2 WEEKS LATER, Justin was at Shoes Dance Studio. He was practicing his performance for the Holts Indians vs. timberland Wolves baseball game. At the game tonight, he would be performing ‘I Love Sports’ & a special song he had planned if Nicole was there.
“No, J!” Marty hollered. “Dude, you've been doing this dance all year. How are you missing a step now?”
Justin looked up, clearly dazed from thoughts. He looked at Marty & then the dancers. He saw his mom in the corner. “I’m sorry, I need a break. I can't do this.”
As the young man ran out, Marty went up to Lynn with a questioning look.
“Just give him a while. He’ll have things straightened out if his plan works,” she said.
At the same time, Nicole wasn't feeling much better than Justin. She stood at the stove, hanging on to the counter with one hand. She stirred the spaghetti sauce with the other hand. She stared into the pot, not even paying attention.
“Hey, Nikaroo, how long til it’s ready?” Gabe called, just getting out of the shower. When she didn’t answer, he called louder knowing she had hearing problems. “Nic?”
She still didn’t answer her brother. Gabe slipped on jeans before walking into the kitchen. He came in just in time to catch her collapsing. “Nicole? Sis, come on, talk to me!”
“I HATE YOU, TRACE!” she cried while kicking a chair in front of them. “I H-HATE YOU!!”
“Shh...Shh..., Sweetie. Everything’s going to be ok,” Gabe soothed.
“Why’d he do it? Why?” she sobbed. “I liked him.”
“I know, I know...”
---
Justin walked into the garage where Gabe worked part time when he was home from the Marines.
“Hi, may I help you?" he asked, acting like he didn't know Justin was a celebrity. He didn't want anyone getting mobbed.
Justin leaned in & whispered to him.
"So there's a game tonight at the community field. You should try to take Nicole there."
"Why? She’s really upset & I don’t think she wants to go out."
“Because I have a song for her and I’m singing there tonight as well, And if she’s there I’ll sing it for her. And well, I’m hoping with all my heart that she forgives me," he answered and looked down.
"Hey man, it isn’t your fault." Gabe said back to Justin, and put a hand on his back. He guided him back to his office to have a seat and to conjure up the details of their plan.
---
“Gabe, I really don’t want to be here. Why’d you drag me out here?” Nicole asked annoyed.
“Because you need to get out of the house & I thought this would be fun. You used to come to my games.”
“Yeah, in Little League!”
Ok, so she was just a tad annoyed. But Gabe thanked God that no one at the game knew Justin was there because he didn’t want Nicole running (or wheeling in her case) out of there. They brought her chair for easier moving around the field.
No one knew Justin was there because it was supposed to be a surprise. Gabe had snuck a text to Justin saying they were there. So, Justin decided to play the special song first & then do ‘I Love Sports’.
As the siblings neared the front of the crowd, Nicole noticed a familiar quiet chatter among the staff.
“Ok, first up, we have a special surprise guest who’s going to sing for us before the game starts,” one of the coaches announced.
Nicole’s eyes widened as she saw a portable keyboard brought out. The quiet chatter she heard got louder. As the man stepped onto the field, it dawned on her why everything was familiar. It was part of the stage setup she’d heard at Justin’s concert!
She unlocked her brakes & tried to wheel away but her brother stopped her. “Ah, no. Just hear him out.”
“Uh the 1st song I want to play is 1 from my current record. It’s for 1 of my dear friends who I’d like to apologize for things that happened,” Justin said.
He sat down & began playing the slow ballad of ‘All Over Again.’ Every time he hit a high note, he tried to catch Nicole’s eyes.
Author's Chapter Notes:
this post & the next 1 are split. sorry it took so long. life's been crazy & i have writer's block.
Story Tags: Be the first to add a tag to this story
