"Language," I muttered, but only half heartedly because it was fucking awesome, actually.
"I can't believe I'm finally going on tour without my mom," Nick almost squealed. He stretched the full length of his quickly-becoming-too-freaking-tall body across the couch-like seats and sighed happily, "Aw man we're gonna have so much fun dude, we can have like parties and chicks over and alcohol and..."
"Um excuse me I'm sorry, alcohol?" I glared at him.
Nick smiled innocently, "Awe, loosen up BRok! We're popstars! We're supposed to be a little bad. God'll forgive ya." He laughed.
"I'm not so much worried about God forgiving me as I am about Leighanne forgiving me," I answered, smiling at the mere thought of my busty woman-friend. She had gorgeous blonde hair, like silk, and brilliantly sparkly eyes and a voice like --
"Don't start the woman stuff," Nick groaned, "Please. C'mon dude we supposed to be havin' fun, not obsessing over some girlfriend back home..." Nick rolled up and sat on the edge of his seat. "I wanna have fun," he complained. He grabbed the strap of his bag and pulled it to him and unzipped it, pulling out a ding dong. "You want?" he asked, offering one up to me. I shook my head. "Seriously Bri," he said, continuing his train of thought as he opened the cellophane, "Remember the good ol' times?" he asked, sounding aged beyond his 18 years.
I raised my eyebrows, "When you were in diapers and learning how to say 'dada' you mean?" I teased him.
"Oh shut up," Nick laughed, "I'm legal now, ya know? I want me some chicks! AJ says that's the best part of being a pop star is alla the sex..." Nick rubbed his hands together, "Brian I wanna get sex this tour!"
I rolled my eyes, "AJ's such a pervert."
Nick laughed, "AJ... is my hero."
"That's scary," I replied, snorting. "Don't follow AJ, kid, he's gonna lead you some crazy-ass places..." I hoisted my bag onto my shoulder again and hauled it off down the bus towards the bunks.
"Don't go all prudey on me!" Nick yelled as I banged the door separating the main room from the bunk area shut and dropped my bag onto the floor, "We gonna have a good time, if it kills ya!"
"And it probably will!" I called back with a laugh. Nick elbowed the door open and hauled his huge ass bag into the room, dragging it by the straps. "What the hell did you pack anyways, Nicky?" I asked, looking down at the bulky bag.
"Y'know," Nick answered, "The essentials... Nintendo, my games, twinkies, ding dongs, Superman comic books, GI Joe - SAVES THE DAY AGAIIIN," he winked, "CDs, some tapes, my walkman, my notebook..."
"...Clothing?" I asked.
"My mom's got that bag," he said. "OHH yeah -- my mom." He dropped the straps and bolted back out of the room.
I looked at my two duffles that were both smaller combined than Nick's one bag. "You have more than one bag?" I cried, running after him. "What are you, a woman?"
"Shut up, I have to have this shit, its important."
"Oh yes, the world ends without Nintendo."
"Well someone's gotta save Princess Peach!" he exclaimed as we jumped off the bottom two steps of the bus and stepped into the sunlight of the parking lot in front of Lou's warehouse. Nick's mom, Jane, was just pulling two suitcases out of the back of the Carter Family van. Aaron was standing forlornly beside her and staring at the bus with wide eyes. Angel sat in the car reading a Nancy Drew book and Leslie was bored in the passenger seat, staring down at a doodle pad she was sketching on.
Nick leaned in the passenger door, "Bye Les," he said.
"Mhm," she answered.
"Aw come on, I'll be home for Thanksgiving," Nick promised, smiling.
Aaron ran to Nick and reattached himself to his side the way he'd been attached to Jane's. "I MISS YOU BROTHER!" Aaron cried loudly.
Nick smiled and patted his little brother like he was a dog.
Jane handed Nick the two suitcases, "Be good," she commanded. "No staying out late, no drinking, no drugs, no girls," she added meaningfully, staring at her son, "Remember that talk we had --"
"Ew mom, stop it," Nick whined.
"Fine. But remember," she snapped. Jane sighed heavily. "Have fun," she added finally, then she hugged him. Nick rolled his eyes. I took one of the suitcases and tried to pull it toward the bus, but it wouldn't budge. Nick was such a woman.
"Bye mom," Nick said a little too eagerly.
Jane's eyes welled up. "Bye, Nicky," she answered.
Nick pulled away, grabbed the other suitcase and grunted as he hauled it towards the bus. I abandoned mine straight up. He could get the damn boulder himself if he thought he could budge it...
"Oh Nicky!" Jane called as we were reaching the tour bus door and she was about to climb into the driver's seat. "Did you pack enough panties?"
Nick's face turned scarlet red. "Mo-ooohm," he wailed, "They're called boxers and yes! I did. Do we hafta discuss my underwear though ma?" he asked.
Jane smiled, "Be. Good."
Nick grinned. "When aren't I good?" he asked.
Jane's smile wore a little bit, and she waved good bye and climbed into the car. I looked at Nick. "That's a loaded question," I mumbled as he wheezed and started pushing to try to get the suitcase up the bus steps.
I watched as Bri carefully unpacked his suitcase. The bus was rolling merrily towards wherever we were performing next. I didn't keep track anymore.
"I don't know why you unpack," I said. "You can just reach in your bag and pull something out."
Bri gave me a look. "Leigh says its easier to color coordinate if you can see everything."
I rolled my eyes. There was a time in the not so distant past where Bri didn't even know what color coordination was. He lived in golf shorts and random t-shirts. Now he was so...so...
Whipped.
I didn't care for this new girl. I liked Bri when he was single on the prowl. Like me. I had put up a good front with Bri with my line about AJ saying that the best part of being a pop star was the sex. I don't like to brag or anything, but I already knew that first hand.
But now I was eighteen. I was ready to GET. IT. ON. Nightly preferrably.
When Bri had emptied his bag he came out and sprawled next to me. He eyed the bag of Cheetos sitting on my lap.
"May I?" he asked.
"May you what?" I asked. I took another orange coated stick and jammed it in my mouth.
"Wanna share those?"
I grinned. "What? You didn't pack munchies?" I teased. "Do I recall someone making fun of my luggage?"
Bri's nostrils flared. I had brought a bag of marshmallows just for a nose experiment I was dying to do.
"I'm sorry. My mommy doesn't pack for me anymore."
I scowled. So what if my mom packed for me? I was guaranteed not to starve. My clothes were clean. The world was good.
"Ya'know," I said as I passed him the bag. "We're lucky that we got the two-person bus. Just think about it. Frick n' Frack together. Two wild and crazy guys."
Bri cracked a corn-cob grin. All those Kentucky guys had this lop-sided smile.
"I do crazy, but I dunno about wild," he said. He stuck his hand in the bag and pulled out a handful of Cheetos. He was wearing his Kentucky cap backwards; he leaned forward to eat. It was a weird habit of his.
"C'mon. You and me...crazy drunken nights. Fun stories to tell in the morning," I chided. Bri gave me a look.
"Drunken nights? You're eighteen, Nickers."
Ugh. I hated when the guys called me Nickers.
"Yeah, but in some countries that's the legal drinking age," I argued.
"Not in this country," Bri said.
I waved my hand. "You're being too literal about the whole thing."
Bri snorted. It wasn't hard to do; he could shove a lot of air up his nose. I don't know why I was so obsessed with his nose; it was like a wonder of the world. Would it be the 8th? 9th? I didn't know. I sucked at Geometry. Or was that Geography? Damnit...
"So, how about we--" Bri began to say. I heard a loud, obnoxious midi tone playing. Bri jumped up like his pants were on fire and dove towards the bunks.
"What? What?!" I asked. I half got up before I changed my mind. I sat down and dug my hand in the Cheetos again.
"It's Leigh," Bri said. His voice was so high it almost sounded like he was going to pee his pants. I rolled my eyes. For as much as Bri said they were 'just friends,' it was beginning to seem a lot more serious than that. My best friend was changing and NOT for the better. Whatever that girl said was like gospel to him. Leighanne Wallace was trouble...
With a capital T.
