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1 year later
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"Nick!! Hurry up man, we're gonna be late! I wanna see my mom and dad!" Brian yelled to the back of the bus where a busy blond haired man was scurrying back and forth gathering things and putting them in a backpack.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" and he ran to the front of the bus just in time to follow Brian off the bus. A short blond haired woman and a tall brown haired man greeted them, both in their late forties. When they saw Brian the woman, whos face was worn from years of caring and tending for her children, ran up to Brian and wrapped her arms around her twenty-five year old son.
"Brian, oh my baby, I'm so glad to see you. It's been too long since you've been home. Your sister will be sorry she missed you." Brian pulled away from his mother and the other boys stopped talking once hearing what Mrs. Littrell had said.
"What did you say mom?"
"Oh, that's right, she didn't tell you did she?" Mrs. Littrell turned around and headed towards the house. Brian ran up and cut her off before she got to the steps.
"Mom, where's Jess? Come on, I really needed to talk to her. Please." he pleaded looking at his mother with puppy dog eyes.
"Don't pull out those eyes on me Brian Thomas Littrell. I'll tell you. She moved out for a while. she's living with Mark, her boyfriend. They've been together for nearly nine months." Nicks eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Nine months?!?" He fumed only to be chewed out by Mrs. Littrell,
"Nickolas gene Carter! How dare you say that. After what you and the rest of the boys did to her, Mark was there for her when you guys weren't. Sound familiar?" Nick suddenly felt three inches tall.
"I'm sorry. It's just that I really wanted to talk to her and explain things, have an adult conversation with her, you know?"
"Hahaha! that's pretty funny." A.J. said. Nick turned to him and asked why. "Well, how many times do you hear Nick say he wants to act like an adult?" Nick turned away from him and headed towards the house.
"I gotta go call Lucy." Mrs. Littrell turned toward Brian,
"Honey, I didn't mean to sound rude or angry but it's just that every time I think about her a year ago it breaks my heart to see what she went through." Brian gently placed a reassuring hand on his mother's shoulders,
"Mom, you don't have to apologize. We're the bad guys here, at least that's how Jess is going to see it. Come on, let's go inside and have some food."
"Oh man, you said the magic word." Kevin said smacking his lips and rubbing his hands together, " did you cook auntie? Please tell me you cooked?"
"Kevin, how many times have you been to my house and I have not had a meal on the kitchen table? This time is special so there is even more food. You boys get in the house and put some meat on those bones." she was greeted with a rush to the front door,
"Hey, it's my house I get first picks!! Dammit A.J., get your bony ass out of my way!" Brian shouted to his tattooed friend who at the moment was first in line to eat. A.J. didn't stagger, he held his place. After everyone was seated with a full plate in front of them Nick entered the kitchen,
"Guess what?" Everyone looked up at him, mouths to full to speak, Nick smiled and continued, "Lucy is coming down for a couple days, she'll be here for the show. I cannot wait to see her, it's been a few weeks." Everyone glanced at each other with their almost as famous you interrupted me for that? looks and began digging in again, everyone except for Mrs. Littrell that is.
"Lucy's coming here? When?"
"She'll be here tomorrow morning. I'm so excited I can't even eat." Mrs Littrell smiled, knowing he HAS to be excited to turn down food. He turned and exited through the screen door and went and sat on the porch.
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Brian woke up to the smell of pancakes, sausage, eggs, bacon, and homefries. "Man I missed being home" he muttered to himself, his voice still scatchy from sleeping. He got out of bed and headed downstairs.
"Mom, have I told you lately just how much I love you." he said grabbing a plate and filling it up with french toast, sausage, bacon and some homefries. The rest of the boys who were sitting at the table already, laughing at his hair, which always stands up in the morning.
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"Hey, Jess. Can you get me some breakfast? I'm starving this morning." Mark Lucas said as he rolled over to look at Jessica as she was putting the finishing touches on her ponytail, which just consisted of putting an elastic on it. She turned to him with frustration on her face.
"Mark, you know I have to go to my moms right now and get the rest of my stuff. I don't have time to get you breakfast." She grabbed her leather jacket and put it on over her white tank top matched with her faded blue jeans. he got out of bed and went and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"C'mon sugar. please, I'll make it worth your while." He bribed kissing her neck. she grabbed his face in her hands and made him look at her. She smiled,
"Mark hun, you know I'm hard to please. besides, why would I want you when your breath smells like something crawled in your stomach and died? I gotta jet." he gave her a frown as she walked out the front door of their two-bedroom apartment. Jessica met Mark at school, her last year of college. They were both needing to talk to their professor about the exam and while waiting outside his office, he made her laugh, which no one had done since she was on the road with her brother. Jessica lightly jogged to her shiny midnight blue Blazer which Brian had gotten her for her high school graduation a couple years earlier. she loved that truck and every time she got in it she was flooded with memories of the day he gave it to her.
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"Okay, Are you ready?" Brian asked as he held his hands over her eyes. Jessica smiled,
"Brian, just take you're hands of my eyes and tell me what you're doing." He turned her towards him and took his hands off her eyes. he smiled at her as she blinked so her eyes would adjust to the light.
"You know how proud I am of you, graduating and heading to college next year, right?" Jessica smiled and nodded, Brian continued. "So, seeing as I can afford to get you a present you deserve, turn around." Jessica turned around and her jaw practically dropped to the ground. About ten feet away was parked a midnight blue, brand-new Blazer with her own personalized license plate. LTL LTrel. "Brian!" She turned around and tackled him to the ground with a hug. She jumped up and ran to her new truck. Brian and the rest of the guys walked over,
"so, do you like it J?" A.J. asked. She turned to him,
"Ohmygod, I love it!" then they all went for a cruise.
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"Stop it Jess. Quit tormenting yourself. You really should get over what they did." She told herself. "Why don't you just forgive them? they didn't mean to hurt you, they were trying not to hurt you." A tear ran down her face and she placed her head on her steering wheel. "but they did hurt me, I trusted them and they..." she straightened up and started the truck. She didn't want to finish her thoughts. If she did, she'd just reopen old wounds. She drove off to her mother's jammin to DMX.
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