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All I Have To Give Chapter 1 �Bret, I don�t really want to go to another banquet. We just went to one last week. I don�t really like dressing up that much,� I said, hoping my boyfriend, Bret Redkin didn�t get too mad. I had been going out with Bret for a long time, though a lot of times I don�t think I should. But, my family�s been real tight with money lately, and Bret�s been helping our financial needs. My family loves him for it. Bret�s dad is like, one of the wealthiest men on earth. The Redkin�s are so rich; it�s almost disgusting. �Not go?! I�m expected to be there, and I have to have a dinner guest! I know how you love these things, but you don�t want to show off how nice you are and who you�re with. I love you for that because of how caring you are, but we really need to make an appearance,� he told me. I almost gagged. I hated banquets; they were the most boring things on earth. I hate dressing up like I have to when we go, and we go almost weekly. I don�t mind dressing up a little, maybe kind of chic dressing up, a cool dress, but these banquets are like dressing for the Grammy�s or Oscar�s. I think I could dress like that to meet royalty and I�d fit right in. I hated it. �Bret, maybe we could just stay home and watch a movie eating popcorn and pop like a normal couple. We haven�t been on a normal, carefree date in forever it seems. We�re always going to movie premieres, flying to Hawaii, going to Jamaica, can�t we just go out to the movies or something?� I wanted to do that more than anything. It�s not that I didn�t love going to those beautiful islands, or meeting my idols at their movie premiere, but I�d much rather just act like a normal 17-year-old for a change. �Sorry Hon, we gotta go. This is very important. I�ll pick you up at 8,� he kissed my cheek and quickly ran out of the park to a limo that had pulled up. Sometimes I honestly wondered why I hadn�t broken up with him yet. But, he had been in my life for so long, we were almost expected to be together. Plus, he always helped my family, he was almost a part of the family. I couldn�t really see my life without Bret, his financial security had always been there and I had lots of wonderful things from him. His money was like a security blanket for me. I always knew it would help when it was needed. I sighed and stood up from the bench and walked around the park a little. I decided to go see my best friend in the whole world, so I started walking to his house. I guess I have lots of rich people in my life, Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys had been my best friend since we were 7. He was really, really rich too, but you wouldn�t know other than the size of his house. Most of his money was in trusts, or his parents kept it for him, but he was my best friend, through thick and thin and I loved him for it. The sucky thing was, my parents had never met him. I was like the 6th Carter kid, I almost lived at their house sometimes, but he had never met my family. He had never met Bret, but I told him every single thing that happened between me and Bret and he helped me, a lot. I finally reached his house and typed in the security number on the gates. They had to put gates up in front of the house because fans came and were taking clumps of grass and taking them home with them. But, to me, the gate made the house prettier, I liked it. It also gave it a more private feel when you were in there. I walked up the long driveway, and saw Nick�s car, so I knew he was home. I rang the doorbell and his sister Angel answered the door. �Hey Shelby! What�s up?� �Hey Angel, not much. I have to go to another banquet tonight,� I made a face, �is Nick here?� She nodded. �Yup, he�s in the den with Aaron. They decided they wanted to feel like they were actually in the Nintendo, so they�re playing 3-D Playstation on the big screen TV with surround sound on. Sometimes I wonder about those two�� she trailed off. I laughed. �Girl, I always wonder about them.� I headed into the long hall that led to the den and heard the music long before I got there. I also liked Nintendo, but nothing like those two Nintendo freaks. I went in and found two blondes laying on their stomachs on the ground, both of them had their tongues sticking out of the corner of their mouths, and were concentrating really hard. I straddled Nick and sat on his back. �Leslie, get outta here!� Nick said, obviously pissed, when I sat on him. �We�re trying to beat the game.� �I would leave if I was Leslie, but I�m not, so I�m not leaving,� I said laughing. �Oh hey Shelby,� Nick said again, not as pissed, but still not taking his eyes off the screen. �I thought I should tell you I might be a little late tomorrow morning for the basketball at the community center, Bret�s making me go to another boring banquet tonight.� I loved basketball. That was one of the ways Nick and I met actually. We were both playing basketball at the community theatre and he asked if I wanted to play some one-on-one. Ever since then, we always play one-on-one every Saturday morning that he�s home on the same court at the community theatre. It�s never taken because everyone who goes know we come and don�t even bother taking out court. They�re nice that way. �I thought you hated those.� �I do.� �I thought you were gonna tell him you didn�t want to go the next time he told you there was one.� �I did.� �Then why are you going?� �He said I have to and before I could say no again, well, actually for the third or fourth time, he told me he�d pick me up at 8 and he left.� I sighed and got off his back and laid next to him, but I put my head down in my hands and shut my eyes. I moaned. �Why does he have to be so rich and why does my family have to love him so much? He is so annoying and uncaring sometimes.� Just then I heard the sound of someone dying on the Nintendo and I heard Nick yell, �NO!� I looked up. �You died?� �Yes,� he said madly. �I am gonna beat this game someday even if it kills me.� I shook my head. �No you�re not. Then who am I gonna talk to all the time? I won�t have a best friend and I need you. Let Aaron beat it. It looks like he still has a few lives left.� Nick looked at me like I was nuts. �Have my 10-year-old brother beat a game, that I, 17-years-old die all the time at? Don�t think so Woman, I�ll have to beat it sometime.� He stood up and stretched, then grabbed my hand and pulled me up. �Come on, let�s go upstairs and talk.� I actually, think I�m the only girl outside the family that�s allowed to go in Nick and Aaron�s room and they can close the door and they don�t care. One time I was there, and Nick had this other girl there, I was there with BJ, his sister, and I heard the door shut and BJ started yelling for him to open the door. I knew it had to be a rule because he did open it. I sat down in his beanbag chair and he laid down in his bed when we got there. He shut the door and put in his Everclear CD and turned it up. �So, are you gonna go to the banquet?� I sighed and nodded. �I�m gonna have to, I can�t risk breaking up with him. I�ll just suck it up and go on like I always do.� �Shelby, why do you always make yourself miserably bored just to make him happy? Why don�t you ever think of yourself first?� he always got mad at me when I did something like this. �Because my parents love him and we all need him. You know how tight money is.� We had this conversation so much we said pretty much the same thing every single time. �You should be happy with him like you were when you two first started going out. I remember how you used to get this sparkle in your eye when you thought of him or he was mentioned, or how happy you were when you were with him or after you had just been with him. Now you just get a bored look in your eyes and all you ever do is complain. You�re not happy, make yourself happy.� This wasn�t right, he was changing the argument. He had never said that before, but I guess it was right. I used to like Bret so, so much, but now�I dunno about now. �I have to go Nick, you know I have to.� �No, you don�t have to, but I know you will. You�ll still be there tomorrow won�t you?� �Ya! I wouldn�t miss our Saturday basketball games for Bret or anything. I really like beating you every Saturday, it�s almost the highlight of every week for me.� I grinned. He shot up and out of the bed. �Yeah right! You know I always beat you! You�ve only beat me a couple times!� He was right of course, but I still teased him because I got a huge reaction every time. He started tickling me and I was laughing so hard my face was red and tears were streaming out of my eyes. �Nick�stop�you know how�ticklish�I�AM!� I gasped. He finally stopped and I laid on the floor gasping for breath and wiping my eyes. �I�m gonna get you back someday,� I promised, or threatened. �Yeah, yeah,� he mockingly scoffed, �that�ll be the day.� I made a face, just because he was a lot taller than me didn�t mean�too much. �What time is it?� I asked. He rolled over and looked at the clock. �6:30.� I sat up and wiped my eyes that were still watering a little bit. �I�d had better get going, it takes forever to get ready for these things. See ya at 8:00 tomorrow morning, but I may be a little late, but I may not. If I�m late, it won�t be more than 20 or 30 minutes, okay?� �Okay,� he said blandly. �See ya Blondie,� I said getting up. �Bye Brat,� he called after me. Those were our nicknames for each other that we used all the time. I called bye to Angel and bye to Aaron as I walked out of the house and back towards the street and the distance home. I really wasn�t looking forward to this thing.Next: Chapter 2 |