Chapter 3 Grandma’s Frosted Banana Cake and Losing My Temper  

Two days after Nick and the Backstreet Boys went back on tour and the senior class of ’98 got back from Disney, Nick called me with exciting news.

“Kalie! I have good news for you!”

“What is it hun?”

“We’ll be finished with touring in 2 months, then we’ll be back in Florida to record a new album!”

“Oh my gosh that’s awesome! Where are you guys now?”

“New York. We’re having a show in Madison Square Garden at 8 tonight.”

“That must be exciting. I’ve always wanted to go there to see a concert.”

“I can get you in. Heck I can get you a plane. You doing anything tonight?” he said seriously.

“I’m practicing for that big dance competition I told you about remember?”

“Oh yeah that’s right. When is that again?”

“Two months from now. And it lasts for three days.”

“Hopefully I’ll be back home in time to cheer you on.”

“I hope so too. Kase and I are gunna need all the good luck charms we can get.”

My twin and I always called our friends and family that came to our dance competitions our good luck charms because the more that showed up, the better we would do in the competition. I remember our first competition only our parents and grandparents and siblings came and we got fifth. It was good for our first competition but as more people came to support us the higher we would rank. When we won our first, first place trophy 28 people cheered us on from the stands. From then on Kasey and my lucky number was 28 and all those friends and family became known as our good luck charms.

“I think I’ll be able to come to at least one or two of them.”

“Well I’ll pray that you can. Listen I have to go or I’ll be late for practice and then I have work after that. I’ll talk to you later Kaos.”

“Have fun practicing and I’ll see you in 2 months.”

“I can’t wait!”

“Me neither Kalie. Talk to you later. Bye babe.”

“Bye sweetie.”

I hung up the phone and grabbed my keys. Wait… did he just call me babe? And did I call him sweetie? I thought to myself as I locked the door behind me. My close group of friends and I always called each other hun or honey but that was about it.

After two months of practicing for the competition, Kasey, myself and the rest of our dance team were ready and itching to battle for the trophy. We were all getting tired of doing the same dances over and over again and we could all perform them in our sleep. I just wanted to get it all over with so I could learn new material. Also I was itching to see Nick again.

A day before the competition, after Kasey and I came home from our final group competition practice, I was watching a movie with Dylan when I got a very pleasant surprise.

The door bell rang and Dylan looked at the door and said in an angered voice, “Who could that be?”

“Why do you get so angry?” I asked as I went to answer the door.

“It seems like we can’t get time to ourselves anymore. You’re always practicing for that competition and I’m rehearsing for my college play. I don’t see you anymore. We don’t get any time alone.”

“Well I don’t know what to tell you Dylan. Things will hopefully slow down when your show is over and my competition is finished.”

“Sure it will,” Dylan said sarcastically under his breath.

I shook my head then opened the door.

“NICK!” I screamed when I saw his smiling face on my front stoop.

“Kalie! I’ve missed you so much!” He hugged me and lifted me off the ground.

“I miss you too Kaos! Come on in! I’ll give you the tour of the house. And where are you staying while you record?”

“Home. I figured I should spend some time with the fam.”

I showed him into the six bedroom house that my siblings and I shared the rent for. We decided to move in together because it was closer to the colleges the four of us were attending, Kim being in her 3rd year, Kyle in his 2nd, and Kasey and I just getting started.

“It’s a nice place you got here Kay.”

“Thank you. But this is my second favorite place in the house, the living room,” I showed him into the comfiest room, beside my own, in the house and he looked around the spacey, relaxing room.

Dylan looked up from the couch and sighed out of disgust when he realized Nick was standing next to me.

“We have company Dylan say hello.” I was starting to sound like a mother trying to make her toddler to be polite.

“Hi,” he muttered.

“Hey,” Nick muttered back.

“Well sit down Kaos and make yourself at home. Wanna stay for dinner? I’m making my mom’s ziti and I think I’ve made enough to feed an army.”

“I’ll be happy to stay. I love your mom’s ziti but I don’t think you have ever made it for me before.”

“That’s because I haven’t. But I decided to try it because mom and dad, grandma and grandpa are coming over for dinner tonight.”

“That’s perfect because I was going to visit them too while I was home.” Because Nick and I grew up together, Nick was like another part of my family.  He always called my family his second set of parents and grandparents and his family considered me apart of theirs.

Dinner turned out well, surprisingly. Everyone complemented on my first batch of my mom’s famous ziti and she was impressed. I was feeling very accomplished and I was getting so many complements.

“Kalie dinner was awesome!” Kim’s boyfriend James said as he placed his plate in the dishwasher.

“Thanks James.”

“So what’s for desert?” Kyle’s girlfriend Melissa asked.

“I made frosted banana cake,” Grandma replied.

“Oh Grandma Smith I was hoping you’d say that at least once while I was home! You don’t know much I have missed your baking!” Nick exclaimed with a huge grin on his face.

“You know what honey you can get the first piece, the heel. I know it’s your favorite,” she replied sweetly.

“Oh thank you Grandma Smith. You know me too well,” Nick hugged her.

She chuckled, “Well I did see enough of you when you were growing up. You’re like a third grandson Nickolas.”

“Awe!”

“Kiss ass,” Dylan whispered to Nick as he passed him to take a seat on the couch next to me.

I heard him and slapped his thigh hard with the back of my hand when my grandmother went into the kitchen to help Kim cut the cake.

“What was that for?!” he demanded.

“For calling Nick a kiss ass!”

Dylan looked at me and then at Nick, “So Nick… did Kalie always stand up for you while you just stood back and watched like you’re doing right now? What’s the matter can’t stand up for yourself?”

Nick glared hard at him and practically lunged for his throat. I had to throw my full body weight into Nick to stop him from doing so. I couldn’t believe Dylan was starting this in front of my family. They were sitting in the same room and he was acting like they were invisible!

“Dylan! Why the fuck are you starting this shit now in front of my family?! You can’t at least try to act civil can’t you?!”

“No I can’t! Not when he’s around!” he glared at Nick.

“Well you know what… if you can’t play nice you’re leaving!”

“Why do I have to leave?! I’m your boyfriend! He’s the one who should leave!”

I was so frustrated that I blew up in his face, “He didn’t start shit, you did! You’re being an asshole Dylan! Nick did nothing to you! Leave! Now!”

He gave Nick one last death glare and left the house.

My family stayed dead quiet. My grandfather looked at me to take in my facial expression but he didn’t utter a word. He looked like a wise, old owl looking into my eyes. I felt so embarrassed for blowing up like that and that Dylan was being such a jerk.

I sighed and apologized, “I’m sorry you all had to see that. That was the final straw. I haven’t seen Nick in months and Dylan was his normal self before and when Nick finally comes home he turns into an asshole. I can’t stand when he does that.”

“Maybe you should think about ending that relationship Kalie,” my mother said as she helped hand out the cake with Kim and Grandma.

“Mom… please. I don’t want to hear this right now.”

“Kalie Marie Smith. What is the point of having a relationship with a guy who frustrates you to the point of exploding and cursing him off in front of your family?  Kalie honey… I think you’re going to have to choose between Dylan or Nick pretty soon before something you’re going to regret happens.”

I looked down at the promise ring Dylan slipped onto my left ring finger and I started moving it with my other hand that I wore the amethyst heart ring Nick gave me for my sweet 16. I had worn that ring every day since he gave it to me. I stopped playing with the simple silver band with tiny quarts in it and sighed, “I’ll have to think about it… but not right now. I’m so stressed out with the competition coming up this Friday and trying out for my college’s dance team, I can’t think straight.”  

“Kalie deary for now let’s just have a piece of cake, watch a movie and relax,” Grandma handed me a nice sized piece of her cake and kissed my forehead.

“Yes listen to your grandmother baby. I brought your favorite Laurel and Hardy tapes,” Grandpa commented. He handed Kyle the tapes and my brother set up the VCR. When my siblings and I were younger, and not able to stay home by ourselves while our parents were working, we would stay at our grandparents house and watch Laurel and Hardy constantly after school. We loved the old comedies and they were ageless. If any of us were having a bad day we would just give our grandparents a visit and watch some Laurel and Hardy.

I took my seat inbetween Kasey and Nick and relaxed as I ate Grandma’s delicious banana cake and laughed at the crazy antics of my favorite old time comedians.

After my family left Nick helped my siblings and I put away the dishes before he went home.

“Thanks for helping us put these away. Are you sure you don’t want to sleep over tonight? We do have two guest rooms you know.”

“Thanks for the offer Kalie but I already told my parents I would be home tonight and all my stuff is over there anyway. I’ll be home for a while so I’ll stay over at least once I promise.”

“Ok Nick. I’m sorry Dylan called you that and said you couldn’t defend yourself. Maybe you should’ve fought him and taught him a lesson. Maybe that would have shut him up.”

“I couldn’t do that in front of your family. I was raised better than that.”

“I know you were Nick.”

“I better get home before my mom starts calling me. Good night Kalie. I’ll most likely see you tomorrow after I finish with the recording studio.”

“Good night Nick. I’m so happy you’re home.”

“Me too,” he kissed my forehead and I smiled at him. He waved at me as he got into his car and I waved back as he drove away.

I locked the door behind me and headed up stairs to get ready for bed. I changed out of my clothes and into my sweat pants and tank top I used for pjs. I sat down on my bed and looked down at my promise ring.

It was starting to become scratched up and dull. When Dylan gave it to me it was shinny and flawless, now the stainless steel ring was being deeply scratched and one of the tiny quarts was missing. I then looked at the ring Nick gave me. It shimmered like new even though I wore it every day no matter what the occasion was. I wore the promise ring every day too but it was more beaten up and old looking. Nick’s ring was perfect; no stones were missing from it and no scratches were carved into the silver.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I thought out loud to myself. I pulled the promise ring off and placed it on my bedside table like I always did each night, then I pulled off Nick’s ring. It was routine for me to do that but I just realized that I pretty much ripped Dylan’s ring off my finger but I slowly removed Nick’s and gently placed it in its box like it was a piece of glass. Maybe I was just angry at Dylan and I wanted Nick to be close to me for as long as possible or I always did that and just noticed it now.

I crawled under my covers and was about to turn off my light when I heard a knock on my door.            

“Kalie it’s just us. Can we come in and talk to you?” I heard Kyle’s voice from behind my door.

I sat myself up and called out, “Come in.”

Kyle walked in first and sat at the foot of my bed. Kim came in next and lay under the covers with me. Kasey lay across Kim’s and my legs. I was expecting this because we would always talk like this.

“Sis are you ok?” Kim asked as she pushed my head onto her shoulder and hugged me.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“Kayl, how do you feel when Dylan acts like that?” Kyle asked.

I sighed, “I feel frustrated because I want my best friend and my boyfriend to get along. Dylan gets along with you and Kase fine and he’s friendly around Chris and Dan. I don’t get why he’s a complete ass to Nick.”

“I think he’s scared Nick will take you from him,” Kim said.

“Not you too! I hear enough of that from my friends. I doubt Nick likes me more than just a friend. He’s too much like my third brother. I can’t even imagine myself being more than just friends with him.”

“Kay… who do you think is more important?” Kasey asked. His dark brown eyes pierced into mine. I looked at Kim and Kyle and their dark brown eyes pierced into mine as well. I couldn’t get away from “The Smith Stare” as it was called.

I could feel a lump in my throat but I pushed it down because I never cried over a guy, not even when I broke up with my first boyfriend. I was taught that guys were just guys and to move on with life. “I don’t know who is more important to me. I mean Nick and I have been best friends since before we could walk and talk and he’s been there for me through all of my previous boyfriends, especially the bad ones. And Dylan… he’s special to me too. He’s the only boyfriend that I’ve had for this long. It’s just that he’s changed ever since BSB got more and more popular. It’s so hard to choose between the two of them. What should I do?”

Kim wrapped her arms around me and placed her head on the top of mine, “It’s hard to say what you should do. I know what I want you to do, heck I know what pretty much everyone including Nick, your friends, and everyone who was here tonight wants you to do but it’s your decision.”

“Yeah kiddo. We’re not telling you to break up with Dylan but it might make you happier. We have seen you become more and more stressed out over him and it’s really taking its toll on you. You haven’t really been yourself lately,” Kyle said.

“Yeah Kayl. That’s the happiest I have seen you in a while when Dylan left and you were sitting next to Nick watching Laurel and Hardy. You were so relaxed and content. I haven’t heard you laugh like that in a few months,” Kasey commented. “Even Dan, Chris, Tally and Mich think you have changed along with Dylan.”

“I guess I have been stressing with the competition and I’ve been missing Nick like crazy. Dylan’s shit just isn’t helping.”

“Maybe it is time to say good bye to him Kalie,” Kim said gently.

“I don’t know Kimmie. I’d think I’d miss him too much.”

“You never know,” said Kyle. “You could be a lot happier.”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“Do you feel any better?” asked Kasey.

“I actually do.” I smiled at my siblings. “Who needs a physiatrist when you have your siblings?”

They laughed and said their good nights.

“I love you all.”

“We love you too Kalie,” they all said as they left my room. I turned out my light and feel asleep as I thought about the big decision I had to make.