Chapter One

Nick walked through the airport, looking around at the terminal numbers, trying to find the right one for his flight to New York until he saw it. He looked at his watch and realized that it wasn’t leaving for… another hour? Fuck, he was early. He walked over and sat down in a chair, putting his backpack in the seat next to him. He leaned back, looking around at people walking by, until he saw someone out of the corner of his eye.

By the time he turned his head to look, the woman’s back was to him and he shook his head, looking back out at people, walking by. He looked over at a little boy who kept making weird faces at him until finally he leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling. It needed to be cleaned. It was suppose to be white but it looked tan. Finally, he got tired of looking at it, so he lifted his head up to see a girl sitting there in front of him, facing him, with her head down, looking through her bag.

He sat up and looked at her, not saying anything until she lifted her head up a little, getting her purse so that she could look through it.

It was her.

Nick looked at her in shock. He watched her go through her bags until she finally got frustrated and threw them over in chair. She crossed her arms and looked up to see Nick looking at her and she looked back.

“Jamie?”

“Nick?”

“Is that really you?”

“No it’s a mirage dumbass.” Jamie said as Nick started to laugh a little.

“You…” Nick said as he looked at her, “You look different. Your hair is all long.” as he looked at her long brown hair.

“Yeah.” Jamie said, “Well it’s been a while.”

“Yeah it has.” Nick said as he looked over at the gate and back at her, “Hmm what are you doing here?”

“Going to Los Angeles. What about you?”

“New York.” Nick said, “So, what are you -”

“So, having fun being single?” Jamie asked, as Nick looked away and then down at the ground.

“Not really.” Nick said, “I’ve been a little too busy to think ‘Oh, am I having fun being single?’ So I don’t know.”

“Yeah.” Jamie said as she looked down at her watch and back at Nick, “So what’s been up?”

“Really wanna know?”

“Sure.”

“Work, thinking, work, thinking, and more work.” Nick said as he crossed his arms and sat back in his chair, “You?”

“Not much.” Jamie said with a smirk, “I graduated from college last year.”

“Oh yeah I heard about that.” Nick said as he laughed a little.

“What’s that suppose to mean?” Jamie asked as Nick looked around.

“Hmm, I heard you ran off and married some guy that you had known for two weeks.” Nick said, “So how’s married life?”

“It was annulled. What can I say? I’m impulsive.” Jamie said.

“Yeah, I always liked that about you.”

“Not enough apparently.”

“Someone still has resentment.” Nick said as Jamie rolled her eyes, looking away, “Still mad at me?”

“And someone obviously is still living in the past. So what’s this you think about in betweens working Nick?”

“None of your business.”

“Why not? Obviously you’ve been finding out everything I’ve been doing.” Jamie said as Nick looked down at the floor, “Still think about old times?”

“Yes.” Nick said, “So I was an idiot and I regret it. What else do you want me to say? You’ve avoided me for the past 2 years. So I ask around when I go home. What’s bad about that?”

“If you hadn’t of been an ass, you wouldn’t have to ask.” Jamie said as Nick looked at her.

“I was an asshole, I admit it.”

“For once.”

“Thank you for that.”

“You’re mighty welcomed.”

“We’re acting just like we did when we met.”

“There you go living in the past again Nick.”

“Sorry.” Nick said as Jamie crossed her leg and her cell phone rung.

“Hold on.” Jamie said as she reached in her purse, grabbing it. She stood up and walked over to the corner, answering it.

Nick sat there watching her, playing with her hair as she stood there looking out the window. She kept turning her head looking over at him and he turned his head, looking back over at her seat, thinking.

[[ 1997 ]]

“Excuse you.”

“Huh?”

“You’re in my way.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are blondie.”

Nick just looked over at the girl, wearing her hair pulled up and a little tight t-shirt under her baggy jean overalls trying to ring the basketball goal there in the arcade.

“No, I’m not in your damn way. What is your problem?” Nick asked looking over at her.

“You are.”

“Man you’ve got an attitude.” Nick said as he looked over to see a little girl run up to her.

“Jamie, we’re going over there to the to the pinball machines.”, the little girl said as her and another little girl ran across the arcade.

“Jamie? Isn’t that a boy’s name.” Nick asked as Jamie looked over at him.

“And what’s your name?”

“What, don’t recognize me?”

“I don’t listen to boy bands.” Jamie said as Nick started to laugh.

“Yet, you knew I was in one.” Nick said as Jamie rang the goal and looked over at him, “I’m Nick.” He said as he stuck his hand out to shake hers.

“Jamie.” She said as she stuck hers out and they shook hands.

“You pay basketball a lot?” Nick asked as they both turned back around.

“Some. I play in high school.”

“How old are you?”

“17.”

“Me too. So how did you know who I was?” Nick asked as Jamie rung another basket and looked over at him.

“That girl that ran up to me, I baby-sit her and she listens to that music.”

“Uh huh.”

“Don’t believe me?”

“Not really.”

“You are really full of yourself.”

“You really think so?” Nick asked, looking over at her.

“Well, “Jamie said as she stopped and turned around, with her hand on her hip, looking at him, “Okay so maybe not, but I think you’re trying to get on my nerves.”

“Definitely.” Nick said, smiling as he turned back around. Jamie rolled her eyes and turned back around.

“Nick!” Jamie said, snapping her fingers at him. Nick jumped and looked around for a second, and then back at Jamie who was sitting there in front of him again, “Was that one of those thinking moments?”

“Umm yeah.” Nick said as he rubbed his forehead a little, “Important phone call?”

“Kind of.” Jamie said, “It was my publisher.”

“Publisher?”

“Yeah.”

“Publishing what?”

“Pornography.”

“What?!?!” Nick shouted through the airport as everybody turned around, staring at him. He noticed everybody looking at him and looked back at Jamie whispering, “What?!?!”

“God, you still fall for it. You’re so gullible.” Jamie said, laughing a little as she sat back in the chair.

“Publishing what?” Nick asked.

“A script. That’s why I’m going to Los Angeles.” Jamie said, “I wrote this script.”

“Oh.” Nick said, “About what?”

“This girl and guy who meet when they’re young and start out as friends and one day realize they’re in love with each other. So they start dating and she falls completely in love with him until one day, he breaks her heart and she leaves him forever.” Jamie said as Nick looked at her and then down at the ground, “Sounds interesting huh?”

“Where’d ya get the idea for that?” Nick asked, glancing back up at her.

“I have NO idea.” Jamie said sarcastically with a smirk on her face.

“You really hate me don’t you?” Nick asked as Jamie looked intently at him. Nick sat there staring back at her, not saying a word, “I guess that’s my answer.”

“So you regret everything?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Jamie said as she started to listen to the announcement over the speakers, “My flight’s being called.”

“Yeah.” Nick said as he sighed, looking away, “Better go.”

“It was nice seeing you again.” Jamie said, as she stood up, looking down at him, “Maybe I’ll see you again.”

“Yeah, I’m usually here when I’m not working.” Nick said, looking up at her.

“I still live here.” Jamie said, “I haven’t moved - yet.”

“Okay.” Nick said as he looked down as Jamie put her bag’s strap over her shoulder and fixed her skirt.

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” Jamie said as she stood there a minute. Finally she turned around and walked over to her gate, giving the lady at the counter her ticket. Nick glanced over at her, watching her until she was out of his site.

He sat back in his chair, sighing as he looked around, moving his eyes back and forth, pressing his lips together and thinking. He sat there, feeling bad about himself until finally he heard his flight being called. He stood up, putting his backpack over his shoulder and walked over to his gate. He looked back over to where he was sitting at and smiled a little, walking into the terminal.