oh my god....what happened to you guys?" Claudia asked as she hugged you. "It's a long story girl...let's go sit down and I will tell you all about it." you said. Claudia exchanged a worried look with Howie as they followed you to the waiting area while AJ went to pick up the tickets from the counter. You filled them on everything from the time they left the pool party on Saturday up until you called them earlier that morning, just as you had done with Brian and Leighanne. You showed them your new tattoos and belly ring, and they filled you in on their trip to visit Howie's sister. By the time you were done catching up with them, Kevin and Kristin had arrived as well as Brian, Leighanne, and Nick. Everyone gave AJ the money that they owed him for their tickets and their rooms, and before you knew it, it was time to get on the plane. You, Kristin, Leighanne, and Claudia went to the boarding gate together, with Howie, Brian, and Kevin in front of you carrying on a conversation, and AJ and Nick behind you, also having some sort of conversation. In the middle of that conversation however, AJ noticed that Nick was staring at you in an unusual way. "What the hell are you looking at?" he asked Nick, being careful not to let anyone else hear him. "I can't help it man. She looks good in those shorts...Damn!" Nick protested. "HEY!!! She's your friend. You shouldn't be looking at her that way." AJ objected. "Why not? She's your friend too and you do it all the time." Nick defended. "I do not." AJ said. "Like hell you don't. You act like nobody can see it when you do it Bone, but it's as plain to see as the nose on your face." Nick pointed out. "Whatever man! Just knock it off." AJ ordered. "Ugh...fine! But if you don't ask her out soon, then I will." Nick told him. "Do it and you die punk" AJ said as he slapped Nick in the back of the head. You all got on the plane, took your seats, and talked among yourselves. Halfway through the flight, AJ went over and sat by Kevin so that they could talk while you girls were busy gossiping to each other. "What's up?" Kevin asked AJ. "Well, I wanted to give you back $1,500 of the money that you gave to me towards your room and stuff. You know, to pay you back the money you spent to get me out of jail." AJ explained. "Oh, don't worry about it" Kevin told him as he thought to himself..."I can't let him know that ***** paid that money, I promised her." "What do you mean don't worry about it? It was my debt and I want to pay you back." AJ insisted. "Forget about it. Just consider it a favor ok?" Kevin said. "If you say so" AJ shrugged, all the while thinking "I'm gonna pay you back that money if I have to sneak it to you somehow." He went back to his seat next to Nick and thought for a minute when he had an idea. "Hey Nick" he called. "Yeah?" Nick asked. "I need you to help me with something." AJ said. "Just ask her man, she'll say yes." Nick replied without looking up from the comic book he was reading. "What?! Not that. Will you just listen to me for a minute?" AJ groaned. "Ok, sorry." Nick said. "It's cool. Look, I need to find a way to get this money to Kevin. I tried to give it to him just now, but he won't take it." AJ explained. "Why not?" Nick asked. "He says to consider it a favor, but I don't want no hand outs. If I owe someone money, then I want to pay them back." AJ said. "What do you owe him for?" Nick asked. "Posting my bail last night." AJ answered. At that point, Nick started to laugh. "What's so funny? Do you have any ideas on how I can get him to take it?" AJ questioned. "Dumbass!!!! He's not going to take it because you don't owe him anything." Nick pointed out. "And just why is that may I ask?" AJ retorted. "God AJ!!! Didn't you even look at your discharge papers?" Nick asked. "Not really, why? What does that have to do with anything?" AJ countered. "Because Kevin's name isn't on there where the person getting you out signs." Nick told him. "Why isn't it and how would you know anyway?" AJ asked. "Because I got out before you did and I saw it when your papers were signed. Kevin didn't post your bail, ***** did." Nick replied. "WHAT?!?! Why didn't anybody tell me that?" AJ screeched. "It was right there man. All you had to do was look." Nick shrugged. "Maybe, but why didn't Kevin tell me that when I tried to pay him that money just now? He played along with it like he was the one who paid for it." AJ demanded. "I don't know what to tell you about that Dude. Why don't you just ask them about it?" Nick suggested. "Maybe I will." AJ said. "What made you think that Kevin paid for it in the first place?" Nick asked. "I don't know...I guess I just assumed that he did." AJ answered. "Well, it doesn't really matter because ***** won't take the money from you either." Nick said. "Oh, she's gonna take it if I have to wrestle her to the ground and stick it down her pants." AJ said with a smile as he looked at Nick. "Yeah, you'd probably like that wouldn't you?" he asked. AJ raised his eyebrows in response to Nick's question, but didn't say anything. He continued thinking of a way to get the money back to you and soon, all of you had fallen asleep and in no time at all, you would be landing in Hawaii.... CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:
Several hours later, the plane had arrived at your destination. Everyone got off the plane and gathered up their suitcases and bags before heading to the rental car counter to get a couple of cars. Kevin had come up with the idea to get some on the plane so just incase anyone wanted to wander off to a place that was too far to walk to during the week, there would be a car to take. You guys agreed that 2 should be enough and since it was Kevin's idea to get them, that he should pay for them. He did, and the lady gave him 2 sets keys for 2 different cars. He kept the keys for one of the cars and he gave AJ the keys to the other since you all obviously couldn't fit into one. Kevin, Kristin, Brian, Leighanne, and Nick went in the one car and you, AJ, Howie, and Claudia took the other. You all threw your bags and stuff into the trunk of the car and you were on your way to the hotel. When you got there, AJ went inside to sign for the rooms since he had made the reservations, and he came back out with 6 keys, which he proceeded to hand out. The rooms were on the top floor of the hotel, side by side so that you all would be right there close to each other. Nick took the one on the end, then Brian and Leighanne took the one beside him, then Kevin and Kristin, then you, then Howie and Claudia, and AJ took the other end. Since it was already starting to get late due to the length of the flight and the fact that you had left Florida late in the day, you all decided that you should just unpack, settle in, and hang around the hotel for the night and then start fresh in the morning, so you got your stuff from the car and climbed the stairs to your room with everyone else following close behind you. When you open the door, you were amazed by the size of the room. It had a huge king size bed in it plus a separate living room with an entertainment center, a table and chairs kind of like a dining room, and a whirlpool bathtub in the bathroom. It also had a completely stocked mini-bar, which you thought was very cool. The only thing the room didn't have was a kitchen, but why would you need that when you had room service, not to mention the fact that you guys would probably eat out every night. "Man, AJ must have booked us the biggest suites in the best hotel here" you thought to yourself as you threw your stuff on the bed to start unpacking. You put all your clothes into the dressers and closets that were provided, then you put all of your other stuff such as your make-up, brushes, deodorant, etc. in the bathroom, and finally when you were done with all of that, you put your suitcase and gym bag into the closet so that it wasn't laying around all week. That was the one thing about you that everyone usually picked on you about....the way you have to put everything in it's place because you can't stand a mess. You are alot like Kevin in that way, so everyone but him usually rides you about it. In fact, they had a real big time on the plane joking about how you were going to be able to stay with AJ at his house since he is so messy. At any rate, once all of your stuff was put away, you stretched out across the bed, and started to flip through the channels on the TV to see if anything good was on. You hadn't yet settled on what you wanted to watch when there was a knock on your door. "Come in" you said, making no effort to get up. "I can't, the door is locked" came the reply from the other side. "Ok, hold on" you said, rolling your eyes and sighing loudly as you got up off the bed and went to open the door. When you did, you found Nick on the other side. "Hey, what's up?" you greeted. "Do you have HBO?" Nick questioned without even saying hi. "What?" you asked. "We are supposed to have HBO on our TV's, but mine doesn't. Do you have it?" he questioned. "I don't know. I haven't really looked for it, why?" you replied. "Because "Save The Last Dance" is on and I want to watch it. Can I check your TV?" Nick explained. "Sure, come on." you said. He came in and took a seat one your bed as he began flipping through the channels in search of HBO. "You've got it! That's not fair, I wonder why I don't have it." he whined in protest. "Probably because there is something on that channel that you want to watch." you laughed in amusement. "Exactly!" Nick agreed. "Hey, trade me rooms." You shook your head. "Hell no! Are you crazy?" you said. "Why not? You don't watch that much TV and I really want to see this." he protested. "I don't care if I watch that much TV or not, I have already unpacked all of my stuff and put it away." you defended. "So? I'll help you move it." he said. "Forget it Nick. I am not switching you rooms. I thought you wanted the end so you could be next to Brian anyway." you reminded him. "I did, but I want HBO too." he objected. "Well don't cry about it. There isn't really anything on that I want to watch so you can sit in here and watch your movie if you want. Will that make you happy?" you asked. "Yep" he chirped with a satisfied look on his face. "Atleast until there is another movie on that I want to see but can't get" he laughed. "Don't push your luck Carter" you laughed back as you crawled up on the bed beside him so you could watch the movie too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:
Meanwhile, over in Kevin and Kristin's room, they were doing pretty much the same thing that you had done....they were putting their stuff into the closets and just basically trying to get things put away and in order so that it would be done and they would be ready to go out and have some fun the rest of the week. They had just finished and were about to decide on something to do for the rest of the evening when Brian came barging through the door of their room with Leighanne close behind him. "Don't you guys knock?" Kristin asked with a smile. "Well, one of us does atleast." Leighanne smiled back. "So, what's up?" Kevin asked as he looked at his cousin with curiosity. "I know that you didn't come over here for nothing. "Actually, Leigh and I were gonna go take a walk along the beach since we are in an ocean front hotel, and we thought that you guys might want to come along. I was gonna ask Nick if he would like to come along too, but he's not in his room so I can't" Brian explained. "Well, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Knowing him and the way he loves the ocean, he's probably already down there" Kristin said. "True. So what do you say? You guys want to come with us?" Brian asked. Kristin looked over to Kevin who nodded in approval and then said "Sure, let me just grab a jacket." She got her jacket from the closet and the four of them headed down to the beach for their walk. Howie and Claudia too had finished unpacking. They had decided to go downstairs and see what kind of restaurants the hotel had in it so that they could grab a little something to eat before turning in for the night. They figured that since you all would probably do alot of things together throughout the week, that they would take the opportunity to spend some time alone together. Over in AJ's room, unlike the rest of you, he just took his suitcase and threw it into a chair in the corner and was happy with that. As far as he was concerned, he was now unpacked. He wasn't quite sure at this point of just what he wanted to get into the rest of the evening, but the one thing that he was sure of was that he was bored. He picked up the phone and dialed the number to Nick's room to see if he wanted to go down to the video game room on the main floor of the hotel with him to play some pool, but he got no answer of course since Nick was in your room. He then tried Kevin's room and again had no luck so he then called Howie's room and when he got no answer there, he tried Brian's. Of course, since Brian was out with Kevin, AJ got no answer there either. "Damn" he thought to himself. "What happened to everyone just hanging around the hotel tonight?" he wondered as he now dialed the number to your room. You and Nick were in the middle of the movie you were watching when the phone rang. "I'll get it. It's on my side of the bed" Nick said as he reached for the phone. "Hello?" he greeted when he picked it up. "Nick? What the hell are you doing there? Isn't this *****'s room?" AJ demanded. "Uh, yeah, it is" Nick answered. "So then why are you answering the phone?" AJ questioned. "Because it's on my side of the bed" Nick laughed. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? What are you doing in her bed?" AJ asked, starting to raise his voice. "Relax man...I am just over here watching a movie with ***** because my room doesn't have HBO, that's all" Nick replied, realizing that AJ had not found his little bit of humor to be at all funny. "You aren't funny at all Nick. I should Kick your little ass for that" AJ shot back. "Bring it on then big shot" Nick teased again. "Just put ***** on the phone" AJ told him, now a little tired of playing games. "Fine....hold on" Nick said as he passed you the phone. "It's AJ" he said before turning his attention back to the movie. "Hey Jay" you said as you took the phone from Nick. "Hey baby girl. Where the hell is everybody?" he asked. "I don't know...what do you mean?" you asked him, not sure what he meant. "Well, I tried calling all of the guys rooms to see if anybody wanted to go downstairs and play pool with me but no one is answering their phone. I mean, I know where Nick is now, but what about everyone else?" he replied, now a little more calm. "I couldn't tell you...I haven't seen any of them other than Nick since we got here. I see where I rate with you now though....I was last on your list of people to call" you teased. "You know it's not like that. I would have called you first to hang out but I know that you don't like to play pool" he defended. "Well, this is true. I guess I'll have to let you slide this time" you said with a little laugh. "Oh, thank you so much" he laughed back. "No problem. So, do you want to come over and hang out with me and Nick? We aren't doing much but watching a movie right now, but I am sure that we could find something to get into when it's over" you offered. "Yeah, that sounds cool because I'm bored as hell. I'll see you in a minute ok?" he replied. "Ok, I'll see you when you get here" you said as you hung up the phone and walked over to unlock your door. On your way past Nick, you told him that AJ was on his way. "Ok, cool" was the reply that he gave you without even bothering to look up from the TV. A few minutes later, AJ showed up at the door and just let himself in since you knew that he was coming. He had a brown paper bag and a deck of card with him that he went to put on the table on the other side of the room, shooting Nick a dirty look as he passed him for the joke that he had made earlier on the phone. Nick was still involved in watching his movie though so he paid no attention to AJ at all, who had now taken a seat in one of the chairs at the table. Since you had pretty much missed the last half-hour of the movie and had no idea of what was going on anymore, you went out and joined AJ at the table. "Look what I got" you said to him as you picked up a brown paper bag of your own from an empty chair and set it on the table. He just watched as you pulled out a carton of orange juice, a bag of ice, and a bottle of peach schnapps. "I thought that we could make some fuzzy navels later on" you told him as you saw a smile start to form on his face. "Cool. When did you get this stuff?" he questioned, knowing that you hadn't brought it with you. "I went out and got it a little while ago before Nick came over. I haven't said anything to him about it yet though because I wasn't sure of what we were going to do" you told him. "I guess that we must have had the same idea on how to spend the evening" AJ said as his smile broadened. "Why do you say that other than the fact that great minds think alike?" you inquired. AJ just shrugged his shoulders but made no attempt to open the bag that he had brought in with him. "Come on...what's in the bag? I showed you mine now you have to show me yours" you protested with a sly little smile. AJ laughed as he pushed the bag over to you. When you opened it, you found dozens of those little individual shot viles that they sell in the front of the liquor stores. He had gotten kamikaze's which he knew that you liked, as well as bahama mamas, melon balls, sex on the beach, and alabama slammers. "Awwww, they are such cute little things aren't they?" you laughed as you held one in your hand. "yeah, well it's not the size that counts but what it can do to you" he defended. "Are we still talking about the bottles?" you asked, now laughing at him. "Very funny" he laughed back as he rolled his eyes, realizing that he had walked right into that one. "So, what are the cards for?" you asked. "Well, I thought that we could play poker and for each hand that you lose, you have to take a shot" he suggested. "Oh, well that would explain all of the shots in your bag then, huh?" you replied. "Yep. So, what do you think?" he asked. "I think it sounds like fun, except for the fact that you always beat my ass at poker" you said as you got up from the table. "Maybe that's the idea" he said under his breath so that you couldn't hear him. "Let me just go and ask Nick if he wants to play and then I will be right back" you said as you left the table and went back over to the bed to find Nick flipping through the channels on the TV in search of another movie. You told him about the game that you and AJ were about to play and asked him if he wanted in. He agreed as he turned off the TV, got up off of the bed, and walked over to the table with you to sit down. You guys set the drinks up at one corner of the table and AJ dealt out the first hand of cards. Several hours later....
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
After many games of poker, all three of you had now had way too much to drink, and just as you had predicted, AJ kicked your butt, as well as Nick's. He did still have his fair share to drink though even if it wasn't as obvious as it was with you and Nick because he was able to hold his liquor better. You guys had finished off all of the shots a while ago and you were now acting completely crazy. You had the stereo blasting and you were laughing at pretty much anything. Nick, who was really feeling the effects of his drinking, was stretched out on the floor with his eyes closed because he felt sick and the room was starting to spin. AJ on the other hand, was having quite a good time laughing at you and Nick. Although he had enough to drink to be loosened up and in a partying mood, he wasn't to the point that he didn't know what he was doing, which was more than what could be said for you, and Nick too for that matter. You all knew that you would pay for this in the morning and that you would be sorry, but right now none of you really cared. You were having fun and that was all that counted. The music to Shaggy's "Boombastic" began, blaring through the speakers. This song was one of your favorites and you began dancing around the room, trying to keep your balance and not trip over Nick all at the same time. You went from dancing on the floor, to the bed, and then eventually you ended up on top of the dining room table. AJ was still sitting at the table in his chair and he continued to watch in amusement as you made a total fool of yourself for the next few minutes before he finally said "You know *****, I have been here in Hawaii a time or two before so I know where a lot of cool clubs are if you want to dance. If you want to go to one sometime this week, I would be glad to take you." "Why Mr. McLean, are you asking me out on a date?" you stuttered as your song ended and you took a seat right there on the table. "Hell no! But if I was, and I'm not mind you, what would you say?" he questioned. "Well, if I were to accept, and I'm not saying I would" you began. "Yeah, because I haven't asked you" AJ interrupted. "Mmmm-hmmm. I would say ummm" you continued. "What would you say?" AJ asked, interrupting you again, impatient to hear your answer. "Maybe" you said, finally getting to finish your response. "MAYBE!?!? What the hell kind of answer is maybe?" Nick yelled from his place on the floor, not even giving AJ a chance to respond to what you had said. "Maybe means....maybe" you told him as you busted out laughing at your lack of ability to come up with a better answer. AJ had to laugh at you over that too before he said "Then MAYBE I'll stop by around 7:00 tomorrow night." "Well then, MAYBE I'll wear something nice for you and be ready." you replied with a smile. Before that conversation could get any further, you guys were interrupted by the sound of someone banging rather loudly on the door. You slid down off of the table and stumbled your way over to open it, and there on the other side you found Kristin, Kevin, Brian, and Leighanne. They all just stood there looking at you for a minute before Brian finally said "It's about time you open the door! We've been knocking for about 15 minutes now." "We didn't hear anything" you told him as you let them in and turned around to crawl up on your bed. "No wonder with as loud as this music is. We heard it all the way down in the parking lot." Kristin laughed. "Besides that, who is we?" Kevin questioned as he went to turn down your stereo. "We would be ******, Nick, and me" AJ replied as he got up from his place at the table and walked in to join everyone else in the bedroom. "No wonder we couldn't find him" Leighanne laughed as she spotted Nick, still content in his spot on the floor. "What the hell were you guys doing in here?" Brian asked as he joined Leighanne to see what she was looking at. "Oh, nothing really. We were just hanging out" you managed to spit out before you started laughing over nothing again. "Did you guys need something or what?" AJ asked, wondering why they had come over in the first place. "Not really. We just stopped by to see what was up because we heard the music. Plus, Brian was going to ask ***** if she had seen Nick since we didn't see him when we were down on the beach." Kristin explained. "I guess that's why I couldn't get anybody to answer their phone" AJ thought to himself before saying "Well, now you know where he is." "Yeah, well he looks like he's gonna need a little help finding his way back to his room" Kristin said. "That's for sure. Besides that, it's pretty late so we had better be going back to our rooms ourselves." Kevin suggested. "We can take Nick with us if you want since we have to go that way anyway to get to our room." Brian said, looking to you and AJ for an answer. You just shrugged your shoulders, not really caring what they did either way, so AJ told them to go ahead and help him to his room because you guys were pretty much done for the night anyway. With that said, Brian and Kevin helped Nick to his feet while Kristin and Leighanne made sure to grab all of his stuff. Once he was up, he mumbled something that no one could really understand, but due to the fact that he was pretty much out of it now, he didn't really put up that much of a fight about leaving. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that once he was in his bed, he would pass right out. As Kevin and Brian headed out the door with Nick, Kristin turned around to look at AJ. "Are you going to need any help with this one?" she asked, looking over towards you. "Nah, I can handle it, but thanks for the offer" he replied. "No problem" she said, as she left your room with Leighanne following behind her, heading down the hall in the direction that the guys had just went in. Once they were gone, AJ closed and locked the door before heading back into the dining room to clean up all of the mess that you guys had made. Although cleaning wasn't something that he normally would do, or even think of, he knew how you were about things being messy, especially your room, and even if you were too drunk to care right now, he knew that you would sooner or later. You were rather busy yourself over on your bed watching him as he cleaned, and having fun every now and then when he wasn't looking by throwing something like and empty shot glass in his direction. You thought that was rather funny. When he was finally done cleaning up, he returned once again to his seat at the table, pondering what to do next. Before he could make up his mind though, you got up off of your bed and clumsily stumbled over towards him, dimming the lights on your way. You stood there in front of him, and as "I wanna love you forever" by Jessica Simpson started to play on the radio, you straddled him, crawling up onto his lap so that you were facing towards him instead of away from him. He just sat there looking at you for a moment, unsure of both what you were doing and why you were doing it, but at the same time, he wasn't exactly complaining either. Your eyes met and locked on each other's as you wrapped your arms around his neck and he rested one hand mid-way up each of your thighs. Just then, you leaned in and kissed him on the lips, just as a friendly kiss. The two of you just stared at each other for a minute and this time, AJ kissed you, but it was more than a friendly kiss. He pressed his lips hard up against yours and ran his tongue over your lips until you opened them up and allowed his tongue to go inside your mouth. You continued to kiss passionately as he moved his hands up the rest of your thigh and placed them around your hips, pulling you so close to him that the front of your body was pressed up against his chest. "Don't start something with me now that you will regret finishing later on" AJ managed to say rather breathlessly as you finally pulled apart from each other. "Why would I regret it? You are supposed to be rather good at this, are you not?" you teased as you ran your fingers through his short brown hair. "The best" he growled as he once again covered your mouth with his. The kiss continued as he lifted you up off of his lap and carried you over to the bed, laying you down. He pulled off his shirt, throwing it onto the floor as you stared at his thin, yet muscular frame, concentrating so hard that AJ was the only thing you could see in an otherwise blurry room. He leaned down and began kissing you again, first on the lips and then down your neck, leaving a trial of hickeys on you as he positioned himself over top of you. You ran your hands over his chest before moving them to his back, massaging his muscles and relaxing him even more. He began to kiss your face...your eyelids, your nose, and your earlobes as you gently sucked on his neck, once again running your hands through the hair on the back of his head. You began to kiss passionately again as you rolled over onto AJ, sitting on his stomach and looking at the tattoo on his belly. You smiled as you looked at him and said "dirty boy". He just smirked at you as you moved down and kissed the tattoo, making him moan slightly. You grinned at his obvious pleasure as you continued to kiss around his belly button, then in a line up his chest, setting him on fire. "Come here" he whispered breathlessly, pulling you up gently and kissing you hard on the lips as he now ran his hands through your hair, resting his hand on the back of your head, pulling your face closer to his. It seemed that the two of you were completely lost in each other when all of a sudden......
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Chapters 26-30
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