"Me and Cory fell in love. Not my fault Annie can't handle it," she explained simply.
"How do you live with yourself? You know how much Annie loved Cory, but still you would do this to your own sister," Carol said disappointedly.
"Well, there had to be a reason Cory came looking for me. Not my fault she couldn't keep him satisfied."
"That's it. I've had enough of your attitude. Pack your things and find a hotel, because as long as you've got that attitude, I'm not letting you stay in your grandmother's house. I'm not going to have you disrespect her like that." Alex got up to leave. "Oh, and one more thing, Cory is not to come to any of the services. He's to stay at the hotel, you got it?"
"If he doesn't go, then I don't go," Alex stated.
"Suit yourself. You walk out this house now, and let that man come in between you and your family and paying your last respects to a woman who loved you, then you are not part of this family anymore."
"That's fine by me. Me and Cory don't need anyone but ourselves. We're outta here," Alex said, heading to her room. Her and Cory packed their things and within, 10 minutes, they were heading back to Boston.
The next morning everyone was sitting at the kitchen table for breakfast, but Annie noticed that two people were missing. "Aunt Carol, where's Alex and Cory?"
"They left last night. I told her that Cory was not to go to the services. And she said that if he doesn't go, then she doesn't go either. So they left last night to go home. I was not going to put up with her attitude anymore," Carol explained.
"I just can't believe she would do something like that, and not feel any remorse for it. I never tried to be anything but good to her and try to give her someone to lean on ever since Mom and dad died. She took advantage of that and stabbed me in the back," Annie said, close to tears.
"I know hun, and that's why I did what I did. You sacrificed your life to make her's better. You pushed yourself through school to get a good job to make sure she was provided for, and that's how she repays you. I wasn't gonna stand for it anymore," Carol stated.
Annie got up and gave her aunt a big hug. "Thank you Aunt Carol, so much. I think I'm gonna head downstairs and get ready for the viewing," she said, before heading downstairs.
Everyone cleared off the table and went to go get ready. "Nick, can I talk to you for a minute?" Carol asked, after everyone else was gone.
"Sure. What's up?" he said.
"I want you to do me a favor," she said. Nick nodded his head, so she continued. "Please keep an eye on Annie, at least for a little while. She's always been very sensitive and she loved her sister dearly. With her so far away from us, it's hard to make sure she's doing ok. I know you care for her and you'll make sure she's doing alright."
"Yeah, I do care for her. Honestly, for the first time, I found a woman who treats me as an equal, and not some God-like person. It's so hard for me to find someone who is honest about her intentions. I never know if they have a hidden agenda. Annie's never asked me for anything really," Nick explained.
"Nick, Annie's always been that way. When her mom and dad died, she took on sole responsibility for Alex. She barely had time to grieve. She tends to put everyone else in front of her, making sure they're happy. That's just the type of person she is. But I know everything that's happened in the past few weeks affects her more than she lets on. I just fear for her well-being," Carol said worringly.
"Don't worry about a thing. My bandmates think the world of Annie. We won't let anything happen to her, I promise you that," Nick said.
Carol went into the kitchen and refilled their cups of coffee. Returning to the table, she asked, "How did you meet Annie anyways?"
"Well, it's quite funny actually. We really first met at the airport. My bandmates and I had just returned home after doing some press stuff in New York. I had accidentally bumped into her, causing her to fall down," he explained. "Then a few days later, she found Kevin, one of my bandmates, on the beach. He had been jogging and twisted his ankle, and she helped him back to my house, which was where everyone was staying for a few days. I guess she had just bought the house next to mine, which is about a mile down the beach. A week or so later, Kevin invited her to a barbecue that I was throwing, just to say thanks for taking care of him."
"See, what did I tell you? She's always taking care of others. That's why she makes such a great nurse," Carol said.
"Somehow, I don't find that hard to believe. She's such a wonderful person. She's the kind of person I'd love to spend my life with," Nick said thoughtfully.
"Well Nick, you never know. Things just might work out the way you want them to. Give Annie's heart some time to heal, then things will be fine," said Carol.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence Carol," Nick said, looking at his watch. "Well, I guess I had better start getting ready. It's good to know she still has some family who loves her."
"Thanks Nick, and it's good to know that she has you and your friends to care for her too and make sure she's doing alright. It really means alot to me," Carol said appreciatively.
Nick smiled. "No problem," he said, then heading downstairs to get ready for the viewing.
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