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Jenny jumped at the shriek from the hallway. She recognized it as the voices of AJ and Howie. She grunted as her knees thudded on the floor when she rolled off the bed. Why the two of them were screaming “chaos,” she had no idea, but if she was to blame, she didn’t want to be caught lying down. Right after she unlucked the door and before she was about to enter the hallway, Jenny passed a mirror, noticing the tear streaks on her cheeks.
She’d been dreaming. More like nightmare-ing. It had been years since the nightmares had racked her sleep, keeping her awake or too stressed to have a good night. Being around these men must have done this to me, she thought bitterly. She remembered the nightmare of her father and of Jake all too well, though in truth, she wasn’t sure if it was the dream that she had just had or the old one that she was remembering. It didn’t matter. They were all the same. Nightmares and men. They were all the same.
“KA-OS!”
The second scream changed her mind. Jenny wasn’t going into the hallway to find out what was wrong; she was going to hide herself under the bed. She didn’t care how cowardice the act was. Rounding the bed farthest from the door, Jenny slid onto her knees and began inching herself under the bed. It was to no prevail, for it was impossible to go more than a foot: the bed was anchored to the floor with boards. Jenny just laid there, cuddling up to the side of the bed to make herself as invisible as possible.
The slamming of the door going from the hallway to Nick’s room made her wince in reaction, causing her head to hit the bed. Suppressing a rather inappropriate expletive, Jenny reached to rub her throbbing head. Her hand stopped in mid-air when the door adjoining her room to Nick’s was opened, shut, and locked. The sound of someone shuffling around the room, as if looking for something, brought back a familiar sensation to her nerves. Then she realized that whoever it was in her room was standing behind her back.
“What are you doing down there, Jen?” Nick asked in a low whisper, crouching down. The action was more like a move to protect himself than one to get closer to her. Some of the tension left her when she noticed his terror met hers. Then she remembered that they were both in her room.
“Nick? Why are you in my room?”
As he was keeping watch on the door, Nick was pleased to note than Jenny’s voice hadn’t held a single note of fear. When he looked down to her face, though, he wasn’t fooled. Her eyes gave it all away. They seemed endless, and full of worries he wished he understood. At that moment, he felt like he could see into her mind, and something told him that the memories she held there were the cause for her concern. If only he could know her past.
The moment Nick turned his eyes to her, Jenny felt trapped. She’d noticed before how beautiful they were, and now she had no where else to look; she couldn’t hide herself from them. His penetrating stare made her feel uncomfortable, but at the same time, for the first time, she felt like the answer to all her problems was within her reach. If only she knew exactly what she was looking for.
A third call from Howie and AJ brought them both back to reality. Nick’s head snapped up and the fear that Jenny had seen moments ago claimed his expression once again. The door leading to the hallway burst open. Jenny panicked, Oh shit! I never relocked that door! At the same moment of Jenny’s thought, she looked up at Nick and was surprised to realize his fear wasn’t real as she had once thought. No, he was pretending to be scared, but she could tell that he was holding back his laughter. Her guards went back up.
A very pissed off Howie came thundering into the room, clutching a very large white towel at his waist. AJ walked in after him. His steps were controlled and even, and he didn’t stomp his feet, but his face was just as black as Howie’s. AJ also held a towel around himself. When Jenny tried a peek around the corner of the bed, she gasped in shock to find that both of them were bare except for their towels. Howie turned slightly embarrassed when he realized she was in there with them, but neither him nor AJ was going to back down.
“Kaos!? Where are they? Whadyou do with’em?” AJ asked. His voice was actually calm, but he couldn’t hide the fury behind it.
“Them… them? I don’t know wha-“
“You know damn well what we’re talking about!” Howie made that accusation looking like his head would explode from rage if it wasn’t given a release soon. “And can you also explain this?!” Howie gestured to a large piece of cardboard that AJ was holding. When they brought it into view, Nick couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer. The sign read: AJ McLean and Howie Dorough are in the hotel sauna. “This was found in the lobby. Well!?”
“Listen, D. I just made the sign. The girls must have taken the clothes.”
AJ was about to go into a fit when Jenny joined in, giggling uncontrollably. Nick gave her a look of shock. It was obvious he had forgotten she was there. Upon hearing her voice, AJ remembered whose room they were in and decided to wait until he had Nick alone to unleash his temper. Then he also realized she was under the bed.
“Jenny?”
At the sound her of her name, Jenny froze in place, not wanting to move an inch. She had to scold herself silently for her actions. She couldn’t just lay there and ignore them while they were in her room. She sighed as she started to pull herself up, purposely pretending she didn’t realize Nick was trying to help her.
“I… heard some noise. I had no idea what was going on, but it didn’t sound good. I guess I forgot where I was, so I crawled under the bed…” she admitted. She gave her confession to the bed, not willing to look any of them in the eyes. She didn’t want to see the disgust and hatred she knew she would see in them. She was half-praying that if she looked down long enough that when she looked back up, everyone would be gone.
AJ and Howie just gave each other confused looks and then turned to Nick to see if he could provide any answers. He shrugged slightly, convincing them he had no clue as to what caused her reaction. What could make a grown woman want to hide under her bed every time she heard someone yell? It didn’t make any sense. Not for someone of her age to be that way. When Jenny looked back up at them, they ceased their quiet conversation and Howie and AJ gave her a smile in goodbye. Right before the door shut, the two shot Nick a glare that could fell a tree, letting him know their argument with him wasn’t over. If looks could do harm, it would have sent Nick to a fit of screaming and pleading for mercy while writhing on the floor in acute pain. He smiled instead.
“What were you thinking with that sign?” Jenny asked while forcing back a snicker, hoping to change the topic away from her actions.
“Uh…Nothing. I just thought the two of them needed a good up-close-and-personal with the fans,” Nick answered with the sweetest smile that made his eyes twinkle. Jenny felt her stomach do a flip. That feeling had been an alien one to her for so long that she almost didn’t recognize it. When she did, though, panic swept through her. I can’t like him. This isn’t happening to me. I can't deal with men…they hurt you…they aren’t supposed to make you happy or content or special! This is wrong!
Nick wondered what was going through her mind as he watched her. Her face was impassive, but her eyes. Oh dear god, her eyes were like a gate wide open, ready to reveal everything. He saw the mix of terror, panic, and sorrow in them. The feelings seemed to swirl around, almost able to pull him in with no mercy if he wasn’t careful. Nick knew that if only he looked deep enough, the answers to all the questions he had about her would be waiting for him. Just then, Jenny blinked and Nick came out of his trance.
Blinking to hold back the tears that she knew were coming, Jenny told herself she was going to be fine. She had promised herself once that no other man would take her heart or her trust again. She was not going to break that vow now or ever, no matter who it was that was tempting her to do otherwise. She was strong, wasn’t she? She had survived the past several years. One summer would be a piece of cake. Looking around the room, Jenny realized that Nick must have left while she wasn’t paying attention. Her eyes immediately fell on the door connecting their rooms.
What kind of prank is this Nick Carter playing on my mind? What kind of power does he have over me? None. Absolutely none. He’s only one man.
Broken Promises