CHAPTER THREE

:::::::::::::BACK AT JOEY'S HOUSE:::::::::::

Carly laughed as she sat with her feet in the pool and her most prized possesion in the world in her hands. Her Camera.

She was sitting at Brianna's house waiting for everyone to show up. She loved coming to Brianna's house. It made he laugh and smile when she needed it. Brianna was nothing like half the kids at the school she went to. True Brianna and herself were popular but some of the kids that were there, were a little stuck up and snotty. Carly and Brianna were nothing like that.

Carly was always a shy girl. She made friends but it took her forever to do so. She knew that drove Kara nuts. Carly sadly felft as if Kara forced her to meet Brianna one day and she didn't want to. Good thing Kara wanted her to meet Brianna. She and her clicked right away. The two were friends from the start.

Carly smiled as she saw Bri and her mother sitting at the picnic table and saw the two laughing with each other. Carly took the camera to her eye and took the picture. She then looked to where she heard Kara come walking in and saw who she was still with and smiled even more. She took a picture of her and JC standing side by side and then another one of Kara standing there alone with JC in the background looking at her as she spoke to Johnny, her and the bands Manager.

Carly smiled to herself for a moment. She was feeling a little down as she was watching Brianna with her family and she missed her mother. True what her mother and father did to Kara didn't sit well in her eyes but she missed them from time to time.

What she missed most was the family feelign she had when she saw Kara and her father together. She always loved how Kara made room for Carly. She loved Kara like a mother and was shocked to hear the truth about her mother and father cheating on their siginificant others. Kara didn't care too much for her mother's husband but Kara, she just couldn't believe her father would do that to her. She never knew why her father would be so stupid to do that to someone who had a heart of gold and would do anything for him, and herself. How could he want to throw that all away. She would never know that now.

That didn't matter to Carly, she had someone who wanted to care for her and she loved knowing that even if she wasn't Kara's real mother, Kara made her feel like she was her real mother.

Carly snapped out of it as she saw JC look at her. She began to put her camera away as she saw JC come up to her she got up and smiled. “Have fun being tortured by Kara and her shopping trip?”

“Actually we had a great time Carly.” he said as he looked to her. She then sat back down in the chair she was sitting in. She put her camera away and saw him look at her. “Yes oh wise one may I assist you?” she said.

'I just saw you sitting here deep in your thoughts. You okay?” He asked

“Yeah just got lost in thoughts of my mom.” Carly said as she shrugged her shoulders.

JC looked at her then to Kara seeing she was helping Kelly with the barbecue. “You want to talk about it, or do you need me to get Kara.” he asked carefully

“Nah I'm okay J, thanks for asking, I just....”Carly then shrugged her shoulders and continued on, “you know the full story right?”

JC looked to her and said, “No...well, I know bits and pieces but not the whole true story.”

Carly looked to him and took a deep breath, “Well I will tell you but you have to promise not to let Kara know I told you. I know only Joey and Chris know because she told them. Brianna knows cus she asked me at the time her father was finding it all out. Kelly of courese knows too.” Kara then looked to him and took a deep breath then said, “My father cheated on Kara.”

“I know he cheated on her, with someone.” JC said looking at her.

“Well,..true he was cheating but do you know who he was cheating on her with?” She asked as she saw him shake his head no. She went on, “He was cheating on her with my mom. They had been having an affair for over six months.”

JC's eyes went wide as Carly let him know what happened. He swallowed hard.

Carly went on. “Kara knew something was going on with the two of them, as did my stepfather but she didn't want to let go without giving it a chance. She hates to fail at ANYTHING. She knew something was up and well she had a feeling she was loosing him to my mom and she was right. I only knew because of my stepfather. I know Kara was just as shocked as I was. The night my parents were killed they were on their way up to my dad's when they got hit by a drunk driver. I was up at the house with Kara when she got the call.” Carly said as she remebered that day;

“Mrs. Briggs,” the police officer said as he stepped into the house. Kara looked to him as Carly walked into the living room seeing the cops there.

“Yes, I am Kara Briggs, can I help you?” Kara asked.

“Mrs. Briggs, you need to come with me..your husband and a Miss...Liz Matthews were in a terrible accident.”

“My mom and dad were in an accident?!” Carly said as she came to Kara's side.

Kara looked to the officer as she held on to Carly, “This is their daughter, Carly, what is going on?”

the officer sighed as he went on, “Mrs Briggs, your husband and Liz were hit by a drunk driver out on route 495 on their way here. They were speeding as a drunk driver ran a red light, crossed the double yellow lines and hit their car head on. I am sorry to say but the impact was so severe that they both died as they arrived over at St. Matthew's.”

Kara sat there in shock as she heard Carly begin to scream and cry. “They....are dead?”

“I am very sorry mam, we need you and your stepdaughter to come to the hospital to identify them so that we can get things takend care of .” the officer said.

“Kara,'” Carly said as she held on tight to her, in shock and totally felt as if she had just had the rug pulled from underneath her.”

Carly felt a tear slip from her eye as she looked to JC, “i never saw Kara look so lost then I did that night. What was worse was the day after the funeral, Jack, my stepfather told my mother the real reason why they were on their way up to the house. They were going to kick her out nad tell her that it was over.”

“Wow.” was all JC could get out as he looked to Carly.

“Yeah, needless to say the real reason we came to Orlando was to get a fresh start. Kara couldn't live there, she went through the first six months in the deepest depression. I mean I would be too, finding out that your husband who you loved, was with another person, better yet the one who you feared he would leave you with. She one day just looked at me and said that she needed a change.” Carly said.

“You didn't give her a fight bout leaving?” JC asked.

Carly shrugged, “Not really I saw how upset she was. Her family knew it wasn't healthy for her to be there to so she sold the house, got one from the money she got on that one and we moved here.”

JC couldn't believe what she had been through. What they BOTH had been through. He knew her husband had died and that Carly's mom died but he never knew what she had really been through. It made him want to go to Kara and hug her, hold her and make her feel as if she was the only one. He turned his attention to Kara and saw her smile at him and Carly.

Carly saw the look in his eyes and smiled, “You like her don't you.”

JC turned and looked at Carly. He gave a small grin. “Its obvious isn't it.” he said.

“I knew you did and that's why you have given her space but please, do me a favor if you are going to seek her out romantically?” Carly asked.

“What's that oh young wise one.” he said thinking she was being funny but tuned out serious.

“Don't break her heart. I saw what happened once..i don't want to see it again.” she said with a look JC never saw on her.

He pulled her in for a hug and said, “I promise you sweetie, I won't”

Kara smiled as she placed her gift for Carly on the table. She looked at how her and JC were deep in conversation and she knew that Carly was good friends with all the guys...especially JC. She liked the fact that the two of them could have an open relationship.

“Ohh what's in the bag, something for me?” Chris asked as he tried to peek into it. He felt Kara's hand smack his.

“Crack head no it's not for you it's for Car, no please be a good boy and back away.” she said.

Chris being chris smiled as he yelled, “HEY CAR, KARA GOT YOU SOMETHING!!”

Carly got up and walked her way over to Kara smiling, “Oooh what did I get What did I Get?”

Kara smiled as she looked at her and said, “Well I was going to call you inside to open it alone with you but since, mouth over here ruined it, you can open it now.”

Carly looked into the bag as she felt all eyes on her. Her eyes opened wide as saucers as she pulled out her new camera. “YOU DIDN'T!”

“I did.”Kara said smiling.

“Oh no you didn't!” Carly said as she kept looking at the camera then to Kara.

“Oh but yes I did. I got your grades miss thing and I gotta say I am so proud of you” she said as Carly put the camera down and hugged her.

“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!” Carly said as she looked at her new camera and beamed with pride.

All of the guys smiled as they saw the look on her face. It was as if she had just been given the gift of a lifetime.

Everyone had a blast at Joey's house. Form Carly getting her present to the food that Kelly and Kara cooked, to playing basketball. True Joey and Kelly's house was always fun to hang out there and just be with everyone. Kara smiled as she sipped her cup of coffee and watched Bri and Carly talk sitting by the pool and just relaxing. Kara chuckled as she saw her holding her Camera as if it was her most prized possession.

JC smiled as he sat down next to Kara out on the patio and saw her shaking her head and laughing. He was interested in knowing what was making Kara laugh. “What is so funny?”

“Look at Carly with that camera. I didn't know she was going to be that protective of it.” Kara said.

JC laughed as he saw her sitting there and looked to Kara smiling. He said something that he almost wanted to kick himself for saying, “You have a real pretty smile.” smooth JC. He said as he mentally kicked himself

Kara looked to him and smiled even brighter if it was possible. She then said, “Thanks JC, nobody's told me that in....well in a really long time.”

Carly looked over to where Kara and JC were sitting and smiled to herself. She saw how the sun was setting in the background and saw how they were talking. She took the picture and looked at the digital print on the screen. She hit save and smiled at how the picture looked. How she and JC made a real cute couple. This was something Carly was going to have to work on.

True her stepmother was with her father and now he was gone. But she always wanted Kara to be happy. She deserved to be happy for the first time in...well in a really long time.

And she didn't deserve to be alone.