The next day, Mary and I were in the back of the bus, silent, the only sound her pencil scratching on her paper. I inhaled slowly and looked at her.
"Mary?"
"Hmm?" she murmured, not looking up. I exhaled, blowing her hair some.
"What's the difference between love and hate?"
She stopped writing and looked up at me, resting her arms across her folder, her pencil in her hand. She shook her head.
"There is none."
"What do you mean?"
"When you love someone so much and you can't live without them, you hate them for making you feel that way. When you hate someone so much that you can't look at them and not get mad, you love them for bringing out such a strong emotion from inside you. Love and hate are equal and opposite reactions to each other, one cannot exist without the other." Her voice remained soft as she explained, her eyes curious as to why I was asking. I didn't say anything for a minute, thinking about what she'd said.
She played with her pencil, flipping it with her fingers.
My heart pounded at the thought of what I was about to do, and I had no idea how she'd react. But I did it anyway. I leaned forward and kissed her. It surprised her, 'cause she leaned back slightly. But I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her towards me.
I heard her folder drop to the floor, papers fluttering.
She finally placed her hand on my shoulder and leaned back, looking at me.
"Kevin," she whispered.
"I'm sorry," I said in the same tone.
She looked at me another minute, her eyes searching mine for something, though I wasn't sure what.
Then she stood up, her pencil still in her hand as she twisted it up in her hair. Her hips seemed to swish more as she left the room -or maybe it was just the pendant hanging from the chain around her waist. In any case, she left kinda hurridly.
I groaned and sat back, bringing her notebook up with me.
I looked at the page she'd been writing on when I'd asked her the question. It was a letter to me, unfinished.

Kevin
You guys are going on your European tour soon, which means I'm gone. I just need to tell you that

That was all there was. I regretted stopping her so she could've finished it. Though I was sure now she was gonna change whatever it was she had in mind.
I groaned again, dropping the drafted letter on the seat beside me.

Brian
I looked up from my seat by the window as Mary sat down beside me. She looked out the window, her eyes showing a dark pleasure in the dismal, almost black sky outside. A streak of jagged lightning struck, illuminating her face and eyes.
She reached up and pulled the pencil from her hair, allowing it to lie on her back in mild waves.
I wondered what'd gotten her so quiet so suddenly. I hoped Nick hadn't been bothering her again. Then I thought of her and Kevin and how close they were. Just a week ago, Kevin had told me -in total confidence- how much he liked her. And how he didn't think she shared the same feelings towards him.
As I stood up, a tear, unnoticed by her, rolled down her cheek. She continued to stare out the window.
I went to the back of the bus and found Kevin, his knees pulled up to his chest, staring into space. He looked about ready to cry, too.
"Kev, what happened?" I asked softly, sitting next to him. He looked a little despondent, but he was there.
"I did it, Brian. I kissed her," he murmured. I nodded slightly.
"And?"
"She just looked at me afterwards, as if I'd betrayed her or hurt her or something... she said my name, I apologized, and she left..."
I stared at him. Good Lord, the boy was lovestruck.

Me
My silent reverie was broken when Nick plopped his ass down beside me. I reluctantly dragged my eyes from the storm outside and glared at him.
"What do you want?"
"This sure as hell isn't a social call. The driver-"
"So go away."
"Can't I finish a freakin' sentence?"
"You did. You said one sentence. Albeit one sentence too much, but you've said it anyway. Aren't you so proud of youself? Forming full sentences now. What an accomplishment, Nicky boy. Tell someone who cares."
"You think you're so damn smart, don't you?"
"I pride myself in my intelligence, yes. Though you seem to pride yourself in your lack of it."
"May I continue?"
"Go for it."
He eyed me, his blue eyes icy.
"The driver got a call. One of the car drivers is sick and needs someone to drive the car. Problem is, his passenger can't drive, so they need two people in that car."
"Why are you telling me this? I thought you said this wasn't a social call."
"It's not," he practically growled. "The driver volunteered us."
"Us?"
"Us. As in you and me."
"What?" I cried, jumping up. "I am not sitting in a car with you for six more hours."
Nick winced and shook his head. "And you sing with that voice?"
I glared at him, wishing I could make him just... catch on fire.
"Look, I'm not too terribly thrilled either, but he won't let us argue out of it."
"Great, what a way to end my day," I muttered.
"We're stopping at the next rest stop, get ready."
"I am ready," I snapped.
"Smart mouth and all," he muttered, rolling his eyes. I resisted the urge to flick him off and just sat back down, sighing.
When we got to the rest stop, the rain hadn't let up any, so we explained the whole thing to the others in the bus. Kevin kept looking at me with these sad eyes and it made me wanna yell at him, to make him quit' making me feel so damn guilty.
"Alright, then we'll see you guys there," Brian said. Nick and I nodded and got off the bus and got in the car, Nick behind the wheel.
"Why do you get to drive?" I asked. He gave me a look as he shifted to drive.
"Because I wanna get there before soundcheck, not after the concert. I've seen you drive in the rain."
"Oh, great, so we'll die before we get there with you driving." I fastened my seat belt and tightened it. He rolled his eyes and pulled onto the interstate. After a few minutes of silence, Nick switched on the radio, found a rock station and cranked it up. I frowned at him and turned it off. He frowned back at me.
"Why'd you do that?"
"Because I don't wanna hear it."
"You know something, you're not the most important person in the world, contrary to what you may think. I don't understand why Kevin likes you so damn much, you're such a bitch."
"Oh, that's just for you, I just do that to piss you off. It's such an easy job."
"That's because you aggravate me so much."
"Don't worry, the feeling is mutual."
"You see, the beauty of it all is you go home tomorrow and I never see you again."
"Oh, trust me, Nicky boy, you can't get rid of me that easily. Bear in mind, we share the same record label. You will see me again."
"That sounds like a threat."
"That's not a threat. That's not even close to me threatening you. I can threaten you, if you'd like."
"No, thanks," he said wryly.
"Didn't think so."
"Why do you think you're so high and mighty over everyone else?"
"Not everyone; just you."
"Why are you so God damn frustrating?"
"Because it annoys the hell out of you."
"Can't you just give me a fucking straight answer for once?"
"Why would I give a straight answer to someone who's not?"
"That's it! You-"
"What are you gonna do, hit me?" I turned and faced him. "Go ahead, I dare you. I so fucking dare you." I stared at him. He stared straight ahead, his hands clutching the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. They were also shaking.
I sat back and continued to stare at him.
"I knew you couldn't do it."
"I don't hit girls."
"Girls? I thought I was a bitch."
"You are. But I'm not going to hit you."
"You're so kind," I said sarcastically. We were now on some small one way, surrounded by trees. It was still storming outside, almost worse than before.
"You're right, I am kind. You're lucky I'm not the kind of guy who enjoys hitting girls just because he feels like it, because if I were-"
"If you were, the other guys would be on your ass so fast."
"What are you now, some goddess to be revered?"
"No, dumbass. I just know the others wouldn't let you hurt me."
"You have such confidence in them."
I started to say something but was distracted by a flash of lightning as it hit a tree close to the road. As it started to fall, my eyes widened.
"Nick, watch the fucking road!"
His eyes snapped back to the road and everything else was a blur. He hit the brakes, the car skidded, we spun once, and we hit the tree.

Part 9
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