Chapter 14 –

“stop…stop…stop” Nick mumbled as I shook him gently.

“hey will you get up already?” I laughed

“why…?” he asked slowly turning his head towards me looking sleepy.

“because” I said putting his shirt on his back. “you have a show in about an hour and because im sure Eliese will be looking for you”

“what time is it?” he asked

“around 7”

“I’ve been sleeping that long?”

“yeah I kept Eliese away from these bunks atleast until you got dressed so hurry up and get dressed before she comes back”

“alright” he turned over and sat up starting to put his shirt back on.

“oh and if she asks, you went to the CD store with AJ”

he laughed “now why would I be at the CD store at this time for three hours and with AJ no less, are you trying to get us cought?”

“hey first of all, it was the only thing I could think of, second I didn’t know you would sleep for three hours and third, because I havent seen AJ for a while so I said he was with you, ok?”

“alright alright” he said getting up and stretching a little. “now what?”

“I don’t know…but first I would go make yourself look like you havent been sleeping”

“ok” he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. I sighed and walked into the entertainment room. I saw AJ sleeping and laughed.

“hey AJ, wake up” I said throwing a pillow at him.

“hmmm…? What do you want?” he said half asleep still.

“you have to get up and get ready for your show”

his eyes slightly opened and he squinted over at me.

“wheres Amanda?”

“I don’t know, shes not my fiancée”

“you know I would almost laugh at that if I wasn’t so tired” he said sitting up and rubbing his hands over his eyes. “but you havent seen her?”

“nope, not since I asked her to tell Eliese I hated Nick”

“oh well she probably went shopping or something”

“I’ll call her if you want you and Nick go inside and get ready” I said as Nick walked in.

“ok thanks, I’ll be right out” he went in the bathroom.

“hey um, if you happen to run into Eliese don’t say anything to her about before ok?” Nick asked once AJ closed the door.

“don’t worry I wouldn’t, but why do you say something? Are you worried about her finding out?”

“not really, I just don’t want to hurt her anymore than possible”

“alright I understand” I said turning around and picking up some pillows off the floor.

“your not mad at me are you?”

“no, im not mad, why would you think that?”

“you didn’t look me in the eyes”

“I never do”

“yes…”

“Nick im not mad at you so go inside already I’ll see you after”

“your not coming to watch?”

“I don’t feel like it tonight. I’ve seen the show a million times. Im really tired and I might just go to sleep”

“oh well if your sleeping when I get back I’ll talk to you in the morning ok?”

“alright bye”

“see ya” I said, he stood there for a second and then walked out.

I laid down on the couch for a few minutes, when I looked over and saw a ring on the floor. I reached down and picked it up, I knew it was Amandas engagement ring I had seen it many times before, she loved showing it off to me.

I got a sick feeling in my stomach seeing it when it wasn’t on her finger. It didn’t seem like she would ever take it off, and I don’t think it would fall off.

~inside~

“hey by any chance has anyone seen Amanda?” AJ asked as they walked into the dressing room.

“nope not recently. Why?” Howie asked

“oh its just cause I havent seen her in a while”

“shes probably around, im sure she’ll be back” Kevin said

“yeah I know she will be, I was just wondering”

~on the bus~

“hello?” Amanda said answering her cell phone.

“Amanda?”

“Brianna, hi.”

“where the hell are you?”

“why do you ask?”

“just tell me”

“im out why?”

“do you know I found your ring on the floor?”

“you did?”

“yes”

“oh well, I might as well tell you”

“tell me what?”

“im going home”

“why?”

“cause I cant do it”

“cant do what?”

“I cant marry AJ”

“Amanda! Why cant you?”

“because, Im only 17 Brianna”

“yeah I know that, but you don’t have to get married now”

“yeah but what if AJ wants to? Then what?”

“you know he would wait till your ready”

“he probably would, but Brianna I don’t think me or AJ are ready to settle down”

“so what? No one said you had to settle down”

“you don’t understand”

“I know I don’t”

“that’s why I didn’t talk to AJ about it. I knew he wouldn’t get it either”

“so you left him? just like that? Hes gonna be crushed Amanda”

“Brianna don’t make me feel worse than I already do”

“so what are you just leaving, your not going to call him or anything and tell him why?”

“I left a note”

“a note? Don’t you think you owe him atleast a phone call?”

“no”

“yes you do. Im going to go take that note and rip it up. I want you to call here tonight and talk to him. or else im going to tell him where you are and send him up there to talk to you”

“fine I’ll call him. and you better not tell him where I am”

“ok I wont”

“bye” she said hanging up.

I smiled knowing that once she talked to him she would change her mind and come back, that’s just how she was.

~after the show~

after another show Brian Kevin Howie AJ Nick Leighanne Kristin and Eliese returned to the bus.

“hey how was the show?” I asked when they all walked in.

“the usuall” Brian said, the only reply I got.

“did you talk to Amanda?” AJ asked

“um, no I didn’t”

“you didn’t?” he asked a hit of worriedness in his voice.

“no I couldn’t get ahold of her, but im sure she’ll call soon”

“yeah I hope so” he said sitting down on the couch, the worry now very obvious in the way he was sitting and playing with his fingers.

“maybe she went shopping or something” Kevin suggested.

“alone?” AJ asked “if she went shopping she would have atleast went with Brianna or told me”

“not really, I mean I don’t shop so she might have went alone” I said shrugging. “don’t worry AJ, shes fine”

“how do you know?”

“trust me” I said getting up and walking into the kitchen. I sat down on the couch and looked out the window.

“you talked to her didn’t you?” Nick asked walking out and sitting across from me.

“I might have”

“well why don’t you just tell him that so he wont worry?”

“shes gonna call him tonight”

“oh” he said looking over my shoulder at Eliese as she walked in.

“hey Nicky, what are you doing?” she asked suspiciously

“talking, what are you doing?”

“I was coming to see where you ran off to”

“oh well, im right here”

“what are you guys talking about?”

“nothing” I said

“yeah like I belive that, im sure Brianna was asking you out again. am I right Nick?”

“no Eliese your actually way off” Nick said “we were just talking about where Amanda might be ok?”

“don’t be an asshole Nick” she said throwing him a nasty look.

“sorry” he said half sarcasticly.

“anyways, im going to sleep. Night Nick, night master” I smirked and then walked back to my bunk.

Amanda sat in her room looking at pictures of her and AJ, reading letters AJ had written her, touching things he had given her.

She couldn’t belive that she had left him like that. And now she regretted even thinking about leaving.

Remembering all that had happened between them in the last year she couldn’t think of one fight they had, or anything like that. Everything was perfect between them. Until tonight. She decided to leave, thinking about it now, she couldn’t think of the real reason she had walked out.

Wiping the tears that fell from her eyes she stood up grabbed her still packed bad and walked out.

AJ awoke the next morning to the annoying sound of his cell phone ringing.

“hello?” he said still half asleep.

“AJ, its me”

“Amanda, where are you? Are you ok?” he asked, suddenly wide awake.

“im fine”

“well then where are you?”

“im at the airport im getting a flight back there in about two hours, can you pick me up later?”

“why are you at the airport?”

“can we talk when I get back”

“sure, what time do yu get in?”

“around 2”

“ok, I’ll be there”

“thank you AJ, I’ll see you then”

“alright, bye. I love you”

Amanda smiled to herself as she heard those words “I love you too AJ”

I walked into the kitchen the next morning and saw everyone else already up and sitting around talking.

“morning everyone” I yawned sitting down on the floor.

“morning”

“AJ did Amanda call you?” I asked

“yeah, she’ll be back later”

“she will be?” I asked a little surprised.

“yeah why?”

“oh, no reason” I said “whats everyone up to today”

“im meeting Amanda at the ariport” AJ said

“Leighanne Kevin Kristin and I are going to visit some of our family while we’re in the area” Brian answered

“Nick and I are going shopping” Eliese said

“and im going with a friend of mine somewhere” Howie said

“oh cool” I said as the bus pulled to a stop. Everyone but Nick and Eliese walked off going where ever it was they were all going.

“you can come with me and Eliese shopping if you want” Nick offered

“no thanks” I laughed “you and slave driver over there have fun”

“Brianna will you stop being a loser” Eliese said giving me a dirty look. “im sick of your shit”

I was about to say something when Nick spoke up.

“hey both of you just stop. Im sick of both of your shit”

“don’t be an ass to me Nick” I said standing up.

“no im seriously sick of you two fighting all the time. You’re my best friend Brianna, and Eliese is my girlfriend. You always start with her and she really doesn’t deserve it. I don’t know if your jealous or what but you need to stop”

“jealous? Why would I be jealous?”

“because im going out with her and not you”

“im sorry but you’re a little off Nick”

“look Brianna, I don’t know whats the big deal, you cant just be my friend without attacking my girlfriend”

“I don’t know whats going on Nick, your leading me on and I don’t know what to do”

“how am I leading you on?”

I shook my head “well maybe how just the other day you said that you were going to break up with Eliese so that we could be together” I saw the look on his face and I knew he was praying I wouldn’t say anything about yesterday. “and how yesterday we had sex and you told me you loved me. I just don’t know Nick. I wish you would stop being a jerk” I walked back to my bunk.

“Nick, you slept with her?” Eliese asked, tears already spilling out of her eyes.

“Eliese…” he started “im sorry” was all he could say.

“im sorry too Nick. im sorry I wasn’t good enough for you that you had to go and sleep with my best friend”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you Eliese, I really didn’t. it was just we got all cought up in the moment and it sorta just happened”

“Nick im sure you didn’t mean to hurt me. But you did” she walked off the bus slamming the dor behind her.

“haha Nick looks like you’ve done it now” I laughed walking back in.

“what the fuck was that Brianna, you told me you wouldn’t say anything to her”

“I didn’t I said it to you”

“same thing. Now look shes mad at me”

“Maybe next time you’ll know not to screw around with me”

“im sorry about all that. I just don’t know what I want right now”

“well it looks like you don’t have a choice anymore” I said “you blew it with me, and it looks like Eliese too. So do me a favor and just leave me alone”