Chapter One
Her new bedroom was nothing like her old one. Her old one was back in Arkansas, and it had been all her. The walls had been cream-colored with a dark green, floral wallpaper boarder. Her furniture had been all dark cherry wood that her grandmother had willed to her. She had her antique doll collection in a corner, on display in a curio cabinet built by her father. Her nick-knacks, journals, and notebooks had been scattered everywhere. Her personality had really shown through there; she had loved everything about it and desperately wished she were still there.
Her new bedroom in Orlando looked more like a hotel room--empty and impersonal. It had stark white walls, and a plain light blue bedspread rested on the bed. The solitary dresser was painted white and there was a light pink lamp and an alarm clock resting on top. She had only been there a week, and she already hated it, not only her room but Florida in general. She was used to forests of trees and rolling hills directly behind her house where she could go when she needed to get away. Now, her precious trees had been replaced by a huge privacy fence. The only bit of nature she could see was neatly trimmed grass. Her depression probably was not helped by the fact that she felt she was not wanted there at all.
Only a week and a half ago, Dovelyn felt her life had been nearly perfect. She had been a junior at Madison University, and had recently won a spot on the cheerleading squad. She was very much in love with her boyfriend, Matt, whom her parents also loved. Matt was a tailback on the football team, and also very smart. She had had great relationship with both of her parents and her three brothers. Suddenly, everything changed, and her world fell apart.
The night of her twenty-first birthday, Matt had planned a romantic evening for just the two of them. Since it was a Saturday, Dovelyn's parents had given her permission to stay out later than usual, 2:00 AM. She was really looking forward to this. As long as it was just Matt and her, he was an angel, the most romantic and sensitive guy she had ever met. Unfortunately, Dovie had discovered Matt was an entirely different person when he was with his football buddies. Dovelyn had always tried to blame this personality switch on alcohol. That would have made everything so much easier for her to understand. The alcohol was affecting his system, so he turned from a sweet romantic to a cruel pig; that would make sense. But if Matt was with his friends, alcohol or not, his personality changed, and she tried hard to avoid him.
The first few hours of the night were ideal. Around eight, they drove to North Little Rock and ate at Carino's, Dovie's favorite Italian restaurant. Dinner passed uneventfully, Matt being his usual charming and sweet self. After their late dinner, they drove around for a while, trying to decide what to do next. Dovie saw her birthday celebration begin go from a dream to a nightmare when Matt insisted on stopping at a party his friend was having. She knew the only reason he wanted to go was so he could drink with his friends, and that she would more than likely end up having to drive him home and put him to bed after he passed out.
Looking back, she only wished that it had turned out that way...
The sound of her aunt and uncle arguing downstairs snapped Dovie out of the daydreaming she was doing at the window. She quietly opened the door, snuck downstairs, and sat down next to the slightly ajar door of the family room to listen to the newest "discussion" about her entrance into the household.
"She's twenty-one years old for Pete's sake! Why doesn't she get off on her own?" Dovie heard the angry voice of her Step-Uncle Paul yell.
"Paul, calm down! She'll hear you!" her Aunt Lynn said.
"I just don't understand why she can't live on her own, that's all. We don't have an obligation to her!" Paul answered in a slightly calmer voice.
"I know that. But she's my sister's daughter, and I promised Sam I would always look after her. You can't honestly think she is capable of taking care of herself right now, after all that's happened. Dove's only been out of the hospital two days, and she just finished burying her entire immediate family." Her aunt's words became clogged with tears as she talked about her recently deceased sister, and Dovie's own tears were swiftly beginning to fall. She quietly snuck back upstairs to her room, where she threw herself across her bed and cried herself to sleep.
Dovelyn woke up the next morning not feeling any better than she had the night before. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes, pulled on her robe, and walked downstairs for breakfast. She didn't really have anything to do for the day, so she had decided to walk around her new neighborhood, and then maybe head back to the house to read or write a little, as both were favorite pastimes. She knew her plans would change, however, when she sat down at the table and looked up at her aunt.
"Dovelyn, I have a surprise for you." Aunt Lynn said happily, immediately putting her on guard.
"What?" she asked warily.
"Your cousin Justin is coming home today."
"Whoopee." Dovie muttered. She knew that Justin was in the group *N Sync, and had listened to their music in the past and actually liked it, but with Matt around, she hadn�t been able to listen to his group�s music very much. When she and Justin were younger, they had been best of friends and had been together constantly. She hadn't seen him since just before he joined the group. Now, in the depression she'd managed to dig herself into since her family had died, she'd managed to convince herself that Justin had changed and wouldn't care about her anymore.
"Dovelyn, I would think that you would show more respect for your cousin than that." Paul replied angrily. "Justin has some direction in his life; he's making a difference in this world. He's doing something. Until you can say that about yourself, I wouldn't be insulting Justin."
Dovie 's anger flared instantly, and her aunt rushed to avoid a confrontation. "Now, Paul, give Dove a break. She's been through a lot in the last couple of weeks."
"So, what's the big deal about Justin coming in?" Dovie said, changing the subject once again.
"Well, the MTV Music Awards are tonight..." Lynn began.
"Yeah, so?" she interrupted.
"So, the guys had an extra ticket, and Justin thought it would be nice if you went with them."
She sighed. "Do I have to?"
"Dovelyn Rachel McKenzie!" Paul bellowed. "You will be a little more grateful from now on, young lady. I would think that a person in your position would be careful of who they insulted
"A person in 'my position'?" Dovelyn yelled back. "Just what is that supposed mean? Look, if you don't want me here, then just say the word. I don't want to be somewhere that I'm not wanted!" she screamed, running up the stairs to her room and slamming the door shut.
A few minutes later, Dovelyn heard a soft knock at her door. She knew it was her aunt. Dovie had no desire to finish our earlier conversation, but she had no choice. Lynn stuck her head in the room, then entered and sat down gingerly on the end of the bed.
"Dovelyn, I know you're not happy here, and given the circumstances, I can't say I blame you. However, that doesn't mean we don't want you here. You're family, and we love you." she paused, waiting for a response from Dovie. When it didn't come, she continued. "Justin has really missed you, and he and his friends really do want you to go with them tonight. I think you should go. We need to go and find a dress for you to wear, unless you already have a formal." That said, she stood and walked to the door. Just before she left, she turned back to her niece. "Be ready to go in forty-five minutes. I want to leave by ten."
By three, the two women found a dress and were back in Dovelyn's room, where Lynn was trying to cheer her niece up while slightly shortening the hem of her dress so that she wouldn't trip. The dress was a deep blue color that matched Dovelyn's eyes perfectly. It was silk, and clung to her rather skinny body in just the right places. It was simple, but just like what she had been looking for the year before, when Matt had taken her to the Homecoming dance. Dovelyn knew she looked good, but she just couldn't seem to get herself excited about spending the night with her cousin and his friends. By the time they heard the door open and five new voices downstairs, she still wasn't in the best of moods.
"Dovelyn?" Paul stepped into the room, looking stern. "The boys are downstairs waiting for you. Justin is expecting the happy-go-lucky, cheerful cousin he remembers, not the depressed and sullen girl you've become. At least pretend you're enjoying yourself tonight." Dovie scowled at him and began to walk out the door. Paul grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. "Dovelyn, I'm not kidding. Justin and his friends have worked hard for this and I won't have you ruining it for them. You're not the only one who lost someone they love. We were all devastated when we heard what happened, especially Justin. Keep that in mind before you let your selfishness take over."
Dovie turned away, feeling tears building up in her eyes. She knew Paul was right, but that didn't make her feel any better about anything. Nothing they said could change the fact that essentially, she felt she was alone, living with people who did not want her living with them. Dovie knew her parents wouldn't recognize her if they saw her now, and that they would be disappointed at how she had handled her hospitalization and their deaths, but she couldn't help it.
When she got downstairs, JC was the first person she saw. She remembered the day Justin had introduced them. It was after Justin and JC had met on the set of the Mickey Mouse Club, but before *N Sync began. They had become friends quickly, but had lost touch since the group became popular. Now, JC looked up and saw her. He whistled and grinned.
"Dovie, I do believe you get prettier every time I see you."
She managed a smile when she really wanted to cry. No one had used her parents' nickname for her since their deaths, and it reminded her of all she'd lost. Dovie tried not to cringe when JC stepped forward and hugged her, which she felt he was only doing because she had lost her parents. She was tired of impersonal hugs that were given just because somebody felt they "should." JC kept his arm around her waist as he turned to the other four men in the room.
"Justin, you didn't tell us your cousin was so beautiful,� a rather tall, dark haired man with a goatee said.
Justin stepped forward and frowned at the man. "Forget it, Joey," he muttered, and then turned to his cousin, smiling. He hugged her gently. "I've missed you, D. I'm so sorry I couldn't get here sooner."
Dovie pasted on a fake smile. "It's okay Justin. It wasn't your fault." She looked up to see Lynn and Paul watching her carefully. Lynn had a smile on her face, and Paul still looked rather angry. She half smiled, half scowled up at him, then turned back to Justin and his friends, waiting to be introduced to the others.
JC seemed to read her mind. "Dovie, allow me to introduce you to these guys. The one who tried hitting on you is Joey; he has a thing for Superman. The blond is Lance; don't call him PooFoo. The one with the dreads is Chris; he's just crazy. Of course, you know Justin. Guys, this lovely lady is Justin's cousin, Dovelyn McKenzie." The guys all nodded politely, though Lance's face was still red from the "PooFoo" comment; Dovie tried to remember to ask him about it later.
Paul came down the stairs and looked at the young adults in the room. "Justin, don't you think it's time for you guys to be going?" he asked.
Justin looked at his watch. "Oh, yeah! Thanks!"
They all began to walk out the door when Paul's somewhat cross voice stopped them. "Dovelyn, remember what we talked about. We'll continue our discussion tomorrow." Dovie nodded, not saying anything because she knew anything she said would be rude, and that she would regret it later.
Once they were outside and the front door was shut, his stepfather's words seemed to hit Justin. "What was that all about, D? He sounded kinda mad." Dovelyn shrugged, trying to avoid his question. She really didn't feel like discussing circumstances of her fight with Paul in front of the rest of his group. Justin knew she was keeping something from him, but he couldn't figure out what.
The group silently got into the car, each engrossed in their own thoughts. Justin stared out the window, trying to pinpoint what was wrong with his cousin. She had only smiled once since she'd come downstairs, and even then, it had looked forced to Justin. He couldn't explain it, but somehow he knew that she was unhappy. Justin shook his head. Geez, Justin, her entire family was killed in a car crash only a week ago! Of course she's not going to be as cheery as she used to be. He reasoned with himself; but nothing he thought to himself could make him shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong with his cousin, a feeling heightened by Paul's comment to her earlier. He had sounded almost angry with her.
Justin glanced at Dovie, who was sitting between him and Lance. She was staring her hands, which were folded tightly in her lap. Justin's brow furrowed in concentration. He tried to remember anything his mom had told him about Dovelyn in the past week. He seemed to remember her saying that Dovie had been having serious problems with her boyfriend. Justin knew that she'd been in the hospital for a few days before her family decided to take the fatal drive out to visit her, but he didn't know exactly why she was there in the first place. Justin vividly remembered the phone call from his mom only a week ago.
"Justin?" his mom said quietly.
Justin heard the tension in his mother's voice. "Mom? What's wrong? You sound really upset."
Justin's mother dissolved into tears. "Oh, Justin, I'm sorry I have to tell you this over the phone..."
Justin's heart jumped into his throat; he gripped the receiver so hard his knuckles turned white. "What is it? Is everyone all right?" Justin asked, not wanting to hear the answer.
The other guys in the group heard the fear in his voice and looked up, wondering what was going on. JC glanced quickly at Lance. Sensing something was very wrong, both walked over to where Justin was standing to offer whatever comfort they could.
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry,� his mom, whispered.
"Mom! Please, just tell me!"
"Sweetie, Aunt Sam and Uncle Brad were in an accident."
"What?" Justin whispered. "But, they're okay, right?"
"No sweetie." his mom answered gently. "They were killed. Ryan, Tommy, and Jason were too. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this over the phone. I wish you were here..."
"No." Justin said softly at first, then repeating it, his voice rising until he was almost screaming. "No! They're fine. It's a mistake. Call the hospital again!"
"I'm so sorry sweetie. It's not a mistake. Paul and I had to identify them. They're gone."
Panic hit Justin. He couldn't believe his favorite relatives were all gone. Then he realized his mother hadn't mentioned Sam and Brad's only daughter, Dovelyn. "Mom, what about Dovie? Is she okay?"
His mother sighed. "Dove is in the hospital, but wasn't in the wreck. Apparently, she was admitted a few days ago. I don't know the details yet, but Aunt Sam and Uncle Brad and the boys were on their way to visit her when a truck driver lost control and hit them. They were all killed instantly, though, no pain. Remember that Justin, they weren't in any pain."
Justin's mind flipped back to the present, with JC announcing they had arrived at the Awards. He hurriedly wiped his eyes and looked at his cousin. "Dove? You ready?" he asked, holding his hand out to her. Dovie took his hand reluctantly and got out of the car. She immediately blinked and tried to shield her eyes from the flash of the million cameras that were going off in her face. She held onto Justin and JC, who were standing next to her. Reporters were gathered all around them, shouting questions faster that Dovie could keep up. Justin and JC stopped by a reporter with a camera, forcing Dovie to stop as well.
"Justin! Who's this lovely lady on your arm tonight?" A man Dovie recognized as MTV's Carson Daly asked them.
"This is my cousin, Dovelyn McKenzie." Justin said proudly, showing off his cousin.
Carson nodded, and then focused his attention back on Justin and JC. �So, you guys are nominated for four awards tonight. How do you think you'll stack up against the Backstreet Boys?�
�Well, the BSB is a certainly a very talented group of guys. We're honored simply to be nominated for such important awards. I hope we'll win at least one, but if not we know that the BSB is as deserving of them as we are.� JC answered diplomatically.
Carson smiled at him. �Sure thing, buddy! Good luck tonight!�
The guys thanked him, and then led Dovie inside to the tables. Once seated, Dovie began to glance around at the people around her. Her eyes sparkled as she took in her favorite stars: legends Whitney Houston, Garth Brooks, and Paul McCartney, and newcomers Christina Aguilera and 98 Degrees. Justin smiled as he saw her whole face light up, and looked up to see who she had spotted. His smile fell slightly when he realized that she was looking at the Backstreet Boys, who were sitting only three tables away from them. He saw Brian Littrell glance up and see Dovie watching them. Brian grinned at her, and Dovie laughed quietly. Dovie turned her attention back to her own table when she noticed the show about to start. She glanced at Justin, and was taken aback when she saw the scowl on his face.
�Justin? Is something wrong?� she whispered.
He shrugged. �Do you have to drool over BSB like that? It looks ridiculous!�
Startled at the anger in his voice, she averted her gaze to the others, first glancing around to see if anyone else had noticed her behavior. The guys were all focused on the stage, with the exception of Joey, who was staring at a tall blond nearby. Dovie started to giggle at that, but was silenced by another Look from Justin. She managed not to look at the Boys' table for the rest of the first half of the show, not wanting to upset Justin, who was still shooting dirty looks towards the Boys. About halfway through the show, she excused herself to use the restroom.
She stood up, rather uneasy because she had to walk directly past the Backstreet Boys, and she knew that they'd noticed the looks Justin had been sending their way all night. As she walked back to *N Sync's table, she breathed a sigh of relief when she passed the table without incident. Just when she was about to rest easy, she heard a voice behind her.
�Hey!�
She turned around to find AJ McLean looking at her. �Me?�
He nodded. �Yeah. Could you come here a minute?�
She glanced over her shoulder at her cousin, and saw that he was preoccupied with the guys. Shrugging, she made her way back to AJ, who pulled a chair out for her to sit in. Once she was settled, AJ pounced on her.
�Mind telling us why Timberlake keeps giving us dirty looks? We didn't do anything to him!� AJ questioned her.
�AJ!� Kevin interrupted before she could answer. �Don't ask her that. Leave her alone.� He then turned his attention to Dovie. �Sorry about that Miss, AJ sometimes forgets his place.�
She smiled at them. �It's okay. I don't mind answering. He's just being a pain tonight.�
The Backstreet Boys all had to laugh. �How do you know Justin anyway?� Nick asked.
�He's my cousin,� she answered ruefully. �Please don't hold that against me!�
Once again, they all laughed. The members of the BSB began asking questions about Dovie, and she was only too happy to answer them, and then ask a few of her own. She couldn't believe that she was sitting with her favorite group, and that they seemed to be enjoying her company as much as she was enjoying theirs. Dovie was so thrilled to be talking with them that she didn't notice time slipping by quickly.
Justin was busy talking to JC when he felt Chris tap him on the shoulder. He turned to face his friend irritably; annoyed that he'd been interrupted. �What is it Chris? I was talking.�
Chris shrugged. �I heard you two talking about how sad Dovie seems. I'm not seeing it. Granted, she was kind of quiet and withdrawn when we picked her up, but she seems to be happy as a clam right now.�
Justin's eyebrows knit together. �What are you talking about Chris?�
�Over there.� he said, gesturing to the BSB table a few feet away.
Justin turned his head and was startled to see his cousin sitting between Howie Dorough and AJ McLean, talking and laughing like there was no tomorrow. Hurt, confusion, and anger flashed through him all at once, as he stood and made his way over to the nearby table. He saw the members of the Backstreet Boys look up as he got closer. They were all smiling, talking to Dovelyn about music and poetry. When he got close enough, he reached out and lightly tapped his cousin's shoulder.
�Ju�Justin, hi.� she stammered nervously, unsure of how Justin was going to react.
�Well, hi there!� he answered her, overly cheerful. �Um, Dovie, can I ask you a question real quick?�
She glanced at the other boys at the table before answering tentatively. �Sure, Just. What is it?�
�Well, I was just wondering why it is that you won't even talk to me and my friends, and yet you can stroll over here, and laugh and joke with BSB like you've known them forever! Why is that, D?� Justin spat angrily, deeply hurt at this abrupt change in his favorite cousin's behavior recently.
�Justin, I just...�
He cut her off abruptly. �You know what? Don't even try. I don't understand you anymore, Dovie, but you are not going to treat me like garbage in front of my friends! Come on...� Justin reached out to take her arm and lead her back to their table. Suddenly, Dovie shied away from him and cowered, startling Justin into silence. He looked at the group in front of him, wondering if any of them knew what had just happened; all looked as confused as he felt. Sighing, Justin gently reached out again and took her arm. They walked back to their table in silence.
Everyone could sense the tension between Dovie and Justin when they returned to the table. They sat down silently and remained that way until the end of the night, the only exception being when *N Sync won two awards. Then, Dovie gave them each a hug and whispered 'congratulations' in their ears.
Even the guys at the BSB table could see things were strained between their new friend and her cousin. Howie found himself glancing at her throughout the rest of the night. He was amazed at the abrupt change that had come over her when Justin had arrived at their table.
Dovie had captivated everyone at the table. She was a fan, but she wasn't overly excited about meeting them. She had treated them like normal people and wasn't afraid to be herself with them, which had quickly endeared her to them. When Justin had shown up, her mood changed immediately, almost like a cloud had passed overhead. When he had yelled at her, she had been frightened, and Howie was left with the unsettling feeling that she had honestly thought that Justin was going to hit her.
Howie frowned, watching JC try to cheer Dovelyn up. Dovelyn was staring at her hands, while JC whispered something to her, smiling. When he received no response from the girl, he looked over to the others helplessly.
Suddenly, Howie jerked upright, feeling an elbow in his side. He looked up to see AJ grinning at him. "Man, what was that for?" AJ kept grinning. "AJ," Howie began, irritated. "Why did you just poke me in the side, and why are you staring at me like the Cheshire cat?"
"You like her!" AJ said gleefully.
Howie rolled his eyes. "Something's going on over there, AJ, can't you see? I'm worried about her, that's all."
Now AJ rolled his eyes back at Howie. "Whatever, D." he said, turning back to the MC.
The rest of the night passed by quickly, with both Backstreet and *N Sync taking home two awards. As the show wound up and people began to leave, Dovelyn noticed the bracelet her mother had given her had disappeared from her wrist.
"Justin!" she cried, panicked. "My mother's bracelet! It's gone!"
"What?" Justin asked. "Your mom's bracelet?" He looked over at his cousin, who had already begun to search. Sensing how much the bracelet meant to Dovie, he began helping her look for it. When it hadn't shown up after a few minutes, Dovie looked like she was ready to cry. Justin shot Lance a Look, and Lance sat her down at the table and tried to calm her down. Lance was having little effect on her, and was looking up to find help when Howie and AJ approached the table.
"Um, excuse me." AJ said. Everyone turned to look at them. AJ looked at Dovie. "Sorry to interrupt, but we found this under our table and thought it might be Dove's."
The second Dovie saw the flash of silver in Howie's hand, her face lit up in a radiant smile. She jumped up and almost ran to him, throwing her arms around him. Howie glanced at AJ, startled at the unexpected display of emotion, before he returned Dovie's hug.
"Okay," he said smiling. "I guess it was her bracelet, Bone."
AJ smiled at the two, and then glanced at the five men next to him. Most looked happy and relieved that Dovie really looked truly happy for the first time that night. The one exception was Justin. He wore the same expression on his face that he had earlier, when he had yelled at Dovie at their table. Before he could say anything to Howie, however, Justin pulled the two apart abruptly.
"C'mon, D. It's time to go."
Dovie looked puzzled, then upset. "Where are we going?" she asked.
Justin took her arm and turned her to face the door. "I'm taking you home, then I'm going to meet the rest of *N Sync at the post-show party." The six guys surrounding the cousins looked at Justin in shock, not believing what they had just heard. Howie glanced at Dovie, who had tears in her eyes.
"Justin, man, what are you talking about?" Lance asked. "Dove can come with us to the party."
Justin shook his head. �No. I told Mom I'd have her back early.�
Dovie stood rooted to the floor. She knew what Justin was doing; she just wished she knew why. �What did I do, Justin?� she asked quietly, trying to keep calm. �What did I do that was so awful that nobody wants me around?�
Justin stepped forward nervously. �Dovie, what are you talking about?�
She could feel herself losing control. �Please, Justin, don't act all innocent! You know exactly what I'm talking about!�
�Dovie, I honestly...� �Don't call me that! Only my friends call me Dovie, and since Mom and Dad died, that's been no one!� Dovie stumbled over her words as her emotions got in the way. �I never asked to come live with your family Justin, and frankly I can't understand why your Mom and Paul even asked me to in the first place!�
�You're family.� Justin answered, trying to offer her a hug.
�Don't!� Dovie screamed, jerking away sharply. �Don't give me the �family� speech Justin, because that's bull and you know it. They don't care about me, and they don't love me. They just feel guilty because Mom died. Well, I hate to break it to you Justin, but I refuse to live where I'm not wanted with people who hate me!� With that, Dovie turned on her heel and stormed out the door.
Justin looked in shock at the spot his cousin had been just seconds before. She thinks we hate her? That we don't want her? That we don't love her?
Joey shook Justin out of his daze. "Curly?" he said quietly. "What in the world was she talking about?"
"I honestly don't know, Joe. I wish I did."
Dovelyn had been sitting on the curb for about ten minutes when she heard a noise and looked up. She saw Howie standing above her, looking concerned. Howie had always been her favorite Backstreet Boy. Two weeks before, she would have been in heaven; now she just wanted him to leave. She sighed.
"What do you want, Howie?"
Howie sat down next to her. "Dovie, um...can I ask you a question?"
She looked at him carefully, knowing exactly what he was going to ask. "You want to know why I was yelling at Justin."
He looked at the ground. "Well, yeah, if you don't mind telling me, anyway. If not," he shrugged, "we can talk about something else. It's your call." She was quiet for a long time, not knowing whether or not to trust him. Finally, she decided she didn't care. She couldn't keep it to herself any longer.
"What would you say to someone whose family offered to take you into their home, but after you got there, it was plain to see they really didn't want you there?" She asked quietly.
Howie's eyebrows went up, and he whistled. "Wow. Um...I don't know quite what to say. Are... I mean, why do you think they don't want you?"
Dovie shifted her gaze to her hands. "Because I've heard Lynn and Paul arguing about it. They don't want me. Lynn just feels guilty about my mom, and Paul wants to make Lynn happy."
She looked up to find Howie watching her with a sad look on his face. "I'm sorry,� he said simply. They were silent for a few minutes, and then Howie spoke up again. "Uh, Dovie? Why does Lynn feel guilty? If you don't mind my asking."
She felt tears prick the backs of her eyelids. "My mom was her little sister. Last week, I was in the hospital, and my family was driving out to visit me. My dad was driving, and my mom was in the passenger seat. Ryan, Tommy, and Jason were in back, probably fighting." She laughed slightly, remembering her brothers fondly, and then she remembered how it had ended. Her voice broke as she continued. "Um, a trucker came around a corner too fast. He couldn't control the truck. The paramedics said... They said no one felt any pain. They all died instantly. The trucker walked away without a scratch." At that point, she dissolved into tears and fell into Howie's arms. He held onto her tightly, letting her cry. They stayed like that for a few minutes, and then Howie pulled back.
"Can I ask you one more question?" She nodded. "Why were you in the hospital?"
Dovie looked at the ground, knowing she should not talk about the circumstances leading up to her hospitalization. Dovie had only told her immediate family the true reason, and now they were gone. She had finally gotten away from Arkansas and left Matt behind and was afraid if anyone knew about what had happened he would somehow know and come back into her life. She was silent for a moment, trying to think of a way to change the subject when her thoughts were interrupted.
"That's what I'd like to know as well, D." Justin said quietly.
Dovie sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."
Howie simply nodded his head and squeezed her shoulder. "If you ever do want to talk about it, let me know." Dovie let out a breath and leaned against him, refusing to let her tears fall. She felt she had cried enough for Matt already. Justin, however, did not take it quite so well. He shook his head, not about to let his cousin get away with not answering.
"Dovie, I want to know why you were in the hospital." When she didn't answer, he began throwing out ideas. "Are you sick? Did you get into an accident?" Justin was quiet for a moment, trying to think of anything relating to Dovie he'd heard in the last few months. Suddenly, he remembered a letter his Aunt Sam had written to his mother the month before:
"Her boyfriend has been going through a rough time. He's been suspended from the football team, and he yells at her a lot now. I worry that one day he'll let his temper get away from him and physically harm my poor Dovie."
Then, Justin knew. All the pieces fit together and Justin looked at his cousin sadly. "It's Matt, isn't it?"
Dovelyn's head shot up and she stared at him fearfully. "Matt?" she gasped, then quickly recovered. "What are earth are you talking about?"
"I want you to look me straight in the eyes and tell me that Matt had nothing to do with your visit to the hospital."
Dovelyn stood up and looked at him. "Justin, Matt and I loved each other. He would never have done anything to hurt me."
Justin nodded and raised his hands in defeat. "All right. Whatever you say."
Dovie turned to Howie and nodded back towards the awards building. Howie nodded and stood up, putting an arm around her waist. Dovie flashed Justin another Look, then Justin watched sadly as the two walked away. He knew his cousin was lying to him, and also that she knew he knew. When she had defended Matt, she had been looking at his nose.
Chapter Two