Warning: Considered a tear-jerker.
He watched, brow furrowed, as Nick shut himself off from them yet again. The silent blond had simply grabbed his portable CD player and head phones, then climbed into his bunk and shut the curtain. He'd never spared the others a glance and, Brian's frown deepened, had that look on his face again.
Brian glanced at the others and caught Kevin's gaze, seeing a mirror in the green eyes of what reflected in his own blues. Kevin tilted his head slightly in askance, lips slightly parted in worry. Brian shook his head and shrugged slightly; he didn't know what was wrong with Nick lately.
Kevin stared at Brian and then the bunks for a few minutes, eventually letting out a long breath and returning to the book he was reading as he sank deeper into the soft couch. Brian leaned back in his chair and vaguely took in the other two occupants in the small room as the countryside blurred by outside the window opposite him.
Howie and AJ sat cross-legged side by side in front of the TV, game controllers in hand. Brian mutely heard their shouts and accusations, his thoughts still lingering on Nick. His best friend had hardly talked to him for weeks, which was definitely not like Nick. The kid could get quiet sometimes, but not for a span of weeks. It was like Nick had just blocked them off from himself, maybe more like Nick was avoiding them.
Sighing, Brian rested his chin in his palm, his eyes staring blankly at the wall before him. What had happened? What had caused Nick to push us away? Brian closed his eyes, putting the questions to thought, trying to link them with something that could have effected Nick to a point of separation from his closest friends. His eyebrows scrunched together at a sudden spark of blatant memory.
The wreck... The girl...
Without opening his eyes, Brian straightened and leaned his head back against the chair's support. His lips pursed as he ran through the memory of the car wreck he and Nick had stumbled upon and the girl that had died. Brian mentally slapped himself, knowing that had to be the reason for Nick's melancholy, his aloofness from the group. The reason for the strange emotion he had yet to identify in Nick's eyes.
It was only five weeks ago that they had left Oregon to continue on with the Black and Blue tour, leaving the incident behind them, but it felt like a year. Initially, Brian had thought Nick was fine. He hadn't seemed effected that badly by Carmen's death. So why was Nick reacting so adversely now?
Biting his lip, Brian went back to that time. It started when he had returned with help for the trapped girl...
Brian jumped out of the car, waving his arm and throwing a look over his shoulder at the medics stepping out of the ambulance, "She's down there! Hurry!"
Brian ran to the edge of the road where the ground dropped off into the steep hill laden with trees in the glazed night, the ambulance's red and white lights reflecting eerily off the glossy landscape. He slid to a stop on the muddy ledge and squinted down, trying to see Nick below. Then he spotted his best friend, leaning against the mangled car in the cold mud as the mist continued to fall around him.
Pausing, Brian frowned. Something wasn't right. He snapped out of his thoughts as the medics joined him. He looked to them, anxious, "She's down there, trapped in the car. Ya gotta get to her fast, she wasn't lookin' too good when I left."
The medics nodded and followed Brian down the precarious hill, the mud slick and thick. Brian listened as the fire truck arrived, the siren slowly dying out above him. He knew it would take the jaws of life to release Carmen from the confines of the car.
Finally, Brian arrived at his friend's side. He frowned again, Nick didn't seem to notice he was there. Brian idly wondered if he had fallen asleep, as his eyes were closed, "Nick?"
Brian glanced up at the medics still making their way down, their equipment slowing their progress. He looked back to Nick and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Nick?"
Nick slowly opened his eyes, lifting his gaze to Brian standing beside him, "She's gone."
Brian drew his hand back at the whispered words, his gaze on Nick's bloodshot blue eyes and tear streaked face, "Wha- what?"
Nick looked away, his voice still soft but stronger, "Carmen died, Brian. She didn't make it."
The medics arrived in time to hear those words and looked at Brian, nodding their heads sadly and then moving to the car's driver's side. Still somewhat shocked, Brian bent over and gripped a hand under Nick's upper arm, "C'mon, Nick. Ya gotta get outta the way."
Mutely, Nick stood and allowed himself to be led away from the car. Brian sat Nick down in the mud and then sat beside him, turning so he could look into Nick's face, "Are you okay?"
Nick raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, his head turning up toward the sky. He stared up at the night sky and a small smile slowly turned his lips. He looked at Brian with clear eyes, "She wasn't alone, Bri'."
Brian's brow immediately furrowed in confusion. He tilted his head slightly, not understanding, "I know, Nick... but are you okay?"
Nick looked at the wreckage before them and then back to Brian, his voice flat, "I'm fine."
///FLASHBACK\
Brian was suddenly brought back to the present when something crashed into his legs. He jumped, abruptly standing in surprise, "What the-?!"
Howie stared up apologetically from where he laid sprawled at Brian's feet, Brian blinked.
"You cheated!"
Brian looked up at the accusation to see AJ, pissed as all hell, pointing at the prone man at his feet. Howie frowned, "I did not, you sore loser! You just suck at video games!"
AJ gasped, jaw dropping in indignation, "Oh, you did NOT just say that!"
Howie looked innocent, "Say what? That you're a loser or that you suck?"
"Why you-" AJ sputtered, making to lunge at the defenseless Latino, but was stopped by a commanding tone.
"AJ..."
AJ put on the innocent eyes and turned, "Yes, elder Kevin? You speakith my name?"
Kevin frowned, slowly laying his book of Shakespeare on his lap, "You're not scorin' any points if you follow that route, Bone."
AJ scowled and pointed at a now grinning Howie, still on the floor at Brian's feet, "It ain't my fault! HE started it!"
Howie looked up at Brian, a twinkle in his dark eyes, "Me thinks, he doth protest too much."
Kevin just rolled his eyes and shook his head, while AJ grew red in the face and made to tackle Howie. Kevin raised a hand, not in the mood for one of the annual 'AJ vs. Howie' squabbles, "No fighting."
AJ crossed his arms and stared at Howie, then shifted his gaze to the TV. A smile slowly lit his face as he turned back to Howie, "Rematch?"
Howie smiled, "You're on."
Brian watched the whole scene, then shook himself. Never a dull moment. He dropped back into his chair as Howie crawled back over to the TV and AJ, another game soon starting. Brian looked back out the opposite window, startled to see night had fallen. I must have been daydreaming for a good hour. Brian raised his eyebrows, uneasy. Now that's just scary, to zone out for that long. Brian smiled slightly, How did Nick do it all the time?
Shaking his head, Brian sat forward in the chair. He rubbed his fingers against his forehead and grimaced, feeling the dull throb of a headache. He looked at the small digital clock on the VCR and sighed. It was only 9:11 p.m.
Looking back out the window, Brian frowned. He was going to kill whoever scheduled their tour, the person apparently had an affinity for the game connect the dots. Brian rolled his eyes, Talk about criss-crossing the country. Florida, then Kansas, then Oregon, then Nevada, then Minnesota and North Dakota, then New Jersey, and now Texas. What? Were they testing the limits of the tour buses?
His head gave a slight throb of dull pain, bringing him out of his silent tantrum. Standing, Brian looked toward the bunks and ran a hand through his hair, then glanced at Kevin, who had returned to his book. Brian couldn't understand the current Shakespeare funk Kevin had slipped into. He remembered Shakespeare giving him a major headache when he had to read it for school, and Kevin was voluntarily reading it.
"Hey, Kev," Brian raised his voice slightly to be heard over AJ and Howie, Kevin looked up at him, "I'm gonna hit the hay early, got a bit of a headache. See ya in the mornin'."
Kevin absently nodded, returning to his book, "'Night... Oh," Kevin looked up again, "We should be in Dallas by mid mornin', so have what yer takin' into the hotel ready."
Nodding, Brian carefully circumvented around AJ and Howie, who were weaving back and forth in a useless attempt to help their game playing skills, and then exited the game room. Brian shut the small door behind him and let out a breath as he sagged against it, the sound of AJ, Howie, and the TV effectively muffled.
Brian straightened and looked through the darkness at the closed off bunk that his best friend currently hid within, his expression unsure. Biting his lip, Brian pushed away from the door and went to his duffle, quickly snatching his navy boxers and white tank. Brian changed and used the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash up, all the while trying to decide if he should talk with Nick now or let it go for a while. After all, Nick hadn't asked for his help as he usually did when he had a problem. Maybe it wasn't anything major or even about the car wreck.
Stuffing his duffle in a corner, Brian quietly sat on the bunk opposite Nick's. Brian stared for a minute, then slumped forward to hold his aching head in his hands. He knew something was up with Nick, and it just had to be about what had happened with Carmen. Brian wondered what had went on as Nick had waited with Carmen, waited for help that he was bringing too late.
Roughly straightening, Brian shook his head. He wasn't going to get caught up in those thoughts again, there was nothing he could have done. Brian frowned, his blue eyes clear in the darkened room. But... if I had driven a little faster... if I had just gotten there sooner...
Brian winced as his headache worsened. He stood, deciding to talk to Nick later. He was probably asleep anyway. Brian jumped up to his bunk above Nick's and got under the covers, cringing slightly at the cold fabric.
Folding his arms behind his head, Brian stared up at the ceiling in the dark. He laid like that in silence long enough to be comfortably warm when he heard a soft noise from beneath him. He didn't move but to scrunch his eyebrows together in confusion as he listened, trying to identify what it was without moving from his now cozy position.
Brian's eyes widened, his arms untangling from behind his head. Nick was singing. As quietly as he could, Brian twisted his body so he could grip the edge of his bunk and peer down below him. Nick's muffled voice was clearer. Brian rested his chin on his hands and listened to Nick's soft voice.
"...all alone, and the world has turned its back on you. Give me a moment please to tame your wild, wild heart. I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you, it's hard to find relief and people can be so cold. When darkness is upon you door and you feel like you can't take anymore... ...Let me be the one you call, if you jump I'll break your fall. Lift you up and fly away with you into the night... If you need to fall apart, I can mend a broken heart. If you need to crash then crash and burn... You're not alone..."
Brian tilted his head on his hands, brow furrowing. That's ...oh, what's the name... ...Crash and Burn, by... Savage Garden? Brian pursed his lips, that was the CD Nick had almost gotten the two of them killed in getting. Brian cringed, they had really gotten a butt chewing from Kevin for that. Brian frowned thoughtfully, Nick was dead set to get it... I remember when he told me he was going after it, just a week after Carmen's death...
"You're gonna do WHAT?!"
Nick crossed his arms, eyes determined, "I'm going out to get a CD. We're only gonna be here for a few minutes and then it'll be who knows how long 'til I get another chance to buy it."
Brian paced in front of Nick the best he could in the small confines of the bus, "Nick, we were told to stay put 'til they got back. We're in here alone. All the bodyguards went with AJ, Kevin, and Howie as they get some food." Brian glanced nervously out the window at the mall entrance, which stood deceptively calm and deserted. He stared at Nick, "You know there are fans out there, ready to take us apart piece by piece."
Nick looked out the window, unconcerned, "I don't see any."
Brian rolled his eyes and shook his head, "That's 'cause they all followed Kevin and the others, but if we go out there, they'll be sure to spot us."
Nick quirked an eyebrow, "We? I never said you had to come, Frick."
"Well, I'm not gonna let you go alone!" cried Brian, quickly bringing a hand up to chew nervously on his nails. He looked at Nick, seeing the stubborn set of his friend's jaw and the steady blue eyed stare. Brian knew that look and what it meant, "You're sure you know where the store is?"
Nick cracked a lop-sided grin, "Positive. I'm goin', are you comin' or not?"
Still munching on his fingernails, Brian nodded. As he followed Nick to the bus' door, he wiped his suddenly sweaty palms on his pants. I know I'm goin' to regret this.
Nick opened the door and stuck his head out, looking back and forth. Satisfied, he glanced behind him and jerked his head for Brian to follow him. Still nervous, Brian stuck close to Nick and unconsciously pulled his cap lower over his eyes. At least they had put on their caps, hopefully that's all they'd need to get away with this.
They walked briskly through the doors and Brian followed Nick, praying the blond knew where he was going. They had only walked past four stores when Nick turned. Startled, Brian looked up and read the store name, 'Sam Goody's'. As Brian followed Nick in, he heard a crowd not far off. He looked and could see the large crowd of fans outside of the McDonald's in the food court.
Brian hurried to Nick's side and tugged on his shirt, blue eyes wide as he hissed out, "Nick, c'mon! We gotta get outta here! The fans are not that far away!"
Nick sent Brian a glare, then focussed his eyes back on the CDs before him, "I'm not leavin' without my CD, Brian." Just then, Nick's eyes lit up, his arm reaching forward to snatch up a CD, "Got it!"
Brian grabbed Nick's arm and pulled him to the check out counter, "Good! Now pay for it, quick!"
Having almost fallen on his face when Brian had yanked him forward, Nick straightened and chuckled. He tossed a twenty on the counter before the wide eyed male clerk and turned to Brian, "Relax, Frick. They don't know we're here."
Brian glared at Nick, "Nick, I'm serious. Let's go." Brian looked at the staring clerk, "Keep the change."
Brian tightened his grip on Nick's arm and hauled him out of the store, Nick stumbling behind him with the CD clasped tightly in his hand as the clerk yelled, "Wait!"
Too late.
The shrill beeping of the alarm rang out and stopped Nick and Brian in their tracks. They had forgotten about the seal on the CD. Their sets of blue locked, panic and fear apparent in their depths. They glanced across at the fans and then they darted back to the clerk.
Nick shoved the CD into his hands, "Take it off! Hurry!!"
Frantically, knowing why they needed the rush, the clerk snapped off the seal and gave Nick the CD. Nick grabbed Brian's wrist with his free hand and bolted for the door. As they entered the hall of the mall, they saw with panic the fans turning to see what the alarm was about.
All it took was one scream and the crowd surged after the very much alone Nick and Brian. Before they ran to the exit, Brian caught a glimpse of Kevin's face and would never forget the fear he saw in the usually controlled features.
Brian had never ran so hard in his life, but all it took was one look back to keep him going. He saw the exit ahead and followed Nick through the glass doors, his wrist still caught in Nick's grasp. They lunged for the bus and had just slammed the door shut when the fans hit it in an effort to open it. Nick fastened the lock securely and they stumbled back to the bunks.
Nick collapsed into his bunk as Brian sat on the bunk opposite, both huffing and puffing. Once Brian had regained most of his breath, he glared across at his friend, "Was all that worth the stupid CD, Nick?"
Face flushed, Nick turned his head to lock eyes with Brian. With a firm voice, Nick said simply, "Yes."
Brian stared at Nick's serious face and was about to speak when he heard the door to the bus unlocking. Brian groaned, he knew who it was.
"Nick! Brian! What the HELL were you thinking?!?!"
///FLASHBACK\
Brian blinked and closed his eyes, sighing. To say that Kevin had been pissed was a severe understatement. Brian was sure that he and Nick had taken ten years off of Kevin's life with that single fool stunt, all for some stupid CD. Brian just didn't understand it.
Suddenly, Brian raised an eyebrow while opening his eyes. Now that he thought about it, that was when Nick first started to keep to himself. It had steadily gotten worse since then when, every night, Nick would grab his portable CD player and shut himself up in his bunk. At first, Brian thought nothing of it, assuming Nick was just in one of his funks. Nick would get quiet and keep to himself sometimes, Brian thought the kid still got homesick or maybe just a little stressed from the tour. Brian knew he himself did, but when the days turned into weeks of this behavior, Brian became worried. Nick wasn't with them unless he had no choice and he hardly ever smiled anymore, it just wasn't like Nick. Something was eating away at him and Brian was now determined to find out what.
Rising out of his thoughts, Brian stared at the floor below him again and listened. Nick was still singing, but it was a different song. Brian assumed it was the same CD. Obviously, Nick thought he was still alone in the room. As Brian listened, his eyes narrowed. He had noticed Nick's voice had sounded somewhat sad when he was singing 'Crash and Burn', but it was a different kind of sad, almost a happy sad? Did that make sense? But, now, Nick sounded heartbroken. Brian almost thought it sounded like Nick was crying. Then, as Brian listened to the words, he felt his own eyes tearing slightly.
"Cool breeze and autumn leaves, slow motion daylight, a lone pair of watchful eyes, oversee the living, feel the presence all around, a tortured soul, a wound done healing, no regrets or promises, the past is gone, but you can still be free, if time will set you free."
Brian heard Nick take an audible breath, then continue in a louder, more hoarse voice as he listened, slightly self-conscious for eavesdropping on his friend.
"Time now to spread your wings, to take to flight, to life endeavor, aim for the burning sun, you're trapped inside, but you can still be free, if time will set you free."
When he heard Nick sniffle and clear his throat softly, Brian knew Nick was crying. Concerned, Brian eased himself from his bunk and to the floor, quietly sitting on the opposite bunk. He could hear the tears in Nick's voice as he continued, unaware of his listener.
"But it's a long, long way to go..."
As Nick paused again, Brian reached forward for the curtain to pull it aside, but then Nick began again, his voice so soft that Brian could barely hear.
"Keep moving way up high, you see the light, it shines forever, sail through the crimson skies, the purest light, the light that sets you free, if time will set you free..."
Brian paused, wondering how he would proceed without making Nick either angry with him for eavesdropping or catching him crying. All the while, Nick continued, blissfully unaware.
"Sail through the wind and rain tonight, your free to fly tonight, and you can still be free, if time will set you free... and goin' high are the mountain tops, and go high like the wind don't stop, and go high... ...free to fly tonight..."
Silence fell. Brian knew that Nick was finished and that now was the time to make his presence known, but he suddenly felt trapped. He hesitated to move, and then Nick's hand appeared at the edge of the curtain and swiped it open. Brian didn't move as Nick looked up and froze, transfixed to see Brian before him. Brian had a split second to stare at Nick's blood shot blue eyes and tear streaked face, then Nick drew back and jerked the curtain closed on his friend.
"Nick," placated Brian, reaching for the curtain Nick held closed, "Nick, c'mon... We have to talk about this."
"Just go away, Brian," came Nick's voice, though without the anger Brian anticipated.
"Nick, damn it..." Brian sighed and rubbed his forehead, still dealing with the slight throb of his headache. He closed his eyes briefly, knowing the headache was cutting his patience shorter than usual. Brian didn't want to get into an argument with Nick, that wasn't the way to deal with it. Breathing deeply, Brian tried again, "Nick, please talk to me. Tell me what's wrong, I hate not having my best friend around... please, Frack?"
Silence answered Brian, so he took a stab in the dark in an effort to reach Nick, "It's about Carmen, isn't it?"
More silence and Brian knew that was the reason, "You can talk to me about it, Nick. I was there, too."
The curtain flew open to reveal Nick sitting in the corner with his knees drawn up and his head phones draped about his neck, sudden anger darkening his features in the dim room, "No, Brian. You weren't there. I'm sorry, but you weren't there."
Hurt flashed through Brian, but he pushed it aside and moved to sit on the other end of Nick's bunk, one leg on the floor while the other bent toward his chest on the bed. Brian stared across at Nick, "Then tell me about it, Nick. I want to help you, but it's like you don't want to be helped. You always came to me before, Frack. What's different this time?"
Nick looked down at his hands as they picked at a tear in the knee of his jeans, his expression closed, "Nothing, because nothing is wrong."
Brian leaned his head back, his headache expressing its presence further, "Don't lie to me, Nick. I heard you singing, and you aren't yourself lately. I thought you were okay after Carmen's death, but then you just seemed to drift away from us." Brian stared steadily at Nick, "Tell me what's wrong."
Nick gazed back at Brian, the darkness concealing the rising flush of red in his face. He wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or anger, perhaps it was a little of both. He shook his head and raised a hand to rake it through his short blond hair, "I can't tell you, Brian. I just can't."
"Sure you can, Frack," replied Brian, his expression sincere, "You can tell me anything and I won't think any less of you, you know that. Just tell me, it'll help you deal with it."
Nick stared at Brian. He wanted to tell someone and he knew Brian was the perfect someone, but he felt that to speak the words out loud would somehow make them true, and he thought that the doubt he felt was better than the guilt he would feel if he proved his doubts right by the chance of having Brian agree with them.
Nick took a deep breath and made a decision, then looked across at his best friend, the best friend he hoped to still have when he was finished, "I could have done something, Brian. I know I could have done something!"
Brian was struck momentarily speechless when Nick spoke, but quickly regained his voice, "Like what, Nick? What could you have possibly done? Nick, there was nothing you could do, that is what you know. You knew you were helpless, that is what's eating you, isn't it."
Nick propped his right elbow on his knee and rested his face in his hand, his eyes shining in the dim room, "God, Brian. I feel like I knew her. We talked, it was the only thing I could think to do. What we talked about was her. Carmen told me about her life to a point that I felt like I had known her forever, so when... when she died, it was like I lost a friend." Nick looked at Brian in askance, "How can I feel like that? Why does it feel like I lost a friend, a friend I was helpless to save?"
Brian looked away and bit his lip, "I can't tell you that, Nick. Sometimes, I guess people just seem to click as friends. They can find common ground to spark that friendship, so time really doesn't have to matter if you've got that connection." Brian looked back at Nick, "Kinda like us, Frack."
Nick nodded thoughtfully, then rubbed his face with his hands and continued, finding that since he started talking, now he couldn't seem to stop, "With all that was happening... I mean, she knew she was dying... Carmen was happy because she wasn't alone." Nick shook his head, "She was happy so long as she wasn't alone." Nick looked away and spoke his next words slightly unsure, not positive he wanted to share his secret that he held so dear, "Carmen loved music. She had said it was her whole life. So.. so when she felt herself go, she asked me to sing to her." Nick's voice had fallen to a whisper as he continued, "She said it was the last thing she wanted to hear... music."
Brian felt his heart lurch at what Nick was telling him, All that... Nick went through all that... by himself, waiting for me to bring help.. Brian blinked as Nick looked back at him, eyes shining, and spoke hoarsely, "I sang 'Crash and Burn', Bri'. It was the only thing I could think of, and it seemed to describe everything Carmen was feeling throughout her life and in those last moments. Except, in the end... she wasn't alone." Nick ducked his head, his voice soft and strained, "But... oh, jeez..."
Nick dug his fists into his eyes in an effort to stop the tears that fell, but couldn't. He clenched his teeth, rested his forehead on his fists, and cried. Brian blinked his own eyes and moved from where he sat to Nick's side, reaching an arm around his best friend's shoulders and holding on tight, "God, Nick... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
Nick held back a sob and gasped, shaking his head as he moved his hands before him and unclenched them. He stared at them as tears fell down his face, his voice husky as he continued to cry, "She... just died, Brian. She died, in my hands... right before my eyes, she just... died." Nick watched his hands as they trembled, "I just can't get away from that... Carmen died right in front of my eyes... ...I watched as the life left her, and I couldn't do a damn thing... I could only watch her die..." Nick let his head fall into his hands, "If I just could have done something, anything!"
Brian shook his head as a tear broke away to slide down his own face, his arm tightening to squeeze Nick's shoulders, "But you couldn't, Nick. Carmen knew that, but was happy that you were just there. So, maybe you did do something for her, Nick. Because of you, she wasn't alone. You were there for her, Nick. You sang to her, you made her happy before she passed away." Brian paused, causing Nick to raise his face from his hands to look at him, "You did do something for Carmen, Nick. You were her friend."
Nick stared at Brian, then blinked. He reached beside him and picked up his CD player and popped the lid, then stared at the CD within. Brian looked and then spoke softly, "So that's why you wanted the CD so bad? It's sort of a memory of her, isn't it."
With a small smile, Nick nodded, "I had to get it, Bri'. It's like the part of her I can save, over and over again."
Brian smiled and shook Nick slightly, "You're one hell of a friend, Nick, and I speak for both Carmen and myself."
Nick sniffed and his smile widened as he looked at his best friend, "Thanks, Bri'... for everything. You're the one who's truly a friend."
"Nah," grinned Brian, "We're even. So, you gonna be the Nick we all love again?"
Nick chuckled, "I think I can manage that, Frick. Don't go expectin' it all at once, though. I've been getting this great pity trip from Kevin lately, he hasn't yelled at me for weeks. I'd like to keep the streak goin' a bit longer."
Laughing, Brian bent his arm that was around Nick's shoulders and ruffled Nick's hair, "I've missed ya, Frack. Don't be goin' anywhere for a long time, ya hear?"
Nick put a scowl on his face and grabbed Brian's arm, shoving him aside, "I hear ya, Frick. Just don't mess with the hair!"
Grinning, Brian pushed himself back up and stared at Nick, who was making a little show of smoothing his hair back in place, "It is good to have ya back, Nicky. You just remember you can always talk to me, okay?"
Nick smiled, his eyes sincere, "I'll remember."
Just then, light flooded into the dark room and AJ marched through the open door with high steps, singing, "Hail the conquering hero!" He stopped before Nick and Brian, striking a pose with his fists on his hips, "I am invincible!!"
Howie soon appeared behind him, rolling his eyes. He looked at Brian and Nick who were blinking up at them, squinting at the bright light, "The man wins one damn game and he's," Howie made the "quotes" motion with his fingers, "Invincible."
AJ looked indignant, glaring at Howie, "Hey, I won, didn't I?"
Howie glared right back, "Yeah, once... out of ten games!"
AJ straightened, "So?"
Howie just threw his hands up, then looked back at Brian and Nick. He suddenly noticed Nick's puffy eyes and wet face. His brow turned in concern, "Hey, Nick. What's wrong? You okay?"
AJ then also noticed Nick's appearance, "Nick... Hey, you been cryin', man?"
Nick shrugged, wiping his eyes, "Yeah, but don't worry. I'm fine." Howie and AJ shared doubtful glances, Nick frowned, "Hey, really. I'm fine."
"Don't worry, guys," added Brian, smiling, "We worked it out. Nick's gonna be his old self again soon."
AJ sat down on the opposite bunk, which happened to be his, and slapped his knee, "Well, it's about time! Been downright boring around here lately, what with me always kicking 'D's butt in video games. It gets old."
"Excuse me?" sputtered Howie, staring at AJ, "I'm the one that keeps beating you! You've only won once!"
AJ grinned, "Yeah, but it's the last time that counts, 'D. And as of right now, I'm retiring as champion of kickin' Howie Dorough's butt in video games."
Howie just groaned and sank down to sit beside AJ, soon holding his head in his hands, defeated. Nick smiled and looked around, "Where's Kevin?"
AJ nodded his head in the direction of the game room, "Fell asleep. I can't blame the guy, what with readin' Shakespeare and all."
Nick quirked an eyebrow, a mischievous grin that was sorely missed by his four friends making an appearance, "Really? Asleep, you say? Hmm..."
Brian positively beamed at the familiar devilish glint in his best friend's eye, "What ya got in mind, Frack?"
Nick just smirked thoughtfully, "You'll see." Then Nick got up and left, walking toward the front of the bus where the kitchen was. Brian grinned at AJ and Howie, who were also smiling. Then Brian noticed he no longer had his headache, for which he could only attribute to having Nick back to normal. Brian shook his head, it was good to have his best friend back... and a better friend he could never ask for. Nick just needed to be reminded of something to get himself back on track.
Brian looked down and picked up Nick's CD player, his eyes fixed on the CD within. He closed the lid and then glanced at where Nick disappeared.
You're not alone.
The End.
Songs featured: "Crash and Burn" and "You Can Still Be Free" by: Savage Garden; CD: Affirmation
