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Chapter Sixty Five - March 1

There was a significantly smaller amount of people at the Miami International Airport for our trip over to Germany. Even though we had added Leighanne, Baylee, and Kay to the mix, we were missing Liv, Noah, Brooke, Molly, Shelby, Jonah, Ally, James and Leigh.

"This is going to work out well though," Kevin said encouragingly after I made a comment. "Me and Bri are going to share a bus and then it will be you three."

The look on Howie's face was hilarious. It was like Freddy Krueger had just jumped out and was poised to kill.

"I'm going to have to share with Nick and AJ? Again?"

Kevin tried to look sympathetic, but I think on the inside he was jumping up and down like a kid. "Yeah, unfortunately that's the way it worked out."

Howie groaned. AJ and I grinned.

"Call of Duty?" AJ asked.

"You're on."

Of course, before we could camp out in our bus and take off across Europe, we had to get their. The flight was a lot more quiet, but instead of feeling glad, I had that automatic feeling of homesickness.

"Why didn't Red and crew come along?"

AJ sighed. I think he felt the same way I did.

"Ally's got to work with a speech pathologist. I was tempted to just hire someone to travel with us but there was all this red tape. I didn't want to ask my mom again and I didn't want Joe to have to be separated from his sister again."

"So the surgery and activation went well?"

AJ nodded. "Yeah, it was...indescrible. When they turned that thing on and I said 'hi Ally' she looked up at me with this great big smile."

I grinned. AJ was getting all mushy. Not only that but I could tell he just had a manicure.

"Where's Liv?"

"Oh she wasn't feeling well and--"

"She wasn't feeling well?" Leighanne asked.

"Well, traveling didn't really agree with her and--"

AJ was grinning at me. I think it had something to do with the way I was talking with my hands. It was a bad habit I had developed from watching Liv do the same thing when she was nervous.

"You made a pot brownie snow baby," he said with a snicker.

"What are you talking about?"

I tried to wrack my brain with some fuzzy recollections of that night on the bus, but really after the room started spinning it was all gone. I can only imagine...

And considering my imagination's pretty wild, that's a scary thing.

AJ just laughed. "C'mon guys pay up."

All around me I heard the sound of wallets being opened and crisp bills being taken out. Three twenties were passed over to AJ.

"What is this?"

"I told these guys that Liv was going to pop out number three as a result of the bus incident," AJ said. "No one believed me."

"I'm hurt!"

Bri grinned. "Dude, you're like the Little Old Nick who lived in a shoe. You produce so many children you don't know what to do!"

The rest of the flight was filled with more jabs at Liv's and my amazing fertility. After awhile I tuned them out.

I was hurt. I would have been able to split the pot with AJ if he had let me in on it!

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Not only did Howie get me and AJ on the bus with him, but he also got Sam (even though he was kind of like Howie in the 'neat' category). Our budget was tighter over in Europe and so we didn't get our own private busses like we were used to in the States nor did we get our own hotel rooms like we did in Asia. Howie was okay through the first three Germany dates in Stuttgart, Munchen, and Leipzig, but the trip to Rotterdam caused him to crack.

The bus was happily bouncing along getting us closer to closer to our destination. It was the middle of the night, but AJ and I were both suffering from insomnia. Howie was snoring really loudly and Sam's leg was sticking out of his bunk. I glanced at AJ; he glanced at me. I knew we were both thinking the same thing.

I hopped back in my bunk and rooted through my duffel bag. As luck would have it, I had taken Liv's duffel bag. She had left her makeup bag in it. AJ and I laid out everything in the bag and took our weapons. I was armed with blush and lipstick and AJ armed himself with eyeshadow and nailpolish.

By the time we were done with Howie, he was looking awfull pretty. Pretty hellacious. It took a lot for me not to laugh spray spit all over sleeping beauty's face. AJ ducked out of the bunk as I took a picture.

The chicken shit.

A hard night's prank was the perfect way to cure insomnia. AJ and I crawled into our bunks and I fell asleep pretty fast.

Being an artiste is hard work, y'know?

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"I'MMA GONNA KILL YOU!"

That was the first thing I heard when I woke up the next morning. I heard the sound of a curtain being ripped to the side and AJ's muffled voice. A second later my own curtain was being yanked back.

"NICK!"

Howie was staring at me like a bull who had just seen a bright red cloth.

"What did I do man?" I asked innocently. "Wow, you look pretty."

I couldn't help it; I started to laugh.

Howie's face was red, and I don't think it was just because of the blush. He grabbed my by the shirt and I went tripping out of my bunk.

"What you think you're doing? Can't I even fucking get some sleep without you guys jacking around with me?"

I was waiting for him to turn into one of those cartoon characters where fire flew out his nose and smoke shot out of his ears. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

"I didn't do nothing!" I finally said. I was trying to act innocent and plus I wasn't the only one guilty. "It was AJ!"

Howie's head swiveled and he glared at AJ.

"I know it was both of you. Don't think I was born yesterday."

Howie gave me a punch in the stomach and then marched his diva self to the bathroom. The punch didn't really hurt, but I doubled over anyhow. It was much easier to laugh that way.

Which was exactly what AJ and I did.

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We spent the rest of the bus ride in the sitting area. AJ and I played on my new game console and Howie tried to de-glam himself. By the time the bus came to a start, Howie was pacing right at the door.

"Have a good ride?" I heard Kevin ask.

"Don't even ask," Howie said. AJ and I hadn't been in a hurry to get off the fun wagon. A second later Kevin's head appeared.

"What did you guys do?" he asked. He looked amused.

"Us?" I said. I widened my eyes for effect. "What makes you think we did anything?"

Kevin smirked. AJ grinned.

"We got into Liv's makeup bag and made him our very own Barbie doll."

Kevin looked over at the wads of pink tissue that Howie had used to wipe off his nails. He snorted.

"You know, he just might go postal one day and kill us all."

I waved my hand in the air. "You have nothing to worry about. You'd be last. He loves you."

Kev laughed. "Well at least watch it for the rest of the day. He's pretty mad."

Kev jumped off the bus. I stood up and stretched.

"You ready J?"

AJ stood up. He hopped over the table and knocked a couple of the tissues on the floor in the process.

"Yup, let's rock."

Howie was walking towards the venue with his cell phone held up close to his face.

"I bet he's complaining to wifey about how mean AJ and Nicky are to him," J said. Howie gave him the finger.

I don't know exactly why I felt inclined to do it, but I took out my cellphone and flipped to the picture of last night.

"Bri, look what we did to Howie!"

Brian and Baylee both came jogging over. I held up the phone. Baylee started to laugh.

"That's a lot of blush!"

I grinned. "Thank you."

"Let's see what everyone else thinks," I continued. Bri watched as I sent it to Twitter.

@nickcarter Howie getting ready to go onstage at Rotterdam, haha

Bri snorted. Howie looked back at me suspiciously. I saw him go back to his phone.

"NICK!"

Howie whirled around. I was saved by the ringing of my phone. I smiled politely and held up one finger.

"Hello?"

"You didn't."

"That was fast," I said with a laugh.

Liv was laughing on the other end. "I subscribed to automatic updates. What the hell did you do to him?"

"It wasn't just me. Which reminds me...I have your makeup bag."

"Obviously. Is he going to kill you?"

I glanced up. Howie was standing in what I like to call 'my personal space.' I saw his nostrils flare.

"It's possible."

"I can't raise three kids alone."

I held out the phone to Howie.

"It's for you."

He took it in confusion.

"Hello?"

He listened for several beats.

"I don't know how you live with this." There was a pause. He sighed.

"I won't kill him. I'll just get even."

I snickered. I refrained from taunting him further. Howie listened some more and then started to smile.

I didn't like that smile.

"Hmm. Yeah. Okay, thanks Liv. Bye."

Howie disconnected and tossed the phone back to me.

"Wait, what was that? She wasn't trying to help you figure out how to get back at me, was she?"

He started to walk backwards, staring me down. Then he grinned. And it wasn't just any grin. It was a Jack Nicholson in The Shining grin.

Now I was scared.