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Chapter Fifty
Point of View: Narrator

After talking to those girls, the rest of the rehearsal was crap. Kayla couldn't keep her mind off of Nick's situation, and it made her ability to concentrate on the play and her songs deplete rapidly. She found herself missing cues, going off key, and just completely spacing out and forgetting lines. The entire time they fanangled their way through the story, she wondered where Nick was, what he was doing, if he was okay, if he'd heard...

Jessica, Lauren and Claudia kept huddling up and talking in hushed voices, watching Kayla as she fuddled up her work with Leon on the stage, clearly wondering if she really knew Nick Carter or not. Kayla hated those girls, she suddenly realized. They were so plastic.

By the time the rehearsal was over, Leon was more pissed at Kayla than he'd even been the day before, especially when she tried to bolt out before he could say a word to her. She'd decided to break up with him the next time she saw him - she didn't want to have any more on her mind. But she also didn't want to fake it with him.

Leon caught her elbow as she was grabbing her bag from the front row and held her firmly in place. "Hey, where the hell are you going?" he asked.

"I have an appointment," she lied, tugging her elbow out of his grasp. "Sorry, Leon."

He took hold of it once more as she turned to go again. "Babe, I was hoping maybe we could go back to my place," he said in a suggestive tone.

"Not today, Leon," she answered, again pulling free. "I'm sorry, I just don't feel good."

He rolled his eyes, "You've been sick for the whole 6 months we've been dating if that's the case," he muttered. It was true. Every time they'd come close to having sex, Kayla had avoided him with a headache or some other excuse. Leon was nice, Leon was hot, Leon was... not at all someone that Kayla loved, and if she didn't love him, why would she make love with him? It only made sense not to.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I gotta go Leon." She pulled her arm out and bolted before he could stop her.

Lauren shook her head at Jessica, "If she really does know Nick Carter," she muttered, "Leon better watch out. I hear that guy's slick."

Leon, who wasn't meant to over hear Lauren's words, did over hear them. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, looking at Lauren steadily.

Lauren shrunk back from Leon's large, built-up frame. "I'm just saying, that's all," she stammered.



Kayla took a cab to Nick's house from the theater, and ran up the length of the driveway, her bag slung over her shoulders, wishing she'd driven to rehearsals herself that day since she wasn't sure how she'd get home. In the driveway, she passed an unfamiliar Jeep, and trotted to the stoop, where she rang the bell, clutching her bag's shoulder strap.

Brian's head poked out of the barely-open door and his eyes scanned her quickly from head to foot. "I'm sorry," he said, "Nick's not doing interviews." He started to duck back inside.

"What? I'm not a reporter," Kayla cried, "I'm here to see him. I'm Kayla."

Brian thought for a moment, recognized the name, and hurriedly opened the door only just far enough for Kayla to squeak in. He closed it and bolted it. "Sorry about that," he apologized, "We've had a lot of reporters here today, that's all. I'm Brian, by the way."

"Yeah, I know," Kayla said, nodding. "So Nick heard, then?"

"About Krystal? Yes," Brian said. He frowned, "He's taking it rough."

Kayla hesitated. "Did he -um- hear about the -uh- the rumors?"

Brian's eyebrows tightened, his face falling. "Do I dare to ask?"

Kayla's lips curled around her teeth and she sucked in a breath. "There's uh- a rumor that..." she looked into Brian's kind eyes and sighed. "There's a rumor that he killed her."

Brian closed his eyes. "Shit, of course there is."

Kayla frowned, "I don't know where it stated or how rabidly it's traveling around, but I heard it from a girl at my rehearsal today."

Brian took a deep breath, "Well. This is going to be fun to tell him."

He started for the stairs, but Kayla reached out a hand and touched his arm, "Can I talk to him?" she asked, eyes pleading.

Brian nodded, "C'mon." He led the way up the stairs to Nick's bedroom door. He knocked, "Nick?" he called, "Are you decent?"

"Uh huh." Nick's voice was melancholy. It made Kayla want to cry.

Brian pushed the door open, "I- uh- there's someone here to see you," he said slowly, holding it open for Kayla.

Kayla stepped into the room and, like Zoe, was surprised by its normalcy. Nick was sitting on the bed, his back against the headboard, hugging his knees, and his face planted into them, not looking up. "Is it Zoe again?" he muttered into them.

"Close, but no cigar," Kayla said.

Nick looked up, "Kayla? You're --" he looked around, "--in my bedroom."

"I'll be -uh-..." Brian waved toward the hall. He was gonna say downstairs, but he was going to eavesdrop on these two and he didn't want to lie, so he stumbled out the door awkwardly and closed it.

Kayla smiled sadly, "I heard about Krystal Armaletto," she said slowly, "I know you guys broke up awhile ago, but still, that can't be easy."

Nick was torn between the grief he'd been feeling all day and the excitement that Kayla had come to see him. He slowly lowered his knees a little bit so he was in a more normal position. Kayla climbed onto the bed next to him and sat beside him the same way he was siting. Nick felt himself harden and bit his lips. Jesus Christ, Kayla's in my bed, he thought. Zoe's statements from that morning ran through his head like a marquee that he had to actually force himself to read to remember. Keep your hands off her, keep your hands off her, keep your hands off her, he repeated the mantra.

Kayla leaned into his arm and she felt his muscles stiffen. "You okay?" she asked, lifting her head up.

Nick had closed his eyes when she'd come that close to his body. He nodded, "Yes."

Kayla leaned her head back against him and he swallowed. She nestled against him and brought her arm around to lay it against his chest. He had to bit his lips to keep from groaning. It was electric feeling, he thought, the surge running from her touch to his "manly region", as he thought of it.

"I'm sorry," Kayla whispered, "About Krystal."

You have no idea what you are doing to me right now, Nick thought at her. The last thing on my mind when your hand is touching me like that is Krystal.

She leaned over and kissed the side of his face, her lips warm against his temple, right at the edge of his eyebrow. "I was thinking about you all day," she added. "Nick," she whispered, "I love you."

KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF HER, KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF HER, Nick's brain was screaming in a very loud, very annoyed-sounding version of Zoe.

"I love you," he choked back. He still hadn't opened his eyes from when she'd leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Nick, I need to ask you something," she said, "And -- I shouldn't. I know the answer, but I need to hear it from you."

"Okay," he answered, afraid.

Kayla turned so she was kneeling beside him facing him, her hand still on his chest. "Open your eyes, Nick." They sprang open and connected with hers. "Nick, I'm sorry I have to ask this, but - I just, I do."

"Okay?"

She took a deep breath. "Did you kill Krystal?"

Nick's eyes welled with tears. He brought his balled fist up and laid his wrist across his nose, covering his eyes with his forearm and fist. He started crying. Kayla reached out her hand and laid it on his back. "i'm sorry," she whispered, "Some stupid, stupid girls at my rehearsal were spreading rumors and I - I had to ask you. I know you wouldn't---"

"I did," he whispered, "I did."

Kayla's heart stopped. "What?" She stared at him, dumbfounded with disbelief, as Nick's hand spread across his face, smooshing his nose and obscuring his tears. She heard loud snufflings coming from behind it, and his shoulders shook. Tears climbed over his fingers and dripped off them as her heart slammed in her chest. "What do you mean?" she pleaded.

Nick looked up at her, his face a terrible shade of red. His mouth opened, a strand of spit connecting one lip to the other like a child who'd fallen on the playground. Kayla laid a hand on his cheek, "I didn't stop her," he whispered, his voice strangled and agonized. "And I didn't call the police."

"Jesus Nick," Kayla muttered, leaning forward and planting her head against his chest, "You scared me, I thought you meant you murdered her for a second."

He refused to look at her as she laid against him like this. He couldn't. If he did, he'd take her right then. His eyes rolled up to the ceiling and he sucked in a deep breath. "I dunno what I did," he confessed.



Zoe got home from driving and came in the house to find Kayla wasn't home yet. She sighed and wandered through the living room and kitchen alone, wondering if she should make dinner for one, two or three. Finally, she settled on a bowl of cereal and waited for Kayla to either come in the door or call.



Brian had fallen asleep on the couch. He woke up as his cell phone vibed in his pocket and the ring tone of Baylee's voice - "Daddy answer your phone!" - came floating out. He reached for it, groggy. "Hallo?"

"Are you coming home tonight, Brian?" It was Leighanne.

He squinted at the cable box, which displayed the time in glowing yellow-green letters. 10:07. He groaned and rolled off the sofa onto the floor, forcing himself to wake up, "Yes," he answered, "Yes I am. I'm up. I'm getting up now."

He stretched and listened to the upstairs - it was silent now. They'd been up there alone since Kayla had showed up. He grabbed his keys from the coffee table, "I'll be there in ten minutes, baby," he promised. He grabbed a notepad Nick had laying by his regular phone, scribbled a note, which he propped up on the coffee table where Nick would spot it, and quietly snuck out the door, deciding not to disturb Nick and Kayla.