Prologue: Wish.You.Were.Here (August 6, 1999)
Hannah opened a package she had just found on the doorstep. Amidst the cardboard packaging and the brown tissue paper, she found a beautifully wrapped small, long, slender box. A golden bow that adorned the blue glossy paper was protecting a carefully written note...
Happy birthday, Beautiful. I miss you...I wish I had the same schedule as the others, but alas, I don't. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for your 19th birthday - you're catching up to me, you know that? Ahh, but I'll always be older!
You know what? JC seems to always have the perfect timing. First, getting me off the phone whenever I get a chance to talk to you, and now he demands that I "send the damn present already". So, here I go, finally finishing this short note (as I glare at JC, of course ;o) Bye for now, sweets...
Love * Lance"A little early there, huh?" Cathy popped her head in Hannah's room.
"What?" Hannah looked up.
"Looks like Lancey-boy jumped the gun a bit with your birthday gift."
"Oh, well, I don't care. He's busy..."
"I'm just teasin'!"
"Sure, Kat..."
"Sooo wut he get ya?" Cathy plopped down behind Hannah on her bed.
"I dunno yet..."
"So open it!"
"Okay, okay!" Hannah flipped the box over and slowly removed the tape.
"It's called ripping the paper..." Cathy commented.
"It's called possibly wanting to keep the paper - thus wanting it to be as intact as possible..." Hannah replied.
"Oh..." Cathy grinned. "We're gonna need an attic with all the things you and Julie keep to 'cherish' - geeze!" Cathy giggled as Hannah made a face "...Uh-oh...it looks like an expensive BO-ox..." Cathy said in a singsong voice.
"Hmm...but it's too long for an engagement ring..."
"Funny," Hannah said as she opened it. All Cathy could see was the lid. Hannah's mouth dropped open. "Oh...my..." she took a sharp breath.
"What? What? An engagement ring!?" Cathy exclaimed, wondering if her comment held true, bobbing back and forth, straining her neck over Hannah's shoulders to see what was in the box.
"It's...beautiful..." Hannah whispered, gingerly taking a sparkling object out of the box. It was a silver chain that had a charm dangling on it. The charm was of a horse, made of Hannah's birthstone.
"DAMN, he cares for you!" Cathy laughed as she moved her position to next to her friend to give her a hug as both girls admired the necklace in Hannah's hands..."Hey - do you think Kat and D will ever hook up, and be as happy as us?" ~*~*~*~
"Um..."
"What?"
"They already tried it, Nick."
"Am I that oblivious to everything?"
"It depends," Julie snickered.
"Funny, Jules, funny."
"Wasn't it?...you know, you're the only one who doesn't get creamed for calling me that, feel special."
"I feel ever so special...so, when did they hook up??"
"What a one-track-mind," Julie laughed before continuing. "Um, well, I don't fully remember. Remember when Kat went to Spain for a week? That was the same time you all were there. It was also right after Howie broke up with Joanne. Kat said he and she actually went on a date...sorta. Being the friend she is, I dunno if you could even call it a date, because he was so distraught over his break-up - she just wanted him to have a good time,you know? To stop thinking about Joanne, and what could have been...and just have some fun-"
"Why-"
"Shush - do you want to hear this, or not?"
"Go on."
"Anyways, it didn't turn out to be much of a real date...Howie ended up falling into some puddle, almost got run over by some animals, and Cathy got ice cream all over her dress and...you get the picture. They did have fun, but not as a couple, you know? They decided they'd be better off as best friends."
"Done?...Good, I can speak now...Why was I not informed of my band-mate's love life??"
"Because...I dunno...girls tell each other everything?" Julie laughed.
"I am sooo gonna get D for this...all four of us will."
"Why does it matter?"
"Cuz, I dunno...sometimes we joke about how I was lucky to get you, and how it's odd that everyone else are just best friends, ya know? In a perfect world, everyone would match up, or something..."
"The world's not prefect, Nick. But think about it - they did, kinda...I mean, everyone connected with someone...we just connected better."
"Cue the sappy music."
"Oh, shut up."
"Now if I do that, I wouldn't be able to give out some vital information, now would I?"
"Just spill it, Nick, before you have to get ANOTHER new cell-phone, or something."
"So sue me if the fans keep finding out our numbers, time and time again-"
"You gonna talk or not, Carter?
"You shut up."
"Didn't I tell you to do that earlier? Anyways...you gonna tell me, or not?"
"Okay......I love you."
"Very sweet, Nick...but I know that already," Julie giggled. "Where's the 'vital information'?"
"Owch, I'm hurt...you don't even say it back?"
"Aww, I'm sorry, did I hurt lil' Nicky? Would it be better if I told him I loved him for the billionth time today?"
"Yes." Nick made a child-like voice.
"Well, tough - gimmie the info."
"Aren't you just a sweetie-pie?" Nick laughed. "Okay, okay...well, tomorrow is our last show of this leg of the tour, and it's August...The North-American leg only starts in, like, the second week of September..."
"Mm-hmm...So I'm assuming you all are gonna grace us with your presence - or in other words, crash at and trash our beautiful house - for a few days in the near future, I take it?"
"Smart girl."
"They don't call me The Brain for nothing! You'll miss Hannah's birthday, cuz that's in a few days...and Chin's will be the around then, but it might be after you leave."
"I'll be sure to remind AJ...and you guys haven't forgotten about D, right?"
"Did you really expect us, or even me, to forget something like that?"
"You're getting to be a real smartass, Jules."
"But you still love me!"~*~*~*~ "I swear, Darwin sets a bad example for Roky..." Jenny commented as she watched the two dogs beg us for food. We were outside sitting in the hammock eating our lunch.
"Well I'm soooorr-Y if my dog is smart enough to realize that we're eating food in the first place," I retorted, laughing.
"Oooh, good one, Sarah. Good one."
"You expected less?" I grinned.
"So...what's Kevin up to?" Jenny asked, taking a sip of her soda.
"Um...Maybe the same thing Bri's up to?" I replied. I was waiting for a comeback, but none came. "You okay, Jenny?"
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong?"
"Just thinking."
"About...?"
"Our friendship."
"Uh-oh...what'd I do?"
"No, no...not you and me..."
"You and...Brian...?"
"Bingo."
"What's there to think about? He's your best guy friend. Kev's mine. Chin's got AJ. Kat's got Howie...need I go on?"
"You left out some people."
"Well, duh...Julie is Nick's girlfriend, and Hannah's with Lance...there's a difference."
"Exactly."
"Exactly what?"
"Julie and Nick...Hannah and Lance...it's...different..." Jenny trailed off.
"So?...What is it that's not clicking in my head here?"
"I've just been thinking...too much about it, possibly..." she almost whispered.
"Yes...?"
"...Do I really want to be his friend?"
"Um, why wouldn't you want to be?"
"Cuz I've been miserable these past few months when I talk to him on the phone..."
"Dude, you just miss him! The guys have been gone on tour, that's all...And you, Jenny, miserable? This is new. You're always laughing when you talk to him..."
"Because he's funny, that's why."
"It's still not clicking, Jenny. I know I'm slow but-"
"Maybe I'd rather have more than a friendship with him, okay?" Jenny cut me off, getting upset. I looked at her, shocked, for a moment.
"I'm sorry..." I hugged her.
"Miss Pillow..." she laughed in my shoulder. I grinned.
"Of course...'Need a shoulder to cry on? Need a place to vent? Go to sAH-rAH, the pillow'..." I made up a commercial, laughing.
"Nice AJ-style emphasis on your name," Jenny laughed.
"Hey - you're the one that came up with that...in Disneyland, remember? He just copied you."
"Whatever...So now what?" Jenny looked up at me.
"You know I can listen...but giving advice...not my field..." I shrugged. She lightly smiled.
"I know...I just...I just needed someone to tell."
"Are you going to tell him?"
"Why should I? It won't amount to anything..."
"You never know, Jenny-"
"Don't give me that. He's had 3 girlfriends since I last saw him."
"So?"
"So I don't want to interfere with that aspect of his life."~*~*~*~
"When did Kevvy-Kev decide he liked Nine Inch Nails?"
"Huh?" Kevin poked his head out of his top bunk in the tour bus. Howie stood in the hallway, with a knowing smile. Kevin had been lying down, listening to his CD player. The CD cover had fallen to the ground, revealing the music he was listening to. "Can't I expand my horizons?"
"Sarah likes that music, doesn't she?"
"She also likes our music. Your point?"
"Nothing."
"Don't give me that, D. I've seen you with Kat's music..."
"I won't deny it."
"So why attack me?"
"Just interesting circumstances."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Howie!" Kevin sat up...and rammed his head on the ceiling. "OW!"
"What?" Howie laughed while Kevin rubbed his head gingerly.
"You can be the worst sometimes..." Kevin stated. "Why are you even in here?"
"Worst? I don't know WHAT you're talking about, Kev," Howie smiled. "Bri's in the back, reading something. AJ's with him, 'cept on his cell. Nick's in the front, but also on his cell. So I came here to bug you...but since someone seems to be in a grumpy mood, if you'll excuse me, I'd best be leaving now," Howie bowed, then proceeded to leave. He ducked as a pillow went flying past his head."Alex, you are so full of yourself." ~*~*~*~
"Excuse me? Was that yet another insult from my best friend?"
"Was that exactly an insult?"
"You're supposed to support me, not blow me down, hon - especially over the phone like this."
"I'm supposed to support the idea that you think you'd make a better Fashion Emergency host than Emme?"
"Your point...?"
"I'd rather see you on an MTV thing...not a crappy E! Entertainment Television show."
"Well, just be that way."
"Aren't I always?"
"True..."
"That's why ya luv me!" Chin smiled.
"Of course..." AJ lightly laughed in reply.
Brian looked up from his reading. AJ was lounging comfortably on a couch in the tour bus, talking to Chin on his cell-phone. He had been fiddling with the drawstring in his pants...until that moment. His face had gotten a bit disturbed looking.
'You okay?' Brian mouthed. AJ sighed and nodded. Brian raised an eyebrow at AJ. He knew his buddy was on the phone with Chin, but why did he look upset? She usually brought out the best in him; she always had him laughing over the phone. But what was the matter now?
"Earth to Alex..." Chin said.
"Huh?"
"You weren't talking. The point of being on the phone is to talk, dear."
"Oh...um...yeah...sorry..." AJ stuttered. He looked at Brian, who was still giving him a questioning look. "Look, hon, I gotta go...I'll call you later, k?"
"Arrite, Alex...talk to you later...luv ya...bye."
"Yeah...bye," AJ hung up the phone. On the other end of the line, Chin looked at the phone oddly, wondering if something was wrong. She sighed and hung up as she heard Kat call her from somewhere in the house. Something about a necklace for Hannah...
"What's the matter, Bone?" Brian sat down in a chair next to his friend.
"Nothing...really..."
"Cmon, fess up, man."
"I can't tell you..."
"Yes you can."
"No, I can't..."
"AJ - c'mon," Brian pressed. AJ looked at his shoes for a moment, as if in deep thought.
"If I do, you swear on your life not to utter a word to anyone?"
"Cross my heart and hope to die," Brian grinned. "Spill it soon, cuz I feel like a 7-year-old girl right now..." he laughed. "...not that I would know exactly what it would feel like to be a girl or anything."
"Funny, B...look...recently, every time Chin says something with the word 'love' in it, pertaining to us, I get...I dunno..."
"Can't friends love each other?"
"But-"
"You're saying she can't say 'love you' to say goodbye, or something...?"
"No...it's not that...it's just...I mean...Chin's supposed to be my friend...I'm not supposed to get mad when she talks about her ex or anything, right?"
"It all depends, J...I mean, you can be protective, if that's it...but I think I know where this is going..."
"Bri, please tell me...cuz I for one am not sure..."
"Someone has a crush, or should I say, strong feelings for...their best friend..." Brian smiled.
"That's what I was afraid of..." AJ sighed.Chapter One: How.Stars.Can.Fall.From.Above
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