"AJ!!!" Taelen exclaimed as he opened the door.
"Hey Monster," AJ grinned ruffling Taelen's hair. "Your mom - is Alesha home?" he asked.
"It's okay, you can call her my mom," he smiled up at AJ. "She kind of is now that mine has gone away."
AJ looked down at Taelen in surprise. "Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "Is she here?"
"Yeah. She's in her room, I think," he said softly. "I'll go get her if you want."
"Nah, that's okay," AJ said. "I'll go check on her."
"Okay," Taelen said. "It's the one with the Backstreet Boys poster on the door," he grinned.
AJ laughed. "Thanks buddy. Ya better have a game ready for me when I get back."
Taelen laughed. "Okay," he said running over to the couch.
AJ sighed and walked down the hall towards Alesha's room. Knocking gently on the door, he peeked in. Alesha was sitting at her desk staring at the computer screen. She wasn't paying attention to anything but what she was drawing. The windows were shut tightly and the lights were off, and being that it was 8 o'clock in the evening, it was starting to get dark. There was a bottle of Tequila sitting next to a half-full glass. She jumped when she seen a hand grab the bottle. "What the hell?" she asked turning around.
"What do you think you're doing Lesh?" AJ asked holding up the bottle.
"What do you mean?"
"This?" he said shoving it almost in her face. "This isn't the way to get him back," he said.
"Get who back AJ?" Alesha asked turning back towards the screen.
"You know damn well who I'm talking about. What about your son? Don't you care what this is doing to him?" AJ asked.
"What the fuck do you know AJ? You know nothing about me," she yelled. She tried to stand up but succeeding only in landing on the floor. She started crying uncontrollably.
"Baby," AJ said kneeling down beside her. "I'm sorry Alesha. I can't change the way Nick feels. I can't make him see what he's doing is wrong. But you becoming what you were isn't going to fix things either."
"Just go," Alesha said pushing him away. "Just leave. I can't…I don't…please?" she pleaded.
"Fine," AJ said throwing his hands up in the air. Standing up, he walked towards the door. "Just remember that there are many people in this world who care for you, and don't want to see you screw up. One being that little boy out there," he said. Sighing, he turned and walked out of the room.
"Gonna play with me AJ?" Taelen asked looking up at him.
"Umm…no, I uhh…I have to go," he said.
"Oh. Okay. I guess I'll see you later," Taelen said looking back at the TV. AJ's eyes filled with tears.
"Hey, ya wanna come over to my house for the night?"
Taelen's eyes lit up brightly. "Really?"
AJ nodded. "Yup, really."
Taelen smiled. "Sure," he said. "Let me go ask Lita," he grinned jumping off the couch and running down the hall. A few minutes later, he came back carrying a bag. "Okay. I'm ready," he said.
"Coolieos," AJ smiled taking Taelen's hand and walking outside with him. Helping him into his Explorer, he shut the door and walked around to his side climbing in. "What do you want to do tonite?" he asked as he pulled the truck out of the driveway.
Kevin pulled into the driveway and sat in the car staring up at the house. Sighing, he ran his finger around the steering wheel lost in thought. Slowly, he pulled the keys out of the ignition and climbed out of the car. He locked the door and armed the alarm as he walked towards the house. Walking in, he didn't bother turning on the lights as he walked out onto the deck. "Hey baby," Carrie said looking up from the book she was reading.
"Hey," he said giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"How was your day?" she asked setting the book on the small table next to her lounge chair.
He shrugged. "It was okay. Long, but okay," he said softly.
"What's the matter?" Carrie asked concerned by the way he was acting.
"I seen Alesha today."
"How is she doing?" Carrie asked.
He sighed. "She's not doing well at all. She's drinking way too much," he shook his head.
"You don't think she's doing anything else do you?" Carrie asked, worried.
Kevin looked at her. "Do you think she would? I mean really?"
Carrie shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so, but you never can tell. She's been so distraught over this whole thing. I mean, Nick was everything to her. And he goes and pushes her away calling her all that she use to be. I don't know. If I was in her place, I'd find it extremely tempting to fall back into what I was."
Kevin sighed and took her hand, pulling her over to him. "I just don't want anything bad to happen to her."
"I know baby," she said sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I know."
Kevin looked deep in her eyes and smiled sadly, "I love you."
"I love you too," she said kissing him deeply. "It will all work out like it's suppose to," she whispered.
"I know. It's just…we leave in July to start recording for the new album. That's only like a month away," he sighed. "I don't want Nick to be all bitchy like he is now."
"Awww. Poor Kevvy, putting up with Nicky and his whining," she teased.
He looked at her and smiled. "Thank you," he said pulling her close.
"For what?"
"For putting up with me and my crazy life," he said kissing her softly.
"Here," Alesha said handing the guy a couple hundred dollar bills. "Is that enough?"
"Oh yeah," he said grinning at her and handing her the package. "More than enough. In fact, let me throw in this," he said pulling out a smaller bag.
"Thanks," she said dryly.
"No problem. Nice doing business with you," he said as he looked both ways and slipping back into the shadows of the ally.
Alesha sighed and crossed the street stuffing the packages into her pocket. Getting in her car, she drove back to the house thankful that AJ had taken Taelen for the evening. She was nervous as she pulled her car into the driveway. Glancing over at the big house sitting on the hill, she thought she seen a silhouette of someone in the window staring out at the ocean. Closing her eyes, she got out of the car and walked into the house. Locking the door behind her, she went to her room and dug in a box until she found what she was looking for. Taking the leather case to the front room, she flipped on the radio and sat down on the couch. Unzipping the case, she sat up the burner and pulled out the syringe, screwing it together. Lighting the flame under the bowl, she dug in her pocket for the packages she just bought. Methodically, she tied the leather strap around her arm, watching as the vein popped out. Taking the powder, she poured a bit in the aluminum foil, knowing the exact amount from memory, and adding a drop of water. Placing it over the bowl, she watched as it began to boil. Taking the syringe, she filled it with the hot liquid. The point of the needle was set against her vein when soft words from the radio broke through her fogged mind and brought her out of the trance she was in.
o~/You were my strength when i was weak/You were my voice when i couldn't speak/You were my eyes when i couldn't see/You saw the best there was in me/Lifted me up when i couldn't reach/You gave me faith 'coz you believed/I'm everything i am/Because you loved me/You were always there for me/The tender wind that carried me/a light in the dark shining your love/into my life/You've been my inspiration/Through the lies you were the truth/My world is a better place because/Of you/~o
"Oh Nick," Alesha cried throwing the needle across the room. "What am I doing?" she said curling up into a ball. "I can't," she said breaking down. She laid in that position for what seemed like hours. Gaining control over her emotions, she gathered up the case and all it's contents. Walking across the room, she picked up the syringe, still full of liquid. She went to the cabinet that held all the bottles of alcohol that had carried her through the last two months. Throwing it all into a box, she drug it outside. She drug it down to the edge of the water, next to the rocks that she and Nick use to sit and talk on. Picking up a bottle she threw it with all her strength, watching the glass shatter and the liquid glisten in the moonlight as it slid down. Again and again, she tossed the bottles towards the rocks. Then, turning towards the ocean, she picked up the leather case. Looking at it, she carefully put all its contents back in order, making sure nothing was loose. She reached back and tossed it, as far as she could into the inky black waters. Watching it disappear, she collapsed on the sand. Looking up into the sky, a light caught her eye, shining brightly through her tears. There, across the water, was a faint glow. Something that hadn't been there for a while now. "Thank you," she said closing her eyes as a small smile played at her lips. She looked towards Nick's house and seen him on the deck. He was leaning on the railing, looking out across the ocean. He suddenly stood up as if in surprise, staring at the sky. Turning slowly, he walked back in the house. Alesha knew that he had seen the soft light of their star shining in the darkness of the night, and wondered if it meant to him, the same thing that it had meant to her.
