Brian came running on the bus. " Denise, oh my God. Why did you do that?" Brian cried.

" What?" Denise asked.

" Run away. We thought we lost you. Don't ever do that again. You scared us! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

" I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it. Honest! I didn't know what I was doing."

Brian hugged Denise. They both were crying. " It's okay. Just don't do it again."

Kevin, AJ, and Howie came on the bus. " Is she all right?" AJ asked.

Brian sighed. " Yeah, she's okay."

" Thank God!" AJ plopped down on the couch.

Kevin walked over to Denise and Brian. " Don't do that again. You hear me? You scared all of us!" He said.

" I'm sorry." Denise said.

" I really didn't feel like looking for a 13 year old. You're lucky we looked for you." Howie said.

" Yeah, I guess."

Everyone went back to their business. They were leaving for the venue in 10 minutes. They only had one show in Wilkes-Barre. Denise got her stuff from her room and got back to the bus. She was the last one on. She got on her bunk and laid down.

When they got to the venue, everyone went backstage. Denise plopped down on a chair. She listened 'her Boys' practice. Man, why do they have to be so good? Look at all those fans! Man. Denise thought. " So, how do we look?" Brian asked.

" Perfect." Denise replied.

" Now, when we come back, you better be here. I'm not gonna go through that again."

" Yes sir! I won't do it again."

" Okay." Brian smiled. " Wish us luck!"

" Luck!" Denise stood up and went over by the stage. She watched them perform. This was basically her first concert. She had never been to one. She always dreamed of going to one but never made it. She was happy.

After an hour, the show was over and everyone left. They all went on the bus and took off. There were the BSB's 20 semi's behind them. They all carried the stage and stuff.

Kevin came over to Denise and sat down. " Hey." Denise said.

" Hey. Let's talk." Kevin said.

" About what?"

" You."

" What about me?"

" Anything. Anything at all. I'll listen."

" Well, first I'd say that I have a lot in common with Brian. I was born with a hole in my heart, my favorite color is dark blue, same color hair, and I had a dog. My eyes are blue if you looked closely. I have in common with AJ that my parents split up when I was very young. What I have in common with you is I'm tall, as Nick is."

Kevin wasn't really listening to what Denise was saying after he heard her say that she was born with a hole in her heart. He had thought back to when Brian had his surgery. He started to cry. He hadn't noticed it. " Oh my God."

" What?"

" You and Brian had a hole in your heart."

" Well, I still have but there's no difference. Yeah, that's true. Why? Is there something wrong?"

" No, you still have it? Do you know anything about it?"

" Yeah, I can't do barely anything. I'm scared that one day, I'm gonna not wake up."

" I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it anymore." Kevin got up and walked away.

" Uh-oh. What did I do now?"

Brian walked over and sat down. " Hey you. I heard what you told Kevin. I want to help you." Brian said.

" How are you gonna help me?"

" Well, I can teach you not to be scared of dying. I can help you do more."

" Brian."

" What?"

" I don't want to die."

" What? You aren't gonna die."

" Yeah, I am!"

" No, you won't. Look at me! I'm alive!"

" Yeah, but" Denise started. She choked back a sob. " But you had surgery! I did but I still have my hole! It's leaking!"

" Oh my God. I'm sorry."

" Don't be. You can't help me. No one can, and no one will." Denise got up and walked away.

" I try to help, and she blows me off. This girl has problems."

" I heard that!"

" Sorry." Brian went to his bunk. Denise was already in hers. Brian and Denise didn't speak to each other for the rest of the day.

" Man, what is up with Brian and Denise? They aren't talking." Nick said to AJ.

" Dude, I don't know. Something's up, and I'm gonna find out what it is." AJ said. He got up and started to walk away before Nick grabbed his shirt. " Man, what are you gonna do?"

" I'm gonna ask them what is going on! I'm sick of this silence! I can't take it anymore!"

" Fine, go. You're just gonna make one of them really mad."

AJ went over to Brian and sat down at the back of the bus with him. " Brian, why aren't you and little Miss Runaway talking?"

" Her name is Denise." Brian said.

" Oops, sorry. Denise."

" We had a fight."

" About what?"

" Do I have to explain it to you? Why do you wanna know? What's making you ask?"

" Jeez! I'm sick of the silence! I want to know because you two are always talking and all of a sudden, you're not. Yes! Explain it to me! I want answers! Answers I tell you! Answers!"

" Well, it isn't any of your dagburn business! Man, can't a man have privacy?" Brian got up and walked off.

Denise was crying in her bunk. AJ knocked on the wall. " What?" Denise answered loudly.

" I want to talk to you. It's me. AJ." AJ said.

" What do you want to talk about?"

" Why you and Bri aren't talking."

" It really isn't any of your business."

" But I wanna know!"

" You can't always have it your way."

" Please?"

" Fine. We had a fight."

" I know that! I wanna know what you were fighting about, why you were fighting, and who started the fight."

" You are full of questions. I can't answer them. Sorry, subject closed."

" But."

" No buts man. I'm not talking about it anymore."

" Man." AJ walked away and sat next to Nick. " No answers. I made them both mad."

" I told you so." Nick said.

AJ thought a minute. " I know! We can get D to help them get talking." AJ went and got Howie.

" AJ! What are you doing?" Howie asked.

" Just come with me." AJ knocked on the wall by Denise and Brian's bunks. " Brian, come with us."

" Where?" Brian asked.

" Just come!" AJ sat Brian down at the table in the back.

" AJ, what are you doing?"

" Just stay here! Howie go get our other person."

" No! I'm not talking to her!"

" Just sit your booty down!" Howie got Denise and sat her next to Brian. " What are you doing?" Denise asked Howie.

Howie sat down. " We want to know what is going on with you two. You're not talking to each other like you always do. You guys are friends. You should get mad over a little fight." Howie said.

" I'll make this easier for you." Denise said turning to Brian. " Brian, I've been thinking. I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't know what I was saying. I'm serious."

" I forgive you. I should have said you had problems. I'm really sorry." Brian said.

" It's okay. Don't worry about it."

Brian leaned over and whispered in Denise's ear. " I love you."

" What?"

" I love you."

" I know what you said, I just don't understand."

" Um, can you guys leave us alone? I need to talk to my little lady here."

" Sure." Aj and Howie said.

" You know how you said that you loved me like a brother? Well, I never had a sister. I think of you as a sister."

" Oh my. Um, thank you, I guess."

" You're welcome."

The next day, when the Boys got to their next stop, Brian took Denise out shopping. He was wearing a baseball cap and some sunglasses. They found a mall named Hillside Mall. It was, as it is named, on the side of a hill. More like a mountain.

" So, where do you want to go first?" Brian asked.

" Clothes. Um, are you sure you won't get mobbed wearing those?" Denise asked.

" Yeah, I'm positive. So, you want clothes? Where?"

" That store over there." Denise pointed to Spencer's.

" That's not clothes. That's gifts!" Brian said as Denise pulled him by the arm.

" But there's clothes in here that I like."

" Like what?" Brian as looking at all the Backstreet merchandise they had at the store.

Denise picked up a Backstreet Boys shirt. " Like this. You like it?"

" Love it."

" Yeah, just because you're on it."

>>>>>