Chapter Four: I've.Tried.To.Hide.It.So.That.No.One.Knows

     Dinner was the usual - I mean, something always happens with this group. The majority of us were tired and lazy, so we decided to eat in the hotel restaurant...
    Chin looked quite nice when she came down, and she kept giving knowing looks to AJ. He was beaming, and kept whispering comments like "See? I picked out a good outfit" or "Now don't you look lovely this evening?" into her ear.
    Going in, Nick was busy pointing out some fountain to Julie, and tripped down the stairs to the entrance of the restaurant...taking her with him. She commented about him being a nice pillow; he just grunted while we laughed.
    Cathy kept bothering Howie about his phone conversation with Joanne, and he kept saying "Leave the birthday boy alone!"  Her response was a simple "It's not your actual birthday today, so THERE!" Yes, we were all very mature.
    Hannah kept helped me in pestering Kevin about his hat - he had brought it just to annoy me.
    Jenny still seemed distant - I decided I needed to talk to her...
    Brian was up to his usual antics and looked like he was trying to get Jenny to act normal again, though he didn't know what was wrong.  Later in the evening, she did seem to open up to him...well, she didn't tell him anything...but returned to her normal self again; getting hyper with Hannah and Cathy, hitting AJ, and tormenting Brian.
    Towards the end of dinner, Brian left for the bathroom...and came back with a grin plastered on his face. AJ asked what was up. Brian informed us that he had floored some girl by the bathrooms (by mistake) and was going to take her out to breakfast as an apology. AJ called him smooth B, and we all laughed as he turned some shades of pink...we all laughed, that is, with the exception of Jenny. Well, she laughed, but I could tell it was fake. She wanted out of the room at that moment, but couldn't do anything about it.
    Surprisingly, on the way back to our rooms, she kept her cool, and acted as if she was still herself. Throughout the jammed elevator ride, the races to get to room doors, and the echoing goodnight calls through the hallways, she acted normal. But once in our rooms, she grew silent...thinking. She wouldn't talk to me. Well, she would...but not about Brian. Anything but Brian.

~*~*~*~

(The next morning)

KNOCK KNOCK
     "Go away..."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
     "We mean it."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
     "Arrite...be ready to die," I groaned and got out of bed. Jenny shoved her pillow on her head. I flung open the door. Brian stood before me.
     "Rise and shine," he grinned. He cupped a hand around his mouth, and made trumpet noises, as if playing the Army wake up call (is the title "Call to Arms" ? hmm...either way, I didn't find it too amusing).
     "Bri-AN," we heard a muffled groan from under Jenny's pillow. Brian stepped in and we headed towards the beds. He plopped down beside her on the bed.
     "G'morning to you too," he laughed and started bouncing up and down to make the bed move. Jenny was trying her hardest to be mad and not to laugh, but didn't succeed.
     "OKAY, I'm up." She sat up and swatted him with her pillow.
     "Ow! I thought you only hit AJ!" Brian whined.
     "Mornings are different, mister." She got up and shoved him off the bed, smiling. Brian sat, sprawled out on the floor, grinning like an idiot. "What time is it anyway?" She stretched.
     "7AM," Brian and I answered at the same time. Jenny grimaced.
     "Why are we up so early?"
     "Its not that early...And anyway, I gotta go down and meet Cindy for breakfast in about 10 minutes...so I decided to do y'all a favor and wake you up so you can see us off! I mean, we're leaving to shoot the video at about 7:45..." Brian smirked.
    "Favor? I don't think so..." Jenny crinkled her nose.
    "What? You don't want to see us off? I'm hurt," Brian pouted.
    "Hey...if you do want us to see you off...I suggest you leave so we can get presentable, k?" I shooed Brian out of the room.
    "K...see y'alls downstairs." He did a quick wave and left.
    I turned to look at Jenny. She gave a sigh, and headed for the bathroom. I went to change. After I finished, she came out and sat on the bed, brushing her hair.
    "You hid it."
    "Hid what?" Jenny looked up.
    "You were hurt."
    "By what?"
    "The fact that Brian reminded you about going to breakfast with that...Cindy girl," I replied. Jenny looked at her feet. "Am I the only one who knows?"  I asked. She nodded, but then shook her head.
    "Chin knows...but that's it...I don't know what to do, Sarah," she sighed.
    "You ever going to tell him?"
    "I thought about it...but now, I'm not."
    "Why not?"
    "Cindy."
    "Oh."
    "So I guess I can forget about everything."
    "What? Don't say that!"
    "He has her now."
    "Jenny, good lord, what is with you? He barely knows the girl and you're getting all mopey on me! I'm sorry if I'm not acting supportive or something, but I seriously don't know how to react to this!"
    "It's okay...neither do I."
    "You know Brian's worried about you, right?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "We can all see it, Jenny. Maybe Chin and I are the only ones who know why you're acting different, but everyone can at least notice something. He was trying especially hard last night to get a grin out of you. And when he finally did, I could see relief on his face because he thought you were normal again. He doesn't know what's going on, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care. You can't keep being so distant; you're probably scaring him...I know you don't want to lose him as a friend-"
    "And you said you can't give advice."
    "Huh?"
    "You always preach the fact that you can listen, but can't give advice. Well, look what you just did."
    "Oh...but that doesn't mean it made sense."
    "It does...Look, I'm going to try to stop worrying about this. Yes, I'm going to try to act normal. I mean, since he has Cindy now - don't look at me like that, Sarah. Fine, he doesn't HAVE her, but he may in the future, happy? - why should I waste my energy? I'm not going to tell him anytime soon. I'm just going to be his friend. Okay?" Jenny looked at me. I sighed. I really didn't know what to say. I nodded lightly, indicating that the conversation was only going on hold for the time being.
    "You ready?" I sighed and got up.
    "Sure...Oh, if we run into Brian kissing this Cindy girl, catch me before I faint," Jenny laughed.
    "Jen-NIE!" I swatted her.
    "Sah-RAH!" She hit me back as we walked out of the room.
    We headed downstairs and went into the lobby. You could see the restaurant from there. We were early because a certain someone decided to wake only us up. In fact, we saw that certain someone get up, and hug a a brunette goodbye. We also saw her write something down on a napkin and hand it to him. Jenny drew in a sharp breath and sat down in one of the lobby's chairs. She closed her eyes for a moment, opened them, and stood up again. I was about to ask her if she was okay, when she smiled at something behind me. I turned to see Brian greeting us, and introducing us to Cindy. Jenny forced a smile on her face as we shook hands. Cindy left and Brian was bubbling over quite happily. I caught Jenny taking a deep breath and smiling at Brian, holding the hurt in, trying to act normal like she had decided she would. If Brian noticed anything this time, he didn't show it. He was too preoccupied with talking about Cindy.

~*~*~*~

    "Look, we all fit in the van, so I say we don't spilt up. That way, if we decide to go bother the Boys, we can do it in a group," Julie said, twirling the rented van's keys as we stood in the parking lot of the hotel.
    "And we can shop aaaaall together," Cathy grinned, and swung an arm around Hannah's shoulders.
    "I'm tired as it is..." Jenny whined.
    "Let's go, c'mon," Chin said.
    "You know...they didn't even tell us about what they're doing for the video!" I realized, as we piled into the van. I pulled out my chapstick as Chin grinned and started the ignition of the van.
    "Another reason to drop in on them," Chin laughed.

~*~*~*~

     "Smooth B strikes again," AJ nudged Brian on their way to the shoot.
     "Exactly what do you mean?"
     "You're beating my record, man...mister girl-happy boy. How was it this morning with Cindy?"
     "You always know how to make something sound indecent, Age," Brian tried not to smile. "It was great, she even gave me her number. She has the beautiful chocolate eyes..."
     "Just like Michelle had perfect smile, Rhonda had a good sense of humor, Janet had-"
     "Am I not allowed to be fond of certain qualities?"
     "I didn't say nothing," AJ acted innocent. Kevin, Howie, and Nick were a few steps ahead of the two Boys. "By the way, is Jenny okay?"
     "What do you mean?"
    "You know, she's been acting a bit...different."
    "She still hits you," Brian smiled.
    "That's besides the point," AJ smiled back, but then grew serious again. "She just seems, I dunno. Not 'Jenny'."
    "How would you know who Jenny is?" Brian got defensive.
    "Cool down, man. She's my friend, too, you know. Just because you're her best friend, it's not like she's an open book to you," AJ replied. Brian didn't know how to answer. He knew something was up, but he wasn't sure why Jenny wouldn't say anything about whatever it was.
     "Guys! Welcome!" Joseph Khan's voice averted Brian and AJ's attention before Brian could reply. Kevin, Nick, and Howie had stopped in front of them, where the director stood. "Ready to make a video?"

~*~*~*~

     "My feet hurt," Cathy complained, and sat down on a nearby bench, noting that she did not want to move at the moment.
    "We've been here for 2 hours," Jenny said.
     "That's too long already!" Cathy grinned. I plopped down beside her.
     "Yeah, you guys. I mean, why did we come here in the first place?"
     "To...shop," Julie replied.
     "Funny...But seriously. You notice we haven't bought anything?"
     "Well...so what? It's called BONDING, hon," Chin grinned.
     "We live together."
     "So?" Jenny asked.
     "Lesgo bug the boys," Cathy suggested, changing the subject.
     "What time is it?" I blinked in the sunlight.
     "About noon or so," Julie checked her watch.
     "No wonder my stomach's growling...food court, here I come," Hannah started walking off.
     "S'cuse me, but I'm comfy sitting here." Cathy put her hands on her hips.
     "Sowry, Kat, but I'm with Hannah on this one...I'm comfy when food is in my currently empty stomach," I grinned and followed Hannah. The others groaned and trailed behind.

    We got some Chalupas and such - Hannah insisted on having three whole Gorditas to herself - at the Taco Bell in the food area. We pulled two small tables together and a bunch of chairs to compensate for 6 girls. There was silence for awhile as we sat munching, thinking about nothing in particular.
     "Hey - isn't Kev's birthday in October...?" Jenny realized out loud.
     "Um...yeah...and it's August right now, dear. August," I reminded her.
     "Chin's birthday is before his..." Hannah mentioned.
     "So? We live with her," Jenny grinned at Chin, "But Kev'll be somewhere one tour. The least Sarah owes him is a nice, early present."
     "Why me? And what about you guys?" I choked on my food. "HEY! Howie's birthday is much, much closer! What are we doing for him?" I pointed out.
     "Well, we already went to dinner for Howie...and you're Kev's best bud. We can always call him or sumtin while they're on tour. But you, my dear, are the one that matters," Jenny batted her eyelashes at me. I rolled my eyes and took another bite of my food.
     "K...that's something we'll have to get today. Next topic - when are we gonna go bother the Boys? I seriously wanna know what they're doing. Howie wouldn't tell me," Cathy complained.
     "Um...depends how long it takes to find this mystery present for Kevin," Jenny laughed. I gave her a look.
     "OH...check out that look Sarah's shooting..." Cathy said in a mock warning tone, while jabbing Jenny.
     "Oh, the 'look of death'," Julie giggled. I frowned.
     "What is with you guys and me n' him, anyways?"
     "Ooo...nuthin'," Cathy smiled. I made a face.
     "Anyways...let's shoot for, um, maybe 2 or 3? They said they'd be there all day today, prolly  even tomorrow and the next..."

~*~*~*~

    "Howie, you've got some explaining to do." Cathy and Hannah confronted him.
    "Wha...?" Howie turned to see the two girls.
    "What's with the set..." Cathy began.
    "...What's with the fencing suit..." Hannah continued.
    "...and what's with you HAIR!?" Cathy finished. Howie laughed.
    "It's just part of the video, don't bite my head off!" he threw his arms up in the air.
    "So this is the future, huh? Fencing suits?" Hannah asked.
    "And eternal bad hair days?" Cathy added, laughing.  Howie made a face.
    "Aww, D's hurt!" Hannah smiled. Howie nodded.
    "So what is this, anyway?" Cathy asked.
    "It's the set for my part of the video...it's really hard to explain. It'll make more sense when you see it," Howie replied.

     "All of our time spent in flashes of liyiyiyIGHT," AJ mouthed the words as he stood in front of a green screen, moving his arms about as best he could in his costume.
     "Cut!" Joseph Kahn yelled as someone tripped over a lighting fixture - it came crashing down dangerously close to AJ. "Okay, take five. And clean that up, somebody!"
    "ARRITE! Who's killing our Boys?" Chin yelled out. AJ did a double take, then grinned, and hopped down from the set.
    "So, you'd care if I got killed, eh?" He walked up to her.
    "Hmm...lemme think about that one," Chin put her finger on her lips and looked around in thought. AJ pouted. "Aww, you know I'm kidding, Alex," she smiled. The fake worry vanished from his face.
    "Yeah, yeah, hon, I know." He outstretched his arms for a hug.
    "Excuse me, but I'm not fond of hugging plastic-armored-men..." Chin inched away from his grasp.
    "But I'm gonna be stuck in this outfit for awhile!" he whined.
    "Then hug me when you're not stuck in it anymore," Chin laughed.
    "Where are the others?"
    "Trying to find the other guys. Hannah is just in awe of this whole place. There are so many sets...ahh," Chin raised her hands in the air, pretending to be overwhelmed.
    "Just Hannah, huh?"
    "Well...um, nevermind. Hey, by the way, you guys still need a key to the house, correct?" Chin grinned and produced one from her pocket
    "Ahh yes, since Nick lost it," AJ smiled.
    "C'mon, you have 5 minutes...let's go put this in a safe place, away from Nick...and be useful an' gimmie a tour!" She linked her arm with his.

    "Um...why is Kevin partly in, uh, Saran-wrap??" I asked, walking onto his set. He turned around and grinned.
    "Oh, it's from the first and last scenes...I haven't changed for my scene yet...Don't give me that look!...Honestly! It's part of the video!" he rambled.
    "Mm-hmm..." I raised an eyebrow, pulling out my chapstick. "I guess I'll just hide all the plastic wrap in the house when we get home..." I tried not to laugh as I put some on my lips. "I know what I have to keep under a lock and key...never imagined I'd have to hide things from an adult!"
    "I'm telling you! It's for the video!" he insisted.
    "Now, now...the first step out of denial is acceptance. If I can accept the fact that you have a new fetish for plastic wrap, and little suction cups for that matter, so be it...You must be the one to acknowledge that..." I snickered.
    "Sah-raaaah," he sighed, walking over to me.
    "Keh-viiiiin," I replied.
    "When did you guys get here?" he changed the subject
    "Does it matter?"
    "Just wondering how much of the video we have to explain to you..."
    "By the looks of it...you're gonna hafta explain everything...plastic-wrap boy," I giggled. He scrunched up his nose at me. "Aww, you're still in denial, Kevvy-Kev..."

    "And exactly WHAT are you supposed to be?" Julie walked up behind Nick. He turned around, in shock for a moment, then grinned.
    "Hey, you." He tried to hug her. Julie backed off like Chin had.
    "You trying to hurt me, Carter? Or should I say 'Mr. Yellow Robot'?" she pointed at the blades of yellow plastic that he was wearing over some black bodysuit.
    "No," he sheepishly grinned. "Can't I just hug my girl?"
    " 'My Girl'? What decade are we in, the 60's?" Julie laughed and dodged his arms again.
    "What's this? Julie doesn't want to hug a spandex-adorned Ni-kay?" Brian showed up with Jenny grinning. Julie and Nick tried not to blush.
    "No...I think she's saving that for later," Jenny loudly whispered into Brian's ear so the couple could hear her. Julie made a face.
    "I don't like that mind of yours, Jenny."
    "Did you ever?" Jenny innocently smiled. She turned to Brian. "Okay - I figured Nicky here is a robot. But what are you, mister?" Jenny pointed a finger on Brian's chest.
    "Um...hard to explain. I'm gonna be, uh, air-boarding, and, um..."
    "What?" Julie and Jenny asked in unison, clearly confused.
    "Can't you guys just wait till the video is done?" Nick whined.
    "We know it's futuristic n' all...but you guys never explained it otherwise, and we wanna know!" Jenny complained.
    "All in due time." Brian swung his arm around Jenny's shoulder.
    "Brian! Is that you?" they heard a female voice. Jenny turned and saw...her.
    "Hey, Cinds," Brian smiled and removed his arm from Jenny's shoulder to give Cindy a hug.
    Jenny fidgeted.
    "This place is so...big!" Cindy exclaimed.
    "Yeah, you could say that," Brian continued the conversation.
    Jenny didn't want to hear the rest of it.
    She quietly walked out of the vicinity...only Nick and Julie noticed.
    "What's wrong with Jen?" Nick whispered to Julie while Brian and Cindy continued to talk.
    "I dunno..."

Chapter Five: Can't.Stop.Thinking.About.You
.If.I.Don't.Have.You. Index
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