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So many times AJ had watched crime shows of the incent men being frame. But he never thought that it would be him. An unfamiliar voice echoed on the TV screen as he waited for Nick to show.

"Former Backstreet Boy AJ Mclean, has been charged with murder. Just a week ago, AJ Mclean murder his wife, Rochelle Mclean in cold blood. The trial is set for later this week."

AJ shook his head as he heard the reports words. He couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. First, he didn’t understand why his wife cheated on him with his best friend and second, why or how Nick killed her? Within that second, Nick strolled into the room. His face looked worn and tired. He looked as though he hadn’t brushed his hair for a few days. He then sat down and grabbed the black, silver corded phone, as did AJ.

“AJ, dude we’re trying everything we can to…” AJ didn’t want to waste any time finding out what Nick was up to.

“Drop the act, Nick. I know you were sleeping with Rochelle and I also know that you killed her. But what I can’t figure out is why?” Nick's jaw suddenly clinged as he looked at AJ. He knew he had to come clean now.

“Man, I will say that I did sleep with Rochelle but I didn’t kill her.” In that second AJ yelled into the phone.

“You’re a fucking liar, Nick! If you didn’t kill her then why were you so quick to frame me and tell the police about the video tapes?” Nick was silent for a moment.

“I’m sorry I told them about the tapes. The guy started to believe that I was the one who might have killed her, so I panicked. And for that, I’m truly sorry but I didn’t kill Rochelle.” Angry began to boil inside of AJ as Nick continued to speak. He knew that he had to catch him off guard somehow. And then it hit him.

“How long had you two been sleeping together?” AJ asked calmly. Nick then looked away from him.

“Two years.” AJ didn’t say anything for a long moment. How could he not have seen this going on for so long? AJ continued to boil inside.

“I have one more question.” He said, as he stared at his once best friend in the face. “What made you kill my wife? Was it because she said she wasn't going to leave me for you?” In that blink, AJ noticed the one drop of sweat that was rolling down Nick’s left side of his face as he said nothing. Then at that moment AJ leaned closer to the glass. “Answer the fucking question.” Nick also moved closer to the glass. He then pulled the phone as close to his mouth as he could and then spoke,

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” And in that second, a crooked smile arose on Nick’s face. Suddenly AJ lost it, he jumped up from his seat and threw his body towards the glass.

“You son of a bitch! I know you did it!” Within a second, two overweight guards grabbed both of AJ’s arms and dragged him out of the room.

Hours had passed since AJ freaked out on Nick. But at least he knew the truth, Nick had killed Rochelle. He just needed to find out out how. That’s why his attorney was coming by to see him. Suddenly one of the officers strolled towards his cell door with handcuffs in his hands.

“You have a visitor Mr. Mclean and she must be pretty special if their letting you have visitors after your little episode today.”

“She?” AJ didn’t understand, where was Nacho? AJ could see the impatient look on the guard’s face.

“Well, do you want to see her or not?” The tall, afro-haired, black office asked as AJ was still sitting down.

“Uh…ya.” The guard then took the cold chilling handcuffs and snapped them around AJ’s wrist. He and the guard walked silently down the hallway as the other inmates glared at him. As he was walking, all he kept telling himself was that he believed that Nick should have been the one here, not him.

No words were exchanged for a long moment as AJ looked at his daughter. The last he knew, she had lied to the police and told them that she was at her friend’s house when her father killed her mother. AJ could see that his daughter had been crying because her eyes were puffy and red.

“Dad, I’m sorr…” AJ cut her off quickly.

“I just want to know why?” He asked as he didn’t look up at her. Ava took a long breath before she spoke again.

“Dad, I don’t know if you really want to hear this.” AJ’s voice now seemed unfazed. He had heard some much bad news lately, so what was just one more piece of bad news?

“I think I will be fine.” Ava took another deep breath before speaking. As she looked down her hands began to shake. She felt a frog stiffening in her throat.

“Ok well, after the police took you away, Nick came up to me and told me that you shouldn’t have been the one to be taken away. And when I asked him what he meant, he told me point blank that he was the one that killed mom.” AJ almost dropped the phone as she spoke.

“I…I…don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell the police?” Ava’s eyes swelled with tears.

“He said that if I told anyone, he would make sure that you end up getting the death penalty.” Tears were now streaming down her face. AJ could tell that something else bothered his daughter as he noticed that she was biting her lip, which she only did when she was nervous.

“Ava, sweetheart, what is it?” She pulled the phone closer to her mouth and cupped her hand around it and in a whisper she said,

“He raped me the night of my eighteenth birthday.” AJ couldn’t believe what he just heard. He had known this man for thirty years. In that moment, AJ hung up the phone and walked away from his daughter without saying a word.

AJ continued to toss and turn in his bed. He just couldn’t understand, why after everything that he and Nick had been through, that he would do something like this. Another thing that was on his mind was where Nacho was. He hadn’t heard from him in days. He was hoping that tomorrow would be a better day. So he turned over and closer his eyes and tried to sleep for the time he had left.

It was now only two days until AJ’s trial and he was running out of time to try and find Nick guilty. He was hoping that Nacho’s visit today would shed some light of something. Nacho sat uncomfortably in the blue plastic chair as he looked at his client and longtime friend.

“AJ, man I’m going to be honest with you. If Nick really is the one behind all of this, he’s got you good.”

“Nacho, that’s not really the news I wanted to hear,” AJ said as he gripped the phone tightly.

“Man I know, but I did manage to get a file from one of my cops buddies downtown. Basically, there is a bank statement showing two amounts of two thousand five hundred dollars that was taken out of your account, the day of the murder.”

“Dammit! Nacho you know I didn’t do this.” He said gripping the phone even tighter. AJ began to grind his teeth as he marinated on what his friend said.

“AJ, I know you didn’t but right now we have no proof otherwise.” He said as he looked at his out of date Dell laptop.

“Ok well have you looked at the other tapes?” Nacho bit his thumb and then wipe a bit of sweat off of his mustache.

“Well, there’s a problem with that?” Nacho said, biting his nail again.

“What kind of problem?” AJ asked, afraid of the answer.

“Well when the police went to find the tape, the one with you supposedly killing Rochelle was there but the other ones were gone. Nick must have got rid of them.”

“Son of a bitch!” AJ then slammed his fist on the table. Suddenly a guard darted his eyes towards AJ’s direction.

“Look, man, I will find out what I can before the trial but until then try and stay out of trouble,” Nacho said as he looked at the overseeing guard, still staring at AJ.


* * *

Ava flipped through an old Seventeen magazine as she waited for her boyfriend Brad, to pick her up from school. Brad was nineteen and owned his own Mechanic shop in lower Los Angeles. His Firebird red Ford Mustang glistened in the sunlight, as it pulled into the school parking lot. Ava grabbed her backpack from the crib and walked to the car and got in. As she got inside, Brad readied his lips to kiss her but she turned her head.

“What’s wrong, babe?” He asked as he was flooring it out of the parking lot.

“It’s nothing.” By quickly glancing over at her face, Brad knew that that wasn’t true.

“Come on, babe, you can tell me anything.” She wasn't sure how to tell him what was really going. She knew that he was aware of what was going on with her dad because it was all over the news.

"You won’t understand," she said underneath her breath.

"What did ya say, babe?" He asked still looking at the road.

“Brad I…I…I think we should break up.” His car then came to a screeching halt as he almost ran a red light.

“What do you mean break-up? Did I do something wrong?” He asked as they were now approaching Ava’s driveway.

“I don’t think I can be with someone who doesn’t have their life together.” Brad seemed insulted by her statement.

“I do have my life together. I’ve got a job and I’m…” Ava knew then that she would have to tell him the words that she never thought she would have to speak.

“I’m not in love with you anymore.” Tears pour from her eyes as she spoke those words that she knew weren’t true. At that moment, she ran out of the car and as she did, Brad sped as fast as he could down the street. As she looked back at the house, Ava noticed Nick’s white BMW was sitting in the drive. She then ran into the house to see if he was there.

It was soundless as she walked inside. As she walked further in she saw there was a light on in one of the bedroom’s upstairs. With ease, she slowly crept up the stairs and walked towards the open door. Her heartbeat became faster as she got closer to the door. Just as she was about to approach the room, Nick arose shirtless, in front of her.

“Well hello there, little missy. Did you do what I asked?” He asked while caressing her face.

“Yes, but don’t think for a second that I enjoyed it.” She said as she looked away from him.

“Oh, I love it when you play hard to get.” He said pulling her closer.

“Trust me, I’m not playing.”