Chapter 1
Chapter 1
September 10, 2001; It’s been almost 2 years since Samantha last saw and talked to Nick. She saw him on TV and heard him on the radio, but speaking to each other, they hadn’t done since that night she called him.
A few days after getting all of her things from the house in Daytona, Samantha started applying to some jobs around the country at radio stations. She had good references from when she worked at the radio station in Tampa and had one of the highest rated shows for the short amount of time she worked there. Finally, two weeks later, she was offered a job hosting any show that she wanted at one of the biggest radio stations in St. Augustine, Florida. It wasn’t that far away from her parents and the best thing about it was that nobody else knew where she was; not Nick, not Jake, or anybody else.
Samantha took the job and a few days later, her father and brother was helping her and Megan move to St. Augustine. After getting settled in, Samantha started work at the radio station and put Megan into a local daycare. She didn’t have much of a life at first. She woke up early in the morning, being apart of the crazy morning crew there at the station, and would take Megan to daycare. During the rest of the day, she did on air locations for the station and other promotions. By the end of the day, she picked up Megan from daycare, came home, and was dead tired.
She didn’t care about a love life or anything anymore. She wanted to make it on her own and she was doing so. She was doing a good job at it too. After being at the station for 5 months, Samantha was moved to the afternoon shift and her show became one of the most popular time periods on the station and still remains the stations most popular time slot. After she started making more money, she moved out of her little apartment, and got a nice condo there on the beach in St. Augustine.
Samantha often wondered about Jake. She wondered what Jake was doing, if he ever thought about her and Megan, and did he regret what all he did. She didn’t know where he was or what he was doing. She didn’t even know if he was dead or alive because she didn’t keep in touch with anybody from Tampa. She had only one reason to go there anymore and that was because of her best friend Megan’s grave, which she hadn’t visited since before she left Jake for the last time.
Samantha didn’t have to wonder about Nick. She knew every step he took almost since she worked at a Top 40 radio station. She had to play their music, not that she didn’t want to, she loved it, but everytime she heard his voice, it would make her wonder if she did the right thing or not.
“Megan! Come here!” yelled Samantha as she walked into the kitchen. She hadn’t changed much at all. She was a few years older, but that was it. She still looked the same as she did the day Nick saw her at the high school.
“What?” asked Megan as she walked in holding a doll.
Megan was growing up. She was going to be 3 in a few months. She was so smart for her age. She could talk up a storm to any stranger on the street and she was a miniture version of Samantha. Everytime they went somewhere, somebody would compliment on how much they looked alike.
“What?” asked Samantha.
“What?” asked Megan.
“Go get your backpack.. I’ve gotta go to work.” said Samantha.
“It’s the day that the cartoons are on my TV mommy.” said Megan.
“I know, and I’ve gotta work today, so you’re going to go stay with Miss Lizzie.” said Samantha talking about Megan’s pre-school teacher who watched Megan while Samantha worked at night and on weekends.
“Okay.” said Megan as she ran out and ran back in really quick with her backpack and ran back in, “Can I bring Britney?” talking about her baby doll that she named after her favorite singer.
“Uhh yes, you can bring her. Okay you’re all ready.. let’s go.” said Samantha as she took Megan’s hand and they walked out the door. Samantha still had the Eclipse that Nick had bought her for graduation. She couldn’t bare getting rid of it, so it stayed in her carport. She had just recently gotten herself a 2001 silver-bluish PT Cruiser, a car that she liked time she saw it.
“Mommy when are we going to go see Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Ryan?” asked Megan as Samantha put her in her carseat.
“Umm maybe next weekend or so.” said Samantha, “Mommy’s gotta work.”
“I want to see them today.” said Megan.
“Sorry baby, not today.” said Samantha as she walked over and cranked up the car to hear “Shape Of My Heart” and she turned it really quick.
“Mommy that was the street boys.” said Megan.
“Huh? I didn’t hear it baby..” said Samantha as she put in Britney Spears’ CD to shut Megan up. Megan loved all of the teen acts that she would see on Disney including Backstreet Boys, Aaron Carter, who was Nick’s little brother, Britney Spears, N Sync, and Samantha Mumba.
“Opps.. I did it again… to your heart..” said Megan singing as Samantha pulled out of the driveway and started to drive down to Miss Lizzie’s who lived about 3 miles away.
“Alright Meggy, I’ll be back in a little bit when I get off okay.” said Samantha as Megan stood in the doorway infront of Lizzie who was a middle aged woman with a family of her own.
“Okay mommy.” said Megan as she hugged her.
“Okay, I’ll see you in a little bit.. bye.” said Samantha as Megan ran into the house, “Thanks Lizzie..”
“You’re welcome.. see you later.” said Lizzie as she shut the door and Samantha started back out to her car and got in.
She sat there a minute thinking a minute when she cranked up her car, turning the radio up as “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely” went off and another song came on.
I wonder how I'll get along I wonder where I might belong
“Nick…” she thought as she listened to it.
Losing your way is easy to do Wandering around without a clue If there's a way I don't know where If there's a why l'm standing here Losing my mind is easy to do Where are you... And the rain falls down It's the only way it gets better When the rain is fallin' down Telling me I that l'm gonna make it through
“Oh my god…” said Samantha as she started to cry, sitting there in shock, “That’s the song that he wrote about me..”
I never thought of what it cost All of the time I might have lost So much to gain playing it cool l'm better cast playing the fool And the rain falls down It's the only way it gets better When the rain is fallin' down Telling me I that l'm gonna make it through I know I will, but when will I Stand up to myself, make up my mind I might not have, what I had before But I still got the rain... And the rain falls down It's the only way it gets better When the rain is fallin' down Telling me I that l'm gonna make it through If the rain would fall down Then I know I can make it through the night oh yeah, it's the only way, oh, ohhhhh, it's the only way Let it rain, let it rain down on me, let it rain, it's the only way
Samantha just sat there as finally the song went off and Scott, the mid-day DJ came on.
“That’s the brand new song from the Backstreet Boys called “Rain” which is on the soundtrack to the new Renee Zellweiger movie, so go check that out. It’s not a single since “The Answer To Our Lives” is the new song from their current album “Black & Blue”. We just got that song in about a hour ago and couldn’t help to play it. Backstreet Boy Nick Carter wrote and composed the music for that one, gotta give that boy major props and love.” said Scott as Samantha turned the radio off and stuck in a No Doubt CD.
“Uhh just leave…” Samantha thought as she put her hands on the steering wheel and drove off. She drove trying not to think about what she just heard until finally she started crying and stopped the car on the side of the road.
“Uhh Sam, don’t…” she thought as she layed her head on the stearing wheel, “God.. why did they have to release that song….” as she looked back up.
“I’m okay.. I’m fine..” she thought as she looked back to see if anything was coming and started on to work.
