The next day Nick, Karen and AJ met at the bowling alley. While they others visited family, or worked on lyrics.

Karen stretched out in the booth. "How did you guys manage to get the alley?"

AJ polished his ball. "The owner said we could rent it if we used it before they opened for business."

"What time do they open?" Nick asked.

"Four. So, we've got another two hours," AJ answered.

Nick grabbed a ball. "You wanna' play, Karen?"

"No, thanks. I'll just watch."

"You should play. It's not that hard to beat Nick," AJ snickered.

Karen rubbed her arms. "Aren't you guys cold?"

AJ shook his head. "Nope."

"Me either," Nick said.

"I've got a sweatshirt in my bag if you want to use it," AJ offered.

"And you're always welcome to my coat," Nick reminded her.

"Thanks guys." Karen slid on AJ's shirt. Then curled up on the booth and used Nick's jacket as a blanket. She smiled as she realized in was the coat he had worn in the video for 'Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.'

Nick bowled his 1st frame. "I'm really worried about her, man."

AJ glanced at her. "I can see why." He bowled his frame. "Actually, I was thinking it was a little warm in here."

"Me too," Nick agreed.

After the game Nick joined Karen at the booth. "You okay?"

"Yep. Just sleepy."

"Still cold?"

"No, thanks to you and AJ."

"Well, that's good."

She sat up. "I've got good news."

"Really?"

"We can watch my video this evening. Pollyanna's finished the editing."

"That's awesome, Kare-Bear." He paused. "Hey, I've got an idea. What would you think if we premiered it infront of the crowd?"

"Are you kidding? That would be great!"

Nick kissed her hand. "I'll talk to the band and management and see what I can do."

Karen hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much."

Later that night--

Nick and Karen set backstage with the rest of the band and relatives. Kevin gathered their attention. "Okay, here's the plan. Nick goes out when Karen finishes her number, and announces her video. There'll be a 10 second countdown. Then they step backstage and watch the video. Got it?"

Nick nodded. "Yep."

Mrs. Richardson smiled. "You know all of Kentucky will know of your video within 5 minutes of it's premiere."

"Really?"

"They will, Karen," Mrs. Littrell assured her.

"Everything's running perfectly," Brian commented.

Nick clutched his stomach. "Everything will be perfect, except the plane ride to New York."

Karen's eyes widened. "Plane?"

"Yeah," Nick complained.

Howie pre-set his water bottle. "What's wrong, Karen? Do you not like planes?"

"I don't know. I've never been on one, and I'm not exactly looking forward to it."

>>>>>

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