Heartbreak Warfare

“Do you have everything, honey?”

I looked up from my suitcase as my dad entered my room.

“Yeah, I do. Thanks again for letting me stay here for the week. I…I’m really glad I came, and really glad I stopped being so stubborn and finally talked to you again,” I said as I hugged my dad.

“I’m glad too. I’ve missed you so much these past couple years, Annie,” My father replied as he hugged me back.

My father grabbed my suitcase and we made our way downstairs. The relationship between my father, my stepmother and step-siblings, and me wasn’t completely fixed yet but this past week I had spent with them had definitely helped.

The doorbell rang and Meredith, my stepmom, answered it to reveal Becca.

“Hey A.J. Are you ready to go?” Becca asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be out in the car in just a minute,” I said before turning to Meredith.

“It’s been nice getting to know you. Thanks for being so welcoming,” I smiled.

Meredith smiled back before wrapping me in a hug. “Of course, Annabelle. You are welcome back anytime.”

I smiled and then said my goodbyes to my half-sister and half-brother before walking out to Becca’s car.

“Hey A.J.” A voice said from the backseat and I turned to glare at Becca.

“What is he doing here?”

“A.J. Halvo’s my boyfriend. He’s also one of your friends. He’s missed you and wanted to see you.”

“We’re not friends. He took Nick’s side,” I snapped.

“A.J….would you just listen to him? The situation isn’t what you think,” Halvo pleaded.

“I tried listening to him once and look how well that worked out.”

“A.J., please…”

“Halvo, shut the fuck up!”

We all sat in Becca’s car in silence until I noticed we were going the opposite direction of my house.

“Becca, where the hell are we going?”

Becca nervously looked at me. “The guys have a show tonight an hour from home so we’re dropping Halvo off.”

I instantly knew I had been tricked and I was positive Nick was somehow involved in all of this.

“Turn this car around and take me home, Becca,” I seethed.

“A.J. this is for the best,” Halvo said from the back.

“Stay out of this, Halvo!” I yelled.

“A.J., calm down. Halvo’s right. This is for the best. You and Nick need to work things out. This has gone on for far too long. The two of you are making all of us miserable,” Becca snapped at me.

I glared at her. “I thought you were my best friend.”

“I am,” Becca whispered. “That’s why I’m doing this.”

I sat in the passenger seat sulking until an idea came to mind.

“Hey Becca, can we stop? I have to use the restroom,” I said.

“I wouldn’t trust her,” Halvo quickly piped up.

I shot him a dirty look before facing Becca again.

“Bec? Please.”

Becca sighed. “Fine, but I’m going with you to make sure you don’t try to run away or anything stupid like that.”

Running away had actually been my plan but I could modify it a bit. I was hoping I could get Becca to feel sorry for me and she’d let me go back home without talking to Nick.

We walked into the bathroom and I quickly grabbed Becca’s arm.

“Bec, please just listen to me. I cannot handle being hurt by Nick again. He’s already hurt me twice. I know I come off as a strong person but honestly if Nick hurts me again I think I’ll break for good.”

Becca looked at me with sympathy. “A.J., I understand, I honestly do but I also know some things that you don’t know. Just trust me…and Halvo and Nick.”

“Becca, I’m done taking chances. Look where it’s gotten me.”

“You took a chance by letting your dad into your life again and look how well that’s turned out; you not only got your dad back in your life, you also gained a stepmom and half-siblings.”

I realized there was no way Becca was going to let me off the hook until I finally talked to Nick.

I groaned. “Fine, I’ll talk to Nick. Let’s go get this over with.”

Becca smiled and said, “I knew you’d come around. Also, could you forgive Halvo? He’s really sorry plus you’re kind of scaring him.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I’ll do that. What a pansy.”

Becca and I got back into the car and I turned around to look at Halvo. “I’m sorry that I’ve been so rude to you lately, Halvo. I was mad at you but I’m over it now. I’m also going to go talk to Nick but I don’t want to hear you say I told you so or anything like that.”

Halvo smiled and leaned up to give me a hug. “I’m glad you’ve forgiven me. I missed you being nice to be.”

I rolled my eyes and then turned back around. I saw a road sign that said we were ten miles away from the town where the venue was. I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself from throwing up for the next ten miles. To say I was nervous was an understatement.

Halvo, Becca, and I finally pulled up to the venue. I tried to prepare and brace myself for what awaited me in the venue.

“Hey A.J.,” Justin smiled at me as I walked in.

“I’m guessing you were part of this plan too?” I asked.

“All of us were…Nick, Becca, Halvo, Andrew, and Me.”

“I hate you all,” I muttered.

“It’s for the best.”

“That’s what everyone keeps telling me.”

Justin smiled at me and said, “Nick’s back there in the dressing room. Go talk to him.”

I nodded and began walking down the hallway. Dread filled my stomach with every step I took.

I walked into the dressing room but didn’t see Nick anywhere.

“You actually came.”

I turned around and saw Nick walking out of the bathroom.

“I didn’t have much choice. Becca and Halvo kind of kidnapped me,” I said.

“I didn’t know how else to get your attention.”

I gave a short laugh and joked, “Yeah, nothing gets people’s attention like a felony. I should have the three of you arrested for kidnapping.”

Nick gave a small smile and began running his hands through his hair, a nervous habit I knew he had.

I wanted nothing more than to hug Nick and tell him that everything was fine. He didn’t need to be nervous around me and that we could go back to how we were. I knew that wouldn’t fix anything though. I was still hurting from all the betrayal.

“You worked so hard to get me here and now you aren’t saying anything. If you want me to stay you better start talking,” I snapped.

Nick sighed and muttered, “I honestly don’t know where to start. Everything’s such a mess. I guess I just want to start with saying I’m sorry. Sorry for sleeping with you when I was dating someone else and making you feel like the other woman, sorry for writing the song about you, but most of all I’m sorry for letting you walk away when you did and not chasing after you. I shouldn’t have let you do that.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know what else I was supposed to do but walk away. I mean when the manager of your boyfriend’s band says your boyfriend is going to cheat on you like he did his ex-girlfriend when he goes on tour you don’t really have a choice. I wasn’t going to stick around and wait for you to cheat.”

“I was never going to cheat on you, Annie, I swear. Peter was lying when he told you that. I’ve never cheated on anyone…well up until I slept with you while I was going out with Claire but as soon as I slept with you I broke up with her. In mine and Dakota’s relationship we did break up because of cheating, it was her that cheated though, not me. For some weird reason though Peter didn’t like you and wanted me to get back with Dakota. That’s why he lied to you.”

I stood there silently for a few seconds as I tried to process everything. “So you mean…I…he…I walked away from you and ruined our relationship because of a lie?”

Nick nodded and I could tell I was about to cry.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have never listened to him. I just heard that and I couldn’t think straight so I walked way. It was a mistake though. Such a big mistake.”

Nick walked over to me and pulled me in a hug. “We’ve both made mistakes. That’s what relationships are though, making mistakes and forgiving each other for those mistakes. All I know is that when I make a mistake I want you there to first of all tell me how stupid I am, an then second of all to help me fix it. I just want you with me. So what do you say? Do you want to start again?”

I nodded and smiled through my tears. “Throughout everything I realized that I don’t like who I am without you. I didn’t want to admit it but I need you Nick, I need you in my life.”

Nick smiled. “I love you, Annie.”

“I love you too,” I said before he leaned down to kiss me, making everything right once again.