Zoey wiped her eyes and laughed. "Okay, so it's out! You've heard my sob story, so now it's your turn. Tell me about Marissa."
AJ released her and crossed his legs. "Well, actually, my story isn't as sad as yours."
"Oh, no!" A smile spread across Zoey's face. "I don't care. I poured my heart out to you; now, you have to spill it."
AJ held up his hands in defeat and returned Zoey's smile. "Alright, alright." He lowered his hands, and his expression turned serious. "I met Marissa when the group started; she was one of our road managers' daughter. She was wild, fun, and pretty, and she liked me. At the time I was a skinny, dorky fifteen-year-old who couldn't get a date to save his life."
"You still are dorky and skinny," Zoey interrupted playfully.
AJ just stuck his tongue out at her and continued. "We dated for three years, but because I was in the group, no one knew about it. But, then, one day, she told me she couldn't see me anymore. She didn't give me any explanation. Nothing. She just said good bye." His handsome face was grave with the memory. He felt Zoey's hand resting on his, and he looked up to meet her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said softly as tears slowly formed in the corners of his eyes. He gruffly wiped them away and looked down.
After a few seconds, AJ looked up and started to chuckle. "You probably think I'm a wuss, don't you?"
Zoey returned his smile. "No. Believe it or not, I think you're a wonderful guy." She then began to blush after she realized what she said.
AJ, too, was blushing. "Really?" In that one moment, he seemed completely different from the AJ everyone saw on stage. Right then, he was just simply Alex.
Zoey sighed. "Yeah. At first, I thought you were a dork and a selfish, egotistical rock star. But, after…" she checked her watch "…about five hours, I've learned that you're a very sweet guy."
"Thank you," AJ said.
"No," she said. "Thank you…for everything." She closed her eyes and kissed him. It was one of the sweetest kisses that AJ had ever had. He decided right then and there that he didn't ever want to let Zoey go.
Nick pressed himself against a brick wall and tried to catch his breath. Even after all the dancing he had done on that tour, he was still a little out of shape. He quieted his breathing and listened. He didn't hear anything. Apparently, he must have lost the crowd. Thank God, he thought as he sank to the ground. He needed to decide which way to go.
He scanned the area around him to see if anything looked familiar. He finally recognized the stairs which led to where the bus was parked. Hopefully, Tessa and Brian were still awake. He took a deep breath and began to walk towards them. He hadn't gotten but a few feet when he heard the familiar screams.
"There he is!" a shrill, high-pitched voice cried. Nick froze. He turned to see the group of girls running straight for him. He took note of how far away they were, then he saw how far away he was from the stairs.
As the girls neared, he immediately unfroze and raced for the stairs. He could hear the multiple footsteps right on his heels. He bounded down the stairs and ran for the bus. He reached it and grabbed the door. It wouldn't open. He pounded wildly on it.
"Brian! Let me in! Brian!" he yelled. Each time he pounded, he would turn around to see the girls approaching. They reminded him of a pack of hungry wolves. Just when he thought that they were close enough to grab him, the door swung open. Nick practically knocked Brian down trying to get inside.
He fell onto one of the couches and watched as Brian locked the door. Brian then rubbed his eyes and sat down next to Nick. The bus rocked a little as the girls tried to break down the door.
Eventually, the bus driver crawled out from one of the bunks and turned on the alarm. The next pound set it off, and the shrill sound sent the girls running. When everything had calmed down, Brian turned to Nick.
"What on Earth was that?" he asked.
"Fans," Nick answered. He then recounted the whole story of what had happened when he, Howie, and Kevin went to look for help. Brian was rolling with laughter by the end of it.
"No one ever said you were the brightest crayon in the box, Nick," he commented.
Nick glared at him. "Very funny," He finally decided to change the subject. "Did you and Tess have any luck?"
Brian shook his head. "No. We left all of the urgent messages we could. Tessa is currently passed out in my bunk right now."
Nick looked back towards Brian's bunk. "Are you sure she's not awake now after all the commotion?"
"I'm sure. That girl sleeps like the dead."
Nick turned back to Brian. "You really like her, don't you?"
Brian grinned. "Yeah. She's probably the most real woman I've met in a long time. She's incredible."
Nick stretched out on the couch. "Good. B, I know we all haven't talked about this, but what are we going to do about Billie?"
Brian was quiet for a few minutes. "I guess we'll figure that out when we get AJ and Zoey out of the bathroom."
Nick agreed, rolled over, and was asleep within seconds. Brian shook his head, stood up, and grabbed a blanket. He tucked him in, then walked back to one of the bunks so he could lie down himself.