Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Eight
Meanwhile, Aaron who was sitting under the picnic table at the Ramada hugging his legs to his chest and spying on Stacy noticed that Stacy and one girl was left standing there. Everybody else had gone home. Grinning with satisfaction, he crawled out from under the table and he went on over to the basketball court where the two girls were standing.
"Oh hi Stacy, I thought that was you!" He greeted her cheerfully, acting as if this was the first time he's noticed her. He did however, just notice that the girl standing next to her is the one who blew his cover at Wal-Mart. At the sight of Aaron Carter walking up to her, her eyes grew big and round. She opened her mouth to scream but Stacy was quick to cover it.
"Yes Ally, we know it's Aaron Carter — let's skip the mob part today okay?" Ally nodded slowly. "I am going to remove my hand now. Can I trust that you won't scream?" Ally nodded again, though she never took her eyes off of Aaron. Stacy eyed her warily for a few moments and then finally removed her hand. She was relieved to see her best friend kept her word — though at the same time…it is kind of alarming how quiet she is, and Stacy can't help but notice how white she is turning.
"Al? Are you okay?"
"Watch out, she's going to faint!" Aaron announced, as he recognizes the symptoms and just as he said it he noticed the girl start to wobble a little and he stuck out his arms just as her eyes closed and she collapsed right into them.
"Ally!" Stacy exclaimed, completely alarmed and frightened. She looked at Aaron horrorstruck.
"It's okay Stace, shell be fine. This happens a lot…" Aaron reassured and he lifted Ally up in his arms cradling her and he brought her over to the Ramada with Stacy following close behind. When BJ, Leslie, Angel, Howie, Kori, Wiley, and The Littrells saw them they too became alarmed.
"Air what happened?"
"She fainted," Aaron answered.
"Oh boy…" Howie replied with sudden understanding and he rushed over to help Aaron. "Wiley go get my water bottle from my backpack please," He said and then looked at Aaron.
"Lay her on the bench here buddy," he instructed.
"Stace, sit down indian-style on the bench," Aaron added. Stacey immediately obeyed and as soon as she was sitting on the bench Aaron lay Ally down so her head was rested in Stacy's lap. When Wiley returned with Howie's water bottle, Howie opened it up and handed it to Stacy before stepping out of Ally's view a long with everybody else. They know a celebrity caused the shock and it wouldn't be good for her to wake up with about 6 of them in her face. Stacy poured some water onto Ally's face. Ally moaned at the coolness and her eyes fluttered open. When she found herself lying on the bench in her best friend's lap she looked up at Stacy confused.
"What happened?"
"Hey Al…you fainted…are you okay?" and as soon as Stacy mentioned it the situation came back to her.
"Aaron…Aaron Carter was standing in front of me…did I dream that?"
"No honey it was very real…he is here, would you like to see him?"
"Duh! What kind of question is that?" Ally asked and she made to get up but Stacy gently pulled her back down.
"Oh no you don't. You stay still for awhile," Stacy ordered and she looked at Aaron. Aaron moved into Ally's vision.
"Ohmygod!" Ally exclaimed so fast that the words all ran into one. Aaron chuckled.
"You aren't going to faint again are you?" Ally shook her head as she was unable to find her voice to say no.
"Good…then how about an autograph?" Ally nodded and Aaron reached over to his backpack, opened it up, and he pulled out a color photo of himself and a permanent marker and he signed it and left a little message for her and he handed it over.
"T-Th-thank you," Ally managed to croak out and Aaron smiled and knelt down in front of the bench and Ally sat up and wrapped her arms around him for a hug and Aaron kissed her cheek making her blush.
"Are you in good condition to meet a friend of mine?" he questioned and Ally nodded.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah I'm fine," Ally smiled and Aaron looked at Howie. Howie grinned and moved into view too and Ally's mouth dropped in surprise. When Aaron said friend she didn't expect it to be a Backstreet Boy.
"Are there more around here?" Ally asked suddenly while looking around the park and Howie chuckled.
"Yeah Nick and Brian are around here somewhere. How about an autograph from me while Aaron goes and gets Nick?"
"Okay," Ally agreed and Aaron went over to fetch his brother. When he returned with Nick and Ashley Nick looked at the girls curiously.
"Heeey who do we have here?"
"Stacy and her friend Ally — the two girls from Wal-Mart. Stacy, Ally, this is my brother Nick but you know that already….and my sisters BJ, Leslie, and Angel."
"Hi Nick, BJ, and Leslie…Angel." Stacy replied in a tone like this isn't the first time meeting them and by the tone in her voice when she said Angel's name, everybody suddenly has the feeling she likes Angel just about as much as Angel likes her. Angel scowled and walked away as it suddenly hit her. She knows exactly who Stacy is.
"It's nice to meet you all," Ally smiled as Nick joined Howie in the autograph signing. Stacy sat quietly as she watched her best friend's dream come true, hating every minute of being so close to Aaron who she notices hasn't taken his eyes off her since he arrived at the park. She knew he was there the whole time and she was quite happy that he was keeping his distance. After awhile though she couldn't take it. She has to get away.
"Ally sweetie I'm gonna go get a drink from the vending machine do you want anything?"
"No thanks," Ally replied, and then went back to talking with Nick and being completely oblivious to how much Stacy hates this moment. Stacy got up and walked off to the vending machines near the bathrooms. Aaron got up and went after her, seeing this as the best opportunity to have sometime alone with her.
"So what's the story with your friend Stacy?" Nick questioned when both Stacy and Aaron were out of earshot.
"I don't know to be honest," Ally shrugged. "She gets an attitude whenever Aaron is brought up and when we ask her why she refuses to tell us. She used to be a huge fan of him. She had posters and pinups all over her walls, she listened to his music non-stop and it used to be this huge desire of hers to meet him some day…sometimes it seemed an even stronger desire then any average fan…like an obsession. But then one day out of the blue she just took everything down and decided she wasn't a fan anymore…and not only that but she refuses to listen to pop music all together or have anything to do with it. She burnt all of her Aaron stuff and everything.
"And she didn't tell you why she had this sudden change of heart?" BJ asked curiously.
"Nope…and we've asked her about it too. The last time we brought it up — which was at Wal-Mart, she tried to hide it from us but she was close to tears."
"Has Stacy lived in Kentucky her whole life?" Nick spoke up again.
"No she's just staying with her dad for Thanksgiving. She lives in Florida with her mom and so do we — me and our two other friends. Stacy was allowed to bring us a long."
"Ruskin Florida?" BJ asked, as a light bulb suddenly turned on in her head.
"Well that's where she lived when she was four but now she lives in Tampa."
"Oh wow…" BJ replied, while giving Nick and Leslie a meaningful look telling them she's solved the mystery.
"What?" Ally asked confused.
"I mean oh wow that's really cool. We grew up in Ruskin too," BJ added and she gave her siblings another look but they still didn't seem to catch on.
"I know," Ally smiled.
"You do?"
"I keep up with my BSB and Aaron facts."
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile over at the vending machine when Aaron approached Stacy she rolled her eyes and kept her gaze elsewhere.
"Thanks for taking care of Ally…and letting her meet you and everybody. It meant a lot to her and she is never going to forget this evening. She will never let me forget either."
"It's the least I could do after making her faint," Aaron replied as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Stacy didn't reply she only kept her gaze down at the ground as she leaned up against the machine and she shuffled her feet in the dirt.
"So do you live here in Kentucky or are you just on vacation?" Aaron questioned, trying to get to know the girl that is such a mystery to him a little more.
"I'm here visiting my father. I live in Florida."
"That's cool…I'm here with Nick — we're spending Thanksgiving with the Littrells."
"Yeah I could figure that one out all by myself," Stacy replied moodily and Aaron raised his eyebrow.
"Why do you hate me so much?"
"I already told you."
"I've met plenty of people who aren't into pop music but none of them were ever as rude to me as you are. You know what I think? I think the genre I sing isn't the problem here. The problem is me. So why don't you just tell me what it is?"
"Wow I guess you aren't as dumb as I thought you were if you figured that one out. Good work Aaron…" Stacy replied sarcastically and she went back to the Ramada with her Dr Pepper and Aaron sighed exasperatedly before following. When they got back to the table everybody stopped talking and looked at Stacy curiously when they noticed she was on the verge of tears.
"I know you are having fun Ally, but it's getting late and Dad will be mad if we miss curfew…"
"Yeah you are right we should probably get going," Ally replied, sad to have to part with her new friends but she knows there is truth in what Stacy says and she can tell her best friend isn't happy. Ally said her good-byes and Nick, Howie, and Aaron gave Ally extra autographed photos for Brianne and Jessica and then Ally wrapped an arm around Stacy and walked off.
"What happened Aaron?" Nick asked sympathetically as he looked at his irritable brother.
"Nothing…I just want to go back to the house now."
"We probably should, it's nearing the kids' bedtime," Harold replied as he looked down at his sleepy grandson in his lap. Dakota is in Ashley's lap already half-asleep and Sarah is with Nick. Spencer is sitting next to Kori and Ryan is standing next to Howie. Howie pulled out his cell phone and he called Brian to tell him they are ready to leave.
~*~*~*~*~
Ally talked Stacy's ear off the whole way back to Stacy's father's house and Stacy listened quietly as she is just glad that Ally isn't fussing over her. When they got to the house they walked in to see Brianne and Jessica waiting for them.
"Hey you two…where've you been? The boys dropped us off an hour ago. Stacy didn't reply she only walked past her friends and went upstairs. When she got up there she walked into her room, shut her door and locked it and she went over to her closet, opened it up and she found a yellow wooden box with flowers painted on it that her grandfather made for her. She undid the combination lock on it and opened it up revealing her entire Aaron Carter collection that she told her friends she had burnt. She dropped to her knees, grabbed up a picture of her and Aaron together when they were five and she began to sob as she held the picture face down over her heart.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile back at the Littrell house, Aaron went straight upstairs as soon as they got back and he lay on his bed and sulked quietly. After a long while BJ and Nick walked in, BJ holding a photo album in her arms. The two of them went over and sat down on either side of him and Nick rubbed his hand over his back.
"Go away…I want to be alone."
"Aaron there is something I need to tell you."
"Can't it wait?"
"No…it's something that you are dying to know."
"And so am I Air so just let her tell you…" Aaron sighed and then sat up and hugged his legs to his chest as he looked at his sister irritably.
"I know who Stacy is Aaron…" She announced and Aaron suddenly became very interested.
"Who? Tell me."
"Remember when we were little…and we lived in that house in Ruskin?"
"Yeah…"
"But we had to move because mom insisted upon it?" Aaron nodded.
"Well think back to that time Aaron…do you remember our next door neighbors?"
"Oh wow…" Nick replied, finally catching on.
"Vaguely…I was really little…" BJ opened up the photo album in her hands then and placed it in his lap. He looked down at it to a page of Aaron at four years old sitting on a rock with his arms wrapped around a little blonde girl his age. Shock formed on Aaron's face as realization suddenly hit him.
"Recognize that little girl at all? That's you and Stacy at age four…you were best friends and did everything together. You were just like Dakota and Ellie is now…and I remember the two of you even promising to be best friends forever. But then we moved…and you didn't keep in touch. Don't you get it now Aaron? She's mad at you because you forgot about her. Ally says she kept track of you until she was ten years old and was determined to find you all those years. She's been to e very concert up until ten but never once got even five feet from you…so she gave up on you. That's why she is the way she is."
"And she hates Angel because Angel even then was overly protective of you — she knew Stacy had a crush on you. I remember now that Angel had forbidden her to go anywhere near you…they were always fighting over you behind your back. She also didn't like that one of her best friends had a crush on her twin brother either." Nick explained.
"So why does she hate her now? Does that mean she's known who she was all a long?" Aaron asked annoyed.
"No…I don't think she did. I just think she was being her normal protective self. Angel has a hard time believing that anyone is good enough for you. You are very important to her Air that's all. You are her twin after all."
"I've got to make things right with Stacy…" Aaron insisted firmly and he looked down at the picture again and traced the outline of Stacy's picture. "I had a crush on her too…and I still do." BJ nodded.
"Well you are obviously meant to have a second chance with her if she's back in your life now."
"Yeah…but how am I supposed to do that with the way Angel is toward her?"
"Don't worry about Angel…I'll work on her," Nick reassured. "You just concentrate on Stacy. It's Wednesday now, you only have until monday and then we go home."
"Yeah, but at least she lives in Florida…I can always work on winning her back there too."
"True."
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
