***RECAP: Lauren nodded, trying desperately to hide the tears. "So, I guess I’ll see you around," Lauren said tearfully, "and I’m sorry." With that, she spun around and walked away quickly.
AJ stood there and watched her walk away. Part of him wanted to call her name, but he couldn’t even open his mouth. Eventually, she disappeared into the crowd.***
Kevin, Howie, Brian and Nick watched Lauren and AJ converse from about 15 feet back. Although they couldn’t hear what they were saying, their body language said it all.
"Uh oh," muttered Howie, as they all witnessed Lauren turn and walk away, "that cannot be good."
Nick bit his lip as he watched the girl he adored walk away. If only he had had the courage to tell her before.....now it may be too late.
The four watched as AJ watched her walk away, then walk slowly back to the group. "So, what happened?" asked Kevin softly, but AJ didn’t answer. He didn’t say a word. "C’mon guys, let’s go home," suggested Brian, as the five guys piled into a car and drove to Howie’s house.
By the time they got there, AJ still hadn’t said a single word, and they others were scared to mention anything. Once they got inside, Kevin tried again. "So, AJ, what happened?"
They all listened in anticipation to what he was about to say. "Well," said AJ shakily, "she basically told me that everything was all her fault and that everything would have been better off if she hadn’t come to Orlando to find me.....she blamed everything on herself and said she’s going back to Toronto in three days."
"And that was it?!" exclaimed Brian, narrowing his eyes at AJ.
"Yeah," he said, biting his lip.
"Oh, for the love of......." Brian began, but was interrupted sharply by Kevin, who said, "You mean to tell me that you two finally decide to talk to each other, and that’s ALL she said?! Do you honestly think that solved anything?!"
"No, but....."
"And do you feel any better now, knowing nothing is resolved and she’s leaving in three days?!" Kevin added.
"No, but......"
All five guys looked at Nick, whose eyes were wide open. "She’s leaving..?" he said, almost in a whisper.
Brian patted his affectionately on the shoulder, but Howie joined in the argument. "AJ, why on earth did you let her say those things and walk away like that?!" he asked.
"Because," AJ said loudly, "what she said made total sense! Everything that came out of her mouth reflected how I was feeling! How was I supposed to disagree?"
"AJ, you’re a fucking idiot...I hate to say it, but you are. Ya wanna know why?! ‘Cuz this girl is your sister, man, and you’re letting her get away. She’s part of your family, and you’re letting her slip away," Brian said, not sugar coating it at all.
"I’m a fucking idiot, huh?! Well, maybe I am, but listen to me," AJ exclaimed, "I LIKED Lauren...no, wait, I thought I loved her, and I’m talking about more than siblings love each other....then she tells me that we’re sister and brother?! What the fuck did you expect me to do?!? That’s something that canNOT be taken lightly, and no one in this room knows who it feels to be bombarded with that kind of information! I couldn’t even look at her anymore, without thinking how I used to feel, and how I was supposed to feel....I was supposed to forget the past and be all ‘happy-go-lucky’ now, but that’s not how I felt....I felt hurt, betrayed, and lost."
Silence filled the room. No one knew how to respond to that. Nick, who had been sitting in the corner, not saying anything, finally spoke:
"She’s leaving?"
"Yes, Nick, she’s leaving," AJ answered, rubbing his forehead, "and I know you like her and all, but trust me, it’s better off this way. I think it’s best if we just pretend like she never came into our lives."
"That’s not true," Nick whimpered, biting his lip holding back the tears, as his voice got louder, "that’s not true! How can you say that?! How.....?"
At this point, tears began to overflow Nick’s eyes, and slowly ran down his cheeks one by one. "How could you say that, AJ?!" he screamed through his tears, "You liked her, but she’s your sister.....so fucking deal with it! All I know is she’s not MY sister, and I really like her, man! I love her! And now she’s leaving...."
He put his head in his hands and began to cry. He hadn’t cried like this since he was sick before he went into the hospital...and none of the guys had seen him cry like this ever before.
"Nickolas, you don’t love her," AJ answered, as he watched him cry, "you don’t even know what love is."
‘Uh oh,’ thought Brian, wincing, ‘bad move.’ But Nick lifted his head and said through his tears, "I may only be 17, but I sure as hell know what love is."
"You can’t love this girl," continued AJ, "she’s bad news."
Nick stared harshly at AJ through the tears that continued to stream down his cheeks. He sniffed loudly, and stood up. "Nick, buddy, where ya going?" asked Brian worriedly.
"I’m going for a walk," Nick whimpered, as he spun around and walked briskly out the door.
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