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Where’s Nick?
Part 5.

AJ knew he should believe that Nick was Nick, but ever since their conversation the night before he’d been having doubts. Now he was truly seeing what Howie meant. What Nick had said to AJ the night before was strangely haunting him.
What did Nick mean? AJ asked himself as he got out of bed. He knows Howie has always been there for him. AJ frowned as he pulled on a pair of jeans and slowly made his way to the bathroom. He knew he should believe Nick, but he just couldn’t. As he got into the brushed his teeth, he shook his head. This was all too weird for him.
He had been willing to believe that Nick was who he said he was the night he came back with the pizza, but now he had his doubts. Maybe, AJ thought, I should ask Howie if what Nick said is true, if it is then I know Nick is Nick, if not well then I don’t know what to think.

As AJ approached Howie, he knew that what Nick had said was false but he still had to ask. He walked over to his older friend and sat down beside him at the table.
“Hey D,” AJ said as he reached across the table for an apple.
“Hey,” Howie said without looking up from his cereal. There was a silence before either one of them spoke again.
“So…” AJ began as he nervously chewed on the apple.
“So…” Howie repeated, still not looking up.
“I was talking to Nick last night...” AJ began and Howie looked at him unimpressed.
“And?” He asked without much interest, he did not care what this new Nick had to say.
“Well, he said that you never liked him is that true?” AJ asked looking at Howie. Howie shook his head.
“No. I mean I love our old Nick, but I don’t like this new one. So yes, I guess you can say that it is true,” Howie replied giving AJ a wry look. “Don’t mix it up though Bone, I have always liked Nick, just not this Nick.” Howie went back to his cereal.
“So what he said isn’t true, presuming this is the Old Nick?” AJ asked, just to make sure he hadn’t mixed it up. Howie looked back up at him and nodded.
“Yeah, I mean PRESUMING that is Nick, which I highly doubt it is, then yeah I like Nick, always have, always will,” Howie replied as he caught a sigh of relief coming from AJ.
“Good,” AJ said and he stood up. “Just wanted to clear that up.” Howie reached out and grabbed AJ’s jacket just as he was about to leave.
“Wait Bone,” Howie said and AJ turned to look at him. “Don’t let that thing fool you into believing its Nick. Because you know as well as I do, that it’s not.”
AJ looked at his friend and nodded, “I know D, I know.”

Now AJ was even more confused, but as he spent time with Nick, his thoughts about what Howie had said was beginning to clear things up. Nick was truly beginning to act different, everything anyone else would say he would throw it down. To make matters even stranger he would snap at everyone including Brian, which was not normal Nick behavior.
“Rok! Hurry up or we’ll be late!” Nick barked up the stairs, he was dressed as none of them had ever seen Nick dress before. In a full fledged suit with a bow tie.
“Calm down Nicky,” AJ said trying to calm him down. Nick spun around to face him.
“Calm down?” Nick repeated. “It may not matter to you, but to me if we are late it costs us a whole lot of inventory!” AJ stepped back as Nick glared at him with blood shot eyes.
“Nick come on,” Kevin said stepping between the two of them. “We’re not going to loose inventory just by being a few minutes late.”
Now it was Kevin’s turn to get snapped at. “It may not matter to you guys! But I want to get ahead! Before you know it we’ll be singing back up to Nsync!” Nick snapped, his eyes were even more of a glare.
“Shut up Nick,” Howie said, he’d had enough of this thing pretending to be Nick. “I don’t know why you are so up tight, it’s not like you.” Nick glared at Howie.
“I know you don’t agree with me D, as usual. Sometimes I believe I’m the only one who cares about our success,” Nick snapped and he began to walk out the door. “I’ll be waiting in the bus working on some songs, when you’re ready we can leave.” And he strode out to the waiting bus.
“Fuck him,” Howie muttered under his breath just as Brian came running down the stairs. “It’s okay rok, don’t rush the THING can wait, now do you believe me Bone?”
AJ, who was still in shock, said, “Um yeah. Damn that was definitely not like Nick.”
“You got that right,” Kevin replied, “It was definitely not Nick.”

As AJ and Brian sat together at the edge of the stage, AJ was even more convinced now that this was not Nick.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Brian said as he took of his shoes. His feet were killing him from the amount of dancing Nick was subjecting them all to.
“I don’t know either rok. Damn, I can’t believe I got fooled that easily,” AJ agreed shaking his head. Brain looked at his friend in sympathy.
“It’s okay Bone, you’ve just got a good heart,” Brian said and winced as he tried to stand, his knees were killing him.
“Yeah, but I guess that’s my downfall right?” AJ asked, “Rok you okay man?” AJ noticed his friend get up and sit quickly back down.
“Yeah man, my knees are just killing me,” Brian replied rubbing his knees.
“I know what you mean,” AJ agreed, he too was feeling the pain of being worked too hard by Nick.
“Hey you two! Get up we have no time to waste!” Nick’s voice snapped from the far end of the stage and both men frowned.
“What’s gotten into him?” AJ asked, slowly getting up. “The Nick I know would never act like this.”
Brian winced again as he stood up, “I don’t know Bone, but whatever it is I’m going to find out.”
AJ looked at Brian questionably, “What you saying rok?”
Brain looked at him, “We need to go look again at that body we saw, then we’ll know for sure it’s not Nick.” AJ looked at Brian, wondering if he was really going to do that. He didn’t have to wonder long however, as Brian’s knees miraculously stopped hurting and Brian began to walk out of the arena.
As Brian left the stadium AJ heard Nick yell, “Hey rok, get your ass back here we’re not done yet!”
AJ turned to face Nick, “Be quiet Nick, and let him go.” Nick didn’t respond, instead he just glared at AJ with eyes that told you he knew that they were on to him.