Chapter 4

    Lance looked at the picture in his hands.  Michelle's pretty face smiled back at him.  His face crumpled as tears gathered in his eyes.  A lump rose in his throat.  It had only been a week since Michelle broke up with him, but it felt like an eternity to Lance.  Michelle had been his life, his main source of happiness for 2 and a 1/2 years, before she broke up with him out of the blue.  Without her, he was lost.  He didn't know what to do, how to handle himself anymore.  Lance had given up trying to look good, and wallowed in depression for the past week.  A single tear slid down his cheek as he thought of all the wonderful times he had shared with Michelle.  He couldn't help but think of her, even though he knew he shouldn't; she had been his life, and he found that he was unable to move on.

    Just as Lance was about to curl up in the corner of his bunk and cry himself to sleep, as he had done for most of the past week, the curtain separating his bunk from the rest of the bus was pulled open.  Joey's vibrant red head poked through the opening.  "Hey Lance - y Boy!  How's it going?" Joey had been trying to cheer up his friend for much of the week.  He noticed the tears brimming up in Lance's eyes, even as his friend tried to hide the fact that he was about to cry.  "Dude, please stop."  Joey's tone softened, "You've been crying over Michelle all week.  You've got to get over her.  I know you thought she was THE girl, but she told you herself that she doesn't want to be.  You will find someone else, maybe even that special girl that you've been searching for?  Come on, dude, don't cry.  Come chill with us in the back.  You'll feel better."  Joey shook Lance's knee comfortingly, and smiling compassionately, left Lance's bunk. 

Darkness surrounded Lance and the picture he held.  He sighed.  There was no way he could have fun with the guys when all he could think about was Michelle.  Lance wiped a tear from his cheek, and took a shaky breath.  'There isn't anyone for me but Michelle.  I don't know how I'll be able to live without her...' Lance thought.  He couldn't stand it anymore, the pain was too much for him to bear.  Lance curled up in the corner of his bunk, as tears began to streak his cheeks.  He wondered when the pain would end.  How it would end.

        **      **      **      **      **     

    Rachel sat at the table with her cereal.  The girls had arrived at a hotel in Orlando late last night, & had been allowed to sleep late.  They didn't have a show that evening, & everyone was thankful for the break.  Rachel sighed as she began to slowly eat her cereal.  She didn't get many mornings like this, and wanted to savor it while it lasted.

    In another room of the girls hotel suite, a phone rang.  Rachel sighed in aggravation, hoping it wasn't her cell phone.  She didn't want to be disturbed this morning.

   A minute later, Miriam walked into the small kitchen, with a cell phone against her ear.  She paced around the kitchen, talking, before resting her arms on the counter.  Rachel was glad the phone wasn't for her, but was curious as to who was calling on their day off.  As Miriam continued to talk to the person on the other line, she became increasingly aggitated.  Rachel quickly realized that Miriam was talking to Adam, her boyfriend of one year.  She frowned.  Miriam hadn't talked to Adam in a while; their last fight had been a few weeks ago; it was about Miriam spending too much time away from home.  Adam wanted Miriam all for himself, & was jealous of any time that she spent with anyone else, especially other men.  The couple hadn't talked since their last fight.  Rachel and Sarah knew that their friend's relationship was dangerous, but they also knew that Miriam wouldn't get end it.  They didn't know why, since her relationship was one thing that Miriam rarely talked about.  Rachel and Sarah knew just a little bit about the couple; only that they had been dating for about a year, and Adam caused Miriam a lot of pain.  They couldn't figure out why, & knew not to ask their friend; since the beginning, Miriam had made it clear that THIS relationship was her own business.

   "Adam, you know leaving the tour is out of the question for me!  I'm not going to give up my dreams because you are insecure!"  Miriam said tensly.  The longer she talked with Adam, the angrier he made her.  "God, Adam, you are like a child!!  Just grow up already!  I'm a grown woman, I don't need you watching over me!"  Miriam responded angrily to a comment that Adam had made.  Rachel could see her friend's mood going from bad to worse.  "Listen Adam, I am so damn sick of your protectiveness!!  If you don't learn to trust me, I'm out!  That's it!"  Anger creased Miriam's brow, as she spoke sharply into the phone.  "Dammit Adam!  I really will leave this time, don't freaking try me!"  Miriam nearly yelled.  She pulled the phone from her ear and jammed the 'off' button with her thumb.  Angrily tossing her cell phone on the table, Miriam collapsed in the chair closest to her.  The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence.  Rachel worried again about Miriam's situation.  Before her friend had had the chance to shut off the phone, Rachel heard angry shouts from the other end of the line.  Adam sounded
really mad this time.

    Rachel was about to comfort her friend, when Miriam's cell phone rang. 

"You can get it if you want."  Miriam said, sounding stressed and tired.

      "Ok.." Rachel said uneasily, as she reached for the phone.  "Hello?" Rachel had managed to keep her uneasiness out of her voice, answering Miriam's cell professionally.  Her whole body tensed as she heard a male voice, with an edge of deathly anger, respond.

    "Where is she???" The voice sounded as if it could kill. 

    "I don't care what he says," Miriam looked at Rachel, "I'm not going to talk to him."  She looked as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

    "I swear to God," the voice hissed over the phone, "If I get my hands on that little bitch, I'll kill her!!!  Her and her 'Queen - Of - The - Fucking - Universe' attitude.  Dammit let me talk to her!  If she knows what's good for her, the little slut won't talk back this time..."  Becoming seriously worried about her friend, Rachel yanked the phone from her ear and shut it off.

 "Mir," she looked at her friend compassionately, noticing the tears streaming down her face, "You have a serious problem..."

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