~~AJ~~
As we stepped out of the car pulling up to Caroline’s mother’s house, I have to admit I am scared. I have heard her fight with her mother on the phone before and it wasn’t pretty. She did NOT like the fact that she was living with me, or even the fact that she was dating me. I still can’t quite figure that out. I have millions and I could take care of her daughter better than anyone she has probably ever met, but yet she STILL doesn’t want her to be with me. I could tell she was nervous as she rang the doorbell. She does this thing with her hands like rubbing her fingers together whenever she’s real nervous. I noticed that about her.
“Hey sweetheart.”a blonde shaggy haired guy said pulling her into a hug as the door opened into an enormous foyer. Her mothers house was giving mine a run for its money. She must have got one hell of a divorce settlement.
“AJ this is my brother Shane. Shane this is AJ.”she said and I shook her brother’s hand. He gave me the look around. I guess I shoulda dressed differently for this sort of thing. I mean I had a red dress shirt on and a tie, but I still had my DC hat on.
“Nice to meet you man.”Shane said letting go of my hand.
“You too.”I said stepping in the door behind him. He looked a little shocked to be honest.
“Hello mother.”Caroline said a short skinny blonde woman said walking out of the kitchen. She seriously, oh my God, she had on a business suit.
“Caroline…and you must be Alex.”she said pushing past Caroline. She held her hand out for me to shake and I barely held onto her hand.
“Nice to meet you.”I said looking her over as she did the same to me. She hated me already.
“Come with me… Shane show Alex his room.”she said brushing me off as she pulled Caroline into the kitchen with her. I could hear the talking between them slowly erupt into a loud yelling as Shane showed me into one of the many guestrooms.
“So there is a Backstreet Boy standing in my house…that’s a new one to tell the friends.”Shane said looking up at me as I set my bag down on the bed. I laughed a little. “How is she taking it?”
“Okay I guess. Last night she had a break down, but today she hasn’t really cried yet.”I said sitting down on the bed as he stood staring at me with his arms crossed.
“She was real close with our Dad…just make sure she’s okay for me please.”he said and I nodded to let him know I understood. “I gotta go get my suit ready for later.”he said and walked slowly out the door as he put his hands in his pockets.
~~CAROLINE~~
“…What is our family going to think when you show up with someone that looks like that?!?”my mom yelled for the fiftieth time. She had repeated this sentence at least that many times, probably more.
“For the hundredth time Mom, I don’t give a shit. He’s a God Damn rockstar. He can dress how he wants!”I said rolling my eyes. “I’m over talking about this.”
“You won’t marry him Caroline. I’ll make sure of it.”she said and I laughed inside at how ridiculous that statement was. What was this The Young and Restless? Ha God.
“Over it! There is no reason why you could say anything about him…so he likes to wear eyeliner and black GET OVER IT! He’s a celebrity mom…makes more money than you could probably even fathom…and despite all the temptations that go along with that lifestyle he manages to stay normal and still be a good man.”I said sighing as I crossed my arms and looked over at her.
“You’re Dad would NEVER approve of this relationship Caroline!”she yelled at me pointing her finger in my face.
“Dad likes him! We went by the police station before I moved.”I said looking away from her.
“You know this is so typical of you…you can’t just date the normal one you have to pick the one that looks the most ridiculous . Why can’t you just follow the crowd? Just like how you didn’t finish college…always disappointing.”she said and I felt the tears rise into my eyes. I knew she always thought that about me, but she’d never said it outloud. Harsh.
“You’re a horrible mother.”I muttered trying to not let her see me cry. Then she would have one up on me, and she would know it.
“I’m not hearing this anymore…go get ready for your Dad’s funeral.”she said coldly as she turned around to the counter. I walked upstairs seeing AJ’s black chuck tailors first at the top of the stairs before I saw him. He had heard the whole conversation. “AJ..I”I felt horrible.
He put up his hand to stop me. “It’s okay.”he said not looking up at me. I didn’t have the energy to fight about it and he knew that. So he let it go. I walked past him and went into my old bedroom. I looked down at my old CD rack noticing Millennium was the very last Backstreet Boys CD I had bought. I sucked as a fan. I didn’t even deserve to be dating a great guy like him. He was perfect, minus the new drinking habit he had gotten into. I admit I’m worried about it, but it hasn’t gotten that bad yet…I guess I have to just wait it out. My Dad had bought that CD for me just like every other thing in this room. He worked so hard to provide for me and my brother giving us everything we wanted no matter how stupid.
Later at the funeral:
AJ grabbed my hand as Leighanne’s father went up to the podium to speak outside in the cemetery. “You’re okay.”he whispered and kissed me on the cheek. I can’t think of a time in my life when I have ever been just this sad and confused. It’s really hard to explain how I’m feeling right now or if I even feel anything at all. I must still be in shock, not even focusing on what my Dad’s brother is saying. It breaks my heart to know he is laying in that casket right now. My mother is pretending to cry hiding her face in her new boyfriend’s arm. Leighanne and Brian had came and left Baylee with some friends in Georgia. I know I told you guys Leigh was my aunt, she’s really my cousin but since she’s close to ten years older than me I always just thought of her as my aunt I guess. I still think of Baylee as my nephew I know we have a weird family. Leigh had seemed real weird around me today…and Brian too now that I think about it. He was even more weird around AJ. I attributed it to the funeral. I couldn’t expect Brian to be all happy go lucky in a situation like this. I looked over at AJ who was staring down seemingly counting the pebbles on the ground he was staring so hard. He had been really out of it today. As her father ended his speech the funeral was suddenly over and I sat there for a few seconds contemplating what to do.
“Can I steal you for a second?”Leighanne said looking over at AJ. They exchanged a very awkward look with each other as she grabbed onto my shirt. “Brian said he’d take you home.”she said nodding to AJ.
“I’ll see you back at your mom’s then..”Aj said putting his hand around my waist kissing me softly. “Call me if you need anything.”I smiled the best I could as he kissed my forehead before he let go. He walked over to Brian with a concerned look on his face and they were soon bickering about something I couldn’t quite make out.
“How you faring?”Leighanne asked walking with me back towards my rental car.
“I don’t know.”I said shrugging. I wasn’t lying I really didn’t know.
“It’s gonna be okay…you do know that right?”she said as I climbed into the driver’s seat of the white Navigator.
“I know…its just a lot to take in…”I said and after a few minutes of silence I began to wonder why she wanted me to ride with her. “Did you need to tell me something?”I asked. She had been quiet for quite sometime and it was freaking me out.
“Nope…just wanted to make sure your okay. Plus Bri had to talk to AJ about something I dunno.”she said and she was lying. She was HORRIBLE at lying. Her voice even changed pitch everytime she did it. I sighed and stared at the window as we started our trek back to my mother’s house.
~~AJ~~
“Leigh’s going to tell her huh?”I asked looking over at Brian as we got into his car.
“You were supposed to have stopped by now so why does it matter?”Brian said looking over at me. This weekend was going to be bad here. I could already tell. “See I knew you wouldn’t stop. Now I’m going to have to tell her.”he sighed and looked away from me out the window. I was silent as he continued talking. “I just don’t get it man. I mean you were clean and then all the sudden you start to get your life on track with a nice girl who I happen to be related to that in itself should be enough to keep you outta trouble just outta respect for me, but no instead you go a completely different path man and I just don’t get it. If you could just make me understand…”he said and looked over at me.
“I don’t know. I guess I just drank that one night when we were in New York thinking itd be fine and it turned into…”I started but he interrupted me.
“I’m talking about the COKE!”he yelled almost making me swerve off the road.
“I don’t know.”I said sighing speeding up my driving to escape this conversation.
“Oh you fucking know why…give me any excuse you want. I should have called Kevin that night in New York.”he said shaking his head in disgust. “I’m telling her tonight if you don’t.”Brian said as we pulled into her mother’s driveway.
~~CAROLINE~~
“Check your mail because Uncle Matt was supposed to send you something for your mother on there.”Leighanne said sitting down on my bed as I pulled up my Hotmail account. What is this…from AJLover4Ever huh? How would they even get my hotmail account…I could see myspace, but geez.
“Do you ever get fans that e-mail you?”I asked looking back at Leighanne. She walked up behind me as I clicked open the e-mail.
“Oh…”she said as the pictures popped up on the screen. To me the room went to dead silence and all I could hear was a ringing in my ears. “My…Caroline, I am just…”she said and she couldn’t think of anything either. The pictures were of AJ in a club with some girl. His forehead was to hers as they were caught in the action full liplock his hand up her shirt. Why would he do this in public of all places? I turned my chair away from the screen so I did not have to see it anymore as the door shut downstairs to my mother’s house. My mom and brother were still out talking to everyone at the reception. The rest of us had opted out of going in hopes to spare some drama I had imagined that wouldn’t be happening now that I had seen these.
“Get it off the screen!”I said standing up from the computer chair. This was the LAST thing I needed right now. It seemed like everything was turning upside down for me. What the hell was I going to say to him? Cheating was pretty much that final straw in any relationship no matter how much I loved the person.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I am already starting on the next chapter...please review this because this story is getting a little complicated for me and it really pushes me to get another chapter out when you do! Thanks! :)
