Chapter Eight - An Act of Celibacy

It’s been a weird three weeks. It took me a while before I actually started acting normal again, although a lot of people say that I don’t anyway. After what happened with Nick, was a nervous wreck around everybody. My father thought something was wrong with me when he came back from his “work”. Maria swore up and down that I had caught a cold from being half naked in the video.

That wasn’t it.

Bianca asked did something happen with Nick. She asked the next time I saw her after my and Nick’s accident. She can look at me and know something is wrong. I lied to her and told her no, that we just had a fight and he said some things that made me think about how I treat people. That was such a lie, but it worked - I think.

I haven’t seen Nick since that night after I went back in my room and we agreed we wouldn’t see each other until Thanksgiving. I might not even go spend Thanksgiving with them this year. I usually do but it will just be best not to see him. It might be hard because I think he’s going to be at the premiere of the movie in like a month but that’s just a few hours, that’s all.

I just can’t stand him.

I can’t stand the fact that I even did that with him. It disgust me every time I think about it. I just shudder. I have no idea what got into me or him or what happened that night. We weren’t drunk. We damn sure weren’t attracted to each other. It just happened.

The past three weeks I’ve been working. I’ve been traveling around, doing some concerts here and there, and doing some promotion. I even went to London for a week for some promotion and Bianca went with me. Shopping with Bianca really takes my mind off of things. Bad things like, you know, having sex with your ex-step brother who you loathe.

Now, I have my first full two weeks off before I go back to start my plans for my next single. Life is good. Very good.

“Miss Melinda!” Maria yelled from the kitchen as Melinda sat in the living room, watching Jerry Springer, “Miss Melinda!”

“Yeah Maria?” Melinda called out, never taking her eyes from the television.

“Your father wants you in his office.” Maria said as she walked in, “And Angela wants you to call her. I know you said no calls or messages but she said that it was very important.”

“Okay.” Melinda said as she stood up from the sofa and walked out of the living room and through the foyer, to go to her father’s office, “Yes Daddy?”

“I want to have a talk.” Ed said as he sat there, looking at a paper, “Sit.”

“Okay.” Melinda whispered as she sat down in a chair across from her father, “What did I do now?”

“Well there’s some things I need to tell you.” Ed said as he took his glasses off and looked up at her, “We haven’t talked because you’ve been away and busy lately.”

“Yeah I know.” Melinda said, “And I missed you too.”

“Yes, well there’s a lot of things that have been going on around here that just wasn’t right to tell you on the phone.” Ed said as he stood up, and walked around his desk, “And I think it’s time to tell you.”, he said as he leaned against the desk, and crossed his arms.

“Oh god, what?” Melinda asked as she looked at him.

“I’m getting married.” Ed said as Melinda rolled her eyes and looked away.

“Again?!?” Melinda yelled as she looked back at him.

“I have only been married twice.” Ed said, pointing at her, “And she’s a very nice girl.”

“Is it Stacy?” Melinda asked, looking at her father, “Stacy, the girl that works at your office who is only, let’s say 3 years older than me?”

“Well, yes it’s Stacy.” Ed said as Melinda stood up and walked away from her father. She walked over to the window that over looked the pool and hot tub in the back of the house, “Don’t walk away from me.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s sick Dad.” Melinda said as she looked over at him, “I knew you were off sleeping with her on your little ‘business trips’, but marrying her?!?”

“She’s pregnant.” Ed said as Melinda opened her mouth in shock, looking at her, “And I wanted to tell you before she moved in.”

“Moved in?!?” Melinda yelled, looking at him, “This is our house. She’s not welcomed here.”

“This is my house and she’s very welcomed here. She’s going to be having your little brother or sister.” Ed said as Melinda shook her head at him.

“Not my brother or sister. No. Never.” Melinda said, “I can’t believe you Daddy! She’s old enough to be your daughter!”

“She’s not my daughter.” Ed said, “And I want you to respect her because she’s going to be your new mo -”

“No!” Melinda said, “She is nothing to me. She’s only after you for your money. Now she’s going to have a kid by you and well that’s got her set for life!”

“Mindy -”

“No, don’t call me that.” Melinda said as she shook her head and walked over to the door, to walk out of the office, “Don’t even speak to me.”, she said as she walked out of the office and ran up the stairs to her bedroom.

She ran into her bedroom, shut and locked the doors and leaned up against them and began to cry. She wiped her eyes and walked over to her bed, picking up the phone and started to dial Jane’s number but stopped. She didn’t need to call her and tell her what a stupid fuck her father was. Jane already knew that.

She took a deep breath and began to dial her management’s phone number and listened to it ring.

“Angela speaking.” Angela, Melinda’s main manager said as Melinda sighed.

“Hey, it’s Melinda.”

“Melinda, how are you today?” Angela asked, in a perky tone of voice.

“Not good.” Melinda said as she layed back on the bed, and put her left hand over her face, “I just found out that the slut at my father’s office that he’s been sleeping with is pregnant and they are getting married. To make matters worse, she’s only three years older than me.”

“Oh gosh.” Angela said, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I don’t know how much worse my day can get.” Melinda said as Angela started to laugh, “What?”

“Okay.” Nick said as he stood there on the basketball court, with his hands on his hips and out of breath, “Rok, you’re getting lazy.”

“I’m not getting lazy.” Brian said as he started to cough.

“Okay, you’re getting out of shape.” Nick said as Brian laughed sarcastically at him before he took a sip of his bottled water.

“It’s the life of being a father.” Brian said as he threw the ball back to Nick, “You should try it.”

“No thank you.” Nick said as he started to laugh, “You usually need to have sex to become a father.”

“Oh come on. Don’t tell me that Nick Carter is taking a life of celibacy.” Brian said, laughing as he sat on a bench, and took another sip of his water.

“Celibacy? What’s that man?” Nick asked as he looked at the goal and tried to ring it, but never succeeded.

“It means you’re not having sex.”

“Oh.”

“Are you?”

“Oh you know me.” Nick said as he started to laugh and walked over beside Brian, sitting down. Nick sat there looking around and then noticed Brian was looking at him, “What man?”

“Are you?”

“No man, I’ve had sex.”

“With who?”

“Girls.”

“What girls?”

“Just girls you know.”

“Fans?”

“Not necessarily.”

“Who?”

“People.” Nick said as he shook his head, “Yo, I don’t just fuck everything that walks anymore.”

“Good.” Brian said as he took another sip of his water.

“You keep drinking that water and you’re gonna have to piss a river.” Nick said as Brian cracked up laughing at him.

“You and your Carterisms.” Brian said laughing as Nick rolled his eyes at him when his cell phone rung, “You better get that.”

“Yeah, I better.” Nick said as he reached over, taking his cell phone out of his backpack and answered it, “Hello?”

“Nick!” Jonathon, from his management company said in a cheerful voice.

“Johnny!” Nick said as Brian made a weird face over to Nick who wanted to laugh in return, “What do you want? It’s my week off.”

“Eeeh not any more.” Jonathon said as Nick tossed the ball back over to Brian, “Your song for the soundtrack is doing really good.”

“‘Blow Your Mind’?”

“No, ‘Review My Kisses”. It’s already at number 20 on the Billboard singles chart and has had no promotion what-so-ever.” Jonathon said as Nick stood up and walked away from the park bench slowly, “So we’ve gotten in touch with Melinda’s management and we’re setting up promotional dates.”

“Promotional dates?” Nick asked as he started to rub the back of his neck, “What do you mean?”

“Promotional dates?” Melinda asked as she sat up on her bed, “What’s that mean?”

“You and Nick will do a small tour, promoting the single. You’ll do several concerts, television shows, and the works. If the single is promoted enough, it could go to number one and just think what that could do for both of your albums.”

“Fuck his album!” Melinda yelled, “I’m not going -”

“Well think about your album then.” Angela said as Melinda started to growl a little, “Just until the movie is released -”

“That’s a month away!” Melinda yelled into the phone as she layed back on the bed, “I mean we just shot the video three weeks ago.”

“Yes, and it’s going to be premiered on TRL tomorrow. You need to fly to New York City today and meet up with Nick there.” Angela said as Melinda started shaking her head no, “We’re working together with his management to set all of the dates up.”

“This wasn’t in the plans when we recorded this song. Listen, Nick and I do not get along at all. His mother was married to my father for a few years and we’ve hated each other since the moment that we met.”

“Well you better put your acting skills to work, because in public you’ll like each other.” Angela said, “So pack your things and your flight leaves L.A.X. in two hours. I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

“God.” Melinda said as she turned her phone off and started kicking her bed.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Nick yelled as he threw his phone back over in his backpack, “FUCK!”

“Nice language Carter.” Brian said as Nick looked back at him, “Oh evil look.”

“My week of vacation is gone. I have to leave in like three and a half hours to go to New York City because suddenly my song with that bitch -”

“Melinda.”

“Yes, that bitch, is doing really good and they are making us promote it now. We have to go on TRL tomorrow to premiere that god forsaken video.” Nick said as he started to kick the ground, “Fuck!”

“Can’t be that bad -”

“No Rok, trust me. You have NO idea.”

“You think you know but you have NO idea.”

“Shut up.” Nick said as he ran his hands over his face, “Fuck, I do not want to go there and see her. God I hate her.”

“She’s not that bad.” Brian said, “She’s kind of cute.”

“God no.” Nick said, “Just oh fuck no. No she’s not cute. She’s a stuck up, rich bitch, who has a MAJOR attitude problem.”

“Good luck buddy.” Brian said as he cracked up laughing at Nick. Nick just gave him a dirty look and then started putting his things back in his bag.

“Melinda! Where are you going?” Ed asked as Melinda walked downstairs, dragging her bags down with her.

“I have to go to New York.” Melinda said as she went over and sat them down beside the door, “Enjoy moving your little Stacy in while I’m gone. I’ll be gone a while.”

“What? Why? I thought you were off now.”

“I have to start promotion with Nick now.” Melinda said, “You can have the house all to yourself to start your new little family with.”

“Stop acting this way.” Ed said as Melinda gave him a dirty look, “She’s having your blood. A brother or sister who shares the same blood as you and -”

“Excuse me.” Melinda said as she held her hand up, “We will not share the same blood. I have the blood of my mother running through my bloods. Not that skank.”

“Don’t you call her a skank!” Ed said as Melinda rolled her eyes and walked up, giving her father a kiss on the cheek before walking out of the door, “Melinda!”, Ed yelled as Melinda sat in the back of the car as the driver was putting her things in the trunk.