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Chapter Forty-Eight
Point of View: Narrator

Zoe's phone rang at 7:43 AM, as she was getting ready to leave to go to Nick's. She picked it up as she was putting the cap on her to-go coffee mug. Hitting the button on her bluetooth, she asked, "Hello?"

"Hallo, um, is this Zoe Sinclaire?"

"Speaking?" she slid a bagel, wrapping in paper towels, into her bag and carried the mug as she started to the front door.

"Hi, my name's Brian Littrell, you don't know me, but I'm Nick's friend," he explained rapidly, his voice thick with Kentuckian accent. Zoe stopped short in the mudroom and listened as Brian barreled on, "Nick's not feeling too good, his um, his ex-girlfriend was killed, and he's not gonna be up for driving today," he explained.

Zoe hesitated. "Okay," she said slowly.

"I'm sorry it's short notice," Brian said, "The news just came out last night."

"I know, I saw it," Zoe replied. "Is he okay?" Brian hesitated too long. "What can I do to help?" Zoe asked.

Brian sighed, "I don't even know what I can do to help at the moment. He's really upset." He paused, "I'll tell him you're thinking of him?"

"Okay," Zoe agreed.

"Thanks," Brian sounded truly grateful, and Zoe found herself liking him even through the phone. He sounded sincere. "I'll call you tomorrow if Nick's unable to drive then, but at the moment he wanted to keep tomorrow's schedule."

"Okay," Zoe said again, unsure what else to say.

When they'd hung up, Zoe wandered back to the kitchen, unsure what to do with her extra hour. She sat down at the table and unwrapped her bagel and started eating.

Kayla came into the kitchen and looked surprised when she saw Zoe, but was too groggy to say anything more than a grunt. She pulled open the fridge and got out the orange juice. After taking a long sip right out of the carton, she looked at Zoe. "Why aren't you driving with Nick?" she asked.

"He cancelled," Zoe replied.

Kayla frowned. "I was up all night thinking about him. I was so worried. What if he got so upset he relapsed?" she asked, concern all over her face.

"His friend's with him, that Brian guy," Zoe said, shrugging. "I'm sure he's fine."

Kayla sighed and shook her head, "Aren't you worried at all?"

"Of course I am," Zoe replied. She took a sip of coffee. She used the pause in the conversation to change the subject. "What are you up to today?" she asked.

Kayla drank more juice before answering, "We've got rehearsals again today." She tugged at the hem of her sweater nervously. "And I'm going to break up with Leon."

"Break up with Leon?" Zoe asked, surprise in her voice, "Why?"

Kayla looked up at Zoe, "I know you don't approve of Nick, but --"

"You're breaking up with Leon for Nick?" Zoe replied, interrupting. "Kayla, don't be ridiculous! Leon is a good man."

That's questionable, thought Kayla fleetingly, but she shrugged. "I'm not going to lie to Leon and pretend I'm still in love with him when I'm not."

Zoe took a deep breath, not sure if she was worried or angry or frightened, or a combo of all three. "I know you're a grown up," she said, "And therefore I can't stop you from seeing Nick Carter, but—“

“You’re right, Aunt Zoe,” Kayla said, “You can’t stop me from seeing Nick Carter.”

Zoe hadn’t expected that. She blinked in surprise. Kayla had never been the rebellious type, she’d never been the typical screaming teenager to Zara, never done the rebellious my-mom-just-died wild-child thing to Zoe. Kayla had always been a good girl. This sudden uprising of you can’t stop me was shocking. Zoe stared up at her, unable to wrap words around this realization.

Kayla bent down and laid a kiss on Zoe’s cheek. “I’m glad you realize that Aunt Zoe. I gotta go.” She disappeared out of the kitchen before Zoe could respond, and the front door closed behind her, like a period at the end of the sentence.

Zoe sat at the kitchen table for exactly ten minutes before she got up and went to the Prius.



“Nick you gotta get up,” Brian was begging from the other side of the bedroom door. He’d been standing out there for a good ten minutes, rapping his knuckles on Nick’s door, “Nick, come out here,” he pleaded.

Nick was laying on his stomach in the center of his bed, staring at the ocean through the window of his balcony, his eyes trained on the white caps of the waves forming far out from the shore. His arms and legs were wrapped around pillows and a blanket was pulled up to his shoulder blades. He felt numb. It was the weirdest feeling, really, because they’d broken up before it happened, and yet he still felt as though he’d lost a girlfriend.

All he could imagine was that if he’d only gone after her… if he’d only tried harder to stop it… if he had stayed home instead of doing the Spiderman thing… if only he’d done something more… maybe Krystal wouldn’t be dead right now.

“Nick, please for the love of God get out here,” Brian was begging still.

Nick didn’t look as though he even heard Brian’s voice. He certainly didn’t comprehend it; Brian’s voice sounded far away, like a dull wind caught in another room. He could hear his heartbeat through the pillow he was leaning on way, way easier.

“If you don’t come out I’m going to break the lock on this door,” Brian threatened.

Nick still didn’t react.

“Where is he?” a different voice was suddenly in the hallway. Nick blinked and his head turned ever so slightly in that direction, focusing on the bedroom – specifically the bed’s headboard – and listening.

“He’s been in there for hours now-“ Brian sounded perplexed, “Who- How did you get in?”

“The door was unlocked.” He heard the knob rattle as she shook it. “Nick! Open this door. NOW.”

The urgency in her voice made him move. He rolled off the bed and reached over to the lock door, taking as few steps from the bed as possible, then rolled back onto it. As soon as it clicked, the door flung open and Brian threw himself into the room first, followed closely by Zoe. Nick hugged his knees to his chest.

Brian walked around the other side of the bed and stared at him, “Nick, you gotta get up.”

Zoe stood by the door, looking around the room. It was just a typical bedroom, she thought, a typical boy’s bedroom with typical boy things around it. She’d expected some kind of fancy-shmancy thing that only a popstar would have, like you see on Cribs or whatever. But this… this was just normal. She looked at the back of Nick’s head. It’s a strange place in there, she thought.

“Nick, please, you moping and getting depressed isn’t going to help her or you,” Brian was continuing.

Zoe took a deep breath, “May I talk to Nick alone a second?” she asked.

Brian looked up, surprised at the request. “I- uh-“ he looked at Nick, who nodded slightly. “Okay.” Brian sighed. “I’ll be… uh… downstairs, I guess.” He walked out of the room, scratching his head and feeling just a little bit rejected.

Zoe closed the door behind him and walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down on the edge of it beside Nick’s feet. He moved his head to look at her. “Didn’t Brian call to cancel?” Nick asked, his voice croaky.

“Yes, he did,” Zoe said.

“Then why are you here?” Nick asked.

“Because if you’re going to be with Kayla then I need to lay ground rules, and I’m pretty sure she’ll be coming by this afternoon,” Zoe responded flatly.

Nick blinked, and shifted his gaze to the sheets that stretched out around him. “I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

“Moping over Krystal?” Zoe asked, frowning.

Nick closed his eyes at the bitter way Zoe spat the name. “I know it sounds stupid. I know it probably is stupid, but- I really did love her, we just didn’t work out in so many ways. I mean she was really bad for me, I just never realized it. But that doesn’t mean I wanted her to die. And –“ he steeled his jaw, “I was the last person that saw her alive, I think.”

“I’m not the most comforting person in the world,” Zoe said slowly, struggling with the words, “I’m not … good… at the whole making people feel better bit. Zara always was. She got our compassion gene, I guess.” Zoe sighed, “But if you need to talk, Nick, I’m prepared to do my best.”

Nick laid still a couple of long moments as Zoe sat there next to him. She finally moved her gaze away from him and looked at the balcony view he was focused on. She grabbed her crutches, intending to go look at the view closer, not to leave, but before she got them in her hand, Nick’s hand shot out and caught hers. “Please don’t go,” he requested.

Zoe looked at him, “What?”

Nick looked up at her, “Please don’t leave.”

“Why?” she asked.

Nick sat up and leaned over and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you.”

The motion shocked the shit out of Zoe and she awkwardly patted his arm with one of her hands to reciprocate the hug. Nick didn’t let go. The longer he hugged, the more awkward she felt. Finally he let go and sat back on the mattress. There was a long pause. He sighed deeply and turned away.

Zoe stood up this time, and he didn’t stop her. She stared at him, sitting there, and said, “I want her home before eleven. I want her in perfect condition, no drinking, no drugs, no bleeding, nothing that can be construed as damaged. I want you to keep your hands off her. I want her to remain virginal to you until it’s her idea to be otherwise. I want you to respect me as you would her parents. I want you to eat dinner at our house with us so that I get Kayla time, too. And I want you to know,” she added, “That I have a gun and a shovel and I’m not afraid to use them if you ever hurt her.”

Nick looked at Zoe.

“Can you abide by these rules?” Zoe demanded.

“Yeah,” Nick replied.

“I’m serious about the shovel,” Zoe warned.

A breath-like laugh escaped Nick, so soft it almost wasn’t there at all, and an equally tiny smile fleeted across his face for the briefest of seconds. “I don’t doubt it for a second,” he answered.