Mr. and Mrs. Carter: I Need You Tonight

Chapter 15

April 29, 2003 Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
KEVIN'S POV
"You think he's abusing her?" I asked, completely shocked.

Britney nodded. After the 2003 TRL awards concluded, she had pulled me aside.

"Yeah, I mean, if you saw the way he treated her, it's horrible. And she always has bruises or a cut somewhere. I think he does it when she's too drunk or high to notice." Britney shook her head.

Fuck. "I'm going to kill that motherfucker." I ran a hand over my face.

"Honestly, I'm terrified for Lili. Kenneth keeps getting worse. The last time I was there, she had a black eye and and bruises on her stomach."

My eyes widened. "That's horrible. Shouldn't we call the police? That's abuse."

Britney sighed. "I've tried, but Lili told me if I did, she'd never talk to me again. I don't know what's going on. I think he's blackmailing her with something. There's no way she would stay with a man like that unless she was getting blackmailed."

I nodded. I knew Lili very well, and I knew she would never let a man abuse her. Ever.

"Maybe you should tell Nick Kevin. He might be able to get to her. I know they're not on good terms, but I think that's the only thing left." Britney said.

I shook my head. "No. Last time we told Nick about her, his partying and drinking and drug habits got really bad. He's at his worst right now. Drinking a bottle of vodka every night, doing ecstasy..." I trailed off.

"I know Kevin. They're both at their worst right now. It happens to all of us who rise to fame in the nineties. Things overwhelm us and we don't know how to deal with it, so we turn to alcohol and drugs." Britney rubbed her forehead.

"It hasn't happened to you." I said. Then I paused. "Thank god."

Britney gave a tight smile. "It's not my time yet."

I was appalled. "Britney, don't tell me you're going to be like that. You're perfectly fine!"

Britney gave a sad smile. "Oh Kevin. If only you knew. It's not easy, all this. None of its easy. I'm twenty two and I can't even go outside without getting surrounded by people. Everything I do gets judged. The Princess of Pop persona, I hate it. I absolutely hate it. It's not me Kevin. Sometimes I feel that if I have to keep the perfect princess act any longer, I'll explode." she sank down in a chair.

I stood there quietly. I knew Britney was having a tough time with the international fame. I realized that Nick, Lili, and Britney were all going down the same path.

Nick was getting arrested, getting into fights at clubs, flashing people at clubs, drugs, drinking.

Lili was desperately trying to survive in a toxic marriage with an infant, coping with alcohol and drugs, and getting daily harassment from the media.

Britney however, I felt like she had something else.

And I terrified was she would end up like Nick and Lili.

LILI'S POV
"Don't worry, I won't be back until late!" Kenneth yelled. He slammed the door. I just stood there, breathing hard.

Another fight. At least three times a day.

Christopher started crying at the top of his lungs. I sighed and went to the crib to comfort him. I checked his diaper, it was empty, so I figured he was hungry.

I grabbed the baby bottle and made the formula. I fed it to him, and that quieted him down.

After burping him, he went to sleep. Relieved, I went to go check my blood pressure. It was normal.