Dear Aly,
You have no idea how much I miss you. Well, you might, because I’m willing to bet that by your last letter, you miss me just as much. I’m sorry it’s taken so long for me to write back, but we’re really busy and our location keeps changing so our address keeps changing. But we’re halfway through our promo tour! Right now, I’m looking out at the beautiful Kansas sunset as we pass through and I’m thinking about how much it reminds me of your smile. God do I miss your smile. I miss everything about you, even the way you bug me about something stupid. I miss beating you in basketball, then getting beat up by you because I rubbed it in your face. I know it sounds strange, but bear with me here. That’s just one of a million things I miss about you. If I could, I would come straight back home just to see you, simply because I miss you that much. But I can’t, as it is, we’ve had to put off all rest stops until further notice. Donna sees us becoming bigger and bigger and wants us to be the biggest out there. I don’t know how that’ll happen, but apparently, she thinks we can. I have to end this and I’m sorry this is so short, but I’m so tired. If you were here, would you sing me to sleep again? Yes, I did hear you sing to me that time, I wasn’t asleep. I know you’re probably planning my assassination now that I told you that, but you have such a wonderful voice. It’s so comforting and I love the way it sounds. I miss you, Aly, I wish I could be there with you. Love you.
Love,
Nick

Dear Nick,
I actually do have an idea of how much you miss me, cause I miss you more! But I think I’m the lucky one here, I hear about you all the time from you brother and sisters and your mother. Then, the other day, I went into a grocery store and I saw you on the cover of a magazine. I don’t know what it was called, some teenybopper magazine, but I did see it. I bought it and was looking through it, but I only found a little blurb on you guys, saying how popular you’re becoming. Oh, and I’m sorry to hear about your single here flopping. You never told me it did when it happened, but I’m gonna tell you now that I’m sorry to hear. But I found it pretty funny that it topped at number 69! Haha, sorry, inside joke. Anyway, I MISS YOU SO MUCH! Really, I do. I miss beating you up after we play basketball because you cheat. Yes, I am plotting your assassination as we speak, I found my old M16 in the garage, I’ve staked out a place in the bushes, and no one will be around when it happens, so no one will know it was your best friend that killed you. Don’t tell anyone I can sing, please? Only one other person besides you knows I can sing, Sarah, and she has sworn on her life that she won’t tell. Nicky, please don’t tell anyone. I’m not sure exactly why I don’t want anyone to know, I just don’t. I have to go, now, it’s nearly two in the morning here and I’m dead tired. Aaron and Angel really wore me out today! I swear, the older those two get, the more energetic they get. I miss you, Nicky, don’t forget about lil’ ‘ol me here in Florida.
Love always and forever,
Aly

I was yawning the next morning as I put that letter in the mailbox. It was a crisp autumn morning and I was on my way to school. I wasn’t quite enjoying everything like I had before, I missed Nick too much. He’d been gone for about two and a half months and I missed him like crazy. He said it wouldn’t last too much longer, but I had a nasty feeling it would. I got to school and as soon as I did, I heard Nick singing. I practically ran to the sound, only to find it was two freshmen listening to the radio. It was their first official single in the US, a song called ‘Quit Playin’ Games’. The first song they’d released, ‘We Got it Goin’ On’ flopped, unfortunately, even though it was a really good song. Nick sent me a copy of their first album and I immediately fell in love with it. I didn’t understand why no one else in the world liked it as much, but I guess they were still trying to get out of the grunge stage that they were in.
I, personally, like all music, so I respected everyone out there making a living in the business, but I wanted them to go so Nick and his group could have a chance. Just a small chance.
"Aly? Are you ok?" Callie, one of my friends in school, asked me. She was the first friend I’d made in school, so I considered her one of my best friends.
"Yeah, I... I’m fine," I stuttered out, walking away from the freshmen and their radio. I tried to keep it a secret from people that I knew those guys, I didn’t want everyone asking me tons of questions wondering what the hell I did to get to know them. It wasn’t that hard, it was an accident.
"Are you sure? You look a little pale," Callie said as we walked to homeroom.
I nodded and sat in my seat. "Yeah, positive. Just a little tired," I said, laying my head on the desk. My heart was aching, I wanted my Nicky back.