‹ Prequel: Backstage
Center Stage (Into the Future)
Welcome Home
“Oh Nikky,” Sami chocked out as tears filled both of their eyes. Sami leaned across the space that was between her and Nikky and hugged her tight. Katie quickly followed.
Tre stood up, knowing that Katie and Sami were there to comfort Nikky now. He turned to Mike and Billie. Both men were glaring at him, arms crossed tightly over their chests. Their heads turned in unison from Nikky to Tre. Billie stuck out a finger and curled it towards himself, signaling Tre closer. He gulped yet took confident steps to the door. When Tre was within arms reach, Mikey grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him into the hallway as Billie shut the door noiselessly behind him.
“What did you do!?” Mike snapped in an angry whisper. Tre glared at them.
“I didn’t do anything! They had another fight I guess, and John just thought that it was the last straw so…” Tre shrugged. They both just stared at him, not buying it.
“How did this happen? Everything was fine wasn’t it? The only bad family thing we’ve had happen was when Max cheated on Sami,” Billie muttered, running his hand up his forehead and through his hair.
“Yeah and what did Sami do? She turned to you! And no one questioned that! But Nikky did the exact same thing to me and everyone thinks that I had something to do with it? Get off of my case!” Tre snapped. Billie’s hand stopped in his hair, still tangled in the strands. He shot an angry glance at Tre and pulled his hand from his head.
“There’s one small difference between that and what’s going on tonight, Tre.”
“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” Tre asked, his voice icy.
“I didn’t love Sami the way you love Nikky,” Billie said, quiet and calm layering his tone. Tre took a breath to sigh.
“I know I do…but I didn’t make anything happen. You have to believe me guys,” Tre pleaded. Mike opened his mouth to speak just as the bedroom door opened. Katie, Nikky and Sami all walked out of the room, their faces tear stained. Nikky gave a small smile to Tre. She walked over and gave him a hug. Tre wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, rocking slightly from side to side.
“Thanks for everything, Tre. You’re the best.” She kissed him on the cheek and walked down the stairs. Sami walked over to Mike and gave him a hug.
“We’re gonna head home,” she said. Mike nodded.
“It was nice to see you guys again,” he said as Sami let go of him. Katie walked to Mike and hugged him as well. Sami walked over to Billie as Katie went to hug Tre.
“We’re gonna take her over to my house,” she said as she wrapped her arms around Billie. He nodded and patted her back.
“I guess that’s best, right?” he said, his tone still unsure. Sami shrugged and hugged Tre.
“Let’s make plans later okay? This wasn’t the best condition on seeing you guys,” Katie said, a small smile on her lips.
“Alright, we’ll call,” Tre said, smiling back at the three of them. The girls waved over their shoulders as they started down the stairs.
“Oh and by the way,” Sami started as she stopped on the bottom step. The three men looked down at them as a smile lit up her face.
“Welcome home.”
One week later
DING DONG
Sami rolled over in her bed. “Go away,” she mumbled.
DING DING DING DOOONG
Sami growled in her sleep but didn’t get out of bed. Scott on the other hand had been rudely awakened by the constant ringing.
“Alright…Alright I’m up,” he mumbled as he groggily sat up in bed. He reached blindly towards the bedside table with his digital clock. He felt it in his hands and he pulled it up to his face.
It was Saturday and it was seven in the morning.
Scott scowled at his clock as if it were its fault that he was up so early on a weekend.
DING DONG
“I’m coming,” he mumbled, louder this time. He reached for his jeans and pulled them on as he walked to the door.
‘No shirt but whatever,’ he thought. He reached the door and pulled it open.
“CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!? THIS SUCKS!” Nikky yelled before the door had been fully opened. She scowled at a stack of papers in her hands and barged inside. Scott kept staring out the door, his eyes barely open.
“Good morning to you too Nikky,” he mumbled as he closed the door behind her. She slammed the stack of paper onto the island in the middle of the kitchen.
“God, I still don’t know why he wants a divorce,” she snarled as she flopped down on one of the stools. Scott nodded mindlessly and walked to the fridge. He pulled out the carton of orange juice.
“What some?” he mumbled.
“Wha-” Nikky twitched, jerking from her stupor of rage. “Oh…no it’s ok.” She stared back down at the papers. Scott shrugged and started to drink the juice from the carton. “Don’t drink out of the carton,” Nikky said without looking up. Scott sighed and put the carton down.
“Yes MOM,” he said with a laugh.
“Hey, where is your mom anyway?” Nikky asked. Scott wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and looked at the clock.
“It’s Saturday, Nikky. Not only is it Saturday, it’s seven in the morning on Saturday. Normal people don’t get up this early on weekends,” he said as he poured the juice in a glass.
“No, but normal people will get up if their best friend rings the doorbell nonstop for five minutes straight,” Sami said sleepily as she walked down the stairs.
“Hey, Sami. Sorry about that,” Nikky said sheepishly.
“Hey, mom. Orange juice?” Scott said offering her the carton.
“Thanks,” she said as she took it out of his hands. She reached for a glass.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Nikky said with a smile.
“Did you drink out of the carton again?” Sami asked Scott as he walked up the stairs. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned.
“Hey, I’m a guy.” Sami shook her head and poured the juice into a glass anyway.
“Boys,” she mumbled. Nikky laughed quietly and nodded. She sighed and stuck her face against the stack of divorce papers that sat in front of her.
“Hey Sami?” she asked, her voice muffled by the paper.
“Hmm?”
Nikky lifted her head slowly as Sami seated herself across the island facing her.
“How…What…I don’t…” Nikky tried. Her eyes scanned the papers again.
“It’s strange, isn’t it?” Sami whispered. Nikky looked up at her, slightly confused. “One minute, you feel like everything is ok. The next, you feel like your whole world is falling apart and you only have one person you can turn to,” Sami explained, her finger tracing the rim of her glass. Nikky closed her eyes.
“Well that’s why I’m here. Because you’re that one person,” she said, rubbing her eyes as exhaustion caught up with her. Sami smiled at her and shook her head slowly. Nikky looked puzzled. Sami smiled again. “Not me, Nikky. Tre.”
Tre stood up, knowing that Katie and Sami were there to comfort Nikky now. He turned to Mike and Billie. Both men were glaring at him, arms crossed tightly over their chests. Their heads turned in unison from Nikky to Tre. Billie stuck out a finger and curled it towards himself, signaling Tre closer. He gulped yet took confident steps to the door. When Tre was within arms reach, Mikey grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him into the hallway as Billie shut the door noiselessly behind him.
“What did you do!?” Mike snapped in an angry whisper. Tre glared at them.
“I didn’t do anything! They had another fight I guess, and John just thought that it was the last straw so…” Tre shrugged. They both just stared at him, not buying it.
“How did this happen? Everything was fine wasn’t it? The only bad family thing we’ve had happen was when Max cheated on Sami,” Billie muttered, running his hand up his forehead and through his hair.
“Yeah and what did Sami do? She turned to you! And no one questioned that! But Nikky did the exact same thing to me and everyone thinks that I had something to do with it? Get off of my case!” Tre snapped. Billie’s hand stopped in his hair, still tangled in the strands. He shot an angry glance at Tre and pulled his hand from his head.
“There’s one small difference between that and what’s going on tonight, Tre.”
“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” Tre asked, his voice icy.
“I didn’t love Sami the way you love Nikky,” Billie said, quiet and calm layering his tone. Tre took a breath to sigh.
“I know I do…but I didn’t make anything happen. You have to believe me guys,” Tre pleaded. Mike opened his mouth to speak just as the bedroom door opened. Katie, Nikky and Sami all walked out of the room, their faces tear stained. Nikky gave a small smile to Tre. She walked over and gave him a hug. Tre wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, rocking slightly from side to side.
“Thanks for everything, Tre. You’re the best.” She kissed him on the cheek and walked down the stairs. Sami walked over to Mike and gave him a hug.
“We’re gonna head home,” she said. Mike nodded.
“It was nice to see you guys again,” he said as Sami let go of him. Katie walked to Mike and hugged him as well. Sami walked over to Billie as Katie went to hug Tre.
“We’re gonna take her over to my house,” she said as she wrapped her arms around Billie. He nodded and patted her back.
“I guess that’s best, right?” he said, his tone still unsure. Sami shrugged and hugged Tre.
“Let’s make plans later okay? This wasn’t the best condition on seeing you guys,” Katie said, a small smile on her lips.
“Alright, we’ll call,” Tre said, smiling back at the three of them. The girls waved over their shoulders as they started down the stairs.
“Oh and by the way,” Sami started as she stopped on the bottom step. The three men looked down at them as a smile lit up her face.
“Welcome home.”
One week later
DING DONG
Sami rolled over in her bed. “Go away,” she mumbled.
DING DING DING DOOONG
Sami growled in her sleep but didn’t get out of bed. Scott on the other hand had been rudely awakened by the constant ringing.
“Alright…Alright I’m up,” he mumbled as he groggily sat up in bed. He reached blindly towards the bedside table with his digital clock. He felt it in his hands and he pulled it up to his face.
It was Saturday and it was seven in the morning.
Scott scowled at his clock as if it were its fault that he was up so early on a weekend.
DING DONG
“I’m coming,” he mumbled, louder this time. He reached for his jeans and pulled them on as he walked to the door.
‘No shirt but whatever,’ he thought. He reached the door and pulled it open.
“CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!? THIS SUCKS!” Nikky yelled before the door had been fully opened. She scowled at a stack of papers in her hands and barged inside. Scott kept staring out the door, his eyes barely open.
“Good morning to you too Nikky,” he mumbled as he closed the door behind her. She slammed the stack of paper onto the island in the middle of the kitchen.
“God, I still don’t know why he wants a divorce,” she snarled as she flopped down on one of the stools. Scott nodded mindlessly and walked to the fridge. He pulled out the carton of orange juice.
“What some?” he mumbled.
“Wha-” Nikky twitched, jerking from her stupor of rage. “Oh…no it’s ok.” She stared back down at the papers. Scott shrugged and started to drink the juice from the carton. “Don’t drink out of the carton,” Nikky said without looking up. Scott sighed and put the carton down.
“Yes MOM,” he said with a laugh.
“Hey, where is your mom anyway?” Nikky asked. Scott wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and looked at the clock.
“It’s Saturday, Nikky. Not only is it Saturday, it’s seven in the morning on Saturday. Normal people don’t get up this early on weekends,” he said as he poured the juice in a glass.
“No, but normal people will get up if their best friend rings the doorbell nonstop for five minutes straight,” Sami said sleepily as she walked down the stairs.
“Hey, Sami. Sorry about that,” Nikky said sheepishly.
“Hey, mom. Orange juice?” Scott said offering her the carton.
“Thanks,” she said as she took it out of his hands. She reached for a glass.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Nikky said with a smile.
“Did you drink out of the carton again?” Sami asked Scott as he walked up the stairs. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned.
“Hey, I’m a guy.” Sami shook her head and poured the juice into a glass anyway.
“Boys,” she mumbled. Nikky laughed quietly and nodded. She sighed and stuck her face against the stack of divorce papers that sat in front of her.
“Hey Sami?” she asked, her voice muffled by the paper.
“Hmm?”
Nikky lifted her head slowly as Sami seated herself across the island facing her.
“How…What…I don’t…” Nikky tried. Her eyes scanned the papers again.
“It’s strange, isn’t it?” Sami whispered. Nikky looked up at her, slightly confused. “One minute, you feel like everything is ok. The next, you feel like your whole world is falling apart and you only have one person you can turn to,” Sami explained, her finger tracing the rim of her glass. Nikky closed her eyes.
“Well that’s why I’m here. Because you’re that one person,” she said, rubbing her eyes as exhaustion caught up with her. Sami smiled at her and shook her head slowly. Nikky looked puzzled. Sami smiled again. “Not me, Nikky. Tre.”