Hallie stepped off the plane and into the terminal of the familiar airport. She ajusted her backpack over her shoulder and looked around for her ride. Soon she heard his familiar yell. "Hallie!"
She turned her head to see him and smiled. "Carson!" (A.N. YES this is Carson Daly from TRL.) He was running at full speed toward her, and as soon as she turned around completely he had enveloped her in a bear hug. "Carson, cuz, I know it's been a long time, but ya gotta let me breath, okay?"
Carson pulled away and smiled. "Yeah, I know, breathing is kinda essential for life, right? Well, how've you been? Why exactly are you in New York again?"
Hallie sighed. This was not going to be easy. "Well, me and Brian had a little... How can I say this?"
"Disagreement?" Carson supplied. Hallie looked up at him and shook her head in agreement. "Yeah, that's what me and Love went through. Before she dumped me. A 'disagreement.' "
"Well, hopefully I can get a few auditions or something while I'm here," she said, talking about her dancing past. She had been in the same dance class as Ali when they were kids and everything snowballed from there.
Carson shook his head as he took her backpack. "If I have anything to do with it. So, tell me about everything. I hear Kev and Ali're getting married."
"Yeah, they are," Hallie said, thinking about Kevin and Ali's "perfect relationship." "They're so cute together."
"How did AJ take it?"
"Eh, you know AJ, he's fickle," Hallie said as they walked toward a waiting cab. "He wasn't too pleased at first, but now I think he's slowly losing his mind. And this thing with Brian... you know."
"Actually, I don't," Carson pointed out as they slid in the cab. "All you told me on the phone was that you were coming here. Does anyone know that you're here? Ali? Kev? Jamie?"
Hallie shook her head. "No, they don't. If they knew I was staying with you I think they would have a spaz. They think I'm coming home by eleven tonight."
"You know you can stay with me as long as you want. I haven't seen you in months. I miss my baby cousin."
"Baby cousin my ass," Hallie grumbled as she looked out the window toward Times Square.
~*~*~
"AJ, don't be an idiot," Ali said as she walked through the door.
"I am not an idiot, I just wanted to know if she likes me," AJ said quietly, following her through the house.
Ali stopped abruptly and turned around to face him. AJ nearly ran into her. "Listen. Cathy likes you, it's so completely obvious to everyone in this group."
"What about Nick? She's constantly telling Lily that she shouldn't get involved with him. How do you explain that, huh Oh Almighty All-Knowing One?"
"Easily," Ali said, grabbing t-shirts and throwing them into a suitcase to be later moved to Kevin's house. "She doesn't want Lily to get involved with Nick because Nick is an asshole."
"That's apparent, but she has to have an ulterior motive," AJ said, sitting down on Ali's bed.
"She doesn't have one, now get off my shirt," Ali said, tugging on a baby blue t-shirt that AJ had sat on.
"Ali, I mean it. She has to like Nick, even if it's just the tiniest bit."
Ali looked AJ in the eye. "Alex, drop it already. I am so stressed out right now that I think I may explode. And if I don't explode, then I may just implode. And you are only adding to all my stress. Not only do I have to try and move my stuff from this house to Kevin's, I have to locate all my purple clothes that Jamie stole from me and hope to hell that they still fit me. And while I'm doing that I have to try and plan this wedding before the next Millennium hits, so I suggest that you either get the fuck out of my way, stand back and hold onto something, or help me and I don't kill you. Which one is it gonna be?"
"Where do you want this?" AJ asked, holding up a leather halter top. "Is this even yours?"
"Yeah, I wear it clubbing. Why?"
"No reason," AJ said, putting it on top of a pile.
Back to Index for Close
Back to FF Index Chapter 30