Two months have passed since the funeral. Life pretty much has gone back to normal. Aj and the guys have stayed close to me to keep me company and to make sure that I was all right. While at the same time, Ive stayed close to them to do the same. I missed alot of school, so because of that I couldnt graduate with the rest of my class. Thats why this summer I have to take some extra classes. Its weird. At school everyone stares at me like the girl in the plastic bubble. Some times I just want to stop in the middle of the hall and scream at the top of my lung "What are you lookimg at?!?" but I dont. I just ignor them.
Today Aj and I are going to the Art Institue Of Chicago so I can study one of the paintings for my art class assignment. I hate doing work on Saturdays, but it was Aj's idea we go. I just wanted to stay home and read about it in the encyclopedia, but he figured that since it was hanging im the musuem why not see it up close. So I agreed. I was getting ready to go, changing my cloths about twenty times before I found just the right outfit. I went to my dresser to get my butterfly clips when I noticed the drawer that held the the picture of Nick and I was open. I looked inside to find the picture was still there. I hadnt looked at it since the funeral, so I took it out. After staring at our two shining goofy smiles, I placed back in the drawer and closed it.
"Knock knock..can I come in?" Aj said poking his head in my room and starling me.
"Huh!? Uh yeah!" I replied grabbing my clips from the other drawer.
"Damn woman, your not ready yet?" Aj joked grabbing a clip and putting it in his own hair. "Hey you think its me?"
"Crazy give that back or Ill make you wear it all day!" I said turning twords him with my hand held out.
"You know, Ill take you up on that threat, and I WILL wear it all day!" He told me "So naaa!"
"Okay..fine weirdo. One of these days someone is gonna think youve flipped." I told him as I finished my hair. "Then they will sent ya to a loony bin."
"No they wont! they expect me to be nuts!"
"Yeah, well, at the musuem they expect you
to be sane. Hey wanna go to the Feild musuem after wards?"
"Oh yeah! Not a bad idea. Cant wait to see the giant mammoths!" He said walking over to me and checking him self out in the mirror. "Uh, why are you getting so dolled up anyways?" He asked.
"Why not? I dont know.. I guess its time for a change." I said "Ready yet prince?"
"Yes ma'dam princess, I am"
"Lets go then." I replied looking one more time at myself in the mirror.
As Aj left the room, he grabbed my cell phone and started calling what I assumed was one of his ladies this month. I shut the door behind me and followed him down the stairs. When we got outside he hung up with who ever it was and handed me back my phone. I placed it back into my purse making sure the ringer was off. Why I still carried the thing i had no idea. I had gotten it only because Nick was away at tour and if he called he would get me no matter where I was.
We chose to take my Dakota truck since everyone in Chicago had gotten to know Ajs Expedition. After switching the radio about six hundred times Aj finally setteled on B96 who was playing their 1200 lunch mix. I guess he had heared "Everbody" in the mix and wanted to see what they were doing. He swore he hated this station since the Britney Spears thing where she cracked on the backstreet boys. But after me convincing him that it wasnt their fault she had implants and her boobs got in the way of her thinking.. he finally changed his mind about them.
"Everyyyyyboooody! yeahhhhh.. Rock your boody!..Yeahhhh..." Aj sang at the top of his lungs. "Everybody..backstreets back alright!"
"Do you HAVE to do that every single time a bsb song come on?" I asked him, hopeing for silence.
"You do it!" He replied, "Its only fair."
"Well, umm.. but Im not a backstreet boy!" I tried to defend my self. And I think I lost.
"So? And your point being...What? He laughed. Damn I hate when I loose to him.
"Never mind Just forget about it." I mumbled hearing the song still playing while the djs mixed it with..ugghh.. N syncs tearing up my heart. Why do they do that?
Suddenly Aj fell silent. I knew why. In between the chorus of tearing up my heart, you could hear Nick bellow out "Am I sexual ?".. Wow, what a way to stop a conversation right away. I quickly turned off the radio, good thing too, since we were at the parking garage. I stuck my hand out and grabbed an automated ticket from the machine so the gate would lift up. After driving around and around for what seemed to be forever we found a spot about three blocks away from the museum. I thanked god, since Saturdays were usually impossble to find parking at all.
We got out noteing where we parked and headed twords the stairs that lead up to Michegan Ave. Once there a few passerbyers noticed who Aj was and just started to scream. Then they ran, and I mean literally ran, through traffic to get to the other side so they could meet their favorite backstreet boy.
While all this was going on, I just stopped and looked out twords Lake Michegan, taking in the veiw of Navy Peir from where we were standing. I could see that they had the giant ferris wheel going, and that all the yauhts were docked..God even the one they called The Ugly Duck. That one always made me giggle cause it was yellow to match the name. I looked at my watch. It was now 12:45 and the museum was only open until 2:00. I yelled for Aj to come on that we had to go, and the girls just looked so disappointed. He signed another autograph and took one more picture then he left them standing there.
"Thanks" He said walking to where I had been standing for about ten minutes.
"Hey no problem Im use to it" I told him, remebering the times it happened to me and Nick when we came down here. "So, you up for some art?"
"Dude as ready as Ill ever be!" He replied grabbing my hand and dragging me up the thirty step to the entrance of the Museum.
"Hey Aj look, its your long lost twin!" I yelled while pointing at one of the statue lions in front of the place.
"Funny, real funny. Damn comedians." He mumbled
"Grouch"
"Gurrrrr..know get away from my trash can Big bird" Aj mimicked from seasame street. "Can we go in now?"
I laughed at him, but had to soon hush since he opened the doors. It was so quiet in there. He paid the admission and soon we were of in search f the painting called "Sliced Bread". From what I hear, it was the next to the panting "The Next best thing since sliced cheese". We found it and just stared at it in disbilief. In stead of it being a painting of "Sliced Bread" it had a caterpillar eating spagetti. Aj started giggling. And soon I caught his giggles too. After a few minutes of looking at "Sliced Bread" we left. What was there to study? A caterpiller eating sagetti is art? Oh kay.
After we left, Aj asked if it was alright we just went back to my house a chilled instead of going to see the mammoths. When we got there noone was home. My mom had left a note that they would be back around 7:30 and that lunch was in the fridge for me. I put the lasagna in the oven and told Aj id be right back, that I wanted to get something from my room. Stll giggling from the painting, I opened the door to my room and almost screamed. There laying on my bed was Nick, smiling at me.
