Chapter Six

Nick opened his eyes the next morning and looked down to see Daisy’s head, asleep on his chest. He closed his eyes back, realizing what almost happened last night. There’s no way he was going to sleep with her and her not know everything about him, not after everything else she had been through. They just kissed most of the night until they both started to fall asleep.

“Daisy.” Nick whispered as Daisy moved her head a little, looking up at him, “Morning.”

“Morning.” Daisy said as she moved off of him and sat up in bed, “Man, what happened last night?”

“Kissing, that’s all.” Nick said as he sat up and looked at her, “We need to talk.”

“I’m sorry about last night.” Daisy said as she looked away, “I guess I kind of made a fool out of myself.”

“No, listen -” Nick said as the doorbell rang and Daisy looked back at him, “Yeah I know, but when whoever it is leaves, we’re gonna talk okay?”

“Okay.” Daisy said as she smiled a little and climbed out of bed, and walked out of her bedroom door. She walked down the hall, smiling and down the stairs. She practically hopped down the steps until she reached the front door and unlocked it opening it up to see a middle aged woman with dark auburn hair standing there, “Hi.”

“Hi, is Nick here?”

“Uh, yeah. Who are you?” Daisy asked as she tucked her hair behind her ears and crossed her arms, looking at the lady.

“I’m Tracy.” Tracy said as she moved Daisy out of the way and walked into the house, “Where is he?”

“Excuse you?!?” Daisy said as she looked at Tracy, “This is my house, and you have no right to barge -”

“Listen little girl, where is Nick?” Tracy said as she started to walk up the stairs until she saw Nick standing at the top of the stairs, “Nick, there you are!”

“Tracy what the hell are you doing here?” Nick asked as he started to walk down the stairs and saw Daisy looking at him confused, “Daisy -”

“Daisy?” Tracy asked as she turned back around, looking at Daisy, “Your name is Daisy?”

“Tracy, don’t start.” Nick said, “Just leave.”

“No.” Tracy said as she pointed at him, “You have obligations Nick. You have things that you need to do.”

“Nick -” Daisy said as Tracy cut her off.

“You don’t need to be standing here in this little redneck town with this little girl -” Tracy said as Nick interrupted her.

“Hold up. She’s not a little girl alright. She’s 23 and it’s over -”

“It’s never over.” Tracy said as Daisy looked at Nick and back at Tracy.

“I thought you said that she wasn’t -” Daisy started to say as she looked at Nick, “You lied.”

“Daisy, no I didn’t.” Nick said as Daisy walked into the living room and he tried to run down the stairs and Tracy got in his way.

“Nick, get your things and let’s go.” Tracy said as Daisy grabbed her car keys and walked out of the door, looking at Nick.

“Daisy!” Nick yelled as he finally pushed Tracy out of the way and ran outside of the door to see Daisy pulling out of the driveway and began driving down the street, “Fuck.”

“Nick, get your things and let’s go.” Tracy said as Nick turned around, looking at her as he walked back into the house.

“You’re going to fucking regret this.” Nick said as he started to turn red, pushing his way past her.

“You didn’t need to be in that town anyway.” Tracy said later that afternoon on a plane back to New York City, “What in the hell were you thinking Nick?”

“What was I thinking?” Nick asked as he looked at her, “I was tired of your shit. Like this right here. I was happy there. I liked her okay? She didn’t know who I was or what I did but she liked me just the same. She didn’t know I was a singer and that I was famous.”

“Sure she didn’t.”

“She didn’t and she didn’t care. I was about to tell her when you came and just pushed her away.”

“Nick -” Tracy said as Nick looked away, crossing his arms, “You just disappeared, and nobody knew where the hell you were.”

“Yeah, I see how loyal Brian is.” Nick said as he rolled his eyes, “If you had just gave me time to explain to her until you just pushed her out of my life, it would have been okay. I’m just sick of you trying to make me someone I’m not. I wanna be me. I don’t want to be Justin Timberlake. I’m Nick Carter. I’m not anybody else. Let me do what I want.”

“And that is to end up in some stop-in-the-road town with some girl you don’t even know?” Tracy asked as Nick cut his eyes over at her, “You slept with her didn’t you?”

“No Tracy, I didn’t. I don’t fuck everything I see like you.” Nick said as he leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes.

“Well you’re not going back. You have a show in Nashville next week and then going to LA to do more work.” Tracy said as Nick opened his right eye, looking over at her.

“Nashville?”

A few days later, Daisy and her mother were somewhere along to Tennessee / Georgia line around Chattanooga. Daisy had just kept to herself ever since she left Nick at her house and came back to find him gone. She never even told her mother about her meeting someone and him staying at their house for a few days.

She just kept it to herself.

“Daisy, why are you so quiet?” Ms. Collins said as Daisy looked over at her and down at the gas milage on the rental car that they were testing out, “Nervous about checking out the school?”

“Yeah.” Daisy said as she leaned back in the seat, looking at the highway infront of her.

“Well you never told me what you did last week while I was gone.” Ms. Collins said as Daisy cut her eyes over to her mother and then looked back at the highway, “Did you have fun without me around?”

“I guess.” Daisy said as she reached over, turning the radio on. She started flipping through the radio stations, trying to find a good country station, but nothing - until she heard Faith Hill’s “Cry” on a station and stopped it, listening to it.

“How was school?”

“Fine.”

“You didn’t go out with any friends?” Ms. Collins asked as Daisy looked back at her, “What?”

“You forgot my birthday.” Daisy said as she sighed, as Faith’s song went off and another song came on.

I wish I could define

All the thoughts that cross my mind

They seem too big for me to choose

I don’t know which ones to loose

“Turn the station.” Daisy said as her mother reached over, turning the radio down, “Damn pop music.”

“Your birthday?” Ms. Collins asked as Daisy looked back at her, “Oh -”

“Yeah, oh.” Daisy said as she looked out the window to her left and back at the highway in front of her, wishing she could just hurry up and start school in Nashville to get away from everything.

Nick, pick up the phone. Call me back.

“Asshole.” Nick muttered as he erased his phone messages and sat his cell phone down on the bed beside him. He got off of the bed and walked over to the window, looking out at the city lights of Nashville. She closed his eyes thinking about Daisy and then his cell phone rung, “It’s probably AJ again.”, he thought as he walked back over, and picked it up, answering it, “Hello?”

“Nick -”

“Brian, I don’t wanna talk to you okay.” Nick said as he was about to move the phone and hang up.

“Nick, I know where she’s at.” Brian said as Nick looked at the phone and put it back up to his ear, “I tracked her down for you.”

“What?” Nick asked as he sat back down on the edge of the bed.

“I called her old college. They told me that she was visiting her new school in Nashville tomorrow. She’s there where you are. I found out the hotel name. I know where she is.” Brian said as Nick smiled a little at himself and looked down.

“I hate this hotel.” Daisy said as she looked at the bed, “I’m sleeping on the floor.”

“Why?” Ms. Collins asked as she looked at the bed, “So it’s only one bed?”

“I’m not sleeping with you mom.” Daisy said as she walked over, taking a blanket and a pillow off of the bed, “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“Daisy.” Ms. Collins said as Daisy ignored her, spreading the blanket on the floor, “Nichole!”

“What?” Daisy asked as she looked at her when there was a knock at the door and they both turned around and looked at it.