Chapter 7

(Nick's point-of-view)

Grrrrreat............we're sitting on a bench on a street I don't recognize and if Brian glares at me anymore his eyes are going to pop out of socket....

"How could you lose the paper?"

Easy answer-I don't know where it is! "Relax, Brian, we're not that far from the last bus we got off of...It should be easy to find a bus and end up back home!"

He gazed at me. "Just hop on any bus and see where we end up?!"

No, high jack the bus, Brian....Sheesh. "Yeah, besides it's getting cold."

He groaned. "We could find our way back."

"Just start walking?"

"Yeah," he said standing.

Humph! At least with my idea we would be warm inside a bus! "Why don't we just ask someone, dumbass?"

"Don't call me dumb! Who saved your ass at the zoo?"

Here we go.....He's going to hold that over my head for the rest of my life! "I already said 'thank you'. Why can't we just ask?"

"Number One-the risk of someone knowing us, Number Two- I'd look like an idiot after that huge scene I made in the zoo!"

"Yeah, and you forgot to use your British accent," I commented.

"Well, it didn't occur to me while I was yelling at the fathead! Come on, we're going going home! We went right when we came on this street."

"No, we didn't the lady said go down the street and turn LEFT!"

"No, she said 'right'!"

"LEFT!"

"RIGHT!"

"LEFT!"

"RIGHT!" Huh? Man, fighting was too confusing....

Brian smiled. "You just said 'right' yourself! Let's go!"

Of course, I guess it was hard to listen to a guy in a tie-dye jacket, fake tatoo on his cheek and a shiner gracing his eye. Who knows? Maybe he was right.

***********************************

"Uhhh....." I moaned. "Brian, we've been walking for an hour. It's dark and I'm freezing!"

"I could've sworn it was right!" he declared massaging his neck. "Wasn't it?"

"I told you I thought it was left! Now, I don't know where in the hell we are we've gone so far out." I heard Brian's stomach growl loudly. "Let's just try to get some food."

Brian patted his belly. "I second that. But only one question: where are we suppose to find food?"

I shrugged. If I knew that chances are we wouldn't be in this mess! "I don't know, Frick, let's just walk around and try to find someone."

The carnival and zoo had shut down as well as everything around it.

Everything seemed so cold and deserted. So, much for my day of fun. I was shivering and my eye was throbbing. Damn door. I kept my head down as I walked.

"You okay, Frack?" Brian asked.

I kept my head down. "Yeah, just trying to keep the wind out of my face."

I continued on another few feet ignoring Brian tugging at my arm. "Nick! Nick!" he hissed.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, Brian, what do you- OOF!" I tumbled down to the ground feeling my hat fly off realizing I was taking someone down with me.

"Oh, are you all right?" a soft accented voice asked.

"Oh, yeah, it was my fault." I lifted my head...."You're the-the-the"

"Magician's assistant," Brian finished for me pulling to my feet.

I blushed as the girl's pretty co-worker gave her a hand up. "Yeah....that."

The brunette gazed at me a smile growing on her face. "You're the Backstreet Boy!"

Brian cleared his throat. "Oh, no, we're um...."

"Backstreet Boys," the redhead stated returning my hat.

I gasped. "You recognize us?"

The brunette smiled. "Of course! We're big fans and your accents were pretty bad. I'm Kayla and this is Ariel."

Thank God she was calm....Or Brian would've killed me.

"Ariel?" I repeated staring at her. "Dude, that's so cool! She was a redhead, too! Ya' know, the mermaid?"

Ariel glanced down at her costume. "Yeah, and we both wear tacky outfits."

Tacky it might have been.....But it was revealing and sexy as hell.

Kayla faced Brian. "What are you doing here?"

"We uh......played hookie," he stuttered gazing at her.

"What do 'ya know, Ariel? They really are normal despite the fact they look weirder than the clowns at the carnival. Do you need some help finding something? You two look pretty lost."

Brian nodded. "Yeah. We uh...had an exprience at the zoo and need to find our way back to the Landish Hotel. Could you help us?"

"By bus?"

"Preferably. Could you give us directions?"

Kayla patted his shoulder. "Oh, we'll show you. It's no trouble you just took a right instead of a left."

'I told you, I told you' I sang quietly in my head.

Brian cleared his throat. "Could you show us to some food first?"

Kayla giggled. "Sure, there's a vendor near your bus stop. We'll show you."

"Thanks. You want something to eat, Nick?"

I rubbed my stomach. "Uh, no thanks, that hot dog was more than enough for me." What British people call hot dogs is not my idea of tasty.

Ariel studied me. "Is your eye, all right? It looks painful."

"Aw, it was nothing....It's okay."

"Oh, well, I'm still sorry, Nick."

Brian extended his arm to Kayla. "Well, I hate to rush, but we really need to head back before Kevin threatens our lives."

I did the same for Ariel. I pulled back at her touch. "Oh My God! You're so cold!" Okay, well I guess if you were standing outside in the 40 degree weather all day in a bikini-like outfit you would be pretty cold.

"Oh," she blushed. "I'm sorry. We weren't planning on doing extra shows tonight but something came up and we didn't get to change. So, I had to parade around in this."

"You sound like you don't like being an assistant."

She frowned. "There's nothing like showcasing my bare skin in cold weather, being trapped in boxes and sliced into halves. Every girl's dream...."

Wow-I never looked at it that way. I slid off my jacket wrapping it around her shoulders. "Here, take this, it's the least I can do."

"Oh, no, I couldn't do that! You'll get sick."

Actually, getting sick might save me from Kevin spitting fireballs. As I looked at the ugly clothing laying against her pale shoulders I had no desire to retrieve it.

Brian shook his head taking off his jacket passing it to Kayla. "How foolish of me! Here!"

Kayla stared at the goat-eaten jacket. "Um.....thank you? You Americans are real charmers....."

Suddenly, I couldn't help feeling guilty for staring at them like they were a piece of meat, they were really nice girls.

Kayla was very bubbly and Ariel was very sopshicated. But would this stop me from staring at dirty magazines with AJ or make me want to pursue a relationship with Ariel? ..........Nah.

Besides, when the weather's cold AJ told me how a girl breasts' get......I glanced at Brian and stopped my thoughts imediately. I didn't want a sermon. And now I had some blackmail on him. I loved for LeighAnne to see him linked in the arms of a cute magician's assistant in revealing clothing. Now, he'd could forget me oweing him for his help at the zoo.

I walked slowly with Ariel singing to myself. "The wheels on the bus go round and round...."

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