Chapter 7
Maria had thought about it. Some of the looks that Jacob had been giving her had made her think that he would ask her, but it was impossible. She couldn’t get involved with him…or anyone right now. "Because he didn’t ask me and I wouldn’t want to anyway."
"I don’t believe you. What was that massage all about?" Alex just had to ask. Maria stood up. She put the cap tightly on the black paint that she had been using and placed it on the dresser.
"I’m going to take a shower," Maria said as she walked to the bathroom and shut the door. Alex smiled. Maria was in denial. She was attracted to Jacob and upset because of it. Alex remembered what she had discussed with Erik, though. Both Maria and Jacob were just getting over failed relationships. It might not be good for them to hook up right now. It was a difficult situation. But with Maria, things were always difficult. Alex stood up and began to change for bed. She smiled. ‘I’ll just think about Erik right now and Maria can worry about Maria,’ she thought.
The next day was sunny and hot. The group was out enjoying the hotel’s pool. They had rehearsal for the show at two and had been told by the Mikes that they could just chill out until then.
Erik and Alex were sitting at a table eating sandwiches and talking. Dan, Trevor and Ashley were in the pool, fooling around. Maria sat at the edge of the pool just taking everything in and trying not to get splashed…unsuccessfully. And Jacob was lounging on a deck chair wondering when his physical therapist would be arriving. She was already an hour late and he was anxious to meet her. Anxious so that she could start making him feel better. He was sick and tired of being in pain already. He smiled to himself. ‘Like she has magic hands or something,’ he thought.
Jacob’s gaze fixed on Maria. She had her black bathing suit on and her hair was pulled back into a twist. She was also wearing sunglasses and looked extremely good. ‘What kind of a jackass would cheat on her?’ he asked himself. He continued to watch her as she yelled at Ashley for splashing her. Ashley, of course, denied doing it, and ended up pulling her into the water with them. Maria didn’t get mad. She laughed and joined in their roughhousing.
"Erik, check it out. Jacob can’t take his eyes off of her," Alex said. Erik looked over at Jacob and smiled.
"Even with Janie, he wasn’t like that," he said. Alex turned to him.
"How long were they together?" she asked.
"Well, it was off and on since Jake was twelve." Alex’s eyes grew wide in astonishment.
"Wow. That long? Why did they end it?" she asked.
"They never saw each other. Janie’s cool, though, and they’re still, like, best friends. I guess the love thing wasn’t meant to be," Erik replied.
"Does…Janie, is it? Does she still love Jacob?" Erik shrugged.
"I guess. But, it’s more ‘friendship’ love now, I think. She knew that the music and the group came first with Jacob and she accepted it. It was too hard on them and they were both pretty upset by the time they decided to end it anyway, so it was for the best," he told her. Alex turned back around to look at Jacob. He was still watching Maria. If he had been so miserable in a relationship before, why would he be looking for a new one so soon? Or maybe he was just looking for some ‘fun.’ Well, he wouldn’t get it from Maria. ‘No one uses my friends,’ Alex thought.
"Jacob?" Jacob took his eyes off of Maria and squinted up at Mike M. "She’s here." Jacob took a deep breath and stood up, following Mike into the hotel. He saw a pretty young woman of average height with dark blonde hair that was up in a ponytail standing in the lobby of the hotel looking around. When she saw Mike, she smiled. Jacob noticed that she had piercing blue eyes that she turned on him as he walked toward her.
"Jacob Underwood, this is Dianna Carroll, your physical therapist. Ms. Carroll, this is Jacob, your patient," Mike said with a smile. Jacob nodded and shook her hand. She smiled at him.
"Hi, Jacob. It’s nice to meet you. These are unusual circumstances, though. I never thought that I’d be a ‘therapist-on-the-run,’" she said.
"Yeah, well, I kinda messed up my back dancing and something had to be done so that I could dance again," Jacob said.
"Well, I’ll do my best," Dianne answered.
"I’ll get you settled on the bus. We’re not staying here tonight. After the show, we’ll board the bus and continue on to Portland," Mike said.
"Oh, okay. Just show me where to go and I’ll follow," Dianna said. Jacob watched as Dianna followed Mike through the lobby. They were going out the back to where the bus was parked. Jacob made his way back out to the pool area.
Maria was having fun in the pool. Ashley had her in a tight embrace from behind and Maria fought to get loose.
"Let go," she said, smiling.
"What’s the magic word?" Ashley asked.
"Let me go, now," she replied.
"Dan? Trevor? Maria doesn’t know how to be polite. I think she needs to be dunked again," Ashley said. Maria fought him, but he was too strong for her and she ended up underwater again. She felt herself being lifted and she opened her eyes to see Dan smiling at her.
"Thank you, Dan," she said as she swam to the side of the pool.
"Ashley doesn’t know how to treat a lady," he said. Maria smiled, then looked down and her smile became a frown.
"Shit. Trevor? Can you please dive and get my sunglasses? They’re at the bottom of the pool," Maria said. Trevor and Ashley then fought each other to see who could retrieve the glasses first. Maria shook her head.
"You guys are like little kids," she said. Trevor had shoved Ashley out of the way and brought Maria her sunglasses.
"Thanks," she said.
"No problem." Trevor smiled and swam away.
"I’m getting out before I turn into a prune," Maria said. Dan laughed and pulled himself out of the pool. He put his hand out and Maria grabbed it. He hoisted her out of the pool and she stood there, brushing her wet hair out of her eyes. She turned and saw Jacob come strolling out of the hotel. He had on long, baggy shorts and a tee shirt. Turning her attention away from him, Maria went over to Erik and Alex, who had finished their lunch and were just talking now. Dan followed her and sat down on a chair at the table.
"Please join us," Erik said, annoyed.
"Okay," Dan said as he grabbed a towel and wiped his face.
"So, what are you two discussing?" Maria asked. Alex looked up at her and shrugged.
"Not much. You looked like you were having fun. It’s about time," she told her. Maria hit her playfully.
"Don’t think that I’m not thinking about all of the work that I still have to do," she said.
"Oh, believe me, I know you and I know that you’re always thinking about work," Alex said, rolling her eyes. Maria sat down and turned her chair so that she could see everyone that was around the pool. Her eyes landed on Jacob, who was sitting, once again, on his deck chair. Their eyes locked and she quickly looked away.
Jacob sighed. Maria wouldn’t even look at him. Whatever. He didn’t need that kind of distraction anyway. He saw Ashley and Trevor getting out of the pool. They made their way over to him and sat down on either side of him on their own chairs.
"Why don’t you come in?" Ashley asked Jacob, as he lay down, letting the warm sun dry him off.
"I don’t feel like it. My physical therapist is here. I met her a few minutes ago," Jacob told them. Trevor smiled.
"Well? What’s she like?" he asked. Jacob shrugged.
"She’s not old. She looks really young, actually. I don’t know. I only met her for a minute. She seems friendly enough," he said. Mike C. then appeared before them.
"Come on, guys. You need to get ready for the radio interview that you have at four," he said. The guys stood up. Mike went around to the table where Erik and Dan sat with Alex and Maria. He spoke with them and Erik and Dan got up. Alex and Maria stayed seated. Jacob guessed that they wouldn’t be attending the interview. He followed Trevor and Ashley into the hotel. They met Erik, Dan and Mike and they all rode up in the elevator together.
After getting Dianna settled on the bus, Mike M. brought her out to meet Alex and Maria.
"Alex, Maria, this is Dianna Carroll. She’s Jacob’s physical therapist," he said. They smiled.
"Grab a seat," Alex said. Mike excused himself, saying that he’d be back later and he left the women alone.
"You’re from Boston?" Maria asked.
"I went to school there and just stayed after getting a job at a physical therapy center close to the university. I’m originally from Cleveland," Dianna told them.
"That’s cool. So, you live in Boston?" Alex asked. Dianna nodded.
"Yes. I’ll admit that I’ve never been this far away from home before. I was nervous when I left home just to go to Boston," she said.
"What made you want to do this, then?" Maria asked. Dianna shrugged.
"I was getting bored with the same routine day after day, so when the call came in for a therapist to travel with a band, it seemed like an opportunity to do something different, so I volunteered and here I am," she said.
"Have you met Jacob?" Maria asked. Alex watched her closely. She wondered if Dianna’s presence would bother Maria.
"Yes. Mike introduced us," Dianna said. "He seems nice." Maria smiled.
"Oh, he’s nice, but just don’t get on his bad side," she said.
After the show that night, everyone returned to the hotel, got their things and boarded the bus. Dianna had taken Susan’s bunk. She was there waiting when everyone arrived…tired, yet still pumped up from their performance.
"Everyone, this is Dianna. Dianna, this is everyone," Mike M. introduced them. They smiled and the guys, who hadn’t yet met Dianna, introduced themselves.
"So, are you ready for this craziness?" Dan asked her.
"I can actually use some craziness in my life right now," she said.
"Well then, you’ve come to the right place," Erik told her and everyone laughed.
"How does your back feel?" Dianna asked Jacob. He shook his head and she gave him a sympathetic smile. "We can make up a treatment schedule whenever you want. I don’t really know how things work around here, so…"
"Sure. Just let me put my stuff away and then we can talk," Jacob said. He walked to his bunk and was surprised to see Maria lying in hers, half asleep already.
"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded and yawned.
"I’m just tired. Jacob, we’ll be going to California soon. Do you think that when we’re in San Francisco, I’ll get a chance to visit my father? Do you think that you can ask the Mikes for me?" she asked.
"Your father lives in San Francisco?" Maria nodded. Jacob didn’t know much about Maria’s family. He had never thought to ask…probably because it was none of his business.
"Yeah, I’ll ask the Mikes and see if something can be arranged. Why don’t you just ask them?"
"I can, but you have more power than I do where they’re concerned," Maria said, smiling. Jacob had to get out of there. Whenever Maria smiled at him like that, he felt his heart beat a little faster.
"I’ll talk to them," he said as he made a hasty retreat back the way that he had come. Maria frowned. What was that all about? Forgetting about it, she closed her eyes to get some sleep.
Wednesday, June 13th
It was finally the day of the Teen Choice Awards. The show was being held in Los Angeles, and then the group and their entourage would head to San Francisco for a couple of radio performances.
The Mikes had informed the group that they would be performing ‘All Or Nothing’ at the awards show. Alex had gone and picked out outfits for each of the guys to wear, paid for by the management, of course. She had already fitted each of the guys and they were happy with her choices, except for Jacob, who preferred to wear his own clothes. Alex was cool about it, though, and didn’t get offended. She had four other guys to dress, so she was happy.
Jacob had asked the Mikes about Maria possibly visiting her father when they were in San Francisco. They had said that it would be okay. Maria couldn’t wait to see him. She had three out of five of the guys’ profiles done, but she still had to do the group interview and Jacob’s individual photo shoot, as well as, the group’s photo shoot. She had managed to get some more shots of Erik, so he was done. She couldn’t wait until this awards show was over, though, so that she could concentrate just on her work. They had checked into a hotel just for the night, so that they’d have a place to shower and change.
"California is gorgeous," Dianna said as she stood at the window. Maria liked Dianna, but she didn’t like the feeling that she got whenever Dianna disappeared into the back of the bus with Jacob for his treatments. ‘I shouldn’t care,’ Maria thought, but she did. The treatments seemed to be working, though. Jacob was already moving better and dancing more, so whatever Dianna was doing was helping tremendously.
"I can’t believe you’re not going with us tonight," Alex said to Dianna, as she looked around for her boots. Dianna turned away from the window.
"I don’t mind, really. I don’t like a lot of attention," she said. She was still trying to get used to all of the chaos that followed O-Town wherever they went. It was crazy.
"We can switch. I’ll stay here and you can go," Maria said. Alex shook her head quickly back and forth.
"No way, Maria. You’re going. We’ve already discussed this," she said as she zipped up her boots. Maria sighed and smoothed out her dress. Alex had done Maria’s hair in an intricate style, which had left small braids on top of her head and the rest of her hair fanning out behind her.
"So, Alex, you’re going with Erik and Maria’s going…with whom?" Dianna asked. Alex and Maria looked at each other, before Maria turned to Dianna.
"Ashley, Dan, Trevor and Jacob," she said, smiling. Ashley had called his ex-girlfriend, Shelli, but she had been unable to attend.
"Wow, four dates for the same event. You’re lucky," Dianna said. Maria laughed.
"I don’t know if ‘lucky’ is the right word exactly," she said. There was a knock at the door. Dianna went to answer it. Mike M. came in, looking neater than he usually did.
"Ladies, you look lovely," he said to Alex and Maria. "I just want to go over some things about tonight. We will be entering in a high-press area. There will be reporters and people will be taking pictures. The group will have to stop for pictures, but you two stay with Mike and he’ll escort you inside. Don’t talk to any reporters. Mike will tell you what to do, so don’t worry. We’ve arranged for you to sit with the guys during the show. I think that’s it. Have fun. It’s gonna be a great show." He smiled. "Now, if you’re ready, let’s go." Maria and Alex said ‘goodbye’ to Dianna, who was a little disappointed to not be going, but because of her late arrival, there was no way for the Mikes to arrange it. She didn’t mind, though.
Mike brought Maria and Alex to the room where the guys were getting ready. He opened the door. Everyone was ready except for Ashley who was still fussing with his hair. The guys stared when they saw the girls. Erik kissed Alex’s cheek.
"You look amazing," he said, smiling.
"So do you," she told him.
Maria stood by the door, uncomfortable with the guys’ eyes on her. "What?" she asked. Trevor broke the silence.
"Wow. You look great," he said. Maria actually blushed.
"Thanks," she said, not really liking compliments regarding her looks. She hated for her looks to be seen over her talent. She looked at Jacob, whose expression she couldn’t really read. Jacob was speechless. Maria was stunning. He couldn’t find any words to really express his feelings at that point. And he didn’t get the chance, either, as Ashley finally came out of the bathroom.
"Let’s go win some awards!" he said, excitedly. Everyone filed out of the room and headed for the elevators that would take them down to the lobby. There, two limos would be waiting outside to take them to the Teen Choice Awards.