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All I Have To Give Chapter 4 The next morning I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. Since it was Sunday my parents weren�t there, they usually went for a walk together on Sunday mornings. �Hello?� I answered it groggily. �Shelby, where were you last night?� Bret�s voice came through the telephone line. �Over at my friend�s house. Actually, I was there all day. Sorry, did you call?� �Yes I did call! I had an offer to go to a tennis tournament over in West Palm Beach, but I had to turn it down since I couldn�t find you,� he sounded mad. I shrugged even though he couldn�t see me. �Sorry, but I�m gone some Saturdays all day. Today there�s a new movie coming out and some people from school are going, you wanna go?� I asked. I heard him sigh. �I dunno Shelby, I�m really busy today.� �What are you doing?� �I�m accompanying my dad to a meeting with some clients. Dad wants me to get the hang of the business since one day he hopes to give the business to me. Afterwards there�s going to be a dinner, do you want to come?� I grinned. He actually asked if I wanted to come! �How long will it be?� �It�ll start around 5:30 and end around 10:00 or so. What time should I pick you up?� �Oh Bret, I�m sorry. I can�t, I have school tomorrow and I need to finish up some homework. I wish I could go though. I�m sorry,� I said again. �Well, I know school is important. I wish you could join us. I�ll see you tomorrow afternoon after school.� Bret always picked me up after school, I don�t know why though. �Okay, bye.� I hung up and smiled. Bret had been really nice and actually asked if I wanted to go. Maybe he was changing or he had been under some pressures of some sort. I got up and showered and got dressed. I felt like going somewhere. I picked up the phone and dialed the Carter�s number. �Hello?� Bob answered. �Hey Bob, this is Shelby,� I said. �Hey Shelby, how are ya doing?� �Pretty good actually, is BJ there?� �Yeah she is, hold on.� I heard him call her name and a little later she picked up. �Hey BJ, what�s up?� �Oh hey Shelby, not too much.� �Do ya wanna go shopping today or something? I wanna go somewhere.� �Sure! I need some new clothes. I�m watching Leslie today though. The twins are with my mom, and my dad and Nick are going somewhere. Maybe Kyra wants to come too.� Kyra was their neighbor who was 16 like BJ. �Cool. You want me to come over there?� �Yeah, it�ll be faster. We can take the truck.� �Okay, see ya, I�ll be there in awhile.� I hung up and wrote a quick note to my parents telling them where I�d be. I then put on my shoes and headed out. I arrived at the house about 15 minutes later and found Kyra walking up too. �Hey Kyra, you�re coming shopping with us right?� She grinned and nodded. We walked up and I heard people running around inside the front hall, so I just walked in, barely missing Nick running by. �Jeez, where�s the fire Nick?� I yelled after him. He had just turned the corner and he stopped and stuck his head back in. �Hey Shelby! I�m late!� I laughed as he kept running. I saw Leslie come down the stairs so I went over to her. �Hey Leslie,� I said sitting next to her on the stairs. Kyra went on upstairs I bet to BJ�s room. �Hey Shelby. I really need some new sandals,� she sighed as she slipped her foot into some sandals that looked a tad too small. �Have ya not had time to go shop for them or something?� She nodded. �Nope, no time at all. Sometimes having two famous brothers and a sister who�s getting to be famous over in Europe isn�t all it cracked up to be. It�s so busy over here usually.� �Ah, you�re lucky to even have brothers and sisters. You all are my brothers and sisters since I�m an only child. But, we�ll go look for those sandals today.� �Okay,� she said and she stood up and ran back upstairs and disappeared in her room. I went upstairs to BJ�s room and found her frantically looking around her room for something. �What are ya looking for?� �My money! I had some money sitting right there!� she pointed to a nightstand. �And it�s not there!� I looked at the little table right next to me. �How much money was it?� I asked picking up some green bills. �Um, about $25 I think,� she said stopping to think. �Found it,� I told her holding them up. �Oh thank you!� she exclaimed as I handed it to her. �You�re a lifesaver. Okay, ready to go?� she asked. As we walked out of her room, she yelled, �Leslie! Hurry!� Leslie ran out of her room and we all headed out to the truck. It was a small truck they had had for awhile, but there were two seats in the back that faced the middle of the back seat. They were kinda weird, but they worked. BJ insisted she drive since she had just gotten her driver�s license not too long ago. Kyra said she�d sit in the back with Leslie, so we all hopped in. Leslie said she wanted to listen to Five, so I found the CD and put it in the CD player and turned it up. We drove across town to the small mall (Ruskin�s not very big) and found a parking spot and got out. We went into The Gap first and BJ had the time of her life trying on all different types of outfits for about an hour. BJ loved just going in stores and trying on outfits for awhile, but not buying much. I found out Kyra liked to do it too, so Leslie and I picked out cool outfits for them both to try on. We had been there for about 45 minutes and I was looking through a rack for a good shirt for Kyra when someone behind tapped my shoulder. I looked behind me. �Hey AJ! What are you doing in Ruskin?� AJ lived in Orlando and didn�t come to Ruskin a lot. The guys didn�t see each other very much on their off time since they were together 24/7 a lot of the time. �I wanted to shop and I didn�t want to have to wear a big disguise when I�d still be recognized. So, Ruskin�s the little place I come. Girl, I haven�t seen ya in awhile.� He gave me a hug. �Nope, not in a long while. You never come here. Love the new sunglasses,� I said looking at the silver glasses he was wearing. He had this fetish for sunglasses at the moment, well, it had actually been a very long fetish, but he was getting more into the hat department too. �I was hoping I�d run into a Carter or you,� he said. �Why?� �Do you know when the Carter Bar-B-Que is this summer? I wanna make sure I don�t plan anything else.� The Carter�s had a BBQ every summer around June and lots of family and friends came. �Nope, don�t know. But, BJ�s in the dressing room and Leslie�s giving an outfit to her, and I bet they know,� I told him. Right then Leslie walked out and after giving AJ a hug, I asked her. �Um�� she thought for a little bit. �I think it�s on May the�30th, I think. Yeah, today�s May 18th, last day of school is May 23rd, and one week after that is May 30th, a Friday. Yup.� �Do we have time off that day?� AJ asked. She nodded. �Yeah, Mom said you all get there on Wednesday, the 28th.� He nodded and grinned. �Great, only two more weeks! These things rock.� �Guess what though? Mom and Dad are thinking of having more parties. They actually like planning these things. I think a 4th of July party would be cool, a Christmas party would be cool, a Halloween party would be cool, and I think we should all have big parties on certain years when we turn an important number like�18! Nick will be 18 next year, Shelby will turn 18 a little after that, those kinds of things.� �Those would be cool, but the guys may not be home on all those dates.� She giggled. �We could still have the parties, just Nick and the guys wouldn�t be there.� AJ got a shocked look on his face and I laughed. �Yeah, that�d be alright.� �No it wouldn�t! We should be there,� AJ said firmly. I shrugged. �Maybe, maybe not.� Just then Kyra came out in her normal clothes and BJ came out in a cute little outfit. �I like this!� she exclaimed. �Oh! Hey AJ, when�d you get here?� �A little while ago. I needed some info on certain parties coming up.� �Yeah, the BBQ party is in two weeks, on a Friday. I think I�m gonna buy this outfit, it�s cool,� she said looking down at herself. She decided to and went back and changed. After she bought it, AJ walked around with us for awhile, getting stopped a few times for autographs, but nothing like it would have been in Orlando or Tampa. We were walking towards a shoe store when AJ spotted some friends, so he said bye to us, promised to be at the party, and left. We found Leslie some shoes she liked, Kyra also found some shoes she liked, then we hit a few more stores before we left. It was already 3 in the afternoon before we left, so we went to get some ice cream, found some friends and talked with them for awhile. We didn�t get back until 5 that evening. The twins were back and they all ran to us when we got home. �Can we watch a movie?� Angel asked excitedly. �We got a new one today and I wanna watch it!� �Okay,� BJ agreed. �You gonna stay Kyra?� I asked. �Sure,� she replied. �No one is home at my house.� We all headed up to Aaron�s room since it was the biggest since him and Nick shared it. We put in the movie and all made ourselves comfortable on the floor to watch it. It was a comedy and it was hilarious right from the start. By the time Nick came home and came to his room, he found us 6 people laughing so hard we were crying. �What the heck are you all watching?� he asked. �This movie Aaron and Angel got today,� I said between laughs. They stopped cracking jokes for a little while so we calmed down. Nick laid down beside us and started watching it too. 45 minutes later the movie ended and we were all laughing. Nick even got into it and understood it even though he came when it was almost half over. When we all went downstairs Jane was fixing supper and asked Kyra and I to stay. �Sure,� we both replied. We had some leftovers from the grill last night, and Jane had made some Mac & Cheese which made us all very happy. �Shelby and Kyra, are you both coming to the Bar-B-Que the first Friday of the summer?� Bob asked during the meal. �I wouldn�t miss it for anything!� I said real quick. I came to every party they had and usually helped set up and all that, it was so fun. �Me too, this afternoon I�ve heard how fun it is,� Kyra said. Kyra had just moved in when school started, so she hadn�t lived there very long. �I can�t wait until school�s out,� I said. �Me neither!� the rest of us in school agreed. �You�re lucky Shelby, next year you�ll be a senior and then no more school for you,� BJ said. �So will Nick,� I pointed out. �Yeah, but he gets tutored, that�s different from actually going to school.� �Maybe, but after high school I have to decide if I�m gonna go to college, or where I�m gonna go. You still have two more years to decide all that. Next year is my last year.� �Where do you wanna go to school Hun?� Jane asked. �I actually want to go to some kind of drama school. I think it�d be cool to be an actress. Or I wanna be a hair and make-up stylist.� �You could come on tour with me and be my make-up and hair stylist!� Aaron almost yelled. �Aaron, don�t yell in the house,� Jane said gently. �Sorry, but she could.� �You could come with us too!� Nick said. �Either one would be cool.� I had never thought about that. It would be cool touring with Nick or Aaron. But, one of their hair and make-up stylists would have to quit which was very unlikely. After dinner I helped Jane clean up. I looked at my watch, 7:15. �I had better head on home. I have finals all next week,� I told her. �When�s Nick leaving for work?� �Tomorrow morning.� �Okay, I�m gonna go say bye first. Bye Jane,� I headed out of the kitchen and up to Nick�s room. I knocked softly. �Nick?� �Come on in Brat.� I walked in and was surprised to find Aaron not in there. �You leaving tomorrow?� I asked as I hopped up on his bed next to him. �Yup, but only for two weeks. I�m happy about that!� �Me too. I gotta get home, I got finals next week.� I gave him a hug. �I�m gonna miss you though, even if you�re only gonna be gone for a few weeks.� He hugged me back. �Should I still call you as much as I can, or not if you�re gonna be studying?� �Boy, if you don�t call me I�m gonna be mad! Still call me if you can.� �Okay, I will. You know what?� �What?� �That would be really cool if you could be the Backstreet make-up artist and all that.� �I know, it would, but it�s unlikely Ginger�s gonna stop going.� �Actually�� he trailed off. �What?� �Well, ya know how Ginger�s getting married, and she said she wants to have a baby. Maybe when she leaves for that you could come.� �No way! That�d be so, so cool! Then I could see you all the time!� �I know, then I wouldn�t have to miss you all the time.� �Same here. And I wouldn�t have to watch TV shows and all that to actually see ya.� He laughed. �You actually do that?� I nodded and grinned. �Yup! I would watch Aaron if he�d stop being only on Canadian channels. I gotta see you too ya know. I don�t tape them of course, but I watch them.� He smiled and shook his head. �You�re weird Brat.� �Gee, I love you too,� I laughed. �Thanks.� �Bye.� �See ya,� I said as I hopped off his bed and left. I quickly said bye to the rest of the Carter Clan and Kyra then headed home for a late night of studying.Next: Chapter 5 |