*Chapter 26 ~ Conversations*

            Chin was in the study/guestroom. She was on the other phone line, talking with AJ.
            "Oh guess what?"
            "Hmmm?" Chin sounded distracted.
            "Chi-IN, are you on the computer?!"
            "Maybe."
            "Well you're not listening to me."
            "Yes...I am...just...not fully."
            "Well you need to be."
            "It's only YOU, Alex...I won't miss much."
            "HEY! Now I'm hurt."
            "Fine...there, I'm sitting on the bed...I left the computer alone, happy?"
            "Very...hmmmm, the bed eh? Nice choice..."
            "Oh you shut up."
            "What kind of sheets?"
            "Get your mind out of the gutter or else..."
            "Okay okay..."
            "Now what did you want to tell me? Now that I'm off the computer?"
            "And on the bed..."
            "Alex, I'm warning you..."
            "Ooooh...HEY by the way, for the billionth time, it's AJ, Chin...AJ..."
            "Continue with what you were going to tell me, ALEX."
            "Hmph...Well now I forgot."
            "That's so you."
            "Isn't it though?"
            "May I go back to working on the computer please? I have a new paper, due soon."
            "Naw, stay on the bed, beds are niiiice..."
            "AJ!"
            "AJ finally eh? Damn you must be mad! Haha...OH now I remember..."
            "So tell me before I hang up on you..."
            "Geesh...okay okay..."
            "Well...?"
            "D's got a girlfriend."
            "What? And I thought you had earth-shattering news... Not that it's not good news, but I already know."
            "What!?"
            "Yeah...Her name's Joanne and she's 24."
            "How'd you know??"
            "Don't think that we are the only set of good friends here..."
            "So Brian told Jenny? Or did Kevin tell Sarah? I didn't think they knew about it yet."
            "No, Alex...Howie told Cathy."
            "Ohhhh... so he tells a girl before he tells me, eh?"
            "It's Kat we're talking about here. They're almost like best friends. Get over it."
            "Well still..."
            "Stop whining."
            "Whine whine whine!"
            "And you are how old again?"
            "Old enough."
            "Oh geeze."
            "Hahaha...you're so fun to talk to, Chin."
            "Should I take that as a compliment?"
            "Anything from me is a compliment!"
            "I beg to differ."
            "Oh really?...Well, I would love to have you evaluate on that, but I gotta go."
            "Fine, just leave me."
            "I will."
            "You're so nice, AJ."
            "THERE we go! AJ!...Wait, you're not mad, are you?"
            "Whoops, slip of the tongue...ALEX."
            "Meany."
            "Bye," Chin laughed.
            "Bye."

            Chin hung up and left the room, planning to get a soda from downstairs. She ran into Jenny, who was coming from Julie and Cathy's room. Jenny looked worried.
            "You okay?"
            "Better  than Julie is."
            "What happened?"
            "I dunno if she wants me to tell you. You'll find out soon enough though."
            "Should I go in there?"
            "No, leave her be...I was in there, but she asked me to leave."
            "Oh...ok. Want a soda? We can go downstairs and be out of the way."
            "Yeah...sure."

~*~*~*(In Julie And Cathy's Room)*~*~*~

            "...Nick, it's okay...it wasn't your fault...it's not like you did it on purpose!"
            "Are you sure you forgive me?
            "YES!"
            "But, I'm under age, too! How can you forgive me?"
            "Nick, forget it. I'm fine with it now. I thought it over...I can't be mad at you."
            "But you should be."
            "Why?"
            "Because..."
            "Nick, stop. For the billionth time, I forgive you."
            "I don't see how you can so easily."
            There was silence for a moment.
            "Nick," Julie sighed, "...I can't believe I'm saying this...but maybe we should break up."
            "W-What!?"
            "Nick...it'd be for the best."
            "I knew this would happen! That's why I didn't want to tell you. You can't do this to me!"
            "Do this TO you? I'm doing it FOR you! What do you think I'm doing to ME?"
            "It was a mistake...an accident!...please!...I don't want to lose you......PLEASE Julie, don't do this."
            "It's not because of what you did...I already told you, I'm NOT mad at you...It's because what you're doing right now, Nick!...If you didn't have me around, you wouldn't be so upset...Maybe Hannah had the right idea breaking it off with Lance...I mean, you guys are too busy...you shouldn't have to worry about us...just go on with your life."
            "Julie-- "
            "Nick, face it: if you didn't have me like a ball and chain holding you down, you wouldn't be going through this pain and regret right now, would you?"
            "But...Don't talk like that!...You mean a lot to me! You will NEVER hold me down! You're NOT a ball and chain!"
            "I never thought I'd be saying this..."
            "Please don't..."
            "Nick..." Julie took a deep breath to gain some strength, "...it's for the best...it's over...goodbye," Julie sighed and hung up the phone before she could hear his response.  Nick just held the phone, as if afraid to put it down. When he did, he punched the wall and collapsed on the nearby couch to cry. Julie emerged from her room and went straight to Hannah's. Hannah was sitting on her bed, reading. Hannah looked up and saw Julie standing in the doorway. Just by looking at her, Hannah knew exactly what Julie had just done. She put down her book and outstretched her arms. Julie ran to her and fell into her hug, crying.

~*~*~*(In A Hotel Where The Boys Were Staying)*~*~*~
            Howie knocked on Nick's door. He had just heard a thump, as if Nick had punched the wall or something, and he was worried. There was no answer. He slowly opened it and peeked inside. Nick was slumped over on the couch, sobbing. Howie quietly closed the door behind him and walked over to him.
            "Nick...?" Howie said, sitting down beside him on the couch.
            "I lost her!" Nick sobbed and hugged a shocked Howie.
            "What happened, buddy?" Howie asked as Nick cried into his shoulder.
            "I'm an idiot...I, I messed up, D...I messed up...And now I've lost Julie."
            "Ohhh..." Howie said, putting the pieces together.
            "And she wasn't even mad about the party thing! Sh-she said she was a burden to me! She felt that I'd be better off without her being in the way..."
            "Nick--"
            "I messed it all up..."
            "Nick, listen to me." Howie pushed him back off of his shoulder and looked at him. "If she means so much to you, you can't just give up and sit here sobbing for the rest of             your life thinking about how the future could have been if this had not happened. Make that future what you wanted it to be...You have to try and win her back. And if she really cares for you, she'll take you back in the end. It will be hard if she's stubborn, but you have to try. I bet she's scared, Nick. She gets a famous boyfriend, and then, less than a month later, he cheats on her...not purposefully, so she forgave you...but you got too worried...what do you think she thinks of this? She thinks you should have your own life and not have to deal with her, right?"
            "But how am I supposed to get her back? She said it was OVER."
            "Be persistent is all I can say. Call her every day and try to talk to her. If you both were meant for each other, it will work out...Now go get ready. We have to go practice in the venue in half and hour," Howie said, giving Nick a pat on the back before getting up to leave the room.
            "Thanks, D...I won't let her go easily," Nick weakly smiled.
            "You're welcome, buddy...now go get ready," Howie smiled and left the room. Nick sighed and sat for a moment in deep thought.
            "No matter what it takes," he said to himself, "I WILL get her back..."
 
*Chapter 27 ~ Stormy Weather*
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