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Chapter 37
Nina watched AJ carefully, feeling her concern grow, little by little.
"Bone, what's the matter?" Brian tore his gaze off Kris as she hugged the tall man goodbye across the club and glanced at his friend. AJ's sunglasses were on the table and his face seemed ghastly pale against his now electric blue hair. AJ's eyes were glazed over and he was sweating, rubbing his temples lightly with his fingertips.
"I don't know. I just have this feeling, like something bad is gonna happen. I don't know what." Cora saw Brian glance across the room again and followed his gaze. Kris was slumped at the booth, now alone, in the exact same position as AJ.
"Do you wanna go now, Bone?" Howie questioned, worried. He had been dancing with Danni but they had paused long enough to order some drinks. AJ glanced up at his friend, and the color slowly seeped back into his angular face. Across the room, Kris straightened her shoulders determinedly, a small smile crossing her full lips.
"No, I feel a little better already. Whatever that was," AJ muttered, sitting up and popping his purple sunglasses back on.
"Who
wants to have the honor and privilege of being my dancing partner?" he
asked, bouncing out of his chair and looking hopefully at Nina and Cora. *
"Kevin, I'm so sorry about earlier. Things have been.. tense, needless
to say, for the past couple days," Kris apologized, looking up into his
intense, handsome face as they slowly danced together.
"It's okay, Kris. You've dropped some pretty big bombs this week on him. Give Brian a chance to sort it all out. I know he loves you with all he has." Kris sighed and laid her head on Kevin's shoulder.
"Kev,
I don't know. I wonder if maybe, through all this, he's forgotten what love
really is. . ." *
Kris jumped as a voice whispered in her ear, "Hey, baby, wanna dance?"
She relaxed as she turned and saw it was Brian, but something was terribly wrong.
His eyes were glazed and his breath heavy with the sour scent of alcohol.
"Brian, I don't think so. You're blasted out of your mind," Kris said quietly, trying to slip past him, back into the thick crowd.
"Aw, c'mon, Star. I know you wanna, show me your skill," Brian urged drunkenly, grabbing Kris around the waist and clumsily pulled her close.
"Brian, no. Please let go of me," Kris said firmly, pushing him off and walking away. He called after her,
"C'mon,
Star! You didn't have a problem hanging all over that guy a little while ago
or AJ on the dance floor! H*ll, I thought you were bone him right there! Just
because you're a princess doesn't mean you can get away with it!" Kris
froze, thankful for the flashing lights and pounding music that drowned out
most of his yelling. Still, a few nearby dancers were staring at the drunken
man, curious.
Kris turned back and got right in his smirking face, hardly aware of what she
was going to do, or say.
"Brian,
that's it. That was the last f*cking straw! You are so wasted you can't freakin'
see straight, and you're accusing me of wanting to lay every guy in the place!
Even if I did, it's certainly none of your business! Well, let's see if you
can comprehend this, through all that shit running through your head."
Kris leaned closer, unclasping the heart necklace with shaking hands and wrenching
off her Promise ring. She threw them in his hand and cried loudly, "We're
over. For real this time. I can't take this anymore and I'm sick of you, your
accusations and problems with my life. We're through!" Brian stared blankly
as Kris turned and ran, her sheer black shirt flying behind her as she blended
into the crowd in a swirling haze of color and people. *
Everything seemed to move in slow motion for AJ as he watched the short scene
take place from the table, not noticing his friends around him, laughing and
chattering. Though he couldn't hear the words between Kris and Brian, he could
imagine. AJ saw Kris turn and run and he was on his feet before he really knew
what he was doing. AJ caught Kris in his arms as she ran blindly for the door,
tears falling down her cheeks like raindrops.
"AJ, get me out of here. Please," Kris pleaded, knowing without looking up who it was. AJ's heart broke while he watched her sob, knowing he couldn't do much more for her other than offering his presence.
"Okay,
Kris. Let me take care of it. I'll make it better, I promise." *
Kris sat cross legged in a deep, comfortable chair in AJ's family room, greeting
the fiery red sun with a cup of steaming coffee. She was wearing boxers and
a wife beater, both AJ's. As streams of light slowly crossed Kris' face, it
showed her sunken and tired red eyes. Her black hair was pulled back in a messy
braid, loose strands falling haphazardly around her high cheekbones. Her face,
though gaunt from lack of sleep, showed none of the many emotions at war inside
her. Anger at Brian, pain for ruining something so perfect, regret it had to
end that way, a deep, aching empty spot in her heart that only Brian could fill,
and fear. Deep, consuming fear. But in a way, it was good because soon, very
soon, she would be able to live her life again without worrying about Josh.
What Jason had told her scared her, but held her calm, too. Soon, it would all
be over. *
AJ stroked Kris' hair lightly, watching her face as she slept, cuddled on his
chest. He'd moved her to his bed not long after he found her, dead asleep in
the chair. A glance at his clock told AJ it was noon and his stomach started
growling. He felt weary in body and mind as he ran a hand through his spiky,
blue hair. Nick had already called, from Brian's house.
Everything seemed to have been turned upside down by this unexpected turn of
events. Nina was upset, not saying much to anyone about the day before. Kevin
was stalking around in a quiet fury and no one had enough guts to talk to him.
He had yelled only once, at Brian. He'd taken Brian home, then blown up.
"What
were you thinking? She was the best thing that ever happened to you and you
know it! I hope you hate yourself for all the sh*t you put her through and I
don't blame her for breaking up with you! Did you stop to consider, that maybe
there might have been a reporter at the club, either? Do you know what that
would have done to our image?" Brian had been having severe mood swings
all morning, yelling one minute, then on the verge of crying the next. Kris'
parents, at a loss of any idea of what to do, had wisely agreed to spend the
day with Nina's parents.
AJ shivered, a wave of cold air hitting his bare chest as the central air came
on. Though he knew he was trying to help Kris, things with Brian were not going
to be pretty. Kris had told him what Brian had accused her of and it shocked
AJ. He hadn't thought of Kris as more than a good friend for a long, long time.
AJ was interrupted from his thoughts by a quiet, "Alex?" Bright blue
eyes, though clear, stared up at him and were filled with a sadness that made
AJ ache deep in his heart. He wanted to help Kris, anyway he could, and it hurt
to see her like this. He smiled and said quietly, "Hey, Pyro! Are you hungry?
It's lunch time." Kris smiled, a real smile that made her eyes light up.
"I know, I've been listening to your stomach for the past ten minutes!" Kris replied, giggling. AJ grinned too, happy she wasn't completely out of it.
"How about McD's? My house has absolutely nothing in it at the moment. . At least nothing edible and under four months old," AJ said, getting up and offering Kris his hand.
"'Cause you want it that way, right?" Kris asked, a smile crossing her tan face.
"Well, unless you want to try and eat it," AJ dared, a grimace on his face.
"No, no! I'll risk McD's!" Kris replied quickly, giving him a tight hug. AJ tightened his grip when he felt her shoulders shaking in his arms.
"Thank you, AJ. I don't know what I would do without you!" Kris whispered, then backed away, her eyes filling with unshed tears.
"I need to pick up my stuff from his house. I'll go back to the apartment, or-"
"Or you'll come stay with me until you're good and ready to leave!" AJ commanded. He gestured to the large room they stood in.
"Besides, it's not like I don't have room."
"But-"
"Not
buts about it, you're staying." *
"Nina, are you sure you want to do this?" Nick questioned, a wave
of unease and foreboding hitting him as they stepped in the dark apartment.
Ahead of him, Nina shivered slightly as she quickly walked towards Kris' room,
her hand gripping Nick's tightly.
"Nick, I have to do this. Kris is my best friend and I never even had a clue that she was being tormented like this." Nina turned and looked up into his angelic face, the crystal blue eyes she loved so much.
"And if what Brian said was true, about her knowing something was going to happen," Nina sighed and trailed off, unsure. What would she do if Brian hadn't been lying? What about Kris? She was upset with her, but Kris was her best friend.
"Okay,
lets get this over with," Nick said quietly, squeezing Nina's hand. *
Nina's face was pale as she stepped out of her friend's room some time later,
a slight tremble in her legs. Nick saw them buckle and caught Nina before she
fell.
"Baby,
sit down. This affected you more than I thought. If I had known, I wouldn't
have let you do this! Are you okay?" Nick asked, truly worrying about her
as she sat down at the kitchen table. Nina took a deep breath and looked into
her boyfriend's concerned face, feeling a deep love for him stir within her
heart.
They had been together for over three years, and nothing could tear them apart.
He'd been her rock through Kris' fight with Brian, when she would talk to no
one and finally bolted from Orlando. It had depressed Nina to see her friend
like that and had missed her to the point of not sleeping or eating, though
she never told Kris. Nick was still there, still by her side through the good,
bad and the ugly. She smiled lovingly at Nick, thinking how blessed she was
to have him.
"I'm fine, babe. Hey, what's that?" An opened envelope lay on the table, slightly crumple. Na reached for it with trembling fingers, pulling out the note and unfolding it.
"Oh
my-" Na murmured, then went limp, her eyes rolling up in her head and her
vision turning black. *
AJ and Kris walked into Kevin's house, laughing hysterically over a joke he'd
told her, and found Howie and Kevin quietly talking at the table. Startled,
they watched as the smiling pair walked in, both very happy looking.
"Hey guys!" Kris smile, a sparkle in her eyes that hadn't been there for months, as she hugged them both.
"How ya doing, Kris? Having fun?" Kevin asked coldly, glancing at her then AJ. Howie and AJ stared, shocked, but Kris only smiled at him.
"Kevin, no need to be cranky! Honestly, I'm just trying to make the best of a bad situation, okay? Chill out, old man!" Kevin sighed, the flash of anger fading from his eyes as he looked at her apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Kris. I've just been in a really foul mood. So, what brings you here? Now isn't really the time-"
"I know. I just wanted to pick up my stuff. . he brought me here yesterday, and anything else I've left," Kris said hoarsely, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice.
"Kris, are you sure? Maybe you should talk to-" Kris cut Howie off, sadness shining in her eyes.
"No,
D. I don't think so. Is he here?" she asked, hesitantly. *
Brian had known she was there the second she'd stepped in the door, he could
feel her presence. He glanced with bloodshot eyes out of the family room, where
he'd been writing a song on his guitar. His faded, old jeans dragged on the
floor and unkempt, curly strands hung in his eyes as he took in the smile on
Kris' face. She was wearing a pair of AJ's baggy jeans, held up with a belt,
and a wife beater, also AJ's. Brian already felt the empty hole in his heart
where Kris had been, aching like an open wound as he watched her converse with
Kev and Howie, knowing she would never forgive him now. *
Kris caught a small glimpse of sad blue eyes before they disappeared back into
the family room and almost burst out crying right then and there. And despite
his appalling behavior the night before, she desperately wanted to run into
his arms, say she forgave him and that it would be all right. A tear slid down
Kris' cheek as AJ wrapped a concerned arm around her shoulder, pushing her lightly
towards the stairs. *
Howie leaned against the counter with a sigh, watching AJ lead Kris down the
hallway. Howie D.'s eternal smile had been wiped away and replaced with a sad
look in his chocolate eyes and a frown.
"How long do you think this will last?" Howie asked the older man. Kevin glanced at Brian, sprawled on the couch in the dark family room, supposedly watching the basketball game on TV. He could tell just by the look on Brian's face that he was paying it no attention.
"I don't know, D., but I hope not long. They love each other too much for them to be apart for any length of time. It could be disastrous." *
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