It was New Years Eve day and Annie was sitting outside of her house on the porch, writing in the journal that Nick had given her.  Her writing wasn’t going anywhere because her thoughts kept turning to Nick. Damnit, why didn’t I just tell him what I really feel? Why am I so scared?  That thought kept running through her head continuously.  What was she afraid of anyway?  Nick wasn’t Paul.  She knew that.  Annie decided she needed to talk to someone and she remembered she had to reply to Brooke’s letter that she had received earlier that day.  She pulled some journal paper out and began writing:
 

Brookey,
      Hey woman, how was your Christmas?  Mine was actually amazing. I spent it with Nick.  I know you’d like to know what’s up with the two of us, so I guess now is as good a time as any.  On Christmas my mom picked a fight with me about Paul and so I stormed out of the fight and into my room.  Nick called me and I couldn’t do anything but cry on the phone, so he came over and got me.  He took me to his house and I had Christmas dinner with him and his family.  Brookey, his family is amazing.  His mom was so sweet and his little brother and sisters are just totally cool.  Anyway, after dinner Nick gave me his Christmas present.  It was a beautiful journal.  You know how much I love journals.  It was so pretty and I just simply adore it.  Anyway, I told Nick a little about me and Paul.  Nothing major, but he knows that Paul hurt me.  I started crying and he just held me.  I felt so safe in his arms Brooke.  I kept crying and then he kissed me.  It was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever had in my life.  Better than any kiss, ever.   He kissed away my tears Brookey.  I keep thinking about this kiss and I get these warm gushy feelings.  The other night he asked where we stood.  I told him it meant nothing to me, the kiss that is.  I lied through my teeth and I haven’t heard from him since that night.  I think I messed up an incredible friendship.  I told Nick that I was going to tell you about what he did for me on Christmas.  I hope that isn’t the last story about Nick I have to tell you. Brookey, I feel so much for him, but I’m so scared.  I’m so scared of what might happen.  I know he isn’t Paul, but I never thought Paul was violent either.  I just know I pushed Nick away and I feel so guilty about it.
 Okay, enough about me Brookey.  So, you slept with Kevin.  I don’t feel the need to call you a slut or anything of the sort actually.  Reading your letter was like a punch in the gut; no best friend likes reading that kind of stuff about each other.  Brooke, I doubt it was the worst thing you could have ever done.  You need to do what’s right for you; I’m sorry but I don’t think David really matters in this situation anyway.  This seems to be tearing you apart and unfortunately, I have no witty words of wisdom or anything.  All I can offer you is my support.  You know I love you and I’m not going to turn my back on you now.  Stop feeling so bad about it.  C’mon, you got to roll around and get all naked and sweaty with Kevin…rrrrrr…heh heh! Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood! Anyway, I should go.  Take care of yourself and stop beating yourself up over this.  You know I love ya!!!

                                                                                 Anns

        Annie sighed as she signed her name.  She found an envelope and addressed it; she would mail it soon if she didn’t forget.  Annie started thinking about Brooke’s situation when her mom tore her away with

    “ANNNNNAAABBBEEELLLLLEEEEEE…PPPHHHHOOOOONNNNNE!!!!!”

Annie rolled her eyes and clenched her teeth just like she did in any situation concerning her mother and walked back into her house.  She grabbed the phone from her mom and said,

    “Hello?”

    “Hey Annie…it’s Leslie!” Annie was surprised, she hadn’t heard from Leslie in about six months,

    “Hey Les! How are you?” Leslie and Annie were friends from school and had gone to Camp Wyatt together as well.

    “I’m doin’ great Ann! Happy New Year! I was wondering if you’d like to come to a party at my house tonight?  It’s gonna be a lot of fun!” Leslie said in an extremely chipper tone.  Annie wasn’t sure about a party, but anything was better than sitting around her house.

    “Ummm, maybe I’ll stop by Les, that sounds like fun!”  As soon as she said that, Annie started to regret it.  She hated parties and she didn’t have anyone to go with.

    “Okay, great Annie! Maybe I’ll see ya tonight! We have GOT to catch up!” said Leslie.

    “Totally Les, see ya later!” said Annie.  She hung up the phone and plopped herself on the couch.  Great, why did I say maybe?  Damnit, I hate parties she thought and sighed.  Just then the phone rang again.

    “Hey Annie,” said the voice on the other end of the phone.   Annie was surprised.  She hadn’t heard from Nick since the other night.

    “Hey Nick,” she said sounding bewildered.

    “Just wanted to wish you a Happy New Year.  I missed you,” Nick said sadly.  When he said that, Annie’s heart sank.

    “Well, Happy New Year to you too, Carter,” she said trying to sound happy.

    “Doin’ anything for the evening?” asked Nick.  Just then Annie got a great idea.

    “Ummm, goin’ to a party and I KNOW you wanna go with me!!!” she said almost pleadingly.  Nick smiled when she asked him.

    “Lord Whitten, maybe I have other things to do then hang out with you,” he chuckled.

    “Carter, you don’t have a life,” she said.

    “Hey, how do you know that?” he asked.

    “Cuz, you hang with me, that’s how I know! Are you gonna come with me or not?” Annie really wanted to see Nick and maybe being at a party might take their minds off the action surrounding them at the moment.

    “Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Since you’ve begged me and I know how much you’ve been aching to see me, I’ll go with you,” he smiled.  Nick was extremely excited to see Annie again.  In the days since their last conversation he had missed her so much and had thought of almost nothing but her.  He didn’t have anything to do on New Year’s Eve and could think of nothing better than spending it with Annie; even if it was at a party where he didn’t know anyone.

    “Great Ann, what time shall I pick you up?”
 

        Since it was New Years Annie decided she’d get a little dressed up.  It was only coincidental that she was going to see Nick as well.  Annie pulled out a  sleeveless silver dress with  white embroidered flowers down the sides of it.  She looked at the dress and knew that Nick would flip over it.  He loved silver and he always talked about how girls should wear dresses where the skirts ended just above the knee more often.  Annie also reasoned that it was an appropriate dress to wear for the turn of the century. It’s very Millennium-ish she thought.  She put the dress on and decided her hair would look good if she curled the ends and let it flow long and down her back.  She put on a little makeup and grabbed a black shrug to wear.  In Los Angeles it’s never that cold.  She liked the way she looked and was admiring herself when there was a knock at her bedroom door.

    “Come in,” she said as she took one last look at herself in the mirror.  Nick walked into the room and his jaw hit the floor.

    “Wow, Ann! You look…amazing!” Annie smiled at Nick and then said,

    “Carter, put your eyes back in your head!” She giggled as he rolled his eyes.  Nick looked amazing that night.  He had on a pair of khaki pants, a black polo shirt and black shoes. His hair was slicked back a little, with just enough hair in his eyes to look dead sexy.  Annie’s stomach was doing somersaults as was Nick’s.  They would never admit that to each other.

    “C’mon man, let’s get goin’! We’re gonna party like it’s 1999!” Annie happily said.

    “Ann, that is so old,” Nick groaned as they walked out of her bedroom.  They walked out of the house and Nick helped Annie into the Durango.  Before he closed the door he whispered into her ear,

    “You look great tonight Annie.”  His breath made her whole body tingle and her palms sweat.   Nick climbed into the drivers side and Annie leaned over and whispered into Nick’s ear,

    “You don’t look half bad yourself there, Carter.” She giggled and he looked at her and smiled.

    “Okay, where is this party?”

    “Shut the hell up and I’ll give you directions!”
 

        Annie and Nick were mingling their way through the party.  They both seemed to be enjoying themselves.  Actually, they both enjoyed being in each others company.  Annie felt very at ease when he was around; and Nick never felt like the dork he usually felt like around girls.  They had danced a little together though Nick wasn’t too fond of dancing.

    “It makes me look like an idiot,” he would whine.

    “Carter, you already are an idiot. What’s your deal?” Annie would say through a beaming smile.  They both made their way through the crowd.  It was a lot of people Annie went to school with and a few people from Camp Wyatt.

    “Brooke would have freaked out,” she yelled to Nick over the noise.  Annie did her duty of introducing each new person to Nick so he wouldn’t feel left out of the conversations.  They were now on the opposite side of the room that they started from talking in a corner when Nick decided he was thirsty.

    “I’m gonna go get a soda, you want?”

    “Umm, yeah…if they’ve got Dr. Pepper, bring one of those back for me! Thank you!” she giggled.  Nick left to the kitchen to retrieve the drinks and left Annie standing there in the corner waiting for him.  She was eyeing the room and smiling at people who she remembered.  She was actually having a good time; she never usually had a good time at parties.  Too many people that she either just didn’t like or didn’t want to see.  Annie scanned the crowd when she noticed someone who looked familiar.  She kept staring into the crowd making sure it was the person she thought it was when all of the sudden she froze.  Her heart started racing a mile a minute and she started to cold sweat.

    “Here ya go,” Nick said as he tried handing Annie her Dr. Pepper.  Annie was visibly upset.

    “Ann? What’s the matter?” Nick questioned.

    “We-we-we…have to go…NOW!” Annie said.

    “What happened?” Nick wondered.  Annie grabbed Nick’s hand and was trying to drag Nick through the crowd and out of the house when someone grabbed her arm.

    “Anns,” said the stranger in the crowd.  Annie froze.  She looked at the person who was grabbing her arm.  She looked into the eyes that she had looked into and fell so deeply in love with; the eyes that promised her so much and then turned around and took everything that was innocent in her away.

    “Anns,” said the person.

    “Paul,” was all Annie could muster out.  Her heart was racing a mile a minute and she was trying hard to keep herself from shaking.  When Nick heard the name his heart sank and his stomach tightened.

    “Anns, what are you doing here?” Annie looked at Paul strangely,

    “Well, what are you doing here?” she questioned him.  She was angry; she was upset and wanted to leave.

    “Who is this?” Paul asked as he pointed to Nick.

    “None of your business,” Annie replied bitterly.

    “C’mon Nick, let’s go,” she said as she grabbed Nick by the hand and took him out of the crowd.  By the time they got outside, tears were streaming down her face.  Nick and Annie got outside and both breathed a sigh of relief.

    “Ann, are you okay?” Nick asked as he grabbed her arm to turn her around.  He saw the tears streaming down her face.  Nick pulled Annie in for a hug.  The hug was so warm and safe to Annie.  She held him close to her and never wanted to let go.  She was sobbing for breath.

    “Could you please just get me out of here?” Annie begged.  Nick nodded and grabbed her hand and took off towards his car.  He fished in his pocket for the keys and pulled them out.  He opened the door for Annie.  Annie was still crying.  She grabbed Nick around the waist and held onto him tight.

    “Shh, shh…it’s okay Annie,” he said comfortingly.  Annie pulled out of the hug and climbed into her seat.  Nick closed the door and got in the drivers seat and looked at Annie.

    “Where do ya wanna go Annie?” Annie looked out the window,

    “Anywhere but here, or home,” she said.

    “Okay,” said Nick as he pulled out onto the street.
 

    “Okay, we’re here,” said Nick as he jumped out of the car.  Annie had been so wrapped up in tears and thinking about Paul that she hadn’t even noticed where Nick had taken them.  They were at the beach; it was a very secluded area.  It was so secluded, Nick had just driven his car right onto the sand.

    “C’mon Annie,” Nick said quietly as he took her hand as she climbed down from the car.  Annie stepped from the car and noticed how peaceful and beautiful it was.

    “Oh Nick, this is so beautiful,” Annie said quietly.

    “I love it here,” said Nick.  They found a spot to sit down and planted themselves down on a log.

    “Thank you for taking me out of there Nick,” said Annie.  She started to cry again.

    “C’mere,” Nick said as he put Annie’s head on his shoulder.

    “I can’t believe he was there.  I haven’t seen him in a year, and just when I think maybe I won’t ever have to see him again, he’s there,” cried Annie.

    “Why was he there Ann?” questioned Nick.

    “Well, Les, myself and Paul were all at Camp Wyatt, so that’s probably why.”  Nick just sighed and stared out at the blackness of the ocean.  He could hear the waves crashing, but he thought maybe it was too quiet for Annie.

    “Want some music?” he said as he got up and turned on the radio in the car.  He sat back down on the log and put Annie’s head back on his shoulder.  He put his arm around her and cradled her and listened to her cries.  Every now and again she’d sob and shake and then she’d get quiet again.  Nick just kept his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder every so often.  ‘If I could take away her pain, I would, he thought.  They sat on the log for a long time.  Nick didn’t know what time it was until the radio dj came on to say,

    “Happy New Year!”  Nick looked at Annie, who was sleeping on his shoulder.  He smiled at her sleeping face and tightened his grip on her body.

    “Happy New Year Annie,” he whispered.  Nick kissed her forehead and then stared back out at the ocean.