I stepped around Kevin, and went to my bunk. I needed some happy, upbeat music, so I put Beach Boys Greatest Hits into my head set, and laid down to listen to it.

"Round, round git around, I git around, yeah, git around round round, I get around. I get around," I sang. Singing had always soothed me when I was feeling upset, especially singing something fun and upbeat.

My shoulder was tapped all the sudden. I screamed in surprise. I took the headphones off my head and saw Nick sticking his head in my bunk.

"Nick, you scared the living crap out of me!" I put my hand to my chest, and my heart was racing.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "Listen, we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk," I said, sticking my nose in the air.

"You get that cute little nose of yours out here so we can talk." I shook my head. "Then I'm coming in," he said.

"Aaah!" I shouted, as Nick shoved his big self in my bunk. "This isn't big enough for both of us!"

"Move over!" he said. I obediently moved as close to the wall as I could.

"What do you want?" I asked. "Now that you've shoved yourself into my personal space."

"Shut up," he ordered. My eyes popped open wide. "Listen, you know AJ didn't mean it that way."

"I heard what I heard."

"But you took it wrong. Rini, we would never ever do anything like that, and you know it. We told your parents we'd take care of you, and we aren't guys to go back on our words."

"I'm not a baby, I don't need baby-sitters."

"I'm not saying you do, but Rini, there are weird people out there. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"You sound like my father."

Nick sighed. "And you sound like Angel when she's in a brat fit, okay?" I looked up at him with flashing eyes. "Calm down, Rini, please?"

I took a deep breath. "Okay."

"I'm serious though. I've known you all of what, a couple months? But I would never want or let anything happen to you. AJ didn't mean it like that. He would never do anything like that. Are you willing to come out of this hole now?"

I sighed. "Yes. Nick," I looked up into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I was being a brat, and I needed someone to tell me that. It's just, you know, I'm new at this, and it's causing stress that I've never had to worry about before. Am I forgiven?" I looked up at him with my best puppy eyes.

He smiled. "Of course. You're hard to hold a grudge against."

I smiled back. "It's an art."

He shook his head, laughing. I watched him closely. He looked so cute, his eyes closed laughing like that. I bit my lip.

He finally stopped laughing and looked at me. He had a piece of hair hanging down on his face. As I reached up to brush it away, he held my wrist, and drew me in closer to him. Our lips touched, and we kissed. I ran my fingers through his hair, and his hands ran up and down my back.

I pulled away first. I looked at him, and he looked back at me.

"Oh my," I whispered.

"Oh my is right." We just sat there for a little while longer looking at each other.

"Well," I said, breaking the silence. "We're probably close to McDonalds, so-"

"Yeah." He climbed out of the bunk, and I followed. We walked into the TV room, where Brian and Kevin were playing MarioKart on Nintendo 64.

"So did Nick explain everything?" AJ asked. I nodded. "Am I forgiven then?"

"Yeah," I said, walking over to him and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Ooh, a kiss by a pretty lady. That could make my day."

"It made mine," I heard Nick whisper behind me. I stomped on his foot.

"Ow!" he said, starting to hop up and down.

"What's wrong, Nick?" asked Brian.

"I accidentally stepped on his foot," I explained. "I'm sorry, Nick."

"No problem," he said through clenched teeth.

"We should be at McDonalds in about ten minutes," said Kevin, glancing at his watch.

"Sounds good," I said, sitting down on the floor. Nick sat down next to me.

"What did you do that for?" he whispered, still holding his foot.

"I heard what you said."

"So? It wasn't insulting. Gee whiz, you are the weirdest girl I've ever met. One minute you're the sweetest thing, and the next you're whacked out bitch girl."

I shot a glare at him. "Maybe that's because I don't know what to do about you."

"About me? You're trying to blame this on me?"

"It's just, you make me confused, and I've always been one who likes to know what's going on."

"Confused about what?" he asked, more gently.

I shrugged. "I don't know! If I knew I wouldn't be confused, now would I?"

"I don't know! I have no clue what goes on inside that twisted head of yours."

I exhaled loudly. "Okay, I'm stopping this conversation before one of us gets violent. We'll discuss this later, okay?"

He shrugged. "Whatever."

"Oh!" I said. "And you say I'm difficult."

"You are."

I turned away from him, and looked at the TV. But my mind wasn't really on the TV, it was thinking about Nick.

I felt eyes watching me. I had always had a sixth sense about that. I turned around and saw Nick looking at me. He turned his head away as soon as he saw me turn around. I turned my head back around sharply.

We arrived at McDonalds soon, and we all got off the bus. I let Nick walk up ahead and I fell back with Brian.

"Hey, Rini," he said.

"Hi," I said dully.

"I'm glad I incite such excitement in you," he joked.

"Sorry, Bri, I'm just thinking."

"About Nick?"

I looked at him quickly. "What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously.

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's just that the two of you seem to have some unresolved thing you're having trouble working out."

"And what makes you think that?"

"Hate to break it to you, but both you and Nick are very readable people. Your facial expressions give you away really easily. I was watching you two while Kev was playing AJ, and although I couldn't hear you, your face gave it away that you're upset."

"I'm not upset. I'm closer to confused."

"Okay then. Will it help if I tell you I think Nick likes you?"

"No. Don't tell me anything, please. I don't know what I'm feeling right now. He and I, our personalities seem to clash."

"I don't think it's that," he said slowly. "I'd say more along the lines that you two are a lot alike, and neither of you knows what you're thinking right now, and it comes out as that weird tension you two have."

"I guess," I said. It was my turn to order next. "I'd like a sausage Croissanwich with cheese, a small hash brown, and a vanilla Nickshake, I mean milkshake!! Milkshake, that's what I said."

I heard Brian behind me start to laugh.

The girl behind the counter smiled. "Nick is your boyfriend?"

I shook my head. "No. Not my boyfriend."

"Oh, I get it. Secret crush."

"Not exactly," I said. "It's kind of complicated."

She smiled at me as she handed me my tray of food. "A sausage Croissanwich with cheese, medium hash browns and a vanilla Nickshake. That'll be 3.89."

I smiled as I handed her four bucks, and got my change from her. I took my food from her and walked away.

"Good luck!" she called after me. "I hope you get everything straightened out."

"Me, too," I muttered. I sat down at the booth next to AJ, and across from Howie. Nick was sitting diagonal to me. Kevin was on the other side of AJ. Brian sat down next to Nick.

"So, Rini, how's your milkshake?" he asked.

I gave him a Look. "It's great, just great."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive," I said tightly.

The other Backstreet Boys looked at us. "What's up with the milkshake?" asked AJ.

"Oh, nothing. Brian's just being goofy," I said.

AJ looked skeptical but gave it up.

**********