"Really, hun, I love the streaks. Should I do the same so I can match ya?" Kevin asked Danielle as we sat on the bus during the drive to Nevada. J, Kev, Brock, and D were all getting extremely excited about playing in the casinos.
Danielle playfully began to hit her boyfriend. "Stop teasing me!!" she whined. Kevin curled up in defense, then looked at her and scrunched his nose while laughing. "They're almost gone, anyways," Dani pointed out. Amanda walked into the back of the bus with a bowl of popcorn and plopped down on the couch next to Nick.
"Okay ready?" he asked.
"Ready sir!" Manda exclaimed. Nick turned on the TV and his new Sega Dreamcast, and handed her one of the controls. Brian sauntered into the room.
"I gotta see this!" he cried. Howie and I were playing styrofoam basketball with the little plastic hoop hanging by the door separating us from Jeff. Chachi was barking up a storm as D and I tackled each other for the ball. There was definitely something in the air that put us all in a good mood today. The past few days, we had been bumming around the bus, moping because we had nothing to do and were extremely bored.
"Hey guys look out the right window!!" we suddenly heard Jeff holler. Every person on the bus shifted over to a window and stuck his or her face up to it. The band's bus came driving past us. Sitting in the driver's seat was AJ, waving at us with a goofy looking smile on his face. Almost immediately, Nick dashed up to Jeff and took over the driving. He sped up so we'd be right next to the band and tried to stay right beside them. AJ decided he wanted to drag race the buses, so stepped on the gas a little harder. Nick did the same. Before long it became a race of the buses. Nick and AJ were having a ball.
"Okay okay okay Nick! I think it's about time you stop before the cops catch you on radar!" Jeff cried, taking over the wheel and sending Nick to the back of the bus.
"Yeah Nick! We gotta finish this game we started! Cuz you now i'm gunna whoop your ass!" Manda yelled from the back.
"Yeah yeah yeah! I'm comin Munchkin!" he called, jogging to the back of the bus. Brian heard that and watched the two as Nick fell down on the couch beside his opponent.
"Nick you better not fall on top of me hun!" she cried, hunching away as he landed on the couch with a plop, sending the bowl of popcorn onto the ground. Just then, Kevin walked back with a cell.
"Bri, call for you," he informed his cousin. Hesitantly, he got up, then grabbed the cell phone out of Kev's hand and found a spot in the front of the bus to sit as he talked to whomever was on the other line.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Hey Brian. My premiere party is next Friday. Do you and Tyk want to come? I mean considering you're in it and all?" It was Leighanne. Brian sighed.
"Leighanne...I dunno. I'm really busy at the moment. You know what the tour is like," he tried to explain.
"Yeah I know but I thought it would be nice for you to come since you two have cameos in it," she told him. I heard that magic L-Word of Death and shot my head in Brian's direction. Then I looked at Howie with wide eyes. The two of us were now sitting at the table, playing a card game. D was just as shocked as I. We felt terrible to be eavesdropping, yet we couldn't help but wonder what she was up to. I studied Brian's expressions. He sighed again.
"I'll see if I can book a flight out of Nevada after our last concert, but--" he decided.
"I already checked flights. There's one for you. I can book a ticket if you want me to," she interrupted.
"Okay. I'll call you when we get to our hotel okay?" Brock agreed. I raised my eyebrows questioningly at Howie. In the background, we could hear Nick and Amanda arguing over who had won their game.
"I can't wait to see you Brian! I miss our talks and playing with Lil' Tyk so much!" she exclaimed, excitedly. Just then, Danielle walked by to get a drink of orange juice.
"Yeah I'm sure Tyk misses you too," he mumbled. Dani's head turned sharply toward me and she wore the exact same expression I had a few minutes before. I put my finger to my lips, signaling her to not say anything. Brian said goodbye and hung up the phone, then leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked up at us. "PLEASE do not say anything about this to Amanda you guys. I'd like to tell her on my own, when the time is right, okay?" The three of us agreed to secrecy, and watched as Brian made his way to the back of the bus.
"Nick! I swear! You cheat! You practice this game everynight so now you know all the secret passages by heart so you can just tear everything up and not give me a fair chance!" Amanda whined. Nick looked at her and started to argue. "Well you know what? I'm gunna beat you at your own game! Now I'm going to start staying up late at night and sneaking in here during your rehearsals and by the end of the tour, I'll have this entire game memorized!!" she declared, trying to hold back giggles. Brian looked at her, a little bewildered by her determination. He laughed softly and bent over to kiss his girlfriend on the forehead.
"Oh so you're gunna beat Nick eh?" he asked. Amanda smiled at him.
"I'm not too good at this," she laughed. Brock squished in between Amanda and Nick and took the control out of her lap.
"Well you'll just have to learn from the master!" he exclaimed. Nicky and Manda scooted over so there would be some room for Brian, and he and Nick started up their game again.
"Yeah right Manda. Just watch! I can beat him too!" Nicky laughed. Brian, happy to put distance between the two, smiled to himself. It shouldn't have bothered him that his girlfriend and best friend were so close, yet he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy since they had their James Bond kiss.
"Just watch," Brock whispered to Amanda, giving her another kiss, only this time placing his lips on hers. Nick watched, feeling a little strange. Then, he pushed start and got a head start at the game. Brian opened his eyes and jerked his head away from their kiss. "HEY!! CHEATER!"
"That's what you get for not being prepared!" Nick slyly stated. Amanda laughed.
"You two are just like five-year-olds," she sighed, getting up to do some work. In the front of the bus, Howie was playing around with the dogs while I danced around the bus to the music. Dani was reading a magazine, and Kev was eating some lunch at the table. Amanda grabbed her laptop and sat down.
"Mind if I join ya?" she asked.
"Be my guest," he replied, smiling at her. Dani looked at Amanda, then at me. She lipped 'let's tell her,' but I shook my head no and lipped back 'let Brian.' Just then, Nick walked in, running his fingers through his hair, tired from all the energy he had used on the game he and Brian had just played. Amanda saw this and had to struggle to keep her jaw from dropping. Something about that little gesture of his running his fingers through the blonde hair completely intrigued her. She shook the thought from her head.
"So who won?" she wanted to know, smiling at Nick.
"Why, me, of course," he declared, flashing his brilliant, as well as adorable smile at her.
"Ah yeah yeah get off your little high horse, baffoon!" Brian exclaimed, storming into the room and pushing Nick, causing him to fall on Amanda. He almost immediately began to curse himself for that. Danielle watched this all with a little bit of suspicion. Something was going on and she couldn't quite figure it out but it had been like this since the week before Halloween. Amanda put out her arms instinctively as Nick fell, his face dangerously close to hers, catching him just in time. They both laughed.
"You ok?" Manda made sure.
"Yeah I'm fine," he said, getting up and fixing his hair. Immediately, Amanda looked at Brian, who was watching her red face fade back to its normal color.
"So how goes it hun?" she winked at him. Brian chuckled halfheartedly and walked toward the back room, jamming his hands in his pockets. Amanda instantly got up and chased after him.
"Man Nicky! You have got to stop falling on people!" Howie joked.
"Hey it ain't my fault!" Nick innocently proclaimed.
In the back room, Amanda saw Brian staring blankly at the black TV screen. She shut the door behind her so they could be alone, and sat down on the ground in front of him.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked softly. Brian sighed.
"Hey, uh, Nick ya think you should lay off Amanda for awhile?" Kevin said. Nick gave him a confused look.
"Yeah, ya know it's better than laying on her like you just did," Danielle teased.
"Seriously, Brian seemed a little bothered by it just now," Kev continued. Nick shrugged.
"Yeah what about Amy? The one who's in LA caring for your dogs?" Dani pointed out.
"Yeah! Amanda's best friend?!" I added, sarcastically. "Yeah I think I remember her...skinny....brown hair...brown eyes...tall...really pretty....yeah I 'member her...do you?!"
"Man! It ain't my fault! He came in like a maniac and pushed me on her!" Nick tried to defend himself. Just then, we began to hear tons of screaming. The five of us looked out the windows and were greeted by thousands upon thousands of faces, signs, and cameras.
"We're at the hotel," Jeff called from the driver's seat, driving the bus around to the back of the hotel.
"Okay guys, let's just cool it and go get Amanda and Brian. It'll be easier on security if we go in together," Howie broke up our little argument. Dani got up and went to get Manda and Brock while Nick and I grabbed the dogs and stuck them in my backpack. The bus pulled to a halt and we all climbed off it and ran toward the hotel's back entrance. A few bellhops came by and handed us our keys before running us into the hotel elevator. We rode up to the top floor and got off. As soon as the doors opened, a few passersby saw the guys and shrieked with surprise.
"We on the right floor?" Dani wanted to know. The elevator guy said we were. The guys were extremely cool headed about it and said hi to the girls, giving them hugs and talking with them as we walked down the hall.
"I thought we got restricted floors," Amanda whispered to me. I shrugged.
"So did I. I dunno what's up," I told her. The boys said goodbye to their fans and we walked toward our rooms. The seven of us departed once we got to our destination: three suites.
Once in their room, Brian immediately sat Amanda down again and they continued their conversation that had been interrupted when they were on the bus.
"Amanda, I don't know what it is, but I swear I can see something between you and Nick. Now tell me the truth. Is there?" he begged to know. Amanda sighed.
"Brian, I told you on the bus, I honestly don't know if there is or not! I am so confused right now! There has just been too much stress right now! Maybe being on a tourbus is getting to my head or something," she tried to explain, though it really was no use, for she was just as confused as he was.
"Honey, I just want to know the truth. If you think there might be something coming between us in this relationship and we need to reconfigure it, tell me," Brian told her. Amanda tried hard not to let a full stream of tears flow down her cheeks.
"Brian, I...I honestly don't know what it is. And I don't want to lose you. I don't want to hurt Amy or you," she replied, resting her head on her hands.
"Well I guess I'm no better off than you are..." he mumbled. Amanda looked up at his blue eyes, wrinkling her brow in confusion.
"Huh?"
"Leighanne called and wants me to go to the premiere of Olive Juice and take Tyk with me," he informed her. She sighed heavily.
"But I don't want to. I want to stay here with you so we can figure things out. The last thing we need is for me to go to a premiere with my ex-girlfriend."
"So are you going to go or not?" Amanda asked, curiously.
"I don't know. It all depends," Brian told her. "I would like to go. It would be a good break from the tour and I could get to LA early but..."
"But what? What does it depend on?" she begged to know. "Look Brian, you were in the movie too. There is no reason why you shouldn't go. You and Leighanne are still friends, I trust you completely and you should go to support her," Amanda said, not waiting for an answer. Saying those words killed her, but she knew that it was the right thing to do.
A ringing cell phone in Brian's pocket broke the silence.
"Hello?" he asked. "Oh hi Leighanne." Amanda lipped to him that she needed to take a walk, and immediately made her way out the hotel room door, not bothering to stay and hear the conversation.
As she walked, the tears she had been holding back began to make their way down her cheeks. She walked faster and faster down the hall, keeping her head down. Unaware of her surroundings, she ran smack into Nick.
"Oh sorry--" Nick began to say, but cut short when he noticed that Amanda was crying.
"What's wrong Munchkin?" She sniffled a little, bringing her head up to look into a new pair of baby blues.
"Nothing Nick," Amanda said, barely above a whisper as she tried to squirm out of the strong grasp Nick had on her arm. She couldn't. He pulled her down beside the soda machine he had been standing before, and sat down indian style in front of her.
"Come on Manda. Tell me. I have three sisters. I know something's up when a girl has been crying," he told her.
"It's nothing!" Amanda insisted, keeping her eyes away from his. The last thing she needed to see were blue eyes. Nick broke a small smile.
"You're not gunna get away until you tell me what's up," he softly joked. Amanda sobbed as the tears continued. Then, she sighed.
"Nick what is going on?" she demanded.
"Huh?"
"Come on. You know what I mean!" Amanda cried. "There's something between us!" Wary of the possible eavesdropping, Nick got up and held out both his hands for Amanda to grab.
"Well let's discuss this in my room. It'll be safer that way," Nick decided, helping her up and leading her into his room. "Besides, AJ isn't here yet. There's no way anyone can hear us in there." Throwing his half empty bottle in a nearby trashcan, Nick made his way over to the room and unlocked it with his keycard. He shut the door behind Amanda, then pulled a chair up and sat backwards in it, in front of her on the couch. He rested his arms on the top of the back of the chair and let his chin sit on his wrists.
"Okay Nick. We seriously need to figure this out," Amanda sighed, wiping away her tears before they dried on her face.
"I don't know either. I mean I still love Amy but I guess there was something in that kiss we had," he started to say.
"Oh GOD it is my fault," Amanda groaned, throwing her hands in the air.
"No! No it's not! It's both of our faults! I take just as much of the blame as you do," Nick corrected her.
"Well what is it then?! Are we just taking this flirting a little too far or are we really falling for each other?" Amanda wanted to know.
"Seriously?" Nick asked. She shook her head.
"I think it's being on the bus. We are so tired and bored with things that we just end up flirting with each other. You and I just have a lot of fun together. And I'm lonely because Amy left and you remind me so much of her." Amanda smiled softly.
"But that's not all," she continued. Nick gave her a confused look. "Leighanne's been calling Brian a lot lately. She wants him to go to the premiere of Olive Juice in LA next Friday." Almost instantly, Amanda began crying again. Nick got up and sat beside her on the couch, wrapping his arm around her in comfort. "GOD I HATE THIS!" Amanda moaned through her sobs.
"Hey Bone have you seen Amanda?" Brian asked as he passed AJ walking to his room. J set down his duffle bag so he could get his keycard to his and Nick's suite.
"No man, I just got here," AJ told Brian.
"Maybe she took a walk in the lobby." J jammed the card into its slot, then took it out and opened the door. He and Brian saw Amanda and Nick sitting on the couch, she crying as he rocked her in his arms. Brian pivoted around and stormed back to his room, dialing up a number in his cell phone.
"Yeah Leighanne? Hi. I changed my mind. I'll go with you. Book the flight and have them send the tickets to my hotel in overnight delivery..."
"Ahhhhhhhhh Howie why are there fans on our floor?" I asked D as we sat around in our room of the suite.
"I really don't know Steph. I guess they didn't have a private floor here. It's no big deal. The fans will be pretty good, I'm sure," Howie explained. As if timing couldn't have been more perfect, there was a knock at the door. I went to open the door and found a short little blonde boy standing before me.
"Hi Steph!" Aaron exclaimed perkily.
"Hey AC! How was the ride with the dancers?" I asked, letting the eleven-year-old in.
"It was so much fun! Reggie and I played sega and I beat him! Then Emo and I watched Mortal Kombat! And we played and they made me lunch! We saw Nick driving the bus! John said one day he'd let me steer the bus!" Aaron cried. Howie and I laughed at his energy.
"That's great Aaron. Which room are you staying in?" Howie wanted to know.
"Swoop said I could stay with him tonight. Swoop thinks I'm cool! He wants to choreograph my videos!" Aaron explained. "Do you know where Nick is?"
"Yeah he's two doors down the hall," I said. Just then, Sleepy poked his head through the door.
"Aaron you want your backpack?" he asked. AC turned around to look at our dancer.
"Yeah Sleepy. Thanks! I better go guys. Maybe Emo and I can order a movie or something," he told us, bounding out the door. "Bye guys!" As soon as the door shut, Howie looked at me.
"That boy cracks me up! I wish I were his age again," D told me.
"Sometimes you look his age, so don't worry bout that," I teased. "Do you wanna do anything today?"
"Well the guys and I might go do some gambling, but for now I just want to sleep," he said.
"Okay then I'll let you go. I'm going to find the girls," I decided, getting up to follow Aaron's footsteps. "Bye D!" He waved goodbye and I disappeared out of the room. Down the hall, Guy and Mindi were talking to two girls who were staying on the same floor as us. I walked towards where the dancers' rooms were and ran into Danielle.
"Hey Buzz!" Dani greeted me.
"Hey Dani! What's goin' on?" I asked.
"Nothing. Kevin just left with Louie to go check out the casinos," she informed me.
"Ah that's cool. So you're just walking around?"
"Yeah. Hey Steph do you know what's up with Brian? I mean why is Leighanne calling him on the cell?" Dani wanted to know.
"I have no clue! But I think she wants him to go see the premiere of her movie with her," I explained.
"WHAT?! WHY?" Dani begged to know.
"I have no clue. It's probably like a friendly gesture or something," I said. "I don't think she means any harm. Probably just wants to see him again or something."
"I know, but I just saw Brian storming away from Nick's room and he didn't look too happy. Is something really goin on between Nick and Amanda?!" Danielle was curious. I shrugged, just as AJ came walking by.
"Hey Dani can I hang out with you guys right now? My room's sorta off limits," he asked
"Huh?" Dani and I both exclaimed.
"Oh shit! I think Brian just saw us hugging," Nick realized. Amanda looked at him, then let her head fall to her hands and sat on the couch thinking.
"GREAT. NOW what am I gunna do? I can't believe I'm in this situation. Nick, I gotta go find him," she told her friend.
"Uh huh and you better hurry. Dude I hope he didn't take anything seriously. Wait. Manda, let me talk to him. You stay here. I can talk some sense into the guy," Nick decided. He jumped off the couch and dashed out the door. He spotted Brian walking down the hall, on the phone. "Hey B-Rok! Hold up!" Brian got off the phone and turned around.
"What Nick?" he asked, sounding perturbed.
"B-Rok, Amanda is really upset over the fact that Leighanne keeps calling you. She knows she shouldn't be but she can't help it. You guys went out for like three years and you even proposed to her before you met Amanda. You guys bought Tyk together. She's scared Brian. She ran into me at the soda machine and I made her tell me. There is absolutely nothing between us!" Nick rambled.
"Nick how could I believe you?" Brian questioned his best friend.
"BRIAN?! How could you not?! Come on man! Don't be stubborn!" Nick whined.
"I dunno Nick. Something is just telling me not to. I...I just...I have lost two girls before and I really don't want my relationship with Amanda to go down the drain, either. I couldn't handle it," Brian tried to explain.
"Ya don't think I know that Brian?!" Nick cried. He shoved Brian into the closest open door and shut it behind him. They saw Howie asleep on the bed and brought their fight down to a whisper. "Manda and I took things a bit too far but we decided to quit it. And man, all I can say is I really need Amy on this tour..."
"Nick if I said I believed you, and I do, I just don't want to meet up with you guys and see a million tabloids saying what a slut she is because she slept with you or something," Brian told his friend. Nick listened to Brian, then wrapped his arms around him in an unexpected hug.
"Uh yeah I love you guys too, but could you please take this type of activity somewhere else so I don't have to watch?!" Howie had woken up. They got out of the hug and looked at D, laughing. Howie waved to them, then watched as the two left, and threw his head back on the pillow to finish his nap.