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Thanks to Stephanie, AjsSweety, Tori D, frackandbonechick, Anita, and Ayleen for reviewing chapter 16. Also, Thanks to SweetAngelicAngel for reviewing chapters 6, 8 , 11 and 14. I can't wait to hear what ya'll think of 17!

Chapter Seventeen

Amber sighed as she glanced out of the window of the large jet that was taking her to Florida. It was late Christmas Eve. Just hours before, been almost violated by the sickening man. On the ride to the airport, the Boys had asked her who she wanted to go home with for the Holidays, knowing that she couldn’t be left alone. Without surprise, she’d chosen Nick, no hesitation given. What should have been a great night for all, knowing they were off for a week and going to their homes, turned in to a somber one. A.J. was thinking of what he would like to do to J.C. during the next confrontation with him at an event. The more he thought about it, the more he knew that he wasn’t going to let the pig get away without any damage done to him.

Amber sighed, feeling worse than she had before. She had finally felt like she was getting better and opening up, and then J.C. had tried to attack her, sending her back a few steps again. A few silent, frightened tears slid down her cheeks, her shoulders started to shake as she could no longer control her fear. She was sinking in to a deeper depression with each new day. This wouldn’t help. It would only make things worse for her.

“You okay?” Nick asked, concerned, taking her small, delicate hand in his larger one and squeezing it comfortingly.

Amber nodded, “Yeah...” she said, her voice trailing off before asking, “Do you think your family will be mad at you for bringing me home for Christmas? I mean...it is kind of a family holiday.”

Nick shook his head, “Nah, of course not. It’s just going to be me, my brothers and sisters. And don’t ya know...you are family to me now.”

“Are your parents...did they die?” she asked, her eyes wide with question, wondering why his mother and father wouldn’t be there, completely ignoring his sweet compliment towards her.

Nick laughed, “No...they’re um...fighting, trying to put us all in the middle of it. So, instead of taking sides, me and my sibs are all just getting together at my place.”

“Oh,” was all Amber said, and then another worry came over her, “How many brothers do you have?”

“Just one...Aaron...he’s sixteen,” he looked at Amber and saw the petrification in her face, knowing that she was worrying about this, “Don’t worry...he’s harmless. A normal sixteen year old boy with raging hormones...but he won’t hurt ya. Honestly, if you give him the chance, he is just like me, in many ways.”

Amber relaxed a little, knowing that if Aaron was the spitting image, looks wise and personality, that she would be just fine.

“What are your sisters names?” she asked.

“There’s Leslie, Angel...who is Aaron’s twin, and B.J...she’s the oldest.” Nick answered with a grin, “They’re all pretty cool. I think you’ll get along great.”

Amber smiled, relieved that for the first time in weeks, she would be spending time with some other girls. She knew that it was something which she needed. She couldn’t spend her life around only men. So the fact that Nick had three sisters made her very happy. She knew that during the next week, or however long they were at his house, that she would be spending the majority of her time hanging out with them...no intention of insulting Nick by her choice. She’d grown to trust him...the only male she did trust, but she did. He was a great friend to her, and she would even go as far as to say she had grown to love him. Not in a romantic way...just in a friendship way. Amber could honestly say that even if she did ever get over the rape and try to date, she couldn’t ever see Nick in that way. One would think that since he was the first male to prove his genuine kindness, that he would be the one she would want to try a relationship with, but it wasn’t the case for her. It was hard to explain, but Nick wasn’t the kind of guy she could see herself with, and she was pretty sure that he felt the same way about her. Their relationship was strictly best friendship. Amber thought again of how nice it would be to have female bonding time. There was nothing like getting together with girls to go shopping, gossip about boys and other things. But then a new worry hit her.

“I hope that your sisters like me,” she said, biting her lip nervously, “I mean...what if they ignore me and I’m all alone?”

Nick laughed again, “Quit worrying so much, cutie. They’ll love you...I explained the situation to them a few days ago...and they are looking forward to meeting ya.”

Amber tensed again, not knowing how to react to his family knowing of her rape. To her, it was a private, personal matter. Had the Boys not stumbled across her in her condition, she didn’t think that she’d have let anybody know. Now she knew that she would worry about his sisters and Aaron treating her like a freak over something she’d had no control over. But rape was one of those things were most people didn’t know how to act around the victim. Nick must have read the unsureness on her face by the next thing that he said.

“I’m sorry, but I felt that they should know...since you’re kind of insecure,” Nick began, then knew that he’d wounded the girl by using that selection of words, “I mean...well, you’re very cautious around new people. I felt that they should know why...so they don’t think that you’re stuck up or something,” Nick explained, knowing that he was only digging himself a deeper hole with each
word spoken, “I’m going to shut my big mouth now.”

Amber grinned, knowing that the blonde hadn’t intended to insult her. She looked back out the window, wondering how long the flight would last. She couldn’t wait to be back on land, feeling safe and sound in the comfort of Nick’s home...her new home for the next week. The thought of home brought tears to Amber’s eyes. She wished that she was in Ohio with her family, but she was unwanted by them. Christmas was a time for family, and the closest thing that she had was Nick, and once given the others a chance, A.J., Brian, Howie and Kevin too. She just hoped that they wouldn’t get sick of her and betray her, leaving her as well, for if they did, she would have absolutely no one. She would be completely alone.

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A.J. sighed and closed his eyes as his plane took off, taking him back home. This was the day he’d anticipated for so long. He was free. So why wasn’t he happier? He had a feeling that it had a lot to do with J.C. God, he hated the man. Although A.J. had yet to speak to Amber since her realization of her rape, he still felt the need to be protective of her. He wondered how she was doing at that exact moment. When him and the other Boys had parted at the airport, going their
separate ways, she’d seemed tense and distant.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he took in a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He hated to fly, especially without the other Boys there to talk to. His best bet was to try and sleep during the flight back to his home. After half an hour though, A.J. gave up on that, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to without the help of a sleeping aide...something he did not have.

Looking out the window of the jet, all he could see was clouds below him passing by. Big, fluffy clouds, darkened by the night. That made his disliking of being in the jet even worse almost. He preferred to be able to see what was below him. Not that it mattered anyways. It was near midnight, meaning it would be pitch black no matter what.

“Hey, A-gay,” a voice sneered, sitting in an empty seat next to him.

A,J squeezed his eyes closed, trying not to lose his temper. He opened his eyes, recognizing the person he despised the most right next to him...J.C. He clenched his jaw, his mouth twisting in to one of complete anger and torment. Everything that had happened a mere four hours earlier came rushing back to his head.

“What the hell do you want?” A.J. seethed in a voice so low that it scared even him. He didn’t even try to defend himself of J.C’s insult. He knew that it wasn’t true, and was above trying to insult the sleazy N SYNC member right back. He wondered though, why J.C. was on the same plane as him. What were the odds? A.J. figured that it was probably a sign that it was his second chance to beat the hell out of him, but he knew that he couldn’t

“Nothing...much. Just wondering what the deal was with that little bitch from earlier that blonde bimbo was trying to defend.”

A.J. pursed his lips together tightly, sucking in a few deep breaths through his nostrils. He had to calm his nerves...he couldn’t lose his temper there while in the air. They would land and kick him off so quickly. He had to get home in time to spend the holidays with his mother and her new husband.

“She’s a friend of ours,” A.J. told him, not feeling the need to go into any further detail about her condition. It was none of the man’s business, “She had a bad experience...that’s all.” was all that he said.

J.C. snorted, “You sure did find a real dud for a friend. What is she, a dyke or something? By her reaction towards me...my god.”

That did it for A.J as a wave of anger came over A.J. Before he had time to blink, he was out of his seat, knocking J.C. in to the isle, ready to attack. Shrieks came from all over the plane from fellow passengers as A.J. continued to throw punches at the man’s face.

“Nobody insults Amber like that,” he shouted, knowing that he would be leaving marks on the man that wouldn’t go away for weeks.

“You are all losers,” J.C. bellowed back, “And that spazz is proof enough.”

J.C. managed to get out from under the irate Backstreet member, rolling on top of him to fight back, having just enough time to get A.J. once, really good in the eye. Two airline attendants ran over to them in a rush, one restraining J.C, the other A.J. A.J was thrown in to his seat while J.C. was drug a few rows back, in hopes to keep them apart..

“When we land in Chicago for layover, you’ll have to find alternative way back home,” the attendant warned him sternly, “Same goes for the man behind you. I advise you start making calls to try and find a way back.”

The woman walked away and A.J. cursed under his breath. He whipped his cell phone out, not caring weather or not he was supposed to be using it or not on the plane. He dialed his mothers number, knowing that she would help him. It rang six times before the machine picked up.

Hello, you’ve reached Denise and Tony. We’re not able to take your call right now, for we’re in Paris for the Holidays. Please leave a message and we’ll get back to you once we return home.

“Fucking great,” A.J. muttered, closing the flip phone, trying to figure out who else he could call. He knew how family oriented the holidays were for Brian and Kevin, so they were out. Sure, they were like brothers to him, and were his real family in his heart, but their parents, grandparents, cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and siblings might not feel the same way. Howie was his best friend, but again, he would feel odd intruding. That only left one person...Nick. He knew of Nick’s family problems and that there would be no parents there. It was his last and only hope. He quickly opened the phone back up, dialing Nick’s cell number, knowing that Nick would still be on his own flight. He answered after one ring.

“Yo, Frack speakin,”

A.J. rolled his eyes at Nick’s corny opening line, “Hey, Nick. It’s Aje...could you do me a favor?”

“Yo, Bone, what’s up?”

“I, um...was kind of kicked off of my flight.”

This caused a fit of laughter to come from Nick, but it quickly died down as he looked beside him at Amber sleeping.

“What did you do? I have to hear this.”

“J.C. was on the flight...he insulted Amber...we got into a physical fight.”

“Wish I’d have been there. I would have helped, dawg.”

A.J. chuckled, “Yeah, well...I have no place to go for the holidays. I mean, I could go back to my own home, but my mom and Tony are away, and I don’t want to be alone over Christmas...plus, I really don’t have any way to get home. Could I maybe crash at your place?”

Nick cringed, “I don’t know, man. Amber and all....she might not react so well to that. I was hoping she might get better being away from everything.”

“Please,” A.J. begged, hating to stoop to this low level, “I promise I’ll stay out of her way. I won’t cause problems.”

Nick bit his lip, pausing for a moment. He could tell that A.J. was holding his breath, waiting for an answer.

“Aight,” Nick finally answered, “I’ll send James out my private plane to pick you up. Where you gonna be at?”

“Chicago International Airport (A/N: I don’t know if there is such an airport...lol...If not, there is in my story!)

“Okay...he’ll be there in five hours,” Nick said, “And you owe me big for this. Remember though, no pushing Amber.”

“Thank so much,” A.J. said, grateful.

“No prob.” Nick replied, “See ya in the morn....later today.” Nick said.

“Yep, see ya...Frack.”

The two hung up their cell phones. A.J. smiled, happy that he’d found a place to go. As vindictive as he knew his thoughts were, he hoped that J.C. was stuck without anywhere alternative to head off to. The man deserved it for all of the trouble he’d caused. A.J sighed, wondering how he was going to keep his promise to Nick avoid Amber for a whole week. They would have to cross paths at some point. Maybe when they did, by the end of the seven days, she would have two people she could count on and talk to. A.J. could only hope.