Chapter 13
"Hey,"
"Hey, you missed one
hell of a show," Nick boasted, sitting down on the couch and grinning at
her. "I was totally on tonight, you should have seen me."
"Yeah, yeah,"
she laughed. "My loss." Tara had briefly spoken with Kevin about
telling Andy, and while he'd promised to 'revisit the issue tomorrow,' for
tonight, anyway, he'd decided she was best off keeping a low profile,
especially since she'd been photographed already once with the guys.
"He in there?"
Nick asked, pulling off his shoes and throwing them across the room.
"Not now,"
"What was he
saying?"
She stood up and walked
over to the couch, sitting down next to Nick with a shrug. "Nothing
new."
"Like?"
"He was talking
about you,"
"You know, I got
that rape is somehow involved, but you never really explained in detail what
that game is about," Nick said, looking at her closely. "Will you
tell me?"
"Do you really want
to know?" She asked.
"Yes," Nick
said firmly. "I need to know."
"Tell me," Nick
prompted, bending close to her. "Please?"
"It attacks from the
inside out. So, well, I never got very far in the game, but, in the beginning,
anyway? There's this girl, and it attacks her. It comes out of her mouth, and
well," she sighed. "Between her legs, and it moves in and out…."
"It rapes her."
Nick bit his lip and sat
back on the couch, shaking his head slowly. "What kind of sick fuck sees
that in a game, and thinks about recreating it?"
"What kind of sick
fuck puts that in a game in the first place?"
"I'm sure someone
likes it."
"I guess he
did."
"Yeah," Nick
said, frowning.
"Yeah,"
Nick grinned, "oh
yeah, did you ever miss a show."
"Does that mean some
nights you're off?" She asked teasingly.
Nick pursed his lips, and
winkled his nose. "Well, no, I guess I'm always on in one way or
another…."
"Exactly."
"Gotcha."
"So," Nick
stretched out his legs, and smiled at her. "Still think I'm a pretty
boy?"
He took her hand and
pulled her towards him, lowering his head to hers. "How about you think
about it, then?" He asked her softly, looking into her eyes.
"No?" Nick
asked coyly, bending down until the tip of his nose was pressing against hers.
"Not a pretty boy?"
"No, huh," Nick
smiled, raising a hand to cup the side of her face. "I told you I'd change
your mind," he whispered, before leaning closer, completing the short
distance separating his lips from hers.
The instant their lips
touched, the phone rang, shocking
"Yeah, I hear,"
Nick grumbled, getting up and trudging over to the phone. "Whoever this
is, your timing SUCKS," he told the caller as he picked up the phone. He
listened for a moment before his face paled, and he dropped the phone, staring
at
"Nick?"
"No, shit, no!"
Nick argued, grabbing the phone and pressing buttons wildly. "Come back,
please," he pleaded, throwing it down angrily when he heard the same dial
tone
"What?"
Nick sat down on the
couch and buried his head in his hands, shaking his head slowly. "No, god,
no, he didn't, I can't think, he couldn't," he mumbled, clasping his hands
on top of his head.
"What, Nicky, tell
me?"
"That was…"
Nick stopped talking for a moment and stared at the floor, breathing heavily.
He ran a hand through his hair and looked at
"Oh Nick,"
"She screamed, god,
this awful scream…" Nick's eyes filled with tears, and he stared at
"I don't know,"
"She was screaming
for me," Nick whispered, his face crumpling. "She died because of
me…"
"You don't know
that, Nick…"
"It's my fault, she
did it for me," Nick wrapped his arms around
"It's not your
fault," she argued, but he stopped her with a tight squeeze.
"Nick.."
Nick pulled away and
looked into her eyes, shaking his head slowly. "You didn't hear that, hear
her…she screamed my name,
"I'm so sorry,
Nicky,"
"Not to that girl,
Tara. To her? This was all my fault," Nick said sadly. "She asked me
for help, and I didn't save her."
"You didn't
know…"
"Right," Nick
stood up and sighed, wiping the tears off of his face. "I'm going to get
ready for bed," he started walking towards his bedroom, before turning to
look back at
"You know I mean
nothing by that, right?" Nick asked her, waving her into his bedroom.
"I mean, after that, trust me…I'm so not thinking of anything else."
"Yeah, I know,"
"Good," Nick
returned the hug, closing his eyes and enjoying the warmth of her body pressed
up against his. "We'll keep each other from getting too freaked out
tonight."
"Or try, at least,"
"Right. We'll
try."
*****************************************************************
"Hey girl," he
grabbed her in a tight hug, and smacked her back. "Have a good weekend?
Miss me?"
"I had an
interesting weekend," she said, pulling out her keys and opening the door
to her apartment, waving him in. "Sit, let me catch my breath, then I'll
tell you." Neither her or Nick had been able to sleep the night before, so
they had spent it lying in bed, cuddling, and talking. By the time morning had
come, she had managed to convince Nick that it was important that she be able
to tell Andy about what was going on. Nick had helped her, in turn, convince
Kevin.
"Ok," Andy
plopped down on her couch, looking at her carefully. "Something
wrong?"
"I'm not going
anywhere." Andy watched curiously as she dug through her purse. "What
are you doing?"
"I got you
something," she finally located what she was looking for, and held it in
her palm. "Now, promise not to scream when I give you this."
Andy laughed, and
shrugged. "Sure, Tar, I won't scream."
"Ok."
Andy's brow furrowed, and
he stared at the condom in his hand in confusion. "You didn't get lucky, I
gather, but I don't get why I would want this…"
"Look closely at it,
Andy,"
Andy's eyes widened, as
he struggled to make out the words written on the wrapper. "To Andy,
love," he gasped, and nearly dropped the condom, staring at
"Read it," she
encouraged, grinning at his reaction.
"Love AJ
McLean!" Andy screamed and threw his arms around
"That AJ I'm
smelling?" Andy barely was able to squeak out the question, staring at
"You lied to
me," Andy accused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I love the condom
and all, but you lied to me…"
"I know, I know, I
had to, I'll explain everything,"
"So is that AJ smell?
God, he smells good," Andy grinned.
"No,"
Andy gasped, and covered
his mouth with his hand. "Nick Carter smell?"
"And that sweatsuit
you were swimming in last weekend that also smelled like this?"
"Nick's
sweats."
Andy's eyes practically
burst out of his head as he smacked
"I'm not sleeping
with Nick,"
"Whatever, you smell
like him, babe, come here," Andy dragged
"Erotic?" Andy
offered with a grin. "You smell like Nicky."
"I think it is
erotic." Andy picked the condom up off the table, and began to examine it
again. "So, Tar, are you going to tell me what the hell you're doing
getting AJ to sign condoms, and wearing Nick's clothes, or am I just going to
have to die wondering? Because, you know, I think I should be hurt that you
lied to me about where you went this weekend, and about last weekend…"
"I had to, Kevin
didn't want me to…"
"KEVIN?" Andy
screamed, jumping up and pacing across the living room. "Ok, just give me
a moment to get used to this here, I really think I'm going to pass out or
something. So you slept with Nick, AJ signed a condom, you're talking to Kevin,
what else, Tara?"
"I can't calm down,
you're talking about the Backstreet Boys like, like, you're
friends with them or something!" Andy told her, his face growing red. When
she didn't reply, his mouth dropped open, "holy shit,
"I guess I am
friends with them," she said, forcing a weak smile onto her face.
Andy fell to the floor,
and just stared at her, stunned. "My best friend. Is friends. With the
Backstreet Boys," he said in disbelief.
"Sort of, well,
yeah."
"Care to explain?"
"Then shut up,
woman, and tell me!"
So she told him.
***