* Chapter 40 *

The ride was a refreshing one due to the chilly early morning breeze that blew through my hair as I rode around town. Everyone once in a while someone would come up and pet the horse and make small talk before I kept going. I was gone for about an hour and a half before I turned around and went back. I put the horse back in the corral and carried the saddle back towards the house, stopping at my truck on the way to get some CD’s.

"Hey Kev...when you were working at Disney, which ninja turtle were you?" I heard Meg ask Kev in the other room as I walked in the door.

"Uh...the purple one...Donnatello I think it was. Why?" he replied.

"It might sound weird, but I met you before when I was younger...Mr. Ninja Turtle. We went to DisneyWorld and I met the purple turtle...it’s funny that never occurred to me before now," she explained with a laugh.

"That’s pretty freaky," Howie teased.

"Oh be quiet," Meg playfully replied.

I walked into the room and opened the glass door of the entertainment center where the stereo was. After I turned it on, I put the CD’s in the player and turned the volume up so I would be able to hear it while I took my daily shower. The room grew quiet when I had walked in and it stayed that way until I walked out again. I gathered some clean clothes and a towel before heading to the bathroom.

‘I’m doing this tonight. You’re probably gonna start a fight. I know this can’t be right...hey baby...come on. I loved you endlessly and you weren’t there for me so now its time to leave and make it alone. I know that I can’t take no more, it ain’t no lie. I want to see you out that door baby bye bye bye’ played through the door while I took my shower. ‘Don’t wanna be a fool for you, just another player in your game for two. You may hate me but it ain’t no lie...baby bye bye bye. Don’t really wanna make it tough. I just wanna tell you that I’ve had enough. Might sound crazy but it ain’t no lie. Baby bye bye bye. Just hit me with the truth now, girl you’re more than welcome to so give me one good reason baby come on. I live for you and me and now I’ve really come to see that life would be much better once you’re gone. I know that I can’t take no more...’ (Bye Bye Bye by *NSync)

‘Subtle hint? Naw...’ I thought to myself as I stepped out onto the heated marble-tiled floor. Another song came on as I got dressed and did my hair.

‘An empty room...A broken fairytale...A hollow girl with empty arms. From an angels tears God made the stars. Why can’t he make me an unbreakable heart? In my blue world you shone like heaven’s fire and left me cryin’ in the dark. How could anyone be so hard? Did you think I had an unbreakable heart? I suppose I should know sometimes love just comes and goes, but I believed, foolish me, we’d go on and on. One day someone will come to you and rock you tightly in her arms. Please remember this when you drop your guard...nobody has an unbreakable heart. From an angel’s wings to a fallen star, God makes everything but unbreakable hearts.’ (Unbreakable Heart by Jessica Andrews)

When the song was finished I opened the door and headed to the kitchen to get a drink of water. My hair was still wet, but I put it up into a bun so it wouldn’t bother me all day. I was all dressed and ready to go when I came out. Everyone was talking in hushed voices in the other room so I knew they were probably talking about me. I got a drink from the tap and turned towards the living room where everyone else was. Stets was sitting on the couch in-between Mel and Nick and he seemed to be having a good time. I stood in the doorway for a few seconds before anyone noticed that I was standing there. Nick was about to say something to me, but I didn’t really give him the chance. I turned around and went through the kitchen and up the stairs to gather my things together. It only took about five minutes to put everything in my truck. When I came back inside, I stood at the doorway again and watched Stets sitting on Nick’s lap playing with Nick’s spiky blond hair.

"Come here Stets...it’s time to go see Coltin," I said after a few seconds.

"Coltin!" he screamed as he clapped his hands excitedly.

He jumped off Nick’s lap and ran into my arms. I picked him up and walked over to the couch by where Nick and Mel were sitting and grabbed his blankies.

"I need a luv," I whispered to Stets.

"I wuv you," he said as he gave me a big 3-year-old bear hug.

"Thanks. I love you too."

He pulled his blankies up to his chin while I carried him through the house and out the door.

"Mommy and Daddy will come pick you up tomorrow," I told Stets before he ran off into Audree’s house to find her son (Coltin).

"Thanks Audree. I guess I’ll see ya next time I’m in town," I said before I left.

I walked in the house to find everyone still sitting in the same seats as before, talking avidly in their weird conversation.

"Sorry to break up this party, but we have to leave now. I’m leaving so that means you all have to leave too," I told them when they looked up to see me standing in the door.

After locking the front door, I waited for everyone to go outside before I locked the back door as well. Kev hopped into the driver seat of a Suburban that they rented and started the engine. AJ, Howie, Brian, Meg, and Mel all hopped in too. Kev rolled down his window.

"Sorry Nick...no room," he said with a shrug.

Kev rolled up the window and turned to make sure everyone had their seatbelts on before he backed the truck up and left.

"You guys rented a Suburban...I mean gas hog...just to drive down here?!? You guys are crazy," I said as I walked over to my truck and unlocked the doors. "Guess you’ll have to ride with me."

"Yeah well...you wouldn’t want me to walk back to your place wouldya?" he teased.

"Actually..." I started to say before I pushed the ‘unlock’ button to let him in.

I waited until he got in and shut the door before I continued.

"I can’t believe you did that to me last night," I said with a mad face.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Did you guys talk at all?"

"Hmph...I told him to turn around so I could change this morning...does that count?" I asked as I started the engine and backed up.

"No, that doesn’t count."

I drove down the road for a few minutes, thinking of something to say.

"I told you I wasn’t going to do anything unless I WANTED to," I said in slightly annoyed voice.

I turned the radio on and adjusted the volume so it was loud enough to be heard probably a block away. It was a nice day so I rolled my window down and kept driving until we caught up with Kev and the others going about 5 under the speed limit.

"Hurry up slowpoke," I hollered at the windshield as I honked the horn a few times. "Geez..."

When the coast was clear on the other side of the road, I sped up and passed him. After I pulled back into the left lane, I didn’t exactly slow down much so within a few minutes the Suburban had disappeared from the view of my rearview mirror.

"Who taught him how to drive?" I mumbled to myself as I switched radio stations to find a good song while I kept my eyes on the road.

"I think we should be asking who taught you how to drive..." Nick replied.

I glared at him before I turned my attention back to the road.

"I got a 96% on my driving test thank you very much... Besides, I’m not breaking the law...they can’t pull you over unless you’re going 7 or over the speed limit anyway."

He gave me a skeptical look.

"I had a neighbor that was a police officer and he told me."

"Oh," was all he said.

"Ya know what?"

"Hmm..."

"I bet they’ll drop Mel off on their way through," I said.

"So..."

"Wanna wait for ‘em there? I mean, it might be a little while, but we could wait inside and all ‘cause I have a key," I suggested.

"Sure...but only if you’re sure they won’t mind."

"I know that they won’t mind. I basically live at their place when I’m in town and they live at mine when they come to visit me," I said, keeping my eyes on the road.

We had just come out of Springville canyon when I remembered something silly that Meg had told me a few weeks before. ‘Well...boy bands? You wanna know what I think about ‘em? That’s a silly kind of question...ummm. Let’s see. Let’s put it like this: Cuties with booties and hotties with bodies!’ she told me one afternoon when I was talking to her on the phone for some exclusive interview questions for my radio show. ‘Let’s just hope Howie didn’t hear that...he might get jealous’ I teased her. I giggled at the memory that played in my mind as I drove down the freeway.

"What?!?" Nick asked. "What’s so funny?"

"Nothing..." I said happily with a smile.

We pulled up to Mel and Cynth’s place after about twenty more minutes of driving.

"Let’s just sit out here and wait," Nick said after I pulled into the driveway.

"Ok," I said in a confused voice.

I watched as Nick leaned his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes. I put the truck in park and turned the engine off, but left it on ‘accessory’ so we could listen to the radio. ‘Back at One’ played through the speakers as we sat in silence.

"So...where are we going for lunch?" I asked after the song changed to a more up-beat one.

He opened his eyes and looked at me for a few seconds before he said anything.

"I dunno. I’ve only been to Salt Lake a few times, so maybe you should pick somewhere to eat."

"Eeeewwww! Goody! My choice..." I exclaimed with a cheesy smile. "Whatdya have a hankering for?"

"Something good," he replied with an innocent smile.

"Duh!"

I playfully smacked his arm before I noticed the Suburban pulling up next to us in the driveway.

"Pretend like you’re sleeping," I whispered to him before I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

Nick softly laughed as he pulled a sweatshirt that I had sitting between the two seats over his head so his laughing face wouldn’t be visible to everyone outside.

"Ssshhh! They’re coming," I whispered.

A few seconds later someone tapped lightly on the window of my locked truck door. We could hear what they were saying even though none of the windows were open. There was another few taps on the window when we didn’t respond.

"Uh...guys?" Kev said to Howie, AJ, and Bri.

Howie was the first one to walk over next to where Kev was standing outside my door looking in.

"Wha...huh?...geez she looks like she passed out or something," Howie teased before a worried look appeared on his face.

My head was slumped to the right on my shoulder and the seat with my mouth open a little and my hands lying limply in my lap.

"You don’t think..." Kev suggested in a worried voice. "Oh no..." he began to say over and over again in a worried voice.

Someone tried to open Nick’s door but found it locked as well. Kev frantically pulled on my handle a few times only to come to the conclusion that we were locked in. I could hear Nick softly giggling underneath my sweatshirt and I fought to keep myself from moving. ‘Oops! I Did It Again’ was playing softly on the radio as everyone outside began freaking out. I opened one of my eyes a sliver and saw that no one was looking in. I turned the radio up loud so the bass from the pair of two foot woofers under the seats was vibrating the glass of the windows and resumed my same slumped over position.

‘I think I did it again. I made you believe we’re more than just friends. Oh baby...it might seem like a crush but it doesn’t mean that I’m serious. ‘Cause to lose all my senses, that is just so typically me...ooooh baby baby. Oops! I did it again. I played with your heart, got lost in the game. Oh baby baby... Oops! You think I’m in love...that I’m sent from above. I’m not that innocent.'

"What the..." I barely heard Bri say.

Someone lightly pounded on the window again, but neither of us stirred.

"I think they’re playin’ us..." Bri said.

"Ya think?" Howie inquired as if he was unsure.

I slowly moved my left hand to the auto-window button on the door and apparently none of them saw me moving. I rolled our windows down about a half an inch and smiled as the music filled the air in and outside of the truck. I sat up and ripped the sweatshirt from Nick’s head and started mouthing words to the song.

‘I cry watching the days...Don’tcha see I’m a fool in so many ways, but to lose all my senses that is just so typically me baby. Oops! I did it again. I played with your heart, got lost in the game. Oh baby baby... Oops! You think I’m in love...that I’m sent from above. I’m not that innocent. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah...’

"But I thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end," I said along with the radio edit.

"Well baby, I went down and got it for ya," Nick said the guy’s part.

"Awww! You shouldn’t have," I continued with a fake swooning girl’s voice.

"I know..." Nick grumbled sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"Hey!"

I smacked him lightly upside the head and then we both burst into laughter.

"You two are gonna get it!!!!!" Kev yelled from outside my door.

I laughed harder when I saw his angry face staring at us through the window. After I started the engine again, I rolled up the windows and playfully stuck my tongue out at him. That just made him even madder than he already was.

"Look at Gramps here...he looks pretty mad," I said to Nick, pointing at a very angry Kev.

Nick stopped laughing when he saw the ‘death glare’ the Kev was giving him. Mel had already gone inside so she had no idea what was happening on the driveway of her place. AJ walked up next to Kev and watched what was going on. Bri and Howie were standing in front of my truck talking to Meg in their own conversation as Kev and AJ watched Nick and I talking and laughing.

"Pssst!"

I motioned for Nick to lean over.

"Why are they watching us like that?" I whispered in his ear.

He shrugged slightly as he looked over my shoulder at Kev and AJ.

"AJ’s probably jealous and Kev’s mad..." he answered.

"Ok...I know Kev’s mad, but why would AJ be jealous?" I whispered back. "Like he even cares what I do...I don’t care what he does anymore so why should he care what I do?"

"Because he cares aboutcha."

"Apparently not enough," I replied before I sat up straight and folded my arms in protest.

It was silent for a few minutes as I sat there looking at the dials and gauges of my dashboard.

"Ready for some lunch?" I finally asked.

"Shouldn’t we get them *points at the other guys* back to the hotel or at least your place first? I know Kev would get totally lost otherwise."

"Fine...but you talk to them," I said while I stared at the display on my CD player.

"Ok."

"And Nick?"

I paused for a second.

"Thanks," I said as I gave him a little hug.

"Welcome," he replied before he opened his door and hopped out.

I watched him as he walked around the front end of the truck past Bri, Howie, and Meg and continued on to where AJ and Kev were standing.

"Nice prank," Kev said in an annoyed voice.

"Yeah...what were ya trying to prove?" AJ chimed in.

Nick put his hands up in defense.

"Hey...it wasn’t my idea. I was just playing along..."

I zoned out on their conversation and turned my eyes back to the other three in front of my truck, but only found two there. I saw Bri walking towards the passenger door so I reached down to push the auto-lock button, but didn’t quite make it in time. He opened the door and climbed in before he locked it again.

"Ya know...that wasn’t very funny. You really had us scared there for a little while."

He spoke in a serious voice as he stared at me with his ice blue eyes.

"Well...I didn’t think that you’d, ya know, have a heart attack," I replied.

He cracked a smile at my stupid remark.

"I couldn’t have done it better myself!" he exclaimed. "It really looked like you were unconscious."

I laughed at his silliness and watched him as he climbed out and shut the door behind him. Meg inched her way past Kev and the others towards the driver’s seat of the Suburban where Kev had left the keys in the ignition. I laughed when she hopped in and locked the doors. No one noticed that she was in there until they heard the sound of the automatic door locks being locked. I leaned over the steering wheel and laughed as Kev scrambled to the driver’s side where Meg was and pleaded with her to open the door. I rolled down my window and hollered to Kev.

"Just let the poor girl drive! I’m sure she’ll get there faster anyway."

Nick and Bri laughed at what I had said.

"She can’t drive...the only other people on the papers are Bri and AJ...And AJ’s not driving cause, well, to put it bluntly, he’s a crazy-lunatic..."

"No duh..." I said a little too loud.

AJ looked at me with a shocked expression as Kev continued.

"If Bri wants to drive I’m fine with that," he finished.

"Fine...I’ll drive," Bri finally gave in. "Even though I’m not really looking forward to it."

Meg unlocked her door and got out so Bri could get in. Kev hopped in the front seat while Nick, Howie, and Meg jumped in the back.

"Sorry AJ...no room..." Nick called from inside the half-empty Suburban.

I put my truck in reverse and quickly backed out of the driveway before AJ would have a chance to get in. I hurriedly drove around the block and pulled up beside the big Suburban that was waiting along the sidewalk when I came back around. They obviously had no choice but to let AJ ride with them. I rolled down the passenger window while Bri rolled down his window.

"Follow me Mario..." I joked before I pulled out onto the road and headed for the freeway.