"Bri, do you know how Nick's little outing with Alicia went last night?" AJ asked Brian as they both boarded the plane, a little exhausted but excited at the prospect of coming home after almost four months of touring. Brian shifted his backpack and looked at AJ.
"No, why?"
"Um cause I heard him totally trashing her last night. Didn't you hear? I have no idea who he was talking to but he was calling her practically every swear word under the sun" AJ relayed as he gave the flight attendant a smile before heading into first class. He scanned the seats left and found two for himself and Brian. As soon as he was settled he continued his inquisition on Brian. "So do you?"
"Do I..? Oh Alicia and Nick, God I don't know Bone, I was unconscious by 9 o'clock last night. I didn't hear a thing" Brian shrugged. He looked around the plane worriedly, trying to spot Nick. "Where is Nick?"
"Don't know. I didn't see him at breakfast this morning, I didn't even see him on the bus" AJ replied. He stood up and made a general announcement to all the people they were travelling with. "People! Has anyone seen blondie this morning?"
"Shut up AJ, it's too early to be hearing your voice" Howie whined from his seat on the other side. He was fluffing his pillow trying to fall asleep but AJ's annoucement had woken him up.
"Touchy" AJ muttered as he sat down.
"Well he has to show up sometime, he knows we're going home today and you know how he's been itching to get home" Brian reasoned out.
AJ went to grab something from the overhead compartment and gaped at what he saw. Nick stumbled on the plane, his hair sticking out in all directions, his clothes the same as what he had been wearing the day before and the subtle but persistent aroma of alcohol circling him. AJ had never seen him look so trashed. "Um Nick?"
Nick tilted his sunglasses revealing bloodshot eyes. "Yeah?" He said a little snappily.
"Morning" AJ mumbled, changing his mind about asking about Alicia.
"Yeah morning and what a freakin good morning it is" his voice said, dripping with sarcasm.
"Nick are you alright man?" Brian asked as he noticed Nick had come aboard looking completely dishevelled. Nick paused before staring at Brian long and hard. "Nick?"
"No Frick I am not. Would you like to know why I'm not?"
Brian nodded slowly. "If you want to tell me."
"Well, where the hell should I begin?" Nick said flailing his arms around. "Well it turns out that what I do for a living is something I should be ashamed of and the girl I missed so much I thought I was gonna die, has in fact 'found' herself while she was in Milan and consequently I am now once again free and single."
"Huh?" AJ said, unable to catch Nick's fast and blurred speech.
Brian looked at Nick a little sympathetically but more surprised as he had understood every word he'd said. "You broke up with Alicia?"
"No, no I didn't break up with Alicia. She broke up with me. She broke up with me" Nick responded, looking absolutely crushed as he spoke. AJ winced a little knowing how much Nick had adored Alicia, however low their own personal opinion of her was.
"I'm sorry Nick, I.." Brian began before he was cut off by a flight attendant asking Nick to take a seat before take off. Nick nodded and stumbled around until he found a window seat to himself at the front. Brian sat back down and looked over at AJ.
"That had to hurt" he said as AJ peered over the seats at Nick who was banging his head against the window.
"I know that glass is hard" AJ nodded.
"No bonehead, I meant Alicia dumping him. I hated her for him but you could tell he loved her" Brian commented.
"I know, she was a A grade bi.." AJ said before Brian raised his eyebrow at his choice od expression. "She wasn't very nice" he corrected. "But Nick fell for her very hard."
"So what do you think he's gonna do?" Brian sighed worriedly.
"Beats me, but he's better off without her" AJ said decidedly. "It's time for him to move on."
"Easier said than done Bone, easier said than done."
**************
"Nick?" A voice said.
"Mmmmmm...hrmmm" he mumbled as he buried himself deeper under the covers. He waved his hand in the general vicinity of the voice and tried to tune out its persistence.
"Nick!"
"Get lost" Nick screeched, as he wrapped himself up into a cocoon. He was being pathetic and feeling sorry for himself but he didn't feel like facing the real world any time soon. He had been watching his phone for the past three days, waiting for any contact whatsoever from Alicia.
"Look Nick, I know that that good ol Barbie doll girlfriend of yours has told yout to take a hike, but this is a bit much" BJ remarked as she looked down at Nick, her arms crossed and a stern look planted on her face.
Nick squinted up at her from his position and scowled at his sister. "How do you know about Alicia?"
"Well MTV just had some report on and she was all over some weird guy which surprisingly enough wasn't you. I put two and two together and thought you'd finally come to your senses" BJ said, looking down at Nick's messed up appearance.
"Man" Nick moaned, his heart breaking in two all over again. "Who was it?" He asked thickly.
"Was what?"
"The weirdo Ali was with" Nick mumbled.
"Nick who cares?! It was some photographer slash model who looked like he'd just rolled out of bed" BJ exclaimed. "If she likes that sort of thing, she should see how bad you look now, she'd probably fall for you all over again."
"Shut up Beej. Just leave me alone, can't I mope in peace?"
"Nick you've been in those pyjamas for four days, you're starting to reek of some unidentified aroma, can you just pull yourself out of this depression and consider bathing at least" BJ remarked.
"Why should I?" Nick grunted.
"Nick for God knows what reason you seem to be really into Alicia, instead of sitting here why don't you figure out a way to get her back."
"What?"
"Get..her..back" BJ spelled out. "I mean it can't be that hard, you did it before you can do it again."
Nick stopped to think about what BJ was saying before he felt overwhelemed by it all. He rolled onto his side and sighed helplessly. "Just leave me alone BJ."
**************
"Hey Carter, heard you were back."
Nick had decided to venture out of the house for the first time in days. He had no idea where he was going to go, or what he was going to do so he'd decided to go out and grab the mail hoping no one was there to ask for a quote or get an autograph. He knew it was little but at least he was out of the house.
"Jamie, still alive and breathing I see" Nick remarked a little sarcastically as he heard his next door neighbour's greeting. He picked up the mail and the normal bag of fanmail delivered to his parent's house before looking up to see Jamie pulling a face at him.
"Still as obnoxious as ever, gee some things just don't change" Jamie responded as Nick frowned at her. She looked acroos at Nick and had flashbacks from when they were still in elementary school together and the best of friends. She looked at the person before her now, with his polished appearance and his hair falling over his eyes and realised so many things had changed, but Nick to some extent still harboured some of the qualities of the childhood friend she remembered. But the vast majority of the time they may as well have been strangers.
Nick looked up at Jamie and realised that she hadn't changed a bit while he was gone. She still had her slightly wavy dark hair, and her glasses perched on her nose, always just about to fall. She still went around dressed in jeans and t-shirts, and she never seemed to care what she looked like.
"Jamie, don't start" Nick said.
"I said hello, you started it" she countered. She clipped the leash in her dog, and gave Nick a long fake smile beofre walking away.
Nick shook his head adn watched her turn a corner before letting out a small groan. "Women!"
Chapter Three
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